4 comments 19 October 2010

It only took me 3years of being a working-parent to realize that it would be easier to cook twice as much for dinner and freeze the extra for enjoyment another week. This would make weeknight dinners faster and also reduce the number of last-minute restaurant visits because it's 'too late to fix anything'. Well this week (following a lovely weekend away with my hubby) we are Freezer Eating. I wandered the grocery store late Sunday Evening and was at a loss for ideas of what to eat for the week. Then it hit me, pull from the leftovers! I have only been freezing for the last month or so and have been very protective about the idea of dipping in too soon. I wanted to have some solid stock! Well now I've got Chili, Enchilada Casserole, Tomato Sauce and Curry Chicken. So what are we eating this week? Chili, Enchilada Casserole and because I love me some breakfast, we'll be having breakfast for dinner one night as well (easy-peasy!). Now if I could only find a way to simplify the dish washing process. One idea my hubby had was to invent a dishwasher that new it was full, supplied its own soap and viola! Someday.

8 comments 27 May 2010

So I ventured into my next sewing project! But first, a tiny bit of back-story. When we first moved into our home I was struck at how well my fuzzy socks cleaned the floor as I shuffled around the house each evening. And when I came across this tutorial I thought, brilliant! {I've started the felt flash cards too - eek!} My practical side and my creative side converged, and this is what was born.


Yes, it's a reusable dust-bunny cloth! Certainly mine was not as attractive or as finished, but hey it's only my 2nd sewing project ever (minus the pillow I made in third grade). This project also appealed to my need-to-be-greener side and my get-over-on-the-man side (ha ha - proctor & gamble won't be getting a dime from me for refills).

3 comments 02 May 2010

Step 1: Buy a machine, but not just any machine, a computerized one!
Step 2: Go to fabric store and buy some cheap-o fabric
Step 3: Figure out how to thread a needle. If you can't figure this out (and I almost gave up) then take the machine back and find another hobby.
Step 3: Sew a few stitches on some cheap-o fabric
Step 4: When you're bored of sewing stitches on cheap-o fabric, make something. I chose to make an envelope pillow cover. I still used cheap-o fabric as I was not necessarily intending on actually using this pillow cover, but figured it would give me focused practice time.

***I really like some of the cheap-o fabric and thought this could just be the new pillow we've been needing for our family room!***

Step 5: Cut off the sides and start again because the envelope overlap is too short and it flops open. Not to mention, the pillow is a tad too long (awkwardly so).
Step 6: Re-sew the sides of the pillow using a Serging Stitch (on my first day? Indeed, I went for it!)
Step 7: Realize that the second time making the pillow cover {did I mention it was a 15-20 minute pillow cover that has now taken me close to 2 hours} that I forgot to turn it inside-out? As I stand up from my new machine still proud of my first project regardless of its flaws (and there were many), I hear my husband begin to yell...
Step 8: Clean up dog piss that is rapidly endangering computer CPU with my new inside-out pillow cover.
Step 9: Order pizza and call it a night.

2 comments 29 April 2010

A friend suggested I blog this, so before I forget here we go

Around 6-8 months ago our little music man started singing, "Memeno". That was the only word and he would sing it to a tune that was completely unrecognizable. Each week I would try to remind myself to ask his preschool teachers because surely it was a song they sang in class. Each week would go by and I would forget to ask. Soon he started to vary the lyrics singing, "Memeno Cars". Cars, huh? Of course this was about the time that everything in his world began revolving around transportation - cars, trucks, trains, planes - you name it! It was also about the time we started letting him watch the Disney movie Cars as well. So who knew, really.

As the holidays approached I finally remembered to ask his pre-school teachers. We walked in like we did every day, dropped off his lunch box, hung up his coat, and then it happened. There I stood in front of all the teachers singing, "Memeno Cars" and they stared at me blankly and then began to laugh. They had absolutely no idea what I was singing. Embarrassed? A little, but really I was just more perplexed then anything. What was Memeno?!

We began to clue in that it had something to do with the Cars movie. But we've had the fortunate of listening to the soundtrack over and over again and there is not one song that sounds anything like "Memeno". And then he began asking for the Cars movie by saying, "I want to watch Memeno Cars". Watch?! He went from strolling around the house singing to now wanting to watch? Confused.

Christmas Day our friends Dave and Karolina joined us for a joyous holiday meal and not only did they get to hear the story of Memeno, but if memory serves me right they got to hear E sing it live and in-person. What I thought would be just a happy memory for our dear friends became a healthy obsession. Dave went home and spent hours (possibly slightly exaggerated) combing over the Cars Soundtrack finally settling on this one by Hank Williams. Nope, not it. I put Elliot on my lap and played song after song via You Tube from the soundtrack and each one he would agree with me when I would say, "Is this Memeno?". Drat!

But alas, as days and weeks went by he would begin asking for Memeno race (which we quickly figured out was the first race in the movie) and then we'd be in the car and he would ask to listen to Memeno Real Gone which happens to be the song that is played during Memeno race. And sadly today he mostly just asks for Real Gone. Memeno has almost left his little vocabulary. He's moved on to bigger words and other songs from the soundtrack, as seen here in his facebook debut of "Life is a Highway".

6 comments 17 February 2010

Losing and/or maintaining weight for those of us that are metabolically challenged is hard enough going solo, but trying to meet the nutritional needs of the rest of your family makes it even harder. But recently I discovered salad! Or shall I say rediscovered salad. I have always been one to enjoy the wild mixes of ingredients that restaurants call salad, but at home I was always a simpleton: Lettuce (not iceberg, at least), red onion, tomato, beets, maybe some chicken and tad bit of dressing tossed on. But my son needs to be eating everything and my husband wants it all but without saturated fat, so I decided to give them just that and put theirs over rice and mine on a salad. Last night, Curry Chicken with Peas. For Elliot, mixed with rice. For Dale, over rice with a side of Naan and yogurt sauce. For Me, over some greens with just a splash of creamy cilantro dressing and a couple of high-fiber tortillas to grab some tasty bites with. Brilliant! What will I think of next?

1 comments 03 February 2010

When times are tough we all look for ways to cut back. But as generations go by, it gets harder and harder to not 'purchase' our problems away. I can't just pick up a sewing machine and make myself a dress, for instance (but oh how I wish I could!). But as I discovered recently, I can dye my pants!

Recently my Auntie and I were in my Grandma's garage when she held up a big mason jar full of what looked like black water. In response to my concerned facial expression she said, "It's clothes dye". Of course! Of course! The same woman who canned peaches for the winter knows exactly how to keep her favorite pair of black pants looking sharp! I think she would cringe if she knew I just go out and by a new pair when mine were too faded to be acceptable any longer. No more!

Times are tough and even though my husband I are are fortunate to be bearing this financial storm pretty well, there is now excuse for throwing a away a perfectly good pair of black pants! After all, I was able to manage tie-dyeing a shirt as a teen, I am sure I can manage sprucing up a good pair of pants.Stay tuned!

1 comments 28 January 2010

I get tired of waking up at 6am,
Yet I never tire of watching my little man as we walk back to mommy's bed after getting his milk

I get tired of 'picking up'
Yet I never tire of finding the little treasures Elliot leaves behind, like a car at the bottom of his laundry basket or a truck in the tupperware drawer

I get tired of the long trek back and forth to school & work
Yet I never tire of listening to my bear talk about all the trains, planes and garbage trucks he wants to see along the way

I get tired of rushing to get dinner on the table
Yet I never tire of sitting, eating, talking with my dear husband and watching Elliot chew so deliberately

I get tired, but it's the good kind of tired...