Christmas Chain

Today, I am off work. That means I get stuff done. Something I really wanted to do today was a Christmas craft with Emma. We have never done a Christmas chain before, so I though this would be a good craft project to do with her. What could be easier than gluing paper together to make a chain? Also, she got to use her glue stick, so I figured it was a sure thing. I figured wrong. She got about 5 paper chains deep and decided she was done. It was "long enough". She is now watching one of the chipmunk movies. She is obsessed right now. Oh well. At least I tried, right?

Anyways, before she was over it, this was our game plan. I got four corresponding pieces of scrapbook paper (not too matchy-matchy), a glue stick, cutting board, X-Acto knife, and a 12-inch ruler. 

I got to work cutting the paper in 1-inch strips. Emma got to work gluing them together. Easy-peasy, nice and Christmas-y. :) Since she only made a short one and is now engrossed in her movie, I have finished with my strips and we now have a beautiful Christmas Chain. 

I know I'm not inventing the wheel over here, but we have never done this before and I though it was a fun craft project to do with my eldest child. 

Confessions of a Working Mom

Do you ever feel that you are the only one? For anything. It could be not eating breakfast because you forget, never cleaning your car out, bribing your kids to get them to sit 

for a picture you're hoping to use for the family Christmas card, or farting at the gym 

when you're the only one in the cardio cinema. No, that last one is only me. I wanted to post some things that no one knows about me. I'm hoping this will bring optimism to others. Maybe, with my confessions, you will know that your weirdness and uniqueness may not be so weird and unique after all. Maybe a lot of people don't eat breakfast because, literally, they forgot. I know that happens to me far more than I care to admit. 

Here are three of my confessions that I am experiencing today. 

First, sometimes I go to start something, namely painting my little piggies, and can only get one done before someone is yelling outside the bathroom door. That is not limited to my husband or my children. This goes for shaving my legs as well.

 I can't remember I shaved above my knee!  

Second, we put up our Christmas tree 2 nights ago. It continues to sit undecorated. Why? Because the night we put it up, I didn't get home until right before dinner and then it was bed time by the time we figured out how to put the dang tree up. You see, this year, we upgraded to a bigger, pre-lit tree and it was a little tricky figuring how to put it up. It tilts slightly to one side, so hopefully that won't be a problem. 

Thirdly, sometimes when I've had a long day and we don't have any treats in the house, because I try to limit how much sugar we intake, I resort to 2-week-old frosting from my daughter's birthday, smeared on graham crackers. Don't get me wrong. I think it's the best thing known to woman-kind. But, every once in awhile I would like to have something a little more dessert-esque. Like a real piece of cake, a bowl of ice cream, or a Twinkies. 

How about you guys? Any confessions of working moms or stay-at-home moms?

Out with the Old...

I just had 3 days off. Ben and I had a lot on our to-do list. One of those things was replacing our hallway light. We moved into this house about 2 1/2 years ago and we have since replaced all of our light fixtures. This was the last one. It's been on our To-Do List: Home Edition for about 1 1/2 years. So, yeah, this was a big deal. And I couldn't be happier with how it looks. God bless those little things that make such a big difference!

Here is the before and after. 

It might not be a big improvement in your mind, but believe you me, it is to us :)

Rose Cabochon Earrings

Fun fact about me- I love crafting. If I were a stay-at-home mom, I would craft all day. Because I am not a stay-at-home mom, I craft when I have time, which is almost never. That’s why I’m always looking for cheap, easy things to do. Not only can I do it and feel great when I've finished something, but I only choose things that I know I’m going to love as well. I'm a big fan of jewelry so this is a go-to.

I first got this idea from a blog called homemadebyjill.blogspot.com. She made these earrings and I instantly fell in love. I  went to Etsy, did a search, and bought some rose cabochons and the earring backings and got to work. These cabochons can be used for anything. I've contemplated gluing them to bobby pins/barrettes, rings, and even a necklace – if the rose was big enough. 

Tonight, I decided to do earrings. This is a 1,2,3 step project. 

First: Get your supplies: rose cabochons, hot glue gun, and the earring backing. 

Second: Glue the rose on the earring. 

Third: You're done. Now strut your stuff!

See what I mean. Super easy, really cute,  and pretty affordable too. Do you know how much you could pay on a pair of earrings like this? A lot more than whatever you just paid on the supplies. I love it. 

Next up, I might try a ring and a barrette. I could go for days with these delicious little roses!

Dance Party Edition

This last week, I was in Vail, Colorado. I was there for a work conference. It was a lot of fun, but boy was it good to come home. I think most people who read this know me, 

but for those of you who don't, I am a working mom. I work 40 hours a week. 

Sometimes, I feel I am away from home more than I am at home. Being gone for six whole days was tough. However, I did enjoy my time immensely.  I learned a lot of new things, met a lot of new people, and over-all, had a great time. It's kind of nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. Nonetheless, it was really great coming home to my little family, with my two cute little girls, and my amazing husband. My husband, who- by the way- also had a great time while I was away. He claimed it wasn't stressful and he and the girls had a great time. Not totally sure how to take that- other than count my lucky 
stars that I met and married him 7 years ago, that he gave me two beautiful, perfect daughters, and that he can take care of the house in my absence :)

Today was our first whole day together. This morning Emma and I were gone for a few 
hours attending her friend's birthday party. Emma had requested I take her because she missed me so much this past week. {tear} But tonight, after dinner, we had a good ol' fashioned dance party with the whole fam. When these pictures were taken, we 
were listening to Huey Lewis and the News. Great band. Great music. 

Even just looking at these pictures, I am reminded of how incredibly lucky I am to have an amazing home life, and an amazing professional life. Life really is good for me.

Don't Fear the Wreather

Today, I did a last minute fall project. I got the wreath from the Dollar Store, where everything is $1. I love this store.I always go in with good intentions and walk out with 12 things. Kinda defeats the point. I also got these bunches of flowers from there as well.

I was inspired by a few different things I saw on the inter-webs. But one really motivated me. Sherry from Young House Love did her own take on a fall wreath and I figured, I could do that! So, I started clipping my flowers with my wire cutter and got to work. 

I started by added my flowers one at a time, spacing out the colors. I didn't know if I was going to use the green leaves from my flowers, so I just kept them. After I got all of my flowers placed, I put in some of those leaves to give it more depth. I actually love the green in there. I feel like this project gave my back door something to love, not fear. 
More cow bell. I gotta have more cow bell. Click on this link if you need a little laughter!

This project literally took me 15 minutes. I got out some twine and hung it on my door hanger. I love how it turned out. 

Gooey Butter Cake

I'm from St. Louis. Born and raised. 22 years of my life. Something that is a St. Louis tradition is gooey butter cake. It is rich and delicious. You can only find it in St. Louis. Here is a picture of the brand that I remember so well. 

Well, for those of you who are missing it or haven't yet tried it, 

I have a recipe just for you. 

1 pkg. Yellow Cake Mix

1 Stick (1/2 cup) Butter

3 Eggs

1 (8oz.) pkg. of Cream Cheese, softened

1 (1 lb.) pkg. of Confectioner's Powdered Sugar

1 Tsp. Vanilla

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix together cake mix (just the mix, not the other ingredients called for on the box) with butter and 1 egg. 

Pat into ungreased 9x13 inch pan. 

Cream together cream cheese, 2 eggs, powdered sugar, and vanilla. 

Pour over cake mixture, spreading to the edges. 

Bake for 35 minutes. 

Let cool thoroughly before serving. 

I promise if you try this recipe, if you like rich deserts, you will like this. 

Painting A Blank Canvas

I have been under the influence of canvas for a while now. 

They are cheap and endless with possibilities of decorating. I've seen a lot of ideas on Pinterest lately. I've seen a lot of chevron out there, but to keep things simple- I decided to go with straight lines. So, off I went to my living room floor to paint my blank canvas and give it some meaning in its life. 

Supplies needed: canvas, craft paint, foam brush, painters tape, 

and one episode of Parks and Rec. Amy Poehler is my jam. :)

First, I taped off my sections. Then I squirted some craft paint onto a paper plate and started with the darkest orange first. Then I added some white to my paint puddle and did the slightly lighter one below. I then added some more white paint and did the lightest one up top. I was going for the ombre look but ended up doing it in the wrong order. 

Oh well, I still like it and think it's pretty gosh darn cute. 

In the end, I really love it. I choose orange because I just got a new comforter that I got from Target. It is this one from Nate Berkus and I.am.in.love. 

Seriously, I squeeled like a little piggie when I got it on the bed tonight. LOVE. 

Freezer Paper Fun

Freezer paper stenciling is one of my most favorite things to play with when I have time to make a project. I buy mine at Walmart in the aluminum foil section and have had the same box for years now. It goes a long way. 

Today, I tried my hand with a few pieces of clothing I felt were boring. A plain white tee and a plain purple tank top. 

I started by getting my star craft punch. Then you just punch out the stars on your freezer paper. Super easy, right? Then you grab an iron that has been heating up, and you place the freezer paper matte side up. You want the glossy side down. This is the side that adheres itself to the fabric. It almost acts like a sticker. 

For this project, I wanted as little clean up as possible, so I just dropped some dots of fabric paint around on the stars. This way, I could just grab my small, foam brush and get to work pushing the paint around until the entire star was filled. It works best if you use a pressing method with your brush in an up and down action instead of the painting method where you're smearing back and forth. You have a better chance of not lifting up the freezer paper. I mean, it's on there pretty good, but why screw up your chance of it not being perfect. :)

After I got all of the stars filled in, I rinsed out my brush. Some might not care and could just throw it away at this time, but $0.20 is $0.20 and I like using mine as many times as possible. So, after my brush is drying I came back to peel the freezer paper off of the shirt. Literally, you peel it like a sticker. It comes off pretty easily. Then, ta-da. 

I have a brand new shirt ready to go. No more boring white shirt. Now, it's a declaration of independence. Wait, maybe not a declaration of independence, but it's definitely a declaration of fashion. I know I love how it turned out. 

I did the same thing with this purple tang top with polka dots. I used a hole punch with this shirt. Again, super easy, super quick. Just how I like my crafts. 

You should try it. It's really versatile. And, if you or your kids are anything like my Emma, you will need a little something-something on every shirt ever made. 

No matter how cute it looks solid-colored or how busy your momma is. 

Sunday- Funday

Today, we hiked along the Temple Quarry Trail at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon. 

The fall colors are still in full swing, so I figured we better take advantage of it before it disappears and is snowing. We all had a great time. It was the perfect "hike" for us. 

Mommy Wars

I read an article on cnn.com- (http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/17/opinion/navarrette-maria-kang/index.html?hpt=hp_c2) about a woman who posted a picture of herself, in next to nothing, and text at the top that states “What’s Your Excuse?”I read the article and then could not stop myself from reading the comments as well. I have to say, it's kind of ridiculous.

Have you heard of the mommy wars? It’s not so much having to worry about keeping up with the Joneses, it’s worrying about keeping up with the mommies. I find myself in on that battlefield when it comes to reading blogs. A lot of the blogs I read are written by women who do not work outside of the home. They have children, but in many cases, these children are in school all day. They have plenty of time to do things around the house and blog about them. I do not have this same situation. I work 40 hours a week. I work about 20 minutes from home. That puts me away from home at least 9 ½ hours per day, 47 ½ hours per week. With 168 hours in a week, that takes me away from my home for 1/3 of the week. That’s a lot of time. Not to mention the house-hold chores including-but limited to- laundry, dishes, dusting, vacuuming, putting the clean clothes away, and sweeping the crumbs that never cease to exist on my kitchen floor. But then to throw being fit and healthy in the mix. Well it's just not fair. 

When I have a chance to go to the gym, it’s after work and before I pick up my girls from daycare. Some days, this only allots me 30 minutes or so. I still have to pick them up, get them home, get dinner cooked and on the table, and then helping bathe said girls and get them to bed. Not to mention actually spending quality time with them while doing quality activities. If this doesn't happen for me, sometimes I try to talk myself into going to the gym after my husband and I get the girls down for bed, but let’s be honest- once I’m home and the kids are in bed, that’s when I get cleaning done or some good ol’ fashion TV watching in. 

So, while I agree that this mommy in the article is super fit and might be an example for other moms, I feel she went about it in the wrong way. 
{Probably the Point- I heard she was on the Today show and have kept seeing/hearing about her every time I turn on the computer or the radio} Seriously, is it that earth-shattering. 
News flash- this crap has been happening and going around for a while now. 

Every mother is different. Every mother has a different story. And while some moms are stay-at-home moms and some moms are working moms, we all have the choice to do what we want with our rare precious spare time.

Sometimes, I do choose to go to the gym, sometimes I choose to pick up my girls earlier than expected. Sometimes, I even go to the store and buy myself a doughnut. Yesterday, I had ice cream for lunch...true story. 

Let's stop judging and caring so much about other people. We shouldn't judge each other or loathe against what other mothers have, we should be on the same team. The one that has pizza for dinner and sometimes veges out in front of the TV watching
 "My Fair Wedding: With David Tutera." Currently, that's my go-to. 

Holy Cannoli...

...Toasted Ravioli!

The St. Louis Cardinals are trying their darnedest to clinch the National League Championship Series against the LA Dodgers. Friday will hopefully be the last game 

*fingers crossed*

In honor of my favorite  sports team. ever. I am providing everyone with the recipe for a St. Louis-style toasted ravioli. They are a St. Louis tradition and they are DELICIOUS. 

Here we go: 

Step 1. Buy meat ravioli from the grocery store. I think at Walmart, they are like $2.50 a bag. 

Step 2. Dip the raviolis in flour first. 

Step 3. Whisk together milk and eggs and dip in that. 

Step 4. Coat with Italian Style Bread Crumbs. 

Step 5. Put in deep fryer (there really is no other way to do this) and fry, fry,fry. 

Step 6. Enjoy your freaking awesome toasted ravioli. 

For the sauce we use: brown one log of Italian sausage- one ENTIRE log of sausage. Again there is no other way to do this. Add Prego meat flavored sauce. 

Enjoy!

You're Welcome!

Emma Had a Little Lamp

Emma has this lamp in her room. It started a drab brown that didn't really go with anything else in her room. Ever since she moved into her "big girl room" downstairs, I have been trying to make more her. I want her to be happy in it. I also want her input. 

She is full of great ideas. :) It was her idea to paint it yellow. 

The first step was taping off all of the electrical parts. I taped off the top part where you put the light bulb and the cord also. Then I moved it outside to my spray painting area- aka the back deck. I'm pretty fancy around here. 

I used a primer spray paint first. This helps the yellow spray paint stick better. 

Then I sprayed it with the yellow paint. 

I love how it turned out and so does Emma. The yellow is so much happier. 
A quick and dirty easy project. Thank goodness!

Pumpkin Bumpkin

Most of you know fall is my favorite season. 

This year is no exception. Here in Utah, we are enjoying a very beautiful, very long fall. 

I am in love. 

Today, we had some fun doing something different with pumpkins today. 

I went to my nearest Walmart and purchased three pumpkins. They were only $1.98 each, so I didn't feel like I was being ripped off. They were just cheap enough for me :)

So, Emma and I broke out a few different craft items and got to work. 

We got, glitter pens, craft paint, a craft stamp, tissue paper, mod podge, and some foam brushes and paper plates. This was the perfect craft to do with her while Kaitlyn napped. It was perfect because instead of having to hover because there are knives involved, I was able to give her free reign. I'm a hoverer- like a helicopter.

1. painting it with pink craft paint- she also painted glitter on
2. painted it white. then decoupaged tissue paper hearts

3. the craft punch we used. so much easier than cutting everything out

     4. decoupaging the hearts onto the pumpkin

     

It took us about an hour, which is perfect time-wise. The results are great. She loves it, I love it, and even Kaitlyn couldn't wait to get her hands on them when she saw them sitting on the kitchen table. 

I'm glad I am able to do projects like this with Emma, one-on-one. Ben works a lot of Saturdays, so I try to do at least one thing that is Emma-geared. 

How do you decorate your pumpkins? Do you only carve them, or do you use other techniques to beautify them? Tell me in the comments. 

My Fair Hutch: Part 2

Over the course of two nights, Ben and I were able to put together our hutch. We got in place, and I love it. Prior to putting it there, this was the space we had our kid's play kitchen. Who knows where that will end up now. I guess I'll have to clean our play room :)

Today I was lucky enough to put things in it. Over the course of the last 7 years, I have known that I would eventually have a hutch. Well, since my wonderful husband finally made my dreams came true...I was able to get everything I've been collecting over the last several years. With this includes white pitchers, glasses, and vases. I even put some of our plates and my cook books. I love how it turned out. 

My Fair Hutch

Remember that post where I told you all about my fetish for Ikea.

Well...it hasn't gone anywhere. In fact, it's back and bigger than ever. For my 7th wedding anniversary, my husband surprised me with a trip to Ikea to get a hutch. Technically, it isn't a hutch- it's listed under the bookcase/storage section- however it totally 
fit the bill for what I was looking for. 

I was looking for something to put some of my prettier things in- to show off- up top. On the bottom, we closed it off because we will put other things (big appliances, our dust buster, and other odds and ends). Eventually we'll get rid of our peninsula in our kitchen, and this will just be extra storage space for us to take advantage of. Our house is large, but any extra storage we can get, I'll take. :)

We have it in our possession now and are in the process of putting it together. We're going on night number two. It takes a lot longer putting furniture together when you're limited to after "bed-time" and the Cardinals are winning their 3rd straight division series. Wahoo!

I'll be back later this week with an update on how the process of putting it together went, and how it looks in my kitchen. I can't wait. 

Backyard Bounty

We have two fruit trees in our backyard- An apple tree and a pear tree.  We’ve been in this house for over two years and this is our third fall here. We decided that this would be the fall where we finally try to take advantage of our fruity situation in the backyard.

It’s that time of year where both types of fruit are ripening up and are good for the picking. With this ripening, they fall off the trees…hence this mess on the ground. Some of these apples have been bitten into by the birds. Some of the pears have been stepped on or mowed over and were literally mush, 

mashed into the ground.

Yesterday afternoon, we went into the backyard and started picking up these pieces of fruit that have made their way to the ground. And by we, I mean me. I did most of the picking up. Which is fine, because I was quite a bit quicker than my husband and my 4-year-old daughter. Bless their pear-loving hearts!

Once the fruit was picked up, things were looking better. Like maybe now we look like we know what we’re doing and are getting the hang of it.

 Now to the fun part, picking the pieces of fruit off of the tree that looked as though
 they could fall off at any moment.

This is what we got. The apple tree is not quite as bountiful as our pear tree. 

Our pear tree rocks my socks! We get the ripest, juiciest pears a girl could ever ask for. 

The question now, is, what to do with our bucket of pears.

I have some ideas running through my head of what recipes to try with these apples and pears. 

That’s why I have a Pinterest account J

For now, though, we’ll just enjoy eating them out of our bucket.

Friday Project

Today, I was off work. When that happens, I try to get a project done.

 It works out so much easier when I am at home by myself. Instead of trying to do something late at night, after bed-time, I get to do it in the day light. Yippee!

Today, I broke out my Silhouette machine. For those of you don't know, it is a cutting machine. You can design your own things, write out words, or buy designs/pictures from their online store. I've had my machine for 4 years now and I love it. 

I have definitely gotten my money's worth. It's not cheap. :)

I printed out a phrase many are familiar with...Home Sweet Home. I love this saying. It's kind of a cliche, but my home really is sweet and I probably say it at least 4 times a week. 

I found this gray, geometrical wrapping paper at Tai Pan Trading (a local home decor store) and found the yellow paper in my paper stash. 

I try to buy scrap book paper at any of the local craft stores when it's on sale. When I do go, I try to stock up a bit. It's always good to have paper on hand because I love paper crafts and enjoy making my own cards for holidays and birthdays. 

So, I cut out my yellow Home Sweet Home and attached it to my gray wrapping paper. I had this black frame in my stash of frames and put it all together. 

I think it turned out pretty cute. It's good having it on wall as a reminder. My home is a sweet home and I will do my best to keep it that way!