Spinach Casserole and Leg Warmers

I am not sure if I've blogged about it before, but there is a really good casserole (can you tell I've been on a casserole kick lately?) with rice, cheese, broccoli, and cream of mushroom soup. Well, on Friday, we had leftover plain white rice and a bag of spinach to use up. After looking online, I found a recipe for the same thing as the broccoli rice casserole but instead of broccoli, you can substitute a whole bag of spinach! You simply saute it and add it to the casserole. The leftover rice also made this really quick since that took 20 minutes off the cook time! It's really good and hardly even tastes like spinach, considering how much is in there.

The other big thing from this weekend is that I have finished knitting my leg warmers! This was my first knitting project. Before this, I had only done some practice stitches. I needed to learn double pointed needles to complete this but it only takes knit and purl stitches.

The ribbing is knit one, purl one for an inch and a half (for me, that's about 11 rows). Then you knit,knit, knit for the desired length. For me, this was 73 rows. Then you rib again the same as the top ribbing. I knit really tight and wanted my bottom ribbing to be different than my top ribbing so I could tell the difference between the top and bottom (it doesn't really matter. It's just the style I like). To achieve this, I knitted the bottom ribbing tighter than the top.

Despite the picture only showing one, I promise you I made two.  So the right side shows the tighter ribbing. I think they turned out great! My yarn was 268 yards but I didn't use the whole thing. I'll have to find a small project to use the rest up. I plan on wearing these running with my capri leggings so maybe I will knit some other matching accessory.

Tips for Getting Baby Poop and Other Stains Out

Second post today! I told you guys I was going to try to blog more...

So with a baby, it is inevitable that you are going to get stains on your clothes and their clothes. Poop is the hardest thing I have had trouble getting out. Today I sorted out all the stained clothes and tested different methods and every single item got clean! This is what I did.

For the fresh stains (those not already gone through the washer and dryer without me noticing), I rinsed it in warm (tap) water and then used dish soap (a lot of people say Dawn but we don't buy name brand and it worked just fine). By use, I mean scrub it in until it suds. Then rinse and wash as normal (stain should be visibly gone before you throw it in the wash. If not, try a method below).

For the stains that had gone through the wash already, I used imitation oxyclean I got at the dollar store. It's called totally amazing oxygen or something like that. You put one scoop of that into a gallon of water and mix. Then I soaked the stains for 30 minutes. After that, I rinsed them and washed as normal.

I will also mention I tried hydrogen peroxide on some of the tougher stains but this method didn't work for me so maybe I didn't leave it on long enough or something. I know a lot of other people also use the sun (either outdoors if the weather is nice or indoors by a sunny window) but since here in Wisconsin, it's still winter, the sun isn't an option. Plus, people have mentioned that this can fade the whole fabric instead of just the stain.

I am really impressed with the dollar store stuff and will definitely have to keep some on hand because I have more things that are stained!

For other, non baby related, stains it depends on the type of stain to get it out. For blood, soak in cold water, especially if the stain is still fresh. For grease, I recommend the dish soap method. For coffee, grape juice, or other dark beverages, I recommend the dollar store stuff (or oxyclean but that is expensive).

Sometimes, rubbing liquid laundry detergent directly into the stain before washing (and then adding more detergent to the machine) is effective. I don't use liquid detergent so I can't attest to this but others say it works.

Whatever the stain, don't despair! I was ready to throw some of those clothes away (seriously) because the stains were that bad but I managed to get them out without a lot of work!

Ham and Broccoli Casserole

Last night, I was out of ideas of what to make for dinner. I finally decided on something with pasta so I picked up the box and was reading the directions when the recipe on the back caught my eye. That sounded delicious and we had all the ingredients! I decided to make it. I was also excited because it only used half a box of pasta and that was what I had been trying to use up since we normally make a whole box at a time.

• 1/2 package (8 oz) large elbow macaroni, cooked 
• 2 (10 3/4 oz) cans of condensed soup (I used one cream of mushroom and one cream of chicken since that's what I had on hand but they recommend cream of broccoli or cream of celery. My soups were also reduced fat and reduced sodium)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 package of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed (they say 10 oz, I used 14 and I forgot to thaw it so it just sat out while the noodles cooked but it was still pretty frozen)
• 8 oz sour cream (I used light)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked cubed ham (they say it's optional but I really think this made the dish)
• 6 oz cheese (I used marble jack but any cheese will do)

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the cheese. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with tin foil and cook for 55 minutes. Uncover, top with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Serves 6-8.

I was disappointed with how long this took to cook. I would also say it serves more like 4-6. It's sooo good but obviously not very healthy. At  least it has all that broccoli in there. The soup and sour cream mix seems to turn into more cheese. I'm not quite sure how that worked out but this was very cheesy, very creamy, very good! I'd definitely make again but I might try to find a way to make it a bit healthier. I also wonder if it would taste good with peas (in addition to the broccoli). 

Fabric Bucket and Diaper Changing Mat

Last night, I was able to get some sewing done while baby napped. The other day, I had started a fabric bucket that I had found in a sewing pattern book I had gotten from the library. I decided to finish this. Because it uses upholstery fabric, I needed to use my heavy duty sewing machine that I got at Goodwill (my first sewing machine). After breaking a couple needles, I realized I was using light weight instead of heavy weight needles so I sent David out to buy me more. I also discovered the easiest way to thread the machine for this project was to have upholstery thread for the upper needle and regular thread for the bobbin. I only have one spool of upholstery thread that I had bought for the pouf so it's brown and didn't really look good on my dark blue fabric but that's okay. This bucket is for personal use anyway.

Boy oh boy was this project a pain! I thought it would be easy and it sort of was (after figuring out the broken needle problem) but sewing circles onto rectangles (the bottom of the bucket is a circle, to attach it, you sew it onto a rectangle) is not all that easy. Plus, the instructions were not very clear. I'm not very happy with the end result and it's smaller than I first thought it would be (as you may be able to tell from the picture, it's shorter than an iron). I would make a lot of changes if I were to make it again.

The other project I worked on last night only took 20 minutes, and most of that was spent tracing and cutting out the pieces. Our diaper bag came with a portable diaper changing mat. We have a changing table in the nursery (upstairs) but sometimes you want to change the baby downstairs. We had been using the mat from the bag but it's been a bit of a struggle to remember to put it back in the diaper bag every time. I decided to make my own.

I had some vinyl-y type fabric I had bought with no project in mind (it was really cheap and I liked the look of it---that's how I get most of my fabric). I decided to use this for both sides (top and bottom). Then I cut up an old blanket (the same one I used for my tree skirt) for the padding in the middle. I sewed it with the same idea as my burp cloths. Vinyl facing up, vinyl facing down, blanket on top. Leave a gap to turn. (I will note that because of the vinyl I used my heavy duty machine with the upholstery thread again). Then I top stitched it. I should've hand sewed the gap closed like I normally do but I decided the top stitching would be enough. Well, that ended up kind of messy to get all the ends tucked in and secure. It's okay though since again, it's just for personal use.

After I sewed it, I realized I should've sewed in ribbon to close it since it's really easy to roll up but there's not really a reason we would take this one on the go instead of the other one.

The lines you see going horizontal are just creases in the fabric. I wasn't sure how to iron vinyl without melting it. I also decided against putting a pocket on the bottom since I'll probably still be using this when baby gets bigger and I wanted there to be enough space on the mat and thought the pocket would take up too much space. Plus, we just keep the diapers and wipes on the end table right next to the mat anyway so I'm not worried about it.

To size the mat, I based it off of the one we already have but for those of you interested in making it without one to go off of, this mat is 12 inches wide by 24 inches long.

Getting a Passport for an Infant

This summer David's family is treating us to a week in the Dominican Republic at a resort. In order to go, everyone needs a passport. This includes our new baby. Minor (under 16) passports last for 5 years. This seems a little ridiculous for someone under the age of 1 since they will change so much before it expires but whatever.  Rules are rules.

We filled out the application, got her birth certificate from the court house (did you know that you have to pay for those??), and read the requirements for the picture. Our licensing center isn't equipped to do infant pictures since the requirements are next to impossible. For an adult, it's no big deal. You stand in front of a white screen, look at the camera, don't smile and presto! It's done. However, for a baby, this proves to be more difficult. The rules are as follows:

• no shadows on the baby's face
• white backgrounds only
• both ears much be visible
• mouth must be closed
• eyes must be open
• baby must face the camera straight on
• no part of the parents' hands or arms can be showing

This requirements are in addition to the sizing and all that too. We decided to invest in some help from David's mom since at home or professional pictures are basically the only way to go and we weren't ready to shell out 30 dollars for pictures. Surprisingly, we managed to get this but we did have to play with the picture to rotate it so her head is facing straight on and a few other  minor adjustments. We probably took 30 pictures and reading online, this isn't uncommon. Others have taken 50 or more to get it right.

My only advice for you is to take them when your infant is awake (but don't wake them up to take it or they cry and then their eyes close anyways), prop their head with towels (under your white sheet of a background) to make it face forward, take lots of pictures so one is bound to work, and if they are old enough, use something to make them interested in looking at the camera.

We had tried some other things like

•  putting her in her bouncer with the towels but she still managed to turn her head
• putting the sheet over David and having him hold her (by the way, these turned out hilarious)
• laying her on the ground with the towels (this seemed to work best. Our baby always has her head turned to one side or the other but if your baby lays on the back of their head, I would recommend this method)
• different lighting options (to reduce shadows)

Basically, it's going to be a lot of work but it is do-able. Just take lots and hope for a winner! There are also websites to help with the cropping it so it meets the passport size specifications (a simple google search will help you find them). 

Cocoa's Scare and Fixing a Shirt Cuff

Due to a freak thing while we were away for a weekend at my parent's, Cocoa didn't have access to her cage for a few days. She had enough food and hay outside of her cage, as well as her litter box, to make it okay on that front but she got severely dehydrated because she couldn't get to her water. We had made the decision when we got her that except for her getting spayed, we would not take her to the vet for emergencies. We would do our best to fix it at home and if necessary, put her down. We read online what to do, which mostly included making her comfortable, making sure she is drinking, eating, and pooping, and checking her abdomen for any unusual lumps (which would be blockages in her intestines). After that, all you could do is wait and see what happens.

She started drinking right away but it took her longer to eat and poop but she is doing both of those things now. We don't think she is out of the woods yet but she is definitely improving and that gives us hope. Usually, rabbits would've died by now.

In happier news, I fixed a shirt cuff for my dad. He had taken the shirt out of its packaging and the sleeve had come out of the cuff about two inches on one side. I seam ripped open the seam on the cuff, about an inch bigger than the rip on each side, pushed the shirt into the cuff, and restitched. My thread didn't match exactly but it is close enough. Both he and my mom told me what a great job I did! I've never (successfully) fixed clothes before but I sure would like to do more in the future!

Pasta With Vegetables

Hey everyone...sorry about leaving you all in the lurch like that (is that the right phrase?) back in February but time just got away from me. I'll try to blog in the evenings now instead of the afternoons so David is available to watch the baby. In general, I do think we are adjusting well to being parents and basically on call 24/7 but sometimes nights are still hard. There have been a few times where she has slept 6 hours between feedings (but that 6 hours usually starts before we go to bed so we usually only get 3-4 hours of that 6 hours for sleep). We have even found time to do laundry, cleaning, and start cooking again!

Speaking of cooking, we recently made this recipe. It's absolutely amazing! We did make a couple modifications to match what we had on hand. So here is "our" recipe.

• jar of canned tomatoes from David's grandma's garden (I would guess it was still close to 3 cups), with juice
• 1/2 bag spinach
• 1/2 container of baby bella mushrooms
• 1/3 yellow onion
• dash of red pepper flakes
• about 2 tablespoons of garlic
• salt, to taste
• 16 oz box of rotini noodles
• 2 cups pizza cheese (we wanted mozzarella but we didn't have any)

Then we cooked the pasta to the box's specifications for al dente. When there was about 5 minutes left, we threw all the vegetables into a skillet (no oil) on high heat. When they cooked down some (enough to make room for more stuff---the pan was heaping with spinach), we added the spices.  We cooked until the noodles the noodles were done and then added the cheese and heated until the cheese melted and mixed in. Next time, I would do something different with the cheese because it basically just stuck to my plate (under all the noodles and stuff) and didn't add much flavoring (since I didn't really get to eat it). We did serve the noodles and the vegetables separate, which I think worked out better than mixing it all in.

I will also mention that this is GREAT leftover. The thing I liked most about this recipe was that it used up a bunch of stuff that was about to go bad. I love recipes that do that!

I would definitely make this again but like I said, the cheese needs a new direction. I'm just not sure what that is yet. I would also think that this recipe is versatile enough that you could use whatever veggies you wanted. If you wanted to make it vegan, you could easily leave out the cheese too. We just included it for extra protein.