Big Boy!

Nolan has been wanting to do big boy things lately.  Like using the same fork mom does or helping mom do her chores (no complaints here I might add).  He also has been wanting to sit at the table while he eats.  I've been wondering whether or not I should buy him a booster seat, but today I think I can put off buying the seat for a little while longer.  I discovered that his highchair lowers!  I took the tray off and lowered the seat so that it would fit just right under the table. Voila! One happy toddler!

P.S. It will be awhile before gets to eat from another ceramic dish...that one met its demise soon after these pictures were taken.

Cloud 9 Pillows

Ted short for Teddy

If you know me in person you know that I am not a seamstress, if I do sew it is a square shape of some sort.  Plus, fabric is expensive; why spend more and get lower quality (yeah my quality...not so good) instead of just buying something in the clearance section?   But there is always that "What if?" in the back of my head when I pass the sewing section at the local craft store.  What if I could make exactly what I wanted, something I couldn't just buy off the shelf for cheaper then buying something like it?

Well, through a good friend I was inspired to look at a new source for fabric...a used source.  For N's birthday last November I made him a teddy bear using one of Steve's old t-shirts; it turned out super cute and I feel like Ted (short for Teddy) is a perfect combination of mommy and daddy to have as a friend. 


Suddenly, the seed was planted and I looked in other places for used fabric that could be transformed or "upcycled" into something my family and I would love. Then it happened! I found this cloud sheet at the local thrift store, it was perfect and I had to have it for N's room. Plus, the price was right, one dollar!

Sticking to my square sewing I thought a pillow case would be perfect and started by breaking out one of my own pillow cases as reference.  After cutting the fabric (it was a fitted sheet. So, all the elastic and seams had to be removed so that it would lay flat), marking where hems were to go it was time to sew.

If you want the step by step you can contact me but for blog sake I'm going to spare you.  Instead, look at the super cute pillow case N now has for his room! and I still have fabric left for other projects to come!   Have you "upcycled" anything lately? Let me know, I love a good inspiration!

Amond Butter

Most of the experiments that happen in my kitchen are due to a need and laziness.  Almond butter is no exception.  We use peanut butter for everything; apples, sandwiches, cookies etc and on Saturday night we ran out.  I really didn't want to drive to the store to refresh our inventory or spend additional money, instead I experimented! 

Last Christmas we got the Magic Bullet as a gift and for the most part I've just been using it to make smoothies and baby food and I figured that as soon as I got my beloved food processor I was going to get rid of both the Magic Bullet and the blender.  "What good are they for anything other than soups, smoothies, and baby food?" I thought, but I discovered another trick up the Bullet's sleeve.

I added a handful of dry roasted almonds to one of the Bullet's cups and then attached a blade.  After pulsing a few times, shaking the cup and then just letting it run for another 5 minutes I suddenly had almond butter!  Because Almond butter is a subtle butter (unlike peanut butter), you can add additional flavors to enhance it.  For me I LOVE cinnamon (which you will find out more later in the year when I start playing with ice cream flavors! YUM!) so to my butter I added a little sugar in the raw and a tablespoon of cinnamon, it is wonderful! The perfect compliment to toast or slices of apples.

Now I will say that after pricing the cost of my new found ingredient it is not cheaper than peanut butter but it is comparable, and is WAY CHEAPER than buying almond butter, and way better for you than a un-natural peanut butter which has a number of ingredients that you and your family don't need.  So, while I was at the store I grabbed another bag of almonds and skipped the peanut butter.  I love experimenting!
 

Crying/Praying for Japan

I woke up this morning to my husband telling me that an earthquake hit Japan, the #7 of biggest quakes in recorded history.  He also said that because of the quake tsunamis (I think that is how you spell it) are headed to Hawaii which is where my Boss, his wife, and new born son is. 

Every image the comes up on the screen I find my eyes start to water and my heart aching.  Please, pray for the people of Japan and those who will be facing tsunamis.

The Little Joys of Life

Design*Sponge

I was just standing by my sewing machine and thinking about how much I love building my pantry or sewing N's new soakers, and it wasn't long till I has a little list in my head of the little joys that I've come to look forward to.  So, as of March 10th these are my little joys...

Building my pantry:
Just now I really wanted chocolate chip ice cream but only had vanilla.  No worries I have a dark chocolate bar in the pantry; shaved some chocolate and mixed and voila! chocolate chip ice cream! 

This is just one example but lately this week I have have been cooking a lot and those little staples have come in handy over and over again.  My pantry is still not complete (still waiting for some shelving down in the basement for the complete pantry to reside), plus I have a learning curve (like preparing dried beans) but it has been so much fun and thrifty!

DigginFood

SPRING!: 
I love winter and have enjoyed our many snow falls and even our blizzard but it is time for a change.  I'm looking forward to riding around Raytown on my bike, planting another garden, and hanging clothes out to dry.  Today's weather was refreshing.  While N was sleeping I found myself shopping for seeds here, and then when he woke up we joined Steve, Jessy, and PJ at Loose Park for some good ol' romping in the grass and throwing of the ball.  Wonderful day! 

Babysitting:
I never thought that I would be the one refreshed by babysitting but it is true.  N and I get the pleasure of watching a good friends little boy for a few hours.  The boys get along like brothers; N being younger copies a good portion of whatever this little boy does, and both boys get big laughs from loud noises, throwing balls, forts, and Blues Clues.  I love watching their excitement over a simple fort made from chairs and a blanket.

Amazing Thrifty Cooking & Baking:
As of Monday of this week we ran out of bread and cereal thus depleting our options for breakfast and lunch in one fatal swoop.  But I was not undone; I was not going to go to the store, no I was going to make our staples and we would be better than if we did have bread and cereal! Here is a list of things I made:

• Breakfast: 
• Spicy Bacon & Egg Burritos (put together and then froze)
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins (individually wrapped)
• Whole Wheat Blue Berry Muffins (individually wrapped)
• Lunch:
• Pepper & Chicken Wraps (assembled and then froze)
• Homemade whole wheat bread bread for sandwiches

 These are just some of the little joys that I have gotten to enjoy this week.  I hope you have a Happy Friday!

Happy Ash Wednesday!!

I'm not catholic if that is what you are thinking but what I do like about catholicsm is how they make a big deal of Easter.  Ever since N was born I find myself wishing our culture made Easter a big deal, Christ died and then defeated death on that day.  THAT'S AMAZING!!!!  So, why not make a big deal?!

So, the catholics start Lent from now until Easter, and I'm thinking about joining in.  What are you doing for Lent?  

THERE HERE!!!!

The Green Line Diapers CAME yesterday! 

I already love them! Here is more info on them.

Home Sweet Home

Sorry I've been not posting, my job ramped up for a couple of weeks and took all my attention and time (at least that is how it felt...really I think I'm just a woos).  Well, anyways I was looking around my kingdom aka my house and was feeling very thankful and happy with the way it was looking and thought that I would share it with you.  Enjoy.

Mommy Time

N is now 15 months old, so that means I've been a stay at home Mom for a little over a year now and I have to remind myself that I need to purposefully hang out with other moms. It is soooo easy to stay home and play with the baby (or toddler) and get stuff done around the house.  But there is always something that is missing...an outlet for the fun ideas and research, and anything else that is mommy related. 

I personally have been a little obsessed with cloth diapers, gardening, saving money on food, and just food in general.  Though Steve is a great listener even he can get bored about hearing the difference between hemp diaper soakers verses bamboo or how buying whole chickens is so much cheaper than just parts of the chicken (Aldis sells whole chickens for 83cents a pound!!!).  It wasn't until last Sunday that I realized that I needed to talk to other moms in my area.

A good friend of mine and fellow blogger Diana Pardue (This is her blog) stopped by my cafe Sunday to talk about community garden stuff, and I found myself suddenly in a two way conversation about all the things that I had been obsessing about!  The burden of just thinking about such things was suddenly lifted! 

I always knew that I get a recharged from talking to like minded friends, but never before felt the release of tension of thought until recently. So, now I'm going to be making it a priority to get with like minded moms...mine and my husband's sanity depends on it. :)

Picture via Etsy via Kathannah