Craft Power!

There has been lots of crafting going on here lately. I've been doing lots of DIY stuff for the kiddo's second birthday party. It's going to be a zoo/safari themed party. I made the invitations. (Yep, me! I did it all by myself!) I found some awesome printables through Pinterest for the goodie bags, drink holders, and a birthday banner. I've also been trying to decide what DIY decorations of the animal variety that I want to do. I have opted to go with this cute zebra print table cloth since I want to decorate with animals. I found this on the Martha Stewart website, and instantly fell in love it with.  I decided to try and make one today. It came out SO cute!

So, the coloring part was easy. I wonder how the rest of it is going to go. 

ADORABLE!

I forgot about backing it with something, so my little guy is very flimsy, but I'm sure I can make him work. Also, my blowers were too big for the hole. I think I'm going to just cut that part off and use him as a decoration.

Also, the kiddo LOVES Super Why, and I found this puzzle at Kohl's on sale for $5. Since she's too little to actually put it together, I thought it would make a great decoration for her bedroom. (Her bedroom just has bare walls, minus the frog on a mini-canvas I got out of the dollar bin at Target.) Once I find my hammer and some nails, she will now have this:

So, my border isn't perfect, but I think it turned out pretty awesome for my first time with puzzle glue! 

Homemade Christmas Gifts...From Me

I know, I know. I'm not crafty. The title of this post may have thrown you because you know that and are shocked that I would dislike anyone enough to give them a homemade Christmas gift. WRONG! I love my brother and when I found these super hero ornaments on Pinterest, I knew they would make the perfect gift! Besides, they didn't look too hard to make. Wrong...

I started with the very essential process of buying paint and cutting out super hero logos. I learned that sometimes it is worth it to spend the extra 40 cents on "real red" because "red rose" looks orange. Hence the reason there is an Aquaman ornament.

I thought we were going to be painting these, but it was even easier than that! You put the paint in the ornament and then let it fill itself. This was hard for me because I have ZERO patience. This was the worst part for me, but somehow I made it through. 

The mostly final product! I went back to the store for red paint to do the one for The Flash and I picked up some silver paint to do Batman (my brother's FAVORITE super hero!). My brother will have a complete set of ornaments that he'll actually like. 

Pat on the back to me for finding a craft on Pinterest that kind of turned out like it was supposed to!

I Could Even Be A Craft Star...

CRAFT STAR

My co-worker crochets and is pretty awesome at it. She taught herself how to do this a few months ago and I am fascinated when we have down time in the office and she busts out the yarn and goes at it. FASCINATED, I tell you. I’m mesmerized and could watch her crochet for hours. My grandma crochets as well and it’s the same thing when she does it. I go into some sort of trance and wish that I could be that crafty.

See the cool coaster my coworker made me! I heart it!

Well, I’ve decided that in order to fully achieve #MOTY2013, I need to step up my game and get a little crafty. I have researched some difficult (ok, easy) craft projects and have one in particular that I plan to tackle this weekend since I’m off of work. I also found a cute one that I plan to tackle for my best friend’s birthday gift. (She reads this blog, so there will be no pictures posted until after the present is delivered.) I’m also trying to figure out if I can really get away with some homemade gifts for Christmas this year. The kiddo and I are in the year of the budget so anything we can do on the cheap that looks like we spent big money will come in handy.

ADVENTURES IN COOKING

But back to the real reason we’re all here today. It’s time for some more adventures in cooking! Tonight’s recipe came from the back of the bag of the Tyson ready made chicken strips that I've had in the freezer and have been trying to figure out something to do with. It’s time for (drum roll please) …. Italian Style Chicken and Pasta! (Which is a fancy shmancy term for grilled chicken over spaghetti)

My pic of the ingredients for this meal did not save on my phone, but the list is very short: half a box of spaghetti, a bag of the Tyson ready made chicken strips, and a jar of spaghetti sauce. Simple enough, right? I opened up a bag of pre-made salad mix and popped some French bread into the oven and BAM! instant awesome meal.

Ok, so not quite instant. Good thing I was planning to save half of the loaf for next week so we didn't have to eat this. That broiler got hot faster than I thought it would.  

AMAZING! Kid approved, too. 

The power has shifted back over to me.

Elise - 2, Kitchen - 1

#MOTY BOOK CLUB

Ok, so I know I made a NYR to read at least one book per month. I have actually read 4 books so far, thanks to the best Christmas gift I ever received but fought my parents on purchasing for a few years. My Kindle goes everywhere with me, and Amazon has a wealth of free or cheap books that can provide some entertainment. All of these books that I have read so far this month were free at the time I downloaded them: 

(1)  No Sex Clause – Predictable romantic comedy, but I laughed more than I thought I would.

(2) Worth the Weight – Again, predictable romantic comedy

(3) What To Say If He Shows You His %$# - Hilarious and accurate advice on dating

(4)The Aspen Account – DOWNLOAD THIS NOW! PURCHASE NOW! I highly recommend this book and would give it 5 out of 5 stars. Wait…here I go…*****  Seriously, this book was more of a mystery/thriller but not really. Nobody was who they were introduced to you as and the twists kept me reading well past when I intended to stop.

I’m always looking for something new to read, so suggestions are welcome! Until then, I’ll scroll through the insanely large amount of books I have downloaded to the Kindle but have yet to read to pick out the next installment of the #MOTY Book Club.