Works for Me Wednesday--Embossing Powder

I just finished making 20 cards for Marie the other day, so I've got embossing powder on my mind.

And on my hands.

And on the counter, and floor, and bar stools, and cutting board, and Cinderella (she tried to help).

Anyway, my tip for this week is not on how to use embossing powder, but how to store it.

Yes, my friends: storing embossing powder is important.

As I see it, there are two ways to store embossing powder (I'm sure there are more; I just haven't thought of them yet).

1. Store in the bottle it came in. To use it, fold a scrap of paper, place stamped image on said paper, pour embossing powder on image, tap off excess powder, move powder to center of paper where fold is, take lid off powder bottle, and carefully pour excess powder back into bottle.

That's a lot of steps. And because it sticks to the paper, there is a lot of wasted embossing powder.

Or, you could

2. Store the embossing powder in a small, shallow tupperware (with lid). To use it, bury stamped image in powder, remove stamped image, tap excess powder back into tupperware, and replace tupperware lid.

Easy as pie! Plus, you don't lose the embossing powder that would normally stick to the folded paper, or those plastic trays.

Small, shallow tupperware; it's every embosser's friend!
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For more ideas visit Rocks in my Dryer.

Proof We Had Snow

I'm glad I took the girls outside this morning, instead of waiting until after naps were over. Right now, the snow is doing what it does best: melting.

Here is proof we actually had snow:

























It wasn't much, but it was enough.

The Snow Hath Come

IT SNOWED LAST NIGHT!!!!

Yea!

It's a beautiful, winter wonderland outside.

The leaves are frosted over, the grass is dotted with white, and the road is covered with snowy tire tracks.

Ahh! Bliss!

The Hose

hose

noun (plural hos·es)
Definition:

flexible tube: a flexible tube or pipe, often made of rubber or plastic, through which fluids such as water or gasoline can flow
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Cinderella was playing with play-doh this morning while I put Sleeping down for a nap. I came out of the nursery, and, of course, Cinderella wanted me to play with her.

So, being the great mom that I am, I did.

I know. I know. Hold your applause, please.

I didn't play with her for very long, however; I played play-doh until Cinderella started making this really long chain out of small play-doh snakes.

Well, I had assumed is was just as innocent as a chain.

Oh no. She quickly informed me that, no, it wasn't a chain of snakes; it was a hose. A really long hose.

After that, I was done; I just couldn't play play-doh with her anymore.

I was trying too hard not to laugh.

You see, "hose" in our house has a slightly twisted meaning from the traditional sense of the word.

After Cinderella began walking, she loved to follow Prince Charming all over the house. ALL over the house.

Including into the bathroom.

One day, Cinderella decided to check out that fascinating, constant plunking noise that her daddy was making in the bathroom.

Oh! What a noise! To her little one-year-old mind, that noise was the most fascinating sound she had ever heard!

When she peeped her head around the door, she was rewarded by the most spectacular sight: water cascading into a huge, white bowl! Glinting in the light! Making that wonderful sound! And coming from Daddy!

Being the curious toddler that she was, Cinderella just had to go check out this wonderful streaming water for herself.

So she did.

She stuck her little head right between her daddy's legs to see where the water was coming from.

Prince Charming, of course, completely freaked out and tried to leap out of the way, all while stopping the water flow on a dime and yelled, "Cinderella! What are you doing?"

Ignoring his question, Cinderella pointed to Prince Charming's exposed midsection as he was hastily repacking and asked, "What's that, Daddy?"

Sputtering and faltering, Prince Charming finally spat out, "It's my hose!"

And thus a new definition of "hose" was born.

The House of Sick

I'm sick.

Cinderella is sick.

Sleeping Beauty is sick.

Prince Charming is thinking about being sick, but isn't quite there yet.

This is absolutely no fun.

Stuffy nose, runny nose, coughing; blech!

Cinderella is so sick she's been waking up BEFORE 6AM!!!!

Sleeping Beauty is so sick she's having trouble nursing (ouch for me!).

I'm so sick I don't want to function.

'Tis the season...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

May you have a blessed time with friends and family.

And may your turkey turn out browned and juicy.

Works for Me Wednesday--Fun Baby Toys

I don't know about you, but we have waaaaay too many toys in our house. When you have the only grandchildren on either side of the family, this tends to happen.

The funniest thing about all these toys is that some of the ones the girls like(d) the most as babies weren't even toys.

Examples:

*the plastic lids from our Tupperware (in a basket)

*measuring spoons (plastic, to reduce the noise factor)

*a spoon (soup spoon or bigger, to reduce potential choking)

Other favorite baby toys in our house include:

*a bowl of assorted toys (refilled numerous times due to scattering)

*hand/finger puppets

*an inflated balloon (with parental supervision, of course)

These toys are what work for me (or Sleeping Beauty, since she's the one currently playing with them).

What works for you?

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For other great ideas, check out Rocks in my Dryer.

The Magical Fruit

Whoever said beans are the magical fruit obviously never gave prunes to a baby.

My Happy Place

Every morning is the same around my house: Cinderella is running all over the place, playing with everything she couldn't play with while she was sleeping; Sleeping Beauty is just so excited to be awake, she sits and plays with whatever I give her, making noise, after noise, after noise.

I, however, groggily pour myself a bowl of cereal and zone out.

I'm usually pretty good in the mornings. Unless there's a baby in the house. Then, I'm not so good.

Every morning I look forward to spending time in my happy place, where it is just me. Me and no kids.

Except for the one knocking on the door waiting for me to come out.

Except for the one making yet more noises sitting right outside the door in her bouncy seat.

Regardless, it is my happy place where I am free from the world outside, because it can't get in unless I let it.

And I rarely let it.

Every mom needs a happy place where she can go to escape mommyhood, even if it's only for 10 minutes or so.

My happy place is my shower.

Even if I'm not the Queen, I still need an escape time alone.

There are few things nicer for me than a piping hot shower. It just seems to wash all of my responsibilities away. I watch them go down the drain, and I wave bye-bye to them. I close my eyes and let the steaming water envelope me, close me in, make me invulnerable from what is lurking right outside my shower door.

Because, of course, my girls are right outside the shower door, making noises and wanting my attention.

My shower is the one place in my house where I can actually ignore them effectively and have a good excuse for not giving into their demands.

(What, Cinderella? I can't listen to you/watch you/show you/get you/help you right now. I'm busy. I'm in the shower.).

The best showers are those I get to take on Saturday, when Prince Charming is home, there's no where to go, and I can relax for maybe 15 minutes, instead of 10, before Cinderella comes to find me.

Ahhh! Bliss!

Once I step out, however, it's back to reality.

At least I had that one moment in the day to myself. It rejuvenates me, invigorates me, cleanses me.

I may not get my makeup on; I may not get my hair dried, or styled; I may not wear anything but sweats.

But I've had my shower.

It's the little things in life.

So, where is your happy place? Where do you go to escape from the kids have some alone time?

Another Recipe--Green Beans with Roasted-Onion Vinaigrette

In honor of Thanksgiving coming up NEXT WEEK (can you believe it?), I thought my recipe posting for this week should be something I make every year for the holiday.

I have a confession to make, first: I'm not a huge fan of the traditional green bean casserole. Canned green beans don't do anything for me. My green bean dish is a refreshing change from the usual green bean fare that seems to be universally served.

This is yet another Cooking Light recipe. Surprisingly, these beans are served chilled, which is a nice compliment to the other dishes that are yummily, piping hot.

Green Beans with Roasted-Onion Vinaigrette

2 red onions, peeled (about 1 pound)
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
2 pounds green beans, trimmed, steamed, and chilled

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut onions in half vertically. Drizzle the cut side of each onion half with 1/4 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle halves evenly with salt and pepper. Place one thyme sprig on 1 onion half; top with other half. Wrap in foil. Repeat procedure with the remaining thyme and onion halves. Bake the wrapped onions at 400 degrees fr 1 hour or until tender. Cool to room temperature. Discard thyme, and chop onions. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, dill, vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl.
3. Toss the beans with the vinaigrette. Yield: 8 servings.

Here's how I make it:
*I only use fresh thyme if I happen to be buying it for my turkey. Dried thyme works well.
*I use white wine vinegar. I'm not even sure I could fine champagne vinegar out here.
*I use dried dill; it works well.
*I'm not sure if my mustard is stone ground or not, but I use dried, ground yellow mustard. It tastes fine.

Seriously, though. This is a wonderful green bean recipe. It has a kick to it, but it's not spicy. It really does compliment the mild, creamy flavors of turkey, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes very well.

Okay, I'm drooling now. I can't wait to make this next week!

My Mom Would Laugh her Head Off if She Was Reading This Right Now

I guess as a preschooler I was a talker.

Shocking revelation, I know.

I can't imagine myself that way at all; I don't like to talk (sarcasm is just dripping off of the page right now; there's plenty to go around, if you need to use some.).

Yeah, right.

I'm a talker. Just ask my husband.

Or my daughter.

Or my sister.

Or my friends.

Or my mom, for that matter.

Anyway, one of my mom's favorite stories to tell about me as a child is the time she told me to shut up.

She swore she'd never use those two words together to her children.

Then she had me.

Seeing as how I'm the oldest child, her resolution didn't last very long.

Probably only two years, maybe three.

So, one day I was following my mom all over the house, chatting up a storm, asking question after question. My mom had to use the bathroom, and wanted to do so in private (imagine that! A mom wanting a moment to herself! And having to result to locking herself in the bathroom and locking her child out! The nerve!) and to have a moment of peace from my incessant chatter.

I, of course, didn't get the memo on this desired peace and quiet, and so I kept talking away, following her into the bathroom, naturally.

My mom, who had had enough of me by this time, pushed me (gently, I'm sure) out door, slamming it and yelling, "Shut up!"

I'm not sure how I responded.

It must have been horrible, since I have blocked that memory from my mind (I was 2). A mom yelling at her oldest, beloved daughter! Never!

There is a point to this whole story. Bear with me.

While I have never (yet) told Cinderella to shut up, I have thought it before. Several times, in fact.

Why, you ask?

Cinderella is a talker. A good one. With a large vocabulary that she likes to use at all possible moments in the day.

She'll talk to me; she'll talk to Sleeping Beauty; she'll even talk to herself (during play, but to herself, nonetheless).

It must be genetic.

It's got to be genetic, right?

She can't do what she's told without asking at least 5 questions concerning what she's supposed to do, and how, and why.

She can't ask just one question without thinking up at least 3 more, relevant to the topic at hand or not.

I love her curiosity; I encourage her curiosity.

I love that she can communicate clearly and effectively; I've overheard some great conversations because of it.

But does she have to talk ALL THE TIME?!?

She's woken her sister up numerous times with her "whisper" voice that isn't whispering at all; it's more like shouting quietly.

She's woken me up, just to ask me if she can wake up.

Guess what just happened this afternoon?

Yup! I'm awake; Sleeping Beauty's awake and cranky; Cinderella is still in bed because I won't let her "wake up" yet.

I need a break from all the talking.

She needs a break from doing the talking.

So, what is she doing right now?

Talking to her toys...

Works for me Wednesday--Free Movie Rentals

Growing up, I hated going to the library.

Handling dirty, filthy, who-knows-what-has-touched-these books that were USED, of all things!

I do not like used books.

Uhn-uh. No way.

I prefer to buy my books brand-spankin' new, thank you very much.

Fortunately, this completely insane, OCD-ishness mental barrier of mine has passed enough since my pocketbook can't support my book-buying habit anymore, I have finally learned to appreciate my local library system.

Why, oh why couldn't I have appreciated the library system in Seattle? They have a great lending library in Seattle.

Sigh...

Anyway, besides all the great books I can now read for free, I can also get free movie rentals.

That's right: free. FREE!!!

What's better than free?

Sure, I may have to wait awhile to get the movie I want (I've been waiting for the Bourne Identity since August! There's only one copy in the entire system, and I still have to wait through 5 more people, though. Hopefully I'll get it in time for the final movie to be out on video.), but it's FREE!!!

I think it's worth it.

I just request several movies at one time, they usually come staggering in one or two at a time, and I get them for 10 days, FREE OF CHARGE!

As an added bonus, I don't even have to step foot in my library at all. My library system is so spread out that they'll even ship my books, movies, music, whatever, to my house for FREE. Return postage is FREE, as well.

Your library system may not be as great as mine about shipping, but you've probably got a way better selection than my system of small-town libraries piggy-backing on one larger town's library.

And it's FREE, shipping or no shipping.

Is that great, or what?

Hey, it works for me!

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For more great ideas check out Rocks in my Dryer.

Overheard

We were having a nice, quiet, family dinner one Sunday night, when all of a sudden, Prince Charming's flatulence kicks in. As I glare at him in a disgusted, accusatory manner, He says, "Cinderella!"

Cinderella looks over at her daddy and says, indignantly, "I DIDN'T!!!" Then she looks over at me and says, "Did I, Mommy?"

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We were eating lasagna for dinner another night. Cinderella was halfway through her serving when she looks down at her fork and sees a piece of cottage cheese. She looks up, confused, and asks, "Is this bird poop?"

Prince Charming says, sarcastically, "Yeah, Cinderella, we served you bird poop.

Cinderella responds, in all seriousness, "That's not appropriate, Daddy."

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I walked into Cinderella's room one morning to open her shade and make sure she changed her underwear. This is the conversation I had with her:

Me: Your room stinkies!

Cinderella (without even the slightest hint of a pause): Oh. That's because I farted in my bed last night.

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Cinderella is convinced she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, just like her daddy. This is what she told Prince Charming about her future job:

"When I get bigger, I'm going to have my own classroom, and you're going to have your classroom. In my classroom there will be beds and then the kids will eat lunch and I'll tell them, 'Eat your food! Eat three more bites.' After they eat I'll tell them, 'Time for a rest!'"

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While I was down changing Sleeping Beauty's diaper one evening, this is the conversation I heard between Prince Charming and Cinderella:

Cinderella: Chase me, Daddy!

Prince Charming (feigning deafness): What? I can't hear you.

Cinderella: Chase me, Daddy! Chase me and tickle me!

Prince Charming (feigning deafness again): What? I still can't hear you.

Cinderella (getting impatient): Daddy! Chase me! Mommy said so! You have to do what Mommy says, remember?

Milestones

Sleeping Beauty turned 6 months old today. I can't believe what a big girl she is! Sometimes I miss my little (okay, weighing 8 lbs 13 oz at birth, she was never little), snugly baby, but in all honesty, this stage of babyhood is my absolute favorite. I love seeing the changes that occur in my baby daily, and I love how interactive she is now.

It seems like she's grown up so much overnight.

Okay. Not overnight, but definitely in the last two weeks:


*Two weeks ago she finally mastered sitting up.

*One week ago she started eating rice cereal.

*Three days ago Cinderella made her laugh and laugh, just by throwing a ball around.

*Two days ago she had her first big-girl bath.

*Today, she's 6 months old.


That's a lot of milestones to have met in the last two weeks!

Where has the time gone?

The scariest thing to me about Sleeping Beauty being 6 months old is that Prince Charming and I have started contemplating Baby Number 3.

What are we thinking? Sleeping Beauty is still a baby!

A BABY!!!

But not for much longer.

Six more months and she graduates to toddlerhood.

It all goes way too fast.

Another Recipe--Sweet Corn Muffins

If I were willing to make these muffins every day, Prince Charming would eat them for every meal. They are fantastic! And they compliment so many different types of meals.

Goodbye, Jiffy!

These muffins are from Cooking Light.

Sweet Corn Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt, melted butter, milk, and egg, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Place 12 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups. Divide the batter evenly among cups. Sprinkle batter evenly with turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yields 12 muffins.

Here's how I make them:
*You probably don't want to cook these muffins for the entire 20 minutes; they're a little dry if you do. 17 minutes is usually good, especially if you're using paper cup liners.
*I use silicon cup liners. They make for a moister muffin, and I can cook them for the entire 20 minutes.
*I don't have turbinado sugar. I've never seen it. I don't think my little town even carries it. Regular sugar works just fine.
*Sometimes I don't sprinkle the tops with the extra sugar. The muffins are sweet enough without out it. I usually only add it for the crunch factor.
*I have substituted the following for the yogurt if I don't have it on hand: sour cream, buttermilk, or vanilla yogurt. Each of these works just fine, and doesn't really impact the overall taste or texture of the muffins.

These muffins are the absolute best corn bread muffins I have ever tasted. I will probably always use this recipe from now on. The muffins are just that good.

Enjoy!