Sticky Fabri-Solvy

So I've mentioned before that I decided to do an I Spy quilt this year for my munchkin.  I always knew I wanted to do one of these quilts for each of my kids.  So I decided to make it happen. 

My goal is to have it done by Baby Girl's first birthday.  I have less than a month!  Gasp!

When I made these for nieces and a nephew (a decade ago), I had the awesome help (and mentoring and instruction) of my friend Donna.  This time, I've been winging it (and trying to recall decade-old information)!  (And miraculously have managed to get somewhere ;).)

But Donna has a sewing machine which does embroidery.  And so, back then, she embroidered our words around one of the borders.  I don't have such a machine.  And couldn't find anyone who does. 

Ergo, I find myself hand-embroidering.  It's killer.  But I'm actually accomplishing it!  And I am pretty sure it wouldn't look even remotely legible if not for this sticky fabri-solvy. 

Who knows where the name came from.  Shoot, I didn't even know anything like this existed until I talked to Donna a couple months back and she told me about this stuff that she used for embroidering on a project which can just be thrown in the washer and it dissolves! 

And an even bigger bonus?  It's printable!  So I loaded it in my printer, printed my words, stick it to the border, and stitch away!  (Too bad the stitching is the hard part ;).) 

It is slow going, but I'm making progress.  And when it's all said and done, I can throw the quilt in to wash and all that should be left is the stitched words! 

Once again, Donna saves the day! 

It may not be as fancy as the other quilts with the machine-embroidery...  But there's a whole lot of extra time and love and effort.  And that counts for something, right?

And, I'm expanding my horizons:  I'm learning how to embroider on a quilt. 

Anyway, I'm thankful for this sticky fabri-solvy.  It's helping me get this done and have it look semi-decent.  And I'm pretty stoked (even though I'm only 3 words in ;)...)

What are you grateful for today?

The Safety of My Friends Down South

Apparently the last two days have been fraught with really nasty weather near my old stomping grounds of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.

And I happen to have some very dear friends in those places.

So I'm grateful that, though there were tornadoes which touched down near many of them, my friends and their homes (as far as I know) are all safe.

And for those who were not so fortunate...  My prayers are with them.

What are you grateful for today?

Mesh Food Rings

Clearly I'm loving some baby items lately... 

These things...  BOMB.

I never even knew these existed until my friend Lea mentioned them one night at Monday Meals.  And then she included them in Munchkin's awesome Easter basket.

I only wish I'd have known about these sooner.  Seriously may have prevented my heart from skipping a bunch of beats -- one for each time my kiddo gagged on some new food we were introducing.  It's an awful sound and an even worse image.  Always terrifies me.

Baby Girl is pretty adept at eating a lot of things these days.  Today she even decided she likes broccoli (at least enough to eat it) after all (the first two times earned us some awesome facial expressions and broccoli falling off her tongue).  She doesn't have much problem eating things. 

But these are coming in handy with grapes!  I don't have to peel them (lazy me)... I just throw them into the mesh thing, snap it closed, and hand it to her.  Perfection!  I'm thinking they will also be good when I try giving her raspberries and wild blackberries this summer.  Because of the big seeds in those things.  And I'm sure there will be other things I discover where these will come in handy. 

Plus, there will (hopefully) be more babies...  And I can save myself some heart palpitations! 

What are you grateful for today?

The Boppy

I don't know what women did before the boppy was created.

Because it's just awesome.

I actually have two of them!  (Thanks to Virginia who gave us one while we were in Alabama :)).

Truthfully, of all the items in existence in the baby world, the Boppy was the one item I was determined to have, back when I was pregnant.  Though I'd never experienced one before, I just knew it was going to be a lifesaver.  

It's especially great for (and mainly intended to make easier) nursing.  But trust me, it has a bunch of awesome uses.

We used it a lot for when Baby Girl was learning to sit up, but still wasn't steady enough not to fall backward frequently.

I used it while I was nursing.  And now I still use it for most bottle feedings, because it's a great arm support.  And this munchkin is getting heavy!  So my arms appreciate the extra -- comfortable -- support :).

And it can even be used as a neck pillow ;).  (Maybe just not on an airplane ;)).

What are you grateful for today?

Home-Made Pizza

Tonight I made pizza for dinner.  I love this pizza...  It's one of my go-to recipes when I don't know what to make for dinner (as long as I have the fresh veggies I need for it).  It's not terribly time-consuming, and it's easy.  Plus, it tastes yummy!

It may not be as cheap as a Little Caesar's hot and ready pizza...  But it's way better for my health -- and my taste buds!  (Not that I don't enjoy a Little Caesar's every once in a while.)  And, actually, the price of this pizza can be changed to fit the tastes and desires of the cook!  My pizza is usually a bit pricier, because I enjoy artichoke hearts on it :).

So here is how I make our pizza (the crust is from a Betty Crocker cookbook):

Crust:
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat and the rest white)
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup water

Combine two cups flour (for me this is one cup each) plus next 5 ingredients.  Add remaining flour a little at a time until it is not sticky, but still a little tacky.  Knead until it becomes smooth and supple.  Grease a large bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat.  Cover with damp towel and place in a warm place to rise 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on how much time you have).

While dough is rising, prep veggies.  I use the following:

1/2 to 3/4 small zucchini, sliced into coins no thicker than 1/8"
1/2 to whole roma tomato, sliced thin
2 to 3 white mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 cup chopped green onion (or equivalent sliced regular onion if I have it)
1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 cups baby spinach
(if I have green pepper, I use that too)

Once the dough is ready, spread it out on a pizza stone (I usually lightly oil the stone so the crust doesn't stick to it while baking).  Start preheating oven to 450.  Spread 1/2 of an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce (or more if you want) on the center of the dough (I usually build up a little dough wall around the edges for grabbing purposes :)).  Sprinkle with 1 to 2 teaspoons each oregano and basil (depending on tastes).  Pop the dough into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes while the oven is still pre-heating. 

When the dough has baked a little and is very lightly browned on some edges, pull it out (it will have puffed some).  Place your vegetables on however you want (I usually put the garlic on the bottom, then tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, artichokes, spinach.)

Top with 1 to 2 cups cheese (we sometimes use mozzarella and sometimes cheddar -- whatever we have).

Bake an additional 10 minutes when oven is completely up to temperature.

Cut pizza and enjoy!

I started doing the baking the way I do (putting it in while the oven is still preheating), because the original recipe for the crust called for 450 for 25 minutes and our pizza was always getting too burnt and hard.  So this is the way that works for us.

Anyway...  It was a long day.  A good day, but a long day.  And so I am grateful I could decided at the last minute to do pizza for dinner :). It's always yummy :).

What are you grateful for today?

Baby Hugs

Not to be mistaken for baby snuggles (for which I am also grateful) :).  Baby snuggles seem to be less voluntary -- and happen mostly when my sweet girl is working on sleep!  But hugs...  Those are different.

Recently, Baby Girl has learned how to hug.  It's not an official hug that way it will be one day.  But she understands the word -- and when I ask her for a hug, she looks at me, and then lays her head on my left shoulder.  And I wrap my arms around her and hug her and say, "Oh thank you!"  And she wiggles happily in my embrace.

Today, I took advantage of my husband's swing shift schedule and left him home with the munchkin in the morning while I went and did some shopping.  Our sweet girl is a great shopping buddy, don't get me wrong.  But it still saves me a ton of time when I go by myself.  So I took the opportunity today.

Our little miss does great with her daddy.  He's her best play-mate.  But she definitely loves when her mommy comes home.  To say she was a little clingy after I got back is a bit of an understatement.

And I was welcomed with hugs galore from our precious girl.

And they kinda sorta make me super melty inside :).  I love this baby and her hugs (even if she's more toddler than baby these days...).

What are you grateful for today?

Break & Bake Cookie Dough

For those days when your from-scratch cookies (that you need to take somewhere) didn't turn out... :-/.

Enough said.

What are you grateful for today?