Pillows!

I have been wanting a black leather couch for months. I'm too practical to go out and buy a new one, so I diligently watched for one on KSL. After a few weeks I gave up then one morning I just thought to check. I found a FREE black leather couch about 15 minutes away from us. I called and the lady said I could have it! Patience really pays off!

The couch wasn't perfect but DH fixed the structural problem. So it was time for new pillows! For this pillow, I used Make It- Love It's tutorial, found here.

And for this pillow, I used Just Another Hangup's tutorial, found here.

There is a downside to this story is that I foolishly left my purse in my car while I was helping DH bring our new couch into the house, then I forgot about it. The next morning the bank called to verify some strange transactions, and, you guessed it, someone broke into my car and stole my wallet. It has been a nightmare trying to replace everything, but it's also been a blessing in disguise, so I really can't complain.

Hallelujah!

My parent's got me a camera for Christmas! YAY!!! I really wasn't expecting it but I'm having so much fun! DH got me Sure Cuts A Lot for Christmas so I've been having a blast labeling EVERYTHING!

Now I'll have to play catch-up and post all the things I've made over the last few months.

Play apron and oven mitt

After watching how much DD loved playing with a real oven mitt, I just had to make one so I unwrapped her apron and whipped up a quick oven mitt to go with it. (Fabric from Hobby Lobby)

The oven mitt isn't the best but I just free-handed it in about 2 minutes.

BTW, the apron pattern was incredibly easy. I borrowed it from my neighbor. She bought it at Wal-Mart. It's McCall's M5720 if anyone is interested.

Cleaning Tips & Recipes

A while back, I showed the Relief Society in a friends ward how to make homemade laundry soap. They handed out a packet with some other great cleaning tips and I can never find the packet when I need it, so I'm posting it here.

All Purpose Cleaner:
1/4 gallon warm water
1/2 cup ammonia
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup alcohol
Empty squirt bottle

Mix ingredients and put in squirt bottle. Use to clean and sanitize hard surfaces in the home. Keeps well in the bottle for an extended period of time.

Wall Cleaning Solution:
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cups soda (I assume that means baking soda)

Mix with 1 gallon water. Use on wall surfaces other than flat paint.

Homemade Windex:
2 TBSP non-sudsy ammonia
1 tsp. dish washing soap
1 pint rubbing alcohol
Blue food coloring (optional)

Mix in one-gallon container. Fill remaining space in container with cold water. Wipe windows clean with newspaper.



TIPS:

-Wipe bathroom and kitchen fixtures, stoves, etc. with rubbing alcohol.

-Freshen pillows, bedspread, quilts and blankets by periodically placing then in the dryer on a no heat cycle to reduce the need for laundering. The same thing can be done for draperies and curtains.

-Remove ball point pen marks by spraying first with hairspray.

-To whiten and brighten colors, soak in plastic container for 8 hours in water with dish detergent then launder normally. For badly grayed towels, etc. soak longer.

-Was windows from left to right on inside and top to bottom on outside. If there are streaks, you will know which side they are on. Don't wash windows with sun directly on them. THey dry too fast and streak.

-Clean windows with water and polish with newspaper. They will sparkle from the glycerin in the newsprint. They will also shine with 1 cup ammonia and 1/2 cup vinegar in 1 gallon hot water.

-Ovens- Place 1/2 cups ammonia in a dish in a closed oven or soak small towel in ammonia and place in closed oven overnight to loosen grease and soil. In the morning, wash.

Christmas Cards & Stockings

I saw this on 30 Days and had to make it. I used things I already had in the house and it's okay for this year but I'm going to need a much bigger frame next year and better ribbon. The frame I used is 21" x 17" and just these 5 cards have taken up most of the space. So I'll be on the lookout for a big frame at DI that I can paint red and use in years to come.

I've also been working on stockings for our little family. Until now we've been using stockings from our childhood. DH's was a cross stitch stocking while mine was a patchwork stocking. DD's was a crappy sequence one from the dollar store. They just didn't go together. The hardest part was deciding on fabric. I wanted all our stockings to be the same, like my family's stockings were growing up, and DH wanted them to be all different. I saw different colored damask's at Hobby Lobby and used a pink for DD (and planned on green when we have boys) but finally decided that it didn't look good with mine and DH's black stockings. So after sewing half a dozen stockings and not liking them, I have settled on all the stockings being black & white damask with the tops being red for the girls and green for the boys.

So here they are. DH's has green behind his name. Maybe this is weird, but I purposely made my stocking & DH's stocking face the other direction from DD's. That's how ours were growing up, so that's what I did too.

I need to make sure I borrow my mom's camera on Christmas morning (unless someone gets us a camera for Christmas!) so I can take pictures of the other things I've been working on. I made a little apron for DD to go with the play kitchen she's getting for Christmas. I just wrapped it so I don't want to get it our just to snap a crappy cell phone picture.

For neighbor gifts I'm going to make mall-style cinnamon sugared almonds. Go here for the recipe.

Thankful Thanksgiving

Well, my 5 pies are made, the turkey is ready to go in the oven, the rolls are rising and DH &DD are napping which gives me some quiet time to think about this day.

I have so much to be grateful for. I have the best husband in the world and the sweetest, most gorgeous girl that loves me and brings so much joy to my life. (There is no sweeter sound than DD saying "mommy")

As we are on call for the mortuary and stuck at home having our own little Thanksgiving, I realize that I have all I need right here. I fear I take them for granted because I have them here all the time. But really, as long have I have my husband and kids with me, I can't ask for more.

Of course I have so many other things to be grateful for as well. I'm grateful for my husband's job and that he loves it. I'm grateful for the mortuary and the home it provides us. I'm grateful for our families. I'm grateful that DH's siblings are our best friends. I'm grateful for my church calling and the opportunity it gives me to serve. I'm grateful for our temples, and that we live so close to so many of them. I'm grateful for all the material things we have and that we can live so comfortably.

Above all, I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father and my savior, Jesus Christ. I know without a doubt that EVERYTHING I have comes from them. I'm grateful to know that Father hears & answers prayers.

And on a really worldly note, I'm grateful that our co-workers are covering for us tonight so we can go see Harry Potter!!!!:)

Potato Basil Puree

I was at Costco the other day and saw Ina Garten on the cover of Costco's magazine. I picked it up and flipped through it when I got home. The one recipe that screamed "Make me!" was the Potato Basil Puree. Being an Italian girl, I am a sucker for anything basil.

(photo from yumsugar.com )

I had some fresh basil leaves so I made it for dinner tonight. It is absolutely delicious!


Potato Basil Puree

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 pounds large Yukon Gold or white boiling potatoes
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Add the basil leaves to the boiling water and cook for exactly 15 seconds. Remove the basil with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge the leaves into the ice water to set the bright green color. Drain and set aside.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them in quarters. Add the potatoes to the same pot of boiling water and return to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender. Drain well, return to the saucepan, and steam over low heat until any remaining water evaporates.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half-and-half and parmesan cheese until the cream simmers. Place the basil in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. Add the hot cream mixture and process until smooth.
4. With a handheld mixer with the beater attachment, beat the hot potatoes in the pot until they are broken up. Slowly add the hot basil cream, the salt, and pepper and beat until smooth. If the potatoes need to be reheated, cover and cook gently over low heat for a few minutes. Pour into a serving bowl, sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese, season to taste, and serve hot.

Serves 4 to 5.