More Christmas present projects!

Here are a few more towels and hot pads I've finished for Christmas. It's the first time I've done anything like this, so no laughing, but it was pretty fun to do!

Applique

I've been so busy making Christmas presents I've had no time to post my projects! Here's my first Christmas present project and my first attempt on applique. (They're sheep if the picture's too dark to tell...)

Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (2010 Version)

I love this lady's voice! She'll be on SNL tonight!

Busy Day!!!

Today has been a very busy day of making Christmas presents and baking cookies :)

Here's a picture of Baby in his great grandpa's moccisons from when he was a baby. I love them so much, they are super old and SO cute!

To Moms

Here's a tip site for all you moms; I've found it really useful and it has almost everything a mom needs to know, especially if you're breastfeeding. Check it:

Pumpkin Muffins(like Starbucks)

Being in the Autumn mood, I decided to make some pumpkin muffins! I found this awesome recipe for some that are supposed to taste like Starbucks pumpkin muffins. They turned out REALLY yummy and it only took me a few minutes to make. They were in the oven before baby even woke from his short nap! The only thing I did different was I didn't have time to roll up, freeze, and cut the cream cheese so I cut it in chunks straight from the block in the fridge. It turned out perfectly fine doing it that way. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Serves: 24,
Yield:
24 24

24

Servings Size

• muffins
  

muffins

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 pinch cardamom (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• chopped pumpkin seeds (optional) or walnuts (optional) or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Put the entire brick of cream cheese on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and shape it into a long log.
3. Put it in the freezer while you mix and fill the pans, up to an hour.
4. Unwrap and cut with a sharp knife so each cream cheese disk equals 1-2 teaspoons. If the cream cheese disks are too big around, cut thick slices and then cut them in half. This lets you push it down into the batter easier.
5. Mix all ingredients together (except cream cheese and nuts).
6. Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) half full.
7. Put cream cheese disc in the middle, pressing down.
8. Sprinkle with 1 tsp chopped nuts.
9. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin part (do not touch the cream cheese!).
10. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Do not touch the cream cheese until it cools.

Christmas Shopping

I've been wanting to get baby a vintage looking newsboy hat for a long time. I've seen a few in a couple kids clothes stores but all were way too large :( So, I went internet shopping! And found this awesome hand-made one that comes with a matching tie! Not only is it small enough to fit him but she even makes newborn sizes! So cute! To see her Etsy Shop click HERE.

Seaweed Rolls

Having had cravings for one of my most favorite foods for a while now(but since good sushi is kinda expensive)I decided to make my own concoction with tuna...

First you lay out your seaweed wrap, rough side up. You can find seaweed wraps at almost any grocery store.

Then you put rice on it(warm rice works the best to help it stay together).

Then you put a bit of tuna

Roll it up while trying to keep the rice from falling out the ends. If it still doesn't seem to stay rolled up you can use tuna juice or water to seal the side up like an envelope.

These turned out really yummy! We ate them with a little Soy Sauce.

Lovin' the Sun!

Today was a lazy sun bathing day with a short walk down town at the end :)
I've been putting baby in the sun a little almost every day since he was born, because he was borderline jaundice :( But now that we're past all that crud I figure if the sun helps clean baby's blood that well, a little can't do too much harm for us both...
Here's some more info on sun exposure:

The sun has been supporting life on planet Earth for years. It was even worshipped by many cultures throughout history because of its vast healing and therapeutic powers.

But nowadays, most people are actually afraid of being in the sun because it is said to cause skin cancer and premature aging. The so-called effects of sun exposure have been greatly exaggerated by doctors, beauty experts and the media who are in the business of selling you sunscreens, anti-aging lotions and the like. As a result, the sun, nature’s most powerful life-giving force, has been tagged as one of nature’s most harmful elements. And yet, statistics show that almost a million people die and contract serious illnesses each year due to the lack of exposure to sunlight!

Don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying that you can throw out caution and get all the sun that you want. Too much exposure to the sun’s rays can cause harmful and dangerous damage to your skin. What I’m saying is that you shouldn’t be afraid to go out and get some sun because the benefits of sun exposure greatly outweigh the risks.

(info from:http://www.mercola.com/Downloads/bonus/benefits-of-sun-exposure/report.aspx)

Home-Made Pizza!

Think I've found close to the best dough recipe. This recipe works great for either calzones or pizza, if you follow the recipe correctly. You can add some seasonings if you'd like a little more flavor to it. I found the recipe on this blog:

Baby Moccasins

Now that it's getting cold out I've had my eye on some different baby moccasins. The picture above it a pair I bought at Target the other day. Here are some more cute ones I like, just click on a picture for more information.

What's its color?

I came across this site the other day while thinking about colors for my "someday" kitchen. It's also helped me with other things like choosing the right colored font for pictures. All you do is upload a picture from either a saved file or an internet site. Once it's downloaded it will give you the dominant color, the complimentary color(in the background once uploaded), the top ten visually unique colors, and some color pallets. You can find the site here: