Day 29 - Mitered Corner Baby Blanket for Alton!

If you saw my previous post you were able to see everything I have made thus far for Baby Alton.  I decided to throw one last thing into the gift bag and used the tutorial found on Pink Suede Shoes website.  It is called the Mitered Corner Baby Blanket.

I originally found this blog after seeing the baby blanket Jaci made for Lindsay at the baby shower for Eli!  Jaci advised me that the tutorial is not 100% written and some parts you have to figure out for yourself.  Sure enough, I did not understand it and had to have my loving Husband help me with it!  The hardest part is the mitered corners but everything else about the blanket is easy! 

I added Alton’s name as well as appliqued some stars on the blanket to give it a little more spunk.

I bought the guitar fabric at JoAnn’s the day after Thanksgiving and unfortunately only bought 1 yard of it.  After making the blanket I REALLY wish I would have bought more because wouldn’t you figure, I cannot find it anywhere!  I really wish I did buy more so I could have made a matching set of gifts!

Oh well, you live and you learn right?!

What do you think?  Pretty cute if I say so myself!

Day 28 - A Taggy Blanket for Alton!

My friend’s Casey and Kasey who I met through my friend’s Heather and Mike are expecting and due in March!  I decided it would be a thoughtful idea to make up some quick gifts and send it out in the mail to them before the baby shower.  I finished everything last weekend and sent it off in the mail to Heather on Monday.  Her baby shower was today so now I can officially blog about it!

I first learned how to make taggy blankets from my friend Lindsay.  The first two that I ever made were for my Niece Emy and her cousin Levi.  For a beginner I think they turned out pretty good (you can view my blog post here)!  With that being said, I made one for Baby Alton and I love the way it turned out!

With this taggy blanket I also sent off the paci-pouch and the fold and go bib which I blogged about a couple of days ago.  Additionally, I sent off one more gift that I will blog about in my next post!

This project is seriously one of the easiest things to make and GREAT for any beginner sewer!  If any of my friends out there wish to get into sewing let me know and I will be more than happy to teach you! 

Day 27 - Take Too Many Pictures, Laugh too much...

I seriously love good, motivational, inspirational quotes.  There are so many out there and a lot of the time I wish I could write them all down and scatter them throughout my house!  Of course, knowing how many of these quotes are actually out there and if I were to put them all in my house, my house would be covered!  Anywho, my friend Carrie, Heather and I were out shopping one day and I found the below quote in the Hallmark store. 

Doesn’t it just speak to you?  I think everyone could live by this!  You never know when you will lose a loved one so every day should be lived as if it were you last.  I know a lot of us think this but truly don’t live by it and one day we will regret it.  My husband and I say “drive safe” to each other every morning and do not leave the house without saying goodbye, especially when we are in a fight with each other.  Would your last words want to be something regretful over some silly stupid fight you were going through?  I know I wouldn’t want that to be my last conversation with my Husband if I lost him!

Just think about it!

P.S. I could totally make this sign with my Silhouette Machine!

Day 26 - My BFF!

Today I was looking through some pictures in my phone and found a picture I took of Slink and his BFF Charlie.  From what I can remember I took this picture on Poker night, which was the night before Thanksgiving.  Every time Slink and his BFF Charlie get together they have a grand ole time and usually help each other run out their energy.  We love our play dates together and really wish DeKalb County would get with the program and put in a dog park.  The only place Slink can run around is in their back yard since we live in a townhouse and don’t have one. 

Aren’t they so cute together?

I think so!!

Day 25 - Another Fold and Go Bib & a Burp Cloth!

After making my first fold and go bib and bringing it to work to show all my friends, another coworker of mine asked if I could make one for her, to give to another coworker who is pregnant and due this week.  After offering to pay me I of course said yes and also got a request to make a matching burp cloth at the same time.

Funny thing is, my coworker is naming her son Eli just like my friend Lindsay!  It is not a typical name I hear everyday but I think it is really cute and fits quite nicely for both Lindsay and my coworker!

So, I got to work.  I picked out my fabric already in my stash and embroidered the name on both the burp cloth and the fold and go bib!  Below is how they turned out!

I really thought white would stick out on the fabric but I guess not.  You can still see Eli’s name on it though!

The front of the bib.  Little disappointed in how high I embroidered the name and again will chose another color next time.  Either way, it still turned out cute!

The back of the bib.  I altered the snap location on this one so that when it closes the snaps are in the middle of the fold.  I did manage to change the first one but only figured that out after 3 attempts!

What do you think?

If you want to see my first fold and go bib, click here.

Day 24 - Not this innocent face....

I love my dog.  He has his good days and bad and lately we have had more good going on in our household.  I have to say that putting him on a 2 hour schedule is working quite well and every once in a while we still have an accident or two.  What I don’t understand are those people who refuse to do anything to get their dog trained then complain that their dog still has accidents in the house.  Just like anything, dogs take work and in a lot of ways are just like a kid.  Now that Slink is over a year I really hope that his schedule will continue to flow smoothly. 

This is just a random post/thought of mine for the day.  He loves his mommy and is always sleeping next to me as close as he can get.  The other day he was sitting on my lap and I got this cute photo of him below.  You can never be mad at this dog for too long!  Just look at that face!!

That’s all!

Day 23 - Fold and Go Bib!

Before I start this post I have to tell you how crafty my friend Lindsay is.  Just like me she gets inspired by other bloggers out there but a lot of the times she comes up with things on her own and has even written some of her own patterns.  Most recently, Lindsay found a Fold and Go Bib online from another fellow blogger and decided to make one for little Eli (you can view her blog post here).  So what did that mean for me?  I had to make one too! 

I already had a bib pattern at home so I followed that one to make it easy on myself.  I honestly just guessed on the way I made it and the only thing I had to alter was where the snaps were, which took me a couple of times to get (I was having trouble viewing the website on the original tutorial that was done for this bib the night I was making this.  For some reason my computer was being stupid).  Other than that, this thing is REALLY easy to make and you could bust out 2 or 3 in an hours time! The end result though is pretty fricken cute if I say so myself!!

The Bib all folded up and ready to throw into the diaper bag!

The bib after undoing the snaps!

The back of the bib has a spot to hold a spoon, fork, and wipes!

On the front of the bib I made a pocket to catch all the food that drops!

I also embroidered “Rawrr” on the front in hopes this was a sufficient Dinosaur noise!

So fricken cute, right?  I seriously love this fabric!! 

That is all!  Happy Monday everyone!

P.S.  I cannot wait for my friend Carrie to find out what she is having next week so I can start making her all this fun baby stuff!!  I am so excited for her!!!

Day 22–Paci-Pouch!

This past Saturday I got together with my Friend Lindsay and her sister Steph for a girls crafting day.  Each of us had something in mind we wanted to make.  Lindsay made a new Fabric block for Eli, Steph made a wet bag, and I made a Pacifier Holder.  What was really funny about the whole thing was that each of us had to ask someone else for help with what we were making. 

Steph ended up helping me with the Pacifier holder as I had never made one before.  We took a tutorial online for a wristlet that we both have used before and altered it to a circle instead of the typical rectangle that you make with the wristlets.  Steph was such a big help to me in this project!  In the end, I think it turned out SO cute!  I absolutely LOVE the dinosaur fabric that I used.

Front view!

View of the pouch with the zipper opened!

3 Pacifiers stuck inside the Paci-Pouch!

Back view, stuffed and ready to give to someone!

What do you think?

Lindsay's Fabric Block came out so cute but I never got to see Steph’s bag get finished as I had to leave for a Birthday Party.  You can check out Lindsay’s post here on her blog!

Thanks for the help Steph and thanks Lindsay for having us over!  I can’t wait for the next crafting day when we all can get together again!!

Day 21 - Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas!

Sorry for another post from Pinterest so soon but the Hubby and I tried another recipe last week we found from Pinterest and we just loved the way it turned out.  It is called Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas!  Pretty simple and again SOOO delicious!! 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I used half a green and half a red)
• Tortillas
• Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole – if desired

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt
3. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
4. Next add the tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

I literally took this recipe direct from the blog post it originated on.  To find the completed post you can click here.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Day 20 - Crescent Pepperoni Roll Ups!

Today I have one more pizza related recipe for you that I found on Pinterest!  It is called Crescent Pepperoni Roll Ups.  Just like the other 2 recipes this recipe calls for some very basic ingredients and is really easy to make and enjoyable to eat!  Let’s begin!

Ingredients:

1 can of crescent rolls

Mozzarella cheese (again we used brick mozzarella and cut it up into squares)

Pepperoni (or any other ingredients you like)

Garlic salt or in my Husband’s case crushed red pepper (or any other seasoning to taste)

Pizza sauce for dipping

Baking Sheet

Directions:

Unroll the crescent rolls and separate into triangles

Place pepperoni or any other ingredient you choose on the crescent roll

Top with cheese and roll up

Sprinkle any seasonings you wish to taste

Bake according to the crescent roll directions

Serve with warm pizza sauce

So easy, right?  You have got to love simple, delicious recipes! 

Have I convinced you to join Pinterest now?  I have found so many other delicious recipes I cannot wait to try and post about on my blog.  If I have not convinced you yet I still think you should check the site out!  Let me know what you think!

Day 19 - Pizza Balls!

Well, after yesterdays post I hope some of you tried the recipe that I posted.  I have another great recipe coming to you today again courtesy of Pinterest!  Today we will be making Pizza balls.  Such a fun and easy recipe even the kids can help make them!

Ingredients:

Canned biscuits (I would not buy the butter kind)

Mozzarella cheese (again we used brick mozzarella and cut it up into squares)

Pepperoni (or any other ingredients you like)

Garlic salt or in my Husband’s case crushed red pepper (or any other seasoning to taste)

Pizza sauce for dipping

Muffin Pan

Directions:

Take your biscuit and flatten it out into a circle.

Place the cheese and pepperoni on top of the biscuit and roll everything into a ball.

Place your Pizza ball into the individual muffin holders and bake according to the biscuit directions.

Once done, dip the balls into pizza sauce as desired.

How much easier can a recipe get?  So easy, delicious, and the kids are sure to love it!  I hope you give it a try! 

I have one more easy pizza recipe coming to you tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

Day 18 - Who has heard of Pinterest?

I am sure by now most of you have heard of Pinterest and some of you may be addicted to it as much as me!  It is such an amazing website full of so many ideas and I love the concept behind the website of storing your “ideas” on your own board.  I have so many boards that are baby related and I have another board for recipes.  Since I love the website so much I decided that I am going to blog about the ideas I actually try off of Pinterest, to give my blog a little more edgier feel and also allow me to cover more posts since I have another 348 days to cover.

So for my first post related to Pinterest I am going to tell you about one of the recipes we have tried.  It is called little mini deep dish pizzas.  It is such an easy recipe and it turned out really good.

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Pizza Crust

Tomato or Pizza Sauce

Cheese (We used a block of Mozzarella and cut it up into squares)

Pepperoni (or any other topping/filling you enjoy)

Muffin Tin

Garlic salt or in my Husband's case Crushed Red Pepper (or any other seasoning to taste)

Directions:

Take the pizza crust and divide it up into the amount of pizzas you are going to make.

Press the pizza crust into each individual muffin holder

Spoon in the pizza sauce, top it with cheese and any other ingredient you will be including.  In this case, we just used pepperoni.

Bake in the over according to the pizza crust directions.

And that is it!  SO easy and SO yummy!

I have two more easy pizza recipes you can try so stay tuned for those!

Day 17 - Sunsets and Sunrises!

Have any of you noticed the AMAZING sunsets or sunrises lately?  They seriously are beyond gorgeous!  Most of the time I notice the sunrises around 7 a.m. when I am getting ready for work.  The sun is brightly shining through my windows and there are BEAUTIFUL colors reflecting off the clouds.  I just cant get over how magical it looks!
 

So what did I do?  I of course got my camera and headed outside.  I swear I took more than 2 different days worth but this is all I could find.  Pictures like this definitely make me want to become a better photographer!  I cannot wait to take the photography class I purchased off of Groupon!

Please enjoy! 

Day 16 - Christmas Lights

Growing up, one of my family’s yearly traditions was to head out to the Lehnertz Avenue Christmas display after visiting my Grandma and Grandpa.  Unfortunately, my dad and my step-mom got divorced back in 2003 so I have not gone to this Christmas display since then.  I told my Husband that he needed to see it since he never had so we headed out to the Display after driving home from my Uncle’s house on Christmas Day. 

The whole avenue decorates their house in themes where half the block is of religious themes and the other half is Charlie Brown.  Some people walk the whole scene but since it was cold out we stayed in our car and stopped at every house to look at the lights!

The first 7 pictures shown below are of houses I took pictures of around our house and the rest of them are from the display.  I really love how some of them turned out and am so happy with the quality of the pictures my camera took. 

Please enjoy!

Don’t you just LOVE Christmas lights?  I know I do!  If you want to visit this display be sure to do it next year in Aurora!