Brunch at Saks: DIY: Paper Flowers

These lovely DIY flowers had me at hello!

My best friend's wedding is coming up in May. Guess what will be decorating the aisle as we walk down? Yup. You guessed it. We're makin' flowers baby! She is working on doing straight cut 4x4 flowers. I am doing scalloped cut 6x6 flowers. The variety is gorgeous! Each flower only takes a couple of minutes to make. I plan on making some, adding some floral wire, possibly some floral tape, some leaves, and some ribbon and putting them in a vase. Has anyone else made these? I highly recommend them! They're super easy and very fun!

Here are a couple I made!

Here's one Sabrina made!

Here are some after we got the hang of it yesterday! 

Notice the detail the scalloped edge scissors add?

Brunch at Saks: DIY: Paper Flowers

Happy Crafting!

~A

Confession Time!

So...I have a confession to make. The other night, the hubs and I bought something for our future baby. What future baby might you ask? The one(s) we plan to have, but are NOT currently pregnant with (just an FYI to those of you who read this and know my mom.) We actually are now up to three (five) things we have for our future child(ren).

Isn't it cute??

1. Three onesies my sil, Kristina, bought me for my birthday. They're VERY girlie. They're VERY cute. One has an elephant on it. (Kristina and I both have an affection for elephants.)
2. A red rubber "ducky" elephant. We were at Wal-Mart buying a gift for our friends who recently had their baby. I saw the rubber elephants. I saw a red one. Vance was game, so we bought it. (FYI: The elephant is Alabama's mascot. Crimson is one of their colors. Vance is a Bama fan.)
3. Our most recent purchase...an elephant rocking "horse."

Yup. We bought a rocking elephant for our future child(ren).

I am a closet nursery design addict. I follow blogs like Spearmintbaby and Domestic Adventure. Spearmint Baby constantly posts nursery ideas that are gender neutral, gender specific, usually vintage inspired, and almost always have a DIY spirit. I constantly drool over the potential that lie in the images of nursery decorations before me. I look forward to the day when I can refurbish a Craigslist dresser and add personal touches to MY baby's room. But for now...I buy an elephant rocker.

Now, this elephant rocker DOES play into my future nursery design ideas. I want to have an elephant "theme" in our first children's nursery. Don't get me wrong, there will only be HINTS of elephants. There won't be cute little jungle babies all over the bedding (GAG!). There will be bold colors, fun prints, and elephant accents throughout the cozy space...starting with the elephant rocker.

I peruse Craigslist often...the handy android app on my phone feeds my addiction aids me in that. The other day, I saw a listing that made my heart smile. The Kidcraft Elephant Rocker that I had been eyeing online was for sale, in basically new condition...for $25! I couldn't believe it! This thing retails for anywhere between $68 and $100. I begged asked Vance if we could get it. He kindly told me to email the lady. She responded a few hours later saying her son never really used it and that it has no rips, stains, or tears. (!!!) I was ecstatic! We met up with her husband the following evening and took the treasure off his hands.

I may not be decorating a nursery yet. I may not even be pregnant yet. However, I am now the proud owner of an elephant rocker and I couldn't be happier!

~A

My Impromptu Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Today the sun was shining. It was in the 60's here in Winston-Salem, NC. The dogs stayed outside for a little over two hours. It was just SO NICE outside. So naturally, what did I want to make for dinner? Homemade chicken noodle soup. Yep. That's how I roll.

I don't understand why I had a hankering for chicken noodle soup, but the hubs and I bought the ingredients for it BEFORE the weather turned beautiful. Wednesday evenings, we're lucky if we don't get take out. I am EXHAUSTED on Wednesdays. I am a nanny for an 8 month little boy named Max and a 13 month little boy named Sully. I watch them 8-5 Wednesday/Thursday and 12-5 on Fridays. I also watch them 10-12:30 most Tuesdays. Since Wednesday is my first full work day, I am ready for bed by 8:30pm and dinner? Forget it. BUT ANYWAY! I decided to dig out my ingredients and experiment a bit with this soup, so it isn't a science. It's an art. (P.S. I like squishy veggies in my soup. If you do not, you want to shorten the cooking length of this soup by about half.)




Chicken Noodle Soup Off The Cuff

Ingredients:
3-4 Medium Carrots
2-3 Celery Stalks
16 oz Chicken Stock (I used Great Value brand.)(I didn't measure, so you may want more or less. I just made sure my veggies were covered.)
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (feel free to boil a whole chicken and use the stock)
1 Tbsp. Stick Butter
Minced Garlic
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Crushed Red Pepper
Salt
Pepper
Water
Large Bag of Egg Noodles

Preparation:
1. Wash all vegetables with warm water.
2. Peel carrots and cut off any undesirable areas.
3. Slice carrots and celery. (Bite size pieces.)
4. Cube chicken into bite size pieces.

Directions:
1. In a large pot, melt butter on medium heat.
2. Add celery and carrot pieces. Let simmer, stirring every so often for about 5-10 minutes.

3. Add 16ish ounces of chicken stock until veggies are barely covered. Let simmer for 10 or so minutes.
4. Add chicken.*

5. Add enough water to fully cover the mixture, but be sure not to add too much, as it will dilute the flavor.
6. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. (I did not measure any of these. I just added them in gradually throughout the cooking process. Be easy with the red pepper, unless you like things REALLY spicy.)
7. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium low, and let simmer/cook for 3-3.5 hours, checking on it and stirring occasionally.
8. About fifteen minutes before you're ready to serve, add the bag of egg noodles to the pot. Again, add just enough water to cover the mixture. Make sure to stir the noodles down and mix into the rest of the soup for optimal flavor and even cooking.

9.  Season to taste with mentioned seasonings.
10 Add crackers if you so desire and enjoy!

(I made these homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.)

This is the first time I have ever made chicken noodle soup...other than what comes out of a can. :-) The hubs is a BIG fan. He isn't the type of man to tell me something is good if he really doesn't care for it, so I know it's a hit if he says so. Plus, he went to culinary school, so if HE says it's amazing, it must be, right?

Happy Cooking!

~A



*Adding raw meat to vegetables is a personal preference. Some people believe it isn't safe. However, you use chicken stock that raw chicken sat in, so what's the difference? My husband, who went to culinary school, says it is fine to add the raw chicken to the uncooked veggies. However, if you prefer, you can pre-cook the chicken in the microwave or if you boiled your chicken for your chicken stock, you're already good to go!