ambry

Yo, Yo-yo.

2009-06-26T17:32:00.001-07:00

One Pretty Thing (my all time favorite website: www.oneprettything.com) featured this totally adorable bracelet a few weeks ago. It looked so fun and simple that I had to try it.

Zakka Life (http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-make-fabric-yo-yo-bracelet.html) posted a fantastic tutorial for this project.

So, I looked through my scraps of fabric and found this really fun yellow banding with bright blue and red flowers. I thought that, all yo-yo'd up, it would be really fun and look nice with a lot of different outfits. Slightly harder was finding the buttons (I really need to get a stockpile of buttons. I wonder if I can find jars of old buttons at antique stores?? Hmm....I smell an antiquing trip!).

This is how it turned out!

It was suggested to make eight yo-yos to fit around the wrist. I don't know if I have tiny wrists or what, but, as you can see, it was really about two yo-yos too big.

When I finished this bracelet I knew that I had to give it to my darling Traci. She has to wear black at work all the time and this is just the thing to put some zing in an all black outfit.

Seriously, I did this in a morning...less than 2 hours worth of awesome crafting. This has so many possibilities...different buttons...fabrics...threads...so awesome.

Wiggle, little Caterpillar!

2009-06-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

The other day we were bored. It was rainy and we needed a craft. Since I live in the middle of nowhere, I have to use what I have on hand for crafting. I didn't have much...but I did have markers, egg cartons, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes.

PERFECT FOR CATERPILLARS!

This was SO easy. I thought that this sort of craft was sort-of "standard", but the kids are showing them off to everyone and people keep saying, "Woah, that's so creative! I would have never thought of this." hm.

So I cut the top off an egg carton and then cut it in half. The kids colored their caterpillar sections and then I poked holes for them to stick in pipe cleaner legs and antenna.

Then they stuck on their googly eyes. I'm tellin' ya, these kids went nuts over this. Who would have thought? They made them crawl all over the house, they showed them to all their friends, they named them. It was awesome. And easy. You should try it!

A bit of Bubbly?

2009-06-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

I found an awesome experiment. The thing about this experiment is that pretty much every kid in the history of kids has done this...but I never did. So it totally rocked for all participants.

PLUS, this was SUPER easy.

Here's how it's done:

Jar (baby food jars are about the perfect size)
Vinegar (enough to fill half of the jar)
1 tsp. baking soda
3-4 drops food coloring
2-3 drops liquid dish soap

I filled each jar for the kids and let them mix in the food coloring of their choice and the dish soap. Then they dumped in the baking soda and...woosh! It all came bubbling out the top. It was awesome.

And, of course, we can't just let that be good enough. We had to mix and stir and fester it all so the explosions lasted longer and got bigger.
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This was a way fun activity to do and, since each of my boys had to do three colors each, it took a good 45 minutes. Perfect for a rainy morning!

*NOTE: I had them conduct their experiments on baking trays. It made clean up a breeze with a rinse off in the sink.

I'm such a Lush

2009-06-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've found it. Natural, good-for-me soaps, hair care and moisturizer. It's amazing.

Lush, which is very popular in Europe and Canada, is finally making a huge presence here in the States and there's actually a store at my local mall (I can't even tell you how amazing that is).

Everything basically smells like nature and it's so wonderful and nice. The best part, though, is that I can read and understand every ingredient used. It's so earthy and actually real. It's amazing. And they have vegan options, you know, if you swing that way.

Bonus: Lush products are also beautiful in that natural way. I can't say enough about their products. *sigh* I just smelled myself. It was amazing.

Check it out: www.lushusa.com

Delish

2009-04-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, my dear friend Traci and I had a dinner party with some very cool gals (and my Other). We made this amazing lasagna (which I've never made before) and cheater tiramisu cake. It was delish.

Basically all this cake consists of is a boxed cake mix (I told you...cheater cake!) soaked in super strong coffee and then layered with a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream, powder sugar and whipped cream. The recipe called for "whipped topping", but that stuff scares me. And then you grate all the chocolate you can handle and layer it up! It was SO good.

I tried to make it again for Easter, but forgot the chocolate. Woops! It was alright, but not nearly as good as the first time.

And how about those flowers? That's a super easy arrangement to make. Just get the little carnation bouquets from the grocery and a pretty bowl. Cut the stems so they will lay nice in the bowl and just pile them in! Traci still has it (2 weeks later!) and it still looks beautiful.

Next post? Probably my DUCKLINGS! Wee!!

Centerpieces

2009-04-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to make centerpieces for Easter Sunday breakfast at my church. I'm really excited about it, but don't have a whole lot of money to spend. My initial thought was to do something with flowers, but that can add up quickly, even if it's just carnations. But then I found this pinwheel creation.

I like the way she's done hers and I think I can modify it to be more Easterish. I'm planning a trip to Hobby Lobby to find some double-sided springy scrapbook paper to make the pin wheel and the base with. And then I'll fill the cups with Robin Eggs (you know, those malt ball candies!).

It will probably be super cute and I'm way excited about it. I'll take pictures and post the results!

A New Home

2009-03-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Monty found this woolly little critter in Grandma's yard the other day and, of course, it had to be adopted as a pet. I didn't want the poor thing to die and I thought it would be pretty neat if Monty could see it transform into an Isabella Tiger Moth (I did my research!), so I decided to build a small habitat for it. I did this on Tuesday of last week and it's still alive, so I think I'm safe posting this and saying it will work.

I used an old plastic fish tank with a lid on it. It's pretty good sized, probably 12 inches by 6 inches and about 8 inches high. I found a special little spot next to the barn that had several different types of lawn weeds (clover, grass along with two other annoying plants that people spend a lot of money to get rid of...not us, though, we welcome lawn weeds!). I wanted to give Wing-o (that's the caterpillar's name) a variety of plants to much on. I dug down about three inches so the roots would have some dirt to live on. I placed the hunk of lawn in my container, gave it some water and found a couple of sticks in the yard.

Wing-o's new home is now on Monty's dresser and he's very proud of keeping him safe at night. And that, my friends, is how to create a caterpillar habitat for a 3 year old!

Spring! (kinda)

2009-03-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

I've started my lettuce garden! Lettuce is a cool weather crop, but due to Indiana having crazy snow storms in April and the fact that there is about 9 feet of M U D everywhere, I was unable to start my lettuce garden in the beautiful garden box that Other built.

However, with the handy help of a 3 year old and some egg cartons, we're starting the garden in the house. I received some seeds from an amazing gardener. He said "It's lettuce." I have no idea what kind, other than the romaine strips that he gave me. Romaine seeds often come embedded in these clothy-papery strips. I planted them in the top part of the egg carton.

Once my seedlings are big enough and I'm sure it won't snow again, I'll transplant them into their proper home. The best part about lettuce is that it's great early in the spring, but gets very bitter during the summer. I'll rip it out come June, plant some corn and green beans, and then rip those out in late September and plant some fall lettuce to have all the way through November (snow pending, of course!).

We'll see how it works! I, and my tortoise, are ready for some fresh lettuce!

RRR

2009-03-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

I've had a blessing of an amazing idea come over me and I must share it! This could already be happening, and if it is then awesome! If not, I hope I can start a little trend.

The idea? RRR.

Triple R.

Relax. Read. Recycle.

I love to read, and I read a lot. Therefore, I have quite an accumulation of books. However, unless a book is really really good, I usually only read a book once.

So, my dear friend Traci is going to help me with my glorious idea. We're hosting a party. Everyone invited brings a book that they already own and have already read. Each book, upon arrival, is numbered. Everyone present draws a number and finds the matching book and takes that book home to enjoy themselves.

It's a win-win situation! You would be able to enjoy a wonderful evening with friends who enjoy reading. You would get rid of a book you may never read again. You would get a great new book that one of your fantastic friends enjoyed (so you'll probably enjoy it, too!). PLUS it's the ultimate form of recycling. After all, who can bear to throw away a book...or even put it in the recycle bin? No. Way.

Now, I've been an active participant for years in passing books along. I've given away and received several books...I'm just going to make a party out of it. A Triple R party!

The Snake Made Us Do It

2009-03-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Sometimes my family makes me smile just because they are there. Other times, my family makes me smile because of the hilarious antics that happen in my home.

The other night, for example...

Monty needed some help in the bathroom. As he was sitting on the pot, he looks up at Other and says:

"So, Dad...can you tell me the history of snakes?"

That's right. The history of snakes. I was in the living room and I overheard this conversation, which made me laugh. A lot.

After much laughter, Other debated on what to tell him. I decided to inform him of the Christian creation story, much embellished (to tell you the truth, I practically turned Adam and Eve into Superheros with God being the Superhero mastermind. It was genius.)

So once creation was explained, I got to the snake part.

Long sigh from Monty.

"Finally...you're to the snake part."

That's right. He sighed at my awesome story. All the kid wanted to hear about was snakes. He was totally serious about it. Turns out, he really just wanted to hear about the different kinds of snakes and which ones have poison. Then Other and I had a debate about the most poisonous snake in the world.

Other says water moccasins.

I say King Cobra.

I'll Google this.

In crafting/baking news: nothing is new. I have a rockin' turtle stool waiting for a cushy cover (but I can't find the staple gun). I've done several baking creations, but always forget to take pictures. Sad.

I'll have something soon.

What's Boston good for?

2009-02-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

Boston Cream Pie. Mmmm.....

I found these delicious little cupcakes in Martha Stewart's magazine and I had to give them a try. I made them for a function for our middle school youth group at church...and they loved them. (Which is good...I thought they might be a little too much for them and they wouldn't appreciate my hard work. But they did.)

You can find the recipe here: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/boston-cream-pie-cupcakes

I've always had issues with gnashe glaze. It just doesn't work out for me. However, I had to kind-of make up my own recipe. I didn't have any heavy cream, so I just used milk. I actually like this a lot better. It didn't seem to be quite as runny and it got harder (but not too hard) quickly. It made for the perfect topping for these individual little cream pies.

The recipe as a whole was very simple to make. I put everything together from start to finish in a matter of a few hours, which worked well while doing laundry, tending children, etc.

This will probably come out wrong.

2009-02-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

So I've been doing some late-night blog reading lately about people and their travels through life. These people are strong...they are blogging about losing their children and how these experiences have made them more understanding, more blessed people. And it makes me feel guilty.
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I told you this would come out wrong.
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I feel guilty that I have two perfect, beautiful children. They are full of personality and life and love. And it makes me think...How did I ever ever ever get so lucky? Why have these other good people had to lose so much? And could I ever do that?
I don't know.
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This was my initial response to all of my reading. Guilt. Then I got to thinking about it. I think that the real crime comes when parents look at the smile of their baby and don't realize how amazing that is. The true guilt should be put on the shoulders of people who have children and don't see that they are a little person...don't see that as important.
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So I've concluded that the lesson to be learned from this online community is to feel that pain of what could have been, but to be thankful, not guilty, for what has been given. Feel the wonder of parenthood. See the magic of your children.
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This post may be a little...I don't know...sappy...lame...whatever. But I had to get it off my chest. I actually cried while reading about the lives of people I'll never know. And that, my friends, is the amazing part of being a human being.

Onion Soup

2009-01-30T10:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know...I know....it's been forever. I had my Internet taken away and now I have it back again, for good this time (cheer!).

I've been busy. So busy, in fact, that I also haven't had time to post on my blog and I also haven't taken pictures of the amazing things I've been doing.

My newest adventure is bread baking. I'm doing pretty well so far. I've tried three different recipes and I simply love it. All of it. The smell. The kneading. The eating.

Which is what inspired the above picture. Onion soup. Beautiful Traci decided she needed it one evening. I don't really enjoy French Onion Soup, but every now and then it's alright. Plus, I had a few pieces of home made bread that were perfect for it. And, let me tell you, I make a mean French Onion Soup. If you're nice and ask I'll make it for you sometime.

It had like an infinity of cheese on it. Good cheese, too. Oh it was delicious.

Up next: a turtle plant stand that I'm turning into a stool for Monty; baby shoes; cake!

Shoes. These shoes rule.

2008-12-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

Shoes. They aren't just for me anymore...I mean adults...I mean...

Baby shoes are undeniably adorable. So adorable, in fact, that I ordered four (yes, 4) patterns for making baby booties. I couldn't help myself. Aimee at HomeSpun Threads (www.homespunthreads.com) makes the CUTEST shoes and sells them in her Etsy store (http://homespunthreads.etsy.com/?ref=em) and she also sells her patterns.

She'll even give her kimono baby bootie pattern away for FREE if you just follow her blog (I felt kinda guilty doing that, though...so I bought them). Who couldn't resist the cuteness?!?

Please check out this lady's blog. I just found it tonight and I'm so pumped to try some of her hand made craft ideas.

I'll post (for sure) baby booties when I get some made! eeeee!!!

Christmas cards out of Christmas cards

2008-12-04T05:29:00.000-08:00

Last year I saved all of the Christmas cards I received with the thought that I would make Christmas cards out of them this year. And I did.

It's, surprisingly, a lot harder than it may seem. It takes a lot of time and creativity to figure out how to piece old cards together and make new cards. What is rather neat, though, is that I basically make a personal card for everyone on my list. It's a lot of fun.

Monty was busy making his own card to Santa. He wrote this brilliant letter asking for a LEGO Train Set. He also had to mail his letter right away (and Mailman Dave took the letter...fake stamp and all!)

And Little Miss Agatha celebrated her 2 month birthday yesterday (I can't believe it!).

Sweet tooth, anyone?

2008-11-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

So it's time to post November's Daring Baker's Challenge!

This month's challenge is by Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater. Caramel Cake...and you can find the recipe here: http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2006/12/24/caramel-cake-the-recipe/

Hosting this month's month challenge were: Dolores (http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/), Alex (Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo: http://blondieandbrownie.blogspot.com/), Jenny of Foray into Food (http://forayintofood.blogspot.com/) and Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go (http://glutenagogo.blogspot.com/).

Now that I have the people behind the baking noted, I can get on with the challenge! I decided to make this cake for my friend Emily and her farm loving boyfriend. I thought it would make a nice sweet end to a country cooked meal. And...oh my gosh...sweet it was.

When I saw that this month's challenge was Caramel Cake, I got excited. I love caramel. I mean LOVE.

But, alas, this cake was a HUGE let down for me. It seemed very simple to make (and indeed it was), but the cake was very dense and the entire cake was so sweet I don't think any of us finished a whole piece.

I did have fun putting it together, though. And I learned how to make caramel syrup (which is heavenly on ice cream!). I've never been very good at making fluffy homemade cakes, so maybe that's part of the problem. But even the frosting (which I've never had a problem making) was super sweet.

Several fellow bakers made this recipe into cupcakes and just put a little dab of frosting on them. I think that, if I ever choose to use this recipe again, that's what I'll do. They seemed to have very good results this way and the cupcakes wouldn't be as overpowering as a whole slice of super-sweet cake would be.

If you're interested in the recipe, here it is:

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light

(recipes above courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon)

Guess Who

2008-11-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

So Halloween was nearly a month ago, but I participated in a couple crafts worth mentioning.

Other and I are advisers for our church's middle school youth. They had an exciting retreat over the Halloween weekend and I led them in a craft of mask making.

I found plain white masks on a school supply site online. I also found fun glitters, spangles and feathers. Give them to 12 year-olds and magic happens. They had a lot of fun with this project and we were able to use the masks to decorate the worship center for their special Sunday service.

And for some Halloween fun (since I just had a baby), I decided to keep it simple in terms of Halloween costumes. For those of you that know me personally, you'll know that I usually spend a solid six months planning, finding and creating my Halloween costume. This year, however, I spend all of about an hour.

I went as a Hungry Hungry Hippo (yes, as in the game). I was the orange one. That other girl in the picture is my dear friend Traci who went as the light blue one.

I first took a plain white ball cap (from Hobby Lobby: $1.99) and painted it orange. I then took an egg carton and cut out two of the egg bumps, painted them orange and stuck them on with Tacky Glue. I rolled some paper and made nostrils, painted orange. I then painted on those goofy eyes and there you have it. A Hungry Hungry Hippo hat.

Surprisingly everyone knew exactly what we were. And Monty got a big kick out of being a Hippo for the week following Halloween.

Up next: Daring Baker's Challenge Result! Yipee!

I'm baaaaaack!

2008-11-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

Ok...ok...I know it's been an eternity since I've updated my blog (6 weeks, actually), but I've been a tad bit busy with this little beauty.

Isn't she cute?

She also takes up a lot of time and energy. So do the bigger ones...you know...the Other and Monty.

I have been working on some projects, though. I participated in this month's Daring Baker's Challenge, so I'll be posting on that soon. I'm also in the process of making my Christmas cards (every single one is different...and I'm making 40! I'll post when I'm done to explain).

Also, I just celebrated my very uneventful 27th birthday (I got puked on by both of my children) and I've been promised a sewing machine by my Other. So, hopefully, that means I'll have even MORE projects to show you! I'm planning on starting out with a very simple and sweet tote bag that I will hopefully be making for Christmas presents.

So, I hope I still have a reader or two...and I promise that I'll update more often now that I'm in a more normal state of mind now!

Baby Girl

2008-09-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm very pregnant. And tired. And I have a rash all over my body.

SO...I really haven't done anything. No baking. No crafting. Nothing. I have thank-you cards I need to do. I have baby announcements that need to be made. Monty had his 3rd birthday. We got a new dog. I can't even believe the amount of stuff that needs to be done. I'll get there...you just wait.

Apples!

2008-09-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our heirloom apple tree had a huge crop this year. I picked more apples than I have in my whole life combined. Tons and tons of them. I made apple pie, apple crisp, apple empanadas, and, of course, applesauce.

I have a super easy and delicious recipe for applesauce and it's a nice way to use up apples if you find yourself with a billion of them. I froze almost all of mine, making some with my awesome recipe and some without any sugar or spice for upcoming baby. I gave the two jars above away as a gift (hence the cuteness with the fabric top), but the rest I froze in glass jars from pickles, jams, etc. that I've been saving.

So, here is my recipe:

use about 1/2 cup water
around 8 apples, depends on the size and how many you have
1/2 cup brown sugar
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (figure about a tablespoon of each)

Peel and core your apples. Put them in a pot with the water and let them cook down on a medium heat. You can move the experience along by mashing them as they go. Add the brown sugar and spices when it's still chunky. The Other likes chunky sauce (yup, I really wrote that), so I don't let mine cook down all the way. However I made some for Monty and I that I let cook for around 2 hours so it was super smooth and had a lot of nutmeg in it. YUM.

We'll have more apples soon (two more trees are coming ripe any moment now). Let me know if you'd like some!

Chocolate Heaven

2008-09-01T13:52:00.001-07:00

This month's Daring Baker's Challenge was a chocolate symphony in my mouth. Hosted by Tony Tahhan and MeetaK (Google them!), the recipe of choice was Chocolate Éclairs by Pierre Hermé.

I was supposed to post on August 31 (which was yesterday), but I was unable to get a steady enough connection until nearly 5pm on September 1. Sorry fellow Daring Bakers! I guess that's the consequence of peace and quiet out in the country.

No, on to the éclairs. First of all, it has never ever occurred to me to even attempt to make an éclair. It always seemed like one of those things one should save for France or, at the very least, a professional. However, I took it on (despite being very pregnant) and had a very successful outcome.

See? The pastry part was actually very simple, even though the directions at first seemed very difficult. They weren't that much different than a traditional cream puff, which I've made dozens of times.

I splurged a little and got some supa-fine dark chocolate to use for this recipe. Chocolate cream with sub-par chocolate just wouldn't be right. And the filling turned out very very rich, but very very worth it.

I did, however, run out of chocolate for the glazing on top. Luckily I had some plain ol' Hershey bars laying around. I took a risk mixing the delicious dark chocolate with regular milk chocolate, but it actually added a nice milky sweetness to the overall end product that made it just melt in your mouth. Plus, I had a bit of glaze left over that will be perfect on some ice cream sometime in the near future.

The Other (who claims not to like chocolate) ate about half of these already. I made them on Saturday and, although not as good two days later, they are still delicious after being popped in the microwave for about 20 seconds. If you'd like the recipe I can give it to you!

Update on the rag rug for baby's room: it's not as spectacular as I anticipated. I'm not really sure what it's turning into, but it certainly isn't a rug. Once completed, I'll post.

As always, thanks for reading!

Oh my God. Shoes.

2008-08-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

So I'm obsessed with baby booties. I didn't really use them with Monty because, well, he's a boy. And, despite my best efforts to remain gender neutral, baby booties on boys just doesn't work most of the time.

However, totally awesome baby booties have gotten much more popular in the past year or so, so there are lots of super cute ones for boys AND girls. And etsy.com (of course) has lots and lots. I bought two pairs.

This one is for my soon-to-be nephew:

My sister loves her some monkey and I got him a little monkey outfit. So it should be very sweet.

And I had to get a pair for my little lady:

I love how they look vintage with the olive and white. SO cute. Let's hope I don't get all pink and purple clothes so she has something to wear them with.

Baby count down: 7 more weeks. Eek!

I'm currently making a rag rug for her room, so stay tuned for pictures of that. Also, I made a rag quilt for the nephew and am waiting for my sister to send pictures because I forgot to take some (woops!).

I'm beyond bad...

2008-08-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

So, June's Daring Baker's Challenge was...challenging. First of all, it was hard. And I mean HARD. Lots of time. Lots of steps. Lots of ingredients. I can't even remember the name of this cake. (Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream) But I can tell you that it is SO SO SO good.

Although, my version is quite possibly the ugliest thing I've ever made.

See? It looks like poop with poop on top.

Here's more proof.

I made this cake for my dear friend Traci's birthday, which, sadly, was surrounded by some sad family news. Hence the terrible pictures.

My cake is so darn ugly, however, because I didn't get my Swiss Buttercream Frosting warm enough for it to be smooth. Also, the recipe called for a nut paste made in a food processor and all I have is a cheap blender. So it was a mite chunky.

C'est la vie. It still tasted SO SO good. I mean it. Like really good.

So why am I beyond bad? Because this was supposed to be posted on Wednesday and, instead, I'm not getting around to it until Sunday evening. I blame my pregnancy. And the fact that I was directing a play that had it's closing week/weekend, so I've been beyond busy. I know, I know...excuses. But, damnit, a girl's gotta have somethin'.

I'll have more soon. Hopefully prettier.

Strawberry Rhubarb Goodness

2008-07-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

I know...I know...it's been forever. I'm sorry. Times have been busy! And being pregnant just taps the energy, which means the blog takes a back burner.

I made these delightful little empanadas a while back and they were SO good. A co-worker actually said, "It doesn't matter what you put in these little things. They are just GOOD."

It was pretty easy. I just mashed about a cup of strawberry and a cup of rhubarb (frozen...they weren't in season yet) and added some sugar and a little flour. Looks good, hu?

Then I made a pastry dough...which is exactly the same as my pie dough and it said to make it in the mixer, which I did...and it was SO easy. That probably means I'll be making more pies now that I've found a super-secret way to make crust! Yesss...
That's Mont's fingers feeling the dough. He loves to feel things.

Then you assemble. It's so easy. Just roll out your dough (I'll make mine thinner next time...you only need it about 1/8" thick even though the recipe calls for 1/4" thick). I cut little circles about 3" in diameter.

Then you fill each little circle with about a tablespoon of the filling. Fold over, press with a fork and glaze with some egg yolk. They look so pretty.

And then bake! See how mine are all open with the filling gooping out of them? That's why I'd make the dough thinner and maybe bigger circles. They were still super duper good, though. And I forgot to sprinkle them with sugar. Oh well. Next time they'll be even BETTER!

I found the recipe here: http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/05/18/rhubarb-and-strawberry-empanadas/
It's way easy and way good. You could easily add pretty much any filling to this and it would be wonderful. Perfect for a carry-in because they hold their shape and are a nice little bite-sized snack! Yipee!

Coming soon: The Ugliest Cake EVER. I'm not even joking.

My First Daring Baker's Challenge!

2008-06-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

I was very excited when my good friend MS told me about the Daring Baker's Challenge. Of course, I requested to be part of this wonderful group (there's a link off to the side there, if you're interested). June marked my first month involved and, let me tell you, it certainly was a tough one.

Danish Braid was the challenge set by Kelly of Sass & Veracity and Ben of What’s Cookin’? .

When I was growing up, we used to call them Butter Braids and we would sell them as a fund raiser for the dairy 4-H project. They were always soooooo good. Cream cheese was my favorite. But they also looked soooooooo hard to make.

When the challenge was posted I let out a little sigh. Oh geeze. Of COURSE it has to be super hard for my first month. But I didn't let it get me down. I went to the store and found all the necessary ingredients and got started.

Here's the finished product. I think I left it in the oven a little too long...it got a little too dark on the top. But it tasted SUPER GOOD.

We were provided with a recipe for an apple filling, but my pregnant tummy needed not only my childhood favorite of cream cheese, but apricot as well. So I made up some filling. I couldn't tell you now what I put in it. It was awesome, though...if I do say so myself!

Of course I used a nice light glaze for the top. The Other and I ate it right out of the oven. Ugh. It was so worth all that hard work (it took an entire day to create this beast!)

And here is a delicious slice.

Sam and I both took the extra braid (it made two) into work and it was a big hit, so I'm pretty sure it will be a repeat recipe.

Actually, I have TONS of cherries ripening on my tree right now, so maybe I'll make some cherry ones this week to freeze for later....yum. yum. yum.

Thank you, Daring Bakers, for making my first month awesome! Can't wait for many more months to come :)

And just to leave on a good note...here's a picture the Other took of Mont and I a few weeks ago. You can see my baby bump a little (it's MUCH bigger now). This was in between a streak of many storms we've had around here. Mont LOVED the rainbow and watches for them every time it rains now.

My biggest challenge

2008-06-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

So last February I promised a friend that I'd make her wedding cake. It was a fantastic experience, but I now have a complete understanding for why wedding cakes are so dang expensive!

So here's a play-by-play of the entire experience.

I made a classic white wedding cake with raspberry filling. I couldn't find a filling recipe I liked so I just took some frozen raspberries, sugar and a little corn starch to thicken it and put it on the stove. It was SUPER good. The entire cake turned out moist and wonderful. And, of course, I used my favorite buttercream frosting. Yum.

This is the top cake. Three layers with raspberry filling between each one (and a band of frosting around the edge to keep the filling contained.

Here is the top cake...four layers!

Both frosted. Fondant is icky so i worked hard at making my buttercream super smooth.

Eep! They're stacked....let me tell ya, I held my breath through this whole process. Bride wanted black ribbon around bottoms...which worked well for covering up the layer seam.

The final product! Those are fake flowers...but it still looks nice. I mounted it on a wooden pedestal at the reception and it looked very pretty.

All in all it it took close to 12 hours from start to finish. But, man oh man...it was goooood!

Baby Belly

2008-06-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

So, I have lots of pictures of things I've baked. Really. I do. Just not with me right now. So you'll have to wait a little longer.

I noticed this weekend that my baby bump is poking out rather far. I noticed this because I got terribly hot sitting out at the lake in 90 degree heat. Ugh. But it was nice to get some sun, enjoy the water and watch Mont play and splash.

In other news, the biggest thing on my mind is what to do for Father's Day for the Other. I'm half inclined not to do anything because, well, he didn't help me celebrate Mother's Day. But that's a bad attitude to have and he's a great dad and should be recognized for that.

So, after much thinking and keeping in mind my very tiny bank account, I found the perfect homemade item for him. I'm SO excited I can't even stand it. I just hope I can do it. It involves Legos.

Cool. I know.

Out in the Boonies

2008-05-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in updates, everyone. We're without Internet and now that I'm down to part-time it's becoming increasingly difficult to update. But I assure you that a schedule will fall into place and I will have some productive updates soon! I have some excellent oatmeal muffins to inform you of. Lick your chops while you wait....

Until then, my friends...

Tie 'em up!

2008-05-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I found a recipe for homemade pretzels like Auntie Annie's. And my pregnant mind thought, "I MUST HAVE THEM." Last night the Other went out for Korean food (in which my pregnant mind said, "Puke!") so I thought it was the perfect time to give them a try.

The ingredients are pretty basic (except maybe bread flour...but I have that). After mixing them together, it forms a nice ball. I kneaded it for 5 minutes and let it relax for 5 more minutes. Then I cut it into 6 sections.

Then Monty helped me roll them all into "snakes" and we shaped them to look like pretzels. While I was doing this I thought it would be a really fun birthday party idea to have kids make their own special shape. Or to make them smaller, you could just roll them into small sticks.

After they are shaped, I had to boil them. I thought this was an odd step, but after baking I could tell that boiling them made the outside crispy once baked. I just simmered some water and added baking soda, set the dough in the water and Monty helped me count to 5. Once they are floating, I put them on a greased cookie sheet (next time I need to grease it more...) and I sprinkled them with some Kosher salt. The Kosher salt we have has big grains, which is exactly what you'd get from your favorite pretzel place.

I baked them for 12 minutes and they came out looking like this:

They were SOOOO good. Monty ate his plain and loved them (he ate the two "baby ones") and I had mine with some cream cheese. This will be a returning recipe. I even saved one for the Other and he loved them, too!

I have to give props to my little helper:

He was so excited to make "snakes" and count and sprinkle salt. What a good little guy...

By Request, here is the recipe:

2-3 cups bread flour
1 tsp yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees, or about a minute in the micro)
1 tsp. salt

Mix all of these together until they form a ball. Start with 2 cups of flour and then add it a tablespoon at a time until it becomes workable with your hands.

Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes. Let it relax for 5 more minutes

Meanwhile, get a pot of water and 4 tbsp. baking soda to a simmer.

Cut your dough into 6 pieces. Roll them into "snakes" and make the pretzel shape. Carefully, with a spatula, dunk the pretzels into the simmering water for 5 seconds. They should begin to float.

Take them out and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 425 degrees.

Rag Quilt

2008-05-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

So my newest adventure, I believe, is to make a rag quilt. They seem rather simple and I think I can find cheap flannel shirts at second hand shops to cut the squares from. I'd like to make one for my baby and one for my sister's (she's due about 2 weeks before me!).

So....if you have any old flannel shirts to get rid of, let me know!

Puppy

2008-04-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

I want one of these:

They are in Michigan, about 2 hours away. *squeal*

Monty has been asking for a dog for some time now...so maybe we should get a puppy. However, Monty's mommy has also been wanting a doggy...so maybe we should get a puppy.

Cream Puffs!

2008-04-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

I have an abundance of eggs lingering in my fridge, so I decided to make a batch of cream puffs with special vanilla filling. It used up 7 of my eggs!

I've made cream puffs before, but have always been a little disappointed with the way they turned out. However, I found an amazing recipe here: http://www.frontiernet.net/~albert1/crmpffs.html.
It was very easy to follow and made some DELICIOUS results.

They are fresh out of the oven here. I love how golden-brown they are. I also have to give props to my awesome new oven wit a special "baking" feature. Love. It.

Here they are after I filled them. Basically, I cut off the tops of the puffs, cleaned out the centers and put the cream in there. The recipe called to chill the cream and then use a frosting bag to pipe it in. However, I'm not a patient person so I just spooned in the filling.

Cream Puffs really are a joy.

Living room

2008-04-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

When Other and I bought his grandmother's house, I had several months to consider how to decorate and arrange the place. The biggest challenge is the living room. It is long and narrow, with one wall as a giant fireplace and another wall that is almost all windows. It's a very charming room, but not suitable for our current bulky furniture.

We decided to turn a larger bedroom into the "media room" that houses our TV and video games, so the living room could be a place to relax, read, play with the Kids, etc.

I had a picture in mind of old chairs, reupholstered with neat fabrics. A sofa for lounging. All placed to embrace the fireplace. Just a very relaxing area.

This great local guy, hooverar.com, has auctions locally and I found these two gems posted on his website:

I love, love, love these. Even the pink doesn't bother me too much (I haven't yet seen them in person, so it may be a different story later on). I just think they are perfect for that room and, matched with a lounge-worthy sofa, it will be a wonderful place to enjoy our family time together.

The auction is May 10. I'll let you know how it goes.

Moving Announcement

2008-04-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

So I'm working on our cards to mail out letting our loved ones know our little family has relocated. I, of course, turned to the Internet for ideas and found these super cute little birds. However, they were on this large mural thing. So I used my maddddddddd skillz in Paint to separate them out and then I found a little blue egg. I'm happy with the results.

The actual announcement part goes at the top with a headline of, "We have a new nest!"

That's why I get paid the big bucks to be a writer.

Anyways, I ended up drawing little music notes by the birdies (and egg). I would show you the finished product, except it has our address and phone number which I believe would be a poor decision to broadcast all over the Internet.

I think I'm on a bird kick or something. Maybe it's just spring.

Maybe it's just the little things...

More Owls

2008-04-14T10:57:00.001-07:00

So, I've decided that even if I don't have a girl, there will be a room in my house with an owl theme. I haven't quite discussed this with the Other yet, but I'm confident he'll agree. Right.

While feeding my new owl obsession, I ran across this store on etsy.com. The Yumi Yumi Shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5164938

Super cute prints.

And if you're not totally into owls like I am, she also has super cute tiny animal prints and bird prints.

I like going with a more brown theme. If the owl theme sticks for the baby, the room is already a very light blue. It would be very soothing to have a light brown, a little blush pink and some yellow tossed in. Super cute. And I don't even like pastels!

The best part is that these are all around 5x7 inch prints for only $10 each! Add simple matting and a plain white frame, and I could have four or five of these for well under $100. That's not bad considering it would probably be it for wall decoration. I already have a nice mirror to hang and who knows what I'll get from friends/family to hang on the wall.

This is all very exciting.

OWLS!

2008-04-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

As if I'm not busy enough trying to unpack everything, I'm also OBSESSED with planning the new baby's room. I don't even know if it's a girl or a boy...but if it's a girl, it's owls. I found this fabric that I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE.
It comes in pink:

and tan:

I can't decide which I like better, but I think they'd make the cutest curtains. I'm planning on making a cute little owl on a branch for over the crib and, if I'm super energetic this summer, and owl mobile.

Thoughts?

Delicious Smoothie

2008-04-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I really wanted a smoothie. Probably because I'm pregnant. I didn't have a recipe on hand, so I made it up. Here is how it went:

I started with 4 ice cubes.

I then added about 1 cup plain yogurt. Exactly this kind, because it's good for you.

Next came frozen raspberries. mmmmmmm...... I imagine that you can use fresh, but you might have to add more ice.

After the raspberries, I added some pineapple tidbits with the syrup. I used one of Monty's little fruit cups and it was the perfect amount. But any tidbits will work.

And last some apple juice. I just added it until my smoothie became the desired consistency. I'll guess around 1/2 cup. Mott's Apple Juice is the best.

Blend, pour into a large cup, and enjoy! SOOOOO tasty!

It was nice and think so I was able to have it in the car on my ride to work. Simply delicious.

However, I did encounter a problem by not making sure the blender bottom was on tight. Whoops! I had a big mess all over the counter, so, needless to say mine didn't look like the picture above. It looked more like a scooped up mess in my electric blue cup. No biggie, though...my nice new counters make it super easy to clean up messes :) Plus, it wouldn't be a Megan Creation without a mess!

Ham Sandwiches and Crazy Speakers

2008-04-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

It is currently 2:15 on Monday afternoon. It is beautiful outside. I know because I took an hour long walk for my lunch...in heels. It was glorious. I picked up a ham salad sandwich from Loaf-n-Ladle (a treasure of downtown Fort Wayne) and a giant chocolate chip cookie, which I am now enjoying as an afternoon snack. *sigh*

However, I am now stuck in my hole of an office...dark, dreary...and every time my neighbor's cell phone gets a call or text message (which is about ever 30 seconds) my speakers buzz. That means that 1. I deal with it or 2. I sacrifice my music and turn off my speakers. Grrr...

In other news: I moved this weekend. Rather, my family moved. We packed up on Saturday and with the help of several wonderful people moved our stuff about 1/2 north to the booming town of Saint Joe, IN (the town where Sechler's Pickles are made! http://www.gourmetpickles.com/).

Now I have the huge task of unpacking and the fun task of decorating! Yay! Although, I have a HUGE wall in my living room that I have no idea what to do with. Suggestions?

Hypothetically I'll have some pictures up here soon of some of my latest crafts. Until then you're stuck reading about my life's happenings.

Cheers.

Fleece Baby Blanket

2008-04-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who get invited to things like baby showers, this is the perfect gift: No Sew Fleece Blanket.

My friend is having a baby shower in April and, due to being pregnant and moving, I wanted something simple and quick to put together for her. So Mont helped me pick out some great fleece fabric to match her Winnie the Pooh theme and a plain fabric for the back of the blanket.

Here are directions, in case you're interested:

Make sure that both fleece pieces are the same width and get a yard of each (maybe bigger if you're going to make a blanket for a larger child or for yourself)

Lay both pieces (one on top of the other) on the floor or large table. Cut a 4x4 inch square out of each corner.

Then, all the way around through both layers, cut 4" slits about 1" apart.

Tie the layers of every other slit together, flip the blanket over and tie the remaining slits (this makes it look even and pretty).

And TA DA! You have a soft, cuddly blanket :) I'll post pictures as soon as we move and I have access to reality.

*I feel a tad bit uncomfortable using the term "slit"...but I'm over it so you should be, too.

Things I Like

2008-03-31T12:23:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite websites out there is Etsy.com. Many people know about this special little place, but for those of you who don't...
It's full of homemade goodness...clothing, crafts, artwork, seeds, everything. Recently, I've loved these charming little necklaces:

I have two of them and they seem to go with everything (although that could be because I wear a frightening amount of brown...and pink...)

This is an excellent resource if you're looking for an odd gift, are decorating a special room, or just want something extra for yourself. Plus, you can buy from local artists (do a search for Indiana Artists on the site!). *sigh*

It's the little things.

Welcome

2008-03-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

After blogging for a couple years on Livejournal and then MySpace, I've decided to venture into the world of the public Internet. *whew* Big step.

I have time at work. Time to manage this blog, so I hope that whoever runs across it enjoys.

What to expect:

Funny stories about my child that are, in some way, linked to the grander scheme of things.
Recipes and experiments in baking. Complete with pictures, when I remember to take them.
Crafts adventures. Also complete with pictures. Sometimes.
Probably some rants and raves about things that I find significant in my life and yours.