Here's the "pattern" I was working to. And by pattern I mean, drawing free hand this pumpkin:
And here's the result, with my husband's pumpkin too:
Not too shabby. In any event, they are something to put out tomorrow for the trick or treaters!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Happy Halloween!
Tonight we decided to finally carve the pumpkins we got at the beginning of the month. Our intention was to do it over the weekend, but hurricane Sandy had other plans. On the plus side they will probably last until tomorrow night now. :) My husband chose to get creative with his design and make his own which I think turned out pretty awesome, especially when lit with a candle. I opted to pick something cool I saw on the internet and try to repeat it.
Here's the "pattern" I was working to. And by pattern I mean, drawing free hand this pumpkin:
And here's the result, with my husband's pumpkin too:
Not too shabby. In any event, they are something to put out tomorrow for the trick or treaters!
Here's the "pattern" I was working to. And by pattern I mean, drawing free hand this pumpkin:
And here's the result, with my husband's pumpkin too:
Not too shabby. In any event, they are something to put out tomorrow for the trick or treaters!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Making Your Own Baby Food
This may seem like an intimidating idea, but trust me, nothing could be easier to make. I wish all my meals could be as simple as the ones for a baby. During a visit to the pediatrician's office we were told some enlightening things about baby food. The first of which is they do not need to start with cereal. Silly uneducated me thought that was what you had to do! She actually suggested avocado as a great first food. The added bonus being you can eat whatever they don't. Fabulous!
We actually did choose to make avocado Colin's first food and it was probably one of the best decisions we made. He actually liked the avocado and, as we later found out, on the mess scale, it's pretty low. He did still manage the get it all over him, but it wasn't nearly as bad as cereal. We decided to make that the second food so in a pinch if we had to, we would know it would be ok to give that to him. I am glad I bought a small box because I can't see going back to that EVER. On the mess scale that was probably oh, about an 11. I think the only way we are going to finish that box is if it gets mixed in with other real food.
After that episode, I decided to go educate myself on what a baby needs and great first foods. Aside from avocados; apples, sweet potatoes, and bananas are great too. My dad sent a big care package of apples from the family orchard in NY, so those were immediately used to make the first batch of food for him. Surprisingly, they were very easy to make. I chose the boil method, where you peel, core, and cut up apples and place in a pot. I added a small amount of water and cooked for about 15 minutes or until they were breaking down to mush. That's when you know they are ready.
For the sweet potatoes, I scrubbed them and stabbed them with a fork. Wrapped them up in tin foil and baked in a 400 degree oven for an hour. I didn't have time to puree them yesterday, so I put them in the fridge and did that today.
You basically blend them up until they are smooth. You will probably need to add a little water to get a decent consistency. I think I added maybe a half a cup for two sweet potatoes. I just kind of eye balled it.
You should get a pretty smooth puree which you can then portion on into ice cube trays. For me, my ice cube measurement is roughly a tablespoon, so that works out pretty much perfectly. Place all your puree into your trays and then freeze. Once they are froze you can use a knife to pop out the cubes and place into a Ziploc freezer bag. Two potatoes gave me 30 cubes of food plus 2-3 servings which I didn't freeze since I will be using them for a few days.
Between this and the apples, I have plenty of food to keep him fed for a while. Total hands on time was maybe an hour for each food. I am using the Wholesome Baby Food website as a reference/guide to making food for Colin. I think it has a lot of good information and recipes. Lentils will probably be one of the next foods to get prepared this way as they are rich in iron and provide a great base for adding in other foods. Good luck!
We actually did choose to make avocado Colin's first food and it was probably one of the best decisions we made. He actually liked the avocado and, as we later found out, on the mess scale, it's pretty low. He did still manage the get it all over him, but it wasn't nearly as bad as cereal. We decided to make that the second food so in a pinch if we had to, we would know it would be ok to give that to him. I am glad I bought a small box because I can't see going back to that EVER. On the mess scale that was probably oh, about an 11. I think the only way we are going to finish that box is if it gets mixed in with other real food.
After that episode, I decided to go educate myself on what a baby needs and great first foods. Aside from avocados; apples, sweet potatoes, and bananas are great too. My dad sent a big care package of apples from the family orchard in NY, so those were immediately used to make the first batch of food for him. Surprisingly, they were very easy to make. I chose the boil method, where you peel, core, and cut up apples and place in a pot. I added a small amount of water and cooked for about 15 minutes or until they were breaking down to mush. That's when you know they are ready.
For the sweet potatoes, I scrubbed them and stabbed them with a fork. Wrapped them up in tin foil and baked in a 400 degree oven for an hour. I didn't have time to puree them yesterday, so I put them in the fridge and did that today.
I peeled the sweet potatoes, which is really easy after they are cooled. The skin just peels off almost on it's own. Then I dropped them into my food processor.
You basically blend them up until they are smooth. You will probably need to add a little water to get a decent consistency. I think I added maybe a half a cup for two sweet potatoes. I just kind of eye balled it.
You should get a pretty smooth puree which you can then portion on into ice cube trays. For me, my ice cube measurement is roughly a tablespoon, so that works out pretty much perfectly. Place all your puree into your trays and then freeze. Once they are froze you can use a knife to pop out the cubes and place into a Ziploc freezer bag. Two potatoes gave me 30 cubes of food plus 2-3 servings which I didn't freeze since I will be using them for a few days.
Between this and the apples, I have plenty of food to keep him fed for a while. Total hands on time was maybe an hour for each food. I am using the Wholesome Baby Food website as a reference/guide to making food for Colin. I think it has a lot of good information and recipes. Lentils will probably be one of the next foods to get prepared this way as they are rich in iron and provide a great base for adding in other foods. Good luck!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Halloween Creations
Halloween is one of our favorite holidays in this household. We have a number of decorations to put up around the house, but most of what we had filled a small apartment, so it looks sparse in our much bigger home. So I have been looking for ways to add to our collection.
I am going to have to give credit to Pinterest again for this idea, but I still love it. It was very easy and didn't take a lot of time. The hardest part was finding the silly spider rings at the craft store. This project is also way wallet friendly ($4 with supplies left over). So much so I didn't feel too bad about not having a coupon on me for this. Here's what you will need:
Step 1: Cut the ring part off of the spider rings so you just have the spider bodies left. Note: The back of the spider will not be super smooth, but just try to cut it as close as you can.
Step 2: Cut the magnets to match the size of the spider body. This should be enough to get them to stick.
Step 3: Using your hot glue gun, put a small dot of glue on the magnet and press onto your spider body.
Step 4: Apply to whatever surface you wish. I chose my door because I think it's way fun. You can do any surface that a magnet will stick to.
Happy Halloweening!
I am going to have to give credit to Pinterest again for this idea, but I still love it. It was very easy and didn't take a lot of time. The hardest part was finding the silly spider rings at the craft store. This project is also way wallet friendly ($4 with supplies left over). So much so I didn't feel too bad about not having a coupon on me for this. Here's what you will need:
- Spider Rings (or other small Halloween toys - they have to be light for this to work)
- Magnets (I used a strip of magnet tape found at the craft store)
- Hot Glue Gun (and sticks)
- Scissors
Step 1: Cut the ring part off of the spider rings so you just have the spider bodies left. Note: The back of the spider will not be super smooth, but just try to cut it as close as you can.
Step 2: Cut the magnets to match the size of the spider body. This should be enough to get them to stick.
Step 3: Using your hot glue gun, put a small dot of glue on the magnet and press onto your spider body.
Step 4: Apply to whatever surface you wish. I chose my door because I think it's way fun. You can do any surface that a magnet will stick to.
Happy Halloweening!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Homemade Mixes
Lately I have been pondering ways to be more efficient in the kitchen. Sometimes this means time-wise and sometimes this means cost-wise. In this particular instance, I think it might have been a little bit of both. With fall settling in fast and furious, comfort food season will soon be underway. This time of year I find myself wanting to bake more and this includes breads, specifically as it relates to this post - corn bread. Ain't nothing wrong with that!
I have always just bought the blue box of Jiffy mix and called it a day, but I thought how hard can this be to make my own corn bread? Thanks to the age of the internet, turns out, its really not too difficult. This website offered the recipe for the dry mix and then how to use it. For those that are too lazy to go to the site, here's the scoop.
This cornbread mix makes one batch of either a 8x8 baking dish, or approximately 6 muffins. You can also use it any place a recipe calls for a “8.5 ounce cornbread mix box.” It can be easily doubled, tripled or multiplied to any degree you wish (I did quadruple) and stored in an airtight container for 4-6 months. If you do multiply this mix recipe, simply use approximately 1 ¾ cup mix.
Homemade Cornbread Mix
¾ cup cornmeal
¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together. Store if needed.
When ready to use preheat oven to 425 degrees, then, mix in a separate bowl:
1 egg
¾ cup skim milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mix and stir until just incorporated.
Cook for 20-25 minutes if using a 8x8 baking dish, or 15-20 minutes for muffins, removing the muffins or bread from the oven when the center is no longer jiggly and the edges are slightly browned.
The site goes on to mention that this is a great money saving way to use pantry staples for something you would normally get "out of a box". Also, they make another great point which is this probably has less chemicals/garbage than you average box mix too. That's always nice.
I am hoping to make a few more of these mixes as I find ones I would actually use. I just need to find containers for them all. I happened to find the one for this in a random cleaning on the cupboards the other day. I don't think I'll get that lucky again, but ya never know!
I have always just bought the blue box of Jiffy mix and called it a day, but I thought how hard can this be to make my own corn bread? Thanks to the age of the internet, turns out, its really not too difficult. This website offered the recipe for the dry mix and then how to use it. For those that are too lazy to go to the site, here's the scoop.
This cornbread mix makes one batch of either a 8x8 baking dish, or approximately 6 muffins. You can also use it any place a recipe calls for a “8.5 ounce cornbread mix box.” It can be easily doubled, tripled or multiplied to any degree you wish (I did quadruple) and stored in an airtight container for 4-6 months. If you do multiply this mix recipe, simply use approximately 1 ¾ cup mix.
Homemade Cornbread Mix
¾ cup cornmeal
¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together. Store if needed.
When ready to use preheat oven to 425 degrees, then, mix in a separate bowl:
1 egg
¾ cup skim milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mix and stir until just incorporated.
Cook for 20-25 minutes if using a 8x8 baking dish, or 15-20 minutes for muffins, removing the muffins or bread from the oven when the center is no longer jiggly and the edges are slightly browned.
The site goes on to mention that this is a great money saving way to use pantry staples for something you would normally get "out of a box". Also, they make another great point which is this probably has less chemicals/garbage than you average box mix too. That's always nice.
I am hoping to make a few more of these mixes as I find ones I would actually use. I just need to find containers for them all. I happened to find the one for this in a random cleaning on the cupboards the other day. I don't think I'll get that lucky again, but ya never know!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
First Family Vacation
Over the Labor Day holiday, we took our first family vacation down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (of course!). On our way down, we stopped in to visit our friends the Whites and their little girl Julia. It's been a while since we have gotten a chance to visit with them and it was their first time meeting Colin. Julia was happy to try to play with Colin, but he was mostly just taking it all in. :)
After a short stay, we ventured further down to our final destination in Nags Head, NC. It's crazy to think I have been coming here with him for the past 7 years (first trip in 2005 - egads!). He proposed at The Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo and we got married on the beach in Nags Head. Needless to say, I think it's fitting we decided to make this our first family vacation destination.
Our first day, we made it out to the beach in the late afternoon. It's a good thing we did because during the rest of our stay, the waters were super rough and red flagged so it was our only opportunity for a dip. Colin was totally fascinated with the sound of the waves and kept turning around to face the water.
Rob and I decided we should probably stick his toes in the ocean to make it an official visit to the beach. At 4.5 months, that seemed to be all that was needed. Next year we might venture into the sound a little bit.
Colin didn't seem to mind the water at all even though it was cooler than his normal bath water. It was still a lot warmer than what Rob and I are used to for ocean temps in May. We could actually get in without waiting for body parts to go numb. Ha!
Randomly, I found out that my high school friend Ryan and his wife Alina were also in the Outer Banks visiting at the same time, so we met up for lunch. Alina is expecting in December, so they got some practical experience holding Colin. :) It was good to see them again.
Our friends had brought down their kayak to play around in the sound, so we took turns giving it a go. I have never kayaked before, but I thought it was a lot of fun.
Rob had apparently been before, but it's been a while. He still did really good and maneuvered pretty good around the water.
And finally, there was a beautiful sunset that happened on our last night there. I had an important lesson in lenses and my new camera. Going from AC to like 150% humidity causes fogging. With the quick sunset, the lens never really cleared, but it kind of makes for an interesting affect.
Overall, it was a great vacation. The ride home was a bit trying, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Here's hoping to many more family vacations to one of our favorite places on Earth. :)
After a short stay, we ventured further down to our final destination in Nags Head, NC. It's crazy to think I have been coming here with him for the past 7 years (first trip in 2005 - egads!). He proposed at The Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo and we got married on the beach in Nags Head. Needless to say, I think it's fitting we decided to make this our first family vacation destination.
Our first day, we made it out to the beach in the late afternoon. It's a good thing we did because during the rest of our stay, the waters were super rough and red flagged so it was our only opportunity for a dip. Colin was totally fascinated with the sound of the waves and kept turning around to face the water.
Rob and I decided we should probably stick his toes in the ocean to make it an official visit to the beach. At 4.5 months, that seemed to be all that was needed. Next year we might venture into the sound a little bit.
Colin didn't seem to mind the water at all even though it was cooler than his normal bath water. It was still a lot warmer than what Rob and I are used to for ocean temps in May. We could actually get in without waiting for body parts to go numb. Ha!
Randomly, I found out that my high school friend Ryan and his wife Alina were also in the Outer Banks visiting at the same time, so we met up for lunch. Alina is expecting in December, so they got some practical experience holding Colin. :) It was good to see them again.
Our friends had brought down their kayak to play around in the sound, so we took turns giving it a go. I have never kayaked before, but I thought it was a lot of fun.
Rob had apparently been before, but it's been a while. He still did really good and maneuvered pretty good around the water.
And finally, there was a beautiful sunset that happened on our last night there. I had an important lesson in lenses and my new camera. Going from AC to like 150% humidity causes fogging. With the quick sunset, the lens never really cleared, but it kind of makes for an interesting affect.
Overall, it was a great vacation. The ride home was a bit trying, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Here's hoping to many more family vacations to one of our favorite places on Earth. :)
Monday, September 24, 2012
Colin's Quilt
I finally made the time to finish my son's first quilt not all that long
ago. It took a while with everything else I was doing, but he now has a
place to play and drool on. :)
I was having a hard time picking THE quilt pattern for him. I really wanted a sailboat pattern, but the ones I found I wasn't happy with and so I ultimately settled on a pattern I had used for my friend's little girl. I opted for frogs instead of butterflies this time, but it was still fun trying to pick out all of the fabric I was going to need. You really need to have a clear vision of what you want your finished product to look like to pick good fabrics. So far I'd like to think I have had pretty good luck. :)
Over a couple of weeks I did all of the cutting and initial block making. This quilt takes a few steps just to get to the image show below. For each of those green-blue-white blocks, I had to sew two larger blocks into two smaller squares for each color combination (green-blue and blue-white) and divide them each time. Then for the final assembly, sew the two different combinations together and split them once more to get the final block. It's a lot of small steps, but if you find your groove it doesn't take too long.
The easier pieces of the block are just the straight white blocks and even the motif centered blocks. The motif centered (frogs) are a little tricky just to make sure you have enough fabric and can get the character centered how you want them. This one was slightly easier than the butterflies, but still a bit tricky.
Once you get all 9 blocks together you get the one bigger block which becomes the true block you work into your pattern. I alternated the pieced blocks with what are referred to as "snowball" blocks. I guess someone thought that's what they looked like at one point. In any case, once you get the lined up and sewn together, you start to see a fun larger pattern emerge.
The final top layer step is to add borders. They really make the quilt come together and give it definition. Once you get that part together, you can start to assemble the quilt with your top layer (quilted), the filling (typically cotton batting), and then your backing (typically a solid fabric). This was the first quilt I decided to machine together, so it was a bit intense putting it through my machine. But the good news is, I now know I can do it, and it gives it a somewhat professional look to it.
Quilting truly is a labor of love. I am sure my little man is going to make all kinds of messes on this quilt, but I also know that it will be a keepsake no matter what shape it gets to be. :)
Friday, August 17, 2012
Used Pins
No, not that kind of pin, a pinterest kind of pin! I know, it wasn't too long ago when I posted my rant about peoples ridiculous tag lines when they pins things, but what can I say? It's a current topic. Since I mentioned my rant, I would like to make two additions to the over used tag line list:
"I NEED TO REMEMBER TO DO THIS!!" Yes, this is why we pin things you idgit.
"Pin(ning) now, read(ing) later" Umm no you won't. If you can't possibly take 1-2 minutes to validate the pin is worth re-pinning, you are NOT going to give it any thought later.
Anywho, I thought it might be a neat idea to share what I have actually used in the world of Pinterest. I try to pin things I find cool, inspiring, or something I really want to try. And ok, so I have a board full of things I find hilarious as well that only serve the purpose of making me laugh, but it does the job!
So here's what I have really used:
Pacifier clips: http://craftycupboard.blogspot.com/2011/10/pacifier-clip-tutorial.html Very simple and straight forward pattern that has already been used for me and as a gift.
Yardage Chart: Incredibly handy because sometimes I don't want to do math. Maybe you don't either so here it is:
New way to print photo books: www.blurp.com It's better than snapfish and VERY customizable. You can do a real book if you wanted to on this site. I like that it allows for flexibility to do more than one line descriptions of a series of photos. I have two projects in work using their software, which is another bonus. I don't have to upload every single photo and be online to use their tool. I can do it all on my desktop and then upload the finished product.
Photo Canvas Project: http://www.literallyinspired.com/2012/02/picture-perfect.html I haven't done this one completely, but I have the canvas, black paint, and Mod Podge ready to go. I am waiting for a sale on poster prints before I pull the trigger. So far I have spent $2.50 for the canvas and $4 for Mod Podge (thank you craft coupon) and I would love it if I could do it all for less than $15. :) I will post results.
Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce: http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pork-tenderloin-with-pan-sauce.html Definitely worth doing again! Delicious and pretty simple!
Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Crushed Red Pepper: http://www.yumsugar.com/Spaghetti-Garlic-Olive-Oil-Chili-Flakes-21398824 Tasty enough, but the recipe would need to be tweaked for me to do it again.
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/Janet-s-Chocolate-Chip-Coffee-Cake Hands down fabulous coffee cake!
I have a few others in work, specifically for the fall and Christmas. We will see if they get used this year or will be lying in wait for future years. And let us not forget the 30+ pins I have for kid projects for when Colin is older. :) If you want to see the full collection, you'll have to follow me.
"I NEED TO REMEMBER TO DO THIS!!" Yes, this is why we pin things you idgit.
"Pin(ning) now, read(ing) later" Umm no you won't. If you can't possibly take 1-2 minutes to validate the pin is worth re-pinning, you are NOT going to give it any thought later.
Anywho, I thought it might be a neat idea to share what I have actually used in the world of Pinterest. I try to pin things I find cool, inspiring, or something I really want to try. And ok, so I have a board full of things I find hilarious as well that only serve the purpose of making me laugh, but it does the job!
Pacifier clips: http://craftycupboard.blogspot.com/2011/10/pacifier-clip-tutorial.html Very simple and straight forward pattern that has already been used for me and as a gift.
Yardage Chart: Incredibly handy because sometimes I don't want to do math. Maybe you don't either so here it is:
New way to print photo books: www.blurp.com It's better than snapfish and VERY customizable. You can do a real book if you wanted to on this site. I like that it allows for flexibility to do more than one line descriptions of a series of photos. I have two projects in work using their software, which is another bonus. I don't have to upload every single photo and be online to use their tool. I can do it all on my desktop and then upload the finished product.
Photo Canvas Project: http://www.literallyinspired.com/2012/02/picture-perfect.html I haven't done this one completely, but I have the canvas, black paint, and Mod Podge ready to go. I am waiting for a sale on poster prints before I pull the trigger. So far I have spent $2.50 for the canvas and $4 for Mod Podge (thank you craft coupon) and I would love it if I could do it all for less than $15. :) I will post results.
Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce: http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pork-tenderloin-with-pan-sauce.html Definitely worth doing again! Delicious and pretty simple!
Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Crushed Red Pepper: http://www.yumsugar.com/Spaghetti-Garlic-Olive-Oil-Chili-Flakes-21398824 Tasty enough, but the recipe would need to be tweaked for me to do it again.
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/Janet-s-Chocolate-Chip-Coffee-Cake Hands down fabulous coffee cake!
I have a few others in work, specifically for the fall and Christmas. We will see if they get used this year or will be lying in wait for future years. And let us not forget the 30+ pins I have for kid projects for when Colin is older. :) If you want to see the full collection, you'll have to follow me.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The Flog
I would say my husband is the more nerdier of the two of us. I mean this is the nicest of ways. He is the one that watches the world wide web for interesting geeky comics, discussion boards, and videos. He happened to hear about Geek and Sundry following Will Wheaton on Google Plus. Their site is a compilation of a number of things inspired by geeks including Table Top (they play and review new board games), Sword and Laser (a Sci-fi/Fantasy book club), The Guild (a web series about gamers), The Flog (a vlog), Written by a Kid (the magic and madness of 5-10 year old imaginations), and others.
I have watched Table Top a few times, but it's really more my husbands thing. He is really into board games and some of the ones they pick to play are really interesting. Some of them we already own (Settlers of Catan) and so we feel like we are in the cool kids club on some accounts.
My favorite of these however is The Flog (you probably guessed if you read the title of this post). Felicia Day is pretty silly and quirky and so is her video blog. She posts on Monday and it's usually really entertaining. Her topics include a Fav Five (now a Trio Mio), a segment where she learns how to do something or she plays old school video games with her brother (hilarious! - Is that a street apple?), and then her question of note where she answers fan mail. They aren't incredibly long which is also a plus. I will say her music segments are a little strange, but she's got variety.
This is one I found pretty funny for two reasons, one her dialogue during her fav five, scatter brained, but I can relate. And two, I especially liked the part where Colin thought they were playing croquet and not learning how to crochet right up until they walked into the place where they were going to film. I like the video style too with the cuts and randomness. It may not be for everyone, but I think it's worth 10 minutes of my life every week. :)
I have watched Table Top a few times, but it's really more my husbands thing. He is really into board games and some of the ones they pick to play are really interesting. Some of them we already own (Settlers of Catan) and so we feel like we are in the cool kids club on some accounts.
My favorite of these however is The Flog (you probably guessed if you read the title of this post). Felicia Day is pretty silly and quirky and so is her video blog. She posts on Monday and it's usually really entertaining. Her topics include a Fav Five (now a Trio Mio), a segment where she learns how to do something or she plays old school video games with her brother (hilarious! - Is that a street apple?), and then her question of note where she answers fan mail. They aren't incredibly long which is also a plus. I will say her music segments are a little strange, but she's got variety.
This is one I found pretty funny for two reasons, one her dialogue during her fav five, scatter brained, but I can relate. And two, I especially liked the part where Colin thought they were playing croquet and not learning how to crochet right up until they walked into the place where they were going to film. I like the video style too with the cuts and randomness. It may not be for everyone, but I think it's worth 10 minutes of my life every week. :)
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Sunday Morning Traditions
When I was growing up, every Sunday my dad would make us pancakes. My brother and I would get 3 smaller ones each and then my dad would make one big pan sized one for himself. In fact pancakes were the first food I ever tried to cook. My dad started by letting me try to flip them on my own and then I gradually got to pouring them and mixing the batter too. It obviously became a childhood memory for me.
I have kept that Sunday morning ritual going off and on over my lifetime. If ever I had energy and the means I would try to make some kind of warm breakfast on Sundays. Not always pancakes, but sometimes eggs, toast, and bacon, or French Toast or whatever else I was in the mood for.
Since having Colin, we have had to become more morning people (see clock in photo) which I am still dragging my feet on, but on the upside, we get more time in the morning for things. So I have decided to reinstate this Sunday morning tradition from my childhood to something we will carry on in our house. We started with pancakes for a few weeks and then we moved on to French Toast and this morning we busted out the waffle maker for some seriously delicious waffles.
This recipe came with the waffle maker when we got it and it involves letting the batter sit out overnight, so you really have to plan these out, but my goodness they are light and fluffy and scrumptious. The best part is the waffle batter keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can have them multiple days if you want. The recipe makes more than Rob and I can eat in one setting, so we usually make them all up and freeze them, but then we forget about them. I think this time around, maybe we get crazy silly and have waffles for dinner one night this week. :)
Colin isn't old enough to eat whatever comes out of the kitchen on Sundays yet, but he is certainly taking it all in in the meantime.
I have kept that Sunday morning ritual going off and on over my lifetime. If ever I had energy and the means I would try to make some kind of warm breakfast on Sundays. Not always pancakes, but sometimes eggs, toast, and bacon, or French Toast or whatever else I was in the mood for.
Since having Colin, we have had to become more morning people (see clock in photo) which I am still dragging my feet on, but on the upside, we get more time in the morning for things. So I have decided to reinstate this Sunday morning tradition from my childhood to something we will carry on in our house. We started with pancakes for a few weeks and then we moved on to French Toast and this morning we busted out the waffle maker for some seriously delicious waffles.
This recipe came with the waffle maker when we got it and it involves letting the batter sit out overnight, so you really have to plan these out, but my goodness they are light and fluffy and scrumptious. The best part is the waffle batter keeps in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can have them multiple days if you want. The recipe makes more than Rob and I can eat in one setting, so we usually make them all up and freeze them, but then we forget about them. I think this time around, maybe we get crazy silly and have waffles for dinner one night this week. :)Colin isn't old enough to eat whatever comes out of the kitchen on Sundays yet, but he is certainly taking it all in in the meantime.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Shrimp and Pork Tarragon
Rob and I still try to be adventurous in out cooking endeavors, although not to the extent we were before. Everything in moderation these days, but that's ok. Rob was browsing through our Outer Banks Cookbook and found a recipe that sounded decent, Shrimp and Pork Tarragon. It didn't seem overly complicated and sounded like something we might like, so in went into last week's recipe rotation.
Shrimp and Pork Tarragon
1- 12 ounce pork tenderloin
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon each unsalted butter and oil, mixed
1/4 sweet onion
18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white wine, preferably a chardonay
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-2 Tablespoons coarse French mustard (or smooth if you prefer)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1. Cut pork tenderloin diagonally into 1 inch slices. Lightly dredge in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Heat the butter/oil mix in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. (Unsalted butter is best because it won't burn - who knew?) Add the pork medallions and chopped onions and cook until pork is brown, 3 minutes on each side. Transfer pork to an oven safe platter.
3. Add shrimp to the pan, and cook for 1 minute each side. Add white wine and cook down to half, about 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and fan over the top of the pork medallions on platter. Place platter in oven.
4. Add cream, mustard, and tarragon to the reduced wine. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until thick. Add salt to taste.
5. Pour sauce on top of poke and shrimp, or arrange on individual plates and top with sauce.
I read the directions about 4 times, but somehow I missed when to add the onions. Needless to say they were added after I cooked the shrimp (oops), but it came out ok in the end. Not perfect but it was decent.
I also found a recipe for hush puppies, so I took a stab at making them as well. They were a little on the dense side, but I think that's because I added all the liquid instead of following the directions where they say to mix until just moistened. :P
Hush Puppies
2 cup cornmeal
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons minced onion (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda and powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg together. (Optional: Place the minced onions in the bowl before adding the buttermilk and egg) Stiir into the dry ingredients just until the batter is moistened. Set aside.
3. Pour oil into a deep skillet or pot until it is 2-3 inches deep. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees, or until a drop of batter begins to "dance" in the oil.
4. Drop the batter by a few spoonfuls (I used a cookie scoop) at a time into the hot oil without crowding the pot. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
The whole meal was pretty good. We probably won't make the shrimp and pork tarragon again with all the other recipes we like, but it was worth trying. We will definitely be trying to make the hush puppies again though! YUM!
Shrimp and Pork Tarragon
1- 12 ounce pork tenderloin
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon each unsalted butter and oil, mixed
1/4 sweet onion
18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white wine, preferably a chardonay
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-2 Tablespoons coarse French mustard (or smooth if you prefer)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1. Cut pork tenderloin diagonally into 1 inch slices. Lightly dredge in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Heat the butter/oil mix in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. (Unsalted butter is best because it won't burn - who knew?) Add the pork medallions and chopped onions and cook until pork is brown, 3 minutes on each side. Transfer pork to an oven safe platter.
3. Add shrimp to the pan, and cook for 1 minute each side. Add white wine and cook down to half, about 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and fan over the top of the pork medallions on platter. Place platter in oven.
4. Add cream, mustard, and tarragon to the reduced wine. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until thick. Add salt to taste.
5. Pour sauce on top of poke and shrimp, or arrange on individual plates and top with sauce.
I read the directions about 4 times, but somehow I missed when to add the onions. Needless to say they were added after I cooked the shrimp (oops), but it came out ok in the end. Not perfect but it was decent.
I also found a recipe for hush puppies, so I took a stab at making them as well. They were a little on the dense side, but I think that's because I added all the liquid instead of following the directions where they say to mix until just moistened. :P
Hush Puppies
2 cup cornmeal
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons minced onion (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda and powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg together. (Optional: Place the minced onions in the bowl before adding the buttermilk and egg) Stiir into the dry ingredients just until the batter is moistened. Set aside.
3. Pour oil into a deep skillet or pot until it is 2-3 inches deep. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees, or until a drop of batter begins to "dance" in the oil.
4. Drop the batter by a few spoonfuls (I used a cookie scoop) at a time into the hot oil without crowding the pot. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
The whole meal was pretty good. We probably won't make the shrimp and pork tarragon again with all the other recipes we like, but it was worth trying. We will definitely be trying to make the hush puppies again though! YUM!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Colin's First Big Trip
We recently embarked on our first big journey with Colin to the grand old state of NY. We tried to pack like we were still going to be in civilization and I think we did ok. We used pretty much everything and I don't think there was anything were we said, "DOH! Why didn't we bring that?" And the bonus, everything and everyone fit pretty comfortably in the Prius for this trip.
The reason for this trip was Rob's grandfather's burial ceremony so not the happiest of occasions, but we were still able to introduce Colin to a fair amount of relatives and friends. This includes his Uncle Bill who was so excited to meet him, I am pretty sure he hopped out of the car as it pulled in to park.
There was a good amount of traveling even when we got to NY, but Colin did really well with being in his car seat. He didn't sleep the whole time and nor did we want him to, but he did doze on and off like a normal day. Over the course of the long weekend we did manage to do some tummy time, although by the time mommy grabbed the camera he was getting upset about it.
We also managed to get to the diner where my parents eat every Friday night. Everyone there ooed and aahhed over him (as is appropriate with such a cute baby :P). Rob was trying to keep the little man entertained while we waited for a table.
On Saturday we had a small picnic for immediately family and two of my past co-workers/friends from Syracuse and their little ones.
We even got a couple of family photos of everyone together at the same time.
On Sunday we packed it up and headed back home. The trip took longer coming back than it did going, but we made it. I don't think I ever really appreciated how much stability a routine can bring with an infant. But the take away is that we survived and we now know we can travel with him and it won't be the end of the world.
The reason for this trip was Rob's grandfather's burial ceremony so not the happiest of occasions, but we were still able to introduce Colin to a fair amount of relatives and friends. This includes his Uncle Bill who was so excited to meet him, I am pretty sure he hopped out of the car as it pulled in to park.
There was a good amount of traveling even when we got to NY, but Colin did really well with being in his car seat. He didn't sleep the whole time and nor did we want him to, but he did doze on and off like a normal day. Over the course of the long weekend we did manage to do some tummy time, although by the time mommy grabbed the camera he was getting upset about it.
We also managed to get to the diner where my parents eat every Friday night. Everyone there ooed and aahhed over him (as is appropriate with such a cute baby :P). Rob was trying to keep the little man entertained while we waited for a table.
On Saturday we had a small picnic for immediately family and two of my past co-workers/friends from Syracuse and their little ones.
We even got a couple of family photos of everyone together at the same time.
On Sunday we packed it up and headed back home. The trip took longer coming back than it did going, but we made it. I don't think I ever really appreciated how much stability a routine can bring with an infant. But the take away is that we survived and we now know we can travel with him and it won't be the end of the world.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Baby Quilts
Where on earth do I find the time to do these things? When I figure it out, I will let you know. But mostly I suspect it's my lack of ability to sit still and do nothing. Most of the time it seems like such a waste. I have a lot of things I want to do in my free time, but I just prioritize the hell out of it. It helps to have a loving husband who is supportive of my insane need to do some of these things. :)
Anywho, it's been a while since I made a quilt, but all these people are having babies and so my baby quilt book is starting to see some exercise! The first batter up is Sarah who is having a shower this weekend. I asked her a while ago what, if any, kind of theme she was going with. Jungle prints, courtesy of inherited baby stuff from family members. Awesome, I can work with that. I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and let my mind wander as I picked out a pattern and fabric to go with it. The patterns in the book always explain how to re-create the exact quilt shown, so I have to think outside the mold a little if I like the basic pattern, but not their prints (pretty much how all of them are).
I pieced it together Friday during the day while everyone was out of the house. After Colin went to sleep, I stayed up hand tying it together. My husband thought it would be a good idea to record this process.
Looks just like I know what I am doing! :) This morning I finished making the binding and attached it to the quilt. I find myself always going to look for the YouTube Video I found a few years ago to help me figure out how to get it to meet up and lay flat. It never makes sense when I watch it, but it works every time! Finished product:
And while I was at it, I decided to make some pacifier clips in case they need them. I found them to be a life saver from having to play, "pick the pacifier up off the floor and rinse" every 5 minutes. I found the pattern on Pinterest and it worked out pretty well.
I am sure there will be a few more posted here before the year is out. It seems people have really caught onto the baby fever!
Anywho, it's been a while since I made a quilt, but all these people are having babies and so my baby quilt book is starting to see some exercise! The first batter up is Sarah who is having a shower this weekend. I asked her a while ago what, if any, kind of theme she was going with. Jungle prints, courtesy of inherited baby stuff from family members. Awesome, I can work with that. I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and let my mind wander as I picked out a pattern and fabric to go with it. The patterns in the book always explain how to re-create the exact quilt shown, so I have to think outside the mold a little if I like the basic pattern, but not their prints (pretty much how all of them are).
I pieced it together Friday during the day while everyone was out of the house. After Colin went to sleep, I stayed up hand tying it together. My husband thought it would be a good idea to record this process.
Looks just like I know what I am doing! :) This morning I finished making the binding and attached it to the quilt. I find myself always going to look for the YouTube Video I found a few years ago to help me figure out how to get it to meet up and lay flat. It never makes sense when I watch it, but it works every time! Finished product:
And while I was at it, I decided to make some pacifier clips in case they need them. I found them to be a life saver from having to play, "pick the pacifier up off the floor and rinse" every 5 minutes. I found the pattern on Pinterest and it worked out pretty well.
I am sure there will be a few more posted here before the year is out. It seems people have really caught onto the baby fever!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Using Coupons at Target
In the past week I went to Target twice (imagine that) and had two completely different experiences involving the use of coupons. Enough so I wanted to share them here. And more so to say that in both instances I was right but each time the cashier was "wrong". Also an important fact, my husband worked for Target for about 9 months and knows their policies. Here is my tale.
I preface this first tale with this; I am not what I would consider an "extreme couponer", but I will push it right up to the nose of where I know the line to be. I don't try to scam stores into taking more than what I can logically account for with items and number of coupons. When I see a coupon for buy one get one free, I immediately search my book to see if I have a coupon for the "buy one" part. I had found a coupon for buy one get one free on mascara (Cover Girl if you care) and I did in fact have a coupon for $1 off Cover Girl products. I also wanted to pick up another eye liner which I was also going to buy in a Cover Girl brand because I had another $1 off coupon for any beauty product. So are you with me so far? I have three Cover Girl items and three coupons. Two mascaras (one free, and one will get the $1 off) and the eye liner (also $1 off). I have done this quite a few times before and NEVER had a problem at the check out. I should have known there was going to be an issue when the girl stopped to read IN DETAIL the cat food coupon I had which read off a number of combinations of canned food you could buy to save $1. So when she got to the buy one get one coupon, it should have been no surprise that she had to call over a manager and have a discussion about what I had and why it wasn't going through. And at this point I was like, what's the problem? She was like, well, it looks like you are trying to use too many coupons, we only accept one per item (now I am mad because I have 3 items and 3 coupons - I am NOT stupid). I actually bought exactly what was pictured and the manager added, well you didn't buy the item, to which point I might have had an outburst. FYI - If you are a manager you better double check before accusing your customer of something that's not true. It does wonders for customer service. Also, at this point, another customer loaded their items back in their cart to find another line (I didn't blame them). I had pulled out the items and was showing them exactly what I had bought and what coupons I was using and how. She was not listening at all. In the end, she "gave me the deal" but as I walked away I heard her explain to the employee, "we only accept one coupon per item" to which my head imploded. I had to get home otherwise I would have gone back and had them explain what I was "getting away with". Sigh...
The second tale is with another cashier a few days later. I was trying to buy a handful of items and didn't have any coupons on hand to offset the cost at all. Mostly because they were medicine/treatment for Colin's eczema and therefore not something in the usual kit of mine. I bought a giant tub of Aquafor (or as we call it in this house - grease) which had one of those "instant" coupons on the top of the jar, but it was for their sunblock, so I was like oh well and just set it on the belt. The cashier rings up my stuff and notices said instant coupon and says, "Oh you have a coupon here" and I told him "Oh that's for the sunblock version of this stuff". He proceeded to take it off anyway and said, "Well, let's try it". What do you know, it went through. He was pretty pleased with himself and I wasn't going to argue. My conscious was clear since I explained why I did not intend to use that coupon. But hey, what a nice bonus.
So do the two tales cancel each other out? Sort of, but I really have to wonder about the training at that store. We have had a few other incidents with a couple of cashiers just not being smart enough to know how to ring things out. One instance I recall was trying to get the Coke Zero free because we had bought the required amount (4 cases). The dude was so confused, he tried to give us a $5 gift card and we were like no no, the Coke should just be free. I guess if we were smart we would have just taken the $5 card since it was worth more, but again, we aren't trying to scam people. The real lesson learned here is that I now have a favorite cashier to go to if he is working. :)
I preface this first tale with this; I am not what I would consider an "extreme couponer", but I will push it right up to the nose of where I know the line to be. I don't try to scam stores into taking more than what I can logically account for with items and number of coupons. When I see a coupon for buy one get one free, I immediately search my book to see if I have a coupon for the "buy one" part. I had found a coupon for buy one get one free on mascara (Cover Girl if you care) and I did in fact have a coupon for $1 off Cover Girl products. I also wanted to pick up another eye liner which I was also going to buy in a Cover Girl brand because I had another $1 off coupon for any beauty product. So are you with me so far? I have three Cover Girl items and three coupons. Two mascaras (one free, and one will get the $1 off) and the eye liner (also $1 off). I have done this quite a few times before and NEVER had a problem at the check out. I should have known there was going to be an issue when the girl stopped to read IN DETAIL the cat food coupon I had which read off a number of combinations of canned food you could buy to save $1. So when she got to the buy one get one coupon, it should have been no surprise that she had to call over a manager and have a discussion about what I had and why it wasn't going through. And at this point I was like, what's the problem? She was like, well, it looks like you are trying to use too many coupons, we only accept one per item (now I am mad because I have 3 items and 3 coupons - I am NOT stupid). I actually bought exactly what was pictured and the manager added, well you didn't buy the item, to which point I might have had an outburst. FYI - If you are a manager you better double check before accusing your customer of something that's not true. It does wonders for customer service. Also, at this point, another customer loaded their items back in their cart to find another line (I didn't blame them). I had pulled out the items and was showing them exactly what I had bought and what coupons I was using and how. She was not listening at all. In the end, she "gave me the deal" but as I walked away I heard her explain to the employee, "we only accept one coupon per item" to which my head imploded. I had to get home otherwise I would have gone back and had them explain what I was "getting away with". Sigh...
The second tale is with another cashier a few days later. I was trying to buy a handful of items and didn't have any coupons on hand to offset the cost at all. Mostly because they were medicine/treatment for Colin's eczema and therefore not something in the usual kit of mine. I bought a giant tub of Aquafor (or as we call it in this house - grease) which had one of those "instant" coupons on the top of the jar, but it was for their sunblock, so I was like oh well and just set it on the belt. The cashier rings up my stuff and notices said instant coupon and says, "Oh you have a coupon here" and I told him "Oh that's for the sunblock version of this stuff". He proceeded to take it off anyway and said, "Well, let's try it". What do you know, it went through. He was pretty pleased with himself and I wasn't going to argue. My conscious was clear since I explained why I did not intend to use that coupon. But hey, what a nice bonus.
So do the two tales cancel each other out? Sort of, but I really have to wonder about the training at that store. We have had a few other incidents with a couple of cashiers just not being smart enough to know how to ring things out. One instance I recall was trying to get the Coke Zero free because we had bought the required amount (4 cases). The dude was so confused, he tried to give us a $5 gift card and we were like no no, the Coke should just be free. I guess if we were smart we would have just taken the $5 card since it was worth more, but again, we aren't trying to scam people. The real lesson learned here is that I now have a favorite cashier to go to if he is working. :)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Pinterest, the latest and greatest web phenomenon that's sweeping the nation. Ok, it may not be that popular, but it's definitely main stream and sucking up hours and hours of peoples lives as they skim the website for the coolest ideas and funny photos of cats or the latest eCards.
I posted to Facebook the other day that I had learned the following things from Pinterest:
People are blindly re-pinning things that have websites that go to no where (not a big deal when it's a funny picture, more so when it's 'follow these instructions to happy organized home")
Nutella is the new ingredient for any dessert recipe
Mason jars are the new "it" containers for everything from summer fun drinks to baking cake in to using as a vase.
I love pinterest, I really do, but I also recognize that there is no way I am ever going to make half of the things I have pinned. As my husband has told me, it's like the new magazine for people to oohh and aaahh over. I don't disagree, but it sparks some little bit of self doubt when you see what people are pinning. "Am I doing cool enough things around my house?" "Should I be craftier?" "What if I don't know how to make 50 random meals from what I have on hand?" "Do people really have time to do all of this and how the hell do I make time for just one of these ideas?"
A perfect category in which the above worries come into play is the "Brilliant ideas and tips for around the house". Nothing like making you slap your head and say, "Why didn't I think of some of these?" Of course, two minutes after you pin it, you can't remember one simple idea that seemed so second nature when you were reading and so the cycle continues.
A lot of what I a pin are ideas that I hope to reference when Colin is older. Ideas for keeping kids entertained that involve simple household items or cool craft projects they can make and occupy themselves for an hour or so. I also like to pin gift ideas and crafty things around the house in the event I find time and want to make something homemade (which I love to do). But I try to at least skim the articles/blogs/sites and see if it is anything I would honestly every try to attempt on my own. Some of the pins involve some really whacked out steps or materials and all I can think is, "Really? You think people are honestly going to be able to do that on their own?" But that is what Pinterest is for after all, imagining the possibilities even if they aren't possible for you.
Food recipes I have gotten a bit more discriminating of because there are SO many food pins. I am trying to get on board with using the crock pot more, but some sites use some really terrible ingredients. The fact that something has 5 ingredients or less is not always a plus in the dishes favor no matter how quick it is. I like to enjoy my food. I have made a couple of things from my pins and had varying degrees of success. I am happy to try new things, but just not every day.
*gets on soapbox*
One of my bigger pet peeves about Pinterest pins are the ones that use the tag line, "I'll be glad I pinned this one day". I can't stand it. That's the whole purpose of Pinterest!! You "pin it" so you can reference it at some point in the future. This pet peeve also includes things like, "Definitely making this one day" or any other statement which implies that you think you'll do something with the pin at a later date. I want to write NO DUH! in response to many of these, but as Pinterest doesn't really have a medium for that (and thank god they don't) I vent my annoyances here. Every time you re-pin something, you have the option to change the text that goes with it. Do us all a favor and remove those silly statements and just give a two sentence summary of what you pinned if appropriate. Comics don't need summaries, a simple Haha, LOL, Hysterical, Hilarious, or other such statement is perfect.
*gets off soapbox*
With that I say, if you haven't joined the Pinterest community and want to see some fun things, what are you waiting for? :) Happy Pinning!
I posted to Facebook the other day that I had learned the following things from Pinterest:
People appear to keep everything in cute labeled baskets and never seem to have anything out of place even if they are organizing a toddlers room!
People are blindly re-pinning things that have websites that go to no where (not a big deal when it's a funny picture, more so when it's 'follow these instructions to happy organized home")
Nutella is the new ingredient for any dessert recipe
Mason jars are the new "it" containers for everything from summer fun drinks to baking cake in to using as a vase.
I love pinterest, I really do, but I also recognize that there is no way I am ever going to make half of the things I have pinned. As my husband has told me, it's like the new magazine for people to oohh and aaahh over. I don't disagree, but it sparks some little bit of self doubt when you see what people are pinning. "Am I doing cool enough things around my house?" "Should I be craftier?" "What if I don't know how to make 50 random meals from what I have on hand?" "Do people really have time to do all of this and how the hell do I make time for just one of these ideas?"
A perfect category in which the above worries come into play is the "Brilliant ideas and tips for around the house". Nothing like making you slap your head and say, "Why didn't I think of some of these?" Of course, two minutes after you pin it, you can't remember one simple idea that seemed so second nature when you were reading and so the cycle continues.
A lot of what I a pin are ideas that I hope to reference when Colin is older. Ideas for keeping kids entertained that involve simple household items or cool craft projects they can make and occupy themselves for an hour or so. I also like to pin gift ideas and crafty things around the house in the event I find time and want to make something homemade (which I love to do). But I try to at least skim the articles/blogs/sites and see if it is anything I would honestly every try to attempt on my own. Some of the pins involve some really whacked out steps or materials and all I can think is, "Really? You think people are honestly going to be able to do that on their own?" But that is what Pinterest is for after all, imagining the possibilities even if they aren't possible for you.
Food recipes I have gotten a bit more discriminating of because there are SO many food pins. I am trying to get on board with using the crock pot more, but some sites use some really terrible ingredients. The fact that something has 5 ingredients or less is not always a plus in the dishes favor no matter how quick it is. I like to enjoy my food. I have made a couple of things from my pins and had varying degrees of success. I am happy to try new things, but just not every day.
*gets on soapbox*
One of my bigger pet peeves about Pinterest pins are the ones that use the tag line, "I'll be glad I pinned this one day". I can't stand it. That's the whole purpose of Pinterest!! You "pin it" so you can reference it at some point in the future. This pet peeve also includes things like, "Definitely making this one day" or any other statement which implies that you think you'll do something with the pin at a later date. I want to write NO DUH! in response to many of these, but as Pinterest doesn't really have a medium for that (and thank god they don't) I vent my annoyances here. Every time you re-pin something, you have the option to change the text that goes with it. Do us all a favor and remove those silly statements and just give a two sentence summary of what you pinned if appropriate. Comics don't need summaries, a simple Haha, LOL, Hysterical, Hilarious, or other such statement is perfect.
*gets off soapbox*
With that I say, if you haven't joined the Pinterest community and want to see some fun things, what are you waiting for? :) Happy Pinning!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Welcome Baby Colin
It's probably no surprise to anyone, but our son joined our family back in April and has been pretty much the center of our lives since. His arrival was pretty textbook, although I wasn't expecting to have a relatively short labor (12 hours from first pain to delivery) the way I have heard many of my friends talk so I was shocked when after 5 hours of labor I was already 6-7cm which I had labored through at home. We got to the hospital in the middle of the night at the next morning, out he came!
The hospital stay was nice and all the doctors and nurses we saw were great. Definitely a positive experience and the food wasn't half bad either! Before we knew it we were home with him and trying to figure out how to be parents for the first time. Believe it or not, while they don't come with an instruction book, instincts kick in from somewhere and help guide you. That and there are only so many things that can be troubling them at such a young age. Diaper wet? Fed? Tired? Gassy? That pretty much covers 90% of all problems.
He has been a good baby and has slept at night from the start and has been pretty content. I am not going to lie though, there were a few periods in there where I thought he was a colicky baby and I was going to loose my mind. However it turns out he really didn't like me eating dairy, so I cut that out of the diet pretty much all the way (how I miss ice cream). It has since helped a lot. Of course, mom lost her mind and ate some broccoli the other day and was reminded in short order that that's not appreciated either. The growth spurts at 2 weeks and around 6 weeks were the hardest, but we got through them. Now we are in the "easy" zone for a few months before he starts teething.
While I would love to be home forever with him, we have bills to pay and I need two way conversations that don't involve poop. Day care started a few weeks ago and he seems to be adjusting to that well. We got him trained to take a bottle a while ago and that helped immensely. The ladies at day care have been great and have been loving on him a lot. He seems pretty happy when he gets home and that makes for happy parents.
The question people want to know the answer to most - Are you getting any sleep? The answer is yes, but (there's always a but) it's nothing like the sleep you get before you have a baby. So while yes in fact he does sleep for 4-5 hours (sometimes 6 if we are super lucky) at a time, you still have to wake from a dead sleep to get up, wake up enough to feed him, and then get yourself back to sleep. It's not always as easy as it sounds. Now that he is sleeping in his crib it's a bit easier because I don't lie awake listening to him until I know he is totally passed out again. I have also gotten to know when he will and won't be happy when I put him back in his crib. Like I said, it's a learning process and he is a good teacher.
So with that, I will share a few of my favorite photos for now and tell you all to just stay tuned as we go through this new (and very long) chapter in our lives about parenting. :)
The hospital stay was nice and all the doctors and nurses we saw were great. Definitely a positive experience and the food wasn't half bad either! Before we knew it we were home with him and trying to figure out how to be parents for the first time. Believe it or not, while they don't come with an instruction book, instincts kick in from somewhere and help guide you. That and there are only so many things that can be troubling them at such a young age. Diaper wet? Fed? Tired? Gassy? That pretty much covers 90% of all problems.
He has been a good baby and has slept at night from the start and has been pretty content. I am not going to lie though, there were a few periods in there where I thought he was a colicky baby and I was going to loose my mind. However it turns out he really didn't like me eating dairy, so I cut that out of the diet pretty much all the way (how I miss ice cream). It has since helped a lot. Of course, mom lost her mind and ate some broccoli the other day and was reminded in short order that that's not appreciated either. The growth spurts at 2 weeks and around 6 weeks were the hardest, but we got through them. Now we are in the "easy" zone for a few months before he starts teething.
While I would love to be home forever with him, we have bills to pay and I need two way conversations that don't involve poop. Day care started a few weeks ago and he seems to be adjusting to that well. We got him trained to take a bottle a while ago and that helped immensely. The ladies at day care have been great and have been loving on him a lot. He seems pretty happy when he gets home and that makes for happy parents.
The question people want to know the answer to most - Are you getting any sleep? The answer is yes, but (there's always a but) it's nothing like the sleep you get before you have a baby. So while yes in fact he does sleep for 4-5 hours (sometimes 6 if we are super lucky) at a time, you still have to wake from a dead sleep to get up, wake up enough to feed him, and then get yourself back to sleep. It's not always as easy as it sounds. Now that he is sleeping in his crib it's a bit easier because I don't lie awake listening to him until I know he is totally passed out again. I have also gotten to know when he will and won't be happy when I put him back in his crib. Like I said, it's a learning process and he is a good teacher.
So with that, I will share a few of my favorite photos for now and tell you all to just stay tuned as we go through this new (and very long) chapter in our lives about parenting. :)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Money Saving Tips
One of the magazines I subscribe to did a feature article on how to save up to $5,000 a year with their money saving tips. I am always up for saving money in places I wouldn't think to look, so I was pretty excited to see what advice they had to offer. Upon reading the article, I realized this must be for really stupid people who are already too extravagant in their daily lives. I was a bit annoyed since nothing they told me was really earth shattering and nothing I could really use to help save me some money.
Here's a few examples of their money saving tips:
Can't afford those cute shoes? Try talking up the sales associate with how much you love them, but they just aren't in your budget at the moment. See if they would be willing to tell you when they go on sale. Note, this generally only works at high end department stores.
Ok, here's the thing. I don't shop for shoes at high end department stores. Ever since I was told by a rather stupid male salesman, "we generally don't carry that size" even before going to look for them, I have just opted to shop where I can see what sizes they have available and try things on my own. Important to note, I rarely spend more than $75 on any pair of shoes I have. Sometimes this means taking a few trips before I find something I want, but that's ok with me.
On saving on cereal - Use coupons and watch your weekly sales flyer to combine sales with your coupons.
Really? This is like grocery shopping 101. They also quote a box of cereal to be about $6 which I makes me wonder where the hell they are getting their data.
On saving on land lines - Cancel call waiting and caller ID.
Who has a land line these days?
On saving on cell phones - Two ideas, one to check how much you are paying for a texting plan and then how much you are paying for a data plan.
I am not sure how other people's plans work, but our data plans include unlimited texting and we are on the lowest option for both of us (including lowest option for family plan minutes).
On gas - Check to make sure what kind of octane your car really needs and then only use that kind.
*scratches head* Do you really think people are putting in premium gas for the fun of it? And to those who bought cars that require the upper end gasoline, I guess let that be a lesson to you.
On mortgages - Stop paying PMI on your mortgage. If you have invested 20% of the value of your home already, consider cancelling this and saving a bundle.
Well that's all fine and well, but if it's anything like our loan, you have to pay PMI for 5 years regardless of the value ratio you have in your home. And if you are a home owner and forgot about this, well then I guess that's a good thing to point out. Although, PMI is expensive, I don't see how most people would forget the rules which make it go away.
Anywho, the 6 page article goes on like this for everything from general groceries, to savings on the home, cell phones, transportation, etc. You might as well have told people to stop buying high end sports cars and maxing out their credit cards with eating out. I just have a hard time wrapping my brain around who would be wowed by all the article's money saving tips. I mean, I can see a few of them being useful to some people, but by and large, I like to think the average human being has more sense than what they have the article tailored to. It's kind of like why would anyone buy anything full price at large department stores (ie. Macys), or go to Bed Bath and Beyond and pay full price for anything (how many 20% off coupons can one really use?). Maybe someone somewhere is now saving loads of cash and I should just be happy for them. In the meantime, I'll continue doing what I do to save the money I know how to.
Here's a few examples of their money saving tips:
Can't afford those cute shoes? Try talking up the sales associate with how much you love them, but they just aren't in your budget at the moment. See if they would be willing to tell you when they go on sale. Note, this generally only works at high end department stores.
Ok, here's the thing. I don't shop for shoes at high end department stores. Ever since I was told by a rather stupid male salesman, "we generally don't carry that size" even before going to look for them, I have just opted to shop where I can see what sizes they have available and try things on my own. Important to note, I rarely spend more than $75 on any pair of shoes I have. Sometimes this means taking a few trips before I find something I want, but that's ok with me.
On saving on cereal - Use coupons and watch your weekly sales flyer to combine sales with your coupons.
Really? This is like grocery shopping 101. They also quote a box of cereal to be about $6 which I makes me wonder where the hell they are getting their data.
On saving on land lines - Cancel call waiting and caller ID.
Who has a land line these days?
On saving on cell phones - Two ideas, one to check how much you are paying for a texting plan and then how much you are paying for a data plan.
I am not sure how other people's plans work, but our data plans include unlimited texting and we are on the lowest option for both of us (including lowest option for family plan minutes).
On gas - Check to make sure what kind of octane your car really needs and then only use that kind.
*scratches head* Do you really think people are putting in premium gas for the fun of it? And to those who bought cars that require the upper end gasoline, I guess let that be a lesson to you.
On mortgages - Stop paying PMI on your mortgage. If you have invested 20% of the value of your home already, consider cancelling this and saving a bundle.
Well that's all fine and well, but if it's anything like our loan, you have to pay PMI for 5 years regardless of the value ratio you have in your home. And if you are a home owner and forgot about this, well then I guess that's a good thing to point out. Although, PMI is expensive, I don't see how most people would forget the rules which make it go away.
Anywho, the 6 page article goes on like this for everything from general groceries, to savings on the home, cell phones, transportation, etc. You might as well have told people to stop buying high end sports cars and maxing out their credit cards with eating out. I just have a hard time wrapping my brain around who would be wowed by all the article's money saving tips. I mean, I can see a few of them being useful to some people, but by and large, I like to think the average human being has more sense than what they have the article tailored to. It's kind of like why would anyone buy anything full price at large department stores (ie. Macys), or go to Bed Bath and Beyond and pay full price for anything (how many 20% off coupons can one really use?). Maybe someone somewhere is now saving loads of cash and I should just be happy for them. In the meantime, I'll continue doing what I do to save the money I know how to.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Lessons Learned from Pregnancy
As of tomorrow I will officially be at 40 weeks (aka - my due date). During the past 9 months I have learned a thing or three about being pregnant through my experience. I thought it might be educational/humorous to share them with you. Here they are in no particular order:
1. I have acquired a unique ability to seek out public restrooms. Note - Not all are created equal.
2. People will say the stupidest things to you that makes you question their intelligence. I had a lady who stopped by my desk days after I was out with a severe cold and offer me advice on how to get rid of my "pregnancy cough". Even when trying to explain that I had a cold I was getting over she seemed to think that wasn't relevant and that I for sure had this pregnancy cough. For those that are curious, should you ever get this, you should drink onion water. Yes, onion water, whatever the hell that is.
3. Related, people want to comment on your progress. I have heard it all which I take to mean no one really has a clue what's "normal". I have been told, "You shouldn't be that big for 5 months!" Two days later I heard, "Wow, your small!". I was told, "You're bigger than you were yesterday!" as if that makes ANYONE feel better. I have also been told, "You don't look pregnant from behind." The scary thing is these comments have all come from women. I like the positive comments, but what on earth makes a woman think that another woman wants to hear how huge she is really blows my mind. Trust me, she is well aware she is growing, more so than you are.
4. You get to know your doctor(s) and staff very well, especially towards the end when you are in there every single week. Hopefully you like them and it's convenient to your work/home.
5. Having cravings is partly something you always have and partly pregnancy related. I mean I crave things on a routine basis, but rarely do I allow myself to give into those because otherwise I would be in very poor health. However, I will say, there were a few things I craved that I couldn't get out of my head like fried chicken, breakfast sandwiches, and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Those kinds of cravings I would call pregnancy related and you kind of allow yourself to give into them because otherwise you will go insane. But now I "crave" ice cream and some sweets, but nothing like before where I couldn't shake it. I think I have fallen into the "I am pregnant and I don't care, I want it. " mode, which is not dissimilar to my routine cravings I had before I was pregnant. Of course I tell myself at 8/9 months pregnant, I've earned the right to have something I want.
6. Sonograms are pretty darn nifty.
7. There is WAAAAAY too much literature on pregnancy. We have about 20 books or so in our living room that are all about pregnancy and the first year. I have read a total of zero of them. I get weekly updates from BabyCenter and I am good to go. This is perhaps because I don't have a long attention span. Also, during pregnancy, your body is kind of on auto pilot. It's not like you have to concentrate properly to make a baby. You just need to remember certain things like taking vitamins, not getting drunk and laying off the street drugs. Sure there are other things you probably need to know, but again, short snippets from BabyCenter and some advice from friends was all I needed.
8. Pregnant people (who are like me) don't want to be touched. I didn't want to be touched when I wasn't pregnant and not much changed during the last 9 months. Related, I was asked if someone could bring in a stethoscope to listen to the baby. Umm, what? No.
9. Everyone and their brother wants to know if you plan to breastfeed as if it's any of their business. Some exclusions to the people who can ask are close friends and family. However, I have had total strangers ask me and I really don't understand why they are even asking. For one, I think it's completely rude to assume it should be public knowledge and that every woman on the planet wants to share their choice/talk about it. For another, I think it's a very personal choice and it's every woman's right to choose what works for her without judgement from complete strangers. There will be judgement no matter what is chosen, so just leave it alone.
10. There are a crap ton of decisions to be made during the course of pregnancy. One of the most stressful is possibly what kind of care you plan to have for your baby after they are born. Some sources will tell you you should have been looking before you got pregnant so you can get on waiting lists for "reputable" places. Other places can make you feel like if you aren't spending 30% of your income on your child's care, you must wish them a hard life. I would say educate yourself and be honest with your expectations. At 9 months old, I am just hoping the day care feeds him, cleans him, and returns him to us in the same state we left them in. If you are hoping for a genius by the age of 2, perhaps you need to plan a bit more than us.
11. Learning to ask for help and letting other people do things for me has been hard. I am so independent it's been a real learning curve. Of course the further you are in pregnancy the less you are able to do just by your physical limitations. I am still holding out on tying my own shoes. Thank god for long arms and stairs to sit on when I put my shoes of for the day. Some people are better at this than I am, and kudos to them.
12. I miss my adult beverages, not for the getting buzzed and happy feeling (although that's quite nice sometimes after a real shitty day), but just for the variety. I dislike drinking soda a lot and I am so tired of fruit juices and water. Lemonade and iced tea have been helpful, but I just want to be able to have a glass of wine with pasta.
13. When you are pregnant and people ask you how you are doing, they generally mean it.
14. I am a back sleeper and can't wait until I can just lay down and not worry about cutting off blood flow to my body/baby. Side sleeping is going ok, but my ears hurt more than anything and I feel like they are constantly in need of cleaning. I am not sure if it's just the side sleeping that's triggering so much ear wax or if it's more hormones, but yuck! Also trying to get out of bed is a challenge during the later stages of pregnancy, especially if you are swapping sides each time you get up to pee.
15. Overall pregnancy hasn't been that bad. Some people complain to complain about these kinds of things. Sure it's no bed of roses and no, I wasn't incapacitated by morning sickness, but I did have a baby sit on my sciatic nerve for about a month or so, so there is always something that makes your situation unique. There are no two pregnancies alike. I think if you are willing to admit some things are beyond your control and roll with it, you'll be better off in the end. Besides, it's not like it lasts forever (thank the heavens!).
1. I have acquired a unique ability to seek out public restrooms. Note - Not all are created equal.
2. People will say the stupidest things to you that makes you question their intelligence. I had a lady who stopped by my desk days after I was out with a severe cold and offer me advice on how to get rid of my "pregnancy cough". Even when trying to explain that I had a cold I was getting over she seemed to think that wasn't relevant and that I for sure had this pregnancy cough. For those that are curious, should you ever get this, you should drink onion water. Yes, onion water, whatever the hell that is.
3. Related, people want to comment on your progress. I have heard it all which I take to mean no one really has a clue what's "normal". I have been told, "You shouldn't be that big for 5 months!" Two days later I heard, "Wow, your small!". I was told, "You're bigger than you were yesterday!" as if that makes ANYONE feel better. I have also been told, "You don't look pregnant from behind." The scary thing is these comments have all come from women. I like the positive comments, but what on earth makes a woman think that another woman wants to hear how huge she is really blows my mind. Trust me, she is well aware she is growing, more so than you are.
4. You get to know your doctor(s) and staff very well, especially towards the end when you are in there every single week. Hopefully you like them and it's convenient to your work/home.
5. Having cravings is partly something you always have and partly pregnancy related. I mean I crave things on a routine basis, but rarely do I allow myself to give into those because otherwise I would be in very poor health. However, I will say, there were a few things I craved that I couldn't get out of my head like fried chicken, breakfast sandwiches, and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Those kinds of cravings I would call pregnancy related and you kind of allow yourself to give into them because otherwise you will go insane. But now I "crave" ice cream and some sweets, but nothing like before where I couldn't shake it. I think I have fallen into the "I am pregnant and I don't care, I want it. " mode, which is not dissimilar to my routine cravings I had before I was pregnant. Of course I tell myself at 8/9 months pregnant, I've earned the right to have something I want.
6. Sonograms are pretty darn nifty.
7. There is WAAAAAY too much literature on pregnancy. We have about 20 books or so in our living room that are all about pregnancy and the first year. I have read a total of zero of them. I get weekly updates from BabyCenter and I am good to go. This is perhaps because I don't have a long attention span. Also, during pregnancy, your body is kind of on auto pilot. It's not like you have to concentrate properly to make a baby. You just need to remember certain things like taking vitamins, not getting drunk and laying off the street drugs. Sure there are other things you probably need to know, but again, short snippets from BabyCenter and some advice from friends was all I needed.
8. Pregnant people (who are like me) don't want to be touched. I didn't want to be touched when I wasn't pregnant and not much changed during the last 9 months. Related, I was asked if someone could bring in a stethoscope to listen to the baby. Umm, what? No.
9. Everyone and their brother wants to know if you plan to breastfeed as if it's any of their business. Some exclusions to the people who can ask are close friends and family. However, I have had total strangers ask me and I really don't understand why they are even asking. For one, I think it's completely rude to assume it should be public knowledge and that every woman on the planet wants to share their choice/talk about it. For another, I think it's a very personal choice and it's every woman's right to choose what works for her without judgement from complete strangers. There will be judgement no matter what is chosen, so just leave it alone.
10. There are a crap ton of decisions to be made during the course of pregnancy. One of the most stressful is possibly what kind of care you plan to have for your baby after they are born. Some sources will tell you you should have been looking before you got pregnant so you can get on waiting lists for "reputable" places. Other places can make you feel like if you aren't spending 30% of your income on your child's care, you must wish them a hard life. I would say educate yourself and be honest with your expectations. At 9 months old, I am just hoping the day care feeds him, cleans him, and returns him to us in the same state we left them in. If you are hoping for a genius by the age of 2, perhaps you need to plan a bit more than us.
11. Learning to ask for help and letting other people do things for me has been hard. I am so independent it's been a real learning curve. Of course the further you are in pregnancy the less you are able to do just by your physical limitations. I am still holding out on tying my own shoes. Thank god for long arms and stairs to sit on when I put my shoes of for the day. Some people are better at this than I am, and kudos to them.
12. I miss my adult beverages, not for the getting buzzed and happy feeling (although that's quite nice sometimes after a real shitty day), but just for the variety. I dislike drinking soda a lot and I am so tired of fruit juices and water. Lemonade and iced tea have been helpful, but I just want to be able to have a glass of wine with pasta.
13. When you are pregnant and people ask you how you are doing, they generally mean it.
14. I am a back sleeper and can't wait until I can just lay down and not worry about cutting off blood flow to my body/baby. Side sleeping is going ok, but my ears hurt more than anything and I feel like they are constantly in need of cleaning. I am not sure if it's just the side sleeping that's triggering so much ear wax or if it's more hormones, but yuck! Also trying to get out of bed is a challenge during the later stages of pregnancy, especially if you are swapping sides each time you get up to pee.
15. Overall pregnancy hasn't been that bad. Some people complain to complain about these kinds of things. Sure it's no bed of roses and no, I wasn't incapacitated by morning sickness, but I did have a baby sit on my sciatic nerve for about a month or so, so there is always something that makes your situation unique. There are no two pregnancies alike. I think if you are willing to admit some things are beyond your control and roll with it, you'll be better off in the end. Besides, it's not like it lasts forever (thank the heavens!).
Friday, April 13, 2012
Twiglet's Nursery
The making of Twiglet's nursery has been a bit of a journey. We already had the room picked that we would convert when the time came, so that part was already determined. The hard part was waiting until we found out what we were having and THEN getting together a game plan. I think it's very easy to just do what everyone else is doing, order a room in a bag, and call it a day. Unfortunately this is not how I work. For one, it costs too much to do it that way and for another, it lacks personality and creativity (for me).
In keeping with the "theme" of the rest of our house, we decided to kind of do a coastal/sea theme. I didn't want 100% under the sea because I didn't like that, but I did want sea turtles and whales to be a part of the room. We settled on painting the room a shade of blue that's in a lot of the rest of the house and adding some stripes. That was the starting point I had and then things kind of came together one piece at a time. We knew what we were going to use for the dresser (my old craft dresser which was a kids dresser that was being put to the dumpster by a stupid rich lady years ago, so I stole it and have been using it ever since). We just needed to repaint it and find some knobs for it. I had never bothered putting knobs on the entire time I was using it, but I thought it might be nice to get some now. :) Etsy turned out to be extremely useful for that project. There was also a kitchen cart I had from IKEA that it nice and open and would be perfect for a changing station, so that was also taken care of. My parents had decided they want to buy the crib, so that was a huge purchase off our minds. Rob's parents purchased the glider and so all the major pieces of furniture were covered. My sister surprised me with hand drawn pictures of sea creatures to hang on the walls. Absolutely love them! The letters were paper mache` ones from the craft store we painted to match the room. The starfish idea came later in the process. And all of the fabric was purchased from fabric.com (using coupon codes of course). For roughly $250 we trans formed the room into a cute baby boy's nursery.
So here's what we started with:
And this was the progress that was made along the way:
And here is the finished product:
Now all we have left to do is add Twiglet and we will be complete!
In keeping with the "theme" of the rest of our house, we decided to kind of do a coastal/sea theme. I didn't want 100% under the sea because I didn't like that, but I did want sea turtles and whales to be a part of the room. We settled on painting the room a shade of blue that's in a lot of the rest of the house and adding some stripes. That was the starting point I had and then things kind of came together one piece at a time. We knew what we were going to use for the dresser (my old craft dresser which was a kids dresser that was being put to the dumpster by a stupid rich lady years ago, so I stole it and have been using it ever since). We just needed to repaint it and find some knobs for it. I had never bothered putting knobs on the entire time I was using it, but I thought it might be nice to get some now. :) Etsy turned out to be extremely useful for that project. There was also a kitchen cart I had from IKEA that it nice and open and would be perfect for a changing station, so that was also taken care of. My parents had decided they want to buy the crib, so that was a huge purchase off our minds. Rob's parents purchased the glider and so all the major pieces of furniture were covered. My sister surprised me with hand drawn pictures of sea creatures to hang on the walls. Absolutely love them! The letters were paper mache` ones from the craft store we painted to match the room. The starfish idea came later in the process. And all of the fabric was purchased from fabric.com (using coupon codes of course). For roughly $250 we trans formed the room into a cute baby boy's nursery.
So here's what we started with:
And this was the progress that was made along the way:
 |
| Gallon of Behr paint - $34 |
 |
| Accent paint - Had dark blue, $17 for quart of the green (Behr) |
 |
| Re-purposed dresser getting a new coat of paint |
 |
| Art work from my sister - free, Frames - $8 each with coupons from Michaels |
 | ||
Bed skirt fabric -
|
 |
| Curtain Lining and fabric - Premier Prints Coral White/Chartreuse $57 with enough left over for an accent pillow case (yet to be made) |
And here is the finished product:
 |
| Starfish - $3 each with coupons from Michaels, picture hanger backs were hot glued onto the back to hang them in the wall. |
 |
| Book Sling fabric - Turtles Green/Blue ($12 for 1.5 yards, way more than was needed, saving extra for quilting project), Curtain hardware - $4.50 (used coupon), dowel rods - $3 |
 |
| Paper Mache` letters - $2 each |
 |
| Knobs from Etsy $22 |
 |
| Lamps - free from Rob's parents, new lamp shade ($10) and socket ($4) |
 |
| Mortimer!! |
Now all we have left to do is add Twiglet and we will be complete!
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