Getting crafty: Chair reupholstery

Out with the old, in with the new!

The Lenten season always makes me want to clean everything and change it and make it new and shiny again-- both inside me and around the house. Even my chairs need to be worthy of the Resurrection.

Hee hee. (Lisa chuckles to herself, imagining the six chairs and four stools lined up together on Judgment Day, awaiting their inspection)

So, this is what my dining room chairs and bar stools used to look like:

The chairs are gorgeous and match the dining room table we inherited from M's grandmother. The cream seat is the original one, likely 30 years old or so. I've gotten tired of cleaning up tiny fingerprints and crumbs that leave behind stains. The bar stools also had their original fabric. It actually looked really nice, but it wasn't quite my style. So... my MIL, the kids, and I loaded up in the truck for a grand adventure of finding new fabric I loved. I ended up falling for some fabric at Hobby Lobby-- it wasn't even the color scheme I was going for, but I love it even more than the old plan!

Side note: check out the granite tile countertops that M and I replaced over the holidays. That's one project I am sooooo happy to have completed. I had to go sink-less, water-less, and dishwasher-less for several days, but still had kids and a husband to cook for and feed. It made things challenging, but forced me to get creative. I washed dished several nights on the back porch using a soapy water bucket, a rinse bucket, and a sterilizing bucket, just like I used to do as a Girl Scout camp counselor, and then I took lots of dishes over to a neighbor's house to run a load while she was a work. I also avoided cooking raw meat, so I would pick up a cooked chicken and use that in my recipes, or buy fully cooked sausage that I just had to grill. It's true that necessity is the mother of invention! 

Armed with scissors, a staple gun, and a screwdriver, I went to work... 

 

Old chair... new chair! 

 

From top left, clockwise: stool with no seat... stool with old seat... stool with new seat!

 Fun! 

Note: even though the stripes look a bit wavy in the photos, I've since restretched the fabric so that it lays perfectly on the round pad.

The upholstery changes in the kitchen meant that the blue Oriental rug in the living room no longer matched. Uh oh... oh well! Time for Phase II of the Great Shake-up, where Lisa moves the blue rug into the master bedroom and buys a gorgeous new Oriental rug from Costco!

Ignore the pillows on the side-- they help protect a certain wobbly walker's runner's head as he barrels about the room, looking like a drunken sailor seeking a woman church for Mass after months at sea.

So... what do you think? I need to make some pillow covers for the couch and loveseat, but that will require more material searching. 

Now, if I can only get my soul to look as fresh and rejuvenated as the house...

Petunia Pickle Bottom outlet sale

Once again, it's time for a Petunia Pickle Bottom Outlet sale. And that means that it's time for...

Lisa to post that it's time for a Petunia Pickle Bottom Outlet sale.

:-)

I really should work for commission from them. Once again, I will wax on about how amazing these bags are (especially the cross-town clutch). I went to several vineyards this past weekend for wine tastings and, AT EACH ONE, I was complimented on my "purse"... that was really a diaper bag! Seriously, I don't think I've gone out anywhere without at least 1 person mentioning how much they love my "purse." How many of you out there can claim that? And how many of you can have a changing pad, 2 diapers, cell phone, small camera, wallet, and a sippy cup in there if you can claim that?

crickets...

That's what I thought.

Anyway, you really should go check out the outlet sale website. A portion of the proceeds will go directly to the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund to support the American Red Cross in their efforts to help those affected throughout the Pacific. The sale starts TODAY (3/22), but you have to be registered in advance to sign in. If you score a great deal on one (or just want to come back and tell me which is your favorite), I'd love to hear about it.

Also, for previous posts about my bags, see HERE  and HERE.

Here's the link to the cross-town clutches (my favorite, and they're already selling out of some of the super-cute ones!).

Happy shopping!

Uh oh... it's Friday. In Lent. What's for dinner? Recipe #2

**In case you missed last week's meatless meal, be sure to check out this recipe for Tomatillo Salsa Baked Fish.

I first found this recipe a few years ago on the Gluten-Free Goddess website. If I were making it for my MIL, I'd go ahead and do the GF version, otherwise I'd likely use a mix of flour and corn tortillas.

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS (gluten-free version)

Green Chile Sauce:
1 cup light vegetable broth (I have also used chicken broth)
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water (I just use cornstarch, or even flour)
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles- hot or mild (I use the canned kind)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Filling:
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, smashed a bit, but still chunky (you can cube them and soften them. If you make homemade baby food, bake several potatoes, set aside a couple for this, and purée the rest!)
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or curry, mild or spicy, as you prefer
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To assemble:

2-4 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
8 white corn tortillas
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a baking dish that will hold 8 enchiladas.

-Make your Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot (or cornstarch), green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test. Set aside.

-In the meantime, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside.

-In a separate bowl combine the lightly smashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

-Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

-Grab a skillet and heat a dash of oil. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them - one at a time - as you stuff each one. (Note: sometimes I just soften them a bit in the microwave between damp paper towels and then soak for a minute or so in the sauce so that I don't have to make them oily at all)

-Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce.

-Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. (Note: to make really yummy, add some cream cheese down the center as well)

-Top with 1/8 of the black beans.

-Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish.

-Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce.

-If you like, top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

-Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

This tastes unbelievably amazing-- people usually can't figure out what it is exactly that they're eating, but know they want seconds... and thirds.

40 Days for Life video-- amazing!

This AMAZING video  happens to feature one of my former high school students (whom I've known since she was six!). Gorgeous Sarah and her equally gorgeous husband and son are shown at the 5:40 mark. Oh-- and her adorable son Noah is shown on his own a couple of pics before the family photo, and then a few after it, as well.

I was so moved by this video and had to share!

Uh oh... it's Friday. In Lent. What's for dinner? Recipe #1

This is going to be my weekly Lenten post for Thursdays. You'll have time to plan dinner for Friday, plus it will give me a reason to start putting up recipes again on my cooking blog (which has been sorely and sadly neglected).

Recipe #1 is soooooooo easy that you'll wonder why you've never made it before. It's one of those last-minute recipes that can be doubled with no extra work (Amen to that!).

TOMATILLO SALSA BAKED FISH

1 lb tilapia fillets
1 c tomatillo salsa
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 c crushed tortilla chips
salt and pepper
oil or non-stick spray

- Preheat oven to 450°. Wash and pat the fish dry. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray (or just use a non-stick sheet and oil it a bit). Season fish with salt and pepper.

- Lay fish on baking sheet and top each with about 1/4 cup salsa. Bake 12-15 minutes.

- Remove from oven and sprinkle each fillet with about 1/4 cup cheese and 1/8 cup chips and serve.

Substitutions: No tilapia on hand? Try basa or another similar fish. You can also replace the tomatillo salsa with regular salsa. Instead of the chips, you can use bread crumbs. I've said it before and I'll say it again-- any recipe (other than baked goods) that is completely inflexible has no place in my kitchen. :-)

The fish also makes great tacos for lunch the next day. Simply put some fish in a corn tortilla and add a dollop of sour cream-- fancy, easy, and delicious!

Letter #1 to my Lenten Prayer Buddy

Dear Prayer Buddy,

I have been praying for you far longer than since I found out you were "mine" to pray for this Lenten season. Something about your story touched me very early on, and I connected with you and felt a strong desire to pray for you, because somehow it also felt like praying for me.

Please know that you will have my daily prayers and my daily Lenten rosaries (this will hopefully give you extra extra graces, because it's been tough lately for me to make it past 3 decades, and I'm determined to set aside more time and really be focused and steady in my prayer life).

As Lent begins today with Ash Wednesday, I've chosen a portion of today's Responsorial Psalm as the prayer that I will say each morning for you, and for myself as well. I hope my meager prayers will be enough to effect some positive change in your life.

A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Blessings on you!

Lisa

Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad

...vs. any other eReaders out there about which I know nothing.

So, I feel it necessary to at least peek into the modern age, while keeping my feet firmly in the stone age.

Yes, I'm chiseling this onto a rough-hewn stone and magically it appears on the computer screen.

My birthday is approaching in the next couple of months, and I'm thinking that it would be a good time to have any family members who want to give a gift help me get something that I actually want/will use.

The problem is, I'm not sure if I really want an eReader. I'm a former high school and college English teacher! I like the smell of books. I like to underline and mark pages and run my hands all over the smooth spine.

Wait... we're still talking about books, right?

Some reservations I have:

- I rarely buy books. I usually get them from the library or someone gives me a book.

- Of the books I have purchased (which have mostly not been out of copyright, and thus would not be free), there are several that I didn't want to keep. I have been able to sell them to a used-book store and ended up reclaiming some of my cost. Not so with eBooks that I don't love.

- I know that many children's books are available in digital form, but when I read a book to C, part of the magic of snuggling and reading together is holding the book and letting her turn the pages. For H, the magic is solely in eating the book or throwing the book.

I'm hoping he wasn't switched at birth. I'm not sure any child of mine would ever eat or throw a book. Fortunately, he's the spitting image of my dad, so I'm going to assume for the time being that the book-throwing gene comes from M's side of the family. He likely had some delinquent Czech great-great-great grandfather who also enjoyed tossing books about the room.

- To prove I truly am living in the Stone Age, or at least the Dark Ages, I start to get all Fahrenheit 451 and fear that if everyone begins to purchase eReaders, and every new book is "printed" in digital format with only a few hard copies, then if some major catastrophe happens and the world loses power, we'll be left in a world without books.

My 3rd greatest fear in the world would be realized.

So, help me out. What are your pros and cons of eReaders? Which do you own, and would you buy it again? Price aside, would you use an iPad in place of a smaller eReader? Before purchasing an eReader, where/how did you get the majority of your books? Do you buy any books in hard copy now?
How likely do you think it is that my son was switched at birth? (Just kidding on that last one...)?