The Stepford Wife

Lemon Cookies

2011-03-26T19:15:00.003-05:00

I've been in the mood for sweets lately, and I love lemon. And nothing says summer more than lemon, amirite?

A friend of mine gave me a tip the other day for making cookies using cake mix. I thought it was a perfect shortcut, so I grabbed a box of Betty Crocker lemon cake mix while I was shopping. And since I've had this glaze bookmarked for a while, I topped them off with that to make them more ~~sugary~~ fancy.

Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box of lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, and cake mix. If you have trouble mixing by hand, add a couple of water.
3. Roll tablespoon-sized amounts of dough in your hands to form balls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Evenly space them so that you can fit 12 on the sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes, or until you can see a little but of light brown around the edges. Try not to let them get too dark.
5. Make the glaze while the cookies cool. Glaze as desired. You'll have plenty left over so be as liberal with it as you like.

I made 24 cookies, and had a little dough left over.

WIWW - week 2

2011-03-16T08:32:00.005-05:00

Only five outfits, but getting better!

Wednesday
Pants - Walmart, old
Top - Victoria's Secret Faux-Wrap top w/ Old navy tank under for modesty
Shoes - Yellow Box camo flip flops
Watch - Mickey Mouse from my mom :)

Thursday (I didn't feel comfortable in this outfit, but go figure it's my "cutest" of the week)
Dress - Target
Cardi, Leggings - Ann Taylor Loft
Shoes - Charlotte Russe
Flowers - came on the dress

Friday was a big cleaning day, so I stayed in pajamas.
Saturday I was super sick (fever and everything!) so I stayed in pajamas.

Sunday - still feeling sick here. But I figured I could show that I at least changed out of pjs....sorta.
Pants - Nike
Top - Target
Shoes - Yellow Box camo flip flops

Monday - this outfit is just blah. Not fun. Not flattering. Never pairing these two again...
Jeans - Paper, Denim, & Cloth
Sweater - Eddie Bauer (Old navy tank under)
Shoes - Gap

Tuesday - this is much more close to the everyday me. Pretty boring, but it's my comfort zone. I guess I'm trying to break out of this...looking for practical solutions to the jeans & tee-shirt comfort zone.
Jeans - BKE from Buckle
Top - Victoria's Secret Faux-Wrap top w/ Old navy tank under for modesty
Shoes - Yellow Box camo flip flops

This post is linked to the Pleated Poppy:

Bar Worthy Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

2011-03-10T18:09:00.011-06:00

One of our best friends is celebrating a birthday today, and it's unfortunate that neither the husband nor I are able to attend the festivities. In lieu of our presence, I thought I'd prepare a fun treat for the birthday boy.

I chose this particular treat because it's a special drink that our little group of friends always made sure to enjoy every time we went out. These cupcakes are based on the Irish Car Bomb, whose name I am sure is offensive to some (sorry about that!). For those that don't know what this is, it's a "bomb" drink (a shot of something is dropped into another something and then you drink it as fast as possible) which consists of Guinness with a shot of some mixture of Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream. See, it's Irish. And just in time for St. Patrick's Day. Slainte!

(I apologize for the political incorrectness, but I didn't invent the drink, the cupcake, or the name!)

I adapted my mine from the version Deb made on Smitten Kitchen. I used boxed cake mix and increased the liquor. Because hey, the birthday boy has plans for his party, and none of them involve being sober. And that's why, ladies and gents, we are calling them "bar worthy".

Bar Worthy Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cake

1 box Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups Guinness stout

For the Ganache Filling

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped up

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup heavy cream

3-4 Tbsp Jameson Irish Whiskey

For the Frosting

1 stick of butter, at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

8 Tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

(you might be cringing at the 1/4 cup of whiskey and 1/2 cup Irish cream - I told you they were bar worthy!)

Start by preparing the cake using the package directions, only instead of water, use the Guinness. If your box says to use a different amount of water, do so (with the Guinness of course). Bake as directed, rotating your pans halfway through. Allow the pans to cool on a rack (or be like me and use the burners of your gas stove - off of course). Then transfer the cakes to the counter on a tea towel.

While the cakes are cooling, make the filling. Place your chopped up chocolate into a glass bowl. Heat up the heavy cream on the stovetop over low heat until it simmers. I'm a bad example and have a sadly stocked kitchen, so I used a non-stick frying pan. It did the trick. My (one!) pot is way too big for this task. Once heated through, pour it over the chocolate in the bowl and leave it alone. Walk away! Deb says to let it sit for a minute. That worked for me. I actually set the timer because I'm pretty impatient. Stir it around (finally!) to melt the chocolate and get it all nice and incorporated. Then stir in your butter (I had to smash it against the side of the bowl with my spatula) and your whiskey (add it a little at a time and taste as you go).

If it's warm, let it sit to cool down. Mine wasn't warm.

While waiting for the ganache filling to cool, go back to your cakes. You're going to cut some little holes to put your filling in. You could use a tiny round cookie cutter (1 inch) or an apple corer. I got all crazy and used a vegetable peeler. Then pipe it into the hole, right up to the top.

Make your frosting by whipping your butter until it gets fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, bit by bit (it got all crumbly on me at this point, almost like a pie dough). Then add in your Bailey's. Add it in a tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go. 8 tablespoons is A LOT, but that's what I was going for, with the birthday boy in mind.

I piped on the frosting with a round tip and then sprinkled on some chocolate shavings.

There you go. Now comment on how offensive this is because I named the cupcakes after the cocktail they're named for. Not really. You can go read most of the 500+ comments on Deb's post if you want that kind of drama.

What I Wore Wednesday

2011-03-09T07:32:00.004-06:00

This is my first week doing this so it's slightly pathetic. I only have 2 pictures for 3 days. So I started late, so what? ;)

Sunday March 6 - did some Targeting with my little guy.

Jeans - Paper, Denim, and Cloth

Top: J Crew Artist Tee

Shoes: Gap flats

Fabric flower pin: made myself

Camera strap: made myself

Monday March 7 - no pic for this day. I changed my clothes way too much while cleaning out my closet. I did start off with black yoga pants and a black tank though, both from Old Navy.

Tuesday March 8 - lunch with my mom, fabric store and 2 LQS's

Jeans: DKNY

Top: Eddie Bauer

Shoes: Steve Madden wedges

Fabric flower pins: detachable from a Target dress

I'm going to try really hard to keep up with this! Now that my closet and drawers are cleaned out to stuff I actually want to wear (and fits), it may be easier! I love to be nosy and see what everyone else is wearing, too. :)

This post is linked up to:

A flower for me.

2011-03-08T07:58:00.008-06:00

I love fabric flowers. On hair clips, head bands, pins, you name it. I'd probably bankrupt my family if I was left alone in a room with a credit card and Etsy. Okay, not really, but you get the idea.

I finally decided to just make one for myself. I had ~~all~~ most of the materials. I improvised a little.

So I did it, and I couldn't be more pleased. I didn't use a tutorial, I just did what I thought was the way it should be done, based on the materials I had. Not sure if it was the correct way or not, but I think it works!

Here I am wearing it. I made the camera strap slipcover too! I love the gray ruffles.

What do you think? Etsy worthy?

Also, eleventy bajillion internet points if you can guess which vital crafter material I do not own. You will gasp when you find out.

Linked up on:

Project: Simplify: Organize Your Closet!

2011-03-07T20:00:00.018-06:00

Are you following along with Simple Mom's Project: Simplify? If not, head on over there and get started! Week 1 started today, so you've still got plenty of time to get busy.

The first Hot Spot was revealed today. Time to get cleaning and pare down that wardrobe.

I started off with a pretty messy closet. I can't stand going in my closet. The way the door opens is awkward, and my husband's half is just UGH. I won't even show pictures of it. But it's his stuff and I'm respecting his space (though I will be nudging him a little to get it tidied up).

Here are the before shots of my half:

Before, right

Before, left

Before, rod & shelf close up

I followed the suggestions given to attack the mess. I tried on EVERYTHING. Yes, all of it. It was quite an eye-opener. You see, I've recently had a baby (he'll be 6 months old in two days!), and before I got pregnant I was already dissatisfied with my wardrobe because I had gained a few pounds. I was certain I wouldn't have anything left in my closet. I was thinking none of my clothes were going to look right anymore.

But they did! I don't know what happened, because a lot of my better clothes looked great on me. I even need to take a few things in to get tailored.

Here's a fun disaster area "during" shot:

Please don't judge my builder-bare master bedroom. This room is going to get decorated this year. My new year's resolution list says so. ;)

Empty closet:

These guys were of no help to the task:

Here's a tip for the clothes you don't want to keep: take them off your good hangers and reuse old dry cleaner and store hangers to hang them up. I'll be selling them at a garage sale, so I want them to look as buyable as possible - which is not piled in a box.

Reuse those dry cleaner hangers!

And finally, here is what my half of the closet looks like after:

After, right

After, left

After, rod & shelf close up

I just want to lay down on this empty floor!

My strategy to putting the clothes back into the closet:

-Make sure all the clothes are facing the same direction. I walk into my closet from the left side, so it made sense for me to face the left side of my closet. If I had a rod that was straight in front of me (say I had a sliding closet door and not a walk-in) then I'd probably have them face the right side since I'm left handed - I'd be picking the item up with my left hand so the front would still be facing me if it faced left. Does that make sense?

-Use the same hangers throughout. This is an inexpensive way to make the closet look more streamlined and organized. My mom has fancy wooden hangers that she purchased little by little. I have simple white plastic tubular hangers with the little notches.

-Use the correct hanger for the garment. Skirts stay pretty and pressed when hanging from the little skirt hangers that match my other hangers.

-Try to keep a little bit of space between each garment. It's probably good for them to have some air circulation, plus an even space between each hanger just looks sharp on the rod.

-Keep like items together. I used to organize by color. That looks great and all, but that doesn't work for me anymore. Think about how you get dressed. Are you only concerned with color? If so, then organize that way. For me, however, I want to pick my pieces based on the weather. It changes at the drop of a hat here in the Houston area, so I always have a variety of season's worth of attire. So I keep sweaters with sweaters, tees with tees, blouses with blouses, and tanks with tanks. For the garments with sleeves, I like to sub-organize by sleeve length. So far that's what works for me.

-Store extra hangers in your laundry room. I have a hanging rod in my laundry room, so all the empty hangers stay on that. When the clean clothes come out of the dryer, they get hung up immediately instead of getting piled on the bed or dresser (or dog crate in my case).

It feels great to have the closet cleaned up, and now I'm actually looking forward to getting dressed tomorrow. Look at all those clothes I have! And they all fit! And I can find them! It's like I just went on a shopping spree or something.

Thanks for the motivation, Simple Mom!

Linked up to:

Menu Plan Monday!

2011-02-28T09:16:00.002-06:00

What?! A blog post?! Holy moly! ;)

Leave me alone, I've been busy...doing...er...well, I've been busy just living life I guess. I hadn't felt compelled to blog about anything, so I just didn't.

Forgive me?

Moving along...

On the menu this week!
Monday - Baked Ziti with Spinach

Tuesday - leftover ziti (and I'll be freezing the rest)

Wednesday - Greek Lemon-Chicken Thighs and Potatoes (Weight Watchers recipe), steamed fresh broccoli

Thursday - Going out for Crawfish!! Yum yum yum.

Friday - Chicken Fried Steak, instant mashed potatoes, frozen corn

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - I'll probably eat a Lean Cuisine if there aren't any leftovers left. (It'll just be me for dinner anyways - hubby is going back to work Sunday AM)

Dynamat for the Dishwasher

2011-01-03T08:00:00.004-06:00

Is your dishwasher ridiculously loud? Have you thought about replacing it with a fancy quiet model, only to wake up hours later after you apparently passed out from sticker shock? {Really, the dishwasher I priced was $1K at Sears. The Sears OUTLET mind you!}.

Well, in this post, ~~I am~~ my husband is going to show you how to quiet down your tractor-pull wannabe dishwasher for less than $20. Andrew Jackson, you’re my hero.

To get started, you’re going to need:
-your dishwasher, of course
-necessary tools to remove the interior panel {the part where you put the detergent in that little cup}.
-scissors, razor blade, box cutter, etc
-Dynamat {the secret ingredient!}

Let’s talk about Dynamat. This stuff is generally used to quiet the interior noise level of a vehicle. See, that’s Chip Foose {famous car guy} right there on the box telling you how awesome he is now that he has Dynamat installed in his car! It comes in thin sheets that look like aluminum foil, but are much heavier and have a peel and stick coating on one side.

My husband bought a whole box of 36 Sq Ft. (9 Sheets) for $140. He only used about 4 Sq Ft {about $15 worth} for this project, but the rest will be installed in one of his cars. Since I can’t imagine that a lot of my readers are also gearheads that would appreciate leftover Dynamat lying around, I suggest checking eBay for smaller packages.

The application is simple. Cut, peel, stick. Let’s get started.

First, open your dishwasher and inspect the interior panel of the door for fasteners that you can undo to take the panel off. Ours had Philips head screws, so we only needed a Philips head screwdriver. It was also necessary to take off the latch mechanism {the part that locks the door while the dishwasher is running}. Be careful here, because if the front of your dishwasher is plastic, it’s probably going to fly up and slam without the weight of the panel to hold it down. Just keep that in mind.

Next, clean the reverse side of the panel so that the Dynamat sticks well. Then you’re going to lay your Dynamat sheets {don’t peel the backing off yet!} on the panel and mark where you need to cut so that it fits perfectly. You can draw directly on the material and cut out with scissors, or just cut little notches on each end as a guide and then use a razor blade to cut.

Then, working with one piece at a time, peel the backing away and position the Dynamat on the panel. Press it down to stick and then smooth it down. It will probably be necessary to cut more notches as you go to accommodate for all the little plastic nooks and crannies. Hubby used the handle of the scissors to help smooth the pieces down, but you could use whatever blunt object you have that can fit in the little confined spaces. Be patient here, this step could take a while depending on what your panel looks like.

Once you’re done with the last step, stand back and admire your {husband’s} hard work. Pat ~~yourself~~ your husband on the back and dance around with joy as the panel magically gets re-installed.

Finally, have someone else load the dishwasher {or maybe do it yourself since you didn’t do any of the work on this project}, turn it on, and rejoice in the fact that you outsmarted Sears and their fancy, super quiet right from the factory, million dollar dishwashers.

Does this project look like something you would conquer on your own, or would you rather just deal with the noise level {or buy a new dishwasher}? Are you lucky enough to already own a quiet dishwasher? Do you wish you even had a dishwasher, no matter how loud it is? Let me know in the comments!

Sewing Trends of 2010 and thoughts on 2011

2010-12-28T12:43:00.004-06:00

Here's my Sew, Mama, Sew! survey on the sewing scene of 2010 and thoughts on the coming year.

Looking back on the sewing scene of 2010, what trends stand out in your mind?

Hexagons. Wonky quilt blocks. Ruffles. Pennants/bunting. There have been some great color combinations as well (aqua/red, etc).

(click the photo to see credits)

What were some of your favorite things? (Trends, fabric collections, patterns, blogs? Whatever you really loved.)

I love the linen and brights trend, though I haven't done anything with it yet (plans though!). Some favorite color combinations are tangerine/aqua and grey/yellow.

What was your very favorite fabric collection or print? (If not listed above.)

My favorite collections this year have been Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow and Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane.

What was the best thing you made in 2010? (Be sure to share a photo!)
The best thing? My son, by far. ;)

But sewing-wise, I really liked the black and white with red quilt I made for him.

What is one of the best things you saw that was made by someone else?

Oh gosh, I have so many things saved in my Flickr favorites and bookmarked from blogs...I don't even know which to pick!

What do you think 2011 has in store? (Again, trends, fabric, patterns, etc.)
I don't think I have enough experience to predict anything, but I think we'll see a continuation of the same things, but with a fresh perspective. Perhaps different color combinations, modern takes on retro ideas. I've seen a few things that might suggest that there will be a variety of abstract prints as well. I also think solids and monochromatic color schemes might come in to play a lot.

Anything you’re ready for the sewing world to get over?
Owls. Yes, they're cute. No, they don't need to be included in every pattern, print, applique, pillow, stuffed toy, and so on and so forth.

What’s on your sewing agenda for 2011? What are you excited about? What would you like to learn more about?

I'm excited to try my hand at a craft fair and maybe an Etsy store. I have a few ideas that I haven't shared on my blog (yet) and I wonder if I'd get any interest. We'll just have to find out, won't we?

What about you? Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Wanna rail me for hating on owls? Let me know in the comments!

Stimulating Black, White, and Red Baby Quilt

2010-12-19T19:27:00.007-06:00

I was at a loss as to what to do with the overwhelming amount of fabric I encountered while perusing some vendors at the Houston International Quilt Festival this year. While browsing in one particular booth (the vendor doesn't have a website), I had an epiphany - a baby quilt for my new son.

I know, I should have made him a quilt months ago. I never got around to it. I even have plenty of Nicey Jane left to make one to match the nursery decor, but I doubt I'll do it. I saw a bunch of great black and white fabric at this particular fat quarter vendor, and I grabbed the ones I liked best. And then threw in some cute reds and grays. I ended up only choosing 6 of them though.

When I got home, I wondered if I even had enough fabric to make a quilt, but then I remembered a tutorial I had bookmarked from Cluck Cluck Sew. Allison used 1/8 yard strips here, but I had fat quarters, so I made do.

I used some white flannel from the stash for the back, along with scraps from the front, and a solid black binding that washed up all wonky. I also opted to only quilt along the ditches where the 10 strips are joined together. I really liked how Allison quilted hers, but to be perfectly honest - I hate the actual quilting part of quilting. I'd rather piece a top together. I plan to send all future quilts off to the long-armer. Shhhhh.... ;)

So here it is...what do you think? It's not your typical baby pastel, but my kid loves to stare at it so I think it works just fine for a little one.

Playing with the camera.

2010-12-19T16:15:00.002-06:00

I've been playing with my camera (Nikon D3000 with the kit lens - boo). Ever since the #crafterminds Twitter Chat on Monday - where we talked about blog photography - I've been meaning to get some practice in. Now I'm not claiming that my photography is *good*, however, it is getting better. Here's a couple of pics. What do you think? Be gentle in your critique!

My holiday space.

2010-12-08T14:04:00.010-06:00

I'd like to pre-emptively say that I need to earn how to use my fancy camera. I'm hoping that I'll learn a thing or two about bloggy photography at Monday's Crafterminds Twitter Chat. That being sid, I also need to learn Twitter (I know...where have I been?).

This is my tree.

It's seven and a half feet tall (and fake - duh). We got it many years ago. I collect the creamy-white Wedgwood ornaments and any special dated ones, which usually have Wedgwood blue on them. I coordinated the rest of the tree to match them because I really love them. I have enough total ornaments that I only need to invest in special ornaments each year from now on.

Our New Home 2006 (Wedgwood) - built and moved into our first house in 2006.

Our First Christmas Together 2007 (Hallmark) - 2007 was really our seventh Christmas together, but we were married in 2007. This was a gift from my mother in law.

Baby's First Christmas 2010 (Wedgwood) - We welcomed our darling son this year in September.

Other favorites.

This is my new magnet board slash chalk board slash bulletin board slash purse hanger thingy. I dressed it up for the holidays with a few favorite cards and some holiday greenery.

This little display is on my kitchen island. The frames are there year-round, but I added the tray and candle and stuff for the holidays. The candle is a Glade candle, which - let's be honest here - is the BEST candle if you actually want to smell the scent throughout your house (plus it's cheap, there are tons of coupons, and it's ALWAYS on sale!). I lit it today as my One Small Thing.

Here's my sad little wreath. I usually have a traditional one with greenery (and lights!), but I made this rag wreath this year after seeing this Halloween rag wreath on Sassy Sanctuary. It's totally not done and that bow really isn't staying on there. It just looked sad hanging there without some sort of adornment. Actually, if anyone has any suggestions on how to fancy it up, I'm all ears! Just let me know in the comments.

And this is my darling, under the tree as the best gift of all. :)

Linked at Thrifty Decor Chick

What does your holiday space look like?

Sunrise

2010-12-07T14:22:00.001-06:00

I shot this picture over my back fence this morning as the sun came up. I think it is one of the coolest pictures I've ever taken! What do you think?

June Bag

2010-12-04T11:43:00.003-06:00

If you're a crafter, chances are you read Melissa's blog The Polkadot Chair. (If you don't, you should!).

A while back, I bookmarked Melissa's pattern shop, waiting for my PayPal Swagbucks gift card to clear. When it finally deposited into my account, I treated myself to a pattern. My first purchase was the March bag. It looks perfect for me...pockets for keys and pacifiers and lip gloss ad my phone. Big enough interior for my big Kate Spade wallet. Well, I have yet to make it, but I have big plans for it!

Then, the day after Thanksgiving, Melissa announced on her blog that she was having a BOGO sale on her patterns, and y'all know I can't resist a good Black Friday deal. So I got the other two patterns I had my eye on: The June Bag and the Sunday Bag.

Speaking of Black Friday, I wish I had sewn up the June Bag prior to shopping that morning because it would have been much more convenient to carry a cross body bag that was just the right size to stay out of the way!

Anyways, the June Bag uses only FOUR fat quarters (with plenty of scraps leftover for other fun project that I have my eye on!). How economical! And wouldn't you know it, I just happened to have been hoarding four fat quarters from one of my favorite lines - Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow. This bag was meant to be.

It took me about a week to finish because I could only work for an hour here and there while the kiddo slept. And of course my sewing machine sounds like a jet engine so I didn't want to sew while he was napping in the same room (do you know how hard it is to coordinate his falling asleep with him hanging out in his crib in the other room?!). I think if I didn't have any interruption I could easily have this bag done in a day because it's so easy and the pattern is so simple to follow. Seriously, the hardest part was cutting into my beloved fabric (what if I made a mistake?! EEK!).

The bag is slightly unfinished, as it needs a button, but I need to look for just the right one. I also need to fix the strap on one side, because it got sewn on a little wonky.

I can't wait to go shopping so I can use my fabulous new bag! I'm so glad I actually used some favorite fabric so it didn't just sit in my fabric drawer never to see the light of day. And I'm also grateful I chose such a great pattern for the fabric - something so simple to follow (less chance for mistakes!) that produced a stunning result. You can get your own June Bag pattern at her new shop fourteen may. She's also got kits available for some of her bags (including the June Bag) so she's making it even more simple for you to have such a great bag for your very own. Thanks Melissa!

Top Ten Observations of Parenthood.

2010-12-02T20:14:00.003-06:00

1. It takes roughly 7 tries to watch anything on the DVR. I'm currently watching Happy Feet for the fourth time and so far all I've gotten from the movie is that they found a way to make a female penguin have the (implied) cleavage of Dolly Parton.

2. Songs are magic. Like, they don't even have to be real songs. The number one most requested song in the Stepford Household is "O Stinker Pants" sung to the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree".

3. Remember that time you said you'd never speak to your child in that voice you hear those annoying parents talk to their kids? Well, yeah, you do. Involuntarily. But hey, the kid thinks it's hilarious, so we roll with it.

4. Kids are gross. And even grosser, when poop gets on you, it's not that big of a deal.

5. Soap. No longer taken for granted. Now worth it's weight in diamonds. See number 4.

6. Being a stay at home mom is the cure for anti-social tendencies. No matter how much you liked being by yourself before, talking to other adults (face to face) about ANYTHING is like treasure.

7. The nursery will never again look like the perfect and beautiful magazine page that it was prior to your kid's birth. Playing and snuggling with the kiddo is much more fun than straightening blankets and tidying shelves. Don't get me wrong, stuff gets picked up and put away - we just don't care about hospital corners anymore.

8. Zippers are way better than snaps.

9. You now wear socks to bed. Because you fell asleep before you hit the pillow and it didn't matter that you HATE wearing socks to bed.

10. Walmart. Alone. Sanctuary.

It's Christmastime!

2010-11-27T12:27:00.002-06:00

Check out our newest addition to the Christmas tree.

I hope everyone is having a nice holiday weekend!

Craft To-Do list

2010-11-16T06:27:00.009-06:00

Melissa from The Polka Dot Chair blogged today about her Crafty To-Do List, in which she compiled a lot of holiday crafts that she's wanting to do. I laughed when I read it because I was making my own craft to-do list on paper using my overflowing "crafts" folder on my bookmark bar (gotta love Google Chrome!).

So Melissa inspired me to go ahead and put it all out on the ole blog. It's a good thing because I don't have much to talk about except my kid and that would get old fast. ;)

So here we go, all the tutorials and ideas that I've been accumulating in my bookmarks folder!

Fabric Covered Box from Adelaide Lemonade

Samster Mommy's Magnolia Wreath

I'm currently in the middle of making a Christmas version of this Halloween Rag Wreath featured on Sassy Sanctuary

Magnetic Menu Board from Ucreate Foods

I can't wait to make Remodelaholic's Paper Mosaic Art

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Plus Quilt from In Color Order

I've also got to make one (or two!) of these great bathroom shelves from The Idea Room

Oh, and this isn't even the tip of the iceberg! In fact, I have so many things saved in my crafts folder that I made it a New Year's resolution to COMPLETE at least 1 project per month.

Menu Plan Monday 11/15 through 11/21

2010-11-15T13:43:00.003-06:00

We've got a couple of nights of dining out this week, but here's what we're cooking the rest of the week. Check out everyone else's menus on Organizing Junkie!

Monday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic breadsticks
Tuesday: dining out with parents
Wednesday: Crockpot chicken taco soup, salad
Thursday: Mushroom smothered pork chops, brown rice, mixed vegetables
Friday: dining out for sister's birthday
Saturday: Ranch chicken nuggets, french fries, corn
Sunday: Free night or leftovers

Shutterly holiday cards...how to get yours FREE!

2010-11-08T14:03:00.002-06:00

How does your family send out holiday greetings? Do you carefully construct delicate cards by hand with glitter and fancy embellishments? Do you just send out a mass email to everyone in your contact list? Perhaps you buy cards after the holidays are over when they’re like 90% off and then send those out the next year.

I’ve done all of the above. I really love the look of handcrafted cards, but even before I had my son, I tended to run out of time to make enough to send to everyone on my list. And the clearance greeting cards, while it’s great to save a bunch of money, well…sometimes they’re not the greatest cards because the selection is always picked over after the holiday.

In my opinion, the perfect compromise is to order photo cards! It’s great, you still get the personalization of creating your masterpiece, but they’re also inexpensive and someone else does all the work for you. Plus you have the added bonus of having the photo right there on the card instead of having to enclose them separately in another card.

This year I’m trying out Shutterfly’s Christmas cards, because the designs they feature are fresh and new. The designs from the site I have previously used are the same year after year and to be honest - they feel a little stale. Shutterfly offers cards for other occasions as well, like Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and New Years.

I think I will even get some gift tags as well. I love the Harmonious Noir Gift Tag, it’s so elegant! I would show you what cards I'll be ordering, but then you wouldn't be surprised at how cute they are when you get one in your mailbox. ;)

There’s even better news, Shutterfly is giving away 50 holiday cards to bloggers! Here’s how to score your own set.

So what do you think? Are you going to participate to get your free cards? If you don’t blog, are you at least going to check out the selection? I think you should, because they have some really great cards to choose from.

Menu Plan Monday 11/8 through 11/14

2010-11-08T08:05:00.000-06:00

It's Monday again! Time to plan those menus. Don't forget to head over to Organizing Junkie to see what everyone else has planned.

This will be the second week in our new rotation we're trying out. And of course I realized that I never thawed any chicken breasts for what I was planning tonight's dinner to be, so I'll be switching it with Tuesday's dinner instead. But that's easy because Tuesday's dinner is already prepared in the freezer and doesn't take long to thaw.

Monday: Dad's Pork Chops & Rice, Spinach
Tuesday: Chicken Breasts, Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin, Salad
Wednesday: Meatloaf Muffins, Scalloped Potatoes, Carrots
Thursday: Chicken Baseballs, Salad
Friday: Beef Stroganoff, Noodles, Broccoli
Saturday: BBQ Chicken Pizza, Salad
Sunday: Free Day or Leftovers

Crave Cupcakes, Houston, TX - a review

2010-11-02T09:19:00.007-05:00

The other day, the husband had this amazing idea. Normally, he just goes with the flow and doesn't typically think of things to do. But, by the grace of all that is holy and wonderful and all that jazz, he decided he needed to experience Crave Cupcakes.

He heard about them from a friend a while back and I guess that little nugget stuck in his head because lo and behold - he made it a mission to go there this past Saturday.

We packed up the kiddo and headed out to the fancy area of town. I say fancy because this part of Houston is pretty upscale and a little bit trendy. Our side of town is, well - not. We live next to a ranch and across the street from an oil derrick. Need I say more?

Anyways, back to the cupcakes. There are two locations, one in Uptown Park and a new one nearby on Kirby in the West University area (also trendy). We went to the original location in Uptown Park. The shop was very sleek and simple and clean. Mostly white with accents of their signature teal or robin's egg blue or Tiffany blue or whatever shade of blue-green that is. Pretty sharp. They had these little alcoves in the wall with retro stand mixers (which also grace their logo) inside, which I found neat because I like that kind of stuff.

There was a flurry of activity behind a large pane of glass, where no less than eighty-three thousand employees were busy boxing up orders. Okay, maybe more like seven employees, but who's counting?

Despite the throngs of patrons waiting to devour their selections, we didn't wait long. In fact, the cupcake slingers were waiting on us! We couldn't decide which of the many different - and all delicious sounding - Saturday flavors to choose. I think we were asked by three different employees if we were ready to order yet.

The shop's menu varies by the day of the week. It seems that they have a few staple flavors - your basic chocolates, vanillas, and strawberries. But then they round that out with a bunch of other interesting flavors to delight your fancy. Banana, Italian Cream, Peanut Butter Chocolate and looking at the menu today I see they've added holiday flavors like Gingerbread and Eggnog.

We made our selections - 2 Dark Chocolates, and one of each of Chocolate on Vanilla, Vanilla, http://www.cravecupcakes.com/cupcake/carrot, Red Velvet, White Chocolate Macadamia, and Italian Cream. And then we waited until we got home to try them. It was very hard, but we had to get home to take care of baby business (and also get ready for a date night!).

When we got home, I removed our first cupcake to sample from the box and transferred a Dark Chocolate, the Chocolate on Vanilla and the Carrot into their own box for my mom - we wouldn't be trying those. We tried the Italian Cream first. It was pretty good, but not mind-blowing. It had walnuts and coconut and apparently marscapone cream cheese frosting. I didn't realize it wasn't just plain cream cheese until now (when I looked at the menu again).

We weren't disappointed though, we figured the rest of the flavors had to just be better. Unfortunately, the rest of the cupcakes didn't make their modeling debut and instead just get happily eaten.

The Vanilla was very sweet. You could see little flecks of the vanilla in the cake. It was good, but like the Italian Cream, not a favorite. The Dark Chocolate was very dense and very chocolately. We both really liked it. I'd order it again, but perhaps not until I've tried all the other flavors. The White Chocolate Macadamia was also good, better than the Vanilla and Italian Cream, but probably won't get a repeat order. The frosting was supposed to be white chocolate cream cheese, but it tasted only like cream cheese to me. They all (save the Macadamia flavor had a fondant logo on top in varying colors, which had a very yummy marshmallow flavor. The White Chocolate Macadamia had a macadamia nut on top.

And then there was Red Velvet. Oh heavens. We were so disappointed that we only had one of these. The cake was so moist and had that great red color and hint of cocoa. The frosting was cream cheese, with just the right amount of sweetness and definitely not too cream-cheesy. I already know that I will be ordering a large batch of these in May for the husband's birthday. Red Velvet will definitely be ordered again, depsite wanting to try other flavors as well. I don't know that anything could top it.

So there you have it, our review of Crave Cupcakes. I definitely recommend this shop for your next cupcake-needing occasion. Or just because. Because who doesn't need a cupcake every now and then?

Menu Plan Monday 11/1 through 11/7

2010-11-01T08:58:00.003-05:00

Here's what's cooking this week! Be sure to stop by the Organizing Junkie blog to see what everyone else has on the menu.

Over the years, as we've tried more and more recipes, I began to keep a list of the meals that the husband and I enjoy the most. With some recent additions, I've come up with twelve different meals that we really like. I thought that'd be a perfect amount to start an actual rotation of regularly scheduled meals. I think since we both don't tend to get sick of things quickly, then this might work out for the long haul. I like the idea because as it seems to be helpful with my weight loss goals as well as money saving goals. These are all tried and tested and tummy approved meals that I know will fit in to my weight loss plan as well as my budget. And there's always a "free" day each week that will allow us to either use up leftovers or try new recipes or splurge on something a little more indulgent. Okay, enough with the blabber, here's what we're having:

Monday: Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup, salad
Tuesday: Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops, brown rice, broccoli
Wednesday: Beef Chili, baked potatoes
Thursday: Ranch Chicken Nuggets, fries for hubby, mashed potatoes for me, corn
Friday: Taco Salad
Saturday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, salad
Sunday: Leftovers

"Joy of Cooking" Cooking School - Beer, Cheese, and Scallion Bread pg 629

2010-10-31T17:46:00.003-05:00

I learned something very important from this recipe in Joy of Cooking.

It's pretty straightforward - mix the dry ingredients together, add in the beer, then bake.

So what's the big lesson here? Use ingredients that you LIKE. As in, don't just make something to get rid of that beer that no one liked when your husband and his friends got a bunch of different beers to try.

Beer, Cheese, and Scallion Bread. Looks pretty. Tastes like beer that no one likes.

Lesson learned.

"Joy of Cooking" Cooking School - Firm Omelet pg 201

2010-10-29T08:47:00.009-05:00

One of the things I'd like to devote more time to is learning from and cooking from my cookbook collection. I have quite a few, and within that collection I have some that I'd consider to be "good" cookbooks that every cook should have.

One of those books is Joy of Cooking. It's huge and intimidating and has no pictures. I received this book as a wedding gift from my husband's assistant. I have never cooked from it. We were married over three years ago. I'm trying to right that wrong now, so I asked from friends if they had any suggestions on recipes from Joy of Cooking that I might try.

Turns out, this book is more suited to be used as a reference, or guide, in the kitchen. There are apparently great recipes in the book, however, I learned that more people tend to use this book as a learning tool rather than a recipe book.

I pondered about my cooking style. I like to make things up. I like to try new things. I'd also say I am better at eating food than I am at cooking it. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook. I am an okay cook, though my husband tells people I'm a good cook (maybe just for brownie points?).

I decided I need to learn how to cook BETTER. I learned to cook by watching my dad, and he's a fantastic cook. He taught me a lot of little things, but I never really practiced and became a pro. I can make scrambled eggs pretty well, but I have never mastered the omelet.

That's where Joy of Cooking comes in. Starting on page 200, there is a section devoted to omelets. I learned from reading the little introduction part that a French omelet is rolled or folded and a little more delicate, and a firm omelet is easier for a beginner. I chose the firm omelet, and here's what I did:

First, I gathered all of my ingredients. 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp of heavy cream, 1 Tbsp of butter (1.5 Tbsp is shown), 1/4 tsp of salt, just a little paprika, and the stuff for my filling - chopped mushrooms, scallions, and tomatoes.

Melt 1/4 Tbsp of butter in a pan. When it's hot and melted, add your filling ingredients. I only cooked the scallion and mushrooms, and left the tomatoes as they were. Set aside for now.

Next, beat the eggs in a bowl until well blended. Add the cream, salt, and paprika and beat in.

After that, melt 3/4 Tbsp of butter in a pan and when that's all hot and melted, add the egg mixture. Cook over low heat.

When you see the edges of the egg start to look more cooked, or set, lift them with a spatula and tilt the pan so the uncooked egg on the top can slide under the cooked portion. I had to do this a few times just to get the stuff on the top to get cooked through.

When it's all done, slide it on to a plate, add your filling, and then fold it over.

As you can see, I have some more practicing to do on the firm omelet before I can move on to the French omelet. I need to play around with the flame on my stove to get the right temperature. I'm sure I was cooking with it too high and that's what caused my egg to brown so much.

It did taste good though, so I'm not too disappointed. On my next try, I may use skim milk instead of heavy cream however. Gotta watch those calories ;)

Menu Plan Monday 10/25 through 10/31

2010-10-25T08:12:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday folks! Here's what's planned for the week. Be sure to see what everyone else is making at Organizing Junkie!

Monday: Baked Chicken Parmesan , whole wheat spaghetti, some kind of frozen veggie
Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Pizza, salad
Wednesday: Chicken Baseballs, salad
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Meatloaf Muffins, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans
Saturday: Dad's Pork Chops & Rice, spinach
Sunday: Spaghetti with meat Sauce, salad