Wheel of Fortune in HD? Yep. That's what a Lazy Saturday is all about. Well, I feel like it's been lazy. I did sleep till about 10am, although I was up with Ardyn at 4:30 and again at about 8am, when she crawled into bed with me and started watching cartoons.
I started the day by folding all the laundry (4 loads) that had been piled on my bed, and then decided it was a good time to pack up the kids' summer clothes. It was freezing cold here today, and the wind was wicked. We stayed inside. I painted two walls in the "new" area of the kitchen, which I will from this point forward be referring to as the pantry (stay with my people.)
The paint color that we chose (by we, I mean my mom, my sister, my sister-in-law to be, and myself) was really darker than I had expected and had a bad tint to it that I hadn't seen coming... but Evan and I were convinced that we should at least put a second coat on it in case that was just what was needed. So the section of one wall that I had painted, I put a second coat on and we both agreed that really WAS what was needed. So I proceeded and painted the second wall. It needs another coat which I am hoping on doing here in a bit.
I also loaded the dishwasher and ran it, and made chocolate chip walnut cookies and rice krispie treats. It was chilly so I put on my sweatshirt cardigan and my slippers and lay on the couch and read Ardyn a few new Halloween books before daddy took her to Grandma's for the night. Marek took a HUGE nap, like 3.5 hours. I was jealous, but I thought that if I took a nap after Ardyn left, Marek had been asleep long enough that I would likely just be cranky because he would wake up before I actually got a decent nap in. So I baked instead.
I started working a bit on Marek's Halloween costume. I am a little freaked out about the fact that this month is INSANELY busy and I have two Halloween costumes to get made. Marek's shirt is in the dyeing process right now, and next up is some bedazzling (mwahahahaha!)
The house is still all torn up but not in the construction sense as much as in the "we still have so much to paint" sense. And in the "half the kitchen is living in the dining room" sense. Last week I ordered cabinets and countertop for the pantry, and flooring for the whole kitchen. I am completely changing the decor in the kitchen, which I didn't really want to do, but the retro 50's thing just doesn't seem to mesh with this bungalow craftsman thing we have going on, and the flooring and cabinets and countertop that I was drawn to say "craftsman" instead of "retro."
I am excited by the kitchen changes, but am worried about choosing things like Curtains. I just don't know what "theme" I am going to go with, if any at all. Flooring install should be in two weeks, and cabinets will be delivered after that sometime. I just transferred our October calendar to the wipe off board and I was overwhelmed instantly. This week will be the most hectic. Evan's brother gets married this weekend, and so this week means haircuts for Marek and I, color for me, hopefully a pedicure (any reason for that is a good one) and also a Haircut for Evan. Ardyn has a hair appointment to get her hair styled, but it's a catholic wedding so pictures start at 11am... which is just an hour after her hair appointment. Basically I am going to have to have my things and Ardyn's things packed and ready the night before, as well as having Marek's things packed, because I will have to get ready at the salon while Ardyn is getting her hair done, and then get Ardyn ready after that and go right for pictures. Evan is in the wedding too, so he will get Marek ready with him and bring Marek to meet Ardyn and I at the church. I also have to have spare clothes and overnight bags packed for the kids as they will leave the reception with my family.
Add to all the wedding fun.... two days of school for Ardyn, dance class, rehearsal dinner, and a MOPS meeting that I have a ton to prepare for, and yeah, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. LOL. But if we just get through that week, then all that's left is Halloween costumes and installation of everything in the pantry area. Oh and painting. Lots and lots of painting. Tonight I need to start (and finish?!) The spreadsheet and then the directory for MOPS, and then the table assignments need to be redone, as well as the discussion questions typed up. Oy. Hoping I can wait till Marek goes to sleep to have some silence. Oh and I have website updates to do also.
Tomorrow I am going to actually do something for ME. Pottery Class. As in on a pottery wheel, making my own pieces, with the extremely talented and fun Ann Dittmer and my co-student and mamma friend Courtney ;) I can't wait!
Well, that's the lowdown, and here's to what is sure to be an exciting week!
Showing posts with label Kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kitchen. Show all posts
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Photo Tutorial- Homemade Bird Suet- a Great Project for Kids!
For the Love of Birds :)
Well, since we all kinda have those February Blah's, we decided to do a fun project that was a little bit different (Ardyn doesn't get to cook much, except in her play kitchen) and I have to say that per usual, she is over the moon about being in the kitchen with mom. She really enjoys it, but I have a hard time finding too many things that are safe for a 2 year old... The best part about this is that the measuring doesn't have to be accurate at all for birds to find it delicious... the ingredients are simple and inexpensive, and we have them all on hand... and the cooking is minimal and the heat on Low. Plus, Ardyn has had bird feeders right outside (and ON) her bedroom windows since she was not even a year old, so she loves to feed the birds and watch them. Suet cakes aren't really expensive, but every little bit of homemade can help!
So to start, we donned our aprons, and got our recipe and our supplies/ingredients all set out. Ardyn helps me cook on a stepstool/chair that our friend Nancy Anderson bought for us loooooong before we even moved in to the house, at Michael Jon's grandma Michlig's sale. It was cheap and she said that everyone needed a chair/stool like that (and we REALLY do because we have some cupboards that are so high you can only reach them if you stand on the stool.) It's great for Ardyn to help, and puts her at counter height, plus it has two steps for easy up and down!
Here's Ardyn ready to go with the recipe. She LOVES recipes. Grandma Deb gave her a "recipe box" for her play kitchen this Valentine's Day and she hasn't let it go since yesterday when she got it! Her favorite Strawberry Shortcake episode is "cookin up fun" and she really loves recipes.
First, measure out 1 cup of shortening. We use the cheap stuff from Aldi's and measure it in our mini-measure-all cup. Ardyn held the cup and I used a mini-spatula to scoop and fill the cup while she held it. We added it to the saucepan, I held the cup and she pushed the plunger and squealed with delight when the shortening "plopped" into the pan.
Measure out 1 cup of peanut butter (this time she insisted that she needed a few bites herself.) A little stickyness adds to the fun.
Melt the shortening and peanut butter over low heat. We stirred it with our Pampered Chef Mix n scraper, which is heat safe, and helped to get the sides and bottom of the pan well scraped. Ardyn did help stir. I explained that the stove was hot and that she needed to be very careful and she did well. Stirring put the BIGGEST big girl smile on her face!
Add 1 cup of flour and 3 cups of cornmeal. To make this part more fun and make it educational, I use a half cup scoop and that basically doubles the amount she gets to measure, and we count together how many scoops of each we are adding. This also really helps with what she can handle, as the cup is a little heavier and more awkward for small hands than a 1/2 cup. She held the scoop over the pan, and I poured from our Tupperware Modular mates Ovals and Super Ovals that we store our baking ingredients in. It was nice because the measurements don't have to be so exact, so if she moves the scoop or we spill, it's no issue!
Stir to combine.... it will be a thicker consistency obviously, and a little grainy looking. Think Cream of Wheat or Malt O Meal :)
This is MY favorite part. This is where you start dumping in the good stuff. Bird Seed and Seed Mixes, Nuts, Berries, Rolled Oats, whatever you desire. Since I am cheap, I use an inexpensive bird seed mix, and I think Next batch we might add rolled oats. We will see what the birds love to eat! We just add and stir, add and stir, until we feel we have a putty like consistency that will still pour or at least plop out of the pan. Ardyn is pretty excited that it really looks like bird feed now!
There are LOTS of ways to form your suet. If you save those little plastic trays that some store bought suets come in, you can add the suet to those to make perfect little squares. Another alternative is an 8x8 disposable baking pan, or even a silicone pan so you can twist and release. We happened to have an aluminum one on hand from a previous project, so I lined it with wax paper (so it would release easily and so we could use it for future batches/projects... you know how we are about reducing and reusing around here) and then we poured the suet mix inside and spread it evenly with our spatula. Once it cools, we can slice it into four perfect squares, which will be the 4x4 suet cake size of most store bought suet cages (which we already own... so it's perfect!) We also plan on using plastic party cups (think keg cups) in a future attempt, which will much mimic the bell type of suet cake... just add ribbon, string, or twine in a loop, which you can embed into the cake via the open top of the cup before the suet dries.
Since I didn't feel like contacting Wyanet Locker looking for real suet, and then bringing it into my house and letting Ardyn smear her hands in it, we used the lard/peanut butter alternative that birds seem to love just as well. Once it cools, we will be in business for bird watching!
Printable Directions:
Homemade Bird Suet
•Melt 1 cup shortening (or lard) in a saucepan on very low heat.
•Add 1 cup peanut butter and stir until melted.
•To this add 1 cup plain flour and 3 cups plain cornmeal. Mix thoroughly.
•Add whole rolled oats, seeds, raisins or bread crumbs if you have any. The final consistency will be putty-like.
•Pour into a disposable 8 inch by 8 inch aluminum pan and allow to cool.
•Slice into quarters; each one should fit nicely into a suet cage, available at most garden centers.
•Store remaining squares in the refrigerator.
Well, since we all kinda have those February Blah's, we decided to do a fun project that was a little bit different (Ardyn doesn't get to cook much, except in her play kitchen) and I have to say that per usual, she is over the moon about being in the kitchen with mom. She really enjoys it, but I have a hard time finding too many things that are safe for a 2 year old... The best part about this is that the measuring doesn't have to be accurate at all for birds to find it delicious... the ingredients are simple and inexpensive, and we have them all on hand... and the cooking is minimal and the heat on Low. Plus, Ardyn has had bird feeders right outside (and ON) her bedroom windows since she was not even a year old, so she loves to feed the birds and watch them. Suet cakes aren't really expensive, but every little bit of homemade can help!
So to start, we donned our aprons, and got our recipe and our supplies/ingredients all set out. Ardyn helps me cook on a stepstool/chair that our friend Nancy Anderson bought for us loooooong before we even moved in to the house, at Michael Jon's grandma Michlig's sale. It was cheap and she said that everyone needed a chair/stool like that (and we REALLY do because we have some cupboards that are so high you can only reach them if you stand on the stool.) It's great for Ardyn to help, and puts her at counter height, plus it has two steps for easy up and down!
Here's Ardyn ready to go with the recipe. She LOVES recipes. Grandma Deb gave her a "recipe box" for her play kitchen this Valentine's Day and she hasn't let it go since yesterday when she got it! Her favorite Strawberry Shortcake episode is "cookin up fun" and she really loves recipes.
First, measure out 1 cup of shortening. We use the cheap stuff from Aldi's and measure it in our mini-measure-all cup. Ardyn held the cup and I used a mini-spatula to scoop and fill the cup while she held it. We added it to the saucepan, I held the cup and she pushed the plunger and squealed with delight when the shortening "plopped" into the pan.
Stir to combine.... it will be a thicker consistency obviously, and a little grainy looking. Think Cream of Wheat or Malt O Meal :)
There are LOTS of ways to form your suet. If you save those little plastic trays that some store bought suets come in, you can add the suet to those to make perfect little squares. Another alternative is an 8x8 disposable baking pan, or even a silicone pan so you can twist and release. We happened to have an aluminum one on hand from a previous project, so I lined it with wax paper (so it would release easily and so we could use it for future batches/projects... you know how we are about reducing and reusing around here) and then we poured the suet mix inside and spread it evenly with our spatula. Once it cools, we can slice it into four perfect squares, which will be the 4x4 suet cake size of most store bought suet cages (which we already own... so it's perfect!) We also plan on using plastic party cups (think keg cups) in a future attempt, which will much mimic the bell type of suet cake... just add ribbon, string, or twine in a loop, which you can embed into the cake via the open top of the cup before the suet dries.
Since I didn't feel like contacting Wyanet Locker looking for real suet, and then bringing it into my house and letting Ardyn smear her hands in it, we used the lard/peanut butter alternative that birds seem to love just as well. Once it cools, we will be in business for bird watching!
Homemade Bird Suet
•Melt 1 cup shortening (or lard) in a saucepan on very low heat.
•Add 1 cup peanut butter and stir until melted.
•To this add 1 cup plain flour and 3 cups plain cornmeal. Mix thoroughly.
•Add whole rolled oats, seeds, raisins or bread crumbs if you have any. The final consistency will be putty-like.
•Pour into a disposable 8 inch by 8 inch aluminum pan and allow to cool.
•Slice into quarters; each one should fit nicely into a suet cage, available at most garden centers.
•Store remaining squares in the refrigerator.
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