A Little Slice Of Heaven

So I am not quite sure where to start with this post, so I'll just say it.  Last week my husband's grandmother passed away, she was 96 years young and created a treasure trove of memories for those around her.  Her gift to me was how to make pumpkin pie from scratch.  From as far back in my relationship with my husband I  can remember him talking about how his grandma would feed him slices of bread with butter on it.  This was no ordinary bread.  This was bread from the special Cermak Rd. bakery on 22nd street in Berwyn, Illinois ( you know?BERRRRRWYNNN).  Vesecky's Bakery is a cult classic amongst those Czech folks from Berwyn. This place is to blame for two major dessert eating incidents.  The first was the great kolacky powdered sugar explosion that caused a car cash.  The second was a houska hording that caused people to fill their trunks with enough loaves to feed a small country.  Needless to say, Berwyn holds a special place in all of our hearts and memories of Eleanore fill our minds when we taste those delicious delicates.

This place would bring Willy Wonka to his knees.

Grandma Kocourek gave us so much to be thankful for...even if some of them were calorie-filled.  She will be missed so much.

I love Grandma's hair in this photo, it is perfect! Can you believe she raised four boys?

Tasting the same bread just like papa did when he was a little boy. It is so exciting to see memories being passed on.

Etsy Christmas List

Tis' the season...for supporting small business! And this year momma's christmas list is chalk full of etsy favorites.  Not only did I purchase a slew of PDF patterns to make gifts for friends and family, I also made it clear that I am trying to support as many work from home folks this holiday season. So take a glimpse at my etsy picks and create your own favorites list. 

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine

Montessori Snack Time

One thing that is near and dear to my heart is the Montessori Method of learning.  I love the idea of your kiddos play as being "work" and that everything at their height is meant for them.  This cuts down on saying "no" a zilllion times a day and makes your home a happy one.  Helping your child learn everyday tasks and giving them purposeful play is fulfilling for them, and is just as fulfilling for Momma and Poppa.  As Wolfgang gets older he needs new and more stimulation then the old days of just a baby play gym or mobile and mirror.  Right now colors and sorting are what have been catching his eye, so for snack time I came up with a Montessori inspired snacking situation.

A mini cupcake tray is what I use to separate out the color and textures of his mid morning snack.

A self serve mini snack bar for Wolfgang is the way to go here, sometimes he is even kind enough to bring the snacks to me and let me pick too.

Interested in learning more about ways you can incorporate Montessori methods into your home? Check out some of my favorite sites and blogs.

Sew Liberated

Montessori For Everyone

Beginning Montessori

Montessori Buy

Branching Out: Decatur, Illinois

What an unexpected branching out adventure that happened yesterday!  I called up my bestie Meredith and asked if she wanted to go thrifting, and she replied "Lets get wild and bring the kiddos to Decatur". Wolfgang and I were down for sure.  I mean, Wolfie can't talk, but I"m pretty sure he said, "Yes Mom, I'd love to go to Decatur, IL.  That sounds like the greatest thing that has happened in my life thus far."  So I packed up our snack and toy bags and we were off to the bustling metropolis that is Decatur.  I had never been there before, but Meredith went to Millikin University and recalled some gem thrift stores.  As a side note, I will state on record that Decatur is a soy processing plant town, and it has its shady areas.  At one time I would have imagined that this town was a megalopolis for the middle class, but now that is all left up to the imagination.

Off we go.

Thrift store or garbage dump? Answer: ....Thrift store! With the most amazing book room I've ever seen.

Oh yeah, the soy bean processing plant.  Smelly!

Our kiddos hold hands while we travel, this makes my heart melt.

This town gets an A+ for retro signs

Before hitting the road back home Meredith heard about this amazing coffee shop called Wildflour, you can check them out here. I recommend EVERYTHING.  I had an almond croissant that had a butter filling as well as a sugar cookie.  I also took a bite out of a raspberry shortbread bar, McGruff style.   I figured a good sugar rush for the car ride home was well deserved.

When we arrived home, our husbands ordered pizza and we showed off our prizes from the day's travels.  Here is a short round up.

Zoinks! Two vintage cameras for a dollar? Both are in MINT condition, and yes, you should be using your "Shaggy" voice for the "zoinks".

What a lovely adventure, it was so enjoyable to have a partner in crime for this trip. Want another point of view of our branching out trip? Stop by Meredith's blog to catch her side of the story.

xoxox,

Deb

What I wore When: I Went On A Thrifting Adventure

Scarf: Vintage Vera

Sweater: American Apparel

Dress: Salvation Army

Tights: Target

Boots: My moms

New Look

Welcome to my new space, it's cute, isn't it?  This whole blogging thing is really sort of taking off for me, it started out as a little diary for myself and maybe a few friends and family members to peek in on.  I never throught I would become so inspired and be so lucky to meet so many people.  Thank you readers and dear friends of the blogosphere for being so thoughtful, kind and supportive.

My lovely blog design was thought up in the cute little head of Miss Sandi, you can stop by and say hello to her here.

Cool wall huh? I made Meredith pull the car over to take my picture, she's the best!  Well, actually she's a distant second to my husband/editor, but I still like her a lot.

Advent Printable From Draw! Pilgrim

December first means it is time to set up the ol' Advent calendars.  Every year my Grandma Sally would give me an advent calender, sometimes it had chocolate and sometimes it would just be pretty little tabs to open.  For Wolfgang's first advent calendar I decided to do a mix of what I grew up with, and something new just for him.  My calendar would always hang on the refrigerator and every morning when I drank my juice I would open a new window. The one I made for Wolfgang is from Draw! Pilgrim and it's a wonderful tribute to vintage match boxes and pop art. (Purchase yours here)