this is a blog about memory keeping, funny stories & baked goods i make, and do my best not to eat. proper capitalization is always optional.

1.31.2011

life: you know i'm bad....


don't act like i'm the only one excited about this!!!
you know your 80's lovin', micheal jackson dancin', kid inside is excited about this!

no?




how about now?

ok, so maybe i am the only one who used to hijack my mom's record player,
  blast my 'thriller' record & dance around in my leotard back then.

in my defense i was like 6.

maybe it's lame to be that excited about this game....
ahh... who am i kidding....
I TOTALLY WANT IT!!! :)
(and i'm okay with that!)

xo-k

1.30.2011

recipe: beer & cheddar potato chowder

it's been one of those kind of weeks.
you know the ones that seem to run on forever.
i know i shouldn't complain... i mean i get to stay at home with my children right?
but, it's been a looong week.

add to that my husband has been working all weekend & that i have a SERIOUS case of the dropsy's, you can imagine how much fun it's been.

i have dropped & spilled: two bottles (one of which was all over the baby carrier), mod podge, glitter, stew, formula, coffee, dressing, cereal.... i think that's about it.

so i've been all about cleaning things over & over again. sounds like fun right? ya. not so much.

SO. with the multiple cleanings & the hubs working late.. one pot soups & stews has been the go to dinner choice around here.

we had chicken & wild rice soup on monday. beef stew on wednesday. and beer & cheddar potato chowder friday.

























the chowder was VERY good. (much better the first day than leftovers tonight)
it's a slow cooker recipe from betty crocker.
since i'm sort of on the outs with my camera (my pc is not recognizing the USB cord)
this little picture from my phone is all you get.
but you can get the recipe here.

i did manage to finish another valentine's day gift. (go me)
i hope to have pictures up tomorrow. (if you are interested)
is there anyone out there? (leave me a comment, i'm kinda feeling like i'm talking to myself.)

see ya tomorrow.
xo-k

1.29.2011

diy: valentine's day glitter frame.

i wanted to share this little project with you sooner...
but if this week has taught me one thing, it's that just when you THINK you are going to  have free time..
either a) your 4 month old is going to be clingy & whiny
b) you are going to drop & mess up the first try & have to do it again
or c) forget to take pictures of a step & have to repeat it again.

but i finished.
and the pictures are ehhh..
i was modpodging & clicking pictures in between feeding & changing my clothes repeatedly.

even with all that. this is a SUPER simple project.


valentine's day glitter frame:

 supplies:
-wood frames from michaels ($1 each)
-chunky glitter (kid's section $2.99)
-paint or spray paint
-foam brush
-mod podge
-transparency (optional)


1. first, paint your frame. i used spray paint only because i already had it on hand. the glitter covers pretty well, but i didn't want to fuss with glitter on the sides & around the heart, so i painted it all.


2. once your paint dries completely, put your frame inside of a baking pan or sheet & cover well with mod podge, you want a pretty thick but even coat.
(and your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. :) i had 4 frames, two square & two rectangle)


 3. shake your glitter all over your frame lightly pressing the glitter down to ensure it sticks.


 4. once your frame is covered in glitter you want to set it off to the side to dry a little. i didn't think to get a picture of it, but once you are done covering your frames in glitter you can dump the extra glitter from the pan back into your container. helps be cost effective & KINDA keep the glitter from ending up everywhere... well.. maybe not. i have glitter everywhere :)


 5. once you've allowed the frame to set for a few hours (just to ensure the glitter sticks & doesn't come up during this step) you want to apply another layer of mod podge to the top to seal it & ensure glitter doesn't continue to show up around your house :)


6. using the paper heart insert that was originally in your frame, place it on top of a 5x7 picture & trace around it. OPTIONAL: the frame doesn't come with a glass or plastic piece. if you want your photo protected you can trace the heart onto a transparency & place that over your picture.

simple. pretty cheap. & easy.
(even if you are juggling dinner & a baby & a 6 year old)

xo- k

ps- more valentine's projects coming. keep your eyes open ;)

linking to these parties:
tatertots & jello
whipperberry

1.27.2011

food: heaven in a jar


my 'try something new it won't kill you' mantra has landed me smack dab in nutella heaven.
ever feel like...once you tried something new, that you had been missing out by not trying it sooner?
i can't say i was afraid of trying nutella because, well c'mon that'd just be silly.
but seriously, i just never thought about picking it up.

I WAS MISSING OUT.

i like hazelnut, i like cocoa. i'm even down with drinking skim milk.
so why not sooner?
well, i'm going to blame it on my mama, for never buying it.
(just kidding mom!)
seriously though..
i'm a creature of habit, and don't venture out much to try new foods, mostly because i'm a picky eater.
but having tried sushi, i figured i would survive tasting this.

and mostly i just wanted to find out why julie of joy's hope went on & on about this stuff.

I TOTALLY GET IT.

& this stuff has a cult following.
there is even a world nutella day.
(it's february 5th in case you are curious :)
it's crazy.
it's kinda like sophisticated peanut butter.
that's having an affair with chocolate.
it's so creamy.
it's just.........

.....ok. i have to go get a spoonful right now.
& you should too!
(you can thank me later!)

xo-k




1.24.2011

recipe: chicken & wild rice soup.

(so easy a caveman could do it)
yes i just said that.
but it's true.



i've always considered the ability to concoct a good soup or stew as some talent held at arms length from me. like figuring the correct proportions of liquid to substance as some mythic ratio i couldn't wrap my head around.

but i've slowly added soup & stew making to my cooking repertoire. i'm a stew & soup lover, so i'm pretty excited about that... & who isn't up for a meal you can cook in one pot?

one thing to note. when you set out to make a stew. really read the cooking time.
i was all set to make this soup yesterday, had everything set up & ready to go.... then i noticed it said 'cooking time: 8 hours'.

WHA?!?!




ya. shifting gears at 430pm, not so good. luckily we had just been to the grocery store & so the hubs saved the day cooking freshly purchased steaks.

so today after the dude was dropped off to school & the babe was fed & happy i started in on making this soup.

i looked for a online link, (it's an old recipe cut out) but since i wasn't successful... here it is, with my changes in parenthesis.

chicken & wild rice soup





















- 1 lb chicken cut up into 1" pieces (it said thighs, i used boneless skinless breast)
- 2 cans cream of potato soup
- 14 oz chicken broth
- 10 oz bag of frozen chopped onions (i diced up one medium onion instead)
- 1 cup of wild rice uncooked (i used long grain & wild because i already had it)
- 1 cup half & half

1. put chicken in crock pot. mix up all remaining ingredients except half & half & pour over chicken. set crock pot on low & cook for 7-8 hours or until juice from cut chicken runs clear. (i cut it to 6 hours & it was fine)





















2. once chicken is cooked through, stir in half & half, then turn crock pot up to high setting. cook for 15-30 minutes or until hot.


























viola! (told you. so easy a caveman can do it) :)


*it did note that if you reheat the soup, to do it over the stove on low heat & continue to stir to prevent curdling. (eek!)

xo-k

ps. i have some valentine's day ideas roaming around in my brain... but i'm wondering how to work out the logistics of making it with enough time to share the ideas & not having extras sitting around in my house to tempt me!

pss. do you have a soup or stew recipe? i'd love to add some new ones to my collection that are tried & true! please, link it up or email me! :)

1.21.2011

scrapbooking: more pages

i pretty much almost had heart failure yesterday when i tried to download pictures of my pages off my camera yesterday (i don't like the way the scanner colors everything). my laptop wasn't recognizing my USB cord. ISN'T recognizing it.

i guess it's a good thing we now have THREE computers in our house. yes, three. santa & dada conspired against me to leave a third on christmas morning.

so after panic & fear took hold of me, i restarted my computer & then leapt over to the hubs pc to try & download everything before some other piece of technology decided to revolt. (ie: my memory card)

once i got all that settled i had just enough time to get a few of my pages blogged & the babe woke up. (he was really needy yesterday, surprised i got anything accomplished)

so here are the remainder. (again if you a scrapbooker & want supply info click here.)






remember what i said about technology revolting? ya. stupid blogger. the last four pages won't upload.






FINALLY!

hope you have an awesome weekend! :)

xo-k

1.20.2011

diy: beach memories in a jar

i know not everyone wants to sit down & glue pictures to paper & write stories. scrapbooking is not for everyone. my best bud christina takes ALMOST as many pictures as i do, but never does much with them, other than having them printed out. and that's okay. me personally, i like the stories that go with my pictures just as much as the pictures themselves. (and i'm kinda crazy about paper & stickers as well)

i'm not gonna lie, i have no idea how long ago i saw this idea featured in a country living magazine. (truth be told it could have even been a southern living or martha stewart magazine.. i don't remember) all i know is it stuck with me.



what is this idea? well, what the woman in this article had was a wall in her living room, covered in shelves, lined with clear glass spice jars. and those little jars were labeled with a place & a date &  filled with about a handful or more of sand. there were jars with snow white sand, black sand, volcanic rock, pebbles & everything in between. it was like a snapshot of each trip her family had made.

i decided to put my own spin on it. i liked the little jars, as they were more 'space friendly' but i like collecting shells as well, and i obviously couldn't squeeze shells into those little things. (not to mention i have a slight fascination with mason jars.) so i figured i could upsize to a mason jar & put a little sand as well as some shells in it.


(there are some jars that have just shells. we found so many at st. joesph's state park i couldn't part with any!)

so back in... 2005 i started my 'beach jar' collection. i have just a handful of jars. a trip to st. simons island, ga. two to cocoa beach. one to port st joe beach, fl. one to mexico city beach, fl. they each have a little sand & some shells we collected, along with a label on top of where it was & the month & year.

sometimes i feel a little silly whipping out my ziploc bag & scooping in beach sand as passersby eye me, but in the end it's worth it to have a little time capsule of our trip that sits on my dresser as a reminder of lazy happy family days :)

xo-k

ps- in case you are curious.. we only take shells that do not having living creatures inside them :)

1.19.2011

scrapbook pages.

i've been trying to get some of the scrapbook pages i did this weekend up for the last two days.
BUT...
since i left my three boys at home by themselves this weekend to go to the scrapbooking retreat..
(you know the next part..)
it's taken me just a little bit to get the house back to some normal state of disaster

so here they are.






i have a few more i'm going to post..
but right now i have a little one hollering at me for lunch!

xo-k
ps- if you are a scrapper & have any questions about supplies i used look here for a full list under each page! :) 

1.13.2011

life: did you know?

i love my mom.
& i know she means well.
but she is CONSTANTLY feeding me little tidbits concerning weight loss.
it's always.. "i was reading in this magazine"
or... "i read this email"
or... "i saw on tv"
i always hear her out, but very rarely do i apply what she tells me.
it's not outright disregard, it's more like not remembering what she said.

but i remember a few things.
and i've tried to start implementing them in my new diet.
(or 'lifestyle change' because i'm trying to overhaul the way we eat)

for instance...
did you know that cinnamon is a metabolism booster?
it is. my mama told me so. and good housekeeping says so too.






















i just sprinkle it on top of a lightly buttered piece of whole wheat toast.
it doesn't add much flavor (without the sugar part of course) but it doesn't taste bad...
& it's a jump start for my day.
i've put it over peanut butter as well...
but if you don't like cinnamon, they make it in capsules you can take like a pill.
no joke. (my mom bought them for me, told you she was thoughtful :)

over the years she has also told me that..
spicy foods speed up metabolism
olive oil targets belly fat
high fiber diets work best
something about apple cider vinegar...
the list goes on & on (more of which are here: burning belly fat)

so. my mama told me & now i'm telling you.
do with the information what you will :)
(SEE MOM I DO LISTEN... sometimes! :)

xo-k

1.12.2011

life: i am

when i'm not blogging...
i am:

washing bottles: wash. use. repeat.

loading & unloading the dishwasher. repeat. 

trying to get some sort of organization going in the dude's room.
we really could have done without new toys. 
his room is like a lego mine-field.
(please tell me you know what i'm talking about)

cutting up these tshirts that were destined for goodwill.
(hopefully i'll show you what became of them soon!)

 learning to live with this in my life.
(it's been easier than i thought it would be.)


and trying desperately to keep up with laundry.
but i figured i'd spare you the picture of my husbands boxer-briefs.
(i think you'll both appreciate that!)

the babe had his 4 month well check tuesday
& has been a cranky mess since his shots.
(he's growing & doing well btw)

finished going through memorabilia...
moving onto packing up for a scrapbook retreat this weekend.
i will have a crafty project up on this blog this week, so help me.

xo-k
ps. thanks for sticking with me through the boring stuff :)

1.10.2011

recipe: beef & onion stew

that'd be an ALMOST empty pot.
an almost empty pot of beef & onion stew....
that is TO DIE FOR.


i made myself a note on the recipe last time i made it to double the recipe for leftovers.
i should have followed my own advice.
there was hardly enough left to take a picture of..
(hey, we were hungry!)
let alone left for lunch tomorrow...

& it's SOO easy to make.
it's just a few of these:


and some of this:
 and just a little of this:

along with some olive oil, beef stock, brown sugar, flour & some herbs.

what?
you'd like the recipe?
ohhh.. well i guess i can share.
the recipe that is...
there obviously isn't anymore stew! 

so here it is: beef & onion stew

make it. you won't regret it!
(and you can thank me later!)

xo-k

ps- once again pictures are from my camera phone. i've become too lazy to pull out a real camera. so sad..
pss- back to work on my memorabilia sorting. post on that tomorrow!

1.09.2011

life: winding down

as the weekend comes to a close, i have next weeks 'to do' list forming in my head.
it involves taking the babe in for his 4 month well check (what?!)
working on my cookbook, & starting to tackle my mom's
continuing to type up recipes for a family project
packing up my scrapbooking supplies for a retreat this weekend (SO excited!)
possibly making a prototype necklace for myself
(etsy & craft shows be warned!)
& taking care of the daily stuff.

this weekend has been a bit of a whirlwind.
friday the hubs was off, so we made the best of our one-child time & did the bi-weekly grocery shopping.
then some how a trip to walmart to pick up a sleeping bag for the hubs hunting trip in a few weeks turned into a night of he & mason camping out in the backyard.
it was unplanned & just totally enjoyable honestly.
we roasted hot dogs & marshmallows over a little backyard bonfire.
i gave in & gave up my attempts at pictures because they were virtually impossible without a flash,
& that just seemed to wash-out the rustic & campy feeling the setting had.
it was a trial camping run. mason has never camped out.
(our tent. which we bought 8 years ago. has NEVER been used)
rance & i were warm & cozy sleeping inside. (in case you were curious!)
hopefully when warmer weather comes
& rance has a few more months under his belt we are going to attempt camping for real.
i'm looking forward to little camping adventures :)

i've got some laundry to finish up today
& then we hope to snuggle up as a family
& watch a movie after dinner tonight before we start a new week.

i'll just leave you with these images.
(of poor quality i know, because i was trying to be all stealth-like with my camera phone)

notice anything??......... no?

how 'bout now?!
yes. my 6 year old son climbed into the crib with my 4 month old.
& the smile didn't come until after i told him i wasn't mad, but he needed to get out!

hope you had a wonderful weekend!
xo-k

ps- i'm being called to supervise tent folding. must go where i am needed! :)

1.06.2011

life: my job doesn't have sick days.


i guess that's the way it goes though, huh?
upside is your home with the little loves of your life...
downside is that when you are sick.. you are home with the little loves of your life..
trying not to breathe on them.

DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS NOT TO KISS THIS FACE?!
it's pretty dang hard.
every time i hold him i wanna kiss his little cheeks.
it's tough, & i think he's beginning to wonder if i've gotten his face confused with the back of his head.

but i haven't.

i started with a slight fever on sunday & it's just been downhill from there.
i'll spare you the nitty gritty details. 
(you can thank me later)
but i've been spending free time in bed vs. actually being productive.

i have a few things i wanted to blog about..
memory keeping for the NON scrapbooker
project 52

here's hoping i can get my act together soon.

xo-k

1.04.2011

one little word: moxie

i made a list of things i'd like to do in 2011.
i said it was more like a 'to do' list then a resolutions list.
keeping resolutions seems intimidating.
(and then if you don't follow through it seems like such a disappointment.)

well, if you are one of those people that is sorta scared of resolutions...
 then this idea might be for you.
one little word.
it's an idea ali edwards started.
i hopped on the bandwagon in 2008.

in 2008 my word was 'be'.
in 2009 it was 'peace'.
in 2010 it was 'persevere'.

my words have sort of evolved from still & quiet words..
 to words of strength... words of action.

in 2010 i knew we had some rough roads ahead.
i knew there were challenges in front of us, that couldn't be avoided.
i was determined not to give up or give in, but to hit them head on.
and i was successful, surprising even myself. (well mostly myself)

 i was so surprised at how strong i came out on the other side,
that by the end of the year i started FINDING things to challenge myself with.
the personal growth felt good.
so good, that i decided that'd be my goal for 2011.
to challenge myself.
to grow as a person.

so when i started thinking about my 2011 word it started off as 'learn'.
but that felt a little flat.
then it became 'seek'.
that didn't seem to have the tenacity i was looking for.
then i thought about 'try'.
because we are in the thick of trying to encourage mason to TRY things, regardless of the outcome.
but that really didn't fit because i wanted to succeed at the things that i was trying.

so i sat with my thoughts.
january 1st rolled around & i still didn't have my word.
i was sorta bummed, but again determined it was out there.

and then it hit me.
it was sassy & determined all rolled into one.
it was 'no guts no glory'.
it was MOXIE.



that's what 2011 is about.
MOXIE.

xo- k

ps. i challenge you to pick a word. think about what you want out of life this year. a change you want to make in yourself. check out the link to ali's site. & then leave me a comment & let me know what you want outta life this year! 

1.01.2011

life: so long twenty-ten.

2010 was a busy year for us.
a happy year.  
a squeeze the life out of every second kinda year.

in january.

we rang in the new year in georgia & i finally got my little boy + railroad tracks picture.
we found out we were pregnant with baby#2 on my grandmother's birthday
& it snowed florida for the first time in a long time.

 in february.


we got our first glimpse at baby#2.
 in march.


we celebrated easter with family & i got one of my all time favorite pictures of the dude.

 in april.


mason ditched the swimmies & started swimming on his own.
& we went to a bridal shower for my soon to be sister in law shea.
& the hubs went to a semi-bachelor party for my brother.
(from what i hear it's good we don't have pictures!)

 in may.

my dad graduated with his bachelor's in criminal justice.
(that's my brother, his wife & my mom with him)
we went to the blue crab festival where the boys ate way too much fried seafood.

my brother & shea got married. it was such an AWESOME experience.
& mason (my baby!) turned 6 & nana & papa bought him a four wheeler.  


in june.

we had mason's 6th birthday party. & he was sick & grumpy.
he lost his 5th tooth.
he graduated kindergarden.
& we spent father's day in cocoa beach with my brother's new in-laws.  

in july.

we had a low-key fourth & i got some of my best firework pictures to date.
mason finished his last week of summer camp. it was an experience he loved!  

and i severly sprained my ankle.
at almost 8 months pregnant.
i was swollen & hot & VERY unhappy.

in august.


mason started first grade.
& my baby shower went down with tons of friends & family present.
(and i was still sporting that stupid air-cast)

 in september.

our beautiful baby boy rance made his entrance into the world.
& stephen's grandmother stayed with us for 2 weeks.
it was a wonderful time.
in october.


rance's first halloween. mason was a pirate & rance was the 'booty'.
rance turned 1 month old.
we went to our first corn maze. it got dark fast & i was scared to death.
& i made chicken & dumplings for the first time.
in november.

rance turned 2 months old.
& we made the decision that i would not return to work after my maternity leave.

mason got honor roll for the first time (it's not given in k5)

in december.

mom & i traveled to see family we hadn't seen in 20 something years.
(it was something that waited far too long!)

& this guy rode his bike for the first time without training wheels.


& it was our first christmas with these two new family members.
 rance & shea
can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us.

xo-k
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