A Real Dinner

It seems that lately, things have been so busy that I've not taken the time to stop and cook a real dinner.  I have thrown together bits and pieces of food to feed us, but this week I actually cooked (at least one night I did).

I used the recipe for Hummus Chicken that I found on Pinterest recently.  

In addition to chicken, we had side dishes of baked potato, green beans "a la Jana",

and fresh fruit (left from the shower).

It took a good bit longer to cook these thick chicken breasts thoroughly than it called for in the recipe, so I ended up zapping them in the microwave for the last few minutes, which kept them from getting crispy.  Even though they weren't crispy on the outside, they were quite yummy.  Next time I'll allow more time in the oven to achieve that texture.

Pinterest Inspiration

I have done very little in the way of decorating for the holidays this year.  I DO, however, have my Christmas tree up and decorated and the stockings are hung by the fireplace, just under the vintage nativity scene that once belonged to my parents.   This weekend, inspired by my buddy, Danette (who was inspired by Pinterest, I made a couple of door hangers.  Danette was inspired by all of the burlap door decorations seen around Pinterest these days:

Source: Uploaded by user via Rose on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Kimberly on Pinterest

to make some of her own for her double-front doors.  Unfortunately, her first attempt was using red burlap (thinking it would save her some time). However, painting white on top of red burlap turns pink--not the look she was looking for.  (and it was MUCH pinker in real life)



Her second attempt, using natural colored burlap turned out great.  She used tape to mask off areas and then did the painting.  Not only did the colors turn out bright and pretty, but it made the burlap stiffer so that it lay flat once stuffed and hung.  I helped her paint the lettering and it was ready to greet us at our office party Thursday evening.  Her loss of time, was my gain, because she gave me one of her failed attempts to re-hab.



I embroidered the word "Joy" on a scrap of burlap and sewed it in place, covering up the pink faux-pas.  After covering the top pink area with a white scallop, all I had to do was stuff it with plastic bags and sew it closed!   Mine is not as stiff, and I need to trim edges a bit more, but it looks pretty great for a 30 minute project!


My next project was a quick one.  I was inspired by this Pin:

Source: sandandsisal.com via Linda on Pinterest

to create this:



I hot-glued the wooden letters to the strip of oilcloth, but unfortunately, the glue didn't hold very long at first.  I walked into the kitchen to find this:



Not exactly a Christmas greeting, but probably an appropriate exclamation after falling apart.  
Oy--- a Yiddish exclamation of chagrin, dismay, exasperation or pain
I used lots more glue the next time and all is well.