Day 1 -Photo Challenge

"Up!"

Baby boy loves to climb up the stairs- as fast as he can, squealing the whole way up.

Photo Challenge

Trying to get back in the blogging habit-- and I thought this might be a fun way to do it: Fat Mum Slim has posted a photo-a-day challenge for March:

Thanks to my cellphone I always have a camera on me... let the fun begin!

Stay tuned for my first photo!

Hootenanny Pancakes

My sister introduced me (via phone) to Hootenanny Pancakes

 (aka German Pancakes or Puffy Oven Pancakes) yesterday.  

And after she sent me this tantalizing picture...

...I decided we had to try it too.  It was so yummy-- buttery, salty, sweet and crispy. 

 Here is the recipe I used.

Super easy!

Enjoy!

Birthday Tablecloth

 I came across this family tablecloth over at She Wears Many Hats.  I love it, and have decided to tweak the idea a little and start a birthday tablecloth!  And it's just in time, because my 3yr old is going to become a 4yr old in just a few days!  I'm going to have her trace her hand and write her name with a pencil, and date it.  Then I will embroider over the top of the pencil marks.  One birthday at a time seems pretty manageable to me.  You could also do this with fabric markers, but I like the permanence of embroidery.

Photo from SheWearsManyHats

The Red Stuff

But first... I have to show you my Hawaiian turkeys!  Here's the first one, before I sewed it on:

 The second one, sewn on (and worn, which is why it's a little dirty and wrinkled).  Instead of doing embroidery for the legs, eyes and beak, I was going more for this type of look.

And finally, here's the boy's on a brown onesie.  

Best thing about this project?  I already had everything on hand...

 And here are our handprint trees...  The caption reads "I'm so glad you're my family"(the song is a favorite in our house).

And finally I have a recipe to share for Thanksgiving.  It's a tradition that it comes from Josh's side of the family, and that I have happily adopted, and it's "The Red Stuff" (aka Cranberry Sauce).  It's super easy, and fast and oh-so-much better than any store-bought stuff.

Here's what you need:

1 thin-skinned orange or 2 clementines or tangerines.
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup pecans

Here's what you do:

1. Peel and cut up the orange(s).
2.  Chop up 1 cup of cranberries and the orange in a food processor.
3.  Add the sugar and puree.
4.  In a saucepan combine pureed mix, the remaining cup of whole cranberries, and the cup of water.
5.  Bring to a boil, stir and keep on low boil till it has thickened into sauce (about 10 minutes).
6. Cool to room tempurature, then add lemon juice and pecans.
7.  Refrigerate, serve and enjoy!

Sorry I don't have any pictures of it-- but trust me-- it's YUMMY!
Happy Thanksgiving!!

With Halloween done and over- I'm determined to get a start on my Christmas sewing projects.  But first I have a couple of Thanksgiving-ish projects I can't resist!
The first is this Family Tree by Creative Carmella:

Photo by Creative Carmella

See the handprints? So simple, but such a cute idea- perfect for a fall activity!

My second soon-to-be project are turkey t-shirts for all three kids using this tutorial from The Cottage Home:

Photo by The Cottage Home

I'm thinking some Hawaiian-print fabric turkeys would be pretty cute...
I'll be posting my versions in the next couple of days!

Last night I was introduced to the wonderful world of kale!  I hadn't ever eaten it before, but last night at a pizza-making party, I tried some of the Sweet Potato Kale Pizza our fabulous hostess had made-

from Two Peas & Their Pod

 and I loved it! She was sweet enough to email me the link for the recipe, so I thought I would share it with you.  It's from Two Peas and Their Pod.  They have a lot of great looking recipes- I can't wait to try some of them out, including this Quinoa Salad and this Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza.