repurposed style



picture found via pinterest

 you know you're cheap when you are spray painting your shoes.  also, you are know you are a genius when you are spray painting your shoes. remember last week how i told you was going to show you my new silver shoes?  inspired by j crew. well, better late than never. 
i don't know if you noticed, but the silver shoe is showing up everywhere for fall and so is the chunky heel.  since, i happened to have a pair of chunky, black heels that i got for free (!!) laying around...i decided to experiment.  and, i have to say...i am pretty happy with the results.  i am looking forward to wearing these with jeans or perhaps like above (don't you just love that look?).  best of all, the total cost was $3.27 which is much better than $300.

black patent leather heels that i got for free.

i did a couple of coats.  you want to go with the super shiny paint.

taping off the bottom of the heels with painter's tape



finished product.









nightmare in perspective

for the past few days hendrix has thought it is funny to poop in his underwear.  fyi:  it's not funny.  potty training had been going very well until about saturday.  apparently, regression is common.  apparently, potty training is also a nightmare.  it has been very hard to keep it together when he does this.  as i suspect it is for most mothers of boys.  unless said mom is a robot.
then i went to go do a quick driving lesson with one of the clients of the heart ministry center.  and, no jokers, the driving lesson was not for me. although, i could probably benefit from one.  i had to bring hendrix with me because my sitter backed out at the last minute and the driving lesson was only for a half hour anyways.  so there we all were in the car, practicing reversing and parking.  hendrix in the back, entertaining himself.  miss j.  totally getting a kick out figuring out how to reverse and me thinking about what a jerk i was to be feeling sorry for myself.  miss j. has nothing.  she spends a lot of time volunteering at the heart ministry center.  she could use a lot of help and the people at the center ask all the time how they can help her.  all she wants is to learn how to drive.  the joy on her face is great.  the pride and independence that radiates from her is fantastic. 
everything is relative, i know.  but sometimes when you are struggling with your own daily battles like a maniac, gross 3 year old...it's good to get a little perspective. 
if you'd like to volunteer at the heart ministry center then please check out their website.  also, their annual "holy smokes" fundraiser is coming up and you can find information here.

wild child

hendrix catapults himself everywhere.  all of the time.  his energy knows no bounds.  (even when he has a cold) he literally vibrates sometimes because he is so full of energy.  most days, when he is home with me, he is able to find things to absorb his energy.  when his dad comes home, though, it is a different story.  mike must be some sort of adrenaline rush for hendrix because every night is spent watching hendrix catapult himself off of his dad's body and screaming his ideas into mike's face.  needless to say, he can be a wear out sometimes.  most of the time it is fun to watch someone SO INTO LIFE. 

hendrix goes to a fantastic mom's day out program and is supposed to be going into the big kid room soon.  however, because of a few factors i am now exploring weather or not the program will be a good place for the now 3 1/2 year old hendrix.  to be honest, i think preschool for 3 year olds is a little overboard.  however, now that hendrix is 3 1/2, fully potty trained, and obsessed with what letters word begin with...i am thinking it may be a good outlet for his energy.  his desire and ability to learn is sometimes staggering.  and i have a hard time keeping up.  so, perhaps, instead of 5 hours, one day a week at mdo...he could spend 5 hours, 2 mornings a week at preschool. 

it's very hard.  it's hard making decisions like this for your kids.  having faith in your parenting and decision making skills.  letting them grow up.   it's hard being flexible enough to make decisions.  parents have big plans for their kids and themselves prior to the baby actually being born.  then the baby is born and life gets real.

so tomorrow i will tour the preschool with my 3 year old. and i'll only cry when no one is looking.



forget flowers, feed the family

angry hendrix who was not a fan of carriers.



when i had hendrix i was not too wise when it came to preparing meals beforehand or asking a close friend to set up a meal train.  by the time he came i was so tired and overwhelmed that we relied on take out and other packaged snacks.  which did not do our pocket book or bodies any favors.  i then vowed that i was going to bring food to the new mommas in my life if i lived in the same town as i did.  unless, they were my friend summer who premade something like 40 meals before she had her second.  the girl took nesting to whole new level.  my friend, alissa, who lives out of town did do the next best thing for me when i had hendrix.  she sent me a spa certificate for mother's day.  it was then that i discovered the power of a massage.
so, our family friends just had a baby.  john is a very good cook, but they now have a newborn and a two year old so it's about to get real around their house.  today i am going to share some of my favorite freezer meals to bring.  i typically like to bring 3-4 frozen meals (that will last up to 3 months) and maybe one meal for dinner that night, something sweet + healthy, and a print out of my top ten crockpot meals. a lot of times, folks may get bombarded with meals and help in the beginning so freezer meals are good for when the excitement settles. 
the meals should be stored in such a way that they do not take much room in their freezer.  also, using the foil pans found in the grocery store for things like pot pie, quiche, lasagna, and enchiladas are a nice touch since it cuts down on clean up time for the new parents. things like soups and sauces can be frozen flat in a freezer bag.  things like burritos and runzas can be individually wrapped and stored in a freezer bag. all food should be frozen before delivery unless one is for dinner that night.  this time of year, it would be nice if you brought some recently preserved item from your garden, as well.  canned or frozen would be appreciated, i'm sure.  all food should include directions on thawing, reheating, and general use tips.  also, be sure to be aware of any allergies or food restrictions the parents have before bringing something like cashew chicken or spicy yogurt shrimp, for instance. ok.  here's a list of ideas...

marinara
pot pies
pizza dough
butternut squash soup
chili
burritos
pizza pockets
runzas
quiche
muffins
minestrone
pork tacos
quinoa pancakes
granola
lasagna
enchiladas

what do you bring when someone has a baby?  am i missing any must have? 

harvesting rants

i was going to share with you several ways to use those over sized cucumbers of yours or how i was re- purposing some old shoes to look like these puppies or what to bring to people who just had a baby. but i didn't quite get the news i was hoping for yesterday and it put me in a funk.  so instead i turned the sprinkler on for  hendrix and worked in the garden.  this is today's harvest.  obviously it is time to get to preserving tomatoes and cukes.  maybe even green beans.  but that is a post for another day.

while i was working in the garden, i was working out a lot of bad energy.  just letting it sweat out.  thinking about the conversation my friend, marti, and i had yesterday about people prophetizing about the state of food, posting pics of dinner, and then spending their nights watching four hours of television. it got me riled up.  then i was too short with hendrix and felt bad about my mommy abilities. then he made this face.

then i realized that i needed to calm the eff down.  i may not of gotten the news i wanted yesterday, but it was still good news.  i have a good life.  for god's sake, i get to spend the morning in the garden while my kid plays in the sprinkler. i get to have a garden.  period. i get to.  there are a lot of things and people that annoy me. (people who take themselves too seriously, the food network, and mommy judgement/guilt being some of the things) but in the end they probably do because i see something that i don't like about myself in them. so that being said.  (i know i'm brilliant, aren't i? also, i am a slow learner with a sarcasm problem) i'm going to have a banana smoothie and i am going to cheer back up. i'll be back soon with cucumber strategies, silver shoes, and what people with new babies really need. 





monday musings



hendrix got a new swing this weekend.  i forgot that we had this old sky chair in storage.  it works better then that the tire swing idea i had, although he still calls it his tire swing.  we also got a new washer and dryer.  which has brought me more happiness than it probably should.  but laundromats are soul crushing and the units seem to symbolize that we are in the beginning stages of climbing out of our streak of bad luck.  the county is also here doing work on our road and i do believe redoing our driveway.  the driveway that is a safety hazard and we have been trying to figure out how we could afford to repair it.  well, the county came to clear trees and replace drainage.  you know, the 15 feet of trees mike was going to clear out by hand and chainsaw.  now, they are redoing the driveway after they replaced the drainage below.   turns out, bulldozers and backhoes are much better equipped and if the county will do it - even better.  even if they don't make the driveway better it will still be great to have the trees cleared and the drainage replaced.   our road kind of gets ignored since there are no other homes that are on it for miles.  now there is a school going in down the street, though, so they will be able to devote more time to the road.

last week was a rough one, but this week is already looking better.  i am waiting for news that i hope is good and that i can share later today.  hendrix and i are going to the wizard of oz exhibit at the children's museum (which he is beyond pumped for) on thursday.  friday, i get to see my dear friend at her baby shower.  plus, this weekend is the sarpy county fair.  ya'll should go....it is so awesome and what fairs are made of.  hendrix and i might even go bowling this week if the weather stays hot.  speaking of weather...saturday was so beautiful here, wasn't!?!? it sure seems like it wants to rain today, too.  *fingers crossed* oh, and i really want to check out the bittersweet bakery in ashland this week.  you see? it's guaranteed to be a good week!

....also going on this week in the omaha metro (all free!)

jazz on the green on thursday, free family flicks at aksarben cinema, and the westroads kids club science show about weather.  have any other ideas or events to make this week great?  please share!

GSW{meal plan}::ten

found via google images



it's rained!  can you believe it?!? and there is more in the forecast. hallelujah! now.  onto next week's dinner.  lots and lots of summer produce to celebrate, so let's get to work. 
again, these are all very simple recipes, requiring little technique, instead relying on the fresh produce to do the work. and since you rely on produce your grocery bill will be cheaper since you are buying in-season or practically free if you have a garden (or a friend's to poach).   if you weren't here last week then check out GSW::nine for a printable pantry checklist. if you are finding that you need to build your pantry then stretch the expense out by adding a few pantry items to your grocery list for a few weeks until you have a completed pantry. 

1. clementine's ratatouille (vegetable stew - french style)
2. yogurt grilled chicken with cucumber + mint salad (30 minute dinner!)
3. macaroni alla norma (eggplant pasta in 15 minutes)
4. open face sandwiches with watermelon, feta, & basil salad
5. roasted bbq chicken with corn + basil cakes
for drinking....
strawberry cucumber smoothie

for freezer cooking...
basic pantry marinara
great to get a head start on the macaroni alla norma (jarred would be just as great).  this is also my go-to, favorite marinara.

for dessert...
peach pie