Hank's First Christmas

All of Hank's presents from Big-D and me.

We weren't the only ones that got presents for Hank, I really wasn't expecting my mom, sister or brother to get my dog anything. I mean my mom hates dogs, I find this odd because 3 out of her 4 kids have dogs, but Hank got a really good personalized ornament from my mom. Got a cool light up ball from my sister and a box of extra large milk bones from Dakota (and my brother).

There was a squeaky toy in the bottom of his stocking, he enjoyed squeaking it inside the stocking. Said squeaky toy no longer squeaks.

Decent picture of Hank and his presents. 

I just like taking funny pictures of him and his tongue.

We got a lot of cool presents...will be posting about them sometime this weekend. 

What did you all get? Anything fun and awesome? 

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

Cookie Plates

I think we all have seen these things floating around the internet and Pinterest. Draw a design on a plate and put it in the oven and then it is permanent. It's makes a cool personalized gift.

I wanted to make a customized plate for some Christmas cookies and milkbones. I got some simple white square plates that we pretty cheap at Kohl's. I originally wanted color but I couldn't find anything that I loved, so I went with white.

The process to "make" these plates are pretty easy.

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Make sure plates are clean and dry.
3. Make design on plates using a Sharpie.
4. Place plates in oven for 20 minutes.
5. Shut off oven, allowing plates to cool in the oven.
6. Remove from oven once cool.

Now off to make some cookies for Santa.

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Fun Gift Tags

I love adding that special little touch to Christmas presents, whether it is something simple like ribbon or bow or something a little more elaborate like customized gift tags or wrapping paper.

I pinned or liked (I tend to like more things then I pin) on Pinterest where someone used a word-search to label a present but wasn't able to find the pin (grrr). I really liked the idea but I am very practical we have big families and that would have taken just to much time to do. So I thought it was would be cool to do word-search gift tags. They didn't cost that much to do since I already had paper, and card stock at home, I used shipping tape to "laminate" them. I didn't want to do anything to expensive since I knew 97% of them would end up right in the trash.

There were pretty simple to make.

1. Used a online word-search generator and typed in the names. (Sometimes it was rather hard to find the name that was needed.)
2. Cut around the edge, taped to card stock.
3. Used shipping tape to "laminate" the gift tag.
4. Attached to present.

I really liked the way they turned out, however, some are like twice the size at the gift. Maybe next time I will make the font a little smaller in word.

Anyone else like to add special touches to gifts? Are you like Big-D, if it has a bow on it, its good enough?

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Hank & Santa

Hank got to meet Santa for the very first time. Except for him dragging me through out the mall, it was a pretty uneventful experience. Once again we got a million compliments on how beautiful he was.

 

This was the second picture they took, the first was good he was looking in the right direction but I opted to try one more time. I am glad I did he looks happier in this one then he did the other one.

Anyone else take their dog/children to see Santa?

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

Christmas Happenings

I feel like we didn't get a lot done this weekend but then when I look around the house, I feel like maybe we did get a little acomplished.

I have a million things that need to be done still for Christmas, including finishing up Christmas cards that need to be mailed out, finishing up two homemade presents and a million other things that need to be done around the house.

Here is one of the Christmas things that we managed to do this weekend...

Like I totally love this picture. 

Hank watched Big-D the whole time he was putting the tree together, he stayed on his bed like a good boy and we eventually allowed him to lay on his bed in the living room once the tree was no longer laying on the floor.  I allowed him to sniff the tree while I was putting lights up but he was more interested in drinking the water out of the stand. He behaved really well around the tree but we aren't going to allow him to be around the tree unsupervised (ornaments are still sitting on the counter).

Be kind of cool as a Christmas card?

While Big-D was putting the tree together I got to play with a slower shutter speed and low light. 

I think this one would make a cool Christmas card as well.

Before: No light (aka I turned the flood light off).

After: 0.5 second shutter speed, zoom burst.

After: 1 second shutter speed, zoom burst.

The only half way decent picture I have of Hank by the tree and I still don't even like it.

Ugh we have no light in the living room. We have a flood light that we use so we can work out there. I think I will have to try again maybe during the day and see if I like the result a little better.

All lite up, flood light on.

Before: All lite up, no flood light. (I have since then fixed the lower branch lights.)

 After: O.5 second shutter speed, zoom burst.

 After: 1 second shutter speed, zoom burst.

After: 2 second shutter speed, zoom burst.

After: 3 second shutter speed, zoom burst.

Any one else put their Christmas tree up last weekend? Any tips for taking really good pictures of your dog and Christmas tree? 

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

Christmas Barware

I decided to play along with the NewlyWoodwards and the Dare to DIY gang. This week the project was to decorate your table. Okay that is pretty easy, I had some ideas of things I wanted to do. I just have one problem...this is the state of my dining room.

Movies, book, magazines and mail piled up. I don't even know what is in that blue bag or the Barnes & Noble bag. Fabric from a project. Washer and dryer. Under the table there is part of the refrigerator and the light fixture for the kitchen that I keep meaning to put up but haven't gotten to it. Let's not forget that handsome pup (and all of this toys shattered throughout my whole house). And under all that mess is a dining room table.

Okay so the guy is suppose to come in next weekend to start putting up the ceiling drywall. This means that we have nothing (except a couple garbage bags that are going out this week) in the living room and probably won't be able to have anything in there for a while. I am slowly becoming use to the fact that this is what my dining room looks like (along with the spare bedroom and office). I look at my dining room and I think I need to be on the hoarders show....ugh!!! 

Then I thought maybe I can do something nice to the island that we eat at. Then thought not the world's best idea, with Hank everything and I mean everything needs to be out of his reach and those cute little Christmas bulbs look like balls and he is a ball addict so yeah that wasn't going to happen.

I was depressed and didn't know what to do. Then it came to me in a dream (or when I was doing dishes) that I should totally decorate up those cute shelves next to my sink. (I think I might go to the store and get a couple strings of lights for around the window). Sorry for the horribly dark picture, that light above the sink is the only light in our kitchen, please see above for why that light is the only light in the kitchen. Also the Kongs aren't part of my decorations, just life living with a dog that is the same height as your counters and can open cupboards.

Close up of the left side.

I have a lot of bar ware, that I never use. And when I saw never use I mean it, my family loves to get me beer, wine, martini glasses. First off I drink beer from a bottle/can no need to make more dirty dishes that I don't want to clean anyways. Second off I don't drink wine or martinis. I do, however, have a massive shot glass collection. I bought a couple of different colored bulbs and filled the martini glasses and a couple of shot glasses for each shelf. 

Great Lake Loons, local baseball team. Ironically their team colors are green and red so I thought it worked with the color scheme quite well.

German Shorthaired Pointer ornament and a plain shot glass.

I got these polar bears from the pharmacy that I worked at a couple years ago. Penguin shot glass was given to me from Big-D's cousin when he went to the zoo in Chicago.

Close up of the right side.

We are Michigan State fans, therefore it only seemed right to have a green and white color scheme with a Michigan State shot glass.

I know Texas's colors aren't blue and white, however, I love my Texas Longhorns shot glasses. My mom has friends that live in Texas so I have quite a few shot glasses from Texas.  (I sometimes wish I was from Texas.)

Feel like something else needs to go on this self with the polar bears but all of the other shot glasses I have don't really go with the polar bears. Any suggestion?

I ended up having some leftover bulbs so I put them in this cute little bucket thing.

So I hope this counts...I decorated to entertain. However, no one comes over to my house because it's a mess and no one loves us that much. Just kidding, I just don't like people seeing my house in complete hoarder style. 

Next up figuring out how to keep a 9 month old GSP from attacking a Christmas tree.

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone! Hopefully y'all will have a very peaceful and relaxing Christmas Eve. Unlike me I have a few very important things that I need to get done before 7pm. That's right 7pm because that is when church is and I have a feeling once we get home from church and open stockings at Big-D's parents house I will not want to do anything else.

The few things I MUST get done today:

1. Change toilet handle
2. Put water heater connectors back on water heater
3. Install new light fixture in kitchen
4. Finish wrapping Christmas presents 

You heard read right I don't even have all my Christmas presents wrapped. If only I didn't have to be at work right now so I could be doing the few things that I have to get done done and not have a busy stressful evening ahead.

Oh well I guess someone has to pay my bill and I guess it might as well be me.

Okay I am done complaining.

Everyone enjoy your Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Christmas Stockings!

I have spent the last week making Christmas stockings for my parents, siblings, friends, cousins, and the important puppies in my life. After the first couple they became pretty easy and got done quickly. Only had a million and half things to do during the last week (including finals) so they took me a little longer than what I wanted to get them done.

I got the pattern for these stocking at Prudent Baby (I googled free stocking patterns and this was the first one that I found that seemed easiest). I also liked that I could use a little less then a half yard of fabric and I have a lot of scrap fabric so I really liked that as well.

First I layered the outside fabric (the fancy fabric), a layer of bating, and then the liner (coordinating color) and cut along the pattern. Then I flipped the pattern over and repeated the process.

Next I sewed along the edges on both the "front" and "back".

I used some scrap fabric and created a cuff (I made two of them) and cut a strip to sew on the bottom edge.

I attached the cuffs to the "front" and "back".

Then I folded the cuffs over and pined it down. Next pined the "front" and "back" together and sewed along the edge. Used a piece of ribbon (or scrap fabric) to create a hoop so the stocking can be hung.

Look at how cute...The purple one is for my sister Renee and the black and red one her husband (my favorite brother in-law) Justin. I bought those sparkly initials at Target for a buck. Unfortunately I couldn't find a L, a second M, and P so I found a fancier ones at Kohls.

I think I made a total of fifteen stockings for various different people. Even made one for myself but didn't  hang it up since I won't have anything to put in it. Don't they look so nice up on the mantle and around the fireplace. And look at the lovely decorated Christmas tree.

Didn't forget the puppy dogs stockings; just didn't have room around the "fire".

Close up on the Christmas tree. FYI- I'm in the process of moving and didn't feel like unpacking Christmas stuff just to repack it up (two days before Christmas). However, I did still want to be some what Christmas around the apartment so I drew this beautiful picture to put my presents around.

Now only if it can snow a little bit on Thursday night so we can have a white Christmas and not snow again until the next Christmas Eve.

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen