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obsessed with refrigerator oatmeal.

I feel kind of like an impostor posting something about food because everyone should know by now that I am not a foodie or a cook by any means. BUT maybe that gives me cred in a weird sort of way? Like, if this works for ME then it could easily work for you? Regardless, here goes.

I used to be obsessed with cereal. I’d eat it for breakfast, dinner, snack, anytime I could get it. Then something happened when I got pregnant and I don’t like the feeling of that much milk on my stomach anymore. And I realized that cereal is basically just sugar; even the healthy kinds are not that healthy.

In the hospital when I gave birth to Meredith I ordered the oatmeal. It was thick and chewy and delicious. Ever since then, almost every single day, I have had oatmeal for breakfast. Not the instant kind, either. I couldn’t get enough!

Then I saw a link to this post. Refrigerator oatmeal! I tried it once and it was kind of watery; I made adjustments, tried it again, and my life was changed. So I wanted to share with y’all my version of this because I live for it. I actually look forward to it every night before I go to bed. Every Sunday I make a batch for the week ahead and then on my way out the door I grab one.

The ingredients I use are:

>1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick or steel cut)
>almost 1/2 cup of milk (I use skim, you can use whatever)
>1 teaspoon chia seeds (you can buy them in a bag, as above, or get them from the bulk bin, which is what I normally do)
>2 teaspoons maple syrup (I’ve only tried it with the real stuff)
>2 big spoonfuls/globs of Greek yogurt (full fat or 0%, it tastes good both ways)
>blueberries

You don’t have to be super precise with the measurements, as you can see. You can also substitute or adjust for your choice of sweetener or yogurt. I have also made this without the chia seeds and it is still really good, but I like having them in there because they turn into this gel-like texture that I enjoy and they add extra nutrition.

So basically I just add all the ingredients together (except the blueberries, in the order that I listed them) into a half-pint mason jar and mix them together with a spoon.

Once they’re mixed I add in enough blueberries at the top to fill the jar, then gently mix them in. I screw the top on (these are so much easier than the ones that come with the jar) and put it all in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning I have to hold myself back from eating several jars at once. :)

May 16, 2013
a woven wall hanging

Several of you have already given me great suggestions about what to do with the buffet area of our house, so thank you much for that! It is really getting me inspired to work on it.

Today I want to share with you what I hung on the wall right next to that space, which is my handmade woven wall hanging. I got the idea for this from Rachel’s blog, fell in love with it, and decided it would be one of my vacation projects. I built a loom using scrap wood, nails, and string I found at my parents’ house. Then I gathered some different types of yarn and cording from the craft store and just dug in.

It took awhile to figure out the best way to weave, but after awhile I got in a groove. I got about halfway through during vacation and then it took me several more weeks of stolen time here and there to finish it up. You could do it in a day or two if you had the time. I’d say it took about 8-ish hours.

When I got near the bottom and my yarn ran out I just decided I was through. In theory I wanted it to be longer but I was too excited to finish it up right then. So I just cut the strings and tied them up.

To hang it I just fed a small dowel rod through the loops at the top and tied another piece of string on. I had to tie it pretty tight, otherwise it kept slipping in toward the middle.

I am proud of this project because I had never tried something like it before and I think it turned out pretty well. I am already planning to do more.

There are some things I would do differently next time. First I would choose more varieties of texture with my materials. Plastic string, fibrous twine, ribbon, and fabric would be great. I also want to try one that is “messier” using natural twine as the base and letting it show through more by not weaving as tightly.

So who wants to have a weaving party? :)

May 14, 2013
buffet, before

I am not sure what this space is actually called, but I call it the buffet. It’s a nice little storage and display area, but I just don’t know what to do with it. I’ve just been putting random stuff there without trying.

Get a load of what it looked like when we moved in:

So much wood, right? Way too much. It was suffocating. Already it’s a big improvement over that.

Right now it’s a really sad space. I have actually moved things around since then but it doesn’t look a WHOLE lot better. This is the most central spot of the main part of the house so I like having the speakers there, but they are pretty ugly. We use those little drawers to hold cords and chargers but I am not sure if they’re my style or not.

In the upper cabinets I store vases which I will probably continue to do.

The bottom cabinets have mostly games, but it needs to be organized. My goals for this area are to organize the cabinets and make the horizontal space pretty and functional. Mostly pretty, because we don’t really need it for much. So, any thoughts?

May 13, 2013
project life 2013 : weeks 16 – 17

Hey look, I’m somehow still caught up with Project Life! This spread is from April 15-28. These weeks were pretty normal ones around here.

Week 16:

We had dinner with David’s parents a couple times and Meredith had a blast going through family photos. She was teething and had a lot of trouble sleeping, so I was kind of a zombie for most of the week. I read a lot and finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed. We started a weekly experiment of visiting a new local pizza place each week to find our favorite. We visited my mom at her school’s garage sale and played at a local park. David and I went on a movie date to see Olympus Has Fallen. I went to book club and we celebrated my sister-in-law’s and David’s grandmother’s birthdays.

I love this new (for me) detail for simple journaling on photos.

Week 17:

It was a rough week at work because I made a couple of (minor) errors and I had to be in charge. We had really nice evenings all week, playing at home and visiting David’s brother’s family. We went to a new pizza place. It rained all weekend and Meredith took a 4-hour nap allowing me to finish my quilt cutting and the woven wall hanging. We celebrated my nephew Lucas’s 4th birthday with a pirate party at the park. We also celebrated my brother’s birthday with a family lunch at his new house.

I took an action photo of everyone playing outside at my brother-in-law’s house and just wrote directly on the photo to say what was happening. I love love love this and will be doing it again!

Below is one of my favorite photos so I put it in twice for emphasis. It’s super blurry because it was in dim lighting and using the forward-facing iPhone camera, but just look at how much love there is between us. :) Meredith does this thing now where she just starts rubbing her face on mine and pushing into me and we call it “playing faces.” It’s the absolute best.

In this pocket is a little envelope and inside I tucked in some hidden journaling. Throughout my albums if I include a paper clip it almost always means you can open up what’s inside.

Just a little summary of our weekend here.

I think this is one of my favorite spreads. :)

***

Supplies used: Seafoam core kit, Freckled Fawn washi tape, Studio Calico letter stickers

Tools used: Design A pocket pages, staz-on ink, Office Depot date stamp, EliseJoy stamps, PromptShop stamp, Studio Calico exclusive Day by Day class stamps, Stampin’ Up heart stamp, Sharpie pen, American Crafts slick writer, Fiskars paper trimmer, Fiskars corner rounder, Tombow adhesive

May 10, 2013
my mother’s day wish list

So this really isn’t a gift guide or anything, unless you are looking to get me a gift. Then by all means! But my husband asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day and other than time with my family (and some time to myself, let’s be real) I was thinking that even though I keep a running wish list, there are types of things that I never seem to buy for myself but that I always want. So this is what I mentioned to him:

House plants – specifically, ones that can stand neglect like succulents. I am actually fairly attentive to my plants but since I’m just learning about them I need hardy ones. I have six small indoor plants at the moment and want way more.

Art Prints – Most of the walls in our house are bare. I recently pulled out some old art I had and tried to start a gallery wall but I realized none of it is my style anymore. I need lots more art to display that I actually love. The print pictured is one of my current favorites.

Monthly subscription box – Recently I have become kind of obsessed with these. So far I haven’t actually gotten any in the mail (although I will, and I will report back!) but I have been researching them all like whoa. I got to choose one for my gift, and after much deliberating I went with OliveBox which is all things pretty paper. A close second was UmbaBox which features different handmade items. I had also previously subscribed to PopSugar’s Must Have box which I’m super excited about (that’s my referral link there), and I’m considering something like Birchbox for my mom and mother-in-law.

Earrings – I am constantly losing one earring. Currently I have no complete pairs that are suitable for everyday wear. I like simple studs best and these are some that I’m loving.

Spa gift card – I love basically every treatment at the spa. I wish I could go every week, but instead I go maaaybe a few times a year. A gift card here is always appreciated.

So I’m curious, what kinds of things do you always love receiving as gifts but never think to buy for yourself or even ask for? What are you doing for your mother-figure for Mother’s Day, or how do you celebrate?

May 9, 2013