Like Mom Made

I Think of Her...

2015-06-22T16:21:00.003-07:00

There are very few moments when I don't think of her. Every time I look at Lorelei, I see bits of Leila. The dark hair, the feisty personality. The constant movement. Leila was always moving when she was alive. She was always throwing her limbs around like she was dancing. A tiny, tiny dancer.

Lorelei is a ball of fire. She is moving every second that she is awake. I often capture videos of her dancing to odd sounds that most would not interpret as music like the dog panting after coming inside, the faucet dripping, the washing machine in spin cycle, or even Landon laughing. She hears music that no one else can hear and she is always smiling. She is my little miracle and she reminds me of that every day.

But no matter how individual Lorelei's personality is, I will always think of Leila when I look at her. Before Lorelei was born, I was afraid that this would be a painful experience for me: to look at one child and think of another. I even worried it would be painful for Lorelei when she was older if she felt like I wished she was her sister or something like that. But honestly, it doesn't feel like that at all. It is a very complex, difficult thing to describe, but when I look at Lorelei, I feel hope. I feel love. I feel complete. I miss Leila every single day, but I feel her presence with us, as though she is always with her sister.

**Author's note 6/22/2015**

I wrote this over 2 years ago and for some reason, I never hit "publish". I am not sure why. But as I read this, 2 years later, I am smiling because I still feel exactly the same way, and Lorelei has only grown into a more precocious and outgoing little individual. She still marches to the beat of her own drummer - heck, she DANCES to that beat, wildly and without abandon. She has taught me so much about life and self acceptance. I have never met a little girl quite like my Lorelei.

It's About Time You Knew the Truth

2015-06-22T15:52:00.003-07:00

It's been almost 2 years since I last posted on this blog. This beautiful blog, that I started one day when I was feeling empty and needed somewhere to escape, and that I continued to run to for support when my days got darkest.

But even on the darkest of days, and boy have we seen some dark ones together, I never let go of hope, and I never allowed myself to appear anything less than hopeful and positive about the future.

And two years ago, I stopped posting. Right when my life started to seem to come together the way it was supposed to, and things in my world finally started to appear to be going beautifully, I disappeared. Without a goodbye, without an explanation, without fanfare.

I just *poofed*.

And for 2 years I neglected to give this blog, this little escape I had built for myself in the cyber world, any attention because I had allowed myself to believe a number of things that I think I have finally realized aren't true.

First: I believed my readers (if I really even have any...) only wanted to see positivity and happiness. Perfection, or some semblance of it. Or just someone who could fake it. And quite frankly, I stopped being able to fake it.

Second: I didn't want to bring any more tragedy, sadness, or negativity into the lives of the people who have read my blog and followed my story for so long.

Third: I didn't want to let you guys down.

So in order to not disappoint you, let you down, or allow you to see how truly flawed I am, I ran away. I ran away from my life in Texas, I ran away from my blog, and I ran away from a lot of pain I had never fully dealt with.

For the past year and a half, I have finally been doing something I should have been doing from the start. I put myself on the priority list. I wasn't at the top, as that spot is currently very firmly held by my children, but for the first time in years, I was ON the list. Maybe even second.

I finished school, or at least, I got my undergraduate degree. I graduated with honors, walked across the stage, shook hands with the president of my school, and was given my diploma (or if you want to get technical, it was this cool book thing that my diploma will go in when it is mailed to me. Because that's how they do it now, in case you wondered). But don't be fooled, my journey isn't over yet. I still have to complete graduate school.

I changed my life. Yes that's a big bullet point. But really, I CHANGED MY LIFE. I started eating right, I started exercising, I lost 30ish pounds, and I learned how to love the person in the mirror. For five years I looked in the mirror and became further removed from the person I saw looking back at me. I quietly and privately hated her. I struggled with body image, self acceptance, and had impossibly low self esteem. I didn't just hate the way I looked, I hated who I WAS. I hated my life, the way I felt, the things that had happened to me over the years. I blamed myself for Leila's death and never fully let go of the guilt, shame, and disappointment that losing a child can cause you to feel. But in the past year and a half, I have learned so much about myself and just how strong I am. It hasn't been easy, but I am still here, and I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon.

So here's the truth that I have come to realize: I am extremely, incredibly, without a doubt, riddled with flaws. I am so imperfect that I allowed myself to believe that no one would want to take the time to read anything someone as flawed as I am might have to say or share. But I finally had an epiphany I wish I would have had a year ago:

When I fall down, I have to get back up eventually, and as hard as it may be to get back up, when I succeed in doing that, I have learned something. I have conquered something out there that knocked me down, and may be knocking others down, too. If by sharing my journey, and all its ups and downs, I can help even just ONE person pick themselves back up and keep going, then this blog has succeeded.

So let me take one second to apologize for the flawed person that I am, but even more than that, let me apologize for not sharing that truth with you sooner, so that I might be able to help inspire or encourage other flawed humans out there who are just trying to make their way in the world.

I am not going to promise to blog more often, or to share recipes or craft ideas, because I really don't know what my involvement with this blog is going to be in the future. I just wanted to let you all know that I am still here, I still have love for all my readers throughout the years, and I am still pushing on, day in and day out.

Embrace your flaws. As soon as you do that, you will realize that they were strengths all along.

Hello Summer!

2013-07-08T22:18:00.001-07:00

Has it really been a whole month since I last posted?! Surely not!

Summer is in full swing here and we have been keeping busy with all kinds of fun activities.

This week I will share some tips, ideas, and fun crafts and recipes for you and the kids, but right now I am tired and have a super fun day planned tomorrow so I am just going to tease you with a few preview pictures and some photos of what we have been up to.

Creating habitats with Anamalz toys!

Leaving a morning surprise for my early riser in order to buy an extra hour of sleep! (Noodle blocks!)

A super cute summer dress 2 in 1!

Themed lunches

Super special Minnie outfit

Homemade fingerpaint and bathtub paint!

DIY Household Cleaner using Soapnuts: How to Make Liquid Soapnut Concentrate

2013-06-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

As you may have already read, I recently held a giveaway for NaturOli Soapnuts, which I used and reviewed. In my review and giveaway post, I talk about using soapnuts in your washing machine.

After I had been using soapnuts for a few weeks, I realized that I was going to run in to a problem. I was almost out of the 18x concentrated cleanser that they included in my order. It is amazing stuff and I used to to wash windows, pretreat clothes, wipe counters, you name it. It left my counter tops sparkling clean and my windows and mirror streak free and shiny.

I decided I needed to make some of my own, and it wasn't hard to figure out: concentrate = boiling for a long period of time until a reduced liquid is achieved. The process is pretty simple and anyone can do it at home, it just takes some diligence and patience. This is a great cleaner to use around the home and definitely a recipe to add to your all natural cleaner repertoire. Most importantly it is all natural, kid and pet safe, and doesn't use any harsh chemicals. One drawback is that since the only ingredients are soapnuts and water, it doesn't have any preservatives to keep it from spoiling. Because of this, it is probably best to produce it in smaller batches for immediate use, or larger batches with the intention of freezing for later use.

Soapnuts Concentrate Household Cleaner

10-15 soapnuts
2 cups water

Throw a handful of soapnuts into a pot. Make sure it is a pot that can withstand high heat.

Pour the water over the top. You will notice right away that the water is sudsy!

Boil rapidly for several minutes, stirring occasionally.

You should notice that the water will start turning a pale brown. Keep boiling until the liquid becomes darker and thicker, about 20-30 minutes. If the water gets too low, add more water. All in all, I used about 3-4 cups water and ended up with 6 oz of liquid when I was done!

After 20-30 minutes of watchful boiling, simmer for another 30 minutes. Check back frequently to stir the nuts and mash them gently with your spoon.

You will know your concentrate is down when the liquid has greatly reduced and turned a dark brown color. The soapnuts will be soft and mushy and much paler in color. Turn off the burner and let sit until slightly cooled. You will notice it has thickened even more upon standing.

While your liquid cools, place a mason jar or glass container in the sink with a funnel in it. Put a coffee filter in the funnel, and if you have it, a small mesh strainer on top of the funnel and coffee filter.

After the liquid has cooled for a few minutes, spoon out the soapnuts with a slotted spoon and place in a mesh strainer over a bowl.

Pour the remaining liquid through the strainer and funnel and let it drain into the jar. I had to let mine sit for quite a bit while it drained. Don't rush it or you may puncture your filter and have to start all over (guilty!).

While you are waiting for the liquid to filter, let's squeeze as much precious cleaning power as we can out of the remaining soapnuts! Using a spoon, smash the soapnuts into the mesh strainer to remove as much liquid as possible. Then pour about a cup of super hot tap water (microwave it if you have to) over the soap nuts in the strainer, smashing as you pour.

I repeated this process a few times by using two bowls and filtering back and forth. When I was done, I ended up with about 8 oz of liquid soap nuts cleaner. It was about the same strength as what I was using for pretreating clothes and washing mirrors and windows so I was very pleased that I got this extra cup of cleaning power rather than just tossing the nuts into the trash. You can see the little measuring glass full of the liquid I was able to get from the used soap nuts. That would have all been lost if I hadn't done this last process! In the background of the above picture is my precious concentrated cleaner, still draining!

After your liquid concentrate has fully drained, you can store in a glass, airtight jar or container (I used a baby food jar), and use in your wash, or add an ounce to 24 ounces of water in a spray bottle for use around the house or for pretreating clothes.

It is important to remember that we didn't use any preservatives in this solution, so if you won't be using it all within a week or so, store the jar in the refrigerator or pour the liquid into an ice cube tray and store the frozen cubes in a baggie to easily grab one to thaw whenever you need it.

Another idea is to mix 5 oz liquid cleaner with 1 cups water and pour into an ice cube tray. Store the frozen cubes in a baggie in the freezer and throw a whole frozen cube into the wash. This will allow the solution to be powerful enough to do the job (based on using about 1 tsp per wash) but in a size that is easy to store and grab, rather than having to thaw out a whole cube and measure out 1 tsp every time you need to do laundry.

I hope you enjoy your easy to make, all natural household cleaner and pretreater. I know I do!

Banana Oat Pancakes: Easy and Kid Friendly!

2013-06-03T06:45:00.001-07:00

I have been making pancakes for as long as I can remember. I mean honestly, I don't even know how long I have been making pancakes, but I have a feeling the number of years would probably make me feel old so we will just say "a long time". I have been making pancakes for a very very long time....

When I was younger, pancakes always came "from a box"... Jiffy to be precise. Then as I got older my Nana introduced me to her favorite "Krusteaz" which technically came in a bag... Then I moved away and had a child and decided that he would only eat homemade-from-scratch pancakes like my incredibly mouth watering Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate chip pancakes. But after a few years of making different versions of that recipe, I realized: there are FIFTEEN ingredients in that recipe. 15!!! Wow. Not only is that a lot of work and a lot of measuring (and we all know I loathe measuring), but that is a lot of junk in a breakfast food that really doesn't provide any kind of nutrition in the first place...

So then I started adding more oats and whole wheat flour and less white flour and little to no sugar. I would add applesauce or a banana and use almond milk, sometimes I would add pumpkin... I reworked every version of a pancake recipe in every way you could think: but they always had flour.

Then a friend of mine said "Have you made banana pancakes yet?". And I kind of chuckled and to myself said "Well yeah I have made banana pancakes... ", referring to slicing up bananas and folding them into my batter, but instead I said "what do you mean?". And thank goodness I did because she said "all you do is mash a banana with an egg and cook it."

GAME CHANGER!

Apparently this recipe had been floating around Pinterest for a while and I have seen it but never really put much thought to it... I did try the banana and oatmeal cookies recipe that I saw on Pinterest and fell in love with them. So I decided to take my friend's pancake suggestion and merge it with the oatmeal cookie recipe and created a pancake that both my kids absolutely love... and so do I!

Banana Oat Pancakes

1-2 bananas

2 eggs

1/2 ish or so cup oats (I used quick because it is what I had. Old fashioned would certainly be a good choice but I would pulse them in a magic bullet or blender first to help the texture)

Healthy splash of vanilla (or a glug... more like a glug)

1 tsp cinnamon (it may look like a lot but these fragrant pancakes will be worth it)

Add Ins

Crazins

Chocolate Chips

Chopped nuts

Blueberries

Diced strawberries

Whatever you can think of!

I got too excited and mashed the banana and egg with some oats before I remembered to take a picture... oops!

This is a perfect job for kids. Here Landon is mashing the banana up. It was so much fun talking to him about the way the masher made little squares, how it sounded, how it looked, what did he think it would feel like if he touched it, etc etc. Getting kids in the kitchen is a wonderful way to boost their vocabulary and create some great dialogue, learning opportunities, and new experiences. It is also a great way to get kids to try stuff they wouldn't normally try - something about helping to make it takes away the fear of trying new things!

Adding the egg and whisking it all up. Landon is an awesome egg cracker! I never would have thought a 4 year old could crack an egg but I decided to teach him one day and now he likes to crack all of the eggs by himself.

After Landon got all done stirring up the eggs, banana, and oats, we added the cinnamon and the splash of vanilla. I love vanilla and cinnamon and I wanted these pancakes to have a heavy scent that filled the kitchen... oh boy did they! I was also pleased with how the addition of the vanilla and cinnamon took the spotlight off the banana and made them more reminiscent of a pancake you would expect to find at IHOP or somewhere like it.

Drop them onto a hot griddle greased with coconut oil, butter, or whatever you like to use, and sprinkle with your add ins. We added chocolate chips for the two of us, and left them plain for the baby. I did not let Landon help with this part (anything involving the oven or stove is off limits for him), so he went to set the table while I finished up. I think I had them at medium heat and they probably cooked for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Flip them carefully. These little guys are tricky to flip because they tend to slip all over the place. It is more akin to flipping a fried egg than a pancake, since this is egg based, so be careful and patient when flipping or you will end up with a folded up pancake... but don't worry, it will still taste great! (I know from experience).

So there you have it. A delicious, easy breakfast you can make with your kids, by yourself, or beg your boyfriend to make for you. Whatever suits you ;).

I will also say: these freeze beautifully. Make them in bulk and freeze them to have on hand for an easy breakfast. They freeze so much better than regular pancakes which get soggy when thawed and reheated... These cook right back to deliciousness in the microwave or skillet.

Lorelei's Nursery Makeover: DIY Easy Frame Collage Tutorial Using Waxed Paper

2013-05-21T09:04:00.001-07:00

About 6-7 years or so ago when I was in college, Pottery Barn had several uber cute pictures in their catalog of a collage of frames above a couch in a very expensive living room that I knew I would never be able to afford. But some very amazing and clever friends of mine recreated something similar in their VERY posh apartment that I have never been able to get out of my head (Jessica and Steven if you read this, yes I still think about your awesomeness!).

For years now I have thought about how cool their frame wall looked and I knew I was going to do it one day... But I never really had the time, place, energy etc... At my house in California I did something sort of like what I wanted to do, but it was on a very small scale and though I had always intended to expand it, it ended up smaller and smaller... See those frames on the right? That was my feeble attempt at a cool wall collage. Thanks to a stick horse that Landon used to strategically knock the frames off the wall, the frames ended up in pieces so eventually the collage was dismantled and the expansion of said collage never happened.

When I was planning Lorelei's room I knew I wanted a statement wall. Three of the walls in her room are white and I knew I wanted to put something spectacular on one of the walls. I also knew I didn't want to put the frames over her crib in case we had a rough storm and it knocked one of the frames loose while she was asleep (crazier things have happened!).

The biggest thing that I knew for certain was that I wanted to do this quickly and efficiently. I didn't want to spend hours measuring and planning and marking on the wall. I just wanted it to be easy and quick.

So after I prepared and painted and got all of the frames ready, it hit me.

I would use wax paper to make the perfect frame collage. Why didn't I think of this sooner? Surely this is genius in its purest form! Or just a happy accident, like most of my ideas...

So I started by playing around with the frames I wanted on my wall by shifting them around on the ground. Originally I started with a much larger number of frames. After playing around, I whittled it down to what you see here. Then I measured about how large my collage was going to be and wrote that measurement down.

Then I rolled out my waxed paper to just a little bit larger than my width (or length, depending on how you think, but I am talking about the horizontal length here) and tore three pieces in that length. If you have a bigger collage (vertically) than mine, you may need more pieces. But you get the general idea.

Once you have your wax paper, lay it out as straight and flat as you can, then tape in place carefully using Scotch or clear tape. I used big bright zebra tape because it was what I had on hand. After I got done with the tutorial I found my clear tape, but I was so glad I was done I didn't want to retake all the pictures just for the sake of the ~~gaudiness~~ sheer awesomeness of my tape. Oh and ignore the big bruise on my knee... and the fact that my knees were in this at all. I was trying to do this quickly so I snapped pictures as quickly as I could in between steps... oops!

Make sure the edges dont overlap or it will affect the straightness of your collage once you go to hang it on the wall. I used the edge of my wall to keep it straight and kept it there for when I laid my frames on top. Feel free to tape it to the carpet or floor to keep it from shifting. When you are ready to transfer to the wall, simply pull gently off the ground and fold the tape to the was paper so it doesn't stick to the wall in the wrong place.

Next lay the frames on top of the waxed paper exactly how you want it to look. I took a picture when I had my frames laid out to measure in the first step so that I could refer to it to get the frames perfect.

Using a black sharpie, carefully trace each of the frames as close to the edges as you can.

Remove all the frames and make sure it looks right to you before moving on.

Next decide how high up on your wall you want the collage to be, then hang the waxed paper collage on the wall. I decided I wanted the top of my collage to be exactly 12" from the ceiling. You can see I wrote that on the paper for my own benefit.

I wanted the whole collage to be almost centered on the wall (I chose to have it a few inches closer to the door than exactly perfect since the wall across from the door had a lot going on. I found this more visually appealing). I measured my wall and found where I wanted it to go, then measured 12" down from the ceiling and marked with a very small dot where the corner of my waxed paper template would need to hang. I repeated on the other side and taped the template in place. Then I measured again after taping to make sure it was perfectly even and didn't shift. Then I secured the bottom in place as well, making sure to smooth out the waxed paper carefully.

Then, starting in the upper left hand corner (because I felt like it), I placed my hangers on the wall. I used a variety of hangers I bought in a pack at Wal-Mart and chose each hanger based on the weight of the frame and the strength of the hanger. My favorite ended up being the little white ones because they were very easy to place and hang and very strong, but needed almost zero force to hang (a tiny tap from a hammer did it, but I could also press it in with my thumb) and left a tiny hole in the wall which was helpful if I needed to adjust it. This is due to the fact that they use gravity to stay put and don't actually need to be placed on a stud (though it wouldn't hurt!).

To make sure I placed the wall hangers in the right spot I measured the hanger on the back of the frame and then marked it's placement on the template. I could have laid the wax paper over the top of the frames flipped back side up and marked them that way but I was anxious to get the collage up on the wall and this seemed just as easy and a little less complicated than trying to keep the wax paper from wrinkling and slipping over a bunch of bulky frames.

As you can see in the picture above, I made a dot where the hanger on the frame is, but that isn't necessarily where the wall hanger needs to go: to make sure it lined up, I placed the receiving hook part of the wall hanger directly over the dot.

I hung the frame on top of the waxed paper to make sure I had it in the right spot, then moved on to the next frame. When I was finished, I stepped back and made sure I had them all how I wanted them to be, then gently pulled the waxed paper down, ripping it away from the nails and anchors and hangers. I didn't bother removing the frames because I really didn't have to, but if you are worried, feel free to take them down first.

Be careful when removing the paper if you don't want to remove the frames. Don't go nuts and rip it straight off the wall or you will likely get nailed in the head by a frame. Instead, first remove the tape, then pull straight down by pressing your hand flat against the wall on top of the waxed paper and drag it down. It should come away rather easily.

Now you are done! Dust off your hands and pat yourself on the back while you admire your gorgeously decorated wall!

Ignore the empty frame... I haven't made up my mind what I want to put there or if I just want to rip away the back to expose the wall like in the other tiny frame.

Another empty frame to ignore, but I do have a project in mind for that one! Just have to do it! You can also catch a glimpse of my curtains I made. I just love how they turned out. And of course the Ombre Rosette Pillow and the Drab to Fab Rocking Chair Re-Do. I have had so much fun redecorating my baby girl's bed room!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! Mother's Day Winners Announced!

2013-05-12T08:00:00.004-07:00

I have always wanted to say "winner, winner, chicken dinner", so now seemed like my chance.

Hope that is okay.

But, I am about to announce FIVE winners, so I am sure at this point you don't care what I say, right? You just want the drum roll to be over and the winners announced, am I right?

Of course I am.

Well to draw out the suspense, since the Wool Dryer Ball Giveaway received nearly 300 entries, I will draw that one last.

Instead of going chronologically like a normal person might, I will draw the winners in order of entries received, starting with the fewest number of entries.

Since I received such a huge number and since I have FIVE giveaways to moderate, if the winner I draw has not completed all of the mandatory options, I will redraw before announcing. Otherwise I would not be able to draw winners for a few days because combing through every entry and verifying would take me way too long!

So, happy mother's day, and congratulations to the following winners.

Customized Smart Phone Case from His and Hers Printing: Rachel Marmaud

Item of Choice from In Good Taste Gourmet: Amanda Tengler

NaturOli Soapnuts from Like Mom Made: Amanda Rullman

Mother's Necklace from Decked Out: Custom Creations by Virginia Decker: Kelley Elizabeth Dykes

Wool Dryer Ball Giveaway From 3 Generations of Design: Christina Hallmeyer

Congratulations to everyone! I will be contacting the winners this week, but right now, I am going to go enjoy my Mother's Day! My sweet man is sending me and his mom to go get mani/pedis while he grocery shops and takes care of the kids. <3 p="">
Have a blessed and wonderful Mother's Day!

Customized Smart Phone Case from His & Hers Printing

2013-05-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my beloved android phone died.

I mean it just up and died. It decided it was not in the mood to work anymore and it was D-O-N-E.

So my boyfriend took me to the phone store, and bought us both matching iPhone 5s.

I promise I am not spoiled at all... I mean... he made me drive so it evens out, right? Oh and then he took me to lunch at Landry's seafood restaurant and it was ~~mouthwatering unbelievably amazingly delicious~~ not that great at all......

Ok, so I am spoiled...

And yes, Landry's was delicious, so Landry's fans, don't get bent out of shape!

Well anyway so we had our matching iPhones and we both needed cases... because simply put: I have two kids and he has bad luck with phones...

Nuff said.

He got an industrial you-can-drive-over-it-in-your-truck-and-nothing-will-happen type case, and I browsed the available girly cases and was utterly disappointed. I mean seriously... The choices were flowers or pink. That was about it.

And they were $50.

I mean come on!

So I decided to wait on the case and look online and see what I could find. As soon as I got home I started browsing Etsy.

By some stroke of luck I found a case that I absolutely fell in love with from a shop called His & Hers Printing. It was clean and simple and girly and pretty without being something I have seen a million times. Then I found out she could customize my case with my name on it!

BINGO!

I knew I wanted my name going sideways up the phone in a scripty type font. I am not the best with descriptions when I am excited (I become the equivalent of a stuttering toddler when I get really giddy), so I quickly typed out my best attempt at describing what I wanted and within a few minutes she sent me back not only a reply, but a PROOF!

Right away I knew this was a shop I wanted to work with.

She reassured me that I could deny her proofs as many times as I needed to and she would continue working on it until it was perfect.

Can you say 100% customer satisfaction? I can. But to be truthful their satisfaction rating is 98%, which is pretty stinking amazing. And honestly, I have no clue how it isn't 100%... Just saying. ;)

After we tweaked the color of my name over and over by sending messages back and forth, my design was complete. Then all I had to do was wait for it to be finished.

Which is really, really hard.

But while I was waiting, my wheels got turning. This cell phone case is super exciting for me because it isn't very often that I get something just for me that is girly and personalized and mine all mine... Pretty much everything I own gets claimed by one of my pint size bosses or is shared property.

So having something just for me that makes me this excited? It is pretty cool.

And I wanted to share that incredible experience with another mama.

I mean, surely there are a ton of moms who would love a case like this:

Or this:

And definitely this one:

And I really want to share this shop with other people because their level of customer appreciation is phenomenal, and people who do things right deserve recognition!

So after chatting with Kim of His and Hers Printing, she agreed to award a free customized case to one lucky reader. She can make hard plastic cases to accomodate iPhone 5, iPhone 4/4s, Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Galaxy S III, and HTC One X. She also has silicone cases available for iPhone 5 and iPhone 4/4s, which is the option I chose.

To enter, visit His and Hers Printing on Etsy and check out their awesome products. Favorite their shop, browse their items, heck maybe even buy a case... but don't forget to come back here and follow the rafflecopter instructions to enter to win a free customized cell phone case. You get more entries for favoriting their shop, liking their Facebook page and sharing, and liking their twitter account and tweeting about this contest, so make sure you check out all the options!

The winner must be a follower of Like Mom Made, so don't forget to visit the sidebar at the top that says "Follow Like Mom Made" and make sure you are following!

The contest ends on Mother's Day, like all of my giveaways going on right now, so make sure you complete all of your entries prior to May 11th at 11:59pm. Don't forget to complete your entries to win Wool Dryer balls from 3 Generations of Designs, NaturOli Soapnuts, Customized Sterling Silver Mother's Necklace, and Gourmet Food from In Good Taste.

Seriously though, what mom doesn't need THIS?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway from In Good Taste Gourmet

2013-05-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today's giveaway is extremely appropriate for our Mother's Day Giveaway Celebration because it is sponsored by In Good Taste Gourmet, which just so happens to be owned by my mommy!

What is even better is that I love her products!

So what is In Good Taste Gourmet? In Good Taste is an online gourmet food site that sells the most scrumptious BBQ sauces, marinades, pasta sauces, salsas, and other stuff foodies would love! My mother owns and operates In Good Taste and in addition to her amazing sauces and gourmet goodies, she also makes gift baskets that she jam packs with incredible gourmet food, coffee, candy, whatever you can think of!

I have to admit that I ~~usually~~ always ask her for help when going to a wedding. I will bring her something like a cast iron skillet or cool pasta or salad bowl that the couple had on their registry, then I will have her create something amazing and useful with it. The last wedding I went to I took them an amazing bamboo pasta bowl with a set of bamboo tools that they had registered for, and then ~~my mom~~ *ahem* In Good Taste filled it with gourmet pasta, a jar of their amazing sauce, and a Wind & Willow cheeseball for the couple to share as an appetizer. It was the perfect gift and the couple loved it.

The best part about In Good Taste is that there is something for everyone. And everything tastes great. Know how I know? My mom (and whole family) taste tests and approves everything included in the brand. If it doesn't pass a rigorous taste test, it doesn't hit the shelves.

And we LOVE food, so you know it is good.

One of my favorite sauces is the Honey Jalapeno Grilling Glaze. I marinated some chicken breasts in it and tossed them in a skillet on the stove and they came out so juicy and flavorful. I also love the Tomato Pine Nut Parmesan Pasta sauce - it is so delicious that I can eat it on plain pasta without needing meat at all, but add some meatballs or diced chicken and you have an easy, out-of-this-world good meal without any fuss at all! And I have used or tried almost every single Wind & Willow product at least once... I used to host a lot of baby showers and parties when I was living on a military base and these products were a quick and easy addition to any hostess' menu!

So for this giveaway, In Good Taste will be awarding one lucky winner with any single item of their choice from their In Good Taste or Wind & Willow lines. Visit In Good Taste and check out their gourmet sauces or Wind & Willow products and tell me which one you would choose if you win.

And make sure you check back tomorrow: there will be another giveaway sponsored by the Rocs branch of my mom's business... You won't want to miss it!

And don't forget to check out the other giveaways going on! You can find a complete list here.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/90cc283/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

NaturOli Soapnuts Review and Giveaway from Like Mom Made

2013-04-30T14:58:00.001-07:00

You asked for it, and here it is! A cloth diaper safe detergent giveaway! I have actually had this one planned from the start, but when I asked on the Wool Dryer Ball Giveaway what you would all like to see this week, this was at the top of the list!

So, Soapnuts aren't a liquid detergent. They are actually berries that have been harvest, deseeded, and dried. When they become wet and agitated, they secrete saponin which is the powerful surfactant that holds all the cleaning power!

There is so much more I can tell you about Soapnuts, about how to buy Soapnuts, how not to buy soapnuts, how they work, and all that they can do...

But honestly, that would take a week and we want to get on to the review and giveaway, right?

I have been cloth diapering Lorelei since I brought her home from the hospital. In the beginning, I always had disposables on hand just in case, since I hadn't yet perfected my wash routine and wasn't sure how well I would get the hang of it, but by the time she was a month old it was full time cloth diapering with very few to no breaks in between (with the exception of air plane travel).

Figuring out my wash routine was by far the hardest part of cloth diapering... I was learning there are so many things you can't use on diapers, and so many things you should avoid even though it seems cloth diaper safe, and even more things that you can choose from to use...

How do you know you are making the right choice? What all do you really need to put in the wash with your diapers? And if normal detergents are that hard on cloth diapers, are they really a good idea for the rest of my clothes?

My wheels were spinning.

I had heard several people talk about Soapnuts, soapberries, etc, as well as a few other types of detergents. I tried a few liquid detergents that were deemed cloth diaper safe and had varying results, but still felt like I wanted to get away from harsh chemicals and synthetic ingredients that were commonplace in all commercial detergents.

Finally about a month ago, I bit the bullet and decided to do some research on soapnuts and figure out what the big fuss was about.

I came across a website called soapnuts.pro and instantly found the information I was looking for. I quickly learned that there are scams within the soapnuts industry to watch out for, as well as other things to keep in mind while buying. I also learned that some companies will sell soapnuts by the "loads" and not the weight, which is a tricky way of driving up the price without consumers knowing the difference.

After I armed myself with information, I decided that I want to try NaturOli brand soapnuts. I ordered 3 lbs through a seller I found online and waited eagerly to receive them.

When they arrived they came in three separate bags, which was great because I would only have to open one at a time and could put the rest away out of the way so they wouldn't take up space on my dryer. NaturOli also included a muslin baggie to hold the soapnuts so they don't scatter in the wash, and a bottle of their signature 18x soapnuts cleaner, which they claimed made a brilliant household cleaner when diluted with water, could be used for spot treating, or could be put directly into the wash a few drops at a time in place of the soapnuts.

I was so excited when they arrived that I instantly put a few in the muslin baggie they included and tossed it in my washer with some clothes.

Throughout the wash I kept peeking to see what they were "doing". Soapnuts do not suds like commercial detergents do, but surprisingly, suds are not at all indicative of cleaning power. They just indicate that there is a surfactant present in the water.

After my clothes were washed and went through the spin cycle, I inspected my laundry to see how it looked. I felt like it wasn't as clean as it could have been, but decided that this was more the fault of my washer being crammed too full and the clothes being a little beyond soiled. The next load I didn't fill as full and I used some of the concentrated cleaner (diluted in a bottle with 16 oz of water) to pretreat some of the more heavily soiled clothes.

Bingo! This time they came out perfect.

The number one thing I didn't like about soapnuts is that they didn't leave my clothes smelling clean. Since there are no articifial perfumes or oils, there was nothing to give it that fresh laundry scent. I remedied this situation by adding a few drops of Tea Tree Oil, which I also add to my wool dryer balls, and it seemed to help. You can add any essential oil to the rinse cycle and make your laundry smell however you prefer. Lavender, Tea Tree Oil, mix and match, the sky is the limit.

I will admit, though I am trying to become more green and steer away from harsh chemicals and artificial perfumes and dyes, I am still a "scent" junkie... When I was pregnant with my girls I would literally stop in the laundry detergent aisle like three times before leaving the store. I would stroll up and down the aisle and breathe in the amazing clean laundry scent... It is a tough habit to break, but I am getting there. I do add the occasional splash of fabric softener or tide unstoppables scent beads, or even a scoop of oxi clean. I have noticed that I haven't been using as much, and I am hoping when I run out of the commercial detergents I have now, I won't be tempted to buy them again.

As far as my cloth diaper laundry goes, I feel like the soapnuts are really doing the trick. I do add a scoop of oxi clean to every cloth diaper load but this is more to help keep my cloth nice and bright and not because the soapnuts aren't cleaning them. Yes, I realize that the oxiclean is not a natural solution, but for now I am sticking with this routine because it does work for me.

So on to the giveaway!

I am going to be giving away a 1 lb bag of NaturOli Soapnuts! I will ship this bag of soapnuts directly to the winner within a week after the contest ends on May 12. I will not be including a muslin baggie, as I need mine for my own washing machine, but I am sure a sock tied in a knot would make a suitable substitute.

I will be including the pamphlets NaturOli included when I ordered the soapnuts. NaturOli did not provide this prize and has not paid me for my review or this giveaway.

To enter, just follow the rafflecopter instructions below. If you complete a requirement asking you to leave a comment, make sure your name is in the comment, otherwise I won't be able to verify that you completed the entry. All incomplete entries will be deleted before drawing.

The contest closes on Mother's Day and the winner will be notified between the evening of Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th. The winner will have 48 hours after notification is sent to claim their prize. If the prize is not claimed at the end of 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Don't forget to check the main giveaway post to see what other giveaways are available for you to enter!

*May 4 Update* So as you all probably know, I now have FIVE amazing giveaways up and running. I was moderating the giveaways and kept thinking it was odd that everyone was telling me about their nest and pea pod necklaces on this giveaway. Finally I decided to look in to it and realized I gave the WRONG instructions on the blog post comment option. Oy vey! So everyone who completed that entry thus far gets credit for ANY comment. From now on, I have a more appropriate option available to follow!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/90cc282/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mother's Necklace Giveaway!

2013-04-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

As you probably already know, this week I am hosting a bunch of giveaways to prepare for Mother's Day! I can't think of a better way to celebrate a day dedicate to Mother's than by spoiling several of my readers with amazing, useful Mother's Day presents.

We are always putting our children first and pampering them every day, so now it is our turn, right?

For over two years now I have been making Mother's Nest necklaces. I started making them after Leila died and I needed a distraction. It turned out to be a very popular distraction and before I knew it I was creating tons of lovely necklaces for all my friends and the mothers in their lives.

Last year I added Mother's Pea Pod necklaces to the mix. I have had such an overwhelming response from everyone I have made them for. They like them, they really like them!

And what's not to like? A simple, beautiful way to honor your beloved children and keep them, literally, close to your heart?

Or honor your grandchildren as well.

So anyway, I figured I can't very well have a Mother's Day Giveaway Celebration without giving away at least one of these little beauties.

So it is pretty simple: enter to win a custom made Mother's Necklace. The rafflecopter widget will walk you through the entries, but be sure to leave a comment telling me what your necklace would look like if you win.

Would it be a nest or a pea pod?

Would it be silver, gold, or antique bronze?

Would the beads be pink, blue, green, white pearls, etc? And how many would it have?

And last, be sure to tell me who it would represent. Mine is the upper left hand corner above. I used turquoise for Landon, a pink pearl for Lorelei, and a white pearl for Leila.

Would it represent you and your husband and your children, just your children, grandchildren, etc? This is about YOU, so even if your request isn't something I have mentioned or have done before, tell me anyway and I will find a way to accommodate your dream necklace or work with you on how I can make it perfect for you.

Don't forget to check back on the main giveaway post to make sure you haven't missed out on any exciting giveaways, like a set of wool dryer balls!

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Wool Dryer Balls from 3 Generations of Designs: Review and Giveaway!

2013-04-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have been dying to try wool dryer balls for quite some time. As a cloth diapering and natural minded (most of the time!) mama, the idea of wool dryer balls was really kind of cool.

Honestly I thought the idea was cool even before I knew all of the awesome benefits!

So when I came across Kelly from 3 Generations of Designs and saw her lovely hand made wool dryer balls, I knew I had to have a set.

When the first arrived in the mail I literally squealed with delight! They were dense and soft and squishy and completely 100% natural. I had a load of cloth diapers in the washer so I instantly pulled everything out of the dryer and ~~tossed it on the couch to be dealt with later~~ *ahem* neatly folded the stack of laundry before launching these gorgeous wool dryer balls into their rightful home, tossing my wet cloth diaper inserts inside and turning the machine on to wait for the magic to happen.

I am pretty sure I danced around the laundry room for a few minutes before realizing that I should probably go attend to that aforementioned stack of laundry.

After a little time had passed and I couldn't stand it any more, I checked on my inserts.

To my amazement, what would have normally been a still damp pile of inserts was fluffy, light, and completely dry.

And did I mention soft? Ohhh they were soooo soft!

I was kind of flabbergasted. I mean honestly. How could five little wool balls do this magic?

The *science* behind the benefits of these wool balls has a lot to do with air flow. As the balls are bouncing around the dryer they are creating gaps and spaces in between the clothes which allows the clothes to dry faster because they aren't just rolling around in a big wet heap. This significantly reduces drying time. I have done several loads since the first and what would normally have taken 60-70 minutes now takes about 30. It is seriously unbelievable the difference they have made.

The wool also helps reduce static electricity and softens clothes like a fabric softener sheet would do but without chemicals. I know, right?! I like the benefit of the scent fabric softener sheets give, so I asked 3 Generations of Designs about scenting the dryer balls. Turns out it is super easy! I had some Tea Tree Oil on hand and simply put a few drops onto one of the balls (you could definitely treat all of the balls but I didn't bother) and toss it back into the dryer. Easy peasy!

I really wish I would have found these guys sooner... But if I had, I wouldn't have crossed paths with 3 Generations of Designs which means I wouldn't have this amazing giveaway lined up for you.

So it worked out, you know?

So about this giveaway: I have a bunch of ways for you to get in on the action. It is mandatory that you like 3 Generations of Designs on Facebook, and make sure you are a follower of my blog. There is a button over on the right side of my page that you can click to become a follower. If you are mobile, you will have to use a computer or visit the full site (non mobile) version of my blog.

Feel free to complete as many or as few of the non mandatory tasks as you would like. There are even a few offered every day.

The winner will receive one set of two dryer balls from 3 Generations of Designs. It is recommended to use 3-5 dryer balls to see maximum effects, and I have 5 and could instantly see the difference, so it is up to the winner if they would like to purchase additional dryer balls from 3 Generations of Designs. If you don't win, don't worry! You can still order wool dryer balls through 3 Generations of Designs' Facebook page!

The contest will end on Mother's Day. As part of my Mother's Day Celebration, I am holding a few giveaways this week, all to end on Mother's Day. That way three lucky moms (or dads... you guys count, too, don't worry!) will all have a nice gift for Mother's Day. All prizes will be shipped out within a week after the prizes have been claimed. Winner has 48 hours after notification to respond and claim their prize. Winner does not pay shipping if they are inside the continental United States. Shipping charges may be required from winners outside of the US. Like Mom Made reserves the right to request shipping from international winners, but may choose to pay shipping costs.

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Mother's Day Giveaway Celebration!

2013-04-28T13:24:00.001-07:00

Every year about this time I am usually gearing up for a Mother's Day Brunch with a lovely group of ladies I became friends with in California. Now that I am not there, they will be continuing their celebration without me, and I will be celebrating my first Mother's Day outside of California.

Since I won't be able to celebrate with my lovely friends, I want to celebrate with all of you. After all, being a mom is something to be celebrated EVERY DAY, but unfortunately we only get one day of the year.

So I say why not make it a great one?!

In order to really embrace this Mother's Day, I am going to be holding a string of giveaways. I have three lined up so far, all set to end on Mother's Day. The winners will be drawn and revealed on Mother's Day, May 12, and will have 48 hours after notification is sent to claim their prize.

I may even add a few other giveaways just for the love of motherhood.

Do you have an idea for a giveaway? Do you have a mom friendly business that would like to submit an item to be raffled to one lucky mother? Feel free to contact me via my facebook button on the right hand side of this page and let me know if you would like to be a part of the giveaway extravaganza.

Because this is a Mother's Day Giveaway, all the prizes (so far) are things that moms would appreciate. No power tools or cologne here (though power tools would definitely be on MY mom's list!), though men are more than welcome to enter on behalf of themselves or a special mom in their lives.

Be sure to check back every day to see what awesome prize we will be giving away next! I will update here as giveaways are added.

Wool Dryer Ball Giveaway from 3 Generations of Designs

Mother's Necklace Giveaway from Decked Out: Customs Creations by Virginia Decker

NaturOli Soapnuts Giveaway from Like Mom Made

Gourmet Sauce of Choice Giveaway from In Good Taste Gourmet

Customized Smart Phone Case Giveaway from His and Hers Printing

Good Luck to everyone who enters and thank you for everything you do as a mother!

Lorelei's Nursery Makeover: Old Rocking Chair Re-do! From Drab to Fabulous for under $50!

2013-04-28T01:01:00.001-07:00

One of the number one things I knew I wanted for Lorelei's nursery makeover was a new rocking chair. I wanted it to be a statement piece. Something that would draw your eye as soon as you enter the room, and have a couple surprises. But most importantly, I wanted it to be comfortable. And cheap. Definitely cheap. So I was thrilled when I came across a plain oak rocking chair on Craigslist.com for $20. It was screaming for a makeover and because the wood wasn't polished or stained I knew it would save me a lot of work. I snatched it up on a Monday and it was in Lorelei's room, ready to rock, by Sunday at nap time. And my back was VERY thankful to have something comfortable to rest against for a change. The floor is not a nice place when trying to calm a fussy little girl!

One of my favorite things about this chair is the surprise element of the pink upholstery tacks on the back. I knew I wanted a pop of pink without actually painting the chair pink, so instead, I painted the upholstery tacks. I used Mambo Pink spray paint from Krylon and it added just the right touch.

The rest of the chair redo was pretty simple, but very tedious. It wasn't hard to figure out what to do once I got going, BUT it was very time consuming. It rained Monday and Tuesday, so I started painting Wednesday, finished painting on Thursday, and Friday and Saturday I spent working on the upholstery and new cushions. I hammered the tacks in Sunday after breakfast and by nap time Lorelei and I were rocking in her beautiful room. She was so excited she couldn't stop patting the cushions!

So first thing's first I painted the chair. Now... I had a moment of insanity where I actually thought I would just be able to wrap the new upholstery over the old cushions and tack them in and call it a day, so when I was painting, I didn't bother to remove the old upholstery first. I figured if anything it would just be quicker this way and yada yada yada. I really had no good reason for it, I just wanted to jump in to the painting...

DO NOT BE LIKE ME! This was silly. I mean seriously: what was I thinking!?!? TAKE OFF THE UPHOLSTERY FIRST! *Ahem*. Okay. Moving on.

So FIRST you remove the upholstery from your chair. I bought a handy little kit from Wal-Mart. (I have been advertising for good old Wally World a lot lately... they should definitely sponsor my blog or something... which is funny because normally I avoid Wal-Mart and large chains like it... but when you live in a place that doesn't even exist on a map... it is a necessary evil!).

Use the little tack puller thing to pop the old tacks out. Keep them if you want to reuse them, though you may have to bend and straighten a few (or all) of them. I decided I wanted the flat shiny simple ones that came in the package because I had plans for my tacks.

Rip the back off first, and then you should be able to expose the rest of the nails/staples/tacks to remove them. KEEP ALL OF YOUR PIECES! You will be using these pieces to trace your new fabric later, so do not throw them away! Also, take pictures or mental notes of how everything went on, that way you aren't doing some crazy brain buster trying to decode how it all fits together later after you have already forgotten all of this.

I didn't show you a picture of the stuffing I uncovered inside my chair... It was STRAW. Yup. The very nice lady I bought the chair from had warned me that they kept the original straw padding. I didn't think much of it, nodded and said "oh that is so cool!" and went on my merry way... Remember how I said it rained the first two days I had the chair? Well it got wet... And do you know how wet hay smells?

DISGUSTING!

So... it was back to the craft store for me! I ended up going back and forth bewteen Jo-Ann and Hobby Lobby THREE times (getting both children out and back in each time) before I finally settled on the high density smart foam that Hobby Lobby carries.

It is prepackaged and looked about large enough and with my coupon it was less than 30% of what I would have paid at Jo-Ann's for their green high density foam.

I got a small 2x12x12 inch cushion for the back of the chair, and lucked in to a couple bags of batting at a garage sale for $2 and headed back home.

NOW would be a great time to paint your chair. AFTER you have taken all the pieces off and have your supplies you will need... Rough the whole thing up with sand paper. I didn't have to worry about stripping any paint so I just grabbed a fine grit because it was what I could easily find and because I didn't want it to be rough anywhere. If you are removing old paint, push up your sleeves and get ready to sweat because it is a time consuming job, but well worth the final results. Pay extra close attention to the runners the arms, since those spots will be getting the most abuse. Also make sure to really get in any curves or spindles because an electric sander won't really do the trick here and it is crucial that they are roughed up pretty thoroughly.

Wipe the whole thing down with a damp rag and let dry before painting.

Give it a couple good coats, letting dry in between. I used foam brushes because I love the clean up: finish and toss them in the trash! They are cheap enough that it doesn't matter if you go through a handful or not, and they don't leave hairs in your work like some paintbrushes do. I used a semi gloss latex paint in black. I would have preferred enamel (as per my mother's suggestions... heck this blog is called "Like MOM Made", and I still like to get her advice on a lot of what I do! Thanks, Mom!), but Wal-Mart doesn't carry enamel so I went with the closest thing they had.

Ok so your chair is painted, your upholstery is ripped off the chair, and you have your cushions and tacks waiting to be prepared.

Remember how I said that I had plans for the tacks? Well as I was ripping the old upholstery off of the chair, I found a cardboard insert (which is actually important as you will need a new one for your chair too), and popped a bunch of the plain tacks into it... Mainly because I didn't have spare cardboard laying around.. so improvise if you must!

Not quite pushed in all the way so I can reach the sides of the tack easily.

Then I shot them with a fabulous pink spray paint. The same pink that is in almost every other project in her room. Give them a couple good coats and let dry thoroughly, then coat again. Be careful with them because they will scratch. Feel free to clear coat them just to be safe.

Remember our cushions and batting? Next we will get our cushions all ready to be covered.

I started with the back of the chair. I took the 12x12 cushion and wrapped it in quilt batting. I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped and then tried fitting it in the back of the chair to see how it fit. It was a little too square and needed to be more rectangular so I unwrapped it, then rewrapped it with the bulk of the strips going horizontally, rather than alternating horizontally and vertically. You can adjust your batting any way you need to. I also suggest having some fiber fill or stuffing of some kind on hand as well so you can fill in any gaps when you are actually recovering the chair.

Now the seat of the chair was the real hard part. The smart foam I bought was the PERFECT size for the seat of the chair, with just enough lap over to cut down into the perfect shape. I laid the foam on to the chair where it would be going (and I had to work to get it in there since it is a little too big), and made marks in every place where I would have to cut away some of the cushion. I used a measuring tape and measured each point before making marks so that I could be certain I was making the right mark. Since it is symmetrical, I would make the mark on one side then measure the exact same amount in on the other side and mark it there. Then I would flip it over and make the same mark on the underneath side and draw a line from the top down to the bottom.

I marked all the way underneath the chair.

And on the sides, then flipped it over and made the same marks again so that I would have a clear picture of what I needed to cut away.

When I got to the curvy part I made a mark as close to the BASE of the spindle as I could. I didn't want to cut away too much and leave a gap. Remember, you can always cut more but you can't uncut something!

Speaking of cutting, I tried EVERY method known to man to cut this stuff. I tried a hack saw, a hand saw, a box cutter, a pocket knife, kitchen shears, my rotary cutter (I was desperate!)... EVERYTHING. This stuff is SERIOUS. It means business! Well finally, in a moment of pure desperation and mania (I have a lot of these moments when I am being creative... they are usually the big money moments!) I grabbed my ever sharp knife that I have had for years but rarely use because it isn't in a block set like my every day kitchen knives I have sitting out on the counter, and decided to see how it would work. IT WORKED PERFECTLY! I needed a little more pressure on the foam though, and since my boyfriend was away on business I knew I would have to figure it out on my own.

So I used Duct tape.

I just taped that sucker all over, taping off the parts i wanted to cut to make it easier for me to know where I was cutting and to keep the scraps from shredding on me as I was cutting, which would have been a mess and would have made it very difficult to get the smaller pieces cut.

When I was finished I was left with the front spindles to cut. I put it back in the chair and made sure the rest of the cushion lined up properly, then I drew my cutting lines again. This time I had a much better idea of what to cut.

I forgot to take a picture of the Duct tape part but this time I taped off what I was NOT cutting away, since the area I was to be cutting was so small.

After I finished cutting the spindles out, I popped it back in the chair and sat down and took a break! PHEW!

It is worth mentioning that though I ripped the cushions out of this chair, I did keep the original webbing basket weave on the underneath of the chair. I did not take any pictures and do not have any references for this part, but if the bottom is entirely out of your chair, you will need to reinforce it. I would suggest using a strong cloth, scraps even, and making strips that are the length and width of your chair and about 3-4" wide. Then lay them across the bottom of the chair (where the cushion will be resting) and nail them in. Then nail strips at the back of the base of the chair and weave them through the horizontal strips. Nail them in the front base of the chair when you are finished weaving. I hope that helps!

Next you need to start cutting out the pieces for your upholstery. I laid my fabric out, unfolded, right side up on my cutting mat. I found this gorgeous upholstery at... Wal-Mart. I am actually VERY proud of this find. This was only $6.97 A YARD and it is stunning! I saved easily $20 over what I would have paid for a similar print at a fabric store. They have a limited selection but it is definitely worth checking out.

Lay your original upholstery piece on top of your new fabric and line it up a few inches from the end. It will probably be folded and smashed in certain areas so smooth and flatten it as much as you can. I gave myself about 2" margins all the way around. I knew I wanted to stuff my cushions a little fuller than the old ones and I also wanted to be able to hem the edges with a decent seam allowance.

Cut around the entire piece, using a ruler as a guide to keep your edges uniform. My original upholstery wasn't a perfect square and the fabric kind of curved in at places where I didn't think it necessarily needed to, so I didn't follow it perfectly. Most importantly I just made sure I had AT LEAST 2" all the way around the edge of the original fabric. This would help save me later if I had made a mistake.

After I cut everything out I sewed the edges under using a 1/2" hem.

Here are all my pieces and tools and beautiful chair that is ready to be recovered! As you can see, I covered my base cushion in batting as well. I like how this helps give it a smoother, more plush look. If I had more batting, I would have given it another layer. I love cushy things!

See my puppy? He was very eager to help with this project. I think his officially title would have been "Quality Control Specialist Dog": he kept laying on the upholstery...

For my tools I have a rubber mallet, a regular hammer (not pictured), and my tack kit. I also used a staple gun and it was a life saver!

Start with the base of the chair. Spread your upholstery piece over the cushion, smoothing out the top and pulling all the points down around the spindles and boards of the chair.

Pay extra close attention to the front and the spindles. I pull my piece down extra hard here so it would become wedged in between the cushion and the spindle.

Flip the chair over so the back is up and pull the back edge of the upholstery as tight as you can. Make sure the front part of the chair is laying on the upholstery so you don't end up pulling the whole thing off and hitting yourself in the head. ;). It happens...

Pull as tight as you can and, using a staple gun, staple the fabric to the underneath of the chair. The wooden part, of course. Not the cushion... though I am sure I don't need to tell you that!

Continue around the back of the chair, alternating left and right as you work out from the middle. Keep your tension even as you are pulling and stapling other wise it will look odd and uneven.

When you get to a corner, carefully tuck in the stray edges and fold it in such a way that you will have a straight flush edge against the back board.

When you pull this down to staple it, pull VERY tight. The corners need to be extra tight to help hold its shape and to give it that rounded plush cushion shape that I love so much!

This is after I have finish the back and reached the front. Like you did in the back, start in the front middle and work your way out, alternating left and right as you go. This will help make sure you stay perfectly even.

Do the same in the front as you did for the back corners: fold the edge perfectly straight against the front spindle, pull extra tight and staple in place.

I didn't take pictures of the process of putting the front of the chair back on, but it is very similar to the base of the chair. Line it up first, then staple and fold in edges as you go. The good part about the front of the chair back is that all the stray edges will wrap around to the back of the chair which will be hidden by the back panel, so if it isn't total perfect, no one but you will know!

After you have it stapled in place, take your back panel piece and line it up with the top of the chair. Fold it in about an inch or two from the top, then flip it over the front of the chair so that the right side of the fabric is facing down and touching the top bar of the back of the chair. Staple this in place in the middle at a couple places.

Using a cereal box or posterboard or any kind of stiff cardstock or cardboard (you want it stiff but not overly thick), cut out an outline of the back of the chair. You want to make sure it overlaps the edges of the wood but doesn't go all the way to the edge.

Slide it UNDER the little flap of fabric at the top and then staple in place all the way around. I have it pictured wrong here. Do as I say, not as I do!

Put a lot of pressure on the cardboard as you staple so it really helps hold your stuffing in and give you a nice straight chair back. I used some fiber fill to stuff the front the chair extra full before I fully stapled this piece on.

Then flip your fabric back over the cardboard and start putting your tacks in. Start at the top middle, working your way out alternating between left and right. You will be folding in the edge as you go.

To hammer your tacks in without damaging the paint, use the rubber mallet to push the tack in far enough to stand on its own. If you bought a tack kit, it has a little tack holder with a magnet: don't use it if you painted your tacks. It will scratch. Instead, you can use the tack remover as a holder by using the teeth to steady the tack while you VERY LIGHTLY tap it with the rubber mallet. It doesn't take a ton of force, but it can get bent easily so go lightly.

If it goes in TOO easily, you will have to move it to the left or the right of that spot. You don't want it to go back in an original hole because it won't stay. If you do that, it will pop right back out which can be a serious hazard if you have little ones around!

After it is standing on its own and is straight up and down (if it is crooked, pull it out and try again), lay a cloth or towel over the tack and tap it with a regular hammer. Really tap it HARD. Once you are sure it is straight, you should be able to give it a couple nice straight whacks to sink it in there. Repeat with the next tack, measuring evenly in between.

I measured 2" between my tacks.

When I got to the end, I measured out 2" and placed the tack as close as I could get to that mark.

Fold the corners in like a mitered corner on a quilt or blanket (or think hospital corners if you ever made your bed that way as a kid. I know I did! I liked to hide stuff in the "pockets"). Push the edges back inside the panel so all you can see is a nice 90 degree corner.

Once you have gone all the way around, this is what you will have!

Isn't it gorgeous? I just stared at it for a few minutes, I was so pleased. It turned out exactly like I had hoped.

Don't you just love that pop of color?

I know I do!

From the front. I plan on adding some more pink tacks to the front but by some stroke of luck I painted almost exactly the right number for the back. Once I threw out the ones I accidentally bent, I didn't have any left to do the front. When I have some time I will paint some more and spruce the front up a little bit. I am thinking along the very bottom edges, all the way around...

In Lorelei's room with her gorgeous Ombre Rosette Pillow.

Well there you have it. A gorgeous chair for a gorgeous little girl! I really hope my step by step recovering instructions were helpful. When all was said in done, here is what I spent:

Chair, Craigslist: $20
Paint, Wal-Mart: $10
Tack kit, Wal-Mart: $5
Upholstery Fabric, Wal-Mart: $14 (2 yards)
High Density "Smart Foam", Hobby Lobby: $14 with coupon
Premium 12x12 Poly Foam, Hobby LobbyL $1.99
Batting: $2 (garage sale find)
Pink Spray paint: on hand
Fiber fill: on hand

Total comes to $67 give or take some change. Under $50 if you don't count what I paid for the chair, since you could easily find one for a few bucks at a thrift store or garage sale, or maybe even in your own garage!

That isn't bad considering the ones I had my eye on in catalogs were close to $400+! Take that fancy expensive stores!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and feel inspired to rescue an old unwanted piece of furniture. It is amazing what a little bit of paint, fabric, and hard work can do!

If I need to clarify anything PLEASE send me a comment! I am only human, so sometimes things that make sense to me actually make little to no sense at all! I am happy to reword or clarify anything that is befuddling you! Let me know what you think! I love to hear feedback. :)

Lorelei's Nursery Makeover: DIY Pomander Balls for under $2 each

2013-04-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

As you know I am in the process of redoing Lorelei's Nursery. Originally it was an orange, black and white room for a teenager. Now it is a black, white and pink room for a toddler girl. So far the transformation has been a lot of fun and is looking really great. The room was originally all white with one orange wall and black trim. I kept the 3 white walls and the black trim and painted the orange parts pink. I put Lorelei's changing table (a vanity with a changing cover on it and diaper storage inside) in front of the only window. Lorelei used to always try and run away from me when I would change her diaper on the ground, but now she prefers to stare out the window or at the ceiling. I figured I would give her something beautiful to look at, especially since I plan on putting up curtains, which will impede her view of the outside.

A few years I saw Martha Stewart make pomander balls with cardstock and pins. Since then I have seen several people make their own versions: cardstock, felt, rosettes, tissue paper, fake flowers. Pomander balls are NOT a new thing and I am not being entirely original here. But I figured I would share MY way anyway, because I can, you know?

I do have a unique idea for hanging said pomander balls, which I will follow up with after I complete that step.

This is all you need. A bunch of fake flowers ($1.50 for a bunch of 8 at Wal-Mart or craft stores. The smaller styrofoam balls used 6 each and the bigger ball used 12... well 11 because I lost one somehow), styrofoam balls ($1 at the dollar store or if you live out in the middle of nowhere like me, $3.47 for six at Wal-Mart or craft stores. The bigger one was in a two pack for $3), and ribbon, which I had on hand or you can pick up from the dollar store or any craft store.

Start by popping all the flower heads off the stems. Don't seperate the petals and don't break off the little green thing that keeps it together.

Start with the top and bottom of your styrofoam ball and press a flower into the styrofoam. Press really hard so the little stump leaves an impression in the foam. After you make your hole, continue all the way around the ball making evenly spaced holes. On the little balls I had one on the top and bottom and four around the middle... Like a pair of dice.

After you have your ball "scored" with flower stem holes, start at the top and fill the hole with hot glue. Let it sit and sizzle for a second so it melts the foam a little. After you see it start to sink and melt the foam, press your flower in as hard as you can, taking care not to burn your fingers. You want the green part to be as flat and close to the surface of the ball as you can get it.

Here is a picture of the smooth foam ball. This is a denser foam so if you are using smooth foam you will want to use high heat if you have a dual temp gun and let the glue melt the foam a little longer before pressing your stem in. You may even add extra glue after it melts away a bit of the foam.

Continue gluing until your ball is completely covered in flowers!

Then cut a length of ribbon - mine was about 40" so I could tie a loop with a bow and have it dangle about 18". I cut the ribbons for my other two pomander balls at different lengths. The longest one was about 50" when I cut it and it dangles at about 2 feet. Tie a ribbon and then decide where on the ribbon you want the bow to dangle. Find the exact center of the bottom and pin it a couple inches above the bottom so it won't shift.

Find a spot on your ball that looks a little naked or bare, or if it is all full and perfect, just decide where you want to put your ribbon. Hot glue the ribbon down. I used an ink pen to press the ribbon really tightly against the glue without burning my fingers. Remove the pin and let the glue fully dry and then you are done.

Here is a picture of the pomander balls and Lorelei's changing station after the sun went down. Much easier to capture a picture without the glare from the sun!

I made all three of these pomander flower balls for under $6!

Lorelei's Nursery Makeover: Ombre Rosette Pillow Tutorial

2013-04-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous pillow is my absolute favorite thing I have made for Lorelei's room so far. And that is a big statement because so far, I have made EVERYTHING in her room.

In case you are wondering, no, I don't get any sleep! ;)

The inspiration for this pillow came from the ever popular ombre effect. It has been "in style" for a few years now, but I really haven't incorporated it into my life yet. This was my opportunity. When I started redoing Lorelei's room, I knew I didn't want to get locked into just one pink or just one pattern or texture. I wanted to have a large range of shades of pink, as well as various black and white patterns and textures. I figured this way, I didn't have to pass up on things I loved because they wouldn't match her room. It also gave me more freedom to be creative and allows her room to change as her tastes change.

Three of her walls are white, and one is pink. Most of her decor is black and white, with just a few touches of pink and silver. I made over an old rocking chair in black and white with pink tacks. I just needed a bigger splash of pink in her room. Nothing too over the top, but something that would draw the eye and be a "WOW!" piece. I also needed a pillow. Her rocking chair is very low to the ground and has arms on it, and though the arms help me get up (because I am very tall and getting up out of a rocker that is as low as this one is not an easy thing!), Lorelei does bonk her head on them pretty often, so I knew I was going to need a pillow.

The other inspiration for this pillow came from one of the girliest frills known to man: the rosette. A couple years ago I posted a bracelet tutorial using a rosette. I have put rosettes on bibs, dresses, headbands, bracelets, picture frames, clips... You name it. I probably hot glued a rosette to it. So I combined my love of rosettes with my love of the color pink and the neccessity for a pillow/splash of pink in Lorelei's room and this is what I got.

It was pretty time consuming and used a lot of hot glue. I am making a second pillow using another idea I have about how to make this even better and then I will post those adjustments if my plans work.

Until then, here is exactly how I created my Ombre Rosette Pillow.

I started with four shades of pink fabric and one white. I had four of the five fabrics on hand and after placing them in order from lightest to darkest I decided I needed one more very pale pink fabric to help transition the white to pink. I used a satiny fabric. You could use cotton, linen, etc. This pillow would look good with any fabric you choose.

One of my pink fabrics is actually even lining fabric, which is like $1 a yd at most craft stores. I was nervouse that the lining fabric might melt or not look as good but it blends right in and I actually prefer the way it feels over the other four fabrics. If you used all lining fabric, you could make this whole pillow for under $2 before your pillow form.

For one 16" pillow you will need:
1/4 yd of each of your three center fabrics (starting at the middle of the rosette and working out)
1/3 yd of your next fabric working out
1/2 yd of your last fabric, which you will also use for the pillow backing
16" pillow form
lots of hot glue sticks
hot glue gun
pins

First cut out a 17.5" square from your darkest fabric. If you are using a different size pillow form you will have to make adjustments accordingly. I started with a 16" pillow form so I added 1.5". I planned on using a 1/2" seam allowance so the rest of my allowance was for shrinkage from the hot glue. Turns out my guess was pretty good because it shrank about quarter of an inch all around.

Cut your fabric into 3" strips. You will need only one 3" strip for the very center fabric, but you can eyeball the rest as your are gluing. I cut mine selvedge to selvedge, which left me with 60" strips since my fabric was 60" selvedge to selvedge.

See your lovely pile of fabric strips? Separate them by color, to make it easier on yourself, and arrange them in order with the lightest fabric closest to you.

Lay out your square base fabric and get your hot glue gun ready.

Starting with the lightest fabric, or the fabric you want in the center of your rosette, fold the raw edges in toward the center of your strip and then fold again so that your raw edges are tucked neatly away. Put a tiny dot of hot glue here to keep it shut as you start your rosette. As we glue and work out we will keep folding the raw edges in. If you want a frayed look, you can avoid tucking the raw edges in. Satin frays horribly so I didn't want to go for that look. It would have been a mess.

With the raw edges tucked and glued, loop the fabric around like you are going to make a knot.

Dont pull the center through but instead leave the end of the fabric at the back of the rosette.

Put a big dob of glue wherever you want to start your rosette on your pillow and glue your little starter rosette down. Be careful not to glue the rest of the fabric strip.

After it is set and not sliding around, start twisting your strip and winding around the rosette you have created. I twisted out ward because I liked the way it looked best.

It is easiest to twist the fabric how you want it about 6-8" out, lay it against the already glued down portion of your rosette to make sure it looks good, then lift it up (pinching the end so it doesn't untwist), squirt a thin bead of hot glue along the path it is going to go, then flatten it on top.

Keep your rosette rows as close together as your can so your base fabric doesn't show through. If you accidentally leave gaps, you should be able to put a small dot of hot glue there and smoosh your rosette fabric on top of it.

When you get to the end of your first color, glue the ends down and then move on to your next lightest color. I folded the raw edges of my second color in and glued the end down right on top of the tail of my first fabric. This was effective for hiding the raw edges and kept the transition smooth without allowing any of my base fabric to show through. Use this technique for each color transition.

This is a picture of how I kept my edges tucked. I would fold them in like this, then fold the strip in half and twist.

When you get through a strip and want to continue one with the same color, just meet the edges and press close together and continue gluing, like I did above.

Keep working your way out. I chose to transition colors after each color was a couple inches thick. The picture above is at the end of my second color, right before I transitioned to my third color.

When you get to the edges of the fabric and can no longer go in circles, glue all the way to the edge, then fold it back in the other direction (the direction you came from) and continue twisting and gluing. Make sure you keep going in a circle and stay as close to the rosette as your can.

When you are finished, trim any straggly pieces hanging over the edge of your base fabric.

When you are all finished with the front of your pillow, it is time to make the back. We are going to make an envelope style pillowcase which will be a quick and easy way to take it off for washing.

Cut one rectangle that is the same length as the front of your pillow is now (it may have shrank), and 6" wide. Cut the second rectangle to be exactly the same size as your pillow front.

Pin and press both rectangles with a one inch hem on one long edge.

A trick I have for getting perfect 1" hems is to use my clear ruler and cutting board as a guide. I slide my ruler 2 inches down from the top edge, then fold the top edge down and pin with my pins several inches apart. Then I slide my iron inbetween the pins and once they are mostly ironed down I remove the pins and continue ironing. Then fold that edge in again and press. You will have a perfect hem.

Sew a 3/4" allowance down each hem. Press.

Lay your pillow front face up and arrange your pillow backs on top of it. It doesn't matter which one is in front, you can decide which one you want to be in front on the outside of the finished pillow. Lay that one face down first, then lay the other one down on top of it. Line the over lapping edges up straight and pin them to the pillow front. It looks like my top square is crooked - it is. I was more concerned that the bottom piece (which will be the outer piece when sewn and flipped) is straight. I just wanted the bigger piece to match up on the bottom edge and corners and didn't care as much about it being straight at the top where it wouldn't be seen.

Pin the rest of the edges down, taking special care that the corners match up perfectly.

Sew 1/2" all around. Making sure to backstitch at the beginning and end.

Flip inside out and Voila! Gorgeous Ombre Rosette Pillowcase!

Stuff your pillow form inside and admire your handiwork.

I absolutely do not mind if you share this idea on your blog, just give me credit! After I created this beautiful work of art I searched to see if tutorials for one like this already existed and they don't, so sharing this idea forward is fantastic, just please make sure credit gets back to the original site - here!

Lorelei's Nursery Makeover: Wall Art - Simple Step to Making a Photo Mat to Match any Decor

2013-04-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to be posting tutorials that make up Lorelei's very first room of her own. This is such a big deal that, even though it is a very tiny room, I am packing it full of all of my best and girliest ideas. I am not ready to unveil the whole room yet, but I will give you sneak previews of different projects that I am featuring in her room. Feel free to draw inspiration for your own baby girl's nursery, or adapt a project to fit any room in your house.

This project for example, is a doozy. I mean seriously... It took me all of about.... an hour.... to complete.

And it looks just amazing!

But the best part is: it cost under $5 to make.

I am making a picture frame wall collage on one of the large blank walls in Lorelei's room. I decided I wanted most of the frames blank, a few will be bow holders, and I wanted a few pops of interest to stand out and catch your eye.

That is where this project comes in.

Do you notice that the photo mat here is not the standard ugly white that comes in every cheapo walmart frame?

Nope.

It is HOT PINK. And no, I didn't spend hours (minutes? days? years? I am awful with an exacto knife) cutting a precise and perfect photo mat from card stock, and I certainly didn't spend the $5 plus shipping to special order a costly colored one off of an online craft store (which, I might add, doesn't even carry pink!).

I used a few shots of spray paint I already had on hand.

Voila! Perfectly colored photo mat ready for my adorable prints of scrapbooking paper.

I cut them to size, popped them behind the mat, slid the mat into my $3 Wal-mart frame I spray painted black and then I marveled at my work.

I left the glass out because this is for a baby's nursery. I want her room to be completely child friendly and should one of the frames fall off the wall, I didn't want to risk broken glass. Plus glass is annoying to clean, and as long as I dust at least once every now and again, I won't have to worry about cleaning glass and leaving streaks and getting frustrated.

So there you have it. Now you have my super simple secret to making your own colored photo mat in under five minutes.

But in case you need further instructions, here is a picture tutorial.

First, I started with a cheap, $3 Wal-Mart picture frame. Any cheap frame will do. This is actually NOT the one I used, but I forgot to take a picture before I painted it, but I remembered to take a picture of this identical, but different sized frame before I painted it... So this is the picture you get. The difference here, however, is that not only is this frame 5x7, but it doesn't come with a photo mat, which is the most important part of the project. The photo mat in the frame I purchased had four photo slots. It was 8"x14" which made it perfect for the spot I was going to use it. It was a generic gold two tone color that just wasn't going to work in Lorelei's room, so I spray painted the frame black.

To do the painting, I simply removed the glass and photo mat, left the paper picture in there to protect the back of the frame (which was attached on one side, making it impossible to remove for spraying. I used Krylon Black spray paint and took it outside where I sprayed the whole thing with even sweeping strokes. I let it dry and moved on to the next step.

I took the photo mat and sprayed it with Krylon Mambo Pink spray paint. I was very careful as to not over saturate the mat. It is a paper product, so if it got too wet with paint it would warp and fall apart and I didn't want that. I let it dry after I was done painting it, but I was careful to not leave it on a surface where it would get wet, get stuck to anything that would damage it (like cardboard or paper), or have any unidentified flying objects float into the paint). Waiting for the mat to dry is really what took the longest out of the whole project.

While the mat was drying, I cut out pieces of patterned scrapbooking paper at dimensions just a little larger than the photo holes in the frame. I based my rectangles off of the dimensions named on the frame (2.5x3) and added about 1/4-1/2" on each side. Make sure you pay extra close attention to the long edges, as those will be over lapping. The short edges don't matter as much. I was also careful to line my papers up straight before cutting and to make sure they were oriented in the correct direction. I don't actually have a picture of this cutting step because, quite frankly, I figured you could handle this part. Since your frame will likely be a different size/shape from mine anyway, just follow the dimension listed for your photo mat and add a little bit extra all the way around. I do suggest using a cutting mat and ruler to get perfectly straight and square edged rectangles.

After my photo mat was dry and my rectangles were cut out, I flipped the photo mat over and laid it out on top of a plastic bag. Using Elmer's Craft Bond repositionable adhesive spray (which I have used in at least a half dozen projects lately!) I sprayed the back of the mat all over. I paid special attention to the thin parts separating the middle photos, but I covered the entire thing pretty efficiently.

Then I arranged my rectangles in a way that I thought would look good in the frame (which is actually not at all what is pictured below... I got brave at the last minute!) and carefully laid each one upside down over the photo openings. If you cut your paper straight to begin with, getting the rectangle perfectly straight will be a cinch. If you eyeballed it and cut it without a ruler, you may have to spend a little more time getting each rectangle super straight.

Gently press and smooth each one of your rectangles on to your photo mat. The adhesive will help you hold them in place so you can turn it over (being sure not to lay it down on your carpet or work surface) and make sure you like how it looks. Once you are sure it looks how you want it to look, use some clear tape in a couple spots to make sure nothing moves.

Open up your frame and, being careful not to spray the front of the frame, give the inside of the frame backing a good spray. This will help hold the photo mat in, further stabilize the scrapbook paper, and keep everything straight and perfect.

Take your finished photo mat, slide it into your frame, press it firmly onto the frame backing, and then close the frame. If you want to include your glass, make sure it is nice and clean and put it in your frame after pressing the photo mat onto the sticky back ground. Close the frame up, put on a wall or a shelf, and admire.

This project really is so simple and can be done with anything. Wedding photos, baby announcements, pieces of a love letter. Anything! And now, thanks to something you probably already have on hand (spray paint), you aren't locked in to boring white or neutral photo mat colors. So spray away, and enjoy your beautiful art work!

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup and Baked Tortilla Strips

2013-04-10T13:01:00.002-07:00

So I made a regular old Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup a couple of weeks ago, and it was good, but it doesn't hold a candle to this version. I first made this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup last summer when I was taking care of my family after their car accident and I wanted something that was quick and easy and I could put in the crock pot and not have to worry about while I was chasing toddlers and helping my grandparents... It was a huge success! Everyone loved it and even though I made a big pot full, it was all gone with zero leftovers, which never happens!

I have since made it probably 7 or 8 times and I have made it with a bunch of different variations... No matter what I have done to it, it has been delicious each and every time. I usually serve this up with a side of store bought tortilla chips if I am in a hurry. I am not, I make homemade tortilla chips or baked tortilla strips. Yesterday I made my own version of cool ranch doritos to eat with my leftovers and it was amazing together. The flavors really melded.

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 chicken breast
1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn or 1 can corn rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel works great too, but is usually in a smaller can), don't drain
1/2 packet Ranch dressing mix (or a few tablespoons homemade ranch dressing mix)
1 8oz block cream cheese
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Add all of the ingredients except the yogurt to your crock pot. Give a quick stir, but the block of cream cheese will make it difficult to stir too much - don't worry about that. Turn it on low, cover, and forget about it until about 30 minutes before you want to eat.

Shred the chicken (which shouldn't be hard because it will be super juicy. I just stuck my spoon in there and barely stirred it around and it fell apart into perfect shreds!) and add the Greek yogurt. Give it a good stir and let it continue cooking for 30 minutes or until you are ready to eat.

Meanwhile, prepare some Cool Ranch Tortilla Chips or these homemade baked tortilla strips to serve on top. I also like to serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocado when I have the time and ingredients, but it is so good, it doesn't need the fixings to taste amazing.

Baked Tortilla Strips

5 small white corn tortillas
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cut your tortillas in to 1 inch strips. I stacked my tortillas up, then cut the sides off to square them up a bit. I sliced once down the middle (so the rounded edges were on the top and bottom, uncut), then in one inch increments perpendicular to my middle cut. My result was a nice pile of little tortilla strips.

I arranged them on the baking sheet, sprayed with olive oil cooking spray (you can just brush the olive oil on if you don't want to cheat like me), and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Bake for about 5-6 minutes on each side, then serve with soup, dip, salsa, whatever you can dream up!

Homemade Cool Ranch Tortilla Chips and Homemade Ranch Mix Recipe

2013-04-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

So I don't like to admit this, but occasionally, I eat Doritos.

I KNOW. I know. They aren't exactly healthy... I mean... they are chips...

But they are SO good. And they taste really great with my Crockpot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, which I just so happened to be having for lunch yesterday. I didn't have any of the bagged stuff, so I decided I needed to make my own in a hurry.

Honestly the recipe I am about to give you ISN'T exactly healthy either... (though you can bake them instead of fry them like I did... I was in a hurry and wanted them that exact moment so frying was quicker... and tastier)... but you can control everything that goes in them, and you can pronounce everything that goes in them, which is a total win. There are some other cool ranch dorito copy cat recipes out there that are closer to the actual dorito, but they use processed cheese powder and I wanted something that was made from seasonings in my cabinet and stuff I actually know... I have no idea what is actually in that powdery cheese stuff.... so I didn't even think about it being a component of ranch doritos until after I made mine and looked some recipes up. I am sure they taste great, but for what I was going for, I think I hit the nail on the head.

You can do this the easy way and use a packet of ranch dressing mix from the store, or if you really want to make it from scratch (and cut out even more preservatives and stuff we can't pronounce) you can mix up a small jar of homemade ranch mix. The rest is stuff you probably have on hand and can mix up in a jiffy. You can even mix the seasoning in a large batch to have ready any time you want some cool ranch chips.

Homemade Ranch Mix

1/4 c. milk powder/powdered buttermilk (like what you use in biscuit mix)
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dill weed
2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dried chives
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Pulse all the ingredients in your magic bullet (just once or twice should do it), or a blender or food processor. Just pulse until blended. Transfer to a glass jar or clean empty seasoning bottle and use in place of the commercial ranch dressing mix in your regular recipes.

Or use in the recipe below. :)

Homemade Cool Ranch Tortilla Chips

4 large burrito size white flour tortillas (or any type of tortilla you prefer)
oil for frying
3 tablespoons homemade ranch mix (or a packet of the store bought stuff)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
a little salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tortillas into wedges. I stack mine up on my cutting board and use my pizza cutter to cut 8 equal wedges.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, or if you have a deep fryer, heat that up. If you are using a frying pan, make the oil about 1" thick. We use a large covered cast iron cooker that we keep oil in all the time. When we are done frying, we just put the lid on it and put it on the back of the stove. That way we can have delicious greasy fried food any time we want.... (Hey! We can't ALWAYS be healthy!).

While the oil is getting hot, add the remaining ingredients to a small bowl.

Mix really well

Add the tortilla wedges to the hot oil and fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. You really have to watch them because they go from beige to brown in seconds. See the picture on the left they are still a little light, then in the picture on the right they are almost perfect. Don't forget to flip them!

Remove from the oil to drain on paper towels.

While chips are still hot and oily, sprinkle seasoning mix evenly over them. You can add to a bowl and lightly toss, or just sprinkle over the top like I did. I had a little mix left over after my chips because I only fried up 2 tortillas, but you can make as many or as few as you want, and you can make them as seasoned as you desire.

I hope you enjoy your homemade cool ranch tortilla chips! I had mine with my lunch - leftover Crockpot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup!

Broccoli Cheese Breakfast Cups

2013-04-07T12:36:00.004-07:00

One of my all time favorite comfort foods is broccoli cheese soup from Panera... Oh. my. deliciousness... I actually made a giant batch of broccoli cheese soup a few weeks ago and it was a huge hit. I should have made a batch of bread bowls to go with it, but I was pressed for time and didn't get it done, but I definitely will post my soup recipe soon.

So you are probably wondering what Broccoli Cheese Soup has to do with breakfast... Quite simply, it was my inspiration for this tasty all in one breakfast treat. I have been making "egg cup" breakfasts for a while now: simple, quick, delicious, and a great way to sneak bits of leftover veggies or meat into breakfast. Vegetables don't normally fit in on the breakfast table, so this is a great way to squeeze another serving in to your family's diet.

These tasty little breakfast cups also have sausage in them, but the sausage could easily be substituted with ham, bacon, even some chopped up sirloin from the night before. Like I said: a great way to use up leftovers!

I have also made a meatless version of these and they were wonderful. And to accommodate my very picky grandmother, I have even made a cheeseless version and those were just as tasty! In fact, she said that it is the best thing I have EVER made for her (I took care of her and my grandfather for 8 months and did a large majority of the cooking, so that is saying something kind of huge!).

Well I hope you like these as much as my family does. I made them this morning and Landon ate FOUR of them by himself. For comparison... I only had two. Ha! And the first time I cooked my boyfriend breakfast, this is what I served... It was a huge success!

Broccoli Cheese Breakfast Cups

1/2 lb mild or spicy breakfast sausage (I used mild this morning. I have also cooked links and chopped them up in the past)
2 large heads broccoli (you will only be using the florets so if your grocer sells just the heads like mine does, buy those so you aren't paying for the stalks)
8 oz cheddar cheese cut into 1/2 inch chunks
8 eggs
milk
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 12 muffin cups. They stick pretty badly no matter how well you grease the cups, so liners are preferable... but I didn't have any on hand.

Cook the breakfast sausage until cooked through, and then chop into bite sized pieces. Distribute among the 12 muffin cups.

Chop the broccoli while the sausage is cooking. Cut into tiny florets, discarding pretty much the entire stalk. You can save it for other recipes that use the whole stalk, like soups and casseroles, but for this, we just want the florets.

Cook the broccoli florets in the grease from the sausage, adding a little bit of olive oil to the pan, and adding more as needed. The florets soak the grease up pretty quickly, so be sure not to let the pan get too dry. You could also add some diced onion or garlic here, but I kept it quick and simple and skipped those ingredients this time.

While the broccoli is sauteing, crack 8 eggs into a large measuring cup. Whisk with a fork until well blended. Salt and pepper the mixture, then add enough milk to equal 2 1/2 cups. Since most large eggs equal about 1/4 cup, you will be adding close to 1/2 cup milk, but just in case your eggs don't equal exactly 2 cups, use the milk to make up the difference. Whisk until well incorporated.

Divide the cooked broccoli and chopped cheese evenly among the 12 cups.

Carefully pour the egg mixture into each muffin cup. It should reach just below the top of each cup.

Bake at 375 for 18 minutes or until the egg whites are just set.

Run a butter knife around each egg cup right after pulling out of the oven. This will make them easier to remove from the pan. Let sit for a couple minutes before serving, then serve warm.

Enjoy!

A Whole New Life... and a Big Fat Excuse...

2013-04-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hi there...

Remember me?

Yeah...

I know.

I did it again.

I dropped off the face of the earth for an extended period of time...

And well, let's face it, with me, that usually means something HUGE happened.

Because that is just how my life goes.

So maybe you have already noticed a change or two... If you did, well then you deserve a cookie because tonight is the first time I sat down in front of my blog since the very last post I wrote.

You see, if you remember correctly, on June 9, 2012, my parents and grandparents were involved in a horrific car accident that changed their lives, and mine, forever. It has been almost 10 months and they are still not all healed and back to their original selves, and probably never will be.

Well, as if that wasn't enough to take me away from the blogging world for a while, four days after that horrific day, my husband of 4.5 years called me to ask me for a divorce.

Yes.

I finally said it.

I finally wrote the ugly word that I have been avoiding writing to all of you people who don't even see me in my day to day life, because honestly, I didn't know how to say it. I didn't know how to come to a place that I had created for myself and others in the name of Navy wives and housewives everywhere and say that my husband left me.

I couldn't face it.

But I can now. For a lot of reasons.

I mean let's face it... it has almost been a year. I am officially divorced, living in a new state, living a beautiful new life surrounded by people who love me and bring out the absolute best in me as a mother, friend, and person, and I am not ashamed of that.

What more could a person want?

I am not ashamed of being divorced. I think it took a lot of soul searching, contemplating, and meditating to arrive to this conclusion, but I realize now that I can't hide pieces of my life because I am afraid of what others might think. I hid from one of the few things in my world that made perfect sense to me: writing and sharing my passions with people who genuinely want to read what I have to say. I mean, honestly, if you are still reading this, that is pretty amazing (because I am seriously rambling) and I hid from this perfect thing in my life simply because I was terrified to admit to perfect strangers that I am one of the many thousands of women who has been left by a man.

But there is so much more to it than that! I didn't break or fall apart... I didn't give up and run crying into the night! I put one foot in front of the other, like I have through every tough thing I have faced, and I made it. I signed a piece of paper that I SWORE I would never sign (because until I found myself in the position, I truly did not believe in divorce) and I put the pieces of myself back together, taped my heart up, dusted it off, and kept living.

And guess what?

Life got BETTER.

Better than it had been in years.

Which was kind of a wake up call.

And it made me realize, how many women are out there feeling abandoned, lost, scared, cheated, scarred, or unloved because they were left by someone they had given everything for? How many women could read my words and feel like they weren't alone. Feel hope. Realize that it does get better...

After all, that is what this so called cooking blog turned in to anyway, right? A way for me to try and connect with those dealing with unspeakable, difficult, tragic life experiences.

So why would I run from that?

Well I am done running.

So that was my excuse. That is why I was absent for so long.

And once again, I apologize. I have promised before to be a "better blogger"... but I am not going to promise that anymore.

I don't promise I will post every day or once a week or anything like that. And I also don't promise that I won't post five times in one day just because I feel like it.

I will promise that I won't run from you guys any more. I promise that I will try and share some of the bits of awesome from my "new" life (including: sustainable living, home gardening, a complete little girl's room makeover, tons of handmade children's clothes, home based learning opportunities for toddlers, cloth diapering, baby wearing, baby led weaning, and a lot of good cooking) with you when I can. I promise that I will be focusing some personal and public time on spreading awareness about Leila's Resolution and premature birth awareness and prevention. That is a personal promise to myself that I will share with you in the future.... I promise. ;)

So I hope that sums it all up. :)

What topics are you looking forward to from the NEW Virginia?

Benefit Auction for a Family in Need

2012-06-16T11:45:00.003-07:00

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, my father Richard Teubner, mother Edie Teubner, and grandparents 96 year old Glen "Ahda" Harding, and 86 year old Mary "Nana" Harding, were driving to Kansas City when a pick up truck heading the opposite direction pulled in front of them. My Dad tried to stop their van but couldn't and they collided head on on into the truck. They all suffered severe injuries. Richard's left arm was broken, and his right ankle was shattered and after an initial 4 hour surgery to fix it, he was transferred to a better equipped hospital and will require further surgeries. Mary's wrist was broken and will require surgery. She also suffered fractures to her spine and damage to her knee, along with severe cuts to her face. Edie was thrown into the windshield and suffered some severe facial cuts and will require plastic surgery. She lost a lot of blood and had to receive two units of blood. Glen received the greatest injuries: two broken legs and a broken cheek bone. He is currently awaiting surgery to repair his left leg. Though most 96 year old would be devastated by these injuries, Glen is keeping his spirits high by telling jokes and old basketball stories - just like he always does!

Thankfully it seems that everyone will be okay and no injuries are life threatening, but they all have a long road ahead of them. The real battle will begin when they are released from the hospital, as these four individuals rely on each other as their support and care network. I am going to be moving home to help them on the road to recovery, but with two small children of my own, and now four injured adults to care for, I will need a lot of help, support, and understanding.

To help them with their recovery when they return home, they will need things like cleaning and laundry service, groceries, and gas to transport them to and from therapy and doctor appointments, along with many unforeseen expenses that won't be covered by insurance.

A wonderful woman at Stitches N Hooks has arrange a benefit auction to raise money for these things. If you would like to help, feel free to browse the auction and find something you would like. All proceeds go to help with the things mentioned above.

Go HERE to see the auction items.

Go HERE to check out Stitches N Hooks on Facebook.

Thank you.

Refrigerator Pickles

2012-06-10T16:49:00.004-07:00

My husband loves pickles.

I mean he LOVES pickles.

When I was pregnant with Leila, I went to the store once and ended up buying 3 jars of pickles... I couldn't decide which kind I was craving so I bought 3 different kinds...

I thought I was bad.

My husband goes through about 3 jars of pickles A WEEK!

So naturally when we were at the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago, he bought a bunch of nice big cucumbers and asked me to make him homemade pickles. Of course I said yes.

And then I went to work to find a recipe that I could make without having to go through the process of canning.

I finally found a recipe I liked on McCormick's website. I tweaked it a bit to fit our tastes and what we had on hand, but ultimately it turned out beautifully and I couldn't be happier with the end result: a crunchy, crisp, delicious pickle with just the right amount of sour and sweet!

I made four variations that I will tell you how to make: dill spears, zesty dill spears, bread and butter chips, and garlic dill "chunks".

First you need to select your cucumbers. I ended up with about 5 or 6 nice sized pickling cucumbers. The color was a medium green - not the super dark green of the standard store bought cucumbers, but not the creamy pale color of some market cucumbers. I went for something in between. I also made sure to select cucumbers free of any blemishes or bruises. You want nice, fresh, crisp cucumbers. The fresher the cucumber, the crisper the pickle.

And no one likes a mushy pickle.

To prepare the cucumbers for pickling, slice the ends off of each cuke. You dont need to take much off, just enough to remove the stem.

Then slice the cucumber however you prefer. I ended up with 4 jars - 1 quart size jar of spears, 1 pint size jar of spears, 1 pint size jar of bread and butter chips, and a half pint size jar of the leftover chunks from what I cut off of the spears to make them fit in the pint size jar.

For the spears I simply cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 3 pieces. You would naturally think it would be two or four, but after much deliberation I determined 3 to be the perfect size for the spears.

For the bread and butter chips I used my Pampered Chef Mandoline Slicer. I used the blade that makes krinkle cuts... I LOVE that blade... It is perfect for making Microwave Potato Chips, cutting veggies in an exciting shape for kids, or for preparing your pickles like I did. It makes them the absolute perfect thickness.

After you have prepared your cucumbers, toss them in a bowl and sprinkle with turmeric. I used about a teaspoon per bowl. Then cover the cucumbers with the hottest tap water you can get. You can boil the water and do it that way, but I like immediate gratification, so I went with super hot tap water.

Let them sit until the water has completely cooled off, and then let it sit longer... about 2 hours. Drain them completely then rinse with cold water and drain again. Repeat this rinsing and draining a couple of times.

In the bottom of 3-4 sterilized pint size mason jars, sprinkle mustard seed, dill weed, and other herbs to your preference. I ended up with the following:

Dill Spears: 1 tbsp dried dill weed, 1 tbsp mustard seed (whole)
Zesty Dill spears: 1 tbsp dried dill weed, 1-2 tsp mustard seed (whole), 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Garlic Dill chunks: 1 tbsp dried dill weed, 1-2 tsp mustard seed (whole), 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 teaspoon McCormick's pickling spice
Bread and Butter Chips: 1 tsp McCormick's pickling spice, 1 tbsp mustard seed (whole)

Then pack your prepared cucumbers into the jars. I jammed mine in there nice and tight. It was like a puzzle trying to get all the spears to fit in there! For the pint size jar of spears, I used one as a guide for how tall they could be and cut the rest accordingly. Then I tossed the little chunks into a half pint jar and made those into my Garlic Dill chunks.

The bread and butter chips have a pickling solution that contains more sugar. This is what gives it the sweet and sour bite. The dill pickles have less sugar so the vinegar shines through and gives it a sharper bite. I started out with the same solution for all four jars, the dill solution, then I poured the mixture into the three dill jars and returned the remainder to the stove with some more sugar. You can do it that way, or you can use two different pots.

FOR DILL: Bring 3 1/2 cups white vinegar to a boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons white sugar and 2 tablespoons salt. I used iodized sea salt (I think I am in love!).

Once the sugar and salt has completely dissolved, pour into the jars, leaving about 1/4 inch head space. This is what the "official instructions said, but to be honest, I just poured mine up to the bottom of where the threads start. It worked out perfectly between all four jars. You can always go back and distribute leftovers at the end.

FOR BREAD AND BUTTER: Place 2 cups each of white vinegar and white sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes, stirring to ensure that all the sugar is completely dissolved.

Remove from heat and pour into the prepared jars.

Let the pickles stand in their jars, uncovered, until cooled to room temperature. Then screw on the lids and refrigerate. You will have to check them every couple of days and shake them to distribute all the yummy seasonings. I tried one of my pickles right away and it was already "pickle-y" and delicious!

Enjoy!

My Rainbow of Hope: Lorelei Marie Decker

2012-06-06T16:18:00.001-07:00

17 months ago I went through something no parent should ever have to go through: my baby girl took her last breaths in my arms.

The months that followed were bleak. Some days I didn't even want to get out of bed, but with the support of a loving husband and incredible son, I was able to put the pieces back together.

Then on July 15, the day before what would have been Leila's six month birthday, I got a positive pregnancy test. I took several more... staring at the line get darker and darker... My heart swelled and broke at the same time.

Leila was going to be a big sister, but she wouldn't get to partake in all the wonderful things a big sister should do. There were a million negative things I could focus on...

But instead I chose to focus on the positive in front of me. The very literal positive, staring up at me, telling me that Donovan and I were getting our Rainbow after the storm.

My pregnancy was not easy: as those of you who followed my story know, I had many ups and downs, including a 5 week stay in the hospital, later a false alarm that put me back in the hospital for 3 days, horrible all day sickness, not to mention surgery at 13 weeks, a cross country trip at 15 weeks, a deployed husband, and an active toddler to look after.

The odds were stacked against me for sure, but my entire pregnancy I felt a sort of presence. A feeling deep inside that told me everything would be okay.

And wouldn't you know? It was.

Absolutely perfect.

On March 5, 2012, at 9:51am, I saw my beautiful Lorelei for the first time. I can't even describe to you how perfect she was/is. The held her up to me, pulled down the curtain so I could take a peek, and there she was. Chubby cheeks, thick black hair, and eyes wide open. She didn't cry. She just took everything in.

She has been like that since. She very rarely cries. She is too busy observing her environment. She loves when I make faces at her, when he brother sings her some remixed nursery songs (did you know that "Rock-a-bye Baby" has a hot dog in it?), and even when the cats come over to check her out.

She is the happiest baby I have ever met. And I love her with all of my heart.

I can't help but realize that Lorelei is here because her sister is not. Had Leila lived, we would not have even considered getting pregnant so soon. We would have been focused on the vast health issues we would have to overcome together. Or had she waited until her due date (mid May) to be born, it would have been for too early to even attempt to get pregnant. Lorelei is here for a reason. Of that, I am sure.

I won't deny that I think it is unfair. Unfair that one baby has to leave this Earth in order for another to be created... at least in our case. But I have come to a point where I can't question the plan anymore. I have to live it. I have to let something bigger than me guide me.

Because if I stop long enough to question it, I probably won't like the answer. Or even understand it.

But I know there has to be a plan. I look at Lorelei and I know. We are here for a reason.

And I can't wait to find out what that reason is.

How to Entertain Your Preschooler: Noodles and String

2012-05-25T16:59:00.005-07:00

Yes, you read it right! The second post in the "How to Entertain Your Preschooler" series involves TWO key things...

Noodles and String.

Remarkably simple, yet again... But still wildly fabulous.

This idea was born slightly out of desperation, and slightly out of a weird grade school flashback...

Landon had already played with the Bean Bucket for a couple of hours, played with trains, eaten lunch, played with blocks, had a snack... Basically he had done it all and still wanted more! So I ran to the pantry, rummaged around, saw some lonely pasta hanging out and a light bulb went off! Remember all of the zany art projects we were all subjected to as grade schoolers? Like gluing pasta on paper plates, making noodle necklaces, and even rolling penne in glue and glitter? I do!

I took another tupperware style tub just like in the Bean Bucket tutorial (these things are GREAT for easy, portable activities that you can clean up and store in a snap) and dumped in a half empty box of penne I had on the shelf. Then I cut two long pieces of cotton cord and knotted one end of each string.

You can leave it at that, or you can dip the end of the string into candle wax to make it easier to push through the noodles. I had some Scentsy warming on the counter so I just dipped the tip in about an inch, set it in the freezer to harden completely, and then put it in the tub with the noodles.

Then I placed the whole thing in front of Landon, showed him ONCE how to do it, and he was off. Creating noodle necklaces, noodle trains, noodles worms....

It is amazing how the mind of a 3 year old can work, right? Mind you these were all pretty much identical since I haven't yet dyed the noodles (COMING SOON!!!), and because I only had penne on hand. Since dried pasta is only a buck or two a box, I plan on picking up some more the next time I head to the store. Different shapes and sizes will be more interesting and also provide an opportunity to sort, compare relationships of size, and talks about differences.

Isn't learning fun?