Wordless Wednesday #1

Posted by Nat on Oct 19, 2011 | 1 comment

I’m going to start doing Wordless Wednesday- these flowers need no description- just look!

A Month of Easy Dinners at Crafting Crazy

Posted by Nat on Oct 18, 2011 | 1 comment

Dinner time.  Such a dreaded time for so many mothers out there- what to make, what to make?  It was never a challenge for us before kids- it was an adventure.  Stop at the store on the way home from work- grab amazing ingredients, and spend the evening cooking up a storm, making a mess in the kitchen, and enjoying the fruits (and meats and cheeses, maybe a few veggies) of our labor whilst watching the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy on DVR.  Those were the days…

Now we’re knee-deep in picky eaters who turn up their noses at the most awesome stuff.  We offer them home made mac’n’cheese and they dubiously push it away saying, “No, Mommy, no mac’n’teese.  No like it.”  (That would be Jack.)

A few things have helped me and Michael.  One is to plan our meals on the weekend for the upcoming week.  Even if we don’t stick to the plan, we can at least modify it and know that we have ingredients in the fridge to make something. But we get stuck in ruts left and right, staring at the list of the days of the week as if we’re grasping at straws.  We’re bored in the cuisine department.

Last month, however, Real Simple magazine came out with an issue that really caught my eye.  The cover boasts “A Month of Easy Dinners” (October) and shows some lovely shrimp tacos with black beans.  You had me at shrimp…

I was intrigued on many levels.  One is that even as a recipe-seeker I tend to stay in my comfort zone.  I do not wander from my box.  I think my box is pretty big, mind you- I like a variety of foods, and don’t consider myself picky.  I will try anything aside from the obvious cow brain, etc.  But I do tend to look at recipes I’ve never tried before that don’t sound amazing or delicious and I just skip them over.  I like the idea that Real Simple proposes- they give you a grocery list for everything you need for the week, and *pow* you head to the store once, get everything on the list, and you’re set for the week with 5 easy dinners to make for your family.

There are lots of things listed that I have either never tried to make or have never cooked at all.  For example: beets.  I have no idea if I like roasted beets, but I’ll be trying them soon.

So, next week I will let you know how Week 1 went.  Here’s what we’ll be eating for dinner:

Monday: Salmon with Gingery Green Beans and Bok Choy

Tuesday:  Tomato Soup with Roast Beef, Cheddar and Horseradish Panini

Wednesday: Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges

Thursday:  Chicken with Potatoes, Bacon and Cabbage

Friday:  Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms and Fontina

You can read about other people trying RS’s Month of Easy Dinners here.

Halloween Decor

Posted by Nat on Oct 17, 2011 | 2 comments

I am so excited for Halloween this year!  I really hate that it’s on a Monday.  I think that we should petition the powers-that-be and just make Halloween the last Saturday of October every year. So much easier.  Just sayin’.

Anyhoo, I thought I’d share our Halloween decorations that we have up.  I am not a “theme” person, nor do I have the time or money to invest in new decorations every year, but I do love to add a few things each year.  I’m an “orange & black with hints of green and purple” person for colors.  Someday I’ll get fancy, but for now, with three little ones, simple is best.

Here’s our mantel/mantle (I can never decide how to spell it).

(Oh, how I long for a new fireplace….)

I love the little pumpkins in our vase- they are the only thing I bought (at Vons!) aside from our squashes and one other thing below.  This is not my favorite part of our decor, but it’s fun to have in this room- we spend lots of time in here playing and (gasp!) watching TV.

This is our entryway.  I used the Martha Stewart transfers, purchased at Michael’s, for the pumpkins (they are fake). Unfortunately they are not holding up too well because the sun sets on this side of the house, so they are getting tired already- but maybe they’ll wash off and I can do something else next year.  I love all the pumpkins I’m seeing on Pinterest this year- just haven’t had time to do my own.

I also made this sign.  I got the idea from this post, which I found on Pinterest (oh, how I love me some Pinterest!).  I thought it would make a cute entry/welcome sign, so I got out the Mod Podge and got to work.  Turned out pretty cute, eh?

Also, here’s a quick tip:  whenever you need to paint a canvas on the edges, if it’s a wrap around canvas, it can be tricky.  I have started doing this, and I’m sure I’m not the first to think of it, but just in case… I put the canvas up on some books that are smaller than the canvas so that you have easy access to the edges, and they don’t stick to anything.  Make sense?

I find it a bit hilarious that I have “The Cake Bible” and “You- On a Diet” together on my bookshelf.

I found this garland and printed it out.  It was super easy to assemble and put together.  Definitely a keeper.  Here is where I found it (also via Pinterest).

In our hallway we have these things hanging.  I just love preschool decorations- they are too cute.  The bats are actually a Papyrus Halloween card.  I bought it a few years ago on clearance- I think it’s much cuter as a decoration.

My favorite part of our Halloween decor is in our kitchen.  I downloaded all of these prints FREE from different blogs (see below for links).  I printed them out on matte photo paper.  Usually these frames just have generic flower photos from IKEA in them, and it’s so nice to see something seasonal in them- I’m going to switch them out with Thanksgiving ones, too, I think.

(This is a tricky part of our house to photograph- it’s broken up by the kitchen cabinets and it’s a very narrow pass-through.  Sorry for the weird angle.)    Here they are straight on:

Download them for yourself:  Left, Middle, Right

Happy Halloween!  I’ll be doing another post about something else I made for these prints soon, so I’m not done yet. 🙂

If you’d like to see my Halloween board on Pinterest, click here.  If you follow me, I’ll follow you!

Shelf Makeover or… {flat surface angst}

Posted by Nat on Sep 21, 2011 | 1 comment

I have a love/hate relationship with flat surfaces.  What would we do without them?  Surely everything would end up on the floor.  But because of them, there is clutter in my house and there are times when I seriously want to just open the trash can and sweep my arm across the length of our counters and swoosh it all away, even if there is a gift card lurking in there somewhere.

I’m sure you also have a love/hate relationship with something in your house, whether it’s a room, a light fixture, a door, something.  Enter our shelf in the kitchen/eating area:

On the one hand, this thing is awesome because it stores much of Anna’s everyday art supplies (soon all the kids will use them, but for now, Anna rules the art roost here), and is a great place to throw our keys, a box of tissue, and because it’s where little hands can’t reach, I can put things up there and know that they are safe for the moment.  On the other hand….. it’s seriously fugly.  And tired.  And old.  Did I mention it was ugly?  Here’s a closeup of the bottom shelf.

I spoke to my husband about it several times, and he mentioned that he was worried it wouldn’t stay up if we took it down and put it back up.  For a while we were distracted with larger tasks with our house, so I just pondered what I would do, and finally the day arrived when I had to do something- I couldn’t take it anymore.  So I took it down and disassembled it.  I told my husband that if it didn’t go back up we could just hang some art in its place, and he agreed after seeing the look of desperation on my face.  Here’s the finished product:

The metal frame I spray painted with this stuff:

It worked really well- it really does look hammered, and now that the iron (?I think?) has a sheen to it it seems so much nicer.

The shelves I spray painted white.  I was going to use go ol’ 12×12 scrapbooking paper to cover it and give it some life, but the paper was too small, and I wanted a continuous pattern.  Then my little genius self remembered that I have a large format printer, so I scanned the paper I liked (I think from a stack of paper from Michael’s) and printed it on an 11×17 piece of paper.  I trimmed it up and used, of course, Mod Podge, to seal it on.

I ended up not really needing to do the top shelves because not very many people will be able to see them since they are so high, but oh well- they look nice even if only my 6’7″ brother-in-law can see them.  🙂

It looks so much better.  I don’t love it, but I like it a lot more.  It will definitely go when we remodel our kitchen someday (oh, how I dream of demo-ing the wood paneling), but for now it’s serving it’s purpose and it’s a lot cuter to look at.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

My parents are in town and we’re having lots of fun.  I’m going to post more when I can- I just added lots to our laundry room- but we have to soak up the grandparent fun while we can!

Best. Swagbox. Ever.

Posted by Nat on Sep 15, 2011 | 1 comment

Are you a brand person?  I’m a brand person.  My husband is not a brand person- he’s a “generic stuff is just fine” kind of guy.  The last time he bought me oatmeal at the grocery store he got the store brand instead of Quaker.  I sucked it up and tried it, but it wasn’t as good.  I’m very attached to a brand once I like it, and will buy it whether or not I have a coupon.  I think that makes me a typical female consumer- but I’m okay with that.  I stick with what works.

At BlogHer this summer one of the biggest pieces of real estate on the expo floor was Proctor & Gamble’s “booth.”  You can’t really say it was a booth- it was essentially a house that you could take a tour of.  Throughout the house you could see different products that were in the P&G family.  They also gave you a little questionnaire to fill out, and at the end you gave it to a guy with a bunch of raffle tickets.  I think the raffle was for a new washer & dryer- I didn’t win that.  However, turning in that questionnaire also allowed me to give them my address, and they promised to mail me a “swag box” that I wouldn’t have to lug around the conference- rad!  The guy I spoke with said, “Believe me- it’s a great box.”  He wasn’t lying.  It showed up on our porch a day or two ago and as soon as the kids were in bed, Michael and I opened it up.  It was sort of like “home product Christmas.”

I am amazed at how many of these products I will actually, honestly try and/or use.  Many of them I already use- score!  I also liked that they included a challenge to all of the BlogHer participants to save energy.  Thanks P&G!!!

Here’s a few photos of what was inside:

…and here’s a list of what was in my P&G Swag Box.  I’ve broken it into 2 lists, Health & Beauty, and Home.

Health & Beauty:

1 Box of Tampax Pearl tampons

1 Box of Always Infinity Maxi Pads

1 Jar of Vicks Vapo Rub

1 Bottle of Vicks Nature Fusion Cough Syrup, Honey flavored

1 Box of Vicks Nature Fusion Cold & Flu Relief

1 Bottle of Ivory Simple Clean Body Wash

1 Gillette Venus ProSkin Razor

2 Cover Girl NatureLuxe mascaras, 1 in black and 1 in very black (I’ve been wanting to try this- woo hoo!)

1 Box of Pantene Damage Repair for Curly Hair

2 Boxes of Pantene Damage Repair for Medium-Thick Hair

1 Box/2 Bars of Oil of Olay Body Bar

1 Box of Oil-of-Olay 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths

1 Bottle of Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex

Home:

1 roll of Bounty Paper Towels

1 bottle of Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher

1 Bottle of Febreze Fabric Refresher

1 Bottle of Downy In-Wash Scent Booster

1 Swiffer 360 Duster Kit

1 Sample of Tide Washing  Machine Cleaner

2 Samples of Cascade Complete Action Pacs

1 Thumb Drive, 1 GB; this also has some tools for conserving water & energy on it

I think this is an incredibly nice gift- can’t wait to try them all out- thanks again, P&G!

Project Runway…for Stuffed Animals?

Posted by Nat on Sep 13, 2011 | 2 comments

I’m sure this would never fly, but it was a funny thing to imagine- I’m sure there are many moms out there who make this and that for stuffed friends and dolls- we should be recognized.  Then my brain had visions of stuffed animals walking a runway, a la Project Runway…. but I digress…

A while ago I introduced you to Bear.   And, drum roll please…  Here are Bear’s finished overalls!

They turned out okay- I won’t be writing a tutorial because I totally rushed didn’t have time to take pictures amidst the naptime and night time sewing that must occur here these days at Crafting Crazy.  I can tell you that it was pretty easy to do, and I learned a few things:  1)  Plan better.  2)  I can do a buttonhole, even if it takes 9 tries.  Yep.  9.   3)  Bear is a tricky body shape to design for.  I liken him to the challenge on PR when they have to design for non-models.

This is what I started with:

Here is the back view (the straps cross, just like Corduroy’s in the book):

And here are a few details:

This was my first sewing venture in a long time, and I’m glad that it wasn’t anything with too much pressure.   My next sewing project, however, is going to be Anna’s part of this costume.  That has lots of pressure because I want her to be able to wear it all winter.  Yikes!  More to come, soon!  My parents are in town at the end of the week- I’m not sure if that means I’ll be posting more because I’ll have some extra hands, or if I’ll be posting less because we’ll be off having fun, but I do have lots of posts to write- it’s a matter of finding a time when I can sit down and stay awake to write!

I’m linking up to

The Story That I Love You

Posted by Nat on Sep 6, 2011 | 1 comment

I’ve been seeing so many lovely things via Pinterest that are free downloads to print.  Check out my favorites on my “Don’t You Know” board, here.  I have a big project in mind for them, but in the meantime, I wanted to throw something out there as a thank you for everyone giving me so many free downloads.  So, here’s your freebie.  I made it on Picnik, and it’s not super fancy, but I like it.  You can read below for the background, as you should, or you can just download and move on.  If you do download this, please do the nice thing and leave a comment– I love comments, as all bloggers do. 🙂  You should be able to click on the one you want and then save to your computer.  Please let me know if it doesn’t work!

And with a frame:

So the background…

Do you have songs you sing to your kids?  Songs you think no one else knows, not because everyone else is ignorant, but because no one else could possibly be as in love with their kids as you are with yours?  Perhaps my background as a music teacher gives me a different take on singing to my kids, too- we sing constantly in our house and in the car (which feels like an extension of our house these days).  I’ve been blessed with a husband who loves to sing (and is good at it) and kids who love to listen to us- at least for now.  Someday soon it will be embarrassing, I’m sure.

Anna requests songs at naptime and bedtime.  It’s pretty cute.   She has a pretty standard set list- her “Anna Song” which I made up in a hazy, sleep-deprived, exhausted state just hours after she was born, “All the Pretty Little Horses,”  and a few others.  A few days ago, however, she wanted something different.  I’d been waiting for something new- while I love singing to her, I like variety, and we’d been singing the same songs for a long time.

Being a former music teacher, I have a plethora of songs in my brain to pull from.  For some reason, “The Riddle Song” came to mind.  I first heard it when I was training for some music teaching stuff- my mentor and amazing Goddess of folk music, Jill Trinka, sings a beautiful version, my favorite, which you can hear here .  It’s also from the 15th century, and was in a National Lampoon’s movie, too, which you can read more about here (the lyrics on this link are different from mine, as is the way of the folk song).  I sang it to Anna and she has been requesting it ever since, which is a good sign that she loves it.  Many other versions are so. Very. Cheesy.  So when you hear Carly Simon or Joan Baez warbling it away, that’s not what the song sounds like to me.  The line I made into the freebie is what makes the song for me- I just love the thought of someone’s love never ending, whether it’s love between parent and child or between two grown adults.  Or two kids.  Or two animals.  I’m a sap- can you tell?

I plan on putting this up in our house somewhere soon- not sure where.  I hope you enjoy it!