On One Hand

Recipe: Caprese Pasta Salad

2012-12-05T13:49:00.004-07:00

Hurry up and wait.

That seems to be the theme this week. Carson's been having tummy troubles for the last several weeks so we're getting him tested for gluten intolerance amongst other things, so we're waiting on those tests.

Last minute I decided to bake some sandbakkels from an old family recipe (I'm half Scandinavian, in case you didn't know) but I don't have the tins so I ordered some...still waiting.

Then I decided to make some pasta salad, and we all know it tastes better after you let it refrigerate for a bit (and even better the next day) so more waiting.

I'm not a very patient person - unless it has to do with kids because let's face it, if I were impatient with them I'd lose my mind. My kids are the slowest moving creatures on the planet...at least until they're in trouble that is. I'm working on it. It's not easy - but I guess nothing worth learning is easy, right? Meh, it still sucks.

Anyway, I LOVE Caprese salad. I usually just make my version of it with tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt/pepper - but being that my ingredients were a little spendy this time since I used an heirloom tomato and bought pre made pesto because the stores basil looked gross and my plant is dead, I decided to add in a $1 box of pasta to stretch my money a little further.

Fresh and Easy used to sell a Caprese salad, which was actually a lettuce salad topped with basil, tomato, mozzarella, etc...it was deee-vine. But then they stopped selling it for whatever reason. Worst executive decision ever, if you ask me. Now they sell a Caprese pasta salad which is alright, but there's no comparison. I wasn't really a fan of the pasta salad version (it tasted funny) and it was a little pricey....so I figured I'd try my own. It was actually pretty tasty for wingin' it, and it tastes even better the next day, so you could definitely make it ahead of time.

Here's what you need:

12 oz pasta, cooked according to directions
1/2 lb tomato diced (approx. 2 romas worth, I used half of a huge heirloom that was a one-pounder)
8 oz mozzarella cubed
4 tbs pesto sauce
4 tbs olive oil
4 tbs balsamic glaze (a little sweeter than the vinegar, so use less if the vinegar version is all you got)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook Pasta. After draining run cold water over it so it stops cooking. Put bowl in the fridge to cool while you're cutting everything up.

Dice your tomatoes and mozzarella. Sneak a bite because heirlooms are delicious, then add to pasta.

In a separate bowl, mix together olive oil, balsamic glaze (or vinegar), pesto, salt and pepper. I was going to post a picture of the sauce after it's mixed, but to be honest, it does not look appetizing -trust me on this. Oh, and I don't have a fancy salt shaker, so I left it out of the picture. Just pretend it's there.

After the sauce is mixed pour it over the pasta mixture and toss until everything is coated. Let it refrigerate until chilled (or better yet, overnight) and serve. YUM.

That's all you do - it's very simple and you can add in whatever extras you want for more flavor. I'm thinking this would also be good with some bell pepper or kalamata olive tossed in. Yerm.

Elf on the Shelf 2012

2012-12-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

Heeeyyyyy! Guess who's back?

It's Ferdinand!

He showed up late again this year on the 2nd, but I think a little unpredictability makes it more fun!

Here's where we found him today!

Just a little light reading...

I thought Ferdinand might like some books to read so I made mini ones out of cereal box cardboard and paper, using Photoshop to Elf-ify the titles (except for the Short Guys book, that's actually an existing title.)

Elf on the Shelf is in full swing once again!

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Disclosure: I won't be posting an Elf picture every day. Some days we find him in just a regular ol' spot so I'm not going to go crazy with the picture taking. Every so often though it's fun to get a little creative so I'll definitely let you in on the action - I just don't want anyone to be disappointed if there's not a new picture every day.

That's P, as in Pneumonia

2012-11-26T22:58:00.002-07:00

Ugh. Can I throw a pity party for a sec? I was diagnosed with pneumonia last Monday after having some radical chest pain that I was sure meant I was having a heart attack. Nope. Just pneumonia. I thought I was being crazy for going to the ER (the last time I was there for myself was my accident) but it turns out I was completely valid in my concern especially with my heart rate thumping around 130. My wonderful husband took the next two days off so I could stay in bed, which meant that he really had the next 6 days off because of the Thanksgiving holiday which afforded me a week staycation in bed. The first two days you would have thought I was on my deathbed so I didn't really care about being stuck in a room all by myself with nothing but Netflix, but once my brain started functioning past the pain it felt like a prison. Moms, you get it - you want (need!) to get up, DO things, but I knew that this was the best place for me to be. I didn't want the kids to get sick, especially Landon since he has had pneumonia before and you're more susceptible to get it again once you've already had it. Thanksgiving was eh...it sucked. I was thankful to at least feel well enough to sit with my husband and kids at the table, even if it was only for 15 minutes before I felt like passing out (which Carson actually accomplished, into his sweet potatoes no less, poor guy was sooo tired.) I'm actually pretending that Thanksgiving never happened because it makes me sad to think that I missed family get togethers, especially with everyone on Facebook talking about how much fun they were having. I'm completely aware that blocking it out probably isn't healthy, but onward and upward I say, Christmas is nigh!

I am feeling better, though I still feel like passing out or tossing my cookies if I'm up for too long, but there's definitely a light at the end of this tunnel. Plus, I got to catch up on Glee which meant that I got to witness Matt Bomer guest starring in all his excellence (Season 3, Episode 15 "Big Brother") If you don't know who Matt Bomer is, check this out, I know I just did. Whew! Is it getting hot in here?! No? Just me then...must the meds.

Anyway, I'm going to really try my hardest to get back to posting some projects, there's a few things I'd love to share some tutorials on. My cousin pointed out some kid aprons to me after all the ones she found on Etsy were too frilly, and that got me thinking that Landon might need one since he likes to help me in the kitchen. Hopefully I'll be able to turn out a basic tutorial for you fine folks, as well as a Transformer t-shirt I have in the works for my little dudes.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving (that didn't happen, remember?) and are gearing up for Christmas because it is going to be here before we know it!

'Cuz I can't get enough of those whiskey barrels!

2012-10-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, technically the line is whiskey GIRLS, but it could totally work...if barrels had hips, or eyes, or hair...okay this is getting weird. Moving along...

A few years ago I begged and pleaded with the hubs (okay, so I didn't have to twist his arm that hard) to get a whiskey barrel from our local Home Depot because when I was growing up in California we had one in the front of our house. I also have a more specific memory of my brother filling it up with water and red kool-aid and my mom being absolutely livid. Good times.

This whiskey barrel that we bought was our first true attempt at livening up our patio (we're renters) and we used it, for oh...a couple years. And then it just sat. Full of dirt. Doing absolutely nothing except making our house look ugly. After years of wear and tear, the wood was changing colors in a funky pattern, the rings were lopsided from the boards becoming more weathered and it was just sad, not to mention heavy, which is why it sat. And sat. And sat.

Last weekend my father-in-law was in town and working on the car so the boys wanted to be outside with him. After about 10 minutes they were bored and Carson started digging in this planter. At first I tried to get him away from it because all he was doing was making a huge mess by sprinkling dirt aaaall over the driveway. He wasn't having that. In the middle of thoroughly enjoying his screaming, crying, are-you-watching-me-roll-over-repeatedly two year old temper tantrum, I got an idea.

Boys. Dirt. Digging. They're practically synonyms. I needed the whiskey barrel emptied out and they needed something to do. I gave them two plastic cups (because we have a million since we buy more for every party forgetting that we already had some leftover from the last one) and a couple buckets and told them to fill it up! I only had to intervene twice...to empty the buckets into a trash bag (to be reused later) and when they thought it'd be a good idea to throw dirt in each others' faces. Luckily, they were able to figure it out for themselves that dirt in the eyes does not feel good. Yay for natural consequences!

See? They didn't even know they were working. You want to know who taught me that little trick? My homeboy Tom Sawyer did. Now try and argue that classic literature has no practical application to life.

Once the barrel was empty, I was thinking about just giving it away, but I remembered a picture I had seen on Pinterest a while back that used a wine barrel and thought, what the hey - it's worth a shot right? Here's the picture I found:

Source: designsponge.com via Peg on Pinterest

I traced it back to Centsational Girl who was able to pick up a wine barrel on the cheap to make the awesome transformation. Like her, I also had an old pallet that I could use for the horizontal and triangle pieces so I chalked it up to fate and got to work. It also just so happened that I already had a metal jig saw blade and metal bits to secure my lopsided bands so all systems were go.

It seemed from looking at the pictures that the wine barrel in the tutorial was taller than my whiskey barrel, because when I measured out the tiers I didn't think I would have enough space in the bottom tier if I followed her measurements. I just used the original picture as a guide and winged it, also using her twine trick to divide the barrel into thirds. If you can't wing it, just follow her directions, they're very easy to follow :)

Um...is that not the cutest little helper you've ever seen?!

Here is what I ended up with! I really liked her idea of mixing up the flowers with succulents (I do live in the desert, after all) so we picked all these up and I popped them in. Before planting I placed them all in there to make sure I liked the arrangement and then planted them. I also used soil specifically designed for cactus in the succulent areas since they tend to need a little more drainage than their floral roomies.

Naturally, after I finished I had the thought of putting casters on this beast because once you fill it with dirt it is HEAVY. I've already figured out how I can do that without emptying it so I'll hopefully be adding those this week.

I know other parts of the country are already enjoying fall weather where ours has finally come down into the 90s. What outside projects have you started or plan to start working on?

Sunblock

2012-06-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

WEAR IT.

Especially if you're of Scandinavian descent. Went fishing with my mom on Saturday. I had been jonesing to go for weeks, but it seemed like every weekend we had something going on. We finally were able to make a jaunt up north and enjoy some quiet time and soak up the sun, which.I.did. Even my legs, which normally don't accept color (red, tan or otherwise), burned. It sucks. I feel like one big curling iron burn (ladies, you know what I'm talking about). On the plus side, I caught a fish. Not the best fish catching trip I've been on, but that's not what it's about anyway. Must do it again. Fishing, I mean, not the burning.
Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Excuse me...

2012-05-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

while I derail a bit from my happy blog life and get in yo' face with some serious shizz. While we're at it, excuse me for saying shizz, too. I really meant to say shit.

I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately which is why I haven't been on so long. There have been a lot of personal things I've been going through but I'm slowly working through them bit by bit. For the sake of self-preservation I won't be sharing all the deets with the blogosphere, but there is one thing I'm willing to talk about.

Everything is fine - myself, the family, etc...except about a couple months ago I was plagued by some severe anxiety that I just couldn't shake. I had similar moments following my accident back in '06 but they were rare and hardly lasted but a few minutes. This most recent episode lasted weeks. The initial panic only hung around for about 30-45 minutes but the aftershock of depression incapacitated me for weeks. It was awful. I lost all motivation for EVERYTHING I had going on, I felt detached from everyone, including my kids, and it was all I could do to hang on.

I suppose right here would be a good place to stop and say my thoughts NEVER went to suicide - in fact it was the complete opposite. I lived in this cyclone of dread that something was going to happen to me. I think because of the trauma I've been through I think about death more than the average person, and the night that this all happened the stage was set perfectly. Everyone else was in bed and the house was dark and my mind was wandering before I fell asleep, and I went to that place. I'm not a control freak (at least I think I'm not, don't ask Nick) but the complete lack of control that I have over death, that anyone has over it, scares the hell out of me. So what do I think about, in bed, wide awake with a wandering mind? Yep - death. Hello, anxiety, my old friend. Normally I'm able to switch it off and distract myself long enough to snap out of it and get my mind on more positive things, but not this time. I thought on that happy subject for a good half hour, to the point where the panic started to physically manifest itself in my bones, causing every muscle in my body to tense up and gave me the feeling that the room was too small and there wasn't enough air. The next morning I woke up and the feeling of dread was with me. What was the point of everything, if we're just going to die? I'm not known to be completely rational in these moments, but that's what it is, I guess. In complete fear I detached myself from people and moped around. I asked several people, whom I'm sure thought I lost my marbles, what they thought about death and started trolling online forums to hear different perspectives. I'm not sure what I needed to hear, or what I wanted to hear. I just needed to know that I wasn't alone. Eventually I got sick of feeling like shit - something had to give. I started distracting myself with people and projects from sun up to sun down, including leaving the television on until I fell asleep so I wouldn't lose myself in my thoughts, to get myself out of my funk. It took a week, but it worked for me.

Not long after though, I had a couple more incidents where the anxiety started creeping back, for no particular reason, so I decided to see my doctor about it. He prescribed me something that, so far, seems to be working, along with the added therapy of talking to my close knit friends and family that talk me through it. I've found that I shut down when people tell me to relax, or mock my irrationality (because I AM completely irrational in these moments) and just need someone to talk me through those moments and explain to me why what I think is going to happen, isn't. Figuring that out has also helped me to help others help me (still there?) as far as what I need from them in a moment of anxiety.

So, that's pretty much what I've been dealing with, in a nutshell. It doesn't quite seem like a nutshell to me, but I suppose I could have elaborated more but it's late and I'm recovering from a weekend in Cali with the family. It was a lot of fun meeting new family and I've got some pictures of the boys on the beach I'll share soon. I don't have any projects in the works at the moment (with how to's at least) but I'll be finishing some up that I've been working on that I'll share as well. I know this post was a bit of a downer, but I figured I'd share it so that if anyone else ever feels this way, they'll know that they're not alone. That's a sad thing to feel, especially when it's not true - not even in the slightest.

Featured!

2012-04-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Let's start this post a little off subject for a second - I've been spending a lot of time on projects, sickness and family in the last few weeks. You know, normal life stuff...by the end of the day I am way too wiped to blog, but I'm really going to work on that because I miss it. I love how blogging saves memories, teaches others, connects you to strangers that understand where you are or where you've been, and can help you solve an issue just by writing yourself through it. In any case, I've got lots of stuff to say either tonight or tomorrow (nothing terribly exciting, but I'm still debating whether or not I want to share it) so if you want, come back tomorrow or Tuesday =)

Moving on to the title of this post, I've been featured! Babycenter compiled a list of "10 cute gifts to make for baby BOYS!!" and my minky blanket made the list. Wahoo! There are a lot of other cute ideas on that list so check it out at the link above!

If You Can't Burn 'Em, Make 'Em Pretty

2012-03-01T11:45:00.001-07:00

Is it Thursday already?

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind because we've been so busy with projects, family, friends, projects, projects, projects...I've got one to show you though! Are you ready?

Since we finally painted the office, I decided we had to do something about the window/blinds situation. We're renting our house from Nick's parents, so there's not much we can do with them in that sense. I'd hate to buy blinds specifically cut to a window that I can't use in a few years when we buy our own home. I could take them down, but I like having the option of blocking the sunlight if need be - ya know, 'cuz I'm a control freak like that - and I don't want to buy black-out drapes at this junction in the room makeovers (read: that shizzz expensive!), so they stay.

Naturally I forgot to take a picture of what it looked like before, but we've got a few other windows with the same mistreatment so here is a pic of pretty much what it looked like:

.................I know.

The blinds themselves aren't bad, but that plastic strip at the top kills me. I kept thinking, I would really like to cover that up, so I did.

The bar that held the blinds was about 53" long, so I figured a 56" long cornice board would give me enough clearance on either side without having too much overhang. When all was said and done, the inside diamater (after attaching the end pieces to meet the wall, which are about 3/4" thick) would be 54.5", so there would be a 3/4" of play on either side. I also measured to see how wide a board I wanted to use, and figured 9-9.5" would be perfect, so I knew I needed a 1x10 (which measures about 9.25-9.5") To clear the bar AND the blinds when they're open (because they're wider than the bar) I needed my side pieces to be 4.5" wide. After getting all my measurements I took myself down to the hardware store and got the 1x10 and brackets to put everything together and attach to the wall. I also picked up eight packages of nickel-colored nail heads (you'll see why below). I actually had the store make the cuts for me (which I never do as they're not known for accuracy) but I figured I could sand out any minor issues. The guy was spot on though, so that saved me some time and cleanup.

Here's the shelf assembled:

I decided to give it the same Dark Walnut treatment that I used on my Creuset shelf as it is also the same stain that I'll be using when I eventually build our new office desk.

Because I used pine, which is a soft wood, I used wood conditioner BEFORE the stain to help the stain go on more evenly. I just followed the directions on the can - I rubbed it on with a clean rag, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then wiped it off, and applied the stain within two hours.

After I got the stain on (I did two coats for deep, rich color) I brushed on the Safecoat Acrylacq with a QUALITY brush, doing two thin coats.

While everything was drying, I was busy making a template on my computer for the nail head design that I was going to put on it. I had some trouble coming up with a design that wasn't too angular or too swoopy (that's a technical term, by the way), something in the middle - a soft geometric pattern, if you will. I just couldn't get everything matched up between creating a geometric pattern, space between nail heads, evenly tiled pattern, or without using a gazillion nail heads (they were the most expensive part of this project). Finally, I made one up, placing each dot individually on one of the circle/squares, then copying and pasting and stitching together until it was the same length as my board:

I cropped the design so that I had 5-6 pieces that would print out on my 8.5x11 sheets of paper and taped them together which was then taped to the board. Because my board was 9.25 inches wide and the paper was 8.5 inches, the very top and very bottom dots got cut off but I was able to freehand those. The top design used about 216 nail heads, so I ended up needing 10 packs of 25 nail heads (I didn't count how many were on the sides).

I used a hammer. I think the proper tool would be a rubber mallet, but I didn't have one, so a hammer it was. I don't think the surface of the nail head was marred at all, but if you're the better-safe-than-sorry type (which I usually am, but I was tired of running to the hardware store) than use a mallet.

Here's a pic after I had already gotten one sheet done. My process was hit each nail so that it was secure in the wood until every dot had a nail. Rip the paper out. Finish pounding the nail completely into the wood. The process was actually very cathartic, it was like winning Whack-A-Mole every single time.

This is why you don't want to nail the nail heads in all the way before ripping the paper away:

You get paper stuck under the nail heads. I don't even know how I did this. I had a plan before I even started, and then a hammer was in my hands and I got all excited and this occurred. I was able to fix it by gently prying those nail heads up and tearing the paper away. It wasn't fun, so tear the paper away BEFORE you nail them ALL THE WAY IN.

I didn't take a picture of the sides, but because there's half a circle on either side on the front, I printed out a sheet with a full circle on it, then cut off the part I had already completed on the front of the cornice board and went from there so it wrapped around. I hope that made sense.

I ended up just taking off that plastic piece off the front of the blinds (it just clips on the front of the bar) and stuck it in our storage shed so that when we move we can just clip it back up. I miraculously was able to hang this sucker all by myself without messing it up, all while I had one child crying and trying to pry his way between my legs because I wouldn't let him play with the screwdriver and another fencing everybody with the stick thing (another technical term) that opens and closes the blinds. What is that called anyway?? [edit: my wonderful mother has since informed me it is a "wand" - duh! Why couldn't I think of that? Anyway, thanks Mom!]

So now that I've walked you through, step by grueling step, I guess it's only fair to show you what it looks like. Are you ready? Heeeeere we goooooooooo! Cue the music!

Why yes, that is Right Said Fred you hear.

The wood cost me $8, the nail heads $14, and brackets $10. For under $35, I think it made a huge improvement to the room, and I no longer scratch at my neck in disgust.

What do you think? Improvement, no?

Have you done anything to "fix up" something you couldn't change? I'd love to hear about it!

Ombre's the Hombre.

2012-02-23T12:13:00.001-07:00

I don't have much time to blog right now, but I wanted to show you a project I completed last night. It's not technically one I need to get done right now as there are a few others that are higher on the priority list - like getting the rearranged rooms back in order, but it's not like you can move furniture after the kids are in bed, right?

Anyway, I was handed down this mirror that had belonged to my grandmother. It took forever for Nick to hang it because he thought it was ugly (not going to mince words here) which I completely did not understand because I spent years looking in that mirror that hung at the end of the hallway in my grandmother's house and it had a history plus it is freaking amazing. Okay, so you'll probably fall on one side or the other about the mirror once you see it, but you should at least all agree what nostalgia will do to a person. Like when you think you have the cutest babies ever and then they grow up and you look back at the baby pictures and still think they're the cutest ever but you're more willing to admit that there might actually be cuter babies out there. It's like that.

So here's the mirror:

Sorry for the crappy picture. It was late and I had spent all day nursing my husband's "man cold" while protecting him from children who clearly were unaware that the full moon had already passed. I just stopped caring at this point.

Here was my inspiration (from Pinterest):

Here were my Blue Solo Cups, I filled them up, Proceed to painting, proceed to painting:

Seriously, 100 points to whoever gets that. I actually had a really hard time deciding on a color/whether I actually wanted to change the mirror forever. I went back and forth and back and forth and BACK AND FORTH. Yellow, teal, yellow, teal...grey? Should I? Shouldn't I?

Well, I did.

Here is the after:

Up close it's got a fun, hand painted look to it, which I think makes it look a little more authentic. I was afraid that if I had spray painted it a solid color it would have a cheap, plastic-y look to it and I would have cried. This isn't where it will live, this is just where it was previously hanging. Eventually we'll be hanging it in the guest room where I think it will play nicely with the grey walls we're painting and I'll be able to get a better picture of it.

Have you made anything old look new again by using a fun color? Tell me about it! =D

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

2012-02-20T15:45:00.004-07:00

Here it is folks - the recipe that will change your life. Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but hummus was a serious topic in this household UNTIL...I made my own...

Nick loves hummus. Plain and simple. I on the other hand, could not wrap my mind around why anyone would want to eat something that tasted like dirt. DIRT! Maybe it was me, but it seemed like no matter what flavor of hummus we tried, Nick fell in love all over again while I might as well have been licking the ground. Not one to give up, because after all, you can only rotate the same few healthy snacks over and over before your taste buds go on strike. Enter homemade hummus.

Novel idea, right? I know...it's hard being the first person to come up with these things.

I got the recipe from here, but changed a couple things.

What you'll need:

1 - 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained OR 1.5 - 2 cups cooked
4 oz roasted red peppers (about 1/3 of a 15 oz jar), reserve some juice from jar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (consider reducing the amount for children)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cilantro, for garnish (or parsley, if you're a cilantro hater)

Directions:

Peel Garlic. I always add more garlic than the recipe calls for because we can't get enough of it.

Do you have one of these? It's a garlic peeler. You put the garlic in the silicone tube, roll it and peeled garlic comes out. If you love garlic and don't have one, get one. It WILL change your life.

Throw everything in the blender and add a splash or two of red pepper juice. Do not mince or chop a thing.

Blend until it looks like this (if you want it thinner, add more red pepper juice):

The original recipe states that you need to refrigerate this for an hour or so before eating. Hogwash! I mean sure, the flavors blend together a little better (though I don't have scientific proof to back that up) but if you're hungry for some hummus, don't feel guilty if you can't seem to stop yourself from licking every hummus covered surface in your vicinity. Just please don't lick the blender, it isn't recommended.

I like to top my hummus with cilantro and eat it with my Seriously Seedy chips from Fresh & Easy. They are seedy. Seriously.

Enjoy!

Winner!

2012-02-20T09:28:00.002-07:00

Congratulations, Jaimie A. (Entry #180 who Tweeted about the giveaway) - you are the winner of the minky blanket! I will be contacting you within 24 hours with more info so I can get to work on your very special blanket.

Thanks everyone for participating - it was fun reading your answers to the daily questions.

I've got a healthy snack recipe coming up later today, so stay tuned!

Minky Blanket Giveaway

2012-02-13T12:53:00.002-07:00

You made it happen! On One Hand has officially reached 50 Facebook followers, so now it's time for a giveaway! NOTE: You must be a FaceBook fan or Google Follower to enter!

Who may enter: Anyone in the US who is a Facebook fan or Google follower of On One Hand. International shipping isn't available yet, sorry! I'd really like this special blanket to go to someone who'll really use it, so please refrain from entering unless you've got a specific little recipient in mind as it really isn't suitable for adult use. =)

How to Enter: Using the form below, enter as many times as possible for the best chance. While most are one-time entries, you may earn daily entries by answering the questions I've asked and/or tweeting about the giveaway every day!

Giveaway Starts: Monday, February 13th at 12:01 AM EST.

Giveaway Ends: Saturday, February 18th at 11:59 PM EST**.

Winner(s): One.
Prize: A ~36" square handmade minky blanket for either boy or girl!
Other info: I will be in contact with the chosen winner within 48 hours of the contest ending. I will be gathering info such as name, shipping address and discussing further details of the blanket. Due to the nature of the item being handmade personally for the winner, please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

**In order to give you all day Friday to enter, I had to continue the raffle through to Saturday morning at 12:01 AM EST per the settings on the raffle widget. Any twitter (or other) entries entered after 11:59 PM EST on Friday, February 17th will not be considered.

Repeat: You must be a FB fan or Google follower of On One Hand to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cast-Iron Conundrum

2012-02-10T09:07:00.004-07:00

So...when a few of our non-stick pans started shedding their non-stick finish into our food, slowly killing us, Nick and I decided it might be a good idea to start looking for new cookware. I had been pining for a Creuset dutch oven for a while, and decided on this beauty sporting the Valencia color which showed up at our house at Christmastime.

And we loved it. I cook everything that I can in it, from oatmeal to ratatouille:

Since then, we've acquired a couple new pieces including a blue cast iron and stainless steel sauce pans. I can't even fully explain how much I love my Creuset cookware. It feels durable (hello? cast iron), it looks pretty, and the food cooks fast and evenly.

If you've ever priced out Creuset, you know it's pretty expensive...which is why we've only got a few pieces. We actually scored all the cast-iron enamel pieces (undoubtedly the most expensive) for about 40% off each during various sales at their outlet (seriously, their outlet is the way to go - Williams-Sonoma, on the other hand is the way to go into debt - sorry W-S, but your deals just aren't as good.) The stainless steel sauce pan we got for 25% which was fine because their stainless steel isn't nearly as expensive per piece. I think we've only got a couple more pieces to get and we're covered like a tight fitting lid (bud-um-psshhh) as far as our cookware is concerned (and if you're curious, that would be a skillet and stock pot.) I never thought that I would ever spend so much on cookware, but when you consider that cast iron is considered "generation cookware" because of how long it lasts, I feel much better about it. I've heard from a lot of people who still have their grandmother's cast iron pans and they swear by them.

Onto the weight - they're heavy, plain and simple. While we're still young and agile, the though of lugging a bunch of cast iron around is not my idea of a good time. We used to keep our old cookware in a cabinet next to our oven, but even while it held every piece of our 12-set pots and pans, it wasn't convenient. Because we had no more room in said cabinet, I had been keeping my beautiful Creuset pieces out on the stove or counter so I could look at them and stop by to say hello periodically throughout the day. When I went on my cleaning rampage last week, I threw out our countertop convection oven that we hadn't used in for.ev.er. Now that we had this nice big space on the counter between our stove and sink, I thought, Hey! Why don't I build a shelf for my Creuset pots? So I did.

I used scrap wood that I had laying around, however I did have to pick up some new dark walnut stain because the stuff I had was OLD (and I need it for another project as well) and some Safecoat Acrylacq to seal it. The building itself wasn't too bad, and I finally got to break out the Kreg Jig:

Sorry for the grain, took it with my phone =)

While I don't have any pictures of the subsequent steps, I used a nailer to attach the top, finished sanding, then did two thin and even coats of both stain and sealer with a light sanding in between the layers of sealer.

This was my first time staining/sealing anything, so I was scurred. Almost to the point where I considered not finishing it at all, but if it was going in the kitchen with all the steam and grease, it had to be. After staring it down for a few hours, I jumped in and it went fairly well. I let the stain dry for a good 48+ hours (even though the can only says 24 hours if finishing with a waterborne finish) but because we've had lower temps it needed the extra dry time. The sealer dried fast, and went on smooth since I used thin coats and did my best NOT to go over previously applied sealer as it was drying.

Here's what it looks like in it's new home:

Isn't it lovely? There won't be any modesty here folks, it looks (and feels) awesome! I seriously can't even believe I didn't completely screw it up. Now when I stop by to say hello to my pots I also cop a feel of my new smooth and shiny shelf. I'm also giving it bonus points for taking up even less space than that used-less-than-once-per-year toaster oven. Booyah.

I love combining beauty and functionality, all while doing something I love. So now it's your turn. Have you built anything lately that has made your daily life significantly better? Tell me about it!

Hi!atus

2012-02-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

When I wrote that posting would resume January 3rd, I really meant Feb 3rd (plus a few days.) You knew that, right? No? My bad.

Things have been a little craaaazy around here, and by crazy, I mean me. We I've succesfully adjusted to Nick's new work schedule and about two weeks ago I got a wild hair up you-know-where (I totally have no problem using the word "butt", in fact - I kind of wish I could use it more but that would be awkward, and I like rhyming more) and decided to clean my craft room which led to me rearranging three out of four bedrooms in our house. As in, I took all the furniture from all three rooms and put them in different rooms. I haven't quite got that task completed yet, and apparently Laura Numeroff was writing about me because on Friday all I was going to do was vacuum and mop the house and I ended up dusting and moving furniture and throwing rarely used appliances away and...you get the point.

Getting back to the room rearrangement. Let me break down the previous arrangement for you. I don't have pictures of the before (although I might - I'd have to find them), so you'll have to try and keep up. We've got four bedrooms:

#1 Master Bedroom

#2 ~~Craft~~ Crap Room

#3 Boys' Bedroom

#4 Playroom

#1 - The master bedroom is fine, so you won't be hearing about that room in this story (but don't worry, it will get its day in the sun in the near future.)

#2 - The craft room, which I have appropriately named the Crap Room, is just that. It's a landing spot for whatever we don't want to deal with in any given moment or anything that I'm too lazy to put away after completing a project. I personally believe it's because I have too much space in there - the room is HUGE - and for someone who's lazy and gets frustrated by clutter, it's a problem in a Catch-22 sort of way. Once I complete a project, it's a mess. If something else requires my attention or I'm too lazy to pick it up, then when I need to do another project, I move to another less cluttered part of the room, and then that side gets messy. Eventually there's crap everywhere and I get overwhelmed and don't want to step foot in there. I've witnessed though, that when I have less space it's actually easier to keep clean because I can't stand the clutter yet there's not SO much mess that I get overwhelmed. So, now that you know why a dog only needs a crate large enough to lay down in otherwise they'll pee in it, there you have it.

#3 & #4 - The boys' bedroom and playroom. These rooms were actually fine too. However, I had been thinking for a while about moving BOTH of their rooms into the much larger craft room) so that we could make one of the rooms a guest room/office. We have a pull-out couch which really isn't that comfortable and we want to get rid of, so if we do that I'd like to have another place for people to sleep. Of course I've already planned all that out and will share with you my mood board (when I get around to making it) so that you can see the ideas I've got for it. Another reason we wanted the room is because we've got our computer tucked away in a little corner in our living room, our filing cabinet and printer in our master and office supplies in the craft room closet. For my sanity, I need it all in one room. Because we rarely have overnight guests, I'm not too concerned about combining these two rooms, but I definitely plan on doing it in a way that is both clean and functional.

So here's what the layout is now:

#1 Master Bedroom

#2 Boys' Bedroom & Playroom

#3 Office/Guest Room

#4 Craft Room

And here's what it looks like (please don't faint):

Room Numero Dos (#2) - Boys' Bedroom/Playroom

Little one was napping while I took the pic so I just took it from the doorway. I'll try and get some better angles later.

Room #3 - Guest Room/Office

What we're doing with this room: Painting the walls the gray color you see in the corner, building a twin bed with storage underneath and a computer desk, as well as adding in some fun accessories.

Room #4 Le Craft Room

As you can see, it's still the crap room. I couldn't even get in there to take a pic so you just get the doorway view. We're focusing our efforts on the guest room at the moment so once that's done we'll be able to move some stuff in there from this room to make a little walking space until we can really go through everything.

I figured maybe if I blog about what I'm up to that maybe it'll hold me accountable so I won't sit on my butt (see how I worked it in there?) all day doing nothing. I'm really excited about the changes we're making and I can't wait to see the end result, which of course I'll be sharing with all of you!

Snow Day!

2011-12-28T20:43:00.001-07:00

Please forgive my absence - I've been spending the last couple weeks with my family as there are big changes in store next year as far as Nick's work schedule go, so we've been trying to fit in as much family time as possible while he's got time off.

I thought you might enjoy some pictures I took over the holiday weekend. We went up north to visit my in-laws and had some fun in the snow. The last time Landon played in the snow he pretty much had the same unenthused reaction you'll see on Carson's face in some of the pics. This time though, he had a blast! We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs - I hope you experienced the same over your holiday =D

Ready? Here we go!

That's pretty much the face he had the whole time. He isn't easy to impress.

After a few attempts, Landon had the sledding thing down.

And sometimes there was a bit of traffic congestion.

I think this was one of two smiles I got that day.

Jaxon's "Winter Nose" - Since it rarely gets truly cold where we're at, our dogs usually only get their pink noses when we take them to play in the snow.

See, he's still not diggin' it.

Not even here. Kids can be such a tough crowd. At least Nick had fun!

I'll also be uploading some Christmas pics here in the next couple days, but will resume regular posting after the 3rd of January (when we settle back into our routine.)

I hope you all are having fun this holiday season and are looking forward to the New Year, I know I am!

Whew! Almost done!

2011-12-14T14:42:00.003-07:00

I've been a little busy lately! I've been working on getting Christmas presents ready in time (mainly hooded towels - tutorial here), so I haven't found much time to blog.

Please don't mind the messy room, I just got finished making these and snapping pics so I could get them out quickly, so I didn't have time to ~~shove everything out of the camera's line of vision~~ put stuff away. Also, the sad cheetah in the background is just missing some stitches causing her to lose some fluff. She's next on my list =)

These six hooded towels are headed out to Cali to my brother-in-law and his girlfriend who've got kids to shop for. When he first called I thought he was maybe wanting one or two, but when he later emailed me with all the details and I found out he needed six(!), I got to work. Luckily, these towels don't take too long to make so I wasn't super rushed. Two of the towels are for twin girls (the pink and purple towels with flowers), a brother and sister, and another little boy and girl. I used the same flower fabric on two of the pink towels since they'd be going to different homes and it was too pretty I couldn't resist.
Now that I've got these out of the way, I've got to start working on the towels for my boys and my nephews - it never ends =D

Supplies for these towels ran about $10 each, and that also with buying matching thread (of which you'll have plenty left over). Need a last minute gift? Make a hooded towel! They put the fun in functional! Okay, that was cheesy, but you know what I mean. I love getting gifts that aren't just going to sit around collecting dust, especially for my kids. You never know what they'll end up playing with, but a towel - they'll use that a lot.

Are you working on some last minute Christmas gifts too?

A Tutorial for the Power Hungry: Elf on the Shelf gets Curvy

2011-12-06T07:00:00.005-07:00

I'm talking curves that would make Kim Kardashian jealous. Okay, maybe not. But these curves aren't from eating too many of Santa's cookies, folks. Here's how to add some knees and elbows to your elf's hot little bod to allow you to better position him for his midnight capers.

A few people have asked me how I was able to get Ferdinand (or Fernando, if you're feeling spicy) into some of the positions seen here (note that I hadn't added wire yet in the first pic). I was having some trouble getting him into the positions I wanted because no matter how hard I tried, every time I'd get an arm in place and try and position a leg, everything would shift and I'd be back where I started. Muy frustrating. Trying not to let it get to me, I thought "there must be a better way!" and there was.

I got the wire seen in the picture above at Walmart in the bargain boxes near the jewelry supplies. They had all different colors and they were each $1. If you get it elsewhere (or already have some wire on hand), it would be about a 16 gauge wire.

First I used my seam ripper and and removed a few stitches near the end of each limb.

Once a little hole was made, I slipped a piece of wire all the way in (bend the end first because the wire is sharp) and then cut it, allowing a half inch or so to bend over before encasing it and stitching it shut. Stitch it shut, using white thread for the gloves and red thread for the footsies. Repeat with all limbs and VOILA! - a bendy Elf on the Shelf! Now you can pose him to your heart's content.

A Homemade Christmas: Lego Table Tutorial

2011-12-05T13:46:00.005-07:00

Okay, so technically this isn't homemade so much as homegluedtogether, but it counts since I didn't buy it pre-made from the store. I made this for Landon last Christmas, but I didn't have a blog back then so I'm posting it now. I scored a set of over 400 Duplos from Craigslist for $40 - hint: you can throw those in the washing machine (ours is an HE) with bleach on a sanitize cycle. Because the HE machine's spin cycle is so very efficient, I didn't even need to lay them out in the sun to dry like I had planned to do. Also, it's a lot easier to wash them if you've got a mesh laundry bag. Tie it in a knot before washing or some will escape. Moving along...

Lego tables are EXPENSIVE! Not only are they pricey, but some manufacturers are pouring salt in our wounds by making them not only out of our budget, but heinously ugly to boot! I just couldn't see spending $100+ on a table only to have giant lego heads staring me down every time I passed by the play room. This table cost me about $35 to make and I still love it a year later. It's as pretty as an affordable Lego table can be and doesn't take up much room (we've got a train table for that!)

The nice thing about the lego plates (made for the smaller legos, not Duplos) is that they also allow you to use the larger Duplos on them. From what I hear, the bond might not be as strong if we had used a Duplo base, but we haven't had any issues. When my boys are older and start using Legos, the plates will still work, making this table even more economical.

To make this exact table (I say exact because in theory you could use whatever table you want), you'll need:

A Lack side table from Ikea (colors and prices vary ~7.99 to 12.99)
4 - 10" square (Large size) Lego base plates*
Contact Cement
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Optional: Green acrylic paint or dark green Duck tape (found at craft stores)

*These are about $6-7 each. Amazon or Ebay are the cheapest places I found doing a quick search. I got mine at Toys R Us when they had a "Buy One Get One Half Off" Lego sale. You could get all different colors or all the same. We had to have a blue plate in case we were to build boats...cuz, you know, boats belong in the water.

Directions:

1. Assemble your table.

2. Center your four plates on the table. You can eyeball it or measure, your call. Make a faint line with a pencil on each corner so you know where to put them when you're gluing. Also mark the space in the center where all four boards meet. Since the corners are rounded, you will be able to see the table underneath. You can use green acrylic paint to cover that little spot or use a piece of green Duck tape. If it doesn't bother you, don't worry about it.

3. Put contact cement on both the bottom of the first lego base plate and the table (but only in the spot where you're putting that plate). Work fast because contact cements sets and cures quickly. Apply some pressure for a few minutes as it's drying. Put the second plate, third, and fourth plate on. As you put each plate on, use a lego (or duplo) and connect it so that it's on the plate that you just glued down and the plate you are in the process of gluing down - this will assure it's aligned. If you're having trouble connecting the lego, shift the plate with the wet glue quickly so that the lego connects more easily. Remember, work fast!

Once the glue is all dry (give it a full 24 hours - overkill, but it will definitely be done!) your table is complete. Slap a bow on that baby and hide it until Christmas.

To store all of our Legos, I got a big plastic tub at Target that fits perfectly underneath the table...you could use whatever kind of bin, box, bag, etc. you like!

Although, who needs a Lego table when you could just play in the bin? You have to appreciate his direct, no-nonsense approach to playtime.

Elf on the Shelf

2011-12-03T08:38:00.007-07:00

Are you looking for Elf on the Shelf 2012? Find it here!

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Nick and I decided that the Elf on the Shelf would be a fun tradition to start with the boys this year. Landon's really into Christmas now and I want some special moments that he remembers into his adulthood and I definitely think that our Elf on the Shelf will be one of them.

The premis of Elf on the Shelf is that he watches the children during the day, noting their good (and bad) deeds. At night, he goes to visit Santa and reports all that he sees. By morning he has returned, and you must find his new spot.

I was a little late getting our elf, whom we have named Ferdinand, as, uh, I forgot to get him earlier. He showed up in our mailbox with his suitcase and a note from Santa explaining his late arrival. It read: Dear Landon & Carson - Sorry for my elf's late arrival, he was busy helping me work on some toys for two very special boys. See you in a few! - SANTA.

He also comes with a storybook that we read last night before bed. I'll probably read the story a few more times throughout the month since Landon is still pretty young and might need reminding that we've got to be good and help others.

Here's where we found him this morning (12.03.2011):

Landon thought it was funny that the elf was taking a spin on the fan while we were sleeping.

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12.04.2011

Landon made this "chia man" in preschool a month or so ago. Since his hair grows faster than mine, we've got to cut it every week or so. This morning when Landon woke up, he discovered Ferdinand had done him a favor. I suppose it's as even as a cheap pair of Ikea scissors could cut it. Don't quit your day job, elf.

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12.05.2011

Not even Santa's Elves can escape the lure of Angry Birds.

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12.06.2011

I got the box checked "Extreme Sports Edition"

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This is going to be fun ;D

What kind of traditions do you have for the holiday season?

Look for this button on my sidebar so you can stay up-to-date on all of our elf's hijinks through December:

Tutorial: Hooded Towels (for toddlers)

2011-11-29T00:48:00.000-07:00

Did you buy towels at Walmart on Black Friday? Don't lie.

Well, if you did (or didn't *wink wink*) and ended up going a little crazy and got more than you needed (what am I saying, nobody does that on Black Friday...) then this is the tutorial for you! I actually got my towels a couple of weeks before for a couple dollars more with the intent to make some Christmas presents for the boys and my nephews. They're SOOO much better than the thin baby ones they sell and are much bigger and cuter because you can use whatever fabric you want for an accent strip on the hood. I must have googled for three days for hooded towel tutorials, but could never find one that I felt I could follow through completely without changing anything. A lot of them called for cutting the hand towel (which is used to make the hood) in half. Mmmm, yeah, not gonna work. I went to The Children's Place a few weeks back when they had a fleece sale and had to get Landon a size 8-12 because the 4T cut off circulation to his brain. The kid's got a big head. When I made my hooded towel, I opted to use the entire towel (minus a few inches) so he had some room. It's a bit big on Carson, but we're able to find him under all the fluffy goodness so it's all okay.

What you need to make your own toddler-sized hooded towel:

1 bath towel
1 hand towel
A bit of scrap fabric (~15" x 4")

First I took the hand towel:

and cut off the decorative side and the strip on the other end (it would've added bulk), like so:

then I folded the towel in half (so the fold is on the right), like this:

and turned it so the fold is on top, and cut off the strip on the right, as well

as rounding the top, like so:

then I unfolded the towel, and folded the bottom edge (which is the front of the hood)

up about three inches:

I also cut off that edge strip once I folded it to where I wanted, but I forgot to take a picture. You don't see it once you add your fabric trim, but I could feel the bulkiness under the fabric and it bugged me, so I snipped it.

Lay out your fabric trim, making sure that the edge if the hand towel (that is folded over) falls in the middle underneath the trim. Fold over the fabric edges by 1/4"-1/2" (your preference) and top stitch. Cut any remaining excess that hangs off the side of the towel, if necessary:

Fold your towel back into the original hood shape we cut out:

I chose to do french seams on this project because I wanted them to look as nice as possible. If you don't know what a french seam is, it's where the fabric is first sewn wrong sides together, THEN right sides together to hide the raw seams. It definitely gives a more professional look. So, wrong sides together, then sew. (Zig zag on a sewing machine, or serge):

Flip the hood inside out so that right sides are facing, and sew with a 3/8"-1/2" seam allowance so that your original zig zag or serged seam is incased. If you're new to french seams, 1/2" will give you a little wiggle room (plus, the hood is large enough to where an extra 1/8" won't make a difference):

Now turn your hood right side out:

I don't have a picture for this step but I did draw a diagram. Most solid towels don't have a right or a wrong side so fold your towel in half and mark the fold (I did this by pressing the fold to create a crease), then unfold the towel. Laying the hood with the outside (the fabric side) facing you, match up the center seam with the middle of the bath towel. Pin the hood along the bath towel on both sides of the seam, then zig zag or serge the edges:

which will end up looking like this:

Once that's done, flip the hood in the other direction (so that the side with the strip of fabric is facing the towel) and topstitch 3/8"-1/2" to encase the original seam:

which will result in this:

See how much better it looks on the inside with those french seams?? Much nicer than looking at raw edges. The extra time is worth it. I think I was able to knock this out in about 30 minutes, and this was my first one. There's no real measuring or ironing involved, and the the towel is very forgiving - the only real issue I had was bulk, but I assume since most of you out there reading this have two hands, you won't have any issues with helping to feed the towel through your machine.

And, uh, since Landon is pure model material, I was able to get a few pictures of the towel in action:

Why is it that the hardest part of any project is getting your kids to show it off for you so you can snap a couple pics? I mean, I only took maybe thirty pictures before I got the "that's enough, Mom." Sheesh. You carry them for nine months, feed them, shelter them...is a few pictures too much to ask?? I think not.

In any case, I hope you found the tutorial easy to follow to allow extra room for your big-headed kiddos. There are quite a few tutorials out there so even if mine doesn't entirely cut it (no pun intended), I hope that you can do what I did and take bits and pieces from it and find something that works for you. If you've got any questions, please ask!

12 points for Poinsettia!

2011-11-23T14:18:00.001-07:00

If you're playing Words with Friends, that is. Scrabble if you're old school. Unless you're counting the point on each petal, then it's 15. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you cheated.

I got my sewing machine back (which, if you didn't know, is how Stella really got her groove back, if you ask me) and I am back in business. Except I'm not selling anything.

I did however, make this poinsettia pillow that I found on Pinterest - originally from Pottery Barn - which is no longer available apparently. The original is a mere 12 inches, but I like 'em big (tmi? Ha! They're pillows people, get your mind out of the gutter!...MOM) so this baby is a gargantuan 20 inches.

I have a confession to make. I chose the word gargantuan because I wanted to see if I could spell it right on a whim. I totally can. I then looked it up because then I thought my spell checker didn't catch it because maybe it thought I was typing gibberish and just completely gave up on me. Needless to say, we're still friends.

This poinsettia pillow is being gifted to my grandma-in-law, who LOVES poinsettias more than her own children. Seriously. Just kidding. Confused yet? My mother- and grandma-in law (who live in the same house as one another) love decorating for the holidays. And when I say holidays, I mean every. single. one. I'm sure there's a box somewhere with all their shower curtains they buy. Not that there's anything wrong with being festive I say, so I figured a poinsettia pillow would help feed their addiction and get one Christmas gift out of the way.

I won't be around for the rest of the week, I'll be enjoying the feast tomorrow and hanging with family for the rest of the weekend. I'm sure you'll all be doing the same, so Happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots of food and get fat and happy!

Recipe: Garlic Mazithra

2011-11-18T09:10:00.003-07:00

I've been a bit of a bum this week. I'm still getting over being sick, my sewing machine is gone (hence not being able to complete many projects to show you) and I think I got food poisoning a couple days ago. It was awful. I'm fine now, so I can stomach looking at food to post this recipe.

This pasta dish is to. die. for. It is a popular dish at The Old Spaghetti Factory, and is divine. The last time I ordered it, mushrooms and I weren't entirely on speaking terms so I had them removed, but this most recent trip I took just confirmed the error of my ways where mushrooms are involved.

What you need to recreate this dish is...are you ready? Pasta. Butter. Bacon. Myzithra Cheese. Mushrooms. Garlic.

*THUD*

I've fallen and I can't get up.

Be still, my beating heart.

I totally forgot the pasta...in fact Nick was out at the store getting it while I took the pic.

Anyway, I'd like to apologize for the lack of pictures, but this dish works up pretty fast, Nick was occupying the kids, and I didn't want to burn my butter. Here's the recipe, quick and dirty.

12oz of spaghetti (about 3/4 of a box)

8 oz mushrooms

5 slices of bacon

1/2 cup of butter

2-6 cloves of garlic (depends on how much you like it)

Myzithra Cheese (just enough to grate on top)

First and foremost, I cheated a little with the bacon (cover your ears, bacon purists.) We use already cooked bacon that you just heat up in the microwave. It's a lot less messy than cooking raw bacon and since this girl can't keep from getting grease/oil stains on her clothing because she can't remember to wear her apron while cooking, it just ensures that I won't be walking around naked because I don't have any clean clothes to wear. So I'm really doing you a favor. However you cook your bacon, do it, then chop it up into slightly-smaller-than-bite-size pieces.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, brown your butter. Basically you just melt butter in a pan on low-medium heat until it has a nutty aroma and is a golden amber color. Pour butter into another dish trying to leave the sediment that will gather on the bottom as it cools, or use cheesecloth to strain.

Sautee mushrooms (I like using Baby Bellas, also known as Cremini) with lots of garlic (I used 5 cloves, you can use as much as you want) until mushrooms are browned - about 7-8 minutes on med-high heat. This is why there are no pictures. This all goes really fast and you don't want to screw it up. I used this source when first learning how to brown butter - it was very helpful.

When everything is done cooking, throw it all together, and finely grate some of the Myzithra over it. Use more than you would Parmesan, but not too much, you want to be able to taste everything in the dish.

I would seriously consider investing in a Life Alert system prior to cooking this dish, you know, just in case you fall off your chair or something. Enjoy!

Out for a Drive

2011-11-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Figuratively speaking, of course, with a dash of literal thrown in.

We went for a drive, but now we're back. This guy is having a hard day as a group of teeth got together and decided that all of them should make their appearance at the same time, leading to a very grumpy, clingy baby.

So instead of posting anything of great significance today, dear readers, or...Mom....here's a picture to give you a hint about what I'm doing today. Hint: there's lot's of cuddling and hugs going on.

Monday, Monday

2011-11-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it just turns out that way.........

I've had my own personal musical going on in my head these last few days. Everything I do reminds me of a song. I guess that's what I get for listening to the Golden Oldies and the Wallflowers station on Pandora. Believe it or not, I totally relate to more of what they're singing about vs. Lil Wayne and Eminem. Don't get me wrong, they might have some catchy tunes - but you won't find me up in some club or out on a corner or burning stuff down anytime soon :D Moving along...

Apparently I've got a cold that's like a turd that won't flush (10+ if you can name that movie). Seriously though, I think a week and a half is long enough. I never get sick, so go figure that it creeps up on me two days before my 5k is supposed to go down and is STILL hanging around.

In other news, I went to go make some slippers the other day for Carson out of some fleece I had laying around and I turned on my machine to find that the timing was off. The top and bottom thread don't meet at the same time which, if you don't know, is kinda crucial to sewing. That's what makes the difference between sewing and, well, two threads laying next to each other holding nothing together. Fabulous, no? I was a little sad as I dropped off my little Singer at the repair shop, and I can undoubtedly say - because I've got much experience on the subject - that I actually feel like a little part of me is missing. As much as I yell and scream and swear at it when things aren't going well, it kind of bothers me a bit knowing that it's all on its own, scared and alone, unable to feel the safety and comfort of the only home it's ever known.

What? No I'm not crying. I just got something in my eye.

In any case, I feel really bad for my serger. I haven't said anything to him, but I think he knows that his buddy is gone.

Luckily I was able to find a place that offered a reasonable rate and will clean and fix her up. They do everything in the shop so they don't have to send her out like a few other places I called (which would mean an even longer wait to get her back) and guarantee their work for a year.

Before I go, and because you all read my randomness above (right?!?), I wanted to let you all know that I've got a couple things that I'm really excited about coming up in later posts this week. One's a tasty recipe, and another is a free download/giveaway. Fun stuff, so stay tuned!

To Cure What Ails You

2011-11-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've been siiiiiiiiiiick. I did manage to run a 5k in the midst of it, but I've been feeling pretty crummy, otherwise. I'm almost better, but not quite yet - maybe another day of laying around will fix that. If that doesn't work, I'm positive this will:

I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen's website and tried it out for myself. It's delicious and hearty and gooey and YUM. It's tomato soup the way it was meant to be made. It's a little bit of prep work, but the results are worth it. Now that it's chilly (or freezing, if you live anywhere other than here) it's the perfect meal for lunch or a light dinner.

Well, I'm going to go lay around some more, I just wanted to drop in and let you know I'm alive (and I will fill you in on my 5k later this week, I had a BLAST!)