That's a SOUPer idea!!!

By now you know that I love all things VINTAGE, and that applies to cooking as well.  I vowed a year ago that our meals would be prepared and not from a box or a can, old school, homemade. 

So, last Friday, I find my daughter going through our kitchen pantry.  I asked her what she was looking for, she said soup.  Obviously bored with our routine summer lunches, I agreed we needed to shake things up.  Cooking inside hadn't taken place since summer began, the grill had become my "go-to" cooktop, easy to use, great taste, no clean up required.

Chicken soup is my usual homemade soup of choice.  Everything is made from scratch, broth, noodles, everything!  I don't even use dried spices, instead I chop fresh.  This started with a whole fryer chicken I picked up on sale.  Meats are usually discounted a day or two before the use by date, this is when I purchase and then freeze immediately.  Buying bulk ground meats can cut costs as well and freezing them in smaller weights for easy use is very helpful.

With the chicken boiling with fresh veggies (turnip, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, whole black peppercorns, bay leaves) to make the broth, I started preparing the egg noodles.  Using flour, eggs, and EVOO, the dough began to shape.  I find that kneading it for AT LEAST 10 minutes with a lot elbow grease, makes a good elastic dough.  Another hint, do not over flour, you want a good dough, easy to work with and can hold up even when being reheated and frozen.  Back in the day, I thought I needed a great amount of flour, but the noodles would turn into little chunks once cooked instead of the long noodle it started as.  After kneading is done, form into a ball, coat with EVOO, wrap with cling wrap, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.  This allows the gluten to relax. 

The pasta machine has become a new friend of mine, especially since I make noodles more often.  The clean up still drives me crazy, but it is a love/ hate relationship, lol!  Starting with a #2 setting, I begin pulling it through, yes, pull and stretch the dough through the rollers.  Three times is my magic number, then it is placed to a #5 or #6 setting.  Once again, pulling and stretching, making a very smooth, elastic sheet.

After all sheets have gone through, take them through the cut of choice, fettuccine, spaghetti, it's your preference.  This time, I went with a very thin fettuccine noodle.  As soon as they have been cut place them in individual bird nests for drying, once again, this is the best way to boil or freeze the noodle.

Finally the broth is made, noodles and chicken are added and time to serve.  Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.  VIOLA!!!

What extraordinary dishes have you made lately?  Do you have any helpful hints you would like to share?

My DIY Flowers

My new favorite addiction is Pinterest.  I simply can't get enough, and my recent love is the tutorials I have found.  Getting my hands dirty after viewing a few, could not have come soon enough.  This afternoon finally allowed enough time during our very busy summer.

The first one I have conquered are the DIY Flowers.  This was a fun one and very simple!!!  I highly recommend giving this one a try, it took very little time!!!  These are the pretties I came up with.

My favorite ones were the Scalloped Puffs.  When doing these beauties, use quality cardstock like Bazzill, my favorite is their Bling cardstock.  When I lived in Iowa I use to make special trips to Archiver's to purchase Bazzill Bling, they often run a 2 for 1 special on their cardstock. 

How often do you use on-line tutorials?  Where are your favorite go-to's to find them?  YouTube?  Ustream???  Let me know!!! 

I Am A Crafting-On-The-Go-Mom

We have really fell in love with all the activities our new community has to offer.  The kids can take classes in anything from Photography to Sword fighting to Culinary classes.  My daughter wanted to take everything, so we did the best we could and filled her schedule with sewing, cheer pom, tennis, swim lessons, decorative art, and jewelry making.  Our son got to take part in a few as well, Bubble Guppies, toddler art, swim lessons, and wiggle worms, dirt, and rocks.  This was five weeks of classes from 8 AM to 2 PM!  Needless to say, July has flown by!!!

While I was on the side line for each and every class, lesson, event, I felt as if I could make better use of my time.  Then I discovered something on Facebook, it was a blog about a studio on the go for another very busy mom. This was exactly what I needed!

Feeling very motivated and excited, I visited an estate sale and found my new "studio".  Here is what I came up with.

It is very PERFECT!  So I began being productive with my time "on the side line".

Since our move to our new home, I have realized I have too much stuff, so I have put myself on a no spending money on scrapbooking freeze, lol!  This has helped tremendously and I am making better use of all my scraps.  Check out what I have come up with... Cards!!!

If you haven't ever visited The Spotted Canary, please do so.  Lots of inspiration, ideas, tutorial, etc.

Have I inspired you to find your own studio-on-the-go?

My Husband's Study Reno

What sold my husband on this house was the idea of his study, located on the main floor and a very nice space just for him.  While I have been busy this last year taking on one room at a time and making it specific to our style, I saved his study for one of the last to conquer.  This space has 10 foot ceilings and I fear heights, YIKES!!!  Nevertheless, it had to be faced sooner or later and I couldn't keep ignoring it.



My original plan was to start on Wednesday and have it finished on Friday.  Three days, no problem, I have done this lots.  I was wrong...

I started steaming the wallpaper off, as I have done many times before, and it would not come off.  While I struggled to remove this paper, I learned that it was not a prepasted wallpaper, therefore it had been pasted on.  Eventually the wallpaper was removed, but it came off with pieces of the drywall and left a glue residue on the walls.  I was left with a messy, uneven surface.  I knew I had to sand down the wall, and "resurface" the wall.  

After days of sanding, mudding, sanding, patching, sanding, I finally had new walls.  Next was the primer and finally the paint.  YAY!!!

I loved how the colors turned out, I had the swatches hanging on the wall for 6 months, lol.

And most importantly, he LOVES it!  I notice that he keeps going in and just looking and admiring, awwwwwww!  









Happy Mother's Day

I always love an excuse to make cards for the ones I love and Mother's Day is my favorite holiday for this.  This is a time I get to express how much I love these beautiful women in my life through my craft. 

So, yesterday afternoon I sat down and started, I never know where my creativity will take me, I just dive in and start.  With much surprise, I came up with some beauties right away and fell in love with them and couldn't stop after I had started (as usual).  I also believe the messier my studio becomes during the processs the better the project turns out.  And yes, now the studio is "missing", the floor is cluttered, the table is under a pile of papers, chipboard pieces, ribbon, etc, lol!  My husband never thinks this is as funny as I do, but he is very patient with my creativity, Love You Honey!

Please enjoy!

To all the Mother's out there, please have a very happy Mother's Day!

We Flew The Friendly Skies

As a flight attendant for United Airlines, I met some amazing people, and to this day I still keep in contact with many.  Especially my dear friend Bryanna, I met Bryanna just before our training started in Chicago.  She was living in Ohio and I in Iowa, both preparing for our move to the Windy City.  We were both nervous and extremely excited for our future in this new career we had chosen.  Now fast forward 14 years, neither of us are with United Airlines, but still share many of the same interests, our children and art. 

We hadn't seen each other for nearly 8 years, and the opportunity came up this past week for her to visit us here with her family.   They arrived Monday evening and she and I stayed up talking into the morning hours.  It was great to catch up with her.  She is such a lovely person!

The next morning we took our sons to the park, each are three years old.

They too share the same interests, trains, cars, and planes.  Each had a great time sharing and playing with each other's toys. 

Bryanna brought me same wonderful goodies.  She makes these amazing button bracelets and cuffs, BEAUTIFUL!  Check out her blog, The Canary's Cupcake, cute title, huh?!?  And on top of these precious gifts, she bestowed upon me her scrapbooking items.  An amazing collection, I can't wait to jump in and get my hands dirty, tee hee!

After the park, she taught me how to make these gorgeous flowers, great for scrapbooking, cards, headbands, etc.  I also inherited some of her stash to get started.

Before they arrived, I too wanted to gift her with items I had made.  I didn't have a lot of time but this is what I came up with. 

I painted these with chalkboard paint and used an enamel paint marker to identify each terra cotta pot.  I was very happy how these turned out.  It is a great idea for Mother's Day.  The kids could use actual chalk and decorate the outsides and varnish to preserve. 

I didn't want to leave her son out, and this is what I made for him.

A mini album made from coasters, the ones you find in the chain resteraunts, usually the steak houses.

Thank you for letting me share with you my week thus far.  It has been fun!  We are off to Iowa this weekend to see some of our favorite mothers and spend some time at the cemetary.  May every one of you have a fantastic Mother's Day weekend!