29

Celebrating what I'm sure will be the first of many 29th birthdays. I was debating posting this picture because I look terrible in it - all greasy and worn out after a long day, but it's true to life. And I have so much to be thankful for! I'm looking forward to year 29, because 28 brought so many exciting new adventures...

DIY: Repurposed Popcorn Tins

After the holidays, I struggle with what to do with the leftover floating random things that we accumulate. Space in our house is sacred, yet I don't want to be wasteful. I've seen lots of cute painted popcorn tins on Pinterest, and always thought that was a good way to re-do them. But then I started working on the office re-do and was looking into some sisal baskets. Well, those run around $30 at Target, and I just don't want to spend that much for a basket.

Enter Home Depot - I got 50' of 3/8" sisal rope for about $8.50. That, and a lot (a LOT) of hot glue, and I had myself a sisal basket. I actually have two popcorn tins and this was my first attempt. One 50' roll was just barely too short for one, so I bought two more rolls and should have plenty for the next popcorn tin. Even then, it's still a savings over buying two sisal baskets.

I started at the bottom and hot glued the rope to the tin every couple of inches. I alternated each row between gluing the rope layers to themselves and gluing to the popcorn tin. I put the handles on the outside of this one, but I think I'll put them inside for the next popcorn tin. You could always cover up the spots where the rope ends with some leather or some nailhead trim, but it doesn't bother me.

 

I think these will go well in the office to collect random items - most likely things that a certain baby likes to carry around and deposit in dark corners. Namely - balls. What is it with boys and their balls? I don't mean that in the way you're thinking. The first basket is currently in Judah's room holding every ball he has of every shape and size. It's a nice catch all!

Mr. Bear seems to agree.

Dark Secret

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year and enjoyed the holidays. We had 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6....yep SIX Christmases. And Judah was actually healthy during all of this, but I knew there was no way we were escaping the holidays without a cold. And now, lo and behold, everyone in our house is now sick. Fun. This has led to 5 nights in a row of crying, coughing, and runny noses.

To distract myself, I've been trying to concentrate on my New Year's Resolution: Re-do our office. This is the one room in the house that literally has not been touched. We have the same desks we had in college. There are cracks in the plaster walls, and of course the same paint color as when we moved in five years ago. This room gives me stress. It's a catch all for random crap as well as the place where Scott pays our bills and I attempt to paint every once in a while. It's like Monica's secret closet of clutter and crap from "Friends" - remember that episode where Chandler discovers what's behind that locked door in their apartment? Our office is just like that.

I'm about to reveal the "Before" photos - and I do this knowing that absolutely anything I do to this room will make for an impactful "After" shot.

Cue shower scene music from "Psycho"...

Now this room is TINY. But I have a plan. I hope I'm not crazy...but I think I want to go DARK on the walls. Here's what I'm thinking for the re-do:

I've already bought the rug and the pillow (both Target) and that framed art (Etsy). I have a similar chair to the one pictured, but it has a padded seat that I will recover. Also, I scored a freebie office chair from work that I will also recover, because Scott's large, ugly, black leather office chair goes with nothing. Granted, most of the work will involve decluttering and organizing. But I would eventually love for this to be a space that we can all actually gather in and work/play. Right now, Judah is not even allowed in the office because it is the "room of dangerous objects and cords."

What do you think? Any suggestions? Any experiences with going dark on the walls in a smaller space?

On The Menu: Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Please forgive my instagram photo. When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I couldn't resist. The only problem? My husband hates, HATES buffalo sauce. Just one of his weird quirks. So half the chicken was coated with buffalo sauce, the other half he mixed with a random assortment of toppings. Oh well, he's missing out.

This recipe is super easy and quick, and perfect football game watching food. This recipe is adapted from the one found on Pinterest from Mrs. Regueiro's Plate.

Ingredients:
• 1 lb. (or two large) boneless skinless chicken breasts.
• 3 T. cornstarch
• 1/3 C flour
• 1 t. garlic salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 t. paprika
• 1/4 t. cumin
• 2-3 T. vegetable oil
• Thicker, Burrito-sized flour tortillas. We like Guerrero brand.
• Buffalo Wing Sauce - I used Frank's

Toppings:
• Avocado Cubes
• Ranch Dressing
• Sliced Green Onions
• Minced Cilantro

Directions:
1. Pound the chicken breasts with a mallet until they are a uniform thickness (about 1/4"). Cut into 1" strips or cubes.
2. Heat your oil in a large skillet on medium. While it's heating, combine your cornstarch, flour, garlic salt, paprika, and cumin in a bowl.
3. Season your chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour mixture. Place in your hot oil and fry on each side about 3 minutes. I popped mine in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 after they were done frying to make sure they were done and not soggy.
4. When your chicken is done, toss with about 1/3 cup Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce.
5. Layer in your tortillas with your toppings and enjoy!

DIY Craft: Cardboard Roll Garland

With a mobile infant, I find I have even less time for crafting. With Judah getting into EVERYTHING, I just can't leave the hot glue gun plugged in - thus reducing my crafting time to during naps only/after bedtime.

However, this was a quick one, so it didn't take too long too accomplish. I love looking at Pinterest for crafting projects, and I was inspired by all the crafts made from cardboard rolls - the kind you get at the end of a paper towel or TP roll. I saved empty paper towel rolls for this one.

Here's What You'll Need:
• Empty Toilet Paper Rolls or Paper Towel Cardboard rolls cut into strips about 1/2" wide
• Scrapbook Paper
• Letters printed off a computer or to size out of a Silhouette or Cricut cutter - I made mine to size in photoshop in 1" circles
• Decorative punches
• Hot Glue
• Hole Punch
• Thread, string, yard - something to hang your garland.

Step 1: Gather your supplies. I wanted my garland to read "Peace On Earth" - so 12 individual letters. I used a 3" decorative punch to punch out 12 scalloped circles from scrapbook paper. I printed out my letters and used a 1" circle punch to cut them out (I printed them on plain cardstock). And finally I figured out I would need six strips of TP roll per letter for the shape I wanted to create (so enough cardboard roll for 72 strips).

Step 2.  Using hot glue, glue together your TP roll strips in the center to form a flower shape. I liked the look better with 8 strips, but that would require 96 total strips, and I just didn't want to wait until I had more. So I went with six.

 

Step 3. Using hot glue, layer on your decorative punches and cut out letters on top of your flower shapes.

 

Step 4. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the top point of your flower/star. Thread your letters onto your thread or yarn. I used decorative christmas trim.

 

 

Step 5. Hang your garland and slide your letters to space them evenly. Stand back and admire your craftiness.

 

Now looking at the top photo I realized I mis-strung two letters and spelled "earth" wrong. Fail. Oh well, at least this is an easy fix!

 

Cardboard Rolls + Hot Glue = Classy :).

Bi-Lingual

It was made apparent during our trip to Paris last year what a huge disadvantage it is to only know one language. I won't lie, I tried to bust out some high school French, and was understood maybe half of the time. Reading menus and maps was a little easier, but understanding it when spoken? Forget about it. I so wish I had stuck with learning a second language past the two French classes I took in high school.

Even though more and more people populate the planet, we're growing smaller and more connected than ever thanks to technology. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every child was taught a mandatory second language beginning in Kindergarten? I'm not sure if that's controversial or not, but I think it would be great. Communication is key, and any leg up we can give our kids is beneficial.

I've been looking into some language learning programs for kids. There are some great clips on Youtube, like this French one* I watched from Dino Lingo. Judah is too young now for much "screen time" - and TV and Video really doesn't hold his attention for very long. I like that these clips are short and have fun music in the background. And of course the animation is great for little ones. He doesn't have any real words at this point (just turned 9 months, yay!), so I don't know how effective trying to incorporate a foreign language would be. I don't want to be one of those moms that goes crazy with the flash cards trying to make my child some kind of genius (ahem...the "Your baby can read" scam that just went under...). I would just want to do it in a casual and fun way.

If we did implement some foreign-language learning, I wouldn't be overzealous about it, but I do think it would be a fun way to expose Judah to different cultures early on. I actually remember learning how to count to ten in Spanish in my Kindergarten class. I've also heard that children that grow up in bi-lingual households have a better grasp of language and communication overall, but are also later to speak.

I'd love to know, did you or are you planning on teaching your child a second language? How do you go about doing it in your everyday life? Are you casual about it or really hardcore, and how is it working out?

*I watched this video complimentary through www.Influenster.com.

On The Menu: Copycat Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup

I could also title this post "...Or, why I need an immersion blender in my life." But we'll get to that later.

Soup. I could eat soup for every meal, every day. So many varieties! It's the first thing I look for on the menu, and Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup is fast becoming one of my favorite go-tos when ordering out. I also enjoy On the Border's Chicken Tortilla Soup. I've been looking for copycat recipes for both of these, but this one for Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup actually tastes pretty damn close to what I pay for at the restaurant, and was pretty easy to make (minus an unfortunate blending mishap). This recipe is slightly adapted in size an ingredients from Lindsey's Lucious. My husband actually said he preferred this soup over my Chicken Tortilla Soup, because he's not the biggest black bean fan and "didn't feel like he needed to navigate the soup for fear of hitting a bean minefield."

INGREDIENTS:
(Makes about 6 large portions)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Medium onion - diced
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 10oz can Old El Paso red enchilada sauce - mild
• 10 oz. Velveeta Cheese, cubed
• 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tsp cumin
• 1 Tsp chili powder
• 1 - 2 Tsp Chicken Soup Base (I used the powdered bullion)
• 1/2 Tsp cayenne / cajun spice
• 2 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Cup canned tomato sauce
• Two large chicken breasts - diced and cooked
• Three 6" corn tortillas, diced.
• Optional: 1/2 - 1 Can Golden Corn, Drained
• Garnishes: Sour Cream, Pico de Gallo, Crushed Tortilla Chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook your diced chicken in a skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper until completely cooked through. Set aside. Make sure your pieces of chicken are small enough to scoop up in a spoon for soup - you don't want a giant piece of chicken on your spoon. Kind of ruins the whole "soup" thing.

2. Heat your olive oil in a deep soup pot over medium. Add your onion and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add your garlic and saute for 30 seconds - 1 minute.

3. Add in the rest of the ingredients except for the chicken and the optional corn.

4. If you have an immersion blender. blend the soup at this point until you have a smooth consistency. If not, you will just have to continually whisk until the chopped corn tortillas dissolve. This is where things got a bit tricky for me. You see... I don't have an immersion blender...

*If you don't have an immersion blender, please don't be dumb like me and try to blend it in a normal blender. Just trust me on this one. In other news, the dogs enjoyed my mistake. Luckily I only lost a little of the actual soup.

5. Ok, now add in your chicken and corn and heat through.

6. Serve with sour cream, pico, and crushed tortilla chips. Yum!