Life's a beach...

One of the advantages of having parents who retired to the beach is that well, you get to go to the beach for free! So not long ago we once again descended on visited Nana and Pop-E's house for a week. The boys have such a fun time visiting because there is so much to do and see in Beaufort, NC. They live just a block away from the water front and everything is side-walked. That means Charlie gets to walk as long as his little legs will carry him (and when they fail, he has Pop-E to carry him.)

The only downside...a 6-7hr car ride to get there (depending on how many times you have to stop). Without kids and if you don't stop, I think it's only 5.5 hours but rarely does that happen with us anymore. We did get smart this year and get a video player. That helped Charlie some but since Cole is still facing backwards, he had to just be entertained by his mommy.

How do you take such a long car ride with toddlers? Well for one, come prepared. We had snacks, drinks, movies and toys for them to play with. In adddition, we only stop if we have to. That helps us get there as fast as possible instead of prolonging the torture trip for them. Some think you should stop and let them stretch their legs but I say get there as fast as possible (but don't speed or do anything unsafe). We also opt to travel at night on the way there so they will sleep some. Most of the time that works but not always. On the way home, we travel around lunch and don't let them take a  morning nap. By this time, they are so tired from playing all week they usually sleep for a few hours of the trip.

This was Charlie happily munching on ice (his new thing thanks to Pop-E) on the way home...nice and peaceful.

And this is Charlie one second later as he dumped it all over our lap...but those few minutes he as quiet and happy made it worth it!



And cute little Cole forced to sit backwards and look at a seat the entire trip. Soon buddy...soon and you'll be able to face forwards.



Daniel likes to put his headphones on and listen to a book on tape. (or book on ipad) I would rather read or look at a magazine. And since Charlie was watching a movie with sound, it worked out perfectly that Daniel could check out.



And then there's me...trying to read and entertain the kids. I finally moved to the back seat part way through the trip so I could regulate entertain the boys as needed. 

 But I have to say, it's not as bad as one might expect. As a parent, I would highly recommend driving if it's less than 6-7 hours. Just prepare that they will get cranky, time it best with the child's schedule and bring entertainment.

Once we got there here are a few pics of the adventures. Cole got moved down the lower seat in the stroller which let him see better. Boy was he a happy camper! 

This one may be one of my favorites. We eat like kings when we are there since mom and dad are such fabulous cooks (recipes to come). One night we had a roast and one of the best parts are the bones. Cole and Daniel went to town...Cole has no problem diving in to any kind of food. Hmmm...who does that remind you of (like father like son?)

And then there is the fun of learning to look for bugs (or ants). We learned to say "shoo shoo buks" (and no, that's not a typo...Charlie can't say his "g's" yet so it is a "k" sound instead. 

 Charlie also loved playing with the lawn mower that Nana bought for $1 at a yard sale. Best buck she ever spent! We are afraid of the "momo's" in real life but this play one wasn't scary.

And who could resist the sunset walks on the waterfront at night (or early in the morning if you're woken up by say a 9.5 month old that gets up with the chickens).

Anyone else been to Beaufort, NC? Have any travel tips for long car rides with toddlers? I'm going back in a few weeks with just kids. The sitter is off for a week so we enlisted the help of Nana and PopE once more.

Father's Day 2012

I had to wait and post this late because I didn't want anyone to tell Daniel or my dad what part of their Father's Day gift was (and we weren't visiting my dad until last week). Here's how this project started...the week before Father's Day weekend, I decided that I wanted something more sentimental to give Daniel. I decided this oh...around Wednesday. My friend, Jaime, gave me a general idea and that's what sparked it. Before then I was so consumed with normal life and busy at work to think sentimental (shame on me). As you may recall, I made this for Daniel last year which is a shadow box of his dad's military medals.

Anywhoozle...I started Googling ideas and decided that handprints of the boys were the best option given my time frame. (although I did get some brilliant ideas for Christmas)

First let me share how we spent the weekend, after Cole was displaced from his seat by a very rude Pug (ahem...Stella), we spent the weekend working outside, relaxing and normal weekend activities. Daniel didn't want to do anything special so we just took it in stride.

As for his gifts, we got him some movies (Sherlock Holmes, the 2nd Ghost Rider and John Carter). If you didn't know, Daniel and I are huge movie watchers and we like to add to our collection as we can. It's what we do when we often times can't find anything to watch on TV. In addition, we bought him something he'd never get for himself - tinting for the front windows of his truck. And then there was the sentimental part...

This is to remind you when
 I have grown so tall,
that once I was quite little
and my hands were very small.

This is something anyone can do inexpensively. I got the the details from this blog. I still think hers looks better than mine but maybe it's because I need to practice more or maybe it's the paper I used. I think hers matched and coordinated a little better with her background. Anyway, I followed her suggestions but with a few tweaks.

Step 1:  paint a canvas - either mottled like mine or you can paint it one solid color (like my dad's). You can see below that this is mottled but for my dad's I just used red spray paint.

Step 2: cut out hand prints from any type of paper (thick wrapping paper, craft paper, leftover wall paper, etc). Be sure that you trace enough of their arm/wrist so you can adjust the length when you put it on your canvas. I had a friend come over and help me hence why you have no pictures of this step in the process. Getting two little boys under 2 to cooperate so I can trace their hands was no easy feat!

Step 3: after cutting the hands out, use Mod Podge to apply it to your canvas. Be sure that you leave enough room for the writing. I suggest cutting out the writing in step 4 and temporarily laying it on the canvas to be sure you place the hands in the right spot. When I did the mod podge, I put some on the canvas and then again over top of the hands, being sure to push down all the little fingers so they wouldn't curl.

Step 4: find your favorite saying or poem and print it in various fonts on regular paper. Once printed, turn it over and take a piece of chalk and rub it vigourously where the writing is on the reverse side. Don't go over the actual writing, you're doing this on the back of the paper. That way, when you trace it, the chalk will come off on the canvas.

Step 5: trace the writing on to the canvas. The chalk will stay on the canvas where you traced it since it's on the other side of the paper. You can also do this with pencil but I had better luck with chalk. Then take paint, a permanent marker or a paint marker and write over the chalk. The chalk or pencil will wipe off easily once you're done with the project.

Step 6 (optional): I sprayed a thin layer of clear acrylic over the project when it was dry so that the sheen was the same on the hands, paint and background. Made it look more uniform.

Here's a shot of my dad's:

You are the
World's Best
Pop-E
Hands Down!

Because of the space, I painted little stars around the middle of his since it looked a little plain. I also gently traced their hands in paint to better define them and put their names on the side of their hand print. That's all optional too.

The pictures don't do them justice...maybe that's the photographer and my rushed/secret state as I had to do this all incognito in 3 days. And maybe because I made 5 trips to Hobby Lobby until I finally figured out the paper situation and had my act together. That's what happens when you rush and don't think things through in projects like these!

Project Cost:
    canvas $4.99
    chalk $ free (already had)
    paint pen $1.99
    paper $ free (used scrapbooking paper but is 30 cents a peice if you had to buy)
    paint $3.99 for a small can (although mine was free since I already had this too)

          Total: $7 (or $12.50 if you didn't have all the supplies on hand)

Not bad! Both my dad and Daniel loved them and we'll always remember the boys when they were little now.

So what did you do for Father's Day? Any fun ideas you have for dad's? Daniel's birthday is coming up so suggestions are welcome!

The Mission: Organization...again

Currently this is our situation...

See a little problem? Yep. Me too. We have lots of stuff that needs to fit in a tiny small house. I don't want to throw away, sell or donate things that I know I'll want when we eventually move to another house. Or they are sentimental or I just plain like it. I'm definitely not a pack rat, thankfully, but I do believe in keeping something you know you may need down the road...even if it doesn't work currently. Otherwise, I just end up buying it again and that's a waste.

So once again I find myself in the need to reorganize our closets, baskets and other storage options. It seems that this is a yearly task at least. This all kicked off with my own closet. For a small 1950's house, we actually have his and her closets. Granted not very big but at least we don't have to share. Because that would be bad. Very, very bad.

One night, as I'm once again searching for a shoe and tripping over bags and coat hangers, I decided to work on a little re-do. The boys were on the bed playing and watching TV so I could keep them contained. Do you know I totally forgot I had some cute clutches I found in a bin? Score! In my excitement I forgot to take a before picture. Ooops. But here's the after...and yes, this is MUCH better than before. Keep in mind "lots of stuff, small space".

At this point when I showed Daniel the closet, he said "it's just a place for bags and shoes. You have a problem!" To which I replied, "no I don't, it just looks that way because I don't have alot of room."  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

You'll notice in the above picture that the clothes (shirts, tops, jackets are all on top) are organized by color. I started doing this many years ago and I highly recommend it. Makes it so much easier to find things that coordinate since color is often the primary factor. I've tried others ways (t-shirts together, blouses together, etc) but it always was hard to find the right coordinating item. I was even able to use those 3M hooks and get a large overnight bag hung in the dead space above my clothes (instead of underneath where it took up valuable space).

One of my favorite blogs, YoungHouseLove, had recently blogged about a week of re-organizing (although I didn't realize it at the time since I was waaaay behind on my blog reading). So thus inspired, I tackled the kids toys on Saturday.

First, I've heard read heard and read that kids will tire of toys quickly since they see them all the time. That seems to be the case with us. We have three spots where toys are stored: living room, boy's room and the guest/office/man room. The more I thought about it, the more I decided we should give him fewer options. I plan on rotating out the toys every 6 weeks-ish in order to keep them interested. So up went a huge bag of toys to the attic. Plus, a few that had balls were useless given that all the balls are lost. I'm sure we'll find them eventually. In fact, I vaguely remember one being in the fireplace.

First step - sort through all the baskets, bins and toy boxes to figure out what belongs to what.

Second step - put away all the baby blankets, burp clothes and other paraphernalia for babies that we don't need (for now). In other words, clean out this corner cabinet in the boy's room.

Slowly but surely I found all most of the missing pieces to their toys. I even found the lost duckling that goes to the red barn. It's one of his favorite toys since the four little barn animals all make sounds. It's how he's started learning animal sounds. (thanks Aunt Carol/Uncle Si!)

And we were left with bliss this...

side note: I'd like to move the chair in the corner back to it's rightful place so the basket can go there but we have a baby jumper where it belongs. So yes, this space is a little cluttered still.

Now I have a better place to store their shoes plus I have an extra basket that's totally empty! Whatever shall I do!? I'm sure I'll find something to store in there.

Perhaps the most dramatic change was their cabinet and reading corner. Take a look at the before again.

And now...

Ahhh. I love looking at the before and after. There's so much more room and that empty basket makes me want to leap for joy! Even Daniel commented on how much cleaner things were looking. Charlie even started playing with toys he hasn't played with in months. Seems to already be working. Well until he finds an electronic, dirty dish from the dishwasher, or cell phone he's not supposed to play with.

Next up...the dreaded bathroom, guest/office/man room closet, hall closet and hall cabinets. We also will need to clean out our bedside tables but more on that project later since we got a nice little surprise this week.

Here's a snap shot of what lurks behind the bathroom cabinet. It's amazing we can even get ready each morning.

Anyone have any great ideas for organizing under a small bathroom sink that has the pipes horribly placed right in the middle? Any other cute, crafty ideas for organizing?

The "To..." List

Now that life has settled own a bit...well for our "normal" anyway. I know to some it seems we still are running around like crazy but lets face it. That's not going to stop for quite a while with two little boys 10.5 months apart and still under 2. I feel like I need to create my "To..." List - you know "to do", "to get", "to sign up for", "to try"...


So here goes...

My "To...." List

1. Check in to Living Social and possibly sign up for said site.
2. Buy an iPhone since my blackberry doesn't seem to last very long.
3. Clean out all closets and drawers and re-organize to make more efficient space.
4. Sign up for Groupon. I dread more emails but I think it might give us some deals.
5. Create a swing set for the boys.
6. Create a sandbox for the boys. (thanks to Nana and Pop-E!)
7. Organize toys and pull half out. I want to be able to switch them out to keep them fresh and new for the boys. 
8. Refinish dresser (paint red).
9. Pay off remaining credit card balance.
10. Save for and buy king size bed.
11. Once previously mentioned king size bed is purchased, decide what to do with side tables (keep? paint? sell?)
12. Start using more coupons for grocery items. 
13. Stop being so picky on all brands of food for above said couponing.
14. Paint bedroom to match new coverlet.
15. Visit more antique, thrift and consignment stores for deals and steals. (I'm sure hubby will be thrilled. not.)
16. Finish Cole's scrapbook before his 1st birthday party.
17. Re-finish kitchen table.
18. Apply varnish or wax to kitchen chairs and table. 
19. Schedule all our favorite shows to record since changing out the cable box and sadly losing everything.
20. Check out spoonflower.com. To be sure I can use this somehow.
21. Add photoshop to my "want" list.  
22. Paint old window to hang on shed. 

Of course I can't do all of this in a month or even two but I feel better when I have lists. Makes it easier not to forget things. Because you know, I don't have enough things to remember on a daily basis. 

What's your "To..." list? Share! Maybe I'll think of something I forgot on mine! 

All things Cajun, Creole and French

Recently Daniel and I traveled to New Orleans for a wedding (hubs was a groomsman). Doesn't he look handsome in his tux? It was a nice excuse to visit a city we probably never would have gone to on our own...and it was a nice excuse to have a weekend without kids. My parents watched the boys, which of course they all loved. Who wouldn't enjoy being spoiled by Nana and Pop-E?

Daniel and I were excited to walk around the French Quarter (I love all things French) but most of all we were excited to try all the yummy food. I of course need to post about it now.

Thursday night we had the wonderful pleasure of eating at the Chop House. Our very sweet friends, and Daniel's clients, set up the reservations for us and, gulp, treated us. It was THE BEST I've ever had! My filet literally melted in my mouth.

For our appetizer we enjoyed a seafood platter that included garlic shrimp, lobster, lump crabmeat and crab bisque (four different items, not all together). I could eat the bisque for days on end, every meal. It was that good. I always like a ceasar salad so we split one of those as well.  For dinner we opted for the filet mignon and split it because I was already getting full. We also tried the onion rings you see in the picture. DELISH. Dessert? That huge chocolate cake you see in the picture. Did I say that this was one of the best meals we've had?

I'd like to say I slept well that night but my body was still accustomed to getting up with the baby so I woke up at 3am and then again at 5:30am and couldn't go back to sleep. Afterall, that's my normal schedule back home, which is an hour ahead!

We were told that we had to go have beignets at Cafe Du Monde. For those of you who don't know what those are, they are a French doughnut. Basically like fried dough with powdered sugar but better. The Cafe was established in 1862 and serves the original coffee that includes chicory as well as regular coffee served regular or au lait (with steamed milk). We opted for beignets and cafe au lait and ate them in the courtyard. Wonderful start to a lovely morning!


We strolled around the French Quarter that day before we had to head off to the rehearsal dinner. Our next big meal that's noteworthy was on Saturday at Red Fish. Of course it was going to be our last meal in the French Quarter so we got the full she-bang. We started with a trio appetizer of fried oysters, crab claws and seafood crustinis. The wonderful part is that they bring you a hot french baguette so we could sop up the sauce from the crab claws. I'm sure it was healthy. Butter, butter, butter with a few other ingredients mixed in. Daniel followed with the alligator and sausage gumbo. I had a bite and it had such wonderful flavor. We each had a poboy (me = oyster, Daniel = shrimp). I was so full that I just ate the oysters off of mine and left the bread. We also enjoyed the chocolate bread pudding for dessert. I made a point to take a picture of the menu with the Grilled Cheese Vegetable Sandwich. Daniel really wanted to order that too so I thought maybe I could make one similar at home.

By the time we finished that meal, I was toast. I couldn't eat anything else that had heavy cream, butter, fried or any note of richness to it. Even at the wedding reception, which had a tremendous amount of local food, I barely ate. The food was heavenly but I couldn't eat like that on a regular basis. Speaking of wedding receptions, somehow Daniel was roped in to having the bride sit in his lap while the garter was removed. He didn't know what hit him since he was literally grabbed at the last minute. Traditionally the best man is supposed to have this duty but it was the groom's father. Can we say awkward? So Daniel it was.

My one purcahse was a cookbook that looks to have some yummy seafood recipes that I want to try once the boys can have shellfish. I'll be sure to post any good ones.

New Orleans verdict: definitely a place to visit for a weekend but not somewhere I'd recommend for a lengthy stay and definitely not a place for kids. We came, we saw and now we can check it off our list.

Anyone else taken any fun weekend trips where the local fare was delicious?

Holy Guacamole!

Well folks, I'm back! Been wondering where I've been for the past few months? Well aside from working full time (which has been busy), playing mom to 2 cute little boys and attempting to be a good wife, I also was the Assistant Race Director for the Palmetto Half Marathon that was in April. This was the 3rd year and it was another huge success. But boy! Does it take alot of work and coordination = stress.

So I took a hiatus from blogging. Hey something had to give. And since I probably have maybe 7 followers, figured this didn't need to be on the top of my priority list.

But with that said - I have still been cooking and exploring new dishes so I'm going to try and get those up on the site soon. Just this week I decided to venture down the path of making fresh guacamole. If I were really clever (and had a few things less on my plate) I would have posted this on May 5. But c'est la vie! I've always been scared of making my own salsa and guacamole for some reason but not anymore! This recipe is from my Uncle Carl who is a fantastic gourmet chef in my opinion. If my mom doesn't know the answer to my cooking questions, rest assured my uncle does. So when he made this last year when I was pregnant, I couldn't get enough. I made him guess what he put in it because he "just makes it" and adds a little of this and a little of that (the sign of a great cook).

Fresh Guacamole

2 ripe avacados (Hass are best and in season right now)
juice of 2-3 limes (I used 3 for mine)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/3 bunch of cilantro* (stems and all)
1/2 tsp salt and pepper (or to taste)
2 jalepenos, seeds removed and chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped

*this is alot of cilantro so if you don't like a stronger taste, reduce the cilantro a bit.

Put all this in a food processor and blend until creamy. You can add water to it if you need a runnier consistency. You can make this in advance and store it in the fridge - just be sure to put your wrap so it touches the guacamole and it won't turn that ugly brown color.

Great served as a dip or as a condiment to any yummy mexican dish!

Bon Apetit!

Easy bake chicken

Well I have to admit I've been in a bit of a slump. After the holidays and Cole's big accident, I've spent the better part of two months catching up, both in chores and financially. Well that and trying to get this big race in April I help produce up to speed. And I think that led to a dinner slump. Ever feel like you make the same things over and over and over and over...? I even went through my recipe box and got bored with those (or they were too complicated to make in the 1 hr time window I have at night. But not long ago, someone suggested I try this easy recipe. I made it last night and it was really tasty and Charlie even scarfed it up. Definitely a repeat in Casa de Schrall!

Greek Chicken

2-4 boneless chicken breasts
2-4 lemons
sun dried tomatoes
capers
salt, pepper and garlic to taste

It's so easy! Take aluminum foil and make a little pouch for EACH chicken breast (they cook individually). Put a little EVOO down so that the chicken won't stick. Put chicken breast in the foil then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic. I was fairly generous with these for flavor. Squeeze juice of one lemon on each chicken breast and toss the rinds on top of the chicken. Take a scoop of sun-dried tomatoes and capers and dump on chicken. Wrap the chicken up but don't make it flush with the chicken, leave a little room for juices to flow (like a tent). Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes.

This makes a great sauce when it's done that keeps the chicken moist. I served it with steamed broccoli (and have a nasty steam burn to prove it. That's what I get for being healthy) and roasted potatoes.

Speaking of broccoli...many of you grew up with cheese on your broccoli but in our house my mom made this sauce out of mayo and lemon juice. Sounds gross but it really is quite tasty. Take a tablespoon of mayo (light or fat free is OK) and then put the juice of 1-2 lemons and mix till smooth (using a fork). It should be a little runny when you're done so adjust measurements until you get the right consistency). I think the sauce helps counteract the sometimes bitter taste of the broccoli.

Bon Apetit!