Freezer paper stencils

My sister and I had a craft day a few weeks ago.  We decorated various wearable items using freezer paper stencils under the internet tutelage of The Modern Lady.  For a complete how-to check out her blog.

First, as any good day with your sister goes, we started at the craft store.  Now, let me tell you I have a little problem equivalent to “my eyes are bigger than my stomach.” In craft store terms that means I buy things for projects that never go anywhere.  It all looks so good and fun (and oh, I pinned that one project…) at the time and once I get those items home I always have excuses as to why I don’t execute.  SO, to get craft stuff and actually do something with it was a new endeavor for me.   Hurrah!

Next we got home and checked out the process of getting the stencils ready via The Modern Lady’s post (see linky above) .   She has a link to a video of a young girl making a t-shirt that’s quite adorable.  We laid out the necessary supplies.  Not pictured are an ironing board, iron, fabric paint and sponge brushes.

Then, we got to work.

 

I made myself an apron.  I have picky eaters in my house.  Can you tell?

 

An elephant shirt for my 3 year old.

 

A “BEER” shirt for the hubs, inspired by one worn by Mac on Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

 

And check out this adorable onesie my sister made for her baby, due in May.  Cuteness!

 

We had a fun day and I was proud to actually accomplish something crafty.  Maybe I’ll try it again sometime.  Maybe.

A reason to celebrate

It's always good to have one, right?

Today is World Happy Day!

From PRWorld.com:

*On World Happy Day, February 11, 2012, premiere screenings of HAPPY, the latest film from Academy Award® nominated director Roko Belic, will be held around the globe. People worldwide will unite in venues ranging from large public theaters to community centers, private homes, churches, schools and more.

“Our goal is for people all around the world to come together, on the same day, start the conversation about happiness and begin to live healthier, happier, more fulfilling lives,” says Belic.

The film HAPPY was inspired by a challenge. Executive producer Tom Shadyac (Bruce Almighty, Liar, Liar, Patch Adams) read a New York Times article ranking the U.S. 23rd in happiness. He asked Belic to find out why. Belic investigated questions like, 

•     What is happiness and where does it come from?
•     How do we balance the allure for money, power and social status with our need for strong social relationships, health and personal fulfillment?

As humans we face daily challenges, and in those we have the choice to find or make happiness or go in a different direction.  Sometimes that seems like a daunting task, but if you look around, there is always something waiting to make you smile.  

May you find happiness today and every day, in things large or small.  


And because every post needs a picture:

*I have not yet seen this movie.  I just think that being happy is a good thing, and sometimes we need a gentle reminder of that.

2011 Favorites

It seems like everyone is doing their “Best of 2011” posts, and since I probably don’t have enough mediocre posts worthy of a new post, I’ll go in a different direction and tell you about some of my favorite things from 2011.

 

My family!

My family isn’t new, but this picture is.  Look at me cheating already.  I love how this shot depicts how sweet my boys are to each other.  We - of course - have the occasional battle over toys, but they mostly kind and make each other laugh.  One of my favorite parts of their relationship is how excited they are to see each other when they wake up in the morning.  I’ve found the older one in the little one’s crib a time or two just having a good old time. <3

 

Blogging

I don’t blog as much as I think about it, or even about every project I do, but I certainly love to read all of the great blogs out there that inspire me in so many positive ways.  Thank you, fellow bloggers!  

A special shout out to the blogger who inspired me to start my own, and probably one of the few people who reads mine, Kate from Starr Family Blog.  She’s even better in real life, people.

 

Yoga

I love, love, love yoga!  I bought one of those group deals that you get emails about this past summer and finally went this fall.  Oh how I wish I’d started sooner!  I practice Vinyasa yoga, which is sometimes called flow yoga and involves one movement per breath.  I love that there are different layers and options to movements so that as you feel stronger and more balanced you can challenge yourself further while staying with the rest of the class.  I’m addicted!

 

doTERRA Essential Oils

My sister introduced me to doTERRA when my boys were ill and if you are a parent you know you’ll try anything to help your little ones feel better.  My baby had a fever and using doTERRA Peppermint EO helped to bring his temperature down.  Breathe has also been a great help with congestion issues on the little ones.  I could go on and on about the doTERRA products I have as they are truly nature’s medicine.  If you are interested in a more natural approach to your health check out the links. 

From their website:

dōTERRA (CPTG) Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade^® essential oils represent the safest, purest, and most beneficial essential oils available today. They are gently and skillfully distilled from plants that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy. Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognize dōTERRA's superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective therapeutic-grade essential oils.

 

Property Brothers

Jonathan and Drew Scott help people find their dream homes by buying extreme fixer-uppers in desirable neighborhoods and renovating them all while staying within the homeowners’ budget.  This show has me itching to find the crappiest house I can that isn’t rat infested and blow out some walls.   That’s probably a bad thing…

 

Pinterest

I would be remiss to dismiss Pinterest from my list, considering it is probably my biggest internet time-suck.  So many projects to sew once I learn how and fitness regimens that will remain unattempted.  Ahh.  I love you Pinterest for letting me feel accomplished when I’ve really done nothing.

 

I’m sure there are more things that were new to me last year, but these are the ones that stand out the most and have made their way into my weekly/daily/hourly life.  What things were new to you last year?  What will 2012 hold?

Play kitchen

Hello, friends!  I hope everyone has had a great holiday season thus far.  My husband and I were busy working in the garage on some gifts prior to Christmas, so I’m glad for a little reprieve. 

While the hubs was working on a wine rack for his parents, I was ankle deep in sawdust making a kitchen for my boys.  If you’re an Ana White fan, I’m sure you’ve seen these plans in the past, and you’ve likely seen other bloggers with their own version of the project.   I’m here to tell you that any or all of them who said it’s a breeze is full of it.  I had many moments where, if the boys hadn’t been sleeping, I would have been throwing things or at the very least yelling.  Alas, I kept my building rage contained and tried to channel it into finishing the project before the 23rd, which I fortunately did.

Due to budget constraints, I tried to do this project as cheaply as possible, which I think I accomplished.  Most of the wood used in this project was left over from other projects, with the exception of the wood I used to make the oven and sink doors.

   

For the doors I attached pine 1x2 and 1x4 using pocket holes make via Kreg jig.  This is what a Kreg jig looks like, if you haven’t used one before.  It allows you to attach pieces of wood without having a visible screw or nail. For all other attachment points I used a countersink bit and wood screws, then used wood putty to fill in the hole, sanded and painted to give it a nice seamless finish.  I used a piece of beadboard on the sink door and plexiglass for the oven door.

For the sink basin I used a dog bowl and a faucet leftover from our bathroom redo.  I modeled the stove after ours with a “glass top,” painting the top black and using the same paint from the rest of the project to make the “burners.”  The knobs are from Hobby Lobby and the pulls, hinges and magnetic closes are from Home Depot.  The plexiglass on the oven door is a precut piece from HD as well.   

The boys were really excited to see their kitchen and have had a great time playing with it, which I love, of course—makes all that hard work totally worth it!

Did any of you make your Christmas presents?  If so I would love to see them!

Gobble gobble up those leftovers!

Yeah, yeah I’m a week late, but I haven’t had batteries in my camera to upload these pics, so save this post for your next abundance of leftover meat.

This is a really simple meal I got while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.  I don’t remember the name of the chef who made it, but he was a very attractive Italian chef.  Feel free to name him in the comments if you know who he is. 

What you will need:

• 1 tube of crescent rolls.  I used store brand reduced-fat.
• Jarred pesto.  Classico shown here.
• 1 cup Cubed turkey
• 2 roma tomatoes.  I removed the seeds and surrounding plasma.
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
• A few shakes of Italian seasoning (not pictured).

Preheat your oven to 375*. Unroll the dough and try to keep together as best you can.  Press into the bottom of a greased baking dish. 

 

Spread the pesto on the dough in a somewhat thin layer.  You want to have enough for flavor, but too much will make your dish soggy.  This is heading towards too much.

Spread your turkey evenly on top of the pesto.

Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella on top of the turkey.

Spread tomatoes evenly over cheese.

Cover the dish with the rest of your cheese.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning on cheese.   Bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is bubbly.

Cut, serve and enjoy!  I cut this into 6 pieces and there was only one left after dinner. This meal was a big hit (except with my 3 year old who is super picky)!  You could easily use leftover chicken if you don’t want to wait until next post-Thanksgiving to make this.  Let me know if you tweak it any other way! 

Enjoy!

My Sister is a Bad Influence

She cons me into going antiquing with her, doesn’t buy anything herself but convinces me to buy things. Can you believe that?!   This little lady with those sweet moves?  Looks so innocent, doesn’t she?

(cropped so as not to show my little mulleted self)

Recently we stopped by a few shops and a little town flea.  Again, the girl didn’t buy a thing, but as soon as I would ponder a purchase she would say, “Oh, you should get that!”  And of course, I did. 

Here are two silver pieces I picked up that needed some love.  I spent almost a whole naptime polishing them, which was strangely enjoyable.  It reminded me of polishing silverware before a sorority function.

Here they are after.  What a difference!  The handle is still tarnished, but that was as good as I could get it. 

Thanks for talking me into buying them, sissy!

Desk Redo

This poor desk has been in progress for EVER! 

Poor desk?!  What about your poor car that’s been stuck in the driveway all summer?

Simmer down, Car, you’ll get your spot back before winter hits.  Hopefully.

 

Sorry about that.  Not everyone appreciates my procrastination and overscheduling of projects.  Where were we?  Oh, that’s right, the desk.  I bought this desk back when I bought the chest that I re-vamped.  I had so many issues this this thing, but I think it turned out cute anyway.  I didn’t plan on keeping it as we have limited space, so I decided to paint it pink and send it back to Craigslist where I found it.  Hopefully it makes it’s way into a little girl’s room somewhere!

Before

After

Cute, huh?