Tutorial Tuesday: Making New Year's Resolutions

Well let me just say that I am NO expert in writing, making, or keeping New Year's Resolutions. But I thought I'd let y'all know how I go about making my resolutions every year...

and I'd LOVE to hear your ideas or goals for 2010!

1) Get out (at least) several pages of paper and a pen/pencil--I do a lot of computer work but prefer to do my "thinking work" with a paper and pen.

2) Jot down all the things you are happy you accomplished in 2009. Maybe you lost weight, found a new job, started a blog, journaled every day, became more fit, etc.

3) Write down all the things you WISH you had accomplished in 2009 or maybe things you regretted doing (2009 NYE resolutions that didn't quite make it, fitness goals you didn't reach, bad habits you started, etc.)

4) Analyze and compare your two lists. Does anything overlap? Do you see that something in list #2 hindered you from accomplishing something in list #1? For example, maybe you wanted to get better sleep and exercise more frequently BUT you failed to get more rest so your ability/energy to workout was diminished. Feel free to circle and draw lines! I love making correlations

5) Look again at your two lists. Do you want to carry any resolutions over to 2010?

6) Add new goals to your 2010 Resolution list.

Keep in mind the following:

• Be realistic!
  • Example: If you want to get more sleep but just had or are expecting a new baby, this goal will most likely not be met!
  
  
• Think about what will aid in accomplishing your goal--maybe these aids should be the first resolutions you make!
  • Example: If you want to eat healthier this year, start by making a resolution to not buy junk food or to take a nutritional class, etc.
  
  
• Think about what will hinder your resolution.
  • Example: If you want to boost your blog readership but don't have time to devote writing new posts, etc., perhaps time management or something else should be the primary resolution.
  
  
• Do you have a certain time limit for these goals to be reached?
  • Example: You want to lose 2lbs a month or drop 1-minute off your 10k time in 6-months.
  
  
• If you have a BIG resolution, it really helps to break the resolution into mini-goals (especially monthly goals)
  • Example: You just received a new sewing machine but haven't ever sewed before! Despite that fact, you aspire to sew a quilt in 2010. In January, you should practice sewing, in February, you should take a class on beginning sewing, in March you should pick out fabrics, in April you should take a class on quilting, in May you should start working on your quilt, in August you should be half-way done and in November you should be finished
  
  
• Life happens!!! There could be sudden changes to your family dynamic--someone could be born, someone could move away, someone could lose a job or take one on with more hours. You name it, it could happen so be prepared to be flexible!!! These should be considered more as goals than as things you are "resolving to do from this day forward"

7) Make your 2010 resolutions and goals visible. Print them out and place them on your fridge, your cubicle at work. Download them to your phone. Post them to your blog. Ask a trusted friend/spouse/relative/etc. to hold you accountable.

Here is what I came up with:

I have two main goals for 2010:

1) To read through the Bible
2) To become a more accomplished photographer

(i'd also like to run a sub 3-hour marathon in 2010 but that depends on a lot of things and we'll get to that after Babette #2 is born!)

In order to achieve these goals I have several "sub-goals":

1) To read through the Bible I'd like to:

• read it every day by using my 365-day Bible

Knowing that I am more likely to read my Bible in the morning...

• I resolve to go to bed earlier! That way I can wake up refreshed and ready to read the Bible before Cutie Face wakes up.

Knowing that I'm easily distracted, I need to resolve to avoid reading a blog or checking my email before I read my Bible...so...

• I resolve to keep my computer turned off until I have accomplished my daily reading goal!

2) To become a more accomplished photographer, I'd like to:

• Take a photo every day for a year--a 365-Project to showcase how I grow in my photography skills (okay--hopefully i'll develop new skills and you'll see a difference in January 2011!)
• To be held accountable, I resolve to make a 365-Picture blog!
• I will also sign up and take an online photo class

So there you have it. A quick and easy way to make a few new resolutions for this coming year and a preview of my goals!

What about you? Do you make resolutions each year? Do you have a method for doing them and accomplishing them? Have you already made any?

I'd love to hear your tips and goals!

Tutorial Tuesday: Easy Stocking Stuffer (personalized beanbags!)

I wanted something fun, homemade, personalized and educational to put in Cutie Face's stocking this year.

Tough order? Nahhh...

...not when you can make (homemade) beanbags that spell her name (personalized) on one side and have numbers on the other side (educational) that can also be used as a game (fun).

This is a super easy tutorial if you have a sewing machine. If you don't have a sewing machine it will take you longer but it is totally doable.

What you'll need:

• Fabric--I used 4 different fabrics to give Cutie Face some variety...maybe she can even learn how to match them (more educational uses every time I think about it!)
• Sewing Machine (or needle and thread)
• Beans (BAKED--you don't want your beans to sprout or get moldy so make sure you BAKE them on low for about 20 minutes)
• Something to personalize your beanbags with. I used an applique on the letter/name side but felt it was a bit too time consuming so I used a permanent marker for the number sides
  

1) Cut out fabric for the beanbags. I wanted to make 9 beanbags (Cutie Face's name has 9 letters) so I cut 18 squares of fabric, 6x6. You can make them any size but I wanted it to be manageable with Cutie Face's small hands. (Side note: this step would have been much easier had I used my rotary cutter and healing mat. Oh well)

2) Personalize each side (or one side or NO sides). Make sure you do this before you do any sewing!

3) Once your fabric squares are ready, match them to each other (for example, Cutie Face's name starts with a "C" so I matched the "C" and "1" fabric squares). Put the "good" side of the fabric squares together, on the inside

4) Sew nearly all the way around (i used a straight stitch) making sure you leave a large enough space to turn the fabric rightside out. I made the mistake of making my hole too small in the beginning and turning the fabric was very difficult. So go easy on yourself and leave a nice big space!

5) Turn the fabric right side out

6) Sew a border around the square, making sure you leave that original hole open! Don't sew anything closed yet!

See? there's my hole!

7) Make a funnel. I tried using a cooking funnel but the hole was too small to allow the beans to pass through so I just used a rolled up piece of heavy magazine paper.

8) Place your funnel in the hole, allowing it to unfurl a bit once it is inside the bag.


9) Pour the beans into the beanbag. Make sure that you don't fill it too high--you need to be able to sew it closed!

10) Fold the opening of the hole under and sew it closed.

11) Voila! You now have one beanbag!


12) Repeat steps 1-10 until you've made all your beanbags:

Enjoy!

oh my!

I'm sorry for doing so many double posts these days...

BUT...

I was talking to the twin about the "Breakfast While You Sleep" tutorial tonight...

she needed the recipe but couldn't access her computer so I was reading it outloud to her...

when I realized...

Oh MY!

I left out the VANILLA in the recipe ingredients!

In my opinion, the VANILLA is what makes this recipe delicious! So, if you've made this recipe and didn't love it, you MUST try it again and add the vanilla this time. SOOOOO much better!

I'm sorry for leading you astray!

Tutorial Tuesday: You-Tell-Me: Holiday Traditions

I know this is going to sound redundant but...my phone appears to be a little on the fritz today...which means that tutorial Tuesday pictures were not taken (as my camera died about a month ago my phone has been serving dual purposes).

So, I'm going to plan "B"...

In the past, I've loved doing these "You-Tell-Me" Tutorials because you all have such GREAT insights, tips, advice, and comments.

Cutie Face was 4-months old when Christmas came last year. We didn't really do anything special for her since she was so young. No traditions were started and, thus, nothing was continued this year.

I'd really like that to change.

For next year, I'm already planning on doing the Jesse Tree advent calendar (thanks Lauren!!!) with the two kiddos (yikes! we'll have an almost one-year-old by Christmas 2010!).

BUT

I long to create our own family traditions...with tips from y'all!

So, here are my questions:

• What traditions have you started with your family for Christmas (or another holiday that you celebrate--Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, etc.)?

• No family yet? What traditions did you cherish with your family when you were growing up?

• What traditions have you heard about that you want to incorporate next year?

and one last one to grow on:

What do you do to make this season SPECIAL? this can be:

• how you decorate,
  
• where you go to see Santa
• special places you visit to shop, see lights, etc.
  
• what special movies and music you play (or radio station you listen to),
  
• the holiday (from Thanksgiving-New Year's) foods you make/eat/consume,
  
• the parties you throw,
• SOMETHING YOU DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY (I'm especially interested in this one!)
  

etc, etc.--i want to hear about them!

I can't wait to hear your ideas!

Tutorial Tuesday: {Foot and Hands} Reindeer Shirt

Cutie Face has lots of beautiful Christmas dresses but doesn't own any Christmas or Holiday shirts. That all changed yesterday!

I made a super cute shirt off of another blog tutorial--scroll to the very end to see it! For my Tutorial, though, I wanted to make a Reindeer shirt using Cutie Face's hands and feet as the template.

Side Note: I think that you can make a lot of cute Reindeer shirts using templates, etc. but it is SO NEAT to use your kiddo's hands and feet because then you can always look back on this shirt and see how small they used to be! And, if you keep the shirt for a long time, you can eventually pass it along to their children--how cool would that be for them to wear their mom or dad's hands and feet!

What you'll need:

• Your toddler's hands and feet
• Felt in brown, red and white
• Googly eyes (or buttons to make the eyes or just more felt!)
• For a girl: a bow is a MUST so ribbon for a bow
• Stitch Witchery
• Iron
• Sewing Machine (or your own hand sewing would work fine, too!)
• Glue gun for adhering the eyes
  
• T-shirt in any color

Step 1: Trace your child's hand and foot onto the felt that you want to use for the body of the reindeer. Cutie Face wouldn't stay still long enough for me to take a picture AND trace so no picture! sorry!

Step 2: Cut out two of the hands and one foot, two circles for the eyes and two hearts for the mouth. If you are making this for a boy, you might want to make circular mouths. This is what you should have:

Step 3: Figure out the placement of your hands, foot, etc. on the t-shirt:

Step 4: Use Stitch Witchery or any other fabric fuser, to fuse the elements together. Then stitch witch (is that a verb? hmmm. It is now!) the Reindeer onto the shirt. This is a MUST for me as I'm a rotten sewer!

Step 5: {OPTIONAL} Don't break your mother's sewing machine while you are visiting her. And certainly don't scare her by taking a screwdriver to it! Just document it with pictures and tell her later (or when you can't figure out how to fix it...then ask for help! THANKS MOM!):

Step 6: Applique the felt pieces together. First do the small inside pieces, then work your way out, eventually appliquing the whole Reindeer onto the shirt (as a rotten sewer, i used all my concentration to applique and forgot to take a picture after this one! but you get the point):

Step 7: Once everything is sewn in place, determine where you would like to place your googly eyes and bow (optional!)
Step 8: Glue the eyes and bow in place with a hotglue gun:

Step 9: Step back and admire your finished product!

Step 10: Put it on your kiddo and take lots of pictures of them looking goofy in their new shirt (Cutie Face actually really really loved this shirt and kept wanting to feel the eyes and bow and then look in the mirror. Success!)

Again, I just LOVE that these are her hands and footprint--I can't wait to see how much they'll grow by next year! Perhpas we'll be making this a yearly tradition!

***Updated*** My friend, Kim, came up with the genius idea to make these for several years and turn them into a quilt for the kids to snuggle up with during the Christmas season. And, my mom-in-law suggested that I turn it into a pillow and send it to her :) So the options are endless with this craft!

*********************

I was very inspired by this adorable Christmas Tree shirt that Paige and Brooke blogged about last week. SOOO cute.

So I decided to make one for Cutie Face (BAD photo quality! sorry!:

Many many special thanks to the Twin for actually doing the sewing for me on that one! I couldn't do the straight edge...yeah...reason #101 why she has an Etsy store and I don't!

*********************

Tutorial Tuesday: Staying Healthy, Drinking Green

This week's Tutorial Tuesday is yet another recipe. It seems I'm on an every-other-week kick with recipes and crafts. Hope you don't mind! I just love to bake/cook/experiment with food and...it is {embarassingly} much easier on my un-crafty brain to think up than some crafty notion every week.

Despite the ease of it, I also really like this tutorial recipe because it is an easy way to pack in your greens and stay healthy during the holiday season of rich and extravagant foods.

Being pregnant during the holidays is not good for me--when hungry, i tend to gravitate toward the easiest foods out there--and that just happens to be leftover stuffing, pie, and cookies--NOT GOOD!

That is why I've started incorporating this GREEN protein smoothie into my every day diet. The greens ensure that I get enough daily fiber and, well, greens and the protein helps me stay full and stave off the sugar cravings (at least for a little while!). Besides, even if I do indulge in the holiday foods around me, at least I know that I've put something wholesome and nutritious inside my body!

What you need:

Cold, filtered water (but you can use juice if you'd like--I just don't like adding too much extra sugar without the benefit of fiber)

Protein Powder (I chose Hemp Protein because I don't like the idea of adding too much soy to my diet or giving that much to the developing babe)

Flax Seed Oil (great source of Omega fats which helps give your babe's skin and brain a boost!)

Green powder (preferably one that is made of whole foods like barley, wheatgrass, spirulina, etc.)

Spinach (if you can buy organic, that is best!)

Frozen fruit (I almost always use strawberries and a third of a banana)

1. Start with your cold water--I add ~10 oz. then add the recommended amount of green powder and protein powder. I actually add twice the recommendation of green stuff because I figure it can't hurt!

2. Add your spinach--I typically add 3 oz. or 1/3 of the 9 oz bag of spinach


3. Puree it all together until you no longer have any spinach leaves but just have pure lovely green yumminess:


4. Add your fruit--I like enough to make it thick--runny liquidy smoothies are not my friends

5. Puree again until everything is smooth and creamy.

6. Drink and enjoy!

In all honesty, I like this smoothie a lot better with soy protein powder (vanilla=awesome) but I'm trying to avoid all that soy while pregnant and the hemp protein powder isn't bad (more like an acquired taste). I am sure adding honey or kefir or yogurt would be even better!

How do you stay healthy and full of good fruit and veg during the holiday season of gluttony? :-p

PS this tutorial was supposed to be posted at 8:25 AM not PM but my brain has been otherwise occupied this weekend--my twin had her baby! YAY! you can view pics of Sweet Pea on her blog here.

***I also hope to be back to my Google Reader so if my comments on your blogs have been MIA, please forgive the delay--I haven't caught up since Friday the 27th!***

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Doormat

I've always wanted a cool doormat for the holidays--one for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. But I didn't want it to be cheesy (a la this doormat that freaked out our poor kiddos on Halloween!).

In my un-creative mind, I have these lofty (and super crafty) ideas but no follow-through. So I aimed a little low (nothing fancy, just nice and doable) and came up with an easy DIY (do-it-yourself) doormat.
Take note: There are SOOOO many ways you can run with this tutorial--you can make a monogram doormat, a holiday doormat (as aforementioned), an image doormat with a damask print or clipart, etc. etc. Seriously I kind of wish I had more time, money, and creative poweress (is that a word? do you know what am i trying to say?) to actually do all of those!

Anyway...i can keep brainstorming but it's time for the real tutorial!

What you need:

• Coir rug. I found mine at Ikea for $7.99..cutely named "Trampa"
• Stencil
• Posterboard for your stencil
• Marker (for marking out your stencil on the posterboard)
• Scissors (for cutting out the stencil)
• Tape (masking tape is better than packing tape, fyi)
• Matte or Flat spraypaint that is for outdoor/indoor use and able to use on wicker
  
• paint and brushes (optional!)

In case you are wondering, a coir rug looks like this up close:

this is the spraypaint my friendly Ace Hardware clerk told me to buy:

interesting note: they had video cameras in the spray paint aisle and you had to be over 18 to purchase the cans! Kind of a sad sign of the times :(

I decided to use posterboard as the base of my stencil because it was sturdier than any alternative (well, foam board or plastic would have been firmer but you get my gist). Of course, if you have a pre-made stencil, don't even worry about these steps. Side note: I chose the neon green posterboard because it was 50% off!

So...organize your stencil. I needed it to fit the width of the posterboard so I had to do some cutting and rearranging.

I finally had it all cut out like so
(making sure to keep the very crucial inners to the "p" and the "a")

Once your stencil is ready to go, firmly tape it to your rug. You want it as flat, tight, and secure as possible so that the spraypaint does not leach out of the stencil.

Tape it down!
Again, I would recommend masking tape as my packing tape wasn't too spiffy

Shake your spraypaint can and get to painting!

I did two coats--one vertical and one horizontal. I also recommend waiting until it is dried, much like a freezer paper stencil, so as to avoid any paint bleeds (as you'll see in the next picture, i got a little too eager and made my letters run a little)

Voila! A new rug!

I had high aspirations of incorporating a dove in one of the corners but couldn't quite figure out the proportions, angle, etc. so I left it out.


But, of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I painted some holly + berries in the corners. Kind of tacky but it needed something. Next time I'll probably use a pretty corner stencil from one of my favorite flourishy fonts.

Not bad for a $11 DIY mat, though! (the spraypaint was $3)

These are some phrases I thought would be fun to use:

• Boo Y'all
• Give Thanks (maybe with a turkey?)
• Noel (in a pretty script)
• a Snowman clipart
• a Santa clipart
• a Nativity clipart scene
• "Wisemen still seek Him" with the Star of David in the center
• our family monogram (JSA)
• A Fleur de Lis icon repeated
• lots of ornaments in different spray paint colors
• etc. etc.

What are some ideas you can come up with? I'd love to be inspired by your creativity!

Tutorial Tuesday: breakfast while you sleep!

Crockpot (whole, multi grain) Cereal with Applesauce!

I'm so excited to be participating in Lindsay's blog carnival. I have really gotten into the idea of cooking with my crockpot so her "Nourshing Crockpot Carnival" will be the PERFECT place to find new recipes and ways to incorporate my favorite kitchen gadget!

This week my Tutorial Tuesday is also partly sponsored by Musselman's Applesauce. I wanted to make a nourishing meal with their Natural (unsweetened) applesauce. I've used it many times as a substitute for oil but this time I wanted to incorporate it as a main ingredient.

So, when i could combine Musselman's Applesauce with Tutorial Tuesday AND a blog carnival, then, phew! It couldn't get much better!

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 5 cups water
• 2.5 cups Natural Musselman's Applesauce (OR your own homemade applesauce, as featured last week on Kelly's tutorial!)
• 1.5-2 cups dried unsweetened dried fruit (i used raisins)
  
• 1 heaping tsp ground ginger*
• 2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon*
• 6 Tbl steel-cut oats
• 6 Tbl wheat bran
• 1/2 cup long-grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup pearled barley
• 3 Tbl yellow cornmeal
• 2 Tbl flaxseed*
• 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt*
• UPDATED-OH MY!-I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO ADD THIS! 1.5 tsp Vanilla. CRUCIAL.
  

*Note: these are not pictured. Sorry! i always leave something out in my ingredient list pictures!

Usually i buy all of my grains in bulk but this week I'm at my parents' house and not close to my natural food store. Thankfully, I could find almost everything I needed at Publix!

1. Lightly coat the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray. (I may have gone overboard. I'm not used to seeing my spray show up on a black crockpot as ours at home is white.)

2. Measure out 2.5 cups of applesauce OR conveniently dump the entire container of a 20 oz Musselman's Applesauce jar into a LARGE mixing bowl

3. Add 5 cups of water (yes! that seems like a lot!) and stir to combine

4. Add your dried fruit. I LOVE raisins so I used them and added ~2 cups but you can just use 1.5 cups. Also, feel free to substitute with dried apples, cherries, cranberries, etc--you just don't want to add any dried fruit that is already sweetened. Blech.

5. Add all your grains...this is a lovely picture of the cornmeal:

and here come the steel-cut oats:

6. Add the spices--ginger and cinnamon. NOTE: next time I make this recipe, I'll be adding the spices to the applesauce FIRST and then adding everything else. it was quite hard to stir everything together without it spilling over.

7. Add a dash of sea salt.

8. Pour your mixture into the prepped crockpot

9. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

note: i love my parents' crockpot! it automatically shuts off!

10. Wake up!

11. Stir before serving. We added a bit of cold almond milk for added nutrients and to cool and thin the cereal. Feel free to add any other kind of milk or yogurt/kefir, almonds or honey.

12. Feed to your family:

13. and make sure to finish every last spoonful (in other words, a HUGE hit with Cutie Face!):

Side Note: I think this breakfast would be a GREAT way to start your Thanksgiving morning. You'll fill up on some whole grain foods before the "big feast" and, because it is so nutritious, this breakfast meal will stave off hunger until you're ready to dine!

Make sure to head on over to Passionate Homemaking to see more great wholesome slow cooker recipes! I can't wait to add to my recipe arsenal!