Just a quick update!

I had every intention of a blog update over the weekend but we got just a bit busy. Well here it is Tuesday and I am just getting to this. Not a whole lot to share except a quick alternative to the way you might cook your salmon patties or crab cakes, a little something we did over the weekend, and some recently finished crochet projects.

So first, the cooking tip. Do you like salmon patties or crab cakes? I love them!! No one else in the house eats them but every so often I will make up a batch of salmon patties to have as a snack. When my mother taught me how to make them, she showed me frying as the cooking method. I don't do much frying, mainly because I hate cleaning up after frying...LOL!! Here's an alternative...baking! I just mix up my ingredients like I normally would. I scoop out portions and put them in my muffin tin and broil for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes I take them out and flip them over in the cups then broil for another 5 minutes. It's so simple, it's healthier, and is way easier to clean up.

As for our weekend, I have mentioned before that my husband does a type of racing called drifting. Well last May the engine blew up in the car so it has been down all of this time. Well I am happy to say that he has gotten the racecar running again and was able to get back on the track this past weekend. I know he's extremely happy and I am happy for him since I love drifting, too. Here he is doing what he loves.

Here are some pictures of my 8-year-old son and my 7-month-old this weekend. As you can see, the baby is sporting another hat made by mommy and it's quite appropriate for the upcoming holiday this weekend.

As far as my crochet projects, I finished these hats for a customer. I never thought the "boob" beanies would be SO popular, but I have about 6 of them I am going to be working on this week.

Most of my crochet time is being taken up by a blanket for a friend of our family who is going to have a new grandbaby soon, so I have been working hard to finish that up and will post up here as soon as it's done.
Have a great week everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Have you missed me?

Agghhh!! I have NOT been keeping up with my blog as promised. Shame on me! Haha! I have been crazy busy with customer orders for Kristin's Kreations.

Here's some of the projects I finished up (definitely not as much as I wanted to finish due to me feeling a little under the weather)...
First is the "boob" beanie I made for my son. I am going to make a bunch of these to sell for both breastfeeding awareness and breast cancer awareness as well as make some for my breastfeeding mother's group I attend monthly.

I also made this really cute mermaid tail photo prop for a customer...

...some headbands for one of my Etsy customers...

...and a hat for my 6-year-old son who had a birthday this past week (he LOVES Cars!).

I even managed to fit in a neat little breakfast idea that I got from Pinterest. They are just canned cinnamon rolls that I put right in my waffle maker.

I just won 5 points on the SuperLucky Button!

I just won 5 points on the SuperLucky Button!: Superpoints is a members-only club where you earn great rewards for doing things online like taking surveys, watching videos or shopping.

Happy Hearts Day!!

Nothing much to post today. I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

Who here is on Pinterest? I haven't quite figured out how to add a "Pin It" button to my blog yet but I will work on that. I did do something today that I found on Pinterest. I made heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for my family for breakfast.

You just simply use your normal canned cinnamon rolls and shape them like hearts. Bake as directed on the can, and there ya have it!!

I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with lots of love!!

A little bit of everything

I was sitting here today thinking, "I haven't been keeping up with my blog very well." Today's post isn't about anything in particular. I will start with some more homemade baby food. You remember the post on the sweet potatoes right? Well since then I have done avocados and carrots.

The avocado was easy. I just let it ripen, cut it in half, yanked the pit out, and scooped out the meat. With the carrots you just boil them...lots and lots until they fall apart pretty much. I then drained the water from them and mashed them with the tater masher. After portioning everything out on a cookie sheet, I froze it and just like the sweet potatoes, bagged them up and put them in the freezer until my little man is ready to eat them.

Have I mentioned that I crochet? well, in case I didn't (LOL), here's a cute pic of my 6-month-old wearing a hat I made him. The heart-shaped mat in the picture is one that is for sale in my Etsy shop. There's a link to my shop at the top of this page for anyone interested in my crocheted goodies.

I will leave you on this Monday with a sweet picture of my son nursing. I hope you all have a great week!!

Makin' baby food...sweet potatoes for my Bentley

Bentley is my youngest of five children. For my older four I always just took the easy way and bought them baby food in the jar. Just a little FYI about jarred baby food...it is mostly water. Yes it's more convenient, but you are only paying for half of what the label says. In these tough economic times I need to make sure I get ALL of my money's worth. Bentley just turned six months old today, which means my little man will be starting solids. Today I decided to try making my own baby food and sweet potatoes were on the menu today.

you'll have to forgive the low quality of the pictures as my camera's flash decided to call it quits today.

So the first thing I did after giving me sweet potato a good rinse was to boil it for about 20 minutes. It may take a little longer depending on how big the potato is. A good test is to stick a fork in it to see if it's tender.

A great little tip I learned from my mother-in-law is to take the sweet potato directly from the boil in water and stick it in cold water. Let it sit for a bit and the skin will slide right off.

Once you've peeled the potato and made sure to remove any buds that may be on the potato, all yu have to do is mash it up. It would probably be easier to use a food processor, but really the potato was so soft that all I needed was a potato masher.

I then scooped out, by tablespoonfuls, the potatoes onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Each tablespoon holds about 1/2 ounce.

Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until the portions are solid. Then you can pop them off of the wax paper and stick them in a plastic freezer bag.

Now whenever it's time to feed my little man, I just take a portion out, warm it for a bit, add some breastmilk, and baby is ready to eat!

Of course, you can do this with other fruits and vegetables, too. The best part is that you know EXACTLY what your baby is getting!

My newest hat...and a great little model!

So I just wanted to post my newest hat here. It will probably be the one my son sports from now until Valentine's. This isn't the best quality picture, since I took it with my phone.

I will get some more of these made up in different sizes (NB, 3-6 months, 6-12 months) and post them up in my Etsy shop soon. You can get to my Etsy shop by clicking the banner at the top of my blog here. If you are a crocheter and would like the pattern only then just click this link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeezyMomsCreations?ref=ss_profile.

The Easiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever!

One of the things I take pride in is that I am a breastfeeding mommy. For almost 6 months I have exclusively breastfed my son Bentley. I never thought I would get so into something as simple as giving my baby the best nutrition ever. I mean come on, it's just milk...or not. (Yes, this is where I go off-subject on my breastfeeding rant.) Breastfeeding is the most natural, best gift anyone can give their baby. Now I'm not saying that you are wrong or a bad mom if you don't...to each his (well, her) own. So back to these muffins. I go to a monthly group called M.O.M.S. (Mothers of Milk Support). The main focus of our group is of course, breastfeeding, but we also talk about anything mommy-related. A few months back we discussed nutrition and how to disguise fruits and veggies for our picky little eaters at home. The lovely lady who heads up the group showed us a simple way to make muffins that are healthy and great for us who are frugal.

So here is the ingredient list:

Yup, that's all...just one box cake mix and one can of pumpkin. You just mix the two together and scoop it into your muffin pan and bake at the recommended temperature on the cake mix box. you are not limited to the white cake as shown. In M.O.M.S. Group we were treated to some that had been made with a devil's food mix and some that had been made with a spice cake mix. They were both delicious.

All it takes is 30 minutes and they are done!

And there ya have it...quick, easy, and delicious muffins. And since pumpkin is loaded with Vitamin A and fiber, they aren't bad for ya either!

Cool Breastfeeding Facts

Since I am a breatfeeding mommy, I thought I would look up some interesting facts on mommy's milk. This list is straight from this site: http://forums.ivillage.com/t5/Newborn-to-6-mo-Questions/Cool-Gee-Whiz-Bf-Facts-poll/m-p/19590587.
Did you know....
1.Human milk has over 300 ingredients, including interferon, white blood cells, antibacterial and antiviral agents, while formula has only 40 ingredients.
2.Human milk has been shown to kill cancer cells in a laboratory dish and has been used in oncology.
3. The human breast "custom-makes" antibodies to fight whatever pathogen the infant is exposed to in the environment.
4. Breast milk has been used to treat eye infections, ear infections, pimples, cold sores, and nail fungus and prevent infection in scrapes and scratches.
5. In some parts of the world, donated organs are bathed in breast milk for the protective factors.
6. There were 22 "significant" recalls of formula for potentially life-threatening situations.
7. Human milk lactoferrin is patented for use in killing E. Coli in the meat packing industry.
8. Donor milk is being used to treat malabsorption and short-gut syndromes, renal failure, inborn errors of metabolism, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, immunodeficiency diseases, burn cases, cardiac problems, and infectious diseases such as intractable diarrhea, gastroenteritis, infantile botulism, sepsis, pneumonia, and hemorrhagic conjuctivitis in both children and adults.
9. Adoptive moms, grandmothers, and yes, even men (!) have been able to lactate for an infant.
I bet ya didn't know all of that about breastmilk, huh?? Feel free to add more in the comments!! Have a great weekend you guys!

Lighthouses of the NC Outer Banks

Since my sister-in-law lives at Hatteras, we will visit the OBX from time to time. Back in October my husband were married on the Island. We decided to take the ferry instead of driving so that we could get that sense of "taking a cruise" to our wedding destination. We first arrived on Ocracoke Island before getting on the ferry to Hatteras Island. I am somewhat fascinated by lighthouses. Here is a picture I snapped of the Ocracoke Lighthouse:

We recently headed back to the Outer Banks to spend Christmas with our family. I made it a point to get good pictures of both the Cape Hatteras and the Bodie Island lighthouses:

Hopefully throughout the year we can visit the other lighthouses in NC as well as in South carolina, Virginia, and maybe some of the other southeastern states.

New blog stuff coming in the new year...

It seems I haven't been doing this blog thing quite right. I am hoping that in 2012 I can keep this page updated and give you lots of fun stuff to read about. In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's and stay safe!!

Crocheting...no it's not your grandmother's sport anymore!!

The summer I was 12, a friend of my mom's taught me to crochet. I did nothing more than make a few granny squares. A couple of weeks later, I never touched another crochet hook, until I turned 27. I was pregnant with my youngest child, on bedrest, and wanted to pass the time, while making her something special. So I picked up a pattern, went and bought some yarn and made this for my HayleyBug:




Since then I have not been able to put my crochet hooks down. I love to crochet. I think it's sorta like therapy for me. I usually make gifts for new babies or items at my friends; request, but now I've ventured into trying to sell my items. I've only made one sale so far. but hey I'm just starting out.

I have an online shop on a site called Etsy. Here is a link to my Etsy page: http://kristinskreations11.etsy.com. Stop by and take a look...see if you find something you like. Keep checking back for newly added items periodically. Also, if you see something on this page you would like made, just drop me an email at gallardok11@gmail.com.

I ran a promotion on my Facebook fan page that if I got to 100 fans, then the 100th fan would get a free hat in their choice of colors...well here's the 100th fan hat. also, if you'd like to check out my fan page then just click the link at the top of the page.



Cody's sister Stacy decided to give a few of my hats as gifts to friends...these two hats were for some children she knows:




My oldest daughter Kaitlyn had a birthday party to attend and needed a gift at the last minute, so I whipped up this hat in the same yarn that I stitched Kaitlyn's hat in the year before.



My boyfriend Cody is into a type of racing called drifting so he wanted me to make something for his car. This is a cover for his master cylinder. I used the pattern for the coffee cozies I make but made it a little bigger. As for the Hello Kitty, I had a pattern for the head but had to add to it to make it bigger and just sort of did my own face by looking at a picture on the internet. I was quite proud of myself for this one and can't wait to make some more Hello Kitty stuff.



My boyfriend's sister Stacy recently had a baby...here is the blanket I made for the baby:


...and here's the hat I made to match the blanket:



I decided to make my boyfriend Cody a beanie for this winter:



My March 2010 Ravelry Blocks (Half-N-Half Square):



Here are my February 2010 Ravelry Blocks (Violet 12" Square):



I am a member of a crochet community online called Ravelry. They have a group called the 2010 Block-a-Month CAL (crochet-a-long). Every month they will post a square you can make, resulting in a whole afghan at the end of the year. I have decided to do 7 different color schemes as I can choose to keep, sell, give as gifts, or donate to charities at the end of the year. So here are my January blocks (E-ZEE V-ZEE Granny Square).


I made this beanie and coffee cozy for a couple of people who are Pease Greeters. Please take the time to check out their site PeaseGreeters.org. These great people are a group folks who join together at Pease International Airport which is where a large number of deployed troops either come into the States or leave out of the States. The Pease Greeters have food for the troops and cell phones for them to call loved ones and just really do what they can to make them feel appreciated for their service. I made some extra beanies and coffee cozies to sell in my Etsy shop and 10% of sales will go to the Pease Greeters organization.



My friend Robert lost his beanie, so he asked me to make him a new one:


I made these Breast Cancer Awareness Coffee Cozies to donate to an event called Night at the Races. Please check out their site and if you're in the PA area you might wanna attend as they raise money to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation. I also made some to sell in my Etsy Shop. 10& of sales from the coffee cozies in my Etsy Shop will be donated to the Save the Ta-Ta's Foundation.




Here are some beanies I made in NFL colors. They are for sale in my Etsy shop:



I made these for a couple of friends who served as infantry soldiers in Iraq, hence the light blue stripe (light blue represents "infantry").


A beanie I made as a thank-you gift for my friend Casey.


This is a scarf I made as a thank-you gift for Casey's friend Kimi.


I made this scarf for my mom to give to her for Christmas.


This is a set a friend of mine bought to give as a Christmas gift. He said the recipient works for the domestic violence center, hence the dark purple ribbon, and her favorite color is green.


The same friend of mine who bought the set above also bought thiet for his girlfriend:


Camo beanie I made at the request of a friend.


I just finished these two nights ago. My two older children wanted me to make them winter hats to match their coats so here they are. Believe it or not, they are made from the same pattern with a little altering to make the hats different.


My friend Corey saw my awareness hats and asked that I please make him one. He drives a demolition derby car and they do a fundraiser for breast cancer so he thought he would like to have a hat to match his pink car. :) He asked that I also add the purple ribbon for general cancer awareness in memory of his mother who has passed away from cancer. Here is that hat:


I couldn't sleep one night so I made this...I will definitely be making some more like this one in black with a pink ribbon and some lighter pink ones with a pink ribbon and some teal ones for ovarian cancer. This one is for sale for $10.00 on Etsy for $10.00 with proceeds going to the Save the Ta-Ta's Foundation.



Here is my hat that I made for Ovarian Cancer Awareness. I is for sale on Etsy.com for $10.00 with proceeds going towards the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:


I used the leftover scrap yarn from my daughter Hayley's blanket to make these cute little hats to donate to an organization called Newborns in Need. They collect handmade baby items to donate to babies in the hospital.


These newborn hat/bootie sets are for sale on my Etsy for $6.50 per set. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the March of Dimes. They make great baby gifts!!


My friend Lindsey wanted a unique baby gift to give a friend so she custom-ordered a baby size of the girly skull blanket. I added a little scalloped border to "girly it up".


I made this set for my friend Bubby's sister who just had a precious little baby girl. I think it came out really cute.


I had found the chart for this online and wanted to try it out so I gathered up some scrap yarn and made a potholder for my mom. I eventually plan to use it to make some afghans to sell. A percentage of any of my pink ribbon creations will be donated to Save the Ta-Tas:


I found this chart online also. It started out as just a normal skull and crossbones, but I wanted to make it girly, so I added the bow. I gave this to my friend Ashley as a gift. I can also make the normal version without the bow and can size it down for a baby/child sized blanket. I'm also going to play around with the chart to give the skull a "mohawk". I think that would be kinda cool! LOL


This is a blanket I made as a gift for my friend Andrew:


Here is a blanket that I am donating to Forever Warm. This organization was created to provide parents of stillborn children with a blanket that they can wrap their children in for pictures and/or burial. Parents are also given the choice to keep the blanket as a personal keepsake to remember their child:


This blanket recently sold on Etsy:


Here is a blanket I made that I am donating to Project Linus. This organization provides blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need: