A bedroom makeover? Sure!!

So I have been really trying hard to get the girls to keep their room clean.  Which is somewhat hypocritical considering what my room looks like.  So I am making an effort to clean (gut the crap) up my room.  I have been making the bed every day etc.  Lance comes home the other day and says we need to paint our room :) WOOOHOOOO!!  PERMISSION to redecorate.  I kinda went through a phase of wanting to change up the colors a couple of years ago.  Didn't end up doing it.  Our bedspread is really stained, the dust ruffle was colored on with pen, and it needs to go.  I did beige as a neutral before but this time I am thinking white.  I want a down comforter with a duvet cover that can be taken off and washed/bleached.  Our bedroom is quite small so I want to do something that will open it up and give it a bigger feel.  I think the stark white with some splashes of color will accomplish this.  However I have the hardest time choosing colors ACK!!  So here are a few things that I am liking, tell me which one is your fave.  You will see a reoccurring color that I am quite fond of right now.

 I like the middle three.

 The coral and the gray.

 This one is a little more orange than coral but I love the blue and dark grey with it.

I think this is my favorite with the coral the dark gray and the white.

Tell me what you think!!

In a Rut

So I have become a addict victim of Pinterest.  I have to admit that I spend more than my fair share of time sitting at the computer lately browsing through the glorious world of Pinterest.  I think you probably know what I am talking about and if you don't....  Get over there right now!!!  So I have been going a little stir crazy without any projects going on because the weather turned to cold to spray paint.  The bathroom is inches from being complete but I am waiting for some vinyl I ordered.  I digress.  So today I told the hubby I need to do something or I might just go crazy (well crazier than usual).  So I saw this shirt on Pinterest and knew I had to make it for the girls.  I was thinking that they would wear it on Thanksgiving but I don't think I can wait that long for them to wear it.  Click on this link for the tutorial.  I should have waited to take the pictures with them on the girls but they are asleep and I couldn't wait!!!

 Lainey loves giraffes so hers has a giraffe print.

 Lilly loves baby jaguars so hers has a jaguar print.

Another recipe, OK??

So lately I have posted a lot of recipes.  I am pregnant and food is playing a big roll in my world right now.  I am happy to admit that as of my last appointment I had only gained 1 pound.  Not bad for being 20 weeks along.  I however am a week out from my next appointment so we will see how much Halloween weight I have gained.  With that in mind here goes....  I mentioned pumpkin before.  I love it this time of year and try to cook with it as much as possible.  I have been craving a pumpkin spice steamer for weeks now.  I can't bring myself to buy one at Starbucks for 3.50.  Nor can I bring myself to buy a bottle of the flavoring.  I'm cheap I know, but groceries are expensive these days.  4.00 is almost 2 gallons of milk.  In a random search for something to make for dinner tonight I stumbled across a recipe to make your own pumpkin spice syrup.  Here is the recipe I found.  I was like I can do that, and I did only differently :)
So here is what I did, and we had it on our pancakes for dinner and it was delish.

3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (you could use white)
1 tsp pumpkin spice mix
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp pumpkin puree
Boil you water and add sugar.  Stir till disolved.  Add seasonings and pumpkin puree and cook for 5 minutes. Mine got rather thick and gooey.  Store in fridge.  Now you can have your own homemade pumpkin spice steamer, latte or whatever you choose to do with it.

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.....

It is October, that glorious time of year when apples are being harvested and pressed into cider and pumpkins have ripened on the vine, and Halloween.  Have I ever mentioned how much I adore Halloween?  I will shortly be taking pictures of the glory that is Halloween in my house :)  The other night I was craving something warm and fallish (I know it isn't a word), but you know what I am talking about right?  Something warm and filled with fragrant spices.  So I whipped up some pumpkin cookies cause they are fast and easy.  They were good but I left the chocolate chips out for my crazy family.  For the most part they like chocolate they just don't seem to like it in baked goods.  I was missing them however.  Plus the can of pumpkin I used was huge and I only needed 1 cup for my recipe.  So over the last week we have had pumpkin fest at our house so that we don't waste what was left of the can.  Pumpkin can be kinda expensive these days.  So here is what we have had.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, Pumpkin Pie French Toast, and Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Carmel Glaze, all have turned out amazing.

Not the best pictures I know, but I have already explained that one :)

Soup Season

I have been so excited for things to cool down a bit so we can get to those yummy delish soups and other comfort foods.  I am also excited to go into the kitchen to cook and have it warm me up instead of roasting me to death.  My sister Melissa made this for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago as a appetizer and I must admit I have never liked tomato soup.  I loved this and have also come to realize that tomato soup when it doesn't come from a can is fantastic!!!  Especially when paired with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Smoky Bacon and Tomato soup
Smoky Bacon and Tomato Soup Ingredients
• smoked bacon, chopped  (about 1 lb)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• stalk of celery, chopped
• 6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 – 2 quarts chicken stock, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream (optional)
Preparation
Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the chopped bacon, cook until crisp. Remove the crispy bacon from the pot and drain most of the grease.
To the soup pot, add the garlic, onion, celery, carrots and some salt and pepper. Cook, until they start to get tender
Remove the tender veggies from the pot to a blender, add ½ of the bacon, throw in a big splash of the chicken stock, the oregano and the tomatoes and puree until smooth. I usually have to blend half and then the other half.
Return to the pot, place back over medium-high heat and add the remaining chicken stock, sugar, and heavy cream, if you are using it. Bring up to a bubble and simmer
Serve the Smokey Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches alongside.

Sit a spell.

About a month ago our church sponsored the annual Father and Sons camp out.  I love that weekend because Lance takes the little man out for an over nighter and I get to spend time with my girls.  We started our evening with dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory, which the girls have now dubbed their favorite restaurant.  On the way home I just had a feeling.  I knew if I stopped at the DI (Utah's version of Good Will), I would find something magical.  I was right, I scored an awesome chair and a small lamp that I actually had to dig for it was all tangled  up with parts from a ceiling fan.  Fast forward to today and I have finished the chair's makeover.  So do you want to see??

This chair is up for sale for 30.00
I had acutally decided to leave this lamp its origional color, until I realized that someone had replaced the top electical part with silver and the rest of the lamp was antique brass :(

So it got a coat of Krylon Ivory and a good dose of glaze :)  So this done I had to figure out where to put this little cutie.  The lighting in the living rooms isn't great so I put it on the piano, perfect little piano lamp.

Home Run!

WOW, I hadn't realized it had been this long since I posted.  A very big sorry.  Right now "dinner" is a dirty word around here.  I make a meal plan, buy the groceries and then can't make myself make the stuff I planned.  Really bizzarre I know but I am pregnant.  Tonight was no exception.  I googled simple dinner meals.  It pulled up a site called Moms Who Think.  They have 8 weeks of simple meal plans all layed out for you.  I surfed around their site for a few minutes when I came upon this recipe  Parmesan Dijon Chicken.  It was super fast and simple to put together and I had all the ingredients.  With the chicken in the oven I was trying to figure out what to serve with it (besides the broccoli, which ended up being slimy so I couldn't use it).
I had made Rice and Mulligan for breakfast and had some left over rice.  So I put on my experiment hat and went to work.
 Garlic Dijon Rice Pilaf
2-3 tbsp  Olive oil
1/3 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups cooked rice
1-2 tsp dijon mustard
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste.
Put oil in 10 inch skillet to heat up, add onions and saute for 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds (garlic burns fast).  Add rice and stir around for about 5-7 minutes until it is all heated through.  Add dijon mustard and salt'n'pepper stir it all in.  Remove from heat and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.  Cover and let the cheese melt on top.

This picture was snapped quickly before the last piece disappeared!!!

 (Yep that is today's mail sitting on the counter while we ate, don't judge please :) )

Both items were a complete hit!  The kids ate without complaining and Lance ate 2 1/2 pieces.  The 3 piece he had to split in half with Lainey.  Lilly loved the rice and ate everything without a fight.  All in all it was a home run!!  Both items have been requested to appear on the table again.  Best part was that it was on the table start to finish in 40 minutes!

Being a Mom

Sometimes life of a mom is hard.  Very rewarding but hard.  So I have a 5 year old who doesn't like to go to bed.  She gets that from her dad's side of the family.  She started Kindergarten today and is so excited to go back tomorrow.  She often has a hard time falling asleep.  Sound familiar???  I have recently been through a 2+ year illness that turned me towards homeopathic remedies.  5 Doctors and no results, whats a girl to do?  I love essential oils.  I am building a collection of them 1 or 2 at a time because they are expensive.  I have recently purchased lavender oil.  HOLY COW, I love that stuff.  Here enters the first part of this post.  Above 5 year old has a hard time falling asleep.  Mix 1 drop in with some coconut oil or unscented lotion and give them a foot rub.  I have done this 3 times in the last 2 weeks and within 10 minutes of each foot rub I have a sleeping 5 year old. 
I use doTerra, I know there are several reputable brands out there of oils, but this is what I use.  Miracle in a bottle.  Give it a try and see who falls asleep faster the parent with it on their hands or the kid with it on their feet.

MMM..... Zucchini Bread

Its that time of year when all of us who planted a garden are harvesting zucchini the size of baseball bats, well assuming the gophers didn't eat your whole garden.  That is a story for another day.  If you didn't plant any I am sure those that planted some are trying to pawn some off on you.  I would suggest locking your car doors at church to prevent such items being left in your car.  I have my grandparents supplying me right now.  You will notice in the picture that some of this is in muffin pans.  After my EUREKA moment that you can read about here.  I have been trying to come up with breakfast items I can stick in the freezer for later breakfasts when cereal won't do.  So I have been doing half in a loaf and 1/2 in muffins that I am freezing. (Thanks for the idea Kristen)
I am sure everybody has the perfect recipe, I am here to tell you, YOU DON"T!! 

I have tried multiple recipes in the past until I found this one.  It is so moist and the perfect amount of sweet.  I LOVE cinnamon.  Like I want to marry it, okay I don't but you get the idea.  This recipe calls for a lot of cinnamon.  I got the original recipe here at allrecipes.com.  Make it her way or try my slightly more nutritious version.
Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsps vanilla
3 cups flour
3 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 325.  Grease 2 8x4 inch loaf pans.  In a large bowl beat eggs until light an frothy.  Mix in oil, applesauce, and sugar.  Stir in zucchini and vanilla.  Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Mix into egg mixture and stir until combined.  Divide batter into prepared pans and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Gotta love a great idea!!

The bathroom makeover is going great.  I want to show you parts right now but I am going to wait till it is all done before you get any pictures.  
So I have had a lot more nausea this pregnancy than any of my others.  Cold cereal makes me want to vomit these days which is totally weird because I love cereal!!!  I knew this morning I wouldn't be able to handle it, so I decided to make french toast instead.  I was getting everything ready when a thought struck me.  French toast sticks.  If your house is anything like my house when we do any sort of any cooking we end up cutting everything for 2-3 kids.  I somehow end up all sticky and don't get to eat any hot food because I am cutting.  So before I cooked the bread I took a stack and sliced them into about 1 inch pieces.  Dipped and threw them on the griddle.  I poured them each a little syrup in a small bowl.  And let them go.  I got a hot breakfast and the kids loved them!!  Sometimes I wonder to myself "Why haven't I done this before?"  Maybe you had this idea a long time ago.

Okay, 1 pic of the bathroom and that is only cause my little guy is so cute

One of those days...

So today has been one of those unproductive days.  I mean I cleaned up after the meals and kids, but one of those days that has me crawling out of my skin, pull my hair out days.  I have mentioned that I totally have ADD (self diagnosed of course).  I have learned that I self medicate with crafts and projects.  I do have a big one in the works but it was on hold till I decided what color I was painting the bathroom.  So I have decided but the kids put a huge fuss when I wanted to go get the paint tonight.  So I would have something to do while Lance is gone and the kids are asleep.  Perfect time to paint a room right???  I think so, but I gave into their fights to not go.  At this point in time I am almost pacing the house trying to think of something I can work on to give me the feeling of having done something today.  So far I got nothing!!!  So here I sit writing about it so that maybe I can relax and say "I posted on my blog today".  Then hopefully be able to relax or focus and do something.  So if you made it through all of this I thank your for listening to my rant :).  A little glimpse into the insanity that is sometimes my head.

Makeover and an Apology

So lets get the apology part over with first.  So a little while ago I posted a teaser about remember this table?  Well there is a reason I haven't posted a pic.  First of all it turned out so good that I wanted to show you a picture taken with a nice camera and also by someone who knows what they are doing.  That didn't work out.  And second I wanted the picture to not be taken in my extrememly messy garage.  Since I am preggers moving furniture is not on my list of acceptable activities.  Any who here is the apology the person who bought it from me came and picked it up without me having a picture.  Never fear she has promised me a picture as soon as she can.  I am very sorry for the teaser.

In the mean time I have decided to redo my bathroom.  There really isn't anything wrong with the way it is now, other than it is kinda boring.  So here is the Before.  I even patched the walls myself :)

Hand Towel that covers the outlet.

 I really want to replace this fixture but not sure with what that might just be staying with some new bulbs

 Sideways shot of the mirror and counter.

 The one thing on the wall

 The Bow box this has got to go.

 Boring shower curtain  YAWN :0()

This where the towel rack was, I forgot to take the picture before I started.  I was too lazy to put it back up just for a picture.

Now I want to go get some paint chips and tape but alas the kids want to play out side :(  More to come soon.

Hmmmm... an End Table or a Nightstand

I have had a few people tell me I should sell the furniture I refinish.  I think I would like to but I am always afraid to take the plunge.  However if I want to continue to do this I am...
1- Run out of space to put them in my home, because believe me I have fallen in love with every piece I have done.
2- In order to purchase new(old) furniture to refinish it requires $$$ and lets face it my monthly allowance only goes so far.

So here is my first piece up for sale, I hope you like it or want to buy it or....  Tell me it is wonderful to help my self-esteem.

BEFORE

 Ouch

 AFTER

Do you remember??

Do you remember this table??  Well I sold it to a friend but before I did that I refinished it.  Would you like to see what it looks like?  It was too dark to get any good pictures tonight but tomorrow I will take some and you can see the transformation :)

Aebelskivers (Danish ball Pancakes)

Day 3 of pancake week brought us Aebelskivers (Danish Ball Pancakes).  So once again I have a lot of Danish blood in me too.  From both sides of the family.  As a matter of fact my family tells me that my stubborn side is my Danish side :).  I bought my pan in a Mercantile in the area my Danish relatives from my mom's side settled.  Aebleskiver pans are usually made of cast iron and very heavy.  I have a friend who is Danish and when her husband would have to go out of town he would tell her to sleep with the pan in case someone broke in. These bad boys were being consumed faster than I could cook them, so there was no staging for photos.  If you live near me and would like to try these little delights but don't have the pan, let me know and I would be happy to let you borrow mine.

So do you have a pancake recipe from somewhere on the globe you want to share with me?  I am thinking about German Pancakes tomorrow or crepes, but we have those all the time and I am game to try something new :)

 I have tried multiple recipes for these and this is the one I tried this morning.

This recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma.com
FYI You will need some special equipment for this recipe: namely, an ebelskiver pan and some of those long tooth picks or knitting needles to flip the balls over while baking.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 TBSP (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 pint fresh blueberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.
Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Put 5 or 6 blueberries in the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries.
Dust the pancakes with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm with maple syrup. Makes about 40.