A change will do you good

Like the new look around here? I found a super-easy tutorial on making a 3 column blog template that even a HTML dummy like me can understand here, my cute new background here, and the fun signature feature here. Enjoy!

Ya, so, about that vegetable garden...

It's not so much a garden as it is a bunch of plants still sitting on my deck.

I must confess

I've done some pretty bad things in my life. I've accidentally recycled Mr. S's favorite issue of Golf Digest; I've gone to bed without brushing my teeth; I've told Little Guy #1 I don't know where his (insanely annoying!) Little People movie went. The list goes on. However, one of the worst things I've done, by far, has been attempting to hang pictures on our 65 year old plaster walls without knowing how to properly do it. The construction genius that I am, I thought a hammer and nail would suffice. It took 2 years and everything in my power to be able to get my pictures to hang level on drywall, for crying out loud. Wrong!

So, much damaged plaster and plenty of spackle later, I know how to do it.

First, (of course) decide where you want the picture/poster/letter S to hang. Mark the wall with a dot where the nail will need to go.

Next, put a piece of scotch tape over the dot. Drill a hole big enough and long enough for your nail right through the tape.

Hammer your nail into the hole you just drilled, again right through the tape. Then hang your picture!



That's it. Really. Who knows how many chunks of plaster I (poorly) attempted to Elmer's glue back into our walls before I learned about this, but my walls can breathe easy again.

Homekeeping tip: How to remove a rust stain from your kitchen sink (one armed!)

While I am smart enough not to pour the excess fat from browned ground beef down the drain, I am not smart enough not to leave the can full of grease in my (ahem, 3 week old) white porcelain sink.

Lucky me, I got this lovely circle of rust as a reminder of what I did. (And I know my photography is crap-tapulous, so it doesn't look too bad, but I'll tell you, it was a doozy. It's there at the bottom in all its orange glory.)

The solution to this problem? Vinegar. Just plain old vinegar. I poured it on the spot and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, then rubbed it a little with a paper towel. That was it, and I did it all while holding Little Guy #2 (to be fair, nearly everything I've done for the past 5 1/2 months has been with one arm while holding him).

And, turns out, vinegar expires. Looks like mine did about 5 years ago. Yep, 2004 baby. (Don't worry-I'm not poisoning my family or making weak Easter eggs-this jug is from my cleaning supply bin, not the kitchen.)

Now here's my "after". I know it looks the same as the before (again, phenomenal photography), but trust me, it's about a million percent better (rough estimate only).

So this might not be a mind-blowing bit of information, but you may need one day when you're a genius like me and leave a can in the sink to get wet and rust.

Pretty things

And finally...blue.

I absolutely live in these. No mom jeans here! (Although those shoes would never, ever fly.)

I am sooooo in love with these!!!

These are so pretty for summer. Too bad hand wash only items don't work in our house.

Mr. S lives in Polo shirts. So classic!

What's better than snuggling in a cashmere blanket??

Hope all the barbeques and other festivities of the weekend went well for everyone!

More pretty things

Surprise! Today's white.

Great bookcase in the Little Guy's room.

Clean and fresh. Love it!



So pretty!



Simple and perfect.

Even cooler than the Bat Phone.

Hope your weekend's still going well!

Pretty things

In the spirit of the holiday weekend, I found some of my favorites in patriotic colors. Today's red. (Duh!)

I'd love this in our famly room.



Best.Pot.Ever.



Love this for the little guys.



Not sure if they actually work, but I'm getting a pair of these.

And finally, the icon.

Hope your holiday weekend is going well!

My vegetable garden to be

Let me just start by saying going to a nursery or Home Depot's garden center the day before the Memorial Day weekend is pretty much a death wish. I saw some things in that parking lot that make me shudder and will certainly be haunting me in my sleep. Luckily, Little Guy #2 and I made it out safely with our tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash and herbs.

Next is actually getting them in the ground. I want to try out a raised bed this year, but building something like that is far beyond what I can handle with my little tool set and drill. I am no Pioneer Woman. I did find these, which will definitely work. "Easy to assemble" is nuch more my style.

I also found the kitchen garden planner while I was bouncing around the site. This is great because my estimation skills stink, and tells what exactly will fit. No more under- or over-buying! I made my planner, so now all I have to do is wait for my bed to arrive!

Green up your house with some houseplants

Or...more aptly titled, houseplants that are very difficult to kill but look nice anyway.

I'm a self-professed black thumb, often lovingly referred to as The Killer. The death toll has to be at 25+ since college. Nonetheless, I still love the way houseplants look as decor, I love that they improve the air quality of our home, they're inexpensive (hello IKEA), and there are all kinds of pretty pots and containers that look great. And face it, a fake ficus tree screams dental office or bachelor pad. No offense to dentists or bachelors. Or single dentists.

There are certain varieties that people claim are "hearty" and should do well, like cacti, ferns and ivies. Yep, killed all of those. I don't even consider buying those anymore (although I briefly contemplate a Boston fern for my front porch each year-they are just gorgeous, but not so much when all dry and brown). We won't even get into the great Bonsai Massacre of '01.

Anywho, if you are as gardening-challenged as me, stick with a few varieties that even The Killer has had great success with.

1. Philodendron. They grow like weeds with even very little sun. They get viney and huge quickly, so they're easy to cut back and propagate in water. These are nearly impossible to kill. Believe me.

2. Spathiphyllum or peace lily. They have kinda leafy-flowers every once in awhile and also grow with just a little light.

3. Oxalis or shamrock. These are all over the grocery stores in March. They're pretty, with little flowers. I got nervous with this one at first, because the leaves wilt very quickly, but it constantly regenerates itself. (This is also been tested by the great Kitty Devouring of '01).

And of course, I couldn't go without some crappy photos of a few of my own houseplants. (Does it matter that I am usually holding a squirmy 5 month old while taking them?? Probably not. They still suck.)









They can even live without dirt and their roots totally in water. Right up my alley.




I love how the shamrock's leaves close at night.

And I now realize I forgot a peace lily photo. Try to contain your disappointment.

Next gardening adventure: my trip to the nursery for my veggies. I haven't planted a vegetable garden since before the little guys. This should be interesting.

Wordless Wednesday

Because the really great toy is always on the bottom of the basket.

Meet my best friend

This is my best friend. We go everywhere together.

And my BFF is full of good ideas. In fact, all the good ideas and bee-you-tee-ful things I come across while I'm reading magazines and browsing catalogs. (Don't you just LOVE the red Pottery Barn table there in the middle?? Well, I do.)


This way, when I'm out, I can remind myself of all the pretty things I MUST HAVE (kindly ignore the fact that I leave the house without my grocery list 9 times out of 10--priorities, people!!) and if I'm wondering what I could do with a great find that I'm not sure if I could use or not, I just flip through all my pretty pictures.

It also helps when I'm rearranging our house, because then I have some inspiration to work from.

This one from The Land of Nod is one of my faves. One day, it'll be the Little Guys' room. But that is a long, long, long, long way away, since they are going to be my babies forever. Right???

How I use my rotary cutter

Since so many of the "real" sewers use rotary cutters, I had to get one so I could be awesome like them. Sad to say, but I cut about as straight with it as my 2 year old would. My ruler slips, I start cutting off in the wrong direction...bad news.

So I made a pattern I can actually trace around with the rotary cutter. Now maybe, just maybe, I won't waste any more fabric with my crooked cutting.

First, get a box made of rigid or corrugated cardboard. (Thank you Costco for your ginormous boxes!)



Then cut out your pattern. This one's itty bitty, only 6x7, so keep that in mind when you choose a box.


Lay your cardboard pattern on top of your fabric and cut around it. Don't forget the cutting mat! You'll save your dining room table and your husband won't get mad. Trust me on this one.

And there you go.




I have no idea if this an original idea, but it worked for me. Maybe now I'll get confused with one of those "real" sewers.

S is for super

I have an unnatural love of mongramming our home with our last initial. Thank you Pottery Barn and PB Kids for starting me down this path. Here are a few.





This, of course, does not include the many others or the dozen (yes, I said 12) still sitting in the closet waiting to be hung.

So, here's the little craft project I threw together: IKEA frame I had laying around, Martha scrapbook paper and one of the letters that got its call up from the minors to escape the closet. Easy enough, and for probably about 10 bucks.

And it probably doesn't help that when I received my copy of Better Homes and Gardens this week, there was a whole article on decorating with letters. So, if you're as sick as me and feel the need to add to your collection, you can go here or here or here or here. Somehow I have a feeling my little letters in the closet are about to get some new friends.

WARNING: Completely hilarious, part II

This is another good one. Check outThe "Blog" of "Unneccesary" Quotation Marks. Trust me, these are absolutely priceless, and the commentary is great.

WARNING: Completely hilarious

I just found this blog, Cakewrecks, and am getting such a kick out of it. Definitely worth taking a peek!

Happy Mother's Day!

My contribution to brunch at my in-law's? Fruit salad. Man, I love my melon baller.

Have a great day all you moms!

PSA

Don't buy these unless you're a glutton for punishment.

2.5 year old + Crayola TaDoodles = disaster. Little Guy #1 is really good with plain old crayons and markers, but got these as a gift, so I thought we'd give 'em a whirl.

They are now in the top drawer, where they are going to stay until, oh let's say, 9th grade.

Best part of this? While visting the Crayola site, I stumbled across this goldmine.

For the love of Costco

We may only be a family of four, but we certainly get our money's worth out of our Costco membership. Once again, the store did not let me down. I went in to get our Mother's Day bouquets, and found these six beauties. They even look pretty waiting to be given, just sitting in the kitchen sink!

My little gallery of frames

I've always loved the look of Pottery Barn's gallery frames, but have always been too much of a chicken to actually hang them. Since my husband is not the Mr. Fix-it type, I knew that I would have to do it on my own (or pay the handyman).

We have a cute little hallway between our dining room and family room that has always been begging to be decorated with something. Well, now that we have two little guys and more pictures of them than I know what to do with, I pulled the trigger and actually hung a gallery of collage frames.

This is what I did to make hanging a gallery of frames super easy (and without leaving my walls looking like swiss cheese) with the perfect result. Best of all, I did it all by myself!

First, pick all the frames you want to hang. Trace each of them exactly onto newspaper, and make a hole where the nail will need to be placed for the hangers.

After you've carefully cut out each frame from the newspaper and poked holes where the nails need to be, start to arrange the cutouts on the wall. Use masking tape or painter's tape to hang them so as not to damage the paint on the walls.

After you're satisfied with your placement, start putting nails/screws through the newspaper where you marked the hangers from the frames. Take down the newspaper as you go, and start hanging your frames.

That's it! You're doing it! Once you're done, admire your handiwork - you deserve it. I'm proud to say that when my husband came home from work and saw the wall, he didn't believe that I actually did it myself. Oh, I'm good...

Seriously?

Yep, it's official. I've seen it all.

Wordless Wednesday

My babies before I had babies.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Planning a fiesta for today? Martha always comes up with the best ideas for centerpieces, and she'll show you how to make one perfect for today's celebration here.

Spinach and artichoke dip

Yesterday was Little Guy #2's christening, and you know what that means? A party afterwards that requires WAY too much eating. This spinach and artichoke dip is so yummy as an easy little appetizer with chips and celery.

You'll need:

4 cups chopped baby spinach
1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup mayo
4 tbsp. parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 can (14 oz) chopped artichoke hearts, drained


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 large ramekins (or whatever you plan to use as a serving dish) with Pam.

Put spinach and 1/4 cup water in casserole dish and microwave, covered, on high for 2 minutes. Drain well and blot excess water with paper towels.

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in mayo, 3 tbsp of cheese, milk, garlic and basil until well blended. Stir in spinach and artichokes. Spread evenly into serving dish(es) and sprinkle with remaing cheese.

Bake 20-25 minutes and enjoy!

Try it at your next party. Trust me, you'll love it.