A Me Date (139:365)

Tonight I got to pick up some friends from the airport, which meant driving their car (which I am NOT friends with...Me + Robot Cars = Much Anger and Some Tears...you'll need to ask me in person if you want the full story) and being alone.

Alone.

Alone.

I haven't been alone for longer than a quick car ride somewhere in, I don't know. Can't even remember.

It was nice.

I was early (really they were late, but I'm glad they were) so I went to a little coffee shop and got a yummy slice of quiche and a hot apple cider and just played on my iPod and enjoyed some me time.

This reminds me of a comedian, Adam Johnson, who did a hilarious skit about dating himself, how he learned a little bit more about himself, how he kept making himself laugh, and how he noticed the little things about himself and really had a good time.

I couldn't find a clip of that anywhere, but man, it is funny!

And that's what I did tonight.

A date with myself.

Much needed.

Maybe I'll take myself out again sometime soon.

I think we had fun.

Cheese is Life (138:365)

Went to visit some friends today and afterward we all had a mom and kid lunch at Godfather's Pizza.

I told Scott and he made me smuggle him some pizza in my purse.

I know.

Anyway, while eating we decided that "cheese is life". 

Why? 

Because it is the perfect snack.

Because it goes with almost anything.

Because it is salty or creamy and delicious.

Why not?

Ask Scott why not.

He's lame about cheese.

Missing out on one of the wonders of the world. That's what I say.

Meatless Monday on Sunday (137:365)

When I remember, I try to make meatless dinners on Mondays a la Paul McCartney.

I ended up doing it tonight instead and made a yummy Minestrone soup.

Minestrone Soup

Chop 1 onion, 2 celery stalks and 2 carrots into small cubes.

First Drum Circle (136:365)

Dee participated in her first drum circle.

Okay, it was really some kid music man at baby gap, but he had 5 buckets with sticks for drumming and she and other kiddos banged away, so I'm counting it as her first drum circle.

It was really cute. 

She outlasted all the other kids and made the guy go into overtime.

I love having little musicians around here.

Music makes me happy.

BTW, if you don't listen to pandora.com you MUST!

It is the ONLY radio I listen to.

Just type in your favorite song or artist and it will customize a radio station for you.

And yes, it's free. 

Wouldn't do it if it wasn't, yo.

(My 2 favorite "stations" are "Peter Bjorn and John" and "Lykke Li". "Jingle Bells" is also awesome cause it's just old school x-mas jams.)

P.S. I guess I don't really know what goes on in "real" drum circles because scott was a little embarrassed by the title of this post. I thought people just played drums in drum circles. That's what they do in kiddo ones.

Black Friday (135:365)

Black Friday has become a tradition in our family.

Before I'd met Scott, I didn't even know it existed. 

This year was our 6th year or binge shopping.

It was my first year of visiting the Gap.

50% off everything! 

Luckily, my honey was able to come with me and hold the spoils in line while I picked up more things. A lady in line behind him kept complaining out loud about it, but she was just jealous her husband wouldn't come shopping with her at 1am like mine did. 

He's a keeper!

It sure is bizarre to bump into a friend at 1am at the Gap. It made the madness more fun!

After that, we realized we could buy most of the DVD's we wanted from Amazon for the same price as the crazy stores, and did just that.

Then, at 3:15am I braved Target alone to get a couple of things for myself and Jane.

And at 11:30am I got my sister to come to Old Navy with me to scope out those sweet deals.

We survived Black Friday 2010 injury free and now need to filter through stuff and make returns tomorrow.

There are always hasty purchases that must go back to their place of rest.

Anyone else indulge in Black Friday that has a tale to tell?

Turkey Day (134:365)

Today was a busy day.

First off, I ran my first race today. I was the middle leg in a 5k Turkey Trot relay. I ran with my friend Sara F. and my sister Sarah. We were team Saucy Cranberries and made hats and a sweet baton.

Not surprisingly we didn't win the race, but we had a very respectable time, which I will commend the Sara/h's on because I was SLOW. Sadly, we also did not win the costume contest or creative baton contest like I feel we should have because we (by we I mean Sara F.) were cute.

While we were running, Scott put the turkey in all by himself.

Yes, you read that right. He did it alone and it turned out great! I just may delegate that task from now on.

Then we went to a Pie Party in the morning at a friend's house because "you are too full to eat pie after dinner" so we ate it for breakfast instead. I thought it was a genius idea!

Then we had our friends Sai and Kyle over for dinner, which was really fun. We ate at noon which I plan on doing from now on because we've been noshing on leftovers all day!

What did you do, on this great day of feasting?

By the way, are any of you crazy like us and tackling the Black Friday madness?

Great Grandma Carlsen's Raspberry Jello (133:365)

Today I finished our jaunty cranberry sauce hats.

My sister, Scott and I worked on Thanksgiving too. We made a Chocolate Pecan Pie (a family favorite taken from Emeril, which he has now added an extra 1/2 cup pecans to), Pumpkin Pie, Mashed Potatoes, and our Great Grandma Carlsen's Raspberry Jello.

With thanksgiving in my heart, I share my grandma's recipe with you all.

May you hearts and tummy's be filled with gratitude, turkey and raspberry jello.

Great Grandma Carlsen's Raspberry Jello

1 large box of raspberry Jello

2 cups boiling water

1 cup cold pineapple juice (from the can of pineapple)

One 2/3 size can (not the regular size) of pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained.  --be sure to save one cup of the juice as per above. 

(I usually just buy the large sized can because you don't get enough juice even with that. You can also buy pineapple juice to make sure you have enough.)

1 cup of frozen raspberries

1 cup of whipping cream (prior to whipping)

1 Tbs powdered sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Add Jello to boiling water and stir until dissolved.  Add pineapple juice.  Stir and chill until almost set.  In the meantime, whip the cream and combine with powdered sugar and vanilla.  Once the Jello is close to being set, fold the whipped cream into the Jello and then fold in the drained pineapple and the frozen raspberries.  Add chopped pecans to taste.  Continue chilling until firm. 

Serve and enjoy!

Missing you today grandma Carlsen.

Cranberry Baton (132:365)

Today I worked on a Cranberry Baton with my friend Sara F.

We are running in a 5k relay Turkey Trot with my sister Sarah on Thanksgiving and our team is called 

The Saucy Cranberries.

We are also working on some jaunty little cranberry sauce hats.

Christmas Gifts (131:365)

I'm hoping that this Christmas will be a (mostly) homemade Christmas.

I think the idea of a homemade Christmas is so appealing, I really want to continue that tradition, to help us all appreciate more what we get and put more feeling into what we give. Plus, it may save a little moolah. Who doesn't need more moolah?

Today I made gifts for my dad and brother, but, obviously won't be posting them!

Not that they read this anyway...ahem...

Are you doing a homemade Christmas this year?

Dinner, Old Friends and Sleep (130:365)

We had my favorite dinner tonight from one of my favorite cookbooks, BGH Cookbook.

Polenta Beef Stew.

Yum.

Super rich beef stew with rosemary.

Pour it on top of some warm and creamy polenta.

With a side of Rosemary dinner rolls that my sister whipped up for us.

Wish I could have dinner twice tonight.

I also went with a friend to visit a couple of old friends that I have missed.

And sleep.

One of my favorite pastimes. 

I am lacking in that department.

Goose is not though. 

She set a personal sleep-in record this morning.

10:15am.

Now, she did wake up at 4:30 am for a while, but I think she was having some #2 issues.

Then she slept soundly until 10:15!

I didn't wake her earlier because we had church at 11 am and she then doesn't get to nap until 2:30 pm.

What a sweetie.

I am a lucky mom.

The Bazaar (129:365)

It's finally over.

All that work and now I can sort of breathe. 

My next project is filling custom orders (yes, I had two!) and getting product up on my etsy shop.

I have put a couple of things up so far.

Check me out here!

Here are a few pictures of my display at today's bazaar.

(Those cute hats are my friend Julie's.)

Earring Display

Some Cute Chrysanthemum Earrings

Darling Handmade Button Earrings

Button Rings

Lovely Little Hairpins

Giant Button Paperclip Bookmarks

And one of my favorites, the Elegant Bird Ponytail Holder

I wanted to send a shout out to my honey Scott for staying up and tying bows until 1am, my mom for writing price tags until 2am, my sister for going with me to set up and for helping me stay calm, Ashley for encouraging me to try doing a bazaar and letting me share her table, and Julie for pushing my merchandise on all her friends that dropped by our table. Ashley and Julie, it was a pleasure doing business with you both. Let's do it again soon! 

You all rock!

Countdown... (128:365)

I'm doing the bazaar with my friend Ashley and we are both stressing to the max!

Tonight we are practicing our display so we don't agonize over it at the show.

I'm also trying to figure out how to display my rings.

I'm looking forward to the bazaar tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it being over with!

Losin' It At Michael's (127:365)

So, I went to Michael's today to get some stuff for the bazaar and was feeling good. We all got colds this week at our house, but nothing serious was going around.

This lady in front of me at the register was buying about 300 seed bead packages (no, I'm not exaggerating) and was taking forever. I started to feel a little weak while waiting but thought maybe I was just hungry or something. 

Then we got another cashier, and I was in line right behind a little old lady that needed a price check. As this was happening I started to feel hot and shaky. Then came my turn at the register. As the lady was ringing me up, I started to think I was going to lose it right there. The second she finished my stuff, I ran outside with my cart and heaved my guts out into the trash can right in front of the store for 5 minutes while around 20 people walked by.

That is one first time experience that I could do without. 

That is one thing about mom-dom that people don't tell you about - you still have to be a mom even when you are so sick you want to curl up into a ball and hug the porcelain thrown all day. 

Luckily my mom is in town so she's been a huge help with the girls.

I'm feeling better tonight though, so HOPEFULLY I will be back to my old self in time for the bazaar.

I have also began packaging my products and they look so good!

I'm really excited about how it is all going.

P.S. No, I am NOT pregnant, nor are you the first to ask today.

Hairpins (126:365)

Our internet is being wacko and it's making me crazy! I don't have the patience right now to post pictures on our amazing internet, but just know that the fabric covered button hairpins I'm making for the bazaar are super cute!

The bazaar is at the Cooper YMCA from 9am - 2pm. 

Be there or be square!

Earrings and More Earrings (125:365)

Well, the bazaar is Saturday, so basically all week I will be posting about my stress regarding it.

I'm cranking out earrings and such like a crazy person.

My biggest stress is how to package each thing.

I've bought some nice textured cardstock that will be home to them all.

That is a project for later this week though...

Buttons and more Buttons (124:365)

Getting ready for the upcoming bazaar again. 

Today I made more bookmarks and earrings.

They are so cute! Need to post a pic soon.

Cleaning the Chaos (123:365)

My mom is visiting so, of course, we went to Target
to celebrate (yesterday).

She bought us one of these sweet little things.

Now the toys in the living room are in here
 instead of under my feet.

...ahhh...

Much better.

Thanks grandma!

My First Baby Booties (122:365)

I have a baby shower today and needed something quick 

and easy to make.

I've never made these before, but decided to take a chance on them.

I think they turned pretty well.

So cute! And easy. Here is the free tut.

Thanks HomeSpun Threads!

First Snow of the Winter (121:365)

Today we all traveled out to Omaha (the big city 'round these parts) and went to the grand opening of the nearest Trader Joe's! It was great. I got a bunch of my favorite stuff, like almond meal (for baking), their amazing (and cheap!) kettle corn, and their peanut butter.

It was kind of a mad house, but fun anyway (for me at least).

Then, on the way home, we braved a little blizzard, facing snowflakes the size of ritz crackers. I got too dizzy trying to dry so luckily Scott was able to take over.

Neither of us had any idea it was supposed to snow. If we had, we would not had been brave enough to face it. Not yet. Winter isn't due yet, right?

Busy Bee (120:365)

Today I was a procrastinating little busy bee.

I got a lot of things done, yet nothing for the craft fair!

Breath...

Well, since I did stuff I'll just share it with you all so you can see how productive I can be when I'm avoiding productivity.

First up, Dee and I made some gummy snowmen. We bought a kit from Target the other day and we had a lot of fun making them. Not hard at all and I'm looking forward to doing it again.

 

Then I finally rehung the curtains Dee accidentally ripped out of the wall like 2 months ago.



 Then I hung up some shelves I bought for $1 each at a garage sale like 3 months ago up in the girls' room.



Dee wanted me to make her some clip on earrings the other day. She picked the fabric from my stash all by herself. Here she is, sporting those cute things.


Recently, at Hobby Lobby, I found a sign that explains how I feel about doing laundry and had to buy it to make me feel better in that room of dreariness.


And for dinner, I made some egg rolls, but baked them instead of frying them.
They turned out pretty good. Different, but still good. Definitely worth the less calories and fat.


So, that is what I did today instead of working on my craft fair stuff.
Yeah, I'm a good procrastinator.

Cute as a Button Rings (119:365)

'Cuz they're buttons.

I love these little rings.

I made 20 of them today for the upcoming craft fair.

They are so cute and add a fun pop of cuteness/ vintage coolness to your hand.

Baby Bibs (118:365)

No pictures again.

Today I made a couple of baby bibs from fused plastic bags and estate sale binding tape. 

They are super cute!

Maybe I'll put pics up tomorrow.

Update.
Pictures of this cute baby sporting those cute bibs.







Lesson learned: make sure the plastic you fuse if thick enough for your purpose. I don't think this white bib will last long. The snaps I put at the neck are pulling a bit . Too bad, it's the cutest! I may make some of these for the craft fair. I'm still perfecting my design...

Making Memories (117:365)

Today Dee and I made a cute little gingerbread lady. It has lots of pink like Dee likes. It's so cute how she likes to craft with me! She is growing up so fast and acting older and older each day. Sniff.
We also made cupcakes together and she rolled out the pizza dough for our lunch. We had a fun day spending time together.
Goose is cruising now. I wonder if she'll beat Dee at walking.

Flowbee (116:365)

My mom and step dad recently sent us a Flowbee.

You remember those things, right?

It's basically a vacuum with blades that cuts your hair.

Works for boys, men and grandmas, according to the pictures in the manual.

Well, you need to be able to hook it to your own vacuum to get the suction for hair cutting, and our vacuum is currently out of commission. It is clogged and I haven't been brave enough yet, or remembered to tackle it while Goose is asleep, so that's why our carpet is gross, for those of you who have recently seen my house and felt repulsed.

Anyway, Scott didn't realize that we needed to use our own vacuum for the Flowbee until he'd spent 30 minutes trying to figure it out (why don't boys read instruction manuals? but I digress...) so that is why you will not be seeing a real Flowbee haircut on here tonight. You won't be seeing one until I get that dang vacuum unclogged. Anyone a wiz at that and want to come fix mine? I'll make you something delicious...

(P.S. I hope Scott looks as cool as that guy "Rick", as stated on the image info, when we are done with him!)

Buttons and Stew (115:365)

I have a problem with fabric stores.

They steal all my money.

I go in with an idea and come out with enough stuff for 10 ideas, and then only get 1/2 of an idea completed sometime the next month.

It's bad.

I am currently in Step 1 of the correction of this problem:

Admittance.

Now, on to the spoils!

Today I had some "Mommy Alone and Shopping Time" and while out I found some super cute fabric that will become fabric covered button bookmarks for my up and coming first craft bazaar (which I will keep promoting until it's over because it is helping me to remember to DO something to get ready).

So, I worked on those today and we tried a new recipe from the trusty BGH cookbook called Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings which was liked by Scott and sort of liked by Dee. I liked it too. It was creamy and the texture of the dumplings was nice (and they had cheese in them, so that was a bonus). 

Since it is Daylight Savings, do you think my kids are going to wake up an hour early tomorrow? I used to LOVE to Fall Back, but now I think I'm not going to like it anymore.

Sleep and me are buddies.

If I had any advice for teens that want babies it is this, YOU WILL NEVER GET A FULL NIGHTS SLEEP AGAIN UNTIL YOU ARE 50! 

Unless you are stern and make your kids sleep 12 hours a night like we do. 

They love it though...

Sneaky Chicken Nuggests (114:365)

I mostly (because some of the recipes are too healthy/"sneaky" for the likes of me) like the cookbook Deceptively Delicious that was written by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. Also, her all-knowing tone is kind of irritating too, but that issue is for another day.
I use the Banana Bread recipe from her book all the time and we love it.

Today I made a Chicken Nuggets recipe from that cookbook for the first time and everyone loved it! On her own, without any questioning, Dee said that they nuggets were "really good", and Scott also declared the same. I read reviews online where everyone that used the broccoli puree said it was a nightmare and didn't work well at all. I like the sweet potato in baby food jars because it is easy and fast!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (or panko) 
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup broccoli or 1 cup spinach or 1 cup sweet potatoes or 1 cup beet, puree
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 lb chicken tenders, rinsed, dried and cut into small chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder on the paper or foil and mix well with your fingers.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.
4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil.
5.  Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes.
6.  Turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut through a piece to check that it's cooked through.) Serve warm.

 

What I did:

I used panko breadcrumbs, not whole wheat.

  

I didn't add any Parmesan Cheese because I wanted to be able to dip the nuggets into a Tikka Masala dip and a Thai Sweet Chili dip. Both went really well with the nuggets and made them seem a little more grown up.

 

For the egg and veggie wash mixture I used Sweet Potato (baby food puree in a jar!) since we have TONS of those right now.
Honestly I sneak baby food veggies into all kinds of recipes and no one (usually) notices. I've used the Sweet Potatoes in pancakes (with added brown sugar), Carrots in a Quinoa Chile, and would put Carrots into a Spaghetti Sauce too. It's all about hiding the healthy stuff in a way that no one notices the extra veggies they are getting. I've also seen pureed veggies in the freezer section at Costco and Target, stuff like beets and spinach, that would be a good thing to have on hand as well.

Oh, anyone else excited for Trader Joe's? I seriously think about it a few times a day! I know that I am super obsessed right now, but I can't help it! I'm totally going next weekend to one that is opening over an hour away. Boo-ya! 

Craftin' Up A Storm (113:365)

Making more fabric covered button crafts today for the upcoming bazaar.

Here is one of my favorites.

Don't mind the terrible hair. Eeesh!

Roller Skating like it was 1989 (112:365)

Now, I'm not positive, because I have a TERRIBLE memory, but I don't think I've roller skated at a roller rink since the 80's. Tonight our church youth group went skating for our weekly activity. As a leader, I felt a little goofy and afraid that I would break my arm or something in front of everyone.

I was a bit shaky the first couple of times around the rink, but then I got my "skate legs" back and rocked it grown up style. I dodged kids that were dropping like flies in front of me, stared at the weirdo's that probably live at the rink, and felt bad for the people who worked there.

Yeah, I think skating is just as nerdy as it was the last time I went, but it was also just as fun. 

And, they didn't do a snowball, so there was no awkward hugging of the carpeted wall.

El Pato Deliciousness (111:365)

 

This + a Roast + 7 hours in a crockpot on low = AMAZING!

After cooking, shred up the meat and let it soak up the juices for a little while. Then eat it in a tortilla au natural. Don't put anything on it, just let the meat and seasonings do their thing.

I have to send a shout out to Scott's aunt Rea for introducing this delicacy to our family.

P.S. My favorite way to eat this is chopped up on some nachos.

I'm salivating just typing about it.

Dee Makes Jewelry (110:365)

Dee is apparently quite dextrous.

She is able to string beads onto a thin elastic string all by herself!
I have a little creative girl.