From Becca's Home to Yours...With Love

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2012-03-08T10:26:00.002-08:00

Recently my perspectives have been changing. Maybe it's having more room to live in or seeing the countryside. I'm not sure the exact reason, but I realize that cogs in my mind are turning. It all kinda started after we bought our chickens. Having organic, "farm" fresh eggs, straight from the mother hen in the morning made me start thinking about all the things I purchase on a weekly basis. Do I really need to be buying so much from these big name brand companies. The companies are making millions off their customers who believe the company when they advertise that their products are the best? And recently I've discovered that a lot of the companies are using chemicals in their products that are harmful to us. Why would I won't my children exposed to that? And why would I give them my money? Well, I'm not anymore. One of the first things I stopped buying was laundry detergent. And from my experience, as a mother of two, (with all the stains and germs and lovely smells that go along with my children's laundry) my homemade stuff works JUST as well as the stuff I was buying...If not BETTER! I know, amazing right? I was shocked too. Kinda ridiculous that it took me so long to figure it out...but better late than never! So here is my recipe for my powdered laundry detergent. And it's perfect for the front loading washers because it doesn't produce a lot of suds. Don't be fooled by lack of suds- it is cleaning! :) And it happens to be REALLY cheap- double bonus!

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda (washing- not baking- big difference)

1 bar laundry soap, (I used Fels-Naptha because of the kids, but Ivory - for sensitive skin, or Zote soap)

Over a large bowl, with a fine cheese grater, grate your soap bar. Next add in your borax and washing soda. Mix together with a spoon and transfer to a plastic container of your choice. large hummus container (clean and dry) from Costco was what I used. This recipe will give you probably 30 washes or more. I use 1 tablespoon per normal load of laundry. But when I fill the washer with jeans and or heavily soiled I use 2 tablespoons- just to be safe.

A few friends have asked me "How do you have time to make your own laundry stuff?" Well, first off it's really easy. And secondly, my life is all about schedules. With two kids I have to be scheduled if I want to get anything done and make sure we show up when and where we should. I also make my own fabric softener- that's the next post.

With love,

Becca

Coop-A-Cabana

2012-02-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

This week has been a week full of...well....I'm not really sure. I don't remember a lot of it. Seriously though. I don't. On Monday my son stayed home from school sick and I started to come down with what would soon be revealed to be the flu. My hubby even stayed home two days last week which is amazing because he never stays home so I MUST have been pretty sick. To be honest this past week was just miserable. I still feel as if my body has been hit by a truck and the lingering deep cough is not helping my muscles feel any better.

But on a happy note, I did finish my coop-a-cabana sign before I came down with the flu. I think the coop has turned out so cute. The chickens are growing rapidly and it won't be too much longer till they'll be ready for their coop! Yay!

New Adventures!....seems like there are a lot of those recently...

2012-02-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

After a month and a half of unpacking, reorganizing, hanging stuff we are at home. The kids are thoroughly enjoying the room and so am I. Favorite part of this house by far is the playroom :) 2 weeks ago we felt settled enough to bring in 8 more family members....Oh yea. It started out as 4, we bought 6, and left with 8...
Meet the newest members of the "Soder Flock"

This is my Silkie, Ella:

This is one of our Americanas, Hedwig:

My son's Americana, Chipmunk (Can you guess why she's named that?):

This is my daughter's Frizzle, aptly named Mrs Frizzle:

My Black Copper Maran named Madeline:

Another Americana named Fanny:

Americana named Maggie:

It has been so fun watching these gals develop their own personalities. I say gals, because sadly we can't keep any roosters. The kids have fallen for the chicks and are having fun holding them and caring for them.

Here I am with Hedwig (who's hiding in this pic) the night we got them

My daughter with Mrs. Frizzle

And my hubby with his Silkie, Lucy, who is a snuggler and has captured my hubby's heart

My son with Chipmunk

Who knew chicken's could be so much fun! We purchased some that will give us all different colors of eggs. The chicks will be ready for their coop when they are about 2 months old, it depends on how feathered they are by that time. I'm working on a sign for the coop. I've decided to name it "Coop-A-Cabana". Pictures to come shortly ;)

Welcoming the new year and a new city...

2012-01-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Mine was filled with moving boxes.

Even with all the moving boxes it was a very special times for us. We are all moved into our new home and loving it. I'm still trying to figure out some organizational ideas....but I am determined to get this house in order :) It is really tough with two little kids to unpack and organize. I had to open about 5 boxes just to remember where I packed my daughter's pajamas. And while I'm in my room trying to unpack clothes the kids are in the playroom "unpacking toys." Oh yea.. "unpacking" is not the word I would use. More like creating a colossal pile of toys that are strewn across the floor. Awesome..... But besides the nitty gritty work, I've been able to do some fun things to the house, like new appliances, new fans, new fireplace screen, etc. Here's some pics of the new house.

My new fireplace screen. I removed the brass lined glass - which was so easy to do! And it made such a difference. I love not having it there!

Here's my new reading nook....aka favorite spot in the house!

Since this picture I have gotten a new above the stove microwave :)

One of my favorite things about our new town is that you can see a lot of nature here. There is room to breathe.... This is a pic from our "local highway" it's basically a really long road where the speed limit is the same as the freeway speed.

Next to do is unpacking craft stuff!!!! :)

Christmas is in the Air...

2011-12-06T18:05:00.001-08:00

This year we are in the middle of moving, thus my lack of posting...and our house is literally filled with boxes. I daydream of decorating in my new house. But in the meantime, it's nice to look back at pictures from last year.

Time to decorate for Thanksgiving!

2011-11-11T08:12:00.001-08:00

We are in the middle of packing up to move to a new house right now. Most of my thanksgiving decorations are out, but there are also a couple boxes in each room :) So I'm re-posting last year's post. Happy decorating!!

Last week I took down all my Halloween decorations and put up all my thanksgiving ones. Thanksgiving is such a fun time for me. It means lots of yummy food, good times spent with friends and family....and it's the precursor for Christmas! But before I can even think about Christmas I need to plan out my turkey day. And part of having a great turkey day is having a house that feels warm and welcoming and in my house that means lot of leaves. I think people can be a bit intimidated by decorating for thanksgiving. Don't be! Add those scarecrows and leaves! Here's how I decorated:

My welcome sign when I step in from the garage:

I always save pumpkins from October and use them to decorate for Thanksgiving. I also lite a lot of candles in the fall/winter, why not combine the two on a counter or side table?

A little pumpkin scarecrow, this one I positioned on some leaves.

My awkward steps above my fireplace..... I decorated them with pumpkins, scarecrows, lots of leaves and...

...a pumpkin turkey. What can I say, I thought he was cute!

See the hidden pumpkin behind the leaves???

I also like to decorate my china hutch. Everyone gathers in this area to eat and to be honest, it's a safe place for my Jim Shore woodcut figures.

I'm a little obsessed with Jim Shore woodcut figures...you'll see what I mean when I show you Christmas pictures...It's slightly "re-dunculous" as my hubby would say.

Cornucopia stuffed with leaves :) Simple and easy.

I even add a touch of leaves inside the hutch. It provides a nice pop of color and ties it all together.

I picked up this guy for $5 at my local craft store and the kids gave him a pilgrim hat :) I think we should name him.

Even our fridge is decorated. Turkey hand prints are the best! And so fun and easy. Just paint your hand with brown paint, then press on white paper. Glue feathers and ta-da!

I purchased a bird houses at my local craft store and decorated it with fall colors and places it on top of my fridge. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but I like it.

Yes, my guest bathroom has fall towels and soap ;)

And I've replaced the real plants with a fall leaf assortment

My kitchen even gets a few touches

And Duke's treats

We made little American Indian pupets after reading a thanksgiving story. Simple craft and my kids love these guys! ....hmm....who knew.

And we can't forget our thanksgiving toys! :) The kids get really excited when they see these since they only come out of the garage once a year. Quick reminder: when storing seasonal toys remember to remove the batteries!

I hope that gives you all a few ideas or maybe some Thanksgiving decoration inspiration! Happy decorating!!

Halloween Recap

2011-11-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry I couldn't post sooner. I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween this year! Mine was a insane. I had a wedding cake due (next post) on the 29th and a carnival to set up for the neighborhood on the 30th... add in buying a house and the family getting sick. It was insane. And of course, now I'm sick :( But here are some snapshots of our Halloween this year. And some of the new and improved witch shack!

Side view:

My wonderful hubby and myself :)

For the carnival, I made a witch head out of paper and taped it to an easel. I had bright green stickers for kids to "Stick the Wart on the Witch". I used a simple blindfold and voila! A great carnival game that ALL ages enjoyed. For the kidos under 2 I didn't use the blindfold. And all kids got to pick a prize out of my cauldron.

The second game for the carnival that I made was a "Hole in One". I used cardboard boxes, black construction paper and some inexpensive fake grass that I purchased at my local home improvement store. This would work with golf balls and golf clubs too :)

Side View:

I cut a hole in the back that the ball would fit through if hit properly. I had my son do it so I knew it could be done. I wanted this game to be challenging, but not impossible. The really interesting thing about this game is that the ADULTS loved it too!!! I've never had adults want to do the carnival games, since we set it up for the kids... but apparently the desire to test their skills was too much :) It was lots of fun, inexpensive and fairly simple to make. All it takes is a little imagination!

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween too! Now we're moving onto Turkey Day!!! Yay!!! :)

With Love,

Becca

Halloween Crafts for Kids

2011-10-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Looking for a cute craft to do with your little ones? How about a Halloween Bat Finger puppet?? Just cut along the outside line and cut out the circles at the base of the bat and your kids can stick their fingers through to make legs for the bat ;) CLICK HERE for the Halloween Finger Puppet Bat Link.

And what is a Halloween Bat without clothes?? Have fun coloring and gluing these on. CLICK HERE for the Halloween Finger Puppet Bat Clothes Link.

Spooky Windows

2011-10-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

This week I've been busy decorating for Halloween. I'm posting a post I wrote last October since I'm doing this craft again. But this year, I've had trouble finding long rolls of black paper. I've substituted construction paper and just taped the seams together. Good luck with your spooky windows!!!!

I've been working like crazy on my daughter's birthday party and I can't wait to show you all I've done. But I have to finish all of it first :) In the mean time I've also finished up my Halloween decorating. I did large window decorations that can be easily seen from the street. I went to a teacher's supply store and purchased 12 foot long black paper that's 2 feet wide. I flipped it on it's back and drew out a picket fence.

I then drew a cat to go on the picket fence....and some bats in the "sky" above the picket fence. Anyway, you get the idea. You can draw or trace out a spooky scene on the flip side of the black paper. Then you cut out your scene.

Here I am just beginning to cut :)

I have pull down black out curtain on those windows so I taped the scenes to that. But if you do not have anything on your windows I suggest taping it (with painters tape) to tissue paper so light can shine through! It'll create a very spooky effect. Although if it is for a kid's room maybe something a bit sturdier such as a sheet or even a large piece of white paper. It's so simple and so fun!

Getting Up Close & Personal With Wildlife...

2011-09-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I let Duke out back to do his thing before bed and I heard him barking. Then I hear my husband yell, "Hunny! Look out the window, what do you see?!" My response.... "Really?....I don't see anything spectacular." Then he informs me that there was is a raccoon in our tree. I was interested after that information. I did see it from my window, but I timidly stepped outside to get a better look. ***Disclaimer: Wild animals should not be approached, they can carry diseases*** I did not approach the raccoon and the raccoon was up the tree so I was not close to it. But I had to snap a picture cause he was kinda cute.

This morning when I stepped out to go for a run, I did a thorough scan of the yard to make sure our night time visitor was gone.

But alas, there were more interesting little critters to watch out for on my run. Remember my post about the weather changing and it's feeling like fall...yea...well remember how I wrote about the orb spiders?? Well, they really are now everywhere. I have to be very aware when I'm running of where their webs are. This rather large spider was merrily working on a web about a foot from my face.

EEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkk!!!!! I think I've had plenty of wildlife for at least a week. I'll just hide out inside my house till Friday. LOL! Hope you all have a GREAT week!

With Love,
Becca

Fall is in the air...

2011-09-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know where most of you are, but here in southern California you can feel the seasons changing. The past few mornings it's been very gloomy when I've woken up. One of my very favorite things about this time of year....besides crafts... is the fog that rolls down through the hills behind our house.

It makes me want to cuddle up with a good book under a blanket...but alas, there is way too much to do these days. I'm seriously thinking of getting a head start on some of my Halloween decorations. And I'm also thinking about spraying for spiders. I keep seeing this huge Orb Spiders on my runs and they are huge!

This is an orb spider, from Mike Nelson, who has a hilarious and terrifying encounter with these lovely San Diegan inhabitants.

They come in every year around fall, but I just cannot get used to them. I can see them hanging in their webs from the road when I'm driving. Eeek! It does make me slightly afraid to walk underneath the beautiful trees. Speaking of trees, they are starting to change! *Sigh* I just love this time of year!

As I'm snapping pictures of the fog, my animal kids are wondering what on earth I'm doing in the backyard. Hehe :)

An Angry Bird Card Template

2011-09-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

This summer has flown by. I find that I've turned into one of those mothers who jump for joy when the school year starts back up. By the end of summer my 6 year old son was bouncing off the walls and I was hitting my head against the wall :) So now that I have time to breathe I am able to get you all some new templates to have fun with! My son just adores Angry Birds, but I could not find an angry bird card anywhere! So I just had to make one. It turned out to be much simpler than I thought it would be,
Here is the link to "The Bird Who is Angry" template. All you need is red, black, yellow and tan (optional) paper, a stick of glue and a permanent marker. To make your card more professional use card stock. Enjoy!!

Summer...

2011-07-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

What a crazy summer it's been so far! I can't believe how time is just flying away from me. There is obviously way too much going on. I've been trying to keep the kids busy and tire them out, yet it seems like I'm tiring me out. By bedtime I'm a zombie already. Well, school starts up next month - which is bittersweet. It was only a couple weeks ago that my son graduated from kindergarten. And next month I'll be packing lunch and he'll be at school for a full day (kindergarten here is only half day). *sniffle* But I did make my son and his friends a cute graduation cake for our block party we had. I put the school mascot (...if you'd call it that, it's a rocket ship) on the cake to show school spirit.

And the most notable of the summer (so far) was my son's beach birthday party. I think I'll be putting the invites under the templates on my website. And I'm planning on doing a post about Beach Birthday Parties- it'll include invite templates, cake and cupcake ideas (see pictures below) and party favor ideas.

Taking the long road...

2011-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

There has been so much going on recently. It's been the type of stuff that takes lots of time too. Not just the easy sweep it under the rug type of stuff. Oh no! This is the vacuum it, re-vacuum, steam clean it and scrub it too type of stuff.... like my cleaning analogy? It just seems like every little task ends up taking hours. Do you ever have days like that??

(picture of my beheaded cable, this is before head fell completely off)

Recently my laptop charger was beheaded. It was a very sad day when I realized that my cable was no longer charging the laptop. My laptop's battery is totally dead too. Gosh, my technology is so morbid! So anyway, my laptop will only work if plugged in... and if my cable isn't working, my laptop is useless! So I had to wait, and wait..... and wait until my wonderful mail person dropped off a wonderful package today. Now I'm back online! And today is really looking up! I really hope today is a "looking up" kind of Monday for all of you too!

With love, Becca

A morning in Paris...

2011-05-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging for a while. I've been battling a horrible coughing cold for the past week. My head has been pounding and the coughing attacks just put me over the edge...Thank goodness for DayQuil!

Well, this past weekend it all started to look up! I know I'm starting to feel better when I want to bake and cook. To celebrate Memorial Day I decided to make strawberry crepes. I LOVE crepes! And I wanted to surprise my hubby...he loves crepes too :) It worked out perfectly too because I feed the kids before and then put them in front of the electronic babysitter (aka T.V) and got to work on making them. The kids even let us eat them in peace. I felt like I was in Paris while I sipped on my steam milk with espresso and munched on strawberry crepes with my husband. It was wonderful! Ready to know how you can make these at your home?

Becca's Strawberry Crepes:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 Tablespoons of melted butter (you'll need more for cooking)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs

Combine all of the above ingredients in the order listed. Whisk together until smooth and let stand for 10 minutes. Put 1- 2 Tablespoons of butter in the bottom of your skillet. Cover the bottom and a little up the side of the pan with butter. Add about 1/3 a cup of batter and swirl it around in your pan so it forms a smooth, even circle. When bubbles start forming or your butter underneath the crepe starts bubbling it's time to flip (usually about 1-3 minutes). Use a thin butter knife to lift the edge of the crepe and slide a spatula underneath. Next tip your pan and flip your crepe. Once your crepes are cooked you can work on your filling.

Filling options:
Nutella spread on the bottom of the crepe for a decadent hazelnut, chocolate flavor. I slice up strawberries, sprinkle with sugar, add a tablespoon of butter to a pan and cook over medium low heat. Then I spoon the strawberry mixture into the crepe and roll it up.

Lastly I dust with powdered sugar and place some of the fruit filling ontop. I also recommend steamed milk with espresso ;) I hope you enjoy them as much as we did, with love, Becca

My Husband's Birthday Extravaganza

2011-05-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm taking it easy. This weekend it seems like I celebrated non-stop. Seriously. Friday night was an adult night out with friends for my husband's birthday. Saturday night we went to a hullabaloo concert with the kids. Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day with a nice walk along the lake....and then a nice dinner with the rest of the family. And last, but not least we hosted a neighborhood party for our friends with kids to celebrate my husband's birthday. OH MY!!! It's been a whirlwind, but I wouldn't change any of it for a second ;) It was lots of fun. I made my husband's favorite Bananas Foster Cupcakes to celebrate. Oh, were they yummy! There's always a reason to celebrate and a yummy little cupcake makes it so much sweeter. Who knows, maybe I'll keep the celebration going and celebrate Wednesday tomorrow.....hmmmm.....I wonder what Wednesday cupcakes would taste like!

New Projects

2011-05-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

This week has been a busy one for me. It seems like this year has just been getting busier and busier. I can't wait till summer....although I have a feeling that once summer is here it will be over before I know it. I'm not sure how you all handle stress but I love to paint. I haven't painted for a very long time. Between carpools, play dates, food to make, appointments to keep, kids to pick up after, who has time?! This week I made time...and I'm very happy I did. I put a movie on and I took a couple hours to paint.

My little brother in law is moving into a new apartment and asked me to paint him a modern/abstract painting to go in the living room. I don't usually paint modern but I was very excited to paint for him. He bought me three canvases to paint on- it was a lot of fun. Art doesn't have to be perfection. It doesn't HAVE to be anything. Art is what you make it. To be completely honest with you I had no idea what i was painting when I started. It just kinda flowed out of my soul as I went along. If you've never painted - try painting an abstract painting.... it's never wrong, it's just yours. Hopefully this will inspire someone out there. Here's my painting.

....I hope he likes it!

Spring is here!

2011-04-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Ours was filled with lots of activities and even more goodies :)
And for all of you who are curious my bunny rolls turned out pretty cute. I ran into a problem though! I could not find the refrigerated bread stick dough at my grocery store!!! AAahhhhh!!! So I improvised (never be afraid to do that). I used croissants. The kids didn't notice the difference. What do you think about the bunny rolls?

Here is a picture of some sugar snap peas that my son helped grow. I think this picture encompasses the freshness of spring, I just love it.

If you are looking for a great activity for kids to do- here it is. Making a recycled egg carton garden.

Recycled Egg Carton Garden

Gather up some egg cartons. Let your kids decorate the outside.

Then open up the egg carton and fill the egg indents with dirt. The kids can do this with a small spoon. Then have them place a couple seeds in each little dirt pile.

You can also have them glue little pictures of what seeds they planted on the inside of the lid. That way they will know what the plants are as they grow. It's also a great way to introduce little ones to recycling :)

Easter Preparations

2011-04-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

My kids are very excited because Easter is almost here. Today I got around to hard boiling some eggs for us to dye....I know, I know I kinda waited till the last minute on that. Very unlike me...but this week I've been getting up at 4:45am to go workout. It's been a bit of an adjustment in my routine. But back to the point, I've heard so many different ways to boil eggs. I'm sure at least half of you out there have your own special way. Here's how I do it.

1. I place my eggs in the bottom of a large pot.

2. I fill the pot with cold water about an inch and a half above the eggs

3. I salt the water

4. I place on the stove and heat on high

5. When it comes to a boil I let it boil for 2-4 minutes.

6. After boiling for just a few minutes I cover with a lid and remove from heat.

7. Let stand for 12 minutes and then shock them in cold water.

8. Store in the fridge and enjoy! :)

I'm thinking I'll have the kids color the eggs tomorrow and maybe we'll make the Easter cookie package I picked up at the store. On Easter morning I'm planning on making bunny rolls out of refrigerated bread stick dough. My mom made them when I was young and it's a family tradition now.... guess I need to go to the store to pick up the refrigerated bread stick dough! I take a stick and roll it into a cinnamon roll type bun. I then roll a smaller one for the head and take little pieces for the tail and ears. Super simple, cute and kids love them. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

Family Traditions: Ebelskivers

2011-04-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

Do you know what an Ebelskiver is?? It's a puffy Danish pancake. And it's a ball shape. It can be filled too! It can be a very yummy breakfast or a delicious desert. Our whole family loves them and I think yours will too!

My husband's grandmother made Ebelskivers when he was a young boy. He had wonderful memories of them and insisted I buy a pan when we got married. I eventually inherited his grandmother's Ebelskiver pan which we were both very happy about. There's something special about using his grandmother's pan to pass on a family tradition to our kids. Here's a picture of my kid's breakfast this morning:

yum....

To make Ebelskivers you need an Ebelskiver pan. They sell them at Williams-Sonoma. This is a picture of my cast iron pan. I haven't seen any of these on the market. The one I purchased from Williams-Sonoma was a non-stick pan and much lighter. It worked great though! The pan is what makes the shape and it looks like this:

And here's a scrumptious recipe from Williams-Sonoma:

CINNAMON-BUN FILLED PANCAKES:

INGREDIENTS:

For the cinnamon filling:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes,
at room temperature

For the cream cheese frosting:

3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 to 4 Tbs. milk

For the pancakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. granulated sugar

4 eggs, separated

2 cups milk

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking

DIRECTIONS:

To make the cinnamon filling, in a bowl, still together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and, using the back of a spoon, mash the butter into the flour mixture until all of it is absorbed into the butter, forming a paste. Set the cinnamon filling aside.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, reduce the speed to low and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 3 Tbs. of the milk and beat until combined, about 1 minute. The frosting should be thick but still pourable; add more milk if needed to thin it. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl; set aside.

To make the pancakes, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar. In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and the 4 Tbs. melted butter. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/8 tsp. melted butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well. Spoon 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon filling into the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Using 2 skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling.

Drizzle the pancakes with the frosting and serve immediately. Makes 35 to 40.

An Amazing Escape

2011-04-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

We are back! And we had a blast :) I have to say that if you have young children at home and are considering a cruise, Disney is the way to go. It is by far the best cruise I've EVER been on for kids....and I've been on a lot. Disney is magical! And they have thought of literally everything when it comes to your kids. When we went to pick our kids up from the kid area, they didn't want to leave!

For those of you who've never been on a cruise, the views from the ship are gorgeous....especially at sunset!

We encountered a very active group of humpback whales. At one point they were 30 feet from the ship. And they were breaching over and over! It was so amazing seeing it in person.

While the kids were playing with Mickey in the kid area, my husband and I got to spend some quality time together. That alone was worth it!

My kids would look forward to the towel animals left in the room every night....Mommy looked forward to the little chocolates!

Like I said, the views are breathtaking. This is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

And a cruise just isn't a cruise without a game of shuffle board while on deck :)

Disney knew how to entertain! From Broadway worthy musicals to pirates falling from the sky we were always amazed! The fireworks are worth keeping the kids up for. It was special and memories we will cherish forever.

It was very difficult to pull my 5 year old son away from this...he LOVED the water slide!

If you think you have to wait in lines everytime to see characters, think again! You are bombarded by them! They're on stage, on deck....we even chased Captain Hook down a hallway! Within 5 minutes of being on board the ship my daughter bumped into Cinderella (who is her favorite Princess) and got to take pictures with her.

The view from the "Adult Only" pool....my hubby and I spent a lot of time there. Pure bliss!

I feel very blessed that we were able to take our kids on this vacation. Disney is a bit more pricey than other cruises but I feel like the memories we made were worth it. It was so special for everyone! My kids had as much fun as I did and I don't think it would have been that way on another cruise line.... I'll just have to go on another...ya know...just to compare ;) haha! This undoubtedly was the best family vacation we've had.

Bon Voyage!!!

2011-04-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

I am officially packing! On Sunday we are sailing away on a Disney cruise to Mexico. We've been saving and planning for over a year now. They kids are beyond excited although I'm kinda thinking that my husband and I might be more excited. We are excited for the kids to be enjoying their activities while my husband and I are sipping margaritas by the pool....oh yes, I can imagine it now...

I will let you all know how it went when I get back. Bon Voyage to you all! I promise I will come back with more of a tan than I have now!

With Love,

Becca

A hidden paradise...

2011-03-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today I took the kids to a hidden paradise where old historic buildings are and peacocks roam free. For those of you who live in San Diego you might recognize it as Leo Carrillo Ranch in Carlsbad. It is a unique little place. It's full of beautiful views. One of my favorite places was the stairs that led to nowhere...

What was surprising about this place was that it used to be a personal home. I kept thinking to myself it must have been gorgeous in it's day. It had so many buildings I'm not really sure what they all were. But they were old which was really neat for the kids to see. There aren't a lot of old buildings where we live so it was nice to be able to take the kids a few steps back in time.

One of the coolest things about Leo Carrillo Ranch Park is the peacocks. They are everywhere!! And a lot of them! The kids were able to get really close to them....when they walked slow....which didn't happen very often.

We even watched one munch on a flower...

It was lovely to be able to escape for a few hours. I hope you all can take a little escape in your week too.

With love,

Becca

Relief for Japan

2011-03-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it can be overwhelming trying to decide who to donate to. My husband and I have picked out a few groups that we donate to every year. But when a natural disaster hits, especially one like what happened to Japan, my heart aches to help the people. One organization that was brought to my attention was Soles 4 Souls. Last year a moms group that I'm a part of did a shoe drive for the Haiti earthquake victims and were able to donate over 70 pairs of shoes.

Join the relief effort in Japan by donating your gently worn shoes at Sport Chalet now through April 10, 2011.

You can go onto Soles 4 Souls website and get to know this great organization that helps so many people. This is a really great way to teach even the littlest ones about giving and sharing with those in need. They can personally put their used shoes into the boxes at their local Sport Chalet store. The organization also welcomes new shoes which you can often find for a few dollars on Walmart clearance racks. They want any size, male or female....and lets face it, who doesn't love shopping for shoes ;)

Happy Shoe Donating!

With Love,

Becca

My Week...Written Down

2011-03-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

As a mom of two young children I am constantly on the go. My days tend to get very busy, very fast and I don't carry my calendar around with me. So I created a weekly to-do list that I've been keeping in my purse. I named it "My Week...Written Down." It's come in really handy these past few weeks. I find that as I am making plans I can pull it out and jot down a note for myself. Anything that makes my life easier and keeps it better organized is something I love. So I wanted to share it all with you! I hope you enjoy! Click here to download and print your own.

With Love,
Becca

Under Construction

2011-03-18T15:04:00.001-07:00

Please excuse the mess. I'm trying to find the right look for my blog and it might go through a few changes over the next few days. Thank you all for sticking with me during the remodel!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

I hope you all are having a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. Did a leprechaun visit your house last night?? A leprechaun sneaked into our house and caused some havoc. He placed our shoes high up above our fireplace, placed jackets over our piano, brought bikes inside our house from the garage (he must have been having a grand old time), turned our milk green, and he left the evidence of a midnight snack on our dining room table. The kids thought it was so funny. But their favorite part was finding the gold covered chocolate coins in the leprechaun trap.

If a leprechaun didn't visit your house don't despair! There are still lots of ways to enjoy the day. If you are looking for a St. Patrick's Day word search, crossword puzzle or coloring page for kids click here.

Tonight I'm making corned beef and cabbage. I'm also doing some roasted potatoes on the side. Corned beef and cabbage is such a simple meal to make. Click here to view one of my favorite corned beef recipes. As a side dish I'm roasting some red potatoes. I cut them into wedges, leaving the skin on, and coat them in oil. I find that vegetable oil works just fine, but you could substitute olive oil if you prefer. I season them with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Then I place in a 350 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes or until tender. You could also add some fresh herbs to this recipe, it's so versatile and yummy!

(I like to add carrots about 10 min. before cooking the cabbage)

And to finish up your evening, Gwyneth Paltrow has rounded up some cocktail recipes. To view the Gwyneth Paltrow "GOOP" Newsletter featuring St. Patrick's Day cocktail recipes click here. Whatever you do this St. Patrick's Day I hope you enjoy!

Leprechauns...The real story

2011-03-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

What is the real story of the leprechaun? Many of us have forgotten...but I know the story very well.

For the real leprechaun story, click on this link

After reading the story about the leprechaun, you will understand why it is fun for kids to make a trap. My son made his trap this year all by himself. I recommend if you are trying to find a way to make this St. Patrick's Day special you can print out the story and make a trap. We started our trap with a cat litter box and lots of construction paper and glue.

We cut open one side of the box and added weights (aka...bubble bottles) so that it would shut when triggered.

We placed the "gold" inside to attract the leprechaun. We even put footprints to help guide the leprechaun to the gold. We used a campbell's soup can to help add weight to the back of the trap so that it wouldn't tip over when the door was open.

Notice how the string is attached to the gold?? That string is also attached to a skewer that holds the door open. When the gold is touched the door closes.

It really is amazing what can be done with a little glue and masking tape and string... Go ahead and give it a try!

The Wedding Cake

2011-03-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

The cake was finished last weekend :) Yes, it did take me a full week to recover - lol! The cake was a lemon cake with fresh cut strawberries and a whipped cream cheese filling. It was covered with vanilla buttercream and then covered in fondant. The bride loved her cake and so I'm a very happy baker....who now needs to figure out her next big adventure :) Here's some pictures of the cake:

Wedding Cake Topper

2011-02-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

It's been a very busy week here.....it's starting to feel like I'm saying that a lot! Let me explain....

It's wedding week! My husband's and my good friends are getting married this Friday. My hubby is a groomsman, my son is the ring bearer, my daughter is the flower girl and I'm the baker. It's seriously a family affair.

♥

In between pick-ups, alterations, fittings, bachelor parties and baseball practice I've been working away on their cake. The first step in this cake was to make the topper. It's a fondant sculpture of the bride and groom.

The groom is a firefighter (of course he's in his suspenders) and the bride (who is gorgeous) is sitting on his lap while staring into his eyes .... *sigh*... I love weddings ...

Here's some pictures of the newly finished topper. I'll be posting pics of the cake when I'm done :) But I have to wait till after Friday, I can't let the bride sneak a peak ;)

Valentine's Day

2011-02-08T09:48:00.000-08:00

For my amazing die hard blog readers, you might recognize this picture from last year. In truth, I did not make these cookies this year. This year I'm still trying to decide what to do for Valentine's Day. I have a big wedding coming up the following week so I'm not sure that I'll be doing a lot. My girlfriend gave me a hard time about not making cookies this year, but a girl can only do so much ;) I really do want to make cookies, but I know I need to focus all creative and mental energy on this wedding. If you'd like to make some sugar cookies and decorate them with royal icing here is the link for my amazingly simple royal icing recipe.

If you are lacking some motivation here are some simple ideas to help your valentine feel the love:

* Make heart shaped pancakes and use red food coloring in the batter to make them pink

*Make some toast and use a cookie cutter heart to remove the center of the toast and add some raspberry jam

* Cut out some construction paper hearts and leave some sweet notes for your loved one all over the house

* Put a coffee shop gift card in your loved one's brief case or on their car dashboard.

Recovering

2011-01-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who've been sending me e-mails. And a big thank you to my good friends who've kindly offered to watch my kids as I'm resting. My parents (who are angels!!) who've been staying with me have been taking care of all the house work and watching the kids (which is exhausting). I must say it was a very rough start. But I'm starting to feel human again :)

January Anxiety

2011-01-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

The beginning of January was fun. I loved decorating for new years! This year I took down all the Christmas decorations and I put up New Year's decorations. I hung lots of curled gold ribbon everywhere. I also put lots of party hats, balloons, champagne poppers and noise makers everywhere. It was fun!

Then the craziness started....not only did I forget that I have to get readjusted to the school schedule, but I also greatly underestimated my anxiety about an upcoming procedure. I have an operation coming up and to say the least I'm very nervous. I had my pre-op the other day and I feel much more comfortable with the whole procedure but I'm still very anxious. I've reached the point where I can't even read any more.....anyone who knows me knows that I'm a reading machine....so not reading, is not good.

I'm not sure that there's a whole lot I can do until it's all over. But in the mean time I've scheduled a play date every day next week so that I can't think about what's going to ensue the following week. The good thing is I have an amazing family and amazing friends who will be helping me out. Yet I still can't shake this paralyzing anxiety. Anyone have any tips as to a great way to shake a funk?? My only thought is to start making lists and checking them off.

Bringing in the New Year

2010-12-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

On December 26th my husband and I let out a sigh of relief... it's over. As sad as we are to see it done, we're looking forward to the start of a new year.....and looking forward to all these goodies being out of the house. I mean, seriously?! No wonder I have to set New Year's Resolutions, my friends are determined to make me fat over the holidays! But it was worth it. The best part of this past holiday season was Christmas morning. As stressed out and overwhelmed as we were in the weeks leading up to Christmas it was SO worth it! Seeing our kids eyes light up and hearing the squeals of delight was priceless.

I must admit I've been tackling the tedious job of organizing after Christmas. It looks like a toy store bomb went off in my house. Not to mention the not so fun task of taking down Christmas decorations :(

As I push on with "cleaning" I'm thinking to myself what exactly I plan to accomplish in 2011. There's always my typical eat healthy... last year I actually went to vegetarian and....well...that didn't last a full year. It did last about 10 months though. Maybe if I make a resolution to work out I can keep it for 10 months?? Hmm... doubtful. So I'm not quite sure what my New Years Resolution will be. Do you know what yours will be?

Magic

2010-12-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

This year has been completely overwhelming. I'm not sure why I've gotten so much busier....but life has literally been flying by. Add in laundry, everyday cleaning, feeding the family ect. and it's insane. Oh, and it's December so let's also add a ton of cookies to make, cards to send out, family visiting, my birthday and can I just pass out now?! Do I sound like a scrooge? That was kinda how I was feeling. I totally lost sight the magic and the whole point of Christmas. I think it's easy to be stressed out and overwhelmed this time of year....but that's when we need to re-focus, re-organize, and treat ourselves to those high caloric eggnog drinks ;) I mean, who really cares (besides yourself) how many cookies are sent out. Send 4 instead of 8. You don't have to be the sole provider of their Christmas cookies....and we all need a moment to relax.

This past weekend we took the kids to Disneyland. And let me just say, their isn't a whole lot more magical than Disneyland all dressed up for Christmas. Add in 8 real reindeer, Mrs. Claus and yes....Santa was their too. It was such a magical time and brought back a little peace and some energy to my soul. I hope you all can find the magic and keep in mind the reason for the season.

Christmas Decorating

2010-12-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in quite a while. To say that Thanksgiving wiped me out was an understatement. I was exhausted! Then it seemed like Christmas was flying towards me at light speed....and I wasn't ready! This year it seems like everything has been more difficult. I think that the new school schedule has really thrown my typical plans through a loop. But I'm finally rested up and ready to tackle the season. First up on the list...decorating. I like to get all those little places that most people don't decorate. For example:

Above the microwave:

On top of the fridge:

Next to the phone:

Every year I decorate my china hutch. I put my special (aka breakable) decorations on top and then add garland around them.

I also add some ornaments and garland inside too :)

For those of you in apartments, why not bring the lights inside?? On top of a mirror is the perfect place!

Here's some more decorating snapshots and maybe ideas.... my favorite is the mistletoe ball on the stairs :)

Turkey Wrangling

2010-11-23T10:58:00.001-08:00

Here's the issue with the Thanksgiving turkey.... it is THE Thanksgiving turkey. It is the main focus point of the meal. You spend hours on end slaving away in the kitchen over side dishes and deserts all to complement a big chunk of meat. I mean, think about it- if you burn the turkey, that kinda ruins this whole meal that you literally have spent a month preparing and hours prepping for. It's kinda scary to most people to put that much pressure on one piece of meat!

Yes, even after doing this many years, it is still intimidating to me. Not to mention the whole "prepping" the turkey.

Here's what goes through my mind on Thanksgiving morning:

How the heck am I going to rinse this awkard lump of meat that weighs an insane 24 pounds ! Um...o.k. So I'm dangling this in my sink and trying to control where the faucet is hitting the turkey while trying to not drop it. It's freezing too! It's been thawed out in the fridge and happens to be very cold. And it's slippery! Oh crap, totally just dropped it- hope that didn't bruise it or tear the skin. This thing is bigger than a kid! It'd be easier to hug this thing and rinse- but eeew. Well, do I have another shirt? Hmm...no. Ok, bad idea. Ok, got most of it rinsed by this point. Oh darnit, the turkey just hit the faucet- mental note: Disinfect that when I have to disinfect the sink later. And, LIFT. And then try to gently set this monster of an obese bird on a roasting rack. Phew. Now just pat dry.....and thoroughly scrub myself and the sink and possibly floor where water went splashing everywhere. Now yell at the dog to not lick the water on the floor, dangit that's going to make him sick. Kids!

No running in here! Don't come over here!...... When do I get to open the wine?!

Here's the good part- it turned out perfect! After I patted it dry I rubbed it down with a salt/herb mix and slathered with butter and olive oil. It was soooo good. Yay for a successful turkey roasting!

Organizing the Chaos

2010-11-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

I have a "junk" drawer in the kitchen and it seems like it's gotten even more cluttered recently. It seems like the junk drawer always coincides with how my life is going. When it's insanely cluttered I feel overwhelmed and am constantly busy. So I am taking the "junk" out of my "junk" drawer today. Thanksgiving is next week and I'm definitely feeling overwhelmed about that. I'm looking forward to it but it just seems like there is so much going on between now and then .... so much I have to do, clean, prepare, etc. I feel like Turkey day is racing here and I'm not ready! So I need to suck it up and get ready. I'm starting by cleaning out my junk drawer and organizing the house a bit. This way I'll get the cleaning done early. Hopefully this will free up some time closer to Thanksgiving and I won't be so stressed out. I will not be a stressed out mess, I will not be a stressed out mess, I will not.... maybe if I say it enough it will come true :)

Adult Place Cards

2010-11-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

Every year in our house we put place cards on the adult table that say "We are grateful for our friends and family." It's our way of saying thanks for coming and we love you guys. This year I was walking down an isle at Target and came across these adorable felt stickers. All I did was print out our little saying on white card stock. Then I took the stickers and stuck them on the sides of the cards. Ta-da! Super simple, super cute. You can take this idea and customize it to whatever you have on hand.

The silver ball place card holders add a touch of elegance and are available through "beau-coup": http://www.beau-coup.com/silver-ball-place-card-holder.htm

Children's Place Cards

2010-11-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

Taking the few extra minutes to make place cards for kids can make a huge impact. I really like turkeys so I decided to do a turkey for the kids but you could really do anything. I went to my local craft store and purchased large foam sheets of brown for about $1.99 each. The eyeballs were also purchased there for $0.99. This craft is pretty inexpensive. It would actually be a great craft to do with kids (age preschool and up).

1) I cut out a circle shape with scalloped edge scissors. Two per turkey.

2) glue feathers to the top of one brown circle. Apply other circle on top. Do not apply any glue to bottom half

3) I glued the eyes on. The beak and gobbler were hand made out of construction paper. Glue under eyes.

4) I hand cut a little sign like the turkey was saying the kid's name out of white construction paper.

5) Cut the base of the turkey so it's flat.

6) Let dry. Then gently pull the bottom apart to create a standing turkey. Done

Time to decorate for Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

My welcome sign when I step in from the garage:

I always save pumpkins from October and use them to decorate for Thanksgiving. I also lite a lot of candles in the fall/winter, why not combine the two on a counter or side table?

A little pumpkin scarecrow, this one I positioned on some leaves.

My awkward steps above my fireplace..... I decorated them with pumpkins, scarecrows, lots of leaves and...

...a pumpkin turkey. What can I say, I thought he was cute!

See the hidden pumpkin behind the leaves???

I also like to decorate my china hutch. Everyone gathers in this area to eat and to be honest, it's a safe place for my Jim Shore woodcut figures.

I'm a little obsessed with Jim Shore woodcut figures...you'll see what I mean when I show you Christmas pictures...It's slightly "re-dunculous" as my hubby would say.

Cornucopia stuffed with leaves :) Simple and easy.

I even add a touch of leaves inside the hutch. It provides a nice pop of color and ties it all together.

I picked up this guy for $5 at my local craft store and the kids gave him a pilgrim hat :) I think we should name him.

Even our fridge is decorated. Turkey hand prints are the best! And so fun and easy. Just paint your hand with brown paint, then press on white paper. Glue feathers and ta-da!

I purchased a bird houses at my local craft store and decorated it with fall colors and places it on top of my fridge. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but I like it.

Yes, my guest bathroom has fall towels and soap ;)

And I've replaced the real plants with a fall leaf assortment

My kitchen even gets a few touches

And Duke's treats

We made little American Indian pupets after reading a thanksgiving story. Simple craft and my kids love these guys! ....hmm....who knew.

I hope that gives you all a few ideas or maybe some Thanksgiving decoration inspiration! Happy decorating!!

Halloween Recap

2010-11-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

To say that Halloween was crazy is an understatement. It kept me up late at night planning, crafting and baking. I made a witch's shack halloween booth, 100 cupcakes and a costume for my great dane (....which he loved!). So I'm actually a little bit relieved today that it's all over. Although it was probably one of the most fun Halloween's we've ever had. Our neighborhood carnival was a huge success! The kids had so much fun! And I had a lot of fun in my little shack handing out those cupcakes.

Left side pictures:

notice the cat chasing the mouse??

front:

And the right side, with my little cardboard shutters:

...and here I am inside my booth:

And I did finish my dog's costume! And he loved it! I think he never gets to wear those things since he's so big, so it was a special treat for him. The next morning he kept whinning and nudging his costume...so I let him wear it the next day....he's just like a kid!

I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween too! Guess what... it's only 8 weeks till Christmas! Yikes!!!

I haven't fallen off the grid...

2010-10-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

I've actually been holed up in my garage...and kitchen...and couch. I took a mental health day so I could finally shake a little cold that has been causing me great irritation. In addition to that fun, I've been baking and working non-stop on my Halloween booth. Today I baked one of my favorite recipe's, my swirl bread.

I've also been forcing cardboard to bend to my will :) My Halloween booth is coming along quite nicely. Here it is when I was figuring out the general layout.

And here it is as of today... All I have left is the decorations and the roof. I can't wait to slip into my witch's costume and hand out cupcakes from my booth!

I have to say, I'm very excited for Sunday....but I might be a little bit even more excited for Monday!

Dinner Party

2010-10-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

I keep saying to myself, I really need to finish up costumes, booths and treats....but instead I'm playing host. There's nothing I love more than throwing a dinner party. I love setting up the table and figuring out the menu. I'm not sure why, but I just have so much fun! A dinner party shouldn't be stressfull, it should be a time for friends to come together to have a good time. Here's a couple of my tips that might help you out with your own dinner party....or maybe they'll inspire you to host one!

My tips for a dinner party:

1) Go ahead, pull out the china....besides it only gets used a couple times a year. Show it off!

2) Add a seperate water glass in addition to a wine glass. The restaurants do it and it makes your table look very elegant. (And yes, I do realize that in these pictures I hadn't added the water glasses yet).

3) Use chargers! No, I'm not voting for my favorite football team, I'm talking about the fake plates that go under the china. Chargers are bigger plates, sometimes made out of plastic, that are decorative and meant to add a decorative touch to your dinner plates.
4) Add a personal touch. Instead of name cards I write quotes on cards. We had our friends over last week and I wrote friendship quotes on the cards. We read the quotes out loud during the dinner which not only gave us something to talk about but also gave us an oportunity to tell them what great friends they are to us.

I hope these tips help you out with your next dinner party. And remember, have fun!

What now?

2010-10-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Can we say...clean up?! My hubby snapped this picture as we were discussing all the toys and clothes to organize and clean up.... oh my! I'm defninitely feeling a little bit overwhelmed today. At least the downstairs is in order, but the upstairs is a whole different ballgame! And I need to get started on thank you cards and my Halloween Carnival booth. Okay, time to take a deep breath and finish the morning coffee. Then I think I'll do a little bit of laudry organizing. Then maybe the thank you cards. I think on days that are overwhelming you have to take one task at a time. I can't think of the large list piled up, just one at a time... And that is my plan for today. One task at a time....

Dora Birthday Party Images

2010-10-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my precious daughter Taylor

Snow Princess Dora themed cake

Close up on Dora with explorer stars made out of fondant fanned out behind her

Explorer star cookies made out of royal icing with fondant eyes

And they are ready to get in those goody bags and go home with some kids

The backside of the goodybags:

Notice I added little self adhesive Velcro so the kids could easily open, close and could reuse them.

I think they turned out just adorable....Diego for boys and Dora for girls:

Sneak Peak....

2010-10-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

The birthday party was yesterday and my daughter loved every minute of it. It was complete with getting rained out of the park, having to call everyone and rerouting an entire birthday party to our house. Basically it had all the chaos a birthday party requires :) Today I'm going to be looking through the pictures and deciding which ones to post....but in the meantime here's some of the cookies...

Spooky Windows

2010-10-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here I am just beginning to cut :)

Crafty Weekend

2010-10-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great weekend. My weekend was filled with some simple crafts. I picked up some of the $1.00 masks at my local craft store and decided to start painting them for the kids. I finished the Frankenstein one and the kids have looooooved it!

I also started working on my dog's costume....he wasn't too happy with the "fitting." But he was a very good sport and even stood still for a quick picture. I can't wait to see him in his finished Scooby Doo costume!

But once I trimmed some of the felt off and got it into cape form he was actually wagging his tail. Here's what I have so far.

There are a lot of crafts to come. Hopefully tonight I'll finish up the Dora Backpack goody bags. I've also started on large Halloween window art. Keeping very busy over here!

Flip - Flop Friday

2010-10-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I almost forgot my flip-flop Friday post! I was freaking out so much about all the "stuff" I have to do that I nearly forgot to showcase a very important blog post. This week on my sister's blog Ever Kelly she posted a picture of me in a Halloween costume...in all fairness, I wasn't allowed to argue at the age I was placed in the costume... I think a picture says a thousand words so I'll just let you make your own decisions. I'm the bunny...

Kinda cute since I'm maybe 4? Notice the mullet haircut?? Oh yea, I was "hip". And the bunny nose that isn't really placed right- it's half way on my cheek? Ha! Good times, good times. Hope this inspires some Halloween happiness for you!

Freak Out Day!

2010-10-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today has been a crazy day. I woke up and realized I have about a week till my daughter's birthday party. Oh my! And there's so much to do!!! I have to plan a scavenger hunt, bake cookies, decorate cookies, make goody bags that look like Dora and Diego backpacks, figure out what I'm going to do for the cake, plan the menu, buy and create decorations and do all this within a week. ... ... ...um... I'm going to need lots of caffeine... and chocolate... or maybe just some of my espresso bites!

My next big freak out moment today---- My cake was featured on EpiCute. It was my Butterfly and Roses Cake from my bakery... to say the least, I was very proud. If you have a moment click here and give my picture a thumbs up :) Thanks! Lots more freak out moments and crafty updates to come!

Did someone say BOO!?

2010-10-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

(click here for the template)

In our neighborhood we have a fun tradition of "booing" our neighbors. There happen to be a lot of kids in our neighborhood and it's a lot of fun for the little ones to receive a fun Halloween surprise on their doorstep. Someone in the neighborhood usually starts this within the first few days of October. It's fairly simple and inexpensive and creates a very fun and welcoming feeling in the neighborhood. The booing package usually consists of some type of container...plastic trick or treat pumpkin shaped containers are available at Walmart for $1 and would work perfectly. There are also some really cute metal containers at Target for $2.50 in their "dollar section." As an example of what to put inside, this year we received a couple pencils, some glowsticks and a few pieces of candy in ours.

If you'd like to do this in your neighborhood here is the wording:

You have been BOOed!

This treat is for you. We hope you enjoy

The idea is simple,

one we hope you'll employ.

You pass Boo along to 2 other neighbors, along with this note

and any kind of Halloween favors.

If we all do our part, and spread good cheer,

by Halloween night it will be very clear.

we're a friendly bunch, we like to share fun,

so please do your part to keep BOO on the run!

(Please do this within 48 hours & leave BOO sign on your door

so others know that you have been BOOed. The idea is that most

of our neighbors are BOOed by Halloween night)

Preview:

I have a lot of fun crafts and to-do's coming up this month. I have a Dora birthday party to plan, a Scooby Doo Costume to create and a Halloween booth to create. Here's the booth so far:

.... like I said, lots to do! So check back for lots more Halloween fun!!!

Going Batty

2010-10-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

When I think of a spooky Halloween night I think of a cold dark night accented with some screeches of bats flying across the sky. But how do you bring that spooky magical feeling into your own house? And with out adding in anything so scary it'll give your 5 year old nightmares? My answer is more notable cutouts :)

I just love these bat silhouettes hanging down over our kitchen table. I cut the bats out of black cardstock and attatched them to one another with a piece of black string. Then I hung them from the chandelier. I think it's so fun and my kids just love it!

My scanner has decided to hate me this week so I'm having some trouble creating templates for my crafts. I took a picture of the bat I used on a background of white paper. If you print this bat out it'll give you a good template to trace so you can make your own hanging bats. I'm almost 100% sure that this was originally a Martha Stewart Halloween craft idea, but I think she removed since she's now selling packs of her bats in stores. Well, I'm one of those people who love to look through her magazines for ideas, but I'll never go out and spend 15 dollars when it's a paper cut out. This is so easy to do at home, you have to try it! Notice the "fur" around the head of the bat, a very cute detail!

Dora backpack invitations

2010-09-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter wanted a Dora birthday party this year. She's been very adamant that it's Dora themed. I wanted to bring the fun Dora theme to the invitations in a personalized way. I was a little bit stumped as to how to do that... so I went online. I Googled "Dora party invitations" and a lot of pictures of backpack came up. I also came across a couple handmade backpack invitations and I thought, well... if they can do it... I can too. And so I did!

The hardest part was coming up with the template. I wanted to print them on purple card stock from home and them just fold the card stock to look like a backpack.

It took a couple tries but then I came up with a shape I was finally happy with. I ended up printing out a couple copies of the backpack on white paper just to give me the shapes of the eyes and mouth.

After that it's all about cutting out the mouth, eyes, eyebrows and lots of gluing! I think it turned out pretty cute though! And I've gotten a lot of complements on them from other parents. I think that even though it was a lot of cutting and gluing, it was worth it.

Another special touch I did was cut out strips of purple card stock and glue them to the back of the invitation like backpack straps.

Here is the finished product :)

CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TO PRINT OUT THIS TEMPLATE

Pumpkin Pie 101- Pie Filling

2010-09-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Pie is really an easy pie to make. There's no tempering of the eggs to worry about. Basically you just mix the ingredients together, pour into the shell and bake. I think the filling of a pie is as unique as the person making it. For instance, I love flavors. I'm a big spice person so I like to go a little heavy with my spices. When I was growing up my mom used to tell me to add "heaping" teaspoons of spice... that means the teaspoon looked like it had a small mountain of spice in it :) That little teaspoon was literally was holding all it possibly could. But a good friend of mine prefers to go light on her spices and add some orange zest to her pies. Feel free to experiment with your fillings. The important thing is having a good base recipe for your pies and then you can play around with the amount of spices and flavors you add.

Here's my good base recipe (makes 2 pies):

A large can of Libby's Pumpkin (29oz)

2 cans evaporated milk

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

Add spices to taste.... here's where I can't divulge what spices I use in my own pies :)

But I gave you an excellent base to begin with. Your pie will be rich and creamy. Follow my cooking instructions on the pie crust post and you're sure to have an award winning pie!

Have fun baking!

Flip - Flop Friday

2010-09-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

I know I said my next post would be about pumpkin pie filling, but since I didn't write this next post I figure it's fine :) I thought on my Friday posts I'd take a minute to showcase other awesome blogs. This Friday I've chosen to showcase my sister's blog www.everkelly.com. So here's my first "Flip-Flop Friday" post. Hope you enjoy!

DIY Birch Bulletin Board

Happy Friday, everyone! Well this week was my first attempt at MWF posting as I sprint towards Fall Quilt Market, and I missed being here every day. However, I’m getting a lot done so I hope you’ll hang in there with me. Just 5 weeks to go.

Today I wanted to share a simple, but pretty how to project. In the class I’m taking, we’re creating lots of mood boards and color stories so I wanted to have a nice place to display my inspirations. I thought this turned out so well, that you might want to make one too. I love how the opalescent paint is subtle enough that it won’t compete with what I pin to the board, but still provides something pretty to look at when it’s blank.

First things first — The Materials:

You could paint directly onto a bulletin board you already own (or wrap it in fabric first), but I made mine from scratch using a left over piece of homasote board from our upholstered headboard project.
Round up the other materials including: batting, fabric (unbleached cotton muslin), scissors, fabric paint (Versatex screen printing ink in Pearl), painter’s tape, staple gun (and ear plugs!), paint brushes

Let’s get started…

1) Staple your fabric and batting to the board. Lay your fabric face down on the floor and then layer your batting on top followed by the homasote board. Pull the fabric as taut as you can as you staple working from the center of each edge towards the corners. If you’ve ever watched anything on HGTV, you already know how to do this step, but here’s a post where I used the same technique if you need a little more help. Here’s the board upholstered and ready to go:

2) Mark off your birch trees with blue painter’s tape. Have fun with this step. Your trees shouldn’t be perfectly straight since they certainly wouldn’t be in the woods. I made some of the trees a little wider towards the bottom.

3) Cut small triangle shapes to create lines on the birch trees. I found that slightly irregular shapes looked a little bit better, and I tried to cut the triangles smaller for the skinnier trees. Other than that, there are no rules on this step. Just keep adding triangles and lines until you like the arrangement.

4) Paint. Before you paint each tree, take a moment to run your finger over each piece of tape to make sure it is adhered tightly to the board. Grab a sponge brush and paint each of the tree sections smoothing out your brush strokes as you go.

5) Remove tape and marvel at your lovely inspiration board. (Picture at the top). If you’re wondering how long I waited before removing the tape, I gave it a minute or so. The screen printing ink is very thick so it won’t run anywhere.

How will you hang it? There is a flush-mount hanger-fastener at the bottom of this post that would work perfectly. We found the fasteners at a boutique hardware store. (For some reason, I can never find them at big box stores like Home Depot.)

Let me know if you’re going to try this one! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. I think I’m going to be playing around with my new inspiration board and hopefully spending some time outside with the camera. Take care, Kelly

Filed under House & Home, I Made This, Inspiration, Tutorials & Downloads.Tagged with birch tree, DIY bulletin board, homasote bulletin board tutorial, inspiration board.

By Kelly

September 24, 2010

Pumpkin Pie 101 - The Pie Crust

2010-09-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

One of my bakery's most popular items is my pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is one of those deserts I wait all year for. Once football season has started I know it won't be too much longer till I can have that first slice of pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie! I have wonderful memories of waking up on Thanksgiving morning and eating pumpkin pie while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Let's face it, pumpkin pie is amazing. And you can make your pumpkin pie even more amazing with a few simple tricks.

Before I start mixing ingredients I work on the crust. Some of you prefer your own dough and some of you prefer the store bought dough. Either one will work. One suggestion: if you don't make your own crust frequently and don't have a favorite recipe for a crust then save yourself the hassle and just buy the pre-made dough. Also go ahead and spend the extra dollar and buy the name brand one. It tastes good and your guests will never know it's not made from scratch :)

Big Tip #1:

The key to my crust is the leaf design. I use pie crust cutters that leave a leaf pattern and cut out in the dough.

I punch out about 30 leaves to put on the edge of my crust. After I've laid the dough in the pan I dip my finger in water and run it around the edge of the dough. I lay the leaf cutouts around the edge. Ta- Da! Done. See, I told you it was easy. The key to the design is really the "pie crust cutters."

Big Tip #2:

I put the pies in the oven once they are filled at 400 degrees for 10 min.

Then I turn the temp down to 350 and I put "pie crust shield" on the crust. Pie crust shields are basically large circles of metal that go on your crust and have a big open circle in the middle so your pie can cook without burning your crust. If you do not have these, foil on your crust will prevent your crust from browning too much or burning. I then continue cookie the pies for about 45 min.

In the next post I'll talk about the filling :)

The things I find....

2010-09-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

While out shopping last weekend I found themed pasta! I found "Fall Harvest" and "Halloween" pasta. I mean, who doesn't want to eat spider shaped pasta and pasta leaves??? I can't tell you how excited my 5 year old little boy was about the spiders. And I thought it was very cute. Besides, the best part was that it was only $2.99 for a bag. I found them at the store World Market. I just love when I find fun things like that.

Tomorow I'm doing a blog post on my pumpkin pie :) I'll show you all how I make those amazing crusts!

More notable cut-outs

2010-09-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

Mice....

Real mice make me go "eeek!" But there's something about these mouse cutouts that I love. Maybe it's the fact that I think they are kinda cute and they are not real... I'm definitely not fond of the real kind.

I put my mice around my fireplace tiles so it looks like they're scampering up to their hole.

I'm thinking of adding some more mice to the top shelves of my fireplace.... it seems a bit bare to me. What do you think??

I think I have some more tracing and cutting to do! If you'd like to do this craft you should try it! It's so simple! Click here for the Martha Stewart template. Then trace your template on black paper or black card stock. Remember my painters tape tip, it works great for the mice too! When you go to store your adorable mice for next Halloween separate them with wax paper and store in a manila envelope to prevent bending. Enjoy!!

Halloween is in the air.... or rather on my walls!

2010-09-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love Halloween. I'm basically a holiday nut if I'm being honest. But I think I'm so obsessed with Halloween because it's the first of the big 3 holidays in my book... ya know... Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those are the 3 holidays that I go all out! I just couldn't restrain myself this past weekend and I took the decorations out. Some of the first decorations to come out were the hand made ones. Last year I spent a lot of time cutting paper.... and I must say I think it was worth it. I cut bats out of card stock last year and I taped them to my walls. This is what they look like:

....And yes, that is a handmade "Happy Halloween" banner. I'll show you how I made it in a later post. And of course I had to make a hanging bat. We named him Henry. I'm not sure why but he's special since he hangs up side down. This year he's by our back door curtains.... he moves every year :)

To be honest, these bats took some time to cut out. But once they're done I really think they are worth it. I think it's an easy and affordable decoration too! I highly suggest you give it a try. All you need is some black card stock, scissors and tape. To get the bats to stick to my satin wall paint I had to use painters tape (aka the blue tape at your local hardware store).... and a lot of it. But it comes off really easily without damaging the walls! I got this idea from the Martha Stewart magazine. And I give this one 2 thumbs up! Martha Stewart used to have the bat templates available online, but she recently removed these since she's now selling packs of the pre-made bat cave silhouettes. The easiest way to make this at home would be to search online for a bat silhouette, find one you like, print it out, and trace the outline onto card stock. I hope you find this little craft as fun as I did.

A New Course....

2010-09-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Recently my bakery (www.beccasbluebakery.blogspot.com) has been very busy. I found myself up till 2am multiple nights in a row to get cakes done. I was very proud of what I did but I found it very hard to keep up with the demand while still being a wife and mom. I also had another blog that I'd post on periodically (www.beccastopsyturvytales.blogspot.com). I realized that the posts that I really enjoyed were the ones where I was showing how to make a craft or a recipe. Those were my thoughts in creating this blog...

I'm going to be showing you the crafts I do to make my house a home....and I'll be showing you how to do them too. I'm also going to be showing you tips and tricks to get your baked goods to look like mine. I love sharing these tips with my friends and I'm really excited to be showing you how to do them too. I hope you enjoy this new blog!