Happy Halloween

I've been thinking about getting back to blogging one of these days!  

We'll see what happens...  

Some day I'll be back, but for now it's just to wish you all a Happy Halloween from the newest pumpkin in our patch!

We love those buns, Chase James!

it's a . . .

GIRL!

We spent the WHOLE weekend celebrating!  Saturday it was all about Carson. We celebrated with an afternoon picnic (details to come). 

And Sunday it was all about the newest member of our growing family.  One of my very best friends threw us an amazing gender reveal party.  She planned every detail perfectly and we couldn't have been happier and more surprised.  It was well documented too (since she's a pro-photographer).  I've shared lots of her photos, but I can't say enough great things about her work, so check it out!  I'm sure I'll have more great party photos to share soon.

I've been on cloud 9 all day and I'm sure I will be all week.  It's so exciting to share such amazing moments with friends and family.  This will be one lucky little lady!

it's starting to feel a little spooky around here.

Life is busy, busy, busy as usual.

We're in the midst of prepping for a big Birthday party (Carson's #2) and a gender reveal party this weekend (for baby #2)!  Much more to come on those festivities...

But, we can't let October pass without some spooky fall crafts.

This project was quick, easy and perfect for a toddler.

All you need are:

• a few styrofoam balls of any size
• a paint pen (I used black and Carson chose red and yellow)
• small eye hooks 
• cheese cloth (we found it at the 99 cent store!).

Just draw eyes with your paint pen
(and if you're 2 and that's not enough, add whatever else you'd like).

 Then cover with cheese cloth (we used two layers per ghost) and screw in the eye hook.

 Now we've got a whole lineup of ghosts in our front room!

 And a few more watching over the front porch.

Carson even has a very special "Trojan triceratops ghost" watching over his bedroom (he's proving to be a very dedicated USC fan despite the rocky football season).

Happy Haunting!

country livin'

We're back from a perfect couple of weeks in the beautiful northwest.  I've always loved visiting the christmas tree farm where I grew up.  Reminiscing about the good times we had as kids sure is good for the soul.  But, there's something even better about watching your own little one enjoy those very same things.

Farm life sure is fun...

 4 wheelin',

farm animals,

 

peach pickin',

and plenty of time just enjoying the great outdoors.

 Here's to even better memories next time!

a healthy summer treat

It's been HOT at our house!  That means lots of time in the sprinklers and plenty of frozen treats.  This is one of our favorite treats on a summer day (and it just happens to be healthy)!
If you're a banana fan you must give this a try.  It's perfect for kids.  Carson just loves it!

All you need is ripe bananas and a Cuisinart (or blender).

 First, freeze the bananas in slices.  We usually leave them over night but a couple of hours would probably do the trick.

 Throw the frozen slices in the Cuisinart and blend.

You can always get creative and throw in an extra treat.  We like a little nutella.

It makes perfect soft serve ice cream (or keep it in the freezer for a harder ice cream).

It couldn't be simpler...or tastier!

let freedom ring!

Happy 4th of July!
We just love this holiday and we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves today.

Riding around in town in style

Racing in the "Independence Day Diaper Derby"

Daddy is so proud...

of his 2nd place finisher!

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day.
Here's to the land of the free!

the shirt says it all...

Carson has been the lucky recipient of some new hand painted shirts thanks to my new Silhouette Cameo.  We're having a blast putting anything and everything on T-shirt.

I had seen this cute saying somewhere and remembered it.  Here's my little super hero making his very best "BATMAN" face!

I've found freezer paper to be THE way to go when making stencils for fabric.  The best part, you can buy a whole 75 ft roll at Ralph's for $3.99!

I used my new cameo for this project, but you can certainly use an exacto knife on freezer paper and create the same type of project.  This one might be a little too intricate for the exacto (if you're dying for a shirt like this you better just get in touch with me and I'll make you one!).

Here's how to use freezer paper as a stencil.  It couldn't be easier.

~ Cut your freezer paper to size.  Lay it plastic side down and cut out your design.

~ Remove the letters/design to create your stencil.

~ Iron the design onto your shirt (pillow, etc) using medium heat.

~ Use your favorite fabric paint to fill in your stencil.  I LOVE to use Annie Sloane's chalk paint on fabric.  It acts more like a fabric stain and lightens only slightly in the wash.  It doesn't have that stiff fabric paint feeling at all.

~ Allow the paint to dry and peel off the freezer paper.

~ Heat set the fabric paint once you're sure it's completely dry.

~ Show off your new shirt!

a fresh batch of play dough

Carson and I are really into play dough lately.  We "bake" with it, build with it, squish it, squash it, throw it to the dog and sometimes we even eat it (I only took one little taste)!

We used to make our own play dough all the time when I was little.  Now, since Carson's been caught sneaking a piece into his mouth here and there, it seems that we should be using the homemade version around here too!  It's completely edible (though I certainly won't be trying it twice).

It's an easy, easy project with ingredients that you probably have around the house.  You may not have cream of tartar, but go ahead and buy some so you can make these cookies when you're finished making play dough!

Here's what you need to make play dough:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water 
food coloring

Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil.  Add water and mix well.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes.  It will quickly go from soupy, to lumpy to one big clump.

When the clump forms, remove from stove, let cool a little and knead slightly.  Add food coloring,(separate into multiple pieces if you'd like) and continue to knead until it's all mixed and play doughy!

Carson chose the colors.  We've got red, blue and black.  I would have gone for some turquoise, myself, but he was set on black.
I used 2 drops of gel food coloring to get vibrant colors.  If you're in the market for new food coloring, I love this stuff.  It comes in great colors and a little goes a loooong way!

Store your dough in a sealed plastic bag and it will last a long time!  This makes quite a bit.  I halved the recipe to get a more reasonable amount for one little toddler.

play dough + pretend = perfect cookies every time!

Now that Carson's kitchen is finished and broken in, we're cooking up all sorts of tasty treats!  He really loves "baking" with play dough.  It's the perfect medium for rolling into cookies, cupcakes, hotdogs, you name it - we bake it!

Last weekend Jeff and I figured it would be fun to make a little kitchen magic so...

Carson put some play dough cookies in his oven right before nap time...

and when he woke up, there was a tasty sugar cookie all baked up in there!

YUM!

These cookies really are crazy delicious!
The recipe comes from a little Hot Spot called SWIG out in St. George, Utah.  One of my co-workers sent me this adapted recipe, knowing that I love to bake.  She claims that they are the BEST sugar cookie out there, and I just might agree. 

Recipe for SWIG sugar cookies (or something similar)

Cookies

1 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons water
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together butter, oil, both sugars, water, and eggs.
3. Combine baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and flour.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture.
5. Mix until everything is combined.  The dough should be on the crumbly side, NOT sticky.
6. Place golf ball sized balls on your cookie sheet (I always use a silpat).
7. Now, here's the fun part that makes these unique.  Grab a glass and a little bowl of sugar, dip the bottom of the glass into the sugar.  You're going to use this to flatten the cookies. 
8. Firmly press each dough ball (see the pic above).
9. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  They should be only very slightly brown on the edges.  

Greek yogurt frosting

1/2 cup butter (room temp)
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup + powdered sugar
1 teaspoon salt
a splash of milk
food coloring (if desired - I used blue to match the play dough)

Directions 
(this is definitely not an exact science)

1. Cream together butter, yogurt and salt.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar.
3. As it thickens, add a splash or two of milk.
4. Keep adding sugar and milk until it tastes just right.
5. Add food coloring and whip on until perfectly creamy!

Now frost those cookies and enjoy!  They certainly taste a lot better than the play dough version!

But, if you're looking to make both, I'll post the recipe for homemade play dough soon.  It's super easy and it uses the same ingredients as these cookies!

it's all in the details

I'm finally back to the blog!  Last week was full of work meetings and a hard drive crash.  Now, I'm learning to navigate my brand new computer ~ feeling a little lost, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon.

Anway...
I want to share one more post on Carson's kitchen.  I had such a great time adding the little details, I've just got to share.

Carson actually has his dad to thank for the grown up details in his new kitchen.  Jeff firmly said "NO MORE crazy kid's stuff in the house".  So, I had to promise that this little kitchen would be aesthetically pleasing.  I must admit, these details were really for the grown-ups more than the little guy.  He doesn't seem too impressed by the tile backsplash, but we are!

I've already shown you the updated paint job and the new handles.  Carson's kitchen also has a refinished countertop, beadboard cupboards and a tile backsplash (all to match the "real" kitchen).

I refinished the countertop by sanding down the Ikea plywood, then waxing it with Briwax tudor brown to make it look like our butcher block.

I added the knobs on the sides for hanging this and that.  These were leftover from our real kitchen remodel so they are exactly like our cabinet knobs.  Right now he's got a chalkboard (I made this using a plaque from Michael's and some chalkboard paint) and his apron.

We've got beadboard cupboards in our kitchen, so now Carson does too.  I used this wallpaper.  I had already purchased it with a plan to update the downstairs bathroom.  That hasn't happened yet, but hopefully it will one of these days.  At least my wallpaper purchase came in handy for my mini kitchen remodel.  I simply cut a small square of the paper and followed the instructions (wet, wait 5 minutes, stick).  I let it dry for 24 hours, then painted it with the same paint (Dunn Edwards Whisper White) that I used on the rest of his (and our) kitchen.

His backsplash was made using leftover tile from our backsplash.   I just LOVE these subway tiles.  I chose them for our kitchen because they're a classic subway tile with a little twist, a beveled edge.  They're also very affordable!

I just used liquid nails to stick the tiles to a really thin piece of wood I found in the garage and cut to size.  Once the tiles were stuck nice and tight I used sanded caulk to fill in the grout lines (also left over from our kitchen remodel).
I used teeny tiny screws to attach the board and backsplash to the back of the kitchen.

Here's another pic of the final product!  For more on the grown-up kitchen click here or here!

what's cooking carson?

I'm back with more about Carson's new kitchen.  I'm thrilled to report that he still finds it VERY entertaining.  He's been cooking up all sorts of good stuff (love that watermelon and bread stew).

In my previous post I gave you a peek at what I "renovated" on his little Ikea kitchen and here I'll start to go into the details.

I'll start with his "new appliances".

I painted the stove and microwave to look like stainless steel.  The goal was to make it look like the real thing.

I used Rustoleum Primer, followed by Rustoleum metallic spray paint for the microwave and oven.  I taped off the glass on both sides, gave it a quick sanding with 200 grit sand paper, and gave it a few coats.  I sealed it with clear enamel to keep it from scratching.

I painted a black rim on the glass with a paint brush and some black epoxy appliance paint we had in the garage.  I swapped out the handles for some satin nickel drawer pulls from Lowes.   Any 5" drawer pulls will fit perfectly.

I added oven knobs using some $0.99 knobs and a $0.29 wooden picket fence piece that I found at Michaels.  I cut the picket fence to make little arrows (easy to cut using scissors) and sanded them a bit so they were nice and smooth.  I then turned over the knobs so I was using the flat (wrong) side.  I inserted a screw with a dab of super glue so it would be stuck in place, and then super glued the arrows onto the screw and knob.  I painted the whole thing with the metallic spray paint and enamel mentioned above.  I drilled holes and put the knobs right above the oven using little nuts.  I didn't tighten the nuts all the way so the knobs can move like real oven knobs.

I also replaced the Ikea shelf with a metal oven rack using an extra piece of this shelving system that we had in the garage and some bolt cutters.

Of course now that the oven looks like the real thing, it has to open like the real thing.  I attached new hinges so it opens down instead of to the side.  I found the perfect hinge solution here.  I also added an oven light (he's got to be able to see if those cookies are rising!).

The microwave has a turntable that really spins.  It's made with a cd (painted with the same metallic paint and enamel).  It has a metal washer super glued to the underside.  It's attached with a bolt (also painted to match) that I cut really short with my bolt cutters.  I drilled a shallow hole (NOT all the way through) and used gorilla glue to keep the bolt in place.  So far it's holding strong and it's been getting plenty of use!

I'm off to enjoy some play dough cookies!

I've got one more post to come on the cosmetic details of the kid's kitchen remodel.

kiddo kitchen remodel

Who would've thought I'd be DIY'ing two kitchen remodels in less than 3 years?  I must admit, this one was quite a bit easier than the big kitchen!

It was high time for Carson to have his OWN kitchen.  I was tired of him trashing MY kitchen every time I tried to cook a meal.  He's such a great little helper, but somehow his "help" creates a lot more work for me!

He's very into pretending, so I was fairly certain that a play kitchen would be a big hit.

I'd been debating whether or not to purchase a play kitchen for the past few weeks.  I just love the retro kitchens from PB Kids and KidKraft, but I was holding back because they're spendy and we didn't really have an occasion to celebrate (we ended up cheating and giving him the kitchen for his 1/2 birthday).

Anyway, all my kid's kitchen research went out the window during my most recent trip to Ikea.  I just couldn't resist when I found a little Duktig kitchen in the "AS IS" section for $44. Like most things Ikea, their little kitchen is simple but cute as is, but with a little extra it can be REALLY cute.  My "as is" find was scratched up (and missing some screws) so I took that as my opportunity to get started on a little remodel!

Here is the original Ikea Duktig kids kitchen...

 And here is my remodeled version...

I used paint, hardware and tile leftover from our "real" kitchen remodel to keep the cost down and make it fit in with the real thing!

I'd say the project was a success.  I think our budding chef would definitely agree!  He's becoming quite the expert at whipping up a batch of play dough cookies.

More to come on exactly how I "renovated" this little kitchen later this week.