Fall In Love With More Free Templates! Click Here To Get Your Own Smitten Blog Design... »
Powered By Blogger

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Repurposed Window

I found this beautiful old window that someone already did the hard work of
turning into a mirror. Which is exactly what I wanted!
It was $15.00 at a garage sale
and is now hanging in our dining room! 






its so unique and we get so many compliments on it! 
I just love that its "one of a kind"

Friday, August 12, 2011

Eating with Silverware

Lilly and Elise are getting the hang of eating with silverware
Now EVERY single meal they think they need to eat with a fork
(which due to the lack of good pronunciation sounds exactly like another 
four letter word that starts with an f
not exactly what you want your kids yelling out in a restaurant )
and they both want the CHOO CHOO fork, not just any fork
(the fork with Thomas the Train on it..which we apparently need more than one of)









Thursday, August 11, 2011

Baby in Bloom Baby Shower



I had so much fun recently helping to plan a good friends baby shower.
The theme was baby in bloom and the favors were bulbs in little bags tied with a ribbon 
The colors were anything bright and summery! 


salad in a cup (ranch dressing at the bottom) with bright colored vegetables



homemade sugar cookies


beautiful flowers


and cake pops in bright buckets filled with sand.
These are just some of the highlights! 
It turned out to be a beautiful summer shower for a beautiful lady! 



Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Lemon Chicken Breast

I made dinner for the first time in months yesterday! 
It felt good to cook something healthy with fresh herbs

I made the Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Chicken Breast 



Copyright 2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?, All Rights Reserved

Lemon Chicken Breasts
¼ cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
¹/³ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon
Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?
  Look Inside







Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 × 12-inch baking dish.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

It turned out great! The only changes that I made was that used
skinless chicken breast. I am going to use the leftovers for a panini's.  
YUM! 
Here is are a few pictures of how mine turned out















Monday, August 1, 2011

Baby Numero Three

That's right..
three kids under two..
I am not sure how I am going to manage...

I am finally feeling up to blogging again
I am now in the second trimester and starting to get some of my energy back
But two very active and energetic twenty two month old's keep zapping it again! 

We have had such a busy summer so far
Here is a little sneak peak of what we have been up to
It started with two trips back to Michigan

Hanging out with Grandpa at Aunt Darlene's house

 Hanging out with Grandma at Crooked Lake

trying out a little sand

 stopping to feed some ducks and pick up some wooden shoes
at the Dutch Village

 and reading some magazines on the way home

The girls also just love books right now so we have spent a lot of time reading

We have a library close with a great play area for toddlers


We go to the splash park a lot
Its right down the road and free! 



the girls are both still genuinely surprised each time the fountain stops
and each and every time look at me or each other and say
Where'd go? Where'd go? Where'd go?
until it starts again...

More to come on the rest of our summer fun later! 




Saturday, June 18, 2011

Pot O Flowers

Holy Cow! Where have I been!
This summer had been so crazy and busy
(in ways we never could have imagined..but more on that later...)

We have been trying to sneak in a few house projects here and there
as well as spend as much time outside with our girls as possible
and soak up every ray of sun.

From the looks of it we are not going to get any grass this summer..
MAJOR BUMMER!
With two toddlers we were hoping for grass at least by the end of summer
but the weather has not been cooperating for seeding

So, the entire extent of our landscaping this year is in three pots on the front porch
Honestly..its great as far as upkeep..HA! 

We are talking all of the money we had been saving for lawnmowers, landscaping, etc
and putting it towards a deck instead
So we can at least enjoy some dinners outside as a family

But this is my extensive flower landscaping
(please not the giant mud piles on either side of the house )











I split up 2 hanging baskets from Menards
 that we one sale for $5.00 each
So my entire "landscaping" cost $10.00
Fancy. 

Monday, May 23, 2011

Driveway

This week we got a driveway! 
May not sound that exciting to some..until you watched your toddlers trip
in the gravel 20 times a day..then you appreciate a smooth driveway! 

Here are some before pictures:








and the AFTER:








next project is getting rid of our white carpet in the dining room.
it only took two toddlers to make it more of a shade of tan in a month and a half
that we have lived here
We are going with a practical laminate that should be MUCH easier to clean! 


Friday, May 20, 2011

Summertime Chicken

Well, it may really never be summer in WI
but this chicken is great anytime! 

Its perfect for picnics and parties, either hot or cold!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c. sourdough cheese croutons, crushed
1-1/2 c. honey mustard salad dressing, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced in strips
2 T. orange juice

Spread crushed croutons on wax paper; set aside. Spoon half the dressing into a shallow bowl; set aside. Dip chicken in dressing; coat in croutons. Arrange on ungreased baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until juices are clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Combine remaining dressing and orange juice in a microwave safe bowl; heat for 30 seconds on high. Stir and serve as a dipping sauce for the chicken strips. Serves 4. 










Recipe from 5 Ingredients or Less Cookbook