something from nothing ...

I've written a couple of times before about my littlest ladybug and her clever mind ... her Plan B to capture a butterfly comes to mind, but there are a million other instances as well - her mind just doesn't ever sit still. She seizes any opportunity she can to create something from nothing, to solve a puzzle, and to essentially never leave 'well enough' alone. It's just who she is - her gears are always moving.

So yesterday after school, I was really excited to make Kim's mini chocolate chip muffins - that's one recipe we could really use around here, so I was ready to rock the kitchen. And since baking is essentially creating something from nothing, my little bug is always an enthusiastic helper in the kitchen - so she's always ready to rock the kitchen. So we're moving right along, adding dry ingredients together to set aside ... then we started creaming the butter and sugar, all was well ... then it was time to add the eggs, one at a time. This is where things took a turn. Eggs fascinate this little girl - maybe it's the texture, maybe it's the versatility, I'm not sure ... but she just loves to work with eggs - cracking, mixing, separating the yolk, you name it, she loves it. But yesterday, just when you think you've seen it all from this girl, this is what she did after adding the eggs to the batter ...

She made a miniature baby carriage out of the empty egg shell. You can see the 4 wheels taped onto the bottom as well as 3 decorative pieces (egg shells turned upside down to show white) to adorn the canopy that protects the sleeping "baby" (seen inside the egg/carriage in that bottom photo). This is all that was left at her work station after she finished ...

She used literally every piece possible to create her eggshell sculpture ... talk about something from nothing! Love that her mind works like this ... love that little ladybug so much ...

btw ... the muffins were terrific, thank you so much, Kim! Over a dozen were gobbled within minutes - this easy and healthy recipe is going straight into regular rotation, we love it!! And one last note, thanks for all of the compliments on our little flowered plates in yesterday's post. They were from Target during their Liberty of London collaboration last Spring ... tiny black and white flowers on top, bright sunny yellow on the bottom, adorable, practical plastic everyday plates - we love 'em too, so thanks!