Easy Dinner

If your a mom, you will understand the term noodle, referring to your childs body when they are upset. Ah, that was my daughter last night, while I was attempting to make dinner. Coral is a great baby, and is usually pretty good at keeping herself entertained. But everyone once in a while, she busts out the noodle, and hangs all over my legs. Sometimes I don't mind, after all, it feels good knowing that she loves me so much she is willing to throw her body all over the room in order to get my attention. But sometimes, I will admit, it drives me a little nuts. Especially when Im trying to make dinner. So on those nights, I make something thats quick and easy.

I promise you this meal is quick, easy, and perfect for summer. Alright, so lets start with some veggies. I only had some potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and onions (green and red) on hand, so thats what was used.  Chop those veggies up and throw them in a dish. 

Next we wanna season the veggies. Heres what you need:

A little bit of oil, salt and pepper, a fresh lemon, and garlic.

Chop your garlic in slices to add just a subtle taste to the veggies

Toss all together and sprinkle your veggies with lemon juice (I use one full lemon)

Now put those delicious veggies in the oven, and lets work on the salmon. To season the salmon you just need some bbq sauce and a little bit of brown sugar.

Cut the skin off the salmon..gross.

Mix the brown sugar and bbq sauce and coat on the salmon. 

And thats all there is to it! I had wanted Andrew to do the salmon on the bbq, yum, but he was slow to get home (biking uphill against the wind..eeek poor guy). However, it still tasted great done in the oven. 

Enjoy. Oh and if your baby is really doing the noodle, followed by some screaming, I suggest pancakes or hot and ready pizza down the street :)

This Weekend

Ok I know its only wednesday, but Im really excited about this weekend! It is going to be busy and packed full of stuff to do. Whats on the Hodgson agenda? A wedding, going to Port Rowan to see my family, having a garage sale, bun day, play with ALL my nieces and nephews (yup, we are all going to be in the same place at the same time...wonderful!), and of course taking Coral to the BEACH! Um and did I mention that Hodg and I will be baby free for two nights!? Allow me to explain.

The wedding that we are going to is an evening wedding on Friday. Hodg and I didn't know what to do about Coral, since the Isaacs (my sister and her lil fam) are going to my parents house to help them with their garage sale. We didn't want to bring her with us because the wedding doesn't start until Corals bedtime. So, she is going with the Isaacs and staying at her Nana and Papas. Since Friday is a holiday, they will be taking her thursday night, and we wont be getting to Port Rowan until Saturday morning, which means we are baby free for two nights! At first I was a little bit sad, but now Im just plain giddy about it. Hodg and I are going to take advantage, and are going out for dinner and a movie Thursday evening, and I have big plans to sleep in on Friday.

Coral also absolutely LOVES going to my parents. They have a play room that is stocked full of toys that my mom gets all ready for her when she comes. Plus, Emma will be there, so Coral will be in her glory. She already is saying Nana and Papa constantly. So, its a win/win situation for us.

Now, that leaves me with Friday all by myself. I will be alone all day. It will be weird. I have thought about what Im going to do that day. I could take the day off, spending it just relaxing, not doing much. When is the last time I have gotten to do that. Before Coral was born. Would I even know how to relax? Could I actually just take a day for myself and not worry about all the things that need to get done? When will I have this opportunity again?

Or, I could take advantage of the fact that Coral is being well taken care of, and I have the whole day to tackle my never ending to do list.

My to do list includes:

1.  laundry
2. clean all baseboards
3. clean fridge, stove, microwave
4. clean all kitchen cupboards
5. wash living room area rug
6. clean all bathrooms
7. dust everywhere
8. wash all windows
9. sweep and clean front deck
10. wash floors
11. wash sticky little fingerprints off walls
12. organize closets
13. scrape paint off this dresser:

14. Sew button back on pillow that Coral ripped off

15. Sew Coral some new pillows for her room out of this granny fabric:

16. Paint master bedroom

Just thinking about all the stuff I need to get done makes me tired. So, what do you think, do I work at my to do list, or take the day off and relax? Either way Im really looking forward to this weekend :)

HE'S HERE!

There is a new man in my life ladies and gents, and I couldn't be more thrilled! Let me introduce ya'll to Mr. Carter Holdsworth (ok ok so I don't even know his middle name yet, give me a break, Christy just gave birth and shes sort of to busy to text since this is her second baby...however she did message me a pretty dang cute picture of him this morning). I think im in love.

Ok, so I know that most of you don't even know who Matty and Christy are, but they are two very key people in mine and Andrews life. Its really important to me that I talk about them today, because today is a special day, and those two deserve to be celebrated.

Ah, where do I begin. It was love at first sight for Matty and Andrew. They shared a love for skateboarding, God, and Nomis. It didn't take long before they were best friends, and standing up in each others wedding. They have a bond that is unbreakable. Matty, Andrew says he misses you everyday.

And then there is Christy and I. Oh how I love that girl. We met in bible school, but didn't become close until after she and Matty got married (two weeks after Andrew and I....holla!) She very quickly became more of a sister to me then a friend. She became my family in BC. We did everything together. We were even pregnant together.

Matty and Christy are a HUGE reason why our hearts are always tugging towards BC. We are so thankful for them, and their friendship. And now they have another baby boy! A perfect little baby boy. Christy and I have spent the last week texting every single day, anticipating this day and now he's finally here!

Malachi, you became a big brother today. I love you so much and cannot wait to see you take part in your new role in your family. You will do great. I miss you little man.

Matty and Christy, we are SO proud of you. You have been amazing parents to Malachi, and now God has blessed you with another beautiful, healthy baby boy. Today is your day. Our thoughts are with you, and we are praying for you. Feel celebrated today, and rejoice in the beautiful gift God has given you. We can't wait for our next trip out to BC to meet Carter, and spend time with your little family.

Lots of love from the Hodgsons!

Got Two Minutes?

Just a quick little DIY project for you today since Coral and I are still not feeling better. Ok, this project will only take two minutes, I promise. We are going to be making record bowls.

Kinda funky eh?

Andrew has been collecting records for a while now, so we have a ton of them laying around. A couple of weeks ago, when he was gone on a business trip, I was thinking about a way to make use for them. We don't have a record player, so we cant listen to them. There just sitting here....hmm I could decorate with them! So I did a little research, and sure enough, you can melt records very easily. All it took was two minutes, and my record bowls were finished!

Ok, so lets start this. First things first, lets turn that oven on (I turned mine on to about 250 degrees). You don't want the oven to hot, or the records will melt like grilled cheese, and I can only imagine how hard that would be to clean up.
                      Next we need a pan, and an oven safe bowl.

          Ok, go ahead and put the record right on top of the bowl, and put the whole thing into the oven.

Don't go anywhere! Make sure you keep checking in on your new bowl. These records melt very quickly. After about two minutes, the record will have melted over the bowl perfectly. If you want to play around with the shape a little bit, use oven mitts and hold the melted record in your hands until is has hardened (this happens very quickly).

 And there you have it! I just let mine sit on the bowl until it hardened, and this is the shape I got. I did a couple and thought it might be kind of neat to put on the wall (since they have sort of a flower looking shape to them), however I never did get around to doing that.

Two minutes, thats all it takes. Now go make some!

Lazy Afternoon

Ah...today Coral and I are having a lazy afternoon. We woke up yesterday feeling fine, but as the day went on, we both were showing signs of a cold. Not fun. Coral woke up a couple times in the night and found it hard to go back to sleep. Medicine did help a little bit, but she was so stuffed up and couldn't relax unless she was in mommys arms.

So, today we rest. Today we forget about cleaning, and the laundry that needs to be done. We leave the dishes that are piled in the sink, we put on our comfy clothes, and we relax. Despite feeling so sick, I love days like today.

Coral is normally so energetic, and doesn't stop moving until she is forced to nap or go to bed (even in her crib though she does laps and talks up a storm). So today is special. I get to cuddle (and there is nothing like a Coral cuddle). I get to be lazy and read books to her on my bed. I get to force her to take it easy by putting on her favorite movies, and not have to feel guilty about it.

I am thankful for a daughter like Coral. We spend so much time together, that we each recognize each others needs. I know it sounds funny, but Coral really does know me well. She knows when I am having a good day, and she knows when I am having a bad day. She can tell when I am stressed, and she knows when I am relaxed. She knows when I need space, and she knows when I need a hug and reassurance from her. Today she knows that I need a day of rest. I was laying in bed, and she came in the room with some books. She then got me her two favorite "buddies" that she sleeps with, and put one in each of my arms. Then she brought me her blanket, and placed it on top of me, and read me some of her favorite stories. Ahhh....what a blessed woman I am.

Coral, I love you so much. You are my favorite person to be sick with.

Every sick day has to have balloons.

And puzzles

At The Park

 On Saturday, our little family spent the afternoon at the park. Coral loves the park. She loves everything about the park. The people she meets there, the swings, the poochies that walk by, the sand she can dig in, the instruments she can bang on (yes our park has instruments), but mostly the slide. Oooh she loves that slide.

Our park is literally a two min walk from our house. I am so thankful for that park. When we bought our house, the closest park to us was a 5 min drive. I was thrilled when I saw the construction workers starting on the park last year. Andrew and I used to walk Coral there in the evenings to check on the progress. She was to small to enjoy it when it was finally finished last year, but this year, the park is a daily activity of ours (minus the rainy days of course).

 Sometime during the day (usually after her afternoon nap) I say the words that Coral has been waiting for all day "Do you want to go to the park?" Her response is like asking a pooch if he wants some steak. Her face lights up, she says "ya ya ya ya ya" over and over, and then runs to the door. I have learnt my lesson that I only ask Coral, when we are READY to go (hat and shoes on, sunscreen applied, sippy cup full) or she will stand at the front door and bang on it until I am finally ready to go.

Occasionally Coral and I will wait until Andrew gets home from work and can come with us. However with dinner and her early bedtime, it only leaves enough time for a very short visit at the park, and with a big park like ours, that just doesn't leave enough time to explore all the things Coral wants to explore. So on Saturday, daddy got to come with us. He bought his camera, so here are some pictures.

She found a soccer ball and did really well kicking it down the field

She always stops whatever she's doing to "fly" when she hears an airplane

Ok notice the water in the background? We didn't get any photos of us at the splash pad, but Coral was rockin it that day. I got wet, she got REALLY wet. 

Her new way of going down the stairs. Its dangerous, and really scares me.

How cute is she? Someone please tell her to stop growing up.

Well there you have it. An afternoon at the park. We didn't get any pictures of her on the slide either because we got caught up in the moment. And the man behind the lens wouldn't lend me his camera for a few photos of him. Oh Hodg.

Come to my house and visit the park with us!

DIY Pendant Light

Alrighty, heres a little DIY project that I know you all can do...but just to warn you, you need to be a little bit crazy and extremely motivated to attempt this one.

A little while ago I went on the Etsy website to browse different quilts for Corals room. During my search I stumbled upon this beautiful pendant light....I was in love. Only problem was, the person selling it was asking $350....gulp. In the description, she explained how she had made the light. The secret?? Coffee filters! Psh, easy I thought. So I went out and bought a 16 inch paper lantern for my base, then bought 1000 coffee filters (yes, that seems like a lot, however, over 900 of those suckers got used.) After about the first 100 coffee filters were glued on, I understood why someone would ask $350 for this light. It took FOREVER to do, but the end result was so worth it.

It really was quite simple to do, just time consuming. So heres what you need to know if you want to attempt this project. I wanted my light to be big, so I bought a 16 inch lantern, however, there are smaller sizes, as well as larger sizes that you can get (your ever crazier then me if you attempt a larger one). Keep in mind that the coffee filters add an extra 2 inches all around the lantern. You will also need lots of coffee filters, and lots of glue sticks (both can be found at the dollar store).

Ok lets start glueing. Take a coffee filter, fold it in half, then in half again, then in half again. Glue that baby onto your lantern (start at the top and work your way down). You want to get the coffee filters as close to each other as possible, you don't want any of the lantern showing at the end.

I hung my lantern using a "pendant hanging kit" from Ikea (there only about $5.00). You can also find a hanging kit from amazon or ebay.

And there you have it. In total, I made my light for about $18.00. Not bad eh?

Feeling inspired, I made a couple other hanging lights. I just haven't decided where I want to put them yet.

Cut circles out of an old book and glue them onto a paper lantern. This one might go in Corals room since she loves reading.

Cut long triangles out of paper and glue them onto a paper lantern starting about half way up the lantern and continuing up to the top.

So, will you attempt any of these DIY projects?

Dollar Store Decorating!

We all know I love to decorate for cheap. What about decorating for a dollar? Yup, its possible, and yup it still looks fantastic. Welcome to Dollarama decorating. Have you ever searched the Dollarama for some good finds? I mean really searched? We all go there for the essentials like soap and little plastic bags, but have you ever looked for home decor under all the mess at a dollar store? Do it, its worth it.

My sister Crystal is the one who got me started on dollar store decorating. I would go to her house and she would have new things...neat things. She would proudly say "dollar store" to me. I was hooked. It takes skill and patience. Most dollar stores I have found to be crowded and people do not want to move for my stroller, but it is worth it. You have to really dig to find the neat stuff. Here are a few things we have found (ps. remember when my mama came here to help bring some curb appeal to my home? One of our mother/daughter dates was searching the Dollarama for some deals).

                                 Pillows. Yup, they have these there.

              Little mirrors in adorable shapes that stick to the wall.

                                               Wall stickers.

                                                 Hanging lanterns.

                        More wall stickers and hanging lanterns.

Umm these. How do I describe them? A green grass looking ball thingy? Works for me. And the bowl its in.

                            Lots and lots of picture frames.

                               Flowers, vases, rocks and shells.

Everything on this wall is from the dollar store. Using multiple wall stickers, I created a family tree for Coral in her playroom.

Lots of pretty bowls, plates and cups there. I glued some together making my own little sculpture that holds my jewelry.

Got a couple bucks laying around?? Then what are you waiting for! Get your poker face on and get to that dollar store.

Happy Fathers Day!

Just a quick little shout out to my baby daddy on this special day.

Andrew is an amazing dad. He loves Coral in a way that only a father could love her, and they have a great bond because of that. He never slacks off when it comes to parenting her (that doesn't mean that we don't have to paper, rock , scissors for dirty diaper changes). He has this endless energy about him that is completely contagious. After a long day at the office, he comes home, and without fail he opens that door and screams as loud as he can "CORAL IM HOME". The look on Corals face is priceless as she runs to him as fast as she can with her arms high in the air. He is gentle and patient with her. He stops whatever he is doing to read her a book, or do a puzzle with her. He tells her everyday how much he loves her, how beautiful she is, and how proud of her he is.

Words cant really describe the special bond between a father and daughter. I get to witness this everyday. I know without a doubt that Coral will grow up always feeling loved by her dad, and that she will be able to count on him for anything.

Andrew, thank-you for who you are. Thank-you for always being you, and never changing. Coral and I love you SO much. Everyday is an adventure with you, and you bring us so much joy because of that. Feel loved and appreciated and celebrated today. You are our everything.

                                             Happy fathers day Andrew!

Got Curb Appeal?

Does your home have curb appeal? Mine certainly didn't.  That is until about a week ago when my mama came up for a visit, and we decided to take on the task of giving my front yard a little personality. Our house is only a couple of years old, so there has been no landscaping done to it. Eventually I do want to do some landscaping, but only when we have the money for it to be done properly. I didn't want to dig up parts of my grass, only to plant a few flowers in the ground. So I started racking my brain as to how to give my house some curb appeal, without the digging and spending tons of money.

It started with a bench. A simple bench. Benches can have things on top of them, under them, and can be moved in the future when landscaping will be done (or will I want to incorporate the bench in my landscaping...hmm...) I sent my mom a text before she left asking if my dad could quickly whip up something for me. Of course I knew he could, I knew it would be perfect, and I knew he would be able to make it very fast. My dad is very talented at building furniture. He built me this in the past:

                        This is the bench he built me using an old door

 
We put some potted flowers on it (taken from the Hodgson farm), an adorable candle holder (bought from the salvation army) and placed a antique childrens chair with a flower on it in front of the bench.

We didn't have a little table and chairs to place by the front door, and found them to be very expensive (even on kijiji and at garage sales...bummer) but it needed something. Its not a very large space, but looked empty with nothing there. So we put a flower planter there, and instantly the house looked more inviting.

              
                  This is what it looked like after we were all done:

What do you think? What are some of your ideas to add curb appeal to your home for cheap?