Snow + Dirt = Snirt

Winter sucks. We are SO not leaving the apartment today...

 Occupying our time attempting to teach the baby how to eat real food.

Annnnd hosing her off in the tub afterwards.

Lounging about in footie pj's. In a grumpy fashion, of course...

Chatting with each other. Too bad I'm usually not in on the jokes... they speak a different language to one another. I'm sure of it.

Suck it, Martha!

Martha Stewart and her empty promises. Empty promises of a "quick afternoon craft". Really, Martha?!

Well, it took me 3 tries, but I think I've got it right. The booties that are my final product are in no way a Martha Stewart pattern any longer. I took her pattern and set it on fire in a fit of rage.

Now, mind you, I am not a shoemaker. If you are a shoemaker, and I offend you with my crude skills, I am sorry.

If you are Martha Stewart, suck it. 

They morphed into a bit of a ballet slipper, but I really like them. I ended up using most of my nice wool felt on this project, so we made a trip to Queen Village today to visit Fabric Row and replenish my stock.

"Fats" wore her slippers on our outing and they stayed on the WHOLE TIME! I couldn't believe it!

It's a victory for fat babies everywhere!

Green Cleaning

The costs of keeping a house clean can very quickly add up. Did you know that the average family in America can spend upwards of $800 per year on miscellaneous sprays to sanitize their homes and keep it smelling fresh?! Craziness...

Not only are the cleaners sold in stores expensive, they're also full of lots of harsh chemicals. Chemicals that kill 99.9% of all germs, but these chemicals can cause the same problem as overuse of antibiotics... superbug overgrowth. Basically, the germs become immune to the cleaner and morph into SUPER GERMS. So, in your attempt to keep your kids from getting sick you're actually causing them to get sicker.

Now, think about all of the bottles you throw away or (hopefully) recycle every month. How many of those empty bottles are from your cleaning products. A lot, right?!

This is a tutorial on how to make your own Antibacterial Surface Cleaner for about $10... per year! And the best part? It's all NATURAL!

First, get yourself a spray bottle. I had an empty "Method" spray cleaner bottle that I washed out.




























Next, get yourself some Essential Oils. I chose Lavender and Lemon essential oils because they smell wonderful together. Here is a list of Essential Oils that work best for Antibacterial Cleaning:

• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Lavender
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Balsam pine

I bought my oils at Whole Foods for $10 total.

Now, take 2 cups of purified or distilled water and put it into your spray bottle. I then added 20 drops of Lavender Oil and 10 drops of the Lemon Oil. 

DONE!

Now, don't forget the power of hot water and soap for cleaning. I usually wipe all of my surfaces with a hot, soapy rag to remove all of the sticky stuff and THEN I use my Essential Oil cleaner afterwards. Make sure to let the cleaner sit for a few minutes before wiping clean. That gives it time to work it's magic. And remember to shake up your cleaner each time you use it.


That was easy, right?! Those bottles of oil should last about a year if not longer.

Not only is this WAY cheaper, it's also WAY more sustainable. It's better for you and your family AND the environment. Everyone wins!

Now, go clean something... and feel good about it!

My baby has cankles...

Okay. So I MIGHT occasionally look at Martha Stewart's website. And SOMETIMES, I might even enjoy it. A LOT...

I'm so lame... ugh.

Anyhoo, I saw this baby booties pattern yesterday and had to give it a go. My wee one got her immunizations, so she napped the day away and I had plenty of time. They looked easy enough...

The pattern is two pieces. CAKE!

Except for one small problem. My baby has cankles. Yeah, she's chubby. 7 months old and still nurses in upwards of 12 times a day... I couldn't get the ankle straps to close around her fat little ankles.

SO... I improvised, and  this is what I came up with.

They are adorable and all, but they won't stay on her feet if she's playing on the floor. I'll figure something out. So much for a quick project eh, Martha?!

Hehe...  so cute.She liked them too. Once they came off, they went right into the mouth. Maybe Martha has some tips on baby proofing the house...

Paper Towels SUCK!

Okay, they don't really SUCK. They are amazingly handy, great for cleaning glass and an excellent option for napkins.

BUT... they are wasteful and expensive. With over 90% of US households taking advantage of the convenience of paper towels we produce over 3,000 tons of waste each day. That is a shocking statistic. One that doesn't sit well with the ever evolving environmentalist that I've become. So, I gave them up about a month and a half ago. And it has been a painful experience to say the least.

I've got a stash of cleaning rags that I wash when dirty.  Just by using the rags to clean for this last month and a half, I have saved roughly $25. Not a tremendous amount, but over the course of a year I will save over $200.

Linen is an excellent option for cleaning glass, as it's finished product is lint free. They also make lint free rags that you can purchase from big box stores in your area.

My next goal is to make some napkins to use and re-use. I love these napkins at Anthropologie... but there is no way I'm paying $32 when my fabric stash is overflowing.

Well, I'm off to start some sewing. Saving the world, one napkin at a time!

Cupcake FAIL

My husband works with a very nice girl that makes VERY delicious cupcakes. He comes home raving about her delectable treats at least once a week. "Man, she is a REALLY good baker!" he says. "She even decorated them with little flowers! Best cupcakes I've ever had!"

Well, needless to say... It fills me with rage knowing that someone makes a better cupcake than me. Talking to my girlfriend the other day she says, "Erin. You can't be serious! So what if someone makes better cupcakes than you? HE LOVES YOU! You're better than this!"

Um... no. No, I'm not! Victory will be mine! Mark my words!

And so, my journey into baking begins. I have a fire in my heart and the contest of a lifetime to win... even if I'm the only one that knows about the contest. 

Don't they look lovely? They tasted even better than they looked. Spongy, soft and chocolaty... yum!

The cake wasn't they problem, though. It was the icing. 

My first attempt at chocolate butter cream frosting ended up making these delicious little cakes look like mounds of cow poop. ugh... FAIL. The icing tasted good, however... so I might be onto something.

If at first you don't succeed, yada yada yada. I'll try again tomorrow. Thank goodness I've got an eager little taste tester living with me. 

Rolly-Polly

Le sigh... they grow up way too fast.

The way to a Man's heart is through his stomach... even if that Man is 3.

I'm a firm believer in fixing everything with food (this is an apparent fact when I look at my "approaching 30" ass every morning in the mirror, believe you me). Got a cold?! Have some soup! Depressed?! Have some chocolate cake!

Got a kid who woke up on the wrong side of the bed?!

Make him Blueberry Pancakes! That'll fix his wagon!

I cannot remember where I got this recipe, but it is the BEST. You can add anything to the base recipe, and they still come out fantastic. I use overripe bananas, strawberries, blueberries... whatever is on hand that needs to get used before it spoils.

Basic Pancake Recipe

1 1/2 cups of flour
3 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of salt
1 tbs. of sugar
1 1/4 cups of milk
1 egg

Cook them in butter... it is the ONLY way. Then put more butter on them before you eat them. And ALWAYS use REAL maple syrup.

See, now? Isn't that better? It's amazing what some good grub can do for someone in a funk. Now, go make someone happy! :)

Terrarium Centerpiece

Moving from the Burbs was a big adjustment for me for MANY reasons. The biggest adjustment was, of course, going from having a yard and garden to... well... nothing. We moved into an apartment without a balcony and no hope for any outdoor cultivation.

Luckily our building is ancient (110 years old!) and so the windows are MASSIVE! We get a ton of natural light, making indoor gardens a possibility.

In my never ending quest for all things green, I stumbled upon several articles about terrariums. They are apparently all the rage right now, and I must admit that I am smitten with their cuteness. So many possibilities and so low maintenance. How could I NOT give in to the trend?!

Plus, I figured it would be a great opportunity for the boy and I to play with some dirt and make a mess. And that is always a welcome diversion during these cold winter days.

I followed the directions in this article to build our terrariums. I bought all of my supplies, including the jars, on Amazon. Isn't that tray ADORABLE?! I found the it at Target in the clearance bin for $4! It was scuffed all to hell, but there is nothing a Magic Eraser can't fix.




























You can gather your moss outdoors, purchase from a local greenhouse or order it online. I ordered mine online from Teresa's Plants and More Store on Etsy ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/teresab123 ). The moss is beautiful and she is a super nice lady to boot.





 















Now we have a cool little centerpiece that is movable and versatile. I love it!

The moss is doing great after 5 days... so far so good!

Starting over from scratch...

Moving cross country is rough on everyone... and every THING too. It doesn't matter how well you pack and tether things down. SOMETHING is gonna get messed up. Furniture gets gouged and scratched. Stuff will break. These are the facts of life. It doesn't make it make it easier to deal with though.

When we arrived, about 80% of my house plants and their accompanying ceramic pots were obliterated. We're talking about a decade of nurturing gone to shit in a matter of days. I was crushed.

Even though I had lost most of my favorite plants, I still had some of them left...

I managed to save the Rubber Tree (above) that my husband and I planted almost 10 years ago when we first moved in together. It's been re-potted at least 5 times and stands about 6 feet tall. The plants in the base are starting to come back as well. 

I re-purposed  our old entertainment stand to accommodate the remainder of my plants (above).  Our Buddha collection lives happily amongst the greenery. All of my gardening supplies are tucked neatly away in those cute little cloth boxes. Oh, organization... How I love thee!

 Hey, now! It's starting to look pretty lush in here!

I had to prune back this planter due to some of the damage caused by the move. I was hoping the plants would recover, but they couldn't do it without a little bit of assistance. Hopefully the sunny spot will help them bounce back.  (above: Jade Plant and Variegated Elephant Bush)

Remember to save succulent leaves that fall off and and any cuttings that you take when pruning. Succulents are the easiest things in the world to get to take root. I let the cutting or leaves dry for a day or two then stick them into some potting soil. Just make sure to add some gravel at the base of the pot for good drainage and don't over water. The soil needs to dry out between waterings.

Here's a shot (above) of all the clippings I took growing in a sunny spot. I'll have more plants in no time!

Plants make me happy...

Buddha looks pretty happy too.

Starburst Mirror = Happiness

We have this beast of a hallway in our new digs that I had no idea what to do with when we moved in. I knew that I wanted a hall table with something above it, but the "something" eluded me.

And then I saw the Starburst Mirror tutorial over at Apartment Therapy. I was in LURVE...
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/how-tomake-your-own-starburst-mirror-allisons-february-jumpstart-project-2009-076260

I did things a bit differently. I varied the lengths of the dowel rods and did a regular flat mirror instead of the convex one. I also kind of just went with it and improvised with my mirror placement.

I love how it turned out. It's just what the space needed... a whole lotta bling. And I did it all for under $20!

Hello, is it me you're looking for?

Has it been a year already?! Wow... sorry about that! I swear I've been busy! Don't believe me?

Well, check this:

1. Pregnant with 2nd baby. It's tough, okay!

2. Taking care of house and first kiddo while attempting to potty train him. Ugh... why didn't anyone warn me how tough THAT would be?!

3. Working my 9 to 5 at the local Cable Company.

4. Supporting my husband as he worked on finishing his Masters.

5. I had said 2nd baby on June 15th...

6. Moved our family of four and all of our crap across the country to Philadelphia. (With the help of my Mom and Stepdad, thank goodness.)

Now I'm lucky enough to be able to stay home with my babes every day instead of working a crappy 9 to 5. It's a LOT more work, but worth it.

Well, here's to New Years resolutions. If you didn't already guess by now, mine is to keep up with this blog thing. Wish me luck!