Eli & Ellie

Art-A-Whirl, 2013

2013-05-11T11:30:00.002-07:00

Yes, again, I've been MIA.

I have a good reason this time, though. This year, I'll be participating in Art-a-Whirl 2013 at the Waterbury Building in NE MPLS.

"Presented by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA), Art-A-Whirl is the largest open studio tour in the country. It’s a great opportunity to tour private artist studios and galleries, connect with the artists, and purchase original artwork. Art-A-Whirl takes place annually in Northeast Minneapolis, the third weekend of May. This event is free and open to the public. "

All of my Eli & Ellie inventory will be selling there, as well as a few new items such as Minnesota onsies, cards, totes and bibs. Other E&E inventory will include pin cushions, bonnets, rice warmers, scarves and flower pins.

Our building will have an opening reception on Friday. Throughout the weekend, there will be a beer truck, food truck and bands playing inside and outside of our building. Who doesn't love that?

Come down and enjoy!

Recipe Monday

2013-04-15T07:18:00.002-07:00

{Bruschetta Chicken & Greens}

Ingredients:

Chicken

2-3 boneless chicken breasts

1 T. olive oil

1T balsamic vinegar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. fresh ground pepper

Bruschetta

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 a medium white or red onion diced

1T balsamic vinegar

s&p to taste

4-5 leaves of fresh basil, cut into small pieces

Also...

fresh greens or lettuce

Cheese of your choice (I used diced provolone)

And I used a little bit of cut up cooked bacon (because you know, we can't have it be TOO healthy.) ;)

I would have topped with diced avocado as well, but ours went bad fast.

Directions:

Marinade chicken breasts in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper for as long as you can. I usually put them in a bag with marinade frozen over night and throughout the next day. If they are already thawed, marinade for a few hours.

Cook chicken in oven, grill or in pan on stove.

Lay chicken on a bed of greens with cheese and other toppings. Top chicken with bruschetta (let some of the juice from Bruschetta drip onto your salad as dressing.)

Enjoy!

Menu Monday:

M- Chicken Lo Mein, wontons

T- Santa Fe Chicken Sandwiches, chips & guac

W- Baked Ravioli, roasted zucchini and rolls

Th- Beef and rice, glazed carrots, crescents

F- Baked tacos

S- Nachos

Su- Family night (eating out or ordering in)

Baking: cake batter cookies with chocolate chips

WIWW

2013-04-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

What

Wore
Wednesday

Here we are... my first WIWW in months!

I've been challenging myself to dig deep into my closet and find new outfits with the clothes that I already have. It's been really fun as it's starting to warm up here in Minnesota.

This is what I cam up with last week...

Linking up to The Pleated Poppy
(Sorry dear, the button code won't work today for some reason?)

Shirt- Target, 75% off for $3.50

Maroon Skinnies- Marshalls for $8

Shoes- Minnetonkas, birthday gift from my sister-in-law.

{Photo from my friend Kaitlin}

How cute is my daughter?!

This is probably one of the few times you'll

get a peak at a photo of her.

Jacket- Old navy

Scarf- Minneapolis Farmers Market, Mothers day gift from my husband

Gray t-shirt- Target

Jeans- American Eagle (very, very old...so old that I have no idea what style they are.)

Shoes- Target

{Can you see that my 1 year old is attached at my hip?}
Denim shirt- Marshall's
Skirt- Given to me by my friend Tess
Belt- Forever 21
Shoes- Minnetonkas given to me by my sister in law.

Have a good rest of the week!

Recipe Monday

2013-04-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

{Chicken Lo Mein}

I've been having some mad cravings, like, pregnant woman cravings for Chicken Lo Mein.(Fear not, I am one out of almost all of my friends that is not pregnant.)
One of my favorite things to do is order in Chinese with my husband on date nights. Since we are on a tight budget, I decided to find an affordable recipe to feed my craving rather than spend a bunch of our entertainment funds on take out.

Lo and behold, I found an amazing recipe! My kids even asked for seconds (you'd never guess a 3 and 1 year old would love lo mein!)We loved it so much that I'm planning on making it again this week!

I serve it along with homemade wontons. (cream cheese inside wonton wrappers, lightly salted and quickly fried in canola oil)

{Go HERE to see the recipe}

Menu Monday:
Monday: Fajitas, guac and chips
Tuesday: Bruschetta chicken, cheesy potatoes, salad

Wednesday: Taco salads
Thursday: Grilled chicken salads bread sticks
Friday: Chicken & rice, broccoli & rolls
Saturday L: Tomato soup and grilled cheese
Saturday D: Spaghetti and meatballs, salads and breadsticks

Sunday L:Family lunch after church (we usually get the $10 meal deal at McDonalds- 20 chicken nuggets, 2 large fries and 2 sodas.)

Sunday D: BLT's & chips

Recipe Monday

2013-03-30T12:48:00.001-07:00

{Potato Soup}

We made this for dinner on a rainy, cold Minnesota spring day. It was perfect! Even my girls asked for seconds.

I had a recipe at one point, but lost it. I searched for one similar, but just couldn't find one. So, I took a chance and made one up on my own.

It turned out so good that I had to post it ahead of time.

This is how I did it...

{Ingredients}

4-5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cooking onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

5. cups of chicken broth (or prepare bullion ahead)

3T butter

1 cup of milk

1 cup of cream (or 3T of cream cheese if you don't have cream)

S&P to taste

Garnish:

chopped cooked bacon, green onions chopped, cheddar cheese

{directions}

Melt your butter in a stock pot, add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are soft (about 30 minutes)lower the heat and add the cream and milk. Mash your potatoes, or continue to cook for a few minutes, then puree.

Serve hot and garnish with bacon, green onions and cheddar.

Enjoy!

Tutorial Tuesday

2013-03-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

{Barbie Clothes}

After making some jersey skirts for both of my girls, my oldest daughter asked me if I would make some clothes for her Barbies. I thought to myself, "That can't be hard or time consuming." I was totally right, and I had a lot of fun with it.

After making a few of my own patterns for Barbie, and only a few turning out mildly successful, I turned to Pinterest (ahh, pinterest) for some inspiration. I came across this awesome blog that has a bunch of great Barbie clothing tutorials.

Here are a few photos of the

finished clothes that I made.

See how I made the dress HERE

at Craftiness is Not Optional.

Recipe Monday

2013-03-25T10:30:00.003-07:00

{The Best Pasta Salad Ever}

A good friend of mine, Laura, made this pasta salad for me when we visited her last. Ever since then, I find myself craving it. I've made it for a few other friends for lunch and for a few potlucks and everyone compliments on how great it tastes. We are making it for a friend who is coming over tomorrow and reminded me to post it for everyone!

Thanks Laura!

{photo is property of the website my recipes}

See the recipe

HERE

Menu Monday:
M- Hamburgers and fries
T- Potato soup & bread sticks
w- Beef & rice, broccoli, biscuits
Th- Pad Thai, wontons
F- BBQ Chicken Tequitos, chips and guac
S- Mock Olive Garden Alfredo, Maggiano's salad, french bread
Su- Easter lunch with my brother, Easter dinner with my in-laws

WIWW

2013-03-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

First day of SPRING!!!

First off, Happy first day of spring!

When I was little, my mom used to take us to the park in our hometown to eat breakfast outside before school. This meant we would be at a picnic table eating french toast wrapped in blankets, usually in 30-40 degree weather. Other times, it was really nice outside. Either way, it was a really fun tradition that I hope to carry on in our family.

On other news, we have owned our home in Minneapolis for 1 year and 5 days today. We were thinking back to our moving day, March 15, 2012 and remembering the fact that it was 70 degrees, no snow. Our friends who helped us were sweating, and we bought cold beer for everyone. I felt like there was more hope in my heart that spring would be here sooner than later.

In celebration of that fact, I wanted to dedicate a WIWW post to the spring and summer clothing essentials that I would love to save money up for this year. I very rarely buy clothes for myself, but rather, for my working professional husband and my adorable 2 little girls. We have a pretty small budget for clothing, so I will be saving some of that, as well as anything extra that I get myself to hopefully purchase a few of these things.

(So hop over to my Etsy shop and help a girl out!) :)

This technically isn't a "real" WIWW, because there will be no photos of me. Why? Because I haven't taken any..simple as that.

I will still be linking up to The Pleated Poppy

as I update my list this spring.

The Ten Summer Essentials on my "Must save for" list:

1. ~~New swim suit.~~ I searched and I searched for a swim top that I would feel comfortable wearing when swimming with my kids. I decided I am very much not ready to dive into (pun intended) "Mom-suits" as I feel comfortable enough in my body after losing my postpartum weight, and some. My mom calls me the black hole, and this meaning... I eat and eat, but gain very few pounds. My children are black holes as well.

Moving on with long story short, I still want to wear a two piece since I am still comfortable in one. BUT... there must be some unwritten rule that all two pieces (affordable, at least) have to be made of 2 square inches of fabric with strings attached. I'm a modest girl, and my children don't watch their hands when out in public. SO, I needed to find something modest and secure. I found this suit top by Athena for $61, and searched for something more affordable like it.

I liked this top because it won't create weird tan lines, won't fall off easily, and covers better than most bikini tops do. After searching for almost an hour, I found this...

And this...

For $10 each from Walmart. Yes, Walmart. (I'm not a fan, but who can beat $10 swim suits?) My friend's mom told me she would help me fasten the straps so that they would not unclasp while swimming. (enter 6th grade horror story here: suit fell completely off while on a water park ride while no help or towels were around for about 50 feet. Trauma that still haunts me.)

So, I bought them! What to wear on the bottom? I have a great black Land's End suit bottom that has full coverage, and frankly, I always wear shorts with my suit unless I'm in the water. With the money that I saved, I bought 2 new pairs of yoga shorts from Walmart as well for $5 each. Swimsuit, done.

$32 rather than $61 for 2 tops and 2 pairs of shorts.

2. Yoga skirts. These are my favorite for summer, especially because they go with everything and are super comfortable. I wore them nearly every day that I was pregnant. I have a black skirt that has completely worn out- all hems are broken and there is now a hole in the side seam. Time for a new one.

These are the ones that I would love to buy:

(Photo from Old Navy)

I know, I know... I'll probably end up making these as well. But, I often find these on sale, so we will see!

3. Jersey fabric to make maxi skirts. Ok, store bought maxi skirts are never long enough for me. Why? I'm 5'6" and my legs aren't that long? So, instead of messing with purchasing expensive skirts then stretching and fiddling with them all summer, I'm just going to make my own. All I have to do is save my money from our budget to buy affordable jersey fabric. Any tips on good places to buy jersey?

I found these tutorials on Pinterest:

{Image & Tutorial from Individual Rivalry}

{Image & Tutorial from Refashion, Repurpose, Redo}

4. A good pair of flip flops. I'm not talking about the $2 old navy flip flops that leave a nice red mark on your feet, and fall apart after 3 uses. Nor am I talking about those super uncomfortable flip flops with gems and feathers all over them.... Nope, I would love to find a sale on comfortable and stylish flip flops like these:

{Chaco Etesia Ecotread chocolate sandal from 6pm.com}

5. Dresses, dresses, dresses. Who doesn't love dresses? Especially lightweight ones in the hot summer months? I have a few select dresses that I have been wearing for the last few summers, but as many of you know, when you wear something while pregnant or postpartum, you never want to see it again. Thus, I basically ruined my mentality of what that "little black dress" looks like on me after it wasn't SO little on my ginormous belly 2 years ago.

So, I would love to find some lightweight, convertible dresses that can go from day to night easily.

I am loving these dresses right now:

{Old navy dress}

{Old Navy dress}

{Patagonia dress from 6pm.com}

{Prima dress from 6pm.com}

And the list goes on...

6. Dressy tops to dress other pieces up: I love Marshall's for these. I feel like I can always find super cute lace back, silk and floral tops at Marshall's for a super affordable price in the summertime. I like to have 5 or so on hand to dress up those plain skirts, shorts, and shoes.

Here are a few that I love:

{Eyelet shirt from Jcrew}

{Shirt from Anthropologie}

{Tunic from Forever 21}

7. Shorts. I have to admit that until the last few years, I hadn't worn shorts in almost 17 years. Everyone has parts of their bodies that they are not happy with, and my weak point is my thigh area. So what changed? I got hot. I got real hot. Being pregnant in the summer, and giving birth in September, a girl learns how to wear shorts. Whew! I also can appreciate that "they" got the hint that not everyone wants the bottom of their ass hanging out when wearing shorts. (Shorts should be longer than the pockets... *shaking head) Clearly I am passionate about this one. So, I've found a few pairs of shorts in the past from Old Navy that are a bit longer, and a bit looser. I need to buy a new pair or two now that I have lost quite a bit of weight.

Ones similar to these:

{Everyday Shorts from Old Navy}

8. T-shirts. I'm sure everyone and their mother (or mother-in-law) owns those awesome $8 Mossimo pocket shirts from Target. I think I own probably 10. My two gray shirts have holes in them since I wear them once a week each, so I'd love to get a few more.

These are the ones I'm talking about.

9. New purse. Let me start with this, my home is 106 years old. What does this have to do with purses? We have mice, and there's not much we can do about it in this old home. I made the mistake of store my purses in a large wicker basket in my closet and the mice found a home in my favorite purses. 2 leather purses, and 3 canvas bags completely wrecked from those little horrible rodents. I now only have 1 bag, a Sigur Ros bag that has a zombie looking character on it.

I love it... but you know, it's not quite the look I'm going for most days.

So, I would love to buy a new purse that is for me, unlike a diaper bag that holds my wallet.

Here are some that I love:

10. 1-2 pairs of new jeans. My husband laughs at me when I curse out loud after having ripped yet another hole in the knee of my "last" pair of jeans. This happened last night. I am a mom, a fun one (I think) and I crawl around on the floor, a lot. I play, I change diapers down there, I clean, etc. I would love to have a few pairs of these skinny kick jeans. They fit nicely into boots on cold days, but have a cute flare at the bottom for wearing flats or flops. I'm in love with these.

There you have it.. my summer wishlist.
I will be updating it as I find great deals on these items!
If you have any tips or ideas of great places to shop with affordable prices, please comment!

Thanks!
Happy spring!

Tutorial Tuesday

2013-03-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

How to Clean Oil Cloth Bibs

(Like the ones from Target)

We buy a set of these bibs from Target at least once every other month. I'm sure if you do the same, you notice that they become stinky and sticky, even if you wash them really well after every use. Being married to a bio-chemist, I know about far more about bacteria than I'd like to know... including how bacteria stays on things like these bibs. Gross...

Since washing them in the washing machine (I've tried) is not recommended, I've asked myself how I could get them extra clean to make them last longer and make sure my kids aren't wearing a cloak of bacteria.

It dawned on me... the dishwasher. High temps, sanitizer, soap, cleanliness. So I gave it a shot. I tried it on bibs that we were about to get rid of anyhow, just in case they melted or something.

So I put the bibs on the top shelf of the dishwasher, on top of a bunch of other things. I started the normal wash with sanitation, and waited....

The result? They smell great, are super clean, and in great shape. We do this at least once a week and they last so much longer. You will have to let them dry outside of the dishwasher, of course.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask in the comment box! Thanks!

Recipe Monday

2013-03-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Paula's Monster Cookies

OK, who doesn't love Paula Deen? I feel like I'm a part of her family in her kitchen when I watch her show. I'm secure enough that I can also admit that her food also makes my mouth water so much that I drool a little...

Anyway, I was telling my little E's about monster cookies and how delicious they are. I began to wonder why I had never made them for my girls before. So, I went on my journey of monster cookie making, and who better to trust than Paula when searching for a good recipe?

See her recipe here.

Tips and Modifications:

*I added crunchy peanut butter and peanuts.

*Since this recipe is flour-less, I added about 1/2 of flour to stiffen them. I baked one cookie before doing this and it just seemed a little lifeless and flat.

*I made sure not to over mix my cookies. I saw on a lot of reviews NOT to use a mixer, otherwise the cookies will turn out super flat. This has happened to me with other recipes so I made sure not to make this major mistake again.

*Do NOT completely melt your butter. When recipes call for "softened butter" place the butter outside of the fridge and let it soften to room temp. There are tutorials out there on how to soften, but not melt, your butter in the microwave if you haven't done it ahead of time. In my fancy (my kitchen came equipped with super nice appliances...it's the best part of our Minneapolis home built in 1907.) microwave, there is a butter softening button. It's pretty amazing... ok, done bragging.

*I flattened my dough balls on the pan so that they cooked all of the way through. I baked a few that I had just dropped as balls and they were very gooey in the middles. Once I flattened them a little, they cooked through just fine.

My Family's Menu
this week:

M-Chicken enchiladas, chips and quac.

T- Pesto pasta with homemade bread sticks and spinach salad

W- Financial Peace class at Mercy (dinner provided)

Th- Mesquite grilled chicken, bruschetta and french bread. (my kids love bruschetta, weird huh?)

F- Kabobs (chicken, red & green pepper, onion, yellow squash and mushrooms) cheesy grilled potatoes, and salad.

S- Hubs is planning a date for us (aww..)

Su- Curry chicken and rice, broccoli, wontons

This morning's grocery total: $72.34

($2.34 over budget due to buying Easter candy)

Tutorial Tuesday

2013-03-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Money Saving Tips& Meal Planning:

My husband and I have been blessed with the opportunity to go through Financial Peace University at our church. I can't even begin to tell you how fantastic the program has been for us financially and in our marriage. We were pretty skeptical starting out as we had already read Dave's book Total Money Makeover, and it hadn't really been inspiring or informative enough for us to change our habits and have the knowledge of how to do so.(I personally am not a huge fan of Dave Ramsey as a person, but he has come up with a pretty genius/common sense way of leading others to a debt free life.)

Taking the class has been wonderful for both of us. We are held accountable by a group of people that we have really enjoyed getting to know, and it has become a fun break for us as our church offers dinner and child care during the class. We are on week 7 of FPU and finding that our habits have been positively changing, including our budgeting skills and money saving skills.

By next month, we will have paid off 10% of our debt. My heart jumps with joy when I say that. We have given ourselves healthy limits, big goals and dreams, and a bright future for our children by going through this program.

So, for my T.T., today we are going to talk about saving money...

Tutorial Tuesday: Money Saving Tips

As you all know, I am already a meal planning, coupon clipping and budget friendly lady. I love the challenge of being told, "You only have $70 cash to spend on food this week." I gladly accept that challenge knowing that I will have the food that I need to make healthy and delicious meals (Yes, breakfast, lunch AND dinner with snacks between!) for my family of 4. And let me tell you, there is something about coming home with my groceries and telling my husband, "$68.72. Under budget!"

Want to know how I do it?

I have written a few posts

(HERE)

about money saving, meal planning and budgeting. Things have changed a little as I have been challenging myself a bit more by adding on Saturday and Sunday to my meal planning, and taking only cash along with to the grocery store. (Dave Ramsey's tip, when you've run out of cash, you're done.)

This is how I plan my weekly

meals step by step:

Tips:

* This might feel like way too much preparation for you. This is just how I do it. You can take it or leave it, or add your own things, take away others. I have just been asked how my family eats so well on such a tight budget. This is it.

*I shop at Aldi and Target, and live in MN. First I go to Aldi without kids while hubs is home, then on Monday the kids and I head to Target for the things we couldn't find at Aldi. We save around $25-35 when shopping at Aldi.

*I plan my meals on Sunday after church. This way I can look at the new coupons at Target.com, the Target ad, the Aldi ad, and the Sunday local paper coupons. I plan my meals according to sales and coupons.

* I keep a post it list going on my fridge of things that we need, or things that my family wants. (i.e.- my 3 year old is suddenly obsessed with bagels and cream cheese.) This will help you to remember those thing when you are writing your list.

*Find a notebook that also has an envelope or folder in it. You could also attach a regular envelope to your notebook by gluing it. This way your coupons will be close to your list, but organized so that they will not fall all over the place in the middle of shopping.

1. Clip coupons and check out ads. I sometimes clip both the coupons and parts of the ad pages so that I can organize what I need with physical pieces of paper. (I've also found that sometimes Target has a deal in their ad, but marked differently in the store. It really helps if you have the ad there with you to correct the price to get the deal that you want.

2. Write out ideas of meals that I could make using the sale/coupon items as well as the items you still have stocked in your pantry/freezer/fridge. For instance, we have left over chicken from a dinner party that my best friend and I threw. Also, this week half and half is on sale, and I had a coupon for Pillsbury pie crusts and a green giant canned vegetable. Voila: chicken pot pie.

3. TYPE (you can move things around easily) a list of groceries that you need, and a separate list of things that you and your family want.

4. After finishing your separate lists, add up what you think the prices of your NEED items are on your typed list. (I am a very, very devoted Target shopper and know almost all of the prices of the items that we buy regularly almost to the penny.) Add up your items and type your total. How close is it to your budget? When I did this, I was about $12 under. Go back and make sure that you took off your coupon discounts.

5. Pull up your family's WANT list and decide which items you would like to add to your final grocery list. Guess the general prices of those items and add to your total. If your unsure of a price, guess high. Make sure you are under your budgeted allowance.

6. Write your final grocery list out on a piece of paper with a pencil. Include your other categories of items needed on the other side of your grocery list. (i.e.- household, personal care, baby, etc.) This way you will be able to tally up your food items since they are one category of your budget.

7. Go through your list and highlight all of the items that you have coupons for, as well as the items that should be on sale. (I even go as far as highlighting the two in separate colors. Trust me, with a 1 year old and 3 year old, I do anything to get us in and out of the store as fast as I can with the least amount of tantrums as possible.) I usually write the brand name of the coupon next to the item so that I don't absolutely have to pull out of stack of coupons.

8. You are prepared. Head to the grocery store and get those items that you need. This is the most important step in budgeting.... keep your eyes on your list and cart. DO NOT buy extra items. Target is famous for their tactics in getting you to purchase extra items. (No seriously, they do studies that track how customers like you and I travel around their stores; what items they see most often, what items they purchase most often, how they travel through the isles. Seriously...) I have even taught my 3 year old that we don't shop without a list, and we don't buy anything that isnt' on the list. We successfully walked past the toy isle without a tantrum last week while she said, "Oh yeah, we don't have a toy on the list." Proud mom, right here.

9. Check out with your cart full of list items. If you can, put your "want" items at the back of the line in case you go over your budget limit. This way you know all of your "need" items are already bagged. Tell your cashier (politely!!) that you are on a tight budget and are watching the total. Let them know that you might have to stop at a certain point. A few of my favorite cashiers at my Target like to play it like a game and cheer me on. Remember, they are the ones who will help you. Don't be rude to them, and don't be surprised if they are rude to you. (yes, this is their job, but you are adding extra work to something they already do. It's like your boss adding another pile of papers to fill out at work, or 5 more poopy diapers to change during the day.)

10. If you go over your budget, politely ask them to quit scanning items, or if they are really nice, take items out of the bags you have already put in your cart. This is where you will be happy that you put your "want" items in the back. You won't have to ask the cashier to scan the bagged items again to void them. They will be happy you prepared ahead.

11. Pay. When you have hit your budget (mine is $70) you are done. No more! Like I said, it will take practice to get to this point- both physically and emotionally. It was really hard to not let the 3 year old in me come out when I couldn't get what I wanted, and just had to buy the essentials the first few weeks. After a while, I got really good at it and have been able to buy the coffee I want, or even those chocolates that were on sale.

12. Enjoy your abundance of great food, and feelings of accomplishment. (And maybe even the high five you'll get when you arrive home on or under budget!)

Good luck!!

Please email me or comment with any questions! I (obviously) am pretty passionate about meal planning and saving money, so I'd love to chat!

Recipe Monday

2013-03-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Chicken Pot Pie:

Ingredients:

1 box of Pillsbury refrigerated roll out pie crusts (lots of coupon pages carry Pillsbury coupons)

1 can of peas and carrots, or 1 frozen bag of peas and carrots thawed

2 chicken breasts

1 small carton of heavy cream (or fat free cream)

3 T. flour

1/4 cup of butter

3-4 green onions chopped (white parts only)

S&P to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Take out your pie crusts to warm up to room temp (as directed on box.) Cook your chicken in a pan, remove and cube. Set chicken aside. In same pan create a rue by melting your butter and sprinkling flour in slowly. Stir your rue and cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring. Pour cream in very slowly while whisking. Stir for 3-4 minutes while it simmers and becomes thicker. When cream is thick, add chicken back in, along with peas and carrots, onions and salt an pepper. Stir mixture. Remove from heat. Roll out your pie crust in your pie pan, and fill it with mixture. Top with other pie crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Wait 5 minutes to cut.

TIP: Place thin pieces of aluminum foil around the edges of the crust so that they do not

Enjoy!!

Our Family's Menu

This week

------------------------------

Monday- Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, chips and beans

Tuesday- Roasted asparagus & mushroom pasta, homemade breadsticks & salad

Wednesday-Mercy Wednesday Dinner (class at church)

Thursday- Chicken pot pie, salad and fruit

Friday- Burgers and chips

Saturday- Family night out

Sunday- Breakfast for dinner (blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon)

Baked goodies: Cherry almond bars

Breakfast goodies: ham and gouda quiche

All on a $70 budget.

Inspired?

Find out how I do I do it in my meal planning and money saving tutorial Tuesday.

Tutorial Tuesday- Bias Tape

2013-03-05T04:47:00.000-08:00

OK, I don't know about you, but I loath Bias Tape. Like, I dread having to attach bias tape to anything. The thing is, I am doing a project that requires it. There's no way around it. So... I looked up tons of tutorials on how to properly & easily attach bias tape to fabric. Just in case you've found yourself in this oh-so-scary situation, this is what I found that was helpful..

{Bias Tape Tutorials}

Bias tape tutorial

Polly Danger

Bias Tape Tutorial

Smashed Peas and Carrots

Bias tape on corners tutorial

Smashed Peas and Carrots

Good luck!!

Recipe Monday

2013-02-25T06:44:00.000-08:00

Well hello there!

That was quite the break, eh?
I'm excited to hop back on the blogwagon (get it? ...I bet you missed me.)

Welp, lets hop right back in. On we go...

{Recipe Monday}

Santa Fe Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 package of chibatta rolls or chibatta bread cut into sandwich slices

1 red bell pepper cut into slices

1 green bell pepper cut into slices

2 boneless chicken breasts, frozen

1 T. Cajun seasoning

s&p

1T. olive oil

Pepper jack cheese in sandwich slices

Cajun mayo:

3T. Mayo

1 t. Cajun seasoning

the juice of half of a lime

Directions:

1. As you take out your chicken breasts to thaw, place them in a bag with 1 T. of olive oil and 2T. of Cajun seasoning. Let breasts thaw and marinate in bag for a few hours.
2. Cut breasts into strips and cook in olive oil in a pan on the stove. Cook all of the way through. Remove chicken from pan, and saute peppers. Add oil if needed.
3. While peppers are cooking, prepare your bread on a foil lined cookie sheet and make your cajun mayo. Cut rolls or bread, and spread mayo on both sides of the inside of the bread/roll.
4. Place chicken strips on one side of the bread and cover with pepper jack cheese.
5. Start your broiler in your oven. If you don't have a broiler, preheat your oven to 425. If you prefer the outside of your sandwich to be crunchy, try making sandwich on a sandwich press.
6. When the peppers are soft, but not limp, place them on the other side of your sandwich. Cover with pepper jack cheese.
7. Broil for 1-2 minute or press your sandwich. Remove from heat and press sides together.
8. Enjoy!

{Menu Monday}

(What our family will be eating this week on our grocery budget of $60 or less)

M- Pad thai, wontons

T- Calzones, salad

W- Mercy (Our church) Wednesday dinner

Th- Santa Fe Chicken sandwiches, sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo

F- Family night out
(we usually find a groupon or coupon to enjoy a night out every other week)

The buzz on bees.

2012-09-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my youngest daughter's 1st birthday, and it turned out much different than we thought it would. We had a series of fun things planned for the day, including a walk at a nature center and lunch with my Aunt and her little girl, treats, ice cream with dad, and presents. We were all so excited.

We got the nature center, and packed up the stroller. There is an awesome play area for the kids inside a building, that leads right out to the trails. We stopped to go through the toys, then ventured out for a walk. We went about 100 yards, and saw some fallen trees to climb on and around. The older girls- both 3, went out to climb and adventure while my Aunt, my youngest and I stood and talked. It was so relaxing and fun... until... my Aunt's little girl screamed, "Mom! Bees!" We both looked over quickly at our daughters to see they were in a swarm of bees. We ran over to try to get them out of the swarm and over a really tall fallen log. I was holding my baby, so it was really hard for me to get my 3 year old out at the same time. My Aunt grabbed her daughter out of the "fort" of logs, then told me to give her my youngest daughter. I handed her over, and looked back at my 3 year old as she had a look of terror on her face, crouched down against the log. (A mom's nightmare.) She couldn't even speak she was so scared. I grabbed her, swatted the bees from her and began to run. My Aunt still had my youngest, and was fighting to pick up her daughter as well so we could run out of the wooded area.

We finally got back to the trail, and thought we'd be more safe. Wrong. We started to walk as fast as we could while juggling the kids and stroller, and trying to swat the bees off of us. As soon as one person would swat a bee off of them, it would fly over to another. It was endless.

As I'm writing this, I can feel the bees all over my body. Seriously, it was a nightmare.

People on the trail looked at us as if we were crazy. They just walked past us! I could hardly believe it. Our kids were still screaming, and we were clearly swatting at bees. I even yelled at two women passing by that we had been attacked by bees. They just kept walking. Who does that?!

We quickly walked and ran to the nature center building as the bees chased us. We shut the doors quickly and went to tell the workers that we needed help. We stripped the clothes off of our kids, and I was not doing it fast enough. As I was checking my oldest daughter out, my youngest grabbed her pant leg and screamed. One had gotten stuck in her pants and stung her, even after getting into shelter.

The workers at the nature center were awesome. They immediately helped us with our girls- giving them first aid, stickers, and hugs. One of the workers took my sweater outside and pulled off a bunch of bees. They were everywhere. There were hundreds of them! I went into the bathroom and pulled them out of my pants. They must have gotten stuck in there as I was bending down to get my kids. I even dropped my pants in the middle of the trails. I had never been stung by a bee before, and having a bunch stuck in pants, and even better- JEGGINGS, is not fun. My poor aunt got a nice look-see of my bare butt. (Sorry Jeni!)

My Aunt immediately called our doctor, since we have the same ped. They advised us to go to the ER right away with the girls. After we had checked them out, and the workers gave us some children's tylenol and some ammonia to rub on the stings, we took off to the ER.

My kids were terrified and didn't want to get into their car seats. They screamed the entire way to the ER. Luckily, my husband met us there to help out.

The doctors got the girls in pretty quick, and said the stings looked more like wasp stings rather than bee stings, but there was no way to tell. My youngest had 11 stings (and 2 more newly discovered ones on her head this morning) my oldest only had 2- one under her eye and on her shoulder, and I ended up with 9 all on my tush. Buh...

They gave them both a dose of Benadryl, and Motrin for my youngest. They were both starving by the time we got out of the doctor, so we headed home and quickly ate lunch after changing our clothes. They went down for a good 3 hour nap (thank you Benadryl) then we did our best to celebrate our 1 year old's first birthday with 2 trips for ice cream, and dinner with Grandma & Grandpa at McDonalds.

My oldest is traumatized for sure. She told the story to her grandparents, and of course, a fly landed on her as she was telling the story. She screamed bloody murder and was terrified that it was a bee. I don't blame her at all. It seriously was a nightmare, or like a scene out of a movie (My Girl came to mind when it was happening, which turned my fear into sheer panic since neither of the girls had ever been stung before.)

Luckily everyone slept good through the night, and hopefully today the itching goes down a bit for us all. It will definitely be a funny story to tell Evie when she's older, but we certainly aren't ready to laugh yet.

Thanks to those who knew about the bees and prayed for us!

Eleanor, my 3 year old.

2012-09-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

In honor of my sweet Eleanor, who is turning 3 today.

{The story of Eleanor}

On my due date, September 14th, I spoke with a doctor (Not my doctor. No, my doctor was on vacation...) who told me he would like to induce me 4 days later if she hadn't already come. They were worried about her weight, and my size.

Lo and behold, she hadn't come on her own.

After a ~~great night's sleep~~ a terrible night of anxiety and no sleep, I called into the labor and delivery floor to see if they would, in fact, induce me that day. "Yep, come on in, we've got a room ready for you!" My heart began to pound. I gently woke, oh, who are we kidding, I yelled at Matt to get his butt out of bed and get ready to go. We packed up the car, and took our last pregnancy photo.

We headed to the hospital and got settled in. At 7 a.m. I was told my Cervidil (a pill to start contractions) would be up in a few minutes. A few hours later.. it finally arrived. Contractions began around 9:45 a.m. We were hopeful that it wouldn't take long. My spirits were high, so I went on walks, bounced on my yoga ball, and did plenty of squats.

Around 1:15, the doctor checked my cervix, and I was still only at a 2. A little while later, they broke my water to get things moving faster.

At around 3:30, not much had changed except that the contractions were becoming very painful. I asked if I could have an epidural soon, and was given one around 5 p.m. It didn't hurt at all to get it, and after it kicked in, I felt nothing. My legs felt like they were a thousand pounds. It. Was. Awesome.

I was told that if Ellie hadn't come before 4 a.m, I would have to have a c-section. We just prayed that she would come before then.

Around 7:45, they checked my cervix, and I was only at a 4.

We waited. And waited, and waited, and waited. We watched The Office season premiere and Friends, and played Uno. I even slept for a while. (I told you, I couldn't feel a thing.)

At 11:15, I was asked if would like some pitocin since I had not yet progressed any further. I hadn't wanted Pitocin since the statistics were so high that I would likely end up with a c-section. There was one main goal here, to vaginally deliver a healthy baby.

I said yes. But I only wanted a "titch." The nurse said, "Well, a titch isn't a medical measurement, but I will give you the smallest dose possible." (I didn't find this funny in the moment...) After she injected the pitocin, I immediately felt my contractions. They upped my epidural dose, and the contractions came faster and harder.

Was this doing any good? We would soon see, I suppose.

At 1:30, the nurse checked me and said, "Abi, Abi, wake up! It's time to push!" I was at a 10, and ready to go. (Yes, you did just read correctly, I was basically sleeping as my nurse checked me.) I was so tired of being in labor. We were now at a solid 15 hours of labor, and I was beat.

Matt and my nurse sat me up as my body started to convulse. The nurse said it was totally normal as I had very high adrenaline at that point. The doctor arrived just in time, and the entire room changed. Everyone put their garb on as the prepared everything, including the bed where my baby would soon lay. I looked over and saw her little hat and blanket as tears welled up when I had realized how soon she would be there, in my arms.

Something that I remember very clearly about my late stage of labor with Eleanor is when my doctor (of course the doctor on call was the very attractive young male doctor) put his "garb" on, including these huge goggles. I remember I made a joke about him wearing those "super cool goggles" all the time, even at home, not just when he's delivering babies. I distinctly remember him looking at me, probably thinking, "Umm, I'm staring at your hoo-hoo right now... now's not the time to be making fun of me."

Moving on...

The nurse and Matt held my legs up and the nurse told me to tell her when I felt a contraction because I would be able to feel them before the machine could read them. I laughed a little in my head because, really, I couldn't feel anything at all. I told her I would try. So, it began. I pushed. I pushed and I pushed.

Soon after pushing, my doctor said Eleanor's heart rate was a little low, so I had to wear an oxygen mask. I pushed a few more times, and after about 45 minutes of pushing, the doctor said, "She's almost here. Give me one more big push!"

I took a deep breath, and as hard as I could, I pushed Ellie into the world. At 2:17 a.m., Ellie made her arrival. I heard a little tiny, raspy cry and there she was. They handed her immediately to me. She gave out one more little cry, and then looked up at me. Her eye lids slowly opened and closed as she stared me in the eyes. It was love.

A few minutes after gazing, she nursed for almost an hour. She was a pro at it from the start. They then took her to do her tests and to give her her first bath. I took a bath as well, and passed out in a wheel chair. (no joke.) I hadn't eaten for a total of 30 some hours, so my energy was definitely low.

We got to our room where we would stay for 2 days at around 4:30 a.m. We all rested and enjoyed visitors. We headed home with her a 2 days later, and the rest is history.

{Happy Birthday}

Eleanor,
You are the love of my life. You are so smart, and funny. You are constantly wanting to learn and do things on your own, and you tell the best jokes ever. You are incredibly sensitive, and are always worried about others. You are generous and kind, and love to help.
You test me beyond measure most days, and that only leads me to believe that you are going to turn into an amazing woman. You have a very, very strong will. You know what you want, when you want it.
You love being a big sister, but you also really love to have time to yourself. You love to be around your grandmas and auntie Anna the most. Your favorite color is pink, and you love anything Disney Princess right now. You are learning to write and have asked me to start teaching you how to read. You love to dance in your ballet class, and love hanging out with your friends in the church nursery.   You have many friends and honestly get out of sorts when you haven't seen them in a few days. You are definitely an extrovert.
I don't know what I would do without you, Ellie. God blesses me every day through you. I love you more than words could ever say, sweet pea. I can't believe you're turning 3 already. You are such a big girl.
Happy birthday, Bubs. You're awesome. Love you!
-Mom

Insta-Friday

2012-08-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

{My world through my iPhone's eyes lately}

Some of the bonnets I've been selling lately. Aren't they beautiful!? If you're interested in purchasing one, please feel free to email me at abigayleconner(at)gmail(dot)com!

Sea Salt Eatery at Minnehaha Falls has THE best fish sandwiches. And beer. And everything. It's one of my favorite places to go.

I treat myself when the kids are sleep.

We went to Como Zoo on Saturday, just our tiny family.

It was great to spend time together and really enjoy.

My Mom was awesome and brought me a bunch of veggies from her garden. We feasted on this bowl for days! So yummy!

Have a good weekend everyone!!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tutorial Tuesday- Infinity Scarves

2012-08-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Raise your hand if you're excited for Autumn!

Ugh, I can't wait. Hot cider, cute little bums in adorable Halloween costumes, sweaters, leggings, and scarves, apple crisp and apple picking. I love fall. Everything about it.

So, to feed the need... here is a great tutorial to make yourself some of those awesome infinity scarves!

I won't take credit for this tutorial. Although I'd love to show you how I make my scarves, I am not nearly as organized as I would like to be in order to show you. So maybe later! :)

{Photo from The Cottage Home.}

Thanks to The Cottage Home for this tutorial!

Click HERE to jump to the tutorial!

Recipe Monday- How to make the best gin & tonic ever.

2012-07-22T16:48:00.001-07:00

My husband and I love to make a gin and tonic with dinner every now and then. It's an incredibly refreshing drink in the summer time! My sister in law taught us how she makes a gin & tonic, and we fell in love. I've been asked by a lot of people how we do it, so I thought I'd write up a quick recipe.

(disclaimer, I think it's called something different with the lime, but I'm not sure of the technical name.)

{Gin & Tonic}

Ingredients:
1/2 glass of cubed ice
1 shot of gin (we use Tanqueray or Beefeaters)
1 Lime, rolled and cut in half
1 small bottle of tonic water (we get shweps)

Directions:
Roll your lime (push down on your lime with the palm of your hand and roll it back and forth to release the juices inside of it) cut it in half and squeeze over half of a glass of ice. Pour 1 shot of gin (we use a jigger from Create & Barrel) over the ice and lime. Pour half of the bottle of tonic water on top of the lime, ice, and gin and stir. Drink and enjoy on your patio. :)

{Our Family's Weekly Menu}

Monday- Pizza after ballet

Tuesday- Burgers, cucumber salad, roasted potatoes

Wednesday- Enchiladas, cottage cheese, carrots & apples

Thursday- Cosetta's (our family's favorite restaurant, which has become a monthly tradition!)

Friday- Grilled chicken with pasta, tuscan bread, spinach salad

Saturday- Oriental Chicken Salads, bread

Sunday- Taco salads

To bake: no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies
Breakfasts: Trader Joe's pancakes, bacon and eggs, yogurt cereal, and maple oatmeal.
Snacks: apples, cheese & crackers, guacamole w/ chips, "ants on logs" for Ellie, yogurt on graham crackers (frozen) and yogurt bites

(all on a budget of $70. Yes, yes it can be done!)

Recipe Monday- Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats & Apples

2012-07-16T06:43:00.002-07:00

Soooo.... I meant to make this for my family this past weekend. Do I? Well... no. See, my 10 month old daughter just got over a nice bout of teething and sickness, and now she's getting her 5th & 6th teeth in so she's been up 4 or 5 times a night. When Dad goes in there, she cries even harder. So, it's all about me. I'm exhausted, my friends. So, so tired.

So, this was made for this morning. I have to admit my husband LOVED being able to grab a bowl before he headed off to work at 6 a.m. (he usually grabs a pop tart or...err...cookie.) This site also suggests putting the left overs in masjon jars to save for later. Which, is what I did so that both my husband and my daughters could have the leftovers tomorrow morning. My kids absolutely loved this. My oldest (almost 3) doesn't really like oatmeal, but she loved this. My youngest (almost 1) loves oatmeal, and couldn't get enough of the apples in it.

I give the recipe a thumbs up and hope you enjoy it as well!

Thanks to The Yummy Life for the recipe!

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats & Apples

(photo from The Yummy Life)

Ingredients

2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk or butter

Directions

Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.

To reheat single servings: Put 1-cup cooked oatmeal in microwave proof bowl. Add 1/3 cup fat-free milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for another minute, or until hot.

Recipe can be doubled in 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Increase cooking time 1 hour.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 4 pts per 3/4 cup serving

{My Family's Weekly Menu}

Monday: tater tot hotdish, biscuits, salads
Tuesday: honey mustard chicken sandwiches (grilled) with sweet potato fries with a chile mayo dipping sauce
Wednesday: Crock pot southwestern stuffed peppers, taco chips and guacamole
Thursday: steak kabobs (peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini) with grilled potatoes
Friday: Pizza with my Mom at her hotel room (followed by swimming!)

Saturday: Como Zoo with my Mom and brother
Sunday: Balsamic chicken & peppers, roasted potatoes and spinach salad

Recipe Monday- Healthy Zucchini Muffins

2012-07-09T00:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday!

I've been searching for healthy but fun recipes for my kids. I found these awesome muffins on Pinterest the other day and had to make them. They were a total success in my house. We eat them for breakfast and for snacks. When I gave one of the regular muffins (no chocolate chips) to my 9 month old, her face lit up and she smiled so big. My 2 year old fell in love with the ones that I put mini chocolate chips (of course!) and my husband took them with for breakfast on his work days. The thing that I love about them is that there is barely anything unhealthy in here. Besides the 3/4 c. of sugar (to a 24 mini muffin, and 6 large muffin ratio) it is all good stuff like zucchini, apple sauce, wheat flour, and free range eggs! We will definitely be making these again!

Thanks Emily Bites for this awesome recipe!

{Light Zucchini Muffins}

go here to see source

Ingredients:
1 ½ c white whole wheat flour
¾ c of sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
½ t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ c unsweetened applesauce
¼ c skim milk
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t vanilla extract
1 c shredded zucchini
¼ c miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.    Preheat the oven to 350. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners or lightly mist the muffin tin with cooking spray.
2.    In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and stir until mixed.
3.    In a medium bowl, combine the egg, applesauce, milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir until mixed.
4.    Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until combined, forming a moist batter. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
5.    Spoon the batter evenly into the liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

{Our family's menu this week}

I'm having to be creative lately with it being SO hot in MN. This week is supposed to be cooler (even though 87 isn't cool to me...) so we are still going to try to stay away from the oven and utilize the stove/grill/slow cooker. Do you have any good hot summer recipes that you can share?

Monday: Sister-in-law's birthday party (ribs, pasta salad, cornbread)

Tuesday: Crock pot stuffed peppers

Wednesday: BLTA sandwiches, chips and dip

Thursday: taco salads

Friday: Sesame chicken, brown rice, broccoli

Saturday: mushroom risotto with chicken, salad and rolls
Sunday: free day

Milk Makers Review & Giveaway

2012-07-05T00:00:00.001-07:00

I'm sure you've heard of me talking about Milk Makers. I love their products and have been a guest writer on their blog. They are definitely one of my favorite companies! Which is why I was thrilled when I was contacted to do a review and giveaway right here on Eli & Ellie!

To fill you in, Milk Makers is a company that makes delicious nutrient filled cookies for breastfeeding mothers. The founder of the company, Emily Kane started it as a means to find a solution to her new issues when trying to balance going back to work and nursing her daughter. Milk Makers cookies are jam packed with not only great flavors and fresh ingredients, but supplements that are needed to boost milk supply. They add supplements such as brewer's yeast, oats, and flax seed. For about $1.50 a day, a mother can boost her milk supply by eating super yummy Milk Makers cookies. Can we say yes please?

I was so excited to get my Milk Makers cookies in the mail. Not only because I love the company so much, but because I had been drooling over the photos of their cookies for months. They look so darn good! (I have an extreme sweet tooth, FYI.) I received a started bag of the chocolate chip cookies. They also offer dairy free oatmeal raisin, but I am not a fan of raisins, so I passed. I busted the bag open right away and enjoyed a cookie during nap time. From then on, my Milk Makers cookies (dubbed boob cookies in my house) were my treats that I looked forward to during our quiet time. It was especially great because they were mine only, and that doesn't happen very often with anything these days. (If you're a mom, you know exactly what I mean. . .)

There's no question that my Milk Makers cookies tasted great. They were awesome! But, I'm sure the question you will all ask is whether or not it boosted my supply. The answer, YES, yes they did! Most of you know that I've been struggling to keep my supply for my youngest. I was incredibly sick for a while and was put on antibiotics, which are known to dry supply. From there on, I watched my left breast dry up. It was so disheartening. My daughter's pediatrician told us that we would have to supplement formula (nothing wrong with that, I've just always had an over-supply problem with my EBF babies) so I was looking for any way to boost the supply I had left to continue to nurse Evie as much as I could. I noticed a significant difference after just a week of eating Milk Makers cookies. I noticed that not only was Evie nursing for a longer period of time, but she also wasn't getting as frustrated after a minute or two of nursing.

I would definitely recommend Milk Makers cookies to new nursing moms, moms that are having under supply issues, or moms who just want to eat something that is not only delicious, but packed with nutrients as well.

Buy them here, or enter below to win your own started pack of chocolate chip, dairy free oatmeal raisin, or a variety pack.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tutorial Tuesday- High Chair Re-do

2012-07-03T00:00:00.002-07:00

High Chair Re-Cover
by Ashley at Make It & Love it

Oh man, this one made me nervous. Have you ever had one of those weeks (or in my case, months) where you feel like not much is going right? Yeah... me too. This month I've just been feeling like no matter how hard I try, I just can't make things work out. Maybe it's just hormones now that Aunt Flo is back (haha!) after 9 months postpartum, or maybe it's my almost 3 year old who, no matter how hard I try, just won't cooperate. Not sure what it is, but either way, I was nervous to do this project. I decided to not cut my original padding to my high chair up for this very reason. I knew that if I totally botched it like I had done several projects before, I would be so disheartened. So, I still used my padding for a pattern, but didn't disassemble it like Ashley from Make It & Love it did. (She's brave and super talented!)

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I have to say that since this worked out, I feel like kind of a rock star and I've had a little bit of strut to my stride. Every time I walk past e's high chair I feel a little proud of myself. I must say it has been just what I've needed to cheer me up a little.

So, go HERE and see how I (somewhat) did it.

Happy Tuesday!

Recipe Monday- Curry Chicken

2012-07-02T00:00:00.013-07:00

I think I already posted this one on here, but I can't find it anywhere! So, to refresh my blog, myself, and you... here is one of my favorite recipes. My good friend made it for us when we had our first daughter, and I've loved it since! It's a sweeter curry, which my girls love as well!

I'm not sure where my friend got the recipe, but I have modified it to my own taste over the years. So this is basically my version...

{Curry Chicken}

Ingredients:
2-3 of chicken breast, cut in strips 1/4 cup of melted butter
1/3 cup of honey
2 T. yellow mustard
1 t. salt
1 t. yellow curry powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Place strips of uncooked chicken in 9x9 pan (or whatever smaller baking dish you have) Mix the butter, honey, mustard, salt and curry together in a bow and pour over chicken. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Take out of oven and let sit for 5-7 minutes. Pour over rice or noodles. I love to serve this with Basmati rice (can be purchased at Target, organic and clean!) and steamed broccoli. Yum!

ENJOY!