A Busy Spring

It seems that for the last two months our number of posts have really gone down. Sorry, it's been a busy spring! Here in South Dakota, the warm weather doesn't usually kick in till mid to late April, but this year we have been blessed with warm weather starting in March!

I have been frantically working around the house like a mad woman! There are so many project that I am doing around the house, but sadly none of them are really blog worthy :(

I took an old landscaping area and removed rocks from it, pulled the weeds, and tilled under all the dirt to create a new garden area out of it.

Yesterday we planted all of our plants. We soon will have potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, butternut squash, Chinese squash, herbs, and some hops. (The hops is for my husband's beer making.)

In addition to planting the garden, I am in the process of trying to save/restore our grass. When we purchased this house, we had basically all weeds. After two rounds of broad leaf spray, we are down to just dirt and a little grass. I lovingly spread out some grass seed and raked it into the ground, hoping to have some thicker grass by summer. (My husband's project has been to build us a Fire Patio. Basically a really nice fire pit surrounded by a brick patio. Hopefully he will write a blog for me about it.)

In addition to the yard work, I have been clearing out an area under one of our decks to be a sandbox for Aiden. I think it will be perfect for him to play while I work on the garden and the deck will provide some shade from the sun.  I hope to blog about this project soon.

On the days it's raining, I have been working on the Firetruck Room (see The Fire Truck Room #1) and I am proud to say that it's almost finished! The painting of the walls are complete, along with my wall mural. I can't wait for the big reveal!

And as for recipes, well with warm weather comes grilling. We have pretty much stuck with the usual of chicken, burgers, brats, and steak.

source

Oh and let's not forget the famous work done yearly in each and every house....SPRING CLEANING!

source

While doing all of these little projects, I am making it through the pregnancy (now 16 weeks along), chasing a toddler around, and working part time. On most days, I go to bed around 9pm and try to drag myself out of bed at 7am, when my son gets up. I am lucky to have a son who lets me sleep that late. However, this pregnancy is exhausting....

source

and the allergies aren't making it easier on me :)

source

So my apologies for not having any new posts lately. My hopes are to get up a few more posts in the next week, however I have about a 40 hour work project coming up in the next few days so life looks to be very busy! (Oh and a vacation-- can't forget the vacation or actually two vacations!!! Yeah!!!)

Like this post?
Pin It

The Joys of Toddlerhood Part 2

A few weeks back I posted my first blog about the 'Joys of Toddlerhood' and hope to make it somewhat of a series that I can use as a way to vent my frustrations of toddlerhood, but also look back and enjoy reading all the fun times with my child.

Toddlerhood is here to stay, complete with all the bumps and bruises that go with it. My little guy got his first scrapes on his elbow the other day. From what, I have no idea. I should say that I am not a bad parent, for not knowing when my kid gets hurt, but I have one tough kid! He will take a spill like Steve-O from Jackass and will barely make a peep. He was blessed with my husband's non-dramatic personality, so he usually stays pretty calm even when he has hurt himself.

Each day he becomes more and more aware of his surroundings. He will point at the sky and yell "Bird" when he hears the birds. He loves to play with earthworms and watch the frogs jump in our pond. (We have tried to catch a frog, but they are way too fast for us!) He experienced his first run through the sprinkler the other day. He has always been a kid that loves water, but I soon quickly found out that he is not a fan of the sprinkler's ice cold water for a long period of time.

Though I talk about my son as if he is some sort of angel, he is not. One thing that has come with toddler years is the whining. The constant, non-stop, daily whining.

source

It's enough to make a woman go insane and it really tests my patience, I am sure the whining is his form of communication until he develops more words. I notice his whining is worse when he is tired and hungry, so usually I will try to subside him with food or sleep. However, on occasion, it seems like he just likes to walk around an whine. I guess that is just one of the fun parts of having toddler. My husband and I have decided that whining is a bad habit and to adopt a "No Whining" policy.

source

Even though it is hard to really enact forms of discipline, the phrase "No whining" probably comes out of my mouth about 50 times a day. After one warning, we do the "That's One" count down to a time out. (As instructed by the 1-2-3 Magic Discipline Book.) Some people might think it's mean to do timeouts on a 17 month old, but with our son we can tell he knows the difference between right and wrong and it's a good way to reinforce it.

After talking to my older sister, she says the whining battle is a battle you will fight for the years to come. She still sometimes has to remind her kids (now 9 and 6) that they need to quit whining. Right now, I feel like my son mainly whines as a way to communicate and also get attention. (Much like the fake coughing he does.)  No matter the reason for the whining, it will not be tolerated this house. Or at least we will do the most we can to prevent it. I am sure it's just one of the many fun things that comes with the toddler years!

To end this post on a happy note, my son has learned the word "No". Now I think many parents cringe at the thought of their child learning "No" but I have found it quite hilarious. My child has decided that right before he is going to do something naughty he will repeat to himself "no, no, no." It's a great warning for me and it also shows me, even more, that a toddler can understand so much more than they can communicate.

So for now, we will make it through these whining times and cherish the times when hearing "no" makes me laugh. Parenting isn't for the weak, but I think in the end all the bad times will outweigh the good and it's good for me to remember to keep my cool.

source

Like this post?
Pin It

Random Tuesday Survey!

I was perusing through one of my favorite beauty blogs (Amarixe) and saw that she did a little survey.  I figured, why not?  Self-reflection is always good :)  More importantly I invite YOU to take the survey yourself and post your blog in the comments section!  

Photo Source

1.) Mood:Tired but happy and... a little anxious.  I love this beautiful Spring weather we're having but it's hard to fully enjoy it with stress of Spring semester ending.  Still, I love the sight and scent of the beautiful blossoms :)

Photo Source

2.) Are there any spring trends you're loving this year? Any you're hating?  I am a little surprised to say it but I'm digging the colored jeans.  Yes, yes I know how 90's-ish, but I love color.  Adding a bright, shocking pair of pants to my wardrobe has been kind of fun! Hubby and I are really pinching pennies (see question #5) but I let myself by a cheap pair of red pants from Target.  And oh yes, they are absolutely fun :)  As far as hating... I just don't like chunky sandals and shoes.  Not my thing I guess!  

Photo Source

3.) Do you like to cook?  I actually love to cook!!  However, working full time while being a full time grad student has put a real kabosh on my kitchen time.  Right now it's all about convenience.  However, I have kind of a "bucket list" going of things I'm going to do when I'm done with school and one of them is trying lots of new recipes.  I'm actually hoping to take a baking class!  I love cooking but have never really invested much time in baking.  I've made the typical cookies and simple pies but nothing really challenging.  So I'm hoping to hone a new craft and get some great tips!  

Photo Source

4.) Current nail polish:  I can't believe I'm about to say this but... NONE!  (I know, everyone who knows me is like, WHAT?!!!).  Truth is I felt I needed to give my nails a breather... like a REAL breather.  So I haven't had nail polish on for two weeks.  However, with all this beautiful weather I'm pining to break out my OPI Alpine Snow.  If I had change to spare I'd march right out and buy Essie's "A Crewed Interest."

Photo Source

5.) What is something you are excited about at the moment?  Well I'm excited to announce that Nathan and I are house-hunting!  It is such a crazy process and a little stressful but just thinking of the possibilities... it makes me so happy.  I am so pathetic that I actually day-dream about decorating said future house for Christmas.  Yup, I'm special, aren't I? ;)  Anyway, we are EXTRA tight with our budget and putting every penny we possibly can towards our down payment.

Photo Source

6.) Current outfit:  Just jammies :)

Photo Source

7.) Are you a heavy or light sleeper?  I am a cursed light-sleeper.  My dear hubby is probably the quietest snorer (yes, it exists) ever but any little sound wakes me up or prevents me from sleeping.  Even if I fall asleep and he is reading it will wake me up when he turns a page. Not even kidding!

Photo Source

 

8.) What size handbag do you prefer?  I guess I'd have to say medium.  I have a crossbody right now that is very convenient but sometimes I wish it had more room so I could carry more important things. You know, like lip gloss ;)  

Photo Source

9.) Do you like karaoke?  Truthfully? No. I can't stand it. The funny thing is I absolutely love singing, am a huge choir nerd, and have sang by myself in front of tons and tons of strangers. I take it pretty seriously! But that's why I can't enjoy Karaoke... I am too much of a perfectionist! It sounds silly I know but I can't seem to make myself make light of it because I take it so seriously.  Still, I have participated in Karaoke a few times in my life. But it's not my activity of choice and have on occasion screamed along to, "Wannabe." :)

Photo Source

10.) Weekly goals:  

-Get to confession and a few other Holy Week services 

-Get some work done on my big project

-Make a delicious dessert for Easter dinner on Sunday :)  

Photo Source

~Christi

Carrot Risotto

The other week, my husband and I went out to dinner and I had the most wonderful carrot risotto. I decided to try making my own at home and made this recipe the other night for dinner. It was my first time making risotto and my husband and I LOVED it!

You will need the following ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups of carrots, peeled and chopped in food processor
1/2 tsp. salt
1 teaspoon sugar
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if going vegetarian)
1/2 small onion, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste

To start, melt 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat in large pan.

Chop carrots to be very small and uniform in size. I used a food processor. Don't puree them.

Add carrots to pan with oil and stir with a wooden spoon until well coated.

Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the sugar. Cover and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes.

Once tender, uncover and cook until all water evaporates. Separate carrots, put half in a bowl

and the other half in a blender with 3/4 cup of hot water. Purée in blender till smooth.

Heat remaining oil and butter in same pan used for carrots.

Add chopped onion.

Cook onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

While the onion is cooking, in a separate pan, bring your broth to a boil.

Once onion is cooked, add the rice and coat with the oil. Cook for 1 minute. (When making risotto, cooking the rice in oil before adding liquid helps the rice to absorb the liquids slowly with becoming soggy. This is called "Toasting the Rice.")

After rice is browned, add in 1/2 cup white wine to deglaze the pan. 

And if you can drink alcohol. Pour yourself a glass of wine and sip while cooking the rest of the meal. (I am pregnant, so my photographer husband enjoyed the wine while I cooked.)

Once the wine evaporates, add the carrot purée.

Stir rice and  purée together and cook until mixture is thick.

Now it's time for the broth, ladle up 1/2 cup hot broth.

Pour broth in your rice/carrot mixture. 

Stir until rice absorbs most of the liquid. 

Repeat process, adding 1/2 cup broth each time and stirring often till until the rice absorbs the liquid. You WILL NOT use all the broth. Keep adding the broth only until the rice tastes cooked. (Adding too much broth at the end can result in overcooked risotto. Keep the broth simmering slowly while you add it to the rice. This helps maintain a constant cooking temperature.)

Once the rice is cooked, add in carrots, parsley, thyme, & pepper. Do not over stir. 

Fold in mascarpone and parmesan cheese. Add salt to taste. 

Serve the carrot rissotto garnished with parmesan, parsley, and thyme. Serve with a nice glass of dry white wine and some crusty bread on the side.

Enjoy!

The Skinny: Serves 6 @ 375 calories each

Like this post?
Pin It

DIY Painting A Dresser

If you have been following our blog, you probably read the post about me creating my son a Fire Truck Room.

I have slowly been redoing furniture to be a part of his room, such as the Toy Box

and the book shelf.

 The next furniture project was to repaint this old dresser of mine. Here is what the dresser looked like before:

Though the dresser may not look like it is in that bad of shape, it is made out of laminated wood and has scratches all over it. It still has stayed quite sturdy through the years and has managed to survive ten moves in the almost 8 years that I have owned it. My husband hates it and I was quite convinced that I could paint it and put it to good use in our son's room. After all, kids like to destroy things and I feel a whole lot better if he ended up destroying this dresser over a new one.

Now, I have always had somewhat of a fear about painting over laminated wood. Some paint just won't stick to it. After reading several websites, I found people overwhelmingly endorse Zinsser Cover Stain to paint over laminate. I decided to give it a try.

source

First, when you decide to paint a dresser, you want to start out with removing all knobs and drawers. I tried to remove the top one, but it was stuck. Hubby couldn't even get it to come out without breaking it, so we gave up on it.

Using a foam roller, I applied the cover stain to the dresser. I was very impressed with the way it blocked out the previous laminate color.

Also, the cover stain stuck to the laminate and was easy to apply. It created a great working surface to apply my color to. This product might be a new fav of mine! (I think I smell a sequel to  Handygirl's Top 10 Essentials.)

I originally had this grand idea to paint the entire dresser Fire Engine Red. I set out to purchase a gallon of red paint and walked up to the counter at Lowes to have them mix it up. I always like to browse the "Ooops" paint containers for any colors worth buying when lo and behold, they had a Valspar Signature Paint gallon in Fire Engine Red for only $10!!  That never happens to me! I quickly yelled to the paint lady to stop with my paint, seconds before she opened the new can, and snatched the "Ooops" gallon up! What a steal, I saved $22 on this paint!

source

So as I said, the idea was originally to paint the entire dresser red. After painting on the side of the dresser, I decided all red was going to be WAY too much for this room!

I decided instead to paint the main part of the dresser white. I used some leftover white paint I had from the Adirondack Chairs I painted last summer.

And painted the drawers with the Fire Engine Red paint.

While at Lowes I also picked up some white porcelain knobs for the dresser and replace the existing ones.

In the end, I ended up with the dresser looking like this and I honestly couldn't be happier about how it turned out. I love the contrast between the drawers and the dresser.  In addition, the white knobs just tie the colors together.

Here is the snazzy before and after pic:

I think this might be final piece of furniture for Aiden's firetruck room as the room is pretty small and I don't think I could fit much more in there. I shouldn't say I am completely done with furniture. I have grand ideas for a cool nightstand, but I am still on the hunt for the right object to make it work.

Like this post?
Pin It