everything's better with bacon.

I've been making a lot of things with bacon in them lately. The real kind, not the turkey kind. Craig was supposed to be home around noon, but finally got home at 9ish. Last time he got home late due to maintenance, this time it was weather. I was mentally prepared for him to get home tomorrow, to having him home tonight was a sweet surprise! Joshua got to wait up for him, and he just went to bed at 10:30. Hopefully we all get to sleep in tomorrow!

Anyway, back to the bacon. I made this recipe from my new favorite blog (since I could read cookbooks all day long) to welcome Craig home. I also got some hot tamales and Dr. Pepper in case the chicken didn't turn out good. It was in fact delish, and it was nice because I was able to leave the house while it cooked. I deviated from the recipe by adding some garlic powder and black pepper to the thyme, rosemary & salt, and then added enough olive oil to make a paste with which to massage my little chickies. I did remove the skin but the olive oil & bacon make up for that. I also deviated where she says to discard the bacon after cooking. WHAT!!!!! Discard bacon???!!! I peeled it off, microwaved it until it was crispy, and put it right back on the chickies. Yum

I'm going to make this with the scraps. And then make chicken and dumplings with the broth. And they will all taste like bacon. And they will therefore be delicious.

Zoe is sitting up very well now, and her 3rd tooth is peeking through! What a big girl! Joshua started singing his ABC's to me in the car today, and then he counted to 12, and then he sang Jesus loves me (complete with making a muscle when he sang "he is strong"). And then he started talking about his baby sister Zoe and how he wanted to pet her hair (she was asleep in the carseat and her head was flopped over to his side) - he says things like "I yike dat ha-ir. Jossa pet baby-sitter Zoe ha-ir. Funny ha-ir Zoe."

We're so glad to have Craig home. We prayed all day for his safe flight, and a safe flight for Emily & Jason. And I'm so glad that he'll be able to spend tomorrow enjoying all the funny cute little things they do every day!

my first tutorial!

There aren't many things that I know how to do well, and this isn't one of them either. I think I have a picture of the back to prove it! Craig's sisters make some lovely photo boards that I have been known to covet and even attempt to duplicate. You, too, will see how easy this is!

Oh, and I didn't know I was going to be tutorial-ing, so I don't have pictures of everything!

MATERIALS:

artist's canvas (from walmart, they're less expensive than hobby lobby) - the ones for Joshua & Zoe's rooms are 16 x 20. I think they were less than $10.

fabric you love. I usually get a yard since I'm a fabric junkie. Except for Joshua's which I found in the remnant rack for $2.08!! Oh, happy day.

Batting cut the same size as your canvas.

ribbon to match fabric you love (I have better luck at walmart than fabric stores. Did I mention it's less expensive there too? I like grosgrain, but Craig's sister used ricrac & it was really cute)

buttons you can cover with fabric you love (also found at walmart)

needle and thread (thread can be neon orange, it doesn't matter, it won't show)

frame to fit canvas (optional - I get mine at HobLob when they're 50% off, thus, about $15)

1. Cut fabric you love big enough to wrap around your canvas. If you're like me and aren't sure you got a big enough board, cut the fabric big enough for the bigger board just in case.

1.5. Iron your fabric. Don't be like "some people" and have to iron your fabric after you've already stapled, ribboned, & sewn on buttons. Seriously. Who would do that.

2. Cut batting to the same size as your canvas. Or a little bigger. Whatever.

3. Turn your canvas right side up. Center the batting on top of it. Lay your fabric on it and adjust so that the pattern of the fabric is straight or however you want it, centered, and so forth. You will be stapling this on so DO NOT STRESS! You can always undo it and move it.

4. Moving as little of the aforementioned stuff as possible, flip it all over together, pick a side (I usually start with the top), open up the stapler and start stapling. Staple the fabric onto the wood at 2-3" intervals (I go for the corners, then the middle, then fill in a few in between). Turn it over (hold the batting so it doesn't fall out) to make sure it's still how you want it. Turn it back over and staple the opposite side (pull the fabric taught... not to be confused with 'as tight as you possible can'). Turn it over and make sure it's still straight. Turn it over and staple the other 2 sides (pulling taught). Remind yourself that no one will see the back. Turn it over and tell yourself how cute it's going to be when you're done.

5. Grab your ribbon and staple it behind a corner. Turn board over and pull to diagonal corner. Turn. Staple. Cut ribbon about 1/2" past the staple. Repeat w/ other corners.

6. Depending on the size of your board, your remaining ribbons will either bisect or trisect the longest side. Probably bisect unless your board is huge. SO... measure to find the middle of your board, put a mark on the back. Staple a ribbon. Find the middle of the adjacent side. Mark. Staple. Repeat. 3 times.

7. Cover buttons with fabric (directions are on the package). This is the hardest part.

8. Sew on buttons. Don't be like me and do it the hard way. Put the needle thru back to front, thread thru the button, put the needle thru front to back, and tie the two ends in a knot. Double knot. Triple knot. Etc until you're satisfied that it won't come out. If you can't picture the way that I tried to do it, good for you, and I'm not telling.

9. Get frame. Wedge board into frame. If it doesn't stay, consider other options (i.e. duct tape). Remind yourself that no one will see the back. Hang it up!

10. If you want to get all fancy, you can get a pretty ceramic knob... like the one I placed on the floor by the bow (below)... and some more ribbon (again, staple it to the back - see above. I didn't even cut it, just in case I wanted to take it back off and have a long piece of ribbon to use elsewhere), hang your board with all the real hardware, then decoratively hang it from your delicate, unstable, staple ribbon on your pretty ceramic knob (about $3 at HobLob)

I love these since I'm not a big art person but like things on my walls. I also love fabric. I also love that if I (a) get sick of said fabric or (b) repaint so that it doesn't match, I just pull the board out and change the fabric (or just put new fabric over the old fabric... I think I know someone who might have done that), or the ribbon, whatever. I also love that I just remembered that that's where I put that Old Navy receipt I've been looking for! See, they're not just for photos!

This (below) is in our kitchen. It needs some new ribbon now that we've repainted, and some new fabric too. I've got my eye out for something I can use here, for a valence over the sink and, if I talk Craig into it, a valence over the window in the eating area. I'm thinking a neutral toille. Any ideas? There's the tile in the background.

all it took was a few polkadots

I haven't been blogging lately due to a lack of inspiration (oh, and time). It's not that Joshua and Zoe have been any less cute, I just haven't caught them with the camera lately. I realize that I am a lazy blogger and rely predominantly on pictures to entertain my readers. I'm OK with that. However, I do actually miss blogging when I don't have anything to blog about! I've been looking for some inspiration and (as you read in my amazingly clever title) all it took was a few polka dots - of the brown and pink variety to be exact. I guess I could have titled this post "cutesifying Zoe's room part two" but that's just not as catchy...

I made these valences during naptime! I managed to get them both down at the same time, cleaned a little since I don't function well surrounded by mess/laundry/dishes, briefly debated valences vs. hot bath & book (believe me, I would have been MAD had I not finished these during naptime, or had they not come out how I wanted them, knowing that it's hard to mess up a hot bath & good book), grabbed a yard of fabric from my "pink & brown fabric for Zoe's room" stash and got my remedial sewing self to work. I was finishing up the last seam as I heard Zoe over the monitor so I even got to put them up right away while she had some lunch! Were I not so lazy, I would have lined them or something maybe.

They go with the pink & brown cushions on the chair and stool (I put the white spray paint there as a visual disclaimer that I am going to paint the stool white as soon as its warm enough)

Here's the little princess enjoying her lunch. She's still nursing, but she sure does love her bottles too!

Here's the little picture board I made for her. As you can see, I did find a frame for it - 50% off at hobby lobby last week. I got one for Joshua's too.

Her picture board will be hung on real hardware behind the frame so it doesn't come crashing to the ground (um, again), but will be decoratively hung by the brown ribbon from this cute knob.

I found this at lifeway when I was there getting the love dare book. I can't remember the last time I paid full price for something that wasn't food! I also got the cute pink knob from hobby lobby. I've been there a lot lately.

These are hanging above her crib on nails from which the previous homeowner's daughter's name hung (see the 2 extra nails, her daughter's name was Ellie). I haven't decided what I want to do with these yet. I thought of mounting them on square canvas or in frames, or one big frame, brown letters on pink background or vice versa. Ideas??

cutesifying Zoe's room

Zoe doing what she does best, being happy & playing in her exersaucer

Joshua covering his ears while Craig makes him a brocco-nana-berry smoothie for breakfast

I've been trying, little by little, to make Zoe's room less of a storage area and more of a sweet little girl's nursery. We finally got a crib a little while ago, and a rocker and dresser. Then, I moved Joshua's changing table in there so we've finally stopped changing her on our bed, on the other side of the house. I've got an eye out for a little white changing table, but in the meantime, Joshua's will do. Then on to the decor... I spotted a sweet brown and pink damask at Hancock fabrics a few weeks ago and had to get a yard of it since it was on sale. I also decided that Zoe's room needed a little cute color, and that her rocker needed a cushion before I was going to want to sit in it (I'm spoiled by Joshua's comfy glider, but the rocker & dresser came with the crib). I also needed a stool for the rocker since my legs aren't long enough to rock it as-is... but that's for another post!

since this one clearly does not match!!

Clearly.

Here are my first two projects in Zoe's room:

The picture board is now hung on a cute pink & brown ceramic knob (Hobby Lobby, where else ;)

Here's the beginning of a picture board I'm making for Joshua's room. I have a little blue ceramic knob to hang his on. Ideally, I'd like to get frames for both of their boards since they're a little too small

Joshua and Daddy went outside together to do some manly work of some sort. Joshua was truly living up to his mini-me title that day!

And I don't even like meatloaf!

**a note on this post in case it wasn't clear... I really REALLY liked this meatloaf :)

Craig's been home since Saturday night (Happy Valentine's Day, right?) so I did some quick meal planning for the week (SO out of character for me) and grocery-shopping-sans-les-enfants (grocery shopping without babies - it was a special occasion so I used a little French to make it sound fancier). We had these when we visitied Rosemarie & Fam to see the circus in September.

**totally forgot to mention that I used ground turkey for this**

Meatloaf patties:

Place 1 1/3 lbs ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center of the meat. Fill the well with 1/4 cup bread crumbs and dampen with a splash of milk. Add 1 egg, 2 tsps of grill seasoning (or course salt and pepper), 1/2 tsp allspice, 1 tbsp ketchup, and 3/4 of a medium onion finely chopped. Combine the mixture and form 4 large 3/4 inch thick oval patties. Arrange 2 slices of bacon in and X on the cutting board; repeat with the other 6 slices of bacon (you should have 8 slices of bacon). Place a meatloaf patty on the center of each X. Fold the bacon around each patty. (You don't need toothpicks b/c as the bacon cooks it attaches to itself) Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with EVOO. Transfer the patties (Bacon seam side down) to the hot skillet. Fry the patties for 7 minutes on each side under a loose aluminum foil tent.

Remove the patties to a platter and return the pan to the heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Add Tbsp of butter and 1/4 of the medium onion finely chopped. Cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsps of flour. Cook 1 minute...whisking. Then add 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Stir in 1 tsp mustard, 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce, and parsley (1/4 cup) to taste.

Good sides: boiled potatoes, steamed broccoli or asparagus.

or go here for a slightly different version:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/meatloaf-patties-smashed-potatoes-and-pan-gravy-recipe/index.html

We had them with the smashed potatoes (w/out the sour cream cuz I didn't have any). Joshua even tried a bite of bacon - he liked it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yes, I know it's tomorrow, but she was dressed for it today, m'kay? (yes, I totally stole that from Amy Beth, m'kay?)

only a little boy...

this was the aftermath from Joshua's dinner. Sometimes he eats with a fork, sometimes fingers. Tonight, after carrying the screwdriver around the house saying "fix _____" (fill in blank with nearest object), it was time for dinner. When I asked him if he wanted a fork for his smartdog (veggie hotdog) he replied "My I peas half (May I please have) screwdriver mommy"

Who am I to refuse a request like that?!