Pasta salad

Hope everyone has been enjoying their Memorial Day weekend!  We've been having such a fantastic weekend, and when I have more time I'll post some pics. For today, I thought I'd share one of our recipes. Some of our friends and family have been asking for our pasta salad recipe. I'm sure there are similiar ones out there, but this is the one we came up with.  I make it for almost every cookout we have or go to.  We all love it, and hope you do!

 

Jeromy and Kelly's Italian Pasta Salad

2 Boxes of Tri-color pasta
Few big handfuls of pepperoni, chopped in 4ths
1 Block Helluvagood Sharp Cheddar, cubed
Couple handfuls of shredded mozzarella
1 red onion, diced
1 or 1 and 1/2 green pepper(s) diced
Grape Tomatoes
Italian Dressing
Ground black pepper

Chop everything while cooking pasta. Put pepperoni, onion, and pepper in big bowl. Pour drained (still hot) pasta over mixture in bowl. Let sit for a few minutes, then mix with some italian dressing. Once it has cooled off a little, throw the cubed cheddar, shredded mozz, and grape tomatoes in. Grind some black pepper over the top, stir well, let chill in fridge at least overnight for best results. Pasta soaks the dressing right up, so refresh with a lil bit more italian dressing right before serving.

-Kelly

Sunburns and Baskets

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend!  Set up kiddie pool on the deck, went to our friend's house for a fun filled afternoon and bbq, and had some MUCH needed family time.

After our busy awesome weekend however, our apartment looked like the aftermath of a massive storm. Plus, I always have a lot of organizing to do, as our place is small.

So that's pretty much all I did yesterday. The girls were up bright and early playing cards before school, and after they got on their buses I got to work! Besides my usual dishes/laundry/cleaning etc., I also went through a bunch of stuff and ORGANIZED!

The tops of my cupboards are no longer a mess.  Yay for sorta matching baskets!

I re-purposed an old belt organizer, so I am no longer searching in the drawer for the right measuring spoon!  (above it on my spice rack is a cute lil garland C made for me)

I re-organized the girls play kitchen and dress-up things, using things we already had around the house.  I think it will be a lot easier for them to pick up now, as everything has a designated drawer. (This doesn't mean that they will though. We will see!)

I went through their clothes and got another bag together to donate.  Everyone says I should sell them on the garage sale sites, and financially, I know they're right.  I just can't though.  So many people have helped us out, buying the kids clothes for birthdays, or giving us their gently used items, that I'd rather do the same.

I am STUCK with a bunch of stuffies with no place to go yet. (these aren't even half!!)  We put up some Droog straps a few years back, and they worked well for a while.  We have sooooo many now though, and not a lot of room.  I'm thinking about making some of those bean bag chairs, and then filling them with the stuffies instead of beans. A lot of people have had good luck with that but I just keep wondering how comfy they would really be?  Maybe if I made quilted beanbags?  I just don't know!  If anyone has any ideas, I'd sure love to hear 'em!

I've saved any piece of the girls clothing that was sentimental, since they were born. (I have quite a few bags, as you can imagine!)  I've always said that I would use them to make each girl a quilt, probably when they were 10. Well.....I changed my mind. Even though I've been scared to, I'm making myself do it.  I'm FINALLY going to start cutting pieces today.  Depending how quickly I progress (since I have a million other projects going), I may end up giving them both the quilts for Christmas this year.  That's the new goal anyways!  Wish me luck :)

Smile always!
Kelly

Magnetic Vintage Paper Dolls Tutorial

I used to make decorative magnets when I was younger, out of those magnets that businesses would hand out.  I'd peel off the top, put my own stickers or images on, cut around, and top with some sealant, like Mod Podge. So when I came across these vintage paperdoll images online, 

http://tpettit.best.vwh.net/dolls/pd_scans/index.html

I thought "How cool would it be to do the same thing!?"  No business card magnets would be big enough, so my online quest for magnetic sheeting had begun.  I was also concerned that the magnets might not stick to each other well with the layer of sealant, when I came across this:

Now to you that were already 'in the know', this discovery might not be such a big deal.  However, I was quite surprised that they made such a thing.  Jeromy's always telling the kids they shouldn't have magnets near the computer. So, although skeptical, I asked him to pick some up for me. If they did work, it would certainly save me a couple of steps, and make the sealant unnecessary. They are around $12.00 at OfficeMax, have 5 sheets in a package, and are completely worth every penny!

Put the sheet in the printer, set to print on Specialty Paper.  When it started coming through, I had to hold up the end of it a little so it didn't bunch up.

Now you have your print outs. Use a pair of sharp scissors to cut around all the pieces.  I used a pair of embroidery scissors, because they are small, sharp, and precise.

They weren't as strong magnetically, as I had thought they would be, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  They stick to each other perfectly on a magnetic surface, but NOT AT ALL when they are put away, so you can easily store them without having to worry about peeling them apart all the time! :)

Aren't they great?! My girls are going to love them! I chose to use all 5 sheets on Betsy McCall print outs, because there are a lot of clothing options. Also there are 2 girls; one blonde, one brunette, and the clothes fit them both the same. I made a set for each of my girl's birthdays. There are Betsy McCall holiday dolls and outfits, so I'll make those for the girls for Halloween, Christmas etc.

There were so many different doll choices on just that site alone. Plus other websites I came across. You could even scan in images of old paper dolls if you have any, or create your own from portraits of your kids, or pictures that you draw. The possibilities are endless! 

Happy crafting!
-Kelly

My morning

We saw, we coughed, we crafted

We all had a really good time this weekend. Crafting, picking flowers, playing in the sand and on the bouncer. Enjoying the sunshine. However, my oldest was home sick again today from school :(  I really thought she was going to be able to go, as she seemed to be feeling a lot better on Sunday. Alas, my girl is still sickly, so we did some more relaxing, and crafting, and popsicle eating. Hopefully she will be feeling better tomorrow!

-Kelly

Great week

It's been a pretty great week.  We started out the week with a  'Kids day' at my friend Julie's and the girls had a blast!  They're really awesome people, so we always enjoy our time over there.

All the girls painted wooden picture frames, and then got their pic taken together.  Jewel's printed them up to put in the frames.  Such a cute idea!

The girls played on a trampolene for the first time. All of the adults were cracking up at the static fros.

Also this week, we made some jewelry,

played with new sand and sand toys,

and enjoyed butter tarts for my parents anniversary! (my mom makes THE best!)

Last but not least, my littlest one went to the bike rodeo at school yesterday, and had a lot of fun!

She ate cotton candy, got her face painted, and got a chance to sport that awesome bike helmet of hers. Since C was still sick, she stayed home with me, and we crafted, watched cartoons, and had popsicles.
Going to have a cookout today.  Happy Sunday!

-Kelly