this heart of mine

DIY with Design Mom: Printed Towels

May 2, 2013

Don’t you love kitchen linens? I peruse aisles after aisle of them for hours. Recently, I’ve started using flour sack towels and I LOVE them. And not just for the large blank canvas they provide. :)

Over on Design Mom, I used homemade stamps and paint to add some design to a set of flour sack towels. So easy with a smile-inducing result. The options and color possibilities are endless!

Head on over to Design Mom for the details. It will be fun!

Take care.

P.S. The yellow tea pot was my great-grandma’s. The inside used to smell like her but after washing it, the scent is gone. I still think of her every time I see it.

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More Stuff – Please Take It

May 2, 2013

Bet you thought the getting-rid-of-stuff giveaways were over. Well, you would be wrong. Still have two more to go! But I’ve made progress and that counts. The four previous batches are with their winners elsewhere and it feels great. Sadly, I think this accumulation of creations is going to be ongoing. Real problems, right?

Up today, the Black Bunch and it has some goodies: nail polish marbled box, 2 plaster votives with love quotes, 2 transfer image charms, a painted pouch, a felt envelope pouch and a nail polish wooden box.

Here’s how you can win:

1. Comment below and you are entered!

The contest will close on Sunday at 9:00pm CST and the winner will be announced on Monday.

Thank you and good luck!

Take care.

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Recipe: The Only Guacamole Recipe You Will Ever Need

May 1, 2013

In the past five days, MJ and I have eaten three batches of guacamole between the two of us. We.Can’t.Stop. And we can’t stop talking about how great it tastes. It started during a grocery store run over the weekend, the display promoting homemade guacamole for Cinco de Mayo caught my eye. I saw the pile of avocados and thought they looked appetizing. MJ agreed. We didn’t have a recipe but made it up of things we thought sounded good. When we got home, we threw together the avocados with garlic, lime juice, onions, tomatoes, salt and hot sauce. It was gone in a flash.

After the first batch, we schemed what else would be good to add in. We agreed it was missing cilantro, maybe jalapenos. Then I brought up feta. I thought the salty, tangy taste would pair well. We loved it.

I brought up our current food obsession to my mom and she shared her go-to recipe from Joy of Cooking. It mirrored what we had done and included ingredient amounts – I know some cooks aren’t comfortable with just throwing things together willy nilly. But it’s just a guide, not law. The great thing about making one’s own guacamole is it can be made exactly how it is desired. Like more lime juice, cilantro and garlic but less tomatoes, salt and no jalapenos? Done. Want more salt, tomatoes and garlic? And what about two jalapenos? For sure! It’s made by the cook, tasted by the cook in order to please the cook. The only bit of advice I would share would be to hold back on tossing in the full amount of any of the ingredients until you’ve tasted it. More can be added but it is hard to remove.

One problem with impulsively buying avocados for guacamole is that they are often not ripe enough right when purchased. That’s what happened to us anyway. After a little investigating, I packed our avocados into a brown paper sack with a tomato and they were ready the next day. Now we have a small pile just waiting for the next batch.

The Only Guacamole Recipe You Will Ever Need

about 2 cups

Recipe from Joy of Cooking - Can be served as a dip with chips or raw veggies, or a topping for tacos and sandwiches.

Ingredients

4 medium ripe avocados
¼ cup fresh lime juice, or to taste
¼ cup finely chopped onion or thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup cilantro or parsley
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
1 to 2 dashes hot pepper sauce
½ - ¾ tsp salt
½ - 1 cup finely diced tomatoes with seeds removed
4 - 8oz crumbled feta cheese
Optional: 2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Peel and pit the avocados and place in a bowl. Use a fork to mash them into a coarse consistency.
Add in the preferred add ins.
Taste and adjust seasonings, more of one ingredient might be needed.
When it's perfect, gently stir in the tomatoes if so desired.
Serve at room temperature.

http://www.thisheArtofmineblog.com/2013/05/01/recipe-the-only-guacamole-recipe-you-will-ever-need/

Take care.

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31 Days

April 30, 2013

I want to make a change. Nothing huge but a change just the same. I want to make exercise a part of my life again. Hold your snickering. I’m being serious, despite the huge grin on my face. Before my children arrived, I ran 4-5 times a week and did both yoga and Pilates. I loved it. Exercise wasn’t a chore for me, it was an endorphin-riddled high. It was an escape, a mind-clearer and I looked forward to it. It’s going to take discipline and dedication but I want it back.

When Love Bug was born, life changed and it was good. I continued my exercise albeit differently. We started out walking together and moved to running once I got used to my newly giant rack. :) Winter kept us inside but I did videos and yoga. I was hopeful when spring came around we would be running buddies again. However, in February, at just under 9 months, Bug learned how to walk and that was the end of her riding in the running stroller. Apparently, I did not offer an exciting ride.

After that, exercise happened here and there. I tried getting up early to do it but it was like Bug sensed my plans and either slept fitfully or woke up even before my alarm. Exercise lost to my need for sleep. Sweet J arrived a couple years later and with that, I kind of let the concept go. I tried but not consistently or often, for that matter.

But now, I’m ready to get back at it. I’m in horrible shape and I want it even if right now it’s grueling. So for the next month, for 31 days, I’m going to make it a habit again. I’m going to make it a priority and make time for it. It won’t be what it was before and there is a good chance it will often be a group activity. But it makes me feel good and it still helps clear my head (plus I hear it’s healthy!!). I’m hoping that after this month, I will be back in the habit. And it won’t be so hard!!

I’ll probably be venting about it on Twitter (@thisheartomine) and Instagram (@thisheartofmineblog) so you can follow along if you’d like.

Any change you are wanting to make? An habit you want to pick up? I would love to hear how you stay motivated.

Take care.

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Dipped Cards

April 29, 2013

Showing gratitude through a written letter or card is meaningful to me. When I have been blessed with a kindness from another, whether gift or gesture, I feel like I can show my appreciation more completely through writing (after, of course, thanking them verbally). :) That being said, I am unbelievable delinquent on my list of people to thank. I am ashamed. I want to blame it on not having the right cards and stationary to write the notes upon but after this project, I can’t even claim that.

This idea came to me while I was cleaning up my work space, yet again. I noticed I had a couple boxes of fabric dye and with that thank you list on my mind, I thought dipped cards might just be the thing to finish my list.

The bold, vivid colors of the dye really made these cards pop. However, nothing causes more stress than carrying a tub full of permanent fabric dye across one’s very light, really absorbent carpet. Especially when the route includes landmines in the shape of cars and spiky dragons. Thankfully, nothing was unintentionally dyed.

Let’s make these cards.

Supplies:

-paper (I used watercolor paper)
-fabric dye
-water
-tub for dye bath
-string for hanging the cards

First make the dye bath. Use the hottest water from the tap and add in the dye powder. You don’t need much powder though it does vary between colors. Darker hues, the red and purple, need less than lighter colors like yellow. Make sure to stir it well.

Then begin dipping. The paper soaks up the color quickly so if you are interested in doing a gradient of colors, that first dip doesn’t take long