{DIY Project} Monogram Wall Art

I've been trying to decide what creative flairs I could add to the kid's room, since I'm just now working on decorating them. I'd had a couple things stashed before we ever moved in, but they amount to a few wall hangings and accents, a mirror and their first finger paintings preserved in frames I got at Hobby Lobby. Then I saw these really cute square monogram art pieces a friend of mine made for her little girl's room and I knew that's what I wanted to add to Trystan and Logan's room!

I started with a stack of chipboard squares, that I got for 50% off at Hobby Lobby. Then I printed out all the letters I needed to spell out two of the girl's names here. 

With some cheap-o white craft paint, I painted all the edges white so they wouldn't clash with the art I was putting on the front of the squares.

Then I carefully cut out all my letter squares...

...and mod podged them onto my chipboard.

Ta-dah! They turned out super cute. I haven't hung them up yet, so I'll follow up on that when I put together a post on Trystan and Logan's room once I have a few more things finished. I plan to use 3M picture hangers (not hooks) that provide a sort of velcro patch for light-weight wall objects. That way if I want to move things around later, I don't have eight million nail holes in the walls!

I snuck in some of the roses I clipped from my front yard in the photo above. They smell nearly as sweet as sugar. Plus I was in a good mood since I fiiiinnnaaallly got to complete a crafty craft. The kids really didn't understand the importance of mod podging chipboards for their room so they protested (loudly) every time I was out of their line of sight to work on them in the kitchen. Even though I explained to them how nice it'll be to have things on their walls to look at. Babies...what can you do!? ;)

{Quad Squad} Simple Sensory Ziploc Bag!

This little DIY post is just a quick share on a recent "discovery" experience I created for the quads using a couple things around my house. Most of the time, for sensory activities we do things like water play, explore in the grass, grapple with new toys, try a new food or go on an outing. But I needed an indoor, stationary project and this one fit the bill. I checked out a couple "sensory bag" ideas on Pinterest then decided I could throw together my own.

I took four large thick Ziplocs and put a couple squirts of finger paint in them then about an inch or two of water in the bottom, added a couple shakes of glitter and carefully closed the bags. Then I took clear packing tape and taped all four sides of each bag onto our quad table—because they will find those loose corners!—and mixed up the ingredients. Then I added the babies. :)

They loved it! I gave them little balls and toy cars to roll over the bags and they soon abandoned those and just used their hands. Kailey immediately managed to poke a small hole in hers but I put another piece of clear tape across it and problem solved. I would definitely use clear packing tape or something similar, as it peeled off the table easily when we were done and didn't appear to damage the finish.

Before we wrapped up, though, I gave the kids their snacks at the table and they loved chasing the crumbs all over the tops of the bags with their fingers. You could really add any type of glitter, stickers, paint or other ingredients to your bag, as long as there's nothing to potentially cause a leak. (Other than your child's razor finger nails.) I'v heard hair gel and food coloring makes a good combo. The best part? Clean up is a cinch.

Next up: DIY personalized name art for kid's rooms.

{My Recipes} Mongolian Chicken with Green Beans

I found a similar recipe online then tweaked it for myself and added some fresh green beans. It was so good, it was quadling approved! Plus, I'd had Mongolian beef at PF Chang's a couple days before and this really tasted just as yummy—not too shabby considering it was my first time to make a dish like this!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1/2 lb. fresh green beans, washed & trimmed

2 cups brown rice, cooked
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. brown sugar
2-3 tsp. ground ginger
2 cloves of minced garlic
1-2 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. water
I was short on time so I used shredded rotisserie chicken (about two cups worth) instead and it really cut down on prep work. You just add the chicken when the sauce and green beans are done. If you're using uncooked chicken breasts, slice them thin and cook over medium low heat with a little olive oil in a large saute pan. Chop green beans into thirds and steam well until soft.

While the chicken cooks, mix ginger, garlic and 1 tbsp. oil for about a minute over medium high heat in a smaller saute pan. Then add brown sugar, water and soy sauce and bring to a boil then remove from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together corn starch and 1 tbsp. water then add to sauce mixture. Stir thoroughly then combine with cooked chicken and add green beans. Serve over rice.

This recipe is really versatile—you could use broccoli instead of fresh green beans and add water chestnuts or use steamed white rice instead of brown. Whatever's your favorite! It took about 20 minutes to get the dinner together so it's a great quick fix when you have all the ingredients handy.

Happy eating!

Five Things

There's been a lot going on in my life the past couple weeks. Here's a quick Five Things to get you up to speed. Because I know you were worried you were missing out. ;)

1. Eight kids

My mom brought her other four grandkids (all different ages) over to my house a couple weeks ago. We entertained them all in the playroom, I made 12 grilled cheeses (plus chips, fruit, etc.) for everyone's lunch, plated all their lunches and fed eight kids at two tables, gave my nieces and nephews little goodie bags (the bubbles entertained them for 30 minutes!), handed out blue jean quilts so the older kids could watch an animated movie while the quads napped then had one more round of play time before the big kids went home. I was genuinely touched at how the big kids were so excited to play with the babies and how well they did. The big kids repeatedly asked how long the quads were going to be napping and when they would wake up. Finally I asked why they were so interested and they replied, "Because we miss them!" My favorite line of the day was my six-year-old nephew, Levi, asking to hold Trystan then upon me placing her in his lap, he said with a grunt: "This is the big one!" 

2. Harrison's surgery

My little man is now 15 months old and finally was due up for his circumcision surgery. We did not have this done at the hospital after he was born because of his prematurity and his rough start, so it was a no brainer to wait until he was older. We briefly contemplated not having him circumcised at all but the social stigma that comes with that and the whole "Why am I different?" question that will come with group baths with toddler friends, sports and locker room scenarios and, eventually, grown up dating and love life (that will NOT happen until he's 35, right!?) led us to strongly feel this was the right call. However, I had two minor panic attacks while at the hospital with him because I hadn't really been in that setting since the babies came home from the NICU. Everything was all too familiar again and just seeing him with the monitors and an IV, laying in a bed was very, very difficult for both me and the husband. We were both with him all day, which started early and ended late, but he did fantastic and was home by that evening. His recovery is going great and a few more days and he'll be himself again.

3. Champagne brunch

Some of my best girl friends got to come see the house, say hi to the babies and hang out with mimosas and brunch food on a recent Sunday morning. There's only a few of us pictured below since we didn't think to take a photo until some had left, but it was a very special occasion to me nonetheless and a welcome opportunity to spend some quality time with some of the most special girls in my life. We all have various life paths now and some live in different states, but we all manage to stay connected and get together occasionally throughout the year! I met all of these girls through my club synchronized swim team I joined when I was 7 and swam with most of them for 11 years. Lifelong friendships were cultivated and we've been a "team" ever since.

4. Smart toddlers

The babies really are growing. They're pretty much toddlers now, though it's hard for me to refer to them as such. I can't believe they're now 15 months! All have been walking well for several months now, they babble a lot and are really starting to express themselves even more and are desperately trying to form a few words. Trystan can say "doggie" and Harrison will occasionally repeat "blue" when we say it. We've been working on more sensory-oriented activities as I'm able (I have an easy one to share soon!) and have started reviewing color and shape flash cards as well as regularly using bowls and plates at meal time. They are getting smarter with their toys as well, and have really starting getting the hang of cause-and-effect. We got them a little toy work bench and today Trystan was taking the large plastic screws and pushing them into the holes on the work bench. I was very impressed!

5. Sick toddlers

We have officially had our first round of sick babies. All four got a cold a week or so ago and it's been hell on my daytime stamina. Just wiping four super runny noses every five seconds all day long is exhausting. Then keeping up with medicine, dirty diapers, hydrating everyone and giving TLC to four clingy, grumpy kiddos is hard. The nighttime process alone is so much more complicated. We get everyone fed as much as they'll begrudgingly eat then change them, apply Vicks to their chest, give them medicine, plug in all their humidifiers, get teethers and fresh sheets and sleep sacks (I change these out often when they're sick) and rock nearly all four to calm down before sleep. Whew. I truly hope this is almost over. Add in Harrison's surgery recovery and it's been a doozy...

Hope you've had a fab week. Next up on the blog: my new Mongolian chicken recipe and it's delish!

{My Recipes} Banana Chocolate Chip "Cookies"

So these cookies aren't your traditional cookies. They're soft and a bit chewy and made entirely out of bananas...well, mostly. There's only three ingredients and they count as healthy in my book so I shoveled three in my mouth as soon as they'd cooled off. Plus the quads all devoured them, too, so they're a good option for kiddos' snacks! I found several similar recipes on Pinterest and pinpointed exactly the right amount of chocolate chips to add so here's the skinny on my banana cookies...

1 cup rolled oats or quick oats
2 mashed bananas (like, thoroughly mashed)
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients really well, then spoon onto an ungreased non-stick baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

The results are a soft, slightly chewy, fruity cookie that I've decided not to feel guilty about eating. Enjoy, my friends!

P.S. I'm finally jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon! Hover over any of the images on my blog for my "Pin It" button to appear and save to your Pinterest page (please remember to mind the copyright rules and don't claim as your own material or reproduce any images). Also, follow me on Pinterest under Texas Tales. Happy pinning. :)