Diapers and Divas

Getting’ Jiggy in the Bedroom..

2012-02-21T14:06:00.001-08:00

If your mind is anywhere else besides re-decorating…congratulations! You’re life is WAY more interesting than mine! Woot!

But seriously, folks, the time has finally come to redo our lack luster bedroom. This was actually the very first room we did when we moved into this house 6 years ago….and it was perfectly fine then. But, even thought Sonny thinks I’m nuts, it’s time for a change. When we moved in, we were unmarried, both working, leading the fabulous life! In 6 years…a lot has changed! I became a SAHM, Sonny sold a business and began working for someone else, we got married and had 2 kids….I’d say we deserve a wonderful sanctuary of our own! Here was the before…like the before before….right after we moved in..

Wow I haven’t seen that picture in a loooooong time! So then here’s after the first remodel. And for the life of me I CANNOT find a picture of the first go ‘round with decorating! I’ve seriously been looking for about an hour. Ok now two. But here’s one from after kids…and it looks like we haven’t done much.

Seriously, I’m mad I can’t find the before the before. Heather…attest to this…it was pretty cool. You know, when it was clean. Anyway! This is pretty much what it looks like now. And here’s the rest of the tour around the room

Yes, I know. It’s a raging mess! But the kids are grown (well…grown enough to be in their own rooms), and it’s time to take this room back!! I’m going to start with painting…but I have a whole list of things to get done! But before I go into too much detail (I’ll save that for another post)…Here’s my inspiration picture!

ohsweetjesus I love this. I’ll share the whole plan of the room and some progress pics on Thursday…but if my new room resembles this room even in the slightest…..we will be getting’ jiggy in here…..

Living Room Refresh

2012-02-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sewing is like painting… it takes a lot of prep work before you get to the actual fun part… And if you jump the gun because you’re so excited to get to the fun part, you’ll be sorry!
So I took a couple of hours this weekend to go through my fabric remnants, and random yardages I’ve bought, to come up with a game plan. Then I measured a million times, cut once, and ironed some hem lines. I was going to get going on the sewing that night, but sitting in a quiet house with my kid in bed and my Hubby still at work, I decided to bask in the quiet instead. Plus, I wasn’t feeling so hot. Still cannot shake this cold/flu. Yuck!

So Day 2, it was time to get to work! I got really clever & took the zippers off of my sad throw pillows of yesterday…

These suckers have paid their dues. I was sad to say goodbye, but they were shredded and even had a few holes. Not cute. They were bringing down the sofa-throw-pillow-moral. But your zippers will live on!

Now I’ve got my zipper, bias tape (I had it on hand because I bought the wrong kind for another project… I needed double fold and bought single, so because I was too lazy to return it, it came in handy for this impromptu project! Woot Laziness!) and 2 fabric panels ready to be sewn. This was for a 19”x10.5” kidney pillow. We LOVE these pillows. They’re the perfect size for lumbar support or for cuddling on the couch. I really should get more because we fight over this one…

And then it’s pinning time. No, not on Pinterest because that is far more fun & instantly gratifying… After I opened up the bias tape & ironed the whole piece in half, I laid it down and lined it up with my ironed hems on my fabric. I decided not to do any fancy mitered corners with the bias tape. I was diggin’ the easy going corners on this pillow…

Then just sew, sew, sew!

A great tip from my sewing guru, friend… To make your corners extra crisp, when the fabric is inside out, trim the fabric out right down to the thread (of course you don’t want to cut the thread!). Then when you turn it right side out, you can use a pointy object (chopstick, bbq skewer, pencil…etc) and make your corner nice and crisp by pushing with the pointy object from the inside. She’s so smart! So glad to have a sewing guru in my arsenal.

After 3 sides were done, I realized I should’ve installed the zipper first, and THEN sew up the other 3 sides. Oh well, I pressed on and figured I’d use the nugget of knowledge for next time. I sewed the bias to one side of the pillow.

Oh, did I forget to tell you that I’ve never sewn a zipper on anything before? Well… umm… I haven’t. I figured I’d just teach myself. Trial by fire, if you will. Using the old pillow as a model, I pinned the pieces in place.

It was surprisingly easy! I flipped the pillow right side out a few times to double & triple check I had the zipper pinned where it needed to be, and the right way (so the metal pull was on the outside…).

I did pretty good on the zipper for my first try! The bias tape helps hide it, too. A nice bonus from something that was supposed to be a little decorative!

So… because I was on a roll, and had another ratty pillow to replace, I had this stuff ready to go:

I love the black & white striped fabric, but I only had little bits left. The teal flowery fabric is also a fave, but it’s just a fabric quarter, and at 17”x20”, it’s not quite big enough for an 18” square pillow. But it is if I add a little fabric trim around it! The heather-grey is from t-shirt. It’s super soft & comfy, but never fit me quite right. It’s perfect for a pillow that will be used thoroughly and need to get washed a lot from grubby little toddler hands. So I cut 2.5” wide strips of the black and white fabric, ironed a 1/4” hem and then ironed them in half.
I had to get fancy with some mitered corners on the black and white fabric, and it took a lot of laying out, pinning, checking, double checking and repining before I got them all correct. I made one little mistake and cut the wrong angle on one corner, but I was able to rescue it. Phew! I think I did pretty good:

Can you see the zipper?
It actually blends in pretty nicely with the grey fabric, and I tried to sew a little closer to the zipper part to help hide it, too. I love how soft it is thanks to the t-shirt side, and love the pattern/fabric combo. I’m definitely patting myself on the back on this one. I’m extremely impressed with my own sewing skills.

And now my sofa looks a little happier:

The green leafy pillows I got from Ikea at the same time I bought the ones I just threw away. I haven’t seen them since, but they’re still going strong, 5 years later. The black & white pillow on the right, is from West Elm back in May. It’s been through the wash a few times, so it’s a little faded, but I think it’s working better now in it’s faded state. Oh! And don’t forget my quatrefoil white and navy pillow from Target. I love that thing.

And a close up of my two happy groups:

I can’t wait to see what the Hubby has to say. He hasn’t seen what I’ve been up to yet. As usual, I try to be stealth so things aren’t a TOTAL wreck when he gets home… just a partial wreck. And the best part?! I didn’t spend a dime! Using pillows fills I already had and getting creative with fabric pieces & zippers… Booyah! Gotta love a free project!

So how about you? Have you done anything lately that you impressed yourself with? I’d love to hear about it! You really can teach an old broad new tricks!

Organizing, The Martha Way

2012-02-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

You know how we love everything Martha Stewart. I'm sure you're thoroughly tired of us declaring our love for her, but you know what? She's a marketing genius (or at least the team she's built is full of them, for her...), & she's done it again!

While I was cruising my favorite blogs today, I saw Jen over at I Heart Organizing talking about Martha's new line of organizational products at Staples. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! Good luck peeling me away from the Staples website anytime soon... Who's got two thumbs and will be stopping there ASAP?! THIS GIRL!

One problem Martha just solved in my house:

I know. Your mind is blown. These are plastic and stick to your wall or inside your cabinet doors so they are out of sight, out of mind, when you need them to be. But then it's Saturday night, you've been cleaning & doing chores & running around, let's just order pizza... Instead of rummaging through the ridiculously too-tiny junk drawer for the pizza place's phone number & coupon, YOU OPEN YOUR CABINET and is slaps you in the face because it's so dang easy to find.
Am I a little too excited about this? Probably.

$6.99 for the biggest pocket that's 12"x10.25"
Of course if the Martha blue isn't your thing, she's got you covered... you can get clear.

And if you're too fancy for the clear plastic:

These are pretty cute, too. I might have to mix and match.

My other absolute favorite thing she's got:

Chalkboard Labels?! With cute flourish designs?! Yep. She did it. Two sizes, $5.99 for a 12 pack. Your welcome.

And these:

Adorable Printable Kraft Paper Labels for all your old-granny-canning-needs. And you know I've got a lot of those needs!

Can it get any better?! Hold onto your hat... IT CAN!
Here's a 30% off coupon you can print out! WOOT!
But hurry! It expires tomorrow!

The Itch

2012-02-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

I've got the itch... again. As usual, Lani and I have about a million projects that need to be finished or pulled out of our ever project-creating minds, and today is no exception, but we've both been blindsided by sickness, both in ourselves and our snot nosed kids... so of course, things are on hold... So while chatting with my buddy at work - because I'm so fancy at my 3-day-a-week job now... I got an idea!

You might remember Hubby and I reorganizing Will's room last year:

Well, now we're getting more into books. I picked up one of my absolute FAVORITE books of all time for a friend's new baby on the way, and Will wanted to read it, so we did. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. CLASSIC! I even had him help me, by pointing to different things and asking him "What color is this?" or "What animal is this?" and he'd fill in the blank of the story. It was a blast. And guess what I kept from mine & my sisters' childhood?! Our ridiculously thorough collection of kids' books, but most importantly, the Dr. Seuss.

Now, that lovely little cubby storage is getting jam packed with toys, puzzles, and some miscellaneous books. I think Will needs a little reading corner in his room. A spot where we can plop down while we wind down for the day, and read a book or two, or three if I'm feeling extra generous... but also a spot where he can plop down on his own and read his books.

[Insert the DIY project to be done here]:

This awesome little installation has been done a billion and one times all over the blogosphere.
This particular one is from Domestic Simplicity. Ikea "spice racks" at $3.99 a pop, mounted on the wall, making a perfect little book shelf where your little munchkin can see exactly what books he has on hand... Maybe spray paint them a fun color and you've got your own little take on them! I think this needs to happen in the little dude's room, along with a little furniture rearrangement. Will got a kick-butt train table for Christmas, so I think maybe it's time to wiggle his room around. We'll see what I can accomplish this weekend while Hubby is at work after a trip to my "storage unit"...aka Mom & Dad's garage... ;)

Been doing any rearranging or reorganizing lately? Are you chomping at the bit to freshen things up for spring, but maybe you can't quite wait until spring has sprung? I know I am...

A Chair-Y on Top!

2012-02-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

Being that I am on the roll of getting things done and getting my creative juices flowing, I decided to tackle a project that has been LONG over due! This chair has been sitting in my garage for months...I mean, before Thanksgiving...and it has been waiting to be transformed.

It's a super sturdy chair that I found for $1.99 at Goodwill. What's that? You thought that was a typo? No. It was one dollar and ninety nine cents. Ah-mazing. My only snafu right now is that Jagger has a double ear infection (as does Heather's little Will) so I am again, on hold with this project. HOWEVER! Antibiotics are in full effect now, and it will be finished soon! I'm excited!

Here's my question for you guys...what color should this baby go? I'm leaning towards aqua...but I can picture it in a bright teal, a sunny yellow, or a minty green. Obviously I'm in the mood for warm weather with all those spring colors! Thoughts?

happy Valli!!

2012-02-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day, y’all! Hope your day is filled with hearts and love and all the mushy gushy you can handle!
Being that we find ourselves completely underwhelmed and organized in this house lately, I decided to make it even easier on myself and buy the traditional store bought valentines for Hunter to give away at school.
OK. Now take everything I just said and make it the opposite. Because that’s just the kind of insane person I am that while trying to get my totally chaotic life and house together and train for my marathon (six weeks away!!!)….I decided to MAKE my kids valli’s. Because it’s his FIRST. You know…I just wanted them to be special. (sigh)
So I was up until the wee hours last night making these with my trusty Cricut.

They are definitely not my best work…but I think they are adorable! I think they’re…dare I say it….DINO-mite! Hunter loved the dinosaur, and the whole house was roaring for a while. We even coined the Kissysaurus, which I was happy to be. Apparently the T-Rex is no match for the Kissysaurus! Rawr!!
Anyway, even though these will go highly unappreciated, just busting out the scrapbook stuff and making these got my creative juices flowing again. I seriously think I was in a creative coma since Christmas. I spent all my energy into that and just wanted to escape! Probably why I got my run on so much. Speaking of…this is totally my new running song…and completely appropriate. I heard it first on the Grammy’s and am IN LOVE. Hope you all have a day filled with love..and enjoy!

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Calzone

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I shared the original “HeyHey’s Calzone” recipe before, but it’s always good to remix an old favorite. And Lani said she’s been craving something Buffalo, so here you go! Bam! Making dreams come true!

This is also in the same vein of using what you’ve got. Have leftover chicken? Throw it in? Some celery or cherry tomatoes? Bam!

If you’re starting from scratch (without any leftovers to use up), you’ll need to do a little prep:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 onion, sliced
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle some Frank’s on the chicken & onion to let the sauce seep into the chicken. I always drizzle some EVOO on the chicken and toss it in with the onions, as well as some salt and pepper, for flavor. Maybe even a little garlic powder, too. Put it in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes or so, and then shred or cube it.

- celery, chopped
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- blue cheese crumbles
- mozzarella cheese, shredded
- blue cheese dressing
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

You’ll need to make your dough ahead of time. I usually make a double batch so I can have extra dough in the freezer. When I decide “Hey, let’s have pizza, or a calzone for dinner” I take it out & set it on the counter that morning. By the time I need to roll it out to make dinner, it’s defrosted and ready to go.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out your dough, and fill one half with the filling. I use a little blue cheese dressing as the base, then pile on the chicken, onions, cheese, dressing, hot sauce, celery, tomatoes. The best part is kind of making each one “to order”. Hubby isn’t a fan of celery (which is the oddest thing to me, but whatever…), so I make one without celery. Will doesn’t need the spicy Frank’s, so I’ll leave that out of his and maybe use some marinara instead. It will still have a little buffalo flavor from the roasted chicken, but it shouldn’t be “too spicy” for the kiddos.

Once you fold the dough over to create your pocket, brush on some melted butter so the outside will be nice and golden. You also want to cut a few slits in the top. Pop it in the oven for 15-25 minutes, depending on the size. I tend to make mine big, so 20 minutes is usually right on the money. You want to make sure the top is golden brown.

Calzones are my catch all. It’s easy to grab the dough and use whatever random leftovers I’ve got from the week’s worth of meals to remix it into something new. Leftovers definitely get tired and boring, so this is a great way to spice them up at the end of the week. And… it also helps the budget since pizza dough is very inexpensive to make, and you’re using stuff you already have on hand. Easy Peasy!

My Girl

2012-02-08T08:15:00.001-08:00

Fair warning…I’m gonna get all sappy on you guys. Super sap sappy. It’s just an aftershock of my California trip.
You all may or may not know this…but mine and Heather’s anniversary was this past Sunday. Yup…Super bowl. I know not many friends have it recorded exactly when they realized they were best friends, when nothing could tear them apart…but Heather and I can. Our love for tight pants and bean dip runs deep. Ok just kidding. But that’s the day that we re-connected after a 5 month long “fight” (more just like an extreme misunderstanding) and we realized that both of us were just made for each other. Platonically of course.

I believe that there are very few people in this world that you can REALLY call your friends. The ones that will be there for you no matter what. The ones that will listen to your stupid rants, acknowledge your faults and accept them without question, and ones that can fully tell it to your face when you are being silly/stupid/dumb/and idiot…for your own good of course. Not counting my Husband…I have 3 people like that. I actually think that’s a lot. I am very lucky in that sense. These people I call my best friends and I truly could not survive in this world without them. Heather, of course, is one.

She is flat out honest and won’t lie to you just to make you feel better. That is, of course, unless you ask her too. Which I have done before. She keeps me in check when it comes to…well…everything. I tend to have an obsessive problem where if I have something on my mind I can’t stop talking or thinking about it…and she flat out says “move on.” That goes for design too. Being that I call her for her opinion on every little thing…if I can’t make a decision because I obsess that I’ll be making the wrong one…she says “For goodness sake woman…they are both great colors/styles/looks so just pick something and move on already!”

She’s incredibly encouraging and is such a cheerleader for her friends. You want to start a business? “YOU TOTALLY SHOULD!!” she’d yell at you, and then spit out ideas for your business, help you come up with names, and email you logos and whatever else you need and things that you didn’t even think of. You want to do the impossible…like say…run a marathon? “GOOD FOR YOU!” she’d yell and then tell you that you need better shoes, and don’t forget to cut your toenails cuz I’ve heard they can fall off, and take care of your back make sure you stretch. She’s just that kind of girl that looks out for you.

She is a wonderful person to vent to as she genuinely LISTENS. I think that’s hard for a lot of people…to just shut up and listen. Admittedly it is for me. She sees joy in such little things. She has a way of making you look at the world a little brighter. She is incredibly dedicated to any project she does, and incredibly passionate about those projects. She is funny, kind, patient (Sonny likes to say she’s got a Quaalude type personality), silly, dorky, serious, a good mom, a good wife, a great friend, and I miss her terribly.

I guess the point of this was to express my incredible gratitude to somebody in my life (and to post some odd pictures of the both of us…many before kids…obv). In many ways, this blog isn’t just a design/DIY/family blog….it’s a way to feel close to somebody that is so far away. I guess after seeing her and my other besties in California this week…it just made me aware of how THANKFUL I am for these people that make me an all around better person. I love my Heather… and I wish for you all to have a “Heather” in your life. If you guys have a friend like this in your life…I hope you call them today to say thank you.

California here we come…

2012-02-06T13:01:00.001-08:00

…right back where I started from! Oh how exciting and wonderful to spend a full week in my home state! Yup…that’s right…I took the eldest of the littles and headed home for a bit of rest, relaxation, and a bit of warmth in our cold NJ lives. Hunter was SUCH a good little traveler, I was actually really surprised. For a guy who loves his nap and didn’t take one on the days we flew…he was so happy and so spunky and such a good listener. He absolutely loved the airplanes, and was always so excited to take off… (don’t mind the poor quality of the pics…cell phone, you know)

Ugh….just look at that face!!! This has to be one of my favorite pictures of him because you can see the genuine excitement on his face. Too bad its crappy quality. REGARDLESS!!! Back to the boy…he listened, he learned to buckle his seat belt, he enjoyed getting “nice and cozy” in the seat, and he wanted to talk to the stewards every time they came by. He enjoyed when the plane went “super fast!” and when the plane landed and would dip he said it tickled his tummy. We even had a little turbulence and he just said “mom…the plane so bumpy.” I had to just shake my head at how calm he was.

The first flight he was the only kid on the plane and when we got off somebody commented that they didn’t even know there was a baby on board! Well…that’s cuz he’s not a baby…he’s a little stud. And we flew a connecting flight…which was a bit scary for me because we’ve always only flown direct. But that Hunter…he enjoyed it, and part of the fun for him was wheeling his bag through the airport.

He was going super fast to see his Pa Pa (my dad) in the airport. What a great kid. Seriously….I try not to brag about the boys to other people because they do have their not so great moments, but that day…that day this kid brought tears to my eyes. He just made everything so easy. Even when I bumped my knee against a seat trying to get off the plane he turned around and said “you ok, mama?” Yes dear….you make everything ok. And even when he was DEAD tired (remember, no nap)…he managed to wake up out of the car and enjoy in some In n’ Out:

I wish you all could see his eyes in this picture. He is practically falling asleep. This was 7:00 west coast time, so it was 10 back home. And considering he naps AND goes to bed at 7:30..yeah..he was pooped. But he didn’t cry ONCE. Man he was good! I have lots more on fun Cali times to come this week…but I just wanted to give a shout out to my little man who was such a trooper!! Great job little Hunter! You are my hero!

Recipe: Rice Pudding

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Since I’m in the stretch-my-buck mode, I figured I’d continue with that theme in this post… We like rice. Steamed rice, especially. It’s cheap & easy when you have a rice cooker – Set it & Forget It, as they say. I always make a little extra just in case Will decides he wants to gobble rice up for dinner that night. If he doesn’t, then I get to whip up some rice pudding with the leftovers. It’s so easy, and oh so tasty. And again, means that I’m getting not just our dinner out of the rice, but some leftovers for lunch, and more leftovers for dessert. Hello Bang, I’d like you to meet Buck. And if you can buy it in bulk where you get to scoop out your desired quantity into the bag… even more bang!

While having the Food Network on in the background, Barefoot Contessa came on and of course she makes some delectable looking rice pudding. Queue the light bulb above my head when I half hear her making this & realize I’ve got that leftover rice in the fridge.

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding – from Barefoot Contessa
Total Time: 42 min (7 min prep; 35 min cooking)
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons dark rum
3/4 cup white basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups half-and-half, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 extra-large egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the raisins and rum. Set aside.

Combine the rice and salt with 1 1/2 cups water in a medium heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stir once, and simmer, covered, on the lowest heat for 8 to 9 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. (If your stove is very hot, pull the pan halfway off the burner.) [Note: If you’re using leftover rice, like I did, skip this step]

Stir in 4 cups of half-and-half and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until the rice is very soft. Stir often, particularly toward the end. Slowly stir in the beaten egg and continue to cook for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the remaining cup of half-and-half, the vanilla, and the raisins with any remaining rum. Stir well. Pour into a bowl, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Serve warm or chilled. [Note: I used 2% milk instead of the half & half, and skipped the egg. I also added a few white chocolate chips to my individual bowl while it was still hot, & stirred it around so they would start to melt a little bit. Regular chocolate chips would work great, too.]

Grind It Up!

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

What? You don’t grind meat up on a Friday night with your Hubby? Seriously… all the cool kids are doing it!

Guess what Hubby got me for Christmas… I am starting to think that we just got each other gifts that we secretly really wanted. He wasn’t quite sure about the whole meat grinder & how I’d like it. He even told me about it prior to purchasing for Christmas & I’m sure my sour face didn’t convince him I was sold either. Meat grinder? It’s not exactly the most romantic gift…

Oh… what did I know?!

We busted out some mostly frozen chicken (because we read it’s better to grind frozen or super cold meat so it stays nice & tender), hooked up our new meat grinder Kitchen-Aid mixer attachment, and got to work.

Works like a dream!

After we ground up 4 large chicken boneless breasts, we split it up into 2 batches. Hubby wanted to make some patties for burgers, and I wanted to give Lani’s homemade chicken nugget recipe a whirl. Ready…break!

Lani used a food processer for hers…I just shoved the onion & apple through the grinder and mixed it all up in the bowl. Easy peasy!

I just went straight to the oven with my nuggets, versus frying them a little to crunch them up. We weren’t going to eat them right away, and I was making them so we would have them stocked up in the freezer, on hand for a quick fix lunch or dinner for the little dude (or my nugget-lovin’ self). 2 large chicken breasts easily made 4 dozen nuggets…too bad I dumped about 10 of them on the floor when I was pulling them out of the oven. Bonehead move. But they are delicious and oh-so-handy to have in the freezer. I just pop a few in the toaster oven for 5 minutes & they’re hot & crispy.

Hubby added herbs and spices to his half of the grindings and I don’t even know what else to the mixture. We put some parchment paper down on a cookie sheet, put a hunk of meat mixture on it, another piece of parchment, and squished it to make a patty. Then we stuck the cookie sheet & all in the freezer. Once the patties were frozen, we transferred them to freezer safe Ziploc bags. These have been a great quick fix dinner for us. Hubby throws them on the grill & they’re done in no time. I love that they’re a little crispy on the outside. So so good! I told Hubby I felt like I was cheating on one of my favorite meals – a good ol’ fashioned cheeseburger. This totally satisfies my burger craving, but on an obviously healthier note.

The best part of our new little toy is stretching our piddly dollars that extra mile. 4 chicken breasts would usually make us 2 dinners and at least one lunch, maybe two. By grinding our own meat, we made 48 chicken nuggets = 12 lunches for the little dude, and 10 chicken patties = 3 dinners for our whole family. 21 meals out of 4 chicken breasts. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! Needless to say, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for great deals on chicken, maybe a beef chuck roast, and whatever other meaty goodness I can get my hands on. I think my little meat grinder has already paid for itself!

Recipe: Infused Olive Oil

2012-01-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

This is a super simple gift idea or even a nice little treat for yourself. I intend on picking up some fresh basil later this week to make my own basil infused olive oil, since I was so selfless & only made it as Christmas gifts… Yeah. Christmas gifts. Yeah, it’s almost February. Throw me a bone. It’s been a rough month…

But this is a great easy idea that I had to share! Obviously it’s a little late, or way early, for Christmas gifts, but what about a housewarming or hostess gift! You will look so fancy & awesome!

I looked everywhere for the perfect glass bottles for this project since I wanted to make some for just about everyone on my list. I finally found them at Cost Plus World Market. I give full credit to Hubby, because it was his idea to check here for them after I struck out at a bunch of other places. Lo & behold, there they were at a killer price. I think the smaller bottles in the 2 pack were $3.95. The single big ones were $1.99. They keep the stoppers at the register, FYI. I guess people were stealing them. Seriously. Weirdos.

Here’s what you’ll need:
- glass bottle with stopper
- Olive Oil (don’t use EVOO because I read the Extra Virgin adds flavors that will compete with your added herb(s) )
- Herb of Choice – If using rosemary, a little goes a long way. I just used a sprig per bottle. For Basil, 4 cups of fresh basil leaves per 2 cups olive oil.

The Rosemary Olive Oil is super simple:
- Wash & thoroughly dry the rosemary.
- Heat olive oil through, but do not simmer or boil. Just heated.
- Put rosemary in bottle & pour in oil.

- Leave for a day or longer depending on hour potent you want your oil to be.

Basil Olive Oil from Epicurious (check it out here)
4 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
2 cups olive oil

- Combine basil and olive oil in a blender.
- Puree the mixture until smooth.
- In a saucepan, simmer the olive oil and basil puree over medium heat for 45 seconds.

- Pour the heated mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl to remove the basil.

- Let the mixture sit for a few hours.

- Pour the oil into an airtight jar. (don't include the dark liquid at the bottom of the bowl, which is water mixed with finely ground basil)
I whipped up some cute little labels, while I was at it. Here’s a close-up:

Pretty cute, I know.

The good news is that you can hop over here and download them for FREE!

First Snow Day!

2012-01-23T06:59:00.001-08:00

Awwww yyeeaaahh. We got a little sprinkling of snow this weekend…FINALLY! No that I am really WANTING snow all around, especially not like last year, but it’s definitely a welcome change up to the routine. It gets so boring when it’s cold outside but there is no snow on the ground to play with. We maybe get 15 minutes before Hunter is asking to go inside. I got a good hour with them outside…and they didn’t want to come in! And Jagger was mainly just doing this the whole time:

This was his first snow day ever as last year he was always sleeping when Hunter and I went out. He looked so cute all bundled up…but he was still a little confused about what the white stuff was. He just observed and took it all in

He also managed to shoot me a couple Blue Steels. Pretty sure he was inspired by his new snow suit

I love that it looks like I have a wind machine on him too. Oh yeah…cuz I’m that kind of stage mom! Hunter had a grand ol’ time throwing the snow. I tried to get a picture of it…but of course I said “Hunter throw the snow again!” and he gave me the most confused look. Usually I’m hollering at him NOT to throw…so this was a new thing for him.

Overall it was just a fun time to be outside, despite the drool, the snots, the constant “it’s not working!” whines because people had to chop the snow (it was more like crushed ice…Hunter was totally spoiled last year with feet upon feet of the fluffy snow), and the fight to get them in, and out, of their snow suits. Phew! No wonder as you get older snow gets more annoying! But still, good imagination time (wink to Heather!)

Moms who do More...

2012-01-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!! How's your Thursdays going? All good over here! So...I just wanted to talk to you guys about a little thing Heather and I are doing. Not really "together," but the same to each bring in a little extra money for the house. Alright...let me just be honest...we are shamelessly plugging our Etsy shops today.

That's right, people. We have each opened Etsy shops! (yay! Banners, confetti, horns!! Wahoo!) Heather has actually been doing it for awhile and is getting more and more successful. BEHOLD! PAPER MONKEY!

Heather specializes in handmade invites, announcements, decor, and pretty much anything else that has to do with paper goods. She is absolutely amazing at what she does, you will not be disappointed in whatever product you receive. Here are a few samples of her work:

Paper roses

Amazing invites

Party favors and decor

Amazing right??

So because I love to also craft things with my hands, Heather suggested that I put some of my stuff up on Etsy. I was way nervous to do it, but why not? I love to make things for myself and others, and one of my new years resolutions was to try and make some extra money for the house, so between kids and carpooling and playdates and laundry and and and and.....why not craft and make some money? Welcome to L.A Crafty Happenings....where crafts are always happening!

I do not yet have a cool header like Heather does yet...she said she's going to help me with that (add that to her shop!)...so this is just one thing I'm selling. My super cute personalized photo coasters! I've also got a knack for making bowties...

...and crocheted hats for babies and kids!

{toddler hat for girls...or boys who like pink flowers. Ain't no shame...}

{newborn hat}

I'm slowly adding stuff to the shop as I make things...and upcoming are some great scarves for adults, fingerless gloves, and of course...more adorable bowties!

So there's our plug for our new endeavors. We both love being SAHM on a daily basis and love doing this blog. Our shops are just another outlet for us to show the world what else we can do...which is pretty much ANYTHING! :) Power to us...and hope you stop by our shops for a look!

1/2 plus 1/2 plus 1/2 equals…

2012-01-17T11:57:00.001-08:00

…A whole crap load of unfinished projects!! OMG if my house isn’t full of things that have to get done! Everything started off pretty good with a jump start on organizing the pantry, but as I’m looking around this morning, I’m realizing that I have about 50 HALF finished projects that I need to finish. Sonny ALWAYS says that this is my tragic flaw, that I never finish things all the way through, and I’m starting to see it. DANG! That means I have to admit he’s right. BOO.

SO in order to get my arse in gear and prove my husband wrong…I decided to compile a list of things I need to get done before moving onto the next project, which really, is my bedroom, which is motivation enough for me to get going! And putting the list on the blog kind of holds me accountable! So here’s my Winter version of the To Do list:

1) Finish the thrift store “Sunburst Mirror.” I found this little baby back in September at the thrift store in Hunter’s school (which is also a church) for $.25. I had plans on creating a sunburst mirror….I think it’s about time I get on it. It’s already sprayed gold…just need to get the mirror!

2) Sand, prime and paint Craigslist secretaries desk. Again…I’ve had this desk since September…and I fixed all the structural stuff and clearly filled the holes and scratches…but it’s just been sitting here ever since. So about time to get on it. Oh…and you can see the sprayed starburst lying on the ground…sadly unfinished…

3) Make a seat and paint Jagger’s birthday rocking chair. Yes…you heard me….birthday. As in first birthday. And since we are slowly approaching his second birthday…this needs to get done.

4) Spray railings and fittings to put back in the hallway leading to basement. This has been a big complaint in my household…from Sonny…but I keep reminding him every time he brings something up from the basement that it would not have been possible if the railings were up….but no really…I need to do that

5)Finish Nephews 1st bday present…This I have to do and SOON as his bday is on the first of February and I need to be shipping it out! Pictures will come after the fact as I want my sister to be surprised! I’m pretty proud of it so far!

6) Organize the rest of the kitchen. Wall and cabinet painting is scheduled for this year…so this NEEDS to get done!!

So this is just the short list…but they aren’t small projects. My goal is to have them all done before my birthday in April. I think it’s a fair amount of time, but between training for the marathon and just doing the day to day around here…it’s going to be tough! I’m confident it can be done!!

Bread Pudding

2012-01-16T06:28:00.001-08:00

MMMMM…what a way to eat away a weekend! I found some cheapo bread on the clearance rack at the grocery store and knew that I wanted to make something delicious with it. And yes…I said clearance rack at the grocery store. Have you guys found your baked goods clearance rack yet? It’s awesome! I’ve scored a dozen bagels for a buck, and I just saw 12 GIGANTIC glazed donuts for .99. If I wanted to TOTALLY ruin my diet and probably give myself a cavity, I totally would have pulled a Paula Dean and made donut bread pudding. Serio…she has a recipe. Instead…I picked up my $.84 loaf of Italian bread and used this recipe to create a delicious and warming desert!! YUM!!!

Sweet Dreams

2012-01-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

So my first big project of the new year is our master bedroom. We have SERIOUSLY neglected this bad boy...or girl. Haven't figured out if it's more male or female yet...cuz right now it's like Pat. No discernible style or personality. It's just Pat. Here IT is in all it's non-glory.

Oh yeah...there she is. Hm...I guess it's a SHE. Anyway...I didn't even bother cleaning it up because I'm just not proud of it. Not. At. All. I have been twirling and spinning ideas in my head for months now..and I've narrowed it down to 2 images that I am in love with.

Both are variations on the same theme....the golds, whites, black and pinks....the only difference is the walls. One being a dark, moody teal and the other being a light and bright aqua. I love the light one accented with the dark woods and gold finishes but there is just something so comforting about that dark teal. I can just imagine waking up in a dark room and feeling like I want to stay in bed forever. You can kinda see what I'm saying about the he/she factor too. Top one is def more masculine...the bottom decidedly more feminine. Well we have budgeted painting to begin in February...but until then I will probably flip flop back and forth a bazillion times. So until then...which one would you guys pick? Dark, moody, and oh so sexy....or light, bright, breezy and fresh?

Expectant Parents Bootcamp at Please Touch Museum

2012-01-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Hey all! I just wanted to quickly let you all know that a great event is coming up at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia! They are hosting an Expectant Parents Bootcamp on Jan 21st from 10-1. It should be fun! They will be featuring experts to answer your questions and products that are must have for new moms! I'm sure that even if you are on your second or third, it would still be a place to go to ask those questions that maybe you forgot with your first! I know that I would have loved to attend something like this with either of my pregnancies.

Some highlights and discussion topics of the bootcamp include:
Baby 101: how to put your baby to sleep, swaddling, breastfeeding and more! (def helpful)
Staying connected: Communication tools for sleep deprived mommies and daddies (oohh...a must)
From glass top to foam ring: preparing your home for babies arrival (hm...might be helpful for me now...house is still far from baby-proofed)

I hope all you expectants in the Philadelphia area will check it out!

Ramen is the bomb….en..

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

Well you have to make it rhyme, right? So I’m very proud of this recipe…not only because it is yummy, delicious, cheap, and super easy…but because it’s 100% mine. Well…my mom’s. But mine. Obviously from the title you can tell that it’s about ramen noodles. Ramen noodles, you ask? Yup. Plain, simple, 5-for-a-dollar-ramen noodles.

I made this the other night and it was gobbled up by the chitlins and the hubs alike. Sonny asked me if this was like the poor man’s pasta…and although it is…I’d like to think of it as the Chinese kids mac & cheese. This is something that my mom used to make at least once a week for my sister and I and she would throw in whatever was leftover or whatever was in the fridge. It’s truly a “kitchen sink” kind of meal. So…here goes!

Lani’s Bomb-en Ramen (feeds about 4 generous helpings)

Take 4 Packs of ramen noodles plus one of the flavor packets and boil them in water, just as you would pasta. Ramen takes about 3-4 minutes though…so it’s super quick!

Then add in whatever you have on hand! In this particular recipe I had shrimp and broccoli. Yum! I precooked the shrimp and then threw in the broccoli with the noodles.

Next is the most important. It’s where all the flava comes in. Takes a large serving bowl and add a few shakes of soy sauce and a few glops of OYSTER SAUCE. Seriously, for all you no fish people…it doesn’t taste fishy. It’s a whole bottle of deliciousness. I do a few GENEROUS glops because I love the stuff. My mom always used to say “if all else fails, add more oyster sauce.” It’s delicious. So put all that in a serving bowl and take your noodles directly out of the water into the bowl. No draining no rinsing.

Then serve, eat, and enjoy!! The kids really liked using the chopsticks, so I definitely encourage you to have your kids try them. Yes you have to help them along, even if they are the beginner kid friendly version, but Hunter has never tried something new so readily!

It’s “foggy” cuz it was so hot and steamy and delish!

De-Bugged

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of the joys of condo living is getting a taste of what your neighbors have. Literally. When they cook something, I get to smell it, especially in my guest bathroom…? When we get new neighbors, they tend to bring a new bug with them that decides to invade my kitchen because that’s the wall we share with them. Our latest neighborly gift: roaches.

I’ll pause while you barf.

Ok. Get a hold of yourself.

It was a problem that was brewing for the last few weeks, but one or two was tolerable. I was hoping that since they wouldn’t find anything to eat in our house because we are pretty clean people they would move on… Then there was one on the inside of a cabinet door while I was making breakfast one morning. [Insert my ridiculous scream here] Then Hubby would go in the kitchen to turn on the dishwasher before we hit the sack at night & there were 4 or 5, then 10 or 12, and then 40+ on Friday night. Saturday morning, I opened the utensil drawer to get a spoon and thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye. No. No way are they in the drawer! I lifted up the utensil divider, saw a big one scurry underneath, dropped it while screaming and running out of the room. Will gave me a “Momma! What! What is it?!”
Me: THERE’S A BUG! IN THE DRAWER!
Will: Be right back, Mom. I’ll get it.
And he goes and gets his shoe. LOL! I love that kid. 2.5 months shy of 3 years old and he’s already my bug killer.

I got a bug man to come out an hour later, and while I was waiting, I pulled out everything.

Welcome to my Saturday morning nightmare.

I sent Hubby texts (while he was at work, the lucky bastard) like “Maybe we should just move. I’ve already packed up the kitchen. That’s the hardest part.” And it didn’t help when he agreed that would should. Ha!

Long story short (Too Late), we had the nicest bug man come & spray & set traps, & then come back to put more gel stuff up to keep them away, and explain to my super curious toddler what he was doing every step of the way. I love him. If you’re in Orange County & need a good bug man, let me know! I’ve got the guy for you! Now, I’m just seeing half dead roaches barely making their way to nowhere. The only good bug, is a dead one. Especially in my kitchen!

It also meant I got to get my Monica Gellar-Bing on, and you know how much I love that! So Sunday & Monday I was wiping & bleaching & re-lining shelves & drawers. Every dish & utensil got washed. Hey, bugs are gross. If they even looked at something in my cabinets, it needed to be washed. I lost count of how many dishwasher runs were made, but it was time to put it all back.

My spice area was in desperate need of a makeover anyway. Some stuff got chucked, some got consolidated, but my new favorite feature are the hooks on doors!

I just used some 3M Command hooks I had and hung up my measuring cups and spoons. I use these ALL THE TIME and we have ONE miscellaneous utensil drawer. It’s over crowded and full. On the left side is my ghetto canning rack that I seem to be using all the time, now. Yes, they clang a little when I open & close the doors, but it’s a small price to pay for uber convenience. Don’t slam the doors, please.

Just the bottom shelf got a makeover, on this side.

I really wanted to go get some more OXO Pop Top containers, but I am cheap & lazy, and after a no-so-pleasant trip to the super market & Joann’s with a tired toddler, I was over it. I used the containers I had on hand for the baking soda, corn starch, & powdered sugar. They worked like a charm! And I just wrote directly on them with a Sharpie. It scratches off when I’m done using it for that. Pretty easy. It’s not as pretty as OXO containers, but that’ll do pig. That’ll do.

Our last stop on my organizing tour…

The cool squeeze bottles in the middle were stocking stuffers from Hubby. I like to have my Asian Zing sauce on hand in the fridge, so this was a fun way to make it more easily accessible for us. They’re also going to be an awesome addition to Will’s birthday party, coming up. The basket on the right is a $1 bin find. Holla! It’s housing all of my baking items that aren’t used everyday – fondant, seasonal cookie cutters, pumpkin carving tools, Star Wars cookie cutters, frosting applicators, etc.

And just because I love sharing my Target $1 bin & sale finds… See that green Weekly Menu pad? Yeah. $1 bin. My calendar is new, too. $4.99. Those are also 2 baby shower invitations, back to back this weekend and next. I designed the bottom one with the yellow chevron. [Pats Self on Back]

The latest edition of driving Hubby crazy: Paint chips on the kitchen wall. I want to paint the living room Martha’s Bay Leaf. The kitchen isn’t the color I wanted it, and will definitely clash when the living room gets painted, so it will need a fresh coat, too. I’m thinking a cool gray to make my hutch pop. I think I’ve narrowed it down to those three I’ve arrowed… Martha’s Driftwood Gray, Dolphin, or Nimbus Cloud. Thoughts?

Annabel Karmel’s Chicken Nuggets

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

You guys know that Heather and I are fans of the big AK…she has helped us through many a tough eating time in our households. And again she amazes me with another recipe. We have gotten into a food rut in this household, and it hasn’t been a super healthy one. Honestly, it was one of least resistance…sticking veggies in where ever I could. Grilled cheese with spinach, quesadilla with spinach, pizza with pureed carrots in the sauce…and spinach. Although I’m jamming everything full of spinach and hidden veggies…what is it really teaching my kids about food? NOTHING. I’m not expanding their palate or exposing them to different types of food. I’m not allowing them to try new things and explore different tastes. I’ve been a very bad teacher of good eating.

So part of my resolutions were to make a bunch of varied foods and make sure the kids at least TRY them. Now, you may be looking back up to the title of this post and say to yourself “well chicken nuggets aren’t really a far stretch from regular kid fare…stupid lady,” but we gotta take it slow. I can’t just put filet mignon and a pinot noir in front of them and tell them to really savor the flavors and textures. So I thought I’d take it one baby step and make my own chicken nuggets in lieu of buying frozen nuggets.

I’ve done this before with just cutting the chicken up and breading…but this was all about making your own ground chicken paste (if you will) and frying them up. Sounds intimidating…totally easy. I tell you what….I will NEVER go back to buying frozen nuggets again. Ever. These are THE BEST chicken nuggets I have ever had and they are even better because I didn’t add one pinch of salt and they are super flavorful, I controlled all the ingredients, and I only fried them for a second to get a crisp and then baked them until they were cooked. And they were so good on a salad for mom the next day! You guys gotta try this one!

CHICKEN NUGGETS:

3/4 lb chicken breasts, cubed

1 large onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 small apple, peeled and grated

1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs

1 chicken stock cube

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1 cup cheese and onion potato chips, finely crushed (I just added parmesan cheese and a little onion powder to the bread crumbs)

vegetable oil for frying

1. Put first six ingredients in a food processor and chop for a few seconds until well combined.

2. Shape mixture into little nuggets. Mix together the dry bread crumbs and chips on a plate and press the pieces into the coating.

3. Heat enough oil for shallow frying in a large frying pan. Add the nuggets and cook for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally until light golden and cooked through. **TWIST** I cooked for about a minute, flipping just to get a nice crust and then baked the nuggets at 350 until done (about 5-7 minutes).

ENJOY!!

And then enjoy it in a delicious salad the next day!!

Painting the Pantry

2012-01-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

It all started so innocently. A new year calls for new ideas, so of course I turn to these for inspiration during nap time for the kiddos:

After flipping through a few chapters of Real Simple: The Organized Home…I see the section on pantry organization. Phew, I think, My pantry definitely needs work. Observe.

Ohhhhhhh…….mmyyyyyyy…..That’s quite a mess there isn’t it? So immediatley I dive in. Randomly…It’s the only way I get stuff done. Ah…this looks much nicer, eh?

But then….oh no…I couldn’t stop there. What’ that you say? Another random act? During naps no less? Ohhhh yesss….I noticed so many scuffs and scrapes in there that the only solutions was to paint of course. I ran down to the basement to see what colors I had and just decided that going with the dining room color (which is literally a doorway away) would be best. We are eventually getting rid of the orange color, as much as we love it, and wanted to keep it simple. So Rainwater by Martha Stewart it is!!!

So pretty!!! Food has slowly been going back in…but I still have most of it all over the dining room table because I want it to go back in RIGHT. Meaning getting the right containers, and basket, and whatever I need. So this is how everything has ended up so far:

That’s about it. I need to be getting’ some bins for bottles, and more of those OXO containers. As I hate, hate, hate these wire shelves for the pantry, I have plans in the future to solidify them….but we have plans for other parts of the house in January, and Sonny has forbade me to do too much at once or else then nothing gets finished. Ack…what can I say…the man knows me. But the pantry was super random and done before the little peeps woke up from naps! So…Points for me!

Recipe: French Dip Sammies & Onion Spread

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Since I was in charge of Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day food, I decided to make my life a little easier… well, I attempted, but as usual (& Hubby will remind me of this every time), I bit off a little more than I could chew. I just like to cook & make yummy stuff for my family! I can’t help it!

For Christmas Day, I made these French Dip Sandwiches with Onion Spread from a recipe I found on Food Network. The onion spread is a little labor/time intensive, so I made that the night before. Thank goodness I had pre-wrapped Santa’s gifts & the boy was in bed. It was a nice relaxing way to spend an hour or two… The onion spread is well worth the labor, though. The sammies would have been good without it, but this spread pushes it over the edge into great. I’ve been eating it as a chip dip because I just can’t get enough. And letting it sit overnight in the fridge just made it better.

French Dip Sandwiches:
Prep Time: 1 hr 45 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 55 min
Total Time: 3 hrs 40 min
Makes: 6 servings

For the Onion Spread:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
6 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 bunches scallions, chopped (white and greens parts separated)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt; cover and cook, stirring, until golden, about 35 minutes. Add the shallots and scallion whites; cover and cook, stirring, until browned, about 25 more minutes. Stir in the scallion greens, then remove from the heat and let cool.

Chop the onion mixture and transfer to a bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar,Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For the Sandwiches:

6 cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1 3-to-4-pound beef eye round roast
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 sprigs parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry sherry
6 6-inch Italian rolls, split and lightly toasted

Directions:
Mince the garlic, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and mash into a paste with the flat side of a large knife. Transfer to a bowl; add the olive oil, celery salt, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cut small slits all over the beef with a knife, then use your fingers to push the garlic paste into the slits. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring the beef to room temperature. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place on a rack in a roasting pan; add 1 cup broth, 3/4 cup water, the celery, onion and parsley to the pan. Roast 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the beef registers 115 degrees F, about 45 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest 20 minutes. Strain the pan juices; reserve.

Meanwhile, make the jus: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in the reserved pan juices and the remaining 3 cups broth and bring to a boil, whisking. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sherry.

Brush the rolls with some of the onion spread. Thinly slice the beef against the grain. Dunk the slices in the jus, then layer on the rolls. Serve the remaining jus in small bowls for dipping.

I was sure to get a large roast. The recipe calls for 3 - 4 pound roast for 6 servings. We had 8 people, so we obviously needed more meat, & I wanted to make sure we had leftovers. I bought a 6.5 lb roast and we had pleeeeeenty! Lots for people to eat and lots of leftovers. I got Hubby a panini press/griddler for Christmas, so we experimented with that. Yum! French Dip Paninis! I will definitely be making this again soon.

Total Destruction

2012-01-03T07:39:00.001-08:00

It’s that time…you know…to take down all the beautiful decorations. But you know it looks REALLY ugly before it can look better again!! Here’s a glimpse of how mine went last week. First I brought all the Christmas bins up, plus the 2 more I bought this year. PHEW! It’s hard work I tell ya!

Then I had to go and get one of these…because the mess was too much to bear all at once. I am having a heart attack just looking at these pictures again….but this little baby definitely helped in the cleanup process.

Ahhhhh skinny peppermint mocha….not only are you delicious and not too harmful on my waistline…but you make cleaning up that much more fun! Ok…So after about an hour…my living room started looking like this:

Sort of…better? In some cases worse, because I decided to get all super anal and started RE-organizing all the bins by colors. Then stuff was scattered everywhere and I couldn’t walk and I almost gave up. But in the end…I got the room back in fairly decent condition:

I said “Fairly Decent” y’all…not “clean”…that will come soon! As soon as that tree goes downstairs (tonight! Yay!!) then the toy organizing and buffet organizing and painting and all that other stuff that’s on my to-do list for 2012 will begin. But for now…lets gaze longingly at my super organized buckets-o’-Christmas décor!

Oooooooohhhhh Yeeeeeaaaahhhh!!!!! Everything is labeled, tidy, and super duper accessible! The only other thing I would do is to get matching bins…but that might be going a bit too far this year! So even before the New Year began…I got my organize on. I can’t wait until later in the week when I get to show you what other craziness I’ve been up to before 2012 even began!!! Have you guys gotten a jumpstart on any of your resolutions for this year? We’d love to hear them!

Resolving

2012-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

It’s a new year, which means its time to make resolutions you wish you could keep. I’m going to strum a different resolution tune this year. Since I am a list person, I also like to cross things off my list when I’ve completed them. It makes me feel like I’m making progress, no matter how small. I feel productive and thus motivated to keep doing what I’m supposed to be doing. So these aren’t really “resolutions” for the new year. It’s more a To-Do list for the year.

- Finish ALL lingering projects taking up much needed space in my too-small house:
        ▪ picture frames that need to be spray painted
        ▪ organizing the bottom half of the linen cabinet
        ▪ list some old toys that have been sitting by my bed for the last 4+ months on Craigslist/Ebay
        ▪ mom’s subway art
        ▪ paint new bedroom furniture sitting in my parents’ garage
        ▪ I’m sure I’m forgetting a few that Hubby would be able to add…

- Spend Less -
        This is in any and all aspects, but for instance:
        ▪ Take my lunch to work.
        ▪ Don’t buy any coffee out because those $4 coffee x once a week = half of our electric bill (on a really good month).
        ▪ For all of the house sprucing that needs to happen (i.e. painting the living room & kitchen, fix the drapes in living & bedrooms, new blinds/shade in Will’s room, new throw pillows in the living room, etc.) make it a frugal/awesome DIY project.
        ▪ Cook 6 out of 7 days a week.
        ▪ Make gifts! It seems to be an expense that creeps out of nowhere and there’s at least one a month… It just means spending less & giving more because it’s from the heart and obviously that means it’s super awesome!

- Make the bed everyday -
        This may seem silly, but I feel better when, at the end of the day, I can at least go in my room and my bed is made. At least one thing got put away where it’s supposed to go. And I know Hubby enjoys coming home to it, too. But I find that it snowballs into other areas of the house because well, the bed is made, might as well fold the blankets on the sofa & put the mail away, etc. Which leads to my last to-do:

- Stay on Top of Clutter -
        There are times when the mail & other paper work becomes an ominous mountain on all flat surfaces in my house. I avoid it like the plague & Hubby cringes every time he sees it. I let it go so long that it takes me a few hours or sometimes a whole day to go through it and put it away where it’s supposed to go because I’ve taken all the piles & dumped them on my desk. I could literally STAY on top of the clutter because it’s just so massive & ridiculous. So in an effort to drive my Hubby a little less insane & to keep our house neat & tidy, I’m going to try & put all our crap away where it’s supposed to go more regularly.

What’s on your 2012 To-Do list? Got any big plans or ideas you want to accomplish this year? I’m excited for this year. It’s going to be a GREAT one!