Halloween costume

We never do family themed Halloween costumes. In fact, we usually just dress the boys up. But this year my 3 year old wanted to be a pirate. So bought him a costume from Old Navy.
It is darling. He loves it and wants to wear it everywhere.
Then he wanted Daddy to be a pirate too... and it just spiraled from there.

So what to do for the 9 month old??

Yes, he's my little treasure map!

With brown pants - he's good to go!
Love easy costumes.

Now the task of making my pirate costume less skanky... I bought it at Target, but have to make some serious alterations. Hopefully I'll post pictures of the finished product soon.

Baby crafts!

Here are the remaining baby crafts...

A car seat cover.
Love, love, LOVE mine... so I had to make one for my sister in-law.
The BEST feature is that it opens in the front. That way you can peak on your sleeping darling, without giving them a big gust of cold air.
And during flu season, having a car seat cover is a MUST - keep those babies protected.

This isn't a very good picture... but it's a Pee Pee Tepee!
I've never used one, but have wished that I had several times. ;)
Those baby boys sure do like to spray.

I also made some burp cloths... but apparently never took a picture of them.

Love baby crafts!

a yummy fall dinner

Tonight we had a really yummy fall dinner....soup and muffins! I would highly recommend both!

Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder:
(This is what I order every time I go to Mimi's)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter(1/2 a stick)
• 6 tablespoons chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 2 cups cubed potatoes (1/2 inch pieces)
• 3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 dash white pepper, or black
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half cream

Directions

1. Melt butter in large saucepan. Once melted add celery and onion and saute for 5 minutes (not til brown, just til soft).
2. Add water, potatoes, corn, sugar, salt and pepper, making sure water covers everything, adding more if not covered completely. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, usually about 30 minutes.
3. Whisk flour into 1 cup of the half and half and then stir into soup.
4. Add remaining half and half and simmer until soup is thickened to a creamy consistency (usually about 15 minutes).
5. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if wanted. If the chowder is too thick, add some milk, if it is too thin, simmer for 5-10 minutes more.

Pumpkin Crumb Muffins:
(by my sister in law, Camie)

• 1 2/3 C. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 C. Libby's solid pack pumpkin
• 1/4 C. undiluted evaporated milk
• 1/3 C. shortening
• 1 C. packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in large bowl. In small bowl combine pumpkin and evaporated milk. Cream shortening and sugar in large mixer bowl. Add egg, beat until fluffy. Alternately add flour and pumpkin mixtures to shortening mixture; beat well after each addition. Fill muffin tins (greased) or paper lined cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle Streusel topping over muffins.

Streusel Topping:
Combine 2 Tbs. flour, 2 Tbs. granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 1 Tbs. butter until mixture is crumbly.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 35-40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Baby Crafts

I've been a sewing maniac these days. I am not very good at it... but I'm addicted. Here are a few things that I've recently created.

Stroller blanket

Super easy. Sew 2 pieces of fabric, right sides together, with some ribbon sticking out about 1/3 of the way down (so the blanket can fold over onto the baby's lap)... leave an opening so you can pull the blanket right side out. Turn it right side out. Sew up that opening. Sew velcro onto your ribbon... and DONE!

Here is my 8 month old modeling it for me. ;)

Bottle/Sippy Cup strap

For the tutorial, go HERE.
I would use light colored ribbon next time. (or dark thread, dark velcro, and dark shelf material)
But I used what I had this time, and it works great.

We are getting ready for a trip to Disneyland... can you tell?

p.s. I have several other baby related sewing projects to show you. But they are for my cute sister in-law and her baby shower isn't until next week. So you'll have to wait, because I don't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

Spooky Tree

I have seen many of these "spooky trees" lately and thought I would try making my own. It was so much fun being creative again, and thanks to Hobble Creek Canyon for providing these twisted and creepy looking branches. Here's my finished tree. After I found a pot to put the branches in, I put some big rocks in the bottom to stabilize it then added dried black beans on top to hold the branches in place. I spray painted the branches black then added some silver spray glitter on top of that.
I found these wooden signs at Roberts crafts that were not painted (they cost $.54!!) So I picked up some Halloween "thickers" because I knew I couldn't paint the words on as cute as these letters looked.

I took some ribbon and just tied them on to random places and added some dollar store spiders (they were rings that I just cut the ring off and glued them straight to the branches)

I also found these skulls at the dollar store too. And a cute ribbon to your pot and you are done!

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. You can find it HERE.
It's yummy, easy and very Autumn.
I substituted the White Wine with Chicken Broth and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
Next time I think I will use noodles with more texture... maybe Fusilli, Radiatore or Rotini.

Zucchini Turkey wraps

1 lb ground turkey (optional ground turkey)
salt and pepper
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
4 cups grated zucchini
salt and pepper
2/3 cup salsa
1 t. prepared yellow mustard
1/2 t. dried basil
1 c. cooked brown rice
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
tortilla chips, tortillas, lettuce leaves, etc.

Brown the meat and season it with some salt and pepper. Put the cooked meat aside and let any fat drain off.
Add oil into frying pan and let heat up on medium high heat. Add onions & garlic let cook for 1 minute. Add celery, & carrots and let these cook for a few minutes until they start to get tender. Add grated zucchini and season vegetables with some salt and pepper. Continue cooking the vegetables until they are soft and tender.
Add the salsa, mustard, and dried basil into the saucepan and mix together. Add the browned meat and brown rice and heat through. Top with cheese.

Can be made into tacos, nachos, or wrapped in lettuce leaves. Yummy and healthy too!

* The first time I made this I chopped the veggies really small with a hand chopper and put the salsa in the food processor so there was no chunks of food that the picky eaters in the family would see. It worked and everyone ate it!



** Another great idea for Fall is to put your dish inside a hollowed out pumpkin... Find a pumpkin with a flat side so it wont wobble around the table. Cut the pumpkin in half long ways above the stem and then I lined the inside of the pumpkin with waxed paper. I was trying to look for a tall oblong shaped pumpkin but this one had the perfect flat side to it.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans (15 ounces *each*) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
- 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons chili powder - 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: In a large skillet, saute the onion, yellow pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through.

* Yield: *10 servings
Submitted by Wendy

Soups!

We had our Family Girl's Night Out last night. Our numbers were few... but we had yummy soups to enjoy and lots of laughs.
(I apologize for the horrid pictures... we were more concerned about eating than taking good pictures)
Here are the recipes:

Tomato Tortellini Soup

1 can chicken broth
8 oz. tortellini
1 can tomato soup
1/2 tub of chive & onion cream cheese

Boil tortellini in chicken broth until tender. In a separate bowl, using about 1/4 cup of the hot chicken broth, combine with cream cheese. Whisk until melted. Add tomato soup to tortellini. Pour melted cream cheese and broth back into soup. Stir all together.
Makes about 4 servings
**I recommend doubling the recipe to use the whole tub of cream cheese.

White Chicken Chili (Weight Watchers)

3 chicken breasts

1 lg. onion

1 can chicken broth

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. red pepper (we used a seasoned pepper)

Cook in a crock pot 4-5 hours. Shred or dice up chicken. Then Add...

2 cans great northern beans (white)

1 can shoe peg corn, drained

3 T. lime juice

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Cover and cook on low for an additional 20 minutes. Makes 8 servings

- The lime juice is an important part of this recipe, do NOT leave it out.

Potato Soup

• 5 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups (2-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold or red potato
• 3 cups (2-inch) chopped cauliflower florets
• 1 cup fat-free milk (1%)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 can corn (optional)
• 2 cups chicken (optional)
• 3 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (drained)

Combine broth, potato, and cauliflower in pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until potato is tender. Cool 10 minutes; stir in milk. Place one-third of potato mixture in a blender; process until smooth (or hand blender in pot). Pour pureed potato mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure twice with remaining potato mixture.

Return pureed potato mixture to pan; stir in chicken, pepper, salt, and corn. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon just before serving.

Chew on your pencil!

When I saw this in a magazine I knew I had to try it our for my Back to School Dinner. Here's the link to how you make it.

(FYI- We are not bologna eaters in my house so I used a hotdog we had left over from the night before, I just cut off the skin so it was about the right size to fit on top of the cheese stick)

Banana Cake

Yum! Is all I can say about this, Oh and it's an easy recipe!

Banana Cake

1 box yellow cake (follow directions on back)

2-3 RIPE mashed bananas

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cap full banana extract

Can be baked in any pan, I used a bunt pan for a pretty presentation. Then the top decided to stay in the pan so it didn't come up pretty but we glued it back together with a yummy cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp.vanilla

A dash of banana extract

(I didn't want a thick layer of frosting on this so I added some milk to thin it to the consistency I needed)

S'mores

We had a family birthday party over the weekend and this is what I made:

You can find the original recipe here. I used a brownie mix - it turned out great. These are really rich - so 1 square is about all you can eat. But they are yummy!

S'more Bars

Crust:
14 whole graham cracker boards, crushed (2-1/4 cups crumbs)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted

Brownie:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
3 eggs
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:
1 jar (7.5 ounces) marshmallow cream (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup mini chocolate kisses
3 whole graham cracker boards, broken up

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter in a small bowl until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; press crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan, pressing the crumbs evenly into the corners and along the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the crust until chilled and set.
3. Brownie: Combine the bittersweet chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe glass bowl or glass measuring cup. Heat chocolate mixture in a microwave oven on high until the chocolate and butter are melted, about 1 minute. Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. With a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until well blended. Reduce the speed to medium. While continuing to beat, gradually add the melted chocolate-butter mixture to the egg mixture; beat until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally.
5. Stir the flour and salt into the egg mixture. Then stir in the vanilla until smooth. Scrape the brownie mixture into the crust-lined baking pan; smooth the top level with a rubber spatula.
6. Bake in 350° F oven for 30 minutes or until the top is smooth and the center is set when gently pressed with fingertip.
7. Topping: While the brownie layer is baking, whisk together the marshmallow cream and the milk in a small bowl until the mixture is well blended and smooth.
8. Pour the marshmallow topping mixture over the brownie layer in the pan. Spread or tilt the pan to level the topping and cover the brownie layer completely.
9. Sprinkle the mini chocolate kisses evenly over the marshmallow topping. Then scatter the crumbled graham crackers all over the top.
10. Bake in 350° F oven for 3 minutes or until the chocolate kisses are glossy and the marshmallow topping is set. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Bathroom Decor

My husband and I were looking for a picture to go in our guest bathroom. But really, what goes well in a bathroom??
We found this picture in our files, that we had taken at an old Ghost Town in California. We played with it in photoshop...

I think it's appropriate and still looks nice.

Shoulder Bag

I have NEVER sewn before. (Ok, to be honest I did sew 2 straight lines when I was about 12 years old)
I recently was given an old sewing machine. I have been wanting a church bag, but haven't been able to find exactly what I want in a store. I need it to be pretty big, to accommodate 3 ringer binders, toys, keys, burp cloths, etc. I came across this tutorial. With a few minor changes, it is just what I was looking for! (my bag is a lot bigger than the one she made and I put in 2 pockets)
I went online, watched a YouTube video on how to thread the machine (and wind the bobbin) and I started on my bag.

I LOVE it! I am so ridiculously proud of myself as well. ;) I show it to everyone. It's not perfect, but it is fabulous for me.
If I can make this bag (having never used a sewing machine or a pattern) then you can too!
Give it a try, it's super easy!

Kit Kats

My son is turning 3 tomorrow. He is not a big fan of cakes.
So what to make him for the special day?
He LOVES candy... especially Kit Kats.
I saw this creation online, on several sites, it is PERFECT for my son...

2 - 8 inch round cakes, frosted.
Press the Kit Kats into the side,
fill the 'bucket' with your favorite candy,
tie a ribbon... and you're done!!
My son will be on such a sugar high from the candy -
he'll ignore the cake completely.

He saw the cake today and said, 'Oh, a bucket for my candy!' :)

Hamburgers or Hot Dogs anyone?

When I saw these on Bakerella's site I knew I had to try and make them, and what better time to do that then for the 4th of July. Then I found the idea for the hot dogs on {this} site. They were both so fun to make, I only wish I had the brains to come up with the idea!
*One thing I found that just by cutting the cupcake in half made for a really tall burger so I cut the middle out of the cupcake so it wouldn't be so giant and an easier way to transport. And I bought a tube of red frosting then split up the can and colored half green and half yellow... red is just such a hard color to make in frosting.

The hot dogs were so fun to make! My sister loves the circus peanuts and I hate them but they were the perfect thing for the bun.
I cut up some green gummy bears for the relish. And I had a tub of caramel from a baking supply store that I put in the microwave for a few seconds and it was very easy to roll it into hotdog shapes

Then just for fun I made red white and blue cupcakes that the hotdogs were then placed on top.

Again I wish my brain would allow me to be this creative, but I did have a great time re-creating these cupcakes!!

Songs and Nursery Rhymes

I bought a laminator a few weeks ago... and I've been putting it to good use!

I printed off different songs and nursery rhymes, colored them and laminated them.
My son LOVES to pull them out and sing.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

(the clouds and sun are velcro-ed on and the spider is on a piece of yarn that he can pull up or down the water spout ;)


Hickory Dickory Dock

On the back I put the words... so Daddy (or anyone) can sing along as well.

The Wheels on the Bus

They are all kept in folders in a file box. My son can open the box and pull them out whenever he wants to play.

I also have:
3 Little Pigs
5 Little Monkeys
5 Little Pumpkins
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Little Miss Muffet
Humpty Dumpty

I can't find the website where i found the nursery rhymes.
Do a Google search and you'll find something.

They are a little bit of work, but if you laminate them you'll have them for years to come!

Summer fun

I saw this fun activity on Let's Explore.

I put the toys in a bowl one layer at a time, let that freeze and did another layer. This way the toys didn't all float to the top.

My son loves it! He looks like a little archeologist trying to dig for artifacts.

And the best part is... it works great for a toddler's attention span. They can play for a few minutes... get bored... put it in the freezer... pull it out later!

We've played with it outside on the lawn... and inside on the table when it got too hot outside.

Hours of enjoyment! Try it.

Colors

Several times each week, my 2 (almost 3) year old and I have been reviewing our Colors.
I usually have a few things of that color for him to tape on a piece of paper and hang on the fridge. We then add a scoop of that color to our ice cream cone. Then he gets to find objects of that color and take pictures of them.

This is our Orange day...

We'll do shapes, numbers and the alphabet eventually.

You can find free preschool activities and print outs here and here.
Enjoy!

Anniversary Chicken

This is a popular dish that we serve at the church office building, very yummy!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce
1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped (scallions)
1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits, or fresh crisp bacon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 º In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.
(I let the chicken cook for about 15 minutes before I add the cheese on)