Our Trip to Seward

Over Memorial Day weekend we decided to drive down to Seward.  It was about 9pm Sunday night when we started loading up the van. After going back and forth about what was actually needed, (husband thought I was taking to much stuff for a one night trip) the "stuff" and kids were loaded and we were off. We got to Seward about midnight. Of course the kids slept most of the way, so when we got into the hotel room they were all wide awake. This was their first time in a hotel and they were beyond excited. They were checking out everything. Mac's favorite thing was the microwave. Who in their right mind would put a microwave about 3 feet off the ground? Perfect height for kids. Needless to say when we couldn't find something, we checked the microwave. Sure enought it would be in there. Everything from shoes, to remotes to clothes.

 

 We finally got them settled down and in bed.

 On Monday we went to the Sea Life Center. The boys loved it. They had so much fun watching the animals.

  

 

After eating lunch we went to look at the boats. Rhainnon had enough and couldn't wait any longer for a nap.

  

 

This guy was swimming around the docks. We followed him for awhile. It was fun and something we need to do again soon.

What's been going on lately...

So, it has been a while since my last post....way too long actually! Im not sure where all my time goes. I cant imagine what I will do when my baby arrives ( YES!! I am finally having a baby..due Nov. 23 ) More on that later, I will be posting updates along the way so my sisters can keep up ( of course;-] ) My upcoming project is going to be my antique sewing table I picked up at a local antique/thrift shop. It was only $25, which I thought was a great deal. It is the perfect side table by the back door to catch all the keys, wallets, mail.......and everything else that needs a home for a short time!

I am a little embarrassed by the chewed up rug there but that would be due to my dogs. They are not allowed past that gate so occasionally they will pull the rug in and chew on it;-)

The bottom needs to be sanded down , there are several rusty spots, so I know with all those curves it is not going to be an easy task. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the top yet. Maybe stain it to match my kitchen cabinets or maybe a creamy color that goes well with my dining room table...or maybe just leave it.... We shall see.

So, that is what will be taking up my time for the next little bit.

I do have to give an update on my window treatments for the master bedroom. I finally have curtains made, which I did myself and curtain rods ( a little unusual but they are perfect ). The only thing still needed is brackets to hang the rods with. Which is proving to be more of a challenge than I thought.....Pictures will come soon! I can't wait until they are finished completely!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Mary Elizabeth

A New Coffee/Drink Tray

A couple of  months ago I bought a $2.00 picture frame from the Thrift Store with the idea that I would somehow turn it into a tray. 

 So, after a good cleaning, a couple coats of paint I had a decent tray. 

But it was just a little plain looking for me.  So, after a couple of days of brain storming and the fact that it took that long to get the paint back out, I decided to stencil it.

 I used the same stencil that I used above the fireplace. (I promise a post of that will come very soon. I have a couple of touch ups to do to complete it.)

  

So here is the "new" drink tray. Now, just to get a new coffee machine. It got broken a couple of weeks ago. I decided not to ask which son was involved with that situation. I like having a tray here. It keeps things together and looks a little neater. Not for bad $2.00 .

Vanilla Crepes

I've always had this vague idea of crepes being a horrible imitation of pancakes. The first time that I had one was years ago at Ihop, where all of us sisters were working, and I distinctly remember how much I disliked it. Well my tastes have certainly changed since then because I love them now. I love homemade crepes at least.. I'm still not overly impressed with Ihop's crepes. I make them all the time for the myself and the kids. The other day I was looking for a different recipe than the one that I had been using and I found one on Allrecipes called Vanilla Crepes. Adding a little vanilla may not seem like a big deal but it made a HUGE difference. The boys couldn't get enough of them even after the second morning in a row.

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.
2. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve

I usually make a cream cheese filling and put strawberries on top, but with these I just used butter and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top. They are without a doubt the best crepes I have ever had!!

Rhiannon was supposed to be eating

her cereal but Mac had other ideas for

her breakfast.

He snuck her these when I wasn't looking.

I've said before that I am looking for a place of my own. Well that perfect place has yet to be found, but in the meantime I'm preparing all the perfect decorations for it. These are a few of my favorites. Most of them came from Pier 1 since that is just about the only place to get nice things in Anchorage. I can honestly say that almost everything that I have gotten so far has either been on sale or very inexpensive so I haven't been wasting money that I should have been saving.

I love over sized things so I was thrilled when I found these buttons.

Christine and I have become slightly obsessed with the new bird decorations that are out.

This pitcher I found at a thrift store for five dollars.

Have I mentioned before that I LOVE red??!

I think I have six vases like these. I may have gone a little overboard.

I have been searching for a set of dishes that I like, but was having trouble finding some that were similar to what I had envisioned. That is until last week at Pier 1. Big surprise right?

The large chocolate plates were on sale for $1.48 and all the others were 25% off!! It was too good to pass up.

Luke just could not understand why the table was set, but we weren't eating.

Also, did you see the mini bird salt and pepper shakers? Christine and I both have a set.

I am so excited about all of these. Now if I could just find the right place of my own to keep them. Hopefully it's in Anchorage so that I don't have to ship all this stuff out.

More Updates to the the Boys Room

I don't know why it takes me forever to get anything done. Maybe 3 kids, church, full time job, house work, grocery shopping, cooking, baking, laundry and oh, did I mention 3 kids with the oldest only 2 1/2. They may not be valid excuses but nevertheless those are my excuses.


So, all that aside, I have been working on the boys room FOREVER. Last week I finally got the curtains completed and painted a frame around  a couple of pictures that I got ages ago.


First lets talk about the curtains. It took me forever to find some fabric that I like, no surprise there. To my friends that sew please skip to the end of the post to see the frame I painted. I am ashamed (not really, because it was so much easier) to say that I used stichwitchery to make the curtains. I double the lining of the curtains, because I wanted it to be a little darker in their room. All in the hopes of the boys sleeping longer now that it's getting light outside. I'll let you know how that works out. To make it even easier on myself, I used the clip rings. I am very pleased with the out come. The boys love them too. They hide behind them. Mac loves to close and open them. Of course, I made sure that the curtain rod was screwed into the studs.

Now onto the frame. I got the idea from the last Pottery Barn Kids catalog. So I measured out the rectangle then painted the wide strip with chocolate chalkboard paint so it would match the chalkboards and then used the same dark blue color that I used to paint the bed. I love it because it's so different. Not something you would usually see in a bedroom.

I've had the pictures haning in their room since last fall. I bought them from one of the shops on Etsy.com. I tried to find the link but I can't remember who it was. The boys love looking at them.

I still have a couple more things that I want to do in their room. Finding the time to accomplish all the ideas I have floating in my head is the hardest part. I was able to get two small projects completed this weekend. I'll be posting those in the next day or two.

Hope everyone has a great Monday.

Christine