Baking Soda Fun!

I'm an avid fan and user of Pinterest, and find myself constantly intrigued and inspired to create things that I see on there. This little project was one of them. Aislyn is getting a little older and more adept to handle more art and science type projects, and this one fit right into that category. And its easy to set up. AND it kept her entertained for a good hour (and counting). All you need is baking soda, vinegar and food coloring. Easy-peasy. You probably already have it on hand.

The Set Up:

- I strongly recommend placing newspaper on whatever surface the child (or yourself, I won't tell!) will be working on.

- Pour baking soda in a baking dish that has at least an inch lip around it.  The baking soda should just cover all of the pan, it does not have to be deep.

-Put about 5 drops of food coloring into little dishes, then add vinegar to fill. Stir to combine.

- We used spoons to drop the vinegar onto the baking soda, but you can use eye droppers too.

 

As you can see, all you do is add a spoonful of colored vinegar to the baking soda and watch it fizz up! It's fun for the little ones!

Hope you have some fizzy fun!
Kaitlin
 

Halloween!

Here's some fun pictures from Halloween. After much begging, I finally gave in and let Aislyn be a Princess.[Sidenote: As most of my real life peeps know, I strongly dislike princesses and the whole princess culture crap that's going on. Its all BS in my opinion. "Lets teach our daughters that they are the best thing in the universe, that they need to wait for Prince Charming to come and sweep them off their feet because they are helpless little beings that need to be rescued. That they are the most special thing in the universe and can never be wrong..." I think this phenomenon has encouraged the self-entitlement and nanny state mindset of the current generation. It promotes learned helplessness. Children need to be taught how to cope, how to deal with hard situations logically and successfully, without hand holding and coddling. It does not mean that you are not a kind loving parent, nor that you don't think your child is special. It does, however, mean that your head isn't up your-you-know-what and that you are trying to prepare your child for real life situations and be successful. But I digress...] As I was saying, Aislyn wanted to be a princess, and I gave in because she had her heart set on it, no matter how hard I tried to change her mind. We curled her hair, put her in a pink dress, got her the gaudiest hello kitty crown and wand thing ever and sprayed glitter all over her. She was ecstatic. We had a few friends over, including Aislyn's friend Layna, and went trick-or-treating then had dinner and then went back out trick-or-treating. The two little girls had a blast and were worn out by the end of the night.

I hope your Halloween was just as fun as ours!
-Kaitlin

Lamp Makeover

I recently received two end table lamps from a family friend. Although they went well in her house and matched her decor, they were in need of a little makeover to fit mine. They started off as gold with darker specks to make it looked aged, I guess... Here's the before:

Daaaaated. I took my best friend, spray paint, and went at it. Here's the after!

Next I'm going to either find a drum lampshade that I like or put new, more modern fabric on the existing lampshade frame. Hooray!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

I made this the other night and it was a huge hit! I combined a couple of different recipes to form my own and completely eyeballed the ingredients, so the measurements are off, but I wanted to give you a rough idea of the amounts.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

For the marinade:
1-1.5 cups white wine
2-3 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
~2 tbsp. chopped garlic
~2 tbsp. dijon mustard

Additional Ingredients:
1.5 lb Pork tenderloin
6-7 pieces of bacon
3/4 cup or so brown sugar
2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

First, pour all marinade ingredients in a large plastic Ziploc bag and shake to combine. Add the pork tenderloin and let sit for a few hours in the refrigerator. I marinated mine overnight. Next, combine the brown sugar and black pepper in a small bowl and stir until combined. Add a little of the leftover marinade to form a thick paste. Wrap the bacon around the tenderloin with edges overlapping until completely covered. Rub the brown sugar mixture over bacon only on the topside of the loin. Place on a roasting rack in the middle of an oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature down to 400 for an additional 15 minutes. Slice into medallions and enjoy!

Georgia Florida Trip

Aislyn and I went south this summer to visit family and enjoy a change of scenery. We stayed with my brother and his friend, Jeff, in my grandparents old house. It was very odd to see it completely different from the last time I was there, but I'm glad to know it is being taken care of. Aislyn and I flew from Boston to Atlanta with a connecting flight in Newark, NJ. Let me tell you, next time I am flying direct. It was such a hassle to carry 2 carry-on bags, a huge pocketbook, and Aislyn --whose legs had mysteriously stopped working right when I really needed her to walk-- and change terminals in a complex procedure involving 2 flights of stairs and 2 bus rides. We got there though and that's all that matters! We drove directly from Atlanta to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Florida and spent the next few days there. We had absolutely gorgeous weather, a great beach, and a wonderful time catching up with everyone.

On our way back to Georgia we stopped at a Texaco station in Eufaula, AL famous for having some unusual residents in it's backyard. It was good timing because Aislyn was getting tired of sitting in her car seat and it was nice to get out and move around a bit.

 

 

She still talks about the gators! We then spend the next week in Georgia visiting with family. I met my ninety-two year old great great aunt who is as vibrant as can be and still lives all by herself completely unassisted. I hope I'm like that at her age. It was really cool. We got some good Southern Preachin' at my Papa's church, visited my great-aunt who's in a nursing home, and learned a ton about sheep from my  aunt who has over twenty of them. I enjoyed the trip thoroughly. How was your summer?

Bathroom Makeover

Our house has one full bath and one half-bath. The upstairs full bath was in dire need of a paint job. The old paint made it look tiny, and it is a small bathroom to begin with. It wasn't cutting it for me. This was our upstairs bathroom before we painted it: 

Old, dark green and light yellow paint with dingy off white trim gave the bathroom a very dated feel.

We switched out the paint for a light blue on the top and a crisp white on the bottom half plus the rest of the trim. Eventually we are planning on switching out all of the fixtures so they match and putting in a different shade. Here's the after:

 Much lighter, brighter and it feels a lot more open. I had two photos from one of my trips to visit Santa Rosa Beach, FL and hung them in the bath to give it a little beach flair. The photographer is John Hollan Photography. My next project is either the guest room or the foyer/upstairs hallway, I'm not sure which one yet but I'll be sure to post before and after photo's!

-Kaitlin

Garden & Life Update

       Well, it appeared in the beginning that my garden (with the exception of the eggplant) was on its way to producing an bounteous amount of perfect vegetables. Oh my, how things have changed.  Unfortunately my zucchini and yellow summer squash have been infested with multiple types of bugs! It's gross. There were definitely some squash bug action going on and signs of the squash vine borer. But the puzzler to me is there are tons of the Mexican Bean Beetle. From what I've found out about them they attack bean varieties (hence the name bean beetle) but they were all over my zucchini. Take a look at these fellows:

       Pretty ickky looking, huh? Since my zucchini were not salvageable I had to take them out, which really stinks. I had much higher hopes for them, but it is my first time really gardening and there's always next year (unless the world ends in December.. ;p ). Since we are moving the garden next year, hopefully we won't have as hard of a time with the squash borers. Plus, where the current garden is now is where we are planning on putting the chickens, so they'll take care of eating the larva and cocoons that are in the ground from this year's infestation. Here's how a life cycle works, according to The University of Minnesota:
       Beginning in late June or early July, squash vine borer adults emerge from cocoons in the ground. Squash vine borer adults are good fliers for moths and resemble wasps in flight. These moths are unusual because they fly during the day while nearly all other moths fly at night. Soon after emerging, squash vine borers lay eggs singly at the base of susceptible plants. Approximately one week after they are laid, the eggs hatch and the resulting larvae bore into stems to feed. The larvae feed through the center of the stems, blocking the flow of water to the rest of the plant. The larvae feed for four to six weeks, then exit the stems and burrow about one to two inches into the soil to pupate. They remain there until the following summer. There is one generation per year.
Really gross. And a total bummer. Oh well, on to bigger and better things!

       My brother is visiting from Georgia and it's so good to see him. My cousins are also in town for the Flatley Frolics family reunion. The last one was over thirty years ago, so it's kind of a big deal. It will be interesting to meet very extended family and catch up with some we've lost touch with.
      After that, Aislyn and I fly out to Georgia to visit more with my brother and my mom's side of the family. I can't wait to go back home, and Aislyn is ecstatic about flying in a plane. Hopefully that excitement will prevent us from being that family with the screaming child.
      I'm off to prepare for a family dinner at my house. I love hosting little events like this :)

-Kaitlin

Laundry Soap

I have posted before about my Homemade Castile Laundry Soap. Although it worked well, I found myself trying out different methods and recipes to try to find the perfect homemade laundry soap. For the past few times I've used a variation of this recipe and I like it very much! Hopefully you will too :)

Ingredients:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 bar Fels Naptha
1/2 cup baking soda (not pictured, sorry!)
hot water

Method:

 Using a cheese shredder, grate your entire bar of Fels Naptha. You might be tempted to eat it. Don't. Aislyn can testify that it tastes bad ;) hehe.

Add the grated cheese to 3 pints (6 cups) of hot water in a large pot. Heat over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves.

After the soap is fully dissolved, add 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Super Washing Soda, and 1/2 cup baking soda. Stir until dissolved and the mixture slightly thickens to about the consistency of honey.

 Creamy looking laundry soap:

Add 2 cups of hot water to a bucket that is 3 gallons or more (I used an old 5 gal paint bucket). Then add your soap mixture and mix well. 

At this point, you can add 15-20 drops of your favorite essential oil. I added lavender:

You can also add homemade fabric softener and stain remover at this point, but I usually don't. Fill your bucket with about 2.5 gallons of hot water, stir and let sit for about 24 hours or until set. You can use it right away, it just won't have set up yet. After 24 hours, it will become a jelly-like consistency. At that point, you can transfer it to a different container or keep it in the bucket. If I transfer it, I use recycled drink jugs.

Use 1/2 cup of the detergent (top loader) or 1TBSP (HE front loader) for an average load, more if the clothes are heavily soiled. It does not have a strong odor, but the clothes do smell light and clean. 

The best part?? It costs about 3-4 CENTS per load! Woohoo!
Now go wash your smelly clothes :)
Kaitlin

Splash Pad Fun

 My friend Amoura and I took our daughters to a splash pad the other day. They had a BLAST. Aislyn didn't really like being sprayed by the water, but Layna loved it! I gotta get that child in the sprinkler more. They get along so well, it's super cute. I hope they are friends for years to come.

Layna is so outgoing and energetic, while Aislyn is much more laid back. She tends to take a lot more time adjusting to new surroundings than the other kids. And she likes to stick close to me, that momma's girl. But I don't mind :)

The splash pad was so much fun! It had a lot of different water jets spraying in all directions, and nice picnic tables for parents to sit and watch their kids. Next to it was a large playground which the girls also enjoyed. 

This shows how different their reactions are to the water jets!

< Timid vs. Outgoing! >

  

We had a great day! I've been working on painting one of our bathrooms for the past week or so. I'll post pictures soon!

Kaitlin

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday America!!!

A big thank you goes out to all the service men and women of today and yesterday that have sacrificed their lives for the good of this amazing country.

Fittingly, I was assigned to read the Declaration of Independence for my American Literature class. I think every American should look over it from time to time and remind ourselves of the men, principles, and ideas that founded this nation. It is time to get back to this standard; we do not need career politicians and a corrupt government. States need more rights, federal government needs to be limited and the American people need to regain the "American Dream" and work hard to improve their lives instead of rely on a welfare system to provide for them. Abraham Lincoln's philosophy was  “a government of the people, by the people,for the people,” not a government full of politicians that do not listen to the people, pass certain health care bills that will hurt the middle class, and don't pay taxes because they consider themselves better than us. But enough preaching, let's go wave the flag, light off some fireworks, drink some beer, and celebrate!

 Me, Aislyn and Mike participating in The Yankee Volunteer 

Fife and Drum Corps at a parade last summer.

God Bless,
Kaitlin

Watch the Garden Grow

I put some veggie plants into my new garden a few weeks ago and most of them are starting to show definite growth. The tomato plants have blossoms on them and one even has some baby tomatoes!! Other than two different types of tomatoes (one of which is called "Mortgage Lifter," appropriate, right?) I planted summer squash, zucchini, eggplant and cucumber. Everything looks like it's doing good except for the eggplant. Probably because it's in a shadier area than the rest of them. I probably won't put vegetables there next year unless they magically grow and produce a lot, which I don't think will happen...

From L to R: 2 tomato plants, 4 zucchini, 1 cucumber plant

 Summer Squash!

Zucchini & Eggplant

 

My poor little eggplant...

It's my first true attempt at gardening. My mom has had a garden and it has done really well in previous years but I didn't spend much time in it. I'm glad she knows about it and can pass her knowledge on to me because sometimes I feel pretty clueless about stuff :) Forget sometimes, I feel that way most of the time haha. If any of you have gardening tips and advice please feel free to leave a comment.  I'm really nice & won't bite :)

-Kaitlin

Chalkboard Menu

The previous owners of our house did a fairly good job of taking things with them when they moved out. They did leave some miscellaneous pool junk and some old sand box toys that I didn't really find appealing, but they did a lot better job than the previous owners of my parent's house who left a whole lotta junk. Ick. They did leave some relatively nice & useful things though, like the [now] yellow picnic table and this pretty snazzy chalk board. Honestly, they seem like nice people and I'm pretty sure the previous lady of the house and I would have gotten along quite wonderfully.

Here's how they left it; isn't it cute??

I thought it was really nice of them. I left it up for awhile and

 then decided that it was time to transform it into.... Our Weekly Menu!

Now Mike can't ask what's for dinner and I know exactly what I'm making ahead of time. It also really helps with planning the trip to the grocery store and calculating finances. Win-win and super cool looking too, if I do say so myself. It goes without saying that it was a super easy project too.

Chalk to ya later,
Kaitlin

Picnic Table Painting

Well! It has been quite the eventful month! After writing the last post, we attempted to go to the closing, only to be told that there was a slight glitch and they had to postpone. We ended up closing the next day, which wasn't a huge deal, but it did set our plans back and we didn't get as much accomplished as we hoped. After we closed and picked up the keys we started cleaning and painting Aislyn's room. It turned out so cute! I'll post picks soon, right now there's laundry waiting to be put away...

Moving in went smoothly, with the exception that no large furniture would fit up the staircase.... so they put it through the 2nd floor window. I pretended I didn't see that and was involved as little as possible... what if they dropped out new bedroom set?! ahh...

We've slowly settled in and gotten used to the routine. I started my summer college sessions and it stinks. It's four days a week and a ton of reading, plus the dance recital is coming up too so between that I'm staying super busy. But I did happen to paint a picnic table for Aislyn :)

The previous owners left it at the house, and it was in really good shape other than some weathering:

 I sanded it down and then primed it:

 Then painted it BRIGHT yellow!!

Aislyn loves it and keeps saying "Mommy paint my table yellow!" 

She's so cute sometimes.

I'm looking forward to seeing her play on and use this table a lot this summer.

Post soon!

Kaitlin

Our AWESOME New Home :)

 

Today is the big day! May 15th babyy! We close on our new home today! We are all excited, nervous and a tad stressed, but overwhelmingly happy. Aislyn is probably the most excited out of all of us. Yesterday we had the final walk through and when we went up to the second story she led everyone down the hall saying, "My room! My room! So pretty!" and then went up to the 3rd floor finished attic and had a little accident. We've regressed a little in the potty training area, which is to be expected...

We are doing a little painting this week to freshen things up and then we are moving in this weekend! Once we are all in an settled I can start posting room updates and fun things around our *NEW* house! But for now I have to get ready and go to the closing.

Happy, happy day!!

Kaitlin

Father-Daughter Dance

Mike took Aislyn to her first sweetheart dance at the YMCA on Friday night, and boy let me tell you, she had a GREAT time. We got her all dolled up in a pretty pink dress, painted her finger nails, curled her hair and put on her new white dress shoes and took pictures before heading over. Mike also cleaned up good :)

I came in towards the end of the dance and she was running around and dancing like a maniac. She was one of the younger ones there but she was probably having the grandest time. It was SO cute. Mike and Ais had some pictures taken together at the dance itself but we haven't received them yet. I'll post them when we do (look below!). We expected her to crash on the way home, but she was so excited, she babbled and talked the entire way back and took way longer than expected to fall asleep. All signs of a great time.

Her Southern roots are showing!

Happy Sunday!
Kaitlin


edited to add photos:

Here are the pictures of Mike and Aislyn at the Sweetheart dance taken by YMCA staff :)

Aren't they darlin'?

Freezer Makeover!

Mike and I scored a freezer for $50 off craigslist recently, but it needed some work. It had some rust spots on the front and a paint chunk missing inside. Instead of sticking to white we decided to go all out and paint it turquoise! Because who doesn't need a bright blue freezer? I can't wait to get it set up in the basement. This was a super simple and fast project.

Here's before:

Here's some of the rust spots:

And AFTER:

The tape on the hinges and handle wasn't removed in the pictures, but you get the idea. We'll probably do a second coat after we move into our new house (we close May 15th!! YAY!). At that point I'll post some updated pictures that are hopefully better quality. I'm also toying with the idea of sealing it to give it more of a durable finish, but it's not going to be in a high traffic area so I'm not sure it that's necessary. 

How do you like it?!

-Kaitlin