Making An Effort Monday

In an effort to make more of the things I love -- good food, pretty things, and organized spaces -- I bring you Making An Effort Monday!

This week I managed to end what had been a month-long exercise in frustration and futility.  It was fan-bloody-tastic.


You see, I had gotten it into my head that I could make big gorgeous bows for my darling daughter's head.  If you are a sucker mom who has bought bows, you know it is rather ridiculous.  And I found a bag of 25 alligator clips at Hobby Lobby for $4!!!  And they have spools of adorable ribbon -- $1 for 19 feet!!!  I can do this!  I can do this!


Not so much ...

I think I visited EVERY SINGLE "how to make hairbows" website on the Internet.  Yup.  All of them. 

Then, FINALLY, on Friday night, I sat down at the table and told Jeremy I wasn't getting up until I had an adorable bow to match this adorable outfit my mom bought for Josephine and she was going to be wearing to a bridal shower the next day:

(Are you dying of cuteness?  I know!)

And I did it!


The first one I made was still a little wonky

I mean, that right side is pretty kick-ass, but the left side ... oh well, it looked okay in her hair, especially if you are standing far away.  See?

Then, lo and behold, I found the right combination of instructions and tips from about nine websites, and I made this:

And then this!

And then this!

And then this!

They're not the most fantastic things ever, but I LOVE them.

Then, in baby-food-making land, I made and froze sweet potatoes, butternut squash, butternut squash with a pinch of cinnamon (we are getting close to our foray into spices!!), spinach, green beans, bananas, and pears.

YUM.

I didn't have a new recipe this week, but I did trot out an old favorite last night.  It's kind of the opposite of "making an effort" since it is so easy peasy, but I thought I'd share it anyway, because it is amazingly fantastic.  It is not the healthiest thing on the planet, but it might be one of the most delicious things.  

Chili Cheese Dip (from the fabulous Arlene Marcetti aka Mom)

I took pictures of the steps so you could keep up.  It's tricky.

1.  Spread a package of cream cheese onto a plate (I use the 1/3 less fat kind.  My mom says don't bother trying the fat free one because it ends up like crumbled pieces of chalk once it gets heated up.)  

2.  Spread a can of chili on top of that (Now here's where you can get creative.  I strongly believe the dip should have turkey chili with beans, but mama says NO BEANS in the dip.  I say, do whatever your heart tells you.  I would not recommended the vegetarian Hormel chili unless you have a stomach of steel.  Also, the canned chili obviously contributes to the "non-healthy-ness" of the recipe, but it also contributes to the easy factor.  I have also used some leftover homemade chili before.  If you do, just use about one cup.)

3.  Sprinkle with cheese.  I use 4-cheese Mexican blend, but co-jack and cheddar are equally delicious (My sister says I use too much cheese.  Big surprise.  I say, sprinkle until you are happy, but if you use too much it won't all melt, so probably about a cup.)

4.  Heat in microwave for about 5 minutes (depending in your microwave), until all cheese is melted.

5.  Use tortilla chips to shovel into face.

I sprinkle my side liberally with jalapeños, but Jeremy doesn't like them.  He's lame like that.

The end!  If you make the chili cheese dip, let me know how amaze-balls it is.  Happy Monday!