Fall decorating

I have really gotten into decorating this fall, more so than any other year thus far.  I do a little for Halloween but I have felt inspired to do more for the entire fall season this year.  Now, cost was a huge factor so the more things I could use that I already had the better. 

this first set up is things I already had on had.  Well, I did buy a bag of split peas for $1.25 but that is it, I had the jars, the popcorn, and the pumpkin decorations already! 

I often forget about my front door area since we never use that door and it is very rare that anyone else does.  It is also kind of tucked away inside a little alcove so it is hard to see from the street.  Well, this year I didn’t care.  I wanted a nice wreath on the door that was warm and welcoming.   I will admit that I did have to purchase of few of these things but they were only a total of around $8, which is much cheaper than an already made $25 wreath.  I might paint the S, still haven’t decided on that one just yet.

Things so easy even I can do them

So, I am now a die hard Pinterest user.  If you haven’t come across this website yet then you haven’t truly lived.  In short, it is a virtual bulletin board where you can post pictures (has to have a picture to work) from blogs, websites, whatever.  Most of the stuff on there is great do-it-yourself information, decorating ideas, recipes, etc.  So, you pin from a website you like and then others can find that website too and be just as informed as you.  It’s basically a one stop shop for any type of party ideas you might need or decorating help, or if you feel like you want to build your own farmhouse table (yes, there is link to a tutorial on how to do that).  So, I thought since I am TAKING so much information from this sight I might try and add some things as well.  I am not nearly as crafty as most of the people on there and I am not a super mom like the other half, but I do my best and have come up with some things that at least make my life better, so, there you have it. 

The first is a recipe and it is so simple and yet so yummy that I still can’t believe how easy it was to re-create!  So, I am obsessed (I mean 3 times a week obsessed) with Rubio’s new gourmet tacos (both the steak and the shrimp).  Basically anything with a chipotle sauce on it is going to send me doing back flips and this sauce is amazing!  But, that isn’t really the point, they are just yummy and filling and so good.  So, I figured since we can’t afford my habit I should try to make them myself.  It was so much easier than I thought.  Here is the breakdown:

1 flank steak or carne asada steak for grilling (you can find these in the meat section at your local store).  No particular amount, whatever you know will feed you and your family.

1 ripe avocado (or more if you are feeding more than 3 or 4 people)

1 bunch cilantro

1 round of Cotija cheese (found in cheese section)

corn tortillas ( store bought are fine here here is a link to a great recipe for home made http://allrecipes.com/recipe/corn-tortillas/detail.aspx)

Pico de Gallo salsa

1 bottle Chipotle Ranch dressing or chipotle sandwich spread

1 tube Gourmet Garden mexican herb and spice blend

To marinade steak simply brush on some of the mexican flavor paste on both side, cover, and let sit overnight.

Grill steak until done

while steak is grilling slice avocados and chop cilantro

Grate cheese

Heat tortillas in micro for 25 seconds

Slice meat into 2 inch slices, arrange meat, cheese, cilantro, salsa, avocado, and drizzle chipotle sauce on top, voila!

Here is the finished product, amazing, and so close to the real thing. 

Now here are a couple fun organization ideas.  I am a runner.  Not marathons yet, but I have run a couple half marathons and a handful of shorter races.  For those that race you know that you get a bib number to wear during the race and usually a finisher medal afterwards.  I was stuck on how to display these, or if I even should.  I figured someplace in our bedroom was best.  I didn’t need to have them out for the world to see, but seeing them everyday motivates me to keep running.  I tweaked another idea I saw online and came up with this for displaying both the bibs and the medals. 

Jewelry storage has always been tough for me.  I used to just throw it all in a drawer and then never wear anything because all the necklaces were tangled together with my earrings acting as glue.  So I needed a change.  I used a suction hook from target to hang my necklaces (could probably used another one now that I have more necklaces than when I started) and an old hurricane stand to store my earrings.  I am sure there are even better ways to do this, but it works for me and keeps my drawers clutter free. 

Gearing up for Christmas…

Well, at least for our Christmas photo for our cards.  This is something I think about pretty much from the time school starts until I figure out what I want to do which is usually about three weeks out from Christmas.  This year I thought I would try out some ideas, compile some things and see where it takes me.  Maybe a collage?  Maybe something will jump out at me as PERFECT and I will be finished.  Or maybe I will just have a ton of fun playing around with my camera and my family trying to find just the right shot.  This is one I tweaked from an idea I saw on Pinterest (the best website there is, hands down).  Pretty simple idea, and gotta love Picasa for all the editing it allows (who needs photoshop?). 

Happiest Harry Potter Party

My oldest son just turned 9.  It is still hard to believe it has been that many years, but as all parents say, time really does fly.  His heart’s desire was to have a Harry Potter party, so that is what we did.  I find that I get much less stressed if I am planning a party for just our family.  We have some extended family nearby so that parties are never quiet or dull, not with 5, count them, 5 cousins, all boys, running the show.  So, I researched a bit online, found a cake he liked and I thought I could recreate with ease, and away we went!  I had so much fun gearing up for this party!  Below is a collage of some of the photos for the party. 

Boys will be boys

Every once in a while it hits me that I am a mother to three boys.  Three boys who will become three teenage boys who will become three young men, who will hopefully become three mature, well-mannered, morally upstanding, confident, courageous, and kind men.  This, when broken down like that, seems like a pretty tall order to fill.  I have been entrusted with the job of raising these boys to be brothers, husbands, fathers, and uncles.  Often it is pretty daunting.  There seems to be a lack of real men in this country these days.  Men who mean what they say, say what they believe, and believe in things that end up making the world a better place.  So how do I go about this, as a mother in this day and age?

So what is the deal?  Why aren’t there many men these days?  What has happened to our society that boys just don’t grow up?  I don’t know.  I do know that I see a lot of moms who don’t let their kids, boys and girls a like, take responsibility for themselves.  Here is an example.  My 4 year old is perfectly capable of putting his clothes away once they are clean (folding is another story, but it will come).  I mean, he gets dressed on his own, he knows where to GET the clothes he wears, hence he should totally know where to put them when they are freshly cleaned and folded.  So I let him do this job.  My older two are folding and putting away their own clothes.  Pretty soon they will be washing them too.  Yet I know there are grown men out there who have no idea how to wash a load of laundry let alone fold it.  Why?  Why do moms feel the need to baby their babies for so long? 

I will admit that I am guilty of babying my babies in some ways.  I fear they will get hurt doing certain things but then remember that stitches and broken bones heal and it is kind of a right of passage for kids, especially boys.   I don’t ever want my children to experience pain like that, but I know they will and I know they will survive and hopefully have a good story to tell at the end of it all.  I also know that I could do more when it comes to teaching them manners and etiquette.  It hits me most meals when they wipe their mouths with the backs of their hands and half sit half stand at the table, or talk with food in their mouths.  I sometimes think, what will a future girlfriend’s mother think if this young man does this at her table?  I am suddenly filled with dread and want to immediately send them to charm school, or whatever boys attend to learn manners.  But of course I can teach them these things msyelf, as can Joe, but why is it that we have to teach them?  Do we not do these things ourselves?  I have been trying to be a good example but with boys that is kind of up to the dad.  He must teach them the wonderous trick of opening a door for a lady and how that one simple act will bring him praise and adoration, or pulling out a chair, or standing when a lady leaves the room, or just using a napkin appropriately!  Learning how to shake a hand and look people in the eye when you speak and to walk with confidence and purpose.  As tough as we want them to be, boys are also precious gifts that need to be nurtured in ways that I am not always confident.  But then I look at Joe, my amazing husband, who has never, not once, in 12 years of marriage left the seat up, or burped at the able (or any time for that matter), and is such a wonderful example for my boys that my heart is suddenly at ease.

So, I think that we will be ok.  I pray for my boys each day, that they will be happy, and confident, and have joy unimaginable and will know how to love unconditionally and will also know how to stand up for themselves and others.  I know they will be successful in whatever they choose to do with their lives and I also know that for whatever reason God chose Joe and I to prepare them for the world.  They truly are gifts and I love them all so completely that to think of life without them just isn’t possible.  I know it existed, but that life is so far away from our lives now that it almost seems like a dream.  These boys, these forces of nature, have so changed our lives that I can’t and won’t think of what life was like before.  Children change the direction of our lives and start us on a new adventure that is so amazing it is hard to describe.  I thank God daily for my three blessings and while I have my share of challenging days, the challenges are so worth it.