Potato pizza and lots of blue.

It has happened. Its been 5 months since Kiki spilled my husbands coffee all over our old laptop and since then each time we would use it something else was no longer working. We got to the point were we could no longer type what so ever and had to buy an external keyboard. Eventually while we were online different websites would constantly reload or sometimes the pages would scroll indefinitely. Needless to say it is more than pleasant to be typing this with out any of the previous issues on a very pink new laptop.

It feels like we have settled into our new home. I am starting to get antsy about adding color. I no longer like the white walls in the living room, or the light gray and blue in our own room, but these are big projects that involve buying paint and moving furniture which with the two little ones as energetic as they are lately does no seem possible.  Instead though there were two cabinets in the kitchen that were painted all white, that have turned into a new project.

I like to look back at pictures from just a few months ago to see how much we have already changed. All the little projects we have already started and completed and the bigger ones that will happen over the years are all seem so exciting. But color is the one thing that I like to change first. I love bright rooms with lots of different colors and textures. And so I got started in the kitchen, I have a few pictures but it was a quick project. I starting with a light blue and brushing on a thin first coat of paint. Then before it was able to dry adding a darker watered down blue paint brushed over the top.  Some mixed and some did not, but the brush lines look great! I started with just one cabinet yesterday but Neil liked it enough that I did a second this morning.

But beyond computers, babies and painting the other big thing I cant seem to get away from is Potato pizza, I have no idea where I came across the recipe for it, but since the first time I made it the entire family loves it.  Most weeks I make it more than once. Its a great side for soup at dinner, or most of a lunch for the kiddos, and sometimes just the perfect afternoon snack.

I don't use a specific pizza dough for the base, but instead a no knead bread recipe that I always have on hand.

Basic bread dough recipe:

3 1/2 - 4 cups of warm water

6 or so cups of flour

2 Tbls of salt

2 Tbls of yeast

first add water to a large re-useable container. Sift the 6 cups of flour over that, then add the yeast and salt.

Mix everything just until well combined, it should be a shapeless but not too wet dough.

Cover and let sit out 2 hours.

After that the dough is ready to use or to refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

I use this dough almost everyday for pizzas, cinnamon rolls, or just different kinds of bread. Its great to have on hand, and when it comes time to actually do the baking you set the oven to 450/F and shape the dough correctly for what you are making. Then let it rest while the oven heats up, pop in your bread and bake till done. A large loaf of bread takes about 45 minutes where as a pizza only about 15-20.

Getting back to the actual Potato pizza recipe though you will need

a quarter of the dough from the recipe above

splash of olive oil

2 potatos

half an onion

salt and pepper

Roll out and shape the dough, and either put in the pan you are using or on a peel with cornmeal to transfer to a pizza stone. Pour a few Tbls of olive oil onto the dough and spread out evenly.

Next slice the potatoes and onion as thinly as possible. Arrange the potatoes over the top of the dough and sprinkle the onions on top of the potato. finally add salt and pepper to your liking over everything else and let rest till the oven is ready.

Bake till the crust is a golden brown and the potatoes are looking crispy at their edges.

Sometimes we add salami or capers, but tend to use a lot less salt if adding these.

I think this is good for now though.  I have two babies with a few too many boogers who are more than ready to get our selves together to head to the library for story hour.

And one last thing! We fell so in love with the blue cabinets, that we ended up painting the ceramic tile in the kitchen as well, so one last picture mainly so Nonna can see how blue our yellow kitchen has become.

Messy babies and more Dolls.

I can't get the idea of starting an Etsy shop out of my mind. I have been making more dolls in the past week than ever before and I am liking each one more than the last. I have also finally settled into my sewing room, organized, cozy, and right off the kitchen it is my favorite part of the house. a trip to scrap in Portland over the weekend and  morning of folding and separating fabric has me ready to stock pile some dolls before I spend time setting up the online shop.

In other news Mia is ready to eat with the rest of us. Lunch and dinner at the table with her food chopped up into tiny pieces has her so excited! Though she still needs to work on getting more food into her mouth than on the floor, she has figured out how to feed the dogs with ease. Kiki on the other hand is great at getting the food in her mouth, on the floor, in the dog's mouth and just about anywhere else a two-year-old can reach. Beyond just where to put your food, Kiki has figured out the basic rules for meal time, which is nice. Sit at the table with everyone, try at least a bite of everything on your plate (this one is still bit tough), and I am really really really not giving you something else just because you cry. But all of that plus a ten-year-old who cannot seem to get the words out of her mouth fast enough or the food into it any slower, makes for a wonderfully lively and usually comical dinner.

But with a few more dolls to make and perhaps some other little critters, I will share some pictures of my beloved sewing room and more recent projects, as well as some messy babies, because really who does not enjoy messy babies.

My wonderful husband found this old (but working and in great shape) Kenmore sewing machine at  goodwill for me more than three years ago. Speaking of which today is our three year anniversary, three years that have flown by!  Two babies a dog and a  house have all come into our lives, as well as new friends and so many new plans for the future. I am the luckiest lady I know.

Kiki's smile always makes me laugh.

Dolls, dolls, dolls.

It was probably around the time I was six months pregnant with Kiki that I started making toys. I had crocheted hats and blankets, little socks and a sweater and wanted to try something new. At first I made animals, turtles, possums, and little monsters that had loops to hold binkies.  From there I went to work on a kids book ( that I can't seem to finish), and sewing dolls and little elephants.

The first dolls I made were cute but never seemed quite right. The second round hit a better note but the faces were off still. This third time I think I have found a mix between the sewing and painting that I enjoy. With Mia being under a year still I tend to have a fair amount of time to sew or crochet while she is breast feeding, though as she is getting bigger and more curious it has become harder to work around her. Especially since little baby hands are always stronger than I expect.

 I have plans to start an etsy shop when I can figure out all the little parts to it (and have enough things to sell). In the mean time though I find my self working on more and more little sewing projects that will hopefully soon become more than just that. The dolls will become more  involved and could perhaps end up with little critter friends. The elephants were such fun to make that I should get going on some new patterns for smaller animals or perhaps plants to go along with these new dolls.

Perhaps the holidays fulfilled my need for cooking for a while and I am now ready to get back into the swing of sewing  all the time (with a little painting thrown in and maybe a break to work on trying to learn to knit here and there!)

Any thoughts on other creatures/ critters that I should be making would be more than welcome!