Date Night

Also consumed but not pictured: Claim Jumpers' Coconut Cream Pie :-)

Decoupage: Wood Letters

I am not known for my crafting skills.  But I've been inspired by all the blogs of crafty people that I've been reading and am working hard to be more creative and crafty. This was my first attempt:

Today's craft was decoupaging wooden letters.  Decoupaging has always interested me, and it's super easy, so I decided to do it.  I was relatively pleased with my results, but being the perfectionist that I am, there are some little things I'd do differently next time (like not over-spray my paper).

Materials Used: 

• Faux wood letters
• White paint 
• Scrapbooking paper
• Spray bottle with water
• Mod Podge
• X-acto knife

Assembly: 

1. Trace the letters onto the scrapbook paper and cut out
2. Paint any edge of the letters that will be visible when finish product is displayed; dry completely
3. Using a small foam brush applicator, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the letter
4. Lightly spray the scrapbooking paper with water, being careful not to over-spray (you want your paper to be slightly damp) and position on the letter
5. Apply a second coat of Mod Podge on the paper (don't worry, it dries clear)
6. Using an X-acto knife, trim off any excess paper

Before


After

Orange Cranberry Scones

Friday morning, AK woke up to the smell of wonderfully delicious scones (adapted from this recipe) baking in the oven. I was making them for a baby shower I was throwing for one of my good friends.  He came sniffing into the kitchen and asked for a scone. Then another. And another. I ended up having to make a second batch because he couldn't keep his hands off them (but let's be honest, neither could I). I love me some scones!

By the way, I was a very good wifey and left AK a little plate of scones to enjoy while H and I were at the shower. However, when I got home, the ants that have decided to invade my house en masse during our 100+ degree weather and make my life a living nightmare, had managed to find their way under the saran wrap and ruin any chance of us ever eating those scones. Gross. I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

Gramma Nadine's Egg Sausage Casserole

You may think that your Gramma makes the best egg sausage casserole in the whole wide world, but you're wrong. Because mine does.  And if you're one of the lucky few who have had the distinct privilege of partaking of this wonderfulness, I'm sure you will agree with me.

I believe the reason for the superior taste of this dish is due to her use of a secret ingredient (and no, the secret ingredient is not love, though I'm sure there's a tablespoon or so of love in every dish). Sorry, I won't be posting the secret ingredient on the internet for you all to steal and thus begin making the best egg sausage casserole in the world.

Gramma Nadine has made her delectable egg sausage casserole for nearly every holiday I've spent with her for a long as I can remember.  It's a staple of our family holiday fare, and has countless happy memories attached to it.  Now that I'm all grown up and hosting my own holiday events, I have started making her casserole.  And since it is so wonderfully delicious (and really easy to make), I look for any opportunity to make it.

Well, I yesterday I threw a baby shower for my friend and needed an egg dish--what more special event to have Gramma Nadine's famous egg sausage casserole than the welcoming of a sweet little baby into the world? So I excitedly made it and doubled the batch for us to enjoy here at home too.  For our batch, I decided to add my own twist, throwing in some sauteed green peppers and mushrooms (Gramma, I know GP doesn't like mushrooms, but you really should try the peppers sometime--yummy!).  I think we ate half the pan yesterday (after I'd already eaten some at the shower), with AK exclaiming more than a couple times, "Babe, this is SO good!"

This morning, I'll be enjoying mine with some fresh blueberries and a delicious homemade orange cranberry scone.

Second Attempt

Last year, I began chronicling our attempt to be healthier eater via a vegetable garden (see here for original post).  I wrote of my excitement over the growth of our first vegetable (see here for details), as well as the pathetic demise of our garden--if you could ever really call it a garden (see here).  Overall, it was a very disappointing year for us as our garden slowly succumbed to our black thumb of death.  This however, has not prevented us from again attempting to grow a vegetable garden.

After much pondering, we believe the reasons for the demise the garden to be three-fold:
1) We planted much too late in the year
2) We did not water enough
3) The deceivingly adorable, secretly evil bunnies ate it

This year, we have attempted to remedy last year's issues by doing the following:
1) We planted much earlier (June instead of August--there is still much improvement to be made in this area next year, but we were otherwise occupied having a baby this year)
2) I am making a concerted effort to water the garden on a daily basis (the nightly lawn watering just doesn't cut it)
3) Getting rid of the rabbits has proven to be quite a challenge. They not only robbed me of any home-grown salads last year, but they have also sought to destroy our newly laid sod.  But we have addressed this issue, though I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of this further.  Let's just say that Aaron has, um, "taken care of" the rabbit issue with one of the skills acquired at his job.

Thus far, I am happy to report that our garden is doing quite well ( Maybe a little too well in areas.  Our tomato plant is a little out of control, but fortunately the enormity of it does not yet seem to be hindering the growth of nearby vegetables).  And we've already had our first yield (I ate home-grown tomatoes on my hamburger this afternoon)!  I'm looking forward to lots more tomatoes, along with peppers, zucchini, cucumber and strawberries!

The tomato plant before it got out of control