Two New Projects and a recipe

I have two new projects on the docket, both crocheting. The first is a scarf for Aaron that will hopefully fit regulations so that he can wear it when it gets really cold and he has to go to work. The other is an afghan. I'm excited to get working on them! My plan is to at least start Aaron's scarf tonight. I found a pattern for the afghan that I like, so hopefully tomorrow I will get some time to work on it. All depends on the little munchkin. ;)

Meanwhile I wanted to share with you my recipe for healthy refried beans (and for the shredded chicken) that I created tonight for our burrito dinner (complete with whole wheat tortillas, and chicken breasts minus the skin).

Refried beans:

1/2 cup of pinto beans, dried
1/2 cup of black beans, dried

Dash each of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder (plus more to taste)

1 clove of garlic, smashed

1/2 of a jalepano (fresh from our garden), without the seeds or the center (to make it  less spicy)

Water
Olive oil
Frozen veggies (optional)

Cheese (I used 2% shredded Mexican cheese)


1. The first step is to rinse the beans. After rinsing the beans place in a saucepan that is big enough to hold them and about twice as much water. Also make sure that the pan has a lid that will fit.
2. Add water. (As stated above, use about twice as much water as beans, so in this case about 2 cups water. I just guesstimate on the actual amount.)
3. Add the seasonings, garlic, and jalepano to the water.
4. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Once it is boiling place the lid over the pot with a small amount open so that the steam can leave the pan and lower the heat to a low-medium.
5. Cook until the beans are soft. Try the "5 bean test" (from Anne Burrell on Food Network). Take 5 beans out of the pot (randomly) and test them to see how soft they are. Beans don't cook evenly so it is important to test more than just one. With two different kinds of beans, I suggest trying 5 of each type.
6. Now here comes the sneaky part that you can leave out if you want, but that didn't hurt the taste of the beans at all. Take some frozen veggies from your freezer (I chose one that had broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots in it). Microwave it with a little bit of water so that they are no longer frozen. Then pour them into a blender or a food processor and puree until they are a smooth consistency (I used a little bit of chicken broth from the chicken I was boiling, more on that later, to help with liquid and flavor). Pour into a bowl and set aside for the moment.
7. Drain the beans and reserve the liquid. Pour beans into the blender or food processor. With the blender you may need to use the bean "juice" to help blend the beans. Puree.
8. Add the veggie puree to the beans. Blend to a smooth consistency.
9. Heat some olive oil in a large pan. When the oil is hot, pour the beans into the pan. "Fry" the beans adding in cheese and any additional seasonings as desired.

The finished product looks something like this (its less yellowy and more of a brown color in person but the lighting was being tricky.)

It may take awhile to get the right consistency (how many times did I use that word in this recipe?) but it makes delicious, healthy beans. Aaron didn't have any idea that it had veggies even in it (he still doesn't know). They weren't very spicy because I am trying to watch my spice for heartburn purposes but they were still delicious. Feel free to experiment with the spice level. I also didn't add salt due to my heart issues. But some might like it with added salt.

Boiled Chicken:

1 chicken breast per person eating (choose small chicken breasts)

Dash of cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder (same as above)
2 jalepanos, use the seeds and the inside, cut into big strips so they can be removed later (same as above)
3 medium cloves of garlic, smashed (same as above)
Water

1. Take the chicken breast, frozen, right out of the freezer and put into a pan big enough to hold the chicken and some water (this could be done in a crock pot as well if time is an issue but I don't like the mushy-ness that comes from the crock pot).
2. Sprinkle the chicken with the seasonings. You can do both sides if you desire. If you want you can let the seasonings sit on the chicken for a bit to help it soak in. Or you can just go to the next step because the water will be seasoned by the seasonings and that will flavor the chicken.
3. Cover the chicken, just barely, with water. Add the jalepanos, seeds, and garlic.
4. Bring to a roiling boil. After it reaches a roiling boil reduce heat to simmer. Allow to simmer until the chicken can easily be torn apart and most of the liquid is gone (how much liquid the chicken soaks up depends on how much you start out with).
5. Let cool. Shred the chicken in a bowl.
6. If there is a lot of liquid left in the pan, drain the majority of the water leaving just a couple of tablespoons in the pan. This would be the time to remove the garlic and jalepanos as well. (Save the broth. It can be used next time you cook chicken, in the beans, or any other way that you can think of. It is a delicious, spicy, chicken broth.)
7. Return the shredded chicken to the pan with the little bit of liquid left in it. On a low heat reheat and allow the rest of the liquid to soak into the chicken. When the majority of the liquid has soaked in and the chicken is hot again, pour back into the bowl and serve.

Here's what the shredded chicken looks like. It doesn't look spicy but I promise it has a kick to it, thanks to the jalepanos and seasonings.

The best way to serve these ingredients is on a whole wheat tortilla with a little bit of salsa (best if homemade) and a small amount of shredded cheese.

(Note: Our tortilla choices are limited here on the East Coast. If I was in Az, Nm, or Ca I would probably buy some "handmade" tortillas that are available at the various different Mexican stores. I would still look for the whole wheat though as they are, by far, the healthier choice. And although Pace salsa is relatively healthy, I try not to use as much of it due to the sodium content which is bad for the heart. Same with watching how much of the cheese I use.)

It does take me about two hours of cooking time to prepare this dinner but most of the cooking time I don't have to do anything because the beans and chicken are simply boiling away. Start the beans first because they definitely take the longest amount of time. All in all it is a delicious, homemade, heart friendly meal that is pretty simple to create. Enjoy! :)

S's announcements finished!

It took me awhile to get some time to get them finished but I was finally able to get pictures and finish S's announcements. They will be in the mail tomorrow.

S is here!

So I've been a bit behind because of S's birth. Trying to get settled into life with a new baby. Things have been a bit more complicated than expected because I am not producing enough milk to breast feed and S lost a lot of weight the first few days of his life. He's fine. But we had to start supplementing with formula, pumping, and making sure that he is getting enough to eat. Its made for a few emotional days but it has helped with the crying that we were experiencing when we first got him home from the hospital. Tomorrow a lactation nurse (who is also a base nurse who has done home consultations with us during the pregnancy) is coming over to help with the breast feeding. Hopefully my milk will come in better so that I can actually be able to breast feed my baby.

Anyway, I am waiting for the hospital pictures to come in so that I can finish the announcements. My mom is coming on Saturday for two weeks and is planning on helping me get the house organized. Then Aaron's parents are coming for two weeks. Its going to be a crazy time, so chances are I will not be doing much in the crafting arena for a bit. Not until things start to settle a bit. But I have several projects in mind that didn't get done before Sherwood's birth, that I am looking forward to tackling once things settle into a routine. So stay tuned for more to come in a month or so. :)

Puzzle

So I haven't crafted the last couple days. Just been too wrapped up in the pain of the contractions. But I have been working on a puzzle with Aaron. Okay, I did most of it. Finished it today. Here's a photo. S really needs to be born.

No crafting today :(

I'll be honest, I didn't craft a bit today. I was so uncomfortable from all the cramping and contractions that I did everything I could to occupy myself in other ways. We walked, we went out to dinner, we went to some stores, we watched tv/movies, we spent some one-on-one time together, and we worked on a puzzle. Plus, Aaron planted some plants in our backyard and I "assisted" by sitting near by. Anything I could do to keep my mind off the pain of these contractions. But crafting wasn't one of those things. Just couldn't get myself to sit still long enough. Everything else we did I could get up from every few minutes as needed and Aaron was a part of so he could distract me. I sure hope this baby comes soon. Six days of contractions and counting. I'm so uncomfortable and hurt so bad. I just want to get the horrible part over with so the healing can begin. Hoping to get some sleep tonight. Maybe tomorrow I will work on the diaper bag?

S's Announcements II

I have been cramping all day today. They have been getting progressively closer together and I am praying that tonight will be tonight (we actually went to the hospital and were sent home because, although regular, they are not intense enough). Throughout the cramping I have been working on the announcements. I have them pretty much finished. I need S's picture to glue onto the right side of the announcement and need his birth information. Otherwise they are done. Now I am going to continue working on lining the envelopes until hopefully I can get myself to either go to sleep or go into full blown labor.

Here's version one (sorry its kinda blurry and the colors are a bit off cause I took the photos in the living room in poor lighting):

Version two:

And the envelopes:

Announcements I

I continued working on the announcements tonight. I'm not going to post any pictures until they are all glued together. It took a long time but I finally got all the letters cut out on the Cricut, glued the monkeys together and onto the cards, and managed to glue the word "Monkey" onto each of the cards. I also spent some time lining envelopes. Still have more envelopes to line and need to glue the rest of the letters on. Then the announcements will be ready for S to be born so his picture and birth information can be put on the card. Hopefully that won't be too much longer. Been contracting and cramping more intensely but still irregularly. I'm so eager to meet my little boy and to be done with this whole being pregnant thing. Soon hopefully.

Preparing for baby

I've been a bit preoccupied the last few days with baby preparations. We set up the crib, I've washed and organized clothes, blankets, bibs, etc. I've set up the area downstairs where we are going to spend the days of the first few weeks (since I am not supposed to go up and down the stairs during the day). All while having contractions, sleeping a whole heck of a lot, peeing like crazy, and just physically getting ready for my son's birth (and apparently dilating as well!). So crafting has been a bit on the back burner. BUT I have done some crafting.

Yesterday I spent a couple hours putting together the baby announcements that I started a few weeks ago. I am still making some decisions about them and having a very hard time committing to anything. But I think, perhaps this afternoon, I am ready to move on to the next step. I'm hesitant to put S's name on the announcements because I am fearful that he will turn out to be a girl and that the announcements will have to be completely re-done (right now they are more boy than girl but could be passed for girl if necessary). I also intend to line the envelopes and made a pattern for that yesterday. Need to use my Cricut and do some monkey cutouts. I'll put up pictures in a post later tonight of what I have done (assuming I don't go into labor). And maybe I can attack that diaper bag. But then again, the nursery needs attention too...

Later (11:16 pm):
I spent some time with my Cricut and with my camera. Here are some pictures of what my announcements look like so far. And here are the monkeys that will be glued on, hopefully tomorrow. Still no regular contractions so I might get them done before Sherwood comes. Although it wouldn't hurt my feelings if that isn't the case. :)

Here's one version of the card. On the right will be a picture of S once he is born and on the left will be the monkey.

And here's another version:

And the monkey:

I think it will be really cute when it is all done but we will see. 

Mother's Day gifts revealed

So here is what I made for Mother's Day. I found a poem online from a company who sells bracelets and I borrowed the concept. I am not going to include the poem because it is copyrighted but basically each colored bead holds a meaning. Both of the bracelets are very similar but I tried to make them slightly different just like each mom is different. Hope you enjoy.

And here are the gifts with their cards and the little bags:

Diaper Bag I

I got started tonight on the diaper bag project. I made several decisions today, and then changed my mind again. But what I ended up deciding was to go ahead and make the diaper bag as is, with the exception of creating a longer strap using d-rings to make it adjustable. Otherwise I am going to follow the pattern and see how it turns out. It might turn out in a way that I love or it might be too small (as I am guessing it might be). But if it is too small than I will have it to use and can go ahead and make another one with the adjustments needed to make it bigger at another time. Meanwhile I am going to try to find myself a store-bought large diaper bag somewhere that I really like. That way I will have a large durable diaper bag and then my two smaller ones as well.

I didn't get very far. Mostly ironed the fabric (that still doesn't look very ironed), cut out the pieces, and laid them all out so that I could see what I needed. Tomorrow hopefully I can tackle pinning and cutting out the fabric. It was just too much standing for me tonight with my feet as big as balloons.

So here's my ironing board covered with the project, and a picture of the fabric. More to come.

Pre-mommy frustrations

I want to make a diaper bag. That's where my frustrations began. But the diaper bag I wanted to make is not as big as I thought it was going to be. So I began to search for another pattern. I searched for ideas on how big diaper bags should be or usually are. For some reason the diaper bag that I bought (back when I first found out that I was pregnant) doesn't seem to hold very much stuff. I don't know why because it is a decent sized bag. It will probably be great for going out for short term trips and such. But right now it has a couple of outfits, two receiving blankets, my nursing cover, and a small teddy bear in it and it is stuffed. No diaper changing pad, no diapers, and no wipes. If I took out an outfit or two it would fit the changing pad, a couple of diapers, and probably some wipes but that's it. I don't necessarily need a whole lot on a day to day basis but I do need to have room for certain things and wanted to combine my purse with the diaper bag so that I am not carrying both.

Long story short I am a bit frustrated. So after a long time of measuring bags, looking at the standard size of diaper bags online, studying the pattern I own, and realizing that I needed to wash the fabric that I want to use to create the bag, I decided it was time to give up for tonight. So two nights in a row where I failed at crafting anything. (We did set up the crib yesterday, though, does that count?) Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for crafting. I have so many ideas for projects and just for some reason just don't have the energy or the umph needed to get them done. Truthfully this blog has been instrumental in me getting anything done. Its nice to have a place to hold me accountable.

Here's a photo of the pattern that I want to make. I am going to use a light brown on the outside and a striped green and yellow-ish material on the inside. I won't do the ribbon or anything cause I don't like it. I am thinking of extending the size a bit and making it a little bit longer and taller. I also want to adjust the strap so that it is long enough that I can put it over my head. Probably should invest in some D rings so that I can adjust the size of the strap but am a bit unsure on how to do that. We'll see. I still need to stew over it. And iron the fabric when it comes out of the dryer. (Yuck!) More updates to come.

Idina's Dress Part II

Tomorrow our community is having a pet competition. They are having different members of the community bring their dogs in their best outfits. This was encouragement for me to finish Idina's dress so that she can wear it and show it off tomorrow. She wasn't the most thrilled with me making her try it on so that I could pin the ribbons on and find out where to sew them on. She also didn't dance around like she usually does with a new dress. But she looks cute in it. I don't know how well it will hold up since I used ribbons to hold it on. We'll see. Here she is wearing it.

I attached ribbons on the bottom that tie so that I can get her in and out of it fairly easily. The halter top part is sewn in. It doesn't come quite as high as I would have liked and I will have to adjust if I make her one again but for a first try I think it turned out well.

Spring/Summer Wreath

Nenna and C came over today! Nenna and I had been wanting to make spring wreaths for the last month or so. We bought the stuff back in April but things just kept getting in the way, keeping us from spending an afternoon creating our wreaths. Today we were able to get our craft on and make our crafts (while C did his schoolwork and read to us).

Here's my wreath. Now I just have to figure out how to hang it...

Teddy Bear

I was having an emotional day today and Aaron wasn't able to come home for lunch, which made it worse. Pregnancy hormones get out of control sometimes! Anyway, I decided I needed to get out of the house, so I took myself to the Public Library in search of some new craft books.

For awhile now I have been wanting to try to make little crocheted stuffed animals. I found this amazing book at the library that teaches even beginning crocheters how to create these cute little creatures. Checked it out at the library and started working on a little teddy bear for my soon to be born baby boy. All I got done tonight was the head. It looks kinda funny right now cause it is just a bunch of round stitches but hopefully after I add the body, legs, and arms it will look as cute or cuter than the one in the book.

Here's the book that I checked out. Super easy patterns with picture instructions at the beginning to show even beginners how to do the stitches. The only thing I didn't like is there are a couple of  abbreviations that she doesn't really explain well. I understand them since I am familiar with the craft but beginners might struggle when they see them in the pattern. Otherwise I think it is a great book. Best instructions on crocheted animals that I have found yet.

Here's a picture of what the teddy bear looks like, all finished. Isn't it cute?

And here is the head to my bear. It's basically just a bunch of single crochets.

I can't wait to show you the finished product! :)

Crafting Blogs

I've been super swollen today. Thanks to the pregnancy (35 weeks tomorrow!) I have swollen feet and swollen hands. This has caused me to spend most of the day with my feet propped up to help with the swelling and my hands unoccupied. So instead of crafting I searched through other people's crafting ideas. I found myself several things I want to try adapting and making my own.

This is just a small selection of some of the great things I saw online today and want to try to adapt. I have several craft blogs that I am now subscribed to so that when my creativity is lacking I can go check out what other creative people are doing. Hopefully tomorrow my feet and hands will be less swollen. I want to get to work on a few things for Sherwood on the sewing machine, finish Idina's dress, and finish Mother's Day presents before the week is out. Don't know how much I will get done but hopefully I will be more successful tomorrow than I was today.

PS. If anyone has any ideas on how I can make a nursing nightgown that will provide coverage for when I am in the hospital (after S is born and I get cleaned up) I would love the suggestions. I'm thinking about the hospital gown pattern that is posted lower down. I just don't think I have the fabric and am trying to do it for cheap or free. Maybe I will luck out at Goodwill later this week...

This book is super cute! It is a bit much for S as he won't be playing tic tac toe for some time but it might make a great gift for my nieces/nephews. I just love the idea of using felt in such a great manner. Here are some of the pages in it.

                                             

http://soyouthinkyourecrafty.blogspot.com/1999/02/on-go-book.html

Love this bag for the teachers in my life. Don't know exactly how I would duplicate it but its super cute and practical.

  

http://soyouthinkyourecrafty.blogspot.com/2010/05/teacher-gifts-week-3.html

Here is an adaptation of a hospital gown pattern that I found online. I like her picture cause it shows how cute it can be made whereas the website with the pattern doesn't have a picture of the finished product.

The original pattern is from http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/hospitalgown.php. The pictures are taken from sewcutebabe.com. 

Here's a diaper bag and changing pad that is cute and looks pretty simple to duplicate.

http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/patterns_display.php?id=16

S's Bib Part II

I finished off S's bib tonight with some red yarn. Its not perfect but I am very proud of the finished product. And it matches daddy's scarf. :)

S's New Hat

I got to crochet tonight! Even though last night was not productive craft wise, tonight I was able to sit down while watching "The Terminator" with Aaron and crochet S's hat. I found a pattern online to get me started but really it is my own pattern. Here's what I did:

1. Chain 4, double crochet 11 in the 4th chain from the hook, slip stitch into the first chain.

2. Slip stitch into the top of the next two double crochets. Then chain 3. Double crochet into the same stitch. Skip a stitch and do two double crochets. Continue in this manner around the circle. Slip stitch into the third stitch of the chain (that was made at the beginning of this step).

3. Continue in like manner until the hat is large enough. I continued to increase stitches by adding two double crochets right next to the original chain of 3 in each row.

4. Tie off (can finish by slip stitching around the rim but I didn't do that so that it would be stretchy).

That's it. Simple. And then I turned it inside out because I liked the look of the ribs that were inside the hat. And viola! Here's the finished product. Can't wait to get a picture of it on my little one's head!

The finished product:

Upside down but here you can see some of the details:

Next to the model:

Idina's New Dress Part I

I have never made any kind of clothing (doll, dog, human) without a pattern before. I thought it was about time I tried. But rather than be overwhelmed by making something that was made for a myself or one of my loved ones (the human variety) I decided to start with something for my little dog.

First of all let me preface this with the fact that she loves to wear clothes. Weird, I know. But she gets so excited when I put clothes on her and gets upset when I take them off. I discovered this shortly after adopting her. It was winter and she kept shivering and burying herself under blankets. I was at the store and saw a cute little sweater that was around $5-10. I got it for her and brought it home, having no idea what she would think. Well, she didn't even want me to take it off the hanger that it came on, she was so excited about it. Since then I have done my share of buying her clothes and she has a nice mini wardrobe.

Last August I had to take her to the vet for a uti and while she was there the vet said that she needed to lose some weight. She has done an awesome job of it but it has made it so that many of her dresses are just a bit too big for her. Plus, her favorite dress (picture included) is getting a bit raggy. I'm not going to retire it quite yet but I thought it was time to try my hand at making her a dress.

The fabric that I am using for the skirt is some that I picked up years ago on sale at Joann's for some project and it has moved around with me. The top part is left over from Christmas projects, and the yellow is binding from S's quilt. It will have the binding (probably) as straps and some red ribbon as well. I am a bit concerned that it will be big enough for Idina's belly and if it is not than I may add little buttons and loops on the bottom. As you can tell, I am still in the designing phase and am basing things on what will fit my little girl who still has some weight to lose in the belly. I may just tie ribbons as the straps and under her belly so it can adjust as she gets smaller. But we will see.

Idina's favorite dress (bought at Target):

The beginning of the dress (the red is the bodice even though it has no shape right now):