Garage Sale Mania!

Today and tomorrow are Garage Sale Days at our house...I've been working for the better part of 1 1/2 years on this puppy, purging the house of all it's trash and clutter, and I have to say that I'm already loving the liberty that this garage sale brings...because, no matter if there are any takers, this stuff is G-O-N-E!!

So far, the goings are slow, but I'm hopeful that tomorrow will bring tons of fresh faces!!

What about you guys?  Anyone out there garage sale junkies?  I met a few today who make it their business to make garage sales their business, if you know what I mean!!

Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Recently, I'd mentioned my new love for all things natural and simple.

One of my first converts from the world of processed food was with this homemade pizza dough.

Looks good, right?!

When I was pregnant with my little girl, I frequently felt too tired to make dinner and too eager for the comforts of pizza delivery (I mean, who hasn't, right?)!

Once that became too expensive (& unhealthy) of an option, we started going to the freezer section of our local grocer. (Hey, no judging, people! I was pregnant and exhausted...It happens!).

In the name and health of pregnancy though,
I quickly banned store-bought pizza from my diet...

The sodium made me feel bloated and blegh! ... 

I didn't want this for myself, my baby, or any other member of my family!

So, I made the switch..

I tried Boboli....
                        Easy, yes...but too expensive for us.

I tried ready-made dough...
                        That was a disaster by my own hand...
I could never (and I do mean NEVER)  get that dough to stretch and form into any sort of resemblance to pizza...Plus, adding insult to injury, it was always either chewy and thick or thin and burnt, depending on what part of the pie you had sliced into!

But then, one day, 

while walking down the baking aisle of my local grocer, 

I saw it...

Cue the magical lights and mystical music.  

...my very own magical and mystical pizza yeast!!  

Now, I admit that I didn't have much hope for what my efforts could produce, but at $2.12 for 3 packets (which means 3 pizzas!), I figured it was worth a shot!

So, after some tweaking and a few tricks learned, I'm proud to say that I've now got something share-worthy for you all!

Without further ado, my magical and mystical homemade pizza dough!

1 cup flour

1 envelope pizza yeast (I use Fleishmann's Pizza Crust Yeast)

1.5 tsp brown sugar (you can also use white)

3/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup very warm water

3 tbsp oil (I've tried it with canola and olive oil.  Both work great!)

Grease your pizza pan with oil and lightly flour, or line with parchment paper.  I was using a 9x13 pan, but have recently switched to using a glass casserole dish.  It gives me a thicker crust, and it's a favorite with my family.

Oven preheat is 425, but I typically wait to preheat until the dough is formed before I turn the oven on.  It gives the dough a couple minutes to rise and makes it easier to form in the pan.  

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, pizza yeast, brown sugar, and salt.

Add the water and oil, then mix together until fully incorporated (about 1 minute).  I usually use a fork for this...Definitely makes it easier with the sticky dough!

Gradually add a little flour until the dough is no longer sticky, and you are able to knead it without it sticking to your fingers.

Knead the dough for about four minutes on a clean, lightly floured surface.
Update:  Some may prefer to knead the dough on a floured surface, but I am just fine with kneading the dough right in the bowl I was using to mix my ingredients.  It saves me a clean-up step afterwards and anything that saves me a cleaning step has got my vote for sure!

On that same floured surface, shape your dough, then get that bad boy in your pan/baking dish!  Update:  Again, some may prefer to shape the dough on a floured surface, I have recently taken to just shaping the dough directly in the pan.  I really saw no difference in the two, and having the dough already in the pan is simpler for me than transferring it afterwards.

Next, add your sauce and other essentials...

Pop it in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes or so until the crust is browned and the cheese deliciously gooey.

Seriously, it's so delicious...

One bite and you'll never think of ordering delivery again!  My entire family agrees!

Easy Homemade Tortilla Recipe

In the last year, I've really gotten my family following after a much simpler way of living.  The types of things we buy at the store now are drastically different from just even 6 months ago.

We've gone from store-bought shampoo to homemade.  Same with toothpaste, hand soap, laundry detergent (that recipe is up for debate still, but here's another I totally love) and dish detergent.

Our first switch was with the shampoo, and I've gotta tell ya, this change in lifestyle is addictive.  Once you start to simplify, you start looking for another way, and another, and another.

I love knowing what's in the products we use. 

I love that it's healthy 

and safe 

and made by my own hands. 

Anyways, all this simplifying has eventually sneaked its way into my kitchen, where sandwich bread and granola bars have made it into the mix as well.  But the simplest of all has been these fantastically quick and easy homemade tortillas!

Seriously, look at these puppies...

don't they look delish?  

I mean, I guess as delicious as tortillas get to lookin'!

So the recipe for these homemade tortillas... 

It's another goodie from Pinterest...Simple.  To the point.  I like!

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup oil
1 cup warm water

Preheat your griddle...the hotter the better with these puppies.

Measure out the flour, salt, and baking powder and combine with a fork.

Pour in the oil and warm water and mix.  I usually start mixing it up with a fork (wire whisk isn't worth it, if you ask me..it's so sticky at this point that you wind up spending valuable time picking the pieces off the whisk itself!).  

Once it's mixed enough, I get in there with my hands and knead the dough...Nothing crazy like with bread or pizza dough..just enough to form a dough ball.  If the dough is still sticky, sprinkle a little more flour in there and voila, you've got homemade tortilla dough!  

Next, start breaking off pieces (I usually half the dough into two balls and then half those, etc until the dough ball fits in the palm of my hand).  Next, roll them out nice and thin with a rolling pin on a floured surface.  I usually end up with about 10.

Heat them up on your griddle, flipping over after a few minutes once they puff a little.

That's it!  Easy, right?
My girl and I make these all the time, and we have a blast!
Now, if only I could figure out a way to keep her from eating these homemade tortillas before they find their way to the griddle!!

Is Pinterest Ever Too Much?

I love Pinterest.  I love, love, love it!

I use it to figure out

our meals for the week...

I use it for seasonal inspiration (winter, spring, summer, fall)

and birthday parties...

I use it for just about everything under the sun, it seems...

...but when is Pinterest too much?

When does it go from mere inspiration 

to more of a crutch 

for our own creativity and imagination?  

I believe a fine line does exist, and I think, for me, I might have crossed that line last night...

We celebrated Father's Day early this year because of one thing or another.
The gift I'd chosen for my dad was heartfelt,
                                                         it was beautiful, it was...
                                                                                 ...directly from Pinterest...
Yup, aside from changing the word "Daddy" to "Pop", I'd copied the whole thing.

Even still,  I was so over-the-top about giving the gift because of what it symbolized...
My dad and I, we've been through so much in our relationship, and I'd been so hurtful in the past.  So to be able to stand there giving this gift to my father along with my two kids well, it meant more than I could ever explain!

Fast-forward a few lines into the poem my dad was reading though, and get right to the part where my son blurted out that I'd copied the whole thing from Pinterest, and you'd be just in time to see my heart falling onto the floor.

It seems like not a huge deal, I know, 

...get over it already, right?!  

But to have come so far with my dad and to have this chance to show it ...let's just say, while I wasn't looking to say this work is "mine, all mine", I also didn't want the intention of my heart to be overshadowed with the knowledge that these words were not my own.

Anyways,  my question to you all is this....

Where do you draw the line with Pinterest?  

Has it taken over your own creativity? 

OR 

Have you successfully maintained it 

as a supplement to your exuberant imagination?

Trust me, I love Pinterest, and I'll continue to use it diligently, I'm sure, but I think I'll mix in a little more ME from now on... let it take a backseat to my own God-given inspirational ability!

What To Do With The Kids This Summer

I'll be honest, I didn't exactly knock it out of the park these past couple of summers, when it came to fun and excitement!

Two summers ago, my little girl was born.

A truly amazing and beautiful summer, in its own right, but my exhaustion and postpartum delirium were not exactly a recipe for family fun or stellar activities for my then 7-year old son.

Last summer definitely picked up speed, 

and there was a lot more fun to be had, 

but I admit, I was unprepared!  

In all my summers prior, I was always at the office, and my son was at day camp.  Last summer being my true first as a fully functional stay-at-home mom, I think we were just one week in before I realized I better come up with a plan fast before we all went crazy from heat and boredom!  A plan was had and the fun as well, but it all took place amid a jumbled and disorganized mess!

This year, you better hold on to your hats, kids, 

because I am SO bringin' it...!

I will be ready!
                    I will be savvy,
                                         I will...
                                                   I will....
                                                             Well I will at least have a plan...
Hey, we all know how parenting goes...rarely does it follow the instructions we design for it!

So, I don't know where you all are with your summer plans...Maybe you've already got one in place...or maybe the idea of breaking out the sidewalk chalk again exhausts you..

Either way, check out this list of summer "musts"
& feel free to steal a few ideas to call your very own!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

SUMMER PASSPORTS:    I saw this really cool printable over at Brassy Apple that sparked a few flames of inspiration for me.   

So, yes, the brains behind this whole operation are that you make a little booklet at the start of the summer.  In it go drawings (or just a list) of each activity you and your child have decided are "musts" for the summer!  I was thinking of also adding a photo to each passport activity once it's been completed!  A video "how to" can be found at this link, along with a free printable download (for those out there with a printer and ink..we are lacking in this area)!  A totally cute idea, if you ask me...and a great keepsake for when the summer's through!

SUMMER PICTURE CHALLENGE:  Something to go perfectly with your passports above... +Leilani Anderson and her counterpart, Emily, over at Just a Touch of Crazy have come up with a list of 50 picture-taking ideas.  I don't know about you guys, but we are totally taking on this challenge!  And, if you needed a little more motivation to get that camera rolling, if you share your photos with Just a Touch of Crazy, you'll be entered to win a photobook from Shutterfly!  Sounds like a win-win, if you ask me!  Details can be found here!

IN THE HEAT OF DAY

POOL GAMES:  

Ahhh, there's nothing like a dip in the pool on a sweltering day.  

Make it fun with these classic "go-to's": races, who can make the biggest splash, diving for treasure, Marco Polo.

But, may I add something new to your list...:  

The Underwater Wardrobe...From a pile of old clothes, each kid picks out a complete outfit (pants, shirt, socks) and hands them over to the adult running the game.  While their backs are turned away from the pool, the grown-up scatters the clothes all over the pool.  Once the clothes sink (you might want to get them wet first so they sink faster) and the adult says "GO!", the kids all jump in the pool.  Object of the game is to find your clothes, put them on, then swim to the side and climb out.  Whoever is out first wins!  Got older kids?  Have them get dressed only when their heads are under water!  Switch up the rules as you need, but I guarantee this will be a win with your kids!  My mom created this game for my brother and me when we were kids and we loved it!

Great ideas above, but how to keep cool with no pool in sight?!  Dive into a little game of Spongeball instead!

PAINTING: Paint with your feet,  paint with crayons, paint with paintsicles while eating Popsicles (just don't get the two mixed up!), get paint-crazy, I dare say!  And, may I add, now that it's summer, how glad are we that painting can happen outside the house!

NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT:  I think it's genius, I think it's brilliant, I think I can't wait to try it!  Check out the Pinterest printable here.

RAINY DAY FUN

It's true.  Rain will happen this summer!  

So, while your lawn and flowers are enjoying much needed refreshment, keep your kids busy with these fun ideas:

Balloon Ping-Pong – A game that’s safe for the kids and the house?  Sign me up!

Rainy Day Doodle Game – Great for all crayon-holding ages!

The Naked Egg – I’m baffled by this!  An experimental “must”!

ONCE THE SUN GOES DOWN

Ahhhh, those summer days...filled with squeals and laughter and ice cream and everything else under that hot ol' sun...

but, pray tell, what about those hot summer nights?  

Trust me, these activities are well worth your kid's extension on their bedtime!

Glow in the Dark Bowling:  Activate 10 glow sticks and place one each (but I also think, more glow sticks=more fun!)  inside 2-liter bottles filled with water, and you've got yourself a party!  As a side-note, I keep hearing mixed things about glow in the dark bubbles.  Some say it works, some say not a chance, but I think we'll give it a go:  crack open a glow stick, pour it into the bubbles and voila!....At least we're hoping so!  Guess the verdict's still out on this one!

Amazing, wonderful, Fairies in a Jar!  I just can't wait to try this.  A little glow stick action, a little glitter and some water and you'll think that Tinker Bell came for a visit!  This'll be perfect for my little girl's birthday!!

S'mores!  Need I say more?  They're gooey, they're delightful, they make summer a knockout all on their own!! If you've got a fire-pit, promise yourself you'll use it at least once for s'mores this summer!
No fire-pit?
Fix your chocolatey delights inside and hurry outdoors to enjoy them with the company of friends and a few good stories!  Nothing wraps up a summer's day quite like this!

What about you guys?  What are the "musts" on your summer lists?  Drop me a line and tell me about it...but be warned, my little posse and I just might tag along!


This post was originally published at MomItForward.com on May 21, 2014.

...Because Memories Are for the Heart...

To My Girl,

When you were born, I was determined to keep a pristine baby book for you..one that would recant your every "first" from birth to marriage...I would collect mementos along the way as tangible proof of how amazing your "first" was, I'd record every tooth grown and lost, I'd even keep the wrapper from that first band-aid, like my mom did for me...but, my Love, you are nearly two now and that baby book still sits on a shelf awaiting with eagerness those moments I swore to keep up with on paper.  

But you know what, Sweetheart?  I've realized that, while that book may be eagerly awaiting it's fill of memories with you, my heart is not, my eyes and ears and arms are not...because, instead of taking time away from us two to steal a moment in a book, I've chosen instead to embrace these moments for our hearts.  I still plan on doing a baby book for you someday, but I'm not worried about it like I once was...it's true that memories fade, so I might someday not as readily remember how you wave and blow kisses to your poopoos as they go down the pot ("Guh-bye, Poopoo! Mmmmmwha!"), but my heart is forever branded by the love you fill it with in those moments...I love you, my sweet girl, and I cannot wait to look under rocks with you tomorrow morning...