Take a Seat...on our new bench

My parents had this old bench collecting dust in their basement, and told us we could have it. Free? Yes please. I didn't take a before picture. Use your imagination on this one--it was the same bench with worn off dark stain.

We encourage our guests to remove their shoes, but thought this would make it even easier. You know how awkward it is take off some shoes standing up...or is that just me? The bench also serves as our landing strip, aka throw all the stuff you just drug into the house here. Until company comes. Then it's time to get serious and pick up the crap. Here is the process and finished bench:

1. Sand bench until smooth, paint with spray paint
2.. Print out your last name in a word document using a font you like. I found one at dafont.com.
3. Carefully cut out each letter.
4. Using a Sharpie, trace the letters onto the bench.
*Or you can be efficient and use a stencil or Cricut and combine steps 1-4*

5. Fill in the letters with a few layers of acrylic paint.

6. Spray with lacquer to protect.
I free-handed the little scrolly guys on either side. The bench is nice, but I'm not sure I love it. I'm going to leave it this way for a while, though. Why? Because my mom told me to. I'm sure she had visions of my husband's rolling eyes as I asked him to help repaint it. She's a smart woman. I might add a little basket for our outdoor essentials. You know, because I love watching my little guy dump stuff out and then helping him pick it up.

All my best,
Robin

Summer Reads

Much of my summer reading has included board books and blogs, magazines and websites. Intriguing, I know. I could tell you all about Elmo's fave color (any coincidence that it's red?) and the latest updates on my favorite bloggers, but that is not nearly as interesting as me suggesting a few books you might like to read.

Here are the three legitimate books I have read so far this summer. The last one, I must admit, I read for a class, but it's an enlightening look at another culture. Hope you enjoy!

Source

Source

Source

If you have any fabulous reads of your own, please tell me in the comment section below. I am always looking for a good book.

All my best,
Robin

Cupcake Cones

Here's a twist on the traditional cupcake--put it in a cone. The directions are right on the side of the cone box. Who knew? They were pretty easy to make, but I'll give you my own tips and tricks below.

To make your cupcakes in a cone, you'll need:
-24 cones (found in ice cream aisle)
-cake mix
-frosting, homemade or from a can
-sprinkles

1. Line ice cream cones up in a 9x13 pan so they are all standing up...pack them in tight. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Prepare cake mix and pour into a large Ziploc bag. Cut a hole in the corner for mix to come out, like a frosting bag. Fill cones halfway using this method. If you overfill, you'll have yourself a mess.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and let cool completely. When cooled, frost using the Ziploc bag technique, and sprinkle with decorations.

*We waited to frost until we had transported our cake cones--they tip easily

All my best,
Robin

Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

This recipe is excellent! I found it in Better Homes and Gardens "Fast Fix One Dish Meals." See a trend here? Every recipe in this cookbook has turned out fantastic, so I keep making more. This book was definitely worth the purchase!





Chicken-Wild Rice Casserole

• 6 oz. pkg. long grain and wild rice mix
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 14.5 oz. can French cut green beans
• 10.75 oz. can condensed cream of celery soup
• 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts drained
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 Tbsp. sliced almonds
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cook rice mix according to package. Meanwhile in a large bowl combine chicken, green beans, soup, water chestnuts, mayo, onion, almonds, and lemon juice. Stir in cooked rice mix. Transfer to an ungreased rectangular baking dish.
2. Bake for 45 minutes, covered. Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Summertime Snacking

What's summer without a little watermelon on the deck? We can't get enough of this summer staple. I think I might start keeping track of how many we buy this season. I'm thinking it will be double digits. Any favorite summer treats at your house?

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks two years of being married to my best friend. He is the guy who not only helps me parent our little one and supports me in everything, but is also my biggest cheering section and a voice of reason in those "rare" moments when I lose it....just a little. I'm happy to be married to this one--he's a keeper.

We are keeping our celebration simple this year, and taking it easy on gifts as well. I couldn't resist this print from Define Design 11, though. She makes custom special occasion prints that are personalized in such a quirky, sweet way. Here's the one we'll hang in our home:

The picture doesn't do it justice...it's way cuter than it appears here. But you get the concept. I love that the heart pinpoints our wedding location.

All my best,
Robin

Sew Your Own Bibs

We have more than twenty bibs, and with the amount of drool going on around here, we still don't ever seem to have a clean one. So, instead of doing my required coursework or tending to my house duties during nap time, I whipped up a few little robot bibs. I am glad I did. How cute are they?

This is a simple project for people like me who aren't so comfortable at the sewing machine, but want to give it a go anyway. If you're a master stitcher, this is gonna be child's play for you...maybe skip to the picture of the cute kid. For the rest of us, here's a short tutorial on how to make a bib.



My mom found this fabric at Hobby Lobby. There are more than 6 different robot guys on the fabric to choose from. To finish the bib, I machine stitched around the edge of the entire bib. This gives it a more polished look and rids the need for hand stitching the hole closed. For the closure, I am going to try a snap, but didn't have any of those on hand. We like velcro too and if the snaps don't work out we'll do that.

All my best,
Robin