Adventures of Mommyhood

Ninja Turtle pancakes

2014-05-22T10:26:00.001-05:00

We decided to make Raphael pancakes this morning. I wanted to try it out with one turtle before I committed to mixing all the colors. Next time, we will have all the turtles! :)

Raphael:

I used chocolate chips for the eyes and food coloring in the batter for the mask and face.

Turtle Power!

Rainbow Dash Pancakes

2014-03-24T09:48:00.001-05:00

This morning I decided to try something a little more difficult and make Rainbow Dash pancakes. I originally wanted to make one large pancake, but with all the colors I had to make multiple and assemble it. It still turned out great, and I am very pleased. The most important critic was absolutely tickled, and that's what matters!

I made several bowls of different colored batter and sketched Rainbow Dash in parts (head and body, mane, tail, eye, and legs) on the griddle with a spoon. I didn't use any special pancake squirt bottles or decorating kits, so anyone can do it!

Happy creating!

Organized junk drawer

2014-03-22T22:49:00.001-05:00

I tackled one of our junk drawers a few weeks ago. Yes, that was plural, we have two. One drawer is mostly manuals to electronics, random tools, and odds and ends. This one was craft supplies. The drawer was a huge unorganized mess with everything mixed together. You could reach in looking for a pen and come out with a safety pin stuck to your finger.

Now, it is organized and kid friendly. I have waited to see if the kids would maintain it, and they have! I used plastic bin organizers to keep everything sorted.

Yes, there are actually sharpies in the drawer the kids use.. I may be asking for it, but they don't take markers or crayons without asking. It hasn't been an issue yet, but if so, I'll have a reason to blog about removing sharpie off random things..

Happy Organizing!

Mango Salsa

2014-03-20T19:35:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for a refreshing and addictive salsa, this is the salsa for you. Mango salsa has a sweetness with just the right kick to it. This is by far my favorite salsa to make and eat. It's not a traditional salsa because it does have mango, but so delicious.

Mango Salsa

1 mango (peeled, seeded, and diced)

5 tomatoes (diced, I usually cut in different sizes for some chunky bits)

1/4 cup red onion (diced)

1/4 cup sweet onion (diced)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 jalepeno seeded and diced (optional)

Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly together. Refrigerate for at least an hour to blend all the flavors together. It only gets better the longer it sits! :)

Happy Dipping!

Delicious Guacamole

2014-03-20T09:22:00.001-05:00

I am a huge guacamole fan, and it's one of my favorites if it's made fresh. The hardest part is making it the same day I am craving it. Avacadoes have that short sweet spot of readiness. Most stores sell them green and hard, and you have to wait for them to ripen. I always seem to find some ripe and ready for eating if I look hard enough through them. ;)

I found a recipe on all-recipes a while back and have been using it since, with a few modifications of my own.

This recipe is very forgiving except for the limes. Do not add extra lime juice without tasting it first. I once added too much, and it was very tart. If you do add too much you can try to counter by adding more avacado. If you're like me and don't have extra avacado lying around, letting it settle overnight in the fridge can calm the tart flavor quite a bit.

I usually double this because we love guacamole and leftovers.

Here is how I make guacamole.

Guacamole:

4 avacados

2 tomatoes (diced)

1/2 cup sweet onion (diced)

1 lime (juiced)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)

Peel, pit, and mash avacado in a bowl. How much you mash depends on your preference for smooth or chunky. Add remaining ingredients and hand mix together. Refrigerate for at least an hour for flavors to blend.

It is even better the next day! ;)

Happy preparing!

Guacamole and Mango salsa

2014-03-19T21:02:00.001-05:00

We all have those things we do when feeling sad or stressed. Mine is baking and cooking. Usually it's cookies for me, but today I made guacamole and mango salsa.

I will post the recipes for each here soon, because they are amazing! The downside is, I can't stop eating them once I start.

Recipes to come!

Happy Eating!

Fiona's 3rd birthday cake

2014-03-18T16:54:00.001-05:00

Fiona was a huge My Little Pony fan on her third birthday. What cake to make her was a very easy decision. We decided to make her a cake of her favorite pony Rainbow Dash. The cake inside was even rainbow colored.

We actually struggled quite a bit and were disappointed at first. We were decorating this on little sleep, and grew very frustrated with the icing and shaping. Looking back now and seeing how much Fiona loved it, I am happy and very proud of it. Here are her cake pictures.

We also made rainbow jello cups for guests.

It was a great birthday, and she had a blast!

Happy Baking!

Carter's 1st birthday cake

2014-03-18T13:35:00.001-05:00

I just discovered that I never posted pictures of Carter's first birthday cake and smash cake. We decided to do a racetrack in the shape of a one, and a tire for his smash cake. Here are the pics.

I had originally planned on cutting the center of the tire cake out, but it kept collapsing on me when I tried. I think it looks better this way anyway. ;). The birthday boy enjoyed his cakes, and that's all that really mattered!

Happy Baking!

Breakfast Fun

2014-03-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

I like to mix things up and experiment with breakfast. The kids always seem to enjoy the spin on breakfast. I never remember to post what we make, so here are a few of our different meals lately.

Watermelon and Snails

Tropical scene

Owl pancakes

Lion

Elmo

Calliou

Strawberries and Grapes

Mickey meatloaf (not quite a breakfast food, but hey!)

Dinosaur banana muffins

Often Fiona will tell me an animal or food that she wants and I will try to incorporate it into breakfast. This happened with the watermelon pancakes this morning.

Happy Cooking!

Rainbow Dash Hooded Blanket

2013-12-07T15:30:00.001-06:00

I decided I wanted to make the kids soft hooded blankets with their favorite characters for a Christmas gift. The first one I have completed is Rainbow Dash. I had to model in a few of the pictures because my daughter doesn't know about it yet. ;)

The back:

The Side:

It is even big enough for me to enjoy.

I can't wait to see what she thinks. Now to begin a Ninja Turtle hooded blanket!

Happy Sewing!

Eggless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

2013-04-03T17:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I wanted to make the wonderful three ingredient peanut butter cookies and realized I was out of eggs. So I improvised, added a lot more ingredients, and made yummy chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. Wow, that's a mouthful!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons 2% milk (I use 2%, but I have heard others work as well)
1 cup peanut butter
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (add more if you like extra)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together butter, both sugars, vanilla, and milk. Stir in peanut butter. Add flour and baking soda and mix well. Add chocolate chips.
I line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop small clumps of dough about two inches apart on it. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the cookies and take them out when they start to turn golden on the edges. If you cook them longer, they will be a crunchier cookie. 15 minutes in my oven makes them with a crunchy outside and chewy inside.

Enjoy!
Happy Baking!

Fiona's 2nd Birthday

2012-07-09T09:41:00.001-05:00

Wave and I decided to make Fiona's birthday cake this year for her 2nd birthday. She has become fascinated with butterflies recently, so we wanted to incorporate them into the cake.

We baked two rectangular cakes and used one for the bottom blue layer. With the second, we carefully cut out a butterfly shape and laid it on the first with icing in between the two.

We wanted the colors on the butterfly to be realistic. We mixed edible color gel in a glass with a little vodka and painted all the color on the cake. The vodka evaporates off the cake leaving vibrant color behind.
For the outline of the butterfly we mixed food coloring with icing until we got the color we wanted. We also used icing for the white dots on the wings.
We used black and white candles with polka dots for the butterfly antenna. This worked perfect since she turned two! When we lit the candles, the cake really looked beautiful!

This was our first attempt at making and decorating a cake like this. I think we are both used to making typical dessert cakes. Needless to say, we are very proud of ourselves! I can't wait to make more cakes in the future. :)

Toddler Bed

2012-01-16T09:10:00.001-06:00

**edit** this was supposed to be posted in January, but never posted for some reason**

We had some big changes in our household last weekend. Friday we went and bought Fiona a toddler bed. We weren't sure how she would adjust but she did great! It is cute because she gets up in the morning and plays in her room until we come and get her. The past few times she wanted to continue playing and not leave the room.

We are so proud of our little girl! :)

Making A Sweatshirt Smaller

2011-12-07T18:06:00.001-06:00

I have so many sweatshirts in my closet that are too big, but I don't have the heart to throw them out. So I experimented today with making one smaller. I actually used one of my husbands old sweatshirts that he gave me a while back. ;)

This will also work with long sleeve shirts as well.
All you need is an old sweatshirt that's too big, scissors, sewing pins, and a sewing machine.

Lay out the sweatshirt inside out and line up all the seams. Starting at the bottom, cut a little off the sides going up to the armpit, but be sure to leave a little room to sew so it's not too tight when you put it on. I cut mine going in a little in the waist to flatter my shape more. If the sweatshirt is too big in the arms, cut going up through the armpits to the end of the sleeves. Remember to keep the curve of the sweatshirt through the armpit. The above is my sweatshirt cut from the bottom to the end of the sleeves.

Once you have the sweatshirt cut, you can pin it in place and sew it back together. Once it is sewn together, pull it right side out and you're done!
(In my first attempt, the arms and shoulders were still to big since it was a mens sweatshirt. I went back and sewed the arms a little smaller and then cut off the excess.)

Now for Before and Afters!

Before:

After:

So much better!! Happy Sewing!

Felt Play Wall

2011-12-07T13:28:00.001-06:00

Felt was on sale this week so I stocked up on lots of colors and created Fiona a felt play wall.

To create this all you need is one big piece of felt for the background and lots of other colors to make shapes and letters.

To attach the felt to the wall, I didn't want to nail into the wall so I bought Command strips. I stapled the felt to the strips and then attached to the wall. These are nice because they don't damage the paint, but are durable. If you don't mind holes, you could attach the felt to canvas or in a frame and hang on the wall instead.

Cut out all the shapes, letters, and numbers that you wish and attach! Felt sticks to felt easily so there's no need to velcro. Just stick them on.

I think this will be fun to decorate for different seasons also, just alternate the shapes out! =)

Happy Felting!

DIY Table Centerpiece

2011-12-05T18:21:00.001-06:00

If you have a glass vase lying around you can make your own table centerpiece. I love this because it can be as simple or elaborate as you wish.

I bought the vase and fake flowers for a total of $2 and used leftover garland from the tree to create ours.

The great thing with a glass vase is you can change it up for each holiday or occasion. =) So many possibilities!

Happy Creating!

T-Shirt Recon: Tie Front

2011-12-04T11:31:00.001-06:00

I have so many t-shirts in my closet that are baggy in the front giving my hourglass figure a boyish one. Here's a fun and simple way to alter these shirts using just a pair of scissors.

I drew a diagram showing where to cut if you want to alter the sleeves and neck line also.
Make sure to keep all the cuts even so one sleeve isn't longer than the other (unlike my diagram)

Put the shirt on and mark where you will be cutting your holes to tie the shirt at. They should be right under your chest evenly spaced apart. Then make these cuts but make sure to keep them small so you don't have gaps when you pull it tight.

For the tie string you can use scrap from one of the sleeves, or a piece of fabric or decorative ribbon. String it out through the holes so each end hangs out for you to tie.

Tie the string as tight as you wish in a bow or knot. =)

Now for the before and after pics!

Before:

After:

Happy Cutting!

Basic Scoop Neck T-Shirt Recon

2011-11-30T22:39:00.001-06:00

There are so many ways to transform an old t-shirt into a new must have. The levels of altering your shirts can be as simple as cutting off a few inches, to changing the shape and design all together. I look forward to conquering each technique and blogging my success and/or failures. ;)

My first attempt was creating a scoop neck and shortening the sleeves. I found this to be a simple start. I started with a boring basic t-shirt.
It was easier in this instance to draw a diagram of where to cut. Just make sure to keep it even on both sides.

Once you have made all the cuts, pull and stretch the fabric to get the shirt to roll up along the edges. Then you are finished!

Finished Product Front

Finished Product Back

Happy cutting!

Milk Bubbles

2011-11-20T18:49:00.001-06:00

Our little one was getting a little antsy, so we decided to distract her by blowing bubbles in her milk. I forgot how much fun this can be. =)

Learning how to make the bubbles

Bigger!

Explode!!

Since it was on her high chair, clean up was quick and easy.

Don't forget about the small things around the house that are free entertainment. She completely forgot she was fussy after. =)

Curry Chicken Salad

2011-11-19T09:34:00.001-06:00

I love a good chicken salad as a quick and easy dinner option. I have been playing with different ways to prepare chicken salad to find the perfect mix of ingredients. I finally came across a mixture that my husband and I have labeled as one of our favorite meals. The secret is curry. You can also make this healthy by substituting the mayonnaise for low fat, or a mixture of both.

Curry Chicken Salad:

What you will need:
4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breast cooked and shredded (You can also buy a precooked rotisserie chicken and shred the meat)
1 cup mayonnaise (or light/low fat if you prefer)
A few squirts of mustard to taste
2 stalks of celery diced
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 red delicious apple cored and diced (if you like your apples peeled, you can peel it)
1/2 cup of seedless green grapes halved
1/2 of chopped walnuts (you can also use pecans)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon of curry powder

Directions:
The star of this dish is curry so you really want to bring out it's flavor. One of the easiest ways to boost a spices flavor, is heating it on the stove. You can roast the spices in the oven, but I like to toast mine on the stove top so I have more control. Spices can burn easy so it's important to stir them as they heat up. They are ready when they become slightly darker and have a strong aroma. This usually takes a couple minutes. Make sure to remove the spices from the pan right away to stop them from cooking any further.

Saute the onion in a pan for just a few minutes with butter or cooking spray.

Thoroughly mix all ingredients in bowl. I usually add a little more curry (unheated) if the flavor isn't strong enough for us. This recipe is very flexible so it is hard to mess up.
If you have leftovers, the flavor is even better the next day!

Enjoy!

Halloween Meatloaf

2011-11-18T14:24:00.001-06:00

I usually call this Dead Man Meatloaf and made it for the first time this past Halloween. I have made the meatloaf before, just not in the shape of......well a dead man.

The recipe itself is very simple and absolutely delicious. I make it all the time in a normal loaf shape.
It is a brown sugar meatloaf, but you can use your own meatloaf recipe and skip to the bottom on shaping and decorating it. I am including the recipe I use in case you would like to try it. Please remember since it is a meatloaf, you can add or leave any ingredients out.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf (The way I make it)

What you will need:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1/4 cup brown sugar (if you like it sweeter use 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
About 1 cup of oatmeal flakes
1/2 cup steak sauce of choice (A1 is what I use)
A drizzle of Worcestershire sauce
1 packet of dry onion soup mix (optional)
Ketchup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Decide what kind of pan you will be using. I used a broiler pan for this one because the meatloaf wouldn't fit in a loaf pan shaped this way. If you do make this meatloaf in a loaf pan, you can put slices of bread on the bottom of the pan under the meatloaf to catch the grease. This way, the meatloaf isn't so greasy.

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients. If loaf needs more oats, feel free to add them. Shape a portion of the meat like a normal loaf to make the body of the dead man. Then add arms and legs roughly in the same shape and attach to the body. Last, shape a round loaf to make the head. Make sure to keep all body parts even so the meat cooks evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center. Cooking times will vary based on how thick the meat is. (Roughly 35 min - 1 hour). An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Once baked, pour ketchup on the abdomen and add the eyes and mouth. You can use olives, pickles, anything you like for decorating the face. I used pickles and Ketchup for mine.

Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes. You can serve with a knife impaled in the abdomen for effect. You can make it creeper by dripping ketchup down the knife. For younger kids, might want to leave the knife off. ;)

Enjoy!

Black and White Whimsy Tree

2011-11-18T10:45:00.001-06:00

Black and White Whimsy Tree:

This is one of my favorite paintings so far and will be displayed on a wall in my home.
The funny thing about this painting is I didn't have any brushes small enough and I didn't feel like leaving the house to get some at that moment. I used my make up brushes (eye liner and eye shadow brush) to paint this picture! So, you can always improvise!

I found a similar painting someone did online and decided to try it for myself with a few alterations. I wanted my background to be black and the tree white, so I had my starting point. I painted my background black and then drew with a pencil the outline of the tree. Once I was satisfied with how it looked, I carefully started painting it in white. This took several coats and a whole of patience. If you mess up, just dip your brush in water and sweep the paint off. An easier way to fix a mistake is to wait until the paint dries, and then cover the mistake with the background color and start over. You can make the process of drying quicker by using a hair dryer on the wet parts.

The great thing about this tree is you can shape it how you like and add the swirly branches and leaves to be your own. =)
I think it would also be fun to add some silver highlights throughout the tree.

Handprint Christmas Tree

2011-11-18T08:48:00.001-06:00

Handprint Christmas Tree

Ran across an idea online the other day for painting with the kids. It is even cute if you don't have kids and want to use our own handprints. ;)

The Handprint Christmas Tree:

Select your canvas or paper that you wish to paint on. (I used cheap flat canvas instead of framed because it is easier to store with all the other seasonal items. I also preferred something more durable, unlike paper. )

I used acrylic paint because it is easier to work with being a beginner, and I love how you can layer the paints. Choose which paint type and colors you would like to use. The color choices are unlimited, nothing wrong with a purple tree! ;)

Paint the background in any color you choose and let dry. A tip to make drying faster: Set your blow dryer on a warm/hot setting and hold it away from the paint until dry.

Dip your hand in the paint to make the tree branches. I used a flat surface and spread the paint out evenly across it to dip in. The more even the paint is spread out, the better coverage you will have on the canvas.

The best advice for making the tree branches is to start with a number of handprints on the bottom and minus one each layer up. For instance, I started with four on the bottom, three on the next layer, and so on until I reached one handprint on top. This allows you to make your tree as big and fluffy or small as you desire.

Once the handprints are dry, you can dip your fingers in a different color (like red on mine) to make berries or any decorations you like. You can even add tinsel! Don't forget to add a border if you wish!

There are many different things you can add to make this tree unique and yours. The choices are unlimited which is why this is so much fun. Also any ages can do this. I made this painting with my 16 month old's handprints, and I painted the rest for her. HAVE FUN!

Yard play

2011-10-07T15:06:00.001-05:00

We played in the yard today and I got a few great shots of Fiona. I can't believe she is already 15 months! :)

She is growing up so fast!

Mall Time

2011-10-03T10:43:00.001-05:00

We took Fiona to the mall to play on the playground. She was more active and enjoyed it more than she ever has. She was climbing on the stairs to go down the slide and running everywhere. Times like this make us realize how quickly she is growing and how precious these small moments are.

YouTube Video

Her new hat that she gets mad if we take off :)

We built a tower together on Saturday morning. She discovered how to connect the pieces instead of just tearing the towers down.

We love the bigger milestones like sippy cups, walking, and potty training, but we adore the smaller unmentioned milestones as well. :). I love being a parent.