Lace Dresser & Night Stand

One of my most ambitious projects from Pinterest has to be the dresser and nightstand that I just finished for my guest room. I combined several different ideas from different pins and prayed! The pins I looked at were: Painting Laminate Furniture, Spray Painting Furniture, and Adding Lace. Let me preface this by saying that I just looked at the picture for adding lace and took the description of the pin and ran with it. After getting into my project, I went to the blog and found out that she did not add lace to her dresser, she used paintable wallpaper with texture! Oh well, I was committed by that point.

To start, I bought a nightstand from a thrift store for $15 (solid wood) and a dresser for $5 at a yard sale. Here are the starting projects:

These were very loved items, they showed their wear and tear and even had a resident - EEK!

First step was sanding the furniture, even the laminate. I didn't worry about it too much, just roughed it up a bit. Next was adding two coats of primer. I went ahead and used the primer that was recommended and it worked great! It was Zinsser Cover Stain.

Next was adding the lace. I bought a yard of lace at Hobby Lobby for around $5.00. This let me cut enough strips for 3 drawers on the nightstand and 5 drawers of the dresser.

Once they were ready, I grabbed the Mod Podge... I put a layer of Mod Podge down and then placed the lace on top of it. I followed up with putting another layer of Mod Podge over the top of the lace as a glue/sealer and trimmed any excess on the side. I let it dry overnight.



Next was the painting. I am so glad that I took the advice of the blogger and bought a spray nozzle for my spray paint. It was around $3.00 and worked great! I sprayed the drawers with a steel gray spray. It took 3 coats to cover the lace and the sides of the drawers. I then sprayed the dressers with white.

I added hardware that I got at Lowe's on sale for around $25.00. and put them together. I love the way they turned out!

Since my husband is not crazy about having gray, white, and yellow in our bedroom decor, I decided to do it with the guest room. These are the first things I have finished for the room. Now I am trying to get my courage up to make a quilt! Thank goodness for my mom who is willing to help me...

Cupcake Pizzas

As soon as the kids got home from school today (yes, they are still in school for a couple more days - love year round school!), J started asking what was for dinner and if we could have pizza. I happened to have just seen something on Pinterest (original link cupcake mold pizzas). I had everything to make these babies, except the pizza dough and needed to run to Target to get some cabinet locks to keep C out of the drawers...

The Target that I went to was kind of small, and didn't have Pillsbury Pizza Dough. The only thing they had was crescent rolls, so I decided to go with it!

I preheated the oven to 375 degrees and sprayed my silicone pan with Pam. Supposedly you don't have to, but I was scared...

I only ended up using one package of crescent rolls and got 12 cupcakes worth of pizza. I just pushed the wide part of the dough into the bottom of the pan and then remove the excess. After doing that with 2 of them, I was able to combine the extra parts and make a third crust.

Next was a spoon of pizza sauce. My kids aren't huge fans of sauce, so I just did a little bit. Added cheese and pepperoni to only mine (again, the kids aren't fans). Baked for 15 minutes and they were delish!!! Very easy for a weeknight meal. Between myself and 4 kids, we ate all 12 of them (they are fairly small).

All in all, my kids seemed to like them. They weren't the favorite pizza thing I had made, but they worked in a pinch... Plus we had fun with Callie trying to use a fork.

Pinterest Addict

My name is Aimee and I am a Pinterest addict, and I have no desire to change. Since my sister-in-law introduced me, I have come up with so many ideas, recipes, projects, etc. My husband believes it is costing him a lot of money, and he is probably right. Good thing he loves me!

Although I haven't blogged in awhile, I have been very busy. I have found raising 4 kids with a husband who travels Monday - Friday keeps me hopping, but projects have been saving my sanity. And cooking is the only form of legal child abuse that I am capable of! My kids may not like it, but it is saving money and hopefully better nutrition. I am going to start putting down my various projects, whether cooking, sewing, crafting, painting, etc... because trust me, some funny stuff has happened along the way!

Green Bean Saga and Aunt Lew's Chocolate Chip Cookies

It has been a day! I have made bread (recipe to come later - it is awesome!), homemade dishwasher detergent (will also post after I have tried it out), chocolate chip cookies, and dinner. I also had to run for a couple of hours to verify my daughter's SS#. Did you know that you have to have ID for your 10 month old to get her SS# to file your taxes? I asked if I could just plop her on their desk - they were not amused. Instead, I had to drive to her doctor's office, 30 minutes away, and get a copy of her last medical visit. Dumb! All of this to file taxes, which I don't want to do!!! Let's just say, I was tired and it was a long day!

Then comes the chaos of dinner. My kids are painful at dinner, this is putting it lightly. If it isn't standard kid fare: mac n'cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, I had better prepare for a battle. Tonight, I made grilled pork chops, fettucini alfredo, and the dreaded green beans. You guessed it, there were many tears. Tonight, I was a little tired of the theatrics, and decided to record it for posterity - and all of you! 

After, I asked her if she learned a lesson, she stated "yes, that you are mean!" It only took her 8 years to figure that out! Assisting me in the diabolical plan - her Uncle Chris! Lucky dad is out of town...

The only thing that got her to eat her green beans, was the promise of a chocolate chip cookie. I thought I would share the awesome recipe here!!!

Aunt Lew's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream:

2 C. Shortening

2 C. Brown Sugar

1 C. Sugar

2 t. Vanilla

 Mix in 4 eggs and add the following dry ingredients:

4 C. 8 T. Flour

2 t. Salt

2 t. Baking Soda

Stir in 1 pkg. chocolate chips and nuts (if desired). Mix thoroughly, bake 8 minutes at 375 degrees.

Quick Mix (aka Homemade Bisquik)

My mom calls this "Quick Mix" because you can use it to make dinner quickly! I used this for pancakes tonight for my kids and they loved it! Unlike most of the food I make them eat :-)

4 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Powder Milk
2 T. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
3/4 Cup Butter

Mix all together until crumbly. Store in fridge for up to 6 months.

For Pancakes (made about 8):

2 Cups Quick Mix
1 Cup Milk
2 Eggs

For Biscuits:
2 Cups Quick Mix
2/3 Cup Milk

Best Bathroom Cleaner Ever!

I have seen several posts on Pinterest about mixing Vinegar with Dawn and getting a great cleaner. Most of them recommend doing a 1 cup of Dawn, 1 cup of Vinegar mixture. I tried this and it was way too sudsy - it took forever to rinse off. So, I have played with it and found that a good mix is 1 cup of Dawn with 3 cups of Vinegar. I also add some fragrance oil that I found at Walmart for only $2.00! Trust me, the vinegar is strong!!! This at least helps it smell better.

All you have to do is spray it on, let it sit for about 30 minutes and rinse off. It takes care of all of the hard water (which is awful in Herriman). This cleaner is fantastic and super cheap!!!

Fun with my Silhouette Cameo!

My sweet husband bought me a Cameo for Christmas and I love it!!! Today L and I decided to get our craft on...

I had a wooden box that I bought several weeks ago, but wasn't sure what to do with it. I painted it white, dry brushed some pastels on it for texture and then added some vinyl. 

I think it turned out pretty cute - and cheap - which is always good!

Tater Tot Casserole and Parent Teacher Conference

Knowing that I have to spend all afternoon at the school doing parent-teacher conference, I have gone ahead and made dinner. It will be nice to just throw it in the oven and not have to worry about it when I get home.

The only time that I make Tater Tot Casserole is when K is traveling, he is definitely not a fan! But this is one of my favorite dishes! Hopefully the kids appreciate it, although I am not holding my breath. I modified it a little bit to try and make it a little healthier :-)

My favorite part was C bouncing in her jumper to the music while we cooked.

Ingredients
16 oz bag of Tater Tots
1 lb of 96% lean ground beef
Minced Onion (you can put in fresh, but my kids would freak out!)
1 can of Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 can of milk
1/2 cup of Fat Free Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese

Directions
Cook Tater Tots according to package directions.

While Tater Tots are cooking, brown hamburger. I just sprinkle a little minced onion with it and add salt & pepper to taste. Once hamburger is browned, add the soup, milk, sour cream, and some shredded cheese (however much you like!). Mix it all together.

Once Tater Tots are done, place in the bottom of a casserole dish. Pour hamburger mixture over the top and add shredded cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Verdict: must be a gender thing. The men in the family, K&J, are not fans! The ladies, including C, love it! Here is J's mad face at me making him eat it all!

Sausage and Cream Cheese Rolls

Sausage and Cream Cheese Pinwheels

This was a very easy, throw together meal on a Sunday afternoon! I was also feeling really lazy, so I used the precooked sausage crumbles from Jimmy Dean. I did modify it a little bit from the original recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb of cooked breakfast sausage
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Directions
Combine sausage and cream cheese in a bowl. Open the can of crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Cut each triangle into half length wise. Place approximately a tablespoon of mixture on the large part of the triangle and roll. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, or sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Easy Beef Enchiladas

I got this recipe from my amazing sister-in-law, Nicole. K loves it and is always requesting it for dinner!

Ingredients

2-3 Cans of Enchilada sauce (depends on how saucy you like it :-)
1 lb Ground Beef
8 tortillas (I like flour, can use corn)
Shredded Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour approximately 1/2 can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan and shake to cover the entire bottom.

Brown hamburger in skillet. Once browned, add the other 1/2 can of enchilada sauce and some shredded cheese. Once heated through and the cheese has melted, assemble the enchiladas!

Get one tortilla and place a thin line of meat mixture down one side. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in the baking pan. Continue until all of the mixture has been used.

Then pour an additional can over the top of the completed enchiladas and cover with cheese.

Bake at 350 for approximately 20-25 minutes and enjoy! My husband loves topping them with either Ranch or Sour Cream. Enjoy!

Love Potion

Bubbly Love Potion

I got the recipe for this "love potion" off of Pinterest (of course!). It is amazing. You just mix up frozen pink lemonade concentrate per the directions on the can. You then take 4 cups of the lemonade and 4 cups of raspberry sherbet and mix in blender. Pour in a glass and pour Sprite over the top. It was awesome! Can't tell you what the kids thought, K wouldn't share with them.

Baked Mozzarella Sticks and mass chaos!

First, let's set the mood! It has been a very busy day: lots of errands, a potty training 3 year old and a teething 9 month old... did I mention that my husband is out of town for work?!?

I set some pork chops out to thaw earlier and had every intention of finding some fabulous way of cooking them...as the migraine started to set in, I quickly changed my mind. Especially considering the fact that my kids aren't going to appreciate a great deal of effort.

The pork chops got put in a Sesame Ginger 30 Minute Marinade that I bought at the grocery store. While they were cooking I decided to make some homemade baked mozzarella sticks. I have no idea where I got the recipe - I have intended on making it several times, but never got around to it. It was about at this point that baby C lost her mind and started screaming. It was a long 30 minutes with her screaming in her jumper, p
but I was determined to make some cheesy goodness. About this same time, I told S & J to go take quick showers. As I am in the middle of breading the cheese sticks, I hear a thud from upstairs. J decided he needed to go to the bathroom and got out of the bath tub. He ran to the toilet and then was running back to the bath tub when he slid on my floor and hit his head... seriously?!? When I asked him why he was running, he said it was so that he didn't turn into a merman before he got back in the water. Yes, it is true - my children think they are mermaids! They have been watching a show called "H2O - Just Add Water", it is a show out of Australia and all 3 seasons are on HULU. Thank you dad for finding this show! They all think they have powers and are mermaids now. When I make L mad, she puts her hand out and starts turning it, thinking that she is going to use her powers to freeze me in place - it has yet to work on a mad mom!

After kissing his head better and helping him wash, I headed back downstairs to the screaming baby. Ahhh, the glamorous life of a mother :-) And now for the recipe (like I said, I have had it printed out forever and no URL printed on it, so I have no idea where I got it)

Baked Mozzarella Sticks


Ingredients:
 8 mozzarella string cheeses
2 T. Flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 C dry bread crumbs (I used Italian Seasoned)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Marinara or Ranch sauce for dipping

Instructions:
Place the string cheese in the freezer at least 1 hour before you plan to make these. These will lessen the oozing of the cheese. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the flour, eggs, and crumbs in 3 separate dishes. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Cut the cheese strings in 1/2 widthwise. Dip one cheese stick at a time into the flour to coat, then into the egg whites, and then the crumbs. Dip it into the egg again and then the crumbs again, squeezing to help them adhere. It'll be messy, but try to cover the cheese completely. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with all of the cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Serve immediately with warmed marinara sauce.



My experience:

Like I said, I had every intention of making these for awhile, so my string cheese has been in the freezer for 5 days :-) That being said, it may have impacted it. The flour didn't stick to the cheese at all, not quite sure the reason for that first. As far as the mess - they weren't kidding! It was pretty nasty and all over my hands.

Here is a picture of the mozzarella sticks prior to baking:

And after baking:

That's right, 5 days in the freezer did not prevent any cheese oozing! It was all over the pan!

The final dinner plate:

VERDICT - Mom

I may try again with Panko breadcrumbs, no flour, and only 1 hour in the freezer. They actually tasted pretty good, once you got past the appearance. The pork chops were yummy!

VERDICT - Kids

J - liked the crumbs, but not the cheese. Go figure! He actually picked the crumbs off and ate them alone. He did like the pork chops - hallelujah! 

S - liked the cheese, but not the crumbs. Of course! She let him pick off her crumbs and then ate the cheese. She did not like the pork chops, however, she didn't cry during the meal and I consider that a win.

L - said that everything just made her sad and asked if she could call her daddy *sigh*, you can't win them all.

C - just sat there looking pitiful and cried.

Time to go to bed and remind myself that tomorrow we are going out to dinner and I don't have to face the critics until Friday night with my next dinner of torture...

Thin Taquitos with Cilantro Cream

I used a recipe from Once Upon a Plate to make homemade taquitos on Sunday. I did a few things differently than the recipe:

Instead of chicken, I used left over roast beef from some French Dip sandwiches I made on Saturday - amazing by the way! We also made a few plain cheese ones to satisfy the picky kids.

Also, it is way to much grease for me to dip the tortilla on both sides into oil, I only dipped the outside and it worked great.

We loved the Cilantro Cream recipe that came with this as well - although my kids told me there was something wrong with my ranch :-)

Cooking Adventures

If you have read any of my posts on Facebook, you know that feeding my family is a challenge! You can even just ask any of my neighbors : ) Often we have tears, fighting, and wailing - but I am determined to find things that they will actually eat. I have decided to include some of my favorite things on here and also put in what I had to do to modify them to get my picky group to eat them. Most of these have been found on Pinterest - of course!

What a crazy couple of months!

I had every intention of beginning to blog, then life happened! However, I am beginning to think that it is the best way to maintain my sanity. I guess I can just update everyone on what is going on.

As many of you know, we moved three days before Christmas - would not highly recommend it! I am glad that we love our new house, because I have no intention of moving again!!! As we were unpacking, we found out that Samantha was afraid Santa wouldn't know where to find us, because we didn't have any decorations up. This resulted in not having beds up, but there was a beautiful Christmas tree amidst the boxes. Thank goodness - Santa did find us, but so did the flu. Do you know how hard it is to clean up after puking kids (and mom) when you don't know where anything is??? It definitely made things interesting!

After we were getting settled, Kerin discovered that his stomach hurt and there was a weird bulge by his belly button - yup, hernia! So, that resulted in surgery for him the beginning of January. When they went in, they actually found two of them - but both were repaired and are healing well.

Kerin was off of work for the months of December (vacation) and January (surgery), but that ended in February... wouldn't you know, his first week to travel was also the first week that the kids are off track. You read right - we are in year round school. I was kind of worried about it initially, but I have had a great time with them so far. Only another week and a half and they are back in school.

Samantha is loving 3rd grade and is doing well. She also loves our new house and the many little girls that are around for her to play with. Thank goodness, she has also picked up my love for reading and she is going through the Roald Dahl books now - Matilda is a favorite!

Jace is having a harder time - he is surrounded by girls and very few boys live around. As a result, I have gotten pretty good at playing Lego Pirates of the Caribbean on the Playstation : ) He is such a joy and loves doing things with me. This morning he did a 45 minute exercise video with me and told me that he was going to start training to be a ninja. At least he has goals!

Alexa is going through the "Trying" 3's. She knows more than I ever could and is also refusing to potty train - hopefully she gets over it soon. She is also a lot of fun and pure girl. She also loves Matilda - we watched it 3 times a day for awhile.

Callie is now almost 9 months old and is quite the demanding little one. Thank goodness she smiles a lot! She just got her first tooth and the second one is trying to come through. She has also learned to crawl - I am making good use of the vacuum I got for Christmas. I would be happy if she would quit getting up 2-3 times a night!

I am doing good most days, just trying to figure out this domesticity! It is much harder than I thought and there are several times a week I contemplate going back to work (but just for a couple of minutes - it passes quickly)!

My sweet sister-in-law, Nicole, introduced me to Pinterest when she was visiting in September and I am a fullblown addict! However, I committed to myself that I would also start trying some of the things that I am pinning. You are going to start seeing some of my successes, and definite failures, as I go along. Hopefully I try some of the things that you are thinking and can share some ideas. Much to my children's dismay, a lot of them are recipes : )