Valentines Heart Felt Wreath

My goal to be more crafty and start making my own decorations, clothes, curtains, blankets, etc is all becoming real for me.  I am enjoying the process of learning new crafts and projects and excited to get them going.

For St. Valentine's Day I found this very cute wreath at a blog I have loved reading for a couple years now, The Idea Room.  It looked pretty easy so I decided to try it.  I loved it!  It was a fun experience, from going to JoAnn's to get the materials, preparing the felt (with my little helper), to finishing, and taking pictures.  The Idea Room suggests buying 3/4 yard of felt and that was a perfect amount.  I had a few scraps but I will be using them to work on my sons felt board that I am making.  No waste!!!!  I finished yesterday and I am enjoying it hanging up in my living room. 

You can find the directions to this wreath at The Idea Room or at Design Sponge. 

Here are my pictures of the process.

My materials.

My lil helper bringing me more felt circles!

Half way done!

All done

What a cute model!

He is my heart!

What are you making this week?

Happy crafting,

Alyson

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."  ~Elizabeth Stone

Menus and My lil Kitchen Helper

I have said it before and I will probably say it a million times more.....I LOVE baking bread and that includes all kinds of bread.  Pizza dough, pie crust, rolls, biscuits, and all the kind of yummy bread you can make! Last week, we made homemade pizza and every time I make pizza I always make the dough myself.  It tastes so much better and we stay away from any preservatives or processed ingredients that store bought dough might bring us.

My son has showed an interest in cooking and helping in the kitchen.  YES!  Every time I walk in the kitchen and start cooking or even cleaning, he drags in his little chair, steps up on it, and says "I want to help, mama."  I love it.    So last week when we made pizza dough, I made some extra so that he could help and have his own dough to play with.  He made us bread sticks!  While waiting for the pizza to cook, we enjoyed them.  I told my son,  "Your bread sticks are so good!  I love them."  He responded with, "the trick was rolling the dough ssssloooowly."  There you have it everyone, the secret cooking trick of a 3 year old!  My husband and I giggled, it was so incredibly cute.  Our son has been quite witty lately! 

Enjoy some pictures of our dough making experience.

The pizza dough before the final rise. 

Concentrating

Enjoying the bread sticks he made!

Last week menu went well!  The Jamaican Curried Shrimp & Mango Soup was delicious.  We really enjoyed it and plan on cooking it in the future.  I am not trying any new recipes this week but making some family favorites.  We are still doing everything we can to eat organically, sustainably and as healthy as possible. 

MENU:

MONDAY-  Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil, and Salmon

TUESDAY-  Out to eat with my little family @ Hopworks Urban Brewery 

WEDNESDAY-  Black Bean Soup and Spinach Quesadillas

THURSDAY-  Spinach Ravioli with homemade pesto sauce.  Steamed kale and a fresh green salad.

FRIDAY-  Fish Tacos and homemade Spanish Rice

SATURDAY-  Hungarian Mushroom Soup and Baked Potatoes.  (Soup recipe will be posted on Saturday)

SUNDAY-  Super Bowl~ Bean Dip and Homemade Pizza

Extra cooking & baking:  Pretzel Bites (my hubby LOVES these) 
                                   Bran Flax Muffins (great breakfast muffins) 

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.

What are you cooking this week?

Happy cooking,

Alyson

"While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about."  ~Angela Schwindt

One Small Change- February

I never win things.  Never!  But yesterday I won!  I entered my January's One Small Change at the One Small Change blog giveaway and they choose ME!  Little 'ol me!  I won a homemade eco-friendly coozie from Peaceful Peacock.  I am so excited.  Thank you Suzy from One Small Change and Julie from Peaceful Peacock!

My plan for February's One Small Change is, as usual, going to be a few small changes.  There is just always so much to do to help this planet and the people on it, that every month I usually come up with more than just one change. 

February's Plan:

• I will be sewing and making my own produce and bulk reusable bags with my mama.  We always use our own reusable grocery bags but find that I am still using the plastic produce and bulk bags. I did reuse the plastic bags but they eventually get torn or yucky, so I end up throwing them away.  UGH....it kills me every time I throw away those bags. So I ordered some reusable produce bags from reuseit.com and those will work perfectly.  BUT I wanted to make my own bags, so that I can make them more personal-able and practice my sewing skills since I have sewing plans in my future.   My mama and I will be using muslin fabric because it will hold my bulk purchases as well as any produce.  
• I signed up for one of my city's tree plantings in a local wetland.  My husband and son will be joining me on this one. I believe it is important to always involve your kids in activities like this, to teach them about "being the change."  If you are interested in tree plantings in your area, check out your city's website and volunteer information. 
• I also signed up for SOLV's neighborhood cleanup.  We will be going to Portland's NW industrial neighborhood to help clean up garbage and litter.  I am excited to bring my camera and take pictures in this area too.  SOLV is a wonderful organization that focuses on cleaning up Oregon's land....beach, rivers, parks, and streets.   I have worked with them before on the beach clean-ups and plan on doing it again this year in March to help clean-up, Manzanita Beach, my favorite beach and the one I grew up on! 
• I will also be focusing on my family and I being outdoors more this month.  Why work so hard to save this planet and not go out and enjoy it?  Of course, we love being outside and we do lots of outdoor activities but with the weather being cold and wet the past two months, it has been hard!  So I will be refocusing on outdoor activities.  With the seasons changing soon and our farm getting ready for Spring, we have lots planned to be outside and to enjoy our beautiful mother nature. 

I will be sharing how all this went at the end of February with lots of pictures.  Check out my first One Small Change to see why I am doing this challenge or check out the One Small Change blog for more ideas about environmentally friendly changes you can make.

What changes are you making?


Happy February,

Alyson

"He that plants trees loves others besides himself." -English Proverb

Mtuzi wa Samaki & Yemarina Yewotet Dabo

I am loving all the international food recipes we have been trying lately.  I was really intimidated about cooking international foods but it isn't as hard as it sounds.  Both of my African dishes turned out delicious and I am proud of myself for trying them.

Mtuzi wa Samaki is a Kenyan dish of white fish in coconut curry.   We served it over Jasmine rice and it was very yummy.  We love curry dishes and the way it engulfs our house in a delicious aroma.  The recipe called for white fish, so we bought sustainably caught cod fish.  The fish guy at the counter helped us find the right kind of white for the recipe!  I always tend to strike up a conversation with the fish department employees when buying fish.  I have learned a lot from them about different types of fish and how to cook it.  The Kenyan curry recipe also called for coconut milk.  I decided on the "lite" coconut milk, to cut the calories and fat content down a little.  We only used a tablespoon of lemon juice because we didn't want the lemon to take away from the curry flavor.  I highly recommend this recipe.  Don't be intimidated like I was, it is always good to open up your horizons to new things!  For the recipe- click here. 

Yemarina Yewotet Dado is a Ethiopian honey bread recipe.  I can't say enough good things about this bread.  YUM YUM YUM!  We really enjoyed this bread, even my 100 pound yellow lab enjoyed it when he stole a piece from the table.  What a stinker, but I am glad I could share.  I really enjoy making bread.  I think I get this from my mother, who baked bread my whole life and taught me how to do it the right way.  There is something very therapeutic about kneading bread for 10 minutes straight!  One of the best smells in the world is the scent of fresh baked bread.   I want to bake some bread just talking about this!  I would not change a thing about this recipe and I will make this over and over again.  Try and enjoy it!  For the recipe- click here.

Here are some pictures from the Ethiopian honey bread.  I missed taking pictures of the curry dish because dinner time tends to be a very busy time of day for us, so taking pictures was forgotten about.  I baked the bread during the day which allowed me more time to take pictures and to use the natural light from the windows.

Ha...trying to take pictures and pour at the same time!

I hand grounded the coriander.

Happy cooking,

Alyson

"The best of mankind is a farmer; the best food is fruit."    - Ethiopia Proverb

January's One Small Change Wrap-Up

My December One Small Change, of getting rid of junk mail is starting to show that it is working.  You should see how slim our pile of mail is everyday.  It is amazing!  We still have random junk mail coming, and I will immediately call or email that company to get us off their mailing list.  It feels good!  I urge everyone to do the same.

My January One Small Change was supposed to be three small changes but I found out a little fact that shocked me, so it went down to two.  I focused my small changes on recycling this month.  I wanted to take steps to recycle everyday household items that we tend to throw away.  So I researched how to recycle light bulbs and batteries.  I hate throwing these things away and knew if I did some research I could find out how to recycle them.   While doing my research I found that you can not recycle household incandescent light bulbs any where in Oregon, other than the florescent kind.  I hate throwing away all these light bulbs!  Maybe I need to think of a crafty way to reuse them!  Any ideas? 

We use a lot of batteries in our home between cameras, flashes, toys, and electronics.  Every type of battery we use has chemicals inside of it.  The worst chemicals you can find in some batteries are lead, cadmium, and mercury.  I know that sending any type of battery to the land fill will lead to these chemicals getting into our soil, air, groundwater, and surface water.  So my goal is to make sure these batteries stop going into the landfills.  So this month, I grabbed a glass jar and set it on our desk and this is where all of our dead batteries go.  Come to find out, my husband had been keeping a stash of old batteries in a drawer, knowing that they can be recycled.  I love that we share the same goals and how in sync we are with our thoughts!   I did some research on where I can take household batteries to recycle.  I started at the Portland Metro website (awesome organization & website!),  they have a tool that tells you where you can recycle all different types of household items.  This tool will definitely be put to use by my family.  It then directed me to Pride Recycling Depot, which will take up to 1 quart of batteries for free.  SOLD!  This Monday I will be taking my batteries there and I will continue to do this every time that glass jar fills up.  And what a fun learning field trip for my son and I!  I am curious to know where the batteries go after Pride takes them, so I am going to ask them when I drop it off and report back to you all! 

For those of you that are local to the Portland area and looking to recycle household items that they don't pick up curbside, go to Metro's website.  For everyone else who isn't local, Earth911.com is a great resource and can lead you to your local recycling centers. 

My other small change was signing the Oregon Ban the Bag petition.  In Oregon we are urging our state legislature to pass the Senate Bill 536 that promotes the use of reusable bags and bans the use of plastic check out bags.  These petroleum made, plastic check out bags are one of the greatest environmental horrors that we face today.  It contributes to the large amount of plastic that is found in our oceans and garbage around our streets, hurting our wildlife.  It also requires 12 million barrels of oil a year to make these bags.  YUK!  Please sign this petition! 

Thanks for reading my really long One Small Change blog.  I had a lot to say this month, I guess!  Next month I kind of have a big project that ties in with my One Small Change. I also signed up for a local tree planting and a SOLV street clean-up for the month of February.  I will write all about my February changes this weekend.  If you would like to read why I joined the One Small Change, click here or to join the campaign click here. 

Be well, friends,

Alyson

“Don’t blow it - good planets are hard to find.”  -Quoted in Time Magazine

Valentines Sneak Peak

It is way past my bed time, but I wanted to share a little sneak peak on what I am creating this week.  I got all my materials last week and when my little man is asleep, I am able to work on it.  I will post my finished project this weekend.  This project will also turn into a photo challenge I am going to enter.  Two in one!  YES!  I got the idea from an awesome craft blog, which has inspired me since 2009.   I will post the link with my final project!

Before pictures:

Happy crafting,

Alyson

“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.”  — Henry David Thoreau

Menus and Nutrition for a Mama

As most of you know, I am considered a "pescatarian."  Which means, I don't eat any kind of meat except fish or seafood.  As my husband, jokingly says, "don't label me."  It is not a label to us, it is a lifestyle.  We have chosen as a family for health and environmental reasons to not eat meat.  It has been 6 years with no meat for me and about 10 years for my husband.  So this means, when I am pregnant, I really have to pay attention to my diet and make sure I am getting all the nutrients I need to help this precious little baby grow inside of me.  The BIG thing....PROTEIN.

Protein plays a very important role in helping to grow a little baby.  The amino acids that make up protein is what helps build cells in the baby, the development of the baby's brain, and builds a healthy placenta.   So, being a "pescatarian" I have to really pay attention to how much protein I am getting and eat the right foods.  As a pregnant mama, I need 70-80 grams of protein a day.  That is a lot when you don't eat meat at every meal.  Yes, eating fish helps with the protein but I have to limit my intake of fish to twice a week because too much fish or seafood can be unhealthy in a pregnant diet.  So I have to be creative with......beans, brown rice, tofu, whole grains, green veggies, leafy greens, eggs, any kind of dairy, peanut butter, and other nuts.  It has been kinda fun finding different ways to get some protein.  Usually my snacks include cheese, yogurt, pb & j sandwiches, a glass of milk, etc.  Those all help my protein rise.  On top of making sure you are getting enough protein, eating a very well balanced diet from every food group is SO important. 

How do I even keep track of this all?  That was the hardest part for me in the beginning of my first pregnancy....so I started a "protein chart" with my first, and I continued with this pregnancy.  I want to share this with you, in case, there is a pregnant mama out there that wants to keep track of their protein or diet.  I bought a dry erase board for my refrigerator.  On the board I have a few different boxes that say...water, protein, veggies & fruits, dairy, grains & bread, fish & beans, and exercise.  I use tally marks to track everything on a daily basis.  Protein- I tally every gram of protein I get that day.  Water- I tally every ounce of water I drink.  The food groups- I tally every serving I eat.  Exercise- I tally every time I exercise that day.   Does this all makes sense?  Here are pictures to better understand....

I love it!  I love being healthy and knowing I am doing everything to help my little bean grow!

On to our menu for the week!  Last weeks meals were awesome and our African dishes were delicious.  I am preparing to write about them in the next two days.  I am continuing my interest in cooking international foods and trying a Jamaican dish this week.  I am excited to try it!  Our last weekend got a little mixed up with our meals, because I was feeling under the weather.  So I moved a recipe to this week.  No biggie, we roll with it.

MENU:

MONDAY- Spinach and Lemon Orzo Pasta (We used only one lemon.  It probably would have even been fine with a half of a lemon.) 

TUESDAY-  Baked Spaghetti with roasted broccoli and homemade tomato sauce.

WEDNESDAY-  Homemade pizza with homemade dough!  (A family favorite)

THURSDAY-  Baked salmon, mashed potatoes, and steamed garlic broccoli

FRIDAY-  Leftovers and a big green salad

SATURDAY-  Jamaican Curried Shrimp & Mango Soup served with brown basmati rice

SUNDAY-  Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche and a green salad.  (We love to make quiche and to eat the leftovers for breakfast!)

For more meal planning inspirations, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie every Monday.

Happy cooking,

Alyson

"Children and mother never truly part.  Bonding in the beating of each others heart." -Charlotte Gray