Repurposing Clothes

Long ago, before I got pregnant, I had a ritual of cleaning out my closet every year.  Anything I hadn't worn in the past year, with the exception of special occasion clothes, I got rid of.  Then I got pregnant, then nursed, then pregnant, nursing again, then pregnant and currently nursing now so my old rule of "haven't worn in a year" hasn't applied for almost 5 years and I haven't cleaned my closet out in that time.
It turns out that some good came from that today.  My Monster wanted to be a princess for Halloween.  I don't really like buying costumes from the store because they are way overpriced for the shoddy craftsmanship and we really didn't have the money to go buy a costume anyway so I looked through my closet and found this old dress.

Hmm...sparkly, flowy, looks like the beginnings of a princess dress to me, it just needs some work.

So I ripped all the seams,

Free handed a pattern onto the pieces, cut them out and started sewing.

Regrettably I didn't take any other pictures while I was working on it, I only had a few hours to get it ready.  The end result was perfect though!

I cut it in an A-line shape so the bottom would swish and swirl, exactly like a 2 year old likes, and used some left over white gauze fabric to make some cap sleeves.  The only down side was that when it was finished, my 4 year old Monkey, who already had a costume, got very sad and said she wanted a dress like it too!  Looks like I will be raiding my old clothes once again to make something pretty for my Monkey.  My Monster spent all night swishing in her dress and she even wanted to go to sleep wearing it!  The best part is it only took me about 3 hours to make it since I left the hem from the original dress and I only had to sew the shoulders, side seams and sleeves.  
So tell me, best Halloween costume for a 2 year old or what?

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:                                                      Temperature: 400 Fahrenheit

16 oz fresh pumpkin (1 pie pumpkin should do it)
4 eggs
2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 C vegetable oil
3 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt


Directions:

1. Cut pumpkin in half, remove seeds and strings and peel the skin off.  Cube and boil the pumpkin until soft.  Drain and mash.

2. Mix the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and salt.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the batter, being careful not to over stir.

5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 400 Fahrenheit for 16-20 minutes.  Remove from oven when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 36 muffins

This is a phenomenal recipe that is great for experimentation.  You can use whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil and you can put less sugar in to make them healthier.  I would recommend only replacing 1 cup of oil with applesauce and still using 1/4 cup of oil, I find this gives it the best consistency.  I have also cut the sugar down to a 1/2 cup before and they still taste terrific but I was using applesauce at the time.  I honestly don't know if they would still taste as good if you cut the sugar down that much but didn't have the applesauce in them.  If you use the applesauce instead of oil, you will probably need to bake them closer to the 20 minutes, with just oil though I find mine to be done at 16 minutes.  You can also experiment with the spices.  I chose to use the spices I did because I really like them but if you don't like ginger or nutmeg, leave them out.  If you only have cinnamon on hand, just use it! You could use canned pumpkin for this recipe but trust me, it is worth the effort to use a real pumpkin, the flavor is MUCH better that way.
These muffins are great all by themselves or you can make a cream cheese glaze to drizzle on top which is also quite tasty.  I didn't make the glaze this time but if you want to it is quite simple.
Soften some cream cheese, blend with powdered sugar until smooth.  Add in just enough milk to make it the right consistency for drizzling and drizzle away!  You can also add a bit of vanilla or almond extract if you like.
I hope you try this recipe and love it as much as I do!!

Snow?!?!?!?!?!?!

I can't believe it.  After the insanely hot summer we have had, I woke up this morning and looked outside to see snow!

Time to put on the house shoes...

and light a fire!

I almost wish I needed to get out so I could finally wear the awesome coat I bought about a month ago.  Check this out and tell me that it isn't going to be awesome when it is freezing outside!

It is a floor length, black leather coat from Express and I got it at a thrift store for 16.00!! Oh well, there will be plenty of other opportunities to wear it.
As for today, I think I am going to make some pumpkin muffins and curl up with the kids in front of the fire.  I will post the recipe later.

Facebook Dilemma

I should have known better.  I am fiercely protective of not only my privacy but also my children's.  It is the reason why you will never see a picture of my or my children's faces on this site.  It is also the reason I use pseudonyms for myself and my family.  Anyone that knows me in real life and comes across this blog will immediately know it is me but acquaintances and strangers will not be able to identify me or my family. 

My brother, whom I love dearly, does not seem to understand this.  He continues to post pictures of my children, along with their names to his Facebook profile.  I have asked him repeatedly to stop.  When I take a cute picture and he asks me to send it to him, I ask if he will post it on Facebook and when he says yes, I refuse to send it.  Every time I try to talk to him about it he rolls his eyes and says it is no big deal. 
I know he is extremely proud of his nieces, heck he is their godfather and should anything ever happen to my husband and I he will become their guardian, but I don't want 300 of his closest friends, co-workers and extended family members who I purposefully have no contact with to see my children's pictures or know their names or birth dates.  I hate running into mutual acquaintances and having them tell me how much they love that cute picture that their uncle posted up. 
So imagine my (non)surprise when I sent him an adorable picture of my girls all cuddling together in my bed and 5 hours later it appeared on Facebook along with "likes" from those very same family members whom I have no contact with.  I should have known better.  I shouldn't have sent the picture but it was early in the morning, I was sleepy and frankly, I forgot about his obsession with posting my children all over his Facebook site. 
What do I do about it?  I don't want to cause a rift in the family, I love my brother dearly and I don't want to cut him out of their lives but at the same time I am NOT comfortable with complete strangers or family I have no contact with knowing my children's names, ages, birth dates and what they look like. 
Does anyone out there have a suggestion for how to handle this?  I know I could probably go the legal route and report the photos to Facebook and they would be taken down but it would upset my brother.  How can I make him understand that it isn't his place to post pictures of MY children?  How can I make him understand that I don't want my children to have a digital footprint right now?  All of my friends ask my permission before posting anything to do with my children and on occasion I have given permission such as when my 2 older girls were flower girls in a friends wedding and she wanted to post her wedding pics on her profile.  I gave her permission but asked that she please only put their first names on the pictures.  Why can my parents understand this, my childless friends understand this, but my (also childless) brother can't?  How can I word it so he will finally get the point?

Sprained ankle.....and Cake!!!!!

My Monkey and I are enrolled in a Mommy and Me gymnastics class at the local college.  On Saturday, I was walking across the tumble mat when I stepped wrong and twisted my ankle.  It hurt a bit but by the end of class I couldn't feel it anymore so I forgot about it.  I only remembered when, a few hours later, I squatted down to help my Monster get dressed and I had a sharp throbbing pain shoot through my ankle after which my ankle ballooned up and I couldn't walk on it.  Joy of joys!  A lovely sprain. 
Of course, said sprain would happen and start hurting about 5 minutes before I had all of my family come over to celebrate my Dad's birthday.  At least everyone enjoyed themselves, even if I was confined to a chair.  My husband smoked some ribs for about 8 hours, these are the leftovers after 6 adults and 2 kids had their fill!

I made a cake for my Dad.  His request was chocolate.  I came up with this cake a few years ago but I still can't think of a name for it, my brother says I should just call it Awesome.  If anyone has any better suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix (I have done it with chocolate cake from scratch but for simplicity sake, just buy the mix)
1 jar caramel topping
1 8oz cream cheese
1 8 oz container whipped topping, thawed
1 cup powdered sugar
8 snack size Butterfinger candy bars

Bake your cake according to the directions.  As soon as it comes out of the oven, take the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the cake.  Also take your cream cheese out and set it on the counter to soften.

Open your jar of caramel topping and pour it all over the cake, making sure it gets in all the holes as well.  It is important to do this as soon as it comes out of the oven while the cake is still hot so the caramel will melt into the cake.

Now you need to let the cake cool for a bit.  After the cake has cooled for 20-30 minutes and your cream cheese has softened, it is time to make the frosting.
Put your cream cheese in a bowl along with the cup of powdered sugar.

Beat on medium speed until the cream cheese is sufficiently whipped.

Once it is completely mixed together and smooth, add your whipped topping.

This is another important step.  You want to fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese.  Don't use the mixer for this and don't over stir. You want to end up with a texture and consistency like this.

Now you can take your frosting and put it on your cake.

You either have the choice of spreading it out evenly, or you can surreptitiously pile extra frosting in one corner and make sure you get that piece!  Since this cake was my Dad's birthday cake, I spread it evenly.

Now, you take your Butterfinger's...

start chopping them up....

until you have them all coarsely chopped.

Sprinkle them on top of your cake and Voila!!!

Your super tasty awesome cake is ready!  Make sure you store this cake in the refrigerator since the frosting is made with cream cheese and whipped topping.  I have never calculated what a calorie bomb this cake is and honestly, I don't want to know!  I only make it on my birthday or other special occasions so why not live a little, right?

Autumn!!!!

A strange and wondrous thing happened in my house yesterday.  The heater came on!!  It officially feels like fall now!  I realize that "fall" started almost a month ago but when my kids are still running around outside in t-shirts and shorts, it is hard to really feel like it is fall. 
I have a love/hate relationship with fall and winter.  I love the smells of all the spiced breads, ciders and pies.  I love being able to wear some of my comfy clothes, I love curling up in front of a cozy fire and I love decorating my house for the changing seasons.  What I don't love is actually having to go anywhere and get out in the cool weather.  I am fairly cold natured so it seems no matter how much I layer up, once I actually go outside, I feel cold all day.  If you give me a cold blustery day where I can stay inside curled up next to the fire with a cup of coffee and some pumpkin muffins and watch the deer passing by outside my window, I'm in heaven.
I am glad it finally feels like fall though.  I have had enough of the insane heat we have had this year!  Now that it feels like fall, I can actually change out my decorations.  "But Gem," you say, "there was nothing preventing you from decorating earlier."  That is very true, my dear friends, but it is hard to get in the spirit when you walk outside and it is 90 degrees.  Here is my dining room table which, aside from the tree during Christmas, is always the focal point of all my seasonal decorating.

Next time I go grocery shopping I will have to buy a pie pumpkin and make some awesome pumpkin muffins!  Happy fall to everyone!!!

Refinish a Filing Cabinet

I bought a great Hon filing cabinet in an auction from Public Surplus for only 20.00.  Thanks to the wonderful bloggers How About Orange and Design Sponge I transformed my 20 dollar filing cabinet from a blah brown to a beautiful piece that I get compliments on all the time.  I sanded, primed and painted it like How About Orange recommended and then I wallpapered the front of the drawers using Mod Podge the same way Design Sponge did.  The result is, I think, really wonderful, especially for my first try at something like this.

You can see the paint job doesn't look perfect on the side, it is the result of using a satin finish and the fact that I am not very good at applying an even coat of spray paint.  Thankfully, it is really only noticeable with a bright light hitting it like the flash.  I used Rustoleum's Green Apple satin finish that I purchased at Home Depot and the wall paper is Allen Roth Spanish Tile pattern from Lowe's.  The pictures don't do the wallpaper justice.  It is textured and has a greyish silver sheen to it which I completely fell in love with the moment I saw it.  I used some left over brown paint to paint the handles and label holders since their original silver color didn't stand out against the wallpaper.  All together, the project cost me about 70 dollars for all the supplies and I still have plenty of Mod Podge and wallpaper to use on something else.

$20.00 for the filing cabinet
$16.00 for the paint
$22.00 for the wallpaper
$10.00 for the Mod Podge

I look forward to my next creative project.  If anyone has any ideas what I should do with the rest of the wallpaper, I am all ears!

Old Racist

                                            I'm not racist honey!

                               Is that a colored person on the television????



I have a conundrum.  I have recently discovered that my husband's sweet 99 year old Grandma is a racist.  I know it isn't that surprising given her age but it still comes as somewhat of a shock to me since in the 9 years I have known her, she has never once shown any racist tendencies.  Obviously, she was the whole time and now that she is suffering from age related dementia, her internal filter has been turned off and she says and does things which are questionable at best.
She can't be left alone anymore so my in-laws moved in with her and sometimes, when they need to run errands, I come and babysit Grandma for them.  It was on just such an occasion the other day when she saw an inter-racial couple on television and made the comment that she just doesn't agree with "colored men" marrying white women.  I was kind of blown back and didn't know what to say at first.  It was one of those moments when a million things run through your head in about .5 seconds, some of which were
1. I can't believe she just said that!
2. Do I say something or just let it go?
3. If my children were older I might be able to let it go and explain later but they aren't, they are 4 and 2 which means they are at an impressionable age where they are always watching adults around them.
4. If I try to say something, am I going to make the situation worse, arguing with a senile old woman?
5. If I say nothing, are my children going to get the impression that it is okay to not confront racism when they see it or worse, think it is acceptable to hold beliefs like that?

So I decided in those .5 seconds that I should say something so my children would see first hand that I am not complicit with Grandma's views and that there is a way to casually confront without arguing.  So my response was, "Oh yeah, why is that?"  At which point Grandma just kind of laughed and said she just didn't think it was right.  So I responded, "Well, times are different and there is nothing wrong with it.  People are just people, it doesn't matter what color your skin is."  At which point she laughed again, what I call the senile laugh.  A kind of condescending, bewildered laugh all rolled into one and then she drifted back into her own thoughts.
I have really struggled with that situation for the past several days.  Did I say the right thing?  Should I have said something more or said it differently?  What do I do if (when) something like it happens again?  How do I make sure that I set a good example for my children about confronting wrongs, minimize their exposure to negative ideas while at the same time not sheltering them because they will have to face it at some point? 

A big thank you to Ambro and FreeDigitalPhotos.net for the picture of the elderly woman.

Why I Don't Support Occupy Wall Street...Yet

Occupy Wall Street has officially hit the one month mark today.  They say they want to end economic injustice, corporate influence in politics and the control of wealth by the 1 percent. 
The method they are using to try and get this outcome is to protest Wall Street, march in front of millionaires homes and trespass on private property at Zuccotti Park.  Now, Obama, Biden, Pelosi and other politicians are expressing their support for the movement and trying to co-opt it into a rallying cry for Democrats.
Here is my issue and why I can't support this movement yet, but if the right changes are made I could.  These protesters shouldn't be protesting the corporations, they should be protesting Congress.  It is because of our Congress and the bills they pass that any of this happened in the first place.  Instead of protesting the cause, the #OWS people are protesting the effect.  The worst part is that the very politicians they should be protesting are now expressing support for the movement.  Let us take a look at some of the numbers, shall we?

From the years of 1989-2010

Barack Obama received a total of:

$16,004,693 from Securities & Investment companies with these being some of the specific companies

$1,058,395 from Goldman Sachs
$759,197 from Citigroup Inc
$751,695 from JP Morgan Chase & Co
$523,056 from Morgan Stanley
$426,674 from Lehman Brothers
$421,242 from Bank of America
$327,837 from Merrill Lynch
$238,035 from Wells Fargo
$40,800 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Joe Biden received:

$916,875 from Securities & Investment

Nancy Pelosi recieved:

$625,950 from Securities & Investment

Hillary Clinton received:
 
$10,324,347 from Securities & Investment

Harry Reid received:

$1,568,933 from Securities & Investment

Daniel Inouye received:

$360,200 from Securities & Investment

Max Baucus received:

$1,542,004 from Securities & Investment

Please don't think I am singling out Democrats, I mention them first because they are the ones I have seen and read about giving their support to this movement.  Here are some of the Republicans as well.

John McCain received:

$10,534,171 from Securities & Investments with these being some of the specific companies

$454,020 from Merrill Lynch
$395,116 from Citigroup Inc
$338,065 from Goldman Sachs
$271,402 from Morgan Stanley
$244,007 from JP Morgan Chase & Co
$196,450 from Bank of America
$94,465  from Wells Fargo

Sarah Palin received:

$25,250 from Securities & Investment

John Boehner received:

$992,536 from Securities & Investment

Eric Cantor received:

$1,149,050 from Securities & Investment

Herman Cain received:

$44,857 from Securities & Investment

Rick Perry received:

$5,873,509 from Securities & Investment

Mitt Romney received:

$5,462,414 from Securities & Investment

all the above information was collected from http://influenceexplorer.com/

Now lets look at the fundraising so far for the 2012 presidential election and see who is trying to buy the election this time shall we?

Barack Obama has received:

$1,643,149 from Securities & Investment
$4,687,716 from Misc. Business

Mitt Romney has received:

$3,561,783 from Securities & Investment
$1,382,295 from Misc. Business

Rick Perry has received:

$2,473,310 from Misc Business
$375,275 from Securities & Investment

Ron Paul has received:

$679,070 from Misc Business
$89,587 from Securities & Investment

the above information was collected from http://www.opensecrets.org/

Are we seeing a pattern here?  Do the protesters honestly expect these companies to stop doing what they are legally allowed to do just because it is ethically questionable?  Do the protesters honestly expect our politicians to act against the very companies that are getting them elected?  If the government made it a law that anyone that wanted to could walk into my store and take anything they like without paying for it as long as those who took it gave a cut to the government, should I protest the people taking from my store or the government telling them to do it?  
If these protesters would start protesting the cause of our nations problems, our elected officials and the broken laws they created after being paid off, instead of the affect, if everyone in our country would band together and refuse to vote for any politician who is in bed with any company, then we could really make a difference in this world and make a change for the better.

Comfort Food

We all love comfort food and I know that every person has a different dish that they consider comfort food though I am pretty sure chocolate is universal!  Well tonight, when I wasn't feeling particularly creative with dinner, I made the mistake of asking my children what they would like for dinner.  Their response, which shouldn't surprise anyone who has spent any time around a 4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old, was macaroni and cheese.  I tried explaining to them that macaroni and cheese is a side dish and we need something else to go with it but of course, they were adamant.  So, I threw something together which would still make them think they were getting mac 'n' cheese but it was much tastier and I think it might even be added to my list of comfort foods.  I am horrible at naming dishes so we will just call it cheesy mac and chicken.


Ingredients:
chicken breast ( I only used one)
fresh garlic (I used 2 cloves)
olive oil
elbow macaroni noodles
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
gouda cheese (I used about a 1/3 cup shredded)

I started a pot of water on the stove and in a skillet I heated up some olive oil.  I minced my garlic and sauteed my chicken breast and garlic in the olive oil, and once my water was boiling, dumped in my elbow noodles to cook.  I chopped up my chicken, then threw it back in the pan so all the exposed sides could get nice and brown while I waited for the noodles to be done.  Once the pasta was done, I drained it, dumped in a can of tomato sauce, threw in some shredded gouda cheese and my chicken and garlic and a dash or two of salt and heated it until the cheese was melted.  I served it with some crescent rolls and a salad.  My kids loved it so much they had seconds and my husband and I found it surprisingly satisfying as well.  I should have taken a picture but we were all so hungry there was no time.  If anyone ever reads this, try it and tell me what you think!

Consignment Store Galore

I love consignment stores, antique stores, thrift stores and any other store where I can find something that not everyone has and I can find it cheap, like this really cute Old Navy jacket I picked up for 8 dollars.

Or this really awesome Pancaldi red leather purse I found for only 4 dollars.

Which brings me to my latest find.  I found these eye catching shoes in an antique store tucked away in the corner.  They immediately grabbed my attention because of their interesting pattern and the fact that they are heels, which I have a slight obsession with.

So imagine my surprise when I got closer and saw that they are Miu Mius!  I managed to snag these beauties for only 16 dollars!  I can't wait to come up with some cool outfits to wear them with!

Who I Am

I am a fairly normal Southern gal, I think.  I like to dress up but I am also equally comfortable in a pair of beat up jeans and a t-shirt.  I like to cook and create new dishes, I can shoot a gun and fix my car but I still get weird looks when I go in the automotive store in my heels with my nails done to pick up a new fuel pump.  I named my blog Texas Gem because I, like almost every other Southern gal I know, love anything that sparkles, glitters or shines.
I am a SAHM to 3 wonderful little girls, a 4 year old who will from here on out be referred to as Monkey, a 2 1/2 year old who is Monster and a 4 month old named Munchkin.  While I love my children dearly, I sometimes feel bored out of my mind with the monotony of it all and the lack of adult interaction.  It doesn't help that all of my nearest and dearest friends do not have children yet and I have never really been into the whole mommy playgroups.  I don't want to make friends solely based on the fact that we both have children, I would rather have some adult interests connecting us.  Basically, none of my friends are at the same point in their life and the other moms I have met aren't at the same point either since they are all working moms.  I love my family and feel very grateful that I have the opportunity to stay home and raise my children but sometimes I want more.  Is that wrong?  I think about getting a job just to have something to do but then I look at what I have gotten to experience with my 2 older girls and realize that I don't want to miss those moments with my youngest and I don't want her to miss those moments with me either.  They don't stay little for long and I know that in the blink of an eye, they will all be in school and on their way to growing up and I don't ever want to regret not being here for them.  So tell me, if anyone out there reads this, am I the only one?