remembering.

me and my little elle belle. both at the age of five proudly showing the cakes we baked in our easy baked ovens. amazing that the easy bake is still around today.

i loved my easy bake oven! i thought it was the greatest toy ever. i think it's where my love for baking and cooking began. this picture of me was taken in 1977 with one of the many two-tier cakes i baked. i swore it would be my wedding cake someday. and don't you just love the blue and white gingham apron? i know did!

33 years later.... my little girl loves her easy bake oven too. just yesterday she baked a yellow cake with vanilla frosting and added floral sprinkles on top. look how happy and proud she is. i still remember those feelings. i wanted to share my little cakes with everyone. just like my little girl, just yesterday.

wooden blocks.

Very few toys were brought along with us to Oklahoma. Usually on trips, we bring coloring books, paper, crayons and markers. It keeps my kids busy. However, at the last minute, I put a container of wooden blocks in the back of the car.

I enjoy watching the imagination that my children use when playing with blocks. During our time here in Oklahoma, I have seen them build houses and castles and garages and bridges. They knock them down and within minutes build again. Sometimes, they sort them by colors or shapes or even find totally different uses besides just to build and create.

Today I heard the girls having a conversation with one another using a block as a telephone which they each held up to their ears. And Slade, the boy that he is chose to use the blocks as grenades that he launched from the table.

I love that wooden blocks are basic and simple yet they can bring such an immense amount of creativity to a child's mind. Sometimes I believe, the more simple a toy is, the more enjoyable it can be.