1st Day of School 2008

Summer vacation is over and I sit here childless thinking about all the fun we had.
It went so fast, so fast that I didn't blog about many of the exciting trips and adventures we went on.

This morning was crazy but we made it out on time!
Trenton is starting the 4th grade and Bella is going to pre-k.
Here they are ready to go...new clothes, new school bags, a new start to a great year

Miss Bella even let me get a snap shot outside of school wearing her brand new Little Pet Shop shirt custom made for her by Bear*Threads*Boutique
The picture was taken moments before the tears came.
I don't know when this is going to stop. Bella has attend this school for camp 3 days a week all summer. But still everyday she cries.
It's heart breaking and I have to promise her that I will wait in the car for her ALL day! I'm not allowed to go home.
Rest assured everyday when we pick her up she is chatty and excited to tell us all about her "Great Day at School".
Soon she'll be begging to get away from me but for now I get tears

After dropping Bella off, Trenton and I head to his school.
He likes to get to school as soon as the doors open, that's 30 minutes before school starts.
That's a good aim for me since I am late for everything.
He likes to have time to get settled and relax before school starts.

Here's a shot of him while we wait in the car line for drop off.
Can you see how thrilled he is that I was able to get in an extra back to school pep talk.
He's getting so big that I have to take these moments that he can't escape my locked car to share quality time with him.

Now I'm off to my craft room!
~Patricia

Ouick & Easy Meal Planning

School starts next week and soon we will be back to a busy schedule with after school activities.
This week I decided to test out a few recipes that will work during the hectic school year.

First up was Saucy Italian Port Chops from Kraft Foods
I thought this would work for our family of diverse eaters because the non meat eaters could just have the veggies and rice.
The rice and veggies were so tasty in the sauce and the pork chops were juicy.

My only changes to the recipe was to add an extra 1/4 cup of balsamic vinaigrette reduced fat dressing and to kick it up a notch I threw in crushed red pepper flakes and garlic powder.

We also tried Shrimp, Tortellini and Spinach from Kraft Foods
I doubled the recipe so we'd have leftovers.

The shrimp dish was a Hit and liked by all
I even have visual evidence of Mr. Food Amnesia eating it


Next time I'll record him saying he like it, too!

My kids are big fruit and berry eaters and all summer they have been asking for a Blueberry Pie.
Where their obsession with Blueberries has come from I don't know but every time we go to the store they must have them. Could it be because our cat is named Blu, we even have a Webkinz named BluBerry
Blue is also one of Bella's favorite colors!

After seeing the Pioneer Women throw together a seemingly easy Blueberry Pie I thought maybe I could do it too.

Just to get it over with now...I didn't make my own crust.
I have made my own crust before but when trying a new pie I'd prefer to use a crust I Know will turn out right. Otherwise I might never make the pie again simply because the crust wasn't good.

I chose the Forth of July Blueberry Pie recipe from the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook
(my signed copy of the book given to me by my big sis Liz ~Thank You Again for waiting in that looong line)

Luckily I just found the recipe on Martha's site so I don't need to type it out.
My only variation was to add a 1/4 cup of sugar to the un-crushed blueberries before mounding them in the pie shell on top of the crushed berry mixture.
I also added sugar to the top pie crust.

Here it is


We were all impressed with my first blueberry pie
I will definitely make it again!

~Patricia

Ready or Not

I was going to wait until the end of the weekend so I could get a few more items uploaded on the site, But Why?
Today is 08/08/08
What does that matter?
Those calendar numbers will never be seen again in our lifetime.
According to numerology (which I don't follow but today I will)
The number 8 is associated with good fortune
and today it's at the power of 3...that's gotta be good luck

So today may be better than other's to launch One Boy One Girl Boutique!

I'm jumping in with my Summer 2008 Collection
The graphic above is just a few of the shirts from that collection.

I will continue to stock the store during the month of August
in preparation for the launch of our
Fall 2008 Collection

Sign Up for our Mailing List
(see the box on the right side)
To Be The First To See our New Designs
Learn About Upcoming Specials and Be Eligible for Free Giveaways

Lots of Fun & Games for the Fall Launch so stay tuned!



~Patricia

Where's the Beef?

It's a weekly struggle to make food that everyone in my house will eat.

Isabella's current diet consists of Tuna Fish on Ritz Crackers, Hot Dogs, Scrambled Eggs, Toast and Waffles/Pancakes.
The rest of us aren't going to sit down for dinner to eat any of that but at least she is eating something.

Trenton is a brave eater and always has been but he has what I call "Food Amnesia". He'll eat some thing once and Love it. The next time I make the same thing, before it even passes his lips he declares that he never liked ~What?
I guess it's PB&J for him!

Of course just like any man, Dave eats anything, except for some of the strange concoctions I whip up for myself (well, he thinks they are strange)

The other obstacle in our house is that I don't eat meat. (That would be why Dave thinks some of the things I eat are strange)
Let me clarify that since it can be a touchy subject for some people.
I don't eat red meat, pork, or poultry BUT I do eat fish, eggs & dairy products and we won't get into my secret obsession with Bacon (that should be a 4 letter word!). Bacon is the only meat if it is actually one that I crave and have to force myself to stay away from.
Why I do that, I don't know?
I don't have a grand agenda behind not eating meat, I wish I could say I was that good of a person and it's not for health reasons.
Really, it's just about what I like and what I don't.
Yes I know, Boring

This leads me to a dish I never thought Dave would eat.
Forget about the kids...it was late and the kids had eaten earlier.

Black Bean Burgers!
I found the recipe for ever ago at allrecipes (one of my weekly "go to" sites for meal planning)
I have eaten frozen Black Bean Burgers and at restaurants but never homemade.
Dave has never tried one ever!

While Dave was out mowing the yard I made the burgers.
Very easy and quick to make!
I cooked ours in the oven and when they were done I loaded them up with mayo, homegrown tomatoes and lettuce.

I served the burgers along side leftover Farfalle pasta with Zucchini (a recipe from the Pioneer Women...another stop on the weekly meal planning quest)

When I called Dave in for dinner I told him to be open minded.

He was shocked when he ate it and I was happy to find that he Loved it and even wanted a second!

Since that night we have eaten them 2 more times
What Bliss to make a meal we Both can Eat & Enjoy!

~Patricia

Back to School & Holiday Bling

My Internet has been out since Thursday!
So this is my first chance to show a couple listings that will be ending tomorrow
July 22nd
Here are 2 New 2008 Designs for the
"End of Summer what a Bummer" launch with TheAve

Custom Cat & Mouse Bling Tees
To match a set by Simply*Sophia

Cat Bling Tee Listing

Mouse Bling Tee Listing

Also ending tomorrow
"Celebrate the Holidays in July" with BLB Boutique

Custom Scaredy Cat Bling Tee


Ready to Ship * Size 4
Witchy Bling Tee

Not ending until Sunday, July 27th
New 2008 Design Perfect for Back to School
Made to Match
the Gymboree Prep School clothing line


Prep School Bling Tee

The cable co. has been out twice since Thursday to fix the Internet (and phone but who uses a phone anymore)...it looks like they got it right this time.
I felt so out of touch not having Internet service but it gave me time to clean the house and work on more designs!
~Patricia

Keeping the Kids Busy

With Trenton and Bella becoming their own "person" more and more everyday, my life seems to have become even more centered around them and their wants/needs.
Don't get me wrong I have no problem with that, It is just becoming more evident as they get older.
This summer they have kept me on my toes!
Trenton is 10, he started the summer off with a trip to New York (which I still haven't blogged about...sorry Trenton), golf/tennis camp, another round of golf camp, followed by snorkel camp. On top of his normal play dates, golfing, tutoring twice a week and guitar lessons.
Bella is only 4 so she is a little easier. She attends a summer program at her preschool 3 half days a week and has had a few play dates of her own.

When we are All at home we garden, play on the water slide and craft.
Crafting has always been a big part of my parenting. We paint, cut, glue, draw, in general create something everyday. During these times are when I get unprompted hugs, kisses and am told I am the Best Mom EVER ;)
I know these are memories they will have with them forever...
What Kid Crafting have you done this summer?
Here are a couple easy ones we have done

Homemade Play Doh
We used Martha's recipe






Bella and I made the Play Doh weeks ago and it is still good!

Recycle broken crayons to create Rainbow Crayons


Remove wrappers from Crayons (not always easy to do...try soaking in water overnight)
Break Crayons into 1/2 inch pieces


Fill aluminum foil lined muffin tins or metal cookie cutters half way with the Crayons
Bake Crayons in a preheated 300 degree oven for 5-7 minutes
Melt them just enough for the colors to Blend, not to liquefy into one color
Cool for 30 minutes
Remove from Foil

And Look what you have!

~Patricia

Just the 4 of Us on the 4th

unless you count a lounging cat

and a pup with a bone

The past few years we have spent the 4th on our boat watching the Fireworks over the River.
This summer we have not been on the boat once. We made an oath to Not put the boat in the water until we completed some long over due maintenance. Much to my surprise we are done with the original "To Do List" but of course have added a few extras (New Seats...I will actually have a cushion to sit on!)

Here is a recap of our backyard fun for the 4th

The Plunge

Homemade Ice pops (see below for recipe)

Picnic on the Porch

Is it Dark enough for Fireworks yet?

Ouch, Sparklers Hurt!

Yummy Treats!

Ice Pops
Ingredients: 1 (3oz) Jello mix package; 1 unsweetened Kool-Aid package; 1 cup Sugar; 2 cups Boiling Water; 2 cups cold Water

Dissolve Jello, Kool-Aid and Sugar in Boiling Water.
Stir in Cold Water and Pour into Popsicle Molds or small cups.
Freeze

If using cups like we did, place foil over the cup after you fill it and insert your popsicle stick. This will keep it in place. Otherwise Freeze until almost hard, put the sticks in and continue to Freeze.

Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs

Marinated Shrimp Kabobs & Scallops
Ingredients: 3 Garlic cloves minced; 1/3 cup Olive Oil; 1/4 cup Tomato Sauce (plain); 2 tbls Red Wine Vinegar; 2 tbls Fresh chopped Basil; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper; 1-2 pounds of Shrimp, Scallops or Chicken...anything you want, I've used this marinade on everything

Mix all the ingredients in a Bowl or Ziploc Bag. Add the fish or meat and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (the longer the Better)

For Kabobs
preheat grill to medium heat. Prepare the Kabobs. Lightly Oil or Spray the Grill.
Cook Shrimp 2-3 minutes per side or until done.
For Chicken Kabobs cook for 10-15 minutes.

We had small Bay Scallops so I cooked those in a pan, but still very yummy :)

Gotta Love the Pioneer Woman and her Fabulous recommendations for the 4th!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos


And another Favorite the Barefoot Contessa's 4th of July Cake
which came highly recommended from the Pioneer Woman
and I can Not Bake without Step by Step Photo Instructions!
Thank You Pioneer Woman :)


Hope you all had a Happy & Safe 4th!
~Patricia