Things to Make/Do - Holiday Cards & Magnets from Pinhole Press

the fifth year in a row, we ordered our holiday cards and address labels from Pinhole Press and I could not be happier with them. I love Pinhole Press's design selection and the fact that you can customize the messages. Plus, everything is printed on high quality thick cardstock.

I also ordered magnets as client gifts - aren't they beautiful?

If you order before the 14th, then your cards (with economy shipping) will still arrive before Christmas. For the next two weeks, Pinhole Press is offering a 15& discount on their holiday cards with the code SNOW15. So hurry up and buy some!!

(Pinhole Press gifted us our cards, but the opinions expressed our entirely my own (OF COURSE!!).

Things to Eat - Carolina Shrimp Boil & Our 8 Week Meal Plan (April through May)

In April and May my dinner planning fell apart.

In my defense, work became crazy busy (which is awesome! I have the best clients ever!) and Dan chipped in a lot. Then between soccer and tennis lessons the kids kept us busy every night (plus - piano, flute, cello, the spring concert, the second grade wax museum, various vacations, etc.) Several dinners were "make it work nights."

Anyways, we ended May with our annual Memorial Beach house vacation and Jenny's fantastic shrimp boil. Here's her recipe:

CAROLINA SHRIMP BOIL:

1/3 lb shrimp per person
2-3 dozen crab claws
2-3 dozen fresh clams
2-3 smoked sausages, I use turkey, cut into pieces
1 bag new potatoes
1/2 ear of corn per person
1 package Zatarsns crab and shrimp boil seasoning
Lemon cut into quarters

Boil water in huge pot and add seasoning bag. Add potatoes, boil until soft, add sausage and corn, boil 10 mins, add crab and clams and lemon. Boil until clams pop open. Add shrimp, and boil about 4 mins until they turn pink. Drain pot and dump all on newspaper on a table. Serve with melted butter, lemons and cocktail sauce.
________________

WEEK 1

MONDAY - Taylor Gourmet.

TUESDAY - Taco Tuesday - ground beef tacos.

WEDNESDAY - Zuni chicken (via Gwyneth's It's All Easy). This is our new favorite chicken recipe - so so good.

THURSDAY - Black bean bowls with rice, cheese, and homemade chipotle salsa (I'm still a salsa snob).

FRIDAY - Family dinner at Atila's.

SATURDAY - Road trip to Richmond with the kids - dinner at Burger Bach.

SUNDAY - Dinner at Sandbridge beach with friends.
____________

WEEK 2 - Spring Break

MONDAY - Dinner at Kala Coleman's photography workshop (in NC).

TUESDAY - Dinner at Kala Coleman's photography workshop (in NC).

WEDNESDAY - Dinner at Sandbridge beach - Baja restaurant, which was surprisingly good.

THURSDAY - Dinner at the beach house - our friends make us pasta. yay!

FRIDAY - Dinner at the beach house - our friends make us fajitas. yay!

SATURDAY - Dan welcomes us home with pork chops (so good!), applesauce, salad, etc.

SUNDAY - Pizza with friends.
__________________

WEEK 3

MONDAY - Homemade tabouli with leftovers.

TUESDAY - Pesto pasta with a side of baked asparagus.

WEDNESDAY - Chipotle (preschool fundraiser).

THURSDAY - Dinner out with friends.

FRIDAY - Grab a quick salad before Fun House (the play) with Dan.

SATURDAY - Dan bakes chicken.

SUNDAY - Neighbors' BBQ.

_____________

WEEK 4

MONDAY - Black bean bowls with red salad (salad recipe via The Forest Feast). The kids love this salad, it's sort of a pain to collect the ingredients but preparation is easy.

TUESDAY - Dan makes chicken and potatoes with asparagus.

WEDNESDAY - Family dinner out at Marble and Rye.

THURSDAY - Spaghetti.

FRIDAY - Steamed dumplings from Trader Joe's frozen aisle. Lazy lazy mom.

SATURDAY - I photograph a wedding (and eat there), Dan takes the kids to a block party.

SUNDAY - I take engagement photos, Dan makes pork chops and salad.

______________

WEEK 5

MONDAY - Dinner out with a friend. Kids eat pierogies.

TUESDAY - Spinach orzo salad with added italian sausage (via Simple Recipes). This was really good.

WEDNESDAY - One pan faro with tomatoes (via Smitten Kitchen's blog).

THURSDAY - Williamsburg overnight trip with the 4th grade. Dinner at the Golden Coral (so much food, yet none of it tastes good).

FRIDAY - I photograph a wedding, Dan makes dinner (fish tacos). And then our friends host us for Cinquo De Mayo (yay margaritas!)

SATURDAY - Leftovers after Guardians of the Galaxy II (everyone ate too much popcorn and, thus, didn't want much for dinner).

SUNDAY - Friends for dinner(so good to see Jim and Val - in town for a week from Indonesia). Dan makes steak, salad, and green beans.
_______________________

WEEK 6

MONDAY - Leftovers and homemade tabouli. As a kid tabouli was my favorite food, I practically lived on it, even through my twenties. Then we sort of took a break for awhile. But now T loves it too, so I've been making it more and more (though T still thinks Lebanese Taverna's version is better than mine).

TUESDAY - I have a photo shoot, Dan makes hot dogs with fries.

WEDNESDAY - Pesto pasta with a side of roasted asparagus.

THURSDAY - Red beans and rice (https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/monday-night-red-beans-rice) before the girls' spring concert. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but this was too spicy and the flavors didn't meld well. Oh well.

FRIDAY - Dinner at a friend's happy hour.

SATURDAY - Lalibela Ethiopian take out for Mother's Day (Yay!!!). This is our new favorite restaurant. I'm addicted.

SUNDAY - I have a photoshoot, Dan makes homemade pizza.
____________________________________

WEEK 7

MONDAY - Dinner out with a friend, Dan and the kids have leftover pizza.

TUESDAY - Taco Tuesday - simple ground beef tacos.

WEDNESDAY - Camping at Shenandoah River State Park - Dan grills pork chops with baked beans and apple sauce. So good!

THURSDAY - I have a client meeting, Dan grills chicken and burgers.

FRIDAY - Kale, tomato, and lemon magic one-pot spaghetti (via epicurious) w/apple matchstick salad (salad recipe via The Forest Feast). I loved this salad, but the kids hated the pecans (sadness). The spaghetti ended up soggy. (Basically, meal fail).

SATURDAY - Dinner at happy hour.

SUNDAY - Dan makes catfish, mashed potatoes, and peas.
___________________

WEEK 8

MONDAY - Nachos!! I had a nacho craving, so I made huge plates with cucumbers, tomatoes, and black beans, the kids called it my "best meal ever."

TUESDAY - Leftovers from Sunday and "clean out the freezer" for vacation (TJ's risotto, pizza rolls, bagel dogs, etc.).

WEDNESDAY - Family dinner at Busboys & Poets

THURSDAY - Plain pasta with red sauce.

FRIDAY - Dinner in Richmond at my in-law's house.

SATURDAY - Pizza in Nags Head, NC at our crazy crowded beach house.

SUNDAY - Jenny's shrimp boil at the beach house.

Things to Make - A Valentine's Photo Collage from Pinhole Press (and an Important Lesson About Spelling)

Dan always asks me to print more of my photos, but I never rise to the occasion. I have trouble deciding what sizes to purchase or how/when/where to frame. In the past, in order to save money, I purchased frames from Ikea, but they keep falling off the walls (which is probably due to my poor hanging skills).

So I was quite smitten when I saw the framed photo collages on Pinhole Press's website (click here to check them out). And the fact that you can personalize one made it the perfect Valentine's Day gift for Dan. Since I leave everything to the last minute, I quickly found some of my favorite photos, finalized the collage, and hit the checkout button within moments of the shipping deadline (yay me!).

Did I mention I did this all quickly?

As much as I yell at my kids to CHECK their homework, I forgot to check my own. So instead of winning in 2017, we're "wining."

On the upside, when P's friend asked me if I just made wine drinking into a verb, I could respond, "yes, Mira, yes I did." And we do drink a lot of wine.

So maybe this version was meant to be. Because (if you haven't noticed) I love to make up words. And wining might be my best one yet.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

** Note - The collage was provided by Pinhole Press, but the spelling mistakes are entirely my own (as are all opinions expressed).

Things to Do/Make - The Best Gift for Tweens - Wall Stickers from Pinhole Press

Now that the girls are getting older (11 & 10), it's harder to surprise them with small gifts they like. But, luckily, they like photos (well, some photos). I've wanted to frame some prints for their room for awhile now, but: 1) I'm lazy and 2) I'm scared that they'll accidentally knock the frames off the wall. Pinhole Press's wall decals solved both these problems.

I love that the girls can move these decals around as they continue to change their rooms's decor. Pinhole Press also offers a bigger size (11x17) that I'm planning to order soon.

Anyways, these make a super-easy, fun gift. So if you're looking for Christmas stocking additions, look no further!

(Note - The wall decals were provided by Pinhole Press, but the ideas expressed our entirely my own).

Things to Do/Make - Holiday Cards from Pinhole Press

I'm a little obsessed with our holiday cards this year. Every year we order from Pinhole Press because I love their quality paper and vibrant colors. And every year I try to choose one photo and end up with about 100. So usually we opt for a collage, but Dan hates that the photos are so small.

So this year we splurged on the BIG CARDS. And, wow, they're beautiful. And big. And my photos look so great on them.

I've never had so many people email me to say what a pleasure our card was to receive. So I think upgrading was definitely the right decision.

If you're interested, you can order your own cards here.

[Disclaimer - Pinhole Press gave us a discount on our cards, but I decide what I want to write about and what I want to say.]

Things to Do/Make - Everyday Advent Calendar (2016)

I know it's super dorky, but I love making these calendars. I keep thinking the kids will grow out of it, but I can't let go.

HAPPY ALMOST-DECEMBER!!



December 1 (Thursday) - Xmas jammies from Old Navy

2 (Friday) - Outburst (game)

3 (Saturday) - Movie night - Suicide Squad

4 (Sunday) - Fujifilm mini-camera with film



5 (Monday) - The Oregon Trail Card Game

6 (Tuesday) - Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls & The Boys' Book of Survival (I find it somewhat annoying that so many good books have become segregated by sex, so my hope is that all the kids will dive into both books.)

7 (Wednesday) - Georgetown Glow and dinner at Farmer, Fishers, and Bakers.

8 (Thursday) - Christmas tees. [Postscript - I AM SO ANNOYED! The tee-shirts never came, even though I ordered them in early November; luckily Amazon sells similar shirts, which I could buy at the last minute.]



9 (Friday) - Love Letter Card Game

10 (Saturday) - Movie night - Sound of Music or Home Alone

11 (Sunday) - Meadowlark Winter Walk of Lights

12 (Monday) - Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes

13 (Tuesday) - Dinner and games at Dave & Buster's

14 (Wednesday) - Unbored Adventure: 70 Seriously Fun Activities for Kids and Their Families

15 (Thursday) - Candy

16 (Friday) - See Rogue 1 in theaters

17 (Saturday) - Make teacher's gifts

18 (Sunday) - Get donuts or cupcakes



19 (Monday) - Maze: Solve the World's Most Challenging Puzzle and How Do You Get an Egg into a Bottle?: And Other Puzzles: 101 Weird, Wonderful and Wacky Puzzles with Science, and Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

20 (Tuesday) - Movie night - April and the Extraordinary World

21 (Wednesday) - Family trip to the National Christmas Tree followed by dinner out

22 (Thursday) - Make cookies and ornaments

23 (Friday) - Movie night - It's a Wonderful Life

24 (Saturday) - New socks and slippers

Things to Read/Make/Eat - The Wilderness Ranger Cookbook

Every spring my goal is camp more often. But then summer comes, bringing pools and heat and lazy, and I lose momentum. Oh well, since it's only April, I'm still dreaming of days spent in the wilderness with family and friends.

One of the problems with camping is I never know quite what to cook, as one can only eat so many hot dogs and smores. So I'm pretty excited about my random library discovery of the Wilderness Ranger Cookbook, which has tons of fun/quirky/creative concoctions.

Things to Make/Do - Make a Video

I'm so so so sick of winter. I can't remember ever hating a season this much before. I don't really mind the snow or cold, I just wish my kids would go to school. So I made a video of our summer vacation and it made me happy, for awhile at least.

How are the rest of you braving this February?

Things to Make/Do - Coloring "India" With Fancy Markers

Remember when we used to do craft projects all the time? I keep thinking about that and feeling guilty. A few weeks ago, I brought some of the old craft books out and tried to interest the kids, but instead they built forts and explored science projects and made videos on the ipad, all without me. I guess if you aim for free range, you get free range, even if sometimes you feel like bonding.

Part of me wants to think that all the projects during the early years helped nurture the creativity they all seem to have now. Just like part of me wants to think that I'm responsible for all of the good things they do and blame someone else for the bad. But truth is that they are kids, thus with or without me they would be still curious and explore. That's the definition of childhood, right?

Oh well, during a trip to Barnes and Noble, I picked up this India-themed coloring book and coolio paint tip markers (similar to these). Mainly because it was almost impossible not to buy a coloring book there - as the options are numerous, beautiful, and scattered throughout the store. And now, every morning, I see the girls and their friends coloring in the pages.

I'm not sure if this new hobby really equals any sort of creative leap, but it is peaceful and relaxing. And I like seeing their technicolor designs pop off the page. I keep telling myself I should join them, but then I end up reading something silly on facebook instead. So goes winter . . .

Things to Make - Roasted Peaches and Cream Popsicles

I'm still on my popsicle making kick, they're just so easy and so good. I wanted to hide these from the children, so I could eat them all myself. But luckily I'm nicer than that (well, sometimes).

ROASTED PEACHES & CREAM POPSICLES (slightly based off of a recipe in People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop, love this cookbook).

Ingredients:
* 4-5 tennis-ball sized peaches, halved
* 2/3 cup cane sugar
* 2/3 cup water
* 1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peaches cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes (until the skins and flesh have softened)
2. Discard the peach pits and blend the peaches.
3. Make simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then let cool. Add 1 cup of the cooled syrup to the peach puree.
4. Pour the puree into popsicle molds until they're about 2/3 full.
5. Pour the cream on top of the puree. Don't worry if you don't use it all.
6. Use the popsicle stick to stir the cream into the popsicles.
7. Freeze.

(Makes approximately 10 popsicles)

Still hungry? Click here and scroll down for more popsicle recipes.

Things to Make - Nature Stencils Using A Plant Mister

As I blogged about yesterday, I'm loving the projects in Margaret Peot's book - Stencil Craft: Techniques for Fashion, Art and Home.

For our first project, the kids and I tried making nature stencils using a plant mister. Of course, when we put all the pieces together, it turned out we were out of watercolor paper, then the kids chose to use several leaves which weren't heavy enough to work as stencils. But despite these handicaps, the project ended up resulting in cool, abstract artwork.





1. First we searched the neighborhood for natural materials to work with.



2. We then made collages with our discoveries.

3. The kids used a plant mister to spray down their creations. T tried this with red, watercolor paint (diluted with water); whereas the girls used heavier blue, biocolor paint (diluted with water). The biocolor paint was hard to spray, so I'd recommend using watercolors or, even, water dyed with food coloring. The paint did not spray evenly, which lead to a cool, layered effect (though this would have worked much better with thicker paper).

4. We left the creations outside to dry for a few hours.



5. Coolio, abstract paintings. I think a really fun project would involve using these as a base and stenciling something defined on top. Or making wrapping paper/greeting cards.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of Peot's book. For information on how to enter, click on yesterday's post.

HAPPY TUESDAY EVERYONE!!

Things to Make - Stencil Craft Book - TWO GIVEAWAYS!!! [NOW CLOSED]

Lately, I'm a little enamored with Margaret Peot's Stencil Craft: Techniques for Fashion, Art and Home, perfect for summer arting. The book helped with things I've always wondered how to do (i.e two color stencil portraits), as well as introducing cool new techniques - stenciling with foil, using Derwent Inktense blocks, working with discharge paste, etc.

Really, there's a little bit of everything - practical application projects as well as lots of new techniques and materials.

For an easy project with the kids, I decided to try "nature stencils" using a plant mister and thinned watercolor paint (Peot recommended thinned acrylic paint, but we didn't have any). I'll post on this tomorrow.

We can't wait to try more of Peot's projects. In the meantime, Peot has offered to giveaway one Stencil Craft book to a No Monsters reader (US addresses only). To enter, just comment on this post. Please include your email address in the body of the message (so I can find you). This giveaway will close in two weeks (at 8:00 pm on August 3rd).

In addition to the book giveaway, there's also a Rafflecopter giveaway for:

STENCIL CRAFT TOTE STENCILING KIT

The winner of the rafflecopter giveaway will receive:

17" x 15" canvas tote hand printed with a stencil interpretation Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring
A signed copy of STENCIL CRAFT: TECHNIQUES FOR FASHION, ART AND HOME
1 blank 12" x 12" canvas tote
1 10" x 14" piece of stencil Mylar
1 sponge
2 stencil brushes
1 craft knife set
2 Metallic Lumiere Acrylic Paints, Indigo and Metallic Copper.

To enter the rafflecopter giveaway, click here.

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!!

[THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, A RANDOM WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!]

(Disclaimer - I received a free copy of this book in return for writing an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are, obviously, entirely my own).

Things to Make - Shea Butter Lavender Bath Bombs

In the past, the kids and I attempted bath bombs a few times, all of which, until now, have been drastic failures (i.e. huge bubbly messes that overtake our counter tops). But we finally figured out a recipe that works for us, just in time for last week's teacher gifts (T had three teachers in his classroom this year, as did F. P only had one, but that's still seven teachers overall, which equals A LOT of gifting).

SHEA BUTTER LAVENDER BATH BOMBS (adapted from this recipe):

Ingredients:
* 5 drops lavender essential oil (feel free to use more or less depending on how strong you want the smell)(available here)
* 1.5 cups baking soda
* 2 tablespoons epson salt (available here)
* 3/4 cup citric acid (available here)
* 2 tablespoons melted shea butter (available here)
* 1/4 cup water (though you won't use all of it)
* A few drops of food coloring if desired
* Minced lavender (optional)

1. Mix the baking soda and salt. Then add the fragrance. Mix well.
2. Add the shea butter and mix again.
3. Add the citric acid last (because it will react with the liquids if the liquids aren't well mixed). Mix.
4. Add the water about 1 teaspoon at a time. Mix well after you add each teaspoon, as to avoid a reaction.
5. Once the mixture feels like wet sand (clumpy enough that you can mold it into balls), stop adding water. DO NOT OVER ADD THE WATER OR YOU'LL END UP WITH A BUBBLY MESS, TRUST ME; if you think you're almost there then start adding drops of water instead of teaspoons).
6. Either use molds to make the bath bombs (like an ice cube tray) or form the mixture into small balls using your hands (we found that making balls worked best, as everything tended to stick to the molds).
7. Let dry overnight.

Things to Make - Strawberry Thyme Lemonade

Usually we're a water or milk sort of family. Creative children's drinks are not my specialty. But the other day, F decided she wanted to make lemonade using real lemons and once we spent $4 on the lemons alone, it seemed necessary to kick the whole drink up a notch. Of course, strawberry thyme lemonade ended up tasting absolutely delicious and we've all become addicted. So now I have to go to the store every few days to buy more lemons and strawberries, which has made quite an impact on our weekly grocery bill. I often find myself yelling, "DON'T SPILL A DROP, THIS STUFF IS LIQUID GOLD." But it tastes oh so good.

FOR THE LEMONADE:
8 squeezed lemons (about 1 cup)
2 cups strawberries (one quart); hulls removed and cut in half
5 cups water and about 2 cups ice (to taste)

FOR THE SIMPLE SYRUP:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
10-12 sprigs thyme

OPTIONAL FOR ADULTS
Vodka (to taste)

1. Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar, water, and thyme in a small pot and heating until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and throw away the thyme.

2. Place the lemon juice, strawberries, and simple syrup in a large pitcher.

3. Add 4-6 cups of water to the pitcher (depending on size of pitcher).

4. Blend slightly (so the strawberries are still mushy, but somewhat dissolved).

5. Add ice and drink (preferably in "fancy" glasses).

Things to Make - Make & Engineer Your Own Toys with ThinkFun's New Maker Studio Kits

After our return from the spring break road trip, Thinkfun sent us three of their new Maker Studio kits - the perfect activity to fill our afternoons before school started again.

The kits come in three different varieties - winches, gears, and propellers, which worked perfectly for our family - one set for each child. The kits contain sets of plastic parts that you attach to various recyclables (plastic bottles, mac and cheese boxes, toilet paper rolls, etc), along with detailed instructions on how everything comes together. And once your child finishes one or more of the detailed projects, he/she can try some of the recommended "challenges" in order to create on his/her own terms.

Thinkfun recommends Maker Kits for children 7 and up and I'd take that recommendation seriously; even my 9 year old found the kit hard to complete independently. In retrospect, I wish I would have made this a 1 on 1 activity (rather than a 1 on 3 activity) because the kids really liked seeing how everything came together but they all wanted a lot of help with assembly (though I kept trying to explain since we're using things out of the recycling bin, there's no problem if someone messes up).

In our experience, the winches kit involved the easiest assembly; whereas gears was by far the hardest (lots of measurements). So I'd recommend starting with winches or propellers and working your way up.

And the best part? Watching T play for hours with his new toys!! Plus, it feels great to know that when these toys fall apart we can just build more.

Things to Make - Speech Bubble Magnets

We experienced a FREEZING COLD February this year. The type that needs to be capitalized. Usually when snow falls in Virginia, the white disappears within 24 to 36 hours, leaving one to question if they just imagined the whole thing. But this year snow is everywhere. Grey, tire-stained, city snow. Last night I couldn't even find the curb to put our garbage cans on.

And with snow comes snow days and two hour delays (ha! I rhyme!). And my solution to it all - MAGNET TAPE.

Seriously, have you ever used magnet tape (tape similar to the one we used can be found here)? This stuff is awesome. Doodles become art.

I finally ordered some prints of last year's photos, so we decided to make speech bubbles to go with them. And then create a rotating gallery of funny on our refrigerator. And T made everyone a wizard because wands really are sort of awesome.



Wizards make everything better.