Have you ever had a wonderful pet?  I can’t even tell you how many dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters, rabbits and horses that I’ve had through out my life!  But, even after all those pets, I think we have one of the best dogs of all time.

He came to us as a stray. He was so skinny that you could see all his bones…he looked awful!  But, he was still very loving and sweet with the children.  When you look at Blacky now you’d never know that he was once a stray.  He has beautiful, silky black fur and bright brown eyes.  He is quiet, smart and very protective of all of us.

I was tucking in our son one night and this is what I saw…

Blacky was snuggling with our daughter’s doll!  Isn’t that the cutest thing!?  Thought you all would enjoy something sweet today.

Are you looking for a healthy, quick snack for your kids?  I have a great suggestion…Dino Eggs!  They are easy to make, look really cool and taste great.  These eggs use natural food coloring…purple cabbage juice!  (The juice will only add color, not flavor.)

Here’s how to make them:

1. Boil a purple cabbage in a few inches of water. Drain off the juice and cool.  Be sure to eat the cabbage, it’s very tasty!

2. Make hard boiled eggs by putting eggs into cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and then remove the pan from the heat.  Let the eggs sit, covered, for 10 minutes.  Drain and then add cold water and ice to cool the eggs. (This will prevent them from continuing to cook.)

3.  Crack the eggs, by tapping them on the counter.  Put the eggs into the cabbage juice and leave them overnight in the fridge.

4.   Peel your eggs and they will have a cracked surface like dino eggs!  Enjoy!

For more ideas from awesome women, visit We Are That Family for Works For Me Wednesday.

Be sure to come back tomorrow! Nester and I have new art prints coming out…you can see them here and at Nesting Place.

Y’all we’ve been having a touch of cabin fever. A cold front hit Tennessee on Wednesday night.  The highs have been in the 20′s and the lows are single digits.  I know my readers north of the Mason Dixon line are laughing right now because I think this is cold!  So needless to say we have been inside.
Because I homeschool our 8 year old son and a 2 year old daughter we stay at home A LOT.  I’m happy to be home, but when the option to go outside and play is totally out of the question we need something fun to do inside!

Things that help the little folks at our house stay happy:

*Finger painting

*Coloring

* Play Dough

*Legos

*Dolls and tea parties

Whip Up and Crafty Crow often have some great crafts for moms and for kids.

Here are three of my favorites:

Doll House Pot Holders

Heart Sachets

Free Child’s Apron Pattern

Here is my Works For Me Wednesday tip hosted by Rocks In My Dryer

I thought I’d share something that has really helped me.  Our daughter is two and is usually a great eater.  But, sometimes she refuses to eat her meat.

This tip has been a meal saver.  Daiquiri at Call Her Blessed wrote this post. She said that if you give a kid a toothpick to eat with, then they will eat just about anything on their plate.

Guess what, it works!

Happy Kid, Happy Mama, Dinner is saved again…