My hubby and I used to go to California Pizza Kitchen all the time.  Every time, without fail, hubs would get the Santa Fe Chicken pizza.  But then one day it was different.  They served it with a gross salsa instead of their fresh pico.  And it completely changed the pizza.  Hubs was distraught!  So he found this recipe for making the Santa Fe Chicken Pizza but we of course had to tweak it a little bit.  :)

Ingredients:

• Store bought whole wheat pizza crust
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 large (or 2 small) red onions for pickling
• 1 cup pico de gallo
• 1/3 cup spicy guacamole
• 1/4 cup sour cream

We start with a simple store bought whole wheat pizza crust.

Then we layer on some delicious pickled onions (recipe is found halfway into the ‘chicken and mushrooms’ recipe)

Next add a generous heap of grated mozzarella cheese.

Then put on your bits of chicken from the recipe below.

Bake at 415 degrees for 10 minutes (or until it looks done.)

Garnish with lots of pico de gallo, spicy guacamole, and sour cream.

You can thank me later.  This meal rocks.

Chicken

Marinate 3-4 chicken tenders in Lawry’s Santa Fe Chile marinade for at least a 1/2 hour, more for better flavor.  I always marinate my meat in a plastic ziplock bag.

To cook, dump the chicken and a little of the marinade in a hot skillet.  Let them cook for about 5 minutes each side, until cooked through.  Chop up into very small pieces for the pizza.

Lawry’s “Dinnertisement” Giveaway!

I love using Lawry’s premade marinades.  They are VERY simple to use and I love that it’s ready in a 1/2 hour.  I’m a last minute dinner kinda gal, so this is perfect for me.  I’ve always been a big fan of Lawry’s though…they make superior stuff.

In an effort to get kids involved and put the fun back into weeknight meals, Lawry’s is doing a “Dinnertisement” campaign.  I went and made one of my own…(it took 3 seconds)

You and your kids can go on the Lawry’s site to create your own Dinnertisement which can be entered to win your own Dinnertising Kit here on my blog!

The Kit includes:

• Rachael Ray Lasagna Lover Stoneware
• 2 Zak Designs Serving Spoons: Either happy or surprise spoons
• Lawry’s NEW Marinades and Spice Blends: Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt, Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, Roasted Garlic Salt, Santa Fe Chili Marinade and Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade

How to Enter:

1.  Go to Lawry’s and create a Dinnertisement.  It’s SUPER easy and fast.  Get your kids to do it with you–they’ll have fun with it!

2.  Leave a comment back here with a link and description of your Dinnertisement.

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This recipe was a twist on the Fresh Tomato Salsa on this site.  It’s made to accompany the Santa Fe Chicken Pizza Recipe.  We’ve made this several times and it MAKES the pizza.

Ingredients

• 4 Roma Tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• Juice from 1 lime
• 3-4 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. chopped jalepeno (or less depending on how spicy you want it.)
• Dash of Lawry’s Roasted Garlic Salt

To chop the tomatoes, cut off the top and then run your knife down the side of the middle, to cut the flesh off the middle seedy membrane of the tomato.  Cut all the flesh off and discard the middle.

Use a food processor to chop the cilantro into fine bits.

Smash the garlic cloves with the blade of your knife to remove the outer shell.  Then chop the clove into tiny bits.

I have a bottle of nacho jalepenos which I use for this recipe.  They aren’t quite as potent as fresh and I don’t waste so much of a fresh pepper.  I usually chop up about two slices for this recipe.

Squeeze the lime in and mix.  Let the flavors merry for a 1/2 hour at least, more for better flavor.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

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I hope you’ll all enjoy my tutorial I have for you today on how to build a custom frame using beadboard and moulding.  This way, if you’re like me and are never lucky enough to find gigantic frames on the cheap at the thrift store, you can make your own.

Here’s what you’ll need…
a piece of moulding (or baseboard, or trim) about 10 feet (my 10 foot piece of mdf cost under $7)
a piece of beadboard (see if you can get a scrap from someone. I had this left over from a previous room redo)
miter box
saw
measuring tape
paint/brushes
sandpaper
liquid nails and caulking gun
clamps or heavy books
wood filler
sawtooth hanger
picture hanger and hammer

Ok, I know it looks like a long list, but it’s not too bad.  And don’t be afraid of the miter box either.  I had never used one before this project, and it’s a piece of cake!   

Decide how big you want your frame to be.  It helps to have your photo available, then cut out a large piece of paper around it to get a visual on the sizing.  I had an 11×14 picture I wanted to display, so here are my measurements:
2 boards (measuring longest points)– 23 inches
2 boards– 19.5 inches
beadboard (you want it a little smaller that your outer frame measurement)– 21.5 inches x 18 inches

Cut moulding pieces using saw and miter box.  You will be cutting at a 45 degree angle, with the longest side being the outside edge of the frame.

Sand any rough bits of the cut.  

And be sure to do it over a black table so your kids can come along later and write you messages in the dust.

Paint frame pieces.  TIP: rest boards on top of plastic caps to keep them off the table while you paint the edges.  I painted each one yellow (using just regular craft paint–DecoArt Lemon Yellow) and when they were dry I added a coat of this cool coastal-blue (DecoArt Bahama Blue).  When the blue was dry I lightly sanded with a fine grit sandpaper to faintly distress it and let some yellow show through.  This would look really cool layering another color or two in there as well for a more dramatically distressed look.

Paint beadboard piece.  I painted two coats of high gloss white trim paint that we had from painting new baseboards all through our house.

When everything is thoroughly dried, spread a line of the liquid nails around the edge of the beadboard and press down your frame pieces, clamping or covering with books to ensure a good bond.  Let it dry for a day–you want it to be solidly secure.  

If the joints at the corners seem obvious, fill them in with a little wood filler, smooth out and paint when dry.

Find the center of the top back and hammer in the sawtooth hanger, then hang on your wall.  Attach your picture to the center of the beadboard using small pieces of double sided tape.  (There’s no glass for this frame of course)

And there you have it. There’s so much potential with this process.  I hope you’ve been inspired to try it out on your own–I’d love to see! 

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So without further adieu, meet the ladies!

Crafts:  

Steph @ Crafting in the Rain

Living in the Pacific Northwest, Steph is surrounded by lush greenery, but it’s paid for with rain.  Her blog was born as a way to share all her gluing, sewing and painting as well as bits of regular life.  She lives with her husband and three young children who often end up joining her on projects.  Steph is super crafty and has some awesome tutorials on her blog, Crafting in the Rain.

Sewing:  

Rebecca @ Better Life Bags

Rebecca is a mom of two, a lover of all things handmade, a daughter of God, a wanna-be photographer, a writer, and the creative mind behind Better Life Bags: a “giving business” that allows her customers to create affordable custom bags while giving 10% of every purchase back to those in need.  Her blog, B. Life, shows the life behind the bags.  It’s a blog about living intentionally and inspiring those around you.  She lives in the inner city of America – on purpose.  To be able to surround ourselves with those who are most in need.  You can read stories about having homeless men living in their garage or a fire set on their porch while they try to “be life” to those around them.

Baby:

 Rebecca P @ Searching Out Simple

Rebecca blogs at Searching Out Simple. She loves to share her sewing and craft projects and whatever other randomness strikes her fancy. She loves making gifts for people and making things for her home. She has three children, two dogs and has been married 7 years. She relocated five years ago and will be relocating out of state again soon. She often feels she was born in the wrong decade because she doesn’t keep up with quickly changing technology and is always looking for ways to simplify her home and life.

Home DIY:

Megan @ Balancing Home

Being a stay-at-home mom wasn’t going to keep this girl quiet! Thus, Balancing Home was born. Megan is an ordinary girl, turned ordinary mom, on a less-than ordinary budget trying to make it all work. She also partnered up with her husband (graphic design extraordinaire) to start a print shop. Follow along as they craft, DIY and commiserate. You can find Megan on Facebook here, Twitter here and Pinterest here.

Recipes:  

Melissa @ Bless this Mess

Melissa blogs at Bless This Mess. Tradition and simplicity are two of her core qualities, an entertaining mix between Laura Ingalls and Martha Stewart. She strongly believes you need to make a little (or huge) mess just to get though the day. Her days include cooking simple yet delicious meals, crafting, gardening, and a million other fun and resourceful projects. Her biggest mess, you ask? (you did ask, right?) Living in only half her house with her husband and 3 small kids while renovating the other half….by themselves! It’s a beautiful (and crazy) mess where stacks of dishes are washed in a bucket (it’s as awful as it sounds), the living room is also the bedroom and make-shift kitchen, and chickens live in the backyard.

Kid’s Crafts:  

Amy @ Amy’s Craft Bucket

Amy blogs at Amy’s Craft Bucket! When she first created her blog, it was meant to be a dumping grounds for ideas that she loved. Then she discovered Pinterest and no longer needed a blog for dumping ground. Instead it became a place for crafting, photography, recipes, activities and whatever else tickles her fancy! Her husband and four children are her inspiration and she LOVES to do things with them!

Printables:  

Katie @ Sweet Rose Studio

 With so many ideas floating in her head, Katie chooses not to limit herself to one thing. Katie’s main work is photography and chasing around her two crazy toddlers, but she also has a passion for parties, planning, and pretties. Her blog, Sweet Rose Studio, is her home away from home where she can share all that inspires her.

Quilting:  

Vanessa @ Lella Boutique

Vanessa is a quilting addict.  Her works have been seen in magazines such as McCall’s Quilting,McCall’s Quick Quilts, and Woman’s Day Celebrations. When she’s not chasing after her toddler, she can be found behind the sewing machine. Her goal is to share the joy and beauty that comes from the art of quilting.  Vanessa blogs at Lella Boutique.

 And there you have it!  These talented friends will be posting every Thursday so you can expect most every Thursday to be getting an awesome project from one of them.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to have these ladies join me on my blogging adventure!  

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Simple and cute.  My kids love anything ABC related (which inspired this alphabet onesie.)  Guess what I made this little decoration from?  What’s that you say?  You couldn’t tell it was an “As Is” IKEA cupboard door that cost me $5?  I’ve had this thing for like two years knowing that I would use it someday.  Well folks, that day came.  A little turquoise acrylic paint, a stencil cut from my Silhouette, a spray on finish, and voila!

  I made the “E” and “F” the turquoise color because those are my baby girl’s initials.  :)

See the How-To After the Jump!

Supplies:

• Old Cupboard Door (I got mine at IKEA in the “As Is” section)
• Acrylic paint
• ABC stencil (or cut one out with a craft cutter)
• Spray on sealer
• Sandpaper

Step one:  Prepare your surface.  The IKEA door was in true IKEA fashion…super glossy and smooth.  So I got my sandpaper and went to town on it so the paint would adhere to the surface.

Step two:  Paint the border.  I painted the outer border with the turquoise paint I got courtesy of Deco Art.  I had to do several coats.

Step three:  Apply your alphabet stencil.  The easiest way to do this is to cut one out of vinyl from a craft cutter.  Using my Silhouette, I arranged five letters on each line in a sans serif font.  I made the total stencil area 5×7.  I cut it out and then used transfer paper to transfer it onto my area.  I made sure to trim the bottom edge straight so I could put the whole stencil on straight.  I also used my yardstick to help me out here.

Step four:  I used another color to paint in the letters, using a sponge paintbrush.  If I were to do this over again I would paint the “E” and “F” another color to start.  But I removed the stencil and used the Elmer’s Painters to draw in the color.

Step five:  Spray a few coats of spray on sealer and let it dry for 24 hours.  Done!

This is a simple project that you can do in an afternoon.  Total cost was less than $10 (and cheaper if you use paint you already have!)

See the other decorations I’ve made for her room!

Paint Chip Chandelier  

Painted Vases (as seen above)

Pinwheel Quilt

Bow Holder

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Orange Chicken

I adapted this recipe from my sister-in-law’s Lemon Chicken recipe.  The lemon chicken was so awesome I wanted to try it with oranges instead.  And it was awesome too.  It’s not really the same as Panda Express’s famous orange chicken but a little more organic and orangey.  Here’s the recipe:

Slice a pound of chicken into 1/2″ thick small pieces.  Marinate in the following mixture for 10 minutes:

Marinade

• 1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp rice wine
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 T. cornstarch

In a separate bowl, mix together 4 T. cornstarch and 2 T. flour.  Set aside.

After the chicken has marinated, dip pieces of it in the cornstarch/flour mixture and fry in a skillet with a little olive oil. Remove and rain a paper towel.

Sauce:

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 T. fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 6 T. sugar
• 6 T. water

Mix the sauce ingredients together. Drain your skillet of remaining oil and place chicken back in. Mix the sauce back in and heat and stir until it bubbles and thickens. Zest a little orange peel over the top if desired.

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Kurt and Alice dated for four years before getting married, 1 1/2 of which was long distance.  When they dating long distance, they would spend hours and hours talking on the phone.  They hated to hang up and disconnect with each other.  They always said, “Goodbye, temporarily!”

With the help of my florist friend, I put together the funeral flowers. I chose flowers that I had used for Kurt and Alice’s wedding: white roses and blue hydrangea. There were also white lilies, white freesia, white hydrangea, and blue delphinium. Kurt and Alice’s wedding colors were blue and white.

It was a beautiful service, filled with wonderful praises to Alice and beautiful musical numbers. My favorite was Andante Sostenudo by Schubert performed by Scott Holden. I imagined it as the background music to the whole day.

Alice is a beautiful person and we celebrated her life. But it was hard to ignore the tragedy of it all. It was a sad event.

Her kids put these stickers on her casket.

My brother was a champion throughout the whole day. I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop crying if I were him. But he was strong and solemn, determined more than ever to earn his place next to Alice in Heaven by being the best father he can be. I cried when I thought of that happy day when they will be reunited.

This is Squaw Peak, the spot right next to the church where her funeral was held. It was beautiful weather, on the warm side and hardly a cloud in the sky. Just the type of day where Kurt and Alice would go up the canyon to have a picnic.

My own little Lukey wasn’t feeling great. He’d gotten in the path of a Nerf bat and got this lovely shiner. And later that night he threw up ten times and almost went to the hospital. Not our best week.

Funerals are necessary for closure, I feel.  But my grief of losing Alice is still just as resounding as before.  At times the ache will hit me like a load of bricks and I’ll be overcome with sadness.  But it is nothing compared to the hole left in my brother’s heart.  I know that it won’t be easy, but I have complete confidence in my brother’s abilities to be a wonderful and competent single father. And I believe that he is 100% determined to do everything he can.  He loves his children so very much and wants to share that love and Alice’s love with them every single day for the rest of their life.

I also want to thank you all for your wonderful and generous donations and contributions.  Whether it be monetary or service oriented, each one is such a wonderful blessing and demonstration of the good that exists in this world.  We feel so loved, supported, and cared for.  And I know that my brother would give every one of you a hug of immense gratitude.  He is very, very thankful for all of the help.  We all are.  So from the bottom of our hearts:  thank you.

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***

A good tablecloth can really set the mood for a party. It becomes the base for all the food and decor you have planned and can tell your guests if your part is going to have a sweet or sassy vibe to it.

I had this specific tablecloth in mind for the party I was designing, and being on a limited budget, I was not going to be able to shell out nearly a hundred dollars for what I wanted at my dream stores such as Anthropologie or Layla Grayce. My next best option was to make one myself, and for much less expensive. The version I came up with only cost me a mere $15, and really, if you were a better shopper or thrifter than I, you could create one of these babies for even cheaper.

I created my tablecloth using two plain white sheets from Wal-Mart. Based upon the measurements of my table (a 6 ft. by 2.5 ft. table), I knew I was going to need a full-sized flat sheet and a twin sized flat sheet. For the rest of this fab little tutorial (and for the sake of my sanity), I’m going to use the measurements that I used. I’ll explain how I got those numbers so you can calculate yours if your table is a different size.

1. I first cut three panels that were 73″ x 31″. One for the top and two for the sides, making sure to leave enough on the edges for an adequate seam allowance. Then I cut the two side panels to 31″ x 31″ so I’d have an adequate seam allowance there too. This is probably a trick that most people already know, but its new to me so I thought I’d share. If you make a little snip with your scissors on the grain line, you can rip the fabric the rest of the way up and it will rip in a straight line. This saved me so much time!

Momma's Little Measurement Helper

2. Now take the rest of your fabric and cut it into 4″ wide strips. Lots and lots of strips. Sew each strip end to end so you end up with one ginormously long 4″ wide strip.

3. Each of the ruffles is double the length of the panel. Get that? Basically, for each of the long panels, you’ll need two strips that are 146″ long (73″ x 2) and for each of the short panels you’ll need to strips that are 62″ long (31″ x 2). If you need to shorten these strip by a couple of inches so that you have enough material, go for it. In the grand scheme of ruffles, it’s okay.

4. Now that you have each of your strips cut, let the ruffling begin! Now I have learned since I created my tablecloth that there is a magical ruffler foot that can do all of the impending hard work for you, but a little hard work never hurt anyone, right? If you put your stitch length on your machine to its longest and the tension at its highest, your machine sans ruffler foot will still create some of the ruffles on its own. Run two sets of these stitches down the middle of each cut strip.

5. Now that you have the double stitch up the center, take the thread on one side of one end and start pushing your fabric done making sure to spread the ruffles out along the whole length. You’ll want to get your ruffles down to the original length of your panels: 73″ and 31″ long, respectively. You’ll end up with one gorgeous pile of ruffles.

6. Take a break from your ruffles for a few minutes. Using an iron, fold both short edges and one long edge of each panel approximately 1/2″ and press flat. This will make sewing your hem infinitely easier.

7. Lay your panels out flat and begin pinning your ruffles to the panels. I used a tape measure sporadically on mine to make sure my ruffle was level across the length of my panel. My bottom ruffle started 3″ from the bottom and the second ruffle stacked right on top of that. When one panel was finished being pinned, I lined up the next panel next to it, making sure that the ruffle placement matched up.

8. If you are in the throes of this lovely tutorial, take a moment to have a small break, eat some chocolate, regroup. Breathe deep. Important step in the process; musn’t be skipped.

9. Take each panel with the ruffles pinned to it and run a single straight stitch down the center of each ruffle. Your setting on your machine should be back to normal now.

10. When all ruffles are sewn to the panels, take each panel one by one and sew it *right sides facing* to the top panel. When you’ve finished all four sides, you are done! Give your self a firm pat on the back for a job well done.

You’ll probably notice that the sides of this particular tablecloth are open. That was done intentionally so that your guests could fit their legs under the table. If you chose to sew the side seams shut, your tablecloth would be perfectly tailored, but perfectly uncomfortable for people to sit at. I thought about adding ties in each corner to give it that extra special touch. Maybe next time!

***

Heidi: you and your family are in my prayers during this difficult time; I pray that each of you find peace and healing.

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Mother’s Day is bittersweet this year.  I am blessed and fortunate to have my own mother alive and healthy on this earth.  But we are all aching for one new mom who can’t be with us here on earth.  But I know that she is looking down on her children and guiding us to help them grow up without her.  They will know that their mother was a beautiful, intelligent, kind, and generous person who loves them very much.  Even if they only knew each other a few days.

I’ve been going through old videos of her and her family and each time it hurts my heart a little.  But at the same time I am so happy to hear her voice, still clear as day in my head.

Tomorrow we will lay her body to rest in the earth.  Something about it is so final.  Even though her spirit is in Heaven, her body has been in the mortuary, still being able to be seen.  Once that casket is placed in the ground and buried with six feet of dirt, we won’t see it again until the Holy Resurrection.  But then it will be perfect.

Alice’s body failed her here on earth.  But her spirit is perfect and lives on in another realm.  She will watch over us all and guide the unborn souls to our family.  And she will visit my brother and give him peace.  And some day they will be together again.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mothers living and deceased.

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The loss of a loved one is a strange surreal reality.  Life is completely normal except for one large, gaping hole.  Each day the pain seems to become more real and defined as the actuality of what has happened sinks in.

My dear sister-in-law Alice gave birth last Wednesday to a beautiful baby girl.  Unfortunately she contracted a horrible infection, strep A toxic shock.  It hit her like a tidal wave and after a hard fight, she succumbed to the illness.

Alice was released from this world on Wednesday night, although she may have left her body before then.  Her husband, my sweet brother, was left behind to take care of their two little boys and newborn daughter.  He is not alone, of course.  All of his family will be there to help him raise these precious little kids.

I am blessed to now be near my family and helping out where I can.  My brother is doing his best to be brave, but breaks now and then.  We were looking at picture together of his wife, trying to pick out a good one for the obituary and he put his head in his hands and wept.

So many of you have reached out and wondered how you can help.  That support and love is astounding, overwhelming, and wonderful.  We wondered of a way that people who wanted to help could.  So we opened a donation account for Alice’s family.  This money will go towards funeral costs, residual medical expenses, and the costs of raising children without a mother or a job.  My brother is going through a very difficult thing and while nothing can replace the ache of losing his sweetheart, any sort of donation will help to ease the burdens a little.

If you would like to donate money directly, you can do it easily by clicking the “Donate” button on my right sidebar.  You can donate through Paypal, credit card, or e-check (a check directly from your bank account.)  Any and all donations are appreciated.  However, if you don’t have anything to donate, might I ask you to donate your time?

Please write a post on your blog or facebook directing your friends and family to this post.  You may use any of these beautiful printables that my talented friend Lara made for us to put on your blog.  These printables represent the music that Alice made in her life–being a PhD in music.  She was the most gifted pianist I knew.

Music was her passion. But her family was her life. She figuratively and literally gave her life for her children. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

From the bottom of our grief-stricken hearts: Thank you.

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