Life with Lucie & Ella

Booking It in 2012

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I hope to read and learn more in 2012. In an effort to do that, I'm planning on Booking It with LifeasMOM. I've come up with a list of books that I'm hoping to read in the coming year. Some come from Fishmama's Booking It 2012 list, some are of my own choosing.

Self-Improvement/Inspirational

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider
All In Good Time: When to Save, Stock Up, and Schedule Everything for Your Home by Tara Kuczykowski and Mandi Ehman
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story by Donald Miller
How To Raise Emotionally Healthy Children: Meeting The Five Critical Needs of Children...and Parents Too! by Gerald Newmark

Work/Business

48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller
Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense & Sensibility by Mireille Guliano

Fiction

Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1 and Part 2 by Mary Pope Osborne. Brett is currently reading The Iliad in his spare time, so we picked up these kid-friendly versions of The Odyssey at a book fair to read to the girls. I've heard from others that they are a good read. I hope that they are!
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Perhaps it is just the New Year euphoria, but I'm going to try to read it from the original French. It's available FREE on the Kindle in five parts - Fantine, Cosette, Marius, L'idylle rue Plumet et l'épopée rue Saint-Denis and Jean Valjean
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

So technically, I only have ten on my list. Not quite one per month. I guess you could say I'm keeping my options open. What are you going to read this year? Any suggestions on how I can complete my list?

Goals for 2012

2012-01-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to take stock of our lives and think about the changes that we want to make in the coming year. This year I've been thinking about some goals that I have both for my family and for myself as an individual.

Goals for My Family

Create a Family Mission Statement: Ever since I read about Simple Mom's idea to write a Family Mission Statement, I've wanted to create one. While Brett and I have talked in general about some ideas, we've never actually sat down and crafted one. In 2012, I think we just might do that.
Learn more: Learning will definitely be part of our family mission statement. As a family, we desire to be lifelong learners. I hope that we embrace our time on the East Coast and learn more about our nation's history. I want us to teach each other what we're learning in our lives. And, I want to relearn what I used to know (like my knowledge of the French language).
Have more fun together: I want to spend more time having fun and laughing with my family. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in doing "life" that we forget that we're supposed to enjoy it. I want more time and laughs together.

Goals for Me

Reconnect with part of me: My life has changed since I became a wife and mother. I want to reconnect with the things that I used to love that have fallen by the wayside in the past ten years or so.
Be a better friend: I want to build deeper relationships with friends I left on the West Coast and new ones that I've met here. I think that building deeper relationships starts with me. I want to be the kind of friend that I'd like to have. I want to take more time to develop those relationships.
Read more: While I have been reading rather voraciously since Brett gave me a Kindle last year, I tend to read novels that are entertaining but don't necessarily enrich my life. I hope to read more books that help me in my pursuit to learn more...but really, I probably won't give up the novels either.
Exercise more: I still haven't managed to make exercise become part of my regular life. However, there's always hope right? I've decided to embrace how I used to keep in shape...dancing. So, I hope to work out at home. I already have the New York City Ballet: The Complete Workout, Vol. 1 and 2 and I do love it. I haven't made it all the way through the video, but baby steps right? If I can stick it out, I might also pick up Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom. I've always wanted to learn a little ballroom dancing.
Work more: For the past year, I've worked part-time as a virtual assistant. Honestly, I do enjoy it. I hope to find a way that I can meet my family's needs AND make time to take on more clients.

Did you set any goals for 2012?

Make Your Own 2012 Wall Calendar for FREE

2012-01-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! With the start of the New Year comes the desire to get organized. At least, I feel that way. One way that I keep on track is to have a large wall calendar hanging in our kitchen. Each of us gets our own color of pen so that I can keep everyone's activities straight. Although I have the strange ability to retain all sorts of meaningless minutia in my brain, I somehow always forget my husband's schedule unless I write it down. Go figure.

About a year ago, our family started a tradition of making a large wall calendar each month. I supplied the calendar, and the girls supplied the artwork. While we did take a break from it during the craziness of our cross-country move, it is something that we have started back up again, and we'll be doing it throughout 2012. This week I had to make a new calendar for 2012. The girls have yet to create their artwork for me, but I thought in the meantime that I might share the calendar with others who are interested in doing it too. Want a calendar?

Click here to download my FREE 2012 Calendar PDF.

This PDF is designed so that each monthly calendar will print on several sheets of letter-sized paper. You will need to trim and glue/tape these pages together to form each calendar. For this project, you will need:

Printer
Paper
Paper trimmer or scissors
Glue
Tape
Packaging Tape (optional)

Assembly Instructions:

Print the pages that correspond to the month you would like to print. You will need 4 sheets of paper for each month. A higher-quality paper will give you a better finished product. For the purposes of these instructions, each printed sheet will be given a letter. The letters are assigned as follows:

Using your paper trimmer (or scissors), trim 1/4 inch off the right side of A and C. Trim 1/4 inch off the bottom of A and B.

Draw a thin line of glue along the top edge of C and place A over it. Draw a thin line of glue over the top edge of D and place B over it. Be careful to line up the calendar gridlines. When gluing BD, compare it to how AC lines up along with it. Depending on how precisely your printer feeds the paper, you may or may not need to trim the edges of where the papers meet.

Now you should have tall rectangles AC and BD. Draw a thin line of glue along the left edge of BD and place right edge of AC over it. Again, pay careful attention to align the calendar and the wording correctly.

You should now have an assembled calendar. For extra stability, affix some tape along the seams on the back side.

You can either hang the calendar as-is OR add another two sheets (or more) to the top and let your kids decorate them. For my purposes, I usually give each of my girls a sheet of paper and have her decorate it BEFORE we connect it to the calendar. That way, if they don't like their creations, they can try again on another sheet of paper. Remember, if you want the seams to line up with the existing calendar, you’ll need to trim off 1/4 of the right side of the left sheet of the decorative pages.
Tape the decorative pages to the calendar in the same fashion as explained above.

To make your calendar more durable, affix pieces of wide packaging tape to the areas where you intend to use tape to hang your calendar. This will prevent your calendar from ripping in the event that it falls off the wall.

Place rings of tape onto the corners and sides of your calendar. Press firmly to the wall.

New Year's Eve Appetizers

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

The other night, E asked if we could have a "snacky dinner." Of course, we already had something else planned for that evening, but it got me thinking about appetizers for dinner. Years ago when visiting my sister in Paso Robles, we had just that -- appetizers and wine for dinner. It. Was. Fabulous.

Obviously, I can't serve my kids wine at dinner, but appetizers are certainly possible. It's not an every night affair, but every once in awhile I think it could be great fun. My sister does this every New Year's Eve, and I think our family just might follow suit this year.

My mind has been spinning with yummy possibilities...

My sister-in-law has requested Crab Cakes. Oh my, they are tasty. Love, love, love them! They will definitely be on our menu.

Some really good bread, a selection of cheese and perhaps some Dipping Oil Mix might make an appearance as well. I'm contemplating making a Garlic Brie Bowl just like we enjoyed at that dinner in Paso Robles, oh so many years ago. However, I might tweak the idea a little and put the brie and garlic in my very rarely used fondue pot. That way we can enjoy melty brie a lot longer! Of course, the standard veggie tray with ranch dip will probably appear as well. My kids just love that! My stomach can't wait for New Year's Eve!

For other New Year's Eve ideas, check out Ultimate Recipe Swap and Fishmama's free printable Ringing in the New Year booklet.

Make It Monday: Dipping Oil Spice Mix

2011-12-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Wow! Christmas is in less than a week. Where did the time go? My girls still have school this week, and that makes me realize that I still want to get gifts for their teachers. Today, I'll be mixing up some batches of Dipping Oil Spice Mix for their gifts. It's quick, easy and I usually have all the ingredients right in my pantry. It's the perfect gift to share for our last Make It Monday of 2011.

Dipping Oil brings fond memories to my mind. Back in California, I had a weekly Girls' Night with a couple of friends. We'd gather to watch a tv show together, have a glass of wine and munch on something tasty. One of the things that we enjoyed on more than one occasion was french bread with a seasoned dipping oil. Oh, so yummy! While you can buy the mixes premade, you can also easily mix up a batch yourself.

Here's the recipe that I use. Feel free to whip up a batch and test it out yourself. Add or subtract ingredients until you get it just the way you want it. If you're giving it as a gift, be sure to include a card or label that has instructions on how to use it.

Dipping Oil Spice Mix

2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together in a blender until all spices are similar in size. (I like to use my Magic Bullet.) Store spice mix in an airtight container. To use, combine 1 teaspoon of mix with 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil, or to taste. Allow to sit for a few minutes. Use as a dipping oil for bread.

For other homemade gift ideas, visit the Make It Monday archive. Recent additions to the archive include Paper Bead Necklaces, Satin Floral Hairclips and Homemade Dog Treats.

How to Make Scented Pinecone Ornaments

2011-12-14T14:50:00.000-05:00

In front of our house, there is a HUGE pinetree. As a result, we have a very healthy supply of pinecones on our front lawn. I thought that it would be fun to make use of them and create some simple ornaments to use as decorations and possibly give as gifts. The girls and I made these little babies over the weekend as part of our Christmas Countdown. These ornaments look beautiful on the Christmas tree. You could also suspend some on fishwire as decoration above a mantel as well.

I learned how to make these ornaments at MOPS several years ago. They are shockingly easy...and yet so pretty. Here's how you do it:

Materials:

Pinecones
Small Screw Eyes
Q-tips
Concentrated Fragrance Oil (I picked up a small bottle of cinnamon-scented for $2 at Walmart)
Paper Plate
Craft Paint (white, silver or gold)
Glitter (optional)
Ribbon

Directions:

Remove the stem from the pinecone. Twist the small eye screw into the end where the stem used to be. The pinecone "scales" may be sharp. You might want to protect your hands with gloves while you're putting the screw eyes in. I used oven mitts. If you need to, use pliers to help you twist the screw eyes in.
If you wish to make your pinecones scented, dip a q-tip in fragrance oil and then dab it on the pinecone in between the "scales."
Squirt some craft paint onto a paper plate. Gently roll the edges of the pinecone into the paint. You can use a q-tip to get any areas that get missed. If you want to, you can add glitter before the paint dries.
Allow to dry. Tie a pretty ribbon through the eye screw to use to hang your pinecone.

Note: If the pinecones are very fresh, they may still be "closed" as mine were. You can try this method of opening pinecones. I just brought mine inside for about a week, and they opened on their own as the moisture left them.

Like to make ornaments? Check out this tutorial on how to make beautiful Borax Crystal Ornaments.

Make It Monday: Homemade Dog Treats

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to Make It Monday, a source for inexpensive homemade holiday gifts. The past two weeks, I've shared some girlie gift ideas - Paper Bead Necklaces and Sating Floral Hairclips. Today I'm changing gears and sharing a homemade gift idea for our canine pals.

Three of my four siblings have given me nieces and nephews of the canine variety. They don't have (human) children of their own, so their doggies are their babies. We are happy to have Chipper, Condie, Dax and Danny as part of our family. Last year, the girls and I decided to give these sweet dogs some homemade dog treats as gifts. The girls LOVED making them. They were quick and easy to make with the kids...and I think the canine cousins enjoyed their Christmas gifts!

Homemade Dog Treats

1/2 cup cornmeal
6 Tablespoons oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup water or broth*

*Be cautious when using broth. Onions can be toxic to dogs. Make sure that the broth or bouillion does not contain onion. I use Better than Bouillion Chicken Base which does not contain onion - at least not the jar I'm using now. Check labels carefully.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together well. Roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutter to cut into dog-biscuit sized shapes. Bake 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely and store in airtight container.

For other homemade gift ideas, see my recent tutorials on how to make Paper Bead Necklaces or Satin Floral Hairclips OR check out my Make It Monday archive.

Make It Monday: Satin Floral Hairclips

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love it when I learn how to make something new from a friend. My dearest friend Jillian taught me how to make these little beauties. Every time I see one of my girlies wear one, I think of Jill and that is a very good thing.

Today, I'm going to share with you how to make these Satin Floral Hairclips for Make It Monday!

These Satin Floral Hairclips are really easy -- and inexpensive -- to make. They are also versatile. You can use them as a hairclip, of course, but also as a gift package topper or if you add a pin it can be worn as a broach.

First, a disclaimer here. This craft is of a somewhat dangerous nature because it involves using fire. Please use caution. I am not responsible for any mishaps that may occur while replicating this craft. Boom. There it is.

Materials Needed:

Costume Satin - the feel of this can vary. What is shown here is of a stiffer nature. While it was easier to cut, I do prefer the feel of a softer costume satin. Feel free to experiment.
Scissors
Tea light & match
Needle & thread
Rhinestone or other embellishment
Hot Glue Gun
Metal hair clip

Instructions:

Cut out three satin circles of diminishing size - Large, Medium and Small. Make sure that your largest one is bigger than the hair clip you want to use. You don't want to be able to see the clip on the finished product.
Light a tea light. Very carefully melt the edges of each circle by holding the fabric close to, but not in, the flame. This will keep the fabric from fraying. Then, hold the circle above the flame to pucker the fabric. Repeat this over several parts of the circle. Be careful not to scorch the fabric (or light it on fire, obviously).
Once your circles are edged and puckered, stack them on top of each other by size with the smallest on top. With your needle and thread, stitch the three circles securely together. Tie off on the backside.
Use the glue gun to adhere a rhinestone or other embellishment in the center of the flower.
Cut out a small fabric oval shape that is as long as the prong on the hairclip. Seal the edges with the tealight just as you did the circles. Then, sandwich this between the two prongs of the hairclip.
Apply some more hot glue to the back of the flower where you want the hairclip to go. Place the hairclip and the fabric oval securely over the glue. The fabric oval will prevent glue from sticking to the other prong of the hairclip...you know, so it will actually open as a hairclip.

Hints:

To make a circle easily, fold a square of satin into fourths, hold onto the folded corner and cut an arch from one side to the other. Open up, and you've got a circle.
Speed up the preparation by making several circles at one time. Just stack layers of satin and cut multiple circles at once. They don't have to be perfect since you'll be making them uneven with the fire anyway.
While little girls love these hairclips, I don't recommend that you let them get anywhere near the fire. However, you can involve them by letting them pick out colors of the fabric and embellishments.

For other inexpensive homemade gift ideas, check out my archive of other Make-It Monday posts. For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

How to Make Borax Ornaments

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I saw Martha Stewart's Borax crystal ornaments online. They looked like they would be so much fun to make. Plus, I had a huge box of Borax just languishing in the garage. I decided to try it first on my own to see if it would work. Well, as I've discovered before, I am no Martha. The ratio of 3 Tablespoons Borax to 1 cup boiling water just did not work for me. I tried it twice and let the ornaments sit overnight...nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. I got one crystal on the pipecleaner.

So, I played around with different ratios and got varying results. My 1:2 ratio when left overnight developed HUGE crystals - a little too huge for my taste. However, the small heart that I made with about 5 Tablespoons Borax to 1 cup boiling water produced beautifully small crystals.

This afternoon I'm going to try to make them with the girls as part of our Christmas Countdown. Here's the procedure we'll be using:

Materials:

Pipcleaners (white or colored)
Scissors
Thread
Stick
Glass jar large enough to hold your ornament
Borax
Boiling water
Food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

Form the desired shape out of pipecleaners. Use scissors to cut the pipecleaners. You'll want to make sure that your ornament can fit inside your glass jar without touching the bottom or sides.
Tie a thread around your ornament and attach it to a stick. You'll need to adjust the length of the thread so that it will suspend the ornament into the jar when the stick is placed over the top of the jar.
Combine Borax and boiling water in the glass jar. I used a ratio of 5 Tablespoons Borax to 1 cup water. But, you may need to play with the ratio. Some online instructions I read said the water should be cloudy. Stir to dissolve. If you use white pipecleaners, you can tint the color of the ornament by adding food coloring to the water.
Lower your ornament into the solution and rest the stick on top of the jar. Make sure the ornament does not touch the bottom or sides of the jar.
Allow it to sit for several hours or overnight. Check the progress of your crystals and remove it from the solution when you achieve the look you desire. (I liked the look of some of mine after just 2 or 3 hours.)
Allow to dry completely. Hang as an ornament with ribbon or fishing wire. For extra durability, you could try finishing the ornament with acrylic spray.

Depending on the shapes you create, you could use these as decorations throughout the year. I think they would be really pretty suspended in a window with some fishing wire!

Getting Ready for the Christmas Countdown

2011-11-30T08:05:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, my mom always tried to make the Christmas season special. One of the ways that she did that was to give each of us a Candy Advent Calendar to mark the days until Christmas. Oh, what a sweet Christmas memory! A few years ago, I made a Candy Advent Calendar for Ella. Unfortunately, I have yet to make one for Lucie so we probably won't be counting down that way this year. Instead, we'll be using Fishmama's Christmas Countdown. This is a FREE download that is part of "A Simpler Season" series.

Yesterday I got to work putting together our Christmas Countdown and selected 24 Christmas-related fun things for our family to do on each day leading up to Christmas. Some are holiday events like going to the local Christmas Tree lighting and getting our tree. Others will be activities like movie nights and making ornaments. The download makes it very easy with over 30 cards of ideas, plus some blank ones to create your own. Just print, cut and stuff in envelopes for each day of the month.

What do you do to make the holiday season special for your kids?

Creative Solution for Lucie and the Lights

2011-11-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

We've tried to teach our kids from an early age to turn the lights off when they leave the room. It worked pretty well in our old home in California - even petite little Lucie could do it. However, when we moved here to Virginia, we took a step back in that department. Our rental home here has light switches that are placed rather high on the wall. Even on her tippy-toes, Lucie can't reach the switches to turn off OR turn on the lights. So, she requires our help several times a day to turn the lights on and off. This gets a bit frustrating when I'm in the middle of something, and she needs help to go into a darkened room. It also gets annoying to find lights on after she has left said room.

The other night Brett said in passing that we needed to get Lucie a spatula or something to use to turn off the lights. Well, yesterday I put that idea to the test. I found a little bamboo spatula that is just perfect. She can use the end of it to push the lights on...and the little slot in the middle to pull the lights down. I love it when I can help empower one of my kids to do something on her own.

Make It Monday: Paper Bead Necklaces

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to Make It Monday! Over the next few Mondays, I'll be sharing some ideas for homemade gifts as I have done the past two holiday seasons. (For ideas from the past years, check out my Make It Monday page.)

Today I'll be sharing a little tutorial on how to make a super-inexpensive (but cute) gift -- Paper Bead Necklaces!

Made with stretch elastic, these necklaces are a versatile gift. Depending on the length of necklace you choose to make, you can wear it as a long necklace, a double necklace (equal lengths or unequal lengths) or wrap around your wrist several times to make a bracelet.

You can make these out of magazine pages or any scrapbook paper you have laying around. The size of the bead will vary by your choice of paper and the size of your triangle. The necklaces shown here were crafted out of triangles that were 6-inches in height and made out of thick scrapbook paper. You can also add traditional beads to your creation. I chose to use some very inexpensive glass seed beads alongside my handcrafted paper beads.

Best of all, you really don't need any special tools...just a little time and patience.

Materials Needed:

Scrapbook paper or magazine pages in the colors of your choosing
Scissors (or paper cutter)
Toothpick
Glue Stick
Modge Podge
Paint Brush
Stretch Bead Elastic (I found this for $2 at Walmart)
Conventional Beads (optional)

Instructions:

Cut your chosen paper into long thin triangles. The length of the bead will be equal to the bottom of your triangle. I used triangles that were 6 inches high and 1-inch, 3/4-inch and 1/2-inch at the bottom.
Apply glue stick to the side of the triangle strip that you do not want showing. Don't put glue at the fat end because that is where you will place the toothpick - you don't want the toothpick to stick to your bead. There you will place the toothpick and roll the paper tightly around the toothpick into a bead.
Press the bead firmly to secure the glue. Use more glue if necessary. (Note: Thicker paper will be more difficult to hold its shape.)
For bead durability, apply at least three coats of Modge Podge to each bead. Allow to dry 15-20 minutes between each coat. Allow to dry completely.
Unroll a length of beading elastic that is as long as you wish your necklace to be. Do not cut the elastic just yet. This will make it easier to keep the beads on as you strig them. String the finished beads in your desired pattern on the beading elastic. When all of your beads are on the elastic, take the cut end and tie it to the other end of the elastic that is still attached to the spool. Double or triple knot to secure the necklace. Snip the elastic off of the spool.

This is a great craft to do with your kids. Although crafting the beads may be too difficult for very young children, even preschoolers can help create patterns and string beads onto the elastic. Working together to make a gift makes the gift even more special.

Looking for more homemade gift ideas? Check out these Satin Floral Hairclips or my Make It Monday Archive.

Do you have any homemade gift ideas? Share in the comments.

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This post is linked to Frugal Friday. For other money-saving ideas, visit LifeasMOM on Fridays.

Make It Monday Returns Monday, November 28th

2011-11-26T16:22:00.001-05:00

I grew up in a home where my mom was very creative and my dad was very frugal and do-it-yourself. Those traits rubbed off on me, just in a more crafty sort of way. I love to make things that are cute, functional and/or frugal...or better yet, all three! For most of my marriage, I've made at least some of the gifts for certain family members. I enjoy doing it, and it has given us a way to show our love for others through gifts and still live within our means. (My husband and I both have LARGE families!)

The past two years, I've shared homemade (or semi-homemade) gift ideas here on my blog on the Mondays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year is no different! I'll be sharing some new ideas again starting this coming Monday, November 28th. I hope you'll come by and check it out!

Adoption Benefit Sale at LifeasMOM

2011-11-25T17:28:00.001-05:00

After a computer hiatus for the past couple of days, I discovered via facebook that LifeasMOM is having an ebook benefit sale throughout this weekend. Not only can you get $3 off an $8 purchase, but all the proceeds are going to benefit Andy and Sara, some dear friends who are adopting two children from Africa. I have known Andy and Sara for years as we all served as youth mentors together at our church back in Santa Barbara. They are truly wonderful people. They originally planned to remain in Africa for about two months but have spent the better part of 2011 there in an effort to bring their sweet little ones home. We're praying that they will be able to return to the States with their family in December. All the proceeds from this sale will go toward supporting their family as they live in Africa to complete the adoption process.

So, if you've had your eye on anything in the LifeasMOM estore, this weekend is the perfect time to check it out. Use the code TURKEYTIME when you order and the $3 should be deducted automatically.

Thanksgiving Plans

2011-11-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

How is it that Thanksgiving is just days away? A few days ago, I met with my sister-in-law and we finally got around to planning our Thanksgiving meal. Since heading to the West Coast to be with family is an expensive undertaking, we won't be headed out there for the holiday weekend. Instead, we'll be hanging out with our local family and enjoying a fancy meal together. We're going to divide and conquer to get the meal on the table, except for the turkey. That will be a join effort. Aimee's never cooked a turkey, and I've only done it once. But, together I think we'll manage to pull it off. Here's what we've got planned:

Appetizers

Mini Quiches
Relish Tray

Main Meal

Turkey (not sure what recipe we'll use just yet)
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Sausage & Apple Stuffing (can be made ahead of time!)
Green Beans
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots with Rosemary and Pecans
Cranberry Relish

Dessert

Apple Pie (made by my brother-in-law!)
Pumpkin Pie

While Aimee and I get this feast ready for the table, our little girlies will be supervised by their daddies in making some of the cute Turkey Apple Placeholders (made with apples and dried fruit instead of spice drops this year). Well, the daddies don't know it yet...but they will. I'm hoping to get some felt busy bags ready for the girls to play with as well. The Thanksgiving Fun printable from LifeasMOM is full of easy and fun ideas for kids.

Although I will miss seeing all of our West Coast family, I really am looking forward to a nice meal and quality time with our family here in town.

Family Day at Virginia Beach

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we were so fortunate to have a west coast visitor. My sister-in-law Rachelle was in Maryland to support her husband, a fantastic wildlife artist, Peter Mathios at an art show. Well, since she was only about 4 hours away from us, Ray decided to ditch the show for a day and drive down to meet us at Virginia Beach.

It turned out to be a beautiful day. Although it was a bit "fallish" with a slight chill on the breeze, it was nice to see the ocean again. However, we realized that the sun was in the "wrong" spot. As west coasters, we're used to seeing the sun come down over the ocean. Instead, it was behind us.

This momma wasn't particularly prepared for a true beach day. I figured that the girls wouldn't be getting into the water. I mean, come on, it's fall! Personally, I was a bit chilled in my jeans, shirt and cardigan. However, my girls have no such problems. They rolled up their jeans and dashed into the water. Of course, they had a BLAST...until the sun started going down and the chill set in. Lucie is a little bit more restrained than her sister and managed to keep her clothes dry. Ella, on the other hand, practically jumped right in fully clothed. She was having far too much fun to be worried about a little thing like dry clothes. Later when Ella started shivering from the cold, I regretted not taking my big sister's advice and having ready-to-go bags in the car. Auntie Ray came to the rescue with a fleece sweatshirt and flannel pants. Ray stuck both of Ella's legs into one pant leg and wrapped the other around her waist as a belt. It was entertaining to say the least. However, I think I will add "pack ready-to-go bags" on my to-do list!

Thanksgiving Fun

2011-11-14T09:08:00.001-05:00

Today is a good day. Why, you ask? Well, LifeasMOM has a FREE Thanksgiving Fun printable today. It's full of fun recipes, crafts and other Thanksgiving activites for the kiddos. It's part of Fishmama's A Simpler Season series. If you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to do so. There will be free downloads each week from now until New Year's.

Personally, I LOVE the idea of this Thanksgiving printable. A few years ago, we spent Thanksgiving with my husband's family. He has a rather large family (just like I do), so I planned ahead and got some activities together for the kids to do. They got to make Turkey Apple Placeholders (a tradition that I started with my girls) and play some fun printable activities. My niece and nephew both loved it. It was a simple thing to do, but it made them feel special and remembered on a day when so much of our focus is getting a good meal on the table in a timely fashion. This printable really makes it easy to be that rockstar mom, or auntie as the case may be.

What fun thanksgiving things do you plan at your house?

Law School Party Recap

2011-11-07T15:04:00.001-05:00

Well, we survived hosting a party with about 20 or so law school students this past weekend! Although it was a bit of work to clean and prep soup for that many people, it was totally worth it. After much debate, I decided to make Tortilla Soup with Chicken (from Bon Appetit, October 2001) and Cheddar Soup with Broccoli, Zucchini and Carrots.

The food was good, but the company was great too. It was nice to meet so many of the people that my husband spends so much of his time with. As a mom, it was even nicer to see how many of them took time to get to know my kids. My girls were in heaven. They had adults talking with them, checking out their stuff -- and best of all -- dancing and singing Taylor Swift songs with them. Brett's friend Patrick even went so far as to don some of our prince dress-up clothes (from Ella's 4 year old Castle Birthday Party) and dance with Ella. His very sweet girlfriend played Ella's lady's maid and kept fixing her "dress" (made of a fleece blanket, ribbon and fake flower) for her. They were the last to leave that night, and they certainly made an impression on Ella. As they left, she yelled "Goodbye! I love you!" and then drew this picture.

Later as she cuddled with Brett, Ella said, "Dad, today was the best day!"

Soup Ideas

2011-11-02T13:15:00.000-04:00

Okay, so this weekend we're hosting a shindig at our house with some of my hubby's law school friends that I've never met. In the invitation, he promised that his wife would make "the best soup you've ever tasted." While I appreciate his confidence in my culinary skills, it put a little bit of the pressure on to provide a stellar soup.

I'm not sure if there are any dietary restrictions, so I'm trying to take that into account in my planning. I can still hear my friend Jana exclaiming, "The contents of your fridge are a Jewish person's nightmare!" when she came to visit me, and I only had ham, bacon and sausage to offer her. (Hey, I was living in France, and they love pork over there!) Ever since then, I try to be a little more conscious of my guest's particular diets. Since there will be 10-15 of us, I was thinking about making two different kinds.

Yesterday, I turned to Facebook for some ideas from friends. The gave me some good ideas.

My friend Jana suggested the Chicken Tortilla Soup that I made for her when she came to visit a few years ago. It's an old Bon Appetit recipe, and it IS very good. As long as I don't have any vegetarians coming, I think that I could get away with just making an extra large pot of this. I'd probably make it with tortillas cooked inside rather than my modified version Quick Tortilla Soup.
My friend Carmen sent me this link for Oxtail Stew. I met Carmen back in my France days, and she is definitely a more adventurous diner than I am. I've never had oxtail - I've never felt the need to eat a cow's tail. But knowing Carmen, I assume that the recipe is probably very delicious.
My hubby's old roommate Brian sent me a recipe for a Speedy Mexican Posole. Despite growing up in California, I've never actually tried posole. Brian suggests serving it with warmed corn tortillas on the side and cilantro and avocado as toppings. It sure does look good!
My friend Jill suggested a White Bean Soup with Sausage and Sage that goes in the crockpot. I originally made it at our going away party. It is a tasty recipe that I found in Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn.
I also have thought that I might try Fishmama's Tortellini with Sausage and Vegetables and/or her Cheddar Cheese Soup with Broccoli, Zucchini and Carrots.

So, I'm still undecided but I need to figure it out quick.

What's your favorite soup to share with a crowd? I'd love to hear more suggestions! Post your recipe or a link in the comments section.

Going for A Simpler Season

2011-11-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Okay folks, I'm gearing up for what is my craziest time of year. Not only is the holiday season nearly upon us, but birthday season is quickly approaching at my house as well. We love to celebrate around here. However, this is the first time in a long time that we don't have a "real" income (aka money that we have not borrowed) to provide the necessary $$$ for how we've celebrated in years past. Things will indeed be simpler this year. However, I still plan on doing my best to make things special.

In case you hadn't heard, Jessica at LifeasMOM has just started up a new series called "A Simpler Season." Trust me when I tell you, this is going to be fantastic series. (FYI - I've got some insider information seeing as I work for her and all...oh, and she's my big sis.) There will be lots of free downloads to help you plan and celebrate the season! So far, you can download a FREE Christmas planning ebook, a FREE thankfulness worksheet and a FREE booklet with some reflection questions. Each week from now until New Year's, Jessica will be posting some other FREE downloads. Be sure to keep checking it out.

I'm really looking forward to using many of her ideas throughout the holiday season. Although my family won't have as many gifts under the tree this year, I truly hope that we have some wonderful memories to hold in our hearts.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:39:00.001-04:00

It has been a busy Halloween! We've enjoyed a Halloween parade, a class party AND now trick-or-treating. Okay, technically I'm not doing the trick-or-treating. I participated in the other activities and am now exhausted. So, I'm on door duty while these little sweeties brave the cold to collect some candy with their daddies. Lucie is Belle, Meli (their cousin) is a beautiful ballerina and Ella is Snow White.

Happy Halloween!

How to Make No-Sew Fabric Pumpkins

2011-10-21T09:52:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my little Lu went on her first preschool field trip. Oh my, isn't my baby growing up? When she brought home her cute little pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, I decided that we'd use it to decorate the fireplace. But, this one itty bitty pumpkin looked so lonely. So, I decided to make a friend for it - a no-sew fabric pumpkin!

This is a seriously easy (and cheap) craft to make. Not only is it practically free to make, but you can disassemble it after the fall and reuse most of the components. Guess what it's made out of?

Obviously, it's fabric, ribbon and a bit of brown paper bag. But what is inside?

Yes, that's right. A roll of toilet paper and some plastic grocery bags!

To make your own fabric pumpkin, you'll need:

a square of fabric (mine was 22" x 22")
a roll of toilet paper
some plastic grocery bags (I used 2)
a strip of brown paper bag rolled up to resemble a stem (you could also try to find a stick that works too)
a bit of faux greenery
ribbon

To assemble the pumpkin,

Lay your fabric square out flat, and place the toilet paper roll in the middle.
Bunch the plastic grocery bags around the roll.
Pull up one edge of the fabric and tuck it inside the cardboard roll of the toilet paper. Do this all the way around until you have your pumpkin shape.
Stuff your brown paper bag stem (or real stick) and greenery into the cardboard tube along with the fabric.
Tie a pretty ribbon around the stem to finish it off.

I'm thinking that you could also make larger pumpkins by using a roll of paper towels and a large square of fabric, but I haven't tested it out. If you do, let me know how it turns out.

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Thanks to my old MOPS group for this fun craft! I miss you all! If you're looking for other frugal ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Make Your Own Letter Towel Hooks

2011-10-07T06:00:00.002-04:00

One bonus of moving into a new (to me) home is that it is a fresh start in the decorating department. The drawback in my situation, of course, is the lack of funds to purchase new decor. But, we're making do and trying to reuse what we can and make what we can.

Our new home has only one full bathroom...and a shocking dearth of towel bars. Okay, let me rephrase...a shocking dearth of useful towel bars. One is located in the shower and the other is above the toilet paper roll. Yeah, neither are ideal locations for me, especially since we have four bath towels to hang up every day. Then, I discovered these...

Source: Anthropologie

Aren't they adorable? When I saw them, I envisioned each of us having our own letter lined up along the bathroom wall. The letters would even help remind the girls where to put their towels. Oh, it's a genius solution. Unfortunately, I can't really afford a $56 solution ($14 each)!

So, for about $4 each, I made my own version. Coat and Hat hooks with a wooden or papier-mâché letter above give me a similar look for a lot let less money. I already had wooden letters for the L and E, but I needed a B and a J. Since I couldn't find wooden letters to match the ones I already had, I made some papier-mâché ones. The best part? They hardly cost me anything to make! I made matching letter templates on my computer, used cereal boxes for the structure, and made paste from ingredients in my cupboard. Then I painted them with some paint from a $3 Martha Stewart Paint Tester.

For step-by-step instructions on how to make the letters, check out this post from Green Zebra Crafts. Just be sure to make holes on the backside of your letter so that you can hang them on the wall. (I used a hole punch to make my holes on the backside of the letter before I assembled it. Be sure not to cover your holes with papier-mâché.) This recipe for papier-mâché paste has always worked well for me. It made more than enough paste for two 6-inch letters.

Papier-Mâché Paste (makes about 1 cup paste)
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 teaspoons sugar

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup cold water. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add the flour/water mixture and stir to combine. Bring back to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar. Allow to cool. Paste will thicken as it cools. Store in refrigerator between uses.

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For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Beef Chili

2011-09-29T13:08:00.000-04:00

So, technically it is Fall but it doesn't really feel like it today. The sun is actually out! I wasn't actually expecting California weather when we moved here, but I didn't expect Oregon weather either. Okay, so rainy Oregon weather is probably much colder than what we've got here. It is hot and rainy at least a couple of times per week.

Well, Fall is the perfect time for chili. It is also a perfect meal for a busy schedule. With Brett coming home late on some nights, I'm coming to see the beauty in a meal that can be made in one pot and can keep on the stove until he gets home. Chili fits the bill. This week I cooked up a HUGE pot Beef Chili (a variation of my Chicken Chili)...and it is good. The added bonus is that I was able to freeze half of it for another night when I need an easy meal. Gotta love that.

Beef Chili

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pound ground beef
4 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups beef broth (I use Better than Bouillion and water)
1 (29 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1 (29 ounce) can red kidney beans, undrained
1 (29 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

In a large pot or stockpot, brown the beef with the onions. Drain off the excess fat.
Add the spices and stir to mix well. Cook for about one minute.
Add the beans (undrained) and the crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil.
Cook over medium heat for at least 10 minutes to combine flavors.
Top with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.

If you're interested in any of my other recipes, check out my recipe archive. You can find other beef recipes at Ultimate Recipe Swap at LifeasMOM.

Getting Organized for Fall

2011-09-27T16:50:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's almost October, and I'm just now started to get a bit organized for the academic year. Well, better late than not at all, right? Now that we've settled into a routine of sorts, I really want to get back to making our Family Monthly Calendar. It started out as a Christmas calendar, and then the girls and I enjoyed doing it so much we made it a monthly event. Well, that is, of course, until life got crazy with the move.

Since the girls can't seem to put their markers away, I just may make it their afternoon project to draw some October calendar art. If all goes according to plan, I will be hanging a new calendar by the end of the week.

Now that Fall is here, I think we're going to add another little activity to our October Calendar making party. We're going to make a Fall Bucket List - a list of all the fun things we want to do together as a family during the Fall. I just saw this on LifeasMOM today, and I gotta say, I just love the idea. Check out Fishmama's Fall Bucket List to download a free printable list.

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If you're interested in making your own wall calendar, I've made a free printable 2011 Wall Calendar available.

Download Instructions: Since I'm using the free hosting at MediaFire, once you click through to MediaFire, you will see "Life with Lucie and Ella - Wall Calendar 2011" and a box that says "Click here to start download." When you click to start the download, a dialog box will pop up and ask if you want to open or save it to your computer. Make your selection, and it will be done in a jiffy. When you open the PDF, you can change the page view so you can see an entire month at at time. Click on VIEW and then PAGE DISPLAY and then TWO-UP CONTINUOUS. Printing and assembly instructions are included in the download. Enjoy!