Where have I been?

It's been a while since the last time I posted anything on my blog. You may be wondering if I've given up on blogging, because I was wondering that, too...

I've just been busy.

My sister had a baby!

My husband and I took a trip to Colorado and Seattle!

My daughter had her 4th birthday!

These are the cupcakes I made, and this is the recipe I followed:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001955313

We also had several of her friends' parties to go to, and I made some initial shirts and hair bows to give as gifts.

I made Halloween costumes!

Alice in Wonderland

and the white rabbit

and this pumpkin hair clip

And our house has been for sale - but (after 40 showings) we are taking a much needed break.

We live in a forest, which definitely has some drawbacks. Here is our house covered with leaves.

But the main reason I have not been blogging is that my 1 yr old spilled coffee on my laptop. :( We have ordered a new keyboard. Hopefully, that's all it needs to work again. I'm looking forward to sharing some fall recipes and crafty things soon!

Song for Sunday on a Saturday

This is my favorite 9/11 song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkQ9QhgGgE&feature=related

I was a student at Lipscomb during the 9/11 attacks and as the war on terror began, and was blessed to hear so many beautiful prayers for those who lost loved ones, for our country, for the innocent, for our enemies, and for peace. That's how I remember 9/11 - a time of tragic loss and a time of prayer.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Mathew 5:9

We have a winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

1

Timestamp: 2010-09-12 00:48:32 UTC

*********************************

Erin from Totally Posh wrote comment #1, so she is the winner of my next sock baby! Erin, please send me a message specifying what colors you would like your sock baby to be!

Thanks to everyone who entered. I will be selling these and other crafty things in an Etsy shop soon!

Introducing.... Sock Baby! Who wants one?

From your head to your toes,
You're not much, goodness knows.
But you're so precious to me,
Sweet as can be, baby of mine.
- Baby Mine

Meet Sock Baby! He is inspired by a vintage baby rattle. I hand embroidered the "E" and roses. He even has a little bell inside!

This one is for my friend Brigitte, who just had a baby named Eliot. But because I think everyone needs one of these... it's time for my first giveaway!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. Please make sure I have a way to contact you. The winner will be chosen randomly. I'll be accepting entries until September 10th.

I can make these in blue, green, pink, yellow or purple, and can use a tan or brown sock for different skin colors. If you don't have a baby yet, but are planning to - I can make a yellow one with your last name initial or just the word baby or extra flowers. If you have twins, I'll make you an extra one to match (because you deserve something extra for having twins, right?). This sock baby would also make a cute gift!

Song for Sunday - Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
- written by John Newton

John Newton was a British slave trader and atheist who mocked others who believed in God. He was known for being profane and a troublemaker. After surviving a storm at sea, he began to question God and wondered if he could ever deserve God's grace. He struggled with what he believed for many years and finally left the slave trade and began to study theology. He became a minister and an abolitionist and helped create the Slave Trade Act of 1807.

"But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and now is found."
Luke 15:32

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power will rest on me."
2 Corinthians 12:9

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9

The Cutest Thing I've Ever Made!

Curious? You should be. Especially if your name is Brigitte and you just had a baby.
It involves this:
...and it's not another sock puppet.
3 days until the big reveal and my first giveaway!!!

Parmesan Mushroom Rissoto

This is good. Creamy, ricey, cheesy good.

1 package of assorted mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms rinsed
4 cups chicken broth (homemade is best)
4 T butter
2 shallots
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (or another 1/2 cup of chicken broth)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a medium sized pot. Saute the shallots for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the rice and stir it with the butter and shallots. Add 1 cup chicken broth, salt, pepper, mushrooms and 1/2 cup wine and stir until the broth and wine are absorbed. Continue adding chicken broth 1 cup at a time. Stir until it's absorbed before adding more. This will take about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the cheese. Keep covered until ready to serve.

We ate it with pork tenderloin and green beans sauteed with garlic.


This recipe is modified from Ina Garten's wild mushroom risotto
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/wild-mushroom-risotto-recipe/index.html
Her's is better. Mine is cheaper (and still good).

Decoupage Plates and Bulletin Board

Before my daughter was born, my mother-in-law and I made these cute decoupage plates for the nursery.

This one's my favorite:

To make these you need:

1. clear glass plates (look at thrift stores or the dollar store)
2. pictures or fabric
3. mod podge
4. foam brushes
5. background acrylic paint
6. black acrylic paint
7. plate hanger and ribbon

Clean your plate with soap and water and let it dry. Cut your picture or fabric to match the flat circle in the middle of the plate (a compass, or a bowl or coffee can with the same circumference helps). Put mod podge all over the picture using one of the foam brushes. Put the picture on the back of the plate and smooth out bubbles. Let it dry. Paint over the back of the plate with the background color (mine was green). Let it dry. Paint over the background paint with black paint to give it a finished look. Let it dry. Attach plate hanger and ribbon.

In a couple months I'm planning to make plates with some vintage Christmas cards I bought on ebay. They will be perfect for Christmas cookies! Only 112 days until Christmas!

I have really enjoyed these plates, but it's time to change things up. My daughter is in preschool now, and we need a place to display her masterpieces (other than our already cluttered refrigerator). I found a cute framed bulletin board at TJ Max and personalized it with fabric, felt and yarn. It was easy to make, and she loves it!

Getting Away From the Box

With two small kids around, macaroni and cheese is a necessity of life. We try to stick to the organic type, but I still feel a little guilty about feeding them something with powdered cheese.
What is that stuff?
Yesterday, I made baked macaroni and cheese, and my 3 yr old and husband both approved.
You may be thinking that mac and cheese is not really healthy.
But in the South, every meat-n-three restaurant I've ever been to always lists mac and cheese as a vegetable. I think they may be on to something...

The recipe I used was similar to this one:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1694205
except I added a chopped onion and bay leaf to the milk mixture and let it simmer while the pasta cooked. Then strained the milk (to remove the onion) before adding the cheese and pasta. If you want to make it more vegetable-ish - you can add broccoli, a can of diced tomatoes, spinach, etc.

Chicken Spezzatino

For dinner on Monday night I made chicken spezzatino.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-artichoke-and-cannellini-bean-spezzatino-recipe/index.html

The recipe I followed was slightly different from this one and didn't include artichokes or pancetta, but I'm sure adding those would make it even better!

I like this recipe because, it doesn't take all day - like most soups/stews. I also made it faster by using little baby carrots instead of peeling and chopping big carrots. If you look very closely, you might see that I used garbanzo beans. That's only because my 3 yr old was playing hopscotch on the bean aisle, and I grabbed the wrong can. The recipe I followed actually called for kidney beans. Grocery shopping with small kids is like trying to ride a bike and juggle at the same time, and I like to think we are just as entertaining.

Song for Sunday and Miracle for Monday... even though it's Tuesday

This last Sunday we sang a song I've always liked, but it has gained more meaning to me recently.

The song is "A Shield about Me".
It comes from Psalm 3:3, and I'm sure many people can personally apply it to their lives in different ways.
"Thou, O Lord, are a shield about me; you're my glory and the lifter of my head."

Now when I hear this song, I think of my beautiful friend Rachel who survived a serious car accident a couple months ago.

photo by jenmphotography.com

She was riding in a Jeep with some friends and was not wearing her seat belt, and they were rear ended on the interstate. She flew out of the back window and was thrown down the road about 25 yards. She landed by the interstate median and could hear her friends screaming for her. She didn't really realize she was hurt until she tried to stand up. She had bruises and road rash on her arms, head, and back and 3 pelvic fractures, but it's AMAZING she lived through it.

The car was totaled and her seat was crushed. Rachel is very tall and can't explain how she fit through the window. She felt as if an angel was watching over her and pulled her out. Also, a man was riding a bike down the side of the interstate at the same time as the wreck. He happened to be a doctor, and he stayed with her until the ambulance came. The doctors and nurses who cared for her after the wreck called her a "living miracle" and couldn't explain how she was doing so well. She did have a couple of difficult weeks after the wreck and had to use a walker for a while. Now she is walking well, and you would never suspect she had just survived a serious wreck. Most of her scars are hidden under her hair and clothes, but she does have one scar that is visible to anyone - a red heart shaped scar on her right hand.

I'm very thankful my friend and those who were with her in the car are alive and well!
God is so good!

Here is a picture of the car.

Here is a picture of Rachel still smiling after the wreck!

"But you, O Lord, are a shield about me; you're my glory and the lifter of my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." Psalm 3:3-5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6_omT2JA4E&feature=related

Pillowcase Dress with a Ruffle

I had been wanting to make a pillowcase dress for a long time and finally tried it out a couple months ago. This dress is so easy and only took about an hour! I also made a matching doll dress.
Here are the instructions I followed:
http://alittleloveliness.blogspot.com/2009/05/make-pillowcase-dress.html
And here are the dresses I made!

I also made a pair for our friend, Contessa, but forgot to take a picture. :(
I planned on making several more, but since it is almost September... I'll revisit this project next Spring.

Song for Sunday

Today in church we sang Days of Elijah. At times, we sing a song that wakes us all up, and you can feel the energy in the room. Days of Elijah is one of those songs. It reminds us of the hope and joy we have through Christ. In the middle of the song, our spirit-filled song leader raised his hands and let out a "Whew!". He may not have planned doing that, but I thought it was the highlight of the whole worship service. (Though we have an excellent preacher, and the sermon was informative and thought-provoking as well.)

Here are the 1st few verses:

These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the word of the Lord:
And these are the days of Your servant Moses,
Righteousness being restored.
And though these are days of great trial,
Of famine and darkness and sword,
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying
'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!'

Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call;
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee,
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

In a world full off pain, it's so good to be reminded that we are not forsaken.

"Behold, He is coming with the clouds..." Revelation 1:7

"Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:51-57

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not proceed those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." I Thessalonians 4:13-18

"Whew!"

Sock Puppets and Cardboard Box Theater

What child doesn't love sock puppets? And what mom doesn't love a craft you can make with stuff you probably already have? All I did was stick on the googly eyes and tack on the sparkle nose and yarn hair with a needle and thread. It took 5 minutes and my daughter has played with them for hours!
We made two, Mary and Jo Jo.
We didn't want our puppets to be homeless, so we built a puppet theater out of a cardboard box.
I had some left over fabric from making my daughter's curtains a few years ago that I wrapped around the box and secured with a staple gun. The whole point of a puppet theater is the curtains... and they turned out to be my nemesis. I tried to hang them with the staple gun - they fell down. I tried duct tape - they fell down. I tried staples and duct tape - they fell down. I was defeated. There was only one option left; call my sister. She gave me the genius idea of hanging them on wire hangers and duct taping the hangers to the box! It worked beautifully!

I sewed the curtain fabric to the hangers. (I promise I wasn't sewing in the dark, even though it looks that way.)

So it looked like this...


Then duct taped them to the top of the box...
I tied the curtains back with yarn, added a support piece of cardboard across the bottom of the box (to make sure it wouldn't collapse) and covered it with a blanket.... and we were ready for the show!

They usually end up kissing...

Applique and Tile Menu

I love giving and receiving handmade gifts. These are two projects that I think make great gifts!

I used applique instructions from my friend, Erin's, blog. Her post is about an initial shirt, which I also plan on making someday. Here is the link to her blog:
http://toteallyposh.blogspot.com/2010/02/appliqued-t-shirt-tutorial.html
I wanted to do a teapot, so I drew a teapot on card stock and traced it onto the pink fabric and Heat n' Bond. Then just cut them out, ironed it on and did a zig zag around it. It's an easy project except that I'm not a great sewer, so the curvy lines were tricky for me. I did sew the shirt together once, but at least I didn't sew my finger.

Here is the shirt I made.


I made two - one for a gift and one for my daughter.

Since making these, I've read that a few straight forward and back stitches at the beginning and end of the zig zag will help hold it in place.
This is a fun project and makes me want to copy the entire Mini Boden catalog!

I also made this tea towel and menu board for my mother in law's birthday (Nonni is what the kids call her).

The menu board is another easy project, and I use mine to plan our meals every week! Nothing frustrates me more (well, ok maybe a few things frustrate me more) than to cook salmon for dinner, only for my husband to come home and say he had salmon for lunch. Now, I don't feel sorry for him, because what we are having for dinner has been written there all week.
I found the idea for it here:
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/2009/07/tile-menu-board.html
I have also seen plain white plates used, which is also really cute. The white tile was ridiculously cheap at Lowe's (under 50 cents), and the easel is from JoAnn's. I used paint pens to write/draw what I wanted to stay permanently and keep the dry erase marker velcroed to the back.
Here is mine.

I love you a latte

You may have noticed this little guy on the cook top in some of my pictures.

It's a Bialetti espresso maker, and I love it.

I've heard almost every house in Italy has one, just like almost every house in the USA has a coffee maker. It also comes with a milk warmer/frother.

For around $30 it makes expresso for lattes and cappuccinos that I think are just as good as Starbucks! Someone gave it to us as a wedding present, and it is definitely one of our most used gifts. I recommend giving one to any coffee loving friend!

Here is the latte I made this afternoon.

...with whip cream and chocolate syrup.

Perfect to drink on this rainy afternoon while the kids nap.

So nap on, kids. But if you don't - after drinking this I'm ready for running around the couch, building a bear cave, or just handling post-nap crankiness.

Song for Sunday

This summer has been hot! We've been inside a lot, and it has been challenging to keep the kids entertained without watching too much tv. If we are playing in a room with a tv, I have a hard time keeping it turned off. But.... I've found a great solution! Praise Baby dvds! My sister gave us one, and we love it! The video part is a lot like Baby Einstein, and we don't really watch it. We just listen to it while we play. It's definitely something I can occasionally let the kids watch or listen to without feeling guilty. Something about it is very calming and puts us all in a better mood.

http://praisebaby.com/

Frist Inspired Chicken Salad

This delicious chicken salad was inspired by the cafe at the Frist Museum. They served an apricot chicken salad similar to this on a croissant. My mother and I ordered it the last time we were there and thought it was so good!

You will need:
2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 diced celery stalks
2 diced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups champagne vinaigrette
1 cup Mayo (optional)

Stir all ingredients together and chill for a couple hours. Serve on a bed of mixed green or on a croissant. I left out the mayo, because my husband doesn't like it, and it was still very good.

I would love to have a picture of the chicken salad on a pretty plate with mixed greens and a croissant, but I made this for a church potluck - and we were running late!

New Friend

Our daughter was recently given a stuffed dog that looks a lot like our real dog, Oliver.
I think Oliver thought he'd had a puppy.
Or maybe he thought he was being replaced?

Scrap Art

I LOVE scrapbook paper. I could spend an hour on the scrapbooking aisle entranced by the thousands of colorful papers and stickers and gadgets and die cuts. The only problem is I don't "scrap". It's a whole other world I am amazed by, and I know I'll never live there. But... it seemed like a nice place to visit. So, I bought some papers that matched the colors in my bedroom and an antiquing stamp and made these:



I tore the background paper into large pieces and went around the edges with the antiquing stamp. Then I cut the other pieces into shapes, antiqued the edges, and glued them on with paper glue. I added some minor details with an ink pen. So easy! And it temporarily pacified my need for pretty paper.

Party Peas!

Here is one of my own recipes for party peas!

It sounds fancy because of the champagne vinaigrette. You never have to tell anyone that it's $2 at Publix (well... I guess I just did).

Heat a 16 oz bag of frozen peas and 1 cup of champagne vinaigrette in a large pot over medium heat for 5 minutes or until peas are warm. Add 9 oz fresh spinach and cover until spinach wilts. Salt to taste. Serve immediately.


We ate them for dinner tonight with Balsamic Chicken and roasted mustard potatoes.
Mmmm... spinach. In nursing school, we had a lot of questions about where can you get such and such vitamin - the answer was pretty much always leafy green vegetables. Don't you feel healthier just looking at the picture?