Well, preschool is officially over for this school year. No more online homework, emailed coloring assignments, or weekly classroom Zoom meetings. Although school is over for him I don’t want to lose what he was learning and I don’t want the learned to stop until school starts up again (hopefully) in August.

I bought a blue science board from Target and also picked up some fun posterboard borders from the Dollar Spot area at Target. The letters I picked up from OfficeMax when I got his flashcards printed.

I knew I only wanted to add the basics for him to focus on which included: basic colors, basic shapes, numbers 1-10, and the alphabet. I’m not 100% in love with the printouts I found so I have a feeling I will be creating my own to replace.

Lastly, I added a spare set of the flashcards. I wanted to be able to update the board as he learned so I only attached the laminated pages with mounting putty.
​
Andrew was instantly interested in the board and we have been using it every day, usually just 5 minutes at a time before he ready to move on to something else. But it’s a great start!

Okay, these have been something I’ve wanted to make for months, but kept putting it off. I finally added this to my 36 by 36 List just so I would finally get this done.
Andrew is working on his communication skills, but since he isn’t talking it isn’t always easy to know what he wants. I’m not even sure where the flashcard idea came from, but I remember it being an awesome idea.

I didn’t want to overwhelm or confuse him, and I wanted to only focus on the most important things for him to know. Jack and I decided on 12 cards:  Mommy, Daddy, Mimi, Papa, Duffey, Eat, Drink, Diaper, Cartoons, Color, Ball, and Book. I took pictures for each of these words or things he could associate with them; I also found pictures of all of us. Now I don’t have any fancy picture editing system so I just used Word.

I created a table of 2X4 portrait table. I typed each word on the bottom of each rectangle and inserted the picture for that word. All of the item pictures were photographed on white paper so it was super easy to remove the background using the Word Picture Remove Background tool. The pictures of us and Duffey took a little more time to remove the background just right. Since my home printer doesn’t print on cardstock I had OfficeMax print four copies of the set. However, I took them home to cut them out and then used our laminate machine. They would have been able to cut and laminate them but would have cost $1 per cute and $2 per laminate page, which would have added up pretty quickly.
​
Once all of the flashcards were laminated, I trimmed each card out and bundled them together. Andrew seems to really enjoy the cards, but he is still getting the hang of them. When someone asked him where mommy was, holding up the card of me, he went to the office door where I was inside working; at least he knows who I am and where I was!

It is crazy to think that I have never made a buttercream cake like this before! It was so simple to make and turned out so cute that I hope to make more in the future.

The trick to the cake was to crumb coat it with frosting, chill, and then put a thicker second coat of frosting on. Something I rarely do and need to do more of! I used a large star tip to create the piping border and sprinkled on rainbow confetti sprinkles to finish the cake.
​
It came out so cute and looked like it came from the store bakery, but only better!

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and I knew Jack would have been happy to make me breakfast or order and take out from our favorite breakfast place, but I wanted to make a quiche for my mom and ended up making us one too.

This is my go-to quiche recipe:

ENTER RECIPE

The meat can be changed or removed, and the same with the vegetables. This is always a crowd favorite and I like to make it the night before the holidays. I recently made my Denver Quiche for the men’s group at church and the loved it!

​*In the picture is sausage quiche.

I have a lot of stuff, a lot. My storage tubs have slowly taken all of the garage shelves and my shed is FULL. So full that it has gotten harder to get anything out. I do plan to purge the holidays' bins when I get into them, but I also have party supplies, costumes, and craft supplies I store in there that I need to get into more often. I asked Jack to build me a shelf that it would be easier to keep things organized and still be accessible. He spent $20 on five 2x4 boards that were 96 inches in length, he already had the wood screws.

The shelf was very simple 48” long, 20” wide enough to fit in the shed and hold the bins. We also made the shelves only 15” high just high enough for them to fit under. The shelf needed to be able to hold a lot of weight so he secured each board with two screws.
​
The shelf fits perfectly in the shed and so did the storage bins. This will make getting into the tubs so much easier. When the weather cools back down in the fall I’ll ask Jack to make some more for the other sides of the shed and storage bins, he just doesn’t know it yet.

I am really proud of this baby boy quilt. Andrew’s Godmother is having her virtual baby shower this weekend due to the pandemic. Because of the pandemic, I wasn’t going to be able to go buy new fabric and thankfully have several plastic tubs full of unfinished projects. The fabric came from the burb cloth project that I never go to when Andrew still needed burb cloths. Maybe that is why I love this quilt so much; it all came from fabric I had picked for Andrew.

I cut the seven quilt fabrics into 5 ½” thick strips of fabric and sewed them together. I then cut the sewn together rows vertically into 5 ½” thick strips. This made a vertical row of the seven different fabrics all sewn together. I would then remove one or more sewn squares and moved it to the next vertical row and sewed in place. This created the pattern I wanted most easily, even though it doesn’t seem like it. After all the new rows were completed, I sewed them all together, creating the front of the quilt. I then sewed a thick border of fabric all along the side of the quilt.

I used temporary fabric adhesive spray to stick the front of the quilt to the back before sewing in place. I sewed lines along the seams of all of the quilt squares, making sure not to put any stitches on the border.

Once I was finished I folded and ironed the unsewn edge of the border, folding the iron edge over on the backside and sewed it down to create the quilt border.
​
The mommy and daddy-to-be loved the quilt which is so awesome and the bonus was it only cost me a few hours of my time, not to forget a little less fabric in my storage bins!

Last year my container garden was a success, mostly. I still struggle with my green thumb and every year I keep trying. I think it more has to do with not having time to put the attention that I really need to in it which is why I want to keep working at it. Like last year I wanted to do another container garden since our house is built on foothills. The ground is full of rocks and really poor soil, something I know I could make work but I just don’t have that type of energy in this time of my life.

​For now, the containers work great and my new garden table makes it super easier to plant. I planted some more grape tomatoes and added some squash and strawberries this year. Thankfully my blueberry and blackberry bushes survived, I just added some fresh container soil and they are already getting fruit blooms! I am already trying to talk Jack into building me some wooden garden containers so I can plant even more next spring!

I have been cleaning out my unfinished project boxes where I have tons and tons of new fabric. Maybe the quarantine has affected me in that I want to clean and purge and go back to my homesteading roots, but I have been sewing up a storm the last week! I made five beautiful aprons, these are very high-quality fabric and has a front and back fabric. Each apron has lovely matching ruffles and pockets and ties. They are all now available on my Etsy shop and would make a great Mother’s Day gift for the cook or baker in your family!

Well, Andrew is fully capable of climbing in and out of his crib. This isn’t the first time he has done this but previously we were able to lower the mattress. The mattress can’t be lowered any more and we are not ready to put in him in a big boy bed. So what did we do? We made crib extensions for the sides of the crib, where he currently only climbs out of.

We had some leftover, already painted boards that Jack cut to size. The two sideboards were attached with two screws to the top cross board. The top board was able to rest on top of the crib, then two smaller boards were attached behind the sideboards to make it easier to attach to the crib. We used two heavy-duty zip ties on each side to secure to the crib.

This quick project helps keep Andrew stay safely in his crib and I don’t have to worry about him climbing out and getting into something while we sleep.

Well the CDC just announced we all should be wearing masks when we have to go out in public. Of course, all of the stores are sold out of the disposable ones and the homemade ones are surprising a little pricy. As a sewer, I knew it would be best to make our own instead of trying to purchase some. I did some research to figure out what was the safest and best fabric to use, as well as, what shape. After that was all decided I got to work. I used regular cotton fabric that I have tons of scraps leftover from other projects. Jack also donated some t-shirts he never wore to use on the inside. The two different fabrics help filter better than two of the same. I also wanted the two different fabrics to make it easier to quickly know which the outside was and which the inside was to prevent cross-contamination.
​
Follow the steps below on how I made my mask!

It’s Mimi’s birthday today and that means a handmade project with Andrew.  Usually, not a problem to go run to a craft store to the supplies we need, but in the middle of everything going on its really hard. Stores are closed or crazy so I had to get really creative. I happened to have stain glass paint leftover from a jewelry project and an unused picture frame. I knew she would appreciate a cross the most and it would be easy to paint. I used painters tape to create the cross in the center of picture frame glass and gave Andrew a paintbrush. I put some purple, white, and blue paint on a paper plate and held it while he dipped the paintbrush and painted. He had a lot of fun with painting and didn’t want to stop once the glass was painted so I gave him a piece of paper to paint while I cleaned up. Once the paint was dried I removed the tape and glued it into the black frame. I had to glue it in place since the back wasn’t going to be able to hold it in. The glue worked great and to finish I added a ribbon using a staple gun and a little more hot glue to hang it.

I love how easy and beautiful this gift was and I now Mimi is going to love it!

Andrew got most of his teeth very quickly and in two stents. Poor kid. His teeth hurt so badly and there wasn’t much we could do other than teething rings and cool rags. At the time I bought chew safe silicone beads to make him chewing necklaces, but by the time I got time to make them he no longer needed them. Until recently when he started chewing on Lion and on his shirts when we wouldn’t let him have Lion, I pulled out the supplies and made him three different types of chewing necklaces. The necklace cord came with plastic quick-release connectors, but he quickly started chewing on these and destroyed them. I found some small metal magnetic clasp and replaced the broken plastic ones. He thankfully only chews on the silicone beads now and has fun playing with the magnets. The necklace comes in handy to stop him from chewing on things he shouldn’t be and seems to calm him down when needed.

Well, the store shelves are bare and any disinfected cleaning supplies are sold out. Even DIY make your own hand sanitizer supplies are sold out. SO what do you do? We were lucky to have a box of alcohol wipes in our first aid kit and once we used those all up, we made our own. Jack happened to have a bottle of 71% alcohol for when he works on his electronic projects and I always have cotton pads.
​
I placed ten pads in a baggie or in a small jelly jar and but 1 tablespoon of the alcohol on the pads. I labeled them and it was that easy. Now I know it isn’t the easiest thing to use but it is better than nothing and I refuse to buy a 2oz bottle of hand sanitizer on eBay for $40!

A few months ago I shared my banana chocolate chip bread and realized, I never shared my actual banana nut bread! Way back when I shared my banana nut muffin recipe, but I’ve tweaked the recipe over time, and when I make this recipe I usually do a double batch so I can freeze some of the mini loaves. This version makes 10 mini loaves or 3 regular loaves, just adjust the baking time.
​
ENTER RECIPE HERE

I just finished putting on the final touches on the courtyard makeover! And I will be the first to admit, the courtyard is my new favorite place to hang out.

I started with a fresh coat of black spray on the table and chairs, making sure to not get any paint on the newly stained concrete. I bought new chair cushions from Walmart for $5 each that matched the blue umbrella we already had. I ordered a new round outdoor rug from Home Depot. I also added a few new garden art pieces around the courtyard.

The final touch was adding some wall mounted planters to the walkway wall. Let’s be honest here, I kill any plant that isn’t watered by a sprinkler so I used very realistic plants that I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby (shhh don’t tell anyone).
​
I am so proud of all of our hard work and I can’t wait to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine out there!

The next phase of the courtyard's makeover is to stain the new “rock pavers” on the concrete slab. I bought a one-quart concrete stain from Home Depot in the color Emerald. When I went to start staining thought it was greener than the sample, instead of going and buying a new stain color, I decided to mix it with the blueish gray I used on the back patio concrete. I also added a little water to it to make it more translucent. I wanted the rock pavers to look as natural as possible.

I started in the far corner and slowly started staining with the stain in a spray bottle and blending it with a rag. About a third of the way finished I realized I wasn’t going to have enough stain and really didn’t want to go have to buy more stain, in the two colors now. I finished staining the entire border then I picked random rocks to stain the current shade of stain. Then I added more water to thin it out and give me a little more stain. I picked a few more rock pavers to stain with that version and then repeated twice more:  add water, stain a few more, add water, and stain the last few. I barely had enough bit it worked and I really like the different shades of all of the pavers.
​
Sometimes quick thinking and a little creativity and resourcefulness save the day!

I feel like I have moved thoughts of rocks, twice! Oh wait, I have. This last week I removed every single rock out of the flower bed in the courtyard. I was no longer able to clean up the weeds and knew I needed to start fresh, so all of the rocks had to be removed to lay a new weed barrier down. It took me two days to remove the rocks, which mostly consisted of me sitting down and throwing the rocks onto the concrete slap. Jack and Andrew weren’t interested in helping me and I just took my time and did a little at a time.
​
After all of the rocks were removed, I sprayed them off with the power washer. I wanted to get and weeds, grass, and dirt off of them before I laid the new barrier down. Since I am hoping to not have to do this again I bought the professional-grade weed barrier that was good for 20 years. I bought only one 150 square feet roll and it was just barely enough.

Note: I did not remove the old barrier, I sprayed weed killer on the remaining weeds and laid the new barrier on top.

I planted a few new plants before moving onto the last step. Which was putting all of those rocks back! Thankfully this time my aunt and mom came over to help me. We were able to get them back in place in about an hour.
​
Now the courtyard flower beds are cleaned and beautiful. Phase two complete and onto the third!

I love making charcuterie boards for large gatherings. It easy and there is usually something everyone likes. I was asked to provide snacks for the first night of our Lenten Bible Study and I knew right away I was going to make a charcuterie board, several of them. There is really no wrong or right way to make one, but I like to at least have 3 to 4 varieties in each area.

For the charcuterie board in the picture:​

• Four types of deli meat; chicken breast, turkey breast, ham, and salami
• Four types of cheese; swiss, cheddar, colby, and gouda
• Four types of crackers; two round kind and two square kinds (one being gluten-free)
• Four types of fruit; red and green grapes, strawberries, and blueberries.
• Two bowls filled with dried cranberries and raisins (something I don’t always do, but I like having one or two bowls on a board)

Charcuterie Boards are usually a great crowd pleaser and a lot of people will be impressed with the presentation and options for them to snack on. I know the Bible study attendees were!

The weather has been so nice lately and it makes me want to work outside. The project that we decided to work on was our courtyard. I like my courtyard, but not in love with it. Especially not in love with it as much as I love our new back patio and I want that for the courtyard too.

The biggest eyesore is the ugly slab of concrete. For years I dreamed about removing it and adding pavers, but I’m realistic and knew that would be a ton of work and a lot of money. Then I got one of those brilliant ideas, that kind of idea that makes Jack look at me like I lost my mind. But it was genius and it worked awesomely…

We cut pavers into the concrete. It sounds ridiculous I know, but it was so easy! Jack started by cutting the border of the slap into brinks using a grinder and a diamond concrete blade. He was surprised how easy it was and it only took 15 minutes for him to cut the whole border.

Later that day, I used a piece of chalk to freehand the rock shaped pavers on the slab, incorporating any cracks. Once I was satisfied with the shapes I got my turn to use the grinder and cut out the “rock paver”. I figured since I had the image of what I wanted in my head it would be best if I did the cutting and it was fun. It also only took me 30 minutes to cut them all out.
​
Phase one of the courtyard is completed, next up rocks and weed barrier!

These just remind me of summertime at my grandma’s house, enjoying a piece of her peach cobbler. The next time I make this I’m going to serve it with a side of homemade vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients

• Puff Pastry
• 4 Peaches, sliced thinly
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water

Directions

1. Begin by heating your oven to 400 F.
2. Bring a sheet of puff pastry to room temperature.
3. Gently unfold the dough and, using a sharp knife, score it about 1 inch from the edge, making a rectangle all the way around. Inside the rectangle, dot the dough to prevent it from puffing.
4. Layer the peach slices on top of the pierced dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Distribute the cubed butter evenly over the peaches.
5. Brush the visible dough with egg wash (egg beat with 1 tablespoon of water).
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Does anyone else feel like Superman showing his “S” when they wear their ashes on this day? Before I became catholic and saw people wearing their ashes on this day I was confused and had no idea why anyone who would do that. Then I learned about the practice and became proud to wear my ashes today. I love getting them then running errands, I enjoy the nods we get and give each other as we see others wearing theirs. It’s such a wonderful form of community.

​This is Andrew’s three years of receiving his ashes and my sixth and I look forward to this every year. The night before we celebrate Mardi Gras and the next day to start the Lenten season we receive our ashes and remind ourselves that we are dust and one day we will return to dust.

I haven’t make a present cake like this in years, and I forgot how cute the come out. The colors were inspired by the UCLA colors. After I covered the cake in the iconic blue, I created ribbons out of yellow fondant and laid six long pieces in equal parts on the cake. I cut more ribbons to create the bow by making a loop before tacking it place with sugar water. Sometimes the fondant will droop if it is too soft and gum paste can be added, but from my experience, if a little rolled up paper towel is inserted into the loop and left to dry for an hour or so, it will stay up just fine. I made the tag out of white fondant and wrote the names using an edible black pen. Sorry many techniques in such a little cake!

These cute little pastries just want me to host a lady’s tea party! They are simple and elegant, and the best part is they super-fast and easy to make!

Ingredients

• 1 box Puff Pastry Sheets
• Fresh Berries
• Lemon Curd

Directions

1. Cut the Puff Pastry sheets into squares and dot them.
2. Place on a baking sheet, no thawing necessary.
3. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Once the pastries have cooled, pipe in the lemon curd.
5. Top with seasonal fruits and serve.