Month

November 2012

Helping… sort of: Impromptu Photo Shoot

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Last week, I told you of the adventures of buying our first DSLR camera. I know there is a lot to learn. The word on the street is shooting in manual allows more freedom and has so many more benefits to the photographer, but so far I’m taking it one day at a time.

I also mentioned yesterday how things have been busy around here. Over the weekend, we winterized the yard. At our house this means, cut the lawn one more time, make sure all dead annuals are dug up, put all the patio furniture and ceramic pots in the shed, and put the snow blower in the garage. While Brian and I were doing a few tasks the kids played in the back yard, and instead of helping Brian finish, I ran and grabbed the camera to take a few pictures of the kids playing.

Look at that smile!

 

My super hero has no problem posing.

 

She let me interrupt her leaf collecting.

 

Then I walked around the yard and just shot some pictures of randomness.

 

Not all the pictures I take are winners, but it is definitely playing with the camera, and getting some cute photos of the kids.

T-Minus 9 Days to T-Time: Cornbread Stuffing

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Here’s what’s up people. We have less than 10 days til Turkey Time. I’m totally freaking out! Gallons of coffee, project planning, organizing, purging, cleaning, birthday party organizing, charity collection planning and all this is happening while I still take care of my regular day to day nonsense. Not to mention laundry, menu planning, shopping, toy picking up, milk spill cleanup, disciplining, homework, snuggle time, diaper changing/potty training, photo taking and blogging. Whew! As you can see, the boys are not affected by this craziness.

Why am I doing all this? Because I like to enjoy the holidays. I like to sit on the couch and watch 25 days of Christmas every night. I like seeing the “Giving Tree” at my church set up. I like to bake cookies with the kids. I like to fall asleep reading a book by the glow of the tree. I like having Christmas movie picnics in the living room. I like driving around looking at lights. I actually enjoy writing Christmas cards with Christmas tunes playing in the background. I like spending time with my gal pals and drinking Starbucks. I LOVE wrapping presents while the kids “sort” bows and ribbon. I enjoy cooking with whole sticks of butter like Paula Deen. I love when my family is together. I like that Brian has some time off at Christmas. I even love the shopping. The beautiful combination of Christmas music, warm winter coats (making you sweat), a shopping bag in my hand, Christmas decorations, people rushing, and the smell of department store perfume filling my nostrils just gets me giddy.

With all that said, this is the time of year that I usually go on a purge rampage and get my rear in gear and finish some projects that I have been meaning to do. The rule in this house is, before any decorations go up, the house has to begin at zero. As in, before we add anything we must delete. So, the past few days have been spent purging old clothes in Brian and I’s closet. I’m in the process of getting rid of all the kids clothes that are too small or have holes in the knees (why do boys always get holes in the knees of their pants?). I’m cleaning the basement so we can maybe start thinking of renovating down there in the new year. I reorganized the linen closet. I cleaned the garage. We took down the Halloween/Autumn decor. Brian cleaned out the shed. All old toys get donated. Also, I finish all the projects that have been started. Caroline even joined in on the shed cleaning.

Once all the old stuff is gone, we have room for the new. Once all the projects are done, we have room for Christmas. It is a very spiritually cleansing process. I started this tradition a few years ago. I have to say Brian and I never feel rushed during the holiday season. We just soak it in and enjoy it.

However, the week before Thanksgiving… well its insane around here. Are you in a T-Day frenzy right now? Do you have boxes all over the place? Did you donate all your family’s old clothes and toys to make room for everything new? Are you trying to get all you can done so you can watch all the Thanksgiving cooking specials on the Food Network this weekend? No? Just me, then.

Now that you have listened to my rambling (thank you for that, the stock people at Target are sick of my stories I think), I am going to share one of my favorite T-Day recipes.

Corn Bread Stuffing/Dressing

1 – 8 x 8 pan of Corn Bread crumbled (I bake my own using Jiffy brand corn bread mix)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large or 2 medium sweet onions chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
1 quart low sodium chicken, vegetable, or turkey stock
1 Tbs poultry seasoning
1 dried Bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Spray a 9 x 13 caserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large pan over medium heat add 1 stick of butter and let melt completely. Next, add onions, celery and bay leaf stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add poultry seasoning and salt and pepper and stir once more. Remove pan from heat to cool slightly.

In a large bowl mix together corn bread and onion mixture until well incorporated. Then, slowly drizzle in stock until corn bread is moist but not completely saturated (Note: I NEVER have used a whole quart of stock, but it varies how much stock you need depending on how dry the cornbread is).





Pour the whole mixture into the 9 x 13 pan and bake for about 20-30 minutes until top is golden brown and crispy.

Back to organizing and cleaning!

Privacy Please: Frosted Windows

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Here is the deal. Sometimes, I don’t want to answer the door for solicitors. I know, its mean. However, hear me out. Sometimes, they just catch me at a bad time. As in, I’m still in my PJ’s, the kids are still in their PJ’s, I’m trying to make lunch, someone spills apple juice, the phone is ringing… oh and did I mention I’m still in my PJ’s? There are just times when it isn’t possible.

Even though all this is happening, and I cannot get to the door, there is still a straight shot visual to the kitchen from the front door because of these windows.
Basically, even if I want to hide or take a peek in the peep hole the solicitor sees me (still in my PJ’s) and I feel obligated to answer the door, engage in the few minute conversation, and lie about my political affiliation as to not disappoint and send this person on his/her merry way.Brian really wants me to put up a no soliciting sign, but I don’t want to miss out on Girl Scout cookies.

That’s when I decided to “frost” the windows. I did this in the upstairs bathroom for privacy and I still had some of the materials left over to do these windows. I used Gila Privacy Control Frosted Paper with the Gila application kit. The whole job took about twenty five minutes and another thirty minutes of dry time. (apologies for the photos the lighting was weird shooting right into the window and I took pictures with one hand while doing this with the other).
First, I cleaned the windows and dried them thoroughly.
Next, I cut the window film to size (actually a little bigger for a perfect fit). This way I could trim off excess. 

 

Then I removed the backing to the window film. 

I thoroughly sprayed both the window and the sticky side of the film with the solution that comes in the application kit.

 

I, then, applied the film, and used the squeegee like tool to work out any air bubbles. In the corners, there seemed to be a build up of the solution so I would gently pull back a corner, dab the with some paper towel to remove excess solution and then smooth out again with the squeegee tool.

 

 

I did this to all three window panes, and then let them sit for about 30 minutes before trimming the excess film with the cutting tool provided. 

 

Hooray! Now, I can stay in my jammies forever! 

 

Grateful: November Challenge Week 2

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Welcome to the second installment of the 30 Day Gratitude Photo Challenge that I am participating in on Positively Present. Last week, I posted a the first installment and each week I will highlight all the moments of gratitude I have experienced over the last seven days.

Day 3, Nature: I do love the outdoors, but on this day I was particularly grateful for living in the midwest this time of year. The colors get me every time. A picture from our nature walk.

Day 4, Clothing: Folding clothes is one of those chores that often makes me roll the eyes. Will this ever end? As the weather gets cooler here though, I am so glad that I have clothes to fold. My kids have warm clothes, socks, and jammies. Not everyone is so lucky, and I am truly grateful for this. This is my weekly pile of kids clothes.

Day 5, Knowledge: I am grateful that I have a personality that keeps me researching, learning, reading, and curious. I love to learn, and I am grateful for that. Here is me looking up something again (after I find the perfect iTunes song of course).

Day 6, Memories: I write another blog called South of I-80 and every time I write, I recall so many happy and hilarious memories growing up. My family is truly a mix of some of the most wonderful people I have ever met in my life, and the memories keep me laughing. This is a picture of my Dad and I that I have hanging in my house, I just snapped a picture of it on my iPhone.

Day 7, Innovation: The day after Election Day. I’m so thankful and grateful for my ability to vote and be part of a country that is governed of the people, by the people and for the people. Thank you to the innovators over 200 years ago that have made this possible today. This is me walking into the polling place.

 

Day 8, Sleep: I, of course, am always grateful for a good night’s sleep, but lately as I tip toe into the kids’ rooms every night to check on them, fix their covers and give them one more kiss. I am still so grateful that they let me do this. I know my days are numbered and they will be too cool for kisses, snuggles, bedtime stories, and footie jammies.

There you have it, another week of absolute gratitude.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

My Family thinks I’m the Paparazzi Now: Cannon Rebel

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Awhile back was Brian and I’s 6 Year Anniversary, and I celebrated with a week of going down memory lane (here, here, here, here, and here). What I forgot to tell you, though, was the awesome gift we gave to each other. You ready? Here she is:

 

Gorgeous no? Weird taking a picture of a camera… I had to take this on my iPhone so it didn’t come out as lovely.

This decision was a long time coming. When Brian and I are about to plunk down a significant amount of money, we do a TON of research. Here is our little adventure of buying our awesome new camera, and just thank your lucky stars that I’m not letting you in on our car buying experiences (you’d be reading for days).

When we found out we were pregnant with my oldest 5 years ago (has it been that long?!) we got a Canon PowerShot. It served us well. In fact, it lasted through three kids, two moves, and plenty of trips and special events. We used it so much, it was starting to see better days. Also, taking pictures of an unmoving newborn is way easier than three rambunctious tots. You can see the blur here:

 

Then in July, I started blogging. We weren’t sure how often I was going to blog, but it was pretty clear that iPhone photos and the PowerShot weren’t going to cut it. If you want evidence of jenky photos please refer to my first two months of blogging.

With all of that said. The research began. We first took some advice from a good friend who loves photography, Melissa. She has her own blog called Jamrockstar which showcases some of her photography skills as well as her musings about life. Hopefully soon, she will do a guest post for me (hint, hint).

Melissa gave us the best suggestion. She said we should look at all options, hold them, see how they feel in our hands, practice switching lenses, and play with some of the different settings. So we did. We walked around Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and our local camera shop, and we just held cameras and tried shooting a few photos. This really helped us narrow things down, and I am so happy that I didn’t make a decision without seeing and trying one out.

Speaking of trying out a camera, our friends Lisa and Bill (who also have three amazing kids), own a Canon DSLR that they loaned us for a few weeks to make our final decision.

So, after checking things out, we decided that we wanted a Cannon Rebel T3i. The added bonus of wanting a Canon was that we still had Brian’s automatic zoom lens and removable flash from his days taking and developing film photos for the Purdue Exponent.   

We had a very strict budget in mind, and were even willing to wait until Black Friday to score a deal. The long search began. While we were searching, Canon had just released the T4i model, which was good for us. Stores wanted to get rid of T3i’s to make room for the new model. WOOHOO! Savings galore. For a few weeks, we scoured the internet, store flyers, and eBay. Then one night we happened to go right to the Canon Direct website, and noticed they have a refurbished store, and they had a GREAT deal on the Rebel T3i. It was no tax, free shipping, and was the cheapest deal we’ve seen. It also came with a 90 day warranty AND Brian found an online promo code. While it wasn’t the full year warranty on a brand new Canon, we read some online reviews, and there were nothing but good things to say about refurbished Canon products.

Long story short… well long. We bit the bullet, and bought it.

Now, look at all these beautiful photos that our new Canon has taken. While I still have lots to learn about the camera (I read the booklet nightly and research tons of internet resources on photo editing), I cannot believe that even a novice like me has taken some of these awesome photos.

 

Also, I’ve been able to practice my photography skills with the November Challenge.

Linking up today at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading. Check out everyone else’s amazing projects!

Election Hangover: Quick Fix Curtains

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I’m currently rocking an awesome Election Night hangover. Not the drinking kind, but the I went to bed way too late, and the kids got up way too early kind. Either way, hangovers stink. Good thing I planned ahead and have an awesome quick update for you today.

One of the first posts I ever wrote before taking a Home Everyday hiatus, was this post about my cloth napkin cafe curtains hanging in my kitchen (as you can see I’ve learned a lot about blogging since then, also, my pictures were of the iPhone variety).

Yes, you read that correctly. Cafe curtains from cloth napkins. I don’t have a sewing machine, hem tape is an option like these curtains I made for Coco, but to be honest, I really like if even the hemming is done already like my master bedroom curtains. So far, the best thing I have noticed about doing inexpensive curtains, drapes or window coverings is that, they are an easy switch when you need a bit of a change. Which is exactly what I did here:

 

I found some cute yellow cloth napkins at Target on clearance.

 

I had really been wanting to tie some yellow into the kitchen, so this was the perfect and cheap way. I just used the little clips to attach them to the curtain rod, and this time I even made a little valence by pinning some folded napkins to the top curtain rod (did I mention I don’t have a sewing machine.. yet? Christmas please hurry).

I cannot believe how much bigger the window looks with the valence now too.

 

There you have it! The quickest update so far. Anyone else jumping on the faux curtain bandwagon with me? Table clothes? Sheets? Shower Curtains? Hem taped fabric?

 

Smart Cookies: Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Blondies

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While I was planning something to make for this month’s Smart Cookies recipe, I was thinking of Thanksgiving and Autumn flavors. Pumpkin is typically a standby, but I have to be honest, I’m already over it. Maybe its the over load of pumpkin spiced lattes, or maybe its because I feel like everything pumpkin has been done.

Also, when I think of Thanksgiving, my mind automatically goes to cranberries. Next to stuffing, that is probably my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. I will eat cranberries in just about any way shape or form. I have no discrimination when it comes to cranberries. I will eat jellied out of the can cranberries, cranberry sauce, cranberry relish, dried cranberries, cranberry juice, cranberry salad, vodka and cranberry with a twist of lime.

That got me thinking, how could I showcase cranberries in a portable treat. I ran the cranberry blondies by my friend, Colleen, and she reminded me to add orange zest (like a cranberry orange muffin). They are so sweet, dense, and brownie-like. In fact… I may have another.

 

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Blondies

2 sticks unsalted butter
3 – 1 oz squares of Baker’s White Chocolate Squares
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbs orange zest
2 cups plus 2 tsp all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or pan.

In a small bowl, toss together cranberries, white chocolate chips, and 2 tsp of flour and set aside. Next, melt butter and white chocolate squares in a small sauce pan over low heat stirring occasionally until completely melted and combined. Let this mixture cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest until well combined.

 

Slowly add cooled butter and white chocolate mixture while mixing. Then, add flour and salt and mix until just combined. Finally, fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

 

Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

 

These turned out fabulous, and I cannot wait to have another with a cup of tea while I watch election returns tonight!

 

For more information about Smart Cookies visit www.smart-cookies.org. Also you can check out past Smart Cookie recipes here and here.

I Could Pass for an Italian Grandma: Tomato Sauces

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Everyone keeps asking me about quick cooking recipes and with the holidays looming, I thought I would share some recipes for my favorite tomato sauces. All of these recipes are ones that I have tested and made and re-made over time. I am in no way a tomato sauce expert, (geez, I’m not even Italian) but these are all tasty, quick, and can be frozen. You can use jarred sauce if you want, and I am never above doing that, but there is something about walking in the house after a hard day and the house smelling something home made.

 

Before I share the recipes, I first wanted to share some things I’ve learned about Tomato Sauce from watching hour upon hour of cooking shows.
1. Use the freshest ingredients possible. Fresh bulk sausage, fresh herbs, fresh garlic help keep the whole sauce tasting fresh. Remember in most cases you are using canned tomatoes, so the rest of the ingredients should be fresh.
2. Always freeze the extra. Seriously this requires no extra work, and then you always have sauce on hand. Perfect for enjoying after a night of Christmas shopping. Just make sure you add some fresh herbs when reheating and that helps freshen it up a bit.
3. How you use garlic is up to you, but I have found that how you use it makes a big difference in the sauce. For an intense garlic flavor, mince a few cloves of garlic and cook it in olive oil and then add the other ingredients as directed. For a mild flavor, smash a few cloves of garlic and cook them in olive oil, make the rest of the sauce as directed, and before serving remove the garlic cloves. For and even milder sweet flavor, roast a head of garlic and stir a few cloves into your sauce.
Erin’s Summer Sauce (we use this in the summer, during lent, or for our vegetarian friends because there is no meat anywhere in the recipe)
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small yellow onion chopped
3 Cloves Garlic (either smashed or minced)
¼ Cup White Wine (optional, if I have one open I put some in, if not no big deal)
1- 32 oz can crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
1- 32 oz can diced tomatoes drained
1 large bunch of FRESH basil leaves torn or chopped (reserve some for garnish)
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a large pot over a medium heat, pour olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes (if minced don’t let it burn) stirring constantly. Add wine, sauce, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer.  Lower heat and add basil. If you used smashed garlic cloves, remove them now. Mix with favorite pasta. Serve with reserved basil and fresh parmesan.
Erin’s Marinara (this sauce is basic and not greasy. It can be used for anything even when making pizza.)
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 lb of pancetta or bacon diced into small pieces
1 yellow onion chopped
2 carrots grated
3 cloves garlic (minced or smashed)
1 dried bay leaf
¼ Cup red wine (optional)
2 – 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh oregano chopped
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
In large pot over medium flame, add olive oil and pancetta/bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, and rendering fat until pancetta/bacon is crispy. Remove pancetta/bacon from pot and let drain on paper towel and reserve as a topping for a salad. Add onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper and stir occasionally until all vegetables are soft. Add wine and scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Then add tomatoes, and bring to a low simmer (you might have to lower heat). Then add rosemary, oregano and stir. Right before serving remove bay leaves and smashed garlic (if you smashed it), and add chopped parsley.
Erin’s Meat Sauce (this is Brian’s favorite. I make this a lot in the winter)
It is the exact same recipe as the marinara with a few changes.
For meat sauce I omit pancetta/bacon and instead cook 8 oz bulk sausage (sweet or hot up to you), and 8 oz ground turkey. Cook the sausage and turkey until completely cooked through (don’t drain it adds flavor) and then cook just like the marinara. (Just a side note, my Mom and kids HATE sausage of any kind, so I will just do a full pound of ground turkey).
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family does. Ciao! 

Grateful: November Challenge

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November usually marks the beginning of a lot of gratitude. People all over the internet are Facebooking, pinning, and tweeting their gratitude for the month of November. There are millions of examples of thankful tablecloths, jars, and river rocks. While I love all these ideas, I wanted to do something that I knew I could do every single day.

All week I was trying to find the perfect way to express how grateful I am for all the blessings that me and my family have. Basically, I wanted something that was easy. We have hectic lives and hectic schedules, and sometimes the gratitude is happening right there in the moment. Like when I’m watching the kids throw leaves in the air, and I think, “Thank goodness they are healthy.”

 

The rest of the day passes, and I’m too exhausted to write it on river rocks. So, after some Googling (another thing for which I am grateful) I found the Thirty Day Gratitude Photo Challenge.

This is PERFECT! I am still learning to use our new Canon Rebel (post to come next week), and I am starting to love everything about Instagram, I knew that more times than not I would probably have a camera in hand. So, I’m joining the challenge. Who else is in?

On Fridays in November, in will be dumping all the grateful moments I’ve had that week. Also, if you want you can ‘Like’ the Home Everyday fan page or follow me on Instagram (eskibs). Let’s share all the reasons we are grateful together.

So, since this is the first Friday of November, here are my first two grateful photos.

November 1, Words: My kids are all so close in age that I can remember a time when they were all too little to say anything. So while I had a full house of kids, I did a lot of talking without a lot of response. So grateful, that all of them can communicate with me now. Like when George said, “Mommy, you are my friend, and you are my superhero.”

 

November 2, Technology: Today, I’m so grateful that I can sit wherever I like to blog, listen to music, check email and edit pictures. Even if it means at 6:30 a.m. with a cup of tea at the dining room table.
Stay tuned for the next few weeks of gratitude. Anyone else want to join in on the fun? (Don’t forget you can see more timely updates via Home Everyday’s Facebook fan page or follow eskibs on Instagram and #gratitude30).

October Wrap Up

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Yesterday was Home Everyday’s 100th Post! Can you believe that?! Time is flying here, and October seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Before we know it, we will be holiday decorating. I am pretty Christmas crazy (as in I may have already listened to some Christmas music this morning) however I am not quite ready for that yet.

Before we move ahead too quickly, here is a wrap up of the last month.

This month, Meg Broderick from Upsy Daisy Cupcake Crazy, guest posted with her to die for recipe of S’mores Cupcakes.

The kitchen was not as busy as it typically is, but I whipped up some really fun things. My favorite of all the recipes this month were the Lucy Cookies. In fact, I might have to make those again soon. A few other recipes I cooked up were: turkey pie, hummus veggie wraps, pumpkin pound cake, and brats with orchard salad.

 

This month, I was also able to tackle some organizational projects with the help of Mom of 6’s Organize My Life Boot Camp. I was able to streamline our entry, stick with our family routines, keep up with our family calendar, and share our menu plan and grocery routine. I also shared my embarrassing secret, and finally organized my accessory drawer.
This month was also the month of some quick crafty projects that took hardly any time at all. Like the Olympic Torches I crafted for the boys for Halloween, the clever bridal shower gift I put together, the autumn fall tablescape, or the shower curtain drapes I made for the master bedroom.
The kids also had a TON of fun this month. We did some traditional fall trips like a nature walk, and a visit to the pumpkin patch. We headed out to watch the runners at the Chicago Marathon. We also had some fun at home with play dough and pumpkin carving. Finally, my munchkins showed me just how kind hearted they are even though they are only 4, 3, and 2.
Finally, I shared a little glimpse into my day when I shared my day in the life post. I know you are totally jealous… ok maybe not, but the s’mores break made up for it.
This is where I thank you! The readers! The feedback I have gotten has been nothing but positive, and I am so happy that there are people out there reading other than my sister. Coming soon are some more projects, holiday fun, great recipes, and with some help a design change! Thank you again for taking time out of your day to read.