Since the day we moved in I have not been a fan of the brass chandelier light in our front hall.  It just was not my style.  Here is how I converted a cute candle lantern into a light fixture in our hallway.  I hope that it might inspire you to create one of your own.  This is the old fixture.

I found a cute candle lantern at Pier 1 that matched our decor.  It had a door so I could change the light bulb and it had a wooden bottom that I knew I could cut out tin order to let the light shine out of the bottom.  I had found a cute one at Target as well but it was a metal bottom which made it more difficult for me to cut out.

I took out the metal plate that was glued to the inside bottom of the lantern.  Conveniently that made a nice template to use for the cut pattern to remove the wood from the bottom without destroying the integrity of the lantern.

Next I inserted the lighting fixture through the top of the lantern (which conveniently had a hole already) from the inside.

It was ready to be installed.  The next step was to paint the brass canopy white to make it match the decor.

The last step was to have it installed into the ceiling.  Fortunately, my husband knows a lot about wiring so he was able to install it for us but please use an electrician to install a light fixture properly.  Here is the finished product…

Hooray my old brass chandelier is gone and I love our new light fixture!

Category : Newborn Assistance

Here is a cookie with a little kick.  These are a double chocolate chip cookie with chipotle powder and cinnamon.  They are a great sweet with enough of a twist that they don’t feel too sweet.  They are delicious with some vanilla ice cream!  My daughter loves these even with the spice.

Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened but still firm
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, chipotle powder and salt; set aside. In a medium heatproof bowl melt chocolate on medium power for 1 minute.  Stir even if chips look whole.  Add 30 seconds more at half power if needed, until melted. Stir after each heat until smooth. In a small bowl, beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork, sprinkle espresso powder over to dissolve, and set aside.
2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 40 seconds. Do not over beat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoop-able and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1 ¾ inch diameter ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets spacing 1 1/2-inches between each.
4. Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.
5. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire rack and cool to room temperature; remove with wide metal spatula.

Category : Newborn Assistance

Our 5 Favorite Functional Bags

These bags each have a different function.  You will not need all of them as some can be used in place of others.  Having said that, you might need all of them.  The first one is a great carry-all, The Boho Bag.  You can just dump everything in here and tote it with you where ever you might be headed.  If you have kids this would be a great day trip bag to have the umbrella, lunch, diapers, snacks, water, wipes, suntan lotion, and towel as well as all the normal essentials like wallet, make-up, phone and keys.  It is from Coco and Olive (a “find” for great gifts as well).

The second bag makes having the Boho Bag possible.  I often want to grab my wallet and run in a store so I don’t have to carry my big purse but when I have one of my children this leaves me without a hand to shop with.  A wristlet from Coach or another brand allows you to grab your wallet, keys, lip gloss and maybe even sunglasses to run in the store for a quick purchase with the essentials yet still be hands-free.

The third bag is a great find! The Vera Bradley Ditty Bag has a beautiful, very Vera, pattern on the outside and a waterproof lining on the inside.  The perfect bag for a wet swim suit this summer or even a juice-soaked shirt.  It folds small so you can carry it in your pool bag or larger purse for those emergencies.

Our fourth bag is a make-up/toiletry bag that is as adorable as it is functional.  This bag from Amy Butler (Amazon carries it) has all the great features of a great travel toiletry bag with great fabrics.  There are many pockets with zippers to keep everything in it’s place and to minimize damage from leaky bottles.

The final bag ends in the same domain as we began, BIG, but this is bigger.  The Crush Can from the Container Store has so many uses.  It is sold as a laundry bag.  It serves this purpose well, light weight, crush-able when not in use but stands upright and holds is shape when needed.  The Crush Can should come with you on all road trips.  It can help you haul things to the beach – buckets, shovels, towels, volleyball set, etc.  It can be your travel bag for those items in the car.  It is a great bag for a high-school or college grad to use for road trips, laundry, or running to warehouse stores to grab those big items.  From experience, they are durable.  I have had mine for 3+ years. The straps are still on, there are no holes and I use it for all the functions listed above!!

I hope these great finds are ones you might use.  Let us know what your favorite functional bag is – from our list or another you have found!!  Maybe we will post your find on our Pinterest site!!

Category : Find &Newborn Assistance

Behind the Beautiful Forevers:

Life, death and hope in a Mumbai undercity

by Katherine Boo

Katherine Boo spent years researching the slums of Mumbai.  Her novel captures glimpses of many residents of a particular slum adjacent to the Mumbai airport. The descriptions allow you to see the appalling conditions combined with the many facets of human nature.  The result is is very compelling read.  Make sure to read the author’s note at the end.  It is remarkable what she did to research her book. For more information: Read More.

Category : Books &Newborn Assistance

Spring Cleaning

Although this picture captures what many of us feel, we can’t live in the clutter that our children create.

There is no rite of spring quiet like the spring clean. So let’s get to work. Checkout this great checklist
from the queen of clean, Ms. Martha herself. Make it a little easier on yourself by taking on each room
individually—don’t think of the square footage you have to clean (eek!), but divide and conquer. While
you are at it, start delegating to the little ones. Having your children take on some of the cleaning not
only helps you, but it teaches them responsibility, plus they will make it fun! Here are some ideas on
how you can get your kids involved in your spring cleaning routine:

• Give your toddler a dry duster rag to wipe the baseboards.
• While you’re folding the laundry, spread out a few pairs of socks. Have them match their pairs together.
• Give them a few laundry items and tell them where they go. You’ll see how quickly they pick up where their socks and PJs should go.
• Picking up their toys and books

For more great ideas on how your kids from 18 months to 7 years old can help you around the
house, checkout this great list. Ready, set, clean!

Check out our site for great cleaning ideas.

Category : Home &Newborn Assistance