One Woman's Button is Another Woman's . . .

Ages ago, I posted a children's book character name game that I put together for a baby shower, and I offered a prize to the winner. Elisa and her daughter Miriam won and last week I finally got around to mailing them a prize, which was fun to put together because I don't get to do a lot of little girl crafts around here. First, I put together some button rings. They are so easy and fun to make. I can imagine these as cute party favors for little girls or a fun project to do together. All you do is sew a loop of elastic and then go through your stash of buttons and find two or three that stack together well (or if you don't have a stash of buttons or need more instructions you could buy a kit from this awesome Etsy shop)

Sew buttons to the elastic loop and whalla!

I made these cards to put them on so it would be obvious what they are.

I also sent them some little wooden people to paint like their family. I was tempted to paint them myself, but I thought they would have more fun painting them, and check out what a great job they did. Elisa's post made my day.

Uh oh, here comes trouble!

13 months and already a skateboarding fanatic. The pictures pretty much say it all.

He's getting so big and independent.

Happy Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day (except for the part when the person who was supposed to teach Relief Society wasn't there so I had to fill in, but at least I had read the lesson and everyone offered helpful comments). I slept in, didn't have to get Creed ready for church because Larry was there to take care of it, and I was incredibly spoiled (Larry got me a new watch and Creed got me a cupcake tower).

Since I neglected to take even a single picture on Mother's Day, here's a picture of what I made for our moms. I got the idea from Danielle Thompson's blog. She just bought little business card holders at Target made by Real Simple and then filled them with pictures so the grandmas could have little brag books that fit in their purses. I got pictures from family members and added a little square in the corner with the pictured person's name and the year (because I swear grandmas always have outdated pictures, "This is Johnny in his batman costume. He's seven here, but he's fourteen now. . . ")

I hope our moms enjoyed them!

Happy Birthday Eli!

My baby brother turned 21 today! I don't usually post about birthdays here, but he deserves a special mention because he's been serving as a missionary in Brasil for two years. He's coming home in a month and a half and we are so excited to see him! He's grown up so much and we are so proud of him. Luckily we won't have to wait long to see him because we're arriving in Utah a few days after he comes home.

Oh, and did I mention that he's crazy? He sent my parents this picture last week.

Candice M. Stringham: Photographer Extraordinaire

I am sick, sick, sick so no new photos from me today, but I HAD to post these new one year portraits Candice did of Creed when they were driving through on their way to New York

Candice doesn't like this one because she thinks it's too flat/gray, but it's my favorite because it really captures his smile, and it's taken in the same spot that she took the photo we used for his birth announcement. I'll have to post the comparison later.

Creed was really having an off day so Candice did an amazing job. We are planning to visit her soon and I can't wait to see more from this shoot!

Columbus Corners - Hayden Falls

I think I mentioned this here long ago, but in case I didn't, did you know there's a waterfall nestled in between Columbus and Dublin? Hayden Falls is in the south side of Hayden Run Road between Riverside Drive and Dublin Road just to the west of the bridge over the river.

There's a tiny parking lot that was unmarked for years, but now it has a brand new parks and rec sign clearly marking it. At the east end of the lot, you'll see these stairs leading down to a creek. These stairs are new so it used to be a lot harder to get down to the falls. At the bottom of the stairs just follow the dirt path and use stepping stones to cross the stream heading away from the river. It's a very short walk to another wooden platform, where you'll see this.

And you'll completely forget that there's a busy road so nearby.

Creed even thought the falls merited some applause.

Sometimes if the summer is dry there's not much to the falls, so if that happens, be sure to visit another time.

Three Everyday Meals

Well, it's no secret that I'm a beginning cook so I've been trying some really easy non-church-casserole type recipes. I've found a few that Larry and I have really liked that my sisters have asked me to share so here are three that we loved from Everyday Food. The first is from their book, Good Food Fast, and the other two are from their magazine (Thanks Brittany for passing along your copies!). You can click on the titles to link to their site where you can print out these recipes and search for other good recipes.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti
8 ounces (8 slices) bacon, cut 1 inch thick crosswise
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions

1. Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
2. Salt boiling water generously; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and half-and-half. Set aside.
4. Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add hot pasta to egg mixture. Add bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs). Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Tenders with Creamy Honey Mustard

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cups crisp rice cereal
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (tenderloins)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
4 medium carrots, cut into sticks
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into sticks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475. Place flour in a shallow bowl, and egg in a second one; season both with salt and pepper. Pulse cereal and oil in a food processor until fine crumbs form (I don't have a food procesor so I tried a blender and that did NOT work. I ended up using a baby food jar to smash the rice crispies in a bowl like I was using a mortar and pestle and that worked just fine). Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a third shallow bowl.
2. Coat chicken: first in flour, shaking off excess; then with egg, letting excess drip off; and finally in cereal mixture, pressing to help it adhere. Place on a baking sheet, and bake until light golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning over halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together sour cream, mustard, and honey; season with salt and pepper. Serve tenders and vegetables with creamy honey mustard on the side
   

Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Pecans

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 cup pecan halves
6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 pint (2 cups) grape tomatoes
1/3 cup white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 to 3 bunches (1 1/2 pounds total) flat-leaf spinach, trimmed, cleaned, and dried
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast in oven until golden and fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons fat from skillet.
3. Add onion to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and sugar; simmer until liquid thickens slightly and tomatoes are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Place spinach in a large bowl, and pour hot tomato-onion mixture over; toss quickly to coat and wilt spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with reserved pecans and bacon.

Risky Business

These pictures were just too funny not to post.

Send in the frills

I've had bits of this apron strewn about the house all week as I've worked on it here and there, but I finally finished it today! I made it for Cat as a late birthday gift because she cooks more than anyone I know and deserves to feel cute while she cooks. I finished the bottom first and wasn't really liking it because it seemed a little too frilly and girly. The Zozes stopped by as I was debating about taking the ruffle at the bottom off and starting over, but they changed my mind because they said, "It's an apron! It can't be too girly or frilly, that's the point of it." So instead I decided to embrace the frills. I'm so happy with how the waist band turned out.

I also sewed her name and a little note on the apron ties (it was not so easy with my sewing machine so pretend it turned out prettier).

We delivered it tonight and I think she liked it. It even matched what she was wearing!

Now Larry wants one just like it!!!!!!!

Creed's Week in Pictures

A spatula in hand everywhere we go: check

Lots of quality time with the Zozes before they moved out of our neighborhood today: check

First awful eye infection: check

Exhausted dad who has picked up two extra overnight shifts this week: check

Mom struggling to keep Creed entertained: Check

First fat lip from slipping after a bath: check

Smiles because this week is over: check