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Friday, June 14, 2013

Mrs Benson's Meat Loaf

In "The Ricardo's Change Apartments", "Lucy" & "Ethel" drop in on "Mrs Benson" to convince her to switch apartments and are greeted with, "Come in, come in.  I was just mixing a meatloaf."  Simple, pure domesticity, at its best:)


Well, as I'm still in the unpacking stage with our new home, I haven't had much inspiration for dinner...and yet, meatloaf always sounds good...that is, good meatloaf;)

After doing a little research on meatloaf, I was introduced to 'meatloaf mix' which is ground beef, ground pork & ground veal, in equal proportions- evidently this used to be standard fare at the "market" but no longer is available in most places...at least here.


So one morning during our weekly shopping run, I snagged some quick sale all natural ground veal & organic ground beef and popped them in the freezer until I was ready to assemble my 'proper' meatloaf:)

Ingredients all in place, this is the recipe I used, courtesy of Cook's Country- it's SO good & I just love the mini loaves:)

30 Minute Meat Loaf
Ingredients:
 2/3 cup crushed Saltine crackers (17 crackers)
1/4 cup whole milk
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 large egg
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 pounds meatload mix
2 tsp vegetable oil
Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp cider vinegar

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place a broiler pan with a slotted top on the oven rack & heat to 500 degrees.
2. Mix the crackers, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, mustard, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt & pepper in large bowl.  Add the meat and mix by hand until evenly combined.  Form into 4 tightly packed loaves, each measuring 4 by 3 inches.


3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Cook the loaves until well browned on the top & bottom, 2-3 minutes per side.


4. For The Glaze: While the meat is browning, combine all the glaze ingredients in a bowl.

 

5. Carefully transfer the loaves to the slotted broiler- pan top and spoon 1 tbsp glaze over each loaf.  Bake until an instant read thermometer inserted in the middle of a loaf reads 160 degrees, 7 to 9 minutes.  Let the loaves rest on the broiler pan 3 minutes.  Serve passing the extra glaze.


I have now made this recipe twice.  The first go around, I served the meat loaf with jacket potatoes and sauteed kale & red onions:)

The second go around, I served the meat loaf with Crispy Potato fans and a baby Romaine salad with Blue Cheese dressing:)

Scrumdiddlyumptious both times!!! 

"Lucy" remarks to "Mrs Benson", "Smells great!" & I guarantee your family will state the same!

Hope you enjoy:) 
Tiffany

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Our "Garden of Eden"

As I've gotten older, I've come to find great joy in glancing out into our garden to see an array of plants & flowers welcoming feathered & furry friends.  



"Ricky" worked hard to add plants to our old house and I found myself wondering how I could bear to leave these little seedlings that were now blooming and maturing...



...and then I viewed our new home...


...a veritable 'Garden of Eden!!!


 ...and discovered a "secret garden" on the side of the house...



...with a bench swing...



 ...and home to beauties like this Turks Cap...



...and this heavenly Gardenia:)


On the other side of the house is a "Pixie Hollow" entry...



 ...revealing a plethora of ground cover...



...Nandinas, including berries "for the baby red birds"...



...Plumbagos that are just starting to bloom...



...a Bougainvillea...



...Lantana...



 ...Mexican Heather...


...and this mysterious plant with blue blossoms.



There is a herb garden with Lemon Verbena, Chives & Rosemary thriving... 



...and we've discovered a Banana tree and some Blackberry bushes too:)

Photo: Beautiful morning:)

Our little Ms are loving all the shade and their swing set just barely fits amidst all the landscaping & trees!

What a blessing to inherit this "Garden of Eden"- I'm basking in its glory each time I look out the window and Jonah squawks with delight at the myriad of God's creation deposited in our new home:)

Have a great Sunday,
Tiffany

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Vintage Wallpaper

"Ricky" & I are so blessed to be in our new home, however we had been in a brand new builder grade home for the past 6 years and our new home is 23 years old & hadn't received much, if any, updating:/


 One of the main eye sores was the 'vintage' wall paper in the kitchen...


 So after convincing "Ricky" that the kitchen needed a DIY intervention, the scouring began (this step made a big difference)!


 And then "Ricky" selflessly steamed (Home Depot rental) & stripped the vestiges of 'vintage' paper off our new walls...


 ...to reveal this!  
The next weekend, the walls were sanded and now are awaiting some texture, primer & paint which has been put on hold as we tackle having the counters replaced...


...so in the mean time, we've tackled some other vintage remnants like this kitchen fixture.  Not my taste:(


Granddaddy graciously came to help install this while "Ricky" sanded away on the walls- much better for a basic kitchen fixture:)

And now we're awaiting estimates for our new counters & are planning the cabinet makeover:)

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany

Thursday, June 6, 2013

"Lucy is Enciente"


Where to begin...so much has happened in the last few weeks....


We've conquered our first family move into a lovely home and have begun renovation in the kitchen- more on that later...


"Ricky" just accepted a major job promotion yesterday as the Director of Clinical Education in his workplace- SO proud of him:) 


AND, we're expecting our 3rd little M later this year!!!

It's been a busy few weeks but we're so grateful for the faithfulness of God in every area of our lives:)

Can't wait to share more details on our DIY updating projects & my DIY maternity clothes, so stay tuned!

Tiffany

Thursday, May 16, 2013

"Allen's Used Clothing Emporium"

When "Ricky" & I got married, I considered myself a frugal gal.  I introduced "Ricky" to the sale rack, something he had never seen before & informed him under no uncertain terms, "This is where we shop"!  I introduced him to Marshalls & TJ Max- he had never darkened their doorsteps before.  However, I drew the line at resale and wouldn't dream of entering a Goodwill store...

...you see, I was somewhat traumatized as a child in England by the "jumble sale" and witnessing stacks of granny knickers (lip curling...) in piles on long tables in community halls.  I know my saintly Mother never purchased said items but I still grew up envisioning 'resale' as granny knickers:/


And then I became a Mom to these two little munchkins and determined to do whatever necessary to stay home with them, such as considering resale!  I'm happy to report that we now frequent our neighborhood kids resale shop several times a month where we've found the majority of our wooden toys & puzzles, kids shoes and lots of clothes:)

 However, it wasn't until approx 6 months ago that I first entered a Goodwill store, half holding my breath as I quickly scanned for any offending granny knickers...

...no knickers but I did find a cardigan, minus the "foreign writing"...


...alas it had a gaping hole in the neckline which caused me to pause.  It was a good quality silk/cotton navy cardi (which I needed!) and was under $4 so I decided to bring it home anyway...


...where I promptly perused pinterest for some inspiration and then set out to Hobby Lobby for some navy satin:)  After sewing the gaping hole closed, I sewed the satin into a long tube, turned right side out, ironed (mucho importante!) and then began pleating & pinning...


 ...I then stitched down the center around the entire neckline & voila!


The navy satin matched beautifully & this little doll totaled less that $5:)


The goal, after all, is to look like this...


...not this!!!

 Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Olivia's 3rd Birthday Farm Extravaganza!!!

And finally, I'm sitting down to share Olivia's 3rd birthday farm extravaganza with you!!!



Guests were greeted by a friendly scarecrow (thanks, Stephanie!)...

...and ushered by the "barn"- original inspiration was from pinterest and I added the seed packet bunting, animal silhouettes and sheets of stickers for the kids to add further embellishment:)  In the rather cavernous club house, the "barn" provided some much needed color!


Since many of my party supplies were packed away for our move, decor was kept pretty low key- I wasn't entirely pleased but I don't think Livy minded:)



I rescued this produce crate from a Winn Dixie in Orlando and transported it all the way back to TX for today- it housed gifts beautifully:)


Punch balloons were suspended on streamers- thanks Granddaddy:)


Seed packet bunting, one of my favorite touches, was draped across the windows:)


And a recycled banner was draped above the favor/gift table- my "special" banner was packed away in the depths of Granddaddy & Gramma's garage...sniff:(



Multiple little guests were expected so I set up the "piglet pen" with appropriate farm toys to help keep them out of the way of wild horses- this turned out to be a great addition!


While guests waited for the organized activities, they were encouraged to guess the number of tractor wheels in the jar...ironically, "Ricky" had the closest guess!!!


Let the games begin!  First off was the egg toss- I placed the eggs outside and had the kids find them & toss them back into the basket...


...Livy (sporting her handmade cow girl ensemble) and friend, Jude awaiting instructions:)


Now that the eggs were gathered, it was time to plant some crops!


And my little farmers had a blast planting their vegetables...


..and then scattering the Milo "soil" to the birds:)


Finally, it was time for a horse race on my DIY stick horses!


Riders took hold of their preferred steeds... 


...or in Jonah's case, a wagon!

 
On your mark, get set...

 
 ...and go!!!


And after a full day's work on the farm...


 ...it was time to eat!

 

 Old MacDonald had a sweet tooth:)



There were Piggy Cookie Pops, a favorite of Jude...


...Chick Cake Pops, another 1st time venture for me (and yes they look frenzied as they're trying to escape from "Mrs. Tweedy"!!!)


 Fresh eggs, (Livy's favorite kind!)...


...Strawberry Patch- the berries were filled with Nutella, thanks to Pinterest!


Baskets of assorted feed (Pirate's Booty, Annie's Cheddar Bunnies & Mini Pretzel Sticks) helped temper the sugar rush...

...as well as the "vegetable garden" cups of carrot & celery sticks nestled in homemade Ranch dressing- sorry no pic:(


The water bottles just barely squeezed onto the table and that red plate house the "Piggys in Mud"!


And finally a cupcake tower "barn" for my little cow girl, complete with burlap wrapped cupcakes, topped with chocolate piggys:)


When I asked Livy what her favorite thing was, she answered, "My eggs!"  Of course, one of the few things I bought and didn't make...sigh:)


While guests finished their munchies, punch balloons occupied little hands...


...and then it was time for the birthday girl to open gifts- we had intended to take the gifts home but several guests requested that Livy open her gifts then:)


Here's a clip of everyone singing to my beautiful, birthday girl:)


Kids trooped outside to the playground for one more jaunt...


...and then grabbed favors on their way out...


...including homemade Piggy Crayons...

 

...and old fashioned 'cow tails':)


Livy's 3rd birthday farm extravaganza was a grand success, as seen here with Granddaddy & Gramma...


...and next it will be Jonah's turn- can't wait!!!

Thanks so much for following along and hope you were inspired to create a special day for your little one:)
Tiffany

P.S. Here are some extra details about Livy's party:

Activities:
Egg bean bags- homemade
Felt Vegetables/sensory gardens- homemade
DIY stick horses- homemade

Table:
Grass blocks- homemade
Piggy Cookie Pops- homemade
Chick Cake Pops- homemade 
Cupcakes- homemade
Chocolate pigs on cupcakes & "in Mud"- homemade
Cupcake tower barn- homemade & free!
Burlap cupcake wrappers & stamped tags- homemade

Decor:
Animal silhouettes & stickers- Dollar Tree
Seed packets- Dollar Tree
Punch balloons & streamers- Dollar Tree
Tractor wheels in jar- Dollar Tree
Hay Bales & Scare crow- Stephanie, life saver:)
Birthday Banner- Stampin' Up! 
Egg crates- free!
 Piglet Pen toys- ours from home

Favors:
Piggy crayons- homemade
Piggy toppers- homemade using all Stampin' Up! supplies