Camp Whimsy

Dinosaurs and Trains

 
Baby brother has been spending a lot of time playing dinosaurs and Thomas Train. He likes to group all of his dinosaurs together and help them to do dinosaur things such as roaring, eating trees, climbing volcanoes and engaging in dinosaur battles.

When he starts playtime he insists standing each of his dinosaurs upright where he can see each one. By the time he is finished every dinosaur will be knocked over and possibly thrown across the room as a result of dinosaur battle.

This is what dinosaur battle looks like. Little dinosaurs battling much bigger dinosaurs.

When baby brother has had enough of battling dinosaurs he switches gears...

All aboard!!

It has been so much fun to watch as he learned how to properly pull the train, line up the magnets and fix the track. He is in love with his train set!

 

Tonight I am headed to pick up a few new accessories, engines and extra track for baby brother's Christmas present. Maybe I'll throw in a few dinosaurs too. And on a final note, some very wise person thought long and hard about what two year old boys really love (dinosaurs and trains) and came up with Dinosaur Train, a favorite new show on PBS for baby brother and toddlers everywhere!   
 
 
 
  

Checking In

Just me, checking in. Wanting to say hello, and how much I've missed you. This break from blogging was a good choice for me and has given me much more free time for my family and projects I've been working on. But I have missed sharing things I make and do with you. I am posting several new recipes that I've made this Fall. I hope you will love them as much as I have. My days are full of playtime and homemaking, taking my daughter to school and dance, spending time with good friends and working on projects. I am so grateful to be at this place in my life, to be a stay at home mom. For me it is the best job in the world and one I've always wanted. The joy I find in keeping my home clean and tidy, cheerful and warm is a blessing. I have found a new truth,one I want to share with you, since it is my desire to be honest and open with you. My new truth is this: that the things I love, the things I am "good" at are truly gifts from God. He blessed me with a love for baking, crafting, sewing, decorating, gardening and mothering. These are gifts from God. These are things he gave to me because he knew this would be my life and I would need them. I didn't choose to be this person, God made me this person, from the time I was a very little girl I have been interested in these things. It is no coincidence. It feels great to have made this connection. To understand that I didn't do anything to become the person that I am, but rather God knew me and blessed me with the desires, talents and skills that I would need to be me. Consider your own life and the things that God has given you in order to become the person he knew you would be. Isn't this amazing? This is what God has shown me over the past several months and it feels wonderful. Each day is a blessing and I am grateful for this time in my life, to be a wife and mother of two small children. It is the greatest gift. I hope in the coming weeks you will find joy and satisfaction in everything you do, and that the gifts in your life would be ever present and you will be blessed beyond your expectations. Here are a few shots of what I've been up to, followed by new recipes for onion dip, pecan bars, a pumpkin roll and baked brie. I took the easy way out and am linking directly to the recipes rather than posting them here.

Sewing...lots of sewing going on around here. This is the fabric I picked out for my first attempt at quilting, for a very special baby girl on the way.

I've made progress on my little house, installing the wood flooring, windows, tin ceiling and painting some of the exterior. I moved in the girls and their things and they are quite happy in their new home.

Here's a peek at the charming snowman and deer cloche I purchased from my good friend Laurie from Mapgie Ethel. My holiday displays get better and better thanks to Laurie's vintage craftiness. Check out her Etsy shop to find a Magpie original of your own!

Thank you for stopping by, although I am not ready to begin weekly posting at this point, I will post from time to time. And thank you for all of the kind emails and comments you have sent my way, they have warmed my heart and I am so very grateful. Many, many blessings, Kim

  
 

 
 

Baked Brie

You know I love anything wrapped in puff pastry. And I love brie. Brie wrapped in puff pastry? Excellent! Ina's recipe for baked brie is about as easy as it gets. I used pecans instead of almonds, you can also use dried cranberries instead of cherries. Ina calls for a seven inch Brie round, but the common sized round of 19.6 ounces (about 5 inches wide) worked perfectly.

Easy as:

Slice Brie horizontally.

Add fruit, nuts and brown sugar to the bottom half.

Cover with top half of Brie.
 

Wrap in sheet of puff pastry.

Add a round of puff pastry to the top, brush with egg wash and bake.

Yum!!!!!
 

 
 
 

 

Pumpkin Roll

This pumkin roll recipe was easy to make. If you are not a fan of cream cheese frosting you can easily substitue a whipped cream filling.
 

Onion Dip

I made Ina's recipe for pan fried onion dip for a party we had with a few good friends. The dip was a hit, especially with the guys. The cayenne pepper gives it a good amount of zip. This is a great dip for a party, and you can easily make it the day before and bring it to room temperature just before your party.

 
 

Pecan Bars

I had been wanting to make these pecan bars for a very long time and I am so glad I finally did! The recipe yields a whole cookie sheet of them, so make sure you have a crowd to feed. In my case I had a home shopping party with a big group of girlfriends and afterwards I made sure to send some home with the guests. Make sure you push the crust up the sides of the pan really well, the filling will fill the whole pan and it makes a mess if it bubbles over. I made sure to line the oven with foil before baking to ensure easy clean up. Costco had 2 pound bags of pecans for under 9 bucks, which helps with the cost of this recipe. For the party I placed the bars on cupcake wrappers and heaped a good amount of chocolate over the top. They were fabulous and I'm sure my girlfriends will be so glad to see I've finally posted the recipe here for them!

Oh this is heaven!!!
 
 

 

Following My Heart

Dear Camp Whimsy readers, I'm going to be taking a break from blogging, perhaps a long or even permanent one. I will continue to read my many favorite blogs and I'll let you know what I end up doing with Camp Whimsy when I make that decision. My mom says the most courageous thing you can do is to follow your heart, and right now my heart is telling me I just need to be able to focus on my family and everyday life. Blessings, Kim

The Playhouse Revealed!

 

Welcome to our playhouse reveal party! The playhouse is finally finished, just in time for my daughter's fourth birthday party. Come on in and take a look...

 

 

We've been tidying up just for you!

 

 

...here is the little dining area...

 

...right next to the kitchen...

 

...where we prepare...

 

...breakfast...

 

...lunch...

 

...and dinner.

 

Here is a view of the pattern in the floor. It is the same flooring we have in the kitchen in our big house.

 

And here's a peek at the vaulted ceiling. We (the grown ups) decided against the chandelier because we like being able to stand up and not bend over or hit our heads on anything. A simple flat lighting fixture is just perfect.

 

This is a small reading area for now, though we plan to build a bench with toy storage underneath. I will sew a pad for the new bench to match the curtains I made. The kids love this little spot.

 

 

 

This is the view from the side window, which overlooks the garden.

 

And here is a picture of the side window from the outside. The front window faces the rear of our house.

Here are some shots of the building process:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love our new playhouse. It is just what I envisioned for our back yard, it looks like it has always been there. The kids adore it.

 

Thanks for coming! Come again anytime, we'll leave the light on for you!

Your invited to the playhouse reveal party!

 

Don't forget to join me tomorrow morning for the big playhouse reveal party! And please invite your friends! See you then! Kim

Oatmeal Raisin (or chocolate chip) Cookies

 

Every time I open the tub of Quaker rolled oats there is the same recipe mocking me on the inside of the lid. It's been there for a while, and I finally gave in and tried the "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" recipe. I'm glad I did! It's the best oatmeal cookie recipe I've tried. Of course I couldn't see the point of actually using raisins and opted for bittersweet chocolate and butterscotch chips instead, but do as you like.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

 3 cups Quaker old fashioned oats, uncooked

 1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until light and creamy.

 

Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

 

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt;

 

add to mixer and mix well.

 

Stir in oats and raisins (or chips).

 

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. The recipe says an ungreased cookie sheet, but I prefer to line my cookie sheets with my bff parchment paper. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. If you prefer a chewier cookie (like me) remove when just the edges are golden brown, for a crispier cookie let the whole cookie brown. This recipe yields about 4 dozen cookies. That is too many cookies for my  family to eat at once, so....

 

I take about 2/3 of the dough, line it out on plastic wrap...

 

roll it up and place it in a gallon size freezer bag in the freezer. Now we can enjoy fresh baked cookies anytime...

 

just slice frozen cookie dough with a sharp knife and add about one minute to the baking time.

 

Happy baking!!