Restock at The Straw Cellar

I've just dropped off another order of our handmade ornaments to The Straw Cellar in Wolfeboro, NH!  Even though it's not Christmas-season, it's always a great time to get ahead on gifts and our ornaments are now again in-stock there.  

While you're at The Straw Cellar, don't forget to check out all the other wonderful New England-made goods they carry!  

Chicken-Themed Toddler Easter Basket

Last year we started keeping backyard chickens and they've become a really fun and important addition to our family.  We love the fresh eggs we get everyday and our toddler thinks the chickens are super fun.  Since she's become so fond of our six Rhode Island Red hens, I thought we'd make her Easter basket chicken-themed this year!  Now to just wait until Easter..  | This post contains affiliate links |

Two of "the girls." 

We have six Rhode Island Red hens (two of them pictured here), so I tried to find chicken-related items that looked like our girls.  Most of the items I found can be purchased through Amazon, but you may also have luck finding similar things at your local store.  (Amazon also had other chicken breeds too in case you were looking to find something that looked more like ones you have at home.)  

I think creating an animal-themed Easter basket can be a really fun and engaging idea, and could easily be done to reflect whatever animal(s) you might have at home - dogs, cats, horses, fish, etc.  

Here are the items I chose for our Chicken-Themed Easter Basket:  

• "Five Little Chicks" by Nancy Tafuri - A sweet book about five little hungry chicks looking for snacks before bedtime.  
• Chicken Stuffed Animal - Our little one is going to LOVE this stuffed chicken!  It's about the same size and color as our Rhode Island Red hens.  Amazon also has stuffed animals of several other breeds of chickens as well.  
• Easter Eggs filled with mini M&Ms - Plastic Easter eggs is a given, just simply fill with your little one's favorite candy.  
• Marshmallow Peeps - Baby chicks for the mama hen!  (I included these Marshmallow Peeps in this post as an example, but I actually won't be giving them to our daughter - I don't feel as though she's old enough to eat them just yet.)  
• The Little Red Hen - A classic folktale!  

Looking for more Easter ideas?  Check out our previous Easter posts:  

• DIY Button Easter Basket
• Young Toddler Easter Basket Ideas

Happy Easter!  

Always use your best judgement to decide what kinds of toys, food, and candy are appropriate for your child.  

Bangers + Mash for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patricks's Day is coming up and you need a to have a good Irish meal to celebrate - everybody is Irish on St. Patrick's Day afterall!  "Bangers and Mash" (sausage and mashed potatoes) is one of my favorite Irish-inspired meals to make because it's easy and quicker than making corned beef and cabbage.  And really - you just can't go wrong with sausage and potatoes!  

Bangers + Mash

Total time 50 mins  |  Serves the whole clan!  

Ingredients

• sausages, at least 2 per person  (I believe it's traditionally supposed to be a sage-y sausage, but our local grocery store doesn't carry those - so I went with Sweet Italian)
• potatoes for mashing, my rule of thumb is at least 1.5 potatoes per person when figuring out how many to buy 
• sweet onion
• butter
• milk
• head of cabbage
• sage
• salt + pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wash, peel, and chop potatoes.  Set them aside in a pot of salted water to boil.  
2. Pan fry sausages and onion until cooked through.  Season with salt, pepper, and sage to taste towards the end of it's cooking.  
3. Chop some fresh cabbage and gently boil until wilted (just a few minutes).  
4. Once the potatoes are soft, drain them and mash with butter and milk until it's to your liking (feel free to also season with salt and pepper to taste).  
5. Serve!  We like the sausages and onions on top of our mashed potatoes and the cabbage on the side.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Sláinte!

First Trip to IKEA

Today was my first time going to IKEA and let me tell you, it was ah-mazing!  

We live about 3 hours away from the nearest IKEA, and that's probably a good thing because I liked way too many of the things they have there.  What blew me away most was how beautiful, sturdy, and reasonably-priced the furniture was.  

We left with "big girl" furniture for our daughter's new room since she'll be transitioning out of her crib soon (eek) and moving into what was my craft room.  We got her the small Hemnes dresser and Hemnes twin bed (full review and room makeover will be on the blog soon).  And since my craft room will become her room, we decided to bite the bullet and get the Hemnes sideboard to hold all my displaced craft supplies.  I just loved the Hemnes line from IKEA, can't you tell?  We also picked up a cute (and cheap!) wooden train set for her.  

I was expecting IKEA to be a lot of modern furniture and accessories, but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a lot of great "farmhouse-inspired" pieces that fit with our New England style.  

I should have taken more pictures for the blog while we were there, but I was just too busy browsing and shopping!  ;)

Happy Mail: We Are Knitters

Just received my first We Are Knitters knit kit!  I haven't knit anything in years and I'm so excited to do it again.  I'll be sharing a full review of my project (I'll be making the Downtown Snood) as well as a giveaway for your own kit on the blog soon!

If you can't wait until then, use the code "BIRCHLANDINGWAK" to receive 15% off your order from We Are Knitters. 

- I received this item for review from We Are Knitters but all opinions expressed are my own.  Please see our Disclosure Policy for more information. - 

Grandma Dot's Apple Cookie Recipe

It may not be Fall right now but that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy yummy apple baked goods!  This recipe is for a soft-baked cookie - lightly spiced and not too sweet, just perfect.  
Besides, it's my Grandma's recipe so you know it has to be good.  

Now I never actually met my Grandma Dot - she passed away before I was born. But from the stories I’ve heard she was a hard worker, very outspoken, and feisty. Whenever I make these cookies I think of her and am honored to carry on a piece of her. We make these cookies pretty regularly throughout the year, especially when we get together with family (they are my Dad’s favorite cookies).

Before you start don't forget to read our 5 Tips for Making Perfect Cookies - Everytime!  

Grandma Dot's Apple Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen, 2-inch cookies.  

CREAM
-  1 cup sugar
-  1/2 cup shortening
-  1 tsp vanilla
-  Add 2 beaten eggs

COMBINE
-  2 cups flour
-  1 tsp baking soda
-  1/2 tsp salt
-  1/4 tsp allspice
-  1/4 tsp nutmeg
-  1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture.  
Fold in 1 1/2 cups diced raw, unpeeled apples, coated with 1 tbsp brown sugar.  (I usually chop my apples a little on the bigger side.)  Dough will be crumbly.  
Drop by small teaspoons full and BAKE at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  

These cookies are best enjoyed the same day you make them; they tend to get soggy the longer they sit because of the moisture in the apples.  Usually they're gobbled up fast though, so this generally isn't an issue.  

I Just Love Doing Custom Orders!

Every so often someone will contact me and ask if they can order a completely custom ornament.  I'm always game to give it a try and see if I can use my wood burner to translate what they want onto a little wooden disc.  

Custom Methodist Cross ornament in the making.

Recently a very nice lady contacted me on Etsy to see about ordering a set of Methodist Cross ornaments for her Church.  I loved the idea of having my ornaments hanging in a Church and I was excited to give it a try.  I'm really happy with how they came out and I especially love the texture of the flame on them.  

Even though it's not Christmas-time, if you have an idea for a completely custom ornament please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail or a custom order request on Etsy.  I'm always happy to see what I can do for you.  

DIY Valentine Postcards - Perfect Project for Toddlers and Kids!

Last year I started the tradition of having our little one make Valentines for close family and friends.  This year I wanted to continue the tradition but find a way to make them as inexpensive as possible, and so I settled on the idea of DIY Valentine Postcards.  
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Materials:

• non-glossy poster board

• finger paint

• toilet paper tubes

• tape

• ruler

• scissors

• sharpie marker

• paper cutter (optional)

• postage stamps for postcards

How-to:  

One of the reasons I decided to make postcards this year instead of traditional cards was, not only are postcards cuter, they cost almost 30% less to mail than a traditional card - these postage savings add up!  As a result, this project cost next to nothing to do.  I already had the paint, toilet paper rolls, rulers, etc. - I just had to run down to the local store and pick up a piece of poster board which cost a whopping 99 cents.  

The simple supplies

The how-to is pretty straight forward: use a ruler to measure and cut out your postcards (I made mine 4x5.5", but you can check here for more details on postcard requirements).  If you have a paper cutter that can come in quite handy to make quick work of cutting them out.  

Next use a ruler and a sharpie to create the back of the postcard, one line down the middle and then three lines on the right hand side for the address.  

Next let your toddler go to town!  I put down one card at a time to keep the backs clean from paint as well as to keep them from getting over-saturated.  To make the heart "stamp" I used toilet paper tubes bent into a heart shape and held together with tape.     

Once the cards were done I let our little one go crazy on the table covering.  

The cards drying - they came out pretty great!!  

I kept the backs very basic with a simple handwritten message and a little heart stamp.  

I hope you enjoyed this little Valentine DIY!  It was very quick and easy and the possibilities are endless when it comes to how you want to paint, color, or draw the front of the postcard.  

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Check out our other Valentine's Posts:  

• Toddler Art Valentines

• Apple Rose Tarts for Valentine's Day