Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa

Goodwill Finds

2012-01-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

I made a quick stop at Goodwill yesterday on my lunch hour and made out like a bandit! For $25 I got:

A skirt for summer (Talbots)
A Terry Shrug/Cardi thing (Converse for Target)
A 3/4 sleeve, boat neck T-shirt (Coldwater Creek)
A Brand New with tags jersey summer dress (Target)
A Brand New long sleeve T shirt for Nate (Cherokee)
A box set of Thomas the Train books
A Brand New Lotion/Shower Gel set (Philosophy)
A Brand New Bubble gun for Nate's Easter Basket

It was a good day. Sorry there are no pics!

2012-01-24T17:31:00.000-05:00

We took Nate sledding this weekend for the first time. He LOVED it! I posted the sledding pics over o his blog but thought I would post this very scary IPhone self-portrait of me without makeup here... enjoy!

Grape Ape!

2012-01-19T11:34:00.003-05:00

I have always had a little bit of a rebellious streak. Not full on non-conformist, but different. And ever since I was 15 years old I have wanted purple hair. Once, in high school I did buy some Manic Panic and dye part of my hair purple, temporarily. But since my hair is so dark brown you couldn't actually tell that part of it was purple so I'm not sure that really counts.

So here I am 20 years later, and I decided that I was getting a purple streak in my hair... for real this time!

This is one of the nice things that come with age, you care less and less about what other people are going to say :)

So may I present to you... my new purple hair!

I LOVE IT!!!!!

Happy Birthday MaryLynn!

2012-01-19T00:42:00.000-05:00

It's my BFF's birthday today!

So this is my shout out to ML... Happy Birthday Baby!

Hope its a great one... or at least better than last year!

From: http://sweetstirrings.blogspot.com/2011_06_12_archive.html

If You value Freedom...

2012-01-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

From: http://thewildmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/freedom-of-speech.jpg

You Should sign this... ASAP....

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

STOP SOPA and PIPA!

The Winter Classic

2012-01-13T16:54:00.000-05:00

On January 2, 2012, hubby and I went to the Winter Classic. If you don't know, the Winter Classic is an outdoor NHL game held once a season in a different city. This year, it was held in Philadelphia and features the Flyers v. the New York Rangers (BOOOOO!).

I was a little apprehensive about going, not because I don;t like hockey, because I do, but because it was outside, in Philadelphia, in January... and I wasn't looking forward to freezing my patootie off! Hubby is a seasoned vet when it comes to attending outside winter sporting events, so I followed his lead and layered up. 5 layers to be precise... and it actually wasn't that bad. I did lose feeling in my feet, but that was only after the end of the second period and by that time we had been outside for 4 hours already.

Here is a self portrait before we left the house... Only 2 layers on at this point.

And here is one from the game itself. All 5 layers in place with the silly hat added on.

And finally, the view from out seats.

The game was supposed to start at 1:00 but the start time got pushed back to 3:00 for better ice conditions. This meant that it started to get dark while the game was still going on. And then, as if seeing NHL hockey played outside wasn't exciting enough, it started to snow. It was actually pretty magical.

Where in the World Have I Been???

2012-01-13T16:45:00.000-05:00

So the new year is in full swing and my lovely 2.5 week vacation has officially come to an end <>. My vacation and our holiday season was fairly uneventful... everyone got sick at one time or another and so most of my lofty plans for playdates, shopping, crafting, organizing, and cleaning out were sidelined.

We did have some fun though...

We got a brand spanking new HE washer and dryer... I LURRRRVE them!

Look at the shiny agitator-less inside...

We went to the doctors... a lot! Nate was really cooperative which made it easier.

We went out of Christmas Eve and drove around looking at lights. I hope this will become a new tradiation, since we all really enjoyed it.

We snuggled on the couch, under quilts, and watched cartoons (I guess I caught Nate off guard)

And since the weather was so unseasonably warm... we played outside. Where Nate decided that he would perch on top of this playhouse.

All in all, it was not a bad vacation...

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T03:26:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T03:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Hanukkah!

2011-12-21T15:23:00.000-05:00

The Cheater's Seafood Risotto

2011-12-15T09:35:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a girl needs a shortcut. Sometime a girl needs to cut a few corners, you know, like when she has decided to make and can jelly for the very first time starting at 8:30 on a Wednesday night. Not that I did that (I completely did that) but it is something that could happen.

Anyway, I took two of my favorite convenience foods and combined them to make something that could possibly be served to guests it was that good.

Take one box of Lundberg Creamy Parmesan Risotto. Prepare as directed on the box.

Take one bag of Trader Joes frozen Ciopinno (seafood stew). Prepare as directed on package.

Once both items are prepared. Combine them in a large bowl and you have seafood risotto. Grate some fresh parmesan or locatelli on top. Enjoy!

Adding an Adjustable Waist to Jeans

2011-12-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

Or in this case a jean skirt. Ok, so here is the back story. I went into Old Navy and bought a denim skirt. A straight skirt. I like it, but it has a tendency to stretch throughout the day so that by the time I am ready to take it off I can actually pull it off without unbuttoning or unzipping it. Usually I just wear a belt and that solves the problem. But, sometime I like to wear a longer shirt and wear a belt over top of it. Of course, that belt sits mush higher than my actual waist and does nothing to hold up the skirt.

Lots of toddler pants, especially those with out elastic waists, actually have a hidden band on elastic that can be made larger or smaller so that they fit the kid longer and you can get a custom fit. If you have kids, you know exactly what I am talking about. Why don't adult pants have this??? It would completely eliminate that gap in the back that jeans get and it would keep things from growing throughout the day. So, I took a cue from Nate's wardrobe and added an adjustable wasit to the back of my denim skirt.

Supplies you will need:
2 small buttons
Scissors
Needle and thread
Button Hole elastic
Tape Measure

Step 1: Find the center back of your skirt or pants
Step 2: Measure out from center anywhere between 4-6 incches on either side and mark.
Step 3: Carefully cut through 1 layer of fabric.
Step 4: Just to the outside of your cuts, sew on your buttons. These are what you will anchor your elastic to.
Step 5: Thread your button hole elastic into one hole and out the other.
Step 6: Button one side of your elastic. Pull tight to cinch in the waist of the pants or skirt. Once the desired chich-y-ness has been attained button the other side of your elastic.

I know its hard to see, but the button is clear... sorry!

All done! Custom fit waist!

Easy, Peasy T- Shirt Scarves

2011-12-08T13:49:00.000-05:00

Scarves are all the rage right now. I am not a huge scarf person, but I thought that it might be a fun way to add color and interest to a basic outfit. My friend Lisa, blogged about making a T-shirt scarf and I was intrigued.

So I looked around for tutorials and found a few that I cobbled together.

Step 1: Get a T-shirt. Use and old one from home, or buy a new one. Bigger is better. I bought a red one at Target (size Mens XXL) and a yellow one from Michaels (size Adult XL). The Target shirt was $4.99 and the Michael's one was $2.50.

Step 2: Lay the shirt out on the floor and make 2 cuts. One just under the armpits, and one just above the hem.

Step 3: You have created a tube. Now take the tube and stretch it for all it is worth. I mean really stretch it out.

After you have stretched it out, you can stop here. You have an infinity scarf, congrats!

If you do not want an infinity scarf, you want a regualr scarf... move onto step four.

Alternate Step 4: Take your now stretched out loop and cut it somewhere so that instead of a loop, you have a straight piece of stretched out fabric. You now have a regular scarf, Congrats!

So there you go. A clothing craft project that can be completed without sewing or stepping foot in a craft store. These are so cheap (or free if you're using a shirt you already own) and easy to make that they are addicting. Be warned.

Felt Flowers

2011-12-08T11:27:00.000-05:00

I crafted the crap out of last weekend and one of the things that I made was this felt flower brooch. I made this one specifically to go with a yellow T-shirt scarf I made as well.

Here is the scarf and the brooch together.

The flowers are made of felt and a super easy to make. I forgot to take step-by-step pictures, but there is a great tutorial you can follow here.

Recipes Found on Pinterest

2011-12-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love Pinterest! What a wonderful place to find great craft ideas, organizational ideas, recipes... what a great place to while away the hours at work.

So far I have tried 2 of the recipes I found on Pinterest. One was Buffalo Chicken Dip from The Girl Who Ate Everything and the other was S'mores Crescent Rolls from Northern Cottage.

The Buffalo chicken dip was fantastic... in fact that I what I am having for dinner tonight with pita chips and baby carrots... yum. The S'mores cresent rolls were not good at all! All of the ingredients are things I like (crescent rolls, chocolate, and marshmallow) but the combination was just... not good.

Sorry no pictures to share. Have you tried any recipes you pinned on Pinterest? What were your results?

Gravy Snob

2011-11-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

This Thanksgiving was the first time that I ever attempted making gravy from scratch. It always seemed so intimidating before that I just cracked open a jar and moved on. This year I decided that it was time to tackle my fear. So, when I saw this recipe for Giblet Gravy posted on Simply Recipes I decide to go with it.

The process was relatively simple. Make a stock out of the giblets. Add pan drippings. Add chopped up giblets. Thicken. So that's what I did. It was divine! I, as a rule, do not eat liver or any kind of filtering organ, however, I slurped up every last drop of this gravy, little bits of live and all.

Sadly, I didn't take any pictures, but trust me it was good. I didn't really know how good until last night when I was heating up leftovers and had to use jarred gravy. Oh my god! Swill... jarred gravy is swill now that I have tasted the nectar of the Gods. No, not ambrosia... giblet gravy!

Who knew I would turn out to be a gravy snob?

5 Random Things for Wednesday -- The Chirstmas Edition

2011-11-30T15:51:00.000-05:00

1. I have never read/seen the Polar Express. I understand that it's about a train.
2. I completely do not get/understand the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon. It kind of seems creepy to me.
3. I refuse, flat out refuse, to decorate before December 1st.
4. I have never tasted eggnog or anything eggnog flavored... and I have no idea why.
5. I swear up and down every year that I will only wrap presents with what I have in the house and every year I end up buying something... I did it this year with Thomas the Train wrapping paper for Nate's gifts.

Lucky Girl

2011-11-29T16:59:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I turned 35. I am officially half way to 70. Ugg... there are a couple of things that I would like to do with this year... birthday resolutions if I may.

For one, I am going to make a concerted effort to use my camera more. Hubby gave me his old DSLR when he leveled up and currently it sits in a drawer. I make way better use of the camera on my phone. But starting now, I am going to use my DSLR more! Thanks to hubby I now have this snazzy new camera bag to tote my toy around in. Thanks Babe!

Next, I am going to improve my eating habits and move around a little more. I started this before my birthday actually, by making and drinking my green smoothies. I also need to say adios to most (not all, lets be realistic here) of the sugar in my diet. I made a good choice today be eating some leftover water chestnuts wrapped in bacon that my brother-in-law made as appetizers for Thanksgiving. This is in direct contradiction to four of the cook books that hubby and Nate got me for my birthday:

Finally, I want to work on my nails. I am a chronic nail and cuticle biter. I have been since... forever and a day. But I really hate the ways my fingers look, so it is time to work on that. My mother in law swears by biotin for nail and hair growth. I picked up a bottle today at Target so here goes nothing.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-11-28T10:20:00.001-05:00

Holy Crap, I'm 35 today!!!

Sorry, Can't Blog... Shopping!

2011-11-25T03:59:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T03:55:00.000-05:00

My Thanksgiving Buffet-Scape

2011-11-23T13:39:00.001-05:00

This will all be disassembled tomorrow to make rom for the food, but for today, it looks very festive.

I cross stitched the picture on the stand many many years ago. Here is a close up:

My Green Smootie

2011-11-22T16:52:00.000-05:00

So the
crazy
holiday season is officially upon us. This is when things seem to get out of control and there are more things to be done than there are hours in the day. This is also the time of year when I, usually, get rundown and then sick. This year I am taking a stand... I will not get run-down! I will not get sick! Here is my plan for this hoilday season to ward off run-downness and sickness:

1. Drink a lot of water!!! Do not get dehydrated, or under hydrated!
2. Take a multivitamin every single day!
3. Three plus times a week drink a green smoothie.

I have been reading about green smoothies for a while, but just recently decided to take the plunge. I mean, I eat relatively well... most of the time... but the one thing I have trouble getting enough of is leafy green veggies. This is mostly because I don;t really like salads... I don't... I just don't like them. I like all the veggies in them, but I don't really want to eat them raw.

So I decided to drink them. So far, so good. My "recipe" if you can call it that is:

1 banana (frozen or fresh)
1/2 cup of frozen raspberries
1/2 cup of frozen peaches
2 cups of fresh spinach
1/2 cup water

Blend.

It looks completely disgusting and tastes a little spinch-y but it is a very good and easy way to get 5 servings of fruits and veggies in your diet.

Thanksgiving Week Plan

2011-11-20T14:47:00.000-05:00

Ok, so Thanksgiving is Thursday, and I am trying to not feel overwhelmed by everything that is going on and everything I have to do. I am trying to do as much ahead of time as possible to on Thursday all I really have to worry about it the Turkey and the gravy..

Sunday: Go to the supermarket and buy T-Day supplies (Done)
Monday: Make biscuits and freeze, make ice cream for dessert, Clean the house
Tuesday: Work, Make cornbread for cornbread dressing and let it get stale
Wednesday: Make Brine and start brining turkeys. Prep carrots, make stuffing, make the caramel apples that will be place card holders, pull out table and chairs
Thursday: Cook turkey, make gravy, set table and buffet, cook carrots

Cinnamon Bun Waffles

2011-11-20T14:31:00.001-05:00

Perhaps you have seen these on a blog or on Pinterest? At the moment I am seeing them everywhere and they lookes so good and so easy that I had to try and make them.

First, you will need a waffle iron of some sort. This is mine. It makes 2 square waffles at a time.

Then you will need a tube of cinnamon rolls like these. (oops I popped the can before I remember to take a pic)

Then you take a cinnamon bun out of the tube and place it on the hot and buttered (Pamed, lubed in some way shape or form, etc.) waffle iron.

Close the lid of the waffle iron and cook for 2-3 minutes. Open the iron, remove the "waffles" and plate them.

After I made them all, I look the icing packet and spread a little icing on every waffle. They are so good!!! And whole process takes less time and energy than baking the cinnamon buns in the oven.

Try it, you'll like it...

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

2011-11-17T09:05:00.001-05:00

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Thinking about Thanksgiving

2011-11-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

It hasn't really dawned on me than Thanksgiving is 2 weeks away... even though people are calling and asking what they can bring. Oh, well, I guess I better put a menu together. This is what I am thinking about having:

Smoked Turkey
Roasted Turkey
Gravy
Cornbread Stuffing
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Chunky Cranberry Sauce
Creamed Onions
Green Veggie
Creamed Corn (from scratch, which, ironically, contains no cream)
Mashed Potatoes
Glazed Carrots
Biscuits

Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie

Wow, that is a lot of food. Maybe we don't need the cream corn... or maybe we do. What are you making this year?

Happy Halloween/ Blessed Samhain!

2011-10-31T04:46:00.000-04:00

This Weekend...

2011-10-28T16:46:00.000-04:00

I was starting to get really excited about Halloween and in my head I had jam packed this weekend with Halloween-y activities... Pumpkin carving (of course), making these cute mummy cupcake my mother-in-law found, making pumpkin whoopie pies, putting the finishing touches (or in my case, starting to make) costumes, etc. Except that now, we are supposed to get 6-10 inches of snow, so perhaps I will be having snow ball fights instead. Pics of all of our Halloween themed projects to follow... have a great weekend!

5 Random Things for Wednesday -- The "I don't get it" edition

2011-10-18T11:20:00.001-04:00

1. Mustaches -- Not the kind made of facial hair the other kind. The kind that everyone seems to be obsessed with. The ones that are showing up on mugs, necklaces, on sticks to be held up in photos... I don't really get it.
2. Open Toe Boots -- boots keep your feet warm, open toes keep your feet cool... "One cannot exist while the other lives"
3. Rubber Rain Boots on Adults -- seriously... they are plastic people. Adults should not wear plastic shoes. The end!
4. Quidditch Leagues -- Yes, people get together on the weekends and run around with brooms clamped between their thighs and try to throw soccer balls through hula hoops in sticks. Does not compute!!!!
5. This Obsession with Candy Corn -- Sure, its cute. Sure you can only get it one time of year, but everywhere I turn everything is candy corn themed. Fudge, waffles, cupcakes, crafts, costumes, socks, it going on and on. I don't have anything again candy corn, but in the battle of best candy, candy corn hardly enters the competition.

The Contents of my Purse

2011-10-14T12:57:00.001-04:00

So this is my purse:

It is a Michael Kors that I got for a great proce (like 75% off the retail price). It is a big bag. I like a big bag. For some reason I feel the need to schlep a lot of stuff with me where ever I go. Today I had to completely empty the contents of my purse all over my desk at work in order to find something. So, since it was out there anyway, I thought I would tell ya'll what I carry around with me every day.

The Contents of my bag:

1 Pull Up
Wipes
First Aid kit
Wallet
Iphone
Glasses case with prescription glasses and sun glasses
Iphone charging cable
Iphone earphones
Little pouch with coupons
Keys
Extra Car Key with Swiss Army Knife
Business Card Case
Splenda Carrying Case
Reuseable Coffee Sleeve
Check book
Assorted feminine hygeine products
Tylenol/Advil/etc.
Inhailer
Crayons for nate
Tissues
Brush
3+ lip glosses
2+ compacts
Hair bands
tweezers
safety pins
glasses repair kit
Hand Sanitizer
Space Pen
Measuring Tape

Snacks for Nate (teddy grahams, gummy bunnies, raisins, lolly pops)
Nail file
extra plastic bag (you just never know when you will need one)

For some reason today, my bag also contained various pieces of garbage, 3 Beanz, and part of a plastic fire truck:

More Things in 5s...

2011-09-23T16:19:00.000-04:00

5 Craft Projects I want to try:

1. This felt ruffle wreath from Design*Sponge
2. This Child's Apron for Nate for Christmas from Sew Liberated
3. Making my own Chirstmas Crackers (a family tradition) found on the Peppermint Plum
4. This Watermark Tee Shirt from sweet verbena
5. Homemade Glitter Shoes for me

5 Recipes I want to try:

1. Homemade Twix Bars
2. Homemade Snickers Bars
3. This overnight baked french toast
4. These onion rings and dipping sauce
5. These Peanut Butter S'mores cookies

5 New Etsy Favorites:

1. This narwhal pendant
2. This necklace
3. This ribbon
4. This octopus straw
5. Every cross stitch pattern in this shop

5 Random Things for Friday -- Junk Food Edition

2011-09-23T15:42:00.000-04:00

1. My favorite junk food of all time is Combos. Specifically the pretzel and artificial orange cheese variety.
2. Second to combos are Pringles. I used to eat them an entire tube at a time. One tube= one serving right? right?????
3. I sincerely hope that Nate does not love junk food as much as I do, but I fear it is already too late. The kid LOVES pop tarts...

4. I have never eaten a twinkie. Never. and I hope to keep that record going for the rest of my life.
5. Snickers is the king of the candy bars, hands down, end of story.

Missoni at Target

2011-09-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

So Missoni has come to Target. How much fun is that? The only problem is that everyone seems to be nuts for the zig zags and it is incredibly difficult to find anything left in the stores or on the website. I was excited today when I found that my local target had these pumps in stock and in my size:

Cute, funcational, and bridges the gap between black and brown.... wow who could ask for more in a pump. So I threw then in the cart and then headed over to the show section to sit down and try them on. I took the first shoe out of the box and thought, "wow, they are kind of dusty... well, I'll just brush the dust off... huh???"

What I thought was dust, was actually MOLD. The brand new shoes, still in the box were MOLDY. I have never encountered such a thing. So, I took them up to customer service and explained the situation. The girl behind the counter was nice about it and I headed back to the display to pick out a non-moldy pair... except that there were't any. Every pair of Missoni for Target pumps that I looked out was moldy... I was a little bummed, but more than that I can't even figure out how that happened???

How weird is that?

What I am loving right now

2011-09-14T14:53:00.000-04:00

This dress, and this dress, and this dress, and this blouse (ok, and just about everything else on eshakti.com)
This sandwich
This cardi from Boden
This recipe
This recipe
This blog

What I am not loving right now... that my baby boy's first day of preschool corresponds with PMS :(

9/11/01

2011-09-11T12:55:00.002-04:00

How could we ever forget?

5 Random Things For Friday -- Coffee Edition

2011-09-09T16:25:00.000-04:00

I like my coffee with lots of cream and lots of sugar. I know this is not good for my so I usually drink it with lots of cream (heavy cream) and 2 splendas.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes call my name in the middle of the night.
The very best gingerbread latte is from Seattle's Best Coffee, which make me really bummed that Borders is closing as there are no stand alone Seattle's Best Coffee around here :(
There used to be this great little Bistro called the Back Porch or the Front Porch or something with a Porch in it. Anyway they were a Bistro with a good old-fashioned ice cream parlor in it. My favorite ice cream sundae is coffee ice cream with carmel and wet walnuts with whipped cream on top. Yum!
My most pretentious Starbucks drink order is a Venti Iced Americano sweet with room. In the scheme of things it is not even that pretentious but is slightly more high maintenance than saying a large iced coffee.

Happy Friday!

Sometimes I like to Make Stuff... Like This

2011-09-08T10:36:00.000-04:00

I have a thing for garters. I don't know why. I always had one that coordinated with my prom dresses when I was in high school.

I decided that as each of my friends got married I would make them a custom garter for their wedding. And I did. When I got married I made my garter out of lace that was taken from my grandmother's wedding dress.

So, when I former classmate of mine posted on FaceBook that she needed someone to make a garter for her wedding in October, I volunteered.

She wanted something very nontraditional, leopard and black, but other than that I had free rein. Here is what I created. I love, but more importantly, the bride loves it too!

Black satin with a lace overlay. Leopard casing. Hand beaded flowers and tassel.

My Take on "Mermaid Nails"

2011-08-22T16:53:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I saw this post on Cupcakes and Cashmere about "Mermaid nails."

I loved the look of this DIY manicure, the cool summer color, the hint of sparkle. The only problem is that my finger nails are in no state whatsoever to be painted and photographed... I pick at my cuticles you see...

So I thought I would give this technique a try, but on my toes.

So I picked out a matte (read non-metallic) nail polish, bought some coordinating Martha Stewart glitter (OMG is this the best glitter in the world! This is not glitter for small children... this is the good stiff... grown up glitter YEAH!) and set to work.

I decided that glitter on one toe nail would look strange so I glittered all of them... I love the result!

(Yes, I took this picture in my office!)

Border's Going Out of Business Sale Sucked Me In Again

2011-08-19T10:29:00.000-04:00

Now that the discounts have dropped even further I decided to take one more stroll through Borders to see if there was anything left in the crafting section... I scored big time!

I walked away with this one:

This one:

and this one, because, well, everyone needs more veggies in their diet

I am NOT going back... hold me to that people!

Fabric Love

2011-08-18T09:28:00.000-04:00

So I have been completely gripped by fabric love... or maybe more appropriately fabric lust. It started when my mom and I took an impromptu trip to Lancaster, PA last Saturday. The section at the Amish fabric stores and local quilt shops are ten times better that what I can find at my local Joann's and the prices are way better. I mean, Robert Kaufman organic cotton for $8.49 a yard... seriously! So I bought a bunch of fabric that I plan to make several tops out of (that is after I get my sewing machine fixed).

The problem is that the fabric lust does not actually go away when I leave Lancaster. So when I found these coordinating Lab prints on Robertkaufman.com I had to buy a few yards of each... they are just too cute.

The Bathroom Rennovation is Complete!!!!!

2011-08-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

Admittedly these are kind of terrible pictures, but you what you can see is the transformation from Brown, falling apart 1970s bathroom, to white, shiny clean, brand0spanking-new, timeless bathroom.

Before:

After:

Hala-FRICKIN-leuja!!!!

To Dye For

2011-08-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time I have a white shirt that looked something like this:

Then one day the polo shirt was worn while painting with a certain little person named Nate. Nate assured the polo shirt that the paint was washable and the polo shirt would look as good as new after a good scrub in the washing machine. The polo shirt took the plunge (twice) but the "washable" paint would not come all the way out and so the poloshirt looked something like this:

So, the polo shirt sought help from a beautiful fairy queen. The fairy queen decided to try a new procedure/spell to try and bring new life to the polo shirt. Now, she had never done this herself before, but she had seen it work on lots of other blogs with great results.

So the fairy queen got out the magic potion,

Mixed it together and bathed the polo shirt in it,

And after a short time the polo shirt emerged. Renewed and revived the polo shirt loved its new Teal/Turquois color and lived happily ever after.

A Brussel Sprout Recipe for Brussel Sprout Foes

2011-08-09T13:31:00.000-04:00

The first time I had this was Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law brought it. It looked really good and although I don't really like brussel sprouts I would try them. OH MY GOD, are they good. I asked about the recipe and my mother-in-law and she said it was a Barefoot Contessa Recipe. I found it online, here it is:

Ingredients
2 tablespoons good olive oil
6 ounces Italian pancetta or bacon, 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts (2 containers), trimmed and cut in 1/2
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup golden raisins
1 3/4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or canned broth

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan and add the pancetta. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is golden brown and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Add the Brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper to the fat in the pan and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the raisins and chicken stock. Lower the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. If the skillet bcomes too dry, add a little chicken stock or water. Return the pancetta to the pan, heat through, season to taste, and serve.

Yeah, anything cooked in bacon fat is going to be good. I leave out the golden raisins because I think they are creepy.

And here is the end result... yum!

Halloween Quilt

2011-08-06T10:41:00.000-04:00

My mom makes beautiful quilts. Something that I admire greatly as I do not have the patience to cut out all those little pieces let alone put them back together. I actually have, in my house, 7 quilts that she has made. I will be taking pictures of all them and posting them shortly, but for the moment here is the latest one... a Halloween Quilt.

And another view of the quilt

Marshmallow Pops

2011-08-06T10:38:00.000-04:00

So between a week of potty training (it worked this time, bye, bye diapers) and having to be home for the contractors renovating the bathroom, Nate and I have spent a great deal of time inside the house. Team that with triple digit temps and that means that I have had to get really creative to keep the little guy (and myself) entertained. Thus, marshmallow pops.

Supplies

Lollypop sticks (or drinking straws or Popsicle sticks or bamboo skewers or chopsticks)
Big Marshmallows
Melted choclate
An assortment of jimmies, colored sugars, sprinkles
Wax paper/parchment paper/aluminum foil coated plate or tray

Step one:
Stick the lollypop sticks in the marshmallows

Step two:
Dip the marshmallow in the melted chocolate. Repeat as necessary. [I showed Nate how to do this once and he did he rest]

Step three:
Dip the now chocolate coated marshmallow in the jimmies, colored sugar and sprinkles of your choice. [Nate had a ball with this one.]

Step four:
Put finished marshmallow pops on a wax paper/parchment paper/aluminum foil coated plate and pop in the fridge for a few minutes to harden the chocolate.

Your end product will look something like this:

Nate had a blast, he got to "cook" something on his own, we all got a treat for alter and it ate up and hour of the day... all in all a successful project.

Happy Meal Toy Wreath

2011-08-06T10:37:00.000-04:00

I was trolling some craft blogs a while ago and found this tutorial on how to take junky little toys and make them into a wreath for a playroom. I thought this was a genius idea and decided to actually make said wreath. Now, this completely gives away that, yes I let me kid eat McDonalds; and yes, I let him do it more than once, obviously if I have enough toys to make a wreath out of.

In my defense... I have been saving these toys for something like 2 years... I'm not a bad mother...ok, I'm back now...

I did actually run out of happy meal toys before I thought the wreath was finished so I stole a few of Nate's toy cars, plastic cowboys and native Americans, and a few pieces of toys that left the house long ago.

Anyway I think it is super cute (in a tacky kind of way)

and an close up of two different sections

Parsley Thief

2011-08-05T14:26:00.001-04:00

Caterpillars of all shapes and sizes freak me the F*** out so I do my best to avoid them. The funny thing is they have a way of finding me, I guess they can sense fear.

I am not much of a gardener, but I did have one sad looking parsley plant on my patio. That was until I noticed that a parsley caterpillar had moved in... it took him three days to eat every leaf off my plant. Then he moved on or got eaten by something else. Here is a quick video of him nom, nom, nom-ing away on my plant.

FYI... this little guy turns into this when he grows up

Making Recycled Crayons

2011-08-05T11:32:00.000-04:00

This seems to be a pretty popular activity to do with kids and since there are always a lot of broken crayons around my house I thought it might be fun to make recycled crayons. Here are the traditional instuctions:

Gather up all of your broken crayons, and cut them into small pieces. (An adult will need to complete this step.)
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Fill the muffin tin with an inch-thick layer of crayon pieces. (I used silicone ice molds from Ikea)
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the wax is melted.
Allow the tin to cool; then pop out the crayons, and they're ready for use.

I was trolling a couple of blogs and found that someone had taken advantage of the record breaking heat this summer and made the crayons on the dashboard of her car. You can read about it here.

I was thinking that I would try that, since I didn't really want to turn on my oven when it was 105 degrees (no really it was 105 out). Then I realized that this wouldn't really work for me because the driveway where I park is pretty well shaded. So I decided to just set my molds out in the sun and see what happened.

Here are the molds loaded up with broken crayons

And this is where I stuck them... on top of the grill

It worked like a charm. In fact, they were so hot that I had to get a potholder to carry them back into the house. Talk about harnessing the power of the sun!

New Books

2011-07-29T16:03:00.000-04:00

This may sound shocking, but I don't buy that many books. This is actually pretty radical for a librarian not to buy books, we usually are the kind to haord them. I used to buy books a lot, but then I would read them once and then donate them to Goodwill and it just seemed like a waste of my money. I check a lot of books out of the library, I mean I am there practically everyday and what we don't have I can get through Interlibrary Loan, plus... I am a librarian I should really use the system that keeps me employed.

Anyway, As you know, Borders is going out of business and although I don't buy books that often I do love a good sale. So I went in... twice.

The first time I was really unimpressed with the 10% off. 10% are you kidding me... a whopping $1.60 off a book hardly makes it worth it. I tried to restrict my purchases to the things that were 40% off like the magazines and the cards. I got a bunch of craft/sewing/cooking magazines which I put away for vacation and a whole slew of birthday cards for use throughout the rest of the year. I decided to go back to day. I picked up a few more magazines and cards, and then I succumb to the temptation and bought a few books even though I don't really consider 20% off to be any kind of substantial sale and I could have done way better on Amazon.

I have wanted both of these for a while and since they were right there infront of me instant gratification won. I now own muy very own copy of

Sew Liberated

and Bend the Rules Sewing

Pudding Pops

2011-07-29T14:35:00.001-04:00

I have the fondest memories of Jell-O Pudding Pops. They must have been expensive because my mom didn't buy them a lot, but when we did have them, they certainly were the most coveted of all the Popsicles. Not that I have spent a great deal of time looking, but I don;t think you can buy Jell-O Pudding pops any more. I heard from one mom that they have something similar but by a different maker.

I thought that if Nate was going to experience a Pudding Pop, it should be as close to the original as possible. So I scoured the Internet, found a recipe and made some.

I have played around with making popsicles for a few years. First I made Nate a breast milk mom-sicle, and then orange juice pops and kefir pops. I have purchased every cheap-o, dollar store, Walmart popsicle mold that exist, and I have recycled every single one of them. SO this year I decided to spend a little money and get some real popsicle molds... they were worth every penny:

I bought them here.

As soon as they arrived from Amazon, I washed them, dried them, and made pudding pop!

The Recipe:

1 box of pudding mix
Milk
1/2 Cup Cool Whip

Prepare the pudding according the directions on the box. Stir in the Cool Whip. Pour the pudding/cool whip mix into the mold and then freeze. (It really can't get much easier).

The Result: They are good. Not exactly the same as I remember the commercial pudding pops being but good nonetheless. I used sugar free, fat free instant pudding this time, next time I will try some of the cooked, non-instant kind to see if that makes a difference.

How does Nate like them? I don;t know as I haven't actually shared them with him yet... bad mommy, bad mommy!

Have You Ever

2011-07-28T14:55:00.000-04:00

This is an old Meme, but fun nonetheless...

Have you ever? I saw this several places, and thought I'd do it too! =)
Bold the things you’ve done.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis -- I don't do bugs!

10. Sang/played a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance -- I was in the ambulance when Nate was transported twice

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous --Meatloaf... it was awesome!

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Made a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit -- a class action one but yes

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Under Construction

2011-07-27T14:35:00.000-04:00

On April 5, 2010 some tile fell off the shower in our bathroom and we discovered that we had mold. Time to re-do the bathroom! We were just going to replace the shower enclosure, but then one thing led to the other and we decided that a whole new bathroom would be the best course of action. So, we got some estimates and then we started saving the money. We were working with one contractor for a while but that fell through, so we got more estimates and finally picked a contractor who actually wanted the job. So here we are, more than a year later and the remodel/renovation/gutting began on Monday... I am so excited.

Here are the before shots (after everything had been taken out of the bathroom)

Please notice all the strange built ins on the wall... like the non-functioning stereo...

This plastic has been on the wall for over a year... the white spot is where the tile fell off...
the brown tile is hideous...

Oh yes folks... we had a bidet (or as Nate likes to call it, "the little sink")

Stay tuned for updates and for the finished product.

My First Ice Cream Fail

2011-07-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

I had wanted to title this post "Lisa's Ice Cream" because it was supposed to be about the wonderfully easy, Nutella ice cream that I made, that I know my friend Lisa would just go nuts over. She is an afficianado of all things Nutella. However, this ice cream was an epic fail... and I mean it failed so bad I didn't even take pictures.

This is the recipe that I tried, which I found on http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com

_________________________________________________________________________________

Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream
adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (12 1/3 ounces or 350 grams) Nutella
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon (14 1/2 ounces or 380 ml) evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Pre-freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Combine the chocolate hazelnut spread and the evaporated milk in a medium mixing bowl and microwave together for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You just want to warm them up a little to make the mixture easier to blend. With an electric mixer or hand blender, blend until the mixture is completely smooth and homogeneous.

3. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Whisk again and churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

4. Put in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze until ice cream reaches your desired consistency.

_________________________________________________________________________________

So, I followed the above directions, but since my ice cream maker has a compressor I didn't need to do all the freezing ahead of time. I let the mix cool a little bit before I put it in the machine and then turned it on and let it run for 30-4 minutes. The mix was cold, but it was certainly NOT ice cream. It was cold Nutella, which I guess is not a bad thing, it just wasn't what I was looking for. It was super sticky, almost gluey, and incredibly hard to get out of the bowl of the ice cream maker.

I trashed the whole thing... I will keep looking... I am sure there is another nutella ice cream recipe out there somewhere...

Is Being Anti-Child the Next Big Thing?

2011-07-13T14:16:00.000-04:00

This is a rant, I will put that out there right now.

In the last week, I have read several news stories about certain airlines not allowing children in the first class cabin and this week I read about a restaurant in Pennsylvania called McDains (which advertises "Cocktails and Fine Casual Dining") is not allowing children under 6 into their establishment. Ok, so both are private companies that can make whatever rules they want to. Ans ok, I can choose not to patronize establishments with rules that I disagree with... however... don't you think we are taking this all a little too far....

I get that not ever child is well behaved when they are out of the house and I get that not every parent is as vigilant as we would like them to be... I'm not always as vigilant as I would like them to be... but children are part of this world, does the fussy baby at the next table in Bertucci's really ruin your meal? Seriously people... is your cocktail less cold in TGI Fridays because there is a kid coloring at the next table? Is your big evening out less special because a small person is eating mac and cheese somewhere in the restaurant? Quite frankly, I don't want to eat next to someone who chews with their mouth open, or who doesn't have very good personal hygiene, or who talks on their cells phones at the table... but no one is making any kind of ruling about that now are they?

When did the world get so Anti-Child?

First the Airline... Malaysia Air has a ban on babies in their first class cabins. Reason cited... they make too much noise and they passengers, who paid a lot of money for their seat, want to sleep. Boo-Frickin-Hoo! I will admit that I am not an avid traveler, however, as I see it you are paying the airline to transport you and hopefully, your luggage to a particular destination. The added entertainment, food, drinks, pillows, blankets, etc. are a nice bonus, but they are just that, a bonus. It is the transport across oceans, etc. that you are really paying for. If you can sleep that is nice, is does make the travel easier, but it is not a necessity... and it is certainly not what you are paying for. If you purchased a first class ticket you are paying for the extra room around you (and maybe the added attention of the flight attendant)... but not the extra quite. You can't sleep? Oh poor baby!

Stop being so selfish for just a minute and think about what is must be like to travel with an infant. All you have to take care of is yourself. Think of how the parent, who is schlepping a kid around and trying to keep them quite so that you can sleep, feels. Not only does he/she had to deal with your dirty looks and you quite or, perhaps not so quite judgement, but now they are told that their money isn't good enough either.

Second the restaurant... First of all, if you have the word "casual" in your description, you do not have a leg to stand on baring children from your establishment, just my opinion. Second of all, lets take the phrase "children under 6" and substitute oh... I don't know... any other group of people... do you think it would fly? I don't. Here, let's try it. Substitute "People with blond hair" or "Protestants" or "People over 65" or... how about this "people without children" for "children under 6" and see how far the ban goes.

I am more than a little pissed off about these bans.

We live in a world with all sorts of people, some whose behavior we like and some whose behavior we don't. There are plenty of teens and adults of all ages who behave in ways I personally find unacceptable, but I can't tell every restaurant I eat at to ban rude people... they wouldn't have any clientele left.

I think everyone needs to take a collective deep breath and relax a little bit. Children have minds of their owns, parents may be exhausted, parents my be lax (I am not denying that some are) maybe everyone had a bad day... maybe everyone had a good day and they are a little over exuberant... maybe we need to stop dictating that everything go the way we want it to and be a little more flexible and understanding.

Not only that but, children learn how to behave in public and in restaurants and on airplanes by being exposed to those places and experiences when they are young. You ban them when they are little and when you deem them old enough to come in they will have no idea how to behave... good luck with that!

Zulily

2011-07-10T15:12:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows about Groupon and Living Social... but do you know about Zulily?

Zulily is another site, like Groupon or Living Social that offer special deals to members on brand name products. Zulily bills itself as "Daily Deals for moms, babies, and kids," but although they do have a lot of kids stuff, they have a lot of other stuff that someone without kids would love, like clothes, shoes, household items, rugs, decor, books, etc.

Just the other day I bought a set of four Envirosax, this set infact:

which retails on Amazon.com for $36.95, for $16.99... that would be more than 50% off, ladies and gentleman... more than 50% off.

Check out Zulily if you are in the market for deals. I won't lie, I will get money credited to my account if you signup and buy something after following my link... but seriously, these deals are unbelievable... and it is never too early to start shopping for the 2011 holiday season... or Christmas in July... or just becasue it is Sunday... you get the idea....

I love the Muppets

2011-07-08T12:40:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned my undying love of all things Muppet? Never, you say... really? Well I do, I love the Muppets... as do most people from my generation I think. The Muppet Show and all the Muppet movies were such an integral part of my childhood, imagine who excited I was when I found out that there is a new Muppet moving coming out in November!

I was ever more excited when I actually got to see the trailer for it when we took Nate to see Cars 2. It looks awesome, by the way, and I don't know if I am more excited to see the movie myself or to take Nate to see an actual Muppet movie in the theater. Anyway, I am excited about all things Muppet... then I found the Muppet Wiki... seriously... a Muppet Wiki... you can check it out here: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet_Wiki

It was through the Muppet Wiki that I found out about the Muppet Stars Wars toys which will be released in the fall:

and that OPI will have Muppet themed Nail Polish in stores around Christmas time

I seriously can't wait until November!!!

So, until then I will have to satisfy my Muppet craving with Youtube videos of The Muppet Show. THis is my all time favorite episode, with Alice Cooper as the guest star:

Produce Outlet Prices

2011-07-08T11:58:00.000-04:00

I made a trip to the produce outlet today and even though their prices are up a little bit (what prices aren't up?) it is still a bargain.

6 pounds of carrots
2 bunches of celery
1 bag of limes (about 6 limes)
1 bag of lemons (about 8 lemons)
1 bag of macintosh apples
1 bag of anjou pears (about 6 pears)
3 pounds red grapes

$17 total... I wonder what that would cost me at the supermarket

Low Carb Baked Tortilla Chips

2011-07-07T10:46:00.000-04:00

I am a genius! Ok, it is not like this is even an original idea, but it is SOOO easy and SOOO good that I had to share.

Last weekend my parents had a BBQ. One of my dad's friends makes this amazing crab dip which we usually eat with either tortilla chips or pita chips. Oh the pita chips... I should really not get this excited about snack food, but I do <>.

Anyway, there was crab dip left over which I ended up taking home. Hubby had hockey last night which meant I was on my own for dinner. There was really only one choice for dinner and that was the crab dip. I was planning on going to the store to get some pita chips, but life got in the way and that didn't happen, so I was planning on tortilla chips out of the bag.

But then it hit me... I could make my own tortilla chips with the low card flour tortillas I had in the fridge.

They turned out great... sort of a cross between a regular tortilla chip and a pita chip with less less carbs, fat, and salt. Plus they were super tasty and crunchy with the crab dip.

1. Take two (or more) low carb tortillas and, using a pizza cutter, cut them into wedges. (I cut each tortilla into 8 wedges)
2. Bake the wedges at 375 for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Enjoy with the dip of your choice.

P.S. This method works great with regular flour tortillas and corn tortillas too!

2011-06-26T14:05:00.003-04:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday with Steph and Marylynn. We went to Longwood Gardens, drank some wine, and talked, talked, talked. Thanks girls! That was just what I needed. Love you both!

Pinapple Cocnut Rice

2011-06-24T15:16:00.001-04:00

I am kind of feeling like I am in a food rut. I don;t really have a lot of time to spend experimenting with new side dishes. Especially when I start cooking dinner at 7:30 on most week nights. That is why I was so pleased when someone suggested I make mango rice as a side dish the other night. Originally I dismissed the idea as I had no mango in the house, but then I got to thinking.... I bet that would taste pretty good with Pineapple instead of mango... and away we went.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 can of pineapple chunks, drained

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add the coconut milk, water, and salt; bring to a boil. Stir in the mango. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Remove the rice from the heat and fluff with a fork. Place a clean, dry dish towel over the pan, cover with the lid, and let steam for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

BodyGlide: Not Just For Runner's Anymore

2011-06-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

Ever heard of BodyGlide? It kind of looks like a men's deodorant stick that you can find in sporting goods stores.

Well, this is NOT a men's deodorant stick, this is an anti-chafing stick that runners and other hard core athletes rub on to prevent chafing when they are running the million miles a day that they do.

Well, I am NOT a runner or an athlete of any kind (people who know me are nodding in agreement) but I LOVE me some BodyGlide!

Why? Well you see, like many other chubby girls, I have a little problem with chub rub. You know, where your inner thighs rub together... you say you don't know what I am talking about? I say you are lying!

Anyway, chub rub or inner thigh chafing, especially in the summer when legs are bare and temperatures soar, make it really uncomfortable to wear skirts. In the past the only way to deal with this was either to wear the skirt and chafe or wear pants. I was not happy with either of those options, so I bought a stick of BodyGlide to see if it really did what it claimed to do.

According to the package BodyGlide is:

Dry Non-Greasy Skin Lubricant helps to prevent and temporarily protect & relieve chafed, chapped or cracked skin
Helps prevent blisters, chafing, saddles sores caused by friction & rubbing
Perspiration escapes and your skin breathes
Sweat & water resistant
Petroleum & Fragrance free

Well, I decided to wear a skirt today even thought is is close to 90 degree with something like 300% humidity. I rubbed some BodyGlide on this morning at around 6:30 and even after going in and out of the building, sweating, walking around, etc... it is still going strong and there is no chafing in site.

I am hooked. Maybe they should market themselves as "BodyGlide: A Fat Girl's Friend" What? Too much?

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

2011-06-23T10:46:00.001-04:00

Oh how I love key lime pie! It is, I think, my absolute favorite dessert. It even may eclipse chocolate... I can't believe I said that... but it is true. This being said, I was completely delighted when I found this recipe for key lime pie ice cream that is (really) just as good as the pie it is named after.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

adapted from Cooking Light
serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup bottled Key lime juice (such as Nellie and Joe's)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Dash of salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 graham crackers (1 1/2 cookie sheets), coarsely crushed, divided
Key lime wedges

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine milk, lime juice, heavy cream, salt and sweetened condensed milk; whisk to combine.
Pour mixture into your ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
Stir 1/3 cup graham crackers into ice cream. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container, and cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon graham crackers. Garnish with lime wedges.

Making Velvet Ribbon Headbands

2011-06-22T15:48:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, Jon and stopped in a local sporting goods store to look at something... I can't remember what. I was chasing Nate around the store when I noticed these really pretty fabric headbands. Well, they weren't really fabric they were ribbon so I stopped to take a closer look. I can't remember the brand name but I did notice the construction (which was really simple): Brocade ribbon on the outside, velvet ribbon on the inside (to grip the hair better), and some elastic at the back to keep it tight. I also noticed the price tag, $8. "Cute" I thought to myself, and was really tempted to pick one up but then I remembered that I have all of the supplies to make one of these babies at home, so I decided not to pay $8 for something I could make for free.

Although I could have completely "winged it" I decided to troll the Internet (you know there's a lot of great stuff on that Internet) to see if I could find instructions for the headband construction. I found one that I liked here, but decided to make a few modifications to get my clone of the sporting goods store headband.

I also decided to use the velvet ribbon inside and out since I LOVE the look of velvet ribbon and I happen to have a lot of it in my stash

Gather Your Supplies

Velvet ribbon(you will need 34" for an adult sized headband)
2 Hair elastics
Heat and Bond or Wonder Under
Iron
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Pins
Thread that matches the ribbon

Step 1: Cut the Ribbon. For an adult head you will need 34" of velvet ribbon.

Step 2: Cut a piece of Heat and Bond (or a strip of WonderUnder) 17" long. Make sure that whatever fuser you are using, either the Heat and Bond or the WonderUnder is just a little bit narrower than your ribbon.

Step 3: Loop your two hair elastics together so that they are connected with a knot in the middle and they look like this, in a "bow":

NOTE: If you are using the kind of elastics that have the metal pieces on it (as I did), make sure you loop the elastics together so that the metal pieces are on the outside and not on the inside.

Step 4: Lay your outside ribbon, right side down on your ironing board. Lay your Heat and Bond or WonderUnder that has been cut to size on top of that. Fold the other half of the ribbon over onto itself with the Heat and Bond in the middle. Slide one loop of your hair elastic "bow" on to the ribbon so that it comes to rest at the fold. Iron according to the manufacturer's directions, taking care not to melt your elastics.

Step 5: Put the "raw" edge of the ribbon through the open end of your hair elastic bow and pin to hold in place, like this:

Step 6: Now it is time to sew. Shorten the stitch length on your sewing machine. For example, my regular stitch length is a 2.4 or a 2.5 but for this project a moved it to a 1.8 or there about.

Once you have shortened your stitch length you will want to sew over both ends of the velvet ribbon to secure it. Both the unpinned and the pinned end:

Go over each a end a few times just to make sure.

Finished! That was the last step. What you have just created is a pretty velvet ribbon headband. And they are quick! From start to finished I whipped out three of these babies in an hour last night.

P.S. If you want, you can finish the "raw" edge of the ribbon with Fray Check to make sure that your hard work does not fray away.

Before Bed Beauty Routine

2011-06-21T14:51:00.029-04:00

I feel like talking about frivolities today thus the before bed beauty routine post.

I must admit that my before bed routine, is actually pretty extensive and probably overkill, but I feel like bed time is the time to restore everything to its rightful condition before I break it all down during hte day. LOL!

After I have brushed my teeth, taken my makeup off etc., I get into bed and do the following:

Step 1: Lips -- Moisturize. Currently I am using some sort of petroleum jelly product but my all time favorite lip moisturizer is this one from Burt's Bees.

Step 2: Eyes -- A good eye cream is a must! Putting on makeup, taking off makeup, squinting, and just about everything else you do with your eyes contributes to fine lines. You can ward them off with a good eye cream which you pat or dab gently under your eyes (don't rub! EVER!). I like Burt's Bees Radiance Eye Cream.

Step 3: Nails -- My nails are in terrible shape. I bite them, they ate brittle and peel, so they take a lot of care. I found this wonderful product from Sally Hansen called VitaSurge Growth Gel, which promises longer nails in in 5 days, and I have to say that it really works. So I make a point of applying this nightly.

Step 4: Cuticles. I bite these too :( so a good cuticle cream is a must. Burt's Bees Lemon Butter cuticle cream is the best! It hydrates and repairs and smells really good too.

Step 5: Hands. Hand cream is next. I try to put it on throughout the day but am not always successful. And by the end of a day filled with hand washing, dish washing, paper shuffling my hands are really dry. Keilh's Unusually Rich But Not Greasy At All hand cream is my fav at the moment.

Step 6: Feet -- Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. That is all!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

To all the men who make a difference in the lives of children... Happy Day!

To my dad, my husband, my grandfather... Happy Day!

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Cream Filling and Peanut Butter Frosting

2011-06-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, Reeses made a limited edition peanut butter cup with marshmallow in it. The packae looked liked this:

Although they were widely panned by candy critics I loved them and have been thinking about how to replicate with flavor in some sort of baked good. In the past I thought brownies were the answer and tried to concoct some sort of marshmallow and peanut butter brownie. They were a fantastic failure, so back to the drawing board I went.

It hit me last week... cupcakes... cupcakes were the way to go, so last night I got to baking. First I made devil's food cupcakes. I made mine from this recipe from King Arthur Flour, but I think a cake mix would work fine too. Then I cut a little cone out of the middle of the cupcake and piped in some good old fashioned marshmallow Fluff.

Once the cupcakes were filled with fluff I put the little piece of cake back in the cupcake so that they looked as if nothing had happened to them. The I made peanut butter frosting using this recipe, and piped in on to the top if the cupcake in a decorative pattern.

The result? These babies... and sore hands from all that piping!

Fantastic Veggie Lunch!

2011-06-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

Nate and I had a playdate yesterday with Misses Sophia and Olivia and their mom, my good friend, Lisa. It was such a wonderfully mild day that we took the kids to the playground in the morning and then headed back to the house for lunch. The kids had grilled cheese and Lisa made this FANTASTIC cucumber and black bean salad for her and I. It was Sooooooo good that I will be gathering the ingredients and making it tonight.

One cucumber (diced)
One roma tomato (diced)
One can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
Feta cheese (crumbled) (1/4 -1/ of a cup)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Lisa combimed all of the above ingredients and then served it in whole wheat pitas. It was tasty and refreshing and light. I highly recommend trying this.

Lisa, did I miss anything?

How NOT to Potty Train Your Son

2011-06-05T14:55:00.000-04:00

1. Have no real plan
2. Expect that, once the diapers are taken away, your 3.5 year old will just know what to do.
3. Get really frustrated
4. Cry alot
5. Be inconsistent with rewards

I took last week off to potty train Nate. It did not work. We gave it a good try. Four solid days of big boy undies, frog potties, timers, not leaving the house, spending a lot of time sitting on the bathroom floor, but in the end, I don't think Nate was ready so we abandoned potty training for the moment. We will come back to it in a few weeks, this time with a clear plan, a concrete reward system, a stated expectations.

The week was not a total loss. I got to spend a week at home with my kid playing trains, playing with the hose and water table, and taking walks around our neighborhood. I also got to not be at work which is certainly a plus in my book.

If you want a take a look at Nate's potty training style, check it out here.

Peanut Butter

2011-06-05T14:44:00.000-04:00

When I found all natural peanut butter for $0.89 a jar at Amelia's I actually did a little happy dance in the aisle. I am sure the other shoppers thought I was nuts (no pun intended) but I could have cared less. Natural peanut butter is expensive and we go through a lot of it.

Although I love just about everything about natural peanut butter the one thing I don't like is how it separates and needs to be stirred. There just doesn't seem to be a good way to mix up peanut butter.
My first inclination is to just stick a fork in the jar and mix it up, but I have tried this method 1,000 times and failed. I know there is a contraption you can buy the stir the peanut butter in the jar, but who wants to spend money on somthing like this:

What I have found works best, even if it does create more dishes is my hand mixer. Scrap all the unmixed peanut butter into a bowl, cream it together with the hand mixer and then scrape the mixed peanut butter back into the jar. It is fast, easy, free (since I own the hand mixer already, and the peanut butter doesn't seem to separate again as quickly as if mixed by hand.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2011-06-02T19:58:00.000-04:00

I hear this slogan all the time, I have used it from time to time myself. The problem is that although I am really good at the "recycle" part, and pretty good with the "reduce" part, I am not really all that good with the "Reuse" part. I mean, I buy products that I can reuse, like microfiber cloths, cloth pads, sandwich wraps, etc. but I know there are people who take things like milk jugs and turn them into cat litter scoops, etc. Think Tightwad Gazette kind of reusing, that is something I aspire too.

With that in mind, I was pretty pleased with myself when I thought of this.

Although I still carry a fully diaper bag most of the time, I still keep a few essentials in my purse like wipes and crayons. Until today the crayons were just floating around on the bottom of my purse hard to get to and marking everything else up.

Nate loves, mini M &Ms on his ice cream, so I usually have them in the house. Mini M &Ms come in these cute little tubes:

I used the last of the M &Ms tonight on dessert and had a tube leftover. It occurred to me that it was slightly longer then a crayon, and would be the perfect container to keep my purse crayons in. So, I peeled the label off, put the crayons inside, and wrote on it with a sharpie so that anyone looking for crayons in my purse would be abel to find them. It is not very elegant, but it is fully functional and I got to "reuse" something. A win/win in my book.

It holds about 7 crayons

My New Toy

2011-05-20T16:33:00.000-04:00

It is the Dyson DC Animal Ball-Technology Upright Vacuum and I love it. Until about four months ago I had the original Dyson DC17 Animal vacuum, but it was having problems. I took it to Sears to be serviced only to discover that I had really killed it, it needed a new motor and a new cyclone thing, and a new everything else... the price tag? $400 plus. I said no thank you since we didn't spend $400 on that vacuum in the first place. Killing it is completely my fault... I think I went 1.5 years before I cleaned out a filter... that couldn't have helped!

I wasn't necessarily keen to get another Dyson since the first one didn't even last 5 years, but after doing some research on the best "Pet" vacuum which showed that Dyson was continually rated the best, we decided to go for it. We got the Ball version which really is way more maneuverable then your standard model. The profile is so low I can now get under furniture without having to use an attachment.

This time around I am determined to make this vacuum last, so I will be treating it right and and performing some regular maintenance.

Tips for a Successful Yard Sale

2011-05-20T15:54:00.000-04:00

I am, if I do say so myself, a yard sale veteran. My mom and I have been having yard sales for as long as I can remember and they have always been successful. The difference between a successful and an unsuccessful yard sale are huge, but the things you can do to ensure success are very simple!

1. Advertise -- This can mean putting an ad in your local paper or it can mean putting signs up in your neighborhood. Better yet, do both!

2. Price Everything -- Whether it is with a sticker, a post it note, or a piece of masking tape, price everything! If you have more than one person selling, add initials next to the price to make it easier to keep track of who is owed how much.

3. Price Things to Sell -- This is a yard sale. Keep that in mind. I know that you paid a lot of money for these items back in the day, but now you are hocking them to strangers in your driveway. Price them accordingly.

4. Be Open to Offers -- Although it is not customary in this country to haggle over prices there is something about a yard sale that brings out a person's inner haggler. Even if you have priced things to sell, people may offer you less. Sure you want to make a little money with this endeavor, but yard sales are often more about cleaning out the money than fiscal gain. If someone asks you if you will take less than what the item is priced ask yourself if you are will to bring it back into the house and store it again before you answer them.

5. Have Change -- I don't know why people do it, but they do, they will offer you a $20 bill for a $0.25 item. have change available... it just makes everyone happy.

6. Tables, Tables, Tables -- People don't like to bend down to look at stuff. Put things on tables. Also, so some reason, people don't like to look through racks of clothes, so don't hang (if possible) fold and put on tables.

7. Have a Partner -- This might be the most important one. You can go at it alone, but then there is no one to spot you when you need a potty break or a fresh cup of coffee.

8. Keep Yard Sale Hours -- I crack up when I see yard sale signs that say they will start at 10:00. Die hard yard salers are out early... take advantage of that. Sometimes they are so eager to get a look at what you have they will even help you set up... no kidding.

9. Offer People Bags -- Everyone, no matter how many reusable bags you own, has a lot of plastic shopping bags in their house. Here is the perfect opportunity to unload them.

10. Have a Plan for After -- What are you going to do if things don;t sell? Have some idea of what you are going to do with things that are left over. Will you box them up and store them? Will you donate them to Goodwill? To some other organization?

Pickles

2011-05-18T17:33:00.000-04:00

I will be making these tomorrow, probably during nap time. This is my first foray into pickled food, so we'll see how it goes. I will post a more extensive entry with pictures tomorrow, but for the moment I decided to share the recipe I am going to use. I found it on Cookography and it is for Refrigerator Pickles...

Dill Refrigerator Pickles (From Cookography, 2007)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Kirby cucumbers (sometimes labeled pickling cukes), cut in half lengthwise
2 cups white distilled vinegar
2 cups cold water
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 good handful of fresh dill (maybe a cup?)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp chili flakes or a dried red hot pepper (optional)
1 tsp black peppercorns

Directions:

Place all the seasonings in the bottom of a 2 or 3 quart jar. Add the cucumber halves, stacking as you go. The basic thing to try and arrange them so they don’t float around too much.
Measure out the vinegar, water and salt in a separate container and stir until the salt dissolves.
Pour the liquid into the jar containing the cucumbers. Make sure the liquid covers all of the cucumbers. Mix up another batch if necessary.
Seal the lid tightly and shake for about a minute. Now find a good home for the jar in your ‘fridge
Wait for 6 or 7 days, giving the jar a good shake each day.

Things I am Loving Right Now

2011-05-18T17:24:00.000-04:00

Stash's Peach Flavored Black Tea... Yum

This Silicone Watch (it just screams COOL to me)

Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries (Junk food I can feel less guilty about)

Crimina Minds (How did I not know about this show???)

Left Over Easter Candy :)

Update on Updated To Do List

2011-05-18T17:12:00.000-04:00

I actually made some progress on my previously posted To Do list.... YEAH!

~~1. IRON (for the love of God IRON)~~
2. Make tooth fairy pillow for Nate
~~3. Make Ice Cream~~
4. Make pickles

In addition I accomplished a few other things, like making some whole wheat pizza dough to keep in the freezer. The pickles I think I am going to tackle tomorrow.

Updated To Do List

2011-05-13T16:43:00.000-04:00

1. IRON (for the love of God IRON)
2. Make tooth fairy pillow for Nate

3. Make Ice Cream
4. Make pickles

Tasty (Low Fat) Pork Chops

2011-05-13T16:41:00.000-04:00

ARRRRG! I posted this yesterday but blogger somehow erased it... here we go again.

The other morning I pulled out some boneless pork chops to thaw for dinner. By the time I got around to actually making dinner I only had about 25 minutes to spare. That was hardly enough time to marinade the pork. Also, I was looking for a cooking method that I could walk away from for a little bit which meant that grilling or frying was out. So, I decided to bread the pork and bake it. Instead of your traditional breading method with flour and eggs and bread crumbs, I decided to slather the pork in Dijon mustard and then press it into bread crumbs. I baked them for about 20 minutes on 375 (in my convection toaster oven so times may vary). They were fantastic. The coating was certainly not crunchy, but it was very tasty imparting an awful lot of flavor. Best of all, this method added no additional fat and used up two pantry items!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T02:39:00.001-04:00

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-05-06T09:21:00.000-04:00

So I made the Mexican chocolate cupcakes last night and hoo-boy! are they good.

I changed the recipe a little bit and I like the results so I am going to re-post it with my changes:

1 pkg. Chocolate Cake Mix
2 tsp ground cinnamon, separated
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Can of Chocolate Frosting

Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare cake mix as directed.
2. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and all of the cayenne pepper to the cake batter and mix well.
3. Spoon cake batter into prepared cupcake liners and pan. Fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3full.
4. Bake cupcakes as directed and cool completely.
5.Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with the left over cinnamon.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T16:05:00.002-04:00

Although, as I understand it, Cinco de Mayo is not actually a big deal in Mexico, I like to look for any excuse to have themed meals, so here are two Mexican themes recipes. The first one I have made many times and it is very yummy. The second I will be making tonight. Enjoy!

Spicy Polenta Tamale Pie

24 oz. Pre Packaged Cooked Polenta (comes in a plastic roll)
1 (15 oz.) Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) Can Enchilada Sauce (mild, medium, or hot)
1 (11 oz.) Can Whole Kernel Corn, drained
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8X8 dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut polenta into small cubes. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and pour into prepared dish. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

It is a very easy vegetarian meal.

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
1 pkg. Chocolate Cake Mix
2 tsp ground cinnamon, separated
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Can of hocolate Frosting

Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare cake mix as directed.
2. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper to the cake batter and mix well.
3. Spoon cake batter into prepared cupcake liners and pan. Fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3full.
4. Bake cupcakes as directed and cool completely.
5. Prepare frosting by adding 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper to each can of frosting that you use. Mix completely and frost cupcakes.

To Do List....

2011-05-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

For this week, there are a couple of things I have been procrastinating on that need to get done.

~~1. Take laundry out of the dryer and fold~~
~~2. Put away Laundry~~
3. Clean out Closet in Family Room
4. IRON
5. Make Tooth Fairy Pillow (not that Nate will be losing teeth any time soon, but still, I want to be prepared)

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T14:55:00.000-04:00

I was 4 and a half when Charles and Diana got married so I really don't remember much of the hoopla surrounding their wedding, and until recently I wasn't very interested in the comings and goings of Wills and Kate. But then, after talking to some colleagues who are complete Anglophiles, I allowed myself to get swept up in the royal wedding fervor.

I was not up at 4:00am, I can say that, but when Nate came into my room at 5:45 I flipped on the TV in time to see Charles and Camilla enter the Abbey. I had to concede the TV to Nate at this time, but he soon lost interest in Toy Story 3 (I don.t understand why... he's only see it 1,000,000,000,001 times in the last 3 weeks) and I was able to watch again.

I saw the ceremony, the recessional, the carriage ride, and then one of the two kisses on the balcony. I loved Kate's dress, but thought her flowers should have been a little bit bigger. My husband says I am lame. I don't really care, it is fun.

When I got to work there was a full blown wedding party underway in the staff lounge with a TV showing the wedding coverage, tea sandwiches, tea breads, and even royal wedding tea.

More Etsy Fun -- The Royal Wedding Edition

2011-04-29T14:47:00.000-04:00

A fun collection of British themed goodies from Etsy that I have titled "Cool Britannia."

Nate's Easter Basket

2011-04-27T14:07:00.000-04:00

I am really proud of the Easter Basket I created for Nate this year for a number of reasons. One, he loved everything in it. Two, I did not spend a ton of money, so it was a pretty frugal endeavor, and Three, there was no candy in it for me to eat!

The Contents:

The basket and the "grass" are ours reused every year
Just Go to Bed by Mercer Mayer ($3.99)
A Toy Story jump rope ($1.00)
Side walk chalk ($4 on end of season clearance)
Non-Spill Bubble Cup with bubbles ($2.49 end of season clearance)
Kaleidoscope ($.62 on clearance)
Fisher Price Wheelies Train ($1.00)
Easter Thomas with Jelly Bean Car ($9.95)
Plastic Chicken Eggs (2 for $1.00)
Assorted mini trains and trucks (6 @ $.39 each)

Grand total: $26.21

Not too bad. The jump rope I found at Goodwill new in the package. The bubble cup, bubbles, and side walk chalk were all end of season clearance last year. I did splurge on the Easter Thomas but Nate is crazy for all things Thomas.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T10:25:00.000-04:00

Love Your Mother

2011-04-22T08:21:00.000-04:00

Mother Earth that is. In celebration of Earth Day I thought I would share some of the easy ways to help the Earth and consume less.

1. Cloth, cloth cloth. This applies to napkins and towels mostly. That was how we started. I extended it to diaper as well until we had some diaper rash issues that would not be controlled in cloth. In addition, I use cloth rounds in place of cotton balls for taking up make up. Also, I replaced disposable tampons and pads with cloth pads.

2. Travel Mugs and Reusable Water Bottles. Not only will you save the Earth with this one, but you will always have a beverage with you when you get thirsty and you will save money too,

3. Reusable bags. These can be found anywhere from Target to the grocery store. There are super cute ones on Etsy or you could make your own. Not to mention that they are plentiful at Goodwill and the Salvation Army. I will fully admit that I am not so good about remembering to bring these into the super market with me. But I keep one or two Baggu bags in my purse at all times that way I can use them when I run to the drug store or the Wawa.

4. Buy Earth friendly cleaning products... or make your own. I am a huge fame of both Method and Seventh Generation cleaning products. I also like Simple Green. I have tried using vinegar and baking soda and making my own cleaning products and I am not been satisfied with the results.

5. Recycle as Much as Possible. Whether this means reusing the jars that baby food or tomato sauce come in, or putting as much as possible into the recycling bin, do it.

There are, of course, other ways to help the Earth. Drive less, plant more things, get a rain barrel, time your showers, compost, etc. But the 5 easy changes listed above can get you moving in the right direction easily and painlessly.

A Day in the Life of Me -- Work Day Edition

2011-04-21T10:24:00.006-04:00

4:28 -- Wake up from Horrible Dream, go back to sleep

5:35 -- Nate wakes me up and asks if he can come into my room. He gets in bed with me and watchs Toy Story 3 while I eek out another 45 minutes of sleep

6:20 -- Alarm goes off. Get up, shower, brush teeth.

6:40 -- Start to get dressed, do make up, do hair

6:55 -- Get Nate dressed. His diaper has leaked and now there is a big pee spot all over my bed. Strip bed including mattress pad.

7:00 -- Gather up supplies to be taken to my mom's house

7:05 -- Go down to kitchen and start getting everyone breakfast. The night before I always fill a sippy cup with milk and put it in the fridge so Nate can get it himself in the morning. Get nate settled at the table with his raisins. Feed the dogs, give the dogs fresh water, give the dogs their celery, let the dogs out. Put my breakfast (leftover muffins) in the toaster oven turn on the water for tea.

7:10 -- Let the dogs in. Start making Nate's waffle.

7:15 -- Turn off the TV, try reasoning with Nate about sitting and eating breakfast while trying to eat my own breakfast. Neither of these things works, so he get s a time out.

7:20 -- Nate is back at the table eating his waffle. I finish my breakfast, clean up, make my tea in a travel mug, put away dry dishes, toad up the bags and take them out to the car, change Nate's shirt, put on his shoes and socks.

7:40 -- Lock up the house, give the dogs a treat and get in the car.

8:00 -- Drop Nate off at my mom's house

8:20 -- Leave my mom's house and head to work

8:30 - 5:30 -- Work

5:30 -- Go pick up Nate

6:00 -- Head home

6:30 -- Unload the car, unpack all the bags and start the bed time process: bath, PJs, books

7:30 -- Nate is in bed

7:35 -- Start dinner for me -- Chicken Tikka Masala, Basmati Rice, Peas, and Samosas

8:00 -- Settle in to eat dinner and watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

11:00 -- Bed.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

2011-04-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

May the Force be with You!

Junior Mint Brownies

2011-04-07T11:01:00.000-04:00

My friend Meredith is in the states this week and we were able to catch up over dinner the other night. it was not a fancy affair. I made a baked ziti, a Caesar salad and junior mint brownies for dessert.

The ziti is pretty self explanatory, so is the Caesar salad really, but I wanted to share the junior mint brownie recipe because it is so good. It originally came from Cooking Light so it is a relatively guiltless treat is eaten in moderation.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or stick margarine
32 (about 3 ounces) creamy, small-size mints in pure chocolate (such as Junior Mints)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 large egg
1 large egg white

Preperation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
Combine butter and mints in a 2-cup glass measure; microwave at high 30 seconds or until soft. Stir until smooth, and set aside.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife.
Combine flour, soda, and salt in a bowl.
Combine sugar, cocoa, egg, and egg white in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add mint mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean; cool completely on a wire rack.

Yum!

The ABCs of Me

2011-04-06T17:12:00.000-04:00

I found this over at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven and thought it would be fun.

Age: 34

Bed Size: Queen

Chore You Hate: Dusting... it seems so futile

Dogs: A black lab and a chocolate lab mix

Essential Start of Your Day: A Hot Beverage, usually green tea

Favorite Color: Red

Gold or Silver: Silver, white gold or platinum

Height: 5'3" (on a good day)

Instruments You Play: Flute and piccilo (although it has been years since I picked up either)

Job Title: Librarian

Kids: Nate, 3 years old

Live: on planet Earth (most of the time)

Mom's Name: Mom (sorry not giving out that Privileged information)

Nicknames: Never really had one other than "moll" but I don't think that counts

Overnight Hospital Stays: I had my tonsils out when I was in second grade and my C-section

Pet Peeve: People with an over-inflated sense of entitlement

Quote From a Movie: "It's a hell of a day at sea sir!" (Overboard)

Right- or Left-Handed: Right

Siblings: zero (and I loved every minute of being an only child)

Time You Wake Up: too early... usually 5:30 when Nate gets up

Underwear: yes, I generally wear underwear

Veggie You Dislike: Radishs

What Makes You Run Late: A toddler with his own ideas and plans

X-Rays You Have Had: Dental, Ultra Sounds, chest, ankle, foot

Yummy Food You Make: Roasted chicken, chocolate Guiness cake, cinnamon chip scones.

Zoo Animal You Like Best: The Otters

A Treasury of Rabbits

2011-03-29T13:39:00.000-04:00

I am distracting myself from work today be making Treasury Lists on Etsy.com. Here is one entitled "Something for Everybunny"

Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-17T14:58:00.014-04:00

I finally found a great recipe for Irish Soda Bread, here it is:

4 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1cup raisins (or currants)
1Tablespoon of Caraway seeds if desired
1 cup buttermilk

1. Mix all of dry ingredients together, including the raisins.

2. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine.

3. Lightly shape dough into a ball and place on greased baking sheet (or on a silpat lined baking sheet)

4. Cut an X into he top of the dough ball

5. If desired, brush with milk or a beated egg.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 35- 45 minutes

Cake Pops

2011-03-16T11:33:00.001-04:00

Cake pops, a la Bakerella, are all the rage... hell, Starbucks even has them now. So I thought I would try my hand at them for Goodie Day at work this week. The recipe is simple enough:

1 cake (Made from a box, baked, and cooled)
1 Can frosting
Chocolate or a candy coating like CandiQuick for the outside
Sticks
Decorations like colored sugar, etc.

The steps to assembling the cake balls are pretty easy to.

1. Crumble up the cooled cake.
2. Mix in the icing until the cake and icing are the consistence of cookie dough

3. Make little balls of the cake/icing mix with your hands. Or, if you are like me, with a cookie scoop.
4. Chill the balls
5. Insert the sticks
6. Coat in Chocolate or the CandiQuick
7. Decorate

I am going to call this a semi success. The first mistake I made was making the balls too big. I used the larger of my two cookie scoops, I should have used the smaller one. I also went wrong by putting the balls in the refrigerator. They kept falling off the sticks and falling apart as I was trying to coat them. Next time I will freeze them. I didn't buy enough of the coating. I have never actually used a "candy coating" before. I have always just melted chocolate, but I needed something that would harden pretty fast so I opted for the Vanilla CandiQuick. I didn't have enough to cover all the balls, only about half. I had to throw the other half away :(

Yes, I know I could have frozen them for use later, but there is no room in my freezer at the moment.

Here they are waiting to be eaten at work:

They were a semi success, because people are actually eating them. Will I be making them again? I don't think so. First of all, they were a lot of work and pretty messy. Second, I am not that thrilled with how they tasted. I would have been a lot happier if I had just made a regular cake with icing.

Help Please -- Missing Child -- Sadly this is all too real

2011-03-07T15:04:00.000-05:00

I work with Tom. His 16 year old daughter is missing. If you are in the Philadelphia Area and you see her, please, please, please call the police.

To my blogger friends, please post this on your blogs and help bring Anna home. Thanks!

Cannolis

2011-02-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

I love cannolis. Who doesn't actually? Well I can think of a few people, but that is beside the point. Most people like cannolis and they are a pretty impressive dessert to put in front of your family and guests. Mostly because they seem really complicated to make. But here a secret just between you and me and the Internet... they are really easy to make... if you are willing to cheat a little.

Step 1: Buy the Cannoli Shells (THIS IS THE CHEATING PART)

I am sure they are a ton of great recipes of the Web with wonderful step by step instructions on how to make your own cannoli shells... but seriously, why bother when you can buy them in the supermarket ready made. And they are just as good I swear!

Step 2: Assemble the Filling

Traditionally, cannolis are filled with a sweetened ricotta cheese. To make the tradiational filling you will need:

1 12oz container of ricotta cheese (whole milk or part skim is fine)
1/2 cup of sifted powered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Mix all of the above together with a wisk.

Step 3: Pipe the Filling into the Cannoli Shells

If you don't like the traditional filling you can always fill them with what you do like. You could use whipped cream, ice cream, Cool Whip, the possibilities are endless.

Coming to Fruition

2011-02-24T14:24:00.000-05:00

Some of the plans I made for last night actually came to fruition!

I did make a pizza for me with smoked chicken, asparagras, and goat cheese:

And I did make small pizzas for Nate's lunch and freezer:

And I did bake an applesauce cake to take on our play date today. What I did not do is craft. Oh well, maybe tonight.

Speaking of My Brilliance...

2011-02-24T14:14:00.002-05:00

I was looking for a creative, accessible, and cheap way to organize Nate's art supplies. My parents got him a table and chairs for Christmas and I wanted something to sit on the table to hold his crayons, markets, stamps, and chalk, so that he could create when ever the mood took hold.

I'm sure there is something I could have purchased, but I happened to have a Longaberger basket divided protector hanging around. It was sturdy, had little divided sections for all the different art supplies, it was clear, so Nate could see what he had to work with, and it was free. So I put it to work. I filled it up with his art supplies and sat it in the middle of his table where it has been performing its duties beautifully ever since.

What I will be Doing After Nate Goes to Sleep

2011-02-23T15:22:00.000-05:00

1. Making Pizza -- smoked chicken, aspagras, amd goat cheese for me. Regular pizza with hidden veggies for Nate to take for lunch

2. Baking something to take to tomorrow's play date with Miss Sophia and Miss Olivia.

3. Some sort of crafting.

Of course, this is all contingent on me staying awake. Last night that did not happen... I actually feel asleep on top of my kindle mid page... kinda sad.

Waterproof Mattress Booster

2011-02-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I am absolutely brilliant... most of the time I am not, but sometimes, just sometimes, I come up with the best and cheapest solutions to a vexing problem.

We moved Nate to his big boy bed on Christmas Eve. It went splendidly, better, actually then I expected it to go which was nice. I had been picking things up here and there in preparation for the big move. Sheets here and there, the bed rail, the comforter, pillows, etc. I even picked up two mattress pad covers. Usually I only have one mattress pad cover, but since Nate is still in diapers, and since said diapers leak from time to time, I wanted to make sure I had a spare for when one was in the wash.

I bought the mattress pad covers are Target... they were, I don't know, $15 bucks or something like that. They look like this:

They feel like they are completely made out of paper... cheap, cheap, cheap (in quality) and they don't really even fit the mattress all that well. I was not pleased, but didn't have many options.

Then I saw this waterproof overlay in a catalog and thought that might be a viable solution. Put the cheap mattress pad cover on the mattress and put this on top of the sheets as an extra layer of protection.

But that was another $25 bucks that I didn't really want to spend. Plus, how soft was it? How comfortable would it be to sleep on? Questions I didn't have answers to.

So... [This is where the brilliance comes in] it occurred to me that the waterproof overlay looked an awful lot like a crib mattress pad only without the stretchy sides. I had two crib mattress pads which were waterproof which I wouldn't need once the crib was out of the house. So, I look those two mattress pads and cut the stretchy sides off making, <> 2 waterproof overlays for absolutely nothing!!!

Then I had another stroke of genius and that was to make the bed with the twin size waterproof mattress pad on the bed, then the modified crib mattress pad, and then the sheets. Two layers of protection for the mattress and nate gets to sleep on comfy sheets.

An added bonus is that the modified crib mattress pads are easy to take off of the mattress and wash.

Brilliant I tell you... BRILLIANT!