Suburbs Mama

Finished Products- Reviews

2012-02-29T20:09:00.006-08:00

Here's the deal, I love buying and trying out new beauty and health products. Usually as soon as I start using something I think it is the best thing in the world, but then after a few weeks some of the things make it under my sink and I stop using them for one reason or another.

In a hopes to organize my vanity in my bathroom, I am trying to use up all of my products, or if for some reason I do not want to use them anymore, I will tell you why and throw them out.

Let me tell you a little about my skin first. I have oily, acne prone skin with dry patches on my cheeks which the doctor diagnosed as eczema. I have never had perfect skin, so I have been on the mission to find the perfect regimen that will keep my skin clean. This is why I try out so many things.

So lets get started!

Product name: Burts Bees Acne Spot Treament

Where did I purchase: Target

Cost: $9.99

What the product claims to do: This natural spot treatment is clinically proven to help reduce and improve the appearance of blemishes without irritating skin. Formulated with Tea Tree, Calendula, Yarrow, and Parsley Extracts to help soothe skin and reduce redness and Borage Extract to promote healthy skin resulting in clear and smooth skin, naturally.

My thoughts: This product is very hard to apply, If you use a cotton ball, I feel that it wastes to much product (the bottle being so small as it is already) It stings when you apply (which does not bother me) However, I did not notice any difference by using this product. I feel that the blemish goes away on its own without using anything in the same time as using this product.

Will I repurchase? NO

Product name: Burts Bees Citrus Facial Scrub

Where did I purchase:Target

Cost: $7.14

What the product claims to do: Uncover a pristine complexion with Citrus Facial Scrub. This blend of almonds, orange peel, and rose petals gently exfoliates and leaves skin clean and clear. 99.4% natural.

My thoughts: I am in love with this facial scrub. I used to use it every day to scrub of all of my makeup at the end of the day. Now that I got myself a clarisonic, I use this scrub about 2-3 times a week. It smells amazing and just melts all of your makeup off.

Will I repurchase? Yes! I am already on my second jar!

Product name: Clinique Acne Solutions Clear Skin System

Where did I purchase: Nordstrom

Cost: $34.00

What the product claims to do: Three simple steps that effectively work together to treat acne and help prevent future breakouts. The system starts to work immediately and you can begin to see results within days.

My thoughts: As much as I wanted this system to work for me, it did not. It irritated my skin even more, using a salicylic acid cleanser and clarifying lotion followed by a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide treatment was to much for my sensitive skin to handle. But because I wanted so badly for this system to work, I made myself finish the whole regimen. I still had many breakout and irritated red skin when I was done using this regimen.

Will I repurchase? NO

Product name: LUSH Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask

Where did I purchase: LUSH In Store only

Cost: $6.00

What the product claims to do: Cosmetic Warrior is kind to problem laden faces thanks to moisturizing egg whites and honey, but effectively cleans and disinfects spots with antiseptic garlic and tea tree oil.

My thoughts: I really like the cosmetic warrior, I was afraid that it would smell like garlic, but it smells like tea tree oil. It is a fresh face mask, you need to use it up within 2-3 weeks. This little jar is enough for about 2-3 masks a week, so a total of 6-7 masks. It soothes my face, leaving my face soft and pores tightened, I also feel that it reduces redness.

Will I repurchase? YES

Product name: Burts Bees Radiance Day Creme With Royal Jelly

Where did I purchase: Target

Cost: $17.99

What the product claims to do:This wonderfully natural moisturizer is specially formulated with the most powerful nutrient in nature, Royal Jelly, that helps increase cell, renewal, significantly enhance radiance, and minimize the appearance of fine lines. With Bee Pollen to maintain essential moisture, Cherry Bark extract to calm and soothe, and Burdock and Birch extracts in increase elasticity and circulation, you'll get naturally radiant, younger looking skin.

99.02% Natural. Paraben Free/ Phthalate Free

My thoughts: Oh my goodness! This is the best moisturizer I have ever tried. It made my dry patches disappear (which my doctor told me was eczema) It made my skin seem radiant. almost glowy, It must be the royal jelly. At $17.99, It is more on a expensive side for me, but after throwing away money on so many moisturizers which did not do my face any good, I am so glad I decided to try this moisturizer out. Now that I ran out, my dry patches reappeared, So I need to pick more up ASAP.

Will I repurchase? YES

Product name: Covergirl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

Where did I purchase:Walmart

Cost: $7.98

What the product claims to do:Use Lash Blast Fusion to get a blast of volume plus incredible length! It's the perfect fusion of Lash Blast's super-volumizing brush and a buildable fiber-stretch lengthening formula that work together for dense, long-looking lashes!

My thoughts: This is my go to mascara when I am in a rush and do not want to curl my lashes. I love it and have been using it for years.

Will I repurchase? YES

Product name: Acne Free Scar Fade & Erase

Where did I purchase: Amazon

Cost: $11.33

What the product claims to do: Oil free scar fade and erase lotion evens out red, discolored post acne marks left behind by acne.

My Thoughts: I bought this product last year, I used it then for a few weeks and noticed blotches on my skin where it was "lightened" I stopped using it right away. The blochiness faded, but the hyper pigmentation was still there. I found this in my bathroom and decided to try it out again, this time spreading it evenly all over my face. The next morning after using this project, it looked like my face was burned. It was red and blotchy. I am not going to be using this product. I am going to toss it.

Will I repurchase? No

Product name: Burt's Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub

Where did I purchase: Walmart

Cost: $12.97

What the product claims to do: This great smelling body sugar scrub exfoliates your skin and removes all the dead skin to reveal healthy glowing skin. You can relax and rewind as the luxurious blend of deliciously sweet cranberry seeds, pomegranate oil, natural sugar crystals and Shea butter work to gently polish and condition your skin. Regular use of this natural sugar scrub will leave your skin feeling silky and soft, naturally. 100 % natural.

My Thoughts: This is my first body scrub I have ever used. This stuff smells amazing! It's funny that on the container it says DO NOT EAT! Ha ha!! It smells so good that you would want to eat it!

I usually take quick showers, but at least once a week, I have my hubby watch the kids so I can pamper myself (masks, deep conditioning, scrubs, doing my nails). I use this on my elbow and knees. However, I feel that it leaves my skin oily. I need to use a washcloth to wash the slippery feeling off. Probably defeating the whole purpose, I just don't like the oily feeling. I think next, I will try a salt scrub.

Will I repurchase? No

Product name: Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment

Where did I purchase: Walgreens

Cost: $6.00

What the product claims to do: This on-the-spot acne treatment stocks Benzoyl Peroxide, the hardworking pimple fighter, in a moderate, 2.5-percent solution. Just enough to clear up your blemishes, but not so much that skin is left red, dry or irritated.

My Thoughts: I used to use this product all the time whenever I had a blemish. However I got a lot of breakouts in the beginning of January, so I generously rubbed this onto my forehead at night and woke up the next morning with swollen eyes, I discontinued the use of this, and my eyes went back to normal. Next time I dotted this on my blemishes and my eyes got irritated again. I do not know what changed in my skin, I never got these kind of reactions to this product, but decided I will not be buying anymore benzoyl peroxide products. Since I stopped using this, I have not had any more reactions.

Will I repurchase? No

Product name: Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Spot Gel

Where did I purchase: Walgreens

Cost: $6.00

What the product claims to do: A maximum strength acne treatment for breakout emergencies that clears breakouts fast and helps prevent emerging breakouts even before they become visible.

My Thoughts: I have changed up my face regimen and my face is doing so much better. This is a new thing I have added to my face routine and I can see it helping me.

Will I repurchase? Yes, I have already repurchased this.

That's all of my used up products for right now. I can now throw these containers out!! Yippee!

Have you used any of these products? What did you think of them?

Do you have any recent product reviews? leave a link in the comments, I would love to check it out. :)

Package Pals @ C.R.A.F.T.

2012-02-29T15:07:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled to participate in Jamie's Package Pals @ C.R.A.F.T.

She will be doing this every other month, so if you missed it this time, you can participate next time.

Basically, here is how it works, I signed up to participate in the package pals, Jamie went through all of the participators and matched us with a "Pal"

We got a brief description on what our pal likes and we were given the email/blog of our pal.

So basically, we became package pal's, kind of like pen pals :)

Here is what I made for my package pal.

Make up bag:

Leather cuff bracelet:

Bow necklace:

Infinity Scarf:

Felt flower Pin:

Felt flower shoe clips:

I packaged it up like this:

I had such a fun time with this, I can not wait until the next time around.

If you haven't participated in this, You should consider it, who knows, maybe we can become package pals :)

Double Layer Knit Skirt

2012-02-27T22:58:00.011-08:00

Ok, before I talk about my latest project, I want to put something out there.

I am a BAD shopper, If I see something on sale and I think its "cute" I grab it, usually without trying it on (because I have two little kidos with me and it is too much of a hassle)

so, I usually end up returning a lot of things.

I was at the fabric store buying something for a completely different project, I saw this knit cheetah print on sale ( I usually do NOT wear cheetah print), I thought "ohh, It's so cute! I am going to get this" I paid $16 for 2 yards. Anyways, when I got home I examined the fabric closely, I saw it was a thin sweater knit (something cardigans are made from) I thought oh shoot! What am I going to do with this? Well, I can't return fabric. So It has been sitting in my craft room for about a month now. I never got the courage to make anything out of it, first of all, I am not a seamstress, I can sew a simple skirt and a pillow case, but that's it!

So on a rainy day, I finally mustered up the courage to use some of the fabric to make something.

I used one yard for this project, so I still need to figure out what to make with the rest :) Which is good, It makes me get out of my comfort zone.

I decided to make a double layer knit pencil skirt, It took me about a half an hour to make!

If you want to see how I made it, then read on :)

First, I took my knit fabric and folded it in half and used a knit skirt which fit me well as a pattern.

I traced and cut

I cut two pieces like so:

I put the right sides together and sewed the sides together

When I turned it inside out, it looks like so:

Then I pulled one end inside, and it formed a skirt like this

(I think this would be super cute with two different fabrics for a reversible skirt )

Then I cut some elastic the same length as the waist.

(mine looks a little ghetto, since I didn't have enough of one and had to piece two pieces together, Its all good, It works :)

On one of the ends, I sewed the elastic on like so, and then folded it in:

Then I folded the second fabric in, as well:

Pinned all around:

Then I sewed all around the edge like this:

All done!

I am loving this comfy skirt!

It is cute and still comfortable to move around in while chasing my little man :)

I added a thin belt for a added detail

That was how I would wear it out.

But this is how I wore it today to run errands (and one of the errands was to return something, sigh.... I told you so)

Black "knit" jacket, knit skirt and flats, Super comfy!

Thanks for visiting!

Little tip for removing glitter nail polish...

2012-02-25T22:25:00.006-08:00

If you have ever worn glitter nail polish, you know it is a pain to take it off.

You have to keep scrubbing and scrubbing your nails with nail polish remover... Augh!

Which is why I used to pass on using glitter nail polish, just because I did not want to take the time to scrub it off.

Well I ran across this little tip on you tube, I thought I would share it with you.

You need cotton rounds (cut in half)

10 small squares of tin foil

Wet your cotton round with nail polish remover

Place it onto your finger nail like so

Wrap the cotton round around your nail like this

Then wrap your tin foil to hold the cotton round in place

Then repeat to all your 10 nails

Leave for 3-5 minutes

I usually keep mine on for about 3 minutes,

then I press down the cotton round onto my nail and pull it off

Ta da!!

Clean nails without the scrubbing!

Thanks so much for visiting. :)

My new best friends...

2012-02-25T16:33:00.001-08:00

I am a girly girl who loves to wear makeup. However, on a every day basis, I do not wear lipstick. Instead I like to soak my lips in vaseline or lip balms (which is why I do not suffer from dry lips)

About a month ago, I saw these babies at the drugstore and just had to try them out.

Here are my maybelline baby lips:

I am one of those people who can not go an hour without having something on my lips, and when I am on the go with the kids, I can't just whip out my lipstick without having to whip out a mirror to check my lips in. I also do not like using my Vaseline outside the house either, I feel that my hands are dirty and I do not want to put my finger into the Vaseline jar. Plus, I am just not a big lip gloss fan, I feel they are to sticky and I am constantly kissing my little man's head (its a habit) and the lipgloss comes off.

So this is why I love these little guys. I get smooth soft lips, with a hint of color.

Here are my favorite colors:

Pink Punch (this makes my lips a pretty pink and smells like pink punch)

Peach Kiss (I love this for everyday. It gives me pretty nude lips)

Cherry Me (This one gives me natural looking red lips)

Best part, they are only $3-4 dollars!

Have you tried the maybelline baby lips? What do you think of them?

What is your favorite Lip balm or chapstick?

This week in pictures...

2012-02-24T16:22:00.007-08:00

Another week has flown by! Lets see what we did.

Saturday:

We went to church for the morning service.

Here is little Em ready for church. She has her water bottle and little folder where she keeps her "homework" for her kids class:

Sunday:

We went to the mall with the family, I had to return some things and figured to make a day of it. We usually never eat at the mall, but we were hungry and the little man fell asleep in the stroller and we did not want to wake him to put him into the car, we figured we might as well eat.

Hubby had a healthy version of fast food:

I had BAD food. But when I smelled the orange chicken coming down from the food court, I just could not resist. Shame on me.

Monday:

Posted my living room tour on Monday

We had some delicious minestrone soup for dinner

This is how my kitchen looks like when I am cooking or baking. MESSY!

So when I am done cooking, not only do I have to clean my mess but also the kids mess. Fun!

Tuesday:

Little EM had an eye check up (for her lazy eye). The doctor was very pleased at the result of her wearing glasses everyday. So we are not going to be have to be doing the eye muscle surgery at this time. She is to keep wearing her glasses every day for the next 4 months and then we will come in for another check up. Thank God!

Little Em was such a good patient, as a reward we went to Burgerville for some chicken strips, I think she mainly wanted to go there because they give balloons to the kids, Ha Ha!

Little Man and I

Wednesday:

We ran errands all day: The post office, the craft store, grocery store, costco...

we also did some shopping at pier one

Thursday:

We spent all day home on Thursday, I cleaned the house and

I worked on a sewing project. Here is a little sneak peek on that. I will post the finished project once I get my camera back.

Friday:

Got the amber necklace in the mail! How do you feel about using the amber necklace?

The little man has been so fussy lately because of more teeth coming in. I hope this helps.

I will let you know my thoughts on it once we use it a bit

That wraps up our week!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog. If you have a "weekly" post please leave a link in the comments, I would love to stop by and take a look at your week.

Rainy Day= Soup!

2012-02-20T21:55:00.002-08:00

Today was a rainy, gray day

I decided to make a big pot of my favorite soup (can you guess what it is?)

I picked up some french bread to have with our soup

Here is how my kitchen usually looks like while I am cooking.

The little man likes to open all the drawers and take everything out and throw all his toys over the floor.

It is minestrone soup!

YUMMY!

What do you like to eat on rainy, gloomy days?

Does your kitchen look like a tornado of toys when you are cooking?

Living Room Tour

2012-02-20T20:35:00.007-08:00

Welcome to my living room!

I think this room reflects who I am, I love the bright and airy feel in it.

This is the living room view from the dining area:

I found the rug on overstock

The wicker box (from IKEA) holds all the downstairs toys

Here is the before (last October)

My gallery wall

I have a IKEA ektorp sofa and loveseat.

(we have had leather sofas and microfiber sofas, I have to say I prefer the slip covered sofas)

I have gray and white slip covers. I prefer the white covers.

People ask me what I do when it gets a stain, I just take off the slip cover and throw it in the wash. No big deal. I haven't had to use bleach yet.

Here is the before of the same wall

My "console" table is a bookshelf from IKEA and was only $69.99.

I bought the black IKEA mirrors and painted them white

I love the little birds. I found these at Michael's

I found the tray at a thrift store and just spray painted it white

I found the lit branches at the CRAFT warehouse.

They were from the Christmas collection and I got them for 50% off the regular price :)

Some nick nacks

Here is the front door

I don't like that the entry is right into the living room, but what can I do, its a small house.

I bought this "pleather" ottoman online at Target a few years back, I have been wanting to reupholster it for a while now, but have not found the right fabric. I have brought home samples, but everything seems to clash with the rug, So I will keep looking.

My lamps are from Target

I found a round tray at a thrift store and spray painted it and hot glued ribbon and rhinestones on it.

I sewed my own pillow cases to go over all of my old pillows.

I bought these wicker chairs about 7 years ago when we just got married (I don't remember where)

But I love them, they hold a sentimental value to me.

That concludes our living room tour

I hope you liked it :)

This week in pictures...

2012-02-17T17:03:00.001-08:00

Can you believe this week is over?? All I remember is valentines day and then being sick for the rest of this week.

Let's take a look what we did this week.

Saturday-

We didn't go to church on Saturday (We were up until 1 am in the emergency room on Friday night because the little man had a puncture wound in the mouth. BTW, thank you to all of you who have expressed concern)

Saturday night, the little man was doing so much better, we decided to head to our favorite burger joint (five guys)

Look how happy the little man is less then 24 hours later, kids sure bounce back fast. (he actually saw another baby and got so excited) You can check out last weeks post about last Friday night at the ER

Then we went to Menchies. We love our frozen yogurt!

Can you guess which one is mine?

Hubbys, little Em's and MINE!

Sunday-

Hubby cleaned the yard

While I prepped everything for our little play date/kids party

We had such a great time!

Monday-

Meh... woke up feeling terrible.

For breakfast I had a toasted english muffin with peanut butter and sliced bananas

Tuesday:

I made steak for dinner on Valentines Day

Doesn't it just look delicious?

Opening our valentines day gifts

(I love the kids expressions in this photo)

Wednesday-

Little Em's favorite food

Cupcakes are a staple in our house.

Seriously.. We have cupcakes every week!

Why not, they are so pretty and yummy.

Hubby brought me home some macrons from nuvrei

I already went through a box of tissues by Wednesday, my nose was sore and I just wanted to climb in bed. But the macrons made my day!

Thursday-

Little man has been teething this whole week.

So we have been using teething tablets. (they seem to help for an hour or so) I just don't like giving him pain killers. I have been considering getting an amber teething necklace. I keep thinking, oh he's done teething, then BAM he starts teething again. I may just go down to cotton babies and pick one up for him on Sunday. Does anyone have any advice on the Amber necklace? do you think it works or not?

I decided to try out burts bees diaper cream since little man got a rash from all the watery stools he has been having and my usual diaper cream didn't seem like it was helping.

The Burts Bees got rid of most of the rash after just two uses.

However, I don't think it is cloth diaper safe. (has anyone use this cream with cloth diapers?leave a comment please) I may just strip this whole diaper lot, just to be safe.

Friday-

Such a gloomy rainy day

Besides prepping for the Sabbath, I managed to deep condition my hair today. I kept putting it off all week since I wasn't feeling well.

Yep, I have a bag on my hair.

I just keep forgetting to buy a shower cap. oh well, the bag works just as well.

That's our week!

Thanks for visiting :)

Kido's Valentine Party

2012-02-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Little Em has been drawing "valentines" for her friends since the beginning of January.

She wanted to know when she will get to give them to her friends (aww)

Since Little Em is not yet in school and I decided to throw a little party/play date for her friends. Plus it was a great opportunity for us moms to catch up.

Here are a few pics of the party:

The sweets table:

A little closer:

Mini water bottles and pink lemonade to drink:

Strawberries and blueberries

Cupcakes!

I used a strawberry cake mix for the cupcakes

and then frosted them with my butter cream frosting

Little store bought frosted sugar cookies

Instead of spending a lot of time on cake pops, I decided to just dip oreos into candy melts. Just as cute as cake pops in a fraction of the time

Little gift bags for the kidos to put their valentines in

For lunch we had mini cheese pizzas, salad, veggies and dip

After lunch we decorated cookies!

The kidos were so excited to open their valentines!

Aww.... look at them!

Ok, these have to be the cutest little kidos ever!!

We had such a great time at our party/play date!!

Did you have a valentines day party? If so, leave a link in the comments, I would love to check it out :)

Thanks for visiting!

Garlic Chicken Quinoa

2012-02-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had Quinoa? It is a super healthy grain/seed. It is very high in protein, a good source of magnesium, folate and phosphorus.

The best part is that my kids like it! Sure Little Em picks out all the bell peppers, but she likes the quinoa, which is fine with me.

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare it.

Doesn't it just look delicious?

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

2 Cups Chicken broth

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts (cut up to bite sized pieces)

1/2 Cup of chopped red onion

1 red bell pepper (seeded and diced)

1 green bell pepper (seeded and diced)

5 garlic gloves (minced)

Basil (about 6 large leaves Julienned)

Olive Oil

Gratted parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare Quinoa to package instructions (instead of water use the chicken broth)

Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat and add oil. Add the chicken and saute for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Add onions, bell peppers, and saute for one or two minute. Add garlic and saute until pepper become slightly limp but still bright. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the quinoa and stir in.

Then toss in the basil. Garnish with parmesan cheese when serving.

Do you have any favorite quinoa recipes? If so, leave a link in the comments, I would love to take a look :)

Thanks for visiting

This week in pictures...

2012-02-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

Its time for "this week in pictures" again!

Sunday: French Toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast, YUM!

Daddy bought Little Em a funny ball!

Monday: "girls night out" with little Em at the mall.

Tuesday: Library Day! (I think this is little Em's favorite day of the whole week)

After the library, I worked on valentines day outfits for the kidos:

Wednesday: posted a day in life of a SAHM!

Thursday: Worked on our Valentines!

Being Silly !

Colored my hair at home using John frieda mousse, I actually think it turned out nicely. $11.00 sure beats $50.00 at the salon for a plain brown color.

Friday: Ended up in the emergency room!

Little man punctured his soft tissue in his throat (just above the tonsils) with a plastic stick :(

He is alright, doctor said it should heal fairly fast.

Gosh this week flew by, atleast I have these few pictures to remind me of what we did this week. Because seriously, it feels like a blur.

What have you done this week?

Thanks for visiting :)

Pulled Chicken Sliders

2012-02-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

I am not a big fan of slow cookers. Just because everything that usually comes out of it looks overcooked and not so pretty. (I just like to eat my vegetables vibrant and colorful)

However, I tried two different slow cooker meat recipes recently and have become a believer.

One day I just wanted a chicken sandwich, I found this pulled chicken sliders recipe here and decided to give it a go since I had all of the ingredients on hand.

(I had to substitute tomato sauce for paste)

I am sure glad I did, this recipe is a keeper and I will be using for those days when I don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

Pulled Chicken Slider Sandwiches

3 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp prepared mustard
3 Tbsp brown sugar
12 slider sized rolls

1. Place 3 chicken breasts in the base of the slow cooker.
In small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce plus 1 can worth of water, the cider vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Add a little salt and pepper is you wish. Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic to the sauce.
Pour sauce over chicken breasts. Set slow cooker to high and cook for 4-6 hours.
When chicken is finished in the slow cooker, scoop it out into a bowl and using 2 forks, “pull it” apart.
Scoop some sauce from the slow cooker and add until reaches your desired ‘sauciness.’
Serve on slider sized rolls

I served the sliders with some roasted potato wedges and a tossed salad!

If you have any must try slow cooker recipe, please leave a link to it in the comments :)

Day in Life of a SAHM

2012-02-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

I LOVE watching vlogs and reading blog posts on "day in life".

Seriously, call me weird.. but there is something about it that I find interesting.

I decided to do a post on what a typical day looks like for me.

I apologize for the lighting and quality of some photos, some were taken by a cell phone camera, and this was today (2/8/12) I did not want to edit all of these pics,

So this is the real deal ladies!

I didn't include all diaper changes and nursing on this post (but I promise I did both)

Here is what we did today!

We (me and the kido's) got out of bed at 9:38am

Before the kido's got up, I listen to the bible on my i phone, this is the only time I find the time to read the bible during my busy days.

(see all of my chocolate wrappers and laughing cow wrappers from last night?

tsk tsk I know..)

We washed up, brushed our teeth and got dressed:

I threw the diapers into the wash.

Cold rinse cycle:

I tidied up my room and bathroom:

"Prettied" up myself :)

Well.. at-least made myself presentable

I wash my makeup brushes every Wednesday, so no exception today..

By now, the cold rinse cycle was done on the diapers, so I put in some detergent and turned on the wash cycle:

We finally got down to the kitchen:

First thing first, I always check out our menu every morning to see if I need to take any meat out to thaw or any special things I need to do for dinner.

Nope, no meat.... just pasta fresca tonight:

As I prep breakfast, I like to watch some you tube videos.

A little bit of beauty, family and cooking tips....

Getting my green tea and vitamins ready...

Today we are having fried eggs with turkey bacon

Just as we are about to sit down to eat, little man spills Em's water all over himself!

After the change of clothes, we are finally ready to have breakfast.

(do you see how everything is out of the little man's reach? He thinks its funny to throw everything on the floor these days)

Done with breakfast, Ha!

Some people are having lunch already.. but nope, not us. We just had breakfast

(No, I am not proud of this)

After breakfast, the diapers were done washing

I threw them into the dryer

Little Em showing off her coloring she just did

Meanwhile, Little Man decided to get into the chalk box

At 11:30, little man needed cuddles and nursing...

Then I worked on a few bow clips for little Em

Stuffed and folded diapers at 12:44

Its almost lunch time, lets clean up this mess!

So much better!

No left overs from last night, so we had noodle soup

(its good to keep some on hand for days like this)

After lunch it is our "quiet" time

Little man fell asleep

Little Em got to watch leapfrog and had to write the letters on her erase board

as they came up...

I used this time to plan next weeks meals

and make the shopping lists

While having some tea and a few chocolates..

While making our weekly shopping list, I clean and organize our fridge to see if we need anything...

2:16pm

My grocery lists are done and meals are planned for the next week

2:22pm

Did some more laundry

Little man woke up!

As soon as the little man woke up, I nursed him and had both

of the kido's play in the play room while I cleaned the downstairs

3 pm

So clean.... I wonder how long this will last

I am having a little valentine party for the kido's on Sunday, so I set up my dessert table

Play time!

Mmmm...

Sooo.... remember how clean it was at 3pm?

Well this is an hour later... What can I say... I have a 1 and 4 year old!

Making pasta fresca for dinner

Last load of laundry for the day... Yippee!!!

Hubby came home, so I decided to run to one of the grocery stores... This way I only need to go to one grocery store tomorrow.

Back from the grocery store and unpacked at 5:37!

That has to be some record for me

(hubby had to leave at 5:45 for an appointment, that's the reason for the rush)

Dinner @ 5:48 With the kidos

mmmm... berries for dessert!

Washed all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen after dinner

6:27pm

Bath time for the kidos!

Kido's in their PJs at 6:46pm

Since hubby wasn't home to watch the kido's,

I had them brush their teeth while I showered

(They actually just played with the water, but whatever keeps them busy for a few minutes)

That was a quick shower!

Hey, I am used to it. At least I got to take a shower :)

My facial moisturizing routine

7:10pm

Story time!

After reading 4 books (we just went to the library yesterday so we got lots of new books)

we played a bit

Little Em decides she is hungry

So some milk, crackers and yogurt it is!

Then hubby got home and played with the kidos..

While I read a few blog posts..

At 8:50pm, I caught little man playing with my makeup!

So I got both of the kidos into bed..

And at 9:36pm... They were both sound asleep...

After the kido's were asleep, Hubby made us some tea

and guess what? I had more chocolate. (what can I say, I love chocolate)

What a day!

When you think about it, I stayed home most of the day and just ran to the store for an hour. But it feels like I did so many things. On days like this, when hubby asks me what we did today, I say "nothing much" but this day was so busy for me. Do all the little things not count?

I have to say, this was really fun for me to do. Every day is different for us. No day is ever the same, that is the joy of being a stay at home mom!

I encourage you ladies to do a post like this and link it up in the comments!

This week in pictures...

2012-02-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

So finally, after the whole month of January, no one was sick anymore.

Thank God we are all well again.

It has been a fun week for us!

Here is a few pics I snapped this week.

Sunday

Hubby needed to go to the mall, so we made a day of it

and went shopping and then out for dinner

My daughter found this cute ballerina doll to play with

The little man found a cozy place to sit at while I looked around the kids section

I found this super cute rain coat for the little man

Monday

I worked on some valentine party things

While I was crafting, my daughter was playing "mommy and baby"

Tuesday

Having breakfast and pretending to be a fireman!

My dad flew in for a visit :)

Wednesday

Package from ELF!

I love getting packages in the mail :)

Picked up some pretty cupcakes

Thursday

Went grocery shopping:

I had to snap this pic, my daughter was playing "fisherman"

It was too cute!

I took the kids to the park

It was chilly but at least it wasn't raining.

It has been a lovely week!

What have you guys been up to this week?

Healthy Eating on a Budget...

2012-02-02T23:53:00.000-08:00

So after watching Food Inc, I can honestly say that I am sick to my stomach.

I am also mad! How can it be OK to sell meat that has been treated like that.

I guess I never thought about it before, I just saw meat in a package. Nice color, clean, no bones. Easy and convenient for me.

This has encouraged me to become more healthy.

Its not that we eat "bad", We don't drink pop, don't eat chips, don't eat at McDonalds, and we have a home cooked meal almost every day and we take our vitamins.

Is that all to it?

My first thought is to go to whole foods and buy only organic products. But we cant afford that.

I need your advice ladies

What are your tips and tricks for eating healthy on a budget?

One more thing, my kids hate vegetables (cooked or raw), how do you get your kids to eat their veggies?

Cropped Top Tutorial

2012-01-31T09:50:00.000-08:00

I have seen so many cropped tops lately. I thought it would be so easy and fun to make one, since it is basically a square or rectangle.

I had some of this polka dot fabric which I picked up at the fabric store last year. I just never got around to making anything.

I gotta say, I am really liking it.

I want to make at least one more for myself, perhaps in a solid color.

Next time I will have to cut the fabric a little wider so I can make the sleeves a little longer.

If you want to see how I made this top, stick around

First determine how long and wide you want your top.

I cut my rectangles 29X23

Next I found a shirt where I liked the neckline

I used it to trace the neckline on my fabric

(eek... I am using a permanent marker, hubby stole my fabric marker, his excuse was he loved how smoothly it wrote )

I made sure my front and back lined up at the shoulders

My fabric was kind of silky

In order to hem it, I folded down once and sewed

I used small scissors to cut of any extra fabric

Then I folded the fabric over twice and ironed the neckline/shoulders/and back

I sewed down the edge

After sewing the neckline, I ironed everything down

Here is how the finished neckline looks like

I bought a 7 inch heavy duty jeans zipper at Walmart for under $2

I folded the back portion in half and cut down about 6 inches to fit the zipper

Here is how I finished the zipper hole.

I think it would have looked really pretty with a button to.

Then I sewed on the zipper with matching thread.

Exposed zippers are so easy!

Here is the finished zipper

This is how the inside looks like:

Then I sewed the shoulders together and ironed open the seams

Then I eyeballed how I wanted the "sleeve" to look and marked it with a pencil.

I sewed along the line and then cut off the access fabric:

To make sure both of my sides matched up, I folded the shirt in half and marked where I needed to sew the other side

Once I sewed that side together I cut off the access fabric

I used a small zig zag stitch to finish both of the sides

Then I used an old shirt of mine with a rounded bottom as a template for the hem.

For the front I just flipped the shirt upside down to get the "cropped look"

I cut the "cropped" front and longer back.

Then I just hemmed the bottom using the same method I did with neckline

That's it!

I managed to sew the top and take the pictures all during my little mans nap time.

That should tell you how fast and easy it was!

Here are a few pictures

Back:

Front:

Side:

Thanks for visiting!

This week in pictures...

2012-01-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

This whole month has not been the best month.

It seems that every week someone in our house has been sick.

First my husband, then me, then my son and now my daughter.

Just when I think, whew.. that's over, someone else gets sick.

Anyways, here is how our week looked like

So, I am going to start my week off with last Saturday night

No one was sick anymore, everyone was finally better, I really wanted to get out of the house. So we all went shopping. Got a little something for everyone.

Saturday night we had my favorite vegetarian pizza!

(my hubby thinks its weird that I eat pizza with a fork, is it?

am I weird not to want my hands to get dirty? )

We went to a birthday party on Sunday!

Little Em wanted to hold the present :)

Daddy and the little man.

I made him a dinosaur hoodie after I saw this post

@ the party, we had this chocolate, fudgy birthday cake.

Oh....it was delicious!

I decided to start a vitamin regimen this week

I want to become more healthy. Doesn't everyone?

Then my poor baby got sick :(

running a fever and runny nose

My daughter won't drink medicine, she literally just spits it out on the floor. The only thing she will take are these chewable pills. They help her temperature go down, so that's good.

We went on a walk on Thursday since the rain stopped and the sun came out.

We did a scavenger hunt

Since my daughter is sick, I made two of her favorite things

(which I have been snacking on, which probably wasn't the best idea)

I am planning a little valentines day party for the kidos, so I started working on some things this week

Bought this Raspberry coffee cake this week, it was amazing with my morning cup of tea :)

Well that wraps our week up. What did you do this week?

I pray my little baby feels better soon and this virus is gone for good.

Thanks for visiting.

Zucchini Boats

2012-01-27T16:12:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness! If you love zucchini, cheese and basil, you have to try this!

I saw it here and had to make some.

I am speechless, these are amazing.

I didn't have all the ingredients as the original recipe called for, so I kind of winged it my way, and it turned out amazingly!

6 small zucchinis (will make 12 boats)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded parmessan cheese

2 cloves of minced garlic

olive oil

salt/pepper

Mini tomatoes (sliced)

Basil (chopped)

Preheat your oven to 350

wash and slice your zucchini in half

scoop out the center where the seeds are

brush the surface with a mixture of : olive oil, garlic, salt/pepper

bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes

remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheeses and layer the tomatoes on

broil on high for 5 minutes

sprinkle with chopped basil when done.

Then enjoy..

Ruffle Skirt out of old t shirts!

2012-01-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

I am a girly girl who loves ruffles.

I have always wanted a ruffly skirt/petticoat which I could wear on its own and under too short skirts/dresses. My sister has a ruffly skirt which I borrowed while visiting her last summer, I loved that skirt (I even offered to buy it from her :D, she said no off course)

Anyways, I had some time on my hands last week, so I decided to make my own ruffly skirt out of old t-shirts. This skirt did not cost me anything. I already had everything on hand.

Here is the finished product

For the base of the skirt I started out with this flowy top which I got from Target a few years ago. It has seen better days.

I carefully cut off the sleeves and the top portion off.

I ended up with a skirt base

Then I dug up some old t shirts, most of them were my hubby's old work t shirts which he put in the donate pile. Some were mine

Completely off the topic, but every summer I buy myself at least two plain white t shirts and they always end up shrunken, augh!

I cut three inch wide strips

I do not show you how to ruffle fabric since there are so many tutorials out there.

But I ruffled all of the strips

I sewed on the top ruffle and then I sewed on this trim I had on hand

Then I marked where I wanted the strips to go and went to work sewing them on.

Whew. All done

LOVE it!

Total cost: $0.00!

Thanks for visiting!

Valentines Wreath

2012-01-23T17:51:00.001-08:00

I took off my evergreen wreath since the holidays are over, but it is too early to put up my spring wreath. So I decided to make my first ever valentines day wreath

Here is what I created with an old sweater and some felt

Thanks for visiting. :)

Lets Talk Cloth Diapers!

2012-01-21T15:13:00.001-08:00

WARNING! This post is VERY LONG, It is EVERYTHING I know about cloth diapering.

Last week I talked about how I cloth diaper on the go, I got a few responses from my readers who wanted me to go more in depth on how I cloth diaper. I am more then happy to share this with you.

First I want to tell you that I used disposable diapers on my daughter 4 years ago. I hated every minute of it! I hated spending so much money on diapers and wipes. I also hated that at the end of the week our trash can was overflowing up with dirty diapers. I started potty training my daughter when she was 2. At that point I realized that the pull ups were even more expensive then diapers.

Soon my daughter was potty trained during the day, but still needed pull ups for naps and nighttime.

Some times she woke up dry, sometimes not. There was no way to predict if she would pee in her pull up's or not. So what do you do with a dry pull up? I reused them once, then tossed them since they started to smell.

I then started doing some research online on some sort of night time training underwear. That is where I found out about cloth diapers.

I ordered 3 one size bum genius diapers and she used those for naps and nighttime.

At that time she was about 28 pounds and they still fit her.

I was so happy!

Shortly, I got pregnant with my son, and I was so excited to try out cloth diapering!

I watched a lot of YouTube videos on cloth diapers (especially the cloth diaper channel)

There are so MANY cloth diapers, I was getting over whelmed.

After watching many videos and reading lots of reviews, I was torn between the fuzzi bunz and the bum genius one sized diapers.

So I ordered two fuzzi bunz diapers to test them out. Needless to say I was not happy with the fuzzi bunz. They were much smaller then the Bum Genius (They claim to fit up to 30 lbs, but my daughter could not fit into them and she was less then 30 lbs at that time)

I also didn't like that you had to size them with the elastic, it just takes longer then the Bum Genius Diapers whereas you would just snap the front snaps.

The other issue about the fuzzi bunz is that the back part does not have a flap to tuck in the lining, so it is sticking out and you have to make sure you tuck it into the diaper, otherwise you will get a leak:

So, after my little "test" I decided that bum genius were the diapers for me.

I bought a few diapers a month throughout my whole pregnancy.

I ended up with 25 bum genius diapers at the end.

At that time, I did not have any cloth diaper stores near me. So I had to do all my purchases online, But since then, we had a Cotton Babies open near us! So exciting!!

I would recommend going to a store and trying out the diapers before buying (they have diapers and dolls you can test them out on!)

I ordered all of my diapers on Kellys closet. Because they have great deals like a free diaper after you spend $39 or more. So since I bought a few diapers at a time, I ended up with a couple of Kawaii one size diapers, which I am actually very happy with.

At this time I have:

10 Bum Genius 4.0 Snap diapers

15 Bum Genius 4.0 Velcro Close diapers

5 Kawaii one size diapers

2 fuzzi bunz

(I have WAY to much, I am sure I could cloth diaper two babies at once with my stash)

Here is a picture of some of the diapers:

from the top left to right:

Bum Genius 4.0 velcro (noodle color)

Kawaii Velcro (yellow)

Bum Genius 4.0 snaps (white

Kawaii Snaps (light blue)

Fuzzi bunz one size (orange)

The reason I chose to go with the Bum Genius one size, is because the same diaper fits from birth to potty training, it adjusts in the front with the snaps:

I store the diapers on the two top shelves of my awesome changing table which I got from IKEA. I got this one 4 years ago when my daughter was born, so I am not sure if they have this same one.

Today is laundry day, so this is not all of the diapers.

When you purchase your bum genius diaper, it come with the diaper and two inserts.

When I had the diaper in the smallest setting, I only used the small newborn insert.

Now I only use the large insert. I also stuff a few "night time" diapers with both of the inserts to be more absorbent since I do not change the diaper till around 10am the next morning.

Lets Talks DIRTY diapers!:

This is where people are grossed out. They think you actually touch the poop with your hands. Ahm. Now why would I do that?

Moving on..

We will start with the simple. The wet diaper.

You unhook the diaper and wipe your babies bum using your cloth wipes

(more about the wipes below)

Put your diaper aside as you put a new diaper back on the baby.

Once baby is taken care of and safely in his/her crib or the floor take care of the diaper.

Here is our "pretend" wet diaper and used wipe:

Take out the insert

And lay it over your diaper like so:

If you are using a Velcro diaper then attach the velcro to the laundry tabs:

Then fold your diaper with the insert and wipes like so and toss into the diaper pail:

Ok, now lets talk about our "pretend" poopy diaper.

If you breastfeed your baby, then your babies poopies will be very watery.

They do not require any special treatment. Just treat it like a wet diaper.

Toss it into the diaper pail with the insert and wipes

Once you start introducing solids to your baby, the poopies will change (become a peanut buttery consistency)

Same as before, remove the insert.

Toss the insert and wipes into the diaper pail.

Spray off the diaper into the toilet with a diaper sprayer

I use the bum genius diaper sprayer

Then toss the diaper into the diaper pail.

When we are traveling and there is no diaper sprayer, I use diaper liners, this way when we have a poopy diaper on our hands, we just flush the liner with poo down the toilet.

These are the Bummis diaper liners

I have also used the kushies. I like them both equally

Just pick up the ends of your liner and discard:

Then remove your insert and throw everything into the diaper pail:

Next, we have our "pretend" SOLID poopy diaper

(My son is one and he has only had a few of these, he is on solids and still nursing every 3-4 hours, so he still has pretty runny or peanut butter consistency poopies. Too much info, I know... But hey, you are reading a diaper post :)

The SOLID poop should be able to plop right out into the toilet.

So before I go into the bathroom, I remove the insert and toss that and the wipes into the diaper pail.

Then I plop the "poopies" into the toilet:

If I need to, I use the diaper sprayer:

Again, if traveling, we use the diaper liners:

Just flush the liner down the toilet:

OK, I think that is all about actually changing the diapers.

Lets talk WIPES!

Since I am using cloth diapers, it only makes sense to use cloth wipes. That way I can just toss everything into the diaper pail together.

While I was still pregnant, I ordered some wipes from Kellys closet, I ordered the baby kicks.

I did NOT like them. (they are to small, to stiff, to expensive)

I chose to use plain cheap terry wash cloths, like these are target

I love using my wipes warmer, this way I can have wet/warm wipes ready to go whenever I need to change a diaper:

You can use plain water to wet the wipes, But I make a wipes solution with tea tree oil to keep the wipes from going all icky

You need:

a spray bottle or a water bottle (to mix your solution in)

baby wash soap

tea tree oil

First put some soap into your bottle (since my baby soap has a pump, I pump out about 4 pumps) then add 1-2 drops of tea tree oil.

Then just fill up with warm water and shake around.

Now, if you do not have a wipe warmer, you can use the spray bottle to wet the wipes as you need them, like so:

But I choose to use the wipe warmer because it is more convienant for me.

I put some dry wipes folded in half into the container

Then I dump the entire bottle of solution over the wipes:

If you use the wipes right away, the first few wipes will be very wet, so squeeze them out before you use them.

Lets Talk Diaper Pail!

OK, so we all know how a dirty cloth diaper looks like, now what do we do with it?

This is where the diaper pail comes in. I bought mine at walmart. You need to make sure it has a lid to keep the smell inside.

You also need atleast two pail liners.

here I have a bum genius pail liner and one wahmies pail liner

Make sure the "shiny coated" side is inside the bucket, then just toss your stinky diapers in there.

Lets Talk Washing Machines!

I have the regular top loading washer. I have never had "stinky diaper" issue. I heard people talk about stinky diapers, I was always curious on why that would happen. Unfortunately, I was "lucky" enough to experience this myself last summer :(

When I went to visit my family in MO last summer, I used their washer for the cloth diapers. They have one of those front loading, fancy energy efficient washers.

I started noticing that my diapers came out of the wash still stinking! I was horrified, thinking I ruined my diapers. There was no way on their machine to select a LARGE load so the diapers could agitate. Which meant the diapers were not getting clean enough. So the whole time I was there, I had to live with the stinky diapers :(

I came home and after one wash cycle in my own washer, the diapers were back to normal. WHEW!

So I guess "my washing routine" is only for top loading machines. I am sure that there are a lot of people who use energy machines and cloth diaper. They probably just have a different washing cycle. If you are one of those people, please leave a comment bellow telling me how you do it ( I am planning on visiting my family again this year and would love to see how I could avoid the stinky diaper issue)

LETS TALK about "WASHING THE DIAPERS":

OK, how do we wash the diapers? First we need the detergent. I choose to use Charlies. It is one of the detergents recommended for cloth diapers. Here is a chart that can help you choose a detergent.

This detergent is $15 and I buy it at whole foods. My son is now one year old and this is only my 2nd tub of Charlies! It lasts a long time. As you can tell I am only about 1/4 in to the new tub.

You should only use half a TB for a large load of diapers:

WASHING CYCLE:

I wash my diapers every other day (I could go every two days since I have enough diapers, but the diapers start to stink by then)

Dump all the diapers and the pail liner into the washing machine.

Set the machine on the LARGEST load setting you have

set the water to COLD

and the cycle on RINSE

After the rinse cycle, put in 1/2 TB of Charlies soap and put the machine on a

LARGE cycle with HOT/COLD water with an extra rinse.

After the diapers have been washed, it is suggested that you hang them to dry.

I have not been doing that. (I am lazy like that) I have been tossing everything into the dryer on medium heat.

DO NOT use a dryer sheet!!

After the diapers are dry, I "stuff" them:.

I just fold the wipes in half:

After I fold everything and stuff all the diapers, I just put everything away!

Diaper laundry is done!

Lets Talk Wet Bags:

When you are traveling, you will need someplace to store your dirty diapers.

See this post more on what is in my diaper bag.

You will need wet bags. These are a few bags I have

I have two of these Kushies wet bags, they are great for a short day trip.

This photo is to show you that it will hold 3 diapers:

This is a medium Planet Wise bag

(it is for a full day trip)

This one will hold 7 diapers:

And this is my very large Planet Wise bag,

I used these bags when I was staying at the parents house last summer. You can hang it on the door and use it as your diaper pail.

It holds about 13-15 diapers

Lets Talk Diaper Rash Creme:

My son did not have any major diaper rash issues.

However, occasionally when my hubby was "watching" the kids. I would come home to a baby with a poopie diaper. I don't know how you can miss a baby with a poopie diaper, (he always swears he didn't know he pooped, but come on, I can smell it as soon as I walk through the door)

Anyways, that being said, sometimes my son would get a light rash.

So I use a cloth diaper safe creme which is by california baby. I am still using this one tube I bought before my son was born. I think I have about 1/2 a tube left.

Like I said, we don't have diaper rash issues.

You can buy this diaper creme at target or whole foods.

You don't have to use a liner, but I always do.

Here is a list of cloth diaper safe cremes

OK, I think this is everything on cloth diapering.

Sorry this post is so long.

If you have any more questions, please let me know :)

This week in pictures...

2012-01-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

I can not believe this week is over. It went by so quick!

We did not do anything major exciting this week since it was raining almost everyday.

But regardless, we enjoyed this week. Here is how our week looked like in pictures

Free lollipops at the bank! Wahoo!!

We had a "snow" day (the snow melted in a few hours):

Having my morning cup of tea, before the kidos wake up:

Hubby bought me some bracelets, Love 'em (both the hubby and the bracelets):

Story/craft time at the library:

Creamy chocolate and caramel, (need I say more?)

My sewing project this week contained lots of ruffles!

My Saturday morning started off with a warm chocolate muffin, mmm:

Well that about wraps it up. I wonder what next week will bring?

Gallery Wall

2012-01-17T14:09:00.000-08:00

My gallery wall is finally complete! :)

I am still not done decorating my living room, but when I am done with it, I will do a living room tour post. For now, you guys can see my right side wall of the living room where the gallery wall is.

Remember my post about my gallery wall inspiration ? I told you guys that I loved the house of smiths shelf with the picture frames resting on them? Well I took the idea to my hubby and he agreed to help me "build" the shelf.

Here is what we came up with:

This is the only before picture I found of the same wall. This is from last October, right before I painted and stenciled the living room a light gray color.

If you want to see how we created our gallery wall, then read on:

First thing first, I collected all of the picture frames around the house

Then using my sprayer and left over white paint, I sprayed all of the frames

(I love using the paint sprayer rather then spray paint because the smell is not as bad, it gives a nice thick coat and dries faster)

A shot of just a few of the frames drying, I only had to do one coat:

The next day we went to home depot and bought two of these primed boards:

(My hubby thinking "what are you doing woman!?)

As you can see they were each $8.87

We also picked up 7 of these brackets (I believe they were $6.99 each)

That same night I had my hubby hang all the brackets up

(he did the hard part, measuring and drilling)

So the next morning here is what we had.

Note that this is not the finished project, the boards are not nailed in. I just lifted the boards up and took the brackets off the wall to paint them.

Using my paint sprayer and some left over white paint I painted the brackets

(with the paint sprayer I only had to do one coat)

Using a small foam roller I painted both sides of the shelf

OK, once everything was dry, I hung up the brackets on the screws that my hubby drilled in the previous night and nailed in a nail with a nail gun through the shelf into the bracket to keep everything in place.

To hang the pictures, I played around with the placement and hung them up when I was happy with the look.

Most of the frames didn't have any pictures, so I just ordered some prints online.

Another look at the finished project, I love it!

It really brings a nice touch to the room.

Thanks for visiting!

What's in my cloth diaper bag...

2012-01-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

There are a few people that I know who are very skeptical about cloth diapering. Which is normal, because I was skeptical when I first found out about it.

But now that I have been cloth diapering my son for a whole year, I can honestly say that I am never going back to disposables. There is no reason why I would. Cloth diapering is easy, saves money and great for the environment. Plus those the diapers are so cute!

But this post is not about me selling you cloth diapering. :)

One of the many questions I get is:

"How do cloth diaper on the go?" I say "I pack a diaper bag just like you"

LOL, I guess it seems strange and hard for people. But really, it is no different then using disposable diapers. Instead of tossing my dirty diapers into the trash, I bring them home to wash.

Anyways, I decided to do a "what is in my diaper bag post". Keep in mind that my little man is now one and we don't need as much stuff as we did when he was younger.

When I am running to the grocery store, I usually just take one diaper in my Kushies wet bag

It looks like this when it is packed to go:

Here is everything in it:

I have some wipes in my zippered wipe bag (in the summer I wet the wipes at home, but now that it is cold outside, I try to wet the wipes with warm water when I am changing little man. Or if there is no water where I am at, I use the diaper potion spray (it isn't very often that there is no warm water as I am still on my first bottle of the potion spray).

I always grab a receiving blanket so I can put it on the changing table.

When I changed the diaper, I would put the dirty diaper and receiving blanket into the wet bag and throw the dirty diaper into my diaper bin and the receiving blanket into laundry when I get home. Is that hard? Nope :)

When we are going out for a few hours I take my diaper bag

Same thing, diapers, wipes, spray and wet bag

A receiving blanket and a bib

Spare change of clothes

Some toys

Water, snacks and a baby spoon

Off course little man has his blankie with him since it is cold outside now.

That's it, see I pack a diaper bag just like everyone else. Not hard, easy peasy.

If you want to see more posts on how I cloth diaper, like my washing routine, what wipes I use, how I store wipes. Let me know.

Thanks for visiting :)

I even cloth diapered while flying to visit family and on vacations. So it is not hard at all.

So whats in your diaper bag?

DIY Personalized Art

2012-01-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

I am working on a gallery wall for my living room.

I wanted to create a personal piece of art which I can display next to my family photos

So, down to Micheal's I went and bought this canvas which was $17.99 (I used my 50% coupon which I have on my i phone now.. So no more forgetting the coupon)

With the coupon I only paid $9.00 for the canvas

I had these stencils. I bought these in Ross for $4.99 a while back.

I played with the stencils until I figured out the placement I wanted.

Then I traced the stencils

All traced

For the quote I used a smaller stencil. These stencils are from the Martha Stewart collection at Micheal's.

I used some leftover paint from a previous project.

I filled the letters with a small brush. It wasn't hard, just a little time consuming.

Meanwhile little Em was doing her own painting

Here is my canvas!

I am no artist, but I have to say I am really proud of this baby!

(Post on the gallery wall coming soon)

Gallery wall inspiration...

2012-01-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

I have a big blank wall in my living room, I am working on making it into a gallery wall with lots of family photos. I was browsing on pinterest, here are a few of my favorites:

Young house love

house of smiths

from gardners to burgers

I collected some of my old frames:

I painted them:

I want a long shelf along the wall, kind of what the House of smiths have.

So I have to go to Home Depot and get some supplies.

Ok, enough wasting time on pinterest. I gotta go now :)

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

2012-01-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is a new favorite in our house. I originally tried Grilled Teriyaki thighs at our friends house, they were delish. So I went on pinterest the next day and found this recipe for a home made teriyaki sauce.

This week, we have made this twice already, that how much we love it!

To make this delish chicken, you need chicken thighs and this home made teriyaki sauce:

Teriyaki Sauce

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. cold water

1 c. white sugar

1 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper.

While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat

Use half of the sauce to marinate your chicken thighs (atleast a few hours) and put the other half aside (you will use it to baste the thighs)

When you are ready to start grilling, preheat your grill

Spray your grill with oil spray

Turn your grill on low heat and place your thighs on the grill

Close the lid and grill the thighs (about 8 minutes on each side)

When you flip the thighs they should have grill marks and be golden, if they are not, leave them on the same side for a few more minutes.

After grilling the chicken on both sides, I basted the thighs with the other half of the teriyaki sauce and grilled them for about 2 minutes.

That's it, Serve with some white rice and veggies :)

We usually have left over rice and chicken, so the next day I make stir fried rice with the leftover. It is so good, I love fried rice!

Garlic-Ranch Chicken Pizza

2012-01-01T20:15:00.001-08:00

This pizza is sooooo good!!

Made with home made ranch, leftover chicken, turkey bacon and lots of cheese! Yum!

I found the recipe on favfamilyrecipes.com and altered it a bit

1 large pizza dough, uncooked (fresh, frozen, or whatever you like best)

3/4 c. home made ranch dressing (see recipe bellow)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 c. turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 Cup of chicken (cooked and cut into strips)

2 tomatoes, sliced

*Ranch Dressing: 1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. buttermilk

Whisk ranch mix and mayo together, slowly add buttermilk. When well blended, cover and refrigerate

Mix ranch dressing and crushed garlic together then spread evenly on the pizza dough.

Sprinkle a little cheese over the ranch dressing then add chicken and bacon. Sprinkle more of the cheese over that, add the tomatoes, then add the remaining cheese. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes (or until crust is a nice golden-brown). Top with parsley

Serve with a tossed salad for a yummy dinner!

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

2012-01-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

I love love love cinnamon sugar donut holes. I found this recipe on The Novice Chef, and it's a keeper. So when my hubby asks me if there is anything for breakfast, I can say sure, let me just whip up some fresh donuts for you :)

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 cup milk

Cinnamon and sugar

Oil

directions:

Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the egg, sugar, butter, and milk in a large-sized bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine thoroughly. The batter will be sticky, so either use a spoon or a pastry bag to extrude the dough for frying.

Pour two inches of oil into a heavy medium saucepan. When the oil is hot, extrude a ball of dough approximately an inch in diameter into the oil. Fry the donuts until they are golden brown, then remove them and place them on a paper towel. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will brown before they are cooked through, so it is a good idea to sample a couple as you go along and adjust the heat accordingly. While the donuts are still hot, drop them into a bowl with half a cup of sugar and a few sprinklings of cinnamon. Move the donuts around until they are well-coated.

My top eleven from 2011!

2011-12-31T19:05:00.000-08:00

It has been such a blessed year! I can not wait to see what this upcoming new year will bring!

This year has been different for me, I quit my job and was able to stay home with my children,

It is the most amazing thing (something I will never take for granted) Waking up with my children and not having to rush to work at the crack of dawn puts a smile on my face every morning.

Since I am now a stay at home mom, I was able to work on our house, craft and sew which I love so much. I can not wait to do more things next year!

Here are my top 11 viewed posts from this year:

#1:

Knit Pencil Skirt

Tissue paper Cherry Blossom Tutorial:

Glitter Shoes Tutorial

Shabby Apple Inspired Dress

Another Shabby Apple Inspired Dress

Cake pops tutorial

Shabby Apple Inspired Dress

Kitchen Reveal

Simple Elastic Skirt Tutorial

That wraps it up!

Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you all in the new year!

Soft Frosted Cookies

2011-12-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

These cookies are big, soft and delicious.

I found the recipe on Tide and Thyme

Makes 24 cookies:

For the cookies

4½ cups all purpose flour

4½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt

1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1½ cups sugar

3 large eggs

5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:

5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)

Food coloring (optional)

Sprinkles (optional)

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set. (Do not overbake! The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.) Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Tint with food coloring if desired. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.) Top with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

Then Enjoy!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T16:15:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Cookie Party 2011

2011-12-20T14:46:00.000-08:00

This year I hosted my first ever cookie exchange,

it was so fun and successful that I am hoping to make it a annual thing.

My table expands so I was able to seat 13 people at the table, so no juggling cookies and hot coffee in your lap :)

Christmas tree lollipops for each of the girls

Prizes for the best tasting cookie, best looking cookie and best overall cookie

These french Macroons were a bite of heaven :)

Merry Christmas!!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

I've got to admit that my Christmas decorations are very simple this year, In fact, I didnt use most of my stuff this year. I was inspired by simplicity of the IKEA decorations: Red and White

I love how it turned out. Nice and simple

(I made the table runner, tree skirt and 2 pillows out of the fabric I used for my kids party)

I changed out my slip covers from gray to white

Kido's Christmas tree

2011-12-16T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have a curious little one year old who loves to touch our tree. I saw a pin on pinterest on a felt tree for kids, I knew I had to make one! I went to Walmart and bought one yard of green felt for $3.97 and got to work.

With some scissors and some hot glue here is what we got:

Little man likes to come up and pull down all of the ornaments and then my daughter comes around and "decorates" the tree again.

It keeps them busy and away from the real tree :)

German Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-12-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

I made some cupcakes and let me tell you something, they are Gooooooood!

My husband actually asked me what bakery I got these from (and he doesn't like cupcakes)

I found the recipe on Your Cup of Cake, there are a few things I did differently

Chocolate Cake:

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix

3 eggs

½ cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

German Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cup chopped pecans

1 ½ cup flaked coconut

Chocolate Buttercream:

4 ounces cream cheese

½ cup butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk or cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.

2. In a electric stand mixer, gently combine oil, eggs and vanilla extract.

3. Add in about 1/3 of the cake mix and mix until combined.

4. Add Buttermilk and mix until combined.

5. Add another third of the cake mix.

6. Add sour cream, then final third of cake mix.

7. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

8. German Chocolate Frosting: On medium heat in a sauce pan, constantly stir evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter until thickened. (Basically, until it boils and it will take approximately 10 minutes.) Stir in vanilla extract, pecans and coconut. Then transfer to a large bowl and stick in the fridge to cool.

9. Chocolate Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes. Add cocoa, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Let beat for 3 minutes. add milk. If it is too thin, add powdered sugar. Or if it is not dark enough, add more cocoa.

10. Pipe Chocolate Buttercream around the edge of the cupcakes to create a barrier, and scoop a small amount of cooled German Chocolate Frosting into the center.

And then you can enjoy...

Nico's and Emily's Birthday Party

2011-12-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

My kid's birthdays are 3 days apart, therefore I decided to throw them a birthday party together. I decided on a carnival theme, since it is gender neutral.

I had so much fun planning it, I started thinking and gathering ideas 3 months before the party on pinterest. It had to be an indoor party since it is December.

Take a look on how it turned, warning that there is a picture overload :)

I bought 3 yards of this red stripe fabric from IKEA for the background

Chocolate Cupcakes, you can find the recipe here

Vanilla Cupcakes, you can find the recipe here

Cake Pops, you can find my tutorial on how to make these here

I bought the lollipops on Amazon

I bought these popcorn containers at Target in the dollar bins

I wanted to have a "photo booth" for lots of fun and silly pictures

I found some free printables here and here

I used 2 large foam poster boards

I taped them together and glued blue stripes to cover the seam and create a fun bright backdrop

me and my hubby

my daughter AKA the birthday girl

I bought these foam masks on Amazon for the kids to play with while I got the food ready

For food we had:

Baked Potato wedges

Italian hotdogs for the adults and plain hotdogs for the kids

veggie cups

Bean bag toss game

Some empty cans, a little bit of scrap paper and you have yourself:

I also made the pinata:

Party hats that I made

Birthday Girl:

I made a Rainbow cake, I saw this here

Instead of a cake mix, I just used my vanilla cupcake recipe

Birthday Boy:

presents!

That wraps it up!

We had such a great time, I can not wait until next year!

My Baby Boy is One!

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

My little Baby Boy has turned one year old! I still can not believe how fast the year has gone!

I am so grateful that I have been given the opportunity to stay home with my children this year, being a stay at home mom has been truly a blessing, I get to see my baby's firsts myself, I get to cuddle in bed with my kids in the morning, most of all, I get to give them the care and attention they need.

A few updates on the little man:

He walks while holding on to things (couch, wall, chair) but still not by himself

He stands up and manages to stand for a few seconds on his own

He climbs upstairs and down stairs all by himself

He gives kisses and waves good bye

I am still nursing him, although a lot less since he is eating more real food

He takes 2 naps a day (usually at 11am and 5pm)

We are still cloth diapering

He is such a sugar booger, I love him so much !

Here is my little guy at one month:

Two months old:

three months old:

4 months old:

5 months old:

6 months old:

7 months old:

8 months old:

9 months old:

10 months old:

11 months old:

12 months old: