Christmas Card

Mod Merry Ornaments Christmas

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Jasons Stocking...

So I finished Jason's stocking! 2 down 2 to go! I had an even more difficult time with the heel on this one than the first one. Bummer. I thought I would be getting better, not worse. That being said it still came out pretty darn good! I wish the instructions were more clear about how to pick up stitches for the heel. That would make everything so much easier! I can pick up the stitches on the top with no issues at all, its the bottom loops that are causing all the headaches. Maybe Jasper's stocking will go better. Third times the charm!

Christmas Stocking Project

So now that I finally have my Fair Isle chops I have started my Christmas stockings!! I did mine first so that if I completely blew it then I wouldn't feel bad about it. So far I am really happy with how it has turned out. I am not 100% sure about the i-chord I did for the hanging of the stocking, and the heel has some mistakes that I had to go back and correct but all in all...not bad. Thank goodness for Fair Isle, because if it wasn't then the mistakes would probably be much more noticeable!! I have started working on Jasons next. 3 more to go with 3 & 1/2 months till Christmas...I think I can make it!

Lacey Lace Love

This cowl was my first attempt ever at lace and I have to say that I love it! Something I wish I had known beforehand is... Lace work requires ALL of your attention! This is not a style of knitting where you can just sit and watch TV. No sir. Lace work demands some respect and attention to be paid. Many mistakes and frustrated nights made me learn my lesson. So while this particular project almost made me burst into tears on more than one occasion I still love the finished project!! I learned my lesson and will definitely be making this again for myself. This particular cowl went to my dear friend Jenna for her b-day. Love her!

2 Delicious Vegan Recipes

Now let me first start by saying that I am NOT a vegan and have always been a big skeptic of this diet since I am a true lover of all things dairy. However, I decided to branch out and "not knock it till I tried it." These recipes come to us from the cookbook, "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" by Robin Robertson. She did not come out and state that these recipes were vegan in the recipes. I only noticed they were vegan until after I had already made them!!

Vegetable Curry
1Tb Peanut Oil
2 large carrots sliced on a diagonal
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2Tb Curry powder
1tsp ground coriander
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
2 large yukon gold potatoes, diced
8oz of green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
salt

1.) heat oil over large pan over med heat. Add the carrots and onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 min. Add the garlic, curry powder, coriander, and cayenne, stir to coat.
2.) Transfer veggie mixture to the slow cooker. Add potatoes, green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, and stock. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3.) Just before serving stir in the peas and coconut milk. Season with salt.

I cooked this on high for 4 hours and it still came out great! So so sooo yummy!

Mac and "Cheese" Florentine

8oz elbow macaroni
1 10oz package of frozen chopped spinach, cooked or thawed according the package instructions
2Tb Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted raw cashews (I used regular ole cashew from costco that were salted)
1 3/4 cups water
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1Tb miso paste (this is optional and I left it out b/c I couldn't find it)
2tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
salt

1.) Cook macaroni in a large stock pot until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the spinach and combine.
2.) Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, add the onion, cover, and cook until soft (about 5 min).
3.) Grind the cashews to a powder in a blender or food processor. Add 1 cup of water and blend until smooth. Next, add the onion, beans, miso paste (if using), the remaining 3/4 cup water, lemon juice, dry mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt. NOTE: If you are using the miso paste you will need less salt since miso paste is quite salty. Blend until smooth. Cover the pasta and spinach mixture.
4.) *This is where I think the recipe needs tweaking. It says to transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours. HOWEVER, when i did this only after 30 minutes the macaroni began to look like it was drying out. I can't imagine what it would have looked like after 3 hours!! Sheesh!! Sooooooo...I recommend you skip the slow cooker all together. Just transfer the mac-n-"cheese" to a large casserol dish, cover with tin foil, and warm in an over for about 30 min until it is heated through. That way it won't dry out and will maintain some of its creaminess.

This recipe really blew me away! I can't believe how tasty it is. While, I still love my regular dairy filled mac and cheese this is definitely a great alternative that I will most certainly make again!

Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks to my sister in law, Lauren, who didn't mind at all that I stole this cookbook from her apartment!

~Emily

Seed Stitch Baby Peacoat

This little peacoat for Lacey's baby boy due in Sept. came out soo stinking cute!!! Its been awhile since I have finished a knit and just been completely in love with the final product. Either the pattern instructions were completely frustrating, or the finishing of the garment was a drag and took forever, or the knit was just boring. Not so here. I really enjoyed making this coat! I know many knitters hate seed stitch but I am not one of them. I find seed stitch much more interesting than ribbing or the honeycomb stich I used for some cowls not too long ago.

I love the instructions for this coat, I love the hood, I love the buttons, I love the fit, I LOVE this little coat!! I will most definitely be repeating this one. Definitely. Message me if you want the patter.

~Em

Cable Easter Vests

These little vests were nearly the death of me!! They turned out very cute and I am very glad I did them, but they became SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS!!!

First of all, the directions were completely and utterly confusing. I don't know how anyone gets a pattern published with the direction, "Ending on a wrong side row" in there. What the hell does that mean!?!? Everytime I thought I had it figured out, I didn't, and ended up having to read the instructions backwards most of the time. And I made this vest TWICE! So frustrating!!

What makes me the most angry about it all is that I KNOW there is a better way to say what she means! I have knit Debbie Bliss patterns before and never had such a difficult time. It baffles me that this pattern probably went through multiple tests before being published and NOBODY had the same issue as me? I find that incredibly hard to believe.

Now that I have vented I will say again that I do like the vests and I am glad that I made them. However, I will not be knitting from this pattern again and I fear it has tainted my love for all that is Debbie Bliss.

~Emily

Secrets of a coupon crazy

A friend asked me for some tips on how to coupon which inspired me to write up this post. I am not a crazy like those extreme coupon people on TV who have stock piles in their garages, but I do save quite a bit!

1.) If you weren't going to buy it in the first place then you aren't really saving money. You may find a really great deal on Maalox but if you don't suffer from heartburn then why the heck are you buying it?????

2.) Only buy what you need!! This is in reference to all those people who have 40+ jars of pasta sauce taking up space in their basements and garages. Unless you plan on donating some of it to you local food bank then only buy what you need. If there is a really great deal on pasta sauce I may buy 4 jars at the most and that usually will last me until the next time it goes on sale. Which brings me to my next tip...

3.) Pay attention to sale cycles. Sale cycles are important! If you find a really good deal on something it usually will go on sale again in the future. Most sale cycles run every 3 months. Since I was talking about pasta sauce earlier we will just stick with that. For my family, 4 jars of pasta sauce will last us about 3 months so I only buy 4, NOT 40! (See tip #2).

4.) Get organized! I have a very simple coupon organizer from Staples. I love it!!!

5.) Shop where they double coupons!!! This one is easy. Many grocery stores double coupons if you have one of their "valued customer" cards.

6.) Get those "valued customer" cards! haha! Even the drug stores. They sometimes have the best deals around!! Also, if you use your Target debit card you get 5% off every single purchase. Notice I said DEBIT card. Its not credit! So great!!!!

7.) Shop early or call ahead. There are many coupon crazies out there!! If there is a really great deal on something then you can bet by the time you get there someone has already cleared them out. :( I have found the best way to avoid this is to call ahead to customer service and ask them to hold the amount you want for you. I have never ever had a problem with this! They are really great about this at my grocery store!

8.) Plan ahead about where to use which coupons where. For example, a 75 coupon is worth double at my grocery store so I may use that there instead of at Target where they don't double. However, Target will accept a manufacturers coupon AND a Target coupon so somtimes you save more that way. A little planning goes a long way!!

9.) Sometimes its just better to go generic. There are some things that are just no good generic and I totally get that, but I have found that somtimes even with the best couponing and planning that generic is still cheaper and just as good. I have found this to be true mostly with drugs like, tylenol, allergy meds, antacids, vitamins, ect. Just buy the generic version. They work just as good and are way more affordable.

10.) Pay attention to all those sale papers you throw out most of the time!! I like to go through mine and circle all the things I need first, then I make a list, then I sort my coupons out, then I determine where/when I will use them. Planning is the key!

Well, I hope that was helpful!! I am sure there are many more things you can do like go online and print coupons and such, but these are just the things that I do. Happy shopping!

~Emily

Spirituality and Motherhood

These two things just don't really go well together for me these days. At least, that has been my experience. Number one reason why: Who the hell has the time???!?!??!? Sure, I would love to meditate and have some quiet time to myself every now and then but when does that happen? I would love to sit and contemplate whats going on in the world today and politics, but first I need to figure out whats for dinner, how I'm going to make $100 stretch into groceries for 2 weeks, and keep a 20 month entertained enough all day that he will actually sleep through the night. And those are just a few things! The list goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on... I feel like all the advice on TV these days is about slowing down and taking time for yourself and how you need to put yourself back on the priority list, blah blah blah. I truly believe those people don't have kids or have full time nannies at least. This post is really just a rant. I just want to tell all those gurus to shove it! Maybe one day when my kids are grown and can take care of themselves I will meditate and "know myself" but currently, my spiritual fulfillment comes in a glass of wine at the end of what is always a very very long day. Thats all.

Feeling Fair again...

Fair Isle that is. Here is another fair isle hat that I made. This is using the exact same pattern and yarn i used to make the previous fair isle hat. This one is slightly smaller and for sale! $40ppd!! Its made with a luxury blended yarn of cashmere, merino wool, and microfiber.

For La La...

This post is just to acknowledge how awesome my friend Laura(Lori) is. Lori has the most amazing memory. She can remember something in casual conversation that you would never think twice to remember and then BAM! there it is as your birthday gift!!! She is so giving and loving and I strive to be more like her. She will never forget your birthday, she will pet-sit/house-sit your dog for 11 days straight, and make you chicken rios and belgian waffles when you least expect it. Lori, I strive to be more like you. You are my hero!
Love,
Emily

Easy easy easy Chix curry

So really love Indian food and have always been scared to try and make it myself at home. Every recipe I would find involved a gazillion spices I couldn't even pronounce or find and took WAAAAAY too much time to prepare. I just don't have the time to be in the kitchen all evening. So when I found this recipe and tasted its yumminess I was over the moon!! I have made it twice now! Here is the simplified version:

Ingredients:

Chicken (As much as you need to feed your family)

Carrots (" ")

1 Red Onion

Yellow Curry Powder

Cayenne Pepper

1 can of Coconut Milk

Whole grain rice or couscous

Chop chicken, carrots, and onion into approximately 1 inch pieces. Season chicken bites with salt and pepper and brown in large saucepan. Remove after browned. Add a little more oil to the pan and saute the carrots and onion until carrots are softened but still somewhat firm. Return the chicken to the pan. Add 1/4 tsp of Cayenne pepper and 1Tblsp of Curry powder. Then add the coconut mimlk. Bring up to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Serve with rice or couscous.

YUMMY! You can add more or less cayenne depending on how much heat you like. :)

Things that ain't so great generic:

Q-tips - generic cotton swabs are just way too fluffy. It feels weird in your ear.

Playtex tampons - I won't go into detail here. haha!

Hefty Trash bags - We used some GLAD bags not too long ago and they were AWFUL!

Olay Regenerist face wash - I have tried other cleansers and I always go back to Olay. She never lets me down.

Pampers and Huggies diapers - I know target brand diapers are cheaper but they just do not work on my boys. Plus, I always have coupons so they really aren't that much cheaper.

Iams dog food and Purina cat food - These are middle of the road pet foods. I know I could spring for the purely organic pet foods but lets be real...that shit is crazy expensive! These are affordable brands that aren't pure crap.

Almay mascara - I don't why it took me so long to find a mascara that didn't make my eyes burn! Thank you Almay!

Bare Minerals makeup - Those infomercials ain't lyin. That stuff really works and I will never use anything else.

Feel free to add to the list of your favorite non-generic brands! :)

For all you pregos out there...

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is pregnant or trying to get pregnant! This book is basically a compliation of diffferent birth stories told through the eyes of the MD. The Dr. is not an OBGYN but a family practitioner who has adopted a Midwifery Model of care when it comes to caring for her patients during pregnancy and delivery. She shows through the book that even though you are in a hospital you can still have the kind of birth experience want.

Homebirth is a great option for women who want it and have the means and opportunity to do so. I considered having homebirths with my kiddos, but due to insurance reasons it was not in the cards for us. I wish I had read this book before I had my first baby. I think then I wouldn't have seen the hospital as such an intimidating place. Like the hospital was some giant hurdle that I needed to overcome in order to have the kind of birth experience I wanted. Not so.
You can achieve all the joy, all the empowerment, and all the feelings of triumph and still have your baby in a hospital. I think this book portrays that beautifully.

Be Still

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my life and the progession it has taken. I can honestly say that today I am the person I always envisioned myself to be. I can also say truthfully that I am on the path to being the person I want to be. There is always work to be done. There is a real satisfaction that comes with knowing who you are and that you will always be ok with yourself no matter what.

I tend to be a real worrier. I find myself constantly trying to plan everything which always causes me undue stress. Because when does anything go according to plan? Never.

I have found myself reciting "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) a lot to myself over the past 2 years. It is so simple but it really brings me peace when I find myself overwhelmed.

I think this little meditation I do has been the reason for my truly blessed life. It reminds me that I am not in control and He knows the desires of my heart. Hasn't He always come through for me? Why do I doubt? It makes no sense!

So I try to remind myself to take a deep breath and be still.

~E

Sarah Sanns Snood

This snood I made for my oldest sister Sarah. I titled it Sarah Sanns Snood because we grew up calling her by both her first and middle name, Sarah Ann. However, being little kids it came out Sarah Sann. Pretty cute huh?? This was a super easy knit but rather boring. I still like the finished product though. If I make this again I will most likely use a heavier yarn so it lays down more and isn't quite so "fluffy."

Ike Taylor and Swagology

The praise and worship band at our church has been struggling for awhile now. They finally seem to be getting into a groove and things have improved, but it is still not up to par. However, being a person with a degree in music I probably have higher standards than most so I guess they get a little bit of a pass.

Anyway, this past Sunday (the Sunday Jay and I just sat in the lobby and talked) I admitted something to Jason. I prefaced my statment with this, "Now this is going to sound really really arrogant." To which he laughed and said, "Uh Oh." So here goes my confession. I told him that I sometimes think about joining the worship team just so they will sound better. I KNOW I KNOW that makes me sound like a horrible horrible person right????? I felt so guilty after I had said it.

Jason then began to tell me about Ike Taylor and Swagology. Ike Taylor is a football player who plays for the Steelers. When he tells me this I think, "OF COURSE Jason is going to make a football analogy. He always does." But I let him finish. Ike Taylor apparently has a degree in Swagology. No I am not kidding. What is Swagology you ask?? Well let me tell you... Swag is the sweet spot between being confident and cocky. You are more than confident but you aren't an asshole and therefore you have SWAG.

So Jason thinks my statement doesn't mean I am arrogant it just means I have Swag. I'll take it. Even if it is completely made up. :)

~Em

This Book is Hilarious

I haven't finished it yet, but so far I love it. Thank you Lori for an awesome Christmas present!

2 easy fish dinners

Both of these recipes are from 29 Minutes to Dinner, The Pampered Chef cookbook. My Mom is a Pampered Chef fanatic and gets all kinds of free stuff from hosting Pampered Chef parties at her house. She has double of just about all their products so she then passes along things to me. As a result of her dedication to Pampered Chef I have received several cookbooks, a garlic press, a slap chop, measuring cups, and a steamer! Yay Mom!

So here are the recipes!

Garam Masala Salmon

Raita (yogurt sauce):

2tsp freshly grated gingerroot (I found 2tsp to be a little much. I may use 1-1/2tsp less next time)
1 lemon = 1 tsp of juice
3/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
1 pressed or finely chopped garlic clove
1/8tsp ground cumin
1/4tsp salt
1tbsp cilantro

Mix all the indgredents in a small bowl.

Salmon and Zucchini:
2 boneless salmon fillets
1/4 tsp salt
2tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garam masala spic blend (Indian spice blend you should find in your grocery store)
3 small zucchini

NOTES: *Try to find "Wild Caught" salmon. I found out that Farm Raised salmon is really just white fish and they inject it with dye to make it look pink!!!!! Gross! Spring for the real thing.

* I just used 1 large zucchini and and still had leftovers.

* I forgot to find the garam masala at the store and just used cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper to season my salmon. It was still super tasty!

Salmon:
Season salmon with salt and place in 1/4 cup of raita. Turn to coat salmon.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat with the garam masala till fragrant.

Add salmon to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides or until browned.

While salmon is cooking use a vegetable peeler to peel ribbons of zucchini.

Place zucchini ribbon on plate and drizzle remaining raita over ribbons.
Place salmon on top.


Voila!!!!




340 Calories and 30 grams of protein!!



Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple Salsa:

1/2 medium fresh pineapple

1/4 small red onion

1 serrano pepper (I used a pablano pepper b/c I couldn't find serrano)

2tbsp cilantro

1/8tsp salt

1 lime

Trim and core pineapple. Cut 1/2 the pineapple into strips. Grill pineapple on a medium-high heat grill pan or saute pan. (I used a saute pan). Grill until pineapple is lightly browned on both sides, aprox 2-3 min.

Finely dice the remaining indgredients (excluding the lime) and combine in a bowl. After pineapple is cooked chop and add to mixture. Zest lime to measure 1tbs of juice and zest 1tsp. Add to bowl and mix all ingredients well.

Tilapia:

1 packet of taco seasoning mix (I got the original mix, but could have had for more spice. Next time I will get the spicy mix.)

3tbsp olive oil

4 boneless, skinless tilapia fillets (At my grocery store they have this fish SUPER cheap! I can get 4 frozen fillets for $4.99!)

Mix oil and taco seasoning mix in bowl and marinate fillets. Cook tilapia in a medium-high heat pan on both sides for 2-3 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork. Remove from pan and top with pineapple salsa.

Voila!

Sorry this pic is half eaten! I forgot to take a pic!!!
240 Calories, 23 grams of protein!
This salsa is soooo yummy! This is one I will most definitely take again. :)

~Em

We were bad Christians today...

Tsk Tsk on Jason and myself. Today we went to church like we do on most Sundays, but instead of going into the actual sanctuary we sat outside in the lobby drank coffee, ate doughnuts, and talked to each other. :)

So now I am going to justify why we did this....

Heres the thing, we hardly ever get time to just talk to one another these days. If one baby is asleep then the other one is upset or hungry or needs attention. This tag team rountine goes on ALL DAY LONG. By the time we get into bed at night we are both spent. We pass out. So it was nice to just sit and talk while taking advantage of the free child care.

Also, our pastor has been on Ephesians FOREVER!!!! Seriously, there are 6 chapters in this book!! We have been beating this dead horse for far too long.

So Jay and I took a break today. A much needed break. :)

Rob and Elvis

Is it just me or does Rob Pattinson resemble a young Elvis Presley?

Somebody write this boy a screen play pronto!!

My new love: Fair Isle

This Fair Isle hat is my most recent finished object (FO) and I loooooove it!!!

Fair Isle is a style of knitting I have wanted to learn for quite sometime but I have always been too intimidated. What I discovered as I was knitting along is that it looks much more intimidating than it actually is. This is something that continually happens in my knitting, learning a new technique is always easier than it appears to be.

So now that I feel I have conquered my fears of Fair Isle I am obsessed with it! I plan on knitting some Fair Isle Christmas stockings for us. A nice heirloom piece for the boys to have and keep. I have an heirloom Christmas stocking my grandmother made for me that is completely gorgeous. I love it so much I tried to replicate one for my husband and while it is nice it is nowhere near as lovely as mine that Nana made. I am a knitter not a seamstress. So I will place my heirloom stocking in safe keeping and make some new ones that all match for this new little family I have created. :)

A pic of my most favorite FO to date....

Things that have changed my life

Ok, first off I must specify that these are THINGS that have changed my life. Of course, I love my babies and they changed my life, but this isn't about them. :)

1.) DVR - Holy Crap how did I live without this for so long!?!?! Never again. Never again.

2.) Pandora - When I discovered Pandora on our Bluray player and what it could do, I cried. No joke. I literally cried with happiness. Sometimes sitting at home with 2 babies all day long you can go a little stir crazy. Especially here in Cleveland when its snowing and you can't go anywhere. Listening to music is so soul satisfying. It has a way of reminding me who I am. That I am more than a butt wiper and milk machine. I <3 Pandora.

3.) Bluray - Not only does it make movies look spectacular, but it also plays my netflix Q, my Pandora radio, AND gives me the weather! One device + many functions = money well spent!

4.) My mattress - Its the bomb! Never again will I sleep on a hand-me-down mattress that is older than my grandmother. NEVER.

5.) My zester - When you zest something while cooking it will immediately make your meal 100x's better. I guarantee it! Find a recipe where you zest something (lemon, lime, orange, hazelnut) go buy a zester, make the recipe and tell me its not delicious! Yay zesters!

6.) My coupon organizer - Jason got me this for Christmas and it was almost my favorite gift! So so so handy and great. So great that my mom saw it and was jealous. She immediately went home and got one for herself and then sent me a text saying, "My Christmas is now complete!" If you are a serious coupon cutter like myself you need to go to Staples and get one. Right now.

~Em

Frog my life??

To "Frog" something in knitting means to unravel it or unknit back to a mistake and either correct it or start over again. For example, say I've been knitting along for rows upon rows and suddenly I realize I dropped a stitch over an hour ago and now there is a huge hole is my knitting I would say, "Dammit! Now I have to frog this whole thing!" Frogging isn't always a bad thing though. Sometimes you just realize half way through a project that you just aren't "feeling it" anymore and want to use your yarn for another project you like better. Example - "I'm just going to Frog this project and use the yarn for a snood for my sister. She will really like this color." So frogging isn't all bad.

So this blog is all about unraveling my thoughts and ideas on what goes on in my day to day life. Sometimes there will be expletives (hence the play on F***MyLife or FML) and sometimes there will be revelations. I will do my best to entertaining!