My Garage, My Rules

Who watches DIY shows? I do, I do! Now who actually will try some of the projects that they see on TV? (silence) Yeah, I'll someone else do it. Actually, I am SLOWLY doing things around the house to make it more of a home. Adding personality to it. I added a few Lavendar plants outside and some annual of Tulips and Daffodils. On the inside, I've been organizing the garage.... for the last week and a half. Well that's how long it takes when you have a baby. He tries to help (yes by chewing on box lids or pulling tape off boxes) Thanks, JDQ for your help. Anyways, I wanted to share some inspirational photos of how other people organize their garage. Feel free to share your ideas

Enjoy!

JDQ"S Bath Time Recommendations

JDQ has been begging me to share his recommendations for a great bath time. He also wanted me to tell everyone that someone must sing "Rubber Ducky" (you can watch the video below to learn the words).  Yes, he has graduated from the kitchen sink to using a laundry basket in the bath tub. (baby steps for me).

Enjoy!!

Bath Time by kstar27 on Polyvore

Vintage Airplane Hooded Towel Baby
rhbabyandchild.com

Baby Soap with Calendula
beekman1802.com

Cost Plus World Market Little Yellow Rubber Duck
worldmarket.com

Blooming Bath in Turquoise
buybuybaby.com

SLAPPA Towel with hood - IKEA
ikea.com

Sterilite White Medium Rectangular Basket
target.com

One more recommendation from me... I haven't used it but this looks real cool. I might get this once JDQ graduates from the laundry basket lol!

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Move Over Hunter, Joules is in Town

Most people know that I love boots- all kinds of boots. I especially love Wellies. True British Wellies. I own two pairs of Hunter wellies; a traditional pair (but in brown)

and a totally chic, fun platform with red laces. 

Over the holidays, like most people, I received a bunch of junk magazines selling their wares. One of these magazines was called Joules. A British clothing store, and of course I wasn't about to just recycle it, I just had to check it out. Alas, the clothing was a little pricey but I fell in love with...

But in black with a yellow bow..

I wore them the other day when we took JDQ to the beach and boy were they comfortable!  I also felt safe walking in them. Every now and then, in the Hunter boots I felt like I would slip when it was raining but in the Joules, I felt they gripped the ground like a hiking boot. Ok, I haven't exactly worn them in the rain but walking in a sandy parking lot at the beach can be just as dangerous. Here are some of their other styles

So if you are looking for a new rain boot (even in California) then try the Joules. They are worth every penny!

Enjoy!!

Need Organization?

I wanted to share with you this week's popular pin from my Pinterest board.  Click here for the website. Enjoy and have a great week!

Love is in the Air.... (or well, it should always be not for just one day)

There's a little Hallmark holiday just around the corner and some of you know how I feel about this particular day. But that's just me. Think about it, a holiday where we're suppose to show our love for our significant other and we usually end up trying to show up our friends, "Guess what my love gave me..."  "Well, I got...." And then we go home pissed at our loved one because they didn't give us a big enough present. Or a big enough box of chocolates or either it was too big and then that starts a whole thing. Geesh!!  But there are people out there who do enjoy this holiday so I'm going to share with you some ideas. These you can do with your kids, for your loved one or to just decorate.  So how ever you celebrate February 14.... Happy Day!

For the kids: Salt Dough Hearts

Ok, I used this recipe during the holidays for handprints but you can use it any time of the year. Say even 4th of July to make red, white and blue stars. It's very simple and easy.

 Mix:
1 Cup of salt
1Cup of flour
1 Cup water (add gradually)

Mix ingredients together but add the water slowly (you may not need all of it). The dough should not be too sticky or or too dry.  Knead for a few minutes, it should be soft, and then roll out. Using the cookie cutters of your choice.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and bake the ornaments for approximately 3 hours or until dry(this is how I did it at Christmas but I needed to turn the ornaments to dry out the other side and cook for another hour). One recipe I found said you can place the dough into the microwave for 3 minutes. If the dough still felt sticky continue zapping at 20 second intervals until done.

Before you get down to business of actually making the ornaments let your child explore the texture of the dough first. This is good for any age, letting your child play with the dough helps to strengthen fine motor skills (and a good precursor towards clay but that's a different story). Inevitably, your child will explore the taste...

oh yumm!

Uhmmm, wait a minute....

I take that back.... Yuck!!!

This one is for the adults. Using the about recipe to make a cookie ornament. (This has been a popular repine from one of my boards)

For the morning:

Free printables:

The Dreaded Nail Trimming...

Ok, I didn't nail anything but cutting JDQ's nails is one of the things that I dread most. Yes, the dreaded nail clippers.  He moves around so much I can't possibly cut them while he is awake so I wait until he is asleep. Though at times, I get caught up in doing other things or he only takes a 20 minute nap and there goes my opportunity to trim his nails. Today I was determined to cut them. He had fallen asleep on his back.... PERFECT! By the time I came back (I needed to make sure he was asleep) this is how I found him...

Uhmmm, yep, thanks for working with me JDQ. As I tiptoe up to his crib and peer over

 I knew there would be no way to trim his nails. Again... No, no, they needed to be trimmed, I wasn't going to let fear get to me. The fear that he would wake too early before I finished.  And seriously, look at these! They needed to be trimmed and I was going to to do it.

First, I tried to put my hands between the railings, like that was going to work... too small. I decided I would first trim the hand on the bottom.  Carefully.... slowly..... I pull it out and have it at the perfect angle. Ziippp! JDQ pulls it right back up close to his body but, luckily, near the openings of his crib. Ok, I can work with this. I sit down on the floor and proceed to snip away. Pointer finger, index, ring, pinky... then the thumb. One hand done! Success! Now for the other hand. I first try to cut it at the angle it was at (under his body) but couldn't maneuver the clippers nor my hand. Plus I dropped the clippers, luckily onto the mattress. Darn things are so small! I needed to pull the hand out from under him. Slowly..... slowly(needing to tug now)..... YIKES! Eyes open! I quickly rest my hand on his back; eyes close, he falls back to sleep. But now I need to wait a little longer to make sure he is fully asleep. Fifteen minutes go by I know he'll be dead asleep. When suddenly the whirr from the gardener's leaf blower starts and....  WAHHHHHH!!!

Sigh.... it looks like I'll be trimming hand number two tomorrow..... 

Tuesday Tunes- Songs That Have Been Stuck in my Head

You know when you get a song stuck in your head and it's there for days?  Well here are some that have been in my head lately... Enjoy!

Because I saw part of Saving Mr. Banks....



Yep, still singing this because of JDQ.



Because I'm working on an art piece to accompany this song. (I originally had the Doris Day version but found this and thought it was so sickeningly sweet)

 

This one just popped into my head. I remember seeing this movie when I was little and over the years I've sung it to students but never really knew all the words. Didn't realize the words were so simple. I also remember seeing this one, especially the part with the monstrous inch worm(though I thought it was from the movie)

 

Meatless Monday- Philly "Steak" sandwiches

Before the pregnancy, I began to eat vegan at least once a week, maybe more. There was an excellent restaurant in San Diego called Sipz that we would frequent plus I would sign up for any of the Spork Girls cooking classes that were held at a local cooking store. Anyway, I've only recently begun cooking vegan again. Tonight, I made "steak" sandwiches.

The recipe is simple! I made the whole thing in about 15 minutes. 

First, cut up some peppers and mushrooms, and add them to a pan with a little oil of your choice (I use Grapeseed oil).

Add a pat or so of Earth's Best butter for flavor and cook these for a few minutes to soften. 

Add 

to the pan with some herbs. I added Thyme, a little Sumac, Worcestershire sauce and Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper; and cook a little longer until the meat gets a good caramelization going. You may need to add a bit more oil. I put the mixture into Naan but it would taste just as good in any bread especially a bulky roll.  I did add some shredded Cheddar at the end but to keep in true Vegan form use a vegan cheese or forgo the cheese all together. 

Enjoy!

Oozy Cheesy Pasta

It's been a while since I've posted anything dealing with food. Over the weekend, I made Jamie Oliver's Oozy Cheesy Pasta for the whole family.

My version, as usual, contained a few extra items. I added pancetta, sweet Italian sausage, peppers, and shaved parsnips strips ( which I used a veggie peeler, as in this recipe).  For the cheese, I used Parmesan and some Fontina and chose to use the creme fraiche rather than the mascarpone. I omitted the walnuts as well as the garlic but added more Thyme to the fixings as well as the topping.

Here's his recipe:

Ingredients

• sea salt
• 3 heaped tablespoons mascarpone cheese or crème fraîche
• 100 g mixed leftover cheese (a little less than a cup)
• 250 g dried taglierini
• extra virgin olive oil

• For the pangritata:

• 2 slices of quality sourdough bread
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, thyme or marjoram, leaves picked
• 5 shelled walnuts
• olive oil

Method

After all the hard work of your epic Christmas dinner, you need something that's comforting and delicious up your sleeve, which you can bosh together without too much hassle. This recipe is great for using up any leftover cheese from your Christmas cheeseboard – I tend to chuck in a mixture of hard, soft, strong and mild cheeses, but go easy on the blue cheese (that stuff can be strong!).

To make the pangritata, lightly toast the sourdough. Peel the garlic, then blitz in a food processor with the toasted bread, herbs and walnuts until fine. Preheat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, then add the pangritata and fry for around 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and place a large heatproof bowl on top. Add the mascarpone or crème fraîche to the bowl along with the leftover cheeses, crumbling or grating any harder varieties first, then stir until melted. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat and set aside, then turn the heat up to high. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of cooking water, then add to the bowl of melted cheese and toss to coat, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed.

Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle the crispy pangritata on top and serve right away.

Enjoy!

Kerry

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