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6/06/2010

10 Things you don't know About Me!

6/06/2010 2 Comments
I'm jumping on the trend-bandwagon and doing a post about 10 things you may or may not  know about me! I might have some difficulty, which is unfortunate, because I think it'd be hilarious to be able to convey how  much time goes into writing some of these posts. Sometimes they fly right off my fingertips and other times I'm sitting looking at my computer wracking my brain to be able to find the words that will convey in a sensible manner what it is I'm trying to explain. So on to the fun!




1.

 I hate carrots. I cook with them all the time, but unless I can swallow them, without chewing and having them touch my tongue, you will find them discreetly pushed off to the side of my plate. I have even been guilty of giving my carrots to Dev.



2.

My very first sewing machine was a little antique singer that had a hand crank and the only stitch it knew was a chain stitch. I made tons of things with it though, especially Barbie clothes. I would buy a pattern {Mom would actually but it, cause I was like 7} and then alter it and make wonderful dresses for my Barbies. Fat Quarters are great for Barbie clothes.



3.

I'm a planner. I have a Mead 5-subject notebook that has all of my notes from eternity, or at least from my wedding, including sketches of what I wanted my wedding dress to look like. Mom made my wedding dress after we picked out and combined patterns to get the look I wanted. It also contains the decorating schemes for quite a few houses. I knew the decorating scheme for the house we bought 2 or 3 years before we even bought it. I knew the decorating scheme for the previous rental before we moved down from Jersey. I have a problem. :)


4.

When I got married, I had convinced Stephen that I could not cook and that if I did I would probably accidentally poison him. So for the first few years of our marriage he did all the cooking, except at holidays where these wonderful skills would appear and I would be able to whip up a meal for 8 people without any poisoning incidents. He now, of course, knows better and while I still do a lot of the cooking, he does help out, because the grill and I are not friends.


5.

My last name is Armenian. Stephen's father's family is from there. My sister-in-law's name is also Heather, luckily we have different middle names. My maiden name was Smith, more on this later.




6.

I love incorporating family into just about everything. The boy's middle names are both from family, and Harrison was named in honor of my father-in-law, whose name is Harry. Kincaid is from my father's side of the family, and Gaskill is from Mom's side. Coincidentally, Gaskill was also the last name of a pirate who competed with Black Beard down along North Carolina's coast. Yes, we are related. :)
Here are both sides of the family! There are quite a few members missing, but this was at Harrison's baptism in March. 

7.

I often wonder why my parents just didn't name me Heather-Anne. That's what they call me all the time. It started out that that's what they'd call me when I got in trouble. Then it became commonplace. Dad says its because Mom couldn't spell hyphen. Very funny Dad. My full name growing up was Heather Anne Smith.....because there aren't about 12,000 of us out there.


8.

Before wife and mom-hood, I was into cars. This is how Stephen and I met. We both owned the newer generation of the Mercury Cougar. Mine was awesomer than his. At the height of awesomeness, she looked like this - 
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It's too bad that I don't remember everything I did to her, but I do remember she had new exhaust, headers, upper intake manifold, throttle body, air filter, plugs, wires, and fuel injectors. I also had a pretty kickin' sound system in her which mainly consisted of Kenwood things....sometimes I miss my subs. 



9.

Being a mom is the only thing I've ever known I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be like my mom, Bet and Gee. I miss Gee a lot. She's been gone for 16 years and I think she'd be proud of what I've done and become. Gee was my great-grandmother and Bet's mom. 
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Gee and Bet in Gordonsville, VA


10.

I want a third child, even though Stephen is still completely on the fence about it, and he may even be hanging out on the not-gonna-happen side of it, but I'm still hoping that he'll come around. I am also convinced that if we do have a third then he will be a boy, because Stephen only makes one model. Ok that's probably not true, but its fun to joke about. I would love to have a girl, but when you get right down to  it. I just want healthy. We've been blessed that so far we've missed a lot of bullets with Dev's heart condition (he has cor triatriatum). What I mean is that while his left atrium is split into two sections, the membrane is not obstructing any blood flow which means that they don't have to do surgery. This is a great relief because when we found out at 6 weeks (he was 6 weeks old) that he had this condition and that would require open-heart surgery before his first birthday we were scared, mad, terrified, upset at it. I did not want my perfect little boy's chest to be marred in any way, shape or form. Luckily, while he has a classic case, he is asymptomatic and can lead a full life. If it does start to be an issue, we'll worry about that then, but so far, through all the growth spurts etc....we've been lucky. I am now going to knock on the largest piece of wood I can find. 


I hope you guys have enjoyed this sharing post! 
Enjoy your day!

6/05/2010

Red, White and Vroooom!

6/05/2010 11 Comments
So I know the 4th is a ways off, but its never to early to get into the patriotic spirit! A while ago, I stocked up on blank t-shirts for the boys and I with the intention of sprucing them up, and it has begun! While stocking up on baby supplies, I wandered around into the baby section of Target, and saw an adorable shirt that had a truck in Old Glory's colors and Red, White and Vrooom! beneath it. Love.At.First.Sight. My boys had to have it. Not paying the $10 they wanted for it though. It's just a t-shirt for Pete's sake. So here's my take on their show!

So here's my thought - I liked the truck, but really my big guy is not a truck guy. He's a Lightening McQueen guy, so I searched Google images for a race car. That took forever, but after narrowing down my search a bit I ended up only 48,200 images to sort through. I think I made it to page 3 before before finding what I wanted.

Next bit of business was to find an image of Old Glory herself to superimpose onto the race car's image. This one was a bit easier to find. Then I traveled to dafont.com and one of their new fonts was perfect for what I wanted.

So I mashed everything together, saved it, flipped it so I had the mirror image then printed it off onto the fabric transfer paper, ironed it down, and then tried to convince the big guy to try on his new shirt. No go. *sigh*


H's shirt will be done as soon as the dryer is done. I had to wash his onesie and I will need to resize the image for him, but for Dev's shirt I was able to just use a big letter sized image. Dev, btw, wears a small in boy sizes, just as a point of reference for ya'll. :)

Here are the completed pictures of the shirt. Hopefully by the time I post this, Dev will have warmed up to my picture taking advances. :)





**Update** Dev finally let me put the shirt on him, but I could not snap off a photo quick enough. The boy would not stop moving! :) The shirt also needs to be washed in order to remove some of the residue, but he likes it so that's all that matters!
  
  

And here's something for all of you! The images! One is mirrored for transferring, and the other is normal in case you just want to print it out on fabric and then use it as a patch. Just click on them to show the full size version and then right-click and save!

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Linking up to:
Visit thecsiproject.comSYS Thurs
I hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend. We are going to the zoo tomorrow so Monday will hopefully bring some yummy, rejuvenating deliciousness from Mom's dinner. :) Enjoy!

6/04/2010

Friday Food Frenzy - Issue 1

6/04/2010 1 Comments
Welcome to the inaugural Friday Food Frenzy! In case you missed it or missed the almost picture-less post earlier this week, Friday's posts will be written by my ever-so-talented sister, Dana. Yesterday was her 4th anniversary, and in honor of that she cooked a fabulous meal for the hubs. So on to the show! 

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So yesterday was a very special day for me.  Yesterday was my four-year anniversary with my uber-steller husband, Mike.  For our anniversary, I told Mike that I would make anything he wanted for dinner.  Anything.  That’s when it got interesting.  Mike actually made up a March Madness/Sweet Sixteen style bracket of dishes to match up against each other and choose from.  Kudos to me and my cooking, I guess. 
 J 
 There were some pretty tough choices to make: Irish stew vs. beef stew, good ol’ fried chicken against new seafood recipes.  It was an epic struggle, but, in the end, Grilled Mahi-Mahi In Wine Marinade won out.  No surprise there.  Mike loves Mahi-Mahi.

 Let me preface this recipe by saying that it has some unique ingredients that I think can be substituted fairly easily.  I know I did for one or two of them.  With that said, here’s the recipe…


Grilled Mahi-Mahi In Wine Marinade


(Serves 4)

·       4 6 oz mahi-mahi fillets
·       1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
·       1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
·       1 cup chardonnay
·       1 tsp vanilla extract
·       1/4 cup grapeseed oil
·       1/4 tsp kosher salt
·       1 tsp diced jalapeño pepper (deveined and seeded)
·       2 garlic cloves, pressed

·       To make the marinade, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and chardonnay in a non reactive mixing bowl. Whisk in the oil a little at a time. Add the salt, jalapeño and garlic. Place the mahi-mahi in a non reactive container and pour the marinade over. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Remove the mahi-mahi from the marinade. Bring the marinade to a low boil in a non reactive saucepan or microwave the marinade on high for 3 minutes.

·       To grill, lightly brush the grill with vegetable oil. Grill and baste the mahi-mahi for about 5 minutes. Turn the fillets and grill for 3 to 4 more minutes or until the fish begins to flake when tested with a fork. Brush on a little of the warmed marinade while grilling. To cook indoors, preheat the oven to 350° f. Arrange the fish on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the fish begins to flake when tested with a fork.

Much to my surprise, I did find grapeseed oil…on the very top shelf.  It was $8 for a pretty big bottle, but I think regular olive oil would work just as well.  I did not, however, buy the chardonnay.  Why?  Well, because, I don’t really know what chardonnay is.  I looked it up on my iPhone and found out that chardonnay grapes are white grapes, so I just ended up buying some white cooking wine.  I also did not buy the jalapeño because I do not, not, not work with peppers.  Ever accidentally rub your eye after working with peppers?  We don’t need to talk about it.  I replaced the jalapeño with red chili flakes.  Finally, I just didn’t include the lemon zest at all.  I have yet to see how zest really improves a recipe that much.  Culinary blasphemy, I know, but that’s how I feel.

My fish marinated for almost the entire two hours, but had to cook for an extra minute or two in the oven.  It turned out moist and delicious and awesome!  I mean, it was the juiciest fish I’ve ever had.  I paired it with risotto and steamed broccoli with butter.  Oh, my ears and whiskers, delicious!  It’s not a cheap meal, but it’s really yummy, and Mike really enjoyed it.  Give it a shot on a special occasion.  I think you’ll like it too…if you like Mahi-Mahi, of course.

Happy Friday!
Dana

I hope you guys enjoy your weekend!

6/03/2010

Fail....

6/03/2010 2 Comments
So Stephen and I should just start over on Sunday because we have not done the P90 at all since last week. Weekends really kill us. I'm hoping that by having our rest day on Saturday it might fair a little better.

On a good note though, the boys and have worked a little more physical activity into our days via the pool. We don't go to our community pool because they do not have a kiddie pool, but we have a tot pool in the backyard and I've been increasing my lifting exercises with H. :) Yay for small efforts :)

A Place to Rest your Drink?

6/03/2010 12 Comments
So I got another Father's Day gift knocked out today, and I'm very excited to share it with you all. I've been on a definition kick lately and since there are a plethora of baseball terms to choose from, I decided that we needed some baseball terms defined for these coasters. I also bought this Omni Transfer Medium a while ago, and have not had a chance to use it until now. Other than being messy, and probably needing to improve my technique, I'm very happy with how they turned out. :) So without further ado, on to the show!



Stuff you'll use:


4" square tiles
cork mat
Gorilla Glue
Omni Transfer Medium
Clip Art
Modge Podge

What you'll do:

Size the clip art to fit the tile. I would make the print about 3-1/2" square. Print out your clip art using a laser printer or copier. According to the transfer medium ink jet prints do not play well.

The directions on the medium say to paint three coats onto your image. First coat horizontally, second coat vertically and then the last coat diagonally. Let it dry between coats and then after the final coat.
This is the 2nd coat. The paper will wrinkle up and what not, but don't worry it'll work out. :) 
While your images are drying you can cut your cork to fit the bottom of a tile. I would cut the cork to slightly smaller than the tile.

I picked up the white gorilla glue. It said it dried twice as fast as the brown glue and was waterproof....probably useful given what we're doing. :) I wiped down the tiles with a damp cloth and then applied the glue to the backside. make sure to get close to the edges but not too close. Don't worry if the glue  expands past the edges, you can remove it later. Press your cork onto the back of the tile. You'll need to weight your cork and tiles down. So what I did was layer each tile/cork piece between a foam plate then on top of all that I placed a vase filled with gravel and flowers. It was a very lovely tower. :) After the glue dried, I went back and just picked off the glue that seeped from the edges. Your fingernail will do just fine.


When your images are nice and dry, trim around them leaving a 1/4" margin. Lay them in a shallow bowl, sink or Tupperware filled with water and let them soak for at least 20 minutes. After they've soaked for a bit, take one of the images out with the backside up, start rubbing the paper off. I would scratch the paper with my nail and then just rub my finger gently back and forth to remove the paper. Once I got all most all of the paper off, I put it back in the water and moved on to the next one.


After I finished rubbing the paper off all of the images with my finger I then went back with a lint-free towel and gently rubbed the backside again. This removed a little more paper. Let all of your images dry completely.
Don't do this. 
This works better. :) 
Once the images have dried, brush more medium onto the tops of your tiles. Then center your images over the tile and set into place. I burnished the tops and edges with my fingers (part of the mess mentioned earlier) to make sure there were no air bubbles or folds, etc. If there were I gently worked them out, or lifted the image and then laid it down again. Be very careful during this step because you can rip the image. After I was happy with how everything was set, I left them alone to dry. You can also trim the image if need be during this step.

I sealed mine with some modge podge after everything was said and done, just to create another moisture barrier. I don't know if this is necessary, but its what I did. :)


Place into decorative container and put them to work.
The obligatory coffee shot. :) 
I hope you guys enjoyed today's lesson. :) These were a lot of fun to make, and I'm sharing with you these images in case you want to make your own set of baseball coasters for the Dad in your life.
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Update!


I'm pleased to announce that this project is a DIY Club finalist!





Enjoy your day!

6/02/2010

Change Up!

6/02/2010 2 Comments
I started this blog back in February, and I had no idea about the following:

1) That I'd enjoy blogging as much as I do. I think of my blog as a job. A job that I love doing and look forward to. Its a challenge to think up new projects that are useful, attractive and affordable. Granted sometimes my tank runs dry, but there is always something to share, even if they are my random thoughts.

2) Way back in February, when I started this blog, I told my husband that I would start an Etsy shop at 100 followers. I had no idea that it would happen this soon. And I have to say....I'm terrified! I hit 100 followers at the end of last week, and I did not tell Stephen. He, of course, knew that I was close, because every time I got a new follower; I would excitedly call him up and tell him how many people liked what I was doing. Its a wonderful boon! I did not tell him, but he reads my blog every day {he's so sweet} so he knew.  :)


Its all well and good to say I'm going to do something, because usually what I say I'm going to do is fun or its so ridiculous that you know I'm joking. I was dead serious when I told him about the Etsy shop. In my early so very far away from 100 follower days, it was a fine goal to work towards....you know in October or even next January, but the time is here, and while I have signed up with Etsy and I 'have' a shop, there is nothing in it, because everything I've made so far has been given away or put to use in my house. So that means I'll need some inventory, which isn't the scary part. I'm looking forward to that. The creating and what not. What actually has me slightly scared is the possibility that I'll put up my stuff to sell and then no one will buy it, but Stephen and Dana have both said, well if that happens then you'll have stuff to give at Christmas. :) They're so sweet. :)

What really freaked scared terrified stressed me out was Monday at Hancock's Memorial Day Sale, buying fabric for pillows that would not be going into my house. Nope, I was buying stuff for the shop. Stuff for you, and I have no idea what you all like. I know what I like, but not everyone likes what I like, and that terrifies me. I know what I like and what will match and work in my house, but what if I end up with like one hideously ugly pillow that no one wants? I suppose I could donate it. :)

So July 1 will be the official opening of my Etsy shop. I plan on offering pillow slipcovers and the forms. The car.go tote will be added, but I don't know if it will be there from the start. There is some extra work to be done on that one.

Also coming is a regular Friday feature. My sister, Dana, as some of you know has a blog called Dear Food, I love you. Ok, that's not actually what she's named it, but its what I call it because honestly I can't spell her blog title without looking at it. :) Every Friday she will be writing a post for us about whatever food-related fun she's had. Her first post will be this Friday, and I am really looking forward to it, because Thursday is her 4th anniversary and she is preparing a special meal for her and hubby. She is going to share it with us on Friday, at least this is what she's told me. :)

I asked Dana to do this for two reasons: 1) to help ease my load and be able to focus on a longer project at the end of the week. Some projects are just too involved to be done in a day. 2) Dana is very open-minded and will try anything food-wise. I also really love her writing style, because like me, she types like she talks, and with her being 10-hours away it's nice to feel like she's sitting next to me. :)

I hope you all enjoy the new Friday feature, and come July 1, will at least take a look at my shop. :)

I'm also thinking of doing a What Do You Want Wednesday where you tell me what you'd like to see/try/experiment with and I'll pick one of your suggestions and attempt to make it and showcase it the following Wednesday. I'm not sure if this will be a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly thing, so let me know....After all its Wednesday. :) Leave me a comment about your thoughts. :)

There are no pictures in this post, and that's a little weird for me, so I'll leave you with these parting shots. Here are my guys at the end of April.  :)

Loving the onesie! I have so many ideas for new ones for him and the girls we know. Watch out! 


My big boy was so tired after spending all that time playing with Mommy and Harrison. Maybe he should have heeded my question of taking a nap earlier in the day. Oh well. At least he was warm and comfy inside/underneath his 'fort'  :) 

I hope I did not bore you too much with this post, but I wanted to share what was going on rather than just Bam! There it is. :)  Have a wonderful day! 

6/01/2010

Holiday Weekend

6/01/2010 0 Comments
So, this past weekend was a three-day weekend - and I am VERY proud to say that Mike and I kept up with our P90 routine like it was our job. :)

I'm really pleased with the (small) results I'm seeing so far and even felt comfortable enough to lay out in my bikini for a few hours Sunday and Monday. My belly is definitely toning up! Woohoo!

I started not just counting calories, but counting "points" a la Weight Watchers, thanks to my friend Holly and her extra points calculator she gifted to me. She lost 6 POUNDS the first week she was doing it, and that was without exercise! I'm hoping to get some awesome results like that!

An overview of beginning my second week of P90:

Sculpt becomes easier and easier every time, and seems to go by faster and faster. I can actually do about 5 push-ups per set now! Which, if you know anything about me, is really truly amazing. I'm still breaking a sweat 5 minutes in, so I know I'm burning those calories but it goes much more smoothly and it's really awesome to feel how strong I'm getting.

Cardio is still a bit of a challenge. Although the power yoga portion has become SIGNIFICANTLY easier, the rest of it is still quite a push. "Fast feet" and "side hops" are still next to impossible for me to do longer than about 30 seconds, so I do the "simple" version of those exercises and STILL sweat my butt off! The ab workout is still challenging for me too - especially the "full body" type exercises you do for the last 3 sets. I always thought I had super abs - but apparently not. In my not-so-super-abdominal's defense, the cardio makes for a pretty hardcore ab workout all on it's own so my poor belly muscles are all but worn out by the time we actually get to the crunches!

I'm really impressed with myself and the program so far and am really glad I decided to take on this challenge. I probably won't be posting daily as much since I feel like I'm starting to repeat the same things over and over, but I will definitely post at LEAST once a week especially now that I'm doing WW on top of the P90 if for nothing more than to track my weight and progress. :)

Granny's Super Yummy Summer Pie!

6/01/2010 9 Comments
So my great-grandmother, Granny Hester, had a wonderful pie recipe that always reminds me of summer. She shared it with my grandmother who, in turn, shared it with me. I am sharing it with ya'll because it's just too good and simple not to. :)
Are these not the most beautiful strawberries ever? And you
know you love the Mickey bowl. :)

Granny Hester's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie


active: 10 minutes / total: 55 minutes / serves: 6 to 8 people
What you'll need:
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons tapioca
2 cups strawberries
2 cups rhubarb
2-9" pie crusts (I like Pillsbury)
2 tablespoons butter, cut up
milk
What you'll do:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Line bottom of a 9" pie pan with one of the pie crusts.
2. Quarter the strawberries and mix with sugar in a bowl. Let it hang out.
3. Peel the outer skin of the rhubarb, and then wash and chop. Be careful as the rhubarb will spray red juice everywhere if you're not careful. Combine with the strawberries and gently mix. Add 3 tablespoons of tapioca. Gently mix.
See that red vein sticking up? That's what you need to peel,
because otherwise your rhubarb will be stringy.
4. Pour the fruit mixture into the pie pan, and sprinkle more tapioca on top, if needed. Add butter to the top of the pie.
5. Unroll remaining pie crust and cut a design on it. Center pie crust over the pan. Trim, seal and flute the edges. Brush the top of the pie with milk.
I think that butter is upset at me. :) 
6. Wrap  foil around the edges of the pie, to prevent too much browning, and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
So completely perfect. Even if I did forget to set the timer.
When this pie is done cooking it just smells done! I can't
describe the smell, but its wholly amazing.
A couple of notes - Place foil or another baking sheet underneath your pie pan......this pie will more than likely bubble over. :)  Also, since rhubarb is not readily available in frozen form {or if you're my hubby, and you don't like frozen} you can make the fruit mixture ahead of time, when rhubarb is in season, and freeze the mixture in a bag. Pull the mixture out and defrost to use in pie or as a compote in the winter. :)

I hope you enjoyed this recipe, because we always do. :) Have a wonderful day!