So many mini-milestones...

I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones, the fact that our second son will be here soon (only 2 months left!) or I'm just that sentimental but it just seems that our little peanut is growing up so fast. I can remember how tiny he was just a mere 9 months ago weighing in at 7lbs (he was 7lbs 8oz when he was born but they always lose weight the first few days).  It is hard to beleive he will be 9 months old tomorrow. (Happy Birthday Peanut!) Now he's over 20 lbs and learning so much so fast. For example...
Just 2 months ago:

• still figuring out the whole rolling over thing. He is pretty chunky and would rather fuss if he got stuck than actually make the effort to roll over on his own
• would flop backwards sometimes and bonk his head on the floor. That really hurt his feelings!
• wasn't so sure about textures of different foods. He was pretty stuck on liquid baby food that he could just swallow easily. And if you gave him any solid he just played with it or would toss it off his tray.
• liked the idea of drinking out of a "big" cup but it mostly just ran down his front and he liked sticking his hands in it more, especially if it had ice in it

Peanut (AKA Charlie) at 7 mos

Just 1 month ago:

• figured out how to roll over and really liked being on his belly. Even started pushing up but got tired easily
• D-R-A-M-A-T-I-C about food texture. Stick a chunk of soft food on his lip and he'd dry heave and throw up until it was off. Got to the point he wouldn't even open his mouth unless he could inspect the spoon to ensure it didn't have any visible chunks on it. If it did, he'd push it away and clamp those little lips down tight. Waay too much drama for this mama and it sent daddy in to orbit when he'd be so dramatic (very scary for daddy to watch him dry heave). But we I kept trying...afterall you have to learn some day.
• And we have a WINNER! Graham Crackers were the ticket...eventually
• favorite part of meal time - the sip of water at the end in his "big" cup (still wouldn't touch a sippy cup). Most of it went down his front but we learned to actually sip some too.

Peanut at 8 mos

Just in the last 2 weeks:

• realized that texture wasn't so bad if you just chewed gummed it in to submission (no teeth yet so "chewing" is more like gumming) so that opened a whole new world
• Graham Crackers are still a favorite but we're willing to try chunky baby food and other table food within reason. Won't get all crazy and try anything but we'll try some things.
• began rolling and pushing in order to wiggle around to new places, but we still don't go very far
• can twist and turn and reach while sitting up with very few flops forward or backwards (i.e. face plants in to the floor)

Just this week:

• pushed himself all the way around the couch on the hardwoods to the front door. I about panicked when I couldn't find him and then heard him talking and he was across the room! We aren't crawling yet but we're figuring out if we push and wiggle, we can go backwards. Uh oh. I'm sure he'll figure out crawling right around the time I'm 9 months pregnant or just had the c-section and can't chase him around!
• decided that if he can't feed it to himself, he doesn't want it. Refuses to let you feed him unless you can sneak in a bite or two between handfuls of food he's shoving in. Do you know how hard it is to find food for a baby who has no teeth and can't really chew yet? Let me just tell you, there aren't tons of options.

splish splash! bath time (last weekend)

playing on the table at the pool

So little peanut is just growing and developing so fast. I just can't believe it some days! And to think we have baby Cole who will be here in just 8.5 more weeks. He'll be so little compared to his big brother. I'm having a hard time remembering those little days already. Of course Daniel will be entering his nervous dad stage. The first 4 months always stress him the most because they are so little and vulnerable. And me? Yep, I'm a little stressed about those sleepless nights AND chasing around an 11 month old. But so many other couples make it, so I'm sure we will too. Irish Twins - here we come! God has such a funny sense of humor. OK, I'll stop with the sentiments and the reminiscing...at least for now.

How about you? Do you have moments where you just can't believe how fast time has flown? Any good suggestions on finger foods that mush very, very easily?

Sweet as a Georgia Peach

I love this time of year when you can get so many yummy fruits and veggies for great prices at the grocery stores and farmers market. It gives me an excuse to try new recipes and experiment.

As you recall, I made a yummy blackberry cobbler not long ago (see here) to which my hubby was quite skeptical...until he tasted it. I think I may have gotten 2 servings from the last one I made only because I threatened him and made him feel guilty for stealing from his pregnant wife. So when the new Southern Living came out and the topic was peaches, I couldn't wait to see the recipes. Here's a delicious peach pie recipe that I adapted from the July 2011 issue.

Peach Pie

2 ready made pie crusts (I prefer Pilsbury)
8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (be sure they aren't overly ripe and mushy or they will be too juicy for the pie)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 Tbsp
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp butter, cut in to pieces

Preheat oven to 425. Place one pie crust in pie pan. Peel peaches then cut in to large bite size pieces. Add brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon and salt and mix until peaches are thoroughly covered. Add to pie crust immediately. If you make ahead, the peaches will become too juicy. Cover with butter pieces then top with other pie crust. Be sure you seal the edges really well by crimping/pinching tight. Sprinkle the top with the 1 1/2 Tbsp of sugar. Cut 4-5 steam vents in the top of the pie. Freeze the pie for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put a pan in the oven to heat for 10-15 minutes. Place the pie on the hot pan and bake in the lower rack for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake an additional 40 minutes. Then cover the pie with aluminum foil so it won't brown too much and bake another 25 minutes. Don't worry if the juices bubble through the top of the pie, this is normal. Cool for 1-2 hours.

It's important to put the pie on a pan when you bake it because the juices will overflow and trust me, cleaning up peach juice and baked sugar off your oven is not fun or easy! (and no, I didn't do skip this step thankfully)

I think this is best served with vanilla ice cream and slightly warm. Yum!

Bon Apetit!

Wreath...take two...and how-to

Today was the realtor open house. Good feedback thankfully, just not exactly a "hot" location for the Columbia market right now. Boo hiss. So in preparation, last night I'm scurrying around trying to get everything cleaned up...again. How is it possible to get so dirty so fast!? Oh wait...that's right, I have a husband, 2 dogs, 2 cats and a baby. 

Anywhoozle, once most of that was done, or at least the part I could do the night before, I found myself looking around for any last minute updates. I have a pretty critical eye so I was fluffing pillows and making sure tabletops were organized correctly. Then it hit me. I never got around to making my front door wreath. The outside looked so pretty thanks to my hubby's hard work over the weekend but the door was naked. Eeegads!

Here's a picture of the naked door. Don't worry, this is a G rated blog.

And no, I haven't gotten around to removing the ivy poop yet. I keep hoping it's going to magically disappear but no luck yet.

So off I went to pull out my craft items. I had gotten some things at our local Hobby Lobby a while back but just never got around to it. And honestly, mostly because it was a theory on what I wanted to create more than anything so I had a mental block about starting the project.

You'll remember from this post that I tried a wreath from the internet and it was a big fat whopping failure. Been searching ever since. My ever so creative friend, Melissa, posted a wreath she created from burlap and fabric a while back. And another friend, Thersa, who is an artist, suggested I use moss for a wreath, which I love. So I decided to combine the two ideas. Keep in mind this was all done in my head, which can sometimes be a scary place, especially when it comes to design. And yes, instead of daydreaming, I typically design dream (make designs ideas up, rearrange furniture, etc...all in my little head)

Here are the materials you'll need:

1. 2-3 bags of Moss, depending on the size of your wreath and type of moss - I used a new sheet moss. Easier to use in some ways since it was held together by a flexible sheet but not always easy when it comes to wrapping around a circular wreath form. So any type of moss will do as long as it's the color you like.
2. Wreath form - I bought an inexpensive foam one to use
3. Small amount of fabric - scrap fabric is cheap and easy if you can find the pattern you like
4. Ribbon
5. Hot glue and glue gun
6. Large tacks or upholstery tacks

I chose a funky fabric in pink because our outside flowers and birdhouse are pink. Girly but hey, when Daniel starts making wreaths then he can pick the fabric.

First I covered the entire wreath form in the moss. Don't be intimidated by it. Just hot glue chunks of the moss one section at a time. And don't forget to do both sides if you have a glass front door. You don't want to see foam from the inside! Perfection isn't as important but it does need to look "clean."

Next I cut out circles from the fabric. I used a wine glass top and drew on the back of the fabric then cut them out. Now in my head I was supposed to cut out enough to cover a good portion of the wreath. In reality, after getting more tired by the minute and realizing how much of a mess I was making that I would now have to clean up, I cut out like 8-10. Kudos to you Melissa for cutting out as many as you did for your wreath!

Once those were cut out, I simply tacked them on to the wreath in a bunch. I used extra large silver tacks I found in the craft section of Hobby Lobby...or was it the sewing section...I lose track in that store so easily since I tend to wander. Seriously, all you have to do is push the tacks in to the center of the fabric and it naturally bunches to make it look like a flower. And to finish it off, I used 3 types of ribbon to make a bow. I used 3 types so it would add texture and volume.

Part way through the process, when I realized I totally didn't have the energy to cut out all those circles, I stopped taking pictures. That's when I decided to use 3 types of ribbon to make it fuller. I wasn't so sure how it was going to turn out but when I woke up this morning, I realized I liked it alot more than I thought I would.

And here's a picture of it from the outside...

I may go back and add more flowers. I haven't decided yet. Overall it added just enough warmth to the door to make it feel finished and it matches with the pink flowers and birdhouse.

Try it! It's not complicated and can easily be coordinated with the outside of your house or any season. You can add multi-fabrics or just one. The sky's the limit with this design!

Send me pictures if you make one or if you have a variation of your own handmade wreath. I love getting new ideas! 

Hearth - who goes there?

When we replaced the front door...oh say in 2009 since I can't really remember other than it was pre-baby peanut...I painted the front door black to match our shutters. I really wanted to paint it a fun color but our house color, hideous green, doesn't really lend itself to a fun color. If we decide to stay here another year or two, that will change too. Anywhoozle, I got a little happy while waiting for the front door to dry in between coats and slapped a coat on the bick exterior of our fireplace.

WAY old BEFORE picture before I got jiggy with the black paint:

And AFTER said jiggy-ness:

But the hearth was still not all that attractive. I had toyed with the idea of a do-it-yourself-tile-job but got scairt. I could just see me ripping it all out and then not being able to get it back down. The guys on HGTV make it look easy but lets face it. It's never that easy. So it's sat there...in all it's beige splendor. Not.

Last week we decided to have a realtor open house THIS week (gulp). And I got a little holy-guacamole-what-projects-can-we-do-over-the-long-weekend crazy. Hubby loves when that happens. But I didn't want to spend alot of dough in the process so that brought the project list waaaaay down. This project came up on the list as an easy, quick and simple change that will make the fireplace look a little cleaner crisper and newer. It was as simple as adding some gloss black paint to the hearth and another on the surround. I chose gloss because I thought it might be easier to clean in the long run, although semi-gloss would probably also work. Taping around the edges so as not to get it on the floors (although it's latex so it comes off easily) and 2 quick coats and that was it. I was sure to clean it  with Greenworks before applying the paint but there was no other prep work.

If I didn't have a big black TV over the mantel (not a fan but I chose another battle to fight in the adventure called marriage) and a big black armoire beside it, I'd paint the mantel black too or at least something other than white. But for now, the black hearth and surround looks much better and cleaner (well assuming I can keep the dog hair to a minimum).

Bring on the buyers! (pleeeeeeease!)

Let it shine!

Coming Soon to a computer near you: A sad post. We have a very pretty but rotting sycamore tree that must come down (assuming we don't sell our house in the next 30-45 days, hence the "coming soon" comment) But more on that later.

In the meantime, we had a medium size red-tip tree cut down. That sucker was blocking our ability to get back to the backyard AND it was blocking some of the sun to our garden. While I'm not a fan of cutting down tress (as you can tell by the intro of this post), there are some instances where it's OK.

Now I technically could have cut this down myself with a chainsaw. But we don't have one. I explained that to our friends at Sox and Freeman Tree Service but his prompt reply (he's a friend of ours) was "I know you are a strong woman but you have no business owning a chainsaw!" What!? Think I might be a little dangerous with one? Probably.

BEFORE said tree removal:

Do you even see the gate? Nope. And see how the guy is leaning? That's how we had to squeeze around the tree to get to the backyard.

And here it is AFTER:

Much better! Now the garden can have light and we can make it to the backyard minus any neck or head injuries. Another easy little update that makes life so much easier. OK, maybe not life - that's a little dramatic - but it does make accessing part of our yard easier.

So back to the sycamore tree...any suggestions on what to do with the stump that will remain? I'm toying with having them leave part of it so that I can use it for something like a place to hold a bird squirrel feeder, bird bath or plants? Have you done anything similar and can share some suggestions?

Area in question:

In case you can't read the labels - the Sycamore is the one on the right that has to come down



A proud DIY moment...

Ever have those moments when you're finished with a DIY project and you step back and go "ahhh, man, I did great work!" Not that you're trying to be conceited or pompous but you just know it looks so much better than it did before and it was exactly what you had in mind. I had one of those on Monday.

First, it started with a concept. We have a very small kitchen. That's tough for someone who loves to cook and bake like I do. So we have to make every inch count. This brings me to this wall...

In case you're wondering, those big cabinet doors are to our washer and dryer - European style. Our house was built in the early 1950's when the washer and dryer were usually housed in the kitchen. Eye sore. So the people prior to us built a clever cabinet around them. Not so great when you need to service the units but otherwise fabulous. 

Anywhoozle, the counter space is great but the wall wasn't very useful. The ONLY space we had to store food was a small little cupboard. Everything else is for pots, pans, dishes, bottles, etc. and even that isn't very much space.



See what I mean? Not much space to store food. Seriously...that's all the space we really had. Let's just say I'm in good with many of the staff at our local Publix grocery store. I visit often. So I figured why not put shelves up on the other wall that would allow me to store our dishes and glasses. It would not only be practical but hopefully decorative as well.

Off to the local home improvement store we went Friday night. (yep, we're that cool) I'm keeping them nameless because I was highly disappointed in a few of the things we found. My plan was to purchase pre-cut, pre-fab shelves and the brackets to hang them. Should take about an hour or so to install and viola - we'd be done. Famous last words.

Instead I found this...

Every one of the dark shelves was damaged. And not just a little damaged. I asked the sales guy in the area why they would sell them so damaged and he wasn't too concerned. Told me "they would sell like that" and all he would do is give me a whopping $1.00 off the price. Seriously? Ummm no thank you. Hubby thought I was being a little dramatic but I'm not paying good money for something that damaged out of sheer principle.

And with that Plan B was quickly implemented. Off we went to the lumber section, Hubby rollings his eyes but trying very hard to be patient. Little peanut wasn't sure what the heck was going on. It was his first time in a shopping cart without the carrier so he wasn't sure which way to look (he's facing backwards but going forward - waaaay weird for him at first) as I cart him off across the store. But he was a good sport. 



I found the same size board in unfinished white pine and all it needed was to be cut, which they can do for you in the store. Then I could stain it and it would virtually be the same, probably better since it wasn't made with cheap MDF and laminate. I considered the furniture grade wood but it was $40 per board and I needed 2 versus $17 for both boards in the white pine.

The Oh-this-will-be-a-snap project turned in to ugh-this-will-take-all-weekend project. But where there's a will there's a way. AKA a pregnant woman on a mission. I used Minwax PolyShades in Bombay Mahogany Gloss and applied 2 coats. And little tip, I thought putting them flat to stain would be better but it turns out that the stain can drip and leave heavier color underneath. It was much better to just prop them up and stain them while they were vertical. I also put a coat of Olympic High Gloss Enamel on them to make them extra shiny and tough since I had it already in stock (see this post).

Once those were dry, it was time to install. Daniel had plans to help me but since this was taking more time than originally anticipated, I ended up installing them on Monday night. He watched peanut instead (plus he was a touch grouchy so it was probably better for the marriage anyway). It was up to me to get these installed unless I wanted to wait till the weekend. And let's face it, I've never been good at waiting.

supplies

Installing the brackets isn't that complicated. Ideally you would find studs but our trusty stud finder wasn't so trusty. When I drilled the holes to put the white anchors in, there were no studs to be found. Stud finder, to you I say "liar liar pants on fire". Oh well. I created a grid on the wall using a pencil, laser, level and yard stick. Once the grid was in place (I installed three brackets per 50" shelf to ensure they were well supported), it's easy to put up the brackets in alignment. Took me about an hour or so to get them up. I may have been able to do it a little faster had I not also been helping with Charlie and working around a giant prego belly at over 6 months pregnant. Do you know how hard it is to bend over a cabinet with a big belly? Or twist underneath the shelves to screw them in to the brackets with a belly? Yep, made you go there.

Here's a picture of the shelves once they were up, although I still had to screw them to the brackets at this point. I forgot to get short screws at the store originally. Whoops. Oh and wondering what happened to the grid? The pencil grid wipes off easily with a Mr. Eraser sponge.

And here was my "ah ha" moment when I finished decorating and hung the art back on the wall. And yes, all this occurred on Monday night. I was on a roll. Although he won't admit it, Daniel was a bit skeptical of my project until he woke up the next morning and saw this.

Then he was a believer. Even called me a female Bob Villa. (I'm going to take that as a compliment, honey)  Doesn't it make a huge difference????  Now we have so much more space in the cabinets to store food, bottles and other necessities without them being so crammed.

Here's another picture from the side so you can see the decorate brackets. They are a bronze color to match the other kitchen hardware and cabinet knobs.

I still walk by every day and smile and say "I love you" to the shelves. Weird I know but I'm OK admitting it.  

So what about you? What home improvement DIY project have you done that you just fell in love with in the end?  Do tell!

You win some, you lose some

You win some, you lose some. At least I do when I try new recipes. This past Sunday, Daniel had to work, which is very abnormal. But he traded to have Friday off so he can have a 4 day weekend coming up. That meant after church he had to go to the gym and me and peanut went home. So what was I to do while peanut took his afternoon nap?

Logical choice: cook, bake, try something new. I have pregnancy ADD so I can't just sit and rest plus I am nesting which for me includes cooking. Well at least I think so. I've been pregnant so long now, I don't really know anymore. Side note: for those of you new to the blog, this is my second year in a row being pregnant. I like to blame most everything on being pregnant now. Especially when I bake copious amounts of desserts in a week.

I was craving peppery beef and ran across a recipe not long ago that I hadn't tried in my recipe box. I had planned on black pepper encrusted beef, roasted garlic potatoes, fresh salad and chocolate chip cookies (Daniel's favorite). Quick search on the internet found me a few potato recipes to experiment with, had my beef recipe so off to the grocery store peanut and I went. What better way for Hubby to come home than to a yummy meal? Or so I thought.

The beef was a bust.

Not only did I over cook it (Note to self: need a meat thermometer) but it was waaaayyy too salty. I mean, I ate two bites and couldn't eat anymore because my mouth was shriveling from the salt. I think the salt and soy sauce it called for was just too much. I may try it again but minus the soy sauce or minus the extra salt. Or perhaps I should just try a new recipe. This one took 3.5 hours between prep, marinating and cooking. Hard to make on a weekday. And I was SO disappointed after spending all that time preparing it and it turned out so ick.

But the potatoes were a hit!  {hands raised in victory - cue the clapping crowd}

So I thought I'd share the recipe since it was super easy.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

2lbs red potatoes (about 4-5 medium size), unpeeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste (be generous so potatoes aren't bland)

In a saucepan large enough to hold the potatoes, bring water to a boil.

Boil potatoes for 2 minutes (you're not trying to cook them through)

In a large bowl, combine the other ingredients

Drain potatoes and add to garlic mixture, mixing gently but thoroughly

Cover bowl and let sit for 20 min up to 2 hours

Preheat oven to 450 and place potatoes in baking dish

Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, then toss potatoes and bake another 10 minutes

A simple recipe with simple ingredients. Just what we need in our recipe box!

Bon Apetit!



 
So do you have a good black pepper beef recipe or something similar I can try? Otherwise, back to the cookbooks to find another one to try...I'll be sure to share successes (or failures) with you.