My Twin-rific life!

Deck the Halls...

2011-11-16T14:46:00.000-06:00

It's been over a week since my last post as we've been very busy with some personal family matters. To keep my mind off things I've been listening to Pandora's Peaceful Holidays station. This really got me itching to decorate for Christmas.

Here's what I've been up to:

For my kitchen window, I took an old birch tree stick, some velvet ribbon and some ornaments and made a Christmas-y window treatment.


Until we get that faux fireplace figured out, I've decided to just pretend that this area already has a mantel.

While we are on the subject of Christmas, do your kids believe in Santa? At what age did they stop believing/you told them the truth? How did you break the news?

Reindeer Hairclip Tutorial - super easy!

2011-11-08T17:03:00.000-06:00

Pretty self explanatory here. :) Make antlers from brown ribbon and hot glue.


Make a loop with tan/light brown ribbon and hot glue. Attach antlers to clip first, then attach head to clip.

Make a small loop with red ribbon and hot glue.

Attach nose and some googly eyes.

How to make the Christmas tree clip you see on Pinterest

2011-11-08T15:00:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Lighter (or Fray Check), scissors, hairclip, yellow, green & brown ribbon, hot glue gun.
Cut the green ribbon as shown. 2 shorter strips (about 1 1/2"), 2 medium strips (about 2") and 2 long strips (about 2 1/2")
Cut a 2 1/2" strip (or thereabout) of yellow ribbon.
Cut and glue the brown ribbon to cover the side and top of clip. The brown is the tree trunk.

With a teeny dab of hot glue, secure the ends of each ribbon together as shown. It will look like a teardrop.

Glue each "teardrop" to it's mate as shown.

Starting with the larger loops, attach with glue to he middle of the clip. Then, glue the middle loops slightly above the larger loops and finally, the smallest loops slightly above the middle loops.

Tie a small bow with the yellow ribbon and secure with hot glue to the top of your "tree".

Wall Art for less than $1

2011-11-08T14:48:00.000-06:00

I've been slowly, but surely, getting the big girl's room decorated. It would happen a lot quicker if I had an infinite amount of money to spend at PBKids but what's the fun in that?

I made these cute canvas-looking pieces out of items I had around the house plus some 99¢ chipboard letters.

Add caption


Started with some scrap scrapbooking paper, small shoebox lids and a glue stick.

I glued the lid, top down, to the back side of the paper. Then, I started folding in the sides, snipping at the corners with scissors, and gluing to the inside of the lid. Repeating that process on both long sides, then on both short sides.


Folding the "wings" down and gluing into place. (I had to use hot glue for a more secure hold).


Finished and ready for decorating!

I purchased some small chipboard letters at Hobby Lobby and used an old denim iron-on patch I had found with my sewing notions to add texture to the letters. Then, I used hot glue to secure the letters to the "canvas".

I've really got to get started on the twin's room.

Christmas Wreath

2011-11-08T05:27:00.000-06:00

Another inspiration from Pinterest. (I'm completely hooked on that site!) I made this wreath for our front door for less than $5. Because of the kids, I've retired all our glass ornaments in exchange for safer ones. They've been sitting in the Christmas box for years just waiting to be put to good use again. That's when I stumbled upon this gem on Pinterest.

Using a coat hanger, our old glass ornaments and some velvet ribbon I got at Hobby Lobby for 50% off (90y for $4.49) I made this pretty wreath in about 10 minutes.

How to make that turkey clip you see on Pinterest.

2011-11-07T15:03:00.000-06:00

My homemade turkey clip.

Have you seen these adorable turkey hair clips on Pinterest? This is how I made some myself:

First, I hotglued some orange ribbon to cover the clip. Then, I attached a yellow loop with hot glue.

Next, a red ribbon figure eight.

Then, a green ribbon figure eight.

To get the right size, I used a Sharpee marker and made wrapped brown ribbon around it 3 times. Securing each end with a small amount of hot glue. Be careful not to glue your ribbon TO the marker. Only glue the ribbon to itself. This way it will slide right off.

Attach the "head" you made with the Sharpee to the clip. Leave room for the body! Repeat the same thing for the body but you want the loops to be slightly larger. I, carefully, did these by hand using my fingers.


Attach the "body" to the clip. Then, a teeny piece of red attached to the face makes the little gobbler thing. An even smaller triangle cut from orange ribbon makes a beak.

Don't forget to seal your cut ends with a lighter or Fray Check. (I use the lighter method.)

A blank slate - need your help!

2011-11-03T08:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I really did it. I mean really, really did it. I was tired of looking at this old, unused piano. I knew that it was too heavy for me to move myself. Even too heavy for my husband and I to move it. So I did what any warrior woman on a mission would do.

I took it apart, piece by piece, until all of it was outside. HA! Was my husband surprised, or what!

But now I have a fresh blank wall ready for something - something fresh and new. I'm thinking of a faux fireplace like some of these here, but I am open to other ideas. What do you think?

And just like that, Halloween is over!

2011-11-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! We have a double curse when it comes to Halloween. We live on a busy street AND our neighbors are generally older and don't participate in passing out candy. Still, year after year, Hub and I buy tons of candy in hopes that many goblins pay us a visit. This year we had a total of 7. 4 of which were much too old to be trick-or-treating, but they were in costume... which actually made me more afraid they were going to stick us up for all our loot!

Pardon my need to keep some sort of privacy. ;)

We had a nice weenie & marshmallow roast on our front porch after the twins went to sleep. This was the first year we've done that... and we had so much fun with it I think we've just started a new tradition!

My mind has been a little preoccupied these past few days, but that hasn't stopped me from making mental to-do craft lists! I just haven't had the time or energy to sit down and actually do them. Soon, though.

Goodbye Tacky Mini-blinds!

2011-10-29T19:34:00.001-05:00

Our home's previous owners left us, so kindly, all the mini-blinds. They've certainly "done the trick" for us these past few years, but I can't stand them. It doesn't help that the twins have all but completely destroyed them.

Enough was enough! Yesterday, while I was perusing the Rustoleum spray paint selection at Home Depot for this project, I saw some Rustoleum Window Frosting spray. A-ha!

First, we had to clean the window. Once dry, we taped a 1" border using masking tape and taped around the outside of the window to protect it from over-spray.

After 3 coats - about 1/2 the can.

I'll have to admit, I was very worried with how it would turn out. But, I worried for nothing because it turned out amazing!

Carefully removed the tape, stepped inside to see how it turned out. LOVE!

Loved it so much that we did the same with the beveled glass on the front door. This way, we were able to remove the mini-blinds and let some light in while still getting the privacy we need.

We are thrilled with the way it turned out and have now incorporated using this spray again on the basement windows.

Table Transformation

2011-10-28T14:57:00.001-05:00

I love my house - but if there was one thing I can't stand about it, it would be the monochromatic color scheme. Beige carpet, beige couches, brown furniture, brown drapes and taupe walls. GAG.

Yesterday, I gave this brass lamp a makeover which inspired me to do something about the drab table.

In the background you can see our guesthouse... which really deserves its own blog.

On my way home from taking the twins for some blood work, I stopped by Home Depot and perused the Rustoleum spray paint selection looking for the perfect "happy" shade.

While the twins were napping, I gave it two coats of "Lagoon", let it dry, then roughed it up with some sandpaper. I love the varying colors, from the new "Lagoon" to the dark brown and then the light original wood peeking through at spots.

I am loving this color! Now, what to paint next??

Lamp Gets a Facelift

2011-10-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

This is a brass lamp my mother had given me a few years ago. (My mom has a lamp fetish and has tons of them. I don't think I've ever actually purchased a lamp. Ever.) To be terribly honest, I can't stand brass (Sorry, mom!) and today I decided to finally do something about it. I spray painted the lamp a "hammered steel" gray from Rustoleum.

Using ONLY what I had on hand (because, well, I'm ~~cheap~~ resourceful!) I made a lampshade. I took cardstock, taped end-to-end, and hot-glued around the base of the existing lampshade.

Here it is with the cardstock hot-glued around the bottom of the existing shade. Now, to snazz it up.

This step took FOREVER. Using coffee filters, I hot-glued them in a brick-laying pattern covering the entire shade.

Several hours, and a few diaper changes for the twins, later.

Here it is in our living room. I think it looks great! Now, I've got it on my to-do list to repaint that awfully drab looking table. Teal, maybe?

Busy Mom's Loaded Mashed Potatoes

2011-10-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

Tonight is parent-teacher conferences at school and thank God for incredible relatives that are ~~able~~ willing to come sit with our littles so that we both are able to go up to the school. Tonight, my dear mother-in-law is headed over and will also be joining us for supper.

My secret-rub-recipe pork loin has been slow-cooking at 200 since 11:00am and I've got a spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette ready-to-go. I just needed something else... something starchy.

My husband LOVES loaded mashed potatoes and I have never made any. For my first attempt, these came out incredible! Now, I've just got to figure out how to stay out of them until supper time!

     Ingredients:
     10 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and quartered. (I leave the peel on).
     1C bacon bits
     3/4 C butter
     1/2 C onion & chive cream cheese
     2T plain cream cheese
     2T minced garlic
     1/4C milk
     salt
     pepper

1. Boil potatoes in a large stock pot of moderately salted water for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Using a mixer, mix potatoes on a medium setting for about 2 minutes or until about 1/2 way smooth.

Check out the steam coming up from the potatoes!

3. Add butter, cream cheeses, garlic and milk. Mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes or until smooth.

4. Add bacon bits and pepper. Mix on low setting to combine.

This made a LOT and holy moly, is it good!. I plan on using the leftovers for a shepherd's pie for another night's supper.

Organizing Hair Bows...

2011-10-25T14:16:00.001-05:00

Life with 4 girly girls in the house means that we are drowning in hair bows. Up until today, I've kept all the bows in a clear tupperware container in my bedroom. (Yes, in my BEDROOM!). In an effort to de-kid our bedroom, and somehow organize this hair bow clutter, I made this...

Now, not only are the bows displayed in a way that we can actually see what we have. But, most importantly, this stuff is in the kids' room where it belongs.

Give Thanks, Pilgrims and Indians

2011-10-25T10:18:00.000-05:00

Autumn hued cardstock, hot glue, raffia and items picked up from the park.
(corn kernels, feathers, hay, sticks, dried grass). I traced the letters in glue and allowed the kids to decorate them using the supplies we gathered outside.

Halloween isn't even here yet and I've already turned my goblins into pilgrims and Indians.

Busy Mom's Easy & Delicious Cabbage Rolls

2011-10-24T12:28:00.001-05:00

     Ingredients
     1lb lean ground beef , uncooked
     1 head cabbage
     1 cup of uncooked rice
     2 cups of water
     2 eggs, beaten
     1/4 cup dry minced onion
     1 teaspoon pepper
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1/4 cup of milk (I use almond milk)
     1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
     1 cup of brown sugar
     1/4 cup of lemon juice
     2T Worcestershire sauce

1. Bring a large stockpot of water to boil then remove from heat. CAREFULLY place the entire head of cabbage in the water and let stand for a few minutes.

2. With tongs, carefully peel up each leaf of cabbage and place aside on a plate.


Try not to tear the leaves, but if you do, it's OK. Simply use two leaves to wrap each roll.

The leaves separated on a plate and the core/leftovers on the right.

3. In a medium saucepan, cook the rice according to the rice directions and transfer to large mixing bowl.
4. Add to the bowl the 2 eggs, ground beef, minced onion, milk, salt and pepper. Using clean hands, mix well and set aside.
5. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the jar of spaghetti sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and set aside. Spray your deep casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

6. Spread 3-4 spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish.
7. Using a clean surface and clean hands, start rolling your cabbage rolls! (see pic)

8. Spoon sauce over each of the rolls.

9. With remaining cabbage leaves, cover rolls. Then, pour remaining sauce over the top.

10. Cook uncovered at 350° for 1 hour.

Upcycled shelf

2011-10-22T18:04:00.000-05:00

We've just adopted a 4 year old retired racer and in an effort to prepare our home for his arrival we had to figure out a way to raise his food dish. There's no way I'd pay retail for a food stand.

We found this old piece of shelving (from the 60's, maybe?) in the coal chamber of our basement.

We cleaned it with vinegar/water solution and sanded it down. (And by "we", I totally mean my amazing husband that always goes along with my crazy ideas).

Measured to make sure the large 8" bowls would fit. *whew* It was close. 11/2" on each side to spare.

My husband cut and sanded the holes for Cooper's food and water dish on the top shelf. And then repeated the measuring, cut and sanding on the bottom shelf for the smaller dishes for our chihuahua.

We primed it, painted it and then *knock knock*... he was HOME! We still need to do a 2nd coat of paint... and I have an idea to fancy it up a bit. ;) So stay tuned!

Homemade dog bed saves $189

2011-10-20T15:08:00.000-05:00

$189, the cost of an extra-large, down alternative-filled dog bed from L.L.Bean. Sure, I probably could have gotten his name embroidered on it somehow.

Tomorrow our boy, a 4 year old, retired racer, comes to his forever home... HERE!

We've been making him a stand for his dog food. Once it's finished, I'll post about it. While the kids napped today, I found an old, worn-out, haven't been used in years, down-alternative comforter. Perfect!

The twins are "helping" me fold it up.

Finished and ready!

First, I folded the Queen-sized comforter in half and sewed, carefully, a 1" seem along all 4 edges. This left me with a giant rectangle. Fold once more to make a square and sew, again, a 1" seem along all 4 edges.

Hopefully he likes it! I'll keep you updated!

Dairy-Free Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

2011-10-20T12:59:00.001-05:00

5 or 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16oz frozen vegetables
1C almond milk (plain)
1 1/2C dairy free cream of chicken soup
1C almond milk (plain)
1C Bisquick or All-Purpose Baking Mix (check the label to ensure it does not contain dairy!)
1/2C Butter flavored Crisco, melted

1. Boil chicken in water until done. Cut into bite-size pieces.
2. Place chicken pieces into a greased 9x13 casserole dish.
3. Rinse and drain frozen veggies. Pour over chicken.

4. In small bowl, combine 1C almond milk (plain) with 1 1/2C dairy free cream of chicken soup.Pour over vegetables.
5. Combine 1C almond milk (plain), 1C Bisquick or All-Purpose Baking Mix (DAIRY FREE) and 1/2C melted butter flavored Crisco. Pour over casserole.
6. Bake 350° for 1 hour.

Dairy Free Cream of Chicken Soup

2011-10-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

A staple in nearly every kitchen is cream of chicken soup. It's used in casseroles and recipes many, many times. When we switched to dairy free for our daughter's allergies, I had a hard time finding ways to make those delicious comfort-food casseroles because each one called for cream of chicken soup. Now, I make our own dairy free version and use it just as I would the old store-bought stuff. (Here's a hint: Make a large batch and freeze in 1 1/2C servings to take out, thaw, and use as you would the canned stuff.)

1 1/2 C Chicken Broth
1t Poultry Seasoning
1/2t Onion Powder
1/2t Garlic Salt
1/2t Pepper
1/2C Almond Milk (plain)
3/4C All-Purpose Flour
1C Almond Milk (plain)

1. In a medium saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2C almond milk (plain) and seasonings for approximately 2 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1C almond milk (plain) with 3/4C flour. Add to the boiling mixture and continue to whisk until mixture returns to a boil and thickens.

Yield: 3 cups (or about 2 cans)

Trick-or-Treat Silhouettes

2011-10-20T09:41:00.002-05:00

I absolutely love silhouettes but I have never quite gotten myself around to trying them. Yesterday, I ran across this blog and instantly fell in love with the idea. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy getting my twins to cooperate (they are 16 months old, after all), but the results turned out fantastic nonetheless.

I did make a few tweaks. Since I don't see myself making oodles of silhouettes in the near future, I only glued down the head and gently taped the "hat". This way, come Christmas - or any other fun holiday (Birthday hats, perhaps?) - I can easily switch out the accessories for something more fitting.

I haven't decided on a frame yet. I'm thinking some cheap 8x10 shadow boxes?

I can't believe it, but these goblins were featured at:

Kitchen Window

2011-10-19T09:30:00.000-05:00


My kitchen window looking out towards our side yard.

I spend many, many hours each day at the kitchen sink and looking out this window. Why not fill it with things that make me happy and fill my heart with love?

Starting at the top, you'll notice the hanging bats. These were made following these directions from Martha Stewart's website. I loved them too much to hang them on the porch so I hung them here in the window where they slowly sway and rotate.

Further down on the window I've hung two Halloween necklace crafts that our oldest daughter had made a few years ago. I love their imperfections.

Lined up along the window sill are 8 Fiesta Ware cups and saucers. This was a gift from my mother-in-law a few months back and I just couldn't stand keeping them tucked away in a cabinet. I love their cheerful colors. At the start of fall, I didn't want to put them away for the season so I draped some leaf garland around them and placed my Halloween candle things, and my old dollar store crow, on top.

I love this window. As I said earlier, I spend a lot of time here. I think the reason I love it the most is because I get to watch my oldest daughter get on and off the bus from this window. When she's waiting for the bus, she will swing in the over-sized swing hanging from our huge black walnut tree.

Basement "Before"

2011-10-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

Our home was built in the 1920's. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and surprisingly enough a basement that is in good enough condition that we are able to finish it.

The current "Before" picture of the ceiling.

The first thing on our to-do list is to soda-blast the walls, ceiling and floor. We plan on leaving the ceiling "unfinished" for two reasons. One, for accessibility while we continue to replace all the electrical throughout the house. Two, the cost of a drop ceiling is more than we are willing to really sink into this house. And three, we really like the look. After the ceiling is soda-blasted, the 100 year old wood will look brand new.

The second thing is re-pouring the floor and doing acid-etched concrete.

These stairs will be replaced. You can see the original garage doors in the background.


The original garage door.

The original garage for the home was located in the basement. These old doors swing inward and are, unfortunately, in need of a lot of work. I'm not sure what our plan is for replacing them. They are much wider than any standard double-door you can purchase at the local home-improvement store. And we are uninterested in replacing it with an overhead garage door. I will, however, be re-purposing these doors somehow once we figure it out. I love that they are original to the home and I always look at them wondering what the people were like that used them. Did they have children in the car that they pulled lovingly into the garage?

These are just the first of several large projects going on in the basement right now. I'm looking forward to these ideas being completed as well as the extra living space!

Dog Sweater and Hair Bow

2011-10-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

Today I've easily saved our family $25 by being a little crafty.

I've re-purposed an old, stained sweatshirt from the twins to a sweater for our chihuahua. Have you SEEN the prices for dog sweaters at the pet store?

Started with an old stained sweatshirt. This one is a size 18mo.

Cut the front of the sweatshirt down the middle if you have a larger dog. Here, I removed about 4" from the bottom, cut at an angle towards the neck - which was about 6" wide.

Turn inside out and stitch closed.


Here she is modeling her new sweater! I rolled the sleeves up so that they fit her short legs better.

Our oldest daughter has been involved in a cheer leading camp put on by our High School's cheer leaders. I made her a hair bow that she can wear that has our High School's colors.

"Secret Recipe" Chili

2011-10-10T15:34:00.000-05:00

I've always found it fun to see the many ways people make chili. So here's my "secret recipe chili". My oldest daughter has always referred to it as "Mom's' Secret Recipe Chili" but it's really no secret.

2 or 3lbs of ground beef (depending on how meaty you like it)
2 cans of light red kidney beans
2 cans of dark red kidney beans
1 can of black beans
3 cans of stewed tomatoes
1 medium can of "Brooks Chili Mix"
1/2 C of Penzey's Chili 9000 seasoning
1T of garlic salt
1/4 C dried minced onion (or 1/2 C fresh minced onion)
yesterdays left over corn (Optional)

Brown ground beef with 1/2 C of Penzey's Chili 9000 seasoning, garlic salt and onions. (Or chili seasoning mix of your choice - but I warn you... it won't be as good!)
Drain & rinse the light red kidney beans, dark red kidney beans and black beans. Add to crock pot.
Add 3 cans of stewed tomatoes to crock pot.
Add 1 medium can of Brooks Chili Mix to crock pot.
Add cooked ground beef mixture to crock pot. Mix ingredients.
(Optional) Add yesterday's left over corn. Mix and set crock pot to low for 6-8 hours.

Tomorrow, I'll make a chili 5-way with the leftovers. Adding spaghetti, fresh chopped onion, shredded cheese and ketchup!

Mr. Spooky Ooky

2011-10-10T14:22:00.001-05:00

Prior to the twins, I had these things called time and energy. I had made these tombstones out of large sheets of Styrofoam insulation, a Dremel, and various paints.
It was a long, messy project that took weeks to make three.

This was our first Halloween in our first home. You can see the 3 gravestones I made and the monument (far right) that Super-Hub made.

We also made our first Mr. Spooky Ooky. He's a Styrofoam manequin head purchased from Hobby Lobby, some chicken wire, a broom stick, some zip-ties and old sheets. First Mr. Spooky Ooky was stolen directly from our side yard. We had him lit up with a blue spotlight that made him appear to glow in that creepy "night vision" green color.

Last year we didn't make a new one - too sleep deprived from the twins - but this year we made Second Mr. Spooky Ooky and attached him securely to the front porch. :) We live on a busy street and enjoy watching people drive by look at him since he looks very real.

I am easily amused.