Blog Revival!

I'm baaacck!! I'm so excited to revive this blog and document our family life here again! I feel like I need to do another introduction as things have changed quite a bit for us since my last real blog post..

First of all-- this is us! ⇡⇡ Tom and I have been married for about 15 years and now we have 3 beautiful children that the Lord has graciously allowed us to parent. Jack is 7, Caroline is 5 and June is almost 2.  I'm still a stay at home momma even though my two big kids are off at school for a good chunk of the day. In addition to caring for our kids and managing our home and finances I also work from the home wearing multiple "hats" throughout the day. I had been doing work a few years ago as the social media and website admin for a small non-profit and found that it was fun for me to problem solve and interact with other adults during the day ;) I began working for a few real estate agents doing the same type of work - managing their websites and blogs, upkeep of listing info on social media and helping out in other techie ways necessary. I've continued to do that on the side, but have scaled back because with 3 kids in the home it was a lot to juggle. Last year in May 2017 I found another love of mine that I've begun to devote more and more time to as I've grown in passion and knowledge. I hosted a party for a friend selling Norwex and after my party and trying the products for myself I decided I had no choice but to sign up as a consultant and build a company of my own. Norwex began in Norway 23 years ago and has been in North America since 1999. We sell high-quality microfiber cloths that clean so thoroughly, you can use just the cloth with water to clean almost everything in your home! That means ⭐ no toxic chemicals⭐! 

I'll be doing another post soon with a bit more info about Norwex, but for now if you have any questions please feel free to contact me here!

Updates

So it's been almost 2 years since my last post and A LOT has changed! We now have 2 kids! We added a sweet little girl to our family in November of 2013. Our little Caroline turned one 4 months ago and here are some pictures of her at her party.

20 Free Things to Do As A Family

At the LA Zoo with my little monkey

Happy Sunday and happy Daylight Savings! I thought this would be a fitting blogpost for such a lovely Sunday afternoon. I was reading an article about how to stay within your household budget and one of the tips they suggested was to write up a list of things you enjoy doing that are free. I guess it makes sense because oftentimes when we get bored we go out and shop or spend money unnecessarily. I wrote up a list of the top 20 free things we enjoy doing as a family in or around Burbank and the Los Angeles area. Now, these are free to us, but may require somebody else to spend some money, I'll explain each point if it does.

On a family hike

1.  Play at the park
2. Have a picnic
3. Griffith Observatory (parking and admission are free!!)
4. Travel Town 
5. Play Tennis at the local park
6. Go to the LA Zoo (for us this is "free" because we were given a year-long membership as a Christmas gift)
7. Blow bubbles
8. Draw/Color
9. Go to the library
10. Surprise visit Grandma and Grandpa
11. Go on a hike
12. Read books
13. Walk around Magnolia Park Shops
14. Watch a movie (at home)
15. Go on a walk
16. Have a family dance party
17. Bike ride
18. Descanso Gardens (Tom's grandparents work there, so for us it's free)
19. Build an indoor fort/tent
20. Play instruments/ jam session ☺

A rainy day fort set up in our living room

Here's a bonus list of 5 things we enjoy doing, but do require us to spend a little bit of money.

My favorite picture from our visit at the CA Science Center

1. Getty Museum (admission is free but parking is $15 per car)
2. California Science Center (admission is free but parking is $10)
3. Go get some frozen yogurt (a favorite of ours, but costs a little bit of $)
4. Free day at LACMA (on the second Tuesday of the month admission is free, you just have to pay for parking which is $10 or $15 depending on where you park)
5. Fly a Kite! (we don't currently own one so we'd have to buy one, but that's a great family activity on a spring afternoon) ☺

I hope I gave you some ideas! What other things does your family like to do that are free when you have some time on your hands? Please share!

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss!

So today is Dr. Seuss' birthday and if he was still here with us he would be 108! In his honor I have to share a great tradition that I saw on Pinterest a few months back. It was originally tagged from lisasworkshop.blogspot.com where she explained this tradition she "stole" from her friend. Below is how she summarized it.

When her son was young my friend purchased a copy of “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.  Throughout the years she secretly gave her son’s teachers the book to sign at the end of the school year.  They left notes, poems  and some just signed their name.  When her son graduated from high school she presented the book to her son at his party.  With the party going on all around him he poured over it, going over each page, each signature, each note.  

Believe it or not I don't think I had ever read Oh The Places You'll Go! until last night! Jack and I borrowed it from the library a few days ago and he wanted me to read it to him last night. Even though he's a wild 20 month old, he'll sit still for the longer Dr. Seuss books with no problem. (Just a testament to the skill and genius of Dr Seuss) ☺ As I read it to him I fought back some major tears, I couldn't believe how good it was! I just savored the moment;  snuggling on my lap was an amazing little toddler, sitting there quietly in his bedroom, reading to him. As I read it, I couldn't help look to the future and think of all of the things he has in store for him, both good and bad. As a Mommy I just want to protect him from all of the bad and help him to see his potential. I want him to be happy and successful, but most importantly I want him to know and love God. I want him to know how much God loves him and recognize and be thankful for that. I want him to love people as Christ loves us and be willing to stand up for what's right. I pray that he can look to me and Tom as an example, and that he sees our love for each other and for him. Being a parent is a scary job and it seems as though as they get older it gets scarier. Scary, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's definitely worth it, and luckily I know that I can trust that God has everything in His control, even my sweet little boy.

On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far
And face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with great care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot from your left.

DIY Owl Clock Design

 A few months ago I picked up this ugly clock from the thrift shop for $3.99. I took the gamble that with a fresh battery in it, it would be in working order. Sure enough as soon as I got home, I popped one in and it started ticking away. I've been wanting to make a clock for Jack's room, so I decided to make an owl since he has a "woodland theme" room.  I found this pattern for a felt owl Christmas ornament and was able to use the shapes from that to make mine out of paper. I resized her pdf pattern and decided to just draw the individual shapes on some white cardstock and color them with Prismacolor pencils. I used a gluestick to put the owl together. Then, I used some denim fabric I had to make the background and used double-sided tape to attach the owl to the denim. I used a light blue fabric paint to make the dots for the hours. I'm pleased with how it turned out, and I especially love how Jack says "whoo whoo" when he walks in his room and it catches his eye. ☺

Sitting on Jack's bookshelf, waiting to be hung up. 

Hanging on the wall.

We also hung up Jack's craft from Storytime this week. He loves trains (or anything "transportation" for that matter) so I thought we should showcase his glue-ing handiwork ☺

A New Addition to our Family

Now don't get too excited! It's just a fish ☺ Another baby will come, but not quite yet.

Over the weekend we showed Jack Finding Nemo for the first time and now he's OBSESSED with that movie as well as all fish. This morning Jack and I headed over to Peggy Wood's Pet Emporium up the street from our house. As you may see from their website, they have reptiles as well but I figured I'd brave the risk of seeing a snake for my boy's happiness. You may not know this about me yet, but I am terrified of snakes. So much so that if I watch Aladdin I have such a hard time when Jafar turns into a snake I have to look down. I can't even look at a  picture of a snake in a book without getting the chills. When I parked in the back I met a man that worked there (possibly the owner?) and he assured me that I would only see a snake if I went to a specific part of the store, not where the fish are luckily. Jack and I walked around looking at all of the pretty fish and then a dog caught his eye in a room beyond the fish. The gentleman told me that that's also the room where the snakes are, but if I didn't look to the right I wouldn't see them. He was even so nice to block my view walking into the room so that I wouldn't accidentally get a peek. We looked at the dogs for 2 minutes before I couldn't handle it. I was sweating and felt like I couldn't breathe, just knowing that there was a snake (or possibly more than one) in the same room as me. Ughh, just thinking about it freaks me out right now.

We picked out this beautiful and very lively blue beta fish and brought him home. Jack was fascinated watching me put him into his new bowl and kept saying "fii fii" and "waa waa" (fish and water... he doubles every word he says) ☺ I put the fish on the kitchen table so Jack could get a good look at him and he tried to put his hand in the water to touch him! What a stinker! Luckily he didn't get his hand in the water more than this picture captured and he won't have an opportunity to do that again since the fish will kept be out of his reach. We still need to name him. Any suggestions?

Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day with those you love! We're going to have a quiet night at home that I'm actually really looking forward to. I'm making seared ahi tuna, cold soba noodles and some asparagus for dinner. Jack and I colored cards for Tom earlier, and I have a little Valentine and some Bob the Builder stickers for Jack which I know he'll love :) By the way, I found this adorable vintage Valentine over at vintageholidaycrafts and they have this as well as some other really cute ones for free download! Below is the one that Jack colored for Tom ♥

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

I found this recipe over at www.theartofdoingstuff.com via Pinterest and knew I had to try it out asap! Yesterday for lunch I whipped up a pretty large batch of these sweet potato fries and Sriracha Mayo Dip. They were delicious! I loved that they were baked, with a little bit of olive oil, so much healthier than the deep-fried sweet potato fries you'd get at a restaurant! I gave some to Jack and he couldn't get enough of them. :)

Don't these look yummy! The thin layer of corn starch really gives it a light crispiness that I'd really only expect from frying. I also made the dip but didn't get any pictures of it , oops! The recipe didn't call for any salt on the fries, but after they were done baking I sprinkled a tad of salt on them and tossed them around a bit. Also, I added a bit more sriracha to the dip because I like things spicy. ;) If you give it a go let me know how you like them too! Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe and My Finished Tester Bag

So last Sunday was the Super Bowl and we went over to Tom's aunt's house. I wanted to make something to bring but they always have so many goodies already so it's tough to think of something that won't already be brought by someone else. In my family my aunt always makes stuffed mushrooms, and then it dawned on me, that usually nobody in Tom's family makes those! My aunt's recipe is super easy, so I thought I'd share it here! This recipe makes a lot of stuffed mushrooms, but for a big party they're perfect. You can always halve the recipe if you don't as many :) Also, apparently you can make these up to 2 days in advance without baking them. Then, when party-time rolls around pop them in the oven and add a few extra minutes of cook time. Yummy!

Ingredients:  

1 lb of spicy Italian sausage removed from casings

4 crates of mushrooms (about 4 dozen total)

block of cream cheese

1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:

1.  Carefully remove stems from mushrooms and trim off the woody part and throw it away. Chop the non-woody part of the stem.

2.  In a large saucepan, start cooking the sausage over medium heat. Break up the sausage so it's in pretty small chunks as it cooks.  Add the chopped up mushroom stems to the pan of sausage as it cooks.

3.  Add the Worcestershire Sauce to the sausage and mushroom stems.

4.  Once the sausage is cooked and the chopped stems are tender turn off heat. 

5.  Add the block of cream cheese and stir in completely. The heat remaining in the saucepan should help to melt the cream cheese a bit and make it easier to stir. 

6. Lay all of the mushroom tops upside down on a cookie sheet that has a lip so the juices won't run off of the pan. ( I also tried using muffin tins to prevent the mushrooms from tipping over

7.  Use a teaspoon to put a bit of the mushroom/sausage mixture into the mushrooms. 

8.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

9.  Serve hot and enjoy!

 Waiting to be put into the oven!

All cooked and ready to serve!

I finished the tester for my mom's bag yesterday! Halleluiah! I love a good challenge, but trying to figure out how to construct this thing was tough for me! I know the fabrics/colors are not the greatest but keep in mind it was just a tester so I could figure out how to make it. Below are a few pictures of it.

Being displayed by my car. Outer pocket and straps are as long as she wanted. I don't know why the sides stick out a little like that, I think I'll need to interface those in the final bag I guess. :-/

Inside with dividers. My Mom wanted a skinny side (bottom part in picture) to put her laptop. Then 3 compartments for her water, papers to sit upright, and her coffee thermos. She gave me exact dimensions and I have to brag that it turned out exactly as she requested! :) Also there are two flaps that can be snapped on the top in case it rains or something, but when not in use just fold into the bag.

The bag sitting up on it's own.

What do you think of it? Any feedback/ suggestions are always welcome!

Chip it!

 I just saw that Sherwin Williams has a new online tool where you can upload any photo and it automatically gives you a color palette for that photo and even includes the Sherman Williams paint colors too! What a great tool! I just did a couple of examples to see how I liked it. You can see the first photo just has 5, but for the other photos I opted for "More Colors", I found that I liked seeing more of the colors. :) Pretty cool huh!

Wandering Wednesday

Listening to this song by Johnny Cash and U2 called The Wanderer from Zooropa. It's so freakin' good, I just had to share it with you. How can you not love Johnny Cash's voice? The lyrics are very poignant too, no surprise since it's Johnny and U2. Enjoy on this sunny Wednesday afternoon.

 

Pickin'

So I guess I wasn't technically picking, but I've been inspired by watching American Pickers! I love the history and information in the show, but I especially love when they get a good deal on something and can make some money on it. Last weekend Tom and I took the boy on a walk to some of the shops up the street. There are quite a few antique shops that we like to wander around. In one of them, Tom saw something that caught his attention. It's a wall-hanging that has 3 instruments on it, a thermometer, a barometer and a hygrometer. Tom didn't end up getting it since he wasn't sure if it worked or not. After talking to his Grandpa I decided I would go back and buy it for him. Tom's grandpa has all sorts of cool old tools  and he assured me that if it's in good shape and in working order, it would be worth it. Sure enough when I went back it was still there and from what I could tell it works! Also, I found a plate stand that I'm going to use to store our produce. One little bowl doesn't hold it all, so hopefully this will! I still have to get some plates to go in it and possible paint it, so I'll have to post updated pictures once I do. The plate stand was $10 and the instrument was $15. I asked for both for $20 and she agreed! I was so nervous to even ask, but I felt like a regular negotiator after all the hours of watching American Pickers and Pawn Stars :) A very successful antiquing trip!

This is the barometer 

This is the hygrometer

 The thermometer

 My plate stand/produce storage

Yummy Modified Thai Fried Rice Recipe

So I had some leftover rice I was trying to figure out what to do with. I was talking to my sis-in-law and she told me I should look up a recipe for Thai fried rice. After searching around online a bit I found this recipe over at realthairecipes.com After reading some of the comments under their recipe it seems as though maybe it's not 100% authentic since it doesn't have fish sauce in it. Well, I didn't have fish sauce on hand anyways, so I went for it. I made some changes so I thought I'd share my recipe with you here. Warning, this recipe isn't super specific as far as measurements. I usually just gauge how I make food depending on how it looks, smells and tastes as I go, so bear with me I'm not a cookbook author. :) 

Ingredients:

• 3 T. Olive oil (divided 2T. and 1T.)
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 lb. of uncooked chicken breasts
• 2 1/2 cups cooked rice (About a day old is good since it's better if it's a little dry apparently)
• 4 diced roma tomatoes
• 2 T. Soy Sauce
• 3 T. Sriracha chili sauce
• 2 eggs cracked into a bowl but not stirred
• about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 5 chopped green onions
• 1/2 cucumber chopped
• 1 lime quartered

Directions:

1. Prep all ingredients. Chop, mince, slice and dice all of the veggies. Cut the raw chicken breasts into bite-size, thin slices. If the rice is cold from being refrigerated heat it up a bit in the microwave so it's closer to room temperature.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on high until hot. Add the sliced onion (don't add the green onion yet). Stir well and when it’s softened add the garlic. When the garlic is slightly browned add the chicken. Stir well. Keep flipping the chicken until it’s white on all sides.
3. Stir in the rice and tomatoes.
4. Add the soy sauce and Sriracha and stir well.
5. Push the rice to the outside side of the pan so that there's an open hole in the middle. Add the remaining 1 T. of olive oil into the hole and drop the 2 eggs into the hot oil. Let set for a minute or two then stir it all together. Make sure that the eggs are fully cooked as you continue to stir everything together.
6. Stir in the cilantro and green onions. Turn off heat.
7. Serve with a quarter of the lime and some cucumbers on top. 

This recipe made 4 entree servings. Also, I'm not completely sure how much of the olive oil, soy sauce and Sriracha I actually used since I just added it as I went, so you may want to use your better judgement depending on your tastes.

I hope you enjoy it! I know I'll be making it again soon. :) Please feel free to comment or ask questions if there's anything you'd like to me to clarify.


And for good measure here's a video of my sweetie :)

Fun in the Rain

This past Monday we had a storm come through that was definitely needed. Of course since then we've had sunny weather in the high 70's. But still the rain was really nice. Tom spent the majority of the day drawing so Jack and I took advantage of the rain and played outside for a bit. We got bundled up and headed out!

 Jack kept telling us "waaa, waa" which is how he says water :)

As always picking up rocks and sticks! He even picked up a few worms...gross.

Video of us playing outside

After getting drenched outside we came in and stripped down. He was just wearing his onesie. :) We sat on the couch and looked at the rain outside.

We finished off the evening by putting space jammies on and reading some books. Look at that face, he is so sweet! 

I love his little profile, I just wanna kiss his nose!

Yesterday we got out of the house and went downtown to Michael Levine's to get some fabric and sewing supplies. They have so many options of everything it was pretty overwhelming at first. 

I'm working on making a tester bag that will ultimately be a bag for my Mom. She wants a custom bag that she can use in her teacher's cart at work. She's looked and looked for something that has the right dimensions and can hold her laptop, but hasn't found anything she likes. She called me a couple of weeks ago and told me what she wanted and I happily agreed to attempt to make a tester and send it to her to try it out. I've never made a  structured bag, so this is different than anything I've sewn but I love a good crafting challenge. After finding various tutorials for similar bags online, I drafted out my own pattern pieces and got to work on the tester. I'm almost done with it, but didn't originally purchase enough interfacing and although I thought I wouldn't need it for the tester I decided I want to make sure it's the right stiffness, so went downtown to buy more. While I was there I went ahead and bought the fabric for my mom's bag. Originally we had talked about doing the outer fabric with corduroy, but I wasn't crazy about any of the corduroy they had. They had some great corduroy prints, but all of them looked too young or casual. So, we went ahead and got this really beautiful gray suiting fabric, with a purple liner and gray and white paisley for the piping. (I don't know why but in the lighting of this picture the purple looks more like a wine color, it's definitely more eggplant than wine though in real life....hmm)

I'm SO excited to see how it'll turn out. I only have a few more steps for the tester, so I'll be sure to post pictures when I'm finished with that one.

Michael Levine's is inspiring though!! Tom and I were dreaming of all sorts of things we could buy fabric for and make. He kept picking out fabrics that he liked, suggesting things he wanted me to make, like new pillows to throw on our sofas. We also saw Rami Kashou from season 4 of Project Runway and Project Runway All-Stars, which is airing now! 

Like Tom said, if Rami shops here, then this is the place to be!  :)

After shopping we headed over to Philipe's to get some french dip sandwiches for lunch! I was surprised with how busy they were since we got there around 2:30. But, Tom waited in line and I found a table to sit down with Jack and feed him. As always the sandwiches were delicious and Tom also got potato salad, pickles and a brownie for us to share. Overall a great outing downtown!