Preschool Picnic Potluck

Today was my daughter's last day of preschool and her class celebrated with a picnic at the pond.  As you other moms out there know all to well the first question is what will we bring to the picnic?  I ran across this recipe that I used at a picnic years ago and decided to use it again today.  I must say it was a huge hit and with summer upon us and Memorial Day and 4th of July picnics around the corner, I thought I would share this recipe with you.  These ladybugs are a great way to get your little one to eat tomatos! Great for your next bug themed party!
Ladybug Appetizers
Taken from Taste Of Home's Quick Cooking Magazine July/August 2002
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 TBSP sour cream
1/2 tsp snipped chives
1/8 tsp minced parsley
1/8 tsp garlic salt
Black paste food coloring
36 butter flavored crackers
18 cherry tomatoes, quartered
18 large pitted ripe olives
72 fresh chive pieces (about 1 1/2 inches long)
In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream, chives, parsley and garlic salt; mix well.  Place 1 TBSP in a small plastic bag and tint black; set aside.
Spread remaining cream cheese mixture on crackers.  Arrange two tomato quarters on each for the ladybug wings.  For heads, halve the olives width wise; place one half on each cracker. Insert two chives into olives for antennae.  Use tinted cream cheese mixture to pipe spots onto wings. Yield: 3 dozen.

Now I am a busy mom, so I took a few short cuts. I did not count out the tomatos or the chives, so go easy on yourself.  I also did not pipe the black dots on - I simply mixed some in a bowl and used a toothpick to dot it on.  While the dots may not have been perfectly round, preschoolers don't mind!

I would love to hear how your ladybugs were a hit at your next gathering!

Daily Inspiration from a 4 Year Old

This is the time of year that mother's begin recieving those special handmade gifts from their kids.  I just recieved one such gift from my four-year-old daughter.  It was a marigold that her preschool teacher helped her lovingly plant in a play-doh cup.  My daughter had decorated the cup and on it were the words, "I love my mom because she makes me oatmeal for breakfast."
I can't begin to tell you how many days I make the oatmeal for her on auto-pilot. I am so busy getting everyone out the door in the morning I don't stop and think about the oatmeal. While I do want to be sure to send my kids out the door with a full belly, and since we live in Montana, something warm in them is a big plus, more often then not, it is simply a bowl of instant oatmeal I have heated in the microwave.   Before I was a stay at home mom, I was a social worker and I placed kids in foster care.  I now take for granted that my daughter starts her day with something warm in her tummy. There are so many kids out there that don't have that luxury.  I am blessed with knowing my daughter does not take her oatmeal for granted and I am thankful to her for reminding me that it truly is the simple everyday joys that we often take for granted that make life worthwhile.
Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there. Please feel free to share your favorite saying or everyday joy from your child with us. 

A Mother's Day Gift

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."  -Tenneva Jordan

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8th.  There is a mecca of wonderful gift ideas for mothers this year and I wanted to take a moment to share with you one more.  Does your mother or grandmother use a walker or a wheelchair to get around?  Why not add a little style and function to her day with a handmade walker bag? 

This bag is designed to attach to side legs of the walker. It is designed so that it will remain in balance so the user can lift or push the walker without difficulty. Bag features front and back pockets that can be cutomized to fit your needs. Carry all your necessities and keep them within handy reach. This bag features two 7" pockets in the front with two 1" pockets to hold pens/pencils. Back pocket holds three 5" pockets handy for holding eyeglasses, etc.

The inside of the bag is fully lined for durability and features one large pocket handy for tucking away a sweater or reading materials. A perfect fit for carrying your bible to church. Handy for carrying your mail to and from the post office.

I would love to create a customized bag specifically for the special lady in your life.  Contact Me today with your ideas on how to reflect the personality of the user.

And the Winner Is. . . .

And the winner of a reusable ecofriendly shopping bag is Brittany!

Brittany said...

I love the handmade blue and cream tote! I collect those bags! Love the shop with them!
April 13, 2011 7:22 AM

Congratulations Brittany!  I will be contacting you to get your choice of shopping bag!  Thank you for choosing to go green this Earth Day and everyday! 

Thank you to all who entered and to all my new blog followers!  I look forward to sharing more of the inspiration we find in our day to day actvities with each of you. Welcome to new my facebook fans and twitter followers!  You will be the first to know about new products I have listed in my shop and special deals and discounts I offer!

Thank you for sharing your ideas on ways to be green in our day to day lives! There are a few new ideas that I am going to try to incorporate in my daily routine. 

What Are You Doing To Be Green?

Earth Day is right around the corner. While I believe we should Make Earth Day Every Day - April 22nd offers a good reminder to each of us to look at our daily routine and see how we impact our environment.

What is my family doing to be green?

We do our best to take care of our land. We live in the land of shining mountains, and wherever we go, we always try to leave a place better than we found it. When in the mountains, we only leave footprints and only take pictures. We have a reycyling system set up in which the kids are actively involved in deciding what can be reused and once a week we make the trip to the recycling facility with the kids, so they understand the bigger picture. We teach our children to conserve everything - water, electricity and food. I teach my children to take what you need and need what you take and not be wasteful. My kids are great about recycling their toys and clothes to those in need.

I use my Etsy shop as an outlet to make environmentally responsible products available. My upcycled dresses and handbags breathe new life into a discarded piece of fabric. My reusable sandwich and snack bags cut down on the amount of ziploc bags we use and my reusable shopping bags and library totes reduce the amount of plastic sacks we go through. When my 4-year-old plays house, she uses her small market bag to put her play food in when she goes grocery shopping. Of course there is always room for improvement and we are always evaluating and looking for new ways to incorporate "being green" in our daily lives.

So what is my latest attempt at being green? I am offering you a chance to win one of my Ecofriendly Grocery Bags! These bags are a must have. These make great gifts! With Mother's Day and Easter just around the corner, it is time to stock up.  Makes a great gift for a girlfriend or neighbor!

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5 Ways to Enter:

1) Go to Prairie Wind Designs and leave a comment here with your favorite item from my shop. (Mandatory Entry)
2) Leave a comment here telling me what you are doing to "be green"?
3) Become a follower of  Prairie Wind Notions.
4) Become a fan of my Facebook Page.
5) Follow Me on Twitter.

Remember to enter in seperate comments so you can be counted for each entry!


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The giveaway ends Sunday, April 17th at midnight (CST). The winner will be chosen using random.org and I will post the winner on my blog Monday, April 18th. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you to arrange shipping and for you to choose your bag!


I encourage you to take a few moments to look at your routine and ask yourself what small changes can I make in my daily routine that will add up to a larger impact on my environment. Your first step should be to sign up for this fabulous giveaway! 

GOOD LUCK! <3 Misti

A Moment In Time

Just a reminder to take a moment each day and reflect on the joys and blessings in your life. Adding a few moments of stillness to your morning will help you focus on what is ahead and better prepare you to take on the day.

Celebrating Milestones

As many of you know I have an Etsy Shop where I create many upcycled and ecofriendly products. I love to sew and have created items in my mountain studio for everyone from birth to 101.  I am coming up on a milestone of 200 sales in my shop. As a thank you to my customers and to celebrate this milestone I am currently offering FREE Shipping on several of my handbags and purses!   Thank you all for your continued support and for choosing to buy handmade!
<3 Misti