Serger Fun

I got a serger for Xmas and have been having fun with it. I think it is a great tool for clothes and especially doll clothes. I threw together these fleece pants and just had fun serging the heck out of them when I was doing it. I don't know who they will fit but heck it was left over fleece to play with.

Easy Scarf

I wanted to make my niece and sister in law matching scarves (they live in a climate where they will use it). I took some fleece and cut the length of the fabric and the width for my SIL was 12 inches I folded it in half, sewed down the side, turned right side out and fringed the edges. For my niece her scarf was reduced in size because she isn't quite 2.

Macaroni Kid Article 12/9/12

Here you go:

Good Sleep/Bad Sleep

Good Ole Comfort food

Now that the weather here in Texas is cooler and for us winter is about the mid 50s. Yes our heat does go on and we have to bundle up. Actually I just enjoy sweater weather which it is.

I decided that a good old beef stroganoff would be in order. I usually throw it all in the crock pot and let it go all day but I got a new cast iron dutch oven which I have fallen in love with and use it for everything now. I have been wanting one for awhile but refuse to pay those outrageous prices but I found a nice one for 30 bucks and it is in my favorite teally blue.

I took some cheap steaks and diced them up. Using some olive oil, I browned that and one diced onion in the dutch oven and than added in the mushrooms to cook everything. I than added in one can of beef broth, one large (family size) can of cream of mushroom, 2 table spoons of steak sauce and 2 table spoons of worstashire  sauce (sorry for the horrible spelling but auto correct isn't fixing).  I brought that to a boil and than I stuck it in the oven at 350 for about two hours. At the 90 minute mark, I added in about a half a cup of sour cream. I served it over some egg noodles and I roasted some Brussels sprouts as well. I know they get a bad rap but they are so good roasted with some olive oil and basic seasoning salt.

It was a Sunday dinner on the weekday but everyone in awhile it is nice to have those. I love that I can use the oven and it doesn't make me sweat. Thanksgiving, I was glad we only had the turkey on for about three hours (I had a 11 lb one).

Macaroni Kid Article 12/2/12

Here is my article for this week:

http://leaguecity.macaronikid.com/article/398771/mommy-confessions

Peacock Christmas Tree

As you saw last week, I did a peacock colored wreath so of course I had to do a tree in the same colors.

I really wanted to do my living room in some fun and elegant colors because it is not really a traditional room in the sense of tradition.  I had this idea for the color scheme weeks ago and when I was straightening out the storage bin, I found my white tree had yellowed. I was a tad upset about it but not to much because I did only pay three bucks for it. I went back to the drawing board because I knew I would have to work with a green tree instead but than I stumbled upon this pencil thin white tree on sale and it spoke ti me. When my hubby saw it, he said another tree but I reminded him I had thrown two out because they yellowed so he let me by.

I love the wild colors of the tree with purples, pinks, greens, and of course my favorite blue.  I also decided that this was more of a floral piece so I decorated it in that way. Now I am planning on doing something fun for my dining room table as well with those colors.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

I was totally craving cheesecake the other day and with the holidays, cream cheese always seems to be on sale so I had a ton of it in the fridge but I wanted to make more than a plain one. So I started seeing what I had in the pantry and came upon the idea of making a caramel apple one.

I took a basic cheese cake recipe I found online, and than diced three apples and tossed them in some sugar and cinnamon before arranging them around the top of the cheesecake. I baked it for about an hour and after it cooled, I heated up some caramel sauce and drizzled it on the top. For someone like me who does not bake or even like to, it turned out fantastic. Even my hubby asked numerous times if I really made it because days before I had attempted chocolate chip cookies that didn't really turn out.

Felt Toddler Xmas Tree

I saw this awesome pin  for a felt Christmas tree and I thought how perfect would that be to keep Mr. L's hands off the other trees in the house even though I noticed that somethings were already a miss on the one tree I have up. I just took a1/2 yard of green felt from the fabric store and bought 8x11 pieces of colored felt and went to town cutting it out. I think it took me less than 30 minutes to put it all together and well I am sure he will have hours of enjoyment with it. I also wasn't surprised by Miss O playing with it as well.

Herman the Naught Elf- Day 1

My daughter came home yesterday from school in a tizzy that her Elf hadn't arrived and was going to address the issue with a letter to Santa right away about it. She told me that  a lot of the kids had gotten theirs over the Thanksgiving break and she needed to make sure to ask Santa for one especially a naughty one which I found so cute.

So she went to work writing her note to Santa and stuffing her stocking with it and candy to lure the elf here. So she went to bed and well so did Mom but at 1 am, I remembered the elf needed to come so I trekked out of my nice warm bed.  He was going to come on Saturday anyway but I just couldn't deal with seeing her disappointment after all the effort she put into writing to Santa for him.

So Herman arrived this morning with candy wrappers all around. The first thing out of Miss O's mouth was wondering if her elf had arrived. I swear that kid ran down the stars so fast and of course Herman went to school with her today to show all her friends. Lumpy on the other hand was indifferent about him and wanted more to do with his cow puppet.

So let's see how much trouble Herman will get into the coming weeks. I am sure as my husband becomes more involved with it tat we will have an escalation of arms of the naughty stuff the elf will do . I love that we can give them the "magic" of Christmas!

Macaroni Kid Article 11/15/12

I know you all have been waiting with baited breath for this week:http://leaguecity.macaronikid.com/article/394646/mommy-confessions

Christmas Wreath

I took all of Thanksgiving week off more because I was sick than anything. I finally think all the icky stuff is out of here and we can now be healthy for the rest of this year. We have lots going on and to start off with, December is almost here and I am so excited for the Holiday season. I have been planning my theme this year that I want to do in my living room now that it is an official room instead of pieced together dining/ kids playroom. For some reason the bright greens, blues, pinks, and purples caught my eye. I think I am still carrying a torch after last years fun homemade ornaments on the white tree.

I knew I wanted to use the white tree again and when I went to pull it out of storage, I noticed it had yellowed. I was mildly upset more so because of now what was I going to do and not the three bucks it cost me. So I bought a thin white tree when I was at the craft store before Thanksgiving which actually works out better for what I want to do with it.

So the first project I am showing you is the fun wreath I created for above the piano in the living room. I was at the Nutcracker Market and saw all these beautiful wreaths from Paul Michaels and I thought I could do that and well sure enough they showed you how to create them using the stuff they had. Buying the items cost about an eight of what they were charing for the wreaths.

I knew that I wanted to have the above colors as well as peacock accents, so I have been picking up for weeks anything in that color palette for the room. I have to say this was one fun wreath to create and took me less than an hour to create it. The only downfall was glitter was every where from the ornaments and the glittery sprays of stuff I stuck in. I love how it turned out though my hubby not so much. When I showed him it, his response was it is blue! It doesn't bother me because he doesn't understand design.

I used a wreath blank that already had the greens attached. It was considered an incomplete green wreath. I added in the blue ribbon/mesh stuff and than added in the white and pink ribbons as well. I stuck in a variety of leaf and spiral spray pieces and than hot glued on the variety of ornaments. The rest will be going on the tree that I am decorating in the same colors. 

Macaroni Kid Article

Here is my rambling for the week and last!

This week: http://leaguecity.macaronikid.com/article/386965/mommy-confessions
Last Week:http://leaguecity.macaronikid.com/article/386221/mommy-confessions

Meatloaf Pictures

I made my crock pot meatloaf the other night and it was like perfect.  I used one more pound of ground beef to make it bigger because there were five of us eating that night so this size would work well for about 6 people because we had left overs. Of course I added some green bean casserole and homemade mashed potatoes which made the meal perfect. Sometimes traditional meals can be the best. I couldn't resist taking a picture of it after I sliced because it sliced so nice.

PS you will also notice I am posting food related things on Fridays now. I am going to posting three times a week now instead of almost every day because it is getting busy with the upcoming holidays.

Fun Ruffle Pillow

I loved my Halloween ruffled apron that I thought the idea of a ruffle would be cute around a pillow so using some fun coordinating fabrics which are actually Christmas ones, I made this fun little pillow. Right now it is is sitting on my new bench by the front door. I think  he may need some company soon so I might make more. It is just the right size decorative pillow for that spot.

Wreath

I know ti has been awhile. Between getting ready for the craft fair, Halloween, and my mom is town, I haven't really had the chance to craft or blog but I finally had some stuff to stick on. 

 I fully admit to loving wreaths and my front door is the perfect place for them. I just took down my Halloween one and needed one for the in between now. I do like Thanksgiving but I haven't seen anything that just makes me what to make one. I made this one for the craft fair I did a few weeks ago and I really love it. I was happy it didn't sell because I could see it up on my door. 

I wrapped a straw wreath with burlap and than added on the firework flowers in a fun fabric from Stampin Up! 

Macaroni Kid Article 11/4/12

Here is my article this week

Macaroni Kid Article 10/28/12

Here it is for this week.

Halloween Rag Bag

I loved this fabric and thought it would make a cute bag for Halloween- I so have a bag problem.

Witches Hat

I so was in to mod podging things  when I got this chipboard witches hat. I took some fun SU Halloween paper, tore it up and mod podged it all over it. I than sealed it with the mod podge and after it was dry added the ribbon and bats on it. I want to get a candle stick, pumpkin and stack it on top. I think that would be cute.

Macaroni Article 10/14/12

Here is the link for this week's article:

http://leaguecity.macaronikid.com/article/371136/mommy-confessions

Haunted House

Last week I showed the mod podged witches hat and this week I have the mod podged Haunted House. These chipboard houses were on the clearance rack on SU and I scooped some up (there will be a Christmas one as well).  I just mod podged on the paper, cut it out and sealed it. I than built the house according to the directions and using some hot glue. I than added some vellum paper to the windows, bats and some other accents. I plan on putting a electric tea light in there to light it up when it is dark.

Awesome Prize- My New Arrow Sewing Table

I never win anything and for some reason I won a few prizes these past few weeks. The best one has to be the awesome Gidget Sewing table I won from Arrow Sewing Cabinets. They do a drawing for every 500 fans they get on Facebook and well they hit 8500 last week and on Friday (my Birthday of course) drew my name so I got a sewing table and even better yet my local favorite Quilt Shop Pinwheels and Posies gets one as well.

The table arrived yesterday and of course I instantly set it up and put my machine on it. I had been waiting for its arrival so I held off  making my project that I have been wanting to do. It was a quick one making a giant funky halloween pillow using the Halloween pinups fabric that caught my eye at Pinwheels the other day when I went in to tell them the great news.

So here I am with my new table all set up of course!

Here is the fun project I made using my table- I LOVE THIS FABRIC!!!

Macaroni Kid Article

Here is my article for this week.

Bloody Glass

I made three of these but only took one for photos. I plan on filling them with spooky things and candles for my annual creepy Halloween table. I just took some red paint, dipped them in it and than added streaks to make it look like it was dripping. My paint was pretty thick and after the fact, I should have thinned it out some to make it drip better. Still these will look great with some eyeballs and spiders inside of them. I also want to use on to make a pedstal cake holder (just need to get some super glue).

Macaroni Kid Article

Here is the link to my article this week.

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 8

Well I had a premade lasagna in the fridge (it was part of the meal deal) so that got tossed into the oven and we had that for dinner. I also made a salad and some garlic bread. While the lasagna was cooking I had the bright idea to also bake a cake which I had picked up at the dollar store.  SO the whole meal cost under 15 bucks and there is no way we could have gone out for Italian for that price.  Sometimes it is actually cheaper to buy premade items like a lasagna because it is nice to have it and just stick it in the freezer.

Now with Daisies and such, I think quick fish tacos tomorrow night.

Happy Halloween

I love Halloween so much. I have to say it is my favorite holiday with Christmas a close second. I love the idea of dressing up in costume and just having a good time. i also love to decorate my house. I think I decorate almost as much as I do for Christmas. I broke down and decorated early this year because I had so many projects I had created that I wanted to put out. So I ventured out to our storage locker which got cleaned as well as I was hunting it for my halloween crates.

I brought them home and oh well the next thing I know (2 hours later) the house was done up. I will wait a few more weeks until I do outside of the house but that will be epic as well.

I was so excited to really get to decorate my living room which we redid this past winter. As each season comes and goes I have been decorating as needed (remember 4th of July).  I also love to set my dining room table as a theme and this year spooky sophisticated pretty much sums it up. I also took the time to clean out any old decorations that have long lived past their lives. I just wish I had the funds like Martha to really go all out!

My decorated Haunted house!

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 7

So it rained all day and I so was in the mood for some soup. I have been wanting to make some Broccoli cheese because I got like four heads of it from veggie co-op. I started off with a huge pot of water and added in some dry chicken stock which was my first mistake (I would do about 4 tablespoons). I put to much in and the soup was to salty for my liking.

I than added in the chopped broccoli (you could totally do 2 bags of frozen as well). When it started boiling, I added in a whole brick of easy melt processed cheese. I also went through my fridge and added in any other shredded cheese that was in small amounts. After it all melted, I added in one package of instant mashed potato mix to act as my thicking agent.  The soup was a nice consistency but like I said to salty. I am going to throw a potato in what is left and see if that knocks it down some.

Also while I was doing that I poached three chicken breasts and diced them up to freeze. I figured to have some already cooked diced chicken in the freezer may come in handy. I would really like to prep more meals to have in the future so that is a goal to do one of these days after the freezer goes down more.

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 6

I am going out so I decided to make something in the crock pot the family could just eat when they are ready. So I made some stuffed peppers using the peppers from veggie co-op that needed to be used or they needed to be tossed. I also thawed some ground turkey and added about a cup of brown rice into it as well as some Italian seasoning and garlic salt. I mixed it all together and stuffed the peppers but also just made some meatballs to stick in the pot. I topped it with some tomato sauce and about half a jar of water. Stuffed peppers is always one of my favorites to make and I like to make it closest to how my Grandma made it with a thinner sauce- more soup like. Now this is a nice fall meal just wish we had fall temps here.

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 5

Day 5 and what a day it is. We have soccer so I need something filling and quick. I had to go to the grocery store again today because I realized I had forgotten lunch meat for Miss O and we were out of the organic milk boxes she likes to take in her lunch. So as I was running through the store, I noticed they had seasoned Italian chicken meatballs on sale plus one of the meal deals had a free garlic bread with it so I had a bingo moment.

I heated up the garlic bread which was actually cheesy garlic and tossed the meatballs in some sauce and let them simmer while the bread baked. I toped the bread with the meatballs and sliced into nice sandwiches for everyone. A quick and easy meal plus it is healthy with the chicken.

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 4

Yes I almost buckled and got a pizza but than I figured by the time I went through all that, I could make something. So with the hubby working late and myself feeling not so great, i asked the kids what they wanted and they picked chicken nuggets. I didn't feel like that so I made some mac and cheese as well. Both kids ate like pigs with this meal which I know was stellar but every once in awhile, these meals happen. I guess it is better than running out for something.

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 3

i have been seeing that commercial on t.v. for the new Progresso Recipe Starters and they caught my eye when I was at the store the other day. I guess that is good marketing isn't it. I picked up the Creamy Portobella Mushroom one because I love Stroganoff. I made it according to the directions which are right on the can. The only thing I would have liked to add were some actual mushrooms. I usually have some but this week I didn't get any at veggie co-op because they were out. I paired it with (like the fancy word paired) with some of the awesome green beans we get from co-op.

I than got a urge for an apple cobbler because I had a bunch of apples there. So I did a quick search and this recipe came up so I went to work making it. It was so good and bubbly. I have been craving both chocolate and apple pie which really don't go together. So last night I had brownies which had to be like a thousand calories. I am thinking this is a bit better and I am planning on pairing (fancy word again) with some of that tea I made yesterday (heating it up).

I am so ready for fall and have been making some fall inspired meals. I ant to make some broccoli cheddar soup at some point because I got a ridiculous amount of broccoli at co-op. I think I could make two gallons of it and I know it will get eaten.

Halloween Ruffled Apron

The other day I was at the craft store and saw the cutest Halloween Apron with all these ruffles in black and orange. I was so in love but put it back because it was expensive. I thought I will get it when they go on sale.

Than I was at the other craft and fabric store when I saw this really cute fabric. I love when you walk in and bam the seasonal fabric is right there for you to see. I saw one pattern I really liked but than these two coordinating fabrics in bright Halloween colors hit me. I loved the cupcakes on the one and the dots just complimented it so nicely. I thought I could make a apron out of this like the one I saw at the other store plus I really liked this fabric way better.


I took a fat quarter of basic black and hemmed it up on all four sides which is the base of the apron. I than took and cut the length of the fabric (about 36 inches) at a width of six inches for two of the cupcake patter and 2 five inch of the dots. I also cut one more cupcake at 36in long and 5 in wide. I than started at the bottom and pinned from the middle out to make the ruffles (just do any search for ruffled apron and directions should pop up).

I just layered up the top starting with cupcakes (6in width), than dot (5 in), Cupcake (6in), dot (5 in) and finally the cupcake (5in).  When I was all done I cut two 24 inch long by 5 inch wide stripes of the dot to make the tie back. I folded that over in half and than folded each side about  1/4 inch in. I ironed it flat and straight and than positioned, pinned, and than sewed it one. These are general directions and I highly suggest doing a search which I did. I wanted to give general directions and I should have taken way more photos but I got going in the process and well had so much fun creating.

I have to say this turned out way better than I thought it would and I love it. I also got a request for a smaller version and I think I might have enough fabric to create it for Miss O.

Enjoy my new favorite apron- I think a Christmas one may be needed to which means Miss O and Nana will need one as well!

Miss O took the photo!

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 2

I am on a roll and why yes two days is a roll for me especially with me not feeling that great.  I thought what could I make that was easy and fast. I like fast and I also like something we haven't had in awhile, so tacos it was or to be more precise turkey tacos. Heck I can't taste the difference and I love beef.

I have been using coupons more and more and also trying to spot the deal every where so I had a coupon if you bought two items of a certain brand you got a buck off. I like that because I would buy both items and a buck off helps, every dollar helps these days.

I just browned up the meat, added the premade spice mix even though I do have a large container of taco seasoning in the pantry. I heated up the hard and soft shells, chopped some lettuce and tomatoes plus heated up some refried beans (My second item). Both kids love tacos when I make them. I try not to make them all the time because I like variety so I make them about once a month or even as long as six weeks.

The other thing I did while I was making the tacos was brew up a big batch of sweet tea. I was watching Paula Deen and they were making it on her show and I have so been on a tea kick lately. I guess I am sick of diet soda and water, so I have been drinking tea specifically this lemon mango honey diet lipton tea that you just mix up. It is good but when I saw what Paula was doing, I went to work. I think this is better than my large diet cherry coke zero from Sonic Happy Hour

I took three large tea bags (decaf) and threw those in a pot of water. I added in the juice of one orange and oh my was that a juicy orange  plus some cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and about a cup of sugar. I let it simmer for a good 15 minutes and than poured it in to a large pitcher and added some cold water and let it chill in the fridge. The nice thing is that I can either have it chilled or heat it up for a cup as well.

My hubby and I weren't big tea drinkers when we moved down here. We would have it once in awhile but it is so big in Texas. I have heard people put it in the baby bottles. I have seen sippy cups full of it as well. Now as we have been down here for nearly ten years, we drink it more. We also know where to go in the area to get the best kinds. I guess we are becoming natives!

Macaroni Kid Article - 9/23/12

Here is my article for this week!

Freezer Stretch 2- Day 1

I decided after numerous fails last week as well as a trip to the grocery store and a ton of veggies from the co-op I am in, that I would start the count again to see how long we will go.

So I usually like to make a nice Sunday dinner but all of a sudden the day got a way from us and well I dug around and found italian sausage patties I had bought because I had a coupon. I paired that with some pasta salad that I made from the pantry. I had a bunch of veggies from my co-op because it was my week to drive so I cut up a red pepper and sautéed that up to top the italian sausage along with some tomato sauce and cheese to make a pizza burger.

It was a good and quick dinner which I like so onward to the next meal where I am planning turkey tacos.

Subway Art- My Take

I upgraded Stampin Up's My Digital studio a few weeks ago and have really been enjoying playing with it. I was going through the different stamps it offered and this set caught my attention. It made me instantly think of creating subway art which has become very popular out there. I love how inspirational this is and will love to give this as a gift to someone who needs that boast!

Freezer Stretch - Day 20

Twenty days of digging in our freezer pantry to see what I had. This meal was some frozen tilapia that I had in there from a few weeks back that was part of a meal package from the grocery store. I paired it with some shrimp we had and used the scampi blend I had gotten from Wildtree. We also had some seasoned Orzo pasta and veggies. Miss O ate her weight in shrimp and rolls. It was a light meal but filling which is always a favorite to have. 

Freezer Stretch Day 19- WIN

I am going to take the Charlie Sheen approach today and say I am winning but I might be delusional. Today was a hectic day. I shoved so much in and well we had some wins and fails. First I did grocery shopping and even though I don't feel I am buying lots, it still was like 150 bucks. Milk, eggs, bread and all that jazz isn't cheap. I did get Mr. L's Halloween costume which came under my ten buck budget for it. I told everyone they had ten bucks for their costumes. Mr. L wanted to be a pirate but I am guessing that will turn into a cowboy pirate.

I than trekked to the toy store and bought most of their Xmas gifts today because they had good sales going on. I will only need to buy a few small things now. Than my hubby and I ventured over to a store and bought for 60 bucks a couch and for 25o a huge tv stand (both used but in good condition). They were from a hotel that was upgrading so we need to pick that up on Saturday and let's hope it works out.

Finally at home I had the fore sight to defrost the homemade tomato sauce I had int here. I threw in some meatballs I found in the freezer and we had a great dinner. I do admit to buying some additional freezer and pantry items at the store today because I had some of the items for a dish and I also needed to stock up on things I had run out- I was surprised I had no more cans of tomato sauce.

I really hope to make it through this weekend using what we have. I have Wildtree stuff that I am dying to try so I hope to make that one night. I also have stuff for homemade pizzas. I even think I have stuff to make desserts to1

Freezer Day 18- Fail again

Yes I have a good excuse well why we failed at making a meal at home because we went to go se Endeavor at Ellington Field and it was after 6 when we got out of there so we went to grab something. In reality that should of worked nicely but the place we picked was in utter disaster ad we ended up waiting a long time so I would have been better off cooking at home. Back on track tomororw.

Freezer Stretch Day 17

Today was the day that I just pulled something already made frozen from the freezer. I thought it was mushroom chicken but it ended up being a roasted in gravy I made awhile ago. So I heated it up and added a can of cream of mushroom soup to give it more gravy and put it on some slices of bread (mashed potatoes would work too). We had open face chopped beef sandwiches or as my hubby likes to say sh*t on a shingle!

Halloween Rag Wreath

Today is a no sew project and use I use the same fabric from the quilt I still have some left- maybe for another pillow (we will see).

I just cut tons of strips ad tied it on to a wire wreath frame (I bought a dozen online a few months ago). It is going to be so cute up on the wall when I finally start decorating for Halloween. October 1 is right around the corner.

To add to this I got these orange jars on the clearance rack for like 2 bucks a pice. Yes they are ugly but I thought with them being orange they would be cute. Now what should I fill them with?

Freezer Stretch Day 16

We have Girl Scouts so the crock pot is a must every other Monday so that when we are done at 6, the meal is pretty much ready to go. So I dug around the freezer and found a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground chicken. I took that a threw it in the crock pot with about three cans of beans I found in the pantry along with a can of diced tomatoes, and a can of tomato sauce.  I took about a tablespoon of chili powder and garlic powder and mixed it all together. I did not brown the meat before sticking it in because I figured it will cook down nicely in the crock pot.

Macaroni Article- 9/16/12

Here is my article for this week!

Freezer Stretch Day 15

About a month ago I made two racks of ribs because Miss O asked for them and my father in law was in town but we only ate on of them I knew if I put it in the fridge it would go to waste so I wrapped it up and froze it. So I thawed it out for dinner and just stuck it back in the oven at 350 for about an hour and resauced it up.

I also made some roasted potatoes using my new grapeseed oil and rub I ordered from Wildtree (a friend had a party and I had tried the stuff before). Plus Miss O found some green beans out in the fridge from veggie co-op so I made some green bean casserole. For some reason with the fresh crisp green beans, I love it and I am weird about my green beans (I detest canned ones with a passion along with stewed tomatoes- it is all about the texture with me on both of those).

I think Sunday dinner should be special. Take some time to prepare a family meal, sit down and talk about  the past week and what is coming. or us we have all gotten busy between my hubby's work and now Miss O's outside activities- soccer two days a week and girl scouts. Families who eat meals together at the dinner table tend to communicate better and overall are doing better.

Tomorrow we have girls scouts so I have to throw something in the crock pot or defrost something we already have so I will be going on a hunt in the freezer to see what I can find!

Welcome to School Teacher Gifts!

I just love the new Cannery Set Stampin Up has and I FINALLY had a moment to really play with it after it has been sitting there for over a month (being gone for three weeks was a big part of it!)

The teacher projects started out first with a friend needing a cute tag for her gift and she asked me if I had anything apple which of course I do, so when she got her, I let her look and than we started playing around with the set. We made these adorable 4U cards that she is attaching onto the gift.

ThanI se to work creating Miss O's gift. I thought a plant would be a nice addition to the teacher. It brings life to the room. I used the same set as well as MDS2 to create the sign that is on the plant. I die cut out the tag and it was created.

While  I had everything out, I created this fun card that we could give as well but I am thinking of sending it out for more of Happy Fall card at some point.

Glad you stopped by and took a look. I am sure I will be doing way more with this set because it is so cute. I bought some jars to use for presents and I will be using this set to add tags on to them. 

Freezer Stretch Day 14

Yes I did cook tonight and quickly. I had mostly prepared food for us because well it was a weird night. No one was starving and the hubby had to run into work (yes I know it is Saturday) so I had some cheese brats (precooked) and than made one of those quick pasta salads that come in a box. The kids didn't mind and tomorrow night I plan on making something better for us but sometimes quick has to happen with out going out to eat. Yes it would have been easier to run out to grab a bite but at the same time the amount of time and effort it took to make this was likely the same amount of time as running out.

I did find some caramel dip in the fridge so we had that with some apple slices which was another quick but light sweet treat item. Tomorrow is another day and i I hope to be more creative than I was tonight. It was an overall crazy day and I think most Saturdays from now till November are going to be this way.

Freezer Stretch Day 13- FAIL

Yes we failed again and ordered pizza, not because I didn't want to cook but we had a bunch of people over and it was way easier to order pizzas for us all. We will be back on track tomorrow. I guess only two days out of two weeks ordering food isn't horrible but I am trying to be good with cooking during the week at least. Tomorrow night, I plan on pulling out the already cooked ribs I made a few weeks back and adding other stuff in. Freezer is coming down which is nice because my goal is to get it nearly empty and than go get 30lbs of meat from the meat market and start all over again. I got my coupons already for that as well.

Freezer Stretch Day 12

All this week I have been working again at cleaning out the freezer and pantry to make dinner. Tonight was inspired from Taste of Home magazine which I just started getting again because I got it for like 5 bucks for the whole year. It is one my favorite magazines with all the great and simple guys. The recipe I found was Chicken Gnocchi Pesto Soup. I made some minor adjustments like instead of water I used chicken stock and I didn't have any spinach (used all of that yesterday) so I had a zucchini so I chopped that up.

I also had some chicken tenders I thawed out and poached in the broth. It was quick and simple plus full of flavor. It also was a good meal on a day like this when we are running around to soccer practice and life in general!

Freezer Stretch Day 11

Well I had to go to the grocery store to buy things like milk, eggs, butter and well about 45 minutes and 150 bucks later the cart was full. To my admittance I bought beer, lime ritas (oh my these are sooo good) and the grocery store had a special where if you bought certain products you got a free book plus the books were a buck a piece with a coupon making them 90 cents. They had great books for both Halloween and Christmas so that was why I bought about 20 of them all together. The two people working there also helped me pick out a bunch too.

I also bought other things were low on that were on sale like the pasta salad you make and I admit to some meats as well like a package of queso poblano chicken sausage which is my favorite. When I got home, I went through the freezer again and organized it some plus I notice the outside one is slowly going down but I still have like a good two weeks of food in there so I hope I won't have to go until than again.

It got me thinking as to what I could make for dinner tonight and I decided after seeing it on Pinterest Spanakopita  which sounded so good. I had most everything int he freezer to make this like filo dough, spinach, ricotta cheese, eggs, and butter. The only thing I didn't have was some feta which I bought but honestly if I hadn't gone to the store, I could have made do with the ricotta cheese.

I took the bag of frozen spinach and thawed it out as well as the filo dough. I than squeezed all of the excess water out of the spinach and put that, two beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of ricotta, and whole container of feta into the bowl as well. I mixed it all up. I than melted about a stick of butter as well but don't add that in.

I sprayed my dish with cooking spray ad began layering the filo dough, some butter, spinach mix and kept doing that like a lasagna (I used a few sheets of filo each time because of how thin it is). I would say I did about three layers and topped it with filo and some butter. I than backed it in the oven at 350 about 40 minutes or until it was crispy and lightly browned on the top. I served it with a nice greek inspired salad which was some chopped greens, homemade greek dressing (took olive oil and greek seasoning mixed together). and some sliced tomatoes. It was a good and light meal for the day!!!

Quick and easy Taco Dip

While we were in Wisconsin, we attended a Packer Party for the first game of the season. I was tasked to get some taco dip from the grocery store for it because I had zero time to make it. So when I ran into the grocery store and well there was no taco dip- yeah like for some reason I thought there would be on game day. It was frantic in there with all the green and gold shirts running around getting last minute stuff for the game.

I went into my problem solving mode and grabbed a can of refried beans, taco seasoning, 1 can of diced mexican style tomatoes, chopped black olives, cream cheese, sour cream (small container), and some shredded Mexican cheese. So I hurried through the checkout because I knew everyone was already wondering where I was.

When I got to my brother's house, I rummaged through cabinets to find a dish to make it while everyone told me I should of just passed on it all together but I told them no football game is complete with out taco dip.

I took the refried beans and spread that around the dish. I than soften the cream cheese in the microwave, added about 1/2 the taco seasoning packet, and1/2 the sour cream and mixed it all up. I spread that on top of the beans. I than added the diced tomatoes, cheese, black olives, and the rest of the sour cream. I let it sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes though you don't have to.

My husband that proceeded to ask me through out the first quarter when the dip would be ready so he finally just got up and put it out. I think it all went though one member of peanut gallery who shall remain nameless told me that he didn't like the beans in it but still ate a ton of it!


So let me know your thoughts on beans or no beans with the taco dip!

Freezer Stretch Day 10

There are so many things in the freezer but I am in need of some basics like milk and eggs so I will be heading to the grocery store tomorrow.  Today I pulled the crock pot out which is an appliance I just love. It is so useful all throughout the year to have a good meal ready with little to no prep time. Today was no different as I was cleaning the kitchen up, I threw together my favorite meatloaf recipe .  the prep on this is minutes and it cooks all day in the slow cooker  and comes out as one good meatloaf. I mentioned it to my hubby I was going to make it as he was leaving and he told me he would try to be home on time.

I served it with some instant mashed potatoes and of course a veggie that was int he freezer. I am not ashamed of using instant potatoes because they are quick and add a ton to a meal that really takes minutes to prep but is worth all the slow cooking time!

Halloween Throw Pillow

I had a bunch of the fabric left over from the quilt and made this cute pillow. I just made it the size that was left over from the fat quarter so I would guess it is about half the fat quarter. The front is a cute Halloween print while the back is stars (hard to see in the picture). It fits perfect on my chair. Now it just has to meet its friends that I made last year!

Macaroni Kid Article- 9/9/12

Here is my article for this week.

Freezer Stretch - Day 9

I know that I have missed the last few days okay like five days but I have a good reason- we were out of town at a wedding. It was such a nice wedding. The bride was beautiful and the reception as held at the same location as mine was ten years prior (the bride was my maid of honor).

Here is a picture of my dear friend Lisa (hope she doesn't mind making the blog) and me all done up for the special day!

So we left on a Thursday morning (hence the total fail on the night before where I ordered pizza) so I figured I needed to redeem myself today when we got home from our trip. So after about 7 hours of travel with two planes, a long lay over, and a cranky two year old, we made it back home at a decent hour. I honestly was sick of eating out or grazing while we were in Wisconsin. So I thought what could I make that was hearty and fast using what I had.

So I made tuna noodle casserole and it was so good. When your kid tells you it is one of the best things you made, it has to be a winner.

I took about three cups of dry egg noodles and boiled them according to directions. I have started buying these more in bulk because of all the things you can do with them.

Once the noodles were done, I took a pack of tuna fish which was a freebie item when I bought other stuff at the grocery store a few weeks back. I took the tuna, one can of cream of celery, one can of cream of mushroom, about a 1/2 cup of milk and about a cup of frozen peas (oh my the things I found in the freezer when looking for these).

I mixed it all together and baked it for thirty minutes at 350 to get that crispy crust which I love when the noodles get crispy on top.

I just served it up and well there was not much left when we were done which is a good sign that it was a good meal. Tomorrow I actually had the foresight to pull out 2lbs of ground beef that was in there to make my crock pot meatloaf. Once my daughter realizes I made it, I will be a rock star because it is her favorite thing in the whole world (glad the kid likes to eat!).

I have to say we had some good food while away. My dad and brother made us a homemade fish fry which was heaven.  Plus my brother made a good chili and I did a five minute taco salad (see the post later this week) for the Packer game- the food was better than the game was!

Quick and Easy Fall Frame(s)

I have been seeing tons of stuff with framed words. Everyone says to go to the Dollar store and buy cheap frames and that was exactly what I did. These are plastic though from a distance they look wood. I picked for different ones for that shabby look (you could always spray paint them as well but I am partial to black).

I than took the MDS program from Stampin Up and well created a picture for each of the frames to spell FALL. I was going to do Boo! at first but I found this digital paper and thought that really looked fall. I did add some digital embellishments as well. I think it turned out cute!

Making my own Laundry Soap- Not

I have seen so much on Pinterest about making your own laundry soap and I thought yeah I want to do it but when I went to go buy the ingredients and starting pricing it out, the big bag of soap for 8.50 was a much better buy so I just got that which should last me a long time. Though I did still want to make the cute jar I saw the soap in so I bought the biggest jar available at Wally World, stuck a chalkboard sticker on and wrote soap. I figured if I don't end up liking the soap, I can wash the jar out and use it for something else.

So this wasn't a better deal to make rather than buy unless you can get it all for under 8 bucks! Still the jar is cute- now if I could just convince my hubby I need a new washer and dryer for the laundry room.

Freezer Stretch Day 8 FAILURE

I failed today because I ran out of time to make dinner with all the things I have to plus we are headed out for a few days but I will be back next week and I will start with Day 8 in cleaning out the fridge/freezer/pantry. I am going to need to buy some staples like milk because that is going to spoil over the weekend plus some eggs because well that is one of the few things Miss O eats like crazy!

See you later!

Apple Pie Moonshine (sort of)

My hubby has been raving for years about the Apple Pie moonshine and I know most of heard about it. He finally was given some bottles of it by a family member who made it using ever clear. She told me it was easy to make and after some research, I saw that it was.

I took some Apple Juice, Apple Cider, 2 cups of sugar, and cinnamon sticks and boiled it. I let it cool for a few hours and added in some light rum. I than stuck it in some mason jars which my hubby thinks is so cute.

This is a great drink as a shot or over some ice. I think it would be good warmed for winter. I will be making this more often because it was so good but be warned the liquor in it is strong but it should mellow some as it ages.

Freezer Stretch- Day 7

Seven days and seven different things. I have noticed some reduction in the pantry but the freezer seems to be an endless pit of frozen stuff. I need to be better about labeling things because I pulled something out and couldn't figure out what it was- I think it is the pork carnets but I was not 100 percent sure.

Today was nothing from the freezer but it was something working on the pantry. I made basic ham and scallop potatoes I had a box of the scallop potatoes and a ham which I used some for the potato soup. Even though I used potatoes and ham again for a second day they were totally tasting meals.

So tomorrow I have to venture into the freezer and figure out what i could pull out to make. I really just want to order something because we are headed north for a wedding but I will really try hard to stay on track.

Halloween Table Top Quilt

I have a subscription to Fons and Porters Love Of Quilting and the October rIssue arrived a few weeks ago and I totally feel in love with the Table Top quilt that featured pumpkins all over it. I than like the next day got my Connecting Threads Catalog and saw the Halloween fabric they had and well I got to thinking how much I loved the Quilt and how much I loved the fabric and well the quilt was born.

It was pretty easy to put together though I hate the purple in it and if I did it again, would have left them out. It just didn't turn out how I wanted it to but everything else did (I like the purple and would have used it else where.  Now I have to find a place for it for Halloween.

Freezer Stretch - Day 6

We already made it to day 6 which I find hard to believe because I never eat in this much (okay we ate out on Day 5 but I did cook in the morning).  Today was a informal meal but it was good. I made Potato soup and grilled Turkey Panini sandwiches.

The soup is one I have made many times. I take red potatoes and dice up small. I than take some olive oil and brown the potatoes. Than I add in about 1/4 cup of flour and brown that. I add in one container of vegetable or chicken broth (the veggie broth will make it reddish in color). I than added in some diced ham (we will see the ham again very soon). I let that come to a boil and than add in some milk (about a cup). I eyeball everything and don't really measure much. I than let that simmer until the potatoes are fork tender. I added in some instant potatoes (about 1/4 cup) at the end to thicken it up a tad more. This is optional depending on the consistency you like your soup- we tend to like it thicker. I served it with some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. If I had bacon, I would have crumbled some over it as well.

The paninis were so simple as well. I took some nice ciabatta rolls and layered some pesto, co-jack cheese, and turkey. I coated the outside of the roll with some butter and grilled it much like a grilled cheese.  My daughter told me it was better than the sandwich she had at Panera the other day which she raved about all day.

Tomorrow will be a week of finding things to eat in the freezer/fridge/pantry. I think we will be making Ham and scallop potatoes. Stay tuned!

Happy Labor Day!

Here is my article this week to appreciate all of the great Labour of Love we all have for our kids.

Have a great day and hopefully it is relaxing!

Freezer Stretch- Day 5

This is the breakfast edition. I had hash browns in the freezer actually I think there are a few packs in there. I admit to loving potatoes and buying them often in shredded or cubed form so I have them always in the freezer. There is something about them that are so  good and you can do so many things with them.

For breakfast, I was simple but simple sometimes can be so good. I just made some hash browns, fried eggs, and turkey sausage which was floating around in there as well. I think it is always a win when my kids eat it all and I was told that my eggs were goo by the six year old (that is rare because she usually eats eggs in one form- hard boiled).

Dinner well we went out for dinner. We went to the baseball game and was right down the block from this unique Greek Market and Deli so we headed into see all of the unique items. I did buy some groceries but stuff that is hard to find like bulgar (yes the kids might gripe but it is good made the right way) and a Pomegranate  wine which we are excited to try!

At the Greek Grocer they also have a hot bar when you can get food. We all got Greek wraps. The hubby and I had lamb while the kids have chicken. Both were good and how can you argue when it is served with hummus.

I will be back on track for Day 6 though I don't know what I will decide to make. I have ribs I could thaw out which just need to be reheated or even some mushroom chicken might be in there that could be defrosted and put on egg noodles. I might even have some ground beef which means I might have to make the crock pot meatloaf which my daughter has been asking for so we will see!

Paint Chip Art

Paint Chip art seems to be all the rage now with people creating all sorts of things with them. When I was at the home improvement mecca the other day getting paint for Miss O's desk project, I snagged some chips in rainbow colors (this could be done with regular old card stock as well.) I really liked the vibrant colors of the samples that I picked. I instantly thought about how cool it would look punching hearts out of them and putting them with some stark white.

So I headed to the craft store and purchased this frame for 6 bucks (they are always on sale or I use my coupon). So when I got home and after a frantic search for the hearts I had punched out (Mr. L had decided he was going to hid them all over my desk), I got to work. I trimmed down my whisper white card stock to fit the frame, and placed the hearts on them. It got me thinking that it needed something else on so I pulled up My Digital Studio 2 (MDS2) and looked through the offered digital stamps I had in there when the definition set popped up. There is so many of them in that set that I admit I would have a hard time choosing the right one but I finally settled on "together" and printed it up on the card stock.

I than adhered on the hearts and stuck it in the frame. This is one of the those hybrid projects you could make or if you have this stamps set (Define your Life) you could easily make it or even do it all on the MDS2 (I did one using it).

Here is the finished project

This is the MDS2 version I made. I have SO many ideas that I could do with this now!

Freezer Stretch - Day 4

Chicken is on the menu. I bought a huge pack of chicken breasts a few weeks back (enough for two meals for us) and I pulled it out. I also bought like quite a while a go these Kraft Sizzling Salad kits from the dollar store. They have four kinds and at a buck a piece, I though why not have it on hand for dinner. I coated the chicken in the sauce and baked it (you can also cook it in a pan). At the last five minutes I threw some shredded mozzarella on. I also had some ranch potatoes I had in the freezer and made a salad with the lettuce I got from co-op. We had pineapple which was also from co-op for dessert (it was so sweet!). So we had a nice healthy summer meal.

Freezer Stretch - Day 3

French Bread Pizza

This was really good for our third day. It is a french bread pizza. I was inspired by a recipe off of Relish relish that I saw. I was looking in the freezer and remembered that I had some italian sausage in there so I thawed that I out. I than cut it out of its castings and browned the meat, I than added some mushrooms, and spinach into the mix. I had some french bread loaves that were prebaked some just needed to be finished in the oven.

Once the sausage, mushrooms, and spinach were cooked, I added in a small can of tomato sauce. After letting the oven preheat to 400, I sliced the bread the long way and topped with the italian sausage mix on each half. I had two small loaves so I had four slices. I than topped it with some shredded mozzarella and than some Italian seasoning. I baked for about 10 minutes or until the cheese was nice and melted and starting to brown.

This was so good and it had some spinach sneaked into the mix. You could also add onions to but my kids aren't big fans so I don't push them on them to much. The bread crisped up nice. I also think for the future this would make a good appetizer for a party. You could slice it up in bite size pieces.

Freezer Stretch - Day 2

We made it through day 1 and I know we will do well for the next few days but I worry about the weekend when I admit I hate to cook and I enjoy going out but we are going to did it especially since we are not going to be around much the following weekend so no cooking will be happening.

Day 2 led me to think what we have in there. I thought about making some panini's and tomato soup though I can't seem to remember where I stuck my panini maker in the house. I think it is in the one cabinet but I have been to lazy to actually look.

As I started working on the tomato soup, I thought I really don't feel like this and those panini's would make a nice lunch on Saturday for us, so I than decided on some homemade spaghetti sauce. I am so the person to just buy a jar and maybe add somethings to wow it up but today, I had everything.

I took one large of pureed tomatoes, one small can of tomato paste left over from my hubby who likes it with his mac and cheese (yeah I know how it sounds). I also diced some onions, tomatoes, zucchini and green peppers up as well. I had diced carrots as well and minced garlic.

I took some olive oil and sautéed the onions and than added in the peppers. As that was cooking, I realized I had thawed out a pound of ground beef, so I added that in and browned the meat. After the meat was browned I added in everything else as well as about 1 cup of vegetable stock and a can of mushrooms. I let this simmer on low for about two hours. I did add also some italian seasoning and garlic salt. I added a lot of garlic because I liked it. I also added some pepper as well but that is up to you. I served it over some thin spaghetti because that was what i had on hand but i thought that those big noodles would be good with it because this was more of a Bolognese sauce. If my cream wasn't bad, I would have added that in to to add some richness to the sauce.

It was really good. My daughter had to servings of it. Now I will need to come pack to this post in the future to remember what I did. The other good thing was that it was cheap. I used all store brands in making it which I find as good as the name brands but way cheaper.

Freezer Stretch Challenge- Day 1

My freezer and pantry are so full right now and I need to downsize so much. I have been finding it hard to put new stuff in or even find stuff in there to make. I do have my freezer list on the outside telling me but I admit I haven't been that good in updating it as needed.

So i was reading a story the other day about a woman who hasn't bought anything new in five years. I was impressed by how she worked the thrift stores, barters, and finds things. I honestly can't do that myself but I do want to use less, waste less, and stretch things more. So I am setting  a challenge for the next few weeks to empty to the freezer and use the food we have. I am only going to buy staples like milk, and butter as needed. I will still be getting fresh veggies from my co-op every other week which will help with that as well.

So here I am starting out on Day 1 making a pork tenderloin, crockpot cheesy potatoes and some carrots. I like to have the basics with dinner a meat, starch and veggie so this meal had it all. I had  basic pork tenderloin that I seasoned with garlic salt and italian seasoning. These are a stable I use all the time and I buy in the larger containers.

The cheesy potatoes were another super easy thing to make with minimal effort and they turned out great. I used one bag of frozen souther style potatoes which I let thaw for about an hour. I than took one can of cheese soup, mushroom soup, half a can of milk, and about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. I mixed it all together in the crock pot and topped it off with another 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. I set it on low for about six hours. They were awesome and actually better than if I had stuck them in the oven.

I also had a can of carrots in the pantry which my daughter hated. She told me they tasted like olives and that wasn't a taste she wanted with her carrots. I thought they tasted fine and were a name brand but to each their own with preferred tastes.

So let's see how this go and se how long we last on it. I was also hoping to maybe go a month without buying craft items and use what I have on hand. I have lots of projects so I might fidge a little and buy a few things so I can finish some of them but than no buying. We will see how that goes as well.

Sneak Peek-Halloween Quilt

So this is a sneak peek at the Halloween tabletop quilt I am working on. Once I have it done and the in place I will be taking lots of pictures. I plan on it being a big part of my Halloween decorations. Have I said how much  I love Halloween and have been getting ready for weeks with all of my fun projects I am making. I am so ghoulishly giddy with all the fun things I am planning. Stay tuned but for now a peek!

Macaroni Kid Article for 8/24/12

All about going back to school:http://leaguecity.macaronikid.com/article/344982/mommy-confessions

Sharpie Mug- My take

On Pinterest I keep seeing the Sharpie Mug- here is a version. I thought what a cute and SIMPLE idea. I love simple ideas by the way. So I bought a $1 mug from the Dollar store and went to town decorating it. I tried many designs and they easily wiped off and I restarted it. I wrote on them with just words and drew a flower as well but nothing looked right until I did a bee which I did twice on it. I finally settled on this design with the cute Bee and wrote Bee Happy! on it. I think it turned out really cute and I think my Girl Scouts could easily do this and this would be a cute Xmas present with some tea or coffee stuck in it.

Homemade Carnita Burrito Bowls

Taco Bell and I have become friends the last few weeks with their new Cantina Bowls. I have had my fair share of them more due to the fact Taco Bell is like two minutes of the road but I know they can't be good for you. So I got a recipe off Relish Relish for Shredded Beef Tacos. I started out with that intent to make that but well one thing after another and well I didn't even come close to that but instead took a pork roast and made some of the best shredded pork. The key here is slow cooking (got to love the crock pot).

I took one 3lb pork roast and threw that along with 2 cups of water and a quarter cup of taco seasoning (one packet would work to) into the crock pot with it set to low for 8 hours.

At about 5 hours of cooking I did cut it up and start shredding but that could wait till the end as well.

So that is all you need to do with the meat- isn't that easy. You could use the same idea and make shredded BBQ Pork (take out the taco seasoning and add BBQ sauce the last three hours). I made that as well and just as good.

So the meat is so simple and well most of everything else is as well.

I took some brown rice (boil in the bag kind) and made per the directions. I did add about two teaspoons of dry chicken stock into the water. I than chopped up cilantro and one the rice was done added that in as well as some garlic salt and lime juice (about a teaspoon of each).

Homemade Guacamole- two medium avocados that are very ripe peeled, cored and diced up. One small Roma tomato diced up, cilantro, garlic salt, and some regular salt. I mashed that all together and let it macerate for a few minutes.

I than moved on some Homemade Pico De Gall which was two diced tomatoes, one quarter diced onion, one half of jalapeño (deseeded and diced), garlic salt and regular salt. I let that macerate as well.

Finally I took one can of black beans and added 1/4 cup of chunky salsa. I microwaved for three minutes or until it is hot.

Now I know that sounds like a lot of work but it was all really quick. You just need to chop and divide the items as you go.

I than took the rice layered with the beans, carnitas, cheese, guacamole, pico, and sour cream. Oh my was it good. I wish I would have taken a picture but honestly it would have looked like a clump of stuff on a plate. I guess if I ever write a cook book that I can have my food "designed".

Well home you enjoy and by the way it wasn't spicy at all (when I seeded the peppers, that took a bunch of the heat away from it).

Supergirl to the Rescue

Miss O had a birthday party to attend a few weeks ago and it was a Superhero party. The only superhero shirt she has is a Spiderman one that is way to small and has already found its way into little bro's closet. So I told her she could go pick out a shirt at the store to wear, The problem was their were no girly super hero shirts. We went lots of places to look for it.

So she found this red superman shirt and that was what she wanted.

I said okay and than she asked knowing full wellI would do it to girl it up for her. So we went to the fabric store and picked out some fabric that coordinated with the shirt. I than went to work trimming the bottom and adding on a two tiered hello and black skirt to it.

She was over the moon when it was done and loved it so much. She told me it was so cool (lucky she is 6 and I am still cool). The morning of the party, she came running into our room and asked if she could get dressed right away so of course we did.

The outfit was a hit at the party for her special friend who is super sweet (he wore a tie to her party because he wanted to look nice for her)!

So here she is in her Supergirl Dress!

Isn't she sassy looking!

Repurposed Desk

Miss O has been asking for a desk for awhile now. She wants a quiet place to do her school work, color, and create her masterpieces. I have been pushing it off because I thought where the heck would I stick a desk in her room which is already packed with so much. But than driving past a garage sale Saturday morning a red desk spoke to to me. I got out with a friend and took a look. For ten bucks I snapped it up right away.

When I got it home, I noticed it was from World Market so it wasn't cheap when it was first purchased and I suspect that it had been painted that red color from a white at some point. I got some neat pink paint that I knew she was going to love and started to work on it when I realized that I never took a before picture of it. So believe me it was red and scuffed up a great deal.

So with about 4 coast of pink paint (I used the stuff with primer in it) and sore arms, it was transformed to this pink color. She loves it and couldn't wait to find a place for it in her room. I rearranged a bunch of stuff (finding a new location for the Dream House) and set it up for her. She has one of the extra kitchen table chairs right now to use until I find her a different chair. She used it with in ten minutes of me putting it in there and was so happy. Now she is wondering when her computer is going to arrive to put on it (that isn't happening anytime soon though).

Friday Special- Simple Life Tips

I try and lead a simple life but I also admit I use lots of things to help make my life simple and well I am hoping easy (though that is never the case). I have been seeing lots of great ideas out there on other blogs as well as Pinterest in creating ways to make ones life easier and more simple, so it got me to thinking about what I do in my life in order to make my household run smoothly.

I live in a clean house, laundry is mostly done every day, meals are made (mostly three per day), and I usually have time to craft. I have been asked many times how I do it all. Some of it is just my personality and some of it is that I am one of those highly organized and efficient people. My Mom always says I do things so fast but I do get the job done when I am doing it. Granted I might miss something along the way but honestly that doesn't happen that often.

These tips today are ones I have found make it easier to get the house in order and let us do the things we enjoy doing. This works well for us but i know that it won't work for everyone like it is does for us. It also was something that has evolved over time and isn't something I would tell people to instantly start all of it but do suggest trying them and seeing how they work for us.

Being home all day I was worried at first I would get bored but that is far from the truth. I also worried that I would watch lots of television which is not something I do at all (just look at our DVR which is full of all the things I haven't watched). I did decide in the beginning to have some sort of plan for my day and I have gone as far of actually charting it out. For me it works for while but I have my schedule down so much at this point, it isn't something I use every day.

I also try and keep a clean house and I find when the house is in order, we all seem to feel in order.

Every single day (there are occasionally days this doesn't happen):

-Everyone's bed is made daily. I don't have a set time but I like to usually have them all done by 10 am. I do make the six year old make her bed every day and I work with the two year old as well in making the bed. I also make sure they pick up their rooms every day. I feel that it should be the kids job to help around the house. They tend to feel better pride int themselves when they know they did it plus they also work at not making such huge messes in the first place when they know they have to clean it up.

- I do daily loads of laundry (I even did this when I worked full time). I usually put a load in the morning, switch out around lunch, and than again late afternoon. I have found this really helps to keep the laundry in check. I hate laundry but folding one basket  every day instead of having a mammoth folding session one day a week is so much easier.

- We start the day early meaning we are all usually up (even in the summer) by 7:30 am and are done with breakfast by 8 ish. We also try and shower by 9 am as well so if we need to go out for the day we are ready. I find this to be the best time to get things done. I know it isn't for everyone but studies have shown early risers are more productive.  This is an earlier schedule once school is in session.

-  I clean a little bit every day. I usually sweep and vacuum the house every day. I also do the dishwasher and wipe down the counters. I find this makes my life easier when I do the big cleaning days once a week. This goes along with making the beds and laundry. I spend about 15-30 minutes a day doing all of these things which in the end cuts down the overall big cleaning time (I usually get the house cleaned top to bottom in about 2 hours each week). I also wipe down the bathroom shower and the sinks.

Weekly

- I do big cleaning where I wipe up the floors, wipe down sinks, toilets and whatever else needs to get down. I also might do a simple wipe down mid week as well. I like the house to smell clean and I hate to smell the pets which I work hard at keeping on top of that Two dogs and one cat plus my thick head of hair leaves lots of hair around the house. I actually have a checklist I created for this (we will talk later about that).

- I plan my meals so than I can plan my groceries. I have found when I plan, I spend less and get the right things. I also created a menu board where I right down the meals so when it comes to dinner time, I don't worry about it. It also helps to pull things out of the freezer to thaw out (I have been guilty of forgetting and than frantically defrosting or changing meal plans). I also love the site Relish Relish for meal planning

- I plan my week out so I know what are down days (ones where we are home) and days where we have things on our schedule. I don't over schedule us at all. I feel that if we were all running around all the time, we would be way less productive. I know those days I run from the moment I am up to the moment I drop are not my best days. I admit I plan for those days in advance. Just the other day we did all of our shopping, errands and such. We all crashed early that night because it took a toll on us. This also includes my blogging as well. I have certain days where I do certain things for the blog. I work really hard at not cramming it all in at one time though I have been guilty of it.

General 

- Have a Family center in the house- that place where bills go, information, and anything else that might affect the family. I created a Family Management Binder. I keep all of our bills, calendars, grocery lists, and act in there. It is all in one access for us.  I have found this to be a wonderful thing to have. Everyone knows to go there if they have a question on schedules or if we need something from the grocery store.

-I also once a month pick an area to tackle like a closet that is upside down (usually the kids) or cabinets. I admit I need to be better in downsizing stuff. I go in spurts and will do it and than I avoid it.


Overall I try hard to not complicate our lives. I limit how much we are scheduled, I work at keeping a steady schedule in the household but also one where the kids can enjoy themselves. We work at keeping our television watching lower but that doesn't always happen.

I hope that this gives you some insight into me as well as why my house runs the way it does. I notice with structure all around we all seem to function better. The kids know what is coming most of the time, they have the freedom to have fun and I get to as well!!!