Diary of a Rather Crafty Girl

Where oh where has the time gone??? I am officially 27 weeks pregnant now! And I feel gigantic. At last count I had gained 18 pounds... but that was a few weeks ago. We haven't really done anything for the baby so I'm startig to stress a little. However, Gaggy is coming at Thanksgiving to help us get everything going. I've still got to make a list of all the little pink things that I need to buy before baby girl arrives.

It is getting increasingly more difficult to pick Lex up and I think he is starting to catch onto the fact that something is going on because he is going through a jealous phase. He doesn't want anyone to get close to me and he freaks out if I pick up another child.

~oh the joys of parenthood~

These are the cupcakes that I made for the Halloween Party last saturday. I think they turned out super cute. I bought these little cupcake picks at Joann's.

Today I'm making Mrs. Spider Tea Cakes for Melanie's class at MDO tomorrow. I'll post photos later. Hopefully they will turn out cute.

Yummy Stir Fry

Well, we've decided to repaint the office before Tim moves in. I am really excited about it getting a new look. We've decided to go with a periwinkle-ish blue which normally I would hate but I'm really liking it. We went to Ace Hardware tonight and got a sample of the color and I painted a square on the wall. Our large furniture is black so I think this color will look nice and it will definitely brighten up the office. Next thing we're going to have to look into new lighting. We have a ceiling fan with one light in here but it is horrible. I'm thinking I made make a trip over to the ReStore to see what they have.

When we got back I made a quick stir fry with eggrolls and steamed jasmine rice. It was so yummy. I used a can of baby corn, sliced pork,  green beans, and red, yellow and green bell peppers. It was super tasty.

Mushrooms really would have made it perfect but I forgot to buy them at the store. Oh well, we'll have those next time. Hope everyone has a super night!

A Storms a Brewing

Not too much going on this week. Tim is home today since the tropical storm came through. It rained a bit but not really enough to mention. A quiet uneventful day really.

Lex is watching Nemo for the 5 millionth time b/c he decided he didn't want to take a nap. He does this often when Tim is home.

The UPS man delivered me some goodies today. I ordered 3 new pair of maternity pants and they fit like a charm. Two are capris which makes me so happy b/c all I have had is jeans and it is so stinkin' hot here. Thankfully I haven't had to be out in it too much.  Anywho, we're officially 15 weeks now (I had us off by a week somehow). We go to the doctor on monday for our 16 week checkup - nothing exciting. We'll have our big ultrasound the next visit sometime the beginning of September. And YES we'll definitely find out what it is. I am way too impatient to wait. =)

I've been working on Lex's big boy room this week. I'm working on an i-spy quilt for his new toddler bed. (pictures to come when I charge my camera up) I'm using lots of scraps of juvenile prints that I had. And I ordered a huge panel of a map with animals all over it for the backing. It is going to be super cute and he already loves telling me what all of the animals are.

Anywho, hope everyone is having a great week.

6 month update

Lots, lots and lots more going on around Casa de Simmons. I really should update more often. I'm going to try to start blogging at least 2-4 times a week like I used to.

Our little tiger has started to crawl. Geez! He is just growing up too quick. He's only 6 months ... I thought I would have at least a few more months until we had to deal with baby proofing. He's also pulling up on all the furniture now too so I'm thinking he's probably going to be an early walker as well. Every day I just feel so blessed to have Tim and Lex. They both just fill my heart every day.

So, at 6 months Lex has so many new tricks...
• He's ticklish on the back of his neck.
• He can crawl super fast
• He laughs all the time
• He started eating meat and pasta
• He loves cereal puffs and gerber wagon wheels.
• He started going to Mother's Day Out at our church and he finger paints almost every day.
• He wears 12-18 month clothes
• He is 20 lbs 12 oz.
• He wears a size 4 shoe!
• He loves to bounce, bounce, bounce...

• and he still doesn't sleep through the night.....

While I haven't been doing much scrapbooking lately I have been making little girl outfits using recycled jeans and I'm taking orders for the holidays now. If you are interested in a Thanksgiving or Christmas themed outfit or just a cute little outfit let me know. (These frames are from Theres K at PolkaDotPotato).

I got my business cards/clothes tags for these and i am so excited about them. I think they are precious. The first image is of an outfit I made for a little girl's birthday outfit. She wore it to her 2nd birthday party.

I tried some cutesy little ponytail holders to use up some of my fabric scraps and I think they turned out great. I'm going to send them to my nieces. And I'll have matching ones for every custom ordered outfit as well.

Last weekend we went to a friends 60th birthday party. It was so much fun and the food was delicious. This is the only picture I had of us. Tim is looking at me like i'm crazy or something. The party was at the Spanish Flowers in the Heights.

I haven't done a lot of once a month cooking lately because it has just been too darn hot to use the oven much.
However, I made this the other day and it tasted great and is super quick and easy. It freezes great too.

LASAGNE CASSEROLE

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-16 oz. package pasta shells, cooked (I cooked it 2/3 of the way done.)
6 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
24 ounce cottage cheese, grated
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs
2 tbl. parsley
3-28 oz. jars spaghetti sauce

Assembly instructions:
Cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Sprinkle with salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine pasta, 3 cups mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining pepper; stir gently. Combine with beef mixture and spaghetti sauce.

Package in quantities for your family. Freeze additional cheese in a ziplock bag and attach to casseroles. I made 4 - 8 inch round disposable pans full - covered the pans in foil then put them in a ziploc and froze.

To Serve: Thaw. Pour into baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Poundcake and Chili - Yummy!

Geez, I haven't posted in a while so I have tons to post. I haven't been doing much lately. Gaggy came in for a visit over Labor Day and we had a great time. We didn't do much but it was great to just spend some time with her. She taught me a few new sewing tricks too that I had been needing to learn. I snapped some really cute pics of her and Lex.

Last week Lex and I ventured over to the neighborhood park to check out the playground. Lex loved the baby swings. He checked out every link of the chain, every screw and every little piece of plastic. I love this picture that I got of him... kind of half smiling but just chillin'.

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This recipe came out of the "Tried and True Recipes" Cookbook by The Cavaliers of Calvary Baptist Church Petal, Mississippi 1997

This cake was awesome. I made it for our Sunday School open house on Sunday.

Blueberry Pound cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup of oil
3 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries

Mix well. Add blueberries. Bake at 325 degrees in greased bundt pan for 1 hour.

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This fantastic chili is from Emeril's "Prime Time Emeril". Well, I changed it up a little to make it easier/quicker to make. For instance, instead of making dried beans I used canned. The chili turned out wonderful and it is pretty good for you too. =)

Turkey Yum-Yum Chili

2 tablespoons  olive oil
1 to 1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons cayenne
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 28 oz. can diced petite tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 can white beans with jalapenos
1 can black beans
4 cups Chicken Stock

Heat the oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the turkey loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until they soften, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos, and garlic and cook to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the white beans, black beans, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, about 45 minutes. Serve over corn chips with sour cream, cheese and green onions.

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I've got lots of new products that I'm going to be adding to etsy soon. Hopefully I will get them up tonight or tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Sew what's been goin' on?

Ok gals, my blog is the feature on Today's Creative Blog. Isn't that just the coolest!?! Kim has some fantastic inspiration on her blog so go check it out.

Bows, Bows and More Bows. I've got lots of new bows in my etsy store and I'm working on a lot more. The ones up now are pretty plain bows but I'm working on lots more with fancier double and triple ribbons. I'm also working on some Halloween and Christmas bows as well.

I've been sewing up a storm and am going to have lots and lots of cutesy Halloween items in the next few days. I made a really cute little pair of pants that I'll have up on etsy later today. They are size 12-18 M from Old Navy. If I had a little girl I would make all of her pants look like these - I think they are just precious. Thank goodness I have nieces to make such cute stuff for. I need to make a little onesie to match these pants - maybe one with a bird on it.

Lex has 2 teeth now and they are so cute but sharp as razors. Any advice on breastfeeding and biting would be really helpful. =) He's also trying to crawl but gets really frustrated because he can only go in reverse. However, he has learned how to scoot on his butt while sitting. It is just the craziest thing but he can really move that way. I love the little smile he has in this picture.

Also I've found a few awesome crafty websites lately that I thought I would pass along to everyone. Happy Crafting!

Sew Mama Sew
Craftster

MIA but back

Gee-willikers it has been forever since I posted last. So much has been going on and I've got tons of pictures to post. As always I'll start with my favorite cutie...

Lex is officially 4 months today and he's growing like a weed. He went to the doctor today for shots and a check-up. He weighed 17 pounds 11 ounces!!! He's in the 95% for weight and the 75% for height. Tomorrow is going to be his first day to eat rice cereal and I can't wait to take lots of cutie-patootie pictures of his messy little face. =) Here are a few of the latest pictures that I've taken of him. I think the one with the burp cloth on his head is precious.

We went over to the Daughdrills for the 4th of July and had a blast. Lex hung out with his best bud Nathan while Mom and Dad enjoyed the rest of the YC. YUM... hot dogs and fireworks. Fun Fun Fourth of July! Heather, sorry to include such a goofy picture of you but I thought it was great. =)

Here are a few of the crafty projects that I've been working on. I finally got to do girly burp clothes... yippee. A whole set of kitty cat clothes. I think they turned out really cute.
Also, I kind of screwed up another crafty project but it turned out super cute to match the burp clothes. I needed a white onesie to go with some of Lex's overalls so I bought a package of 5. I wanted to snazzy a few up so that they weren't so boring so I found this super cute silver stud iron on skull and cross bones. I ironed it on and was thinking it was fabulous until Tim pointed out that they eyes are hearts... DUH... it is for a girl. So I added some punky ruffles to the butt and I think it turned out pretty cute. I'm sending it over to my best friend who has a little girl. I'm sure Katie will rock it super cute.

Baptism Weekend

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. The last two weeks have been crazy around here. My mom and grandmother came for the weekend as well as Tim's aunt who stayed until yesterday. I was so happy to see all of them but especially Mom & Gaggy since I don't get to see them very often. They all had a blast with the baby. They helped me out so much with all of the preparations for Lex's Baptism Reception. We did a lot of shopping on Saturday too which was super fun. Children's Orchard which is a children's resale shop was having a $5 bag sale. We stuffed 6 bags full of clothes for Lex and for my best friend's little girl, Katie. We got so many cute little outfits - many that still had the original tags on them. I was super excited about all of the stuff that I found.

Lex's baptism was Sunday and he was just perfect. His little outfit that Mrs. Ruth made was simply beautiful on him and he didn't spit up or cry during church. What a blessing! The service was beautiful and of course I was holding back tears - proud mommy tears.

After the service we had a great little reception at our house with friends and family. I can't even begin to express how blessed we are to have friends like we do. We love them all so much. I've uploaded an entire album of photo but these are a few photos that I really liked. I especially love the one of Lex and his very best friend Nathan. Aren't they both just the cutest 2 little boys you've ever seen. I think they are precious.

I worked so hard on the food for the shower and I think it turned out fantastic. I hope everyone else felt the same. The cake turned out nice too. If you scroll down to the post with all of the recipes I've updated them with pictures of the recipes after we made them.

Some other fun news too.... The website that I ordered my burp cloth tags from, NameMaker,  is spotlighting my blog this month because I won their monthly contest. Make sure to check them out because they have awesome products!

A very productive week

Not too much going on around the Simmons house this week. Tim had a board meeting at church last night and I took Lex to watch the YC softball game. The game was canceled but we had fun hanging out with everyone. I can't believe that Lex is almost the same size as Marc & Heather's little boy, Nathan. Nathan is 10 weeks older than Lex. I weighed him this morning and it said 14.6 pounds... but that is with clothes on so he's probably a little less. Geez, he's only 8 weeks old! My little chunky monkey is getting big. Here is a cute new picture of him.

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I made an appetizer this weekend from Robert St. John's cookbook. I think his recipes are brilliant. If you don't own his cookbook you should get one or all of them. My favorites are Deep South Staples and Deep South Parties. I made this one and put it in the freezer. I baked a few for Tim & I and they are fabulous! I can't wait to make the Hot Pepper Jelly Sauce to go with them. I just know they are going to be to die for with it.

BAKED SHRIMP TOAST
1 qt water
1 tsp crab boil
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups small shrimp
1 eight-oz. package cream cheese (i used reduced fat)
1 Tbl onion, finely minced
1/2 cup homemade mayo or top quality store bought
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1 tsp Creole mustard
2 Tbl green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 small loaf French Bread, cut into 1 inch rounds

Note: I skipped step 1 and used leftover shrimp from a shrimp boil that we had.

1. In a saucepan, bring the water, crab boil, and salt to a boil. Cook the shrimp thoroughly, drain and cool. When shrimp has cooled, rough chop into small pieces.

2. Combine all remaining ingredients except the French Bread. Add shrimp.

3. Spread a thick layer of the shrimp mixture onto the French bread rounds. Place rounds on a baking sheet and freeze. When completely frozen, transfer to an airtight plastic bag.

4. To cook: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove from freezer. Place on baking sheet and cook 15 minutes.

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PEPPER JELLY DIPPING SAUCE

1 Cup water
1/4 cup red chili pepper flakes
1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed
1 Tbl garlic, minced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 Tbl water
2 Tbl corn starch

1. Bring water to boil in small saucepan. Stir in the chili flakes and simmer 5 minutes. Strain flakes, set aside, and discard water.

2. Place the bell pepper and the garlic in a small, stainless-steel sauce pan with the vinegars and simmer 5-6 minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly, then puree in a blender. Return pureed mixture to the saucepan and add the sugar and the corn syrup. Bring the mixture back to a simmer.

3. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and blend into the bell pepper mixture. Once it returns to a simmer, remove from heat. Stir in the red chili-pepper flakes and chill.

4. May be made a week in advance.

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I haven't really done a cooking sessions since Lex arrived so today is my planning day. We've still got a bit in the freezer but I've got to reorganize and figure out a plan and I've got to get a menu together for Lex's Baptism party. Yippee. I'm doing a really cute cake for him and I can't wait.

Speaking of cakes... I'm doing a Lamb cake for the Breaux's baby shower on the 2nd. They are doing farm animals in the nursery so I think this is going to be so cute. I hope they like it. My mom was getting rid of all of her cake pans so she let me have them. My brother is coming this week and bringing them and I am so excited. She has tons of shaped cake pans ... bunnies, puppies, hearts, scarecrows, etc. Now I just have to clean out my kitchen and find a place to put all of them. (as if i need any more kitchen paraphernalia)

I've had a little time lately to be crafty lately. I found a pattern for the baby sling and decided to try my hand at it. I think it turned out super cute and it actually fits better than the ones that i bought. I of course made burpies with matching fabric also.

Well, I'm sure I'm forgetting to post something. If I remember I'll try to post again soon. =)

 

Bad Blogger/Tired Mom Update

My sweet little man is getting so big so fast. Lex is sleeping in his crib now but is waking up every one - two hours to eat. He's 7 1/2 weeks now and he's getting so big. I think maybe he's going through a growth spurt because all he wants to do is eat. He is starting to have his own little personality and he's just precious.

I haven't had much of a chance to update my blog lately other than adding new pictures of Lex to his album ... I would probably get in trouble with all of the grandparents if I didn't do that every day or so. =) However, today I'm going to update on some of the craftiness that I've been up to and a few more new baby products that I'm loving right now.

I found socks that will actually stay on my little mans feet so I bought every kind they had. They came from Target. Unfortunately, all of the packages are blue/red color schemes. I hope I can find some green/yellow ones soon.

I also got my sling in the mail and absolutely love it. I love it so much that I ordered a second one for when the first one is dirty. I swear this thing makes life so much easier when having to carry a little one into a store who doesn't like to be in the car seat. The first one I bought is from Hotslings. Tim took a really cute picture of Lex & I but the memory card went bonkers and we lost the photo so i took a goofy one in the mirror so that you all could see my nifty sling. I ordered my second one from Lucky-Baby. They are a bit cheaper but they have a built in seam pocket for car keys and they are reversible. I just got it in the mail today and it is great. I actually think I like the Lucky-Baby one better than my first one. I am definitely going to get Gaggy to help me make a pattern to start making some of these.

Yesterday we went to Babies R Us and got a mobile for my sweet Lex. Tim put it together last night and Lex loves it. We got one that plays classical music and has lots of moving pieces. He talked to it for about an hour this morning.

For some reason I've had a sweet tooth lately and really wanted pound cake so I grabbed my cook books and found a new recipe to try. It was absolutely delish (especially with the caramel sauce)!
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MAMA'S POUND CAKE
(from Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture alternately with milk, stating with flour and ending with flour. Add vanilla. Pour into greased and floured tube pan and bake 1 1/2 hours.

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MY MOM'S AWESOME CARAMEL SAUCE
This recipe is about the easiest thing ever and it is the absolute most awesome caramel sauce for ice cream or apples or cake or really anything. My mom always made it to go on angel food cake.

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Remove wrapper from can. Place can (unopened) into large pot. Fill pot with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 hours. Let can cool then open with can opener. Add milk and stir to get the consistency you desire.

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Since Lex is napping for longer periods of time during the day now I've been working on a few crafty projects - mainly more burp clothes for a few friends who have little ones. I made one set to send to Gaggy for a girl that is pregnant at her office. And of course I made some to send to Tracy because she thought they were really cute. I was really excited about it too because I finally got to make some for little girls.