A Little Organization

When life is crazy busy and I feel like I have no time to even pick up the dirty socks on the bathroom floor, it feels great to get a little corner of that crazy life organized. So, yesterday I did a tiny thing - hung up our photo cork board that we had up before we remodeled the kitchen. Months ago I spray painted an old frame white and framed the fabric covered cork board with the intention of hanging it up, but never got around to it. We like to hang Christmas card photos on it each year and I also had baby announcements piling up on the counter and side of the fridge so I got out the hammer and nails and got it done. Beautiful.

My other little bit of organization was inspired by my favorite blog Young House Love with their similar project found here. When I saw this project the other day, I though, "I can do that! And I even have all the supplies already." So tonight I got out the supplies and set to work to organize this corner of the kitchen.

This is the counter that our microwave used to sit on. Now that we have the microwave over the stove this counter is free to become the "dropping zone" for things that come into the house. I hate clutter and therefore hate this counter, so I wanted to try and organize it a little bit more.

So for this project you need the inside of a cabinet door, cork board squares, utility knife, glue, and a ruler. All of which I had on hand. I think I picked up the cork board about 5 years ago at either a thrift store or garage sale. There are 4 thin squares of cork in the package.

I started by measuring the inside of the door, cutting a sheet of cork, and dry fitting it in the opening.

Perfect fit. The other perfect fit was that 2 sheets was exactly the height of the door so I have minimal cutting to do. The cork did come with double stick mounting squares, but when I tried to use them I knew they would not hold up. So I just used hot glue. Yes, that will be a real mess if I ever want to take the cork down, but I don't see that happening.

YEAH! for a great place to pin up coupons, schedules, and recipes I want to try. I love it and it makes me feel a little bit more organized!

I also worked hard at finding a better home for most of the stuff that was collecting on the counter. I know that this will always be the "catch all" place in the house, but it feels good to clean it up for a while. I still don't like the phone charger cords "hanging around." Still looking for a good solution to keeping those under control. Please share it you have a good way to do that.

Projects

We've been pretty busy this Fall! (One reason we haven't blogged much). Here are a few of the projects that we have been working on:

On Sept. 13, Dan's brother Andy and his wife Carol welcomed twin girls into their family. Carol asked me to make dark purple curtains and crib skirts for the girls' room. I used the crib skirt my mom had made for me as a pattern and whipped out two crib skirts in no time! If only all sewing was that easy :) I did not have a pattern for the curtains, but with a few measurement of the window, it was pretty easy too. I excel at sewing straight lines. 

Not the best pictures, but  you get the idea.

When I told Dan that I was going to blog about my sewing, he said I also needed to blog about his welding. Because according to him, it's really the same thing - creating something new from scratch, we just use different materials. And I guess I have to agree :)

Dan has been hard at work building a feed lot at a neighbors farm and part of that feed lot is a crowding tub and chute to work cattle in. He bought steel pipe and built custom gates for the project. A little dirtier and smellier than my sewing, but just as impressive :)

Here is Dan with one of the gates he welded. 

Preschool

Rebecca is now going to preschool in the mornings, 4 days a week. She started the day after Labor Day and has really enjoyed it. It is so fun to see her excitement and hear about her day. The best thing is that she is going to preschool at Delaware, where I teach. She comes with me to school in the mornings and then I bring her to daycare right before lunch. Her favorite thing to say on the way home is, "So Mom, tell me about your day." And then I ask her the same thing :)

Here is Rebecca on her first day of preschool.

Note: Fall = very busy = less blogging. Sorry to those who check this often.

Party Time

Rebecca turned 4 years old on August 31 and we had a family party for her on Saturday. She picked a "Tangled" theme from the new movie about Rapunzel. I went online and found a good design for a cake that I thought I would be able to do. Overall, I think it was the best birthday yet. We had a great time with family, fun decorations, gifts, and yummy cake. Here are some of the highlights.

Rebecca and her "Tangled" cake.

Rebecca did a great job blowing out her candles!

Here is the cake and the table decorations. I got the idea for the candy filled glasses just the other day while on another one of my favorite blogs. Rebecca did a great job helping me sort the Skittles by color earlier in the day.

The party was topped off by enjoying cake and ice cream and playing with grandparents and cousins.

Happy Birthday Rebecca!

Our Little Girl turned 4 on August 31st! I can't believe only 4 years ago we were in the hospital holding our new little bundle. Here is a little flashback.

On her birthday morning, we gave her a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Pontier - a new basket, bell, and flag for a bike. She knew after opening them that there had to be a new bike from mom and dad in the garage for her. She couldn't wait to ride it a little in the morning before we left for school. When she got home she rode it until supper time and even wanted to ride some more after her bath. Since our driveway is gravel, it's easier to ride in the garage and she likes makes hot laps around the car.

What a big girl! I wonder how long those training wheels will stay on?

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

It's been a very busy and tiring we for me, so I am just getting around to puting my feet up and finishing this blog post. One thing that I love to grow in the garden is zucchini. I grow it for pretty much one reason: Chocolate Zucchini Cake! The best part about growing lots of zucchini is that you can shred it and freeze it in 2 cup portions and make this cake year round.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 cup margarine (softened)
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk (put a little vinegar in milk and it will turn sour)
2 cups shredded fresh zucchini

Topping: sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts (nuts are optional)

Mix all ingredients together, I just do it in the order they are listed. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle the topping on (be generous :). Bake for 35-45 min. at 350 degrees.

Just a few notes about zucchini. If the zucchini is the size of a large cucumber like the kind you buy in the store, it is delicious sliced and sauted in a little oil. If you let your zucchini grow bigger like the size of your arm, they are great for shredding and using in cake and bread. To shred the zucchini, peal off the skin with a potato peeler, cut it length wise and scoop out all the seeds, then shred with a grater. If you freeze zucchini and want to use it in a recipe later, make sure you thaw the zucchini and include all the "water/zucchini juice" in the recipe.

I wish I was better at taking pictures while baking and cooking, but I'm not. Here is a picture of the cake - it doesn't last long in our house! Rebecca actually cried when I started eating the last piece. I reluctantly shared a little with her :)

Snickerdoodle Blondies

So two of Dan's favorites are snickerdoodle cookies and blondies. I recently when to a potluck picnic and a friend had brought some delicious bars and when I asked what they were called, she said they were Snickerdoodle Blondies. I had never heard of them or had them before, but what a great combination. I knew Dan would like them too. So I found a recipe online and here it is from
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/07/09/snickerdoodle-blondies/

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Yield: 24 blondies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 25 to 30 minutes

2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan; set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla. Beat, scraping the bowl, until thoroughly combined. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Give the dough a final stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to make sure the flour is incorporated.

4. Spread the dough evenly into the pan (I found an offset spatula was the best tool for the job, as it’s a thick batter). Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

And I was right, Dan said, "I think I could just eat this whole pan."