Happy Halloween!

I've been very busy sewing Halloween costumes, but took a moment to crank out a sweet little A-line jumper for O. I took a page from the Martha Pullen and rather than do button closures I did ribbons. I think it came out super sweet. She picked out the fabric herself when we were at JA's recently. It's from the new Debbie Mumm line. I tend not to like things that are so specifically themed. I mean after next week it's not like she can really wear it again, right? But, I guess you're only young once and everyone should have a little purple ghost frock, right. I'll try and add a model shot if I can catch her in a photogenic mood.

Breaking Through!

I wrote a few weeks back about my falling short of my weight loss goal and how I needed to get back to the basics and buckle down. Well...finally after almost 10 weeks of struggling to break through my palteau, I've finally lost 5 lbs. I feel energized! Now I'm only 28 lbs away from my goal. I can see the light! I doubt I'll be there by the new year, but maybe I'll be closer still. I've tried really hard to drink more water and snack much less...it's a struggle every day, but I'm trying to stay the course. I still go to the gym every day that I'm not working. I've even came up with a solution on the days that I can't go...I'm breaking out the old dvd exercise programs and giving them a go. I have the whole Leslie Sansom series, I really like her style. I feel like I can finally start seriously thinking about what tatoo I want to get when I reach my goal and where I want to put it.

Monday's meal

Just the other day I happened to be at my local grocery store and scored a bunch of "red label" meat. That's when they mark the meat down that needs to sale quickly. That never bothers me as we have a large freezer and I love the savings. With the economy the way it is, you gotta save wherever you can, right? So...it's red label meat for me,lol. I like pork chops, but they can tend to be dry if you overcook them. I have a couple recipes for baked pork chops that are so easy and delicious that I thought I had to share. So, next time you're at the store, grab that pack of center cut chops and give this recipe a go.


Italian Pork Chop Bake


3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups grated Parmesan
cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup butter, melted
1 tsp of lemon juice
6 pork chops (I like center cut)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion power, salt and pepper, mix together well.
Add the lemon juice with the melted butter. Dip the chops in the melted butter and then dredge each chop in the bread crumb mixture, coating all sides thoroughly. Place the chops in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake 40-50 minutes , or until internal pork temperature reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Thrift Store Redux

I love a good thrift store and while my mother was visiting this week she was admiring my living room redo. As I was pointing out where I had acquired everything I realized that about 95% of everything in my living room was thrifted. I'm really proud of the fact that my home is comfortable and homey, yet didn't cost me much at all to put together. I'm always on the hunt for new and interesting pieces and as any true thrift store devotee knows it's all about the hunt. You have to frequent stores regularly. Sometimes it's hit, sometimes it miss...but it's all an adventure. So, I thought I'd take you on a little tour of my living room. First off you see the coffee table. That came from a thrift store in Fayetteville, NC. Awesome place to go thrifting because of the military presence. Frequently rather than move stuff they will donate it. The table is from "This end's up". It's one of those cargo style furniture stores and the table is nearly indestructible. As you can see the kids have painted on it and use it as there train/activity table. Talk about the distressed look, lol! I have the end tables too...but use them in other places in the house. The love seat came from my mom, who bought it off a friend who got it out of her physician husbands office. It used to be electric blue. I've had it reupholstered in cream...which was not at all kid friendly, so now I have an inexpensive slipcover from Surefit. Although not pictured, the couch is a very high end find from a local thrift store. Since I live in the state that is considered the furniture capital of the world sometimes they have to do something with samples and store models...lucky for me I scored a classically shaped, down filled couch. It's the best and oh so comfortable. The buffet, I just adore. Scored from craigslist (also a great place to find stuff). It's circa 1960's from what I can gather and has an immense amount of storage. I also got a 1970's storage wardrobe to use to hide away all the kids toys. Even the art work and mirror are from the thrift store. The curtains I made myself. I found a 33 yd bolt of Waverly upholestry fabric at a thrift store for $50. I had originally planned to make slipcovers for the couch and loveseat, but I think the little splash of red throughout the room is a better use of the fabric. The winerack bar in the corner is a really cool iron work piece picked up from Goodwill. I just love it for it's uniqueness and the fact that it can store 40 bottles of wine too.
So there you have it, my thrift store redux.

My silly ones!

I wanted to get a picture of O. in her Oliver + S lazy days skirt and her brothers insisted on being in the picture. It was hard to get them to stay still and pose for a picture. I thought they were pretty funny though. The lazy days skirt is really fun and easy. A great use for a small amt. of scrap fabric and something to do with all that ribbon and trim I've purchased, lol. I see many, many more of these in O.'s future.

Monday's meal

The weather is getting cooler and that calls to mind comfort foods. One of my favorite comfort foods is meatloaf. Paired with mashed potatoes and green beans I can't think of many other meals that brings to mind comfort food better.
There's many versions of meatloaf, and in my opinion they're all pretty good. Here's one version I thought I'd share.

Homemade meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (or if you can find it meatloaf mix)
1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers (such as ritz)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons steak sauce



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir the ground turkey, crushed crackers, Cheddar cheese, and onion soup mix in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup, and steak sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined, if the mixture seems too dry, add a little water. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven until the meatloaf is no longer pink in the center, approximately 45 to 60 minutes.

M.'s big day!

My youngest son turned 5 recently and to celebrate he invited a few friends to join him at the Little Gym. It was very nice. They did all the work, I just showed up with the cake and the check, lol.