The Green Monster Smoothie

My kids seriously ask for this everyday, and sometimes multiple times. It is the breakfast, snack, and even drink of choice around here. We were introduced to this drink this past summer when we visited my parents up in Washington state. We named it the green monster smoothie so that my son would be more apt to drinking it. There are many variations of this drink, and I find myself sometimes altering what I put in as well

 The kids love to help make it and guzzle is down within minutes. The little man always has seconds. I love it because I get lots of fruits and veggies down these kids all at once without a fight. Also, my son is more willing to try vegetables that he sees going into the smoothie. Awesome!

Ingredients:
1-2 cups water

1 pear cut up

1/4 of cucumber

2 handfulls of spinach

1 banana (best if frozen, if not just add ice for a better smoothie consistency) 

1 large spoonful of orange juice concentrate

1 large spoonful of greek yogurt (I do this for the protein, it is fine without, and works with vanilla protein powder as well)

Other things you can try that my family enjoyed

watermelon (I picked a kinda gross one the other day, but it worked great in a smoothie)

kale

some honey if you like it extra sweet

Mix it all up and enjoy this green monster. You'll love it and so will your kids.

Ah-Mazing Sugar Cookies

Cream together:
1½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs (add in one at a time and mix)
5 tsp. vanilla extract

Then add:
 4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix well. Roll into flattened balls and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. I also heard a secret that if you put your dough in the fridge for an hour and then roll it out, you can use a cookie cutter and they make the cute shapes and don't get all deformed. Don't let the edges of the cookies brown.

Now the kiddies and I decided to just add sprinkles this go around, but butter cream frosting is the finishing touch on these bad boys that really make them taste like the store bought thing (you know, the ones that they have at the bakery that they make for every holiday. Those things are addicting, and warning... so are these)

A good recipe for the frosting if you want to add the finishing touch, whip up the following:
1 c butter
4-5 c powdered sugar
Milk (about 7 T, you may need a little more or less, depending on the consistency)
1 tsp vanilla
add in some food coloring if you want to make them festive
frost cooled cookies and sprinkle if desired

Ah-mazing! Enjoy your homemade sugar cookie!

Childhood Kitchen Set

Yesterday I decided to go through our storage boxes in the garage and get them organized and figure out what to keep or get rid of. I had boxes and stuff strewn throughout the room. Amongst the stuff was my  old kitchen play  set. This baby was a nice pink,  and it just needed some  revamping.  I changed  the color too so that it will work with  both boys and girls.  I loved it  as a little  girl, and I also  think my mom had it when she was a little girl too. I even have my old play food and dishes... like a whole pizza, a sandwhich, and little tea cups. These projects definitely brought back memories as I went through them. It is fun to have these toys from my childhood to pass down to my kids to enjoy.

When my parents were here for Christmas my mom showed me how to put the picture on the backing, and then my dad and mom put the frame together... I love how it turned out! And I finally hung it up this week. This picture and frame idea comes from Poppyseed Projects.

A Girl's Nursery: Vintage Sweet

Now moving on to Gracie's room. I painted it green and we added this cute chandelier, which will hang above the crib when we put it in there. William is still using it right now though, but in about 3 months he will make the transition to his big boy bed... we didn't want him to feel put out at the same time that we brought Gracie home.

This is opposite the crib wall. You will recognize another Goodwill 50% off sale find in this dresser, which was sanded down and painted. It doubles as a changing table too, the pad is just not on it in this picture. We also have some little hooks for bows, which is so fun! I got this project done awhile ago, it has just been put all together in the past 3 weeks.

And this is the final project that we did to cover the half-moon window. We took some foam board and covered it with batting and fabric, and then hung it. It was such an easy project and works like a charm. I got the idea for that project here.

Before and After: Goodbye Orange Velvet Chair, Hello Pretty Young Thang

My mom came to town for Gracie's birth and to help out. While she was here she worked on a few projects, and helped me to complete a few of my own. She is very talented and creative, and totally inspires me.

Let's take a look back at one of my Goodwill finds at the 50% off sale... Yes, that's right, the beautiful orange velvet chair that Luke was skeptical of it ever looking nice.

I tore that thing apart, sanded it down and painted it, and then my mom got her hands on it and did the rest... now it is beautiful, and updated. I love it!

I also love the fabric, which we found at a place that sells fabric by the pound... score! If you live in the Phoenix area it is SAS Fabric

Thrift Store Find(s)

If you haven't figured this out yet, I shop at Goodwill, and the deals are amazing with their 50% off sales. Call me crazy, but I find good stuff there for a mere fraction of what it would cost me normally. And shopping there has made me even more frugal. If I go into a normal store i often balk at the prices. Call me cheap, but it isn't easy. It is definitely hit and miss, and many of the things I find requires some elbow grease (at least in the furniture department). So let me introduce you to two new finds, one will steal the show. I found another chair to go at the table. After I paint it, it will fit nicely, and for the price tag of $1.50, I couldn't be happier.

Now lets get a closer look at this orange velvet chair. Show stopper, right? Like my husband you may think this in a bad way. When I brought it home to Luke, I said don't worry, it will look pretty one day. He replied, "Honey, I don't think that thing will ever look pretty." Ha! We shall see. All I need is some time, paint, and some fabric and it will be fabulous. Trust me... and if you don't... to bad. What also makes this thing amazing is its $6 price tag. While I was waiting for the guy to take it to the back for me to pick up after shopping, I kid you not, 3 different people tried buying it too. See, I'm not the only crazy person.

I have already started the makeover process too, right now it is sitting naked on the back patio. So stay tuned, hopefully within the next couple of weeks I can show you my vision for it.

Refinishing a Table

Here is the long awaited table. I have mentioned this piece a few times in my posts and it is finally done. I still have one more chair and a bench I want to add to it, but that will come in time. I love how it turned out. Obviously there are still many imperfections, dings, uneven paint in parts, and some weird looking distressing, but I don't care. I am happy with how it turned out. I am not a perfectionist by any means, when I want something done, I go and do it and live with the little mistakes, and learn for the next time. The table is a huge improvement from what it was. I got started on it one evening by using wood filler to fill in the border on the table top. It was a huge carved out line that got anything and everything stuck in it, and was totally not practical and kind of gross. So I filled it in and the next evening I had Luke help me move it to the back patio, where the magic takes place. After sanding it down I then brought the chairs out, sanded those and then got to work on painting them. After letting them dry for a day I distressed them and brought them inside. Happy day!

Tutorial to Come