Hair Bow Holder

I LOVE having a little girl!  Don't get me wrong, I love my little boy too.  But girls are so much fun to dress up!  When I found out that I was having a girl with my last pregnancy I was beyond excited.  I couldn't wait to buy all the girly things. One of those girly things are hair accessories of course.  Before Molly was born I was busy making headbands and bows and I soon realized that I needed something to hold all of these things.

I soon discovered a tutorial on Pinterest and got to work.  First, I found a cheap frame (plastic) from Goodwill that matched the decor of her room.  I then took it apart and had my husband add the hooks to the bottom.  It then got 2 coats of spray paint. I also found some cute ribbon with little birds on it.  I cut and hot glued the ribbon to the back of the frame evenly spaced.  I also created a little bow and glued it to the top of the frame for decoration. 

Here is my little model showing off the GIRLY things!

Newborn

10 months

Sunday Dinner

On Sunday's I like to make a good home cooked meal.  Well this past Sunday I made a tasty meal that was easy and oh so good.  The chicken is super tender and has a great bacon flavor.  YUM!

I did find the recipe on Pinterest however, the link was just a picture with instructions.

In a 9x13 pan wrap strips of bacon around boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins.  Top with a mixture of cream of chicken soup and a cup of sour cream.  Cover with foil and bake at 225 degrees for 4 hours.  Then remove the foil and bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 

I know 4 hours seems like a long time, but it's a great Sunday meal that tempts you all day with the smells as it cooks. 

No Fail Gnocchi Recipe

Almost every holiday in recent years I've been requested in to make my Gnocchi recipe
and I thought I'd share that recipe with you today!  This recipe requires NO special tools.

1 cup dry instant potato flakes
1 cup boiling water
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
salt

Add potato flakes into a medium sized bowl and add water.  Mix and cool.  Stir in egg, dash of salt (if wanted) and add flour.  Roll dough onto a floured surface and cut into shapes (I use scissors).  Freeze or cook in boiling water.

Dough rolled out and ready to cut into shape

Everything mixed together and ready to shape

Cut into shape using regular scissors

Bathroom Window Redo

For a long time, I've wanted to try and make roman shades.  Well, today I finally got up the courage to take on this project.  I found some great directions thanks to 365 Days to Simplicity!  I followed the directions in her blog almost exactly. 

Here are the small changes I did make:

• I did change the size to fit my window.  
• She suggests in her directions to use fabric glue and I didn't have any so I choose to use mod podge.  I ended up going back through some of the slats and using hot glue.  (If I were to do this project again I will probably just use the hot glue.) 

Overall Cost: $9

• Mini-Blind (owned already)
• Fabric, $7.00 (with some left over for other projects)
• Hot Glue (owned already)
•  Heat n'Bond, about $3.00

DIY EASY Table Runner

Do you remember my DIY Envelope Pillow Cases?  Well during that same shopping trip I found a pattern I liked in the clearance section.  I'm always looking for a good deal!  The fabric was an outdoor fabric: thick and easy to wipe off.  I thought this could make a great table runner.  So I bought 3/4 of a yard to give it a try.

I took the fabric home and measured my table so I could have the length and width I wanted.  17 x 55 inches.  I then folded the long sides 1/2 inch and then folded again and sewed a straight line on each side.  I then repeated those steps for the short sides.  It was done in about 30 minutes...not too bad.  The project cost me $5 and I have a super cute table runner.

The great thing about the outdoor fabric is it was thick enough that it didn't need a fabric for lining AND it's durable enough for two crazy kids!

My family liked it so much I decided to make some for Easter gifts!

The Lamp Project

In November I bought two lamps from a garage sale site on Facebook.  I have had these lamps sitting in my sun room waiting for the day to be made over.   Well inspiration hit when I made those pillow cases a few weeks ago! I decided I was going to paint those lamp bases yellow.    YES....YELLOW!

I started by taping up all the hardware that I didn't want to get painted.

One coat of Kilz white primer (spray paint)

Three coats of Krylon Colormaster spray paint

Then debated: do I buy new shades or try and fix the ones that came with the lamp?  Well I was having so much fun with the spray paint I decided, let's try to paint them.

White spray paint I had left over from another project

I then sanded the lamp bases a little to give them a rustic look that I like and wiped them off.  I then also decided to add some gray ribbon to the top and bottom of the shades with some hot glue.

Final product, what do you think??

Ritz and Chicken Casserole

 If you are a busy mom that is balancing kids and work, easy dinners are a must!  I found one that is SUPER easy and a comfort food.

Ritz and Chicken Casserole
Adapted from Food.com
Servings: 4

7 uncooked skinless/boneless chicken tenders (cubed) or 1 -1 1/2 cooked and cubed chicken breasts
4 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
Shredded Cheddar Cheese for topping

Directions:

1. Spray 9x9 square pan with cooking spray
2. Lay chicken in pan
3. Mix sour cream and soup
4. Top chicken with mixture
5. Mix crackers and butter
6. Add to top
7. Cook at 350 degrees for 50 min or until chicken is cooked
8. Sprinkle cheddar cheese to top
9. Serve and Enjoy!

Cubed Chicken

Mixture over chicken

Half eaten before I could get a picture

Vanilla Ice Cream (Better than Dairy Queen? You be the judge!)

I LOVE ice cream and probably always will.  For 7 years while in high school, college and beyond I worked at Dairy Queen.  When I first started I was told after awhile you will hate ice cream.  Well guess what...they were wrong!

Recently, my wonderful sister and brother in-law bought me the KitchenAid ice cream attachment.  I have to say I don't know why I never got one sooner.  We have made ice cream in it almost ever week since Christmas.

While on a recipe hunt for good ice cream, my co-worker mentioned he had an awesome vanilla ice cream recipe and he generously shared it with me.

Simple Vanilla
Radcliffe's Recipe

2 Large Eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

Seeds of 2 vanilla beans or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

I chill everything including the mixing bowl before I start:

1. Start up the mixer add the eggs and mix till fluffy

2. Add sugar a bit at time mix until blended.  I add 1/4 of a cup at a time.

3. Pour in cream, milk and vanilla mix until blended

4. Transfer to icecream maker, mix for 25 mins or until it looks like soft serve.

5. Transfer to airtight container lay wax paper on top of ice cream (this will help the top not to form ice crystals)

6. Freeze until solid

 

(Left): After the eggs and sugar were mixed


(Right) In the ice cream maker starting to mix up

 

This ice cream is AWESOME!!  My whole family loves it.  I recently did have some Dairy Queen and I would rather have this any day compared to Dairy Queen.  YUM!  

Oh, the Places You'll Go

Something a little different for a Monday!  I had to share a story about my son, Brady.  Brady is a sweet, loving, full of energy crazy 4 year old.  He is ALL boy.  There are days when he completely drains the life from me and other days he just surprises me.  He is just like me, as much as I hate to admit it.  

Well I went to go pick him up from preschool and directly in front of me is a bulletin board titled, "Oh, the Places You'll Go".  It doesn't take me long to find Brady's paper (right at the top).   The question on the paper is, "What do you want to be when you grow up?".  As I scanned the papers I saw a lot of: fireman, policeman, doctor (the typical response from a 4 yr old).  When I took a closer look at my son's response, I had to laugh. 

"Brady wants to be Sonic", Sonic the Hedgehog.  It didn't surprise me at all.  On the way home in the car I asked Brady, why do you want to be Sonic?  His response was simple, "Because he goes fast". This really got me thinking, I wish some decisions were just that easy.  For years I have gone back and forth about what to get a masters in.  The main reason I haven't decided is because, I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.   Yet my 4 yr old has it all figured out!  I wish everything were that easy!  Oh to be 4 again!

IHOP Pancakes (my version)

My son LOVES pancakes, he would eat them everyday for breakfast if he could.  So when I found this recipe I knew I had to give it a try.

Cookin' Up North's IHOP Pancakes

1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (I do 1 1/4 cup milk with 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar mixed in)
2 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt.  Mix the egg with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the melted butter, vanilla and sugar. Fry on a greased griddle. Serves 4.

 Here is Miss. M enjoying her first pancake!  I think she likes it!

 This recipe is a weekend staple at our house.  My son says, "thumbs up mom".  And what's even better is they freeze great and are very easy to heat up in the microwave during the week.

DIY Envelope Pillow Case

The grass is finally showing here in Pennsylvania and the spring like temperatures are starting to roll in.  Or at least I hope.   I have been feeling the need to add some color to my living room to make it feel springy  (is that a word?).

So I made a quick trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics and found some great home decor fabric at 50% off!  I decided I would make some envelope pillow cases to change the pillows.  I purchased 1 and 1/4 yards (total guess) and hoped it would be enough.

Once home I found a great tutorial at Texas Cottage for easy envelope pillow cases and I followed that to make mine.

First I measured my pillow, 18.5" by 19" on the long side.  I then determined what I need to cut.  18.5" x 42": 19 x 2 (for the front and back) and then add 4" for the seams.

Then hem your two short sides:  Lay the fabric right side down.  Measure and pin a 1/4 " hem on each short side. Iron them flat. On one short side hem another 1/2", pin, and iron. (This is the side that will show on the back of the pillow.) Sew both hems.

Now with the long side towards you fold the side with the 1/2" hem over a little more than half-way. Fold the other side over so it overlaps the first side. Make sure your fabric measures from fold to fold the same as your pillow.  Pin each side seam, and sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Turn each side right side out, and push the corners out.  Stuff your pillow in.

The great thing about these pillow cases is they are easily washable (huge benefit with little kids) and they can be changed easily.