homemade pita bread

Yesterday I made hummus which of course meant I needed pita bread to go with it.

That was this morning's project. I used this recipe.

I don't think I'll use it again.... next time I want to find one with whole wheat flour. I also want to do better letting my oven preheat all the way (I'm really bad about that but this recipe needs it). And I think I'd like a recipe that calls for a little honey or sugar. So all that being said...if you are a pita maker and have a good recipe please let me know!

Making pita bread was super easy and very quick to do as far as breads go. So this is something I'll try again.

My pitas didn't really puff much at all and certainly nothing close to the beautiful puffiness of the picture of the recipe I was following.... oh well!

It was an interesting experiment.

blanket stitch tutorial

Mollie asked how to blanket stitch and I'm actually working on a receiving blanket for the baby (just in case it's a boy!) right now so that is great timing. I took a few pictures while I was working on it this morning. It' SO easy.

This blanket stitch is for the edge of an actual blanket. If you want to blanket stitch around an applique on a shirt like I did for the Valentine's shirt then check out these instructions.

Doing this for a baby blanket is so easy and it's a nice handwork project to have going because it doesn't take much thought and you can kind of pick it up whenever. I just buy a piece of flannel that seems a good size for a blanket... nothing exact. And then I get 2 things of coordinating DMC thread. First you'll need to wash and dry the fabric. Then loosely baste the edges, turning them down about 1/4 an inch and then another 1/4 an inch so you have a clean edge. Then you start the blanket stitch.

1. From the back insert the needle up through the edge of the fold and pull thread through.

2. From the front insert the needle a little ways to the right just below the fold of the hem that you basted. (just try to keep this even so all your stitches are spaced the same distance apart)

3. From the back you'll be reinserting the needle just at the top edge of the hem so that you just catch the fabric.

4. Wrap your thread around the needle from back to front and hold with your thumb as you pull the needle and thread through.

5. Then you just repeat that all the way around.
6. At the corners I usually do three stitches entering at the same point but coming out on each side and at the tip of the corner to anchor.

7. Remove the basting when you're done.

super EASY playdough recipe

We made this up this morning in under 10 minutes with things we already had in the pantry. I highly recommend!!

Kool-Aid Play Dough

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 package Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Mix dry ingredients together in a large saucepan. Slowly add water mixed with oil and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to dough. Turn out onto a heatproof bread board or counter top and knead until cool enough for children to handle. Dough will be the color of the Kool-Aid mix and will smell like the Kool-Aid mix. (Can be stored in a tightly covered container for up to six months) (This site had other recipes too!)

Valentine's applique

I have been itching to applique something for Baby Girl and Valentine's seemed a perfect opportunity.

Mary Catherine gave me some places to look to get ideas and I combined two (from Etsy) for this shirt.

It was a super fun and really quick project. It would have been faster if I had machine stitched to applique, but I thought the blanket stitch was a cute detail.

what kids can do

I have been AMAZED recently at what Baby Girl can do (she's almost 18 months). Very regularly I think to myself how we as a society belittles kids by expecting so little of them and not giving them opportunities to grow into. A couple days ago I actually felt like I had a conversation with my child... crazy!

Here are some things I have learned she can do:

1. clean up toys
2. put things "in"- i.e. "Can you help Mama put the wipes in the basket?" They may be a mess, but they are in the basket.
3. cook- she has helped me bake on several occasions and can dump ingredients into the bowl
4. listen to reading without pictures- the Bible and poems for example
5. take things places- i.e. "Can you please go put your coat in your room?"
6. follow directions... this is so amazing to me because it means she actually understands what I am saying, even if she can't verbally respond

Maybe this isn't news to most people but with this being child number one it really is incredible to me.

favorite blogs: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

So it's been six months since I last posted on here... OOPS! I just kind of unintentionally took a blogging hiatus. However, in the last few weeks I have had several things that I've thought... "hmm, that would be fun to post about." So I'm back.

To kick off my return, here's my new favorite blog!

Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

1. NORMAL family friendly recipes
2. pictures of EVERY dish
3. lots of cooking from scratch (=frugal!)
4. easy to navigate and browse categories

Love it.

favorite blogs: Health Begins with Mom

This is a new to me blog that I LOVE, Health Begins with Mom! Sadly (but happily for her family!) she is taking a sabbatical from blogging for a bit to get school started back up with her kiddos. The archives are still fantastic though and I am already looking forward to her return.

Amy Ellen discusses all aspects of family health. Currently I'm working on making our eating habits more healthful and have found great ideas and resources on her site. I must say that some of the ideas are impossible for our family to implement because of cost, but the general idea of being a mom and wife and keeping my home in a way that promotes health in our family I am totally on board with!

I also emailed her with a question and received a truly thoughtful and personal response. So nice!

I highly recommend Health Begins with Mom!

peanut butter granola

We love granola around here! Jon likes to eat it like cereal and I prefer it over yogurt. This stuff however, I can just eat straight from the jar... like candy! Unfortunately I have issues with taking pictures of food that I make... we always eat things before I think to take a picture! This time is no exception. But here's the recipe:
Peanut Butter Granola
Mix:
3 cups oats
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup coconut
2 Tbls. sesame seeds
Cook in sauce pan until smooth:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbls. light corn syrup (I use honey)
1/4 tsp. salt
Stir both mixes together. Spread onto a lightly greased pan (I use jelly roll). Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring after 10 minutes. (Watch closely, mine was getting very dark at the end of 20 minutes).

who needs a pool

While we love going to various local pools with friends some of them cost, a membership would definitely cost, and it takes time, energy and gas to load up in the car to go somewhere.

Since we are in an apartment and don't have pool access I came up with this fun way for Baby Girl to splash around on a hot day:

1. Take a plastic storage bin and fill it with just enough water that it's not too heavy to carry outside.

2. Throw in a few toys.

3. Set it outside in the shade and put the baby in the tub!

We did this for a full hour!

She doesn't look too thrilled in the picture, so if you're not convinced that this is fun check out this video:

I know it looks very dangerous that she's standing up in this thing... I was holding on to it the whole time so she wouldn't knock it over!

For more fun and frugal tips head on over to Life as Mom.

best bib ever!

A friend at church recommended this bib to me, it's Parents brand and I found it at Wal-Mart for about $5. (Apparently her daughter dumped a whole bowl of soup in this thing and it caught every drop. We haven't gone so far in our testing but thus far it is worth every penny!

Here's how it works:

You snap the pocket together.

The pocket sticks out so it catches everything (except for bits of rice and peas and noodles that fly through the air in odd directions).

Once finished you unsnap the bib to wipe it clean without having to dig in the pocket!

Brilliant!

This certainly works for me. Check out We are THAT Family for more Works for Me tips!

P.S. I am not a fan of the pattern... they could have made this a little cuter especially since I really didn't like this movie.... but... this bib is so good I can overlook that!

blessings of frugal living

While there are many blessings to living frugally (less "stuff," more quiet, healthier eating, focused stewardship, etc.) here is a picture of how our errands today played out:

1st stop- Post Office= Martha Stewart Living magazine, Parents magazine (both free subscriptions found online)

2nd stop- CVS= razor for Jon and tylenol (we MADE $0.60)

3rd stop- Staples= two (500 count) reams of printer paper, pretty pens (yay!), 2 rolls scotch tape, photo paper (after rebate we will have MADE $0.06)

What a blessing that with a little time and forethought we came away from our errands with more in our pocket than when we left home. And all for things we need or can use!

Many thanks to www.southernsavers.com and www.moneysavingmom.com for making me aware of such great deals!

monday menu- eating from the freezer edition

We are trying to clean out the freezer and pantry... it's going to take while. Here's how we're starting:

Monday- soft tacos (with kit that was the penny item at Publix a while back) with taco meat (freezer), spanish rice (freezer)

Tuesday- $2 Moe's Burritos... Sorry... I think this a local thing :o(

Wednesday- Quesadillas with rice and beans(freezer) using up the leftovers from Monday (and yes I did check with my husband to make sure he was okay with Mexican three nights running... he was... he eats anything... I'm blessed)

Thursday- Homemade pizza (sauce in freezer) with peppers (freezer), onions, and fresh basil

Friday- Clean out the Fridge

Saturday- Broccoli Stir Fry (freezer) with rice and homemade bread (freezer)

Sunday- Jon has something with work... I'll probably have cereal :o)

Check out Organizing Junkie for more meal plans.

wedding gift idea

Tomorrow I am going to a shower for my future sister-in-law and had spent a while trying to think of a meaningful gift. Since we are in a bit of a budget pinch right now it needed to also be inexpensive.

I thought about the things I use in my home on a daily basis and (after asking the bride-to-be a few subtle questions to see if this would suit) I decided to create a recipe binder for her like the one I use every day.

I used to use a recipe box and that was... a disaster. My binder however is a joy to use! I hope it is for her as well!

Here's what you'll need:
- LARGE 3-ring binder (I think this one is 2.5-3 inches?)
- at least a 50 pack of page protectors
- sticky tab inserts for your categories
- a piece of cardstock for each category
- coordinating scrapbook paper for outside of notebook

I used the scrapbook paper and odds and ends of scrapbooking supplies that I had to create the cover, spine and back of the book.

I typed up the various categories and put those in the tab inserts. Going in order I stuck the tab inserts at varied intervals along the TOP of a piece of cardstock. Then I put the cardstock in a page protector (it doesn't work to use regular tab dividers because they won't stick out past the page protectors!). Lastly I printed out my own copies of recipes and added those to the binder.

Here are a few other tips for the binders:

- you can use page protectors with photo slots to hold recipe cards that you don't want to throw away. In my binder I have several of these because they are in the handwriting of someone special or were given to me at a special occasion.

- tear out recipes from magazines and slide them in a page protector

- make sure you give the bride some extra card stock and tab dividers if they want to adjust the categories

- keep it clean and organized

- make it pretty, you (or the recipient) will be more likely to use something that looks nice!

Read more frugal tips at Life as MOM.

staycationing is the thing

Vacation with...

NO travel

NO packing

NO unpacking

NO excessive laundry pile-up... wait that happens anyway...

LOTS of family time

LOTS of relaxing

LOTS of exploring where we live

This has got to be my new favorite thing!

We staycationed from last Friday through Tuesday and it was AMAZING! I have never felt so relaxed in my life! This is what we did/ didn't do:

1. Didn't put pressure on ourselves to "do." Friday we just vegged and didn't feel guilty as if we were missing out on a new experience or place to explore.

2. Did make our meals special. We went out to one nice dinner and cooked other foods that are special to us.

3. Didn't try to keep up with the house completely. While I kept up with laudry and dishes we didn't worry about vacumming or bathroom cleaning or dusting or the like. This was vacation after all!

4. Did do something fun each day! Saturday we had a family photo shoot (compliments of a friend who is starting a photography business). Sunday we went swimming. Monday we went swimming and blueberry picking. Tuesday we went on the lake with friends.

5. Didn't spend a lot of money. Our dinner out was with an 80% off Restaurant.com gift card. Swimming was free. Blueberry picking cost but works into our food budget.

6. Did enjoy just being together. While Baby Girl was sleeping we watched some movies, read out loud to each other and just enjoyed the calm and quiet.

And now I don't feel like I need a vacation from vacation!!

For other money saving tips check out Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom.

monday menu- back in the saddle

Well... after skipping several weeks I'm finally back to more consistent and thorough meal planning. No excuses... I just wasn't on my game!

Here's this week's plan:

Monday- Steak quesadillas (using leftover london broil) and apples with peanut butter

Tuesday- BBQ chicken pizza and carrot sticks with ranch dressing

Wednesday- Eggs, sausage and grits

Thursday- Omlettes and muffins

Friday- Sunday- out of town for the 4th!

Is that lame to have two breakfast nights in a row?!? This was completely intentional as we don't want to have any leftovers hanging around over the long weekend and breakfast for dinner is one of the easiest ways to ensure that! It helps that we both really enjoy breakfast dinners :o) And hopefully is a great reminder that it doesn't always have to be fancy!

hoodie towel

Our pastor's wife made one these for a friend recently and I LOVED it! I went out the next week and made my own for a shower gift and am making another soon for Baby Girl's first birthday! I should have taken step by step pictures... I'll do that next time!

Basically though....

1. Buy a towel and washcloth (TJ Maxx and Ross have nice thick ones much cheaper than Wal-Mart or Target in my opinion).

2. Choose some sort of decoration. If it's a print towel this wouldn't be totally necessary. You could do a strip of grosgrain across the hood or, like I did, applique a strip of fabric across the hood and then applique initials on the back.

3. Sew! This is going to have to come in a separate post with pictures... I tried to type it out and it doesn't make much sense to me unless you can see it! If you're desperate leave me a message and we can have a quick lesson!

The thing I really love about this as a gift is that it can be used for a long time! Baby Girl isn't even a year and has already outgrown her baby towels. This will last her for years!

Sadly... Blogger is (yet again) making my pictures flip! GRRRRR!!! I wanted you to see the adorable dalmatian print monogram on the back of this fire engine red hoodie!

Sorry for the odd angle!

i make bows -- and they're for sale

After beginning by making hairbows for my daughter I decided to branch out into selling bows as well. Below are a few samples of types of bows that I make. I am happy to make custom bows to order as well.

All bows are attached to 1 and 3/4 inch alligator clips and are partially lined with ribbon which helps the bows stay in your little girl's hair. All ends are sealed to prevent fraying.

Please contact me at teamwylie (at) gmail (dot) com to place an order! Shipping is usually $1.00 per order.

Green and Rainbow are the Classic Bow- $2.50 each
Lavender is the Looped Bow style- $2.50 each

Black Polka Dot and Aqua and Pink Strip are other examples of the Classic Bow.
Hot Pink Ladybug Bow- $3.50

Dragonfly/Butterlfy Bow- $3.50

Flat Ribbon Clip- $2.00

Custom Creative Bow/Clip- price varies
If you have a particular dress or outfit you wish to match and want something truly unique I would be happy to create something. This clip is made of dusty pink leather and an off-white rosette.

Please contact me at teamwylie (at) gmail (dot) com to place an order!

favorite blogs: The Green Baby Guide

I think I'm somewhat teal... not quite green yet but not blue either... I'm sort of a green wannabe...

The Green Baby Guide has been a great inspiration to me in this quest of greening.

Joy and Rebecca regularly post about relevant and doable ideas related to having a baby and living more environmentally friendly. I think I went back and read every post in their archives before Baby Girl was born and learned so much. They are super down-to-earth and really focus on living simply and not just on green for green's sake.

Typically they host a blog carnival every Thursday called, Thrifty Green Thursday where readers share tips for saving money and living green but this carnival is on break for the summer.

I highly recommend that you take a peek at their fabulous blog!!

kids don't need fancy toys

Shiny. Easy to hold. Make noise when you hit it... what is there not to love?!
If you need more proof:

*** Please note that if torn metal pie plates can have sharp edges! It took Baby Girl several weeks to damage this one enough that I felt like it needed to be thrown out.***

For more Frugal Friday tips check out Life as Mom!

ribbons, barettes and bows... oh my!

Baby Girl finally has enough hair to put bows in it and I am quickly becoming one of those moms who puts a bow in her daughters hair all the time... I mean ALL the time... like occasionally even when she's in her PJs. Shhh... don't tell!

She's just so cute I can't stand it!

First I taught myself how to make the bows. After many attempts I've finally got the hang of it.

Then I started losing bows... multiple bows... gone... sad.

I needed a way to keep them all in one place. I took a cute scrapbooking tag, an extra bit of ribbon and some double sided tape. I added Baby Girl's intials with stickers and that was it!

It turned out cute, but more importantly, it's practical and hanging in her closet it's easy for the bows to make their way home.

*** On a side note.... I am selling baby hairbows for $2.50 each if you're interested.***