Baby Nesting: Part 2 - Preparing Quick Meals

Cooking after baby comes can be somewhat daunting. Here are some recipes that I made for our freezer with little money, prep, and time:

Chicken enchiladas - This made 17 enchiladas total in three pans. We ate one pan for dinner when I made them, and froze the other two pans for later.

Spicy Romano Pasta - This makes enough for an army! We ate it one night and froze enough for at least two more meals.

I tweaked this recipe by using the whole 16 oz. package of pasta and only using shredded Parmesan instead of Romano to reduce my ingredient list. I also used only Italian sausage as the meat. Just cook it first, set aside, and add it back in later.

Baked Meatballs - These can be used for meatballs with mushroom soup (one of our favorites) or for spaghetti and meatballs, or meatball subs, etc. I made one recipe's worth and froze 2/3 of them for later. (I was able to make 31 meatballs with my medium scooper)

For meatballs with mushroom soup, simply add the frozen meatballs to a sauce pan, add a can of cream of mushroom  soup (and the water it calls for), let simmer until meatballs are hot all the way through, and  serve over rice or egg noodles.

Chocolate chip cookies - for warm chocolate chip cookies anytime, make a large batch using your favorite recipe, spoon them out on a cookie sheet (I use a medium scooper) as close together as possible. Then, put the cookie sheet in the freezer until the cookies are hardened. Transfer to a gallon bag and put them back in the freezer. Walla! Fresh cookies at any hour! And, you can put them straight into a preheated oven out of the freezer. 

Leftovers - those last few weeks, put your leftovers in freezer containers for quick lunches for one, instead of letting them rot in the fridge. 

Total meals: 9

Total meals in freezer: 6+

Baby Nesting: Part 1 - The Registry

Part 1: Registry Tips from a Been-There-Done-That Mommy

First and foremost, every mom has different opinions on this topic. Here are mine:

A Few of My Must haves:

Besides all the regular stuff, here are a few things that I found essential:

1) Pacifier clips, if you plan on using a pacifier. These will keep you from having to search the car and clean them off every time they drop. Also, once baby gets a little bigger, it's easier for them to find it themselves.

2) Video Monitor - I know some moms say that they would rather not be able to see, because it makes them crazier, but having an eye on baby without having to get out of bed is essential if you want to sleep. We started out with a Summer Infant monitor, but it began crackling the first year. We now have invested in the Motorola monitor with two cameras. If you choose this one, make sure you get the bigger screen (3.5 inch) and the camera(s) that pan around the room.

3) Plenty of crib sheets and changing pad covers - I found myself changing these two things constantly. I would suggest having three of each.

4) Full Size Pack n Play - This was essential for travel. And if you get the big one, they can fit in it for about two years. My mom used it instead of a crib at her house.

5) Breathable Baby Bumper - essential for the worry-wart mom (like me). This bumper is mesh that allows baby to breathe when they sleep up next to it. At first, they won't be able to move much, so it may seem like a waste. But, as Leah grew she would roll up next to the side of the crib, and I didn't have to worry about waking her or having her not be able to breathe. They are definitely not as cute as traditional bumpers, but they reduce SIDS and scary situations. It's worth it!

A Few Items I thought were Totally Unnecessary

1) Wipe warmer - whatever the baby gets used to is what they are going to be used to. If you are out and about and you have cold wipes, GASP! the baby will get upset. Just stick with straight out of the package wipes and they'll be fine!

2) Sterilizer - You can usually put your baby bottles and breast pump accessories in the dishwasher. For faster cleaning, Medela sells sterilizing bags that can be used over and over in the microwave.

3) Ultimate Crib Sheet - I was told that this was, in fact, the ultimate baby item. It keeps you from having to change the sheet all the time. However, it had so many snaps that it was just as much a pain to change as a sheet, and did not coordinate with our bedding set. If you use a traditional bumper, this may be a better deal, but I didn't like it at all.

4) My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow - unless you're planning on nursing on a parade float like Momma Duggar, this is unnecessary. It is not soft, not comfortable, and can easily be replaced by a Boppy, which has more uses. Truthfully, it just got easier to grab a couch pillow or two for nursing than even the Boppy. A Boppy is good for propping baby though.

5) Diaper Genie-type contraption - We started out with this, but by the 4th or 5th month, we just started tossing the peepee diapers in the trash and walking the poopy diapers out to the garage trash. The convenience was not worth it when we finally had to clean that thing out. Ick...

6)Travel system - I know new mommies just have to have the matching set of all the gear, and I have to admit the travel systems are a little bit smaller than they were 3 years ago... But, I still stand by my advice to anyone who will listen, to save the money (and your back) and buy the following instead: carrier car seat, coordinating base for each car, and a snap n go stroller frame (amazingly light and super easy to maneuver through clothing racks). Later, when baby is too big for the carrier car seat, you can buy a nice umbrella stroller for $50-$70.

Allison's Top Ten Registry Tips

1) As tempting as it is, don't open up and wash EVERYthing before you know you need it. I had 2 Ultimate Crib sheets, 3 swaddle blankets (Leah couldn't stand swaddling), and blankets galore washed and ready for Leah. We didn't end up using them! Store credit is way better than stuff sitting in your closet.

2) Bottles - we hated the Dr. Brown's bottles because they had so many parts. Other mothers swear by them and say they are the only ones that work. So, the fact is, you don't know what kind of bottle Little One will take. Register for whatever your heart desires, but only open one package at a time.That way, you can see if they work and return what doesn't. Keep trying one package at a time until, hooray, something works. We really liked the Medela brand and the Playtex Ventaire, but Leah didn't have any reflux or gas issues.

3) Take a friend with you when you register. This friend should have had a baby, of course, but also a baby in the recent past. (Moms are wonderful for child-rearing advice, but aren't necessarily up-to-date on the latest baby gear).

4) If you plan on having more than one child, consider registering for gender neutral whenever possible. This goes for anything that isn't so exciting and can be used for more than one child (grooming kit, closet organizers, bottles- just buy new nipples the second go-round, etc.)

5) Definitely go gender neutral on any big ticket items if you plan on having more children- car seat, pack n play, high chair, swing, jumparoo, etc.)

6) Before you go to the store, decide what kind of registry person you are: the I-need/want-everything-I- could-ever-need/want person, the I-only-need-the-necessities person, or the in-between person. This will help you decide what to scan. Do you have enough people buying for you that you should register for things you won't need right away (spoons, bowls, booster seat, potty, convertible car seat, umbrella stroller)? If the answer is yes, go for it! If not, only register for what you need right away.

7) Consider asking around to borrow large items that aren't essential or that are only used a short time. These might include a jumparoo, a Bumbo chair, a swing, etc. You may find that your baby doesn't like the swing or Jumparoo after getting a brand-new $150 one. Also, you will be doing the person a favor by getting it out of their garage/attic for awhile!

8) Breast pumps are expensive. If you think you will use one, register for it. If you aren't sure yet, wait. You can always send hubby/mom out for one when you know you need it (or order one on Amazon!). If you do get one, don't open it up until you need to.

9) Do not register for blankets or clothes. People will buy you those whether you ask for them or not, and chances are you are buying those things too. :) For toys and books- if you see something that you really want baby to have, register for it. Otherwise, people will buy you these things too.

10) Take all registry advice with a grain of salt. It's your turn! Do what you want!

Argyle and Alphabet Nursery

We are having a baby boy! And the first thing I did when I heard, was start planning the nursery! I wanted to do aqua, red, and bright green to go with our chocolate brown furniture. I originally got the idea for the colors when I was stacking blocks with Leah about a year ago!

When I was newly pregnant with Leah, I found this really cute argyle bedding set I wanted from Land of Nod if we were going to have a boy. This time around, I know I won't use a traditional bumper, so I had to figure out another way to include argyle in the nursery. I also wanted to incorporate the alphabet since it is so versatile! I perused Pinterest and found some really cute nursery accents to get started on.

So here's how it got done:

I relied on my husband to paint the room. I used the new Emerald paint from Sherwin Williams. It is low VOC's. The color is aquatint. Between the quart sample I bought and the gallon, we had enough for two coats and touch ups.

Here is the door hanger I made for baby Kyle out of a medium sized wooden letter, hot glue, and yarn.

                                             

I made one for Leah too, of course!

Here is the full size letter I made to go on the wall. The inspiration came from this site.

I also made these letters to collage on the wall. I used a package of 6 inch chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby, modge podge, scrapbook paper, and an X-acto knife to make them. I then secured them to the wall with ultra thin glue dots.

My bestie, who owns her own card and stationery business, made these PERFECT nursery prints for me as a very thoughtful gift. She is incredibly talented!! Her website is www.sugarbeedesigns.com or she has an Etsy shop named SugarBeeShoppe.

Next, I went to Ikea and got some containers. I was hoping for green, but I got these brown ones. I think they give the room some texture. I used ribbon from my shower gifts to embellish them.

The toy tub and diaper cake were both shower gifts. The changing pad cover is custom made by ModFox on esty.com.
We had the shutters installed. They are an investment (Thanks, Mom and Dad!), but I think they make the room look bright and clean. Also, there is no need for any other window treatments. We have these in Leah's room too and absolutely love them!

I bought the hanging blue toy holder at Ikea. As you can see, we have a few toys in it already! I bought one for Leah's room too, since she has so many "friends." The rolling cart is also an Ikea buy. Very versatile!

I was going to paint an argyle pattern on the wall, but decided to hang a quilt instead. It's less permanent and can be moved anytime! My mom made this amazing quilt in an argyle pattern with the fabrics I helped pick out at our local quilting store. She's very talented!

I also found this small rug at Ikea. It is actually a bathroom rug- GASP! But it was the only one I thought worked with the room. I like the texture of it too. You can't see it very well in the picture, but it has raised dots over the entire surface. They had lots of different colors.
The quilt hanging over the chair was made by my mom out of Justin's baby clothes. Thanks to my ma-in-law for parting with some very cute little clothes!

The bedding (sheet, crib skirt, and changing pad cover) is from a shop called ModFox on Etsy.

The bumper is a Breathable Baby bumper that my mom customized with one of the quilt fabrics. We didn't cover any of the mesh, just the top and bottom edges. She also added the ties.

In the closet, I invested in some of those labeled rings from a shop called BumpandBeyondDesigns on etsy.com. They are somewhat DIY (you have to cut out the stickers and apply them yourself), but that makes them much cheaper. I also bought some tie onesie stickers from her. She has great stuff!

We are ready for this little boy to come! 

A Family Baby Shower

My husband and I ran around with the same group of friends in college. Most of us live in Houston now, but now that we all have kids, it gets harder and harder to get together. So, a great excuse is a baby! 

Our close friends, Amy and Joel, are welcoming a baby girl in June, and I wanted to throw a mini baby shower to welcome her! We invited a few of our favorite little families. 

The theme was very simple- pink, pink, and more pink. Tough for all the guys that were invited! 

The decor

I made another banner for the mantle. I used these awesome glitter letters from Hobby Lobby. The background paper is cut into 4.5 inch flower shapes (accent essentials cartridge) and the white is 4.25 inch. I used double stick tape and a matching ribbon to put it all together. Pretty painless.

I borrowed the lanterns from my ma-in-law. I think they are from Party City. And I made the tissue pom poms. 

The food

For appetizers, I put together a simple veggie tray with ranch, a spinach parmesan dip from Costco, and Wholly Guacamole. With an array of chips, everyone was happy for a while. 

For our main course, I served Pioneer Woman's Dr. Pepper pulled pork with King's Hawaiian rolls (and pickles!) and Barefoot Contessa's tarragon chicken salad (minus the grapes) with mini croissants. I also had fruit salad on the side. For those picky eaters (like my child), I had a small deli tray with meat, cheese, and crackers. 

The cake!

For this cake, I used the same recipe that I used for Leah's birthday cake, but I left out the sprinkles. This recipe is a yummy lemon cake that turns out very moist. It is my new favorite!

I made a two-layer 8 inch cake and used white buttercream for a thin crumb coat. Then, I took a small circle cookie cutter and gently pressed it into the cake where I wanted my roses. This was used as a guide so my roses would be about the same size and shape all throughout my cake. 

Next, I put a small amount of soft pink coloring into my icing. I made a piping bag of this icing out of about 1/3 of the icing. Then I added more coloring and made a second bag. Then a little more coloring for the last bag. This made the ombre effect on the cake. I used a star tip to create the roses. If you try this technique, start from the bottom of the cake with the darkest icing. Each individual rose should start from the middle and work out. Wherever my crumb coat showed through, I put a small star. 

For the banner, I used cookie sticks (in the baking aisle at Michael's), ribbon, scrapbook paper, and letter stickers.

We all had a great time! 

A Low-key Cinderella Party

Princess Leah turned 3! She wanted a Cinderella cake, so I wanted to give her a Cinderella party. We decided to fore-go the big blowout birthday party this year for a few reasons. So, we just had family over for dinner, cake, and fun!

I didn't have a whole lot of time left when I decided I wanted to make a banner. I made this simple banner in about 45 minutes using my Cricut. If you can't see it, it just says, "Leah is 3!" I used 5" circles for the background, 4.5" circles for the patterned paper, and 4.5" letters. I used the Lyrical Letters cartridge for the font. It took 2 pieces of patterned 12x12 paper, 4 pieces of background paper (also used for letters), one spool of ribbon, and mini glue dots.

I ordered the balloons on Amazon in a pack and had them blown up at Kroger.  

For some simple decor, I spent a few minutes and dollars at Party City. I bought paper goods, blue and white streamers, blue tissue paper balls ( I know I can make my own, but I was short on time), and a princess crown for the birthday girl.

The food

A little off of the theme of Cinderella, we had a taco bar. It included all the fixins and soft and hard taco shells. I also included two appetizer dips (jalapeno popper dip from Pinterest and Texas Caviar), chips, rice, and beans. 

The Cake!

This was the inspiration for the party. I had many different ideas about how to make her a "Cinderella cake," but eventually saw the pumpkin coach and had to give it a try. I used a homemade funfetti cake recipe and traditional buttercream for the bottom layer. For the top layer, I just used a boxed mix, a coat of buttercream, and fondant. To shape the top layer, I bought a sphere-shaped pan from Michael's.

Since I am not a professional and don't have tons of experience, this cake was quite a labor of love. BUT the look on my precious daughter's face when she blew out her candles was worth every back-breaking second!

Ladybug Cupcake Toppers

Who doesn't love ladybugs??? And these were oh so cute and easy as pie! I made two dozen of these cupcake toppers for my friend Robin. Her daughter, Charli, was turning 2. Fun!

Materials needed: red and black fondant, a tiny amount of gum paste

Here are the tools I used: 
a small fondant roller with guide rings, a medium circle cutter, a small circle cutter, a Wilton #10 tip, a small bowl, and a pastry paint brush

Here's how I made them:

Step 1: I used the purple ring on my fondant roller to roll out the black. (I bought black fondant because it is time-consuming and messy to make.) I used a circle cutter the size of a cupcake to make 24 black bodies.

Step 2: I used a smaller circle to make 24 heads.

Step 3: I used a Wilton #10 tip to make a million dots! Ok, 6 x 24 isn't a million. This was the most tedious part. I sprayed a little Pam on my parchment to dip my tip in every few circles. And I used the opposite end of my decorating brush to poke the circles out if they got stuck. Line them up in groups of 6 to make counting much easier!

Step 4: I used the pink rings on my fondant roller to roll out the red. Then I used the same circle cutter I used for the black bodies. Then using a very sharp knife or bench scraper, cut them in half.

Step 5: In a very small bowl of hot water, dissolve a pea-sized amount of gum paste. Then, use a brush to "glue" dots on each red wing. One thing to know about gum glue- there will a sort of sheen on any part of the fondant that has gum glue on it, even when it dries. I covered most of the red surface on top with the glue, so it wouldn't look splotchy. Also, try not to get it too wet or your black may bleed on the red.

Step 6: Let dry. I dried mine overnight. I left all of it uncovered except for the heads. I still wanted them to be pliable the next morning.

Step 7: Attach the heads and bodies by using your gum glue liquid. I like to put glue on both surfaces before sticking the pieces together, but I'm not sure if it matters. Let dry a few minutes.

 Step 8: Attach the wings using gum glue. Let dry until they are secure. Done!

Here they are at the birthday party. Robin did a great job with the decor!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLI!

Wedding Shower Gift Plaque

My husband's cousin got married, and I made her one of those name plaques that are all over Etsy for $35-$60. The final cost of project was about $15, with some extra supplies for other plaques or crafts.
This is a super easy and cute project!

You'll need:
1 wooden plaque
any color acrylic paint (I used black)
sticky back vinyl for the Cricut (I used white)
Modge Podge
paint sponges
X-acto knife or rotary cutter
chalk and measuring tape
medium fine sandpaper
2 of those small rings that screw into the top (obviously don't know the technical name, see picture)
pliers
hammer, or heeled shoe :)

1. Paint the plaque. Let dry. Paint another coat. Let dry.
2. Sand the edges of the painted plaque for that distressed look.
3. Cut out the letters you need onto the vinyl. I made the first capital letter a 1/2 inch bigger than the other letters so they would stand out. I used two different fonts to cut out the letters. For the name, I used Lyrical Letters, and for the date I used Plantin' Schoolbook.
4. Don't take the letters off the backing yet.
5. For the line, cut a strip of vinyl using your X-acto or rotary cutter. I made mine longer than the plaque. Place it carefully in the middle of the plaque. Use X-acto to cut the length as desired on each side.
6. Place all of the letter exactly where you want them using the vinyl strip as a guide. Use a measuring tape to make sure each side is the same size. Do the same with the date at the bottom.
7. Once you are perfectly happy with the placement, take your chalk and make a mark on the side of each letter so that you can line it back up.
8. Carefully take the backing off each letter and place it in its spot.
9. If it looks wrong in any way, this is the time to adjust it!
10. When you are happy with it, take the Modge Podge and cover the entire visible surface of the plaque.
11. Let dry.
12. Take your hooks and attach them to the top of the plaque. I had to hammer them in first, then screw them in using my pliers. Make sure they are equidistant from the sides.
13. Attach your coordinating ribbon. I threaded it through each hook and then made a knot at the top.
14. If you want to keep your ribbon from fraying, just take a lighter and carefully singe the ends of the ribbon.

Here is the final product!

Twin Baby Shower Goodies

I was asked by my lovely sister-in-law to recreate the peapod cookies and cupcake toppers off of Hostess with the Mostess. As far as I can decipher, I believe the original design was from Sweeten Your Day in Utah. They were so cute! I was excited for the challenge. Her friend is expecting twins- a boy and a girl.

Using the pictures off of the site, I recreated them. Here's how:

COOKIES
I needed two batches of cookie dough and a double batch of royal icing for this project. (I used the royal icing for the cupcake toppers, too.)
Roll out and cut your cookies with a scalloped cookie cutter. The original design was a square, but I already had this cutter which was rectangular. Either spray your pan with Pam or use parchment. I had a few stick and fall apart on my first batch. Boo!
Bake them until you start seeing that golden brown on the edges- about 10-12 minutes.

Roll out and cut small circle cookies for the baby heads. I needed 12. Make sure you bake these separately  They don't take as long!!

For the icing:
I took out a good amount of white and put it in a piping bag (tip #3). Then, in 3 small bowls, I put a small amount of icing. In one bowl, I mixed in soft pink. In another, I used brown. And in the last, I used egg yellow.Make sure you cover these with a damp towel while you are mixing the others. I put these in piping bags with #3 tips.
Use the rest of the icing to make the green. I kept the icing in my stand mixer bowl, adding a small amount of  green and mixing it on med-high until I was happy with the color. Then make a piping bag (I used tip #4) with the green. Always keep your icing covered while not in use, even the tip of your piping bag!

Once the cookies have completely cooled, outline them with green.

 Once all of the cookies have green outlines, make your green flood icing. You should be done with the green outline icing, so empty your piping bag back into the bowl of green icing. To make your flood icing, add a teaspoon of water at a time to the green icing. Stir it until thoroughly mixed. Add water until you can drag your spoon through it and it goes back to its original shape in about 3 seconds. When you have the right consistency, cover it up and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. This will allow all the air bubbles to come up. Then, pull a spatula through the icing to get rid of the bubbles.

I use squirt bottles to flood my cookies, but you can also use a piping bag. Make another outline with this icing touching the outline that is already there. Try to cover any imperfections in your outline with the flood icing.

Then, fill in the rest. Use a toothpick to move the icing to fill in spots. Also use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles. 

 Let these sit at least 6-8 hours or overnight before decorating.

When the flood icing is dry, make the white scallop outline on each cookie. On the boy and girl cookies, attach a circle cookie to the corner with white royal icing. Then, use the brown to make the face on the circle. Add the bow or tuft of hair to the head. Finally, add the name!

For the "Sweet Peas," just do the scallop outline, then write "Sweet Peas," and last add the flower. Use your yellow to add the finishing dot.

Done! (Excuse the messy table in this pic, toddler at work!)

Your hand will probably feel like "the claw" by now. I know mine did. But it will go away. :)

CUPCAKE TOPPERS
I used a leaf cookie cutter to cut the peapods. To get a more rounded edge, I cut out a smaller shape than I wanted and then rolled them out a bit to flatten them. This also made them all slightly different shapes and sizes, which I like.
I then put them over a wooden spoon to get a curve. I let them sit for an hour or so, until they kept their shape. Once they kept their shape, I covered them up. That way, when I added the baby faces, they wouldn't be too brittle.

I then cut out and shaped small rectangles for the stems. I adhered them to the peapods with gum glue.
To make gum glue, dissolve a very small amount of gum paste in about a tablespoon or two of water. Use a food brush to brush it on.

I used a clay extruder that I bought off of Amazon to make the curly ques. I put a small amount of green in the extruder and used the seven-holed disc. After cranking, it made 7 at a time. Time saver! Twist the ends in between your fingers to bring them to a point. Then curl them around and let dry.

Next, to make the babies' heads, I used a small amount of copper food coloring to tint my fondant the flesh color. It looked orange at first, GASP!, but the more I worked it in, the more peachy it became.
I rolled it out and cut it out with a small circle cookie cutter. I rolled each circle into a ball and smashed it with my thumb to make the baby heads. Squish them together in pairs and attach them to the peapods with gum glue.

Now the details:
Using brown royal icing, I put two eyes on each baby face. I used a small heart cookie cutter to indent the smile into each face. Then on the girl baby, I added a small pink bow with pink royal icing.
Lastly, I attached the curly que to the top of the boy baby's head with gum glue.

Let dry. Cute, cute, cute!


Here are the tools I used for this project:
a clay extruder, a medium leaf cookie cutter, a wooden spoon, and a small Wilton fondant roller with guide rings