I Miss Pretty Little Nightgowns

Everything is so commercialized nowadays. I miss pretty clothing without Dora, Hannah Montana, and Disney Princesses. And pjs too.

Kaylee picked out this fabric at Joann's. Granted, it's not my favorite, but she got so excited when she saw it.  It has little monkeys and frogs all over it. I bought a yard of this and a turquoise blue with little popcicles on it to make her some nightgowns. Both are flannel and so cozy.

My pattern was for a size 2. Kaylee is still in baby sizes since she is so small, so it is roomy and looks more like a dress than a form fitting long nightgown. But she loves it. It is supposed to be 8" longer. Obviously for an older child.

She danced and twirled this morning, looking so cute and feminine. I am looking forward to making her more pretty little nightgowns in different styles as she gets older.

I used the pattern # 6659 from Butterick for this nightgown. I also have another one for a long sleeved one that is #4104 from McCall's.

Every Girl Needs A Cape...

This little cape was sent to my sweet little niece. A super big sister with a big heart and a infectious smile. I just love that girl! Normally, I send a gift card to my nieces and nephews, but I wanted to do a little more for her this year.

I had so much fun making this! I think every girl needs one of these...heck, I'd probably be more productive with my housework if I ran around in a cape too!

It was such a quick and easy project. I tried it on Dallin, my 6 year old son, to make sure it fit since they are about the same size...I wouldn't humiliate him by snapping a picture...but it was a perfect fit :)

I also enclosed a few "necessities" for any super girl. Silly string, lip gloss, and some sour gummies. Nothing extravagent and I hardly spent a thing.

A one of a kind cape, for a one of a kind little girl.

Sharing this project at Blue Cricket Design, Life as Lori, Somewhat Simple, Keeping It Simple ,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The Girl Creative, DIY Showoff, Tater Tots and Jello,  I heart Naptime ,  Today's Creative Blog, The Thrifty Home, We are THAT Family, Sew Much Ado, Fun to Craft, Tea Rose Home, My Frugal Family

Ice Excavating: The Perfect Outdoor Kids Activity

 

 Ice excavating is one of our FAVORITE outdoor activities! There are so many different ways you could take this as far as themes go.

 

Fill a container (metal cake pans work GREAT) with small toys and/or objects. Fill with water and freeze. A 3" cake pan takes just a couple of hours to freeze completely.

 

Once solid, turn upside down and run warm water on the back of the container until the block of ice comes loose.

Use small tools (mini screw drivers, small hammer) to crack the ice open. Once the kids get a nice crack going, the rest breaks apart really easily and they have no problem retrieving or "saving" the toys.

We've done this activity countless times and it's always fun to surprise the kids with this in the summer when friends come over.

Easy, inexpensive, hands-on... go ahead and try it!

 

"Really Good" Noodles and Chicken

On vacation, but thought I would schedule a recipe or two to post while I am gone. I always have so many to share and stored in my draft section on my blog. Enjoy!


YUM. This was delicious! I used milk instead of cream, but followed everything else from the recipe.

Recipe courtesy of Your Homebased Mom

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 T. fresh rosemary,

minced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

3 T. honey

8 ounces thin spaghetti (I prefer Barilla Plus)

2 T. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup real bacon bits

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

3 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed, diced

2 T. capers (optional)

Start a pot of water boiling to cook the pasta. Spray your BBQ grill rack with nonstick spray and fire it up. Sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary on each chicken breast and grill for 7-8 minutes on the first side. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the honey together, then brush it on the tops of the chicken breasts before flipping them over. Brush the underside as well, and grill for a few more minutes until they are cooked through (actual cooking time will depend on how thick the breast is, and you could certainly pound them thinner to start with to make it go faster). Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Toss your noodles into the boiling salted water if you haven’t already. Once they are nearly done cooking, begin making the sauce. It comes together quickly. In a large skillet, melt 2 T. butter then add the garlic. Saute and stir for 2-3 minutes, then add the bacon bits and cook for another minute. Stir in the remaining lemon juice and all of the zest, then the cream. Stir in the cooked and drained noodles, adding a tablespoon or two of the pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Slice the chicken breasts thinly. Stir in the roma tomatoes and parmesan cheese (and capers if you so desire – I’m the only one that likes them around here, so I tossed a few on my own plate), and serve immediately with a portion of chicken breast strips on top of the pile of pasta.