family

Jane’s Family Rules

Posted by Nat on Jan 26, 2012 | 2 comments

Yesterday I introduced you to my wonderful friend, Jane.  Jane’s birthday is in May.  It is now January.  Why does that matter?  Well, it was in May that I told Jane that I’d make her a set of family rules for her home.  And just this past weekend I finally actually gave them to her!  Granted, I did have a baby in July, and Jane did have to come up with the rules (a fun, but daunting task).  Here they are in all of their Mod Podged glory (and please note:  I REALLY need/want a new camera- ours is getting tired):

What I loved about this project, aside from the fact that I got to make this for someone I care about so much, was that I knew Jane would want something slightly different than my family rules.  I welcomed the challenge.  The one I made for our family is definitely my style- loud, colorful…a bit busy.  They fit me and my family to a ‘T.’  And with the color scheme in our kitchen, they work.  I love how they *pop* off the wall and people notice them when they come over for the first time.  Jane has different decor than we do (she has a smokin’ 80s kitchen while ours is still smack-dab in the swanky 70s) and has always liked certain colors.  I wanted to make her Family Rules “look like her,” and to go with her family and her home.  I think I did a good job.  She seems to like them, anyway.  I need to get over to her house and take a picture because all of these photos are in my home.

I’ve actually made another set to send to a church auction (post forthcoming) and have realized:  I LOVE making these things.  A lot.  So get ready for some giveaways and some fun because I think I may have found at least one path to my creative life- we’ll see!

A New Chapter: We Have a Piano

Posted by Nat on Jan 12, 2012 | 1 comment

We have a piano now.  Seems a bit full circle.  You may or may not know that I majored in music education in college.  I played piano as my main instrument, though I also play flute.  In high school my parents recognized my desire to make music a big part of my life, and we got a Steinway grand piano.  I got to pick it out.  Talk about amazing.  So if you told me back then that someday I’d be excited to have an electric, plug-in piano, I would have scoffed and said, “Never!”  Ah, how things change.

Once we got the piano, this whole room seemed to come together in terms of furniture arrangement.  Our poster of Louis seems so much more appropriate now with something musical underneath him.  Before he was just hangin’ out, smokin’ a cig.  Now he has some company.

My parents gave this piece of art to me years ago- I think they got it in New Orleans.  We finally got it framed and it now hangs next to Louis.  I love it because it combines my two instruments, flute and piano, into one piece.  Rad.

Why the electric?  We have kids.  Who sleep.  The only time I can possibly play for my own enjoyment is when they are asleep.  With an electric piano I can plug in the headphones and play to my heart’s content.

I am also loving our lamp.  I recovered it after being inspired by this pin.  As much as I would love to buy one as I saw it, I couldn’t justify it when I had all the materials to make one myself.  Music paper, hot glue annnnnd…. done!

Now if I can just get my confidence and my super-speedy fingers back….

Wordless Wednesday #7

Posted by Nat on Jan 4, 2012 | Comments Off on Wordless Wednesday #7

How could you not fall in love with this smile?

2012: Resolution Schmezolution!

Posted by Nat on Jan 2, 2012 | Comments Off on 2012: Resolution Schmezolution!

Happy New Year!

(photo taken by the lovely Amber of LifeArt Photography)

Hello everyone!  Happy 2012!  I hope that you had a marvelous holiday season filled with family, friends, and food.  Don’t forget the food. 🙂  I had a wonderful visit with my family in Kansas that included lots of giggles with grandparents, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as… you guessed it… FOOD.  My family knows how to EAT- I love it!

Every year I sit back and marvel at what 12 months can bring.  One year ago I was pregnant, anticipating the arrival of our baby girl, Emily.   Now she’s here, adorable and healthy, and our family is complete.  I’ve left my teaching job, I’m a SAHM but soon I’ll be a WAHM part time. Un. Real.

The trend, of course, is to talk about what resolutions we might have this time of year.  I have done resolutions in the past- entering them into a list on my phone to “help me remember.”  Yep- doesn’t work.  Out of sight, out of mind- that’s me.  Plus, life with three kids always keeps things busy, interesting, and crazy, and other things tend to creep over those resolutions.  So this year, I’ve decided to have a theme.  I’m going to come up with a print or something to put somewhere to remind me daily what my theme is and try to stick to it.

What’s my theme?

“Keep it happy.”

Why?

Who doesn’t need happiness?

I’ve seen too much hardship in 2011.  Too many friends losing loved ones, too many struggles, too many battles with illness.  And really, all anyone wants, is to be happy.  So I want, this year, to make sure that everything I do focuses on keeping things happy.  Sort of like Ella Fitzgerald and her song, “C’mon Get Happy.”

I do have a few “must do” items on my list that will likely disappear.  I need to go to the dentist yesterday.  I need to make good on a laser treatment that I bought on Groupon- I’m thinking upper lip.  I need to go to the dermatologist because I have NEVER BEEN to the dermatologist and I live in flippin’ “TAN” DIEGO!!!!   But those should not be resolutions- those are more like, “Dude, it’s 2012 and you said you’d do this stuff in 2010!” kind of things…

I look forward to posting more this year, learning, and hopefully expanding my little corner of real estate on the WWW!

Do you have any resolutions or themes for 2012?  I’d love to hear about them!

Real Simple Easy Dinners: Roundup!

Posted by Nat on Dec 5, 2011 | Comments Off on Real Simple Easy Dinners: Roundup!

If you’re new to this series, start here, then go here, here, and here, and then here.  Or just get yourself a copy of the magazine. 🙂

So, my brain has had plenty of time to process all of the cooking I did.  I’m rather proud of myself that I made every single meal except one.  That’s 19 new dinners in just 5 weeks (should have been 4 but we lost steam at the end).  Yowzas.  There were meals we will make continually for a long time to come, and then there were meals that we will never make ever again.  But the important thing is that we tried something new and have lots of recipes in our back pocket to refer to.  Hooray!

Our top 5 favorite meals from this experience would be:

#1:  Steak with Cognac Sauce and Salad (from week 2)

#2:  Chipotle Beef & Beer Chili (from week 4)

#3:  Chickpea Spinach Curry with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce (from week 3)

#4: Lemony Tuna and Olive Oil Pasta (from week 3)

#5: Tomato Soup with Roast Beef & Cheddar Panini (from week 1)

A few of my least favorites, which I will not visit again:

Chicken with Potatoes, Bacon and Cabbage

Pork Loin with Sauteed Cauliflower and Capers

Lime and Soy-Glazed Chicken with Cabbage Slaw

One thing that I love about this whole experience: it has me really thinking about food.  I’m making some changes in our day-to-day diet that I’ll be exploring with you soon.

What about you?  Could you try this many new recipes all at once?  Are you looking for new recipes to try or to make a change in your diet?  What’s holding you back?  For me, it’s the fear of change and trying something and failing.  But I learned through this that one bad meal isn’t the end of the world (though it is a pain in the tushie).

Real Simple Easy Dinners: Week 4

Posted by Nat on Nov 22, 2011 | Comments Off on Real Simple Easy Dinners: Week 4

Finally!  We finished!  If you’re new to this series, start here, then go here, here, and here.

I was horrible about taking pictures this week, AND we skipped a meal.  Just didn’t make it because it didn’t sound good to me (red peppers are not my thing).  BUT, to make up for it, I did make another RS meal from the magazine, and will share about that later- it was a HUGE success and part of a new thing I’ll be trying for our family.

We didn’t make the meals in order, but I’m labeling the way they appear in the magazine in case you’re following along.

Monday :  Pan-Roasted Cod and Fennel with Spinach Couscous

(No picture- sorry!) This one was really, really yummy.  I’m not a white fish person (right, Mom?).  BUT- this was good.  I wasn’t sure about the fennel- I tend to shy away from anything that reminds me of black licorice.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  What I was most pleased with was the couscous- I usually HATE couscous, but Michael bought some Israeli couscous from Trader Joe’s, and it turns out that I don’t hate couscous, I just hate the way it’s usually prepared.  This way, with spinach, was really good, and I’d totally make it again.

Tuesday:  Chipotle Beef and Beer Chili

Let’s get one thing straight:  I’m snooty about my chili.  I did not think I could possibly like a chili that you whip up in an hour.  I was set in my ways- this chili would not be good, and I even told Michael that I was prepared for it to taste like crap.  And guess what?  I was wrong.  It was awesome.  Michael loved it, too.  I didn’t do the chipotles because neither of us “need” them in our chili- we are savory chili people.  And the corn muffins….oh, who doesn’t love a good corn muffin.  I think the next time I make it I will used crushed tomatoes instead of whole peeled tomatoes, but otherwise it will stay as is.  YUM.

Wednesday:  Lime and Soy-Glazed Chicken with Cabbage Slaw

(no picture- again!)  Fail.  This one was not great.  Maybe it’s because we have an old, OLD oven and it just didn’t do well, but it didn’t taste the way I was hoping it would.  It also ruined a baking dish because the glaze scorched itself on, and no amount of elbow grease was going to get it out.  Oh well.  I think of all the recipes in all the weeks, this might be the least favorite for us.  They can’t all be amazing, eh?

Thursday:  Salami & Brussel Sprouts Pizza

This was awesome.  We actually made it for lunch over the weekend, and it was neat to have a fresh pizza for lunch on a chilly day.   I think the key thing I learned from this recipe:  leave your pizza dough out until it’s room temp!  I’ve tried soooo many pizza doughs, and have never liked the way they turn out- but I’ve also never let them come to room temp before, and this pizza dough (Trader Joe’s) was amazing.

Friday:  Skillet-Poached Eggs with Braised Peppers and Onions

Skipped it.  I hate peppers.  I’ve tried, really, I have.  And I still hate them.  Michael even looked at this one in the magazine and said, “Honey, there’s no way you’d want to eat that.”  And so, we’re done!

Coming up after Thanksgiving:  a RS Easy Dinners Roundup, and lots of other fun posts!  I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.  I get to make mashed potatoes and corn muffins- woo hoo!