Changing Table DIY

I knew I needed a changing table, but I couldn't imagine spending more than $100 on a piece of furniture with only one use. So, I decided to make my own. I was able to snag a free nightstand-type piece from some neighbors who moved. It was the perfect height for changing diapers and had a drawer, a basket slot and a cupboard below. There were only a few things I had to add to make it into the perfect changing table. 

First I bought a plank of wood (about $5) that I could cut down into shelves. I used a handsaw to cut them into the desired size (they can also do this for you at the hardware store) and then rounded the edges with a small hand sander. I made two foot-long shelves and two 6" shelves. I painted the top of the piece, the shelves, and the drawer pulls to match.  I purchased 8 "L" brackets ($8)  because that's all they had at our mountain hardware store, and secured the shelves to the piece (making sure to leave space between the shelves for my wipey warmer to open). The brackets haven't held up like I hoped, so I'm going to change them out and go with some shelf brackets.  Live and learn.

I purchased 3 baskets from the 99 cent store and they fit perfectly in the open slot. I use two to hold diapers and one for knick-knacks (diaper cream, pacifiers, whatever). The cupboard section works great for hiding extra diapers and wipes.

It was really easy to make and was a heck-of-a-lot cheaper than store bought! I love it, and it works great!

Baby Gear Guide

A good friend of mine just informed me about an awesome book full of information on the best baby gear. It's called, Baby Bargains. It is a great guide to buying baby gear. It discusses quality, price, safety ratings, recalls, etc. to help you make a decision on what gear will work best for you and your family. You may have seen it on Oprah and you can check it out on the website.

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Caramel Carnage

I found so many amazing caramel recipes and made the one I had ingredients for. As it turns out, it's an awesome recipe! You can find it on Jamie's blog. Trust me, it's so good! Her tip on using the spoon technique to check the caramel works great!

Word of caution: WATCH OUT! Make sure you have a big enough pot to boil the caramel in. It really bubbles! I didn't even see the piece fly out that hit me in the leg, next thing I know I look down and a piece had hit my knee and dripped down my shin...ouch! I didn't know this was possible, but it left a bruise as well as a burn! Be very careful!

I made some of my chocolate cookies and placed a drop of caramel in the center of each cookie.

The caramel infused into the cookie, so I had to bake them for about 15 minutes instead of 10. They turned out great! The caramel adds a different flavor and texture.

Enjoy!!!...Carefully!!!

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Hallo-Wine Tasting Party

Planning a Halloween party, but feel like all the ideas have been played out? Look no further, I've got just the thing:

Our best Halloween party yet was our "Hallo-Wine Tasting" party. Everyone brought a bottle of their favorite wine and we did a blind tasting to vote for the best. The person who brought the winning wine received a wine bottle full of Halloween-colored M&M's. It was so much fun! As the host it was great because we didn't have to provide all the alcohol and there was definitely enough to go around! My husband is a computer and graphic design genius so he was able to make awesome invites (which of course I'll share!):

Notice the eerie claw and glaring eye sneaking through... 

We sent out the invites as evites, making it cheap and easy. We did not require costumes.... a lot of people were surprisingly happy about that. We played games (Catch Phrase is always a group favorite), ate, and drank- that's all it took to be an awesome night!

Because of the "wine" theme we were able to decorate with harvest and fall colors/items and didn't have to get too Halloweeny. The decorations carried through to Thanksgiving nicely.

It was actually pretty easy to put together and was a nice break from the traditional Halloween parties. I hope you try it out this year!

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Homemade Whip Cream

Its so easy! 

Place your mixers in the freezer (and your bowl if it fits) while you gather your ingredients and get set up.

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in mixer and mix on medium speed for about two minutes. You'll see it thicken and become like the whip cream you know and love.

Place on your favorite dessert and enjoy!

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Quick Chocolate Goodness

I wanted chocolate...in a bad way. I needed something fast. I saw a recipe for an awesome 2 Minute Mug Brownie that I couldn't resist. I also made 2 minute homemade whip cream too! Here's what I did to stop the tremors:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbs cocoa powder

Pinch of salt
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs milk

Sift together dry Ingredients into a microwave safe bowl. Stir in oil and milk; mix until thick paste forms. Microwave for 30 seconds. 

Add a dollop of caramel. Microwave another 30 seconds. 

Sprinkle on some chocolate chips and top with whip cream.

Enjoy!!!

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M is for Mommy

I've been working on decorating my boy's room. I've been trying to find cute cartoon versions of an Airplane, a Boat and a Car to do "ABC" canvases on his wall ("A" is for Airplane, etc.). I could not find any that I liked. I wandered on to Sarah's blog and found I could do something fun with our own photos.

I had already painted the canvases blue, so I had to place a piece of paper underneath the faces to help them show up. I mod-podged the paper to the canvas and let it dry. Then I mod-podged the tissue with the photo (dry) on to the paper, following Sarah's instructions. I didn't want harsh edges, so I tore them off while still wet.

Then I just fancied it up a bit (with scrapbook paper and lettering) and this is what I got

Please excuse the stickers covering our faces...husband's idea!

Quick and Yummy Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are so easy and so good!

Ingredients:

Devils food cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

small bowl granulated sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 325º F. Combine cake mix, eggs and oil. 

Roll dough into small balls and roll in bowl of sugar to coat. 

Place cookie dough balls on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until cookie tops begin to crack.

You can also add chocolate chips, nuts, or even marshmallows to the dough to spice it up. I like to put a junior mint on the center of each cookie right after taking them out of the oven. 

Enjoy!

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Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas are so simple and so yummy! The measurements don't have to be precise, so I'll give you somewhere to start and you can change it up to fit your taste.

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts (I use 4)
Flour tortillas (about 10 or so) (Homemade if you can!)
Jack Cheese (about 3 cups...ish)
Cream of chicken soup (exactly 1 can :)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Boil your chicken breasts until just cooked (you can make your tortillas during this time). When breasts are cooked use two forks to shear the meat into shreds.

Continue to shred all the breast meat.

Place your chicken shreds and cheese into a large bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roll chicken/cheese mixture into tortillas and place in casserole dish.

Cover enchiladas with cream of chicken soup.

Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 15 minutes (or until desired browning has occurred).

 

See? Easy!

Enjoy!!!

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What No One Tells You About Having a Baby

Your doctor will provide you with important information upon returning home with your newborn. Most of the topics include info about postpartum depression, breastfeeding, etc. However, advice on the "small things" is often overlooked.

First of all, expect to pee your pants...a lot. You will lose bladder control for a few days to several weeks after delivering your baby. Keep track of when you use the restroom so you can schedule your next visit, even if you don't feel the urge. Plan on wearing the heinous diapers...uh, er, "pads" they'll send home with you. Ask for extra disposable underwear before you go home too. They hold the "pads" well and limit laundry loads as you just throw them away. (While you're at it get extra witch hazel pads and numbing spray too).

You will most likely bleed for a few weeks after delivery too. This will be no big deal since you'll be peeing all over the place and needing pads anyways. It'll all be one big mess.

Also, you'll never forget the day your milk comes in. Engorgement is a very noteworthy experience. You may produce an overabundance of milk (usually about 3 days after delivery). It will probably flow from you like a faucet and saturate nursing pads very quickly. I would recommend wearing a baby diaper as a nursing pad as it will hold more and for a longer period of time. Don't pump! That will only encourage your body to produce more. Your breasts will feel like solid rock, but it will only last a day or so. Hang in there!

Your baby may want to eat as often as every hour or so. Don't set a schedule just yet. Feed your baby when he or she is hungry. Remember, your baby is tired from his/her delivery as well. Feeding and sleeping patterns may be erratic for a while as your baby recovers from delivery.
* Side note: Feed your baby immediately following delivery. This is referred to as "The Golden Hour." Be aware that at that time your baby will be the most alert. Your baby will grow tired after this hour and may not want to eat every 2-3 hours (what they suggest in the hospital). Don't be scared if your baby will not eat that often...this is normal! (My nurse urged me to feed my baby, but he wouldn't eat! I was very worried, until the head nurse told me that was normal).

If you deliver vaginally you will most likely have stitches to take care of. Use the squirt bottle to rinse every time you use the restroom. The stitches can be rather...pokey. You can use a mirror to check on them and make sure they look ok. They don't necessarily "dissolve" and you may end up pulling chunks of stitching out as you heal...lovely, huh? You can tear one end of a baby diaper open and fill it with crushed ice to place in your underwear to help with swelling and soreness.

Lastly, there is the matter of your first...ummm...bowel movement. Take the stool softeners prescribed by your doctor! When the time comes (after a few days) take it slow. Don't be too....aggressive. Relax and good things will happen.

Make sure to add your baby to the insurance as soon as possible. Immunizations (if you plan on getting them) are crazy expensive.

Homemade Map of the United States

There was a super cute US map in a Pottery Barn Kids edition that I absolutely adored. I thought, "Wait a minute; I can make that!" So, I did!

I really wanted to start painting, so I waited for a super sale at Michael's and bought a few supplies to get started. As it turns out, I'm not very gifted when it comes to painting! Everything turned out looking like I'd done it with crayons. I figured I'd only be able to make art suitable for my kids. Luckily, I had clipped out the map I'd seen from Pottery Barn, so I recreated it.

I found a US map online and formatted it to print out on 4 separate sheets so it would be big enough to fit my canvas. I used an exacto knife and made slits along the state borders, and then traced those lines with pencil onto the canvas. Once I had the map on canvas, it was a matter of deciding which colors to use. I was able to write in the states' names using paint pens. 

It was a lot of fun and turned out super cute!

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Frumpy Feet to Sassy Slippers

My slippers are depressing. Wearing them makes me feel like the cat lady that lives on the corner who frantically walks back and forth to the mailbox about 20 times a day, forgetting she's already checked her slot. Why is her hair always in curlers??

I decided I could freshen my slippers up with some of my t-shirt scraps. I've found so many tutorials on how to make adorable flowers, so I set out to see what I could do.

I started with these

I found tutorials on flower-making at Cherry Street Cottage and Emily's Little World and made two of these:

I hot glued them onto my slippers and voila!

Much better!!!

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DIY Carpet Freshener

I cleaned out my vacuum canister today and found enough hair to make an entire winter wardrobe if I knew how to knit. Between my long hair and my two indoor dogs it doesn't take long for my floors to start looking like wool carpeting. I used to buy carpet powder to help pick up dirt and leave a nice smell after vacuuming, but I run out of it so fast and it's really not that cheap....So, I came up with my own recipe.

What I used:
about 1 cup baby powder (I used lavender/vanilla scented powder)
about 1 cup baking soda
about 5 ml lavender fragrance oil (or whatever scent you choose)

I mixed the powders together in a mixing bowl and slowly added the fragrance oil, stirring gently. I placed the powder combo in an old carpet powder container and off I went. I sprinkled it over my carpet and let it sit for about 20 minutes, then vacuumed it up.

It all vacuumed up just fine and my house smells great!

9 Unusual Uses for Aspirin

I found this awesome article on Instructables. We all have aspirin in our medicine cabinets, now we have more uses for it!

#1. This one we all know...Aspirin may save your life with its anti-clotting properties when taken when experiencing chest pains...yeah, yeah, yeah...now for its every day purposes...

#2. It can remove sweat stains from your laundry! The salicylic acid has anti-yellowing properties. Just make a paste with crushed aspirin pills and water, let sit for several minutes, and launder as usual.

#3. Restore your blond hair! Its helps remove the green color left in your hair from chlorine. Dissolve 6-8 pills in water and rub solution into your hair. Let it sit for about 10 minutes then rinse. It may take a few aspirin washed to fully fade the green.

#4. Treat acne! The salicylic acid in aspirin can help reduce redness and irritation of pimples. Mix crushed tablets with water to form a paste and place it on the pimple for several minutes and rinse.

#5. Treat bug bites and stings! Applying a paste to the site can help reduce stinging and size similar to that of the pimple treatment.

#6. Help your plants! Adding 1 tablet to 1 gallon water can help protect your plant during transplantation, can  help fruits and vegetables grow bigger and stronger and will help your plants resist disease, insects, and unusually weak hailstorms. An aspirin solution will also help your cut flowers last longer in the vase.

#7.  Treat dandruff! Crushing 2 pills into your daily shampoo wash can help minimize flakiness. Just let it sit for a few before rinsing out.

#8.  Eliminate car battery waste! Pry off the cover of the battery with a screwdriver and drop two crushed aspirin into each cell of the battery. This should cause a chemical reaction that changes some of the sulfuric acid into acetic acid and help to get the engine to start turning over.

#9.  Treat a hangover! After a night of drinking, if you are in any condition to do so, take two aspirin before bed. These will help decrease the severity of the hangover in the morning by inhibiting prostaglandins. Then take two more in the morning with some breakfast. It'll decrease the severity of the morning headache and decrease the prostaglandin-related swelling.