DIY: Painted Pumpkins

 

Can I make a confession?

 

I am not a seasonal decorator.

 

I know...decorating and crafting for the seasons is like blogger content gold, right? But, it's just not me. It has something to do with living in smaller quarters and not wanting to store it and not wanting to clean it and not wanting to clutter the home.

 

I know, sometimes it's difficult to live in my head.

 

But I am trying my best this year to add a few more seasonal items to our home without feeling like I live in Hobby Lobby. Plus, I already have an obsessive amount a few owl decor pieces in my house...so that passes for fall decorations, right?

 

I picked up three pumpkins from the dollar store and repainted them so they fit into our vintage/modern decor.

 

STEP 1: I painted all the pumpkins with ivory paint.

 

STEP 2: (for the chevron pumpkin) I drew a chevron design on the painted pumpkin with a pencil and then painted in the lines with a deep orange acrylic paint.

 

STEP 3: (for the polka dot pumpkin) I dipped the end of a pencil eraser in black acrylic paint and stamped it on the pumpkin creating a polka dot pattern.

 

STEP 4: (the yellow pumpkin) I painted the whole pumpkin with two coats of mustard yellow acrylic paint.

 

STEP 5: I painted all the "stems" brown and then sealed each pumpkin with two coats of clear glossy spray paint.

 

This was a a fun project and it helped ease me into seasonal decorating...which I hope to get better at, and enjoy too!

I'm linked to:
Tatertots and Jello

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Rice Crispy Treats

 

I was walking through the grocery store and spotted some pumpkin spice marshmallows...and before my brain could process it, my hand was reaching for them and placing them in the cart.

 

Don't you hate it when that happens?

 

I knew I had to try out some pumpkin flavored rice crispy treats. Wanna make them too?

 

PUMPKIN SPICE RICE CRISPY TREATS

(adapted from the Original Rice Crispy Treats recipe)

 

3 tbsp BUTTER

 

8oz package of PUMPKIN SPICE MARSHMALLOWS

 

6 cups RICE CEREAL

 

cooking spray

 

 

STEP 1: Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Once melted, stir in marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat.

 

STEP 2: Mix in rice cereal and stir until combined. Pour into 9x13 pan (sprayed with cooking oil) and use a buttered spatula to press into pan. Let cool and serve.

 

These are a fun spin on a traditional treat and makes me ever more ready for pumpkin patches and hay rides!

 

Happy Tuesday:)

I'm linked to:
Tatertots and Jello

Happy Sunday

It was a slow week and that was nice:)

 

Eating more cinnamon roll pancakes:

 

 

This one learned to pull himself up on basically everything:

 

This one discovered Peter Pan and can't get enough:

 

She also cracked herself up with her happy meal toy (there is a chicken nugget in there):

 

Those little toes are workin' overtime these days:

 

Happy Sunday!

DIY: Potholder Hook

 

This craft was actually a failure as far as what I intended it to be (a mug rack), but it ended up serving a better purpose (a potholder rack).

 

You see, I kind of have an obsession with vintage mugs. I wanted to make a mug rack, but after I assembled this, I realized that most of the handles on my mugs wouldn't fit over the hooks.

 

Bummer.

 

But, then I spotted my potholders and realized it would be perfect for those. Plus, the rack can hold one of my smaller mugs (and my favorite!) so I have a quick cup to grab for cooking on the stove.

 

STEP 1: I took an old piece of wood from the garage and sanded down the edges.

 

STEP 2: I nailed in some picture hooks onto the back of the board and then used some silver hooks onto the front that I had leftover from my necklace holder.

I love the simplicity of it and that it was made with stuff I already had.

 



Have a lovely weekend!

Recipe: Baked Eggs

 

We are a lazy family in the morning. My kids like to sleep in until about 8 or 9...and I am totally fine with that;)

 

I'm always looking for quick and easy breakfast ideas that are better than just pouring a bowl of cereal (don't get me wrong...I love me some cheerios). I've been seeing baked eggs around Pinterest and decided to experiment a bit with some eggs that were about to go bad...whoops.

 

I made three varieties and they were even kid approved.

 

Start by spraying  a muffin pan with a little non stick spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

PLAIN EGG

Crack egg into cup. Top with a little pepper.

 

TURKEY and CHEESE EGG

Lay a piece of deli turkey into cup. Whisk egg and pour into cup (about 1/4 c of egg). Top with 1 tbsp cheddar cheese. Top with a little pepper.

.

TURKEY BACON, ONION, and CHEESE EGG

Wrap piece of turkey bacon around the rim of the cup. Whisk egg and pour in. Top with some chopped white onions and mozzarella cheese. Top off with some dried parsley flakes.



 

 Bake all eggs at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Now I have eggs that can be their own meal or added to some whole grain bread for breakfast sandwiches.



Recipe: Cheesy Chicken and Tots

I'm a little obsessed with the crock pot lately. It's a life saver when my husband works 12 hour shifts and the house smelling yummy all day isn't too bad either;)

 

My friend pinned this recipe and I had to try it!

 

CHEESY CHICKEN and TATER TOTS

(by The Country Cook)

 

1 (32oz) bag of frozen TATER TOTS

2 cups shredded CHEDDAR CHEESE

3/4 cup MILK

1/2 cup cooked chopped TURKEY BACON

1 pound cubed CHICKEN

 

STEP 1: Spray the inside of the crock pot with non-stick spray. Layer half the tater tots on the bottom. Top with 1/3 of the bacon and 1/3 of the cheese.

 

STEP 2: Layer chicken on top then 1/3 more of cheese. Then, finish with 1/3 bacon, rest of the tater tots, the rest of the bacon, and the rest of the cheese. Pour milk over the top and cover.

 

STEP 3: Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

 

(NOTE: When I made this, I already had some cooked chicken, so I layered it all and put it on warm for the afternoon and it cooked together just fine).

 

Oh, and I got a new pretty crock pot:

 

 

I loved my vintage one, but it was starting to not work so well, and I needed something I felt safe leaving on when we were out doing errands. Plus...this new one is adorable!

 

(I got it at Target...if you're wondering)

 

Happy Wednesday!

DIY: Beads and Bow Onesie

Along with the ruffle onesie, I made this painted beads and bow onesie for my friend's baby girl.

 

Materials:

 

black fabric paint

black fabric marker

black ribbon

matching thread

pencil with eraser on the end

 

STEP 1: I made all the dots with the fabric paint by dipping the eraser end of a pencil into the paint and stamping it on the shirt. I made a few rows of "pearls" and let them dry overnight.

 

STEP 2: I took a fabric pen to draw in "strings" between the pearls.

 

STEP 3: I tied a bow with some ribbon and then held the raw edges over a burning candle to seal them from fraying. I sewed the ribbon onto the onesie.

 

I think you could do this with any size shirt! It does look especially cute on a onesie though:)



DIY: Ruffle Onesie

 

This summer was baby shower season! One of my friends had a beautiful baby girl and it was so fun making girly onesies for her.

 

I don't have a step by step for this, but it is pretty self explanatory. I had some lightweight lace so I cut three strips. I ruffled one on the sewing machine around the neck and then the other one under the first. If you want a picture tutorial for how to ruffle with the machine, go HERE.

 

Last, I tied a bow with the third strip I cut and sewed it down in the center.

 

Done! Super simple and so adorable;) Makes me almost want another baby girl....almost.

Happy Sunday

Another week gone by and another about to begin. Shayne started gymnastics last week with her adorable little friend (and future husband...in her words!). 

 

Here's a few recent photos of our life:)

 

Finding the cutest barrettes:

 

 

Making royal icing for the first time:

 

My 4yr old's self portrait:)

 

A quiet little boy who found library book gold:

 

New shoe love:

 

Mini cupcakes are always adorably delicious:

 

 

The most perfect wrapping paper ever:

 

Making Mickey Mouse donuts:

 

I created a pumpkin pie truffle...oh yeah. Recipe to come soon!

 

And lastly, how we spend most of our afternoons: looking through our Disneyland photos:

 

Happy Sunday!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

 

We ate a lot of pancakes on vacation...and I mean a LOT. We created a new family tradition of going to IHOP after Disneyland. There is nothing like feasting on breakfast foods after a long day of having fun!

 

With that said, we kind of went through a pancake withdrawal when we got home. I had a crazy craving for a cinnamon pancake today so I decided to invent one!

 

CINNAMON ROLL PANCAKES

(makes 8-10 pancakes)

 

PANCAKE MIX (or your favorite pancake recipe)

 

3 Tbsp BUTTER or margarine

 

1/4 c CINNAMON

 

1/4 c GRANULATED SUGAR

 

STEP 1: Mix up your pancake batter per package instructions. Make enough for 8-10 pancakes. Set aside.

 

STEP 2: Melt butter and then stir in cinnamon and sugar until dissolved.

 

STEP 3: Pour cinnamon mixture into ziplock bag and cut off the corner just enough so the mixture can flow out.

 

STEP 4: Pour pancake mixture onto griddle. Swirl cinnamon mixture over pancake batter. Flip pancakes once they have bubbled up. Cook through on other side and serve!

 

OPTIONAL: I served these with a cinnamon roll "icing" by mixing together 1 c of powdered sugar and stirring in 2-3 Tbsp of water.

 

Do you love pancakes? What's your favorite variety?

I'm linked to:
Tatertots and Jello

The Disneyland Half Marathon

I can now add a half marathon to my list of life achievements. I have to be honest, once I crossed the finish line (and a few days afterwards)...I couldn't for the life of me remember why I ever cared about completing one!

 

Then I started feeling better and call me crazy...but I kinda want to do another race! The hubs and I have decided to do the Family Fun Run 5K in Disneyland so that we can do it together and take the kids with us;)

 

Here was the start line on our way to the expo to pick up my final race instructions and race bib:

 

Picking up my bib and starting to get a little nervous... 

 

I left the hotel around 4:10am. As soon as I got downstairs, there were hundreds of other people headed for the park. I found my corral (second to last one) around 4:45am and waited for the race to start. I had read that it's best to be at the front of your corral (especially since I was walk/running the race), so I was happy to find myself only about 10 people back...considering there was another 1000+ in my corral alone.

 

Finally, it was our turn to head up to the start line (around 6:30am by now). Then it was time to GO! 

 

Mile 1 went by, no problem: 

 

Mile 2...nice to see ya: 

 

Once we passed Mile 2...then we entered the park. It was so fun running through California Disney (since I haven't been there before): 

 

Now into Disneyland Park: 

 

Mile 3....and I started feeling some pain on the bottom of my feet, like blisters.

 

I pulled off into a Disney bathroom to check my feet since I had never encountered blisters in my training (I was wearing the same socks and shoes I had trained in)...and sure enough...some blisters were starting to form.

 

I kinda freaked out. I mean, it was only Mile 3....what was I supposed to do for 10 more miles??

 

I left the bathroom and kept walk/running...still freaking out a bit. I tried to enjoy the rest of the park, but each step was becoming more painful. 

 

Oh Mile 4....it seemed like it would never come. 

 

At this point, I passed our hotel and called my husband. I told him about my feet and how it was getting worse and how I didn't know what to do...etc. So, I just kept walk/running.

 

Mile 6...almost halfway!

 

I gotta be honest...Miles 6, 7, and 8 were kinda a painful blur. At one point my blisters burst, and it gave me some relief...I know...super gross.

 

Mile 9: 

 

Mile 9 was a changing point. I decided to stop crying in my head and stop the negative talk. It was time to get over the pain and finish the race. I mean, if I had someone walking by me and shouting negative things to me...I would punch them, right? So, why was I doing it to myself?

 

So I started saying positive things and being proud of myself...instead of feeling sorry for myself. I had to remind myself that I was completing something I had always wanted to do...and I had a baby 9 friggin' months ago! You go girl!...you know, stuff like that;)

 

We entered Angel's Stadium and walked around the field, which was pretty cool:) 

 

Mile 10...SO long. Then Mile 11...only 2 more to go! 

 

Mile 12...no time to stop for a photo! 1.1 miles to go and I gotta stay above the pace;)  

 

Mile 13: I took a picture and took off running: 

 

I ran straight across the finish line (sorry for the blurry picture...I took it after I passed through): 

 

I was done...I found my husband and kids...and needed to sit down. My feet hurt so bad and the adrenaline starting wearing off. We walked back to the hotel and I cried over my feet that I couldn't walk on at this point.

 

I soaked in a cold bath and the baby and I took a three hour nap. I woke up to my husband bringing back double stuffed oreos and a Big Mac....I love him.

 

I had a hard time emotionally after the race. We were still on vacation for the next 4 days...but I couldn't walk. My blisters were so intense. My muscles were fine. I was a little sore the next day...but nothing I couldn't deal with. I was frustrated that after all my training, something happened that I didn't plan for.

 

A couple of days later, after lots of prayers by me and others (thank you, friends!!) I was able to walk a lot better and we were able to enjoy Disneyland as a family!

 

So, in the end...I am super happy I finished. Next to childbirth, it was the hardest physical thing I have ever done. I am proud that I finished it and didn't quit. It was so exciting to wear the medal and pass other runners who had theirs too;)

 

I finished the race in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Not bad considering it was my first race (ever!) and I stopped to use the bathroom, take photos, and with horrible pain with each step:)

 

I did catch the running bug a bit and I want to get better at it. For now I will just look at my medal:)