The Birthday Pal-alace DECOR

Dr. Seuss Variety buttons attached to
red/white polka dot ribbon.

The Birthday Boy attire- a Thing 1 t-shirt, a Cat in the Hat
birthday hat, his "Half & Half" big, and a birthday boy button.

Dr. Seuss books, characters, and blocks

More blocks, wall decals, more buttons and ribbon,
and a variety of Dr. Seuss quotes.

More Seuss wall decals and the 12 month growth photos.

From newborn to 12 months.

Signs for photo ops with the guests. Funny thing about this photo?
Both guys are actually named David.

And here's Thing 1, enjoying his new birthday drum.

Pin It #4

Martha Stewart, folks.
Accordion Valentine, found here.

 In searching for something *free* and *homemade* and *Valentine-y* to offer up the hubs tomorrow, Pinterest had a lot to consider. I decided on a cute little fold-y Valentine because a) it required materials that, between the home and the office, I had on hand, and b) it required skills in the area of "crafty" that I thought I had a smattering of.

Only in hindsight did I realize my inspiration was Martha Stewart.

Had this little fact dawned on me at the time I was considering points a) and b) listed above, I would never have ventured into this one for the simple fact that it would never turn out as cute/nice/lovely/perfect at something Martha Stewart creates << I don't care how much time she spent in the slammer, the woman knows how to do all things cute and crafty >>. Let's analyze the image to our left for just a moment. First, all of her hearts are cut out flawlessly. Second, they're all perfectly aligned and seamless. And let's be real, folks-- who doesn't have hearts floating on their computer monitor?

Here's my version that hubs will find when he goes to leave the house in the wee early hours of the morning. It's no Martha Stewart, to be sure. I like to think of the rough edges... as symbols... of the rough edges of our... er, um, nevermind. That's sappy. Lord knows there'll be enough sappy to go around tomorrow. Happy Valentine's Day, ya'll!

And Happy V Day, Hubs!

Pin It #3

I found this idea on Pinterest, and it seemed like a really easy DIY for my life (and our house). So I did it. In our hall bathroom. Under the sink << seems funny to type in sound byte (non)sentences like that >>. At first I was pleased. I was proud, and I thought to myself, "Self, nice job. Organization is your strength." But then I felt a sense of 'itch' every time I went to retrieve something from underneath the bathroom counter. It felt like clutter, not like organization. The spray bottles hung down in such a way that pretty much blocked access to anything in the cabinet placed beyond the first 6 or 8 inches in. I don't know about you, but we use every inch of storage available in our house, and it definitely needs to be easily accessible. So I got down on my hands and knees and took inventory. I assessed our workspace and BAM! It was all clear to me.

The tension rod wanted to be placed under the counter behind the sink.

Bingo! So here you go. This is my modified version that has worked like a charm!

Pin It #2

Found this one on Pinterest. I typed in polenta (which is a fancy word for grits), and chose this one a) because we had all the ingredients, and b) because the hubs was on baby duty and couldn't object to my dinner choice being 1) vegetarian and 2) made with grits... I mean corn meal, er, um, polenta << I learned early on that the hubs 'doesn't like grits,' but I always suspected that he just hadn't tried any that were prepared well >>.

In the end, I did make a few changes. Instead of regular diced tomatoes I used diced tommy's with jalapenos (kick!). Although it doesn't specify red salsa, I used green (it's what we had). In the polenta itself I added a little bit of crushed red pepper. To go with dinner I whipped up some guac, and I sauteed the hubs two chicken sausages to go on top of his << I'm not a fan of the chicken sausage, and I wanted to go vegetarian tonight anyway >>.

This one's a modified keeper, and it would be great for a family where one person is vegetarian and the other is a carnivore-- as in, easy peasy to cook the meat apart and add it at the end. Here's a pic of what ours ended up looking like, right before we devoured it.

Left, with meat. Right, without.

Here's the modified recipe, originally found here.

Polenta and Black Beans

Makes 4 servings

Time Required: 20 minutes

ingredients

• 3
  cups water
• 1
  cup yellow cornmeal
• 1
  cup water
• 1/2
  teaspoon salt
• 1
  15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1
  14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained <-- I used diced tomatoes with jalepenos
• 1
  cup bottled salsa with cilantro or other salsa <-- I used green salsa here

       3/4

       cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (3 oz.)

1 tsp      Crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp  Garlic powder

1 tsp      Pampered Chef's Chipotle rub

directions

1.For Polenta*: In a large saucepan bring the 3 cups water to boiling. In a 

medium bowl combine cornmeal, the 1 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir cornmeal mixture slowly into the boiling water. <-- Here I added 1 tsp of crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, and 1 tsp of Pampered Chef's Chipotle rub. Cook and stir until mixture comes to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. (If mixture is too thick, stir in additional water.) <-- I left mine on the stove more like 20 minutes

2.Meanwhile, in a large skillet combine the beans, undrained tomatoes, and

salsa. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir 1/2 cup of the cheese into the polenta. Divide polenta among 4 shallow bowls. Top with the bean mixture and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Makes 4 servings.

3.In a small pan I cooked 2 chicken sausage links (for the hubs to add to 

his dish- one for dinner and the other for his leftovers). 

Pin It #1

There are times when David is on nighttime baby duty << which includes giving him a bottle and/or rocking the little bugger to sleep >> and instead of doing something productive like laundry, I lurk Pinterest.

I always come across something and think, "Wow, I'd like to try that." So I Pin It.

The other day I was looking for a quick, easy, healthy dinner idea. My sister was coming over after work while the hubs went with her fiance for their suit fitting, followed by dinner out with all the groomsmen.

Here's what I landed on, pinned to my "Who's Hungry" board, and it's all courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens:

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Spinach

In the end I used the recipe as a really good base for our dinner. From the original recipe, I doubled the quantity of mushrooms called for, added another half of an onion, 2 tsp of paprika, and for moisture I put in a cup of stock (chicken is what we had). For toppers, in addition to the parmesan cheese we put walnuts and thinly sliced steak that the hubs grilled the night before.

On a rainy winter evening, this was pretty darn comforting. Thanks Pinterest. This one's a modified keeper.