Pita Grilled Cheese

Humus Quartet, thank you Trader Joes!

Well, my Etsy.com crinkle cloth has caused some upset from the Taggies corporation. They apparently sent a cessation e-mail to Etsy about my posting and Etsy took it down. I went on the Taggies website and saw nothing in the form of a crinkle cloth nor burp bib. But I'm just lowly Kari Alford, crafter and SAHM. There is probably nothing that I can do to keep their fear at bay. After all, if I sold that one burp bib and crinkle cloth set, it would rob them of thier million dollar empire. *sigh*

Onto more important and exciting things!

My former best friend Brandon posted a request on facebook that left me thinking... He asked for recipes that were easy yet tasty. Since I fancy myself a fairly good cook, (after years of practice) I decided that I should publish some of my recipes. Today I made a new dish for lunch. I had purchased some pita bread with the intent of using left over chicken (chopped) along with spinach and some cheese to make tasty pita sandwiches for lunch. Having used all the chicken, I got creative. I know that Genny will eat any version of a grilled cheese, so I usually end up resorting to a quesedilla or regular grilled cheese for lunch. Not wanting to waste the pita bread, I made Pita Grilled Cheese. Recipe as follows:

Pita Bread
Cheese
Spinach
Humus
Frying pan
PAM

Turn the burner on Medium and place the frying pan on. Spray PAM in pan.
Spread Humus on one or both insides of the pita pocket. Add spinach.
Add cheese.
Place in frying pan, let cheese soften, then flip (about 2 minutes each side)
DONE!

There you go, Brandon. One easy recipe down, many to follow!

Baby Paper!

Lately I've been obsessed with sewing. (I'm a bit obsessed with treats too, as I recently bought a package of mini-packs of sixlets and boy are we working our way to the bottom of the bag!) I see something, and say, I can make that. The only problem is that my house is suffering. But oh, what fun it is to make something and say, I could have paid $XX.XX for this, but I made it, so it was close to nothing!

For Genny's first Christmas, my sister sent one of the best gifts. It was baby paper, a pink square that crinkled. So simple! Genny LOVED it. Now that Skyla comes over, she loves it too. I let Glenn play with it, but he's more interested in putting it in his mouth than the fact that it crinkles. But even still, I feel a bit guilty giving him such a pink toy to play with. I don't mind it at home, but I probably won't be taking it out with us, due to the fact that he's a boy and it's pink.

I read the first Amanda Blake-Soule book, and in it there was a project in which you make a baby toy. She suggested putting something crinkly in it, or a bell, or beans. After reading that project, I remembered the baby paper my sister sent me and thought, I can make that! So, like many other project ideas I have, it sat in the 'to create' folder in my brain until the opportunity arose.

In come the sixlets... The little mini-packs are the perfect size and the perfect plastic for adding to two pieces of fabric sewn together to make baby paper. Since I had some left over flannel from the burp-bib fabric, I decided to make Glenn and his friend Dillon each a piece of baby paper. I added ribbon loops to each side for itchy gums as well as giving it the ability to be attached to a play mat or rings.

Burp Bib

I did it!!! After a few months of pondering (or marinating as I tend to say) I've created my first Burp Bib, a wondrous design that I made after seeing a similar one my friend had. Tonya was given her Burp Bib (I made up the name, so don't try to google it, it doesn't exist except in my mind) by someone and the first time I saw it, I thought, man, that is awesome. I have to have one. So I've been thinking about the design for a while now and after completing four place mats (still need to make the other four...) I gave myself the go-ahead to start a new project. The first one I made had a few mistakes in it... First, I forgot to wash the fabric. (I tend to do this often) Second, I forgot to put in the ribbon. Third, I used the good fabric on the first version instead of the fabric I don't love quite as much which would have saved the good fabric for the second (which is always the better) version. So of course, as is with most things I create, the first one uses the pretty materials but looks the worst and the second looks the best but uses the materials that I don't have super strong feelings for.

Back to the Burp Bib. I'm sure you all are pretty curious as to what, exactly a Burp Bib is. Well, much like Brangelina and Bennifer, it's the culmination of two things into one. It's a burp cloth as well as a bib. Genius, right? Too bad I didn't actually think of it on my own. But I did make one, and that counts for something, right?

So behold, the wondrous Burp Bib!!!



He's holding the ribbon in his right hand.

I put a toy on the ribbon. To showcase its versatility.

Contuered to fit around your neck.

A Better Towel

After making Glenn's towel, I decided that I should test it to see if it would stand the roughness of childhood. So I started using it as my bathroom towel. Then I realized that all I had to do was just wash it a few times. So I washed it once and that was all it took. It started pulling apart, and did not look good. So I examined Aunt Karen's towel again and decided that I would try to do it her way.



I think it turned out great! With the exception of a few areas that I would prefer to look better, it looks a lot better than the one I made Glenn. I used bigger, chunkier letters and did a zig-zag stitch on every edge. The one thing I wish I wouldn't have done? Her whole name. Yes, it's nine letters long and it was a weight on my shoulders weighing me down, keeping me from starting more projects (like the Vacuum Chronicles, more later). This one should definitely withstand the test of childhood. Now to just re-do Glenn's...

Soule Mama Banner

Soule Mama has become one of my must-read blogs. (see right for a link) I really like her home made items as well as her outlook on life. She embodies what people really should embody when speaking or writing about being 'green' and treating the earth better. I am not as good as she is when it comes to thrifting items in order to reduce our carbon footprint, but it seems like every week I learn something from her that I plan on introducing into my life.

I read her first book, The Creative Family a few weeks ago, and in it, she describes a banner that she made for festive decoration. If you've ever driven past a car lot, you've seen the typical triangle banner; bright colors to wave and catch your attention. Well this is a fabric version, in which ever fabrics and colors you deem appropriate for the occasion.

Now the back story of where the fabric came from... When I went home for leave right before getting stationed in Okinawa, Japan, I decided to make my then boyfriend (my now husband) a quilt. It was a pretty basic quilt -I'd never read up on how to make one, or had a loved one teach me- so it was just squares sewn together, with a solid back. It was a patriotic quilt which I thought appropriate since we were both in the Navy and quilts aren't very manly, so I wanted him to use it instead of hiding it because it was too girly.

After living in Japan for about a year, I bought patriotic fabric of my own. I wanted to make a quilt for myself. I still haven't gotten around to making it, so I have all this patriotic fabric that's been sitting in various places for years and as soon as Thomas agreed to a going away party, I knew that I would use the fabric to make Soule Mama's banner. I thought it came out well, although I may end up adding to it or making another longer one in the future. But for now it will serve as our Independence Day decoration as well as a Good Bye and Welcome Home banner for Thomas when he deploys. I used my Cricket to cut the letters and pinned them on. This way I can pin any saying on the banner, or just leave it plain.

I encourage you all to make one for birthdays, Christmas or any holiday; It's super easy and will save you from buying crepe paper every year and just throwing it away.

Happy Sunday to everyone!

A shout out to Aunt Karen

For years now, I've been wanting to tackle a project that I knew would bring me great joy once finished. Before I tell you what that project is, you get a story from my childhood. (surprise, surprise!)

My name is Kari. You all know that. But what you may not realize if you have a name like Mary, Kate, or any of my siblings (Christine, Adam and Brian) is that no one spells my name like I do. Or at least not enough people to warrant your typical pencils, key chains, mugs, etc. I don't think it would have been as big a deal to me if my siblings, friends and cousins all had unique names like me or even if they didn't have items with their names on them. Every year when we went school shopping, my siblings were able to choose items with their names on them and I chose Lisa Frank items (although I would have chosen those items as well because they were so cool). I'm not saying I have a complex because of it, far from it. I love my name and have always thought it a wonderful way to spell it. Not to mention I named my children far from 'plain jane' names, so I'm not too butt hurt over it. But every now and again (as a child) I would find something with my name on it and I would be elated. My mom always gave in to buying said item because it was so rare. (I can only think of two things that she bought for no reason other than it was the correct spelling of my name: a magnet and a license plate key chain)

Which brings us to my beach towel. Each of us (including cousins) had a beach towel made for us with our name on it. I loved my beach towel. I still have it, it's sitting on the couch right next to me and is banned from use for fear that it will get stained. It's a keepsake of mine that I cherish and will always cherish because of the paragraph above.

Which then brings us to my project. I've wanted to make beach towels for my children and their cousins for years now, probably since the oldest cousin was born (2002). And for some odd reason this is the year I'm starting all of my projects I've wanted to do for years but haven't. It seems odd, since I'm probably the most busy I've been in my life, two children, two dogs, an active social life as well as a great marriage. But here I am, at least starting projects that have been marinating in my mind for years now, tweaking them and re-doing them until I get it right. This towel project will be no different, I fear. After seeing how my aunt Karen made my towel, I realized that I wouldn't be able to do the same, she used a machine and the towel I bought seems too big for the machine. I may end up having to try anyway, depending on how this version holds up. I guess we'll see!

I didn't explain above, but recently I asked my mom who made the towels for us. She told me my Aunt Karen made them. So I want to say thank you, Aunt Karen from the bottom of my heart for giving me a present that brought me so much joy as a child. I have many happy memories of using that towel and being so proud that it said my name, spelled correct. :)



The towel that Aunt Karen made. It's quite faded, but it used to be purple.

The towel I made with Glenn on it to show size. I used the same fish fabric from his sun hat.

Friday Favorite- my husband

This Friday I am surrounded by thoughts of my husband, Thomas. I'm getting ready for his going away party on Sunday, which makes me think of the fact that he's going away. Just a few short weeks ago he told me that he was in line to deploy. I never take a rumored deployment seriously until he says it's for sure. A few days later, it was done, his name was on the roster for an IA (individual augmentee) billet to leave with the Air Wing in August. It's been so long since he's deployed, my head spun a little to try to remember what all we needed to get done before he leaves. Not to mention the fact that the last time he deployed we were so freshly pregnant that we didn't even know we were expecting. So leaving with two children so small is a bit different. There are videos of him reading books to be made, a 'daddy doll' of him in his uniform to make as well, not to mention he's somehow let two years pass with neither child on his page 2 (the military's version of next of kin).

There were things to buy and things to fix. Things to teach (I have yet to mow a lawn) and things to set aside (he reads more books than one can imagine when deployed). And in the middle of all this preparation, there are things to savor and things to memorize. The way his lips feel on mine when we kiss. His scent. His beautiful smile that somehow eludes the camera. Every activity is a reminder that he will be leaving; taking a trip to the store to buy bunting for the banner that I'm making for his going away party (pictures to follow when I finish), making dinner, putting Genny to bed. The last two items will be done differently after he leaves. Baby Glenn will need attention while I put Genny down. Not that I haven't put her down by myself before, but it will be consistent now. Dinner will be a whole lot smaller and will probably have less pizazz since it will just be me and Genny and she's easy to please.

These things that will change once Thomas is gone are going to be constant reminders of how much I miss my husband and how much I love him. We have become comfortable in our lives in such a way that I feel like no one could ever replace him. Our friendship is the largest strength in our marriage, and something that caused me to see us together long-term when we were dating.

Most men seem to be alike, or at least in one category. I feel like God broke the mold when he made Thomas, which in the most part is great, but can be of course trying in other aspects. Typical tricks of the trade don't work on him, honesty is the best way to go if you want him to do something.

His moral compass is my true north, showing me that you can be a man as well as a father as well as a sexy husband. In this blog I've told you of things he is, and there is just one thing he won't be: Here. I love this man so much that I could be next to him every day for the rest of my life and not get tired of it. He is my best friend and my husband, and my everyday favorite.