A Mont of Gratutide 2014 -- Day 8

I am thankful for left over Halloween candy.

A Month of Gratitude -- Day 7

I am thankful for the roof over my head, the food in my stomach, and the clothes on my back.  I am better off than a lot of the people in this world and I should never take that fact for granted.

A Month of Gratitude 2014 -- Day 6

I am thankful for self restraint.  I am thankful that there are moments when I can hold it all together and NOT slap the student who is being an idiot.

A Month of Gratitude 2014-- Day 5

I am thankful for having the privileged to mother this child of mine.  For all the grown up things he wants to do, he is still a cuddle bug and wants to be held and carried, and love on his mama.  After a long day when the To-Do list is still not done, when I am not in the mood to be pulled on and climbed on, I try to remember that these days are fleeting and just to be in the moment with Nate.  He is still little, he won't want to snuggle with his mom for much longer.  I am thankful that he still does and I am trying to hold on to every minute of it.

A Month of Gratitude 2014 -- Day 4

Today is election day.  I am thankful for being able to be part of the democratic process no mater how flawed I feel that process is.

A Month of Gratitude 2014 - Day 3

I am thankful for Swiss Farm's discount coffee on Mondays... today that is all I've got.

A Month of Gratitude 2014 -- Day 2

I am thankful to work for an organization that lets me explore my passions and create new projects for myself.  This is how I have worked at the same place for 16 years, when things get stale I start something new... it has proved to be very fulfilling.

A Month of Gratitude 2014 - Day 1

I am thankful for November!  My favorite moth of the year.  The weather is changing, the leaves are turning, the sun shines brighter, it has my favorite holiday in it and my birthday.  Yeah November!

I know I have completely abandoned my blog, but I am trying to come back... here we go... that is if anyone is still reading this :)

Quick Sewing -- Infinity Scarves

I haven't been doing much sewing in the last few months, but the other day I was bitten by the sewing bug and sat down and produced 4 funky infinity scarves in a little more than an hour.  This is an easy sewing project, with a pretty impressive result.

I made 2 different versions:

The short version (12" x 62"):

And the long version (10.5" x 72"):

I am partial to the long version myself, but it is good to have options.

-- Cut 2 stripes of fabric the appropriate length (12" x 62" for the short / 10.5" x 72" for the long)
-- With right sides together, sew both long edges of the scarf.  At each end leave 2" - 3"  un-sewed.
-- Turn the scarf, right side out.
-- Sew short sides together (right side, to right side)
-- You will be left with a loop of a scarf with two little openings on the side.  Close the opening by sewing them shut either by machine or by hand.
--Wear with pride!

Vanilla Iced Coffee (Really, Really, Close to Starbucks)

I am completely and utterly addicted to Starbucks.  I am not going to admit how many times a week I go there.  Seriously, it is shameful.  Especially when you think of how much those drinks cost... ugg!  Time to rein it in, Molly.

So I started making my own iced coffee to drink on the way to work.  It is not exactly what I order at Starbucks but it is pretty darn close, a whole lot cheaper, and even Organic!  Three (good) strikes!

There are three components to the iced coffee:  Coffee, Vanilla Syrup, Creamer.

The Coffee

I start by cold brewing a gallon of coffee at a time.  Seriously... a gallon.  Cold brewing is really easy.  Take a pound of ground coffee mix it with a gallon of cold water, let it sit, covered, for 12-24 hours. Strain out the coffee grounds, put the coffee in the refrigerator.

 The Vanilla Syrup

To make the vanilla syrup (a vanilla flavored simple syrup) all you need to be is to combine 2 cups of water, with 2 cups of sugar, and one vanilla bean (slice the bean down the middle so all the vanilla specks will come out) in a  pan.  Heat and stir until all the sugar is dissolved, and then heat for a few more minutes (maybe 10 in all).  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The Creamer

Combine 1 can of condensed milk with one can of evaporated milk (full fat or fat free makes no difference).  Store in airtight container in the fridge.

To Make the Iced Coffee (all amounts can be adjusted to taste)

1. Put some ice in a glass
2. Pour in a little of the vanilla syrup
3. Pour in the iced coffee
4. Top off with creamer
5. Stir
6. Enjoy!

Homemade, From Scratch, French Dressing

Last night I decided to try my hand at making a non-vinegrette  salad dressing,  I love Ken's Country French salad dressing and attempted, successfully, to recreate it.  Yowza! is this dressing good!

I used all organic ingredients, but use what you have. 


1/2 Cup Ketchup
1 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (I love Braggs!)
1/4 Cup Honey (Local and Raw is the best)
1 Tbs. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Minced Garlic

Put everything in the blender and whir to combine.  Store in a mason jar ion the fridge.

The End (of February) is in Sight

February has turned out to be a craptacular month and it needs to be over now.  I mean it, now!

So, aisde from the fact that we have seen more snowstorms here in PA then any other winter in the history of the state (actually it is the 2nd most snow filled winter since records started being kept), but we had an ice storm in the beginning of the month that knocked out our power for 5 days. Yes, this is going to sound whiney, but 5 days is a long time without power, in February, when the temperature is 14 or below.  We had to deal with generators, space heaters, trying to keep the pipes from freezing, shuffling people and pets between our house and my parents, etc. 

On top of that the (neighbor's) pine tree that hangs over the driveway way so weighted down with ice that it broke clean in half and fell on the hood of my car.

We were able to get the tree off the car and it is currently entering it's third week in the shop.  Over $5000.00 worth of damage, but hopefully I will be getting it back today or tomorrow (fingers crossed).

After the stress of these two events I got sick and was out of work for almost a week.  THen we had more snow.

Hubby's car was run into by a neighbor (different neighbor) so as soon as my car comes out of the shop his is going in.

And then today, when the end of this shitty ass month is in sight.  I was unable to find a parking spot while dropping Nate off at school this morning and so had to hover and let him out instead of walking him to the door.  He hates this!  I feel like it gets the day off to a bad start.  I couldn't find a parking spot at work, since so many of them are <> covered in snow and had to park on the other side of campus, and... to add insult to injury, I got stuck in the elevator.  I reached my floor and it just died.  Luckily I yelled for help and someone was able to pry the door open,  but still.  

I am over this winter, I am over February.  I am looking forward to March... bring it on!

A Lego Ninjago 6th Birthday

My darling Natey-Bug turned 6 on Wednesday.  6. 6.  Oh my god he's 6!!!!!!  Ok, now that I got that out of my system…  This year Nate requested a Lego Ninja party.  Pinterest proved most useful with decorating ideas.  A local art center hosts Leg birthday parties for a reasonable fee, and since I don;t host parties at home I signed up.  It was a great party!  Everyone had a great time.  My parents declared it Nate's best party yet and my hubby decreed it "one hell of a party."

The goody bags had a Lego minifig, a little ninja, a Chinese yoyo, colorful fortune cookies, and ninja bubbles.

The kids (and parents too) got to build whatever they wanted in the beginning and then after cake they returned to build cars which they raced down a ramp.  It was fantastic!

A Button Wreath

What comes from a dreadful winter that will never end, a drawerful of vintage buttons, and a glue gun? A button wreath, that's what!

I cut a circle of cardboard out of a box in the recycle bin and glued to my little heart's content.  I am very pleased with the result.  It certainly brightens up the kitchen door during such a dreary season.

Frozen Oatmeal

I do not like oatmeal.  I never had.  Oatmeal cookie? Sure.  Oatmeal granola?  Sure.  Oatmeal? Blech!  That is until I decided to reach outside of my comfort zone and try something new. 

 I don't have a lot of time in the morning so making something on the actual stove and not in the microwave is kind of out of the question.  I have tried instant oatmeal packets and they have not brought me over to their side.  Too processed, too much sugar, too artificial tasting.

Recently, however, I found a recipe on Pinterest (seriously, does anyone find new ideas anywhere else?) for frozen oatmeal pucks and thought that maybe I should try them.   They would save time in the morning, they would be less processed and probably better for me overall.  So I made them and, surprise, surprise, I really like them.  I have amde a few minor changes from the original recipe, so I am going to post my version here:

    6 1/2 cups water
    4 cups rolled oats
    1 pinch salt
    2 tbsp butter
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1/4 cup real maple syrup
   
Instructions

 -- Bring water to a boil and add oats. Turn heat down to med and stir until thickens (it will thicken more as it cools) about 5-7 mins. Add butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup and stir. Taste and add more sugar or syrup to taste.
--Grease a muffin tin with non-stick spray. Fill tin with oatmeal almost to the top.
--Then put them in the freezer for a few hours or overnight until they are frozen little pucks! Take them out of the freezer and pop them out of the tin.
-- Store in a ziplock bag

 To reheat: take 1 or 2 pucks out of the freezer and put them in a microwave safe bowl with 2-3 Tbsp of water.  Heat for 3 minutes.




I like to stir in some flax seeds and some chia seeds and voila!  I have a breakfast that really keeps me full until lunch.

Scenes From a Snow Day

Adventure Aquarium

As a last hurrah, Jon and I took Nate to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden on Sunday.  Although Nate said he was "a little bored" (Huh???) we all had a good time.  We touched sharks, sting rays, and starfish and got to hang out with a couple of penguins.

What is usually a great view of Philadelphia was obscured by the fog.

Nate "rode" on this turtle when he was a baby… now he is too big!

We bought dead fish to hand feed the rays with.  Although it kind of freaks me out I did it!

Emo Nemo.

Winter Break

The spring semester started yesterday which gives me a little time to reflect on this year's winter break.  A month off if a wonderful thing and I feel like this year I was able to mix in activities and rest.  Usually i run myself ragged and then get sick, but this year I was able to nip that in the bud, pull back and not get sick.

So this year, we made a trip to Longwood Gardens to see their Christmas display which I blogged about here.  We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and made a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo which was fantastic since everyone else was off doing Christmasy things we had the Zoo to ourselves.  We had a Jumpers playdate with friends, we had a lunch date with mom-mom at the King of Prussia Mall.  I got my hair cut and colored… I went back to green.

We had Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A

Nate got lots of LEGOs and the new Skylanders Swapforce for the WiiU for Christmas 

I started playing around with lacto-fermenting with these dill pickles

In addition, I did some minor car repairs by myself (!), baked lots, held my annual cookie exchange, met baby Mario, shopped, and played lots of Mario 3-D World.

Now it is back to the working world. Which is good.  As much as I like our unstructured time off, we all can benefit from a little routine and structure.