Party Bunting

We are having a small party to celebrate Jacinta’s 2nd birthday this weekend. I can’t believe my little Cinta doll is going to be 2!! Wait, yes I can. The drama has definitely been pointing that direction.

In any case, I was looking for decoration ideas that would be both cute and frugal, and remembered seeing homemade bunting somewhere on the interwebs. Google produced a variety of different ways to tackle the project, and I settled on making some paper bunting hung on spare kite string we have had lying around. I don’t know where the kite string came from, but hey, it came in handy so I can’t complain.

First things first, I hung the string on the wall to see what length I would be working with, and cut it. I ended up with about 30 feet to cover the space I wanted, give or take a couple feet.

 

I wanted to maximize the 12 inch scrapbook paper I was using, so I decided to cut triangles that were 4 inches across the top. That gave me 10 triangles per sheet of paper. Using fancy maths, I deduced I would need about 60 triangles to get the spacing that I wanted (approximately 2 inches) when I hung them on the string.

I picked out 6 fun papers that went together reasonably well, then folded one in half like so. If your paper is directional, like stripes, make sure they are facing the direction you want when you fold!

Using our classiest ruler, I marked along one long edge at 2 inches, 6 inches and 10 inches, then along the other edge at 4 inches and 8 inches.

 

Then I connected the marks and cut along the lines. The triangles that were on the fold also needed to be cut apart.

 

Once I had all my papers cut, I folded the top down just a bit to make a space for the string.

Then I wondered how that remote for an old DVD player got in with my scrapbook supplies. The world may never know.

 

Then I turned on a movie and got back to folding. Fold fold fold!

Missed a step! I also clipped the corners where they overlapped in the front.

 

When the folding is done, it’s time to attach the pennants (because I decided in the last step that they had become pennants, not mere triangles anymore) to the string. But first I had to untangle my string, which was lying in a heap on the table instead of nicely wound around something. Don’t be like me. Your crafting will go faster.

 

Some people used glue to secure their pennants to their hanging medium, but I decided to go with tape because it seemed faster and less messy. I lined up a few pennants along the string and stuck on a piece of tape to hold the fold down. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

 

Taping instead of gluing gave me the ability to slide the pennants around on the string if I needed to change the spacing a bit, since the string was only strung through the fold, not attached to the paper. That came in handy around the corners and the apexes (apices?) of the curves, since my maths were only approximate and not exact.

 

And one party decoration down!

It’s hard to gauge exactly how much time I spent since I grabbed a bit of time here and there throughout the day, but it couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours from start to finish. Maybe a little longer because I fiddled with the pennant spacing a little more than necessary. Perfectionism can be a hard burden to bear.

I have a few more fun decoration ideas, so we’ll see if they pan out this week.

Samoas!

Since it’s Girl Scout Cookie season, I’ve seen a lot of tasty homemade cookie recipes on Pinterest. I decided to try one.

 

I liked the idea of making them as bars to save time, but I wanted to see what would happen if I tried making them in muffin tins. I figured it would be a little faster than rolling and cutting the shortbread dough, and would keep all the layers nice and tidy. So that’s what I did.

 

I pressed the cookie dough into the tins and baked them. I used two muffin pans for a total of twenty-four cookies, but they came out a little thick. I think I’d try to spread it out more next time, or halve the recipe.

 

While the dough was cooling, I toasted the coconut and made up this caramel sauce to use in place of the caramel candies. I halved the recipe, which was good because I burned the first batch. Yuck. If you try it this way, be sure to keep a close eye on the stove , keep the heat on the lower side, and stir almost constantly. Burned sweetened condensed milk smells nasty.

After mixing the coconut and caramel, I pressed the topping into the tins on top of the cookie. It seemed at first like it didn’t want to stick to the cookie, but they stayed together pretty well once they set.

 

Then it was time for chocolate. I melted some chocolate chips and started dipping.

 

The chocolate tended to form a thick layer on the bottom, so I scraped each one against the side of the bowl as I dipped them. It worked pretty well.

 

Then I drizzled a little chocolate over the tops, and stuck them in the fridge for the chocolate to set. Not the prettiest cookies out there, but they sure tasted good.

You can see that little guy on the left has an extra chocolate layer between the cookie and coconut. That’s because he came apart when I pulled him out of the tin, and I had to glue him back together. I saved him. Then I ate him.

So while I like how the muffin pans worked out, they were definitely on the thick side. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I may try to get them a little thinner next time.

These cookies freeze really well, which makes it easy to pull out just a few at a time. Just be prepared for some chocolate beards and mustaches if you feed them to kids.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

I departed a little from our usual corned beef and cabbage St. Patty’s tradition in favor of something a little simpler. It was just me and the girls at home since Paul was at the Renaissance Festival promoting greyhound adoption with the hounds. And it was just one of those days! You know the kind I mean. So I give you our St. Patty’s dinner:

 

Cloverleaf rolls, made from this potato bread recipe formed into the shape of a clover as per these instructions.

And Colcannon, thrown together using this recipe and this recipe. If only we had had bacon…

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

29 Forever

It was my birthday on Monday! I have finally reached that point where I will no longer have to remember my age. If someone asks, I can just answer 29…forever!

 

With dinner there was this yummy margarita that Paul made with fresh lime, orange simple syrup and a touch of maraschino cherry juice. Yum!

 

I got to use the red Special Occasion plate that we got for Christmas from the other local Greenes. Yay!

 

Though it didn’t keep my burrito from falling apart. Part overfilling, and part crispy tortilla. Homemade tortillas take practice. How much practice remains to be seen.

 

Paul had to fold his in half. It wouldn’t roll.

 

The messes were not confined to just our plates, unfortunately.

 

But despite that, it was a tasty dinner with the best company.

 

Happy Birthday to Me!

The Realms Thereunder

“Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days. The knights are waking up.”

Daniel and Freya, two pre-teens who share the same birthday, find themselves stumbling into the realm of legends when they discover an enchanted doorway in an old church. Years later, though they’ve since gone separate ways, they are thrown together again as strange events prove that the adventure they shared years before isn’t yet over.

The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead is a story told in two different timelines, one following Daniel and Freya on their underground adventure as pre-teens, the other describing events from their present as young adults. I really enjoyed this mechanic, which allowed me as the reader to discover the past at the same time that the present was unfolding. It adds to the sense of mystery surrounding the strange happenings in Oxford and elsewhere, because while it’s obvious that the previous journey to the underground realm of Nidergeard shared by the two friends is somehow related to what is going on in their current lives, it isn’t clear how or why until you know how that adventure ends.

In the same vein, it’s interesting to see how the characters of Daniel and Freya develop throughout the story. In their past, Daniel had embraced the adventure not only as a way to escape from a world where he was unhappy, but because he felt it was his destiny. He is more than willing to take on the mission given by the inhabitants of Nidergeard. Freya, on the other hand, wanted only to return home to the comfort of the familiar, hesitation dogging her every move. Their different attitudes directly affect the outcome of their journey, and also how they look back on it as adults. So when strange things begin happening in Oxford, where both Daniel and Freya find themselves, Daniel is once again ready to embrace his destiny while Freya would rather flee.

The Realm of Nidergeard itself, hidden in great caverns and tunnels under England, has had a hand in much of the history of that great country. Lawhead uses what seems to be a comprehensive knowledge of Great Britain to spin a convincing tale in which the modern world meets the stuff of legends, all somehow connected to this ancient realm under the feet of the unsuspecting English. Having once lived briefly in Oxford, I can certainly appreciate it as one of the settings for the meeting of worlds.

Knights, wizards, dragons, elves, trolls, changelings and even a spiritual “Black Ops” officer – all have their place in the The Realms Thereunder. A fun fantasy adventure with a rich history, I would highly recommend this first installment of The Ancient Earth Trilogy, and I’ll be looking forward to the next installment later this year.

Gillian Adams - Red Bissell - Keanan Brand - Beckie Burnham - Melissa Carswell - Jeff Chapman - CSFF Blog Tour - Theresa Dunlap - Emmalyn Edwards - April Erwin - Victor Gentile - Tori Greene - Nikole Hahn - Ryan Heart - Bruce Hennigan - Timothy Hicks - Christopher Hopper - Jason Joyner - Carol Keen - Krystine Kercher - Rebekah Loper - Marzabeth - Shannon McDermott - Rebecca LuElla Miller - Mirriam Neal - Eve Nielsen - Nissa - John W. Otte - Donita K. Paul - Joan Nienhuis - Crista Richey - Sarah Sawyer - Chawna Schroeder - Kathleen Smith - Donna Swanson - Rachel Starr Thomson - Steve Trower - Fred Warren - Dona Watson - Shane Werlinger - Nicole White - Rachel Wyant

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

IIIIIIIIIIIt’s Friday!

The most disjointed Quick Takes ever.

 

1.

Have you always wanted lips like the girls on the magazine covers at the grocery store check-out counter? Well, have I got the solution for you. FATLIP by Jacinta™. Just one application of FATLIP by Jacinta™ will have your kisser more pouty than all the duck face pictures your cousin has spammed on her Facebook page. And no collagen needed! Ask me more about FATLIP by Jacinta™ today! (*Disclaimer: will wear off within 24 hours…we hope).

 

2.

I started a home workout routine a few weeks ago. I decided it was time to help speed along the postpartum weight loss, since Ariadne is now over two months old and I am still a little ways from fitting into my favorite jeans. Calling it a workout routine is probably a little overblown though, as it pretty much amounts to me trying not to step on, smack or otherwise maim my underfoot children. I think I’ve hit Jacinta in the head with a can at least three times (but that is not how she got the fat lip).

 

3.

I have cleaned up after more pee accidents this week than I care to think about. So many loads of pee-soaked laundry! I know it is my own fault, because I don’t always remember to make Veronica stop what she is doing and use the bathroom. But please tell me this won’t last forever, and that someday she will of her own volition seek out the facilities when she feels the call. Please?

 

4.

Please pray for a friend of mine whose father is in the midst of his last battle against cancer. It looks like he won’t be here much longer, and any prayers you can offer to help him in his last hours and also to bless his family would be appreciated.

 

5.

On a happier note, some other friends have started the journey to adopt a beautiful little boy from Hong Kong. Mike is one of my OBs, and was such a blessing during Ariadne’s delivery, so the least I can do is share an opportunity with you all to help him and his family bring their newest member home. If you feel called, check out Heidi’s blog for ways to help – there’s even a giveaway for an iPad, so hurry over!

 

6.

When these two get together there can be much screaming, but there can also be much love.

 

7.

I promised Veronica I would help her make an invisible map, so I’ll just have to leave you with this. Happy Friday!

This zebra is dope!

Homemade Valentine’s Day

While we don’t have anything against Valentine’s Day here in the Greene household, we do try to steer away from the commercialism that demands spending lots of money so your significant other knows you love him or her. Instead, we traditionally do a little fancier dinner at home and let the kids participate, too.

 

This year, that meant serving dinner on our seldom-used china.

 

Though not everyone got to use the fancy dishes.

 

It meant a fun, pink Valentine’s drink.

 

And Valentine’s clothes, too. No matter if they are decorated with aforementioned pink Valentine’s drink.

 

It meant a do-it-yourself floral arrangement from Paul, since Trader Joe’s ran out of the potted orchids he usually likes to give me (and I like to receive).

 

Not bad for a guy who is partially colorblind. Ariadne approves.

 

It meant a husband who was willing to hold a fussy baby so I could finish my dinner, since Ariadne has a knack for knowing exactly when we are ready to sit down and eat. Actually, he does this pretty much any time she’s fussy during dinner. That is love.

 

It meant heart-shaped cake pops that weren’t perfect but still tasty.

 

And, of course, it meant messy hands.

 

It meant homemade Valentines to Daddy from three little girls.

 

And a little bit of LOTRO geekery from this wife to her husband and best playmate.

 

A fun and tasty Valentine’s Day! Hope yours was just as nice.