Mom News
Getting Organized: Baby Steps
Every year, I say I am going to get organized. I’m not one of those who has to have the Spring Cleaning bug to get me going.
It could be anything. Something I saw online that inspired me or the simple fact that I have too much clutter in my house and I have procrastinated too long about taking care of it.
This was a combination of things this time.
I finally got the entertainment center of my dreams after looking and looking for one. I have this very awkward space in my family room where it needed to go. Everything I liked was either too large or severely too small to fit the space. The one I had there previously was really small and I have always wanted a wall unit, but never had a home with a space for one.
Behold!
Is it not Glorious?????
The coolest part about it is it expands. I mean, WHAT!
That is the only way I was able to find something to fit the space. If you look closely at the middle console, you can tell.
Now that I had my wall unit, I had to figure out what to do with the previous entertainment center. I didn’t in anyway want to sell it or get rid of it. I wanted to reuse it somewhere else in my house.
I decided to put it in the foyer and use it for a “kid center”. Before, my little ones would go upstairs to the bonus room and “do crafts”. By “doing crafts”, I mean tearing up the whole entire upstairs and leaving all the mess for me. This usually goes unseen for a week because I do not frequently visit the upstairs. Have you ever seen a mess from kids that has accumulated over a week? Let me just tell you………. It ain’t pretty!
So, I decided that the “kid center” would house their art supplies or should I say, “doing crafts” supplies. ………. AND it would be DOWNSTAIRS…….. where I could keep an eye on it.
I haven’t finished yet, but
here is what I have done so far:
I took a simple wash basin bucket, which was just a plain white……. which I didn’t really like.
Took some spray paint. I had bought this spray paint a while ago and forgot I had it in my storage closet. It is a gray spray paint that goes well on plastic.
I made sure to keep it back about a foot and spray in a back and forward motion so that it wouldn’t puddle and run. (*according to the painter’s directions. the painter also known as the “hubster” or “the Zman”.)
Then, I made some labels on my laptop, printed them off, and laminated them. (*I always knew that thing would come in handy at some point!)
I made one for Paper………
One for scissors, glue, and tape……….
And one for crayons, markers, and colored pencils. Then, I remembered that I had this really handy little cutting tool from my scrapbooking days that rounds the corners of pointed edges, so I used that for the labels.
Then, I just stuck them on the front with tape.
I’m still not done with the “kid center”. I know it is a process.
I have a space for their reading books and all the buckets for their crafts.
Hopefully, I will come up with some really cool ideas that I can share with you and update soon! 🙂
Baby Steps……. Baby Steps……… I’ll get there!
Do you have something like this in your home? What kinds of things do you keep there?
XOXO,
Esther
Why, it’s GREASE lightning!
One of my favorite movies of all time is GREASE!
I remember when I first saw it. How, right before my cousin let me watch it, she had asked me if I had ever seen it. I remember I kept thinking how dumb a movie would be that was called Grease? I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Now, I know the entire movie, word for word, song for song, and dance move for dance move!
Now, let me just say that I have this incredibly crafty friend. She always does these themed Family Nights with the coolest ideas and I am just so jealous of how she pulls these things together.
I have been wanting to do something like that for the longest time but just couldn’t get it together and come up with anything……. UNTIL a light bulb finally went off. “DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATER NIGHT”!!!! This “theater” would be showing Grease!
So, I got to work!
I went to Lowe’s and bought 3 Large sized moving boxes that we would later turn into their “cars”. I let the kids pick their colors, so I left with 2 cans of spray paint and then just used some left over paint we had around the house for the 3rd one.
Here is the one for my Purple Girl.
Little man had to have black.
And there would be no other color for Em than blue…… light blue. 😉
I ran by the grocery store and picked up some white paper plates that I spray painted black. These would be the wheels.
Next, we cut little white circles from drawing paper for the center of the wheels.
We found this great post from Parenting.com that shows you step by step how to cut a card board box into a car! What are the odds?
You can check the same post out here.
I hot glued red plastic plates to the front for head lights and hot glued the wheels on as well. You can’t see it, but I also cut out rectangles from the red plastic plates and hot glued them onto the back for brake lights.
(At the Drive In, waiting for the food they “ordered”.)
(Hot dogs, French Fries, and the one and only Glass Bottled Cokes.)
I was really surprised at how spacious the boxes were. They were able to sit their food down in front of them and still be comfortable.
Which proved to be VERY disappointing for Buster, who was hoping someone would drop something…… anything!
We even had room for pillows. 🙂
The BEST thing about this “Drive-In” was
that it only cost me $25 !!!!
The Breakdown:
Cars: $10.00
Movie: $5.00
Food: $10.00
I can’t remember ever having a fun family night that only cost me $25. That was the cost for our entire family.
Granted, we stayed at home. However, being able to do this and have something the kids could play with even after Family Night was worth it for me. It took me the afternoon to make the cars, but the longest part was allowing time for things to dry.
Plus, this “Drive-In” was extremely FUN!……….. Rain or Shine!
XOXO,
Esther
Loaded Potato Soup
I don’t know what is up with the weather lately. We have been getting so much rain this Summer!
Usually, we are talking about how much we wish it WOULD rain during the Summer, but instead, I find myself wishing it wouldn’t as much.
One thing I crave when we get rain is SOUP, regardless how hot it is outside! Not sure what it is, but my brain just seems to be wired like that.
I did a previous post once on a soup I fix when it rains a lot called Hamburger Soup. If you want to check that post out, you can see it here.
This one, however, is a “doctored” up version of my Mom’s regular Potato Soup. I LOOOOOOOVE my Mom’s Potato Soup!
It is the perfect comfort food for me because my mom used to make it all the time.
Her’s is a basic Irish version, but it’s easy to make it Loaded Potato Soup! You just add everything that you would normally add to a traditional Baked Potato.
Of course, I would probably refrain from adding any crazy things like salsa. Yup, wouldn’t add salsa…………….
And from the scratching you are doing to your noggin right now must mean I’m the only nut that adds salsa to their Baked Potato. *Moving ON!
I added Shredded Cheese, Crumbled Bacon, Sour Cream, and Chives. I swear I even saw the owls on this kitchen towel smile when I did it. They even knew how good this soup was. 😉
So, without further Adieu, I would like to share the recipe with you….. ‘Cause I wuv you that much! 😉
Recipe: Loaded Potato Soup
Ingredients:
– 7 or 8 Large Russet Potatoes, Skinned and Diced
– 2 Large Onions, Chopped
– 3 Tbsp. Butter
– 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
– 2 Tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
– 6 Cups Milk, (I used Skim)
– 2 Cups Water
– Cheddar Cheese, Crumbled Bacon, Sour Cream, Chives for Topping
Directions:
– Heat a large pot over medium high heat.
– Add onions, butter, and olive oil to pot and saute’ onions until “translucent” and softened.
– Reduce heat to medium.
– Add potatoes and stir well.
– Add flour, one tablespoon at a time and stir to coat in between adding flour. (work quickly because potatoes will try to stick to bottom of pot)
– Add milk and water to pot and stir.
– Simmer soup for 40 – 45 minutes until potatoes have softened and soup has thickened.
– To serve, top each bowl of soup with preferred toppings.
*Tip: If potatoes have softened and soup is not as thick as you would like, thicken by adding a 1/4 cup of Cornstarch to 1 cup of soup liquid in a separate bowl. Once thoroughly combined, add to soup pot and stir continuously until soup thickens. However, keep in mind that soup will definitely thicken once you add all your toppings.
Peach and Blueberry Fruit Crisp
The other night, we had my brother’s sweet girlfriend’s family over. We were meeting them for the first time, so we were very excited! We did really simple cookout food. Just hamburgers, pasta salads, baked beans, deviled eggs…… and a Peach and Blueberry Crisp for dessert!
I had never made it before and I usually NEVER do a new recipe for company. Especially company I have never met!
We put everything together a few hours before everyone got there so we could spend time with everyone without having to worry about slaving over a stove in the process.
We blanched the peaches in boiling water first, then transferred them quickly to cold water. *This helps the skins peel off really easily. Then we sliced them in big chunky pieces…… added some extra goodies like lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar etc. and then tossed in some blueberries and layered on the bottom of a stoneware baker.
I could have just ate the dessert as it was then and there, but instead…… we added some more goodness!
Yummers!
The kids wanted to help me so I let them spread the crumble for the “crisp” part on top.
I love recipes like this that allow the kids to jump in and help, and allow me not to worry. You really cannot mess this topping up. It’s very easy! Just spread on top like you want! Then pop it into the oven for 45 minutes!
This is what it looked like before going into the oven……………
Now! Let me just take a “sidebar moment” to tell you something.
I rock in Dance Central 3.
Yes, I ROCK!
You may be asking yourself, “What on earth does that have to do with a Peach and Blueberry Crisp?”
Well, I’ll tell you.
After the crisp had gone about 45 minutes, my mom and I decided to check on it. We both decided that the topping wasn’t “browned” enough for our taste. SO! We thought, let’s broil it on low for a few minutes!
Just about that time, my oldest daughter started to say she was the best at Dance Off 3 and knowing this was untrue, I decided to challenge her to a duel! I looked at mom at that point, and she said, “I got this! Go! Go show your 9 year old who is boss!”
Well, in the middle of my 3 minutes duel, I smelled something……….. I didn’t smell the sweet aroma of a perfectly browned Peach and Blueberry Crisp bubbling away in the oven.
NO!
I smelled something far worse! It was the UNPLEASANT aroma of a perfectly BURNT Peach and Blueberry Crisp BURNING AWAY in the oven!
“MOM!”, I yelled.
(*Mom was no where to be found!) Mom had actually gone outside to tell everyone it was time to eat and walked away for a minute too long and POOF! *Sorry I called you out mom! I may have just lost my one and only reader! 😉
Well, there was only one thing to do. We did what every other smart, honest cooks would do………
We scraped off the burnt parts……….
REdid the topping………..
Plopped that stuff back on…………….
And put her back in the oven for 8 minutes and kept on truckin!
And may I say it turned out just fine!
And no one knows about our little mishap but ME, MOM,
And mom’s dog, Pepper! 😉 Shhhhhh!
Recipe: Peach and Blueberry Fruit Crisp
Ingredients:
– 2lbs. firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)
– 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
– 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
– 1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)
For the crumble:
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 1/3 cup granulated sugar
– 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
– 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
– 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
Directions:
– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
– Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or one large baking dish. * I used a 13 x 9 in. pan.
– For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar salt, cinnamon, and the butter into the of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until the butter is the size of peas. *If you do not have a mixer, no problem! Just mix well in a bowl and break up the diced butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the butter resembles small peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is browned and juices are bubbly.
– Serve warm or at room temperature. Vanilla ice cream goes great with this!
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