The Martha Initiative

Martha Monday--Last minute romance

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day is tomorrow...are you ready? If not, you could always run to the store to buy a card and a box of chocolates. But if you really want to wow your sweetie, try these last-minute ideas from Martha instead:

Scattered rose petals

Chocolate love note

Paper Heart Wrap

Happy Valentine's Day!

A colorful Valentine's Day

2012-02-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

Little Guy and Little Miss will be giving out these adorable crayon hearts for Valentine's Day:

Though it's been making the rounds on Pinterest, I first saw this idea in Family Fun a few years ago. Start by breaking up crayons. There's no need to buy new crayons for this project; I simply used all the crayon bits and pieces that my kids have broken over the past two years, as well as the crayons they get whenever we go to a restaurant. Between the crayon box, the diaper bag and the bottom of my purse, we had more than enough crayons to make 24 crayon hearts. In fact, I could probably make 24 more!

Little Guy and Little Miss had a fun time filling the molds. I broke each crayon into 3-4 pieces, and each heart-shaped cavity holds 6-8 pieces of crayon. I always like craft projects that my kids can help with; not only is it fun for the family, but it also gives them a sense of ownership and pride in the finished product.

The baking molds went into a 230F oven for 10-15 minutes. As you can see, some brand/type of crayons didn't melt well, but otherwise everything melted just fine. After the tins cooled, the crayons popped right out.

I decided to save a bit of time by using a pre-made cards for the crayons. I found this one, from The Long Thread, that prints out four to a page. Sweet!

Though it may look complicated, this Valentine's Day project is really easy to do and doesn't take a lot of time. The hardest part might have been breaking the crayons! Overall, this took less than an hour to do and it was a fun project for the kids.

And bonus: Little Guy's preschool friends will get a crayon, and not a sugary treat, for Valentine's Day. That really makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Valentine's Day printables

2012-02-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

In years past Valentine's Day has not gotten its due at the TMI household, but now that I have two small children who get excited about any holiday that involves candy, Valentine's Day is becoming a big deal.

We are making homemade Valentines for Little Guy's preschool class, as well as for Little Guy and Miss's friends and cousins. Additionally, I'm decorating the house a bit. Always mindful about budget (Little Miss's birthday parties right around the corner so I need to save my pennies for those) and time (I have none to spare), I found these free, easy and gorgeous Valentine's Day printables featured on Catch My Party.

All you need to do is download, print, cut out and enjoy. Voila! Valentines for everyone, and all is right with the world. There are 13 sets of free Valentine's Day printables at Catch My Party, and I had a hard time choosing my favorite. Here are my top five collections in no particular order:

First up is this "Sweetheart" collection from Paper and Pigtails. Her invitation, banner and tent cards are completely editable so you can personalize these items for your party.

The "So Sweet" collection from Anna and Blue Paperie is just that--so sweet! Little Miss is totally into polka dots right now, and I know these printables are going to be a huge hit with her.

The banner is going over my mantle, and I might use these candy stickers for workplace treats:

The "Happy Heart" collection from Magnolia Creative Co. offers another great banner and some cute Valentines cards, among other adorable things.

This next collection has a soft pink and gray palette which is a more sophisticated take on the usual red and pink Valentine's Day color scheme. "So Sweet" by Love the Day includes a heart-shaped treat holder and cute Valentines.

The entire "Cupcake" collection from Green Apple Paperie is adorable, but I especially like the tented cards with the soft pink striped background. These would make perfect treat signs for a Valentine's Day party.

With these easy printables, I am all set for Valentine's Day. Thanks to all the designers for sharing their work, and thanks to Catch My Party for hosting all the downloads. Hugs and kisses for everyone!

Spoon microphone

2012-02-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday's Super Souper Bowl was a blast, and I tried to get some interviews with some of the contestants. I had been drinking a bit by the time these interviews started, and it shows: I accidentally stumble over my words and call my blog the Marsha Initiative.

Which is weird, because I don't even know a Marsha.

But using a ladle as a microphone? That just makes sense.

The background is kind of loud (there were eight kids, six of whom are under the age of 5) and I hadn't warned anyone about doing the on-camera interviews, but I think that only improves the content. Enjoy!

Manda Monday--The 2nd Annual Super Souper Bowl

2012-02-06T09:45:00.000-06:00

The 2nd Annual Super Souper Bowl was a huge success and a ton of fun! We had five entries and everyone had a great time. Three of the entries were from new competitors...if this keeps up, I might have to get a bigger kitchen island in a few years!

Entries included a traditional chili, a pork chili with ditalini, jambalaya and bacon-infused potato soup. All were delicious, but this was the winner:

We provided appetizers, drinks and desserts for our guests. Here's the dessert table:

I made dipped pretzels, cupcakes, cookies and a pretzel-jello dessert not shown because it was in the fridge. And I have to admit, the eclairs are store-bought. It happens sometimes.

These cookies, however, were not:

Decorated sugar cookies are always a hit, and these are quickly becoming a family project. The kids and I make the dough, the Big Guy rolls it out, the kids do (most of) the cutting, I bake everything, and then the Big Guy and I decorate the cookies. My plan is to withdraw bit by bit from this process over the next few years, so eventually I'll be able to supervise from the couch while eating bon-bons and reading magazines. And maybe napping. Good times!

I hope everyone had a great Sunday afternoon/evening, whether it involved watching TV or not.

A trophy for the Titan of the Tureen

2012-02-03T13:00:00.000-06:00

Our Second Annual Super Souper Bowl Party is right around the corner. There's still a lot to be done (clean the house, rearrange furniture, make all the appetizers, bake desserts, stop the kids from destroying the house that I will have just finished cleaning, etc.) but I am totally ready with the trophy.

For those new to the blog, our Super Souper Bowl party is a contest: guests bring their prized chili, soup, or stew, everyone samples the fare, and we vote on our favorite. The winner takes home a totally awesome trophy and bragging rights for the year. Last year's winner Michelle won with her version of Paula Deen's taco soup:

Just like last year, this year's trophy is hand-made from bits and pieces I found at a local resale shop. The candlestick was $1.50 and the bowl was $0.90. Unbeknownst to me, both were half-off, so the cost for the materials was only $1.10. Score!

After cleaning both pieces, I used a hot glue gun to adhere the bowl to the candlestick. Easy! Side note: I love my glue gun but rarely use it. I need to find more opportunities to glue stuff together.

Once the glue was dry, I spray painted the whole thing gold. It's gorgeous! Truly, this is a chalice worthy of a Queen of the Crockpot. Or Titan of the Tureen. Or King of the Cook-Off.

Whatever we call the champ, and whoever that person may be, I think we all know who the real winner is: ME. Because people are bringing food to my house. So that I can eat it. And award this awesome trophy. Score!

Valentine's Day inspiration

2012-02-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day sneaks up on me every year and I'm not sure how it manages to do that, being as it comes with chocolates and flowers (two things that really grab my attention!).

Maybe I don't notice right away because it's still winter, or maybe because Valentine's Day is on the heels of the Super Bowl (which is a really big deal in my house)? For whatever reason, I haven't done too much with Valentine's Day. However, now that the Little Guy is in preschool and has to give Valentines to his friends, Valentine's Day has become a BIG DEAL in the TMI household.

Being a Martha Stewart enthusiast, I want to make some homemade Valentines for my kids' classrooms rather than picking up a box of ready-made cards at the store. It just makes sense to me that for a holiday revolving around love and friendship, tokens of such should be handmade. Fortunately, I'm finding a lot of great Valentine ideas on Pinterest.

With all these great ideas, I'm set for classroom Valentines for Little Guy and Little Miss for the next 10 years or so. I am constantly amazed by the wonderful crafts and fun ideas I've found on Pinterest. Take a look at my Valentine's Day board, and you will be, too!

Free football party printable round-up

2012-01-31T12:00:00.000-06:00

Whew! What a mouthful! But that's exactly what I have today. The Big Guy and I are hosting our Second Annual Super Souper Bowl, and I've been perusing my favorite party sites for free printables. I'm finding some great stuff, and I want to share it with you!

The Big Game Bash collection from Hostess With The Mostess is awesome! I really like the football player silhouettes and the buffet labels.

Kim from the Celebration Shoppe has designed a great collection specifically for the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl game. In addition to the team specific colors, she includes a football field mat and chevron grass mat for fun displays.

Catch My Party is showcasing another great collection of personalized printables from 9 to 5 Mom that is also team-specific. The cupcake toppers and Touchdown banner are awesome!

I can't believe our Super Souper Bowl party is less than a week away! I need to get printing, pronto.

Small confession: I don't even care about football. I'm just in this for the food and the commercials.

Happy printing! And thanks to all the bloggers and designers who create and provide free printables for party animals like me--your work is amazing!

Martha Monday--Sausage and kale soup

2012-01-30T09:30:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana? It's a creamy soup made with Italian sausage, kale and potatoes. I love the stuff, and this Sausage and Kale Soup recipe from Martha is a great start to recreating the restaurant dish at home.

As with all good recipes, it starts with onions and garlic being sauteed in olive oil. Seriously, after Darling Clandestine fragrances, this has to be one of my favorite smells. Sorry for the blurry picture--the steam got in the way.

Martha's recipe calls for smoked chicken sausage, which is certainly a healthier option. I, of course, went for the real deal: 3/4 pound of Italian sausage. Aw yeah. If you do things my way, be sure to brown, drain and crumble the Italian sausage before adding it to the soup.

To further move this recipe in the direction of Zuppa Toscana, I added 1/2 tablespoon of fennel seeds and 1 cup of whipping cream. Delicious!

Here's Martha's sausage and kale soup:

I'm sure her version is healthier, and made either way, it sure is a tasty and hearty soup for these cold winter months. Give it a try!

Crafty driving babies

2012-01-27T11:10:00.000-06:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to find time to craft and I finally did. Which is good, because January is almost over and if I can't get to a resolution in the first month, then I might as well forget it!

I made a fun card for a baptism. The images and message have nothing to do with being baptized, but everything to do with babies and parenthood.

Here's the outside of the envelope:

Here's the front of the card:

The cars were made with a Martha Stewart paper punch.

Finally, here's the inside of the card:

What do you think? Do I have a future at Hallmark? I should, because let's be honest...that is just good advice. And you're getting it here for free, people! For FREE!

Happy crafting, everyone!

PS. Don't let your babies drive cars. For real.

You can do this, too!

2012-01-26T10:43:00.002-06:00

As you know, I teach a Coupon Mastery course at Waubonsee Community College. It's a fun class and not just because I sometimes bring in shopping trips for show-and-tell that may or may not have the shampoo lid securely fastened, thereby covering all my purchases in Pantene. Ahem.

In my class, I teach the basics of frugal shopping: finding coupons, which blogs and websites are worth your time, organizing coupons, efficient and ethical coupon use, and how to get the best deals at area stores. By using coupons and shopping smart, I regularly save 50-60% off my grocery bills, and I get many items for free at area drug stores.

For example, here's my CVS Thanksgiving Day shopping trip:

Here are some close-up pictures of what I got:

There's brand name cereal, dishwasher detergent, medicine, candy, nail polish, toothbrushes, Kleenex, a universal remote control and more.

This merchandise is worth $136.17, and I only paid $13.75 out of pocket for it. And the truth is, I even made a mistake during this shopping trip. Had I gotten my coffee before I shopped instead of after, I would have been more alert and saved myself about $4.50 out of pocket.

Here's what I got from Walgreen's on Thanksgiving:

And here are some close-up photos of the merchandise:

At Walgreen's I got toothpaste, laundry detergent, deodorant, razors, hair ties, toothbrushes, medicine, probiotics, vitamins and more.

This merchandise is worth over $242.14, and yet I paid only $17.68 out of pocket. Keep in mind that the majority of the out-of-pocket expense is tax.
I can teach you how to do this! My class is aimed at folks who are new to couponing, and those who coupon a bit but are looking to take their skills to the next level. Of course, everyone is welcome, no matter if you are a coupon newbie or a coupon master. If you have doubts about taking a couponing class, read this testimonial from a student who took my class in Spring 2011. Then, sign up for Coupon Mastery. There are two sections this semester, and the first one begins in two weeks at the downtown Aurora campus from February 9-23. The second session will be at the Plano campus March 15-29. I hope to see you there!

Happy couponing!

OMG Organizing!

2012-01-24T21:52:00.000-06:00

OMG you guys!!! Guess what arrived via FedEx today?

Here's a hint:

Here's another hint:

It's a hot-off-the-press copy of The Best of Martha Stewart Living Organizing!

Be still, my heart! While this has the shape and cover of a magazine, the organization and weight are more suited to a book. It has organizing ideas for every room in the house, accompanied by great photo spreads.

A few of the rooms featured are Martha's! I just love getting peaks into her home and life. Through her blog and other media, of course. It's not like I'm stalking Martha, okay?

This special Organizing issue is on newsstands until April 30. For anyone wanting to get organized this year, and for those who are mostly organized but need some fresh ideas, this magazine is for you.

Happy organizing!

Martha Monday--Organizing the kitchen

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

Did you know that Martha's to-do lists are on her website? It's true, they are! And today, Martha is making time to "organize kitchen drawers and discard any unused items."

Of course, I'm sure Martha's kitchen drawers are in perfect order already, and her "to-do" is more of a reminder for the rest of us. I'm on it, Martha!

For more kitchen organization, check out Martha's 50 Top Kitchen Tips. Happy organizing!

Recent home improvements

2012-01-20T09:34:00.001-06:00

BFF Laura was here a few weeks ago, and totally shocked by our new-ish front door, new paint in the guest room, new paint in the family room, etc.

"When did you do all this?" she asked.
"Oh, a while ago," I said.
"How come I didn't know about this?" she asked.
"I don't know..." I said. Then it occurred to me: LAURA DIDN'T KNOW BECAUSE I FORGOT TO BLOG ABOUT IT. And mention it in phone conversations. GASP!

And if I didn't blog about it, did it actually happen?

Of course it did! Here are some home improvements that were made in the last half of 2011.

In September, the guest room was painted peach which was a huge improvement from the puke olive green color that had been in there. Soon after we added artwork (I'm a Wizard of Oz fan, can you tell?) and floating shelves to the walls.

We also had the master bedroom painted in September. I love, love, love the blue color on the walls. In November, we got this amazing picture from Uncle Rich (Hi, Uncle Rich!). Growing up, it was displayed above the couch in my grandmother's house, and I am excited to be its latest owner. The sea painting goes great with my beach-inspired bed- and bathroom.

In November, we had the family room painted by Ron Miller. He and his daughter did a great job, and had the whole thing done in two days. The Big Guy choose a lighter color for the room (Benjamin Moore's Hazelnut Cream) and it has really brightened up the whole room.

Also in November, Handy Freddy installed a storm door for us. We got a really fancy one that when the glass on the upon portion slides down, a screen takes its place. Nice!

And once the storm door was installed, we decided to take that opportunity to paint the front door. It went from black to bright red in only four coats. I'm not thrilled with the finish of the paint, but I do like how cheery it's made the front entrance.

Especially when the outside is cold, snowy and incredibly bleak. It's nice to have that pop of red in the middle of a sea of taupe and gray. Not that I have anything against taupe and gray.

So that's all the home improvement we've done recently that I forgot to tell you about. Sorry! I'll do a better job of keeping everyone in the loop the next time we tackle major projects...which I'll have the energy for (hopefully) in the spring. Right now, all this gray makes me want to hibernate!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Upcoming Waubonsee Classes (Spring 2012)

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

The spring semester is just getting started at Waubonsee Community College, and I got quite a shock when I opened the non-credit course catalog. I'm on page 5!

And on page 12 is a lovely testimonial from Theresa La Rocco who took my Coupon Mastery class last spring:

Isn't that awesome?! Today, I'm in the Waubonsee Community College course catalog. I fully expect to have my own television show by the end of the week.

In the meantime, you might want to sign up for these classes now before I turn into a full-blown diva:

Live Well, Spend Less!
at the Plano campus January 24-February 7, 2012 from 7:30-9pm. Cost: $29.00

Join me to collaborate and share great ways to experience ''the good life" on a tight budget. It is possible to spend less and still live well. Find out how! Get ready to give and receive leads, tips and sources for exciting free or low cost entertainment sources, hip fashion-forward clothing at a fraction of retail cost, and even bartering/trading for goods and services. The group's best ideas will appear on The Martha Initiative.

Coupon Mastery --Now with two available sections!
1. at the downtown Aurora campus February 9-23, 2012 from 7:30-9pm. Cost: $29.00
2. at the Plano campus March 15-29, 2012 from 7:30-9pm. Cost: $29.00

Master couponers are able to cut their grocery and drug store bills in half and obtain products for free! You can too! Become a master shopper with knowledge of the how, where, and when of serious couponing. Learn the rules for spotting the best deals in stores; pairing coupons with sales, rebates, and customer loyalty programs; and using the best coupon web sites. Join me in pursuit of the perfect balance of efficient and ethical couponing techniques.

Online Social Networking for Beginners
at the Sugar Grove campus February 13-March 5, 2012 from 7:30-9pm. Cost: $39.00

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, and more - these forms of online social networking can be both exciting and intimidating for beginners. Learn the basics of each program and application and how to apply them to your life for job searches, reunions with old friends, communication with loved ones, and creative self-expression. Online social networking has its own etiquette, language, and pitfalls - we'll explore how to use the various forms safely and effectively.

Online Social Networking Continued
at the Sugar Grove campus March 12-26, 2012 from 7:30-9pm. Cost: $39.00

Gain confidence and skill with social online networking! Continue to develop the skills you learned in the beginner class. Further instruction and practice will increase your ability to apply and adapt online networking into your life for communication with loved ones, creative self-expression, and job searches.

As I've mentioned here before, I really enjoy teaching at Waubonsee. I've met a lot of terrific people through these classes, and we all have a lot of fun. I hope to see you in a class soon!

And if there's a class or topic you'd like me to teach at Waubonsee, or anywhere else in the Western Suburbs, please let me know in the comments. Thank you!

Martha Monday--Hot spinach dip

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

With "try new dinner recipes" as a New Year's resolution, it seems only fitting that a few new dessert and appetizer recipes would be included. Last Friday I made Martha's Hot Spinach Dip for the ladies at BUNCO. It was very tasty!

The recipe calls for 2 pounds of fresh spinach, but I used 1.5 pounds of frozen spinach and it worked just fine. If you go that route, thaw and drain the spinach before mixing it in with the garlic and onions. Then, skip the draining step as stated in the recipe.

Before I made the recipe, I read several of the comments. A few commenters mentioned adding water chestnuts and artichoke hearts to kick the recipe up a notch, so I followed their advice.

I think both the water chestnuts and the artichoke hearts were nice, healthy additions to the recipe.

The addition of the artichoke hearts and water chestnuts evened out the absence of the half-pound of spinach, so everything still fit nicely into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Here it is after 20-25 minutes in the oven. I served it with Triscuits. Yum!

While this is a great appetizer recipe as it is written, it was a little short on "creamy" for me. Next time, I'll use more milk and double the amount of cream cheese the recipe calls for. I'm sure the TMI household will be seeing more of this hot spinach dip in the future. Hooray for new recipes!

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed birthday

2012-01-13T09:30:00.000-06:00

Last February, we attended a darling little boy's first birthday party with the theme The Very Hungry Caterpillar and it was adorable!

Yes, as this same child's second birthday is looming over me, I am just now posting this. I know, believe me, I know.

The cake, cupcakes and centerpieces were all made by the birthday boy's mommy (Hi, Deena!) and she did a great job. Take a look:

I was really baffled by how Deena shaped the cupcakes like real apples until I bit into one: she frosted the cupcakes, put a mini-donut on top, and frosted some more. Brilliant!

For the centerpieces, Deena put the Caterpillar image on foam board, and placed it in a cute box with realistic grass and flowers. These looked wonderful, and I was really impressed that such a professional-looking product could be home-made. Great job, Deena!

If you have a fun birthday or party theme you'd like me to feature on The Martha Initiative, then please invite me to the party. I'll bring my camera and my appetite...like the hungry caterpillar, I'm always ready to eat!

Back in 2003

2012-01-11T11:54:00.000-06:00

Last week, I set out to make a birthday cake. A rich, delicious, new cake that I had never made before. And to do so, I had to go back in time to 2003 with Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes.

There, on page 87, I found the Belgian Chocolate birthday cake. The recipe called for ground toasted hazelnuts and a stunning amount of chocolate.

And I made it. Without the chocolate shavings and candied hazelnuts, though, because I just don't have time for that. This cake was amazing: unbelievably moist and rich. The experience was unsettling at first, because the ground hazelnuts threw me off...the cake tasted like hazelnuts, so I kept expecting to find one, but I never bit into a hazelnut. But by the second or third bite, I was hooked. Yum!

I wish I could link to the recipe, but I just can't find it on MarthaStewart.com. And reprinting it without permission would only lead to me getting jailed/sued/kidnapped/etc., for which I am so not prepared, so you're going to have to find this recipe on your own. Sorry!

The cake was so rich and dense that I had to eat it with vanilla ice cream to lighten it up, that's how good it was. Warm cake with vanilla ice cream is amazing...the world needs more of it, quite frankly.

Whose birthday was this for, you ask? I'm glad you did...this totally awesome birthday cake was for a totally awesome person: TMI's very own Handy Freddy! Today is his birthday, by the way.

Happy birthday, Freddy! And thanks for all that you do in the TMI household.

Martha Monday--Chicken and kale casserole

2012-01-09T10:12:00.001-06:00

BFF Laura came over for her birthday on Friday, and we cooked up Martha's delicious chicken and kale casserole. I was skeptical at first, but when I combined the need to work more super-foods into my diet (like kale), the fact that BFF Laura has an adventurous palate, and that I'm committing myself to trying new dinner recipes, I had to make it happen.

Then, as garlic, butter, onions and kale were cooking away, the smell won me over and I knew this would be yummalicious. And it was! So good in fact, that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but here's roughly what it looked like:

You need to try this recipe, and soon. And keep these words of wisdom in mind as you do:
1. Use more kale than you think you'll need. Kale shrinks in the cooking process, and what I thought was a lot turned out to be not quite enough.
2. Do not over bake this! Thirty minutes is just fine. You might even cover the top with foil for the first 20-25 minutes to retain moisture.
3. I used only 32 ounces of ricotta, and I thought that amount was fine.

This casserole is bound to become one of my new winter comfort foods. Give it a try!

And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my BFF Laura!!!

Resolute

2012-01-06T09:31:00.000-06:00

So far, I'm sticking to my New Year's Resolution of trying new recipes...

...well, sort of. We had lasagna on Wednesday. I've made lasagna before, but since it's not in my regular rotation (I make it once or twice a year, if even that) I'm counting it as a new recipe. It was delicious, easier to make than I remembered, and a nice change of pace for dinner.

But, I do need to branch out to truly new recipes, and I've been pouring over my cookbooks. This is the stack on the family room end table that I peruse whenever I have a spare moment. The tabs sticking out are marking the recipes I want to try:

And here's another shelf of cookbooks in the office:

This shelf is baking cookbooks only:

Of course, I have more cooking/baking books that don't fit on those shelves just laying around the house. I want to go through all of them, try the recipes that sound good, and get rid of any that don't have something I can use.

In addition to the usual cookbooks, I have years of back issues of magazines with valuable recipes. Below are my office shelves dedicated to Martha Stewart publications (plus the Complete Chicken Cookbook which won't fit on the other cookbook shelf). Some of the Martha Stewart books deal with crafts, organization and business, but I own a few cookbooks from her and I've kept every issue of Martha Stewart Living from 2005 on. I've also kept every issue I've ever received of Everyday Food, which now amounts to a sizable collection of those. I need to go through each of these again and find recipes and meals that will work for my family.

As if this weren't enough cookbooks and magazines, I also have 10+ years worth of Taste of Home back issues, as well as 10+ special Taste of Home publications (hardback books, recipe collections, etc.). There's also two years of back issues of Better Homes and Gardens, and several binders worth of recipes, tips and ideas I've clipped from magazines over the last 14+ years.

With all material for new dinner and meal ideas, I might need to change my resolution from trying two new dinner recipes a month to trying a new recipe twice a day. And working out more. That, or investing in several new pairs of sweat pants.

I'm leaning towards new sweat pants.

Mag-neato!

2012-01-04T09:34:00.000-06:00

Here's yet another great thing I saw on Pinterest and replicated: an oil drip pan magnet board for the kiddos.

Like most households with small children, we have a ridiculous amount of fun magnets. My kids play with these a decent amount, but for some reason they played the most with the magnets just as I was starting to make dinner every night. As you can imagine, having two small children parked in front of the refrigerator during meal preparation time was not convenient. Especially when I am rushing to get a meal in the oven before those two small children turn into ravenous wolves.

In addition to battling the kids to stop playing with magnets long enough for me to get in and out of the fridge, the magnets themselves were tearing up my walls when the fridge door was completely open. Not cool.

Tee hee. I said "cool" while talking about my refrigerator. See what I did there?!

Enter one oil drip pan. I bought this at my local Super-Walmart for $9.96--it was in the automotive section. It had an oily coating (no doubt to make it easier to get actual oil off) but that came off easily with a de-greasing cleanser.

Big Guy secured the drip pan to the wall with screws, and it is located under our huge cork board communication center. The kids can still play with their magnets in the kitchen, but now they are not directly underfoot. Score!

This magnet board was an easy and inexpensive solution to a small but vexing problem. And now that the kids' magnets are gone, my refrigerator front looks so much more organized and clean!

Right?! Well, maybe not...the stuff that's left is mostly mine. I'm working on it, okay?

Manda Monday: I hereby resolve...

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

Happy 2012!

I'm back with my New Year's resolutions. Last year, I resolved to make all bread and cakes from scratch. I can proudly report that for the most part, I did just that. 99% of all cakes were made from scratch, and the cakes that started with a box mix were doctored up with so many extra ingredients that they might as well have been from scratch. As for the bread, I'd say about 70% of it was homemade. My bread machine isn't the best, but I am trying to make it work. From this experience, I know I will never (unless it is a Sock It To Me cake) go back to box cake mixes, and I'll continue to make bread from scratch as often as I can.

And while it wasn't a resolution for 2011, I did become a gardener, so I feel really good about that.

For 2012, I have a few resolutions:

1. Try a new dinner recipe twice a month. My dinner menu repertoire has gotten extremely boring. There are only 30 or so meals I make, and most of those are dependent on the weather: crock pot meals in the winter, grilled meals in the summer. Right now, each dinner suggestion makes me say "But we just had that!" Not cool. Over the next few days, I'll be pouring over my 50+ cookbooks and marking recipes to try. And I'll be sure to share the winners with you.

2. Make more crafts! I have a ton of craft supplies and projects I want to tackle (scrapbooks, card-making, photo albums, etc.) but I have been very short on time. This year, I'd like to carve two hours out of my weekly schedule to do something crafty. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, but it does need to get my creative juices flowing. All I've crafted recently are my Christmas card books, and I really want (and need!) to do more.

3. Become more frugal. While I am big on clipping coupons, frugal entertainments options and more, I need to educate myself on making wise investments and saving for retirement. Also, I have two small children who are geniuses and bound for MIT, and I need to start saving now for their college education. And space camp. And music lessons. And archery class. These things add up, and I want to be prepared financially. Though emotionally, I don't want my babies to grow up and leave me, ever. Sniffle.

What are your resolutions? And just to be clear, I think it's totally fine to say "I resolve to brush my teeth every day" even if you are already doing that and you just need a resolution that easily accomplished to boost your self-esteem. Totally acceptable. Because you know what? "Brushing my teeth every day" is my hidden resolution #4. Just so you know.

NYE cocktails

2011-12-30T11:01:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking ahead to New Year's Eve, cocktails, and the possibility of staying up until midnight. Which I doubt will happen, especially if I indulge in these cocktails, but I'm totally fine with that.

Martha has some amazing winter cocktails and champagne and sparkling wine cocktails. These in particular have caught my eye (and my mouth):

Pomegranate-Champagne Punch

The Blizzard Cocktail

Don't those look amazing?! I don't want to pick just one, so I might make all of them, get crazy drunk and fall asleep by 9:30. Which would mostly be a repeat of last year's New Year's Eve for me.

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration! If I can recover from all these cocktails, I'll be back bright and early on Monday morning with my New Year's Resolutions. Happy New Year!

Christmas card books

2011-12-28T08:55:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas cards, both sending and receiving. They are on display the moment they arrive at my house, and they are usually the last bit of Christmas decorations that come down.

For the past few years, I've been saving the cards rather than throwing them out. I'd bundle them up with a rubber band, slap on a post-it denoting the year, and tuck them into a small storage tote. But those days are over.

I found a better way to store them on Pinterest: punch holes in the cards and secure them with clasping rings to make a fun Christmas card book. This idea is from Michelle Allen at Close to My Art, and it's a brilliant one!

I took it a step further and made a front cover for my Christmas card book. The snowflakes were made using a Martha Stewart Crafts punch, and the year is stamped on. So crafty!

The clasping rings I got for this project are too big, but I'll swap them out for some smaller ones before I tackle this year's cards.

Using two hole punches was sufficient for the cards. Now I have all the cards, pictures and even Christmas letters secure for next year.

To include the Christmas letters, I folded them in half with the writing on the outside. This way I can turn the page and not have to undo the clasping rings to read the whole letter.

I am really happy with how this project turned out. It was really easy to do, and the clasping rings only cost about $0.50 each at my local Ace Hardware. This is going to make a great coffee table book for next year!

Manda Monday--Merry? Very!

2011-12-26T10:19:00.001-06:00

The television-turned-puppet-theater is a hit! Little Guy performs productions using many of the 28 puppets the kids received yesterday, while Little Miss has commandeered it as her very own playhouse. Project Sony was a total and complete success!

We had a great Christmas, and I hope you did, too!

Puppet Masterpiece Theater

2011-12-23T15:00:00.000-06:00

A year ago, Handy Freddy and Big Guy brought home a huge TV left on the street by a neighbor. It didn't work very well, so it sat in our basement for quite some time. My idea was to have Handy Freddy gut it and turn it into a puppet theater for the kids.

Fast forward to November: Little Guy was sick and laying on the couch and said to me, "Mom, do you know what would be cool? A television that I could climb inside and do puppet shows."

Jaw. Hit. The. Floor. "Wow, what a great idea! That would be really cool!"

Little Guy has actually been inside a huge television doing a puppet show before. It was last November, when the Jim Henson exhibit came to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The exhibit included a huge television that could fit a dozen or so kids, plenty of puppets, backgrounds and costumes, and small television monitors inside the larger stage television so the kids could see their production as the audience saw it. It was an awesome exhibit and a fun experience. Little Guy talked about it for days.

Now, in all fairness, I might have mentioned the possibility of turning the broken television into a puppet theater once to the Little Guy over the summer. I truly don't remember. It could be that he remembered the Jim Henson exhibit and wanted to recreate the experience--after all, Little Guy is very into puppets and play acting. I do know that I decided that this should be the big Santa gift sometime in the fall, and it certainly wasn't discussed with the kids past that.

So whether Little Guy came up with the idea on his own, or remembered that I said something about it months ago, this gift is obviously going to be a hit. He even asked the Blackberry Farm Santa for a "television he could climb inside and do a puppet show in." Score!

Handy Freddy gutted the television last month, and I spray painted the inside over the past few weeks. It took several coats of white primer and a few coats of color to get it smooth and even. MOM2 made cushions and curtains for the theater in coordinating fabrics.

The above picture shows the fabric, but the curtains aren't in yet. They'll be held up by a tension rod just inside the frame of the television. Everything will be fully assembled tonight.

Little Guy has also been asking for elf and reindeer puppets. Done and done!

The elf puppets are from the Fiesta Toy Company. I looked all over for handmade elf puppets, but had no luck. Luckily, I found some adorable reindeer puppets on Etsy. These are from Val's Various Creations, and she did an amazing job with them. Lovely Val even sent a nice note with the puppets, saying she hoped my kids enjoy them. I am sure they will, Val!

Needless to say, I am so excited for this Christmas, maybe even more so than my kids! Little Guy is going to get exactly what he asked for from Santa, and I am so happy that I can give it to him. I realized this does leave Little Miss out a bit, though she loves playing with puppets just as much as Little Guy does. Little Miss is still too young to understand everything, and since she is still mostly babbling she hasn't made any specific Christmas requests. I hope that they both love this puppet theater, and maybe next year when Little Miss is speaking clearly I can make a wish come true for her as well.

And I owe a huge thanks to Handy Freddy and MOM2 for helping me make this very special request become a reality. Thank you!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays to all. Whatever you celebrate, I hope all of your dreams and wishes come true. Have a wonderful holiday!

Christmas wishes

2011-12-22T11:00:00.000-06:00

We've seen Santa Claus twice this season. The first time was at Blackberry Farm's Polar Express event.

We immediately stood in line to see Santa, only to have Little Guy chicken out when it was almost our turn. We rode the train a dozen times, saw Santa's sleigh, attended a reading of The Polar Express and finally worked up the nerve to see the Jolly Old Elf.

Little Guy delivered his Christmas letter (that's what Mrs. Claus is reading) and told Santa he wanted a television set he could climb inside and do puppet shows. Santa said that was a very unusual request and that he'd have to get some special elves to work on it.

We saw another Santa at Phillips Park Zoo. There, the Little Guy asked Santa for elf and reindeer puppets. Just an FYI: Little Miss is not yet talking coherently (at least, we are the only ones who can understand her language), so while she babbled away to Santa, we really have no idea what she asked for. Let's hope it wasn't a pony, because that's not going to happen.

But what is going to happen is the television-turned-puppet-theater with the elf and reindeer puppets. I'll give you the details tomorrow!

Last minute gift ideas

2011-12-21T09:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas is only three days away...are you ready? I have only one more gift to purchase, and I know exactly what it is so I'm not freaking out. I do, however, know several people who are freaking out. If that's the boat you're in, have no fear. Here are some super-duper last-minute Christmas ideas that are easy to buy and won't break the bank:

For her: gift certificates for manicures/pedicures. You can't go wrong with this!

For him: new gloves, hat, scarf and a super-fancy heated windshield scraper. Cozy, yet technologically advanced. Win!

For kids: board and card games. In a world where too many kids are plugged in too early and for too long, an old-fashioned board or card game is a nice break. How about a poker set?

For the couple: chocolates and champagne. No need to say more.

For the family: a family-friendly movie, popcorn, candy and a six-pack of high-end root beer. Instant family movie night!

Need to buy a bunch of gifts? My advice is to pick a theme and shop at a quality department-type store.

For example, let's say you are exhausted with all of this Christmas preparation and craziness. All you want to do is sleep, am I right? THERE'S YOUR THEME! There are lots of great gifts out there (for kids and adults) that relate to "sleep":

Pajamas (these are especially fun for kids)
Fancy sheets
New pillows
Fun and functional alarm clocks
Nightlights (again, especially fun for kids)
Cozy bathrobes
Throw blankets
Stuffed animals (for kids)
Night time reading materials (for kids or adults)
Slippers

Any of these items can be easily found at any major store, and at affordable prices.

Here's another theme (and one of my favorites)....the kitchen!
What kitchen gifts would be suitable for a wide variety of people?

Cookbooks (good for kids and adults)
Popcorn maker (include popcorn and seasonings)
Blender (include drink mix)
Aprons
Food gift basket
Food kit--think cake pops, cupcakes, cookies, etc.
Platters and serving dishes
Vases and centerpieces
Tablecloths and placemats
High-end kitchen gadgets, such as a rotary cheese grater, omelet pan, food processor, etc.

Again, these are all items that can be purchased on a budget in any department-type store.

Get an idea, make a list, check your budget and then get to the nearest store that suits your needs. Grab everything, check your list, make your purchases and go home to wrap. At this point in the game, there's no reason to spend any time stressing out over what to get for whom...Christmas is right around the corner, and there are better things you could be doing with your time. Such as sipping a nice Riesling while watching Miracle on 34th Street for the millionth time.

And if all these ideas aren't working for you, head to Walgreen's or CVS and get everyone on your list a Chia pet. Everyone loves those things!

My kitchen elves

2011-12-20T11:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I shared with you some great chocolate-peppermint Whoopie pies. What I didn't show you is the little elves who helped me make them.

My regular readers know that Little Guy and Little Miss are my constant companions in the kitchen. When I begin a recipe, one of them (usually Little Guy) will drag the step stool from the pantry to the island, and they'll both climb up and beg to help.

Little Guy has been successfully wielding a hand mixer since he was two, and now it's Little Miss's turn. She's not quite there yet, but then again, she's not quite two years old.

Baking with kids is hard under normal circumstances, and even harder when a time constraint is involved. Still, I try to let my kids do as much as my patience will allow, knowing that I want them to have fun in the kitchen and enjoy the processes of cooking and baking. But it's more than just having fun and making memories: I want them to see up close what it means to read a recipe, follow directions, measure, pour, mix, stir and improvise when necessary. These are all important life skills that while learned in the kitchen, are applicable everywhere. Further, I want them to be able to take pride in the result and understand that only when you put in the work can you reap the reward.

And they sure do like the reward!

I wonder if my little kitchen elves know all that. Maybe they're too busy enjoying the reward.
Then again, so am I. I just love my kitchen elves.

Martha Monday--Whoopie!

2011-12-19T13:22:00.000-06:00

Whoopie! Christmas is almost here, making it the perfect time for Christmas Whoopie pies. Yum!

I followed Martha's directions for chocolate Whoopie pies. For the filling, I whipped up a quick buttercream (one stick butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk...more or less) and added 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract and pink food color.

To up the peppermint flavor, I rolled the sides in crushed candy canes.

Martha's recipe claims to make 24 sandwiches, but I easily got 27...and as you can see, these were huge Whoopie pies! The next time I make this recipe, I'll halve the ingredients and make smaller cookies for the sandwiches to make the Whoopie pies more bite-size.

These chocolate-peppermint Whoopie pies are a great offering for a Christmas party. If you have the time (because we all have oodles of spare time just before Christmas, right?) and need a show-stopper dessert for a party, give these Whoopie pies a try!

Framed corkboards

2011-12-16T14:52:00.000-06:00

This is a story about a project I dreamed up years ago and took forever to get done. In March of 2010, I told BFF Laura about my great idea to frame cork boards and hang them in the toy room as a way to display kids' artwork. Essentially, I wanted to create a kid-friendly art gallery. With gold frames, I was sure the drawings and pictures would be elevated to high art.

Months later, Laura gave me some large pieces of cork board, and fancy picture frames that she had spray-painted gold. The frames and cork board sat, and sat, and sat.

Over this summer, I bought several cork boards from yard sales and thrift stores, as well as several fancy frames. They went into the stack of cork board and frames from Laura. And they sat, and sat, and sat.

Finally, faced with a ridiculous pile of cork board and frames and no spare time or know-how to combine, I asked myself "What would Martha do?"

Obviously, Martha would give this project to a member of her staff to complete. I don't have a staff, but I do have Handy Freddy. I gave this entire project to my brother, and things really started to move.

Here's how to make your own framed cork boards:

1. Buy fancy picture frames and large sheets of cork board at yard sales, thrift stores, etc.
2. Pop the frames off the cork board with a screwdriver.

3. Measure the cork board to fit a fancy picture frame.

4. Carefully cut the cork board with a hacksaw. Go slow during the cutting or the cork board will tear.

5. If you want to paint your fancy frames, now is the time to do it. I simply used gold spray paint on mine.

6. Fit the cork board into the empty fancy frame, and staple it in.

Ta-da! A beautifully framed piece of cork board that is ready to display just about anything.

Handy Freddy made seven framed cork boards for me and no two are framed alike or the same size. After all of his hard work, it was the least I could do to get someone else to hang the framed cork boards--I made the Big Guy do that.

My original plan was to put the art gallery in the toy room, but instead I settled on a large blank wall in the foyer. I immediately put several drawings/colorings from the kids in the frames, but lately they are quickly filling with Christmas cards and pictures. Everything is secured with thumbtacks.

This project turned out even better than I had imagined--I am thrilled with how it looks! For my part, I'm putting the cost at under $25 for all materials, though I'm sure Laura spent some money on the cork boards and frames.

I owe a huge thanks to Laura for getting this project started, and to Handy Freddy for getting it done! And another huge thanks to Freddy for taking the step-by-step pictures.

By coming up with an idea and having my 'staff' do 95% of the work, I really am becoming more and more like Martha Stewart! ;) Kidding! You know I love Martha more than my luggage.

Handmade at its best!

2011-12-15T12:17:00.000-06:00

Little Guy gave me some handmade gifts he had created at preschool. I am a sucker for this kind of thing and I immediately melted! Take a look:

He even made the gift wrap. Love it.

It's a sled ornament!

Little Guy also made this penguin ornament, complete with his thumbprints for the penguin's feet.

Finally, there was one last gift that he put a lot of time and effort into...

It's a framed picture, and he decorated the frame. It had magnets on the back so it immediately went on the fridge. Darling!

After a ridiculous amount of 'oohing' and 'aahing' over his obvious artistic talents by this impressed Mommy, my Little Guy proudly hung his ornaments on the tree.

I just love, love, love stuff like this. These ornaments will be on my Christmas tree for as long as I have one, and after that I demand to be buried with them. Sniffle.

Thanks so much to my son's preschool teacher, and to all teachers, who help their students make gifts for their parents for Christmas and other special holidays and occasions. This truly made my day.

Good deed garland

2011-12-13T11:17:00.001-06:00

To focus on the more meaningful side to Christmas, we've started a good deed garland at our house. Remember those construction paper chains made in grade school to celebrate accomplishments or to count down to an important event? It's just like that!

Each time something good happens at the house, one of the adults writes it down on the strips of paper and links it to the chain. At least, this is what is supposed to happen. We've been so busy lately that our chain is not as long as it should be--great things are happening, but we're on to the next thing before we have a chance to write the good deed down. I'm sure as the kids get older they will be sure to either remind us, or start writing it down on their own!

Above: Little Miss is surly because she knows I am not capturing all the good behaviors in our house on paper. She knows, and she is really pissed off about it.

This garland would also be fun for other purposes...you can link (see what I did there!?) it to any event, milestone, or skill you want your kids to master no matter the season. A certain number of links can lead to a fun treat or reward. For example, this technique could be used to motivate reluctant readers to tackle more books. For each book a kid reads, they get a link (be sure to note the title of the book!). When they've earned 10 or 20 links, reward them with a fun treat.

There's still some time before Christmas...if you are looking to encourage or recognize good behaviors in your house, then this garland could be a fun way to get the whole family excited and on board. Good luck!

Martha Monday--Oooo, sparkly!

2011-12-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

Inspired by Pinterest, I decided to get my holiday craft on with Martha Stewart's glitter and some old Christmas light bulbs to make a fun, festive, and frugal centerpiece.

I bought the glitter (on clearance!) and the glittering glue (with a coupon!) at Michael's. I'd never really glittered anything, save for grade school art projects, so I bought the smallest bottles of glitter in case the whole thing turned out to be a big, sparkly disaster. I will say this to the good people at MS Crafts: Glitter is intimidating! Put some directions on these things!

Fortunately, I got an astonishing number of those huge Christmas light bulbs from a coworker for free. Most were dead by the time I received them so they were perfect for the project.

The glittering glue comes with a brush inside the container. I simply brushed a coat of the glue on...

And then covered the thing with glitter. I did this over sheets of waxed paper so when I was done with a color I could pour the excess glitter back into the jar. Less waste!

Not that I have a lot of experience with glitter, but I have to say the texture and colors of MS Craft glitter is amazing. I doubt my pictures do it justice, but trust me when I say these colors are incredible!

I made 12 bulbs with each color, and that only took up half the jar. My estimate is that you could do 22-24 large bulbs with one small vial of glitter. A little bit goes a long way.

Once the bulbs were glittered, I began preparing the vessel. The outer vase is from Wal-Mart and cost less than $5.00. The tall glass candle in the middle is from The Dollar Tree.

I waited a few hours for the glue to dry before putting the bulbs in the vase. Once I started moving them around, I realized that I should have waited overnight to give the glue more time to dry. Again: some directions on the products would have been handy here.

Because of my haste, there is some smearing and smudges on some of the bulbs which is unnoticeable unless you are right on top of the display. I had plenty of glittered bulbs for the main centerpiece, and I put the remaining bulbs on another glass tray with another white candle to complete the scene. The glittered bulb display is on the mantle now, but it will be on my dining room table in time for Christmas dinner.

Overall this was a very simple and frugal centerpiece project. I estimate the entire project cost under $17.00, and I still have plenty of glitter and glue left over to tackle another project. Which is great, since a few more projects are needed to take me from glittering newbie to sparkling expert. I hope.

Have you glittered anything lately? Or ever? I'd love to hear about it!

O Christmas Trees

2011-12-09T10:51:00.001-06:00

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging;
Not only green when summer's here, but also when 'tis cold and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging!

Of course, my Christmas tree is green because it's fake, but let's not quibble over details. I have eight Christmas trees in my home...would you like a tour?

Let's start in the living room:

The living room is also the toy room, so all the ornaments are break-resistant. The lights are colored, but all the ornaments are gold and red. There is no real theme to this tree, unless you count "festive and sparkly" as a theme. If so, there is a definite theme!

Next, let's head to the dining room:

Last year, there was no tree in the dining room--this is one of the four new trees I bought on clearance after last Christmas. The dining room has a circus theme going on already with the artwork, so I carried that over to the tree. This tree has white lights and jewel-toned ornaments. It also features several fun circus-style ornaments, like this Santa using a bullhorn while riding a unicycle:

I have a very small tree in the kitchen. It has to be small, because it sits on top of the fridge; I just can't spare the counter space, especially during this time of year. The kitchen tree is decorated with handmade snowmen holding cinnamon sticks, baking-themed ornaments, and white lights.

Next is the 12-foot tree in the family room. This one holds all of our heirloom and family ornaments. It has white lights and an angel on top. This is where Santa leaves his presents for the kids, and where we exchange and open presents as a family.

Now, let's head upstairs...I now have a tree in the master bedroom (one of the four new ones to the house). It is a (scrawny) four foot tree pre-lit with white lights, and a strand of iridescent pointy bulbs added for effect.

This tree has a Wizard of Oz theme, which is actually more appropriate for the guest room. Perhaps in the next year or two my dream of a beach-themed tree for the master bedroom will happen. In the meantime, I am really enjoying Miss Gulch on her bike along with all the other Wizard of Oz ornaments.

Thanks to my after-Christmas shopping spree last year, the kids each have a tree in their rooms, too. I thought I was buying two foot trees for them, which would have been suitable for their dressers, but they turned out to be three foot trees so I kept them on the floor. Little Guy's tree was pre-lit with white lights, but I threw a strand of blue lights on there to brighten it up.

I tried to include ornaments on each tree that corresponded with their personalities and/or interests. Here is the Hallmark ornament "Max Sets Sail" from the book Where the Wild Things Are, which is wildly appropriate for both the Little Guy and his very own Christmas tree.

Little Miss also has a tree in her room. It also has white and blue lights, though I added strands of pearls to give it a more feminine touch. The ornaments on her tree, once all evenly distributed, are now mostly all of to one side: Little Miss likes to redecorate and reorganize her tree, it would seem.

Instead of a star, Little Miss's tree has a butterfly at the top. I think it's a nice touch.

Christmas tree #8 is one I've had for a while, and it's also one of my favorites. This tree is on the second floor balcony overlooking the foyer and just outside the master bedroom. It's theme is The Twelve Days of Christmas and almost all of the ornaments relate to the theme.

The some ornaments are grouped closely together, which is Little Guy's tree-decorating style. Fun story: the Little Guy and I decorated this tree, just the two of us. It was after his bedtime, and I knew that he hadn't fallen asleep yet. I peeked into his room, got him up and told him we weren't going to talk, just work. So (almost) silently we decorated this tree, all the while giving each other smiles and thumbs-up. It was a fun mother-son moment I will remember for a long, long time, and I hope he does, too.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
How often has the Christmas tree afforded me the greatest glee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Much pleasure thou can'st give me.

I hope you enjoyed this Christmas tree tour. Over the weekend, I'll put up a full photo album of all the trees and special ornaments on facebook. Become a fan to see the gallery. Have a great weekend!

Village tour

2011-12-07T09:41:00.001-06:00

There are people who go ga-ga for Christmas and put up trees, lights and decorations. And then there are the completely crazy people who go one step further by setting up a Christmas village.

Guess which category I fall into?

My Christmas village hasn't seen the light of day in a few years. Last year, Little Miss was too small and I was worried she'd pull a ceramic house down on her head, and the year before that I was way too pregnant to bother with putting the village up.

This year, I did get it out and it was mostly due to the Little Guy's urging. Fortunately, I got it set up in less than two hours and what's even better is that so far the kids haven't destroyed anything. Score!

It's in the family room in front of the TV on the entertainment center and a table. It features 17 houses/buildings, several smaller nature scenes and many people figurines doing various Christmas activities. I've been collecting pieces since I was in college, before I ever had a house of my own to display the Christmas village in! Because that's how hardcore Christmas I am. For real.

I hope you enjoy this tour of my Christmas village!

Martha Monday--Wonderfully handmade

2011-12-05T09:30:00.000-06:00

Right now, all of my homemade gifts are of the baked variety...cookies, cookies and more cookies. Next Christmas, I hope to branch out and give handmade gifts that don't have to spend time in the oven before they are given.

But if you're looking to give handmade this year, Martha has some amazing ideas. Check out her 82 ideas for handmade gifts for the women in your life; 33 ideas for homemade gifts for the men in your life; and 34 ideas for kids' handmade gifts.

I'm really liking this No-Sew Tote Bag:

And homemade Body Scrub looks easy to make, while still being a luxurious gift:

If "Project Sony" goes well, then maybe I'll try my hand at some other homemade gifts for my kids next year. This Animal Trunk is awesome:

I'm also a fan of these Monster Mittens (which can also be made to look like lions and sharks!):

Making handmade gifts accomplishes so many things: there's a real sense of accomplishment in making a gift that's good enough to give, it saves money and it truly shows the recipient how much you care. Baking is how I do that now, but my inner-Martha is crying out for me to do more.

For more handmade gift ideas from Martha Stewart, click here. Happy gifting!

And so it begins...

2011-12-02T11:57:00.001-06:00

I started my Christmas baking last night with two batches of Chocolate-Peppermint cookies and one batch of Mint Surprise cookies. It felt so, so good to bake something Christmas-y...and now I am full of holiday spirit. And cookies.

I made my Chocolate-Peppermint cookies as I have for the past several years. My cookie is based on Hershey's Double Chocolate Mini Kisses Cookies recipe. I simply decrease the amount of vanilla to one teaspoon, add one teaspoon of peppermint extract, and substitute the Mini Kisses for Andes Peppermint Chip Baking Bits. Heaven!

I tried a new recipe and combined chocolate with mint to make these Mint Surprise cookies, which is based on Hershey's Triple Chocolate Cookies. I added one teaspoon of mint extract to the batter, omitted the chocolate chips entirely, and used Hershey's Mint Chocolate Truffle Kisses for the top.

These were absolutely delicious! The bag of Kisses contained twice what I needed for the recipe, and at the rate these are going, I'll need to make another batch soon. And next time, I might throw in some mint chocolate chips in the batter (instead of the mint extract--or maybe in addition to?) to turn the mint flavor up to full-blast. Seriously, you should make these--they are amazing!

Then, because the oven was on and I needed to use up some pumpkin puree leftover from Thanksgiving, I made pumpkin doughnut muffins. Because I can't live on just cookies, you know?

Actually, I could live entirely on cookies. My health would be dreadful and my teeth would rot out of my head, but I could make it work for several years before being claimed by scurvy.

My holiday baking is now 15% complete. That is, if I don't eat all of these cookies myself. If so, then it's back to the ~~drawing board~~ kitchen for me. And I am completely fine with that.

Label those lids!

2011-12-01T11:42:00.000-06:00

With the holidays upon us, I wanted to share a helpful tip for keeping track of rarely-used ingredients. So often exotic and unusual spices and seasonings are purchased for holiday baking, only to be confined to the back of the cabinet for the rest of the year. Write the month and year of when you first opened or bought those bottles, so that you can see at a glance just how old the spice/seasoning is before using it in a recipe.

After all, the cream of tartar works much better when it hasn't aged out of usefulness. Spices do not have an unlimited shelf life, and it's nice to know if the cardamom you're about to put into that cookie recipe is from 2010 or 1996.

I started labelling the lids this summer, and it's been a huge help. Not only do I know when I opened something, but now I can also gauge how fast I go through something. Example: if I'm plowing through an 8 oz. bottle of clear vanilla extract in three months, then I should consider buying more when they are on sale, or purchasing a larger size. Like in a five-gallon bucket. Just sayin'.

Happy baking!

Gifts for my kids

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's easy to go overboard with Christmas gift-giving, especially when kids are involved. The urge to buy my kids stuff, stuff, stuff is strong, but fortunately I don't have unlimited space or funds to indulge in this madness. Gifts from Mommy and Daddy follow this handy rhyme:

Something you want; something you need. Something to wear and something to read.

Little Guy and Little Miss's gifts stay in line with this credo. Additionally, they get a gift from Santa and a stocking full of goodies, small toys and treats.

This year, their "something to wear" happens to be Halloween costumes I bought on clearance. We play dress up a lot and these will be a big hit. In a few years, I'm sure more practical clothing options will replace the superhero and storybook costumes, so I'm enjoying (and indulging!) this dress-up phase for as long as I can.

While not everything is pictured, nearly all the gift-buying for my kids is done. I have a few more stocking stuffers to buy, but that's it. There is one gift in the making, however. The big project is the gift from Santa. Handy Freddy and I are calling it "Project Sony."

We got this television from the side of the road several months ago. After confirming that it doesn't work, Handy Freddy gutted it. My plan is to spray paint the inside, and MOM2 is sewing a curtain to go across the top. What will that give us?

A super-cool puppet theater for Little Guy and Little Miss, direct from Santa. With a little help from his elves, of course. Stay tuned!

Manda Monday--Countdown to Christmas

2011-11-28T11:58:00.000-06:00

Christmas is right around the corner. I started preparing over a week ago with shopping and decorating so I have good head start on this busy season.

Before Thanksgiving, we managed to get five Christmas trees up, and four of them are decorated. The Christmas Village has yet to make an appearance, despite Little Guy asking me to put it up at least four times a day. I hope to get that done, along with decorating the big tree and setting up the remaining trees, this week. And if the weather is dry and not bone-chillingly cold, the outside lights might get put up as well.

For the record, we are the proud owners of eight Christmas trees of various sizes. My goal has always been to have a personalized or themed tree in each major room of my house. But not in the bathrooms, because that would just be excessive.

When the decorating is done, I'll turn my attention to shopping and baking. Little Guy is not much into shopping, but he is just as excited as I am to start baking. Already we've gone through six cookbooks to mark the recipes we want to try. While he declares every recipe as one we have to make, I'm going to try to limit our efforts to just 10-12 varieties of cookies. I don't want to go overboard--my Christmas is all about moderation.

In all seriousness, I do like to give baked goods as gifts. Our neighbors and coworkers will get cookies this year...all 93 of them!...so I'll be making three batches of each of those 10-12 cookie varieties. The amount of butter I go through at this time of year is criminal.

Shopping will certainly take some time. All told, we buy gifts for at least 38 people, not including the TMI household. Fortunately, gifts for Little Miss, Little Guy and Big Guy are almost entirely done, and that is a big load off my shoulders.

When it comes to shopping, organization is key. I already have my gift ideas and budget on an Excel spreadsheet, and I'll take that with me to the stores. I find that this one piece of paper saves me a ton of time and money. Time, because I go into a store with a good idea of what to look for, and money, because I have a set budget and seeing it in print helps me stick to it. If you have problems shopping for gifts, I strongly recommend that you make a list and budget, and then stick to it. Hey, it works for Santa!

In addition to the decorating, baking and shopping, I'd like to get the kids out to see fun Christmas light displays, a trip or two to see Santa and some other fun holiday activities in the lovely city of Aurora.

This is going to be a busy, and fun, season!

Full of thanks

2011-11-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

When I host Thanksgiving, I make everyone hold hands before the meal and say what they are grateful for. The usual suspects always come up: family, friends, home, health, plenty of food.  These are all wonderful things, but I suspect that if each of us had more time to talk, and was comfortable baring our souls, the things we give thanks for would be a lot more specific and personal.

This Thanksgiving, I'm comfortable baring my soul, and this blog gives me all the time in the world. Here are just a few of the things for which I am deeply thankful:

Little Miss's hair feels like silk. Her dimple melts my heart every single time I see it. She's learning more and more words each day, and I am fortunate to hear her say "I want Momma" on a regular basis. While she is mostly on the go, she still wants to be rocked and read to daily. I always hoped for a daughter that would be sassy and smart enough to conquer the world by the time she was 21...how fortunate am I that she is ready to do this at 21 months!

Little Guy's enthusiasm about Christmas is incredible and infectious. I am fortunate, and grateful, that he briefly mentions toys he wants and then moves on to something else. Right now he is much happier to be putting up decorations, and the only thing he begs for is to put up the Christmas village. The real blessing is that his attitude towards Christmas is really no different from his attitude about any other subject we come across: everything is amazing, everything is fun, and everything is worth exploring.

Big Guy is my other half and I give thanks for this every day. But he makes my life better in a thousand tiny ways, some of which I'm sure I don't even realize.  Big Guy takes care of Barley if I am too tired to do it. He never complains about my hectic night schedule of teaching at Waubonsee or meetings for my day job. He is supportive of my biggest plans, whether that plan is to transform the backyard or transform my life.  And if the plan isn't too crazy, he jumps right in to help.

I am extremely thankful for my Waubonsee students. My classes really took off this year, and each one was filled with fun people. It was a joy to spend time with them. Teaching at Waubonsee is less like a part-time job and more like a great opportunity to meet and talk with people in my community on a weekly basis. And the good folks who sign up for my classes are less like students, and a lot more like great people I am happy to hang out with once a week.

Finally, I am really thankful for all of my blog and facebook readers. This means you! Some of you I know, but many I do not. Thanks for coming here and reading about my bizarre attempts to turn myself into Martha Stewart. And thanks for not telling how crazy I am as I try to do this. I hope you are getting something (if only a chuckle or two!) from this blog as what you are giving me is far greater. Knowing that you all are out there reading encourages me to tackle new projects, try new recipes and learn new skills so that I can share those experiences with you. And in doing all that, I become more and more like the person I want to be.

No, not Martha Stewart. Okay, sort of like Martha Stewart.

The person I want to be, and the person I am becoming, is a better version of myself.  The motivation to do this comes from all the reasons I've listed here.

And for that, I am extremely grateful. Thanks for being here. Happy Thanksgiving!

My Martha street cred

2011-11-22T09:32:00.001-06:00

My Martha street cred has gone through the roof. Seriously.

Let me explain: my goal is to be like Martha Stewart as much as possible, and when I can't do something just like her, I'll put my own spin on things. This applies to anything Martha does: homekeeping, crafting, entertaining, gardening, decorating and more. Now, though, I've truly done it.

I made homemade pumpkin pie, using puree made from PUMPKINS I GREW IN MY OWN GARDEN.

Just. like. Martha. Stewart.

I have achieved Martha-ness. I grew something, harvested it, AND TURNED IT INTO A PIE. Let me tell you, it feels amazing! This must be what it feels like to rule the world!

Ahem. Sorry, I got carried away there.

The great news in all this is that not only have I achieved (if only for a few hours) Martha-ocity, but you can too! Making pumpkin puree is actually quite easy, and you don't even have to grow your own pumpkins to do it.

I simply followed the directions on Martha's website. Start with a small sugar or baking pumpkin. Pierce the pumpkin all the way through with a sharp knife, and bake it for 60-90 minutes at 400F. Martha's directions state to put the pumpkin in a baking dish along with an inch of water, but my pumpkins were too big for that. I placed them on a foil-lined cookie sheet with a bit of water, and just added more water as necessary.

The pumpkins get nice and soft, and the rind starts to separate itself from the pulp. Very easy!

When the pumpkins were cool enough to handle, I cut them apart. Seeds and stringy stuff when into the compost bin, and pulp went into a big bowl. When I had enough in the bowl, I ran it through the food processor. Of course, I should have put the pulp right into the food processor and not dirtied up a dish, but I didn't think about that until the process was over. See what I mean about putting my own spin on things? That's just how I roll sometimes!

Puree went into quart size freezer bags. Four pumpkins gave me approximately eights quart bags of pumpkin puree. The puree from the fully mature pumpkins will need to be squeezed out before I use it, but that can be done easily using a cheesecloth. Or, I might turn that batch into pumpkin soup. The rest of the puree will be used for pies, Martha's delicious Pumpkin Donut Muffins, Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing and more. Yum!

Here's where that amazing "Oh-my-God-I-am-just-like-Martha-Stewart-gaze-upon-my-creation-in-awe!" feeling began to wear off and turn into a "gee-whiz-that-is-a-ridiculous-amount-of-pumpkin-puree-and-I'm-really-tired-I-could-use-a-break" feeling:

Achieving Martha-ness is awesome, but it sure does make a mess. Next step: acquire Martha Stewart's staff of 40 to start cleaning up after me. And then the student will truly become the master.

A girl can dream, right?

Martha Monday--Martha's pumpkin pie

2011-11-21T09:30:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. That, and the turkey, are what make the meal. The sides can change (well, not at my house) but pumpkin pie and turkey are the holiday's constant companions. Now that my turkey recipe and procedure are tried, true and set in stone, I decided to experiment a bit with my pumpkin pie.

Using puree made from pumpkins I grew over the summer (more on that tomorrow), I made two pumpkin pies: the Libby's version and Martha's version. Of course, my two favorite chef's assistants helped.

As I mentioned, the pumpkin puree came from my own pumpkins. However, the one used for these recipes was quite immature when I harvested it, and it had a milder pumpkin flavor than what I was used to.

Martha's pumpkin pie baked up nice and golden, though I must say that it took almost 50 minutes to bake, not the 30 minutes as stated in the recipe.

The Libby's version, which is the pumpkin pie recipe printed on their cans of pureed pumpkin, also did well with my homemade puree.

To be fair, I conducted a blind taste test with my neighbor Yogi and with my coworkers. Overwhelmingly, people liked Martha's version of pumpkin pie more. Because her recipe uses a full cup of brown sugar, instead of the 3/4 cup of white sugar, it is a sweeter pie.

I have to admit that at first, I preferred the Libby's version of the pie. I am not a fan of eggs, and since Martha's recipe uses three instead of two, there was just a bit too much egg taste in there for me. However, once the pies had rested in the fridge for a day or two and I re-tasted them, I did like the Martha recipe better. It is a sweeter pie and comes across as a more sophisticated version of the regular pumpkin pie.

For this Thanksgiving at my in-laws, I'll be making both versions again to get another round of feedback. The winner will get a permanent place on my Thanksgiving menu. But if you are looking for a more elegant pumpkin pie, give Martha's recipe a try.

Hand- and footprint crafts for Thanksgiving

2011-11-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

I love Pinterest, I really, really do. For a while I've been pinning super-cute kid art made with their hand- and footprints. Little Guy, Little Miss and neighbor Adithi made some fun art for Halloween by sticking their hands and feet in paint. Now, there are a few ideas on my "Hand and Foot Print Art" board that are perfect for Thanksgiving.

Making any or all of these would be a great project for the kids leading up to Thanksgiving, or on the day of as they are waiting for the feast to begin:

My best advice, if you are using this as an activity on Thanksgiving Day, is to enlist the help of older kids or teenagers to help the younger ones. This gets the older kids involved and keeps the younger kids busy so you can focus on guests or cooking. But not cooking your guests, because that would be wrong.

Please note: these art ideas are not mine. They were found by me and pinned, or pinned by other Pinterest users and then re-pinned by me. For original sources, please visit my Pinterest boards and you can find the source material/links there. Thank you!

From Martha to me to you

2011-11-17T10:18:00.001-06:00

I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year (sniff, sniff!) but if I were, I'd be using these awesome and free printables from Martha Stewart. That she personally gave to me, because we are best friends. And I told her, "Martha, these are just too cute! You should put these on your website so everyone can use them."

And Martha said, "Amanda, that is a brilliant idea! You are always thinking of others. What would I do without you?"

And with that we both laughed and had another cocktail. The next day, Martha put these printables on her website for everyone to enjoy. YOU'RE WELCOME.*

These turkey place cards are so elegant. Love these! Though I'm not sure I'd invite anyone named "Kirk" to my Thanksgiving dinner. He just sounds shady, you know?

I love having crafts and activities for kids at holiday gatherings, and these adorable pilgrim hats and bonnets fit the bill. Except that boy in the middle totally doesn't deserve his. Someone take that darling pilgrim hat away from him and give it to a kid who knows how to smile for a decent picture.

A fun game of turkey trivia is another great way to entertain the kids. Martha has both the printable and the trivia questions on her website. That woman thinks of everything!

Martha know how much I like chocolate, so she designed these candy bar wrappers that double as place cards. That Martha! She knows me so well!**

You can find the whole set of Martha's free Thanksgiving printable place cards, activities, and decorations here. Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: that conversation never happened, except in my head. So it sort of happened, just not with the real Martha Stewart.
**Yet another disclaimer: This is probably mostly totally an untrue statement.

Scarborough Fair turkey

2011-11-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

My take on Martha's Roast Turkey with Herb Butter is actually a combination of Martha's preparation method, and suggested seasonings from a college friend. I call it Scarborough Fair Turkey, and here's how I do it:

Start with a brined turkey. Melt/soften a stick of butter in the microwave. Don't melt it completely.

Prepare the seasoning. This is the bit I got from my college friend as she was raving about how her mother made their Thanksgiving turkey...the spices come from the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair song: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. College friend's mom threw marjoram in there as well, and that seems to work well in the herb combination. I don't measure the seasoning, but I do include equal amounts of each.

Mix the butter with the herbs to create a thick paste.

Scoop up the butter-herb paste and spread it under the turkey skin but over the meat. It helps if you go in first without the seasonings to separate the skin from the meat. Good times.

Actually, this part is gross and really messy. I don't like dealing with uncooked meat of any kind,but I get through it only because I know that at this point I am a few hours away from an amazing turkey. It's totally worth it!

It's important to get the butter-herb paste all over. It needs to go over the breast meat, legs, wings, etc. as well as in the chest cavity.

As I mentioned, this process is really messy. A lot of the butter-herb paste will go into the bird, but a lot remains on the hands. I "wipe" my hands off on the outside of the bird so I don't waste a bit of that Scarborough Fair goodness.

Once the bird is herbed up, it goes in the oven according to basic roasting instructions (15-20 minutes for every pound of meat).

I don't have a picture of the roasted turkey, because that would make too much sense. You'll have to trust me when I say that this is so delicious, it is the only way I will prepare a Thanksgiving turkey now and forever. I will swear to you, to all things Thanksgiving and to Martha Stewart herself that this spice combination and process makes a phenomenal turkey. Are you making a turkey this year? Give this recipe and method a try...you won't be sorry!

Martha Monday--Brine that turkey!

2011-11-14T09:54:00.001-06:00

Years ago, before I ever decided to become my own version of Martha Stewart, I roasted a turkey or two or three. Having had no previous experience (I'm not one of those people who spent her childhood in the kitchen with older, wiser relatives learning to cook and bake), I simply called my Dad for advice and he gave me the basics over the phone: Take out the gravy packet, neck and giblets. Wash the turkey. Butter it up. Cook it. Armed with his words of encouragement, I made some decent turkeys. Of course, I called my dad before I made each and every turkey and called him afterward to ask what to do with the carcass. For the carcass: Put it in a crock pot and make broth. Get all the meat off. Throw the bones away. Good times!

Then, I got married and wanted to host holiday dinners at my house and realized that in order for that to happen, it was time for me to figure this whole turkey thing out FOR REAL and stop calling my dad every time I was faced with a dead bird on my counter. I needed to be able to do this on my own, and I wanted to do it just like Martha Stewart. So I read everything I could on her website about roasting a turkey, committed it to memory, made the turkey a few times and then mastered the process. I can now make a delicious, moist, amazing Thanksgiving turkey in my sleep.

The first step to making a great turkey according to Martha, and fiercely advocated by yours truly, is to brine the bird. You can find full instructions here, and these are the same instruction I learned from. Of course, now I do mine a bit differently, but the process is essentially the same and produces a moist, tender turkey every time.

Start with an oven bag, but any large, clean, thick plastic bag will do (read: plastic garbage bag).

Turkeys should be brined for at least 24 hours, and it will need to be in a cool space during that time. I like to keep mine in the fridge, so I just throw the whole thing in the vegetable drawer. In the oven bag, of course.

Clear out the vegetable drawer, open the oven bag, put in the cleaned turkey, and pour your brine over the turkey. Secure the bag, making sure that the turkey is completely covered by the brining solution. If your turkey isn't covered, you'll need to turn it midway through the brining process.

Stick the whole thing in the fridge for 24-36 hours and let the magic happen.

Take the bird out an hour before you begin roasting it and rinse it off. Now, you're ready to season the bird. While it may seem complicated, brining a turkey is actually quite easy and the time spent on the bird is minimal. By far, the longest part of the process is just allowing the bird to sit in the brine in the fridge/cooler.

If you do only one thing of Martha's for your Thanksgiving meal, then brining the turkey has to be it. I'm convinced that this, not the type of turkey, not the seasoning, not anything else, is the secret to a perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Try it yourself and see!

Tomorrow, I'll share my take on Martha's Roast Turkey with Herb Butter. Paired with a well-brined turkey, it is absolute holiday meal heaven.

Desserts for dinosaurs

2011-11-10T11:57:00.000-06:00

So I'm still working on the whole fancy-pants dessert table concept (see anything featured by Amy Atlas) so there's no cutesy backdrop for my sweets.

The cake and cookies more than make up for the lack of backdrop, however:

The cake is chocolate with buttercream frosting and features a volcano. A cookie Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus and Triceratops standing around the "4" candle complete the scene.

To go along with the cake, I made chocolate-frosted pretzels covered with Dino sprinkles from Karen's Cookies Shop.

I put out a dish of M&M's flanked by dinosaurs. I tried to use the Little Guy's dinosaurs throughout the house for decorations.

This Spinosaurus is either really scary as he guards the cookies...or really happy to be so close to the cookies. I'm not sure which!

Take a look at the cookies, and you can be the judge of his demeanor.

All of the dinosaur cookies were made with cutters from Karen's Cookies. For anyone looking for specialty cutters that you just can't find in a store, I highly recommend them! I baked all the cookies (with help from my family, of course!) and the Big Guy and Handy Freddy helped flood the cookies after I outlined them. The frosting is Karen's meringue powder buttercream recipe, and I've been using it for years.

The Dino footprint cookie was Handy Freddy's idea. I had an egg cookie cutter, and I had planned to do speckled dinosaur egg cookies. Freddy suggested cutting a "M" shape into the wide part of the egg to turn it into a footprint to match the chalk footprints outside the house. Isn't that brilliant?

For a dramatic presentation of the cake, I put 6 trick sparkler candles into the volcano part of the cake. Grouping them so close together gave me a huge flame rather than sparks, but since no one was burned and the house didn't catch on fire, I'm declaring it a success.

And that's how we do things for a Dino-riffic 4th birthday party!

Have a great weekend, everyone! And Happy Veterans Day!

Dinosaurs do things!

2011-11-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

I like having specific activities for kids to do at birthday parties. Sure, they can hang out and play with toys, but that's really something they could do any old day. I firmly believe birthday parties should be fun and special, not just for the birthday boy or girl but for all the kids who attend. With that in mind, we had some super-fun activities for the kids at the Little Guy's 4th birthday party.

We were fortunate to have amazing weather for the Little Guy's birthday weekend--we were wearing shorts in October!--so it was a no-brainer to use the bouncy house. A bouncy house is always a hit with kids.

I found plastic dinosaur skeletons at Dollar Tree and buried them in the sandbox--instant Dinosaur Dig!

I really lucked out with the good weather for this activity. A Dino dig is not something I could have replicated inside the house. All the kids really enjoyed digging for dinosaur skeletons.

The third activity required quite a bit of research on my part, but it was worth it: I made a Dinosaur Growth Chart! I put it in the foyer along with the favor bags and dinosaur hats so people could check their height right as they came in.

The Dinosaur Growth Chart reached 17 feet (almost to the ceiling) and on it I had written the name and height of nearly 20 dinosaurs. Did you know that a Stegosaurus was 10 feet tall, and that a Tyrannosaurus Rex was 16 feet tall? And, unlike in the movie Jurassic Park, Velociraptors were only 4 feet tall. It's true!

Kids and adults stood next to the chart to see how they measured up. And after the party was really rolling, kids were standing ON adults to recreate some of the larger dinosaur heights. Below, Little Guy stands on top of the Big Guy, and yet they still aren't quite as tall as a Triceratops (10 feet). Little Miss is about the size of an Oviraptor. I am really proud of this activity--while I get a lot of inspiration from party blogs, books and magazines, this was an original idea that was both fun and educational. Woohoo!

Tomorrow, I'll show you the amazing cake and cookies. They turned out great, if I do say so myself.

A dino-riffic birthday

2011-11-08T12:24:00.002-06:00

Last month, my Little Guy turned four. FOUR?!?! Can you believe it? Where does the time go?

Anyways, he's been into dinosaurs for months (years?) and it seemed like the perfect theme for his birthday party. I used Pinterest to create an inspiration board for the party, and it quickly became the blueprint for the actual party.

Invitations and thank you notes came from Vistaprint. I've used them before for business cards and address labels, and for the price, I was happy with how they turned out (the picture below is from their sample).

The invitations let guests know what to expect (a birthday boy who is totally into dinosaurs) but the decorations set the tone for the party. Outside, the Big Guy used sidewalk chalk to make Dino footprints leading up the driveway and sidewalk to the front door.

And here's Little Guy following the footprints in his dinosaur costume (and yes, he wears that costume everywhere!):

Inside, I taped crepe paper to the ceiling to transform the hallway into a rain forest. I used three shades of green, one yellow and one blue streamer that featured a dinosaur and "Happy birthday" on it. I thought five rolls of crepe paper would be enough, but I could have used five more. Lesson learned: keep ten rolls of every color of crepe paper ever invented on hand at all times.

The dinosaur balloon idea came from Family Fun magazine. The faces were drawn with permanent marker on regular balloons. While the original idea involved helium balloons turned upside down, I just used air-filled balloons and let them hang from the ceiling with ribbon. These were extremely easy to do and very cost-effective.

Kids and adults had fun roaming in our 'rainforest.' The streamers and balloons were attached to the ceiling with painter's tape, so I had no worries about what would happen when it was time to take the decorations down.

For additional decoration, we displayed Little Guy's toy dinosaurs all over the house. Fun! Tomorrow, I'll share all the Dino Do-ings that happened at our Dino Party. ROAR!!!

Martha Monday--Turkey time!

2011-11-07T10:46:00.001-06:00

There are only 18 days until Thanksgiving, and my mouth is already watering for delicious turkey and cranberry sauce. Thanksgiving may not have all the fun of Halloween or the glitz associated with Christmas, but when it comes to meals, it definitely has the best one.

If you are hosting Thanksgiving, check out Martha's Everything Thanksgiving holiday section. She features instructions and recipes for turkey, side dishes, appetizers and pies galore. She even has great ideas for Thanksgiving decor and what do to with all those leftovers. Sign up for the Everything Thanksgiving enewsletter to have menus, recipes, tips and more delivered right to your inbox.

A lot of my Thanksgiving meal preparation comes from Martha: my turkey is adapted from her Roast Turkey with Herb Butter recipe (see picture above). And I brine my turkey each year per Martha's instructions--I'll have a tutorial for you next week. Of course, my apple pie recipe is from Martha as well.

If you are looking to change up your normal Thanksgiving day menu, take a look at Martha's 19 different options, complete with recipes. Or mix and match if you prefer. There's plenty of inspiration and ideas to make your Thanksgiving memorable, whether you are hosting or bringing a dish to someone else's house.

Finally, if you are tired of the standard mashed potatoes and gravy, I recommend baking this Potato Gratin. I made this a few weeks ago as a side dish, and it was delicious! I am always amazed when just a few simple ingredients come together to make something so perfect.

If you must have mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, then give this recipe a try for a weeknight side dish. Everyone is going to love it.

Happy Thanksgiving season!

PW's Bananas Foster

2011-11-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

Do you read The Pioneer Woman? Why am I even asking?...nearly everyone does. If you don't, you need to know that Ree (the Pioneer Woman) is very funny and one heck of a cook. She has an entire section of her blog dedicated to recipes, and she recently posted her version of Bananas Foster.

I had Bananas Foster in a restaurant once, loved it, and never had the opportunity to try it again. When I found the recipe on her site, I just had to make it in my own kitchen. With butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, pecans, cinnamon, dark rum and bananas, you really just can't go wrong! Setting the whole thing on fire is a tad nerve-racking, but a must. And if I can do it without burning my house down, so can you! Just be careful!

Ree's recipe makes a great deal of sauce, so much that it can easily accommodate four bananas instead of her recommended two. And, should you have leftover sauce (minus the bananas), know that it stores really well in the fridge for several days.

Bananas Foster is absolutely amazing over vanilla ice cream. In fact, this is my new favorite dessert...which is REALLY BIZARRE considering that there's no chocolate to be found here.

If you're looking for a way to expand your dessert repertoire, or maybe you just want to set something on fire, give this recipe a try. It's delicious!

The Dynamic Duo!

2011-11-01T11:10:00.001-05:00

Halloween was fun for me as a kid, and it's even more fun now that I have kids of my own. And I even got my wish: Little Guy and Little Miss wore coordinating costumes. The Dynamic Duo enjoyed Halloween.

I took them around our neighborhood as a very subtle Catwoman. Notice Little Miss's fancy black dress shoes. She put them on herself, and these were not the best choice for walking around the 'hood. Can't blame the girl for wanting to look good, though!

We were one of the first groups out and they practically ran from door to door.

The Little Guy was very good about saying "Trick or Treat," "thank you," and "Happy Halloween." Little Miss knocked on doors, while saying "Knock knock." She started to say "YOOOUUUUUUUUUUU" at the end of each visit, and I'm going to go ahead and count that as an attempt at "Thank you."

One of our neighbors dressed up his dog as a sheriff...

...and even had a real bat outside his door! It was really neat. Now, I need to think of how I can incorporate real bats into my decor (and environment) for next year. Bats are a good thing!

Remember those black dress shoes? Little Miss decided those weren't working for her and tried to make me carry her after house #7, and we still had 12+ more houses to go. Um, sorry sweetie, but no. We went back home, changed her into some sensible tennis shoes and grabbed the umbrella stroller just in case her shoes weren't the problem. She rode in in for a few houses, but then decided to push the stroller the rest of the way. I guess the problem was the shoes after all.

We met up with neighbor Adithi and Little Guy had fun comparing treats with her.

After we were done trick-or-treating, Little Guy and Little Miss enjoyed the rest of the evening by handing out candy to all kids who came to our door.

We enjoyed the pumpkins for a while, but as it got darker and colder and the crowds dwindled, we decided to head inside.

Little Miss entertained us with a Jimi Hendrix-like version of "Rockin Robin"...

...while Little Guy, fueled by two fun size candy bars and one sucker, ran around the living room yelling, "LOOK AT ME I'M A BAT I'M FLYING AROUND IN YOUR HOUSE BECAUSE I'M A BAT AND I LIKE TO FLY." Good times!

What a night! I hope you and yours had a wonderful, safe and fun Halloween.

Now, on to November and Thanksgiving!

A Halloween treat!

2011-10-31T13:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween, my dearies!

I hope to have too-cute-for-words pictures of my kiddos in their Halloween garb up soon, but in the meantime, I have a super-sweet treat for you.

By now, you all know of my love for Darling Clandestine perfume and earrings. For the new folks, Darling Clandestine is my friend Evonne's Etsy store, and everything in it is AMAZEBALLS. Evonne often posts discounts for her items on the Darling Clandestine facebook page, and today she shared a whopper:

"Full-sized bottles and solids, buy one, get one. TODAY ONLY. Type "Everybody scream!" in your message to seller, plus your choice of free perfume."

Isn't that awesome? After I take the kids trick-or-treating, I'm heading over to Darling Clandestine for some treats of my own. And because this deal is so good--essentially, it's a 50% off coupon--I'm going to get started on my Christmas shopping as well.

It's difficult to buy perfume, and darn near impossible when you can't smell it before you purchase it. But trust me when I say that Evonne's creations are amazing. My top five favorites are Step Right Up, Cloudswing, Circassian, Carny Wedding and Tilt-a-Whirl. I love these, and I can guarantee you that I am wearing one of them every single day. You'll love them, too.

And if you're still having trouble buying perfume before smelling it, Evonne sells sample size vials at Darling Clandestine. Buy some samples, find your favorites, and then become a fan on facebook to receive discount codes for future purchases. If you are willing to take a leap of faith, then buy today using the "Everybody scream!" code, as this is the best discount I've ever seen her offer.

Have a happy Halloween, and be sure to treat yourselves!

Candy concerns

2011-10-28T15:00:00.000-05:00

For most people (mostly the under 12 set), Halloween is all about the candy and costumes come in at a distant second place. For me, Halloween is equal parts spooky decorations, family traditions, fun costumes and delicious candy. Unfortunately, candy is usually my dilemma...I'm trying to find the perfect amount of candy to have on hand. It's crucial to have just the right amount: too little and we run out thereby disappointing adorable trick-or-treaters, too much and I end up eating it all and my butt gets bigger. And no matter how much I buy each year, I always hope to have a few pieces left over for me. Just a few.

Buying candy might be the scariest part of Halloween for me.

This year, we have 335 pieces of candy for trick-or-treaters:

I sorted the candy by what the Big Guy and I like and what we don't like. The stuff we don't like gets distributed immediately (Whoppers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Baby Ruth, etc.).

I reserved a good supply of what we do like (Snickers, Twix, Butterfinger, etc.) to distribute last. That way, if there's any leftover candy it will be the stuff we like. And by "a good supply," I mean I reserved a full 1/3 of our Halloween candy supply for us. Like I said, I don't want to be stuck with too much candy leftover.

Of course, if enough trick-or-treaters are coming to our door, I'll give out our reserved candy. But not before I pilfer my own kids' candy bags to give out the stuff I won't eat or don't want them to have. And not before making a quick check in the basement to see if there are any old birthday favors to give out. Or before I check the pantry to see if I have small packages of crackers or gum I can hand out to kids. And not before I give out any candy left from last year's Halloween, and any loose change I may have around the house. Just keeping it real!

But, per my iron-clad rule about Halloween, trick-or-treaters not wearing costumes won't get anything at all:

Because if you come to my door on Halloween looking for candy but not wearing a costume, I don't consider that trick-or-treating. I consider that to be lazy youth looking for a sugar handout.

Get a costume, slacker!

And don't even get me started on the repercussions of ringing my doorbell before or after the official trick-or-treat times set by the city (4:00-7:30pm for Aurora). That's when things really get scary!

Pumpkin picking

2011-10-27T11:34:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we took the kids pumpkin picking. It was a very mild fall day and everyone enjoyed the outing.

The good folks at the pumpkin farm warned us that the harvest had been poor this year. By the time we got there, the biggest pumpkins had been picked and most of the rest were claimed by bugs. All I could think of when I looked at the rotting pumpkins was "Gosh, these would be perfect for my compost bin!" But the Big Guy wouldn't let me put them in the wagon. Boo!

Little Guy and I happily traipsed through the fields looking for unblemished pumpkins. It took a while, but we eventually found five small-to-medium size pumpkins that would work for our family. I was really pleased that the Little Guy, without any reminder or assistance from me, remembered to pick out a pumpkin for Barley.

Little Miss was interested in the activity, but I think she was a bit intimidated by the tall weeds and grasses. She didn't stray far from the wagon and was happy to jump back in when the pumpkins started arriving.

On the way back to the farm, we saw a black and orange caterpillar crawling on the ground.

Pumpkin picking was fun, but seeing this tiny creature might have been the highlight of the trip.

The kids were thrilled to "ooh!" and "aah!" over this bug for several minutes. Good times!

Last year, the Little Guy and I went on our own to pick out pumpkins for the whole family. Now that Little Miss is bigger, we've turned this into a tradition that the whole family can enjoy. This weekend, we'll carve the pumpkins. While the kids can't help out too much because of their ages (giving a butcher knife to a 4 year old is never a good idea), that will change in a few years and pumpkin carving will become a tradition as well.

For basic pumpkin carving info, click here. For great tips on carving pumpkins, click here. Interested in making monogrammed pumpkins? Click here.

Happy picking and carving!

Kids' crafts for Halloween

2011-10-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been finding a lot of inspiration for fun kid crafts on Pinterest. And just in time for Halloween, I found these great projects using hand and foot prints. With MOM2 and neighbor Yogita's help, our kids got to turn their hand and foot prints into some fun Halloween art.

Using regular craft paint (which washed off those little hands and feet quite well), the kids made hand print spiders, foot print ghosts and hand print stems on pumpkins. Now all they have to do is draw in the faces.

Check out my "Kids Crafts and Activities" board on Pinterest. There are lots of fun hand/foot print art ideas for animals, holidays, and special occasions. This project went really well and the kids had a lot of fun...can you guess what we'll be doing when Thanksgiving comes around?

Happy kid crafting!

Martha Monday--Curtains and cookies

2011-10-24T11:40:00.001-05:00

Halloween is one week away...I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. This is such a fun time of year, and it will be even more so for us because Little Miss is really getting into the holiday. She is enjoying all the bat and spider decorations, and the Little Guy is teaching her to say "Trick or Treat." I doubt she'll learn by next Monday, but it is a real joy to watch them practice "trick-or-treating" around the house.

This weekend, I put up a Witch's Curtain. Here is what Martha's Witch's Curtain looks like:

Martha's Witch's Curtain is made from a heavy-duty garbage bag--you can find the instructions here. The only black garbage bags I had on hand are the super-duper-heavy-duty contractor's bags, so I used a plastic tablecloth from the Dollar Tree. Here's my Witch's Curtain:

It's not quite the same, but I like the effect. I used plastic hooks to hang it, but tape was also necessary to secure it to the porch area.

And with that, I am officially done decorating for Halloween!

I also managed to bake a batch of Martha's Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Icing this weekend:

The Little Guy and Little Miss helped.

I've blogged about these cookies before. The recipe makes a tremendous amount--it says six dozen, and I get about seven dozen cookies each time I make it. Also, the recipe calls for piping the batter onto the cookie sheet. I don't think this is necessary. I've tried both piping the batter and plopping it onto the sheet with a spoon, and both methods work equally well. Save yourself the clean-up and just use a spoon.

Only one more week until one of the funnest days of the year! Happy haunting!

Spooky!

2011-10-21T12:24:00.001-05:00

My house is almost entirely decorated for Halloween. My "Girls Night Out" painting is over the mantel along with all sorts of witchiness.

I suspended my straw witch just under the mantel with some sewing thread and sticky hooks.

New to the spooky setting this year are mice and raven silhouettes from Martha Stewart Crafts.

The mice are running up and down the hallway and partially up the stairs. The ravens are gathered in the dining room.

My fun witch silhouette is in an upstairs bedroom. She's also from the Martha Stewart Crafts line. I scored all three silhouette packages at this year's Wilton tent sale.

From the outside you can see the witch, the bats and all the lights. I am loving how the decorations turned out this year! Take a look on facebook to see the full show.

I have just one more project for the outside, and if all goes well this weekend I'll share it with you on Monday. Happy decorating, and have a great weekend!

Free Halloween printables

2011-10-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

Hosting a Halloween party or providing spooky treats to your favorite kiddos? Here's a great round-up of the best free Halloween party printables available. Enjoy!

Catch My Party has several collections of free Halloween printables. This "Trick or Treat" collection is especially cute and includes cupcake toppers/party labels, water bottle labels, cupcake wrappers, and a large cobweb “welcome” sign. I really like the spiderweb cupcake topper, and I'd love to recreate the design on a cookie. Which I would then label with the spiderweb topper. Awesome!

Kim from the Celebration Shoppe was recently featured in the Better Homes and Gardens Tricks and Treats issue. She is offering her Candy Corn collection free to her facebook fans. "Like" and share the Celebration Shoppe to download too-cute cupcake toppers and more.

Hostess With the Mostess has several free printables for parties and craft projects. The "Spellbound Sweets" collection is gorgeous, and includes decorative signs, candy display banners, treat banners, pattern sheets, and foldover treat labels. Best of all, these printables come in two versions--one with pre-filled labels and one blank so you can make your own labels.

Enjoy these free printables, and thanks so much to the blogs/websites and artists for sharing!

October BUNCO

2011-10-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

I'm in a fun BUNCO club that meets once a month. We each take turns hosting, and I leapt at the chance to host our October event. Everyone came over last Friday, and we had a great time. Here are some pictures from my Halloween BUNCO:

I'm not a big wine drinker, so I'm always happy when my wine glasses are used.

I borrowed this awesome beverage dispenser and candy dish from a neighbor. The set is from Pottery Barn.

Since desserts are my thing, that's what I focused on with broken glass cupcakes, caramel surprise cookies and candy-covered pretzels.

The pretzels were made using Wilton's skeleton fingers and witch fingers candy molds. I just love these things!

The utensil/napkin caddy is from my friend Shannon (Hi, Shannon!) and all the party ware is stuff I picked up last year on clearance after Halloween. I know lots of people use coordinated plates/napkins/cupcake toppers/everything for a party, and I really like that look, but that's just not in my budget. My bottom line is that if the plates/utensils/etc. are clean enough to eat off of, then we're good to go!

Neighbor and BUNCO player Jenn brought these adorable hot dog mummies. This is adorable! I've seen these in magazines before, but I've never attempted to make them myself. They were cute and tasty! The mummy wrapping is cut-up crescent roll dough--these would be a real treat for the kids in your life for Halloween. I know they were a treat for me!

I was so happy to host October BUNCO. I haven't hosted a Halloween party in years, so it was great to finally have one and be able to show off my haunted house for friends. Now I'm definitely in the holiday spirit.

Martha Monday--Broken glass cupcakes

2011-10-17T14:16:00.002-05:00

In the October issue of Martha Stewart Living, there's an entire spread of spooky treats and crafts for the Halloween season. These "broken glass" cupcakes caught my eye, and I knew I had to make them for my October BUNCO fun night.

The "glass" is actually caramelized sugar/water and it gave me a really hard time. I'd never made caramel before, and the instructions in the magazine were surprisingly vague. I consider candy making to be fairly difficult, and a lack of clear directions only made the situation worse.

The first time I tried to make the "glass," I boiled the water and sugar mixture for too long (30+ minutes). It hardened almost immediately when I poured it onto my baking sheet, but it was opaque. I wanted my glass to be just like Martha's, so I tried again.

The second time around, I boiled the sugar/water mixture for 10 minutes and poured it onto the pan. I let it sit for 18 hours, and it never hardened up. Basically, I had a nice simply syrup but no "glass." So I decided to try again.

On the third try, I let the mixture boil for 17 minutes. It set quickly on the baking sheet, but part of it turned opaque and part of it remained perfectly clear. When I tried to get the "glass" off the sheet, however, I had problems. The opaque stuff was coming off, but the clear "glass" was incredibly pliable. Too pliable to work with, as it turns out...trying to get it off the pan was like pulling taffy. It wouldn't shatter or break at all.

Finally, with my BUNCO pals due to arrive in just an hour, I choose to use the opaque parts of the third batch of glass and pitch the rest. I used maraschino cherries and the juice to simulate the cut flesh look. Creepy!

Because I didn't have enough "glass" for all the cupcakes, half of them remained plain for my shindig. That's just as well, I suppose, as not everyone wants to be biting into a dessert that resembles a stabbing victim.

Any advice for better broken glass for next time? The picture in the magazine was amazing, but obviously my attempt at "glass" fell short. I'd really like to get this right before Halloween. If you give this recipe a try, let me know how it goes. Happy caramelizing!

Sign up now for 'Happy Holidays!'

2011-10-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

For the fall semester, my Live Well, Spend Less! course has been divided into three one-night seminars for a fun "Happy Holidays" series:

Creative Gift Solutions at the downtown Aurora campus
Monday, October 24, 7:15-8:45pm
Cost: $19.00 (The cost of $59.00 as listed in the WCC course catalog is incorrect.)
We'll focus on fabulous and frugal gifts for everyone on your list, as well as great gifts for families, online deals and homemade goodies that friends and family will be delighted to receive. I'll have great ideas to help you shop for even the hardest-to-please person on your list. I understand that resources are limited, and my suggestions for holiday gift-giving will leave you with time and money to spare!

Perfect Party Solutions at the Sugar Grove campus
Monday, November 7, 7:15-8:45pm
Cost: $19.00
Does the thought of hosting a holiday gathering have you stressed? I'll have tips and tricks for organizing and hosting everything from office cocktail parties to family feasts that will make you the host with the most! Whether it's a simple gathering for friends or a 7-course meal for fussy in-laws, I'll help you create a memorable event. Be careful, following my suggestions could have your family begging you to host the holidays every year!

Holiday Activities for the Whole Family at the Plano campus
Monday, November 21, 7:15-8:45pm
Cost: $19.00
I firmly believe that the holidays should be a time for fun, family and friends...if your holiday preparations have you threatening to cancel the whole season, then something must change! Let me help you find ways to reconnect with your family during this busy season, whether it be by creating new traditions, improving upon old ones, or finding ways to tackle holiday chores in ways that will leave the entire family feeling merry.

Registration information is at the links. As always, you can find all of my Waubonsee Community College courses listed to the right. I hope to see you in one soon!

Calender art

2011-10-12T13:38:00.001-05:00

Now that the master bathroom has been painted, it desperately needed some artwork. Naturally, I went through all the amazing photos I've taken on my ridiculously luxurious vacations and picked a few of my favorites to frame.

Bwahahahahahahaha! Sorry, for a moment there I confused myself with Martha Stewart and her awesome vacations. My bad.

For really nice pictures of beaches I can only dream of visiting, I got out a calendar. A 16-month calendar from 2007, to be exact.

I bought inexpensive 10x10 frames at Michael's.

Then I tore out my four favorite pictures from the calendar.

I cut the pictures to fit the frame, inserted the pictures and put the frames back together.

Voila! Quick, easy and frugal art for the bathroom. Seriously, trying to hang these correctly on the wall was the hardest part about this project.

The pictures are on the wall over the soaker tub and totally visible from the shower, so I can see them while I'm hosing off. Sweet!

This type of project works equally well for pretty postcards.

Of course, I still need to get those off my counter and onto the wall. It will happen. Eventually.

Martha Monday--Halloween costumes

2011-10-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

Halloween is only three weeks away--is your costume ready?

Yeah, neither is mine.

But that's okay, because we have time. And there are plenty of great ideas to be found at Martha's Halloween Central. I am loving her homemade costumes for children and adults. These superhero costumes look really fun and easy to do:

These costumes are giving me ideas...not only would they be great for Halloween, but they'd also work for a superhero theme party. And of course I see one of those in the Little Guy's future...maybe for birthday number 6 or 7?

For adults, I really like this beekeeper costume:

If I had any hope of getting the Little Guy and Little Miss in bee costumes, then this would be mine! I just love coordinated Halloween costumes.

I really like this no-sew jellyfish costume:

BFF Laura did this a few years ago and it was so cute! I could do this, too, but only if my kids were dressing up as sea creatures. Again, coordinated costumes just really melt my butter.

At the moment in the TMI Household, we've reached no decision concerning costumes, though we have come close. For months the Little Guy wanted to be Batman for Halloween. This was great for me because Little Miss is too young to voice an opinion about the matter and I could therefore put her in a Robin costume and fulfill my dream of having coordinated kids' costumes. The Big Guy and I would balance these superheroes out by being the villains Joker and Catwoman, and BAM! Mission: Coordinated Family Halloween Costumes 2011 would be accomplished. Victory, and an awesome family picture, would be mine.

Then, the store Halloween displays came out, and the Little Guy wanted to be everything he saw. A ninja! Scooby-Doo! A skeleton! Just last week, he mentioned the possibility of being Batman again so who knows what we'll end up with. Thankfully we have three whole weeks to figure it out...Happy costuming!

Three ingredient peach cobbler

2011-10-07T14:49:00.000-05:00

This is a super-easy three-ingredient peach cobbler recipe of my uncle's (Hi, Uncle Rich!) that I've modified. And by modify, I mean I've included measurements. You don't necessarily need exact measurements to successfully make this easy peach cobbler, but it is helpful to have a baseline if you want to modify.

You'll need two cans of peaches, white sugar and Bisquick. Ignore the butternut squash peeking out from behind the peach cobbler ingredients. Butternut squash is a show-stealing prima donna, and has problems letting go of the spotlight.

Dump the peaches into a shallow greased baking dish, and reserve the liquid.

To the liquid, add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups Bisquick. Mix it up.

Pour the Bisquick mixture over the peaches.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. It's done when the top is golden and the sides are bubbly.

This easy peach cobbler is great on its own and SUPER with ice cream. It keeps well in the fridge and reheats nicely. Enjoy!