Pretty Baking

I am SO excited for this week! A friend of mine shared some of her favorite food blogs with me, and I've been searching & obsessing over them all week trying to find what I want to make for Easter! Here are the two things I narrowed it down to:

I'm just starting out in this whole loving-to-bake-but-seriously-needing-to-broaden-my-horizons kind of hobby, so I'm not trying anything too difficult. I think making a little royal icing and learning how to decorate is a good place to start. And as I've said before, what better way to learn while not filling your house with sweet temptations than baking for others? I'm so excited to make these for Easter Sunday as I get together with family to fellowship and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Nicole:)

Etsy Shop

I've officially opened shop! I'm nervous to put myself out there, but you never know if you'll succeed if you don't try. Failure is possible, but I'm doing something I enjoy and I have a great support system willing to help by reposting my links and spreading the word! I'm just starting out, so I don't have many products to add, but I have a lot of ideas to try out and I'm excited to get going! So far I have tutus and a diaper changing pad....who doesn't love baby accessories?! Please check it out or pass it along, thanks! :)

I'm also considering making some tutus on the side to take to our local baby thrift shop - Bullfrogs & Butterflies. They have a "Made by Moms" section in their store in which you can bring an item you wish to sell and a percentage of the money made is given to the store. We'll see!

Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice

...Thats what little girls are made of! And what do little girls love more than anything? Tutus! Okay, maybe momma likes it a little more right now, but I made my daughter a tutu this week!

Here's an exciting announcement! I hinted to this awhile back on Facebook, that I had an idea I was excited to get started on...As I had brought up the possibility in an earlier post, I am experimenting with different possible products since I've been wanting to start my own shop on Etsy (which is a site that sells vintage and handmade goods). My husband recently retired from the military for medical reasons, so I've been wanting to find a way to make some money on the side for my family without having to leave my daughter. Finding crafts I enjoy making and can share with others while staying home is the perfect solution!

Im going to name my shop "Selah Grace Styles"...I'm still figuring out all the little details before I go for it, I want to cover my bases and be ready (you never know if you'll succeed if you don't try). I'm focusing my shop on all things baby, and have a huge list of possible things to make and sell in it - tutus, diaper changing pads, travel wipes case, little toddler aprons, etc - so keep an eye out for a link, we're coming soon!

Recipe Collection

Now that I'm on this organizing kick, I thought I'd share my way of keeping my recipes in order (and I'd be interested to see how other people do it too). After two years of marriage, I had a stack of about 50 recipes that I had written on all kinds of papers and stuck in one of my cooking books. I'll just say this: when it takes you longer to find the recipe then it does to actually cook it, you may have a problem. So I set up my own system and its working so far.

I have a recipe box (full of recipes I have tried & loved, or use often)

And a recipe folder (full of recipes that I haven't tried yet). Once I try a new recipe and love it, I write it on a notecard and it gets a special place in my recipe box.

I also have a binder full of recipes I was given.

When I got married and moved down to Florida with my husband, our church ladies had the wonderful idea of compiling a cookbook full of all their favorite recipes - I LOVED it (maybe you can tell how used it is, hah)! This is such a great idea for a bridal shower gift. I have used it a lot (especially the crockpot & casserole section, haha!).

Now I'm finally leaving the realm of cooking confusion. Even though I grew up in a house where we ate dinner together every night and the menu was always changing, I had the same question for every women I knew "WHAT do you COOK?!" Its hard to know at first what recipes to use or not, but over time you find what works with your own family. I love that I'm more comfortable in this area of life, and now more organized ;)

I have a plan...

So, here's my new idea: Organization! I've become addicted to the iHeartOrganization blog recently. Now that I'm unpacked (still ignoring those last two boxes hiding in our bedroom) in our new house, I need to make it feel more like home - I've decided to focus on one area at time, organizing and decorating it as I go. THIS is one of my favorite things to do! I have two huge boxes of home decor I've collected since I got married, which attests to my love for it, and I'm super excited to pull it all out and see how I can make old things new again (first order of business: invest in a can of white spray paint to liven up darker colored frames). The organizing part is harder for me to do, especially on a budget (I would love to go on an Ikea shopping spree, but something tells me the hubby won't hand over the debit card willingly;).

And I begin this week! First I want to work on my kitchen cabinet/sink area, which is where I spend a majority of my day. What little counter space I have is currently taken up by our microwave, so we'll shift things around and see what works. Humor the fact that yes, I am a new mom and am still adjusting to this idea of staying home instead of having a job...when the baby is asleep, I need a purpose! So I'll be all over the place for awhile...or maybe thats how all moms are?

[I love this picture, this might be what I frame and put over my sink, definitely gives a spring feel :) I have white cabinets though so I don't want too much white! We'll see.]

As for now, my daughter is asleep and I am joining her *YAWN*

Nicole:)

Book Babies

A friend told me about a book club in our town's library for babies, so I went with her this past Friday to try it out. There were about ten other babies there, with parents in tow of course, and we sang songs and read a book. It was a new experience - I had to get in to mommy-mode and act silly for my daughter to get into it - and I couldn't really shake the hippy vibe as we sat around in a circle, cross-legged with no shoes singing songs and dancing. But I LOVED it! And so did my daughter. I loved seeing her personality come out as I watched how every baby reacted differently to the music and reading. She has always been a serious baby, more the type to sit back and observe than to dive in a be active, and she did the same thing there. She just watched all the other babies, smiled a little bit when we did hand movements with the songs (she LOVES music...which is why I have a stack of Wiggles DVDs at home) and was mostly curious throughout. What I loved the most was at the end of the group time they brought out a bunch of toys and let the babies play together. Since she is my first I love having this time for her to interact with others her age. I loved seeing how every baby was SO different in developmental milestones too, which makes me worry less about whether my daughter is "on time" with every "new" thing she does. Needless to say, we'll be going back:)

Mmm, FOOD.

Mmm, food has been on my mind a lot this week! Baking, mostly. I absolutely love to bake and I take any chance I get. After two years of marriage though, making desserts every time one of us had a sweet tooth is starting to show so I needed some other outlet or reason to bake, hah! Well, the church we've started going to since moving back up to Washington has a mini potluck every week after the service. I've decided to start baking every Saturday so I could bring something to church...old recipes I love and have memorized or new ones that I've been dying to try. This week I made Peanut Butter Cup Cookies - YUM. They're peanut butter cookies that you bake in muffin tins, then right when you pull them out of the oven, you stick a mini ReesesPieces candy in the center! My sister and I tried one, and they are amazing (if peanut butter and chocolate is your thing...my husband wouldn't go near them). So we'll see how everyone likes them! I found a list of the "Top 20 Best Dessert Recipes" on AllRecipes.com, so I'll start there and see where I go :) I am so excited!

This week I also talked with my husband about me going back to school to finish my AA degree. I took college during high school but got married before I finished my degree with only FOUR credits to go! I'd be crazy not to finish it. Anyway, sometime this week I hope to go register and look at classes...I'm hoping they have some culinary courses! In another life I think I would have moved to France to go to a pastry school. I'll settle for community college though ;)

As for my other goals and aspirations...crocheting: I've burnt out on (though I'm still determined to make that super cute giraffe hat!). Unless I start selling what I make I see no reason to do it, so I'm looking into becoming a seller on Etsy.com. And as for unpacking, I have also burnt out on. Its like writer's block for the housewife...I just can't bring myself to unpack those last four boxes.

Here's to new ventures and finishing up old ones...

Nicole:)