Toddler Pillow & Fun Pillowcases

So as a WAHM that makes fun, homemade items for a living, most people think my daughter gets new creations everyday.  The sad truth, I'm so busy making things for all my great customers that I rarely have time to make anything for my daughter.  And my husband's requests...yeah right?!  Poor guy =/

But now that she is getting older and can ask for special things, I'm forcing myself to carve out time to craft with her and for her.  It sounds terrible I know, but with paying customers I don't want anyone to wait longer than they have to.  But at the same time, I'm so busy at this point in my business there is never a day when I don't have something to make for someone.  So Mommy/Daughter Craft Day will be making its way into the schedule. 

I've made her a few things over her 2.5 years.  Before even starting my at home business, I made her a knit squares baby blanket before she was born.  She still sleeps with it today, and looking back at it I've come a long way myself..lol  I also made her a few knit hats, diaper covers, & wool mittens.  But as my work load has increased, and I'm so thankful for the business, my free time has decreased & I put more and more projects for her off to the side. 

She recently saw me working on a custom "Look-A-Like" baby doll and asked for one, so to practice I created one for her as well.

  

I also made her a surprise blanket with her name on it for her birthday.  She "helped" me pick out great finds from the remnant bin at JoAnn's & I used one of her favorite finds to create a squishy double-sided blanket for her and hand-stitched her name onto one corner in felt letters.  I need to get some pictures of it!  She loves this blanket and sleeps with it underneath the first tiny blanket I knit for her.  She calls her tiny one her towel ;)

Now that she is using the covers so well, she decided she wanted to try a pillow.  So that brings me to the title of this post.  I didn't want to buy her a large adult pillow because she is tiny and so is her bed. So I decided that I could make her the perfect size pillow and create fun pillowcases for it.  I took her to the fabric store and she wanted My Little Pony fabric. (A recent new obsession)  The giant fabric store had none. =(  I didn't want to leave empty handed, so she picked out a replacement Minnie Mouse fabric after contemplating Sesame Street for a while.

Second fabric store, still no My Little Pony!  I've resigned to only Minnie Mouse for now and shopping online for the MLP, when browsing the clearance section as I always do...Alas My Little Pony fabric AND it's on sale!

So without further adieu, the muslin toddler pillow stuffed with my favorite organic stuffing that I use in my rattles and dolls.  And 2 fun pillowcases with interesting accent stitches!

 

Snacks for Toddlers: Candy Chickpeas!!

So I've been trying a few things here and there and forgetting to post about them.  =/
But this recipe made me remember!!

My husband & I have been eating loads of hummus lately because it is so yummy & easy to make.  You can do so many different things with it.  We've really been loving it!  So we tried giving it to our toddler.  She eats it here and there; she'll dip homemade tortilla chips in it, but she isn't really eating much of it.  But this wasn't a total fail, so I decide to explore chickpeas a little further.
(chickpeas are typically the beans used in making hummus.  If you've never heard of them I honestly hadn't either until I was interested in making hummus.  They are also called Garbanzo beans.  That's a fun name, right?!)

So I started looking for other ways to use Chickpeas and found a fun recipe we call "Candy Peas"
It is completely easy to make and anything we call candy gets a taste from our toddler at least once!!

So here it is:

Ingredients

• 15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons olive oil – liquid
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Drain and rinse chickpeas well.
3. Pat chickpeas dry with paper towels.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut oil and cinnamon. Add chickpeas and stir until well coated.
5. Spread chickpeas onto baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crunchy and no longer soft in the middle. (I shake the pan every 10 minutes)
6. Place hot chickpeas in a small bowl and coat with honey, mixing evenly.
7. Spread back onto baking sheet and allow to dry and cool.
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 134.3 Fat: 4.1 Saturated fat: 2.1 Unsaturated fat: 1.1 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 20.5 Sugar: 4.9 Sodium: 288.9 Fiber: 5.6 Protein: 5.3 Cholesterol: 0

I find that I need to cook them longer than I think because you want them to be very dry and crunchy to get that candy taste.  I also add more honey than the original recipe & even sprinkled a little sugar on them when they were still warm.

I have to say they were a BIG hit with our toddler and me.  They are a little addicting once you start eating them!  They kept well for several days and were a fun addition to snack time and her dinner plate.

I'd love to hear from you if you give them a try! =)