Baby Headbands

When I found out I was having a girl, I was definitely excited for all things pink, frilly, flowery, skirts and dresses and cute headbands to adorn my cute baby. BUT I vowed I would not have any headbands that were the same size as her head. Call me crazy, but the headbands are to enhance her cuteness NOT overpower her, but I realize everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

While at Kmart one day I found a pack of lace headbands with little roses. They were cute, but I wanted them to be cuter and I wanted them to be just for my little munchkin. And so hot glue gun met fabric (satin/felt/cotton) flowers. The blue is the original headband. I simply removed the rose on the others and attached my own flowers.

Nursery.... and guest bedroom

I think I finally have the nursery/guest bedroom finished, unless of course, I think of some other project I want to make.

My sister made the quilt, which I loved and decided to actually design around those colors instead of the previous quilt I purchased. My mother-in-law sewed the curtains and she showed me how to make the matching throw pillows.

This is the second mobile I made, the first just wasn't working for me. I made the first out of felt, it had elephants and circles. This one was a lot easier and I like it better. I punched circles and scalloped circles out of patterned paper and hung them on a piece of thread with glue on an embroidery hoop.

Here are the elephants my sister gave me when she went to China that I wanted to incorporate, which is why I made the painting of the two elephants.

Meatless Monday

I have been trying to plan ahead our weekly menu. To help I have deemed Monday as Meatless Monday. Last week I made falafel with this soft wrap bread my sister showed me and dinner was truly delicious and healthy.

For the falafel recipe, I used a recipe found on Allrecipes.com and slightly adapted it to my tastes and needs.

Jeanie's Falafel

1 (19 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup red pepper, chopped (added because I believe in vegetables and had it on hand)

1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp ground turmeric (didn't include because I don't have this fancy spice)

1/2 tsp baking powder (forgot this)

1 cup fine dry bread crumbs

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 quart vegetable oil for frying (I just sprayed mine with Pam and essentially grilled them)

My Directions: Put ingredients (except for oil and bread crumbs) in food processor and grind together. Shape mixture into small patties. Spray with Pam and cook over medium heat.

For the bread, I used this Soft Wrap Bread recipe which my sister introduced to me. It is delicious with soups and perfect for pita bread. Don't you love the blogging world... this came to me from my sister who found it off of "Your Home Based Mom" and the recipe is from "My Kitchen Cafe." Not to mention that when I searched to find the recipe my sister used, several variations came up, the blogging world too has it's trends. Anyway, my sister showed me a different (which we thought was easier) way to make these, so on to the recipe...

Soft Wrap Bread

1 tsp instant yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup water

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup potato pearls or flakes

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Put the potato pearls and 1 cup flour in the kitchen aid mixer. add boiling water and combine until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 30 minutes until it has cooled a little.

Dissolve 1 tsp yeast into 1/4 cup water until the yeast has been activated.

Whisk 1 1/4 tsp salt into 2 cups flour. Add the vegetable oil to the yeast mixture and add the liquid to the potato mixture in the mixer. Using a dough hook, turn on the mixer and gradually add the flour until the mixture until a soft dough has formed. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour. Remove mixture and place in a greased bowl and let rise for about 2 hours.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7-to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side, until they are puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly or too slowly. Cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.