The Weekend in Review, Just a Little Late

I’ve been meaning to get around to this post all week, but between my laptop misbehaving and the LeBron-a-thon that’s been going on in these parts, I’ve sadly not been able to pull it all together.  I’m not even a big sports fan, but I am married to one.  I now know more about free agency and the NBA salary cap than I ever imagined.

Anyways.

The 4th of July weekend started with Hannah’s first ever slumber party at her grandparents’ house with one of her favorite cousins.  She adores her cousins.  I didn’t even tell her about the slumber party until the last minute for fear that she would be so excited that she wouldn’t take a nap that day.  When I filled her in, she cheered and pumped her fists in the air. 

On Saturday, Hannah had zero interest in leaving her grandparents’ house, so Shawn talked me into doing something I haven’t done in over three years.  Yep, I got on the back of the Harley with him.

Does my helmet make me look tough?

I am usually a bit of a Nervous Nelly when I get on the bike, which I am sure is no fun for my husband, but he is always so patient with me.  He sticks to back roads, drives super slow and slows down even more if I squeeze him.  He probably feels like we are going to fall over because we are going so slow…

Our family’s 4th of July picnic was held at our house this year.  Here’s my little firecracker in her Independence Day best:

The rest of the weekend was spent loving on cousins:

Sitting with Papa, but downright refusing to look at the camera,

And swimming until we were waterlogged.

Hope you had a happy 4th!

My Husband is a Lumberjack and a Bunch of Randomness

Saturday afternoon, Hannah was taking her nap. I was piddling around in my craft room and my husband said that he was going to go outside and do a few things in the yard.  I thought that maybe he’d pull some weeds or something.  A few hours later, I looked out the window and this is what I saw:

I just never know what he’s going to do.

We had some photos taken by an amazing photographer a few weeks ago and I am super excited about the shots.  I met with her last night and ordered my prints.  I can’t wait to get them framed and displayed in my home.  Here’s a sneak peek.

Speaking of great shots, I captured this pic of Hannah wearing the dress that my sister sent with a note that says, “Dressin’ Twinks like I like to dress – in pink and ruffles!”  Who can’t appreciate that?

This week, I finally made two recipes that I have been wanting to try out.  Surprise, surprise both of them have a Mexican flare to them!  What can I say?  This family loves anything Mexican!  Note that neither of these recipes are necessarily healthy, but oh my yum!

The first one is called a Chicken Enchilada Ring. 

3-4 cooked chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped block olives
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped chilies, undrained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
2 rolls of crescent rolls
1 small chopped tomato
1 lime (juice)
2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips

1. Shred chicken and add olives, cheese, chilies, sour cream and taco mix. Seed and chop 1 tomato and add 2 tablespoons lime juice; add to chicken mixture. Reserve 2 Tblsp. crushed chips and add remaining chips to mixture.
2. Unroll crescent dough and separate triangles. Arrange on round baking stone or cookie sheet in a circle with longest length of each triangle ends overlapping in the center and points toward outside. There should be a 5 inch diameter opening in the center.
3. Spread chicken mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle.
4.  Bring points of triangles up and over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at the center of the ring.
Sprinkle with 2 Tblsp. crushed chips.
5. Bake @ 375 for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with tomato and serve with salsa and sour cream.

The next dish I made is simply called Mexican Chicken.  Anything with the word “Mexican” in it and I’m sold.

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel*
1-2 cups cheddar cheese
Package of corn or flour tortillas (small)

Tear the tortillas into small pieces and line the bottom of a pan. Mix together the soups, Rotel and chicken and pour on top. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  So easy and so yummy!

*I first experienced the wonder that is called Rotel while visiting my sister in Los Angeles.  I have searched high and low for it here in Ohio.  Apparently we don’t have the stuff in this geographic region, so we northern gals are left to make our own.  Sigh.  While it’s not as good, it worked just as well for this recipe.  I mixed a can of diced tomatoes, a small can of chiles, about 1/4 cup of chopped onion and a splash of lime.

Happy Thursday, friends!

 

Nothing Says Summer

Nothing says summer like…

Sidewalk chalk

 

Pedicures and sparkly sandals

Popsicles after dinner

 

Sundresses of seersucker and eyelet

A sheepdog with a buzz cut

Summer makes me want to drink smoothies every morning. 

Here’s my favorite:
A handful of frozen fruit

A freshly sliced pear (peels and all)

A handful of blueberries. 
A few strawberries. 
A splash of orange juice. 
And, the piece de resistance:

Yep, collard greens.  Don’t be scared.  You honestly can’t taste them.  You can use any dark green leafy veggie, but I found these guys to be my favorite.  They’re very mild and packed with Vitamins A, C and K, and contain superstar amounts of antioxidants.  It’s like health in a glass, really. 

Happy summer, friends!

Gimme a D!

Our little girl makes me smile.  And she makes her daddy smile, too.  That’s why I knew that her sweet little face had to be incorporated into his Father’s Day gift this year.

Here’s what I did:

I bought 12 inch “D” and “A” paper mache letters at JoAnn Fabrics and spray painted them aqua.  Easy, right?

Then we held a little photo shoot in our yard.  Actually, we held two photo shoots because it took two tries to get three shots that I liked.  I printed the pictures and put them into a three opening photo frame. 

Photographing a two year old for a project like this ain’t easy. 

But, Daddy will love it!  Outtakes and all.

Customer Appreciation: All Aboard!

Meet Connor.  He’s two years old, loves Thomas the Tank Engine and is most handsome, don’t you agree? 

 
Connor’s mom asked me to make a shirt for his 2nd birthday party that he could also wear throughout the spring and summer.  How perfect that he wore it to his Day Out With Thomas on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad!

Thanks to Connor’s mom for the awesome picture of the birthday boy!

Iron Chef

Hannah as a friend named Alex.  They’ve known each other their entire lives.  Well, actually longer.

I’ve know Alex’s mom since 3rd grade.  We rode the bus to school together and later on in life, we were in each other’s weddings.  On the day I called to tell her that I was pregnant, I told her that I had something to tell her.  She said, “I’m so glad you called.  I have to tell you something, but you go first.”  I said, “I’m pregnant!”  She said, “I’m pregnant, too!” 
My due date was November 1st.  Her due date was December 1st. 

A few weeks ago, I learned that Alex is totally into cooking and playing with his kitchen set.  He comes by it honestly.  His parents own a Mexican restaurant. 
So, I set out to make the perfect accessory for Chef Alex:

Here’s how to make one:

Gather your materials.  I started out with plain white fabric, but when I saw the chili pepper print, I knew it was perfect for this little guy.

Iron interfacing onto the wrong side of the band fabric.  If you are using a solid, it won’t matter which side you use.

Fold the short side of the fabric over about 1/2 inch and press.  Do this on the opposite side also.

Now fold the entire piece in half so that your band is 3”x20”.

Top stitch along both of the 3 inch sides.

I then set up my embroidery machine to stitch Alex’s name. 

While the embroidery was going on, I began working on the poufy piece of the hat.  Fold your 20x20” fabric in half.

 Now fold it in half again.

I used a large dinner plate to trace a round shape at the top left, but you could just wing it.  It really does not need to be a perfectly rounded corner, because once you put the hat together, the poufiness of the top hides imperfections.

Cut the corner off.

Pin the two ends of the band together, overlapping about 1/2 inch.

Now we’re going to attach the top piece to the band.  Make sure that the wrong side of your fabric is facing up, so that the correct side will show when you turn out the hat at the end.

Start by pinning the top piece to the front center of the band.  Then work your way around the hat, bunching and pinning, until you reach the point where you started. 
Stitch around the entire piece.  I rarely sew over top of my pins.  I know many experienced seamstresses who sew right over them, but it seems like when I try to do that, I always break needles.

Once you sew all the way around, you can leave your raw edge as is, or if you have a serger, you can serge around.  I did a simple zig-zag stitch to finish it off.

Turn the hat right side out.  You can run a top stitch around the spot where the band and the top meet, or you can leave as is.  Stitch the velcro on the back.  I forgot to take a picture of this step, but you will want to place it so that you can adjust the hat for size.

 

Bon appétit mon ami!

I’m linking up with these parties.

I’ve Been Featured! And Keep Calm!

I had so much fun making this project and taking pictures of my cutie pie showing off the finished product.  What’s more is that this week, it has been featured on not one, but two other blogs.  Check it out here and here! 
Imagine that.  Little ole me being featured…

In other news, I’ve found another Etsy shop that I heart:
The Keep Calm Shop. 
During WWII, the British government produced this propaganda poster but they never used it.  It was rediscovered in 2000 and has recently become a decorative theme. 
Recognize it?

The witty owners of the Keep Calm Shop put lots of creative twists on the Keep Calm theme.  This one now hangs in my kitchen:

Remember when the hubs was stuck in London during the volcanic eruption?  Yep, I got him this one.  Big Ben and all.

I hung it on the wall between our master bathroom and closet so that he can see it everyday when he is getting ready for work.   Cracks him up every time!

I’ve got my eye on this one:

But probably not this one. 
I’m saving it for someone who can actually sing.

Happy Weekend!  Keep Calm!