Spring has Sprung!

First sign of Spring and I am outside.  I decided the rest of the "indoor" projects can afford to wait for a rainy day, that includes the dishes, the vacuuming, and the laundry ☺

I was fortunate enough to get all the kids down for afternoon naps at the SAME TIME!  It's a miracle.

Anyway this is what I did during nap time at the first sign of Spring:

My Seasons Bench

I started by changing the back on my Seasons Bench. My mother-in-law gave me this bench and this summer I'm thinking about making another one and seeing if I can't maybe sell them.  The back of the bench is interchangeable, this is my summer/spring back.  I also have winter snowmen and fall jack-o-lanterns. 

Question for my readers: Would you buy a similar bench? and How much would you pay for it?

Flower Beds

I went ahead and prepped my flowerbeds for spring as well.  I trimmed back my rose bushes (never done that before!  Hope I didn't screw it up!) and I also trimmed my perennials, weeded and tilled the beds with my ground weasel!  ( I love doing that! )  I picked up about a million acorns and put everything I collected in my compost pile out back.

My Mailbox

Next I put the first coat of stain on my wooden mailbox post.  We're the only house in the whole neighborhood who went with wood instead of plastic, but I do not regret the decision at all!  I think it looks stunning.  I'll put another coat of stain on it during the next sunny day we get.

A couple weeks ago I cut these mailbox letters with my Silhouette.

My Front Door

I also made a "Welcome" for my front door, but it's very crooked and needs to be peeled and replaced.  Waiting for a slightly warmer day so the vinyl doesn't peel the paint right off my door.  I'm too lazy to get out the hair-dryer.

My Patio

Seems we moved here so recently and my husband works a ridiculous schedule we have yet to landscape our backyard.  Which means mud.  Lots and lots of mud.  I hate mud 99% of the time.  We also have a puppy.  Puppies and Mud do not mix well.  I was so tired of looking at all the mud he tracked all over my patio.  I got out my hose and my push brush and I cleaned it.  Looks much better now.

I feel very productive! 

I just love spring.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

I decided to expand my horizions.  I am attempting a few of my favorite dishes from my favorite fast food chinese resturants.  Beef and Broccoli is my favorite!  A little tid-bit: Did you know that Beef and Broccoli, although sold in chinese resturants all over America is about as Chinese as Apple pie?  Beef and Broccoli is %100 an American dish.  Interesting huh?

Anyway, it's still my favorite.
I've been perfecting it and tonight's was Pretty Darn Good!

  You'll Need:
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 Tbsp Water
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 lb Roundsteak, cut into strips and tenderized.
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3-4 C. Broccoli Florets
1 Onion, Wedged
1/3 C. Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Water
Just a pinch of Ground Ginger




In a bowl combine 2 T. Cornstarch, 2 T. Water and garlic powder, stir with a fork until smooth.  Pour into a ziploc bag, add meat.  Move the meat around until it is completely coated.  Stir-fry in a large skillet in 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil, over Medium-high heat.  Remove meat when it reaches desired doneness.  Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 min.  Mix remaining ingredients and stir with fork until smooth.  Return beef to pan and add sauce.  Stir and Cook for 2 minutes.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

Original recipe found on http://www.food.com/.

Scraps

I've done a few vinyl projects lately that have had a lot of empty space.  I hate wasting crafting materials, they're so expensive!

So I found a cute little flower and a cute butterfly that I use to take up the empty space in my vinyl.  Then I paste them in my kid's rooms.  They love that I put "stickers" all over their cupboards and drawers.

It's a great way to make sure every little scrap gets used.

A Very Simple Project

While we were in Utah my husband's Omi gave us a candle holder that my husband made for her a long time ago.  It's a very basic candle holder, yet the simpleness of it is what I love the most. When we got it it was very dusty and the bows around each candle where hideous! They were stiff and ....ugh.  Anyway I cleaned it off and I found some fabric scraps I had from the quilt that hangs in my living room.  I tied a pretty bow around each candle and put it on top of my new shelf. 

As I'm writing this post I have an inspiration!  I'm going to ask my husband to make me a spice rack, similar to the candle holder above.  I'm going to buy really small glass jars and fill them with my most used spices.  I'll use my awesome Silhouette to cut cute little labels for each jar.

ooh I'm excited now.

Daddy's Shelves

I'm Baaaaack!  You missed me, didn't you?  I've got some big ideas flowing in.  Most of the projects I'm starting with are pretty simple and small.  Here's my first project.

My Dad makes these shelves.  I absolutely love them!  He gave me two of the red ones for my oldest daughter's room, and the one blue one for my littlest girl's room.

These are pre-made shelves, and they're not the exact colors I would like them to be.  So I'm going to change them.  The red will be pink and the blue will be aqua blue.

I'll post pics when I finish.  Might be a couple days.



Short Pause on Crafting...

due to a trip to Utah! Hurray for friends!

My Amazing Lasagna

Last night we had the missionaries from our church over for dinner.  I always debate what to make for them when they come, last time we had them over one of them informed me that he was a pasta lover.  I thought "Perfect!  I'll make Lasagna!"  The hustle and bustle of my evening is the cause for forgetting to take a picture of my beautiful creation... but one of the missionaries did tell me that my Lasagna made his "Top 3."  I felt very honored.  Anyway.

Holli's Amazing Lasagna!

9 Lasagna Noodles
15 oz. Cottage Cheese
1 can Olives, sliced  (Olives can be substituted, my husband likes when I add spinach instead.  Add whatever you like in your Lasagna!)2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
26 oz. Spaghetti Sauce, changing flavors of sauce adds a nice twist to this meal.
2 C. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb. Ground Beef
Brown and drain beef, cook pasta as directed. In bowl combine cottage cheese, olives, eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl combine spaghetti sauce and beef. Spread some sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan, layer with lasagna and ½ cottage cheese mixture, add some cheese and more sauce, repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese. Bake for 30 min. at 400°,  or until cheese is melted.

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I've always loved the idea of Lasagna, but I never did like the food itself.  When I got married I decided to try it.  Last night my husband and I reminiced about all the different lasagna's I baked trying to find the perfect Lasagna.  It wasn't pretty.  I finally took my favorite parts of several different lasagnas and combined them, and this is what I came up with.  It's my first recipe that I claim to be "mine."  Although I'm sure many other people have something very close to the same thing.  I think it's Spectacular.  I hope you like it too.