Thanksgiving Tablescapes (Grown-Up Table)

Hey everyone!

I hope that you are getting ready for some great quality time with your loved ones this holiday season!

This will be (if memory serves) the first year that I've been married that I won't have a bunch of Marines over at my house. Its not easy to be far from home and all alone at the holidays, so our house became a gathering point for those with no place to go. Everything was provided. Except the yams. I don't eat 'em, so I won't make 'em.

Our Thanksgivings have generally been more casual than the traditional dinners you might see in the commercials, but it worked really well for our young crew. In the past, I've broken out all the silverware, glasses and plates I had in order to get everyone fed. It was a beautiful mis-mash of love, but this year, I'm hoping to have things a little more put together.

First things first, I need my coffee. I found the most perfect mug rug, designed by Rockin' Embroidery, and I'll be using it even after Thanksgiving. If you have an embroidery machine and would like to make it, you can buy the design at her Etsy shop here. The stippling effect on the coaster is gorgeous. (PS Stay tuned for a wish list for Black Friday deals!!!)

We tend to eat a big lunch/dinner combo and sit down to enjoy the football game. Sadly this year there will be no PFCs and Lance Corporals to do my dishes. Sad. ;n) Since I won't have to worry about setting the table for lunch, I only have to set the table once. For dinner. This year, I decided to do it with an embroidered Thanksgiving set. I could have made placemats, but I decided to use store bought ones and embroider them with Sulky and Mettler threads from JoAnns. The design is from Nobbie Neez Kids.

Check out the JoAnn craft catalog for more great ideas!

Your JoAnns shopping list for these projects:
- Coupon! (See bottom of today's blog!)

Mug Rug
- Stabilizer
- Desired fabric (only about a 5" x 5" square needed for the 4x4 coaster)
- Threads
- Rockin' Embroidery design

Placemat
- Stabilizer
- Placemat
- Threads
- Brown and black fabric scraps
- NobbieNeezKids design

Utensil Holder
- Felt
- Stabilizer
- Threads
- NobbieNeezKids design

Stay tuned for the kid's table blog tomorrow!

Thinking and Thanking

This is completely off-base from the tutorials I've been posting, but I thought you might want to know a little more about me... So sharing my thoughts from today seems like a good way to do that.

So, earlier today a friend from my Bible study posted an article about the importance of yelling. It was a good thing for me to read, since lately I've been reflecting on our family's habits and making changes. Our changes work for our family; I'm not judging anyone else or telling anyone else to follow me blindly... what works for us may not work for anyone else in the world. And that is the beauty of life.

I have often complained that babies do not come with a manual. At least the 2007 and 2009 models didn't. Based on stories from my new-mommy-again friends, I don't believe instructions came with the 2013 model either.

My biggest issue has been finding balance.

For those of you who know me personally, you know I used to be a Marine. For those of you who only know me through my shop, Facebook or blog, this might seem surprising. I loved my job, and being the go-to admin girl at my unit. I was good at it, and I had junior Marines in my shop, so I got used to the day-in, day-out management life. Then I traded it all in to be a stay at home mommy. A manic person who barely came up to my waist now dictated my day. To top it all off, there was another one baking in my belly. What had I gotten myself into?

Before, I could yell and scream at my juniors if I wanted to. With your own kiddos, its different. Could I do it? Yes. I've seen other parents, and perhaps it works for them. But I didn't want to be that type of mother.

Still, old habits die hard.

When those habits overcome me, my right hand (on its own) snaps and forms a knife-hand, and my tone changes instantly.

And yes, yelling so loud the ground shakes has its benefits. Immediately, you command attention. Sometimes it is good, like the woman who almost ran over my two girls and I in a parking lot... but its not who I want my children to know me as. If it comes out now and then, I'm okay with that. Especially if it isn't directed at them.

My identity as a mother is a fierce one. I love fiercely. I hurt for them fiercely. I dream for them fiercely. Controlling my harsher side when they make mistakes has been a fight. An internal Jekyll/Hyde type fight. I'm not writing this because I feel like I've been a horrible, awful mother, scaring my children into a militant, instant-obedience-to-orders mentality (I don't really believe I would have been successful in that endeavor had I tried) but I wanted to share a little bit about how it is a struggle for everyone.

My kids make mistakes. A lot of mistakes. They're kids and this is how they learn. Our dog thanks them often for scraps and spills on the floor. They've taken every pin out of my pincushion and put them into my couch. They've lied to my face. Instead of yelling or spanking, challenging them and getting them to put into words what they have done and why it is wrong has been more effective than anything else I've tried. And grace is what makes it feel like an accomplishment by the end of the ordeal. I'm hoping that the conversations we have after any incident will become their internal logic and eventually they'll use that logic before making 'bad decisions'.

Right now, I'm thankful for my children. I'm thankful for their youth. They always see me with new eyes, and that is an enormous and gracious blessing.

Waverize it! Rainy Day Curtains! (DIY valances)

Okay - so I got 2 yards of this gorgeous Waverly fabric from Jo-Ann's fabric stores and the challenge to take an everyday item and Waverize it! Exciting, huh? Lots of ideas ran through my mind. I love the print for a dress, but it is a recommended dry clean only fabric and that doesn't fit in so well with my lifestyle... so I thought of a reading nook made of an old crib mattress, but didn't see the fabric as my girls' style (I plan to make one later in case this interests you)...

If I had a smaller print, I may have made a purse or tablet cover.... but I thought the print was probably too large scale to look the way I would like... 

So, I sat and pondered.... and decided to redo my bathroom. Let me first confess that I kind of hate my house. I hate how that sounds - I am not trying to be ungrateful for a roof over my head but its not the best... I really dislike the walls. This is a modular home, so every 4' there is a strip that is raised a little more than the rest of the wall. So every four feet, there is a vertical line. The contractors cover this up by using "wallpaper" that is brown vertical lines. It does help to blend it, but its in every single room of the house and my God, its ugly.

Before picture

Before

Before

Before

My dream bathroom is more like a spa. Isn't every woman's?!

I already have a garden tub, fake porcelein though it may be. I hardly ever use it. One - because I have two kids. And nothing is more un-relaxing than either being joined by two little people or protesting their entry and having them cry and scream that you're the meanest mommy E.V.E.R! Either way, serenity shattered.

Now, on top of the hideous brown lined walls, they also have these atrocious red and yellow curtains. Puke. Sorry if you actually like them.

So, I took my fabric to Ace Hardware and got 2 quarts of a light blue. (Take your fabric because it has those dots on the side that let you know what colors are in the fabric - its a little tidbit I use to help me match fabrics)

These color dots will help you match your fabrics to anything else

I also ran to Walmart to get some new towels. Being a military family, every time we PCS (move to a new duty station) we seem to have to buy new towels (same goes for pillowcases I think) and we have a chronology of them going back years and years and none of them match. I picked out some greens and tans and put "His" on Mr. Sew Charming's and "Her" on mine. I know a lot of people actually get "his" and "hers" but the grammar is only correct half the time no matter how you slice it, so I decided that I wanted it to be correct when I think "that is her towel"... yes I know I'm a bit of a nerd ;n)

In all, I spent $15 on the paint, $7 on the paint brush, $6 on the Scotch painters tape, about $35 on the new towels, $4 on the new soap dispensers, $15 on the bath mats and $2 on the thread. Essentially, my bathroom got a makeover for under $90.

After two quarts of the light blue.

After I painted the room completely baby blue, there was one area where the vertical line was extremely noticeable so I decided to use a rag off technique with a darker blue to create texture and camoflague the line. Well, although it worked, I'm not 100% satisfied since some areas are darker than others. However, its so much better than it originally was and I definitely feel it is more of a serene sanctuary. I bought a hazelnut scented candle and can't wait to get a few moments to myself to sit and soak. Hazelnut is my favorite!!!



CURTAIN INSTRUCTIONS

To make the curtains, I cut from selvedge to selvedge which eliminates a few steps later in the process. I cut 3 pieces to 26". I decided to make one wide and one regular curtain since I figured that would best match up the curtains I'm tossing.

Cut to 26"

I sewed two of the pieces together (Short sides together. You'll end up with a 26" tall by 2 selvedge lengths). After that is done, on the selvedge ends (the ones that measure 26"), fold over your fabric so that the selvedge edge is sewn to the wrong side.

You can see on the right that the selvedge edge was folded over and stitched down. This is when I began ironing the bottom edge up half an inch.

See all the raindrops on the window? Thats why I called them rainy day valances....  A perfect project to finish while you are stuck indoors :)

I folded up the bottom between .25 and .5" and ironed it. Then I turned it up about another .75 to 1" and ironed again.


I used Wonderclips as I went instead of pins because they are easier to add and remove. I used my far left stitch and stitched this down. Be careful that you do not miss the layers of fabric. You should be able to feel and see them through the fabric because of the ironing. Sew slowly over the layered fabric (where the two panels come together on your wide curtains or where the corners are).

Stitching on the bottom edge

Then I ironed .5" down on the top end of each curtain. I folded this down 4.5". This time I used pins. I stitched this down being careful not to miss the layers. Then I stitched another line parallel to this one 1.5" above this line, about 3" below the top of the curtain. The space in between stitches is where the curtain rod will go.

Pinning down the top edge. Where the pins are is where your bottom stitch line will go.

About 1.5" from the bottom stitch line, sew your second stitch line. In between these two is where your curtain rod will go.

Voila! It looks better, yes?  If this inspired you to Waverize something in your life, be sure to enter it! I will post the URL as soon as I have the link. Consumers can win $1000 worth of Waverly fabrics and a $250 gift card! Bloggers are not allowed to enter this contest :(  But one of YOU could win!

Not sure what to make? Check out the Cape Discovery catalog full of ideas to get your crafty wheels a turnin'!

Lembas Bread..... Well, thats what I intended at least

Okay has everyone gone to the bathroom yet? If not, go now, I don't want you to lose it because you're laughing so hard reading this.

It all started as a simple thing, to get yesterday's photos the girls had been bribed with lembas bread. If you're not a huge LOTR geek, its a bread that Tolkien wrote could fill the stomach of a grown man with just one bite. Its a way bread.

Let me preface this story by saying, my husband is on an long TAD period so I'm going a little nuts anyway... I broke a door today, had to mow the lawn, got a clothing delivery that I'm going to have to alter and hem just to have clothes that will fit my girls which seriously irks me - I buy clothes to save myself the hassle and time investment of this, and then to have to do it anyway - you get my drift. My oldest has been sick because she cries so hard for her dad at night she either ingests too much air, leading to puke or her stomach muscle just can't handle it, leading to puke - either way, serious meltdown at bedtime leads to puke the next day. Fun times. Now that you have the back story, let's get to the real story!!!

I found a pin on pinterest that lead me to a recipe. There are curse words in her tutorial, so be forewarned. It is not from the U.S.... which is important in baking. Because of that whole metric system thing..... yeah. Don't forget that. And the recipe makes 8 pieces of lembas and uses what comes out to 1.5 cups of flour, but I didn't think I had enough so I decided to half the recipe, because 4 pieces is enough for the 3 of us. I printed out the ingredients. Not the directions.

Let me tell you something about my family's track record with directions. Hand to God, this is the truth. We do not read directions. My grandmother, on my mother's side, started it... so I suppose its not a long-standing well-known fact but... Anyway... You blow up your house, you get to start that kind of a legacy. Yep, she sure did. She put an ant fogger by the water heater. Sure, she may have blown some walls down, but those freaking ants didn't dare come by her house for a while ;)

Back to my keeping with this tradition - I went into the kitchen with the ingredients on a sheet of paper, well most of the ingredients, my printer was being a punkasaurus but I knew what was missing. I put in the flour, divided it by two, put in the salt, put in the baking powder which was in tbsp so I was good. Put in the honey, also written out in tbsp. Then I put in the butter. I had to convert the butter from grams to cups. The juice of half a lemon. After adding it, I realized I hadn't halved it. In fact, I had not halved anything but the flour. "Well crap" I said. Little voices on my left go "Ooooooooooooooooooh!" and giggled. So I looked inside my flour container and poured the rest of it in. Tapped the bottom. Shook it. Yeah, that was everything and I wasn't sure it was enough. "Screw it" I said. "Ooooooooooooooooooooh!" Again. I turn on the beaters, and the mixture goes up the beaters. It looks like two corn cobs now. Groan!!!!


Well, what the heck right?! I pour in the milk.... and my kitchen is a Bounty commercial. You know the kind - usually the husband is the culprit and batter is flying everywhere. Giggling galore - and not from me..... with some finagling, I am able to get the mixture off the beaters. But now it looks like soup.



















I probably looked a little nuts as I just threw some sugar, an egg and some vanilla in there. Amounts? No freaking clue. Did I care at that point? No. I greased some muffin tins and though "They'll just be lembas inspired today - I don't have to make stinking lembas today."

Tossed them in the oven (hmmm, lots of throwing and tossing in the kitchen today, apparently heehee) for 15 minutes and I had amazing muffins. Plain, not sweet, a very slight lemon taste to them.

I made two ummmm, frostings, shall we call them? Let's use the term loosely. Yes "frostings". One was supposed to be like a glaze, I poured some milk, juice from the other half of the lemon and some powdered sugar together. My inspiration here was the glaze on the top of the lemon pound cakes at Starbucks and nothing could have been further from....

Take two, I put some whipped cream and sugar in a bowl, whipped it and then added a little maple syrup to it. And this was frickin' delicious. So there you go, lembas inspired cupcakes with maple whipped cream frosting.

 Internal dialogue: Voice A "That was lucky"
                           Voice B "A baker is never lucky. She bakes precisely what she means to"   ;)

And  this child walked towards me with whipped cream "frosting" on her hands as I type up the blog. Bedtime? Bedtime anyone????