2 pairs of dancing tights – $12

Bun holder for fine hair – $8

Pony tail holders for fine hair – $4

Tap dancing shoes – $35

Ballet shoes – $24

Dancing bag – $17

First month of preschool dancing classes – $45

The look on her face at the end of the first class – Priceless

Happily submitted to PhotoStory Friday, Give Me Your Best Shot, Finer Things Friday, Just for the Joy of It, The Inspired Room, and I’m Lovin’ It Fridays

Like eggs.

We recently had the opportunity to try out the brand new George Foreman Evolve Grill, and we thought it was a fantastic improvement over our older model. The Evolve allows us to grill foods we never thought possible, like the French Toast we had for breakfast on Labor Day.

The biggest difference between our older grill and the new Evolve Grill is that the plates are removable and interchangeable. Our review model came with the original grill plates, a deep dish grill pan, and the new slider pan for miniature burgers. The original plates are great for chicken breasts, burgers, pork chops, and plain old hot dogs.

I can’t wait to try the panini plates, the omelet plates, and the waffle plates. I can see us keeping our George Foreman Evolve Grill out on the counter, next to our microwave, for the foreseeable future. The new plates make it that versatile.

The plates are also my only criticism of the grill. I am really eager to try the ones I mentioned, but I can’t find them. They’re not on Amazon or in the George Foreman online store. I’ll be happier when they are more widely available.

Another big difference we noticed is that the hinge on the new Evolve Grill is expandable. In other words, really thick foods (as Joe likes his pork chops) don’t prop the lid open. Rather, the hinge expands and still allows the plates to come in contact with food.

A few things we liked about our old grill that are included with the new model are the fabulous nonstick coating, a digital thermometer/timer, an angled surface that drains fat away from the food, and dishwasher-safe removable cooking plates.

Do you have a George Foreman Grill?

What do you use it to cook?

The Family Review Network and George Foreman Healthy Cooking provided me with a product sample in exchange for my honest review.

Happily submitted to Things I Love Thursday

The crown she’s wearing was a prize from one of the Super Why spelling games.

Fun times at our house!

She is about to say, Please don’t interrupt me, Mom. Can you tell?

Happily submitted to 5 minutes for Mom, Wordful Wednesday, and Red Lotus Mama

This is not a sponsored post, in case you’re wondering.

We found out not long ago that we’re expecting another baby girl, and I knew I needed to get working on Grace’s keepsake quilt. If I didn’t, those outfits would get pulled back out and reused for the new baby.

Reusing the outfits isn’t inherently bad, as they are my favorites. But these are my favorite outfits from Grace’s infancy. I want to make a quilt that’s just for her. The new baby will have plenty of her own clothes.

How to Make a Keepsake Quilt from Baby Clothes

Step One: Find and Sort the Baby Clothes

The first step in making the baby clothes quilt is to find the clothes. I had many more than I needed, so I went through the box with a very critical eye. The pieces to which I didn’t have an immediate emotional reaction got put back into the basement for the new baby to use.

When I was finished sorting, I still had about 75 pieces to use, ranging in size from newborn to 2T.

Given the volume of clothes, I set out to find other baby clothes quilts that could inspire my own pattern.

Step Two: Look at Other Baby Clothes Quilts for Inspiration

I scoured the internet for baby clothes quilts. I was surprised at the variety I found. As you’ll see below, they range from very large squares in a patchwork pattern to very small pieces in a fancy pattern. Some have borders between the baby clothes, others have the squares butting up next to each other.

From Vermillion Rules, the blog currently hosting a baby clothes quilt along:

This was my favorite design, but I found it in Google images and the link to the site no longer works. Bummer! (If this is your photo, please email me and give me a current link that I can use to give you credit.)

From Wee Wonderfuls, a boy and girl version:

From Legacy Quilts, a mompreneur who makes keepsake quilts from a combination of whole clothes and cut up clothes:

From Goose Tracks, a small company that makes and sells keepsake quilts and pillow shams:

From Willow Creek Baby, a mompreneur who makes and sells keepsake quilts:

From Jelly Bean Quilts, a mompreneur who makes and sells keepsake quilts:

From Kathy K. Wylie, a mompreneur who made this quilt from very small circles cut from baby clothes:

The next step is to actually design the keepsake quilt. (Link won’t work until the posts goes live on September 15.)

More ideas for dealing with clothing storage

A few of my bloggy friends and I coordinated this week to talk about ways to store, organize, and re-use old clothing. Please check out their ideas, too -

• Amy at Raising Arrows is talking about how to store hand-me-downs (a necessity for her large family)
• Cheryl at Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama is talking about sorting clothes to find them more easily when the season changes or you need a bigger size
• Lauren at Mama’s Laundry Talk is talking about storing kids’ clothing by size and season to make storage easier
• Angie at Many Little Blessings is talking about sorting through your own closet
• Nony at A Slob Comes Clean is talking about how to deal with clothing clutter

I don’t remember why I needed one bamboo skewer, but I did. And I could only find them in packs of seven thousand.

Okay, not really seven thousand, but it felt like an awful lot. I think it was a hundred or a hundred forty-four or something.

Since I had so many left over, I came up with a lot of uses for them.

In fact, I had to go buy more because I ran out.

Who would’ve thought?

Oh, by the way, if you are going to cook bamboo skewers (presumably with food on them, on the grill or in the oven), you’re supposed to soak them in water for 30 minutes before you use them. Otherwise, they burn.

Or so I’ve heard.

{ahem} Moving on.

10 Foods to Make with Bamboo Skewers

1. Shish kebabs on the grill. This is the obvious one, right? Spear your meat and veggies with the bamboo skewer (after you’ve soaked it). If you’re going to make shish kebabs with both meat and veggies, you must precook the meat so that you’re just heating it. Otherwise, by the time the meat is cooked, the veggies will be charcoal.
   Also, make sure the foods that take longer to cook (like onions and peppers) are cut into smaller pieces than the quick-cooking foods (like pineapple and cherry tomatoes) so that nothing burns.
   Oh, and I like to use marinated, pre-cooked meats. It makes the whole thing tastier.
2. Fruit skewers. Just like above, you can put similarly sized chunks of fruit onto a skewer, chill, and serve. It’s even better if you serve a yogurt or cream cheese dip or chocolate fondue with them.
3. Fresh veggie skewers. Whether you cook them or not, a skewer makes veggies infinitely more appealing to children. The novelty might get veggies into little tummies where they otherwise would not go. As with the fruit, if you serve a dip with them, they might go over better.
   Or, forget the kids and make grilled mushrooms to add to a steak. This recipe looks amazing!
4. Chicken satay. I’ve never actually made this, but I think it’s a really neat departure from the typical skewer recipe. The recipe I linked is from Tyler Florence at Food Network.com.
5. Teriyaki beef. Very similar to chicken satay but made with beef and different seasonings, these teriyaki beef skewers would make awesome appetizers at a party or a cool way to serve dinner on a special occasion.
6. Garnish drinks. I think these garnishes from Better Homes and Gardens are the cutest Halloween food ever. They use skewers to hold them in drinks, but you could stick them in a cake, too. (Slide 1 is by far the best one, in my opinion.)
7. Make rock candy. I’ve done this many times with my students, and it works beautifully. The really fancy rock candy you buy in gift shops almost always has a skewer as a base.
8. Dip foods in chocolate. Whether we’re dipping peanut butter balls, pretzels, or cheesecake bites into melted chocolate, we use skewers to hold them during the process.
9. Poke holes in a cake. Bake a chocolate cake according to the package directions (any incarnation of chocolate will work – devil’s food, German chocolate, chocolate fudge, whatever). Allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Use a skewer to poke lots of holes in the hot cake in a grid, but try not to go the whole way through the bottom of the cake. One at a time, pour 3/4 cup of fudge topping, 3/4 cup of caramel topping, and 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk over the hot cake. (Let each soak in fully before adding the next.) Allow the cake to cool completely, and spread 8 ounces of Cool Whip over the cake. Top with crushed candy bars, Skor is my favorite.
   You can do something very similar with a white cake mix and orange Jello.
10. Test a cake or pan of brownies. This isn’t a food exactly, but a skewer makes a perfect cake tester. Stick it into the center of the pan, and if the batter sticks to it, the cake or brownies aren’t done.

More Tips for Cooking Food with Bamboo Skewers

• Don’t forget to soak the skewers if you’re going to cook them.
• Leave a little space between the foods so that the heat surrounds each piece. They will cook more evenly and faster.
• If you’re using foods that cook a lot faster than the rest  (cherry tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, etc.), consider putting them on a separate skewer so they don’t get done too quickly.
• Even better (and especially if you’re going to take the foods off of the skewers for serving), keep one kind of food on each skewer. Do all of the pork on one, chicken on another, onions on a third, etc. That’s not at cool as the fancy many foods on a stick ones, but it will give you more control of the cooking process.
• Don’t forget to turn the skewers, especially on the grill.

How do you use bamboo skewers?

Have you seen the rest of the series?

• 10 Things to Make with a Bundt Pan
• 10 Things to Make with a Muffin Pan
• 10 Foods and 10 Crafts to Make with Cookie Cutters
• 10 Things to Make with a Scoop
• 10 Things to Make with a Mandoline
• 10 Things to Make in a Springform Pan
• 10 Uses for an Icing Decorator

Photo source

Happily submitted to Top Ten Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, and Works for Me Wednesday

I do not know where this recipe came from.

I got it from a friend, who got it from a friend, who’d also gotten it from a friend. It’s like a chain letter, only you’ll love it.

Broccoli, Cheese, and Rice Casserole is supposed to be a side dish. It’s delicious and flavorful.

We never eat it as a side dish any more. When we make this, we open a can of shredded chicken and call it a meal.

This is equally good with frozen and fresh broccoli, in case you’re wondering. Use whatever you have on hand.

Broccoli, Cheese, and Rice Casserole

• 1 cup rice, prepared according to package directions
• 15 ounces of shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion (to hid the pieces from a small person who dislikes onion)
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 3 ounces light Velveeta Light, cubed
• 3 ounces pepper jack Velveeta, cubed
• 2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
• 1 pound broccoli, chopped (if using frozen, it should be thawed and drained)
• 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or microwave for 10 minutes.

Happily submitted to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Ultimate Recipe Swap, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Friday Feasts, Foodie Friday, and Food on Friday

Photo source

1. 10 Things to Cook in a Muffin Pan (I have to interject that this is the first time in 14 months that my tutu tutorial post hasn’t been the most viewed post of the month.)
2. How to Make a Tutu – A Tutorial
3. Homemade Ice Cream
4. How to Make a Meal Plan with Google Calendar
5. 10 Things to Cook in a Bundt Pan
6. 10 Things to Make with a Scoop
7. 10 Things to Make with a Springform Pan
8. Homemade Apple Butter
9. 10 Things to Make with a Mandoline
10. Grace’s Princess Cake

And I’d like to say thank you to my top referrers in August:

1. Google
2. Stumble Upon
3. Yahoo
4. Tammy’s Recipes
5. Bing
6. We Are THAT Family
7. Muffin Tin Mom
8. Twitter
9. Life as MOM
10. Facebook

Don’t miss a post! You can subscribe to my email or RSS feed and you won’t miss a thing.

Homegrown: Parenting & Having Fun As A Family

Home Cooking: Recipes & Kitchen Tips

• Amy at Raising Arrows explains how to make homemade peanut butter
• Cheap, Healthy, Good posted 65 one-dish meals that make great leftovers
• Jan at Family Bites posted a free 30-day packed lunch menu that you can download
• Heather from Not a DIY Life posted a great homemade meatball tutorial at On Pans and Kneadles

Homemaking: Keeping Your House Running

• Louise from Zen College Life explained why you need renter’s insurance (if you rent your abode, of course) at Home Ec 101
• Lauren from Mama’s Laundry talk explains how to wash your bedroom pillows
• The Pioneer Woman lost her dog recently. Read the whole way to the end; it’s a fabulous and entertaining story.
• A longtime reader of I’m An Organizing Junkie posted a brilliant idea for helping kids to dress themselves

Homemade: Crafts & Other Projects

• TipNut posted 35 things to make with fabric scraps (first saw it on BlissReads)
• Gail at My Repurposed Life made her own chalkboard paint
• Care at Obsessively Stitching has finger puppet tutorials for the 3 little pigs, the wolf, and the whole Little Red Riding Hood story. I know a 3-year-old one who would adore these.
• Jessica at Zakka Life posted the easiest homemade barrettes ever
• Kathy at Merriment Designs posted a tutorial for a baby’s toy blanket that I think I’m going to make for our new bebe
• I love the DIY pomanders made from paper flowers at Holiday Crafts and Creations (found via Dollar Store Crafts) so much that I’m thinking of making a couple of Grace’s new hot pink bedroom.

Healthier Mom: Improving my Physical & Emotional Well-being

• Leo at Zen Habits posted his brief guide to life

If you are featured above (or were featured during any past week), please feel free to grab the follow code and post the badge on your site:

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Have you post something this week that was worth writing Home about? Send me the link, and maybe you’ll see it here next Sunday!

Happily shared at Saturday Stumbles

Our friend’s Yorkshire Terrier had puppies on June 25. We were at the beach at the time, and we first saw the puppies when they were two weeks old. There was clearly a runt, a little porker, and a slender pup. Their eyes weren’t open; they weren’t getting around at all. Grace was impressed by their squeaking and by how they drank their momma’s milk.

We saw the puppies again two weeks later, when they were a month old. Their eyes were open, and they were taking a few wobbly steps at a time. There was still a small, a medium, and a large puppy, but they were sturdy enough to be picked up and held by an enamored 3-year-old.

Soon after, the puppies had names – Wilbur (the piggy), Wyatt, and Wilson (the little runt).

Once they had names, Grace began pretending to be one of the puppies. Whenever we were at home, Grace would pretend to be one of the puppies, usually Wilbur, and I would have to be their momma. This went on for hours. And hours. And hours.

Every time she sees the puppies, Grace’s love for them grows. They play with her, chew her, and kiss her – and she is thrilled by even the smallest interaction with them.

Now, the puppies are 9 weeks old. Wilson has become the biggest pup, loving to run and play. Wilbur is now the smallest, perfectly happy to cuddle in a warm lap. Wyatt is snappy and really likes to play.

A lot of the time, the pups are too busy investigating the world to notice her, but Grace has learned how to get their attention. Squeaky toys, toys with treats inside, running and squealing.

Few things make me happier than seeing Grace so in love.

I hope this is a preview of what she’s like with her baby sister.

Happily submitted to PhotoStory Friday, Give Me Your Best Shot, Finer Things Friday, Just for the Joy of It, The Inspired Room, and I’m Lovin’ It Fridays

I’m not sure how it started. I think she was being really uncooperative during a diaper change, and Joe asked what color she thought the poop would be. She said pink.

She’s been waiting for pink poop ever since. As you might imagine, it hasn’t happened yet.

But this post isn’t about poop.

*******

Grace has started sticking things in her orifices. Nose, mouth, belly button. It’s like she’s a year old again, and experimenting with textures.

We’ve been talking about it.

She doesn’t really get why she shouldn’t stick things in her nose, mouth, and belly button, but she doesn’t put up a fight when I redirect her.

Still, I wish she’d quit.

And I think she just might, starting today.

Earlier, Grace and Joe were playing with Play-Doh. They made leaves and fish and flowers and all sorts of shapes.

Including peas.

Which Grace stuck up her nose.

“Grace! What are you doing?” I screeched. “Get that out of there!”

She giggled and stuck her finger in her nose to remove the Play-Doh.

Except it didn’t work.

Her finger pushed the Play-Doh peas further up into her nose.

Instantly, Grace was hysterical. Get it out! Get it out!

“Lemme see, honey.” I said, trying to stay calm, but secretly worried that we were going to have to head off to the ER. I looked up her right nostril and saw not one, but three large, pea-sized balls of pink Play-Doh.

At her urging, I stuck my pinkie finger into her nose, and I tried to dislodge the Play-Doh. The lower two fell out, but the last one went up further.

Joe came over, “How about tweezers? Can you get it out with tweezers?”

Noooooooooo tweeeeezers! Grace screamed. Noooooooooo tweeeeezers!

I tried the tweezers anyway. I got a little piece of the Play-Doh pea, but not the bulk of it. Plus, her screaming intensified.

I held her, and I patted her back.

With my other hand, I Googled “Play-Doh stuck up nose.” There were practically no results. What I did find said either Get thee to the ER! or Wait it out, the foreign body will probably come out on its own.

Really helpful.

My next plan was to try saline spray. Joe restrained held Grace while I sprayed copious amounts of saline mist into both of her nostrils. Almost immediately, she started to sputter and cough.

“Her nose isn’t clogged,” I quipped.

“This is going to be funny later on,” Joe grinned.

I have a runny nose, Grace whined.

When I wiped her nose, the snot was pink. I was hopeful that the Play-Doh might be melting and running out her nostril.

“Look, Grace! Pink snot!” I said, hoping to calm her down.

She sniffed. I have pink snot?

She did, and lots of it. Joe and I were relieved that the offending substance was gone from her nostril.

Except it wasn’t.

Her nose ran pink for a few minutes, then clear. We were sure the incident was over.

Except it wasn’t.

I looked at Grace ten minutes later, and there was the big old Play-Doh pea peeking out of her right nostril.

“Grace!” I yelled, loud enough that she started to cry again.

Oops.

“No, Grace, don’t cry! It’s okay! It’s coming out!”

I grabbed a tissue, wiped her nose, and showed her the big ball.

Immediately, she began to giggle and then roll with laughter. I have pink boogers! Pink boogers! Can you believe it, Momma?

I’m worried that the funny ending might have negated the lesson she learned about shoving things up her nose. Time will tell.

Happily submitted to Friday Fails and Sad Saturday