Today's Win

 I awoke this morning, late for work, to discover I now have the day off. This is wonderful because I spent the weekend with my family and for the love of god I need a rest. Green Tea a hot shower and ghost TV and, of course, napping. I have been fiddling around on my computer, looking for a free or cheap photo editor. Everything I found was way too... cartoony or had so many buttons and options for things I would never use that I couldn't figure out how to use it. Then.. I found it!

DARKROOM! really cheap for some reason so I download it click start and I am on the move again. This is the program I used when I worked at the Portrait studio and I trained the new staff on how to use it and make it efficient. So off I go. I find some old photos that a photographer friend of mine had done of my daughter and added my little yweak to them. Yup I haven't lost it.

This is my rugrat having her cake at her first birthday.

So granted I don't have a great camera but where my camera lacks I can make up with proper editing equipment. So off I go to kill some time waiting for the house closing and practice with my own little munchkin. Very exciting, wish me luck!

Handmade Gifts For Boys

So I was given an impromptu vacation. This happens sometimes with child care, the family takes a vacation and you are workless until they return. Fortunately I still get paid when they take time off so I still get a little money. Fortunately, this gives me some time to finish up some gift wrapping and getting a few of my little DIY gifts complete so I am excited about that. Not to mention all this one on one time I get with the little one, (she spends most of her time playing with the boy I nanny and rarely has time for mommy.)

Now that my scarves are done, (check my last post for more on that,) I have time to get the boys fort kit done. These clever little things go for anywhere between 30 and 40 bucks. I'm not terribly certain its worth all that so on Black Friday we went out and got just the pieces. I have two nephews so everything is doubled.

I grabbed:

• Two flat sheets. (I got twin sized just because of limited space and I know their families will have old sheets that can also be used. 
• Clothes Pins (You can get a ton for very little money)
• A mini child's flashlight
• Last but not least a book to curl up with in there. (The boys are pretty big on books so we play that up where we can.)

All you really need to do is cut a piece of burlap about double the width and length of the bags the sheets came in. You just want to make sure everything is going to fit inside. Fold over the long sheet of burlap and sew the sides. Turn it right side out and there is your bag. I took another strip of burlap very narrow and pretty long. Putting slits in the top of the burlap bag to weave your 'ribbon' through as a sort of tie.

These are the pieces all pulled together.

This is the final product. I'm going to embelish the front with some paint so it says Fort Kit and tie the top again to make it look a little more polished. I will update as it becomes completed.
I hope the boys like love them and have lots of fun.

If you liked these projects follow me for more great DIY on a budget.
See you soon.

While I Was House Bound

Here in New England our winters get pretty brutal and we are all mostly used to it. It is common to lose power a few times. Well, we got hit early this year and had some down line and bitter temperatures. Regardless we cooked Thanksgiving dinner on the grill, you read that correctly, on the grill. The sides were all done on little propane camp stoves and we warmed the appetizers in ceramic dishes on the wood stove. To top it all off we had frosty cocktails and a little warming brandy to snuggle up to. All in all it was a pretty cozy evening. Even the baby didn't seem to mind since all the attention was on her and not the iPad or the TV. Anyway, since all the crummy weather came through it has been too cold to go outside so I decided to keep myself busy with some inane project. I cant really work on my furniture indoors and we are still working on the offer for the new house so I needed a relatively short project.

Crochet! Time consuming while still being productive. Well after about 45 minutes and two inches into a blanket I needed something a little more..... fun. Arm knitting seems to be the new fun thing so I figured if I do well I have holiday gifts and if I mess it up I have dog blankets. Win, win!

I am pleased to announce.... It worked beautifully and they look nice rather than like a child knotted a bunch of strings together. (I have a habit of busting out some epic pintrest fails from time to time.)

 I will warn you, as I quickly found out, one pull on one of the chains and you will never get it back in the right place so try not to let little hands grab at them. The cuff with the button was just a quick single crochet stitch with a double crochet at the end to make the hole. This thing works great for hiding the seam where the ends are stitched together. These took about 15 to 20 minutes each and together they used about 2 and a half skeins of super bulky and bulky yarn. Make sure you get the fluffy stuff to fill in the holes a little.

Any of my projects you would like to know more about feel free to message me or leave a comment. I don't mind doing tutorials if you need one. I'll be back soon with some more projects as the Christmas gifts start coming together. Thanks guys!

Food For Tiny Fingers

It's official, my daughter is 1 year old! 

We celebrated her birthday over the weekend followed by my husbands party and it went very well. This morning my husband asks me, as he is making her bottle, "Aren't we supposed to be weaning her off of these soon?" Crap, he's right. That means more finger food, relatively scheduled meals, make ahead breakfasts. (I am out of the house by 6am and home with the other little one but 7am so breakfast is already a pain.) Then I start wondering where am I going to put all these meals and tiny tupper ware containers. Well, I think I've got it.

So There are several things I pick up for my lil munchkin to eat. 
Cut up green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli chunks, any frozen or canned veggies really. Throw some in a cup and microwave or grab a small pot and toss in your veggies. Storage is simply your pantry or canned goods cabinet and they take seconds to make. Pair them with some fruit or pretzels.

I will hard boil some extra eggs and throw them back in the fridge for a pre-made breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Cook an extra chicken breast or meatballs when you make dinner. Bonus: split it with the kids and make some quesadillas for lunch or a salad and you got your lunch too with little work.

I am a big fan of chunks of block cheese with some fruit and crackers or cheerios. All very easy things to put together.

With all these little finger foods filling up the fridge and pantry I decided to throw together some Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker and up-cycled some old formula containers to use as storage.

After you pull off the label you can spray paint it with plastic paint. Then I decorated it with some washi tape. The one on the left I use for storing crafts like beads, pom poms, washi tape rolls, etc.

Using small zipper bags and mini storage you can set these up for where ever you need them. For instance one will have small bags of cheerios, (instead of bulky boxes in the pantry.) pretzles, fruit snacks, snack pouches, really anything. 

For the refigerator snacks like fruits and veggies I have small storage boxes,

The white one you see here houses small tea boxes, instant coffee and all those rogue k-cups and kool-aid packets that make such clutter in your cabinets.

One of these little guys can slide out of one side of your fridge and all your toddler to-go bags remain contained in one place.

Last thing I am trying to do more of is making foods ahead, as I mentioned cooking a little extra the night before so you are all set for lunches and snacks the next day but I also like to load up the freezer. (Depending on space you can use those containers above to hold bags of freezer food.)

I like to make french toast sticks, mini pancakes, mini muffins etc. Its a good project for a lazy Sunday when I have an extra pair of hands for the baby. You can make up a ton of them in the time it would take to make a regular breakfast and on those busy mornings you toss 'em in the oven or microwave and the kids are happy. Not to mention all that breakfast stuff will make your house smell all yummy!

A new one I want to try is yogurt bites. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use an icing bag (or a ziplock with a hole cut in the corner.) and make dots on the paper. Freeze them and pop them into a bag for a cool summer snack.

Anyway, off I go to start cooking then off to work so my husband can clean the kitchen. ;) 

What time saving tricks do you guys have?

DIY's This Summer

One sick baby, two sick babies.... Thank the universe we did not decide to have a second sooner because I am already elbow deep in snot and poop.

We are enjoying our first year as a family and trying to get in all those story book times together such as apple picking, pumpkin picking and of course the local favorite, one of the many fairs that hit the area in the fall. This year we got an extra treat! The stomach flu... let me tell you how terrifying that is with kids all over the country getting sick and getting hospitalized. Fortunately, it hit us one at a time starting with my husband. He was down and out for two days, the poor guy, but once a year he always gets very sick then bounces right back. Then our daughter got it. No puking, (that's my girl) but definitely uncomfortable and lots of dirty diapers.

This was followed up by a seasonal cold and lord there are boogers... EVERYWHERE. Granted this is gross but it doesn't bother me so much. It bothers me more that my poor little one is feeling so crummy and anything I can do to help ie. aspirator and tissues just pisses her off more.

During the day I watch a little boy around my daughters age and they are the best of friends. In fact, they share binkies... This morning I started sneezing etc. I am so glad my husband is taking his vacation next week because one sick baby is enough for me, two, however, as well as being sick myself, is just far too much. So tonight it's a hot bath and fuzzy pj's, some Chicken noodle soup and an early bed time. I'm already exhausted.

This leads up to the fact that I have little time for projects left not to mention that I am currently looking for a house and we are slightly broke so it occupies a lot of my time. However, as promised, I have other little fun things I have done this summer. Such as,

Mission Impossible for Toddlers!

My niece and nephew are three and five years old and smart! Well, I like to have activities planned for them while they are here. A couple times in the summer my mom has Grandkids weekend. We go to grammy and papa's house and go camping.
 All this required was some bright red yarn. (I know it's a little difficult to see but it's there.) and you zig zag from tree to tree, high and low and cris-crossing every which way.

In this case I was not able to gather all the materials so I didn't use the bells but when tied to the yarn the bells will jingle when the "lazer" it touched letting them know they lost. On the other side of the obstacle is a small path leading them right back to the starting line. Not everyone has this kind of land especially when you live in the city so this can easily be done indoors. A long hallway can do the trick with some scotch tape (don't ruin your paint job.) and the yarn and bells if you want.

You can do this with older kids and toddlers alike. I am thinking we can do the spy theme when my daughter is a little older and set this up at her birthday party. The kids can win little prizes is they get through. (You can use the same toys as you have in the goody bags for the kids so that everyone gets a fun toy.

I did one other project for them with the help of my brother.
Sone day I'm driving down the road and I see the frame for a papasan chair on the side of the road. (I am a big fan of free or cheap.) So my husband picks it up for me and it is brought to my parents where the base was promptly shattered. Sad but hopeful I assure them I am going to make a swing out of it so please don't burn it. My mother rolled her eyes so hard she may have sprained one but the chair went unburned. Finally, the last big camping trip I have got to do something with it or it goes in the bon fire. Got some big fat rope, the kids and went hunting for a tree.

With the help of my monkey brother we got it hung and the kids loved it. It was like a carnival ride and strong enough to hold my brother and I.

Assuming the wood holds out through the winter I will be using a very large cushion I made to cover it but an old comforter will do just fine. I don't have a photo yet of the kids up high but that swing hums and the rungs of the chair serve as handles and foot wedges without the threat of tiny busted fingers. They had such a blast that they wanted to keep it up after the rain started. Until, of course, there was talk of s'mores and fire. 

Sadly, the camp is now closed but we certainly enjoyed it while it lasted.

Jewelry Box DIY

So last week I posted the beginning stages of the jewelry box refinish project I was working on. This was sort of a trial run to see how well I did with this to determine weather or not I should attempt refinishing some old furniture. Well, despite the few touch ups I will have to do when this rainy fall is all done, it turned out beautifully. Keep in mind I have not put the poly-urethane coat on yet so it still looks a bit dry but....

 Before:

   

 Ugh, just a bit too pink for me.

After:

I also relined the drawers,

So all in all it took about two days simply because I ran out of free time and cost me about 12 bucks. Less if you already have sandpaper and or stain.
The procedure: It was really as simple as it looks. I sanded off the varnish and as much of the previous stain as possible. Then I used about three coats of ebony wood stain, took fifteen minutes. I "carefully" ripped out the pink felt lining and simply wrapped it in some contact shelving paper. Same with the cabinet walls and the stained glass front. Super glue the pieces and put them back in place. Use a small screw driver to tuck the edges back in.
Used some plastic spray paint to change the color of the carousel in the top of the cabinet. 

Screw everything back together and tada!

I am in the process of house hunting for the next couple weeks so I'm not sure when I will have time for more projects at the moment but my daughter's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks so I guess it will have to be decorations and making goody bags. 

Mmmm, more coffee needed, off I go. Until next time.

Rainy Day Projects

I love rainy days and fall in New England certainly provides plenty of those. While they are the perfect time to catch up on a book or snuggle in some PJs. unfortunately, if your like me, I rarely sit still for long and I'm soon looking for something to keep my hands busy.

Today, for instance, I got some work done on my jewelry box. Years ago my step Father got me a jewelry box, as I had asked for one. This was something left behind in an apartment he was clearing out. It was a wooden stand up with drawers. The drawers and cabinet were lined with a rose pink felt and the cabinet door had a cheesy stained glass flower. While this is perfect for a little kid or little old ladies, it's not really my taste.

 


I saw a potential in this piece though. In a previous post I had mentioned I was starting work and a couple of other projects, an armoire and a china hutch. Well, since I haven't done any woodworking in a very long time I decided the jewelry box would be the perfect practice run since I didn't care about the box anyway.
(The other two pieces were handed down to me by my mother but they were so damaged from several generations of children she just gave me a good luck and let me know how that works out for ya.)

After two days of sanding and deconstruction I got all the finish and stain off, next I will use an ebony stain on it but as I said it's rainy so I will have to wait a couple days. Since stain was put on hold for a bit I decided to move forward with planning. (I'm a wing it kinda girl.) I didn't like the pink felt so I started prying it all out of the drawers and the cabinet. Each piece of felt was wrapped around a cardboard piece. Felt would have been the preferred material but I didn't have any. Instead I used some contact paper I had left over from redoing our gross back splash and wrapped each piece of liner. It started out a little wrinkly because it's paper wrapped around fabric but it accomplished what I needed it to.

Especially when I have refilled the drawers you will not see much more of the liners.

The cabinet had a mirror in the back that I considered removing but washed it and it cleaned up very nicely. Hopefully the rain will hold off a little tomorrow so I can get the first layer of stain on it.

In the cabinet there is a rotating hook that is a crappy plastic and painted metallic gold. That has already been removed and will be spray painted a matte black with Krylon plastic spray paint. That stuff is awesome, I used it to paint some old baby formula containers and turned them into craft storage containers.

So when the jewelry box is finished I will post photos of the finished product and how I did it.

Also, if you have any questions on any projects I do or would like to know how I did anything I post on here feel free to comment and I can write another post with photos on that particular project.

See you again soon.

Upcoming Projects

Ah Mondays, that oh so wonderful day that reminds us just how short the weekend is. Mondays are also my two job day and both of my morning kids are teething. Hooray! They also have discovered that they prefer solid food so I share every meal I make. All these things are manageable but my daughter has suddenly decided she doesn't like her crib anymore so when we try to put her to bed she screams bloody murder. I am hoping this is simply a phase but I will tell you, we are exhausted.

The joys of parenthood. This all being said we did have a very fun weekend at the Fair on Saturday. Daddy and the boys heard the call of the man and had to show off the tractor pull to his little girl. The sound of engines is the male mating call I think as every time you heard one in the distance the boys noses went up in the air trying to locate that particular truck like dogs trying to catch a scent. Quite comical actually.

 Me, personally, I am a bigger fan of the rides. I was a bit of a thrill seeker before  children so when my husband and best friend declined climbing into one of these rides by informing me, "These were built three days ago, I'm not climbing into that death trap." This made me think a second but decided.. Well that's part of the thrill right? All in all it was a lovely trip to the fair. Over priced food and all.

This week I have a few new projects to get working on. One of which is to look for a local Realtor. That's right! We were prequalified for a loan and we are ready to start house shopping! I am so excited I'm ready to start packing but I am aware of the home buying struggle so I am attempting to keep my radical impulses to a minimum. That I believe will be mostly e-mails and phone calls so I have room for a few more projects on my agenda. 

I found a perfect recipe for french toast sticks that are freezable so I'll be making some more of those for a quick breakfast. 

My landscaper friend gave me some tips on my little indoor garden and offered to help me build the greenhouse by the porch so looks like I'm going to have to be a little crafty. We have one of those screen tents and we never use it so I was thinking I can cut out the mesh and replace it with clear plastic sheeting. Maybe remove some squares in the roof and reinforce the plastic to prevent collapse in the event of heavy snow or rain. (Don't really need to shock the warmer plants by snow leaking in.

I have a bunch of pallets and boxes that are begging to have something built out of them. Sadly, I don't have any power tools at home so I have to wait for my husband to get home, at which point it's time for dinner and to give our daughter a bath and boom... It's our bed time. So who knows when I will get to that.

I also a few pieces of furniture that I will be sanding and re-staining, (super excited to turn an old hand me down armoir we have had for year into something modern and beautiful.) So I think this will be one of my first to begin. This project will be something I can do when the babies are sleeping. Photos and results to come.

I feel the more active I am, the more productive I am and the happier life feels.   

Enjoying A Little Tradition

Despite all the clouds and the chilly air today went wonderfully. My husband and I joined my parents on a trip to the orchard in Concord, NH for some apple picking with our daughter. It was chilly but it gave me an excuse to bust out the puffy vest and some boots. My daughter woke up a little on the unhappy side this morning. (All four top teeth are coming in at once, yay.) Still we had fun despite the grumpy photos.

Once we got home she had a very large bottle, a semi large poop and a nap and all was right with the world once again.





Once we returned home I realized my mother bought all of her apples for me and we had bought our own bag as well. Now, I was to make apple crisp for everyone and I had way.. WAY... too many. Yet, baking I did and turns out it has been a while but it was delicious anyway.





I made apple crisp to begin with, something I have made since I was a kid but unfortunately  my ancient Betty Crocker cookbook from the 50's still holds my mothers claim so thank goodness for the internet. I found it. After about half and hour of coring and peeling by hand I got to the mixing and sampling.

 It came out beautifully and once again my home smells like a grandmothers house.
I followed the apple crisp up with a lovely apple pie. What I am going to do with all this food now? I don't know but hopefully it will keep me away from the Halloween candy that has been calling my name since I brought it home.

Am I the only one that buys a bag that never makes it to actual Halloween night?
Anyway, my parents are shutting down the camp this weekend due to the early chill and the predicted nasty winter we are expected to get. So they never came to pick up the goods, time to find a spot in the fridge. Until, I get up that energy I guess I will just watch a movie and sip my martini with my husband.

Days like this make me feel lucky to be me and that wasn't always the case. Just had to look a little harder to see it.

Life Is Full Of Firsts

First kiss, first job, first apartment, first house.

Me, I'm in the middle of a bunch of firsts, My husband and I got married about a month ago, our daughter just took her first steps and we are all embarking on the nightmare that house buying can be when you have crappy credit. I am insanely grateful for the life my husband and I have together and our beautiful little girl Neviah Rae. Whom, I might add, has just started taking her first steps, terrifying and very exciting.

Forgive the bragging but I happen to be super excited my little rugrat is growing up. Being a stay at home mom is harder than it looks especially when there are a couple other children in the mix. Now, my husband and I are talking about having another next year. Not sure how I am going to manage that but I will figure it out, I always do.

Sometimes, I think we forget to simply look back into our own lives to see what truly makes us happy. Sorry to get mushy on you but I'm kind of on a cloud of happiness and caffeine.
I watch my husband play with our daughter and get her laughing and it melts my heart every time. When that happens our cell phone bill or data usage is not so pressing. Suddenly my credit score means nothing at the moment. Some times I use yoga or gardening to sort of center myself but nothing works better than genuinely appreciating what I have instead of wishing my way into the future.

And now that I have successfully talked my family up like crazy, my daughter is getting into everything and my husband is calling for the 5th time. Time to put on mommy hat today. Perhaps later we will put the chef's hat back on.

Cooking my day away.

Time for food and fall!

Cooking has always been one of my favorite activities. The dishes, however, not so much. Today my little one and I have the day off, just the two of us and what does that mean? I get to cook something so we are making some home made sauce from the tomatoes from my mothers garden.

My garden didn't do so well, I was very excited to see my green beans taking over the garden and thought, wow, I finally got something to do well out here. Come to find out morning glories had somehow found their way into the garden boxes and choked out everything but the cauliflower. After much cursing and a slight tantrum I ripped them all out and got the beds ready for next year.

As an act of sympathy my Mom shared her abundant garden supply and hooked me up with all kinds of fresh goodies. So off I went, tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic all in my favorite green pot, (we all have a favorite pot) and cooking away on the stove.

Next will be those wonderful fresh cucumbers. They look a little funky but taste just fine. Those will be jarred with some vinegar and brine to make some lovely garlic pickles. I'm not sure when the change happened in me. Perhaps it was just having my daughter and getting married made me a little more domestic but it is kind of nice.

Well I'm off to do some meal planning, it honestly saves hours of, 

"What do you want for dinner?" 

"I dunno, what do you want?"

"I dunno."

etc etc etc

Makes grocery shopping much easier when you already know what your going to be making. There are less of those mid week store runs or getting halfway through a recipe and realizing your missing something vital. I'm seriously digging this whole mommy thing. Anyhoo off I go. To spend a whole weekend with my loves!

Make your whole house smell like fall.

That time of year again. Once we get sick of humid summer here comes the crisp breeze of fall. Leaf peepers clogging up our highways, beautiful colors, pulling out the boots and jackets, lets not forget the oh so wonderful scarves. Still, when the windows are closed up tight at night against the cold you can lose that fresh smell of seasons changing. I personally am I huge fan of that apple smell of fall. It brings up memories of holidays, family, the familiar smells of cooking and the ever present smell of fall scented candles.

If your anything like me, I always like that smell in my house. So after a little Pintresting, (yes I'm addicted) I found some lovely ways of getting the whole house to have that aroma of food and family. Right now apples are cheap and in season and most people are picking them up anyway to whip up some apple crisp or a flaky pie. So when you find some with a bruise or worm holes, don't throw them away. Make a simmering potpourri.

Simply put, cook up the scent on your own.
You will need:
Water
A Small pot
An apple or two
An orange or two
Dash of vanilla extract
(opt.) pinch of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.. really anything that makes your house smell yummy when your baking. Your amounts don't need to be specific, it really all depends on how much you like certain spices.
For instance, I go a little heavier with cinnamon and vanilla and lighter on nutmeg and cloves.

 Really anything you like the smell of  can be made this way.
Place some water in the pot and drop in all the ingredients. Throw them on the stove and let simmer for a little while. You can turn it off when the scent reaches what your looking for and always turn it back on later.

It's the simplest of recipes and packs quite a punch.

Ah how I love fall. I'm sure there will be many more fall posts as the cool air rolls into the northeast.

Enjoy!

Where Do I Begin?

Where do I begin?

So I suppose this would be my introductory shot at blogging. I am a big fan of writing but never really got into the whole blog thing. It's sort of like I decided that blogs would be a short lived fad like online journals and tamagotchis. Alas, like the skinny jeans, I was wrong.
Anyhow, adventures as a mom and the many hats I wear in my life. I am an amateur photographer, a nanny, a mother, a wife, an outdoors woman, a prepper, a coupon clipper, a shopaholic and a variety of other hobbies I attempt everyday.
I have a beautiful daughter of my own that will be turning one in October so prepare to see lots of planning and decorating going on. I was recently married to her father, we have been together seven years now and we haven't killed each other yet and I think that is merely due to the fact that we are much too tired. I kid, we get along very well and I am super excited for the adventures we have to come. Alright enough about me, there will be lots to see later on.

Fall! It's what everyone is talking about right now. Me, I'm excited, one of the cool things about living in the northeast is that once you get sick of one season here comes another. He had had just about enough of the humidity and baking heat and boom. It's fifty degrees in the morning. So I couldn't wait to get the simmering potpouri on the stove. Find a fun burlap project with some leftover scraps I had laying around.

Maybe even make some of those cool luminaries I keep seeing on Pintrest.

I had lots of left over material from my recent wedding, such as tulle and mason jars. The wreath was my husbands idea and I just loved it, which is ironic because he is forever making fun of my Pintrest escapades. 

Anyhow, today my attentions have been turned to rearranging my house so I suppose I ought to get back to putting the living room back together and get the kids fed and off the their homes. As I encounter more adventures I will share them with you all as well as some experiences that I love to reminisce about. Until next time...