tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70176875256757098512024-03-13T10:45:06.162-07:00Jelly Beans and Polka Dotsshelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-22831482406926375932012-05-03T13:17:00.001-07:002012-05-03T13:19:02.472-07:00Caribou Cooler WannabeI had a little <a href="http://www.mythirtyone.com/shelbybjerkaas" target="_blank">Thirty-One</a> party a few Saturdays ago and made a pot of coffee for my lovely guests. At the end of the party I had about 3/4 of a pot left. Now I'm not a fan of drinking a plain ol' cup of coffee, but I love the smell of coffee and coffee flavored things. So I couldn't throw away a perfectly good pot of coffee. I knew I could figure out something to do with it. And I did. Enter the Caribou Cooler Wannabe.<br />
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I poured the leftover coffee into ice cube trays and popped them in the freezer. <em>(side note: is anyone else a fan of the Dorot frozen herbs? They're little frozen herb cubes that are so easy to pop into a stir fry, soup, casserole. And they never go bad! I get mine at Trader Joe's.) </em><br />
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Anyway, after the coffee was frozen, I popped out about five or six cubes and threw them in the blender.<br />
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I added some chocolate and caramel syrup...</div>
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...and some milk.<br />
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Then I blended it all up, put a straw in it and enjoyed my fake Caribou Cooler! Now, this is not going to fool anyone into thinking they're drinking a <em>real</em> Cooler. It's not like those purses you buy on Canal Street in New York where you have to look super close to realize they're not the real deal. Or just look at the price tag. If a "Kate Spade" purse costs $20, chances are it's not real. There you go. Enjoy that little kernel of wisdom.<br />
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It's a great little afternoon pick-me-up...which I seem to be needing every afternoon. So I'm just accepting that and trying to make it as enjoyable as possible. When I have the energy. Other days it takes all I have just to open a can of Diet Coke. <br />
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Another use for your coffee cubes - put them in a cup, pour cold coffee over them and enjoy an iced coffee without it getting all watered down! That's what my mom would do in the summers when we were growing up. :)<br />
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<u>Caribou Cooler Wannabe</u><br />
Ingredients:<br />
- coffee cubes<br />
- flavored syrups of your choice<br />
- milk<br />
Directions:<br />
- Put all the ingredients in a blender, blend, and enjoy!shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-42640383346247439542012-04-06T19:42:00.000-07:002012-04-06T19:42:51.961-07:00Quinoa Mac 'n CheeseI recently bought a ginormous bag of quinoa at Costco. It's awesome. I love quinoa. So a huge bag of it is spectacular. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Because I have more quinoa than our family can eat in a year (which really means me, because the rest of the fam aren't huge fans), I scoured <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">pinterest</a> to find some fun recipes. And find I did. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The first one I've tried is <a href="http://monicanelsonfitness.com/blog/meals/quinoa-mac-n-cheese/" target="_blank">Quinoa Mac 'n Cheese</a>. It's awesome. I'm actually eating some leftovers of it right now. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I didn't have any tomatoes or peppers on hand to throw in to the dish, but I did have bacon. Can't go wrong with bacon, right? Right. Quinoa Mac 'n Cheese + bacon = awesome. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-64617008135300728022012-03-30T18:57:00.000-07:002012-03-30T18:57:42.789-07:00Fill-age. For my shelves.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is one of the items I put on my <a href="http://www.jellybeansandpolkadots.blogspot.com/2012/03/shelf-time.html" target="_blank">beautiful shelves</a>. It's a picture of Justin and me on our honey moon five and a half years ago. (Don't we look like babies?) It's nothing fancy, just a picture taped to a piece of card stock in a spray-painted frame. It was a quick space filler at our old house. But the picture wasn't centered and it was driving me crazy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA5oNv6krI1YJTRX5qLHwharn6hqiPqfPbIQ1_74ZVFvC0oC_6QL8oTCG_0pA71K1BAVWs9PLtLOkbe15PyaZnmiptK0khl0scGYgRW1_PDdQxPPK6vesfZMzu58BhTF8UbnvgIl2N2M/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA5oNv6krI1YJTRX5qLHwharn6hqiPqfPbIQ1_74ZVFvC0oC_6QL8oTCG_0pA71K1BAVWs9PLtLOkbe15PyaZnmiptK0khl0scGYgRW1_PDdQxPPK6vesfZMzu58BhTF8UbnvgIl2N2M/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I got this bag from Hallmark around Christmas and have been saving it since then because I love the saying on it. I decided Old Off-Center picture would be replaced by Fun Quote. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I cut off one side of the back and carefully took the handles off of it. It still had a couple fold marks which I knew would really bug me. So I ironed it. That's right. I ironed a paper bag. I like to live on the edge. I took the old picture out of the frame and then I used some good ol' Scotch tape loops and taped the bag to the other side of the card stock. I left the picture on the back in case I ever change my mind and have a deep desire for an off-centered picture to be displayed in our home. Okay, that's not true. I was just lazy.</div><br />
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And here's the finished product on the shelf! I love the pop of color it adds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsDcik0pFn9tEdW_onYwV9hwSXjdGhqOsYkt7binHb1lRzSyZkODuLMfuYMi8xDbx8tpq-jSgoVlXVv7OOrbKrKoSEmf_DxUqZBA49tqaZvb2cKcgv83it8Lt8wpjhuIxE9FlxWsDfFQ/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsDcik0pFn9tEdW_onYwV9hwSXjdGhqOsYkt7binHb1lRzSyZkODuLMfuYMi8xDbx8tpq-jSgoVlXVv7OOrbKrKoSEmf_DxUqZBA49tqaZvb2cKcgv83it8Lt8wpjhuIxE9FlxWsDfFQ/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Isn't this such a good saying? It reminds me not to save things for special occasions. I should cook good, interesting food for my family all the time, not just when we're having people over. I should make stuff out of the fun fabrics I've been accumulating instead of waiting for the "perfect" project. I should enjoy and appreciate and celebrate life because that's just what it is - life! And I'm so blessed to have Life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70kxo_tjCZquVPJWkX-NylnTzIm74qPOV53BQeC9mZcsTMfEvlrtcZfSU17lQH9w_gzWU_GNyCM85NroDRZhnyXzXpRWpv2nnbUs_Sv0NMyiZ5DvGqFTcipB5NkLRAH8wLIibHiG7lcY/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70kxo_tjCZquVPJWkX-NylnTzIm74qPOV53BQeC9mZcsTMfEvlrtcZfSU17lQH9w_gzWU_GNyCM85NroDRZhnyXzXpRWpv2nnbUs_Sv0NMyiZ5DvGqFTcipB5NkLRAH8wLIibHiG7lcY/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left"></div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-82098173758358868932012-03-29T18:25:00.000-07:002012-03-29T18:25:02.033-07:00Shelf TimeWe have an awkwardly long wall in our family room. Like really awkward. Like when you're reading someone's graphic T-shirt and realize it looks like you're staring at their boobs. The wall is awkward. It's too big to put any art on and too small to make into two different areas. <br />
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One day while <strike>wasting time</strike> researching on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>, I came across <a href="http://ana-white.com/2010/10/plans/ten-dollar-ledges" target="_blank">this project</a> from Ana White. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pinned Image" height="320" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache9.pinterest.com/upload/46724914853452743_Iku9h8Cl_c.jpg" width="260" /></div><br />
Aren't these shelves great? And they're SOOOO easy! Each shelf is 2 1x4s and 1 1x2. Throw on some white paint and screw in a few screws and you have yourself some fantastic shelves. <br />
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<em>True Confession: From the date of pinning to the date of completion? About 10 months... Nothing like a one-year-old's birthday party to kick my buns into gear...</em><br />
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Here's how it went down. I used blue painter's tape to mark where I wanted the shelves. I lived with the tape on the wall for a couple days to make sure I liked where the were. (I ended up moving them a little farther apart than I had originally planned.)<br />
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My amazing husband made the shelves for me - which means I don't have any pictures of the shelf construction. But <a href="http://www.ana-white.com/" target="_blank">Ana</a> does a great job and her pictures and instructions are WAY better than mine would have been anyway.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Here's my man hanging the bottom shelf.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWczpHjE0VruUDOQz3hHUknIZV2ekhKBg1Yqws-VwrBRUGSVCumsvcY6mmL_cxDHIwNGHB8JzUlzKPA-FoeucZUWHQnkiiCklkL1zkIrGUJBAwE_ij7w1MlPuzW88cfJntRrmnpRMhw38/s1600/181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWczpHjE0VruUDOQz3hHUknIZV2ekhKBg1Yqws-VwrBRUGSVCumsvcY6mmL_cxDHIwNGHB8JzUlzKPA-FoeucZUWHQnkiiCklkL1zkIrGUJBAwE_ij7w1MlPuzW88cfJntRrmnpRMhw38/s320/181.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Starting to fill up!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvC3OE60sHX-6hwLNMZRBzfjRefx3tYyAMhr9p1FGSG0Mhenx1vlnk1vaJvADJXHowSN-bGELxjnVtKT2lHlhMddl8U66Ns6iTEh2k5hscuwhmyxMsszK9Y22r3nMLASeJMGSK4jDzNw/s1600/182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvC3OE60sHX-6hwLNMZRBzfjRefx3tYyAMhr9p1FGSG0Mhenx1vlnk1vaJvADJXHowSN-bGELxjnVtKT2lHlhMddl8U66Ns6iTEh2k5hscuwhmyxMsszK9Y22r3nMLASeJMGSK4jDzNw/s320/182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>And here are my beautiful shelves all filled!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uq5UvKRtbFF9vcW2VxQGzKEUHszKd1FvHfwyRR_j6IMT9rKyxP3aEIHO2QSp3m_ZhqBNxIdMEP9kw3nSKSK4V4PboXTIAy66K2PVDcne8C5F-LkR4pYk5xisaftpsWZ14t1wS5Iktlo/s1600/286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Uq5UvKRtbFF9vcW2VxQGzKEUHszKd1FvHfwyRR_j6IMT9rKyxP3aEIHO2QSp3m_ZhqBNxIdMEP9kw3nSKSK4V4PboXTIAy66K2PVDcne8C5F-LkR4pYk5xisaftpsWZ14t1wS5Iktlo/s320/286.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I love my shelves. A lot. I told them I love them. More than once. They're the mac to my cheese, the spice to my girls.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6j7b6gFp4nGrgwmo88Tm5tL4-piqOHlxh7pnMmOiFDUJ_y94BPIB8-0AL8JfW2AGqTfbdRrJIG1i09t8PlEgsunsKyqJeutAZnTSbIqoUfRBWavdYAOzyhDDVclnJCCTDs16-LtYmBs/s1600/287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6j7b6gFp4nGrgwmo88Tm5tL4-piqOHlxh7pnMmOiFDUJ_y94BPIB8-0AL8JfW2AGqTfbdRrJIG1i09t8PlEgsunsKyqJeutAZnTSbIqoUfRBWavdYAOzyhDDVclnJCCTDs16-LtYmBs/s320/287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>See those curtains in that picture? I love them as well. My mom made them for us. She asked if I needed help with anything for Drew's party. I think she was offering to bring a fruit platter. But I asked her to make curtains. And she did. She's awesome like that.<br />
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So now it's looking like we actually like our house and like living in it. Oh, and everything on those shelves? Yeah, I already had all of it. Holla for free accessories!shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-77635561812044773912012-03-26T20:26:00.001-07:002012-03-26T20:26:28.294-07:00Stationery card<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0RatG7Ry3YuKg&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=115"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/0RatG7Ry3Ym/0RatG7Ry3Ym4s/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1332818779000/0/" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>Sweet Little Chick Easter Card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Modern shower invitations and <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards" style="color: #6666cc;">holiday cards</a> by Shutterfly.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-29016682290854848702012-03-22T12:24:00.000-07:002012-03-22T12:24:32.476-07:00Spring Wreath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been seeing so many cute spring wreaths on Pinterest. They're just so bright and cheerful! I decided that I <strike>wanted</strike> needed one. I also decided that I had to make it with things I had on hand (aka - for free). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a ton of fabric, so I knew I'd use that. But what to use for the form of the wreath was a little trickier. And, low and behold, I saw a wire hanger from my husband's dry cleaning that told me it wanted to become a wreath. Well, it didn't acutally say that. But if it could talk, I'm sure that's what it would have said.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So after some bending and re-shaping, I had an almost-circular hanger like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpjrk2F8FXWJLptntLk7wYcwtCYbNw-tyLhJREOZqGtArj_FK66ZzFaXywtvD4Cee6kIPGa7SOrqWxkpgzvYIP57Ds0-JW1Mrk7Sqq-hdSIPu_kt8AJQa4nC9E27MQh6VC0DspTh6WS0/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpjrk2F8FXWJLptntLk7wYcwtCYbNw-tyLhJREOZqGtArj_FK66ZzFaXywtvD4Cee6kIPGa7SOrqWxkpgzvYIP57Ds0-JW1Mrk7Sqq-hdSIPu_kt8AJQa4nC9E27MQh6VC0DspTh6WS0/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>It's a game - find the hanger on the ironing board. Oh, you haven't heard of that game? It's all the rage in Europe.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I cut strips of fabric 1 1/2" wide and 4", 5" and 5" inches long. And then I tied, tied and tied some more. Here it is in progress. Tip: make sure you tie the same way every time so your fabric "tails" all point the same way. It took me about forty minutes to tie them all on.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQHJvFJoB8WwT3zAcQ44INgGSHGXytbICTLfR8ZKMKf7baCtbpEOZ_nzPC0RxvsdQVgbSJnf1qdihyphenhyphenCRnPxCxZ5UeP17jEEAR6yk2hRBT7XHuTj-to40FspG_x-9_k046gAMLMEnMrDY/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQHJvFJoB8WwT3zAcQ44INgGSHGXytbICTLfR8ZKMKf7baCtbpEOZ_nzPC0RxvsdQVgbSJnf1qdihyphenhyphenCRnPxCxZ5UeP17jEEAR6yk2hRBT7XHuTj-to40FspG_x-9_k046gAMLMEnMrDY/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And then voila! I had a cheerful spring wreath! And for free! And it was easy! I love anything cute, cheap and easy! (Uhhhh, I mean I love any <em>craft </em>that's cute, cheap and easy...)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9L87H8NzokJAWjjqff1JS6Ms_vd-youlJYdaEfcy-yXqJqoxI1ZFjZYH5rHU4pBp9lj89gg8boX34S4VTVrzWph4z-qWxCvA7RdicIVZyoU5YnJkmOgvWiCnkyCJ5jQCpQEuADegXKoI/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9L87H8NzokJAWjjqff1JS6Ms_vd-youlJYdaEfcy-yXqJqoxI1ZFjZYH5rHU4pBp9lj89gg8boX34S4VTVrzWph4z-qWxCvA7RdicIVZyoU5YnJkmOgvWiCnkyCJ5jQCpQEuADegXKoI/s320/017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy spring!</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-81192961994907449352012-03-15T11:07:00.000-07:002012-03-15T11:07:52.328-07:00I'm baaackWell hello again, Blog World. It's been awhile (4+ months to be exact), but I'm done being lazy and will put more effort into our relationship. :)<br />
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Anyway, the babe turned one at the end of February. Crazy! He's now a walking machine. Within about a week and a half he became a full-fledged walker, learned to wave, learned to dance, learned to point and perfected his clapping. It's been so much fun to watch!<br />
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My amazing cousin, Jill, took some great birthday photos of Drew. Enjoy! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bWa-5Sdtvv2wyv3fk4_xjdJaTjdp_KlikhmU9n00lIz6K_wu4X-0eaH0YP3qghYIQkNHzwbBM5Uu9d12JP-pFG95eZZa3E8-eANflMKK14gH5zPERm5r88RUQKo4ByjfVsoXn51sh9g/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bWa-5Sdtvv2wyv3fk4_xjdJaTjdp_KlikhmU9n00lIz6K_wu4X-0eaH0YP3qghYIQkNHzwbBM5Uu9d12JP-pFG95eZZa3E8-eANflMKK14gH5zPERm5r88RUQKo4ByjfVsoXn51sh9g/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTILrxQX-HHNyQjiLmmX8JE0waNlGttKQH7V8ngT5ikzL_YJLRhx7le-Kk7p-045miDVWlHhlySdqISh3O41dsztaZP5ylXjvxU4mkD8gvC1CDtJOYIeuyoPubeFlwXKCj_kxDpATpE4/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTILrxQX-HHNyQjiLmmX8JE0waNlGttKQH7V8ngT5ikzL_YJLRhx7le-Kk7p-045miDVWlHhlySdqISh3O41dsztaZP5ylXjvxU4mkD8gvC1CDtJOYIeuyoPubeFlwXKCj_kxDpATpE4/s320/9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxQoeJpzvnjGgp8H-kY2QDrFRf9R1TJC0IptuE8r3h72cgrKZwZ54TU7r30NBMU_FZ5POYFUpsocXYDqa7DWlVt3G4E71GRHV9OJbFsANr1Ur1NUVVsapDvd6NPc8GEL183NFTgyFo9w/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxQoeJpzvnjGgp8H-kY2QDrFRf9R1TJC0IptuE8r3h72cgrKZwZ54TU7r30NBMU_FZ5POYFUpsocXYDqa7DWlVt3G4E71GRHV9OJbFsANr1Ur1NUVVsapDvd6NPc8GEL183NFTgyFo9w/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn8drU4Qh_0eaJGsTMEOfzczMen_x4j1KwO_giDYyxVXtZH0_RkNs4U87-CyloLPaCORGE2gUiQIOWk0VX-uoncVL2J8hzeauY38xH3FCHzzjz5__54govmm31qfYKoV3tBDnKNfZylY/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn8drU4Qh_0eaJGsTMEOfzczMen_x4j1KwO_giDYyxVXtZH0_RkNs4U87-CyloLPaCORGE2gUiQIOWk0VX-uoncVL2J8hzeauY38xH3FCHzzjz5__54govmm31qfYKoV3tBDnKNfZylY/s320/15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPokHWsErO3MRNFMMS0MTH6x6knLZaBux6ehpnJQ1JKoFz4oQC5ICXuGuiQ-CybEeafTWSSHiDIgLNlPegTBgYqwY_FVea0h_r726q6RNBmzHhlh951UkYdvbHwsMeT_vpQc4fttzdOgU/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPokHWsErO3MRNFMMS0MTH6x6knLZaBux6ehpnJQ1JKoFz4oQC5ICXuGuiQ-CybEeafTWSSHiDIgLNlPegTBgYqwY_FVea0h_r726q6RNBmzHhlh951UkYdvbHwsMeT_vpQc4fttzdOgU/s320/17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi775zJBA3wUqAF29GYOHlkDSajzsYZhDUJ38-nBgxH84P4gkfAbhFL_PeW1Rn68wIEJ-5utIqPIpcP3U1EEsI_2FXTJZe2mbRqC-kIG9JMGvOPZZlyEzweyVCEVVSbz0DjAjl-s8e-8R0/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi775zJBA3wUqAF29GYOHlkDSajzsYZhDUJ38-nBgxH84P4gkfAbhFL_PeW1Rn68wIEJ-5utIqPIpcP3U1EEsI_2FXTJZe2mbRqC-kIG9JMGvOPZZlyEzweyVCEVVSbz0DjAjl-s8e-8R0/s320/20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr37e90mnpjUNBNJUYMv5c-11dCsUQUDJK60T7w9CXbHVTugnBxtDYyyn9pSqFsjfD8OzfBwPZ3Awicbxp1uFVPoBs9UGHTvE5n8F7S9HykINVjStoiS1hWT8a74k1U0ItotCxevH-QE0/s1600/25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr37e90mnpjUNBNJUYMv5c-11dCsUQUDJK60T7w9CXbHVTugnBxtDYyyn9pSqFsjfD8OzfBwPZ3Awicbxp1uFVPoBs9UGHTvE5n8F7S9HykINVjStoiS1hWT8a74k1U0ItotCxevH-QE0/s320/25.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSv6ad-DMPJIN7gIvuv9ZI06S_1pacTqEWULiZEbDqlNic9o9eqyWmnKQpWr93gZNyR_2ztGYLE3DMD_8QeMsAtXB5DgMdynuX6qVbOU5Ta8sTT1bnsoqFLi-X1FrfQ6iD6OZODZ6eGE/s1600/29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSv6ad-DMPJIN7gIvuv9ZI06S_1pacTqEWULiZEbDqlNic9o9eqyWmnKQpWr93gZNyR_2ztGYLE3DMD_8QeMsAtXB5DgMdynuX6qVbOU5Ta8sTT1bnsoqFLi-X1FrfQ6iD6OZODZ6eGE/s320/29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>PS - Thanks to </em><a href="http://www.knittingformybaby.blogspot.com/"><em>Emily</em></a><em> for kicking my blog-writing butt into gear!</em></div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-18722547313750510532011-11-01T18:27:00.000-07:002011-11-01T18:27:57.373-07:00HalloweenHere are some pictures from Drew's first Halloween. He was a lumber jack. :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhceo3kTXr8ipZcTueYUxDhvTu83ykynohMbxUp9ldvxy6nhLoFatbsZtWiiNhFtTlSxljh46kc0OJIZEUaLS_ZInDeVtsoBrrfLYNd6I_-ztZ8NJ5En9JcqhRjo4UPTfTbmRHwsfXTQ/s1600/045_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhceo3kTXr8ipZcTueYUxDhvTu83ykynohMbxUp9ldvxy6nhLoFatbsZtWiiNhFtTlSxljh46kc0OJIZEUaLS_ZInDeVtsoBrrfLYNd6I_-ztZ8NJ5En9JcqhRjo4UPTfTbmRHwsfXTQ/s640/045_crop.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> With the beard... </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmdNumjmT2ETVBHt_R4e1otS2JqUkomj46ymrolUftntGtPsch7_3FLPULmIhk2UwbiLucysbCRzQI0n0M21O1d8wub9H3GhqnJC4veWdPmK9q7prz6AqRnxw4Mwy_A0A0dKqxVHTkq4/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmdNumjmT2ETVBHt_R4e1otS2JqUkomj46ymrolUftntGtPsch7_3FLPULmIhk2UwbiLucysbCRzQI0n0M21O1d8wub9H3GhqnJC4veWdPmK9q7prz6AqRnxw4Mwy_A0A0dKqxVHTkq4/s640/064.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ...which didn't last long</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8Nvar30FnJpDYAFibLAEbteQM5L60_pZwxOxIhReiQofvqoeHiOPHOFPfKF0yfDbnpaBYqHwdCAT1-p2CVi4g1WAoSFAC1UjS05GhrOamVZkB0PaPXAV2O5ylbfa61wOtWbTF0njiUI/s1600/068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8Nvar30FnJpDYAFibLAEbteQM5L60_pZwxOxIhReiQofvqoeHiOPHOFPfKF0yfDbnpaBYqHwdCAT1-p2CVi4g1WAoSFAC1UjS05GhrOamVZkB0PaPXAV2O5ylbfa61wOtWbTF0njiUI/s640/068.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEtjkNO6viniUp_18NQQpcRbK7pqzbzGOoZ9NF5VBmm5EjPoxPNXSXPmd4mveics0_F0qeP1ELwG22DfpRDi8luyj0cpKsHEjM_FHlXsgn-sapv6lQHP5RbV2y5U0sExayeD2y3Atqsc/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEtjkNO6viniUp_18NQQpcRbK7pqzbzGOoZ9NF5VBmm5EjPoxPNXSXPmd4mveics0_F0qeP1ELwG22DfpRDi8luyj0cpKsHEjM_FHlXsgn-sapv6lQHP5RbV2y5U0sExayeD2y3Atqsc/s640/044.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Hope you had a fun Halloween!</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-65162155373958270922011-11-01T18:15:00.000-07:002011-11-01T18:15:51.217-07:00Cook Top Cleaning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So my cook top gets gross. Like really gross. Like if you're looking at this picture you'll probably never want to eat at my house again gross. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVtJW9q0XPEOAJo23S1I1TW9hEJ4wJJxnyNM5A8-V64NzpdaPaHKwnHrhFjWwODtJWOVhAyV4TODaq46IW1-d4Xb80Sqd8KwtVEW3Bo2oRFfdYvriSeAoa3-nFtMEDgdaj3vDkXHIPWk/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVtJW9q0XPEOAJo23S1I1TW9hEJ4wJJxnyNM5A8-V64NzpdaPaHKwnHrhFjWwODtJWOVhAyV4TODaq46IW1-d4Xb80Sqd8KwtVEW3Bo2oRFfdYvriSeAoa3-nFtMEDgdaj3vDkXHIPWk/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And no matter how much I scrubbed I could never get it very clean. Especially those spots where something had boiled over and then burned onto the burner. Those are the worst. OK, I'll admit I didn't really try very many things to get it clean. Basically I've tried an all-purpose cleaner, vinegar and water and soap. So, maybe it doesn't bother me as much as I think it does (or as much as it should...).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Av1PZMJwQos00K4k3Yw5APxTIAE4uPPhmpCF6QZDb1cjUqrnn37hn2jNbKxA-HgEtXHZLJHCQ36JVyUFiD0wRieYQCJbaPVBROg8hyb6EyzA1CwKBysHjzgV9pQF9p35NNCOV3G1A2s/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Av1PZMJwQos00K4k3Yw5APxTIAE4uPPhmpCF6QZDb1cjUqrnn37hn2jNbKxA-HgEtXHZLJHCQ36JVyUFiD0wRieYQCJbaPVBROg8hyb6EyzA1CwKBysHjzgV9pQF9p35NNCOV3G1A2s/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, I came across <a href="http://behindthestudio.com/2011/06/15/how-to-clean-your-glass-cooktop/">this method</a> while <strike>wasting time</strike> exploring on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a> and thought I'd give it a shot. And it was super easy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 1: Generously sprinkle baking soda on your cook top. (I put extra on the really nasty spots.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS_0cW3Eo6wKCsK4Y1ilMlvXNgLzIZByMXXAsE22nqoZE7By3VHE7c0NC0xH7ccgz0gA01rg45X4LtyxL_2fPBI8XfjDCPK4-kIk22AAwFYk7V0v4tqjHrlP6RZhRO6Z0mYeJ_GYIBng/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS_0cW3Eo6wKCsK4Y1ilMlvXNgLzIZByMXXAsE22nqoZE7By3VHE7c0NC0xH7ccgz0gA01rg45X4LtyxL_2fPBI8XfjDCPK4-kIk22AAwFYk7V0v4tqjHrlP6RZhRO6Z0mYeJ_GYIBng/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Step 2: Fill a bowl or your sink with hot, soapy water. Get some rags wet, wring them out so they're saturated but not dripping and lay them over the baking soda.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioyy6NNNCZVvnAQlrBnmM83wmeeWZX133_Tl7JEGv-06VqKhqTIgzOU0xZrvVlXigJPipHiXI3GHP6oTzieIvSrKu0K8sqZWs180Ou5oRpCzjIeyqm3CWpMK_SVN5t8l2PcVFRjrvfPw/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioyy6NNNCZVvnAQlrBnmM83wmeeWZX133_Tl7JEGv-06VqKhqTIgzOU0xZrvVlXigJPipHiXI3GHP6oTzieIvSrKu0K8sqZWs180Ou5oRpCzjIeyqm3CWpMK_SVN5t8l2PcVFRjrvfPw/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Step 3: Wait 15 minutes. Then use the rags to wipe off the baking soda - and baked on gunk. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>This is after one swipe, without any scrubbing. Yuck.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfrPNET46mMiOdVvZk8XDTVrn0w64GLAMeJtmBHUNLoPy4AlBOAsMHJktLr6119tQ7AvQL01joyHEHtxM1WUguf-KzrLvv815I190WW_PsMGbgemsip0HNcUKujOKtFv5mARR96cJ-N4/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfrPNET46mMiOdVvZk8XDTVrn0w64GLAMeJtmBHUNLoPy4AlBOAsMHJktLr6119tQ7AvQL01joyHEHtxM1WUguf-KzrLvv815I190WW_PsMGbgemsip0HNcUKujOKtFv5mARR96cJ-N4/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Step 4: Use a clean rag with water to get the residue off the cook top. Then enjoy your cleanliness!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Iw33lqTAaWfAg6FD9RxYMhGOm3R3kOzwjI-CCZVipKwiIuXGVAY0S1SwuUx10vHg2Fjb1Ot7_8lIcg-Vv70M5q6AGvRYVEeBN9tBDZiKtMC2scugpN6dxITRXh5gVKcVuR7frkzjhZM/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Iw33lqTAaWfAg6FD9RxYMhGOm3R3kOzwjI-CCZVipKwiIuXGVAY0S1SwuUx10vHg2Fjb1Ot7_8lIcg-Vv70M5q6AGvRYVEeBN9tBDZiKtMC2scugpN6dxITRXh5gVKcVuR7frkzjhZM/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There were still some spots left on my cook top after going through the process once, so I think I might do a little "spot treatment" to get them off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ahhh, the beauty of a clean cook top. It's the little things, right? And I'm pretty sure when my husband got home he thought I'd been scrubbing all day. I didn't correct him. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy cleaning!</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-49442714757216901572011-10-15T19:06:00.000-07:002011-10-15T19:06:22.026-07:00Homemade Crinkle Paper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Drew-meister is loving things that make noise. He has a few toys that have parts made out of that crinkley-paper-fabric stuff. You know what I'm talking about. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other day I finished off a box of cereal and as I was going to throw away the bag from inside the box I thought, "This sounds just like that crinkle paper stuff." And an idea was born.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why not make the cereal bag into a baby toy? I then evaluated this idea to see if it was the sleep deprivation/need to get out of the house talking (because it kind of sounds like it) and decided it was worth a shot. So here's what I did:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Take the cereal bag out of the box. I definitely did not even rinse it off. I figured I'd wash the finished project before I gave it to Drew and there's no need for extra work. Ever. You could also use the packaging from wipes, or whatever else sounds nice and crinkley.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUJP4U61TkOyC08PAfBLJ_tERbh-JlAzgCs6OnpuW_1QSfknVoMMI1ADvfPkF0Gmh9yIKF8vOyWkFmEGk7K-F3aRJdhRLlCS5cz7Eb59jWZTc3upq071kPPnUS7ax_OVHmcHI69yl7FA/s1600/Sept+%252711+121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUJP4U61TkOyC08PAfBLJ_tERbh-JlAzgCs6OnpuW_1QSfknVoMMI1ADvfPkF0Gmh9yIKF8vOyWkFmEGk7K-F3aRJdhRLlCS5cz7Eb59jWZTc3upq071kPPnUS7ax_OVHmcHI69yl7FA/s320/Sept+%252711+121.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
2. Gather the rest of the supplies: fabric, ribbon, cutting mat, rotary cutter, sewing machine<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgFBJH8VZLkcVbYqgME7Yhvbyfpx6KTjsOzakBJVPi9jY1T9BAFCfNB5f0m52Rres20z6XqUJtLFjy-zn_t4JPKUscSwhdQ5rJ69SO98NQsiihKtYrUVfSzR3mKTRpAqo7tYTLcZcmpU/s1600/Sept+%252711+122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgFBJH8VZLkcVbYqgME7Yhvbyfpx6KTjsOzakBJVPi9jY1T9BAFCfNB5f0m52Rres20z6XqUJtLFjy-zn_t4JPKUscSwhdQ5rJ69SO98NQsiihKtYrUVfSzR3mKTRpAqo7tYTLcZcmpU/s320/Sept+%252711+122.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
3. Cut the bag to the desired size and then cut two pieces of fabric to the same size.<br />
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4. Layer your fabric in this order and then pin<br />
- fabric, face up<br />
- fabric, face down<br />
- cereal bag<br />
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5. Fold the ribbon in half, put it between the fabric layers (folded side pointing to the center of the fabric) and pin it in place. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0DbLO4zbdW66VahJPjrUt8ZIG9n0pGbHsbnHxCAAEFfH-5qDmAKBvp8_w6tRlHyHyiTycHk3q9-zMt7aZUmTvreltV0j8Mu1_e9jPFTSDZBcYC2TC3ohwLbFXisJvqtCdQpvrupMMdk/s1600/Sept+%252711+123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0DbLO4zbdW66VahJPjrUt8ZIG9n0pGbHsbnHxCAAEFfH-5qDmAKBvp8_w6tRlHyHyiTycHk3q9-zMt7aZUmTvreltV0j8Mu1_e9jPFTSDZBcYC2TC3ohwLbFXisJvqtCdQpvrupMMdk/s320/Sept+%252711+123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
6. Sew around the edges, leaving a hole to turn it inside out. It will bunch and move while you're sewing. No big deal. It's not a perfection-necessary project. Which is why I like it. I don't believe in perfection. Well, unless you're hanging a picture or some art on my walls. Then I definitely believe in perfection. And a level. But other than that...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bU4ByBlTur5txWKrXxz4UKTzYJUOZItKX4aSH-sOw1KDCk2km8Iz37Qn_isHrcVOXQf6sBgeb0hHofYWqgQs7-QtHdhks9IC0DrjpXFDIqWhqOTFYVRf58bwTP7WIgILzfC6r1-flaE/s1600/Sept+%252711+125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bU4ByBlTur5txWKrXxz4UKTzYJUOZItKX4aSH-sOw1KDCk2km8Iz37Qn_isHrcVOXQf6sBgeb0hHofYWqgQs7-QtHdhks9IC0DrjpXFDIqWhqOTFYVRf58bwTP7WIgILzfC6r1-flaE/s320/Sept+%252711+125.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
7. Turn the project right-side-out through the hole and then sew a 1/4 seam around all of the edges.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVNAWlyozPU0l4_4JSk2lbwEgI2ME-99xsyceVkPNwbQjw_TAZxCYNmhqf5QxYW4Fq-GGJTP5YolDYFzYprDPNq0PfLrbRBp4XtW3TPWMiqsvjr4b5Aj-msPvWBxYPqwwzZ5jSWdbe50/s1600/Sept+%252711+126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVNAWlyozPU0l4_4JSk2lbwEgI2ME-99xsyceVkPNwbQjw_TAZxCYNmhqf5QxYW4Fq-GGJTP5YolDYFzYprDPNq0PfLrbRBp4XtW3TPWMiqsvjr4b5Aj-msPvWBxYPqwwzZ5jSWdbe50/s320/Sept+%252711+126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
8. That's it! You're done! The babe LOVES it! The ribbon loop is great for attaching it to the links on his car seat. I've washed his in the washing machine a couple times, but I hang it to dry. I figured a melted cereal bag would probably be less than fun to clean out of the dryer...<br />
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Total price of this project? A big ol' NADA! It was made with all stuff I had on hand - love projects like this! shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-4177745755211624032011-09-28T14:39:00.000-07:002011-09-28T14:39:42.624-07:00Wedding gift, numero tres<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The third and final installment in the "Wedding Gift" series.</div><br />
I saw this picture on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">pinterest</a> and fell in love. (Picture from <a href="http://craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/2010/11/tutorial-tuesday-personalize-casserole.html">here</a>.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/169405085_YPj42Vzn_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/169405085_YPj42Vzn_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I thought some sort of glass etching would be a really nice, personalized wedding gift. Maybe a vase or a candle holder? (Again, I didn't know the couple very well - what if she hates to bake? Then a personalized casserole dish is a bad idea.) Then I went to Michael's and realized the supplies for glass etching are a little on the spendy side. And after reading the instructions, it seemed a little putzy for me. So on to plan B.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I bought some Krylon Frosted Glass Finish spray paint. Which, contrary to logic, is not located with the rest of the spray paint. It's with the glass paint. I also bought a cool vase from Goodwill.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDe_mcXQqU5-GO37X-2Bnf3d-uxXtuna8dOoP0QVOsoO4QFBgRO_SRgid8ZAeV9Ky-N7WnCb4EoIC_fRO_ZvSJds-hGDcBYIOaLe7oydZGDqhHd40bbA75YfkjOKQVj1f-akBd1S0tlA/s1600/Sept+%252711+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDe_mcXQqU5-GO37X-2Bnf3d-uxXtuna8dOoP0QVOsoO4QFBgRO_SRgid8ZAeV9Ky-N7WnCb4EoIC_fRO_ZvSJds-hGDcBYIOaLe7oydZGDqhHd40bbA75YfkjOKQVj1f-akBd1S0tlA/s320/Sept+%252711+010.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For $2.99. Holla!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmYs15JIMef3d6ji38xoL17VGUt9dlQNyheYjjwM8uEchAnR6AK-eC8BLaKYla1TDKSUtEafnfxv43zAGzy17tw4rSy01GSjqzEX8OW8mjI9ICpFigmYgzSYOkPBr0DrgdSIqdPT4g60/s1600/Sept+%252711+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmYs15JIMef3d6ji38xoL17VGUt9dlQNyheYjjwM8uEchAnR6AK-eC8BLaKYla1TDKSUtEafnfxv43zAGzy17tw4rSy01GSjqzEX8OW8mjI9ICpFigmYgzSYOkPBr0DrgdSIqdPT4g60/s320/Sept+%252711+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then I got out my trusty contact paper. I printed off a "G" from the computer in a font and size I liked (their last name starts with G, in case you thought I just picked a random letter), cut it out and traced it on my contact paper. Be sure you trace it on the top of the contact paper so you don't get a backward letter. Unless that's the look you're going for. Then trace however you darn well please. Stick the letter wherever you want it. <em>Sorry I don't have pictures for this step. My friend <a href="http://www.knittingformybaby.blogspot.com/">Emily</a> and I were having a craft day and I got distracted by the cute stuff she was making.</em><br />
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Next I took the vase with the contact paper letter on it outside and sprayed away. It took a couple coats to get the coverage I was looking for. <em>(Is it creepy that I was hearing Sherry from <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">Young House Love</a> saying "thin, even coats" in my head? Stalker?)</em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYBtZWtqRU9_HBwcI5yTV77vSoxV7NZKSn27I4SvSDhMOgX8ve0SSK1w2CGcN9hn6EHoe95Ro7Ul9EvafELYT7TWUjA5uuKsxURBQbzEaPPslOtpW7cMEmoPGPmif4gLbgJr-AGN6XDc/s1600/Sept+%252711+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYBtZWtqRU9_HBwcI5yTV77vSoxV7NZKSn27I4SvSDhMOgX8ve0SSK1w2CGcN9hn6EHoe95Ro7Ul9EvafELYT7TWUjA5uuKsxURBQbzEaPPslOtpW7cMEmoPGPmif4gLbgJr-AGN6XDc/s320/Sept+%252711+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here's what it looked like after it dried.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSCamxV3-jUSSNPweDb0U2jhy_6tTIJdNof3EnsovWHBdAhsWg4gnTFVmS8NsFUkwv1-UBArouqx_F70Zi8oW8nh3xhePe0HvMfz-2irBvviMQocbjEn0CYCeFcY3LygIVemGOMJQjZY/s1600/Sept+%252711+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSCamxV3-jUSSNPweDb0U2jhy_6tTIJdNof3EnsovWHBdAhsWg4gnTFVmS8NsFUkwv1-UBArouqx_F70Zi8oW8nh3xhePe0HvMfz-2irBvviMQocbjEn0CYCeFcY3LygIVemGOMJQjZY/s320/Sept+%252711+016.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
After peeling off the "G" I filled the bottom with some rocks and them put a candle in it (both of which I had on hand.) Ta-da!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9uAZItZStw2j6m9KWtJ3_UR86N3n9_CydVh-QQZByDSxH3xE57OKhs0mId7nHTjjMBpGUCeF3eiXcGtVQmD7JdyaP4Q7J3pFe34yZVZe0KPAgT2DLKJ2fUztAHdSkp3uX16UoUnPYbg/s1600/Sept+%252711+077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9uAZItZStw2j6m9KWtJ3_UR86N3n9_CydVh-QQZByDSxH3xE57OKhs0mId7nHTjjMBpGUCeF3eiXcGtVQmD7JdyaP4Q7J3pFe34yZVZe0KPAgT2DLKJ2fUztAHdSkp3uX16UoUnPYbg/s320/Sept+%252711+077.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was super impressed with how it came out! SOOO easy!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here's the cost break down:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">vase: $2.99</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Krylon Frosted Glass Finish spray: $9.98 (and I didn't have a coupon :s)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">contact paper: $0 (already owned)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">candle: $0 (already owned)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">rocks: $0 (already owned)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">TOTAL: $12.97</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On-Going Total for wedding gifts <a href="http://jellybeansandpolkadots.blogspot.com/2011/09/wedding-gift-numero-uno.html">uno</a>, <a href="http://jellybeansandpolkadots.blogspot.com/2011/09/wedding-gift-numero-dos.html">dos</a> and tres: $25.23</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Not bad for a three piece, personalized wedding gift!</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-34522857973671872232011-09-27T07:59:00.000-07:002011-09-27T08:01:28.275-07:00Wedding gift, numero dos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I mentioned <a href="http://jellybeansandpolkadots.blogspot.com/2011/09/wedding-gift-numero-uno.html">earlier</a>, we went to the wedding of a couple who has everything, so I made them three personalized items. Numero uno was a <a href="http://jellybeansandpolkadots.blogspot.com/2011/09/wedding-gift-numero-uno.html">Christmas ornament</a> made from their wedding invitation. Numero dos was inspired by <a href="http://oneofakindgiftideas.blogspot.com/2009/10/featuring-frame-date.html">this</a> framed wedding date that I found on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">pinterest</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the finished product:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-zsu3JIoFt-pI5GikboGPwA78wPINc6iGm4mWhbX1K2qcxDdueztbQHod8WpFAHlds6UXbKLu1rURstcYDLaHXsgaQprBjuxml7oe7ZSN4p0VxU1d_M_WqkxLyZ2p5GzEcZWgCoDh7I/s1600/Sept+%252711+080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-zsu3JIoFt-pI5GikboGPwA78wPINc6iGm4mWhbX1K2qcxDdueztbQHod8WpFAHlds6UXbKLu1rURstcYDLaHXsgaQprBjuxml7oe7ZSN4p0VxU1d_M_WqkxLyZ2p5GzEcZWgCoDh7I/s320/Sept+%252711+080.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The couple got married on Sept. 10 (hence the 9-10-11), so the babe and I went on a walk one morning and I took pictures of numbers. I may or may not have gotten some weird looks from people driving by. The 9 and 10 are from mailboxes and the 11 is from a garbage can. Romantic, I know. </div>Then I took my camera to Targhetto, cropped the pics and changed them to sepia (to match the brown frame), put them in the frame and voila, instant wedding present:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Total Cost:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Frame: $10.26 (on sale at Michael's)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Pictures $0.75</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">TOTAL: $11.01</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On-going total (including numero uno): $12.26</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Numero tres is up next!</div><div align="left"></div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-73802094889170336602011-09-23T14:26:00.000-07:002011-09-23T14:26:16.341-07:00Wedding gift, numero unoJustin and I went to a beautiful wedding a couple of weekends ago. The couple had registered at one of those donate-to-our-honeymoon sites. I checked it out, but wasn't sold. (Something about typos on websites that I give my credit card number on makes me feel like my identity may or may not get stolen...) So that was a no go. Back to the drawing board. This couple has everything. They have a hovercraft. They have everything. I don't know them super well (the groom is one of Justin's poker buddies), so that made figuring out what to get them even harder. That's when I decided I would make them something and headed over to my dear friend <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">pinterest</a> where I found this <a href="http://christyrobbins.blogspot.com/2011/07/wedding-invitation-ornament.html">adorable idea</a> for a Christmas ornament made from the couple's wedding invitation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">And can I say how easy it was? The only things you need are a clear ball ornament, the invitation, scissors and a pencil. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 1: Cut the invitation into strips. I made mine various sizes. Try to get strips with things like their names and the wedding date.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 2: Wrap each strip around a pencil to curl it.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3dmyVscCKvPjnhqKbCGx_mBC-4kXIC9BqaozUVtk0feJS8YOUzcEh66Vo0TsCkceacq9ZAVBz7E5Jg0vWXFuh8LJSPj7LTaesbWkmAng5PYpn5zxrWEnHLUKGWKezRWrNhW6OcOo4Cg/s1600/Sept+%252711+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3dmyVscCKvPjnhqKbCGx_mBC-4kXIC9BqaozUVtk0feJS8YOUzcEh66Vo0TsCkceacq9ZAVBz7E5Jg0vWXFuh8LJSPj7LTaesbWkmAng5PYpn5zxrWEnHLUKGWKezRWrNhW6OcOo4Cg/s400/Sept+%252711+018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 3: Take the top off of the ornament and put the curls in. <em>If using glass ornaments, be careful of sharp pokeys at the opening...ouch.)</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 4: Put the top back on, tie a ribbon and admire your handiwork.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK7MKwyBhDaakqhIsHSsC2zuTExA-TV5NRuVvzXrjwMAzmDKfM1n_vKXyAmZH2ER_s-GDmA444XBWzPO8r5eYPJJT6hKtNMefIkNuM7LxU_N_73Vyw2JgY3ChrSCfCtvIz4lCqZ2aRJo/s1600/Sept+%252711+083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK7MKwyBhDaakqhIsHSsC2zuTExA-TV5NRuVvzXrjwMAzmDKfM1n_vKXyAmZH2ER_s-GDmA444XBWzPO8r5eYPJJT6hKtNMefIkNuM7LxU_N_73Vyw2JgY3ChrSCfCtvIz4lCqZ2aRJo/s400/Sept+%252711+083.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Total Cost:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">- Ornament: $1.25 (I got a 4-pack for $5 at Michael's)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">- Invitation: free</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">- Ribbon: free (I just grabbed some from my stash)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">TOTAL: $1.25 - not bad for an adorable and personal wedding gift!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Stay tuned for info on the two other things I made for them</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-71398284875697935372011-09-12T06:02:00.000-07:002011-09-12T06:02:05.938-07:00TarfWhat's that? You've never heard of a Tarf? Seriously? Do you live under a rock? Probably not, because I just made that term up. Pretty catchy. Anyway, a Tarf is the love child of a T-shirt and a scarf. I saw <a href="http://punkn.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/t-shirt-sleeves-into-shorts-and-a-t-shirt-scarf-mini-tute/">this</a> on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a> (go figure) and it looked easy enough.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYkd7ejoUQAJaaoOOQepEZFSKJlOB2bKdRAegB2BZ2hbGfx14SUoNpmOy_ejVFrWZouAZcX-wufjLyUfJpxhp_47TS8zusl5OB66tN83CZXLhp4mMLz4k8r3KJkOJAY30LOuHal78fRk/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYkd7ejoUQAJaaoOOQepEZFSKJlOB2bKdRAegB2BZ2hbGfx14SUoNpmOy_ejVFrWZouAZcX-wufjLyUfJpxhp_47TS8zusl5OB66tN83CZXLhp4mMLz4k8r3KJkOJAY30LOuHal78fRk/s200/075.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
This project requires all of 4 things - old T-shirt, cutting mat, ruler, rotary cutter. You could probably get away with just the T-shirt and some scissors, though...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Tzk0OLWrYO3APJE4AV2jUWJR7DLUMEkz155XMRdVNbnr7llo0zhdGFufxO5VhIt-oxho8nhzQRZ182ZaOGoiXgVi-uPt4jEXq8GM4ophonwNpcJdhQbOovZJQ2vyD0RnfjBA4ztedl0/s1600/065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Tzk0OLWrYO3APJE4AV2jUWJR7DLUMEkz155XMRdVNbnr7llo0zhdGFufxO5VhIt-oxho8nhzQRZ182ZaOGoiXgVi-uPt4jEXq8GM4ophonwNpcJdhQbOovZJQ2vyD0RnfjBA4ztedl0/s320/065.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 1: Square up your T and cut off the bottom hem<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OBTZ-YE7qYNrbg8o_akNPF6_r67rf-pwqOrX0gTGohefpoGvKg-YuhKABrJjZiJrxSfygkNXeg5vGgSxGMY94qf-dL_0b2suRe-2b81kvaLW9RKvIztS9Cn6sX_bAa1vB9MlsNvabV8/s1600/066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OBTZ-YE7qYNrbg8o_akNPF6_r67rf-pwqOrX0gTGohefpoGvKg-YuhKABrJjZiJrxSfygkNXeg5vGgSxGMY94qf-dL_0b2suRe-2b81kvaLW9RKvIztS9Cn6sX_bAa1vB9MlsNvabV8/s320/066.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 2: Then cut your T into strips. I think mine were an inch or an inch and a half wide.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWA1wW7iM3oIgx069n8-s79pYBGjeb_DRILcbScI3VKqUmiFrsvOrZBjAMXnuE_6WVpj7Rz4UZC1L5SIGOah6JYgzDjIsEONDExagRFDgUq6AacenttTDTAsFW8epEtdsMUA10zD0xao/s1600/067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWA1wW7iM3oIgx069n8-s79pYBGjeb_DRILcbScI3VKqUmiFrsvOrZBjAMXnuE_6WVpj7Rz4UZC1L5SIGOah6JYgzDjIsEONDExagRFDgUq6AacenttTDTAsFW8epEtdsMUA10zD0xao/s320/067.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 4: Grab a strip or two and stretch it so the edges curl. You'll have a pile like this when you're done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5d2X4FvvfoLJJQyyCIidBsRond75y-H8sQaNsknNVL5woLto6FRPmZE6EDKoK5rfBLGLfc1_ZZwIn3Fnb0SoBXxIekY_gv2PlnSDc-IDkpgS3M77kt-1O52HKB4KPUMulVXoj45EL8w/s1600/069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5d2X4FvvfoLJJQyyCIidBsRond75y-H8sQaNsknNVL5woLto6FRPmZE6EDKoK5rfBLGLfc1_ZZwIn3Fnb0SoBXxIekY_gv2PlnSDc-IDkpgS3M77kt-1O52HKB4KPUMulVXoj45EL8w/s320/069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 5: Put your new Tarf on!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYkd7ejoUQAJaaoOOQepEZFSKJlOB2bKdRAegB2BZ2hbGfx14SUoNpmOy_ejVFrWZouAZcX-wufjLyUfJpxhp_47TS8zusl5OB66tN83CZXLhp4mMLz4k8r3KJkOJAY30LOuHal78fRk/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYkd7ejoUQAJaaoOOQepEZFSKJlOB2bKdRAegB2BZ2hbGfx14SUoNpmOy_ejVFrWZouAZcX-wufjLyUfJpxhp_47TS8zusl5OB66tN83CZXLhp4mMLz4k8r3KJkOJAY30LOuHal78fRk/s320/075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<em>I had a few loops that were longer than the rest after stretching. So I just didn't use them. </em><br />
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So easy! It seriously took me less than 15 minutes, including gathering my supplies. (Side note: Does anyone ever say "It <em>jokingly</em> took me..."? And that's how my weird brain works.)<br />
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Go make yourself a Tarf!shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-49465487157551792372011-09-06T12:37:00.000-07:002011-09-06T12:37:30.371-07:00Drawstring Bag<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I made <a href="http://jellybeansandpolkadots.blogspot.com/2011/09/fabric-letters.html">fabric letters</a> the other day for a friend's little boy and wanted something fun to store them in. So what did my brilliant mind come up with? A drawstring bag. I know, super original. I had never made a drawstring bag before, but I only made one mistake while sewing it. I call that a success.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
I suppose it would be a lot easier to make a drawstring bag out of one big piece of fabric. But where's the fun in that? And I kind of wanted to keep with the "rainbow colors" theme of the fabric letters, so I did a little extra sewing. Honestly, I don't really remember the dimensions for my bag. I just piled the letters on top of the piece of fabric and it looked like a good fit so I went for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 1: Sew some strips of fabric together to make a larger piece. <em>How's that for vague instructions?</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp11wcprNGhUgErZ0pcUUc27iGYO9Nio3ONgdEDZXs0Rkflk1RVLatuVU098c9sG-sS2J7XXqW4PLktH4TL81QZgen77BHsWp8IbNWo8zbv7vswpIYhqoKH8pCvbybOtQ2q851TtOc6p8/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp11wcprNGhUgErZ0pcUUc27iGYO9Nio3ONgdEDZXs0Rkflk1RVLatuVU098c9sG-sS2J7XXqW4PLktH4TL81QZgen77BHsWp8IbNWo8zbv7vswpIYhqoKH8pCvbybOtQ2q851TtOc6p8/s320/052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I decided to make the top of the bag (where the drawstring goes) a different fabric. I did this because I thought it would be easier to make and thread the drawstring tube without all the seams from the colored fabric getting in the way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Step 2: Fold one of the long edges over about a 1/4 inch and sew it in place.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEC9lXU-amcYzi-z57zWOsCE4vuvj5O4pxHc2p34gW9CNYVjJTVaodaBX-XgQmvbR7tXmwLmPJjJKPN9aVeK9YQTOe5aSyuFqGUuk7bzV2g2JoXMsd0LmhGTlpUnkQ6j6S36S7KhkkbBE/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEC9lXU-amcYzi-z57zWOsCE4vuvj5O4pxHc2p34gW9CNYVjJTVaodaBX-XgQmvbR7tXmwLmPJjJKPN9aVeK9YQTOe5aSyuFqGUuk7bzV2g2JoXMsd0LmhGTlpUnkQ6j6S36S7KhkkbBE/s320/053.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Step 3: Make a little hem on the short ends of the fabric. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the hem is kind of triangular so that there's room for that little drawstring-closure dealy when the bag is finished. <em>Also if you look closely, you'll see the mistake I made. I sewed the tube for the drawstring before hemming the short edges. I'd like to say I noticed the mistake quickly, but that would be a lie. I had completely sewn the tub and had the fabric in my sewing machine ready to hem those edges when I realized that would actually sew the tube shut. Genius. Pure genius.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxOroj07CgOj_OJocYtUozu4qriIXF-nFvDN3mdsVeid-dnv9D1sTgFCJkjWzhO9dBmbbD58yAJX0Ki0wm6tOQJdcrVtRShOwB_KTAx8S7XUpkyDihX-9pq8sl-RcioLYEALc8TD-MFs/s1600/056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxOroj07CgOj_OJocYtUozu4qriIXF-nFvDN3mdsVeid-dnv9D1sTgFCJkjWzhO9dBmbbD58yAJX0Ki0wm6tOQJdcrVtRShOwB_KTAx8S7XUpkyDihX-9pq8sl-RcioLYEALc8TD-MFs/s200/056.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Step 4: Then fold the long edge (the one that you hemmed in step 2) over about 1 1/2 inches and sew in place (this is the tube for the drawstring, so adjust the width as necessary for your string).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6c2Lq0qZf4r40_7hQL4ZRHqagXoS-4_dRapH1Lz2CFy7ZirlLYtCEDU7PdW8aForsY4IS7tgGFzNbbCssU6yXmy44nbY8cvTeqX1UYiC_d8sET9XLB1sg4BLAv14ZSCrA-0qgsmP5Bg/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6c2Lq0qZf4r40_7hQL4ZRHqagXoS-4_dRapH1Lz2CFy7ZirlLYtCEDU7PdW8aForsY4IS7tgGFzNbbCssU6yXmy44nbY8cvTeqX1UYiC_d8sET9XLB1sg4BLAv14ZSCrA-0qgsmP5Bg/s320/054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Ta da! You have a tube for your drawstring!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VquNxQ5RkFjMlKxmJjsfrNcn81hTdQelG53Rma3tCWbJyLvug0uic8iqGNrpFIstFxJuG5_LFplFcY5IuWfVsoEy00BxkITky82byaZt5hy5jpGnj9X5lcqZ7R321TYKZK1n5yRKg3M/s1600/058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VquNxQ5RkFjMlKxmJjsfrNcn81hTdQelG53Rma3tCWbJyLvug0uic8iqGNrpFIstFxJuG5_LFplFcY5IuWfVsoEy00BxkITky82byaZt5hy5jpGnj9X5lcqZ7R321TYKZK1n5yRKg3M/s320/058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Step 5: Attach the drawstring piece to the rest of the bag, sew the bottom and sides up, thread the drawstring through, attach the drawstring closure thingy and you're done!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_-ByDJa7DtwjWLQl4XnHWvtZ5MxnNCJ3eMb7F9JsH7ECGCLQOdzMJjjTjuTdCH7ZAMv6nu_2xXY6IwZX48fqoXqs6q7_O2LhrX3ISX1IkdwxLwmBfOZM1o9EvaIR5RGyMxK-GbFesHI/s1600/059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_-ByDJa7DtwjWLQl4XnHWvtZ5MxnNCJ3eMb7F9JsH7ECGCLQOdzMJjjTjuTdCH7ZAMv6nu_2xXY6IwZX48fqoXqs6q7_O2LhrX3ISX1IkdwxLwmBfOZM1o9EvaIR5RGyMxK-GbFesHI/s320/059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here's the finished product!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHtgvRBci_LqHflAYvK6ssxWUAq676BtsUudZk54o_P75eZZkB4fUS7JBCFUSgUF_CbvWquL7SPQbe9B-WySrX1AFAx7y9Z09Ux-q1pwlgP4GZzl2fyJjOAVDRHJscuiakhL2AIuop1c/s200/062.JPG" width="150" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2OIk39OO1z-Ebccy6EvLySeg7nyMsjjGEPAsvoBMQE41eQFEySSl00rVRUYoQ-WZREmi7YD5pHFxJZsFumsd6un3DUd656kwAISYkKxC8KQ9NkYs6m-qGRYZBoY_i_CWI7tZ2sxBeZA/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2OIk39OO1z-Ebccy6EvLySeg7nyMsjjGEPAsvoBMQE41eQFEySSl00rVRUYoQ-WZREmi7YD5pHFxJZsFumsd6un3DUd656kwAISYkKxC8KQ9NkYs6m-qGRYZBoY_i_CWI7tZ2sxBeZA/s200/063.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-65358014475808474602011-09-05T08:56:00.000-07:002011-09-05T08:56:50.205-07:00Fabric Letters<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I love fabric. If I were being honest, that "love" might teeter on the edge of having a sick obsession. Tomatoes, tomahtoes. Anyway, my friend <a href="http://www.lauralilarson.blogspot.com/">Laural</a>i's little guy was turning one and I wanted to make him a fun gift. I found my <a href="http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2009/10/tutorial-how-to-make-plush-alphabet.html">inspiration</a> on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">pinterest</a>, of course. They were adorable fabric letters - love. For this project you need an assortment of fabric, batting, letters to trace, a fabric pen and a sewing machine.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbebnAUu-_OVDGbzEq2JeUkvqBy1jZhV04Q6Pc0D3elv6mql_pSPt1-ZONeihK66a0WdjEeW1k88JF-aIKQ5nCXZzqTlgHeHlBq6Um-BMdxofTtYhR3d0m2d5rHBz2FFrLSkF2xAY_ao/s1600/044_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbebnAUu-_OVDGbzEq2JeUkvqBy1jZhV04Q6Pc0D3elv6mql_pSPt1-ZONeihK66a0WdjEeW1k88JF-aIKQ5nCXZzqTlgHeHlBq6Um-BMdxofTtYhR3d0m2d5rHBz2FFrLSkF2xAY_ao/s400/044_crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The first (and most fun) step in creating these bad boys is to get all of your fabric together and decide what order you want it in. I did mine in rainbow order with some brown at the end. Theoretically you'll need 26 different fabrics. The little boy I was making these for has some double/triple letters in his name, so I ended up needing 29 fabrics.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyGrjJnWAMCPG93Jnh0caK46QW9qVFz7ZAf3cZtsW2Xy33yxjkSmoaGUvW4ZkZPXfvuhxDpBdrw0FDrr72JBOVKHQKPXzS39VXbpK4N41zGHkwngePIGV55dJhfEnERx5VCIoH531BmY/s1600/August+%252711+023_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyGrjJnWAMCPG93Jnh0caK46QW9qVFz7ZAf3cZtsW2Xy33yxjkSmoaGUvW4ZkZPXfvuhxDpBdrw0FDrr72JBOVKHQKPXzS39VXbpK4N41zGHkwngePIGV55dJhfEnERx5VCIoH531BmY/s400/August+%252711+023_crop.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The next step is to cut your fabric and batting into squares/rectangles that will fit the letters. To make my letter templates, I just did a word document with a font and size I liked, printed them on cardstock and cut them out. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">This picture is probably not the best to use for this step, but it was the only one I took. On the right side of one piece of fabric, trace the letter <em>backward</em> using a disappearing ink fabric pen. (I realized after tracing this one that my "J" is most definitely NOT backward...) Then you're going to make a little sandwich of fabric (right side touching the table), batting, batting, fabric facing up. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBT47ihE_Rg6rI8ZFQ8VUMUkZagCT1W09k2A2M4wPaPVs0Z3_1Nv2FCktOXdIx5kQrZdwLmzyWj6oTmNYAqcxR4Npkuos6b2ssReOtj-sMwOuG6bgSGTrfz8YTxYgLaa08xga7EQ8LtRQ/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBT47ihE_Rg6rI8ZFQ8VUMUkZagCT1W09k2A2M4wPaPVs0Z3_1Nv2FCktOXdIx5kQrZdwLmzyWj6oTmNYAqcxR4Npkuos6b2ssReOtj-sMwOuG6bgSGTrfz8YTxYgLaa08xga7EQ8LtRQ/s200/042.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Next, you're going to pin it together and sew along the lines. If the letter has a middle piece that needs to be sewn (A, B, Q, etc.) I found it was easiest to start with that part and then do the outside. After you've sewn on the lines, use your fabric scissors and cut about 1/4 inch away from your sewn lines. And that's it! You could probably use an X-acto knife and cut out the centers of the letters that need it, but you don't have to. I didn't.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Here's my completed pile of letters! </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuesa83EGTB6zV1oSfcH6oQNX2wNycAO2mrRmX7qqAEtZG6sq15dia4RpczgM_Xl4A2WJOiOxSptBhz4CGCjLVovoAnSffWZC2Ub8iG3kP1hVQTDDe_MzDtWj1FdMP3_UkfMJ78rafNOA/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuesa83EGTB6zV1oSfcH6oQNX2wNycAO2mrRmX7qqAEtZG6sq15dia4RpczgM_Xl4A2WJOiOxSptBhz4CGCjLVovoAnSffWZC2Ub8iG3kP1hVQTDDe_MzDtWj1FdMP3_UkfMJ78rafNOA/s320/049.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">And here's the birthday boy's name in his new letters</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQsV8fIio87L55qXUDejr6ji6PA9dJchrSO9U52Pt2ZZ62VHLWxD4O63LP8aS7GHGyd7QGKElQLEuj04CDEFTJePjgSjn6jbYXWFobzhbwbLpzlfe_lJXlRiPcMUDu40eUpE4N26x-Gw/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQsV8fIio87L55qXUDejr6ji6PA9dJchrSO9U52Pt2ZZ62VHLWxD4O63LP8aS7GHGyd7QGKElQLEuj04CDEFTJePjgSjn6jbYXWFobzhbwbLpzlfe_lJXlRiPcMUDu40eUpE4N26x-Gw/s400/046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also made a little drawstring bag for the letters that I'll post soon. :)</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-26022719363386955882011-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:002011-08-20T12:28:01.911-07:00Challenge!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My cousin Jill issued a challenge on Thursday. "Make one Pinterest-inspired item by Saturday." That was all it took for me to go through my boards and select something to make. I'm a sucker for a challenge - but only if it's something doable. Challenge me to make something crafty or bake a fun recipe? I'm in. Challenge me to climb a mountain or solve a tough math problem? Totally out. So I guess I like challenges that aren't very challenging...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We're going to a birthday party tonight for one of our best friends - he's turning the big 3-5. I said I'd bring a little something sweet. And what did Pinterest have in store for me? <a href="http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/04/no-bake-vanilla-cake-batter-chocolate-truffles.html">No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Truffles</a>. Sold. And they are SO easy! And don't they look festive?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznA3XjJ7qCQrJx29-4c9-OSXH_utgXqPTV88Kbc-fBkXp2ZZsix0OnIWwMHhJB7PJlP8y5Hfp87k2Rv4qrLD7RidRZx0mStz-kU_H7UQ3YAbGBlNZlPMKHr-2CZAvt4J-rkmloAMjn1w/s1600/August+%252711+012+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznA3XjJ7qCQrJx29-4c9-OSXH_utgXqPTV88Kbc-fBkXp2ZZsix0OnIWwMHhJB7PJlP8y5Hfp87k2Rv4qrLD7RidRZx0mStz-kU_H7UQ3YAbGBlNZlPMKHr-2CZAvt4J-rkmloAMjn1w/s400/August+%252711+012+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Truffles (<em>I doubled this recipe and it was a good amount to bring to a party)</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup vanilla cake mix</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 1/2 - 2 cups chocolate chips (you can also use chocolate almond bark)</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Directions</div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Combine the cake mix, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. It will be a very firm dough. </div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Roll the dough into small balls and place on a parchment or wax paper covered cookie sheet. (If the dough gets too sticky during this, place it in the fridge for a few minutes.)</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Place the cookie sheet of dough balls in the freezer for about 15 minutes.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. I like to melt mine in a mug - it makes dipping easier.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dip each dough ball in melted chocolate and then place back on the cookie sheet. Put sprinkles on before the chocolate hardens.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once all the dough balls are covered in chocolate, put the cookie sheet back in the freezer until the chocolate is hardened.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Store in the fridge or freezer</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I was left with about half a bag of cake mix. What's a girl to do? Why, go back to her pinterest board and see what other cake-mix inspired recipes she's pinned. And that'shat I did. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And that's when I found these beauties. <a href="http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cookies-bars/hackshins/cake-mix-cookies">Cake mix cookies</a>. And only 3 ingredients? Done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQ-9H83ljy8RuOBy-iRlqUGWp8usRr5sh9WLbegS6JXaRQ7TU4J3bDLhHtWHziXD3kGSjjMZCmGVDrr_MlwHc50YZqnOrb-RJW4G30S9ieXGKEDbV427Vo_XUtN9BVPanvkDeSGIDNLc/s1600/August+%252711+021+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQ-9H83ljy8RuOBy-iRlqUGWp8usRr5sh9WLbegS6JXaRQ7TU4J3bDLhHtWHziXD3kGSjjMZCmGVDrr_MlwHc50YZqnOrb-RJW4G30S9ieXGKEDbV427Vo_XUtN9BVPanvkDeSGIDNLc/s400/August+%252711+021+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Cake Mix Cookies (<em>I only had half a box of cake mix, so I halved this recipe.</em>)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">One box cake mix</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">2 eggs</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup oil</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">whatever mix-ins your little heart desires</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Directions:</div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Heat oven to 350.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Combine cake mix, eggs and oil. Stir in your chocolate chips, nuts, etc.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Drop by the spoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Bake for 10-12 minutes</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">So easy! And delicious.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks, Jill for the challenge!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>PS - I also made one other sewing/crafty project, but it's for a 2-year-old birthday that's coming up on October 1st...stay tuned!</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: right;"><br />
</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-44589435171184783512011-08-18T08:22:00.000-07:002011-08-18T08:22:19.682-07:00Mint Condition Cookies<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was my dear friend Sara's birthday on Tuesday. Sara lives all the way out in Washington state. :( One of Sara's favorite things in the world is a Mint Condition from Caribou. Mint + chocolate + coffee = happy Sara. One of the bummers about living in Washington (aside from being far away from friends and family) is that there are no Caribous. Poor Sara. So for her birthday I wanted to send her something to remind her of home - aka a Mint Condition. I figured the good ol' USPS probably would not approve of me sending a cup of coffee through the mail, so I decided the next best thing was to make a mint condition in cookie form. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXdtWTRfAKvkeo9yf9irKyREMKAcUcmv0EIuw6wbI5MgGcGcRASEoIrEzXz3wfQ6zWjJS-o4S2vJUdstc9WwG-CTOVk_sBseTe-AL-vBUhWfeQzno-iFP233Uo-Urm1yr94YNoC0h-0g/s1600/August+%252711+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXdtWTRfAKvkeo9yf9irKyREMKAcUcmv0EIuw6wbI5MgGcGcRASEoIrEzXz3wfQ6zWjJS-o4S2vJUdstc9WwG-CTOVk_sBseTe-AL-vBUhWfeQzno-iFP233Uo-Urm1yr94YNoC0h-0g/s400/August+%252711+048.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Sidenote: Why do people always take pictures of their baked goods in mugs? When's the last time you ever used a mug to serve cookies? But, I'm nothing if not a band-wagon joiner, so enjoy the cookies-in-a-mug picture.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I combined a bunch of different recipes and here's what I ended up with:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Mint Condition Cookies:</div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">2 teaspoons instant coffee granules</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1 tablespoon milk</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup firmly packed brown sugar</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup butter, softened</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup sugar</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">2 eggs</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">2 2/3 cups flour</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1 teaspoon baking soda</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">dash of salt</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup Andes Mints baking pieces (or other mint chips)</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup chocolate chips</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Directions:</div><ol><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Heat oven to 375.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Dissolve the coffee granules in the milk. Set aside.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Add the coffee mixture, melted chocolate and eggs.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Add the flour, baking soda and salt.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Stir in the mint and chocolate chips.</div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.</div></li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">They were pretty darn good! You could also drizzle a little chocolate over the cookies when they're cool....mmmmm. Enjoy!</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-70423903210627954792011-08-16T16:58:00.000-07:002011-08-18T08:22:36.409-07:00Extra Milk?<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I had a gallon of milk that was getting near the expiration date and was still 2/3 full. There was no way I could use that much milk in 2 days, but I didn't want to throw it out. What's a girl to do? I poured the milk into ice cube trays and froze it. (I figured I can freeze breastmilk, why not try it with cow's milk? TMI?) It worked! Now I use those cubes for milk shakes or smoothies (this one was milk cubes, a banana and some pineapple juice)<span style="color: red;">.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHJEZsT9SY4j_o9cY-hPPhXpYhUTIJ0LCcEaKSvmGFdMQV_eGzWTVjYowKRM9wzSD1sxhnowqnbJcAmssiDiFpKFvEBzhw2umWLLrZNPnPjsRNCFLgVIYBXwaHbQ_JH_7VbiodF3b-8I/s1600/August+%252711+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHJEZsT9SY4j_o9cY-hPPhXpYhUTIJ0LCcEaKSvmGFdMQV_eGzWTVjYowKRM9wzSD1sxhnowqnbJcAmssiDiFpKFvEBzhw2umWLLrZNPnPjsRNCFLgVIYBXwaHbQ_JH_7VbiodF3b-8I/s200/August+%252711+026.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-45745497105720217342011-08-14T19:24:00.000-07:002011-08-14T19:24:07.292-07:00News Flash!I think I like coffee. I've always liked the flavor of coffee in things like coffee ice cream, but could never bring myself to drink it. That is until yesterday. I was reading a friend's blog (<a href="http://lauralilarson.blogspot.com/">Mommy Monologue</a>) and she had posted a recipe for Greek Iced Coffee. And I thought, "Heck, why not try it?" So try it I did. The <a href="http://lauralilarson.blogspot.com/2011/08/diy-wednesday-greek-iced-coffee.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MommyMonologue+%28Mommy+Monologue%29">recipe</a> is super easy and uses instant coffee granules so if you're like me and gave away your coffee maker that you never used, you can make this! It's so yummy and made paying bills yesterday WAY better. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSZtbtzsops5aLrLIw0Ckq7rTjGgbxAZd2bzk18WZhD8nbX2DReHzE8yQYtwMoFmiXX5DMw3cWDTTrJJZTC96uJuIhBM4Oa6ksLXLUimdWq28oWQjOxMZt45kEd9KFpGYlhSUodfTEok/s1600/August+%252711+030_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSZtbtzsops5aLrLIw0Ckq7rTjGgbxAZd2bzk18WZhD8nbX2DReHzE8yQYtwMoFmiXX5DMw3cWDTTrJJZTC96uJuIhBM4Oa6ksLXLUimdWq28oWQjOxMZt45kEd9KFpGYlhSUodfTEok/s400/August+%252711+030_crop.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Last night, I used this recipe, added some ice cream, hot chocolate mix and extra milk and poured it into a popsicle mold. Can't wait to try my mocha pops today! Yum! Thanks, Laurali for the recipe and making a coffee drinker out of me!</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-52075276560592678852011-08-13T08:18:00.000-07:002011-08-13T08:18:51.138-07:00Yum<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, I'm slightly addicted to <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">pinterest</a>. It's my little escape. It gets me motivated to do cool things around the house and cook fun things. And fun things I have cooked. Like these:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOgtkjJRVcrElkhPCJFLiwwQp8BHPWsnYncPR6TWDhQHyg36sK1buIydT_gveI2L-QDVSUp7ocY2Rqs2SMLVPN2MKC_x9M8F8TzAepHas7JPkpLnL-nm1V6sPQpm4XS8Txd2k7DncYV8/s1600/August+%252711+017_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOgtkjJRVcrElkhPCJFLiwwQp8BHPWsnYncPR6TWDhQHyg36sK1buIydT_gveI2L-QDVSUp7ocY2Rqs2SMLVPN2MKC_x9M8F8TzAepHas7JPkpLnL-nm1V6sPQpm4XS8Txd2k7DncYV8/s320/August+%252711+017_crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">What is all that deliciousness, you ask? Why it is an Ulitmate Chocolate Chip Cookie 'n Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar. Seriously amazing. I've made them twice now and they've been a big hit. The <a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/new-recipes/ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookie-n-oreo-fudge-brownie-bar.html">recipe</a> calls for you to make your own cookie dough from scratch. While I have THE best chocolate chip recipe in the world, I'm sometimes on the lazy side so I used a mix from a pouch. Cheater. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Really, you don't need much for these amazing bars - chocolate chip cookie mix, brownie mix (and the eggs, oil, etc. needed for both) and some Oreos. I recommend the double stuff. Why? Why not?</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Mix up the cookie dough and pat it in the bottom of a greased 9x13. Arrange the Oreos on top (don't worry, you don't use all the Oreos so there are some for you to munch on...). Mix up the brownie batter and pour it on top. I like to add some chocolate chips to my brownie batter because that's what this recipe needs, more chocolate. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Okay, after typing this post I may or may not be going to the grocery store to get cookie mix, brownie mix and Oreos. Don't judge.</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-55744054628369026172011-08-12T06:14:00.000-07:002011-08-12T06:14:50.523-07:00Chickpea Nuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made nuts out of chickpeas. I'm pretty much a magician. That, or they're not actual nuts, just baked chickpeas. I guess the secrets out then - I'm not a magician. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ingredients: Chickpeas, olive oil, whatever spices you want (good ol' s&p for me)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCFnZMLlEjbahPgsUyMI0OCEp7Xn8JI-nLqx6Q_kBLB0hM2IH_VXdBcUSo9GjvTQMbc_tJ1H0KvEFxkBBoBLKmQ_BcSRZs6cO7A5guZDt13AY5kCOATFXkgJiODzngjAP0fxL3w0ugAk/s1600/August+%252711+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCFnZMLlEjbahPgsUyMI0OCEp7Xn8JI-nLqx6Q_kBLB0hM2IH_VXdBcUSo9GjvTQMbc_tJ1H0KvEFxkBBoBLKmQ_BcSRZs6cO7A5guZDt13AY5kCOATFXkgJiODzngjAP0fxL3w0ugAk/s320/August+%252711+002.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">Rinse your chickpeas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJO1bmr1HLbQbUKlSkAbxHU6nb7FwhvNMGEdmHjmt9rmACnciOZxSPVy7LeHnLuJBc7dj3sRBEgLSR_Lvv0Gcmq4bL0zqzQG8V984E-gfz9IZ5s27efWTxC02hTIrBE4Fd9TS0HoDxUc/s1600/August+%252711+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJO1bmr1HLbQbUKlSkAbxHU6nb7FwhvNMGEdmHjmt9rmACnciOZxSPVy7LeHnLuJBc7dj3sRBEgLSR_Lvv0Gcmq4bL0zqzQG8V984E-gfz9IZ5s27efWTxC02hTIrBE4Fd9TS0HoDxUc/s320/August+%252711+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">Pat dry with a paper towel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8s2hkJbwPuLCX7TbmAJmtWesdbwSyDBF70Y1vPXhczS7yWxA5qWWCRg6VL6zLV74lWECljw1SNP8XtlAIJrjXG0rKTMymGpJ0aLvbkEH_walAxiM6RgjSmyZE4roAXe8FSCtIlEZtEE/s1600/August+%252711+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8s2hkJbwPuLCX7TbmAJmtWesdbwSyDBF70Y1vPXhczS7yWxA5qWWCRg6VL6zLV74lWECljw1SNP8XtlAIJrjXG0rKTMymGpJ0aLvbkEH_walAxiM6RgjSmyZE4roAXe8FSCtIlEZtEE/s320/August+%252711+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and spices.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRkLbjX0pkWcVobpAyFssJZhpki-ZUCIclIzAAYpXvxxVkRrtZwZq_Vj4YX4P3tBqC-x6w4jYKZIPdZOMOKKsbCbncMQMdPKcFavLTU4weEKCBN3RgrdES6Kq8uae_H22czxS1Kv0iIA/s1600/August+%252711+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJRkLbjX0pkWcVobpAyFssJZhpki-ZUCIclIzAAYpXvxxVkRrtZwZq_Vj4YX4P3tBqC-x6w4jYKZIPdZOMOKKsbCbncMQMdPKcFavLTU4weEKCBN3RgrdES6Kq8uae_H22czxS1Kv0iIA/s320/August+%252711+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">Put them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes, or until brown and crunchy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLX33oaffyeWnjQyiRwylz8XRlLRA_qEVJNHv-3FzIC4lWxoN597ks07S5LjsFelXm9JBoTk1u9yB-vmmo7nykfwWLcT-e0GyH65LAJuC8n5HxyFs6zC4qCI6a3FAqSbDqSjFnOUHqsKQ/s1600/August+%252711+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLX33oaffyeWnjQyiRwylz8XRlLRA_qEVJNHv-3FzIC4lWxoN597ks07S5LjsFelXm9JBoTk1u9yB-vmmo7nykfwWLcT-e0GyH65LAJuC8n5HxyFs6zC4qCI6a3FAqSbDqSjFnOUHqsKQ/s320/August+%252711+014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">Voila! Chickpea Nuts! (Next time I'll cook them a little longer, some were still a little soft...)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio4AUK5Otrofs-1V_3-waYVFR_pwfyP4Wrzwq_imnwW0BFfr5DY6XaSat_veZW7MXyOQr7krPYZifxE7T5BpZo_LRcHalK_n6n4QgEl8z-Cq3qbDvtl57-n3ckPTO-rKiMZN7pmK1UkE/s1600/August+%252711+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio4AUK5Otrofs-1V_3-waYVFR_pwfyP4Wrzwq_imnwW0BFfr5DY6XaSat_veZW7MXyOQr7krPYZifxE7T5BpZo_LRcHalK_n6n4QgEl8z-Cq3qbDvtl57-n3ckPTO-rKiMZN7pmK1UkE/s320/August+%252711+021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Easy, healthy little snack. :)</div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-63339296826258639432011-08-09T11:34:00.000-07:002011-08-18T08:23:08.704-07:00Baby Food Co-op<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Drew started eating baby food about a month and a half ago and I decided that we were going to homemade baby food. I wish I could say that I made that decision because I want only the best, organic, no-weird-stuff-added food going into my baby's belly. I mean, I guess all that's true, but the real reason I decided to go the homemade route is because I'm cheap, I can get one jar of baby food for a buck, or a pound of sweet potatoes which makes the equivalent of about 4 jars of baby food. Sold. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">After making sweet potatoes and then carrots for Drew, I realized making baby food is kind of time consuming. And if I wanted my child to have some variety in his diet, I needed a new plan. And so the Baby Food Co-op was born. It's basically the same as the cookie exchanges you do around Christmas, but with homemade baby food. Five other moms and I each made a ton of one type of baby food, froze it ice cube trays, and then had a little party where we swapped. Okay, we did more than swap at the party. We drank some wine, had some yummy appetizers and desserts and chatted. Without kids. It was glorious.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Confession: I was all about having this be a "moms only" night and <strong>thought</strong> I had made plans for my mom to watch Drew. Come to find out, what she thought the plans were and what I thought the plans were didn't quite match up. :) And Drew was only awake for about 15 minutes of the party. Hooray for early bedtimes!</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">My contribution to the baby food extravaganza? Peas and parsnips. I know, I made two things. I'm kind of an over-achiever. Not. (Who says "not" anymore?) Apparently parsnips are not the most popular vegetable and I cleaned out our local grocery store and didn't have enough. (We were supposed to make enough for each person to go home with the equivalent of one ice cube tray of each food.) So I made peas as well.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>My peas and parsnips in all of their baby food glory.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MZaqiRXDUPQxljQuiCsddeBB5-sfLbTT0a3oTwMksXlZSWA3nhRl7oFfCoK_NRoMtF6frjVW5leYiGn4dpi1NR8sERzHu0YI9pd5isID_oQpvhRn-qAcKhviUaK8MW2g5D7F1x3Tfdg/s1600/July+%252711+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MZaqiRXDUPQxljQuiCsddeBB5-sfLbTT0a3oTwMksXlZSWA3nhRl7oFfCoK_NRoMtF6frjVW5leYiGn4dpi1NR8sERzHu0YI9pd5isID_oQpvhRn-qAcKhviUaK8MW2g5D7F1x3Tfdg/s320/July+%252711+039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>The lovely ladies at the party</em></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>(Sarah, Samarah, Erin, me and <a href="http://lauralilarson.blogspot.com/">Laurali</a>. <a href="http://www.knittingformybaby.blogspot.com/">Emily</a> is taking the pic.)</em></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>We each ended up going home with peas, parsnips, applesauce, carrots, plums, peaches and pears!</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9EUbrCZfPdkaub4BZ2rbvV2-5bzqtj-X2hGzGSaIpUCE0pvgy1RXb6OxSZiAs-suykQPiA2ct7A9IhfMplcLGCpDplLlA2C-Sd61wDRlwY9pmWQMOan2UnGSESPiaRwAUdaahscH9-g/s1600/IMG_2506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9EUbrCZfPdkaub4BZ2rbvV2-5bzqtj-X2hGzGSaIpUCE0pvgy1RXb6OxSZiAs-suykQPiA2ct7A9IhfMplcLGCpDplLlA2C-Sd61wDRlwY9pmWQMOan2UnGSESPiaRwAUdaahscH9-g/s320/IMG_2506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>And here's the babe enjoying some of his tasty food.</em></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXc6zgJRv9oDfBR-2KBJB0G3YtYQECElnKwA2JVb-P1HEnuN_gvTaOpIIrGKb2vh7V1aGJkVu5SmG281SnD3uuLsRU99pUKhUebhmvqm7uXzBCX-BrKkYXYxJH4SKQw_ougW0H_WYS79A/s1600/119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXc6zgJRv9oDfBR-2KBJB0G3YtYQECElnKwA2JVb-P1HEnuN_gvTaOpIIrGKb2vh7V1aGJkVu5SmG281SnD3uuLsRU99pUKhUebhmvqm7uXzBCX-BrKkYXYxJH4SKQw_ougW0H_WYS79A/s320/119.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-70095361317692466162011-08-02T19:13:00.000-07:002011-08-02T19:30:23.976-07:00Word to the WiseWhen we moved into our house (6+ months ago) there were tons of little holes in the walls where the previous occupant had pictures hanging. And some not-so-little holes where she had her TV mounted on the wall. Justin got right on filling in those holes after we moved in. (One day I counted - there were 18 spots. And that's only what I could see from the sofa.)<br /><br /><br /><br />And then life took over and we lived with little white spots all over the walls. It was kind of obnoxious. And possibly a health hazard. One friend that came over thought she was getting a migraine because she was seeing white spots. I told her not to worry, we were all seeing the spots. That is unless we were all getting migraines...<br /><br /><br /><br />After living with the white spots for over 5 months, we (a.k.a. Justin) decided it was high time to paint them. So he broke out the Navajo White (our favorite Behr neutral) and his trusty paint brush and started making the white spots disappear. He only said abra-cadabra once. Or maybe that was me...<br /><br /><br /><br />After painting over the first few spots, we had to double check the paint color we were using because it just wasn't <em>quite </em>the exact same. This should have been our first clue to investigate a little further... But the can said Navajo White so we kept on going. (For future reference, replace every "we" with "Justin". I actually did nothing.) We figured the paint just needed to dry.<br /><br /><br /><br />After drying, it still looked a little off, as seen in this picture:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVkvqn_iSACgGgwvyn4AvPf8npTioW6ZUqTco1BCREuGkYOVHYYNjN6T9cwArZscAKyO9HelMoQMhMkKYYh1wLV1oL9ud2PQYqqGWiWirZYJHOgXBXRukaci7CtADXJRhbzWISWJDpoY/s1600/011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636447346350112434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVkvqn_iSACgGgwvyn4AvPf8npTioW6ZUqTco1BCREuGkYOVHYYNjN6T9cwArZscAKyO9HelMoQMhMkKYYh1wLV1oL9ud2PQYqqGWiWirZYJHOgXBXRukaci7CtADXJRhbzWISWJDpoY/s400/011.JPG" /></a> Wowza. Looks like some greasy-handed person wiped their hands all over the wall. But alas, that was not the case. The real cause of the problem? We used Navajo White in this house and our former house, but in <em>different finishes</em>. We apparently used the eggshell paint to touch up the flat paint. Awesome.<br /><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><p>But in keeping with our we're-really-good-at-not-finishing-projects vibe, we haven't fixed it. And probably won't for a while. Or ever.<br /></p><br /><br /><br /><p><br />So word to the wise, don't just check that you're using the right color for touch ups - check the finish as well.</p>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017687525675709851.post-2889348813267431442011-07-28T11:31:00.000-07:002011-07-28T11:57:03.731-07:00Dream Come TrueA couple years ago I went to LA to visit one of my dearest friends, Sara. While I was there Sara introduced me to fro yo. That's what they call frozen yogurt in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">SoCal</span>. And that's what they call Southern California in Southern California. Anyway, I fell in love with fro yo. Like, for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">realz</span>. We ate it at least once a day while I was out there. A. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mazing</span>. I love the serve-yourself-get-exactly-what-you-want-and-feel-healthy-about-it vibe. When I got home, I told Justin that we need to open a fro yo shop. I gave him this great business-y sell about how there's nothing like it out here, people trying to eat healthier, etc., etc. He knew that I really only wanted to open one so I could have fro yo whenever I wanted. Which is pretty much all the time.<br /><br /><br />Fast forward to about a week ago. Justin came home from work and told me about a new fro yo place he'd heard about that's about 20 minutes from our house! (That may sound like quite the drive, but EVERYTHING is 20 minutes from our house - Target, the mall, the good grocery store, our church...) It took all of my self-control not to run to the car and go get me some fro yo. Oh man. That was a lot of self-control.<br /><br />On Tuesday, Justin had the afternoon off and asked what I wanted to do. "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Iwannagetfroyo</span>!" was out of my mouth before he even finished his sentence. We ended up stopping at Goodwill (it was a bust) and then heading down to <a href="http://www.freeziac.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Freeziac</span></a>. It was amazing. For those of you not familiar with fro yo, here's a play-by-play for you:<br /><br /><br />Step 1: Grab a cup<br />Step 2: Fill it up with whatever flavor(s) of fro yo your little heart desires.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.freeziac.com/"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634474101308817506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqdckDtqD0SAcyquzUTtvB-uoec00O-jOtUZWyaSNoLGq9e7ELnVTY31XDOh99pGdAGGsL6jR5JbaY0dJrds7tfDxAYcBmhV1QBgk6_AF583Z9AnORNkIpA8r5GGNIvyue6s5L6s4Z9Q/s400/014_crop.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TD0gf37LSsdoOc9BXCYEaD7RdXPnrWnHGvjOqso3LvlN3dwL8rkp31_Gcz235xrT_LB3FCYrZz-WDyJvLyRKDez4T8JzLGCfF08hIL-O3v5EZpcmJ_uRaCJiG5HQJRdbsCclncAD9_c/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634474086731035698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TD0gf37LSsdoOc9BXCYEaD7RdXPnrWnHGvjOqso3LvlN3dwL8rkp31_Gcz235xrT_LB3FCYrZz-WDyJvLyRKDez4T8JzLGCfF08hIL-O3v5EZpcmJ_uRaCJiG5HQJRdbsCclncAD9_c/s400/017.JPG" /></a><br />Step 3: Load on the toppings. <em>A note to novice fro yo-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ers</span>: Go with the lightest toppings (think shredded coconut, marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs) instead of the heavy ones (think candy bar pieces, nuts, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">pineapple</span>). Since you pay by the ounce, this is the best way to get the most for your money.</em> </div><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4h6LRJMPt8ivlP3QPwu_SFZQPo-WkkTgMur94OirzmnrEuBKOc6Hu6sPgO7bNmWaXsdmqVEQbkk5LVYCCRox6PWM-bTjJ-CFhyhTGyBnq-ogJww4KTyPBcQ2nvAfHFfjfsS1E8Rlv9U/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634474077284175090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4h6LRJMPt8ivlP3QPwu_SFZQPo-WkkTgMur94OirzmnrEuBKOc6Hu6sPgO7bNmWaXsdmqVEQbkk5LVYCCRox6PWM-bTjJ-CFhyhTGyBnq-ogJww4KTyPBcQ2nvAfHFfjfsS1E8Rlv9U/s400/015.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzBxGH3yYC8R2E-_YefpezBAYTakF4g9YqY-rI0gW7cbsUr0BYUL83roGUQBtuPEZckX5EYaHmKTqahNzadhZQtfEHCtviLbU5Jss9Cjp01740EwwHBQVz-CGV_KaBebwrqe5fqF_qJs/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634474070251838722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzBxGH3yYC8R2E-_YefpezBAYTakF4g9YqY-rI0gW7cbsUr0BYUL83roGUQBtuPEZckX5EYaHmKTqahNzadhZQtfEHCtviLbU5Jss9Cjp01740EwwHBQVz-CGV_KaBebwrqe5fqF_qJs/s400/016.JPG" /></a> Step 4: Take your creation to the cashier, set 'er on the scale and pay up. (My quite-full cup cost less than 5 bucks.)<br />Step 5: ENJOY!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh351Ur4v9-zcwwFStsDHidbCvI9t0z0Y7YeDZpcCwA8eFgOrpyT2ukqrYcBxI0s25chpYzuVwU2YmuspBt3ZQRiNkwlJ0cyjt37VDs2FEsAGttv0P9GtvPsVx9mXCpn60olHu5n1MtsMc/s1600/018.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634474055625233826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh351Ur4v9-zcwwFStsDHidbCvI9t0z0Y7YeDZpcCwA8eFgOrpyT2ukqrYcBxI0s25chpYzuVwU2YmuspBt3ZQRiNkwlJ0cyjt37VDs2FEsAGttv0P9GtvPsVx9mXCpn60olHu5n1MtsMc/s400/018.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div>Just looking at that picture makes me want to go there right now. Too bad the baby's sleeping. I can't leave while he's sleeping, right? Even if he's in his crib and has no way of getting out? Not that I'd ever think of doing that....<br /></div><br /><div>As we were walking to the car after our fro yo extravaganza, I stopped, looked at Justin and said, "I really, <em>really</em> love fro yo." He said, "I thought you were going to say you really, really love me." I said, "I do!" He said, "I don't think I've ever heard you say it with as much meaning and passion as you just had for fro yo." :) Ah, the power of fro yo.</div></div></div></div>shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18430835007283500503noreply@blogger.com0