New chairs (project #1)

Here's my first completed project. Our dining room chairs were covered in a white fabric (not the ideal color with a 3 year old in your house)
My mom and I found some fabric on clearance at Jo Ann's, and decided to recover them. It was a pretty easy project, just needed to unscrew the back then staple gun the new fabric on and screw it back together and it's done.

Projects... Projects... PROJECTS!!

We have just moved into a new house (that's why there has been a lack of posts from me) This move was CRAZY but we are so glad to be in our own home. Here's some picture's of some things I have been working on in the house, these are all before pictures.


This is half of a bi-fold door that was on our laundry room and it broke off so I have a new plan for it, you can see what color it is going to be since I forgot to take a picture before I started painting. (this was just started yesterday so it may be a while for the final product)
This table was found on my way to work one morning last week, someone had put it out for trash! So I put it in the back of my car! All it needs is a good sanding, tighten the screws and some new paint!
Crazy good deal for this mirror at Lowe's, Regular price $59.88, we got it on clearance for $12.47, it was the floor model so it needed a good cleaning
This was my find at Goodwill a few months ago. It was $12.00... good price, but even better as I walked around the store I heard that all furniture items were now 50% off! What!! I took her home for $6.00 . She needed A LOT of sanding
Lamp at Goodwill for $3.00
A footstool that my mom had got at a garage sale
And finally my white dining room chairs needed an uplift.
Hopefully I will be back soon with some finished products!

Pumpkin Cake

Pumpkin Cake (Tastes like a Pumpkin Pie)

1 Box Spice Cake Mix
1 - 1 1/2 Cup Pumpkin (depending on how "pumpkin" you want it)
1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/3 Cup Oil
3 Eggs
1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Apple Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour

Mix all ingredients together and follow the back of the box for cooking times. Can be made into any shape.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened
1 Stick Butter, softened
3 Cups Powered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Oh how I love Halloween decorations!

My newest Halloween decoration...

A little vinyl on a picture frame.   So easy!

Happy decorating everyone!

Star Wars cookies

My husband and my son love Star Wars!  They watch the movies all the time.  They even build a fort and call it 'yoda's house' so they can watch the movie in there.  

When I saw these cookie cutters... I just had to buy them.

Yup, they are well worth it!

Noodle Fun!

The other day my son wanted to play with glue. 

So I pulled out some dry noodles... and we played with glue!

We even got out the water colors and added some color to our creations.

Fun and cheap!  Gotta love it.

Fall wreath

Fall is my favorite season... hands down.  I just wish it lasted longer!

A few years ago, I made this wreath.  It was SO easy!

I bought a wreath from a local craft store, along with a strand or two of fall leaves.

Wrapped the leaves all around the wreath, added a bow and there was my festive wreath.

I added auburn lights to my wreath.

(wrap the lights first and then the leaves)

I love plugging it in at night.  The glow is fabulous!

Movies while running?

And in case you wanted to watch a movie while running on the treadmill...

I made a holder for that too.  

I haven't tested this one out yet... so we'll see if it holds up while running.

Off subject... I'm a terrible runner.  Any tips for me?

iPod case for treadmill...

My husband and I have started running on a treadmill... which is great.

The problem comes when we put the treadmill in our unfinished part of the basement... no TV.

So we listen to the iPod... but where to put it?

I made this iPod holder for it.  Velcro on the back, so it holds nice and tight.

I had to make a hole at the bottom, so the earphones can disconnect, if we happen to get our arm caught in the wire.

I tried it today... works great!

Father's Day gift idea

Ok, so I'm just a few months late at posting this idea.  But everyone takes the summer off, right? 

Thanks for putting up with us... if you're still out there.  ;)

My boys had a great time making this art piece for Father's Day this past year. 

(I have seen this idea on another blog... but can't remember where... so sorry that I don't have that reference for you)

I had my 4 year old paint the blue background one day.  I just told him that we were painting and set him up with the right colors.  (last year he ended up telling Daddy what the present was before Father's day... I learned my lesson)  Then I put it up to dry and let him continue to paint on paper.  

A few days later I did their hand prints.  A one year old makes it REALLY difficult to get a decent handprint from.  Thus, his looks like he has 6 fingers.  Oh well.  Then I put it up to dry for a few more days.

I took it down to add the finishing touches.  

Then I let the boys help me wrap it right before we gave it to Daddy. 

Test

This is just a test post.  Please ignore...
We'll be back soon.  We seem to have taken an unscheduled summer vacation.  ;)

Jedi Robe

My son loves those hooded bath towels.  And he loves Star Wars. 

So I made him a 'Jedi Robe'.... and he LOVES that too!

(I apologize for the sideways picture, Blogger and I are not getting along today)

I found pictures of an Imperial Walker, the Death Star and R2D2 (at my son's request)... 

cut them out of a cheap white fleece blanket from IKEA that was being ignored in my home and sewed them on the towel.

The hood is a hand towel - cut in half and then sewn on.

Here is my son trying his best to ignore the camera.

He really does love his Jedi Robe.  He wears it even when it's not bath time.

I wonder what type of robe I'll make next... fire fighter?  dinosaur?  pirate?  astronaut?  

The possibilities are endless.  Give it a try.  Your kids will LOVE it!

High Chair Straps

 My mom has this darling high chair.  But it has no straps.  

When ever we go over there, we've just used a belt to keep the kiddos strapped in.

The problem with that is they slide out the bottom.

So I found a solution...

 

 I measured the high chair and cut out the material to fit over the top.

Then I sewed two really long strips of material that would come from behind the chair, go under my baby's bum, up between his legs and tie in the back.  

(Did that make sense?  I can draw a diagram if anyone is interested.)

It works perfect!  When it's dirty, throw it in the wash.

Dumpster Diggin'

A few weeks ago I pulled into our parking area and saw something on top of the trash, I walked closer and saw this beauty... isn't she lovely? OK well I knew she COULD be lovely. When my hubby got home from work I asked him to go grab it for me. He wasn't fond of the idea but he did it anyway (THANKS JAY!) It wasn't like he had to go digging for it- the trash was full and it was sitting on top. It needed a good cleaning and a little sanding and a fresh coat of paint and she would be beautiful.

I turned her into a plant stand for my porch. I don't have anymore room in my small apartment for more furniture. The drawers were a little crooked and it's a little wobbly, and I didn't feel like fixing it up perfectly. This will do just fine! The drawers now hold my gardening items and a few outside toys for my daughter- PERFECTION! And only cost me $3.00 for a can of spray paint (Krylon, Celery).

Denim!

I have a super crafty friend, Carolyn.  She made all of these bags/purses out of old jeans.

Aren't they darling?!  LOVE them!

They inspired me to create something out of my old denim...

So I started cutting.  (I"m not big on patterns... I tried to make a pattern, 

but it wasn't working... so I just started creating)

I decided on a cute pirate lining.  My boys love it!

And now I have a new diaper bag!

I should have taken more pictures... but it's hard to photograph the inside of a bag.

There are pockets on both of the outside panels.  Pockets on the inside.

A zipper pouch in the middle - as a dividing section of the bag.

And I sewed in elastic loops to hold sippy cups or bottles.

It was fun to create something new out of something that would 

usually be thrown out or sent off to the local DI.

Thanks for the inspiration Carolyn! 

Sunshine Award!

We are so honored to receive the Sunshine Award from Oh my heck this is so cute! 

Melinda has such a darling, classy blog.  You've GOT to check it out!

Rules for the Sunshine Award Recipients:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 other bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Link back to the person from whom you received this award.

The Crazy Crafty Cousins would like to pass the Sunshine Award on to:

Epicurean Style:

We love her style!  And doesn't this chicken look so tasty?!

The Sisters Dish:

There are too many yummy recipes on this site... jump over there and try one out!

Simply Modern Mom:

How creative is that?!  Love it! 

 Mmm... Cafe:

Ok, so dang cute!  My boys would love these!

Can't wait to try them out! YUM!

 It's a Daisy Day! :

Oh my weakness... homemade tortillas.

I'm drooling.

 See Me Visit Teach:

Such fun and easy crafts! 

 Krissie's Kitchen:

I'm a sucker for a yummy Chicken Salad recipe... add pasta into the mix, and I'm sold!

Sisters' Stuff:

 Don't you just LOVE this idea?!  Can't wait to try it out!

 Babes in Disneyland:

 This blog just makes you happy!  

And it makes me want to start planning my next trip to 

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Thanks again for the Sunshine award!

Please jump over and check out these blogs!  You'll be amazed and inspired!

Leave a comment, become a follower... everyone needs a little love!

Just a shout out

This isn't anything crafty, but I'd like to send a shout out to my cousin, Jodi who told me about this product from Trader Joes (you think I would have known about it since my hubby works there, oh well) This stuff is awesome and a better alternative to plain rice as a side dish. And it is still way easy to prepare. My 3 year old asked for seconds the first time I made it.Click--> to read some reviews about this product Harvest Grains Blend has couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa

I made it as a side dish to grilled chicken one night- delish! So if you live by a Trader Joe's go and pick up a bag. I know it's less than $3.00 a bag.

Breakfast Casserole in a crock pot

Great for early breakfast when you have guests and want to sleep in a little...

Ingredients:
1 doz eggs
1 cup milk
1 bag (32 oz bag) frozen hash brown potatoes
1 lb bacon, cooked crisp - or Ham (other meat will work as well)
3/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 1/2 cup cheese - shredded (cheddar, jack, or both)
salt and pepper
garlic powder

Directions:
1. Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick spray.
2. Layer potato, bacon, onion, cheese 1/3 of each 3 times.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk and seasonings.
4. Pour egg mixture over the ingredients in the crockpot.
5. Cook on low 10 - 12 hours, until eggs are set and thoroughly cooked.

Suggestions:It needed a little extra kick, next time might add some green chilies or salsa)

**Made great Breakfast Burritos the next day!
(sorry no, no pictures - forgot about it until everything was all put away)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

 (this is the best recipe I've found - I've made a few tweeks that I think made them even better)

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips (I use 1 cup semi or milk chips and 1 cup white chips)
1/2 cups cinnamon chips (adds extra kick of flavor)
option - add 1/2 cup walnuts (my personal favorite)


350 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix sugars and butter together. Soften the butter before hand. (You can microwave the butter but it just doesn't work out as well).  Add eggs and vanilla, mix.  Mix in flour, salt and baking soda.  Mix in the oatmeal.  Stir in chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, and optional nuts.
The finished dough won't look like your typical non-oatmeal dough since there's less flour in it.  Bake for 10-15 minutes. - Original recipe states to take the cookies out before they look totally done (usually around 12 min), leave them on the sheet for 3 to 5 minutes then remove to flat surface to cool.
Enjoy!

Anniversary Paprika Chicken and Anniversary Pasta

This post is from Alisa... I'm just posting it for her.  ;)

Someone else already posted an "Anniversary Chicken", but this is an "Anniversary Paprika Chicken" recipe we tried last night and really liked it!!

(Picture and recipe from here.)

Anniversary Paprika Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. italian bread crumbs
1 1/2 cubes (3/4 cup) melted butter
Paprika (I forgot to put the paprika in, but we still really liked it!)

Combine parmesan cheese with breadcrumbs.  Dip chicken breast in melted butter.  Roll in crumb mixture until completely coated.  Place in baking dish and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.  Do NOT overcook!



And it tasted so good with Anniversary Pasta!! (recipe can be found here.)

Anniversary Pasta

1 pkg bow tie pasta
1/2 c. (1 cube) butter - the real stuff
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
10-15 spears asparagus, blanched
1/2 c. bacon, crumbled
1/4 c. toasted pinenuts (or to taste)
Parsley, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente.  Do NOT overcook.

In wok or heavy skillet, melt butter.  Ad minced garlic and saute a minute or so.

Add parmesan cheese and bouillon cube(s).  When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream, salt and pepper.

Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered.

Add blanched asparagus.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley and parmesan cheese.  Toss together.  Serve immediately.