Link Roundup - MELTING Edition

Holy cow, it's finally warm enough that there's some melting going on out there. I can't tell you how happy I am to see that, except for the whole slush/mud thing. As I came back from feeding my barn cats today, I told Hubs that's one thing I am completely not prepared to encounter when we live on the farm. I guess that's what MUDrooms are for...

But anyway, here are some links that will NOT leave muddy footprints on your freshly scrubbed floor -

MAKE
Groundhog Day is long over and I'm still cracking up over this Felt Groundhog Finger Puppet at Skip to My Lou. We gotta do this next year!!!

These Fused Plastic Sandwich Wraps at Chica and Jo are awesome - the best part is the little messages that are fused underneath the top layer.

These Fold Up Cuff Pants are too cute, and even though they're part of the BOY month, they're modeled by a girl so I know they'd be that adorable on Goose, too. (@ ikat bag)

And because I found myself clicking all over the place at ikat bag before I had hardly blinked, here are a few more super cute and fun projects: felt food (sort of): horse and unicorn food (love it!), foam dirt, and foam sofa which I have long loved from afar but never considered for Goose 'cause I'm also not impressed that they're always screaming with cartoon characters. [and SERIOUSLY if you can keep yourself from clicking the rest of the foam posts on the sidebar (look under the April posts) you're a much stronger person than I am!]

Just in time for Valentine's Day (well, just barely) - check out this crazy cute Tutu T-Shirt at Joy's Hope. WOW!

SO SWEET - Kissing Hand Necklaces at No Time For Flashcards.

Here is an amazing pattern and tutorial for a Pettiskirt (subtitled: or What I Did on My Summer Holidays! Hee.) at Made By Bronwyn. It's lovely! And as a detail nerd, I so appreciate the level of information provided.

For a few of you pregnant mama friends out there, Smockity Frocks shows how to Make Your Own Bella Band.

Ohh, these felt band-aids at Pink and Green Mama are so sweet! (and the felt TP for the stuffed frog who is also working on potty training just plain cracked me up!) And if you're looking for delicious, check out her post on Felt Cinnamon Rolls that are making me hungry. :>)

Another BOY post, I love these Tie Shirts at Saltwater Kids - so fun!

I'm still laughing over this Hairdo Hat for Baby at Sew Can Do. Tee hee - click through just for the pictures, if nothing else!

What a fun idea - Smashed Peas and Carrots took a long sleeved older girl's shirt, and turned it into a Short Sleeved Toddler Dress with matching Legwarmers. [note to self: check Target clearance section!]

I'm really digging this Valentine's Art Purse from Treasures for Tots - since moving into my enormous mom purse, I need something like this!

EAT
Tomatoes are one thing my garden seems to produce in abundance, and I am always trying to learn something new about cooking with them. This page at Tipnut had some new things for me! Also at Tipnut, a page on garlic - I know so many people that rave about cooking with fresh garlic and I gotta tell you, garlic scares me a little. But it is delicious, and super good for you, too.

Perhaps this fits better under Pray & Ponder, but I'll put it here anyway. :>) Catholic Cuisine recently linked back to a post from last year on Chicken Broth on Fridays: Yes or No? and I appreciated the insight. The follow up article is at EWTN: Why No Chicken on Days of Abstinence.

I love a good breakfast casserole, and I also love not having to get up at o'dark thirty to put it in the oven, as allowed by this Ultimate Breakfast Casserole at A Year of Slow Cooking. I tried doing this once and it got kind of rubbery (did I mention there were guests involved?) ... perhaps it's now time to give it another try.

Mmm, I might have to try these Pizza Bites from Annie's Eats for our upcoming poker party. (Hubs LOVES hosting it, and I get to cook for a bunch of people. It's mostly a win-win situation. :>))

DO
Fancy Pants Prints has a cute printable for a Check Yes or No Valentine's Day Freebie. My favorite part - it asks for the candy back if the recipient checks no. :>)

We don't exactly have Craigslist in our area, but I really dig this concept: How to Enlist Gmail to Sell your Craigslist Items for You, at Mighty Bargain Hunter.

Goose doesn't really know much about pretty, sparkly glitter just yet but I've been amused reading how it's the bane of so many crafty parents. Learning Vicariously has a neat method for Easy Cleanup Sparkles that is a great idea!

Another Homemade Playdough Recipe from My Montessori Journey this time, and note the fun dough-of-the-month suggestions! Along those lines, check out Play Dough in the Tutor's Toolkit at Training Happy Hearts for the benefits to little ones playing with the squishy stuff.

If you're a fellow LOST geek, check out Rocks In My Dryer the day after an episode for some theory swapping. (Yup, I'm looking at you, Angela!)

I'm amazed at this Painted Brick Wall at The Little Green Bean - it's a regular wall painted to LOOK like brick. And it does!

PRAY & PONDER
I have mentioned before that I've been enjoying the blog A Slob Comes Clean, and it has really inspired me as I've been working on my 40 Bags in 40 Days decluttering challenge. Nony does it again with the post All Housekeeping Points Expire at Midnight - I really like both the original story on which it is based as well as the housekeeping twist she gave it.

Along those lines, this Cluttered Coffeetable post at Daily Dwelling spoke to me with this quote: "An organizing consultant recently spoke to our MOPS group and she defined clutter as unmade decisions." I have found that to be particularly true in my house - if I don't know what to do with it but I want to keep it, I'll just stick it somewhere for now. As if it'll grow legs and walk itself to a proper home by itself...

I loved this piece at Faith & Family Live called Sibling Revelry. And I honestly didn't catch the play on words until just now. Yup.

With a nod to my friend Jenn, I was really moved by a post at I Was A Foster kid called To Foster Parents: Top 10 Things to Make a Foster Child's First Day Easier. One of my regular rosary intentions is for kids who don't have a home or a "for real" family and I send a big hug to all the CASA volunteers and others who are working on behalf of these precious souls.

Never could I give up my grains entirely, but Katie at Kitchen Stewardship is giving us much food for thought regarding grains this month, including the Nutritional Value of Whole Grains.

I really appreciated Stacey's post on her RCIA Class on the Eucharist at Almost There.

At the National Catholic Register, you can read Why Big Families Might Be Easier.

Happy surfing! And, apologies that this is a bit longer than usual, but I'm finally caught up!