Domestic Daydreams

Blogging Again

2011-01-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

The abandoned is not the forgotten.

A new year brings new things. Hop on over to Poppies & Poetry, my new blog where you can find me from now on.

xoxoxo

Chris

Abandonment

2010-08-06T00:53:00.004-04:00

I wish I was perfect, and organized and perfect.

But I go through overwhelmed stages where cleaning the toilet makes it to the bottom of my list (ewwww gross I know)

Working and raising kids can obviously take over and leave nothing for the things I love and crave like creating, blogging and even baking.

Sorry for the prolonged absence. I'm sure I've set a record for absence apologies. They are all sincere I swear.

My hope (but not my promise) is that I can keep this up more and really give it a committed go.
Because I love to share and if anything it's theraputic.

See you soon.

xoxoxoxo

Chris

All Grown Up

2010-05-26T21:40:00.007-04:00

I remember when I was a kid, hearing parents say "they grow so fast". I didn't quite understand until I had munchkins of my own. It's true. If I blink I feel like I might miss it all. *tear* I get all choked up thinking about them growing up.

My first born is now 5. Old enough to get things out of the fridge himself, watch movies at the theater, play a video game and go off and leave his Momma in pursuit of a higher education in kindergarten. *another tear*

We had another fun bday party this year in April. GI Joe themed. Everyone came dressed in camo and Joe gave all the kiddos battle ready face.

We played lasertag. Let me just tell you that I can't stop thinking about how much fun lasertag was even for an almost 30 year old mother of two. The hubby and I decided it would make a perfect date night!

After gaggles of fun there we headed to the airport observation deck for a fun lunch and to watch some planes land. Turned out a bit windy, but fun nonetheless.

My boy is five. I can't believe it:)

Mother's Day...are you preparing?

2010-04-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

So, if you are anything like me..you procrastinate.

You wait until the week before, the day before or maybe even a few hours before to pull a gift together.

In the land of mommyhood it can be tough to be on top of all the holidays and celebrations especially if you prefer to give handmade most of the time (like me!).

Well, Ruffles and Stuff and Made have an awesome week planned full of tutorials and lots of goodies for Mom.

It all starts today!!!

Boy this makes my to-do list so happy!
I guarantee there is gonna be something just perfect for me to make for all the mommies and mimis in my life.

Check out all the super wonderful here and here.

Maybe I'll have time to make me alittle something for myself this year:)

♥ enjoy ♥

Exciting News!

2010-04-14T14:54:00.002-04:00

First off I should apologize for my prolonged absence.

I've been such a busy bee trying to make some things happen and dedicating myself to some goals I've had for a while.

Well, I can check off getting my handmade goods into a local boutique! So exciting!

My items can now be found in The Cozy Cottage on Fairfield Avenue in Bellevue, KY.

It's such a sweet shop chock full of unique gifts and handmade goodies.

I plan on adding more handmade goodies to the line soon so keep those peepers out.

It's time to get back to the regular scheduled blogging program:)

Busy..Busy...Busy

2010-03-07T20:46:00.003-05:00

I've been away longer that I would like. So much going on and I promise to share soon.

I have though been very crafty lately working on some custom requests like this cutie:

I have some fun stuff to share soon. Stay tuned!

Dollar Store Fun House

2010-02-15T18:53:00.009-05:00

Who doesn't love themselves a good dollar store? Until recently I wasn't really aware of the awesome craft potential a dollar store could hold. Dollar Store Crafts blog opened my eyes.

Not too far back I came across this $8 foam board house by Urban Craft. Had to do it for my boys!!

So I ventured out and luckily found the foam board and picked up packing tape. I wasn't really sure how it was put together so I picked some extra materials and went to work.

A fun little house was achieved!!

I used twelve foam boards, a roll of packing tape and a bit of poster board. I took about half hour or so to assemble but provides hours of fun for the munchkins for roughly $13

Here's a peek into how I did it with some visual aides.

The foam board comes 20" in width by 30" in length for $1. Like I said for this house you will need twelve and a roll of packing tape, also a dollar. What's so great is there is barely any cutting.

The highlighted area is one panel. Each wall is made up of two panels taped together except the front wall with the window. It's one panel with a half on top cut to fit.

The top back wall is just blue posterboard cut to fit the opening. I almost left it open as a window, but my oldest wanted alittle more "privacy".

I stood the panels up taping them together and created the base for the house. Each side of the pitched roof is made up of two panels taped together as well.

Once the base was established I taped a side of the roof onto the base and then taped them together at the peak.

Am I making any sense here?

I reinforced all the taped areas inside with more tape.

Lots of tape used here people!

After the structure was up and re-inforced I used an exacto and cut out an opening for a cute window. I really just wanted an excuse to put curtains up:) I cut some cute vintage fabric up into little panels and taped them in.

I have every intention of making a little flower box for the front with some paper flowers someday. For now my boys like to take crayons and markers to it. A great activity for all these snowy days we are having here in the Cincinnati area.

This house is surprisingly really sturdy and pretty big so you have to have some room for it. For now mine is in my living room and at some point knowing my little cyclones, it will get destroyed and it'll find a resting place out by the curb for recycling.

I was thinking though that if you had lots of room such as an adequate size basement, that lots of these little houses could make up a cute pretend village complete with things like a post office, firehouse and grocery store. I'm just salivating over all the craftylicious things I could make to go into that village.

I'm gonna put that on my very large "To Do Someday" list.

♥ Hope you enjoy ♥

Better Late Than Never: Valentines Crafts

2010-02-10T15:51:00.010-05:00

Valentines day is just around the corner.

Yay for holidays that celebrate love!

I actually did a few cute crafts for Vday with the kids. I've been meaning to post them for weeks now...but better late than never, right?

No worries there is still time to craft up some cuteness before Sunday!

Caleb and I did a fun craft with crayon shavings and wax paper. We made stained-glass hearts.

A bit messy, but adorable results and easy peasy. This is very adaptable for a multitude of holidays and celebrations.

I found the tutorial for the hearts over at Martha Stewart. We connected some and made mobiles to hang in the window.

I also made a quick wreath for the door with materials I had on-hand. I based mine off the burlap heart wreath tutorial over at Craftaholics Anonymous. I just didn't have any burlap so I used some other red fabric I had and ran a straight stitch through a strip and gathered it on the heart shaped coat hanger. I finished it by hanging it with a remnant of a polka dot scarf. It feels very Betty Boop to me. Don't you agree?

There are lots of other amazing Valentine's ideas on some of the other blogs I'm a fan of. Here are just a few:

Skip to My Lou has a great tutorial for rice krispie heart shaped pops. These would make the perfect Valentine!

How about a super cute lollipop boutonniere for your little man? I bet you could take this further and make corsages for the little ladies! Check the tute out at The Opulent Poppy. What a creative idea!

And heart garland! This is something I didn't get to this year, but so will next. I've seen this done with paper, fabric and felt. Easy, cheap and simply sweet. Oh So Crafty has a great tutorial on her inspiring blog.

Hope you have a chocolate-covered, sugary-sweet, caramel-centered Valentine's day with the one you ♥ !

Fabulous French Onion Soup

2010-01-25T20:46:00.008-05:00

Cold wintery months mean yummy soups, stews and chilis in my house.

One of my personal favs is french onion soup. It can fetch a pretty penny in gourmet cafes and fancy restuarants. But really it is so much cheaper to make at home and so easy really.

I usually have everything on hand to conjur up a pot. Even my little guys flip for it.

Who doesn't want a mound of stringy cheese on slices of french bread atop a bowl of happy?

Fabulous French Onion Soup

4 large onions, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup white wine
1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onions in the butter or margarine for 10 minutes, or until onions are tender. Stir in the flour, ground black pepper and the sugar to form a pasty mixture.
Now add the beef broth, water, parsley and thyme and simmer for 10 minutes, Then add the wine and simmer for 10 more minutes. Preheat oven to broil.

Fill individual oven safe bowls 3/4 full with the soup. Place a slice of bread on top of the soup and cover with the cheese. Place bowls in the oven.
Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly

I personally prefer Gruyere cheese, but mozzerella is more cost effective when feeding this to your family and I usually always have a couple bags in my freezer along with some demi french baguettes.

This sweet little recipe always reminds me of my Paris travels with the hubby.

Ahhh...The City of Lights I ♥ you!

yours truly outside the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris in 2000.

♥ Enjoy ♥

Haiti On My Heart

2010-01-18T19:45:00.008-05:00

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep in my nice warm bed complete with down feather pillow and comforter.

I couldn't stop thinking of the devastation. The orphans.The disease. The hungry. The injured. The missing. The dead. The mourning families. The looters. The dying.

It seems wrong all of a sudden to enjoy all the modern conveniences that I do regularly without having Haiti on my heart.

What can we do?

Pray. Pray. Pray.

Give money of course. That is the best thing at this point. But I want to do more.

So I went searching for other ways to make an impact.

I came across other opportunities to help be apart of the Haiti relief effort.

http://www.souls4souls.com/

This is an organization that helps get shoes to those in need. They have committed to one million pairs of shoes to Haiti. You can enter your zip in their donation site finder to find a location nearest to you.

The Howertons

and others like them adopting children from Haiti and having trouble bringing them home now that the earthquake has struck.

They need everyone's help to influence government to grant Humanitarian Parole for Adoptive Children.

Anyone & everyone can help influence this by simply emailing, tweeting, facebooking, calling and writing letters from the comfort of your home or office.

I can't imagine having to leave my son in Haiti RIGHT NOW!

You can get all the info you need to help plus sample letters on their blog.

Copy & Paste. That simple.

www.friendships.org

Another great organization that has a ship almost packed and ready to set sail to Port Au Prince to provide aide. They have a list of non-perishable items they need on the site. Also, there is a disaster response application if you are interested in volunteering your time.

www.smileofachild.org

This organization has been collecting new dolls/trucks for the children of Haiti and other nations for years. Dolls/trucks may seem trivial admist the other needs, but so many children have been displaced and traumatized that this could provide a small comfort.

Always money is a great idea and can make a HUGE difference.

www.redcross.org

text Haiti to 90999 and $10 will be added to your phonebill for Haiti relief.

text Yele to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti relief

http://www.hope-for-haiti.org

A facebook friend recently posted this: Isn't helping others in times like these the basic responsibility of every human being?

Absolutely. I truly believe so.

Snow Day!

2010-01-08T11:22:00.008-05:00

A beautiful blanket of snow has hit the mid-west!

Some people freak out.
Some people run to the grocery to buy a bulk supply of milk, bread & eggs.
Some people wait in long lines at the gas station.

Not me.
I leave work early and layer my kids up Christmas Story style and head out for some sled riding.

I feel like a kid again instantly.

Memories of the many snowdays my brother and I enjoyed together in our backyard come to me making me feel all gooey.

I love making these kinds of happy memories with my boys.

And just like when I was a kid, every snowday ends with a cup of hot chocolate. The real kind made on a stove, not with powder in a cup.

Snowday Hot Chocolate

4 teaspoons sugar
1/3 semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 cups milk
a couple squeezes chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

add milk,chocolate chips, sugar and syrup into saucepan on medium heat. continously stir until all is combined. add vanilla. serve steaming in cute mugs with lots 'o marshmellows and whipcream.

yummy, sweet and will spoil your dinner:)

Me & bro (way back there) in our backyard with our awesome Pa in 1984

I was the same age then as my Caleb is now.

Happy Winter!

Yummy Holidays

2010-01-03T20:28:00.010-05:00

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone's holidays were as blessed and beautiful as ours:)

The holidays can most definately be stressful with all the shopping, wrapping entertaining and hectic social schedule.

All the more reason why I like to make Christmas Day and New Year's Day relaxing days where I don't have to be slaving in the kitchen or thinking about what to feed my sweet little family.

So I plan some brunch casseroles that we can eat and pick on all day if need be. My longtime faithful is the Country breakfast casserole. So easy and my hubby's fav!

Forgive the pic, but my fam wastes no time diggin in.

Country Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 (2.64 ounce) package country gravy mix (I make my own if I don't have this on hand)
6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
paprika to taste (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 inch baking dish.
Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

Earlier this year I came across this wonderful baked french toast at Whatever and knew it would be perfect with my other casserole.

So easy and quick and absolutely delish!

Baked French Toast

melt 1 stick of butter then add in 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 t. cinnamon and stir together.
pour into a 9x13 pan covering the bottom.

then layer slices of bread on the sugar mixture with the crusts removed.
(it would probably just as good with the crusts on....)
i used 15 pieces of bread.
fill in the holes with smaller pieces.

in a mixing bowl whisk together 2 cups of milk and 6 eggs.
pour over the bread.
that's it.

put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
when it looks baked and golden, pull it out and drizzle syrup over the top.
put it back in the oven under the broiler until brown and bubbly.

Here's my youngest, Quinn enjoying it all!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2009-12-24T07:30:00.001-05:00

Christmas=Water

2009-12-23T11:34:00.004-05:00

Two villages have the gift of Water!

and Project 320 is responsible.

Amazing. Glorious. Unbelievable.

Lives have been saved!

Thanks to the wonderful women behind Project 320 for being God's hands and feet.

I have truly been personally inspired by each of them.

This feels like Christmas.

Project 320

2009-12-13T15:33:00.004-05:00

On December 14th,

We are going to build a well.
You are going to build a well.

(photo courtesy of Jody Landers)

Because we can.
Because you can.

How?

Right now sweet, generous, creative and caring women from all over the country are sewing, knitting, painting, shopping, blogging, praying.
Donating.

Over 100 items.
Handmade and heartfelt happiness.

Starting
December 14th
and ending
December 18th

Project 320
will be holding a virtual raffle.

10 prize bundles.
Each $10 donation to the well
earns one virtual ticket.

You get to choose how many "tickets" to buy
and which prize package you want to win.

On December 21st we will "draw" ten winners.

But most of all,
we will celebrate the victory.

The promise of clean water for a village.
Life.

Are you excited?

You should be!!!!

Because it is going to be awesome.

Grab a button.

Spread the word.

-post shared from the Project 320 blog

My First Craft Fair!

2009-12-06T22:24:00.001-05:00

So after months of planning and trying to make inventory every spare moment, my first craft fair has come and went. Boy, was it alot of work, but oh was it fun!

I used this craft fair as a thumbprint for the many more I hope to do. Figuring out my display was a hurtle but I really heart it.

Anthropologie is always a source of inspiration for me so I tried to use that to create a display I was pretty happy with.

The branch is from my front yard and was perfect with a quick coat of turquoise spray paint for my headbands. Some thrifty finds and some borrowed things pulled it all together.

My friend Jill from Three Little Rosebuds shared space with me. Aren't her canvases so adorable?

Especially this one that I'm dying for.

It sold first for her. Yay! She was also the show coordinator and did a fabulous job!

It was great to get feedback from the public about my product. Sales weren't too shabby either.

Always nice to take on a new adventure and be pleased with the results!

Tutu's In my Etsy shop!

2009-11-17T11:51:00.000-05:00

So I finally am going to put some tutu's in my etsy shop.

Can you say neglect?
I've totally been neglecting my shop and blog with the added pressure of getting ready for an upcoming craft show.

Does it count that I think about both alot?
At some point I will figure out how to manage it all:)

Atleast I have talented friends who have adorable daughter's to take pics of for Poppies & Poetry.

Aren't these the sweetest?

Their Mommie sure knows her way around a camera.

It's almost Christmas!

Come over and buy a tutu for a special little girl you know.

~Kylee Burnett Photography~

Water for Christmas

2009-11-13T22:56:00.000-05:00

This year my family and I have decided to challenge ourselves in our generosity with both our money and time.

I recently became aware of Water for Christmas, a charity that works to provide clean water across the globe to those who do not have access to it.

Did you know:

One billion people on earth do not have clean water.

4,500 mothers bury their babies everyday due to the lack of clean water.

Unclean water and the lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

Now get this:

Only $10 dollars could provide clean drinking water to a person in Africa for ten years.

That's about 3 grande latte's at Starbucks (which I've been know to drink all in one day).

A dollar a year to save a life.

Unbelievable!

If you are like me I struggle on what to get my friends and family for Christmas because they all basically want for nothing.

Buy Water in their name instead.

Save a life instead of buying that gift that will most likely end up being in the white elephant gift exchange elsewhere anyway.

100% of the money raised goes directly to drill for clean water.

Join me.

BUY WATER. SAVE LIVES.

October Travel

2009-10-22T01:01:00.000-04:00

This month includes lots of traveling for me. My bi-annual trip to New York City for Bridal Fashion week with Paris Inc. and then a lovely trip to Siesta Key, Florida to celebrate my Mom's 50th birthday with my fabulous Aunts.

Now that my work trip is over I can look forward to some fun in the sun!

I must say NYC was some hard work but there was some shining moments of glamourous fun.

We attended the annual Martha Stewart Weddings Party. This year was the 15th Anniversary celebration and it was held at the gorgeous Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. It was quite the party!

I'll share more of all the fun details later, but for now here are some fun pics of the party:

The Paris Crew

Me and my newest BFF, Robert Verdi

Shoe Overhaul

2009-10-07T21:07:00.001-04:00

Recently, I have stumbled among some amazing ideas for re-doing or enhancing your shoe wardrobe. From boots to Sex-in-the-City-like chic heels, there are some amazing ideas complete with tutorials. Check them out and get inspired to freshen up your shoe situation!

A little ribbon can make a big difference:

Hope Studio's Tute

fabric, ribbon and thread=big designer impact

One of my very favorite blogs ever ..Love Meagan's amazing tute:

I found this crafty gal via craftster.org, who took sweater arms and an 'ol pair of mary jane crocs and got this:

the craftster link here

I absolutely love DIY!

Make-It Monday

2009-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

So vacay is over and I am (almost) back on track. I've gotten many fun things accomplished that I've been wanting to share. My best laid plan is that my posts will be more frequent and scheduled through the week. Let's start now with Make-It Monday!

My oldest dumpling, Caleb is super obsessed with Star Wars. Really it's bordering scary obsession. Luckily the Hubby and I are way into it too.

I found the greatest Star Wars vintage pillowcase at the thrift (my obsession) for 40 cents. Joe said he had the same sheets and pillowcases on his bed when he was little, so it makes this one all the more special.

I contemplated for a couple of weeks on exactly what I was going to do with it and then I ran across this adorable tutorial for a travel pillow from Maya Made and knew immediately. The tutorial was super easy to follow and took about an hour or so from start to finish.

When I find the right fabric I'm gonna do one for my Quinnie too.

This made quite the companion for Caleb on the long drive to and from Myrtle Beach. It has a strap for carrying easily and I added a little Darth Vader pocket from the scraps for his little figures. R2 feels totally at home among his peeps!

Enjoy:)

A Beachy Hiatus

2009-09-15T00:07:00.000-04:00

I've been out of my usual routine lately. Went on a wonderful beach getaway with my family. Have some fun new stuff to share soon...

Name Change

2009-08-27T15:39:00.001-04:00

So, I'm working on my etsy account again. I let it go there for awhile, but now I'm back with a whole new name and new vision for it's future. Presenting: Poppies & Poetry.

Handmade whimsy for your pleasure. Stop by. I plan to be loading it up with all kinds of goodies over the next week or so.

Lemon Obsession!

2009-08-26T03:17:00.000-04:00

As I may have already mentioned I love all things lemon...especially desserts!

I found this recipe recently on allrecipes.com and it is now my new favorite. So easy to make and has the most gourmet result for minimal effort. The top bakes up into sort of a light angel food cake and the bottom becomes a rich lemon sauce. Perfection!!

Embarassingly enough, the damage done to this is all done by me. Don't judge, once you taste this you will not be able to restrain yourself without help. I promise!

Lemon Pudding Cake:

4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup white sugar (I cut sugar downfrom original recipe)
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS
Beat together egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon rind, and butter or margarine until thick and lemon colored. Combine sugar, flour, and salt; add alternately with milk to the yolk mixture, beating well after each addition.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Blend egg whites into batter on low speed of electric mixer. Pour into 8 inch square baking dish.
Place a pan of hot water in the oven, and set the baking dish into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Kitchen Towel to Fab Pillow

2009-08-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

During one of my many yard sale-ing days this summer I picked up this super cute Anthropologie kitchen towel for just 25 cents.

What a steal, right?

Well it was just too cute to wipe greasy hands on, so in as little as 10 minutes I transformed it into a pillow.

I know I've seen this done out there before as well as an instance where someone turned an Anthropologie towel into kitchen curtains.

Super cute results when you start thinking outside the box!

Just Plain Awesomeness!

2009-08-13T21:54:00.000-04:00

Not sure if awesomeness is an actual word, but that's exactly what came to mind when I saw this:

A Pacman grooms cake by the domesic scientist. This would be absolutely great for any occasion in my book (-the bride and groom)! Genious!

TuuuuTuuuu CUTE!

2009-08-06T01:56:00.001-04:00

I made two tutus, matching monogram shirts and coordinating hairbows for two very special little ladies of a close friend of mine a few ap-erotik.com weeks ago. They wore them on vacation to the Isle of Palms and so these stunning pictures were born:

Thanks and kudos to the stylist, Jill (Mom) and lead photographer, Vince (Dad) for these adorable shots.

Vince happens to be a very talented photographer. Check him out at

salzarulophotography.com

I just ♥ making these!

Butterfly Cake

2009-07-28T22:22:00.000-04:00

I got asked to make a butterfly cake for a little girls 2nd birthday party which I gladly said yes to.

I love any opportunity to make something girly. It's a nice departure from my usual Star Wars, bugs and sports that my boys request.

It took me a couple hours between baking and making homemade tinted buttercream but once I got going it went quick. A star tip is a beautiful thing...

GO NEW ORLEANS! Lemon Cookies

2009-07-23T21:43:00.000-04:00

I go to a pretty amazing church here in Cincinnati called Crossroads. Each year my church sends teams to New Orleans in partnership with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild the city and love on it's peeps.

I couldn't swing going this year on the trip since I was already spread thin with some other commitments, but I'm holding out hope I can next year.

My neighbor, Bethanne is taking the amazing journey to the Big Easy and I thought with a 17 hour bus trip to endure, she would appreciate some cookie bliss.

I give you the easiest and quite yummy lemon cookie recipe made with a cake mix:

1 box lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter softened

zest of one lemon

Mix lemon cake mix, eggs, butter and lemon zest together. Drop teaspoons of dough on to ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. I also think a cream cheese glaze drizzled over them would be a nice touch too.

Here are mine all boxed up to send off with Bethanne:

Hope you enjoy!

Eat Well...Live Long

2009-07-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

The Lindsey household is striving to get healthier! My cooking is now very health conscious and we now have a membership to the local Y for frequent calorie burning.

Someone told me to grocery shop only in the outer rim of the store where all the fresh veggies, fruit and meats are. It's a challenge to stay away from pre-packaged items just for the convenience factor but we're doing well avoiding them.

I'm really trying to be creative with meals but that's also challenging when you have limited time to whip something up after work.

I've been doing alot of salads like tuna, egg and chicken with lots of greens to accompany it. Very light, fresh and perfect for summer! Arranging it all on a platter really makes it seem dinner worthy.

A rotisserie chicken makes throwing together the chicken salad a breeze. My chicken salad is full of yummy herbs, nuts and grapes. Here's my recipe:

Yummy Chicken Salad

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup of halved grapes (green or red)
1/3 cup of chopped or halved pecans
handful of fresh chopped parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Toss all together and refridgerate. The longer it sits so the flavors meld together, the better it tastes.

Enjoy!

Blog Envy

2009-07-07T21:23:00.000-04:00

So many amazing blogs on the web!

Especially ones written by other mothers who are crafty, domestic and whitty.

I have serious blog envy!

Here are some of the sources of my green eyes:

Joys Hope:

She has this great & easy tutuorial for an absolutely adorable fabric necklace. I plan on making many with my fabric remnants.

Maya Made:

Check out this simple summer pavilion She made her kids. I want one for my boys!

Joyful Abode

She has delicious recipes complete with mouth watering photography.

Like these baked egg rolls.

Pretty Partridge

The cutest toddler tank made perfect with the addition of a ruffle.

The Art of Indecision

She recently posted pics of my dream caravan. Absolutely stunning!

Make sure you check out all the pics on Her blog post. I'm drooling right now!

So GO off and discover some of these amazing blogs who provide so much inspiration, knowledge and invoke complete envy!

Come have Coffee with me. I like tea too.

2009-06-29T20:20:00.000-04:00

So my front porch bistro set project is done!

The chairs turned out just like I imagined in my head. I painted a black bistro table I already had white and I think I'll add an outdoor rug when I find the right one. Otherwise it's ready for company!

I love it so much that I thought about opening my own little cafe right here on my porch like Jack does outside his apartment on Will and Grace. Yes, I think I love that idea:)

Now off to make the right coffee house apron...

I whipped up a matching pillow out of the left over fabric and added it to the bench on the other side.

I am a proud 'DIY'er!

Mantle Magnificence

2009-06-28T00:53:00.000-04:00

I stopped in at my neighbor's house and a spur of the moment divine design happened. Bethanne is an avid thrifter/yard saler like myself and she has a great collection of colored glass throughout her house.

All of a sudden I had an intense desire to see it all on her mantle. Luckily she's open to spur of the moment suggestions. We collected all the glass from around her house and together we arranged it on her mantle.

The result was so lovely and is even more so all aglow. I am inspired to look around my home to see if there is anything I have that would lend itself to a re-design!

Front Porch Chairs

2009-06-24T20:50:00.000-04:00

So last week on my Bellevue Street Sale bargain hunting I found two of these chairs:

$4 a piece!

I know I can breathe new life into them.

Along with a bistro table they will make the perfect compliment to my front porch.

Just the place for my morning coffee!

These chairs are soon to meet with these:

Can't wait to show you the beautiful results!

Birthday Bliss

2009-06-17T20:14:00.000-04:00

My 29th birthday has came and gone and boy was it a fun weekend! My day started out with t-ball on Saturday morning. Caleb is ridiculously adorable in his uniform:

See what I mean:)

Afterwards I hit the Bellevue street sale for a minute before I was off to the spa. Joe arranged for me to have a wonderful day at the Avalon spa in Hyde Park.

A swedish massage, manicure and pedicure later I felt like a new girl! See here that I decided to go dark with the nails. The Starbucks coffee cup was also a sweet little birthday gift.

The night ended with my and my girlfriends celebrating at Jefferson Hall listening to the Swimsuit Models. We had a great time!

Sunday morning I woke up to a cookies & cream birthday cake complete with candles and song from my boys. So adorable!

Couldn't have celebrated 29 any better thanks to my wonderful family and friends!

2009-06-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

My Etsy shop is finally open for biz! A long time coming, I just haven't had the time to dedicate to getting some of my things uploaded into my store.

So I hunkered down tonight and got 5 of my most precious vintage finds posted. I have alot to learn yet about the photography aspect but I figure I'll get a groove soon enough. Now I just can't wait to get some of my handmade goodies in there!

Click on my etsy button and come visit me!

1st Birthday Party Success

2009-06-07T14:43:00.000-04:00

Quinn's 1st Birthday Party was a success! We all headed to the local Y and had a fun day by the pool on a really beautiful day!

The favors:

The icecream cone cupcakes:

The birthday boy:

Birthday fun had by all:

Summer birthday parties are the best:)

Hot Fudge & Straight Pins

2009-05-29T02:33:00.001-04:00

Sounds kinky, doesn't it? Don't get too excited I'm just referring to my recent craft result: a sundae pincushion.

I found a vintage sundae cup at the thrift, added felt and some crafting love and ended up with this:

It looks nearly edible and the straightpins make great sprinkles. I just loved how this turned out! I know I'm gonna be making more pincushions. I just have to find recipients for them.

This beaut found a proper home with my girlfriend, Jen for her birthday. I hope she enjoys using it as much as I enjoyed making it for her!

2009-05-28T10:19:00.000-04:00

My beautiful second-born son turns one today!

A year ago today Quinn blessed me with his golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

His first year of life has been nothing short of wonderful, adventurous and amazing.

He already has such a distinct personality. Energetic. Outgoing. He's just like his brother.

He loves to smile. He loves to eat. He loves playing hide-and-seek with Caleb.

How lucky I am to be chosen as his mother and nurture him as he grows into a man.

Happy Birthday Quinnie!

How do you like the Birthday shirt I made for him to wear today?

Fabulous Chicago!

2009-05-24T12:50:00.001-04:00

We are wrapping up our much needed get-away to Chicago. We've seen many taxies, cocktails and done a whole lot of walking.

In our short stay we packed a lot in including Navy Pier, an Untouchables tour, shopping in Lincoln Park, Chicago pizza pot pies(unbelievable by the way) and a White Sox game(boys only).

Now we need a vacation from our vacation! Can't wait to get home. I'm dying to take my boys to the pool and get my craft on.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everybody! I hope yours was as memorable as mine.

Windy City Bound

2009-05-21T09:23:00.001-04:00

I think parents who travel with multiple small children are brave. I count Joe and I among the brave.

We gotta just make it these 5 hours and come out of them sane.

Luckily Quinn fell asleep (after an hour of screaming) and Caleb can be hushed with snacks.

Gma is gonna watch the little whipper-snappers while Joe and I spend a couple of days downtown where Jerry and Sara are gonna meet us for an adults only getaway.

More windy city reporting soon....

Sopranoholic--Seeking support group

2009-05-17T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hi. My name is Chrissy and I'm a Sopranoholic. There. I said it.

Joe and I are addicted to watching the Sopranos. We are watching each season episode by episode and we can't get enough.

It's infiltrating our lives.

We make references several times a day to the show.

We fall asleep watching it.

We alter our schedules around it.

I'm starting to crave cannoli.

We may soon need an intervention:)

Friday Night Craftiness

2009-05-10T11:31:00.000-04:00

Finally I get a moment to craft something up in my craft studio! Okay it's not really a studio, more like a desk and a few shelves, but I love saying it.

I've needed a pincushion for awhile since I'm always petrified my precious children are gonna step on or in Quinn's case eat a straight pin. So using a teacup and vintage pillowcase I bought recently at the thrift I crafted the most adorable pincushion for under $1.

I think I might get addicted to making these. I'd love to claim this cuteness as my own original idea but I totally was inspired by Gingham Cherry's tutorial on her blog. What a great gift this would make!

I Got Soul...But I'm Not a Soldier......

2009-05-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

We had so much fun at the Killers concert!

All expectations definately met!

Mr. Brightside

2009-04-30T21:17:00.000-04:00

The #1 concert on the top of my list to go to and...I'M GOING! Tomorrow night in Indianapolis with my bestie, Sara!

A last minute development but just as exciting as if I'd planned for months. I'll be reporting the fun in real time from my techie G1 phone.

I think we have pretty good seats on the floor near the stage so maybe we'll be able to "smell the sweat".

I am ever so grateful to my wonderful Hubby for holding down the fort with the tots, making it possible for me to roadtrip it. Joe, I'm bringing you home the concert Tee!

Monday Night Cowboy Grub

2009-04-28T21:49:00.000-04:00

I came across a new recipe and thought I'd give it a try. I switched up the recipe just a bit to fit our tastes but I was pleasantly surprised on how easy it was and how very tasty. Joe said it made him feel like he was a cowboy in front of a campfire on the trail. Mission Accomplished:)

Cowboy Chow

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lg clove garlic minced
1 (1.25 ounce) package chili seasoning mix
1 (14.5 ounce) can canned peeled and diced tomatoes
2 (15 ounce) can baked beans
2 scallions chopped for garnish
1/2 cup shredded cheese for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon pieces until browned. Crumble the ground beef into the skillet with the bacon, and stir in the green pepper, onion and garlic. Continue to cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease. Stir in the chili seasoning mix until the meat is coated.

Add the tomatoes and beans to the skillet, mix well, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve up garnished with scallions and shredded cheese

serve up with these bad boys:

Happy Trails!

Pink Sheets & Figure Eights

2009-04-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Cue background music [Fuel-Bad Day Again]. Ever had a day where you were counting down the minutes to your kids bedtime? From the moment my eyes opened at 7am with Caleb a literal half inch from my face and Quinn screaming similtaneously I couldn't wait until 8pm. Now don't get me wrong most everyday is joyous and beautiful and I'm crazy grateful for even the most hectic of days. Today, not so much.

Quinn's mantra today was to continuously scream unless held every waking and even napping moment. So out of character for him. He even decided to limit his naps today. I guess I can understand. If you're gonna stick it to the parents you might as well go full circle with it.

Caleb was the child of NO! today. Caleb, wash your hands please. No! Caleb, take a nap please. No!. Caleb throw that away please. No! Of course Joe was having absolutely none of this. Time out on the naughty step escalated into "go to your room". Which he did, however he came down wearing different clothes than he went up there with. Seems he had what he called a "potty accident". A look into his room revealed a figure eight pattern on his carpet. Hmmm. Accident?

I'm sure our neighbors are wondering if we're playing a record of wailing on repeat. Caleb's crying and whining can sound 911 worthy and when you throw in a toddler crying you can almost hear the sirens coming.

Frazzled, stressed-out parents forget what they are doing, so our crisp white sheets are now a soft shade of pink. I almost don't care as long as I get to sleep on them in complete silence drooling on myself farway in dreamland.

Many times today Joe and I looked at one another mouthing to eachother word combinations similar of that of Tony Soprano or Pauly Walnuts. Days like today beg for wine and tobacco products.

Wait....did someone say Margarita? Joe decided to make us some mean frozen Margaritas.

We toasted to bedtime of course.

Cupcake Cuties

2009-04-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

I loooove love love etsy! Handmade is amazing and I scan etsy for amazing finds often. Something else I love just about equally are cupcakes. I like making them, decorating them, eating them and wearing them. I found the cutest cupcake liners here over at etsy that celebrate spring. $4 for 60 is quite a deal!

Swimsuit Models=Ohhh What a Night!

2009-04-25T19:04:00.000-04:00

So me and my lady friends(you know who you are!) have been indulging in quite a few "Ladies Nights" lately. With the weather getting so nice and feeling like hibernating bears all winter, we have been letting loose..frequently. It's so hard not to when there's a great band to see and the cocktails are flowin'.

The Swimsuit Models are a great coverband who have an extensive repertoire of songs they cover from Pink to The Beatles to The Killers, which is my personal favorite. It always gets me and Sara up and grooving like the college years all over again. Before you know it we've closed the bar down and have been known to catch a cab(or even sometimes a gypsy cab) home due to all the goodtimes. Rumor has it one of us let the music inspire us to dance on the stage recently. Wonder who that was:)

Nothing wrong with feeling young and fancy free! Besides lovin' hanging with my girls, I do really dig the music. My pal Donny(lead singer) has an incredible voice and the band as a whole knows how to put on a great show and pump up the crowd. They play a pretty regular schedule in the area including spots like Jefferon Hall on the Levee and the Strauss Haus in Covington. See their full schedule here.

June 13th is my 29th Birthday and me and the girls have solid plans to be celebrating with the Swimsuit Models. Maybe by then they'll have a few new Killers songs to serenade us with!

The Swimsuit Models via my camera phone at Party in the Park

Sara, Fish, Myself, Kelli & Kylee

Ladies Night....and Fish too

2009-04-22T20:37:00.001-04:00

So having a very fun night at Party in the Park with my girlfriends having a few beers and listening to the band Swimsuit Models! Good friend Fish(yes this is his name) decided to try on Kelli's not so PETA friendly yet very chic vest. Good times!

Yummy Crockpot Recipe

2009-04-20T22:25:00.001-04:00

On the days I work(m,w,th) I try to have dinner organized before I even go to work so that the evenings aren't a nightmare and I can just enjoy time with my family. That's why the crockpot is my good friend! Lately we've been spending a lot of time together. One of the recipes I've made a couple of times now in the last month is a semi-homemade version of chicken 'n dumplings. Puts a smile on my hubby's face! The recipe is as follows:

3-4 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 bag frozen peas & carrots
1 can chicken broth
2 cloves chopped garlic (opt)
1 can biscuits chopped in fourths
Salt & pepper to taste

Toss everything except the biscuits into the crockpot to cook for about 6 hours. An hour before serving drop chopped biscuits in crockpot over top, cover and cook for hour before serving. So easy. So yummy!

Caleb's 4th Birthday Party

2009-04-12T18:39:00.000-04:00

My first-born son is turning four! So hard to believe. The time goes so fast and as he gets older it just seems to go faster. Next year he'll be in Kindergarten and I'll be the mother of a school-age child. It's funny, I still feel like a school-age child myself some days and here I am a mother of two. You never feel as old as you are I suppose.

This year for Caleb's birthday party I wanted to do something low maintenance but still fun. One day we went to the park in Alexandria and walked around the lake. Caleb was enthralled with all the people fishing and it dawned on me what a great place to invite a few friends to picnic and fish to celebrate his birthday.

So I made some cute fish invitations on the cheap. For the favors I found some plain canvas bags for almost nothing. I personalized each bag with the child's initial and included a bagged lunch of PBJ, snacks, fruit kabob and capri sun. Each bag also included a personal picnic blanket that I made using scrap fabric and table cloths from Big Lots. I wanted to be able to hand each child a bag and everyone could enjoy lunch, fishing and the park as they wanted to.

The party was super fun although the wind made it nearly frigid since we were on the lake but the kids didn't seem to mind too much. A couple of the kids caught several fish and all in all the Birthday Boy had a blast and to me that made it all worth it!

Bridal Fashion Week April 09

2009-04-08T18:11:00.000-04:00

Every 6 months in April and October I travel to New York City for Bridal Fashion Week with the PARIS crew. We convert a hotel suite into a gorgeous showroom full of Debra's designs so that Bridal salons across the country can come shop and pick up pieces from our line to carry in their salons. The days leading up to leaving are insane, setup is even more insane and the five days we are there go soo fast. Once we have the showroom set up it's easier sailing from there. I am always in awe of how beautifully the showroom comes together.

This year Jill my partner in crime at PARIS and I got some time to ourselves and visited Little Italy for some authentic Italian and a yummy bottle of wine(yes a whole bottle!) and we also hit Chinatown for a bit of Pashmina shopping. No one can resist them at 5 bucks a pop. We also caught up with some of our favorite peeps from The Bride Room in Nashville, Charlotte & Stephanie after hours at the W hotel. If you need a great place to relax and meet friends for a drink, the W hotel's lobby is super chic and comfortable all at the same time. Low couches, chairs and chaises all in brown suede, tree stump coffee tables, large tree branches hung from the ceiling and candle light create a tranquil space I never wanted to leave! We may have stayed longer if it wasn't for the middle-aged "couple" who decided to make out feverishly on the chaise in our direct line of sight. Awww New York!

My Little Leprechauns

2009-03-17T19:02:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Gettin Crafty

2009-03-12T16:35:00.000-04:00

I consider myself a very creative being. I am constantly inspired by things I see in the various forms of media as well as when I'm just walking down the street. I foster this side of myself often and of course it doesn't hurt to work in an amazingly creative work environment as I do at PARIS. Everyone there is an artist in one form or another in their own right outside of their 9-5. A huge benefit of working with a designer and artists in this type of environment is that I never feel creatively stifled. I'm am consciously aware of current fashion trends since it's literally my job and also a because I'm a huge fan of pop culture.

Lately my devotion is to the handmade. I love the look of Anthropologie where everything from clothing to homegoods is a beautiful work of art. If you haven't been to Anthropologie you are surely missing out on some of the most unique handcrafted goodies I've ever seen! But goodluck affording it, you'll be blown away a the price point! I make regular trips to Anthropologie simply for inspiration. I've sold myself the idea that I can make some of these stunning items with my own two hands. So today I made a brooch out of recycled sweaters and felt during little Quinn's nap. It isn't perfect but I love it so much I've been wearing it all day. It was sooo easy and it's mostly out of old clothing that had a one-way ticket to Goodwill. I'm loving this repurpose/upcycle thing I got going on. Now off to find out how to apply this to the other areas of my life:) Without further adieu:

First Post Ever!

2009-03-11T21:04:00.000-04:00

So here I am in the cyber world in all it's glory, blogging! Or as my husband would call me: Bloggy Bloggerson. We always have to come up with funny names for everything:) At this point I have a facebook and a myspace(which I never use anymore) so this seemed like a natural progression. I really wasn't sure that I would have time to commit to blogging but the more I thought about it the more it appealed to me for several reasons. First, I love the idea that it will serve as a diary or scrapbook of sorts. Second it would be a great way to stay in touch with the family and friends positioned around the globe. Lastly it's an outlet for me to share my passion for deals, steals and bargaining, as well as tend my creative-crafty side. Sounds like a win-win!