Brother, Oh Brother!

I've got a new toy! The new Brother sewing & embroidery machine!

I am so excited!

I have needed a new sewing machine for a while since mine is from when I was 7!  Granted, it was a very nice machine for a seven year old, but still a very old, out-dated Singer that I have almost no pieces to anymore.

So now I need to make a run (or several) to the fabric store to stock up on supplies and get started!  I have never embroidered before but by the looks of it, the machine does almost everything.  

Did you know you don't even need to use a foot pedal anymore!?! SO much to learn! 

Music at Home

What do you do on a rainy spring day with a one year old that is bored of everything?

Make something new.

Then make it messy.

We have a bunch of leftover ladybug plates from her birthday party so I thought I would put them to good use. 

Elise and I made tambourines.

Simple. 

It takes 2 minutes to throw some uncooked pasta between two plates and staple it shut.

She loved it.  She quickly started banging it against the side of her highchair and tapping it with her fingers.  She loves anything that makes noise (of course).

Then we added in paint.

Just to make it messy!

I love how my polite little girl signs please (asking for her sippy cup) with a hand full of paint...  Thank goodness for washable paints.

And non-toxic!

Look at that face!

Yummy New Recipes

I have been meal planning for a little while now and I think I finally have a great routine and I am already seeing a difference in my spending.  Which is a huge boost!  I am no longer running to the grocery store 4 or 5 times a week to grab a little thing here and there.  Because be honest, even when you only run in for one item you come out with 5.

Now Brian and I go to Costco on Saturday (maybe every other Saturday) where we buy the bulk items like meat, chicken, pasta, etc.  Then as soon as we get home I portion everything out into freezer bags and freeze everything.  We even started buying the bread in bulk because we put one loaf in the pantry and the other 2 in the freezer so we always have bread.  We do the same with tortillas.  I get this odd thrill of counting out how many "meals" we get from one shopping trip.... chicken comes 2 breasts per pouch and there are 8 pouches (8 meals).  Ground beef or turkey (5lbs-5 meals) Italian sausage & brat worst (4 meals) Pork tenderloin (we cut in quarters so we end up with 2 smaller tenderloins and 2 meals of pork chops).  There is so much more food than we need so why not portion it right away and get so much more out of it.

Then on Monday morning I plan our week's menu.  I have found this GREAT new website that I am using saymmm and it helps me plan our dinners (you can do breakfast, lunch and snacks as well but I am not there yet).  You can list your favorite recipes, search for new ones and put together your shopping list all in one place.  They also show you where coupons are that will help with the items that you will be buying that week.

So then Monday Elise and I go to the market to buy the fruits, vegetables and any extra items we need for the recipes that week.  It saves SO much time! And I do NOT miss the daily "what in the world am I going to make for dinner tonight" stress.

So this week our menu was:

Monday: Beer Can Chicken with Corn on the cob and rice
Tuesday: Albondigas soup with warm tortillas
Wednesday: Pasta Primavera
Thursday: Sun dried Tomato and Basil Talapia with Cous Cous and Broccoli
Friday: Healthier Chicken Parm

I do not plan Saturday or Sunday because with it getting warmer out we are normally BBQing with friends or are out and about getting Mama a much deserved cook-free, clean-free, glass or 3 of wine night out!!!

So far this week's recipes were a hit... although I made a few changes.
To the Albondigas, I added 3/4 cup rice instead of the 1/4 cup because it just didn't seem like it would be enough... follow the real recipe because 3/4 cup actually just makes rice soup and the rice continues to GROW!  Although it was delicious and SPICY!
And to the Pasta Primavera I added in a little crumbled bacon to Brian's dish.  I figured I had to do something special to get him to eat all of those vegetables.  And he can never turn down anything with bacon!

Here are some pictures of last night's delicious dish

All of our fresh yummy produce

My little helper (see her Basil that she was "chopping")

She even had her own version

With penne, zucchini, snap peas and asparagus with cheese-- 

we skipped the red pepper, garlic and broccoli.

And here is ours

Not the prettiest picture... but I was hungry and ready to eat!

Working Hard

Finally making some "pretty" changes around here.... more to come!

Mother's Day

This weekend was Mother's Day, a very special and meaningful day.  It has been my greatest pleasure being a mom.  And even though this was my second mother's day, it felt like I really "deserved" it this year.  Last year Elise was only a month and a half old.  Yes, I had carried her for 9 months and gave birth to her, and I was still VERY sleep deprived, but I didn't really "feel" like a mom yet... this year I do.

I feel like I am a proud Mommy that has spent (almost) every moment with my beautiful child and she is (partially) who she is because of me.  That makes me so proud.

I decided to host Mother's Day lunch here at my house.  We had a very small gathering but it was perfect.  My parents and grandparents were here for a lovely lunch and a quiet afternoon of entertainment provided by our silly girl.

Of course, being me, I wanted to go all out and decorate the house with all things Mommy... but regretfully, since it was only a small gathering I put (almost) all of my creations away for another year and toned it down.  I decorated the table with just a few simple flowers and mini bud vases, I picked 4 of my favorite "Mom quotes" and decorated them and put into frames.  I placed those on the bar with the champagne and Bellini station-- It was Mommy's Day after all... I think we deserved a few fancy cocktails.

The quotes were:

"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers" -Jewish Proverb

"Mother- that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries." - T DeWitt Talmage

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother." -Abraham Lincoln

"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." -Lin Yutang

I made my Mom and Grandma each a necklace that I saw on another great blog http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2010/08/interchangeable-ribbon-necklace.html

I thought it would be perfect for them because they both LOVE fun jewelry and even more- love jewelry that has a fun twist.  I made them the necklace with clear glass beads and two sets of ribbon: peach and wine.  They were easy and so much fun to make.

I then used my Silhouette to make them each a little gift bag to wrap it all up.

I decorated them by adding a cute Silhouette flower to each.  Simple, elegant and perfect.

Swim Lessons

Elise had her first official swim lesson this weekend and did really well.  She has always been a fan of the water and was in our pool for the first time when she was only 5 weeks old.

She also LOVED seeing all of her little buddies in the class as well!  She couldn't take her eyes off of her little boyfriend G!

It was a very gentle class.  There were no screaming, upset babies.  They didn't toss the babes in and "say, watch this!"  The instructor was a nice young man that seemed to be really comfortable with the kids.  We didn't necessarily "learn" much but if we can pick up a few tips and tricks to use at home to help Elise in the water and develop some swimming ability over time, then we will be happy.

Daddy, look at me!!!

She had so much fun that we decided to kick off pool season at home and we had friends over to BBQ and swim... but I think all of the kids had more fun in the new "sun shade" than actually in the water.... but we will have many more days together in the pool this summer!

Look at those great Daddies with the kids while the Mommies soaked up the sun!

Potlucks...

Yesterday Brian called me from work and asked if I could make him something to take to the potluck tomorrow.  Sure no problem!

But, I didn't have a car because it is at the shop for maintenance... so I decided to put the little lady in the stroller and we would walk.  It isn't far, maybe a mile away, and it would be nice to get out.

Off we went, having a great conversation all the way to Trader Joe's.  We picked out great shrimp and veggies to make some citrus grilled kebabs... got to the register and realized that my wallet was in my car, which is not with me!  Awesome!

How embarrassing is it to say "oh, never mind... I don't have money to pay for these after all"

It's not like it was 50 years ago where you can just take them and pay the store owner tomorrow.

So, we walked back home and tried to figure out what I could make from what I already had.... 

Deviled eggs and strawberry cheesecake.

Not what I was hoping for but at least I didn't have to send Brian empty handed.

Finally

I finally got Brian to hang the pictures and found a couple fun decorations for the table... I know it needs more but for now I am done

On the table I have a white outdoor lantern that I filled with silk hydrangeas and mums.  I found the "family" sign at Ross for $5 along with the candlestick that was $6.  

Under the candlestick I have a stack of Brian's Grandfathers old encyclopedias that are probably close to 100 years old.  

The table is not perfect, but I promise it is 1000000 times better than it was before!

Peanut Butter FAIL

I swear since the day Elise was born Brian has been counting down until her first birthday-- so she could finally have peanut butter with him.  He couldn't wait to be the first person that she sat down and had a good 'ole fashion PB&J sandwich with, after all it is the "Most American Thing in The World" as Brian puts it. 

See, Brian loves ALMOST everything about me... but he just cannot understand how a person, an American, can utterly hate the stuff.

I cannot even stand the smell of it... but Brian adores it with a large glass of milk (which I also hate!)

Most fathers cannot wait for first words, steps and father-daughter dances.... but Brian couldn't wait for THIS face!

But not so much this face....

  And he definitely was not hoping for this!

Sorry Brian, it looks like you (and peanut butter) lose

Girls: 2       PB&J: 1

Good news is she loves milk!

Easter Sunday

The Easter Bunny has made his rounds and Elise got her first Easter basket!  As much as I LOVE Easter I (I mean the Easter Bunny) didn't really go that all out for her basket this year.  

It's not like she needs candy or cookies so we skipped all of the sugary goodness and filled it with books and a play cell phone.  She desperately NEEDED a cell phone so she can play with that instead of Mommy and Daddy's real phones that are not capable of standing up the the toddler beatings. 

She loved the phone! She found it right away and "called" Daddy.

The best part is that it is a 2 pack and they are actually walkie-talkies.  Brian can't wait to put batteries in them and scare her  talk to her!

 Brian, Elise and I then headed out to my grandmother's house to share the special day with the family.  There were so many kids, chocolate bunnies and brightly colored eggs and we had an amazing day. 

Did you notice the Warn Egg Wreath that I made for Grandma! She loved it and I would be surprised if my Aunt and Mom haven't started their own yet.

Elise's Great-Grandma and Papa got her a cute little hat filled with an adorable plush chick and a few toys.  She is not a great hat-wearer but she did humor us for a moment with this one.  It was adorable!

Here is Elise doing her best Queen Elizabeth impression... 

just in time for all the buzz around the upcoming Royal wedding

It is always so much fun getting the whole family together and sharing these special holidays together.

We had so much amazing food and wine.

This is one of the appetizers that I made to share.  It is Pea Pesto Crostinis from the Food Network.

There are not a lot of pea lovers in my family (except for Elise that cannot get enough of them) but this is such a great recipe and everyone loved it!  Spring is the best time for this because the peas are so fresh and sweet! Yum!

 Here is the recipe: give it a try

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pea-pesto-crostini-recipe/index.html

I also made Prosciutto Melon Balls

Another delicious snack and and so great for spring/summer!

Happy Easter!

Belated Project

Another fun project I did was a gift for Valentines Day for Brian.  I saw a cute idea on This blog that I thought would be such a sweet "homemade" gift.  Not that I was trying to be cheap but Brian and I don't ever really go crazy for Valentine's Day and I thought this was just a little something cute to add to a lonely wall.

He knew I was up to something because I asked if I could trace his hand... but he quickly forgot and was pleasantly surprised when he opened the package.

Elise's hand really isn't crooked or oddly shaped... YOU try tracing a squirmy 11 month old to trace a hand all by yourself!

I was so proud of my sweet little Valentine's Day gift.... then I opened my present-

A new MacBook!  Woo hoo!

So much for "something little" huh!

NOT that I am complaining of course!

Family Silhouettes

Because of our vacation and getting ready for Easter I had put off working on the silhouettes that I was wanting to do in the living room.  Well I finally got some great frames at TJ Max (how have I never been there before now! There are a million great finds!) 

Here is the blog where I found the original idea http://papernstitchblog.com/2010/08/10/tutorial-framed-fabric-silhouettes/

I got three 8x10" frames.  I was wanting fun "chunky" frames that also looked a little old fashioned.

I spray painted them all white which was not the original plan either.  I thought I wanted to paint them this great merlot color that matches the adjoining wall but after I saw the white I kind of fell in love.

 This is after just the first coat.

Notice Elise's finger-painting blanket has become multi-functional.

Then I took profile pictures, traced and cut 

Doesn't it look just like her!

This was the beautiful background paper I had picked out but then realized that it is almost exactly the same color as the wall so I needed to try again.  I found this gorgeous merlot colored damask paper that looks wonderful.

So far the girls are done... I just have to wait until Brian gets home from work to take his mug shot and then hang them above this table.  Next will be something to decorate that table with....

 Time to go shopping!