DIY No-Sew Crib Rail Cover

I woke up to teeth marks and paint missing from Levi's crib railing. And I wanted a solution before he went to bed that night. I found a tutorial online and tweaked it a bit.

You need three things: fabric (fleece would work best), measuring tape, and scissors.

I measured the longest side and it was 51 inches.

Then, I measured the height of the and added 5 inches below the railing, which in my case was 10 inches. But I have to take into account the other side, so I need to double that. So that would be 20 inches.

Then I measured the length of the side rails. It was 28 inches.

And the height, adding 5 inches below the railing, was 6 inches. Double that, and it's 12 inches.

I cut the first piece of fabric to be 51 inches x 20 inches. I laid it over the railing to make sure I had the correct measurements. 

I then took a pair of scissors and cut along each vertical railing up to where it ends.

I did it to just the one side, then folded the fabric in half and laid it on the floor. I used my first cuts as guidelines and made the same cuts on the other side.

I tied the fabric that fell in between the open slots in double knots.

As you can see, every other strip of fabric was left hanging, so I tucked it in. 

First railing done!

I did the same thing for the sides.

All covered!!

No more bite marks and missing paint for this little guy!

Crab Rangoon

My mother-in-law told me there was a sale on crab at Jewel, so I decided to make crab rangoon and egg drop soup! I've been meaning to make crab rangoon ever since I had some at Big Bowl during our last Girls' Night. But do you really need an excuse? Absolutely not!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz cream cheese, room temp
• 6 oz crab meat
• 1/2 bunch green onions
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Package of wonton wrappers
• Canola oil 

The first thing I did was cook the crab legs. I bought about 2 pounds of crab and boiled it for 5 minutes in water. Then I took all of the meat and separated if from the shell.

In a mixer, I combined the cream cheese, salt, powdered sugar, green onion, and crab.

I put 1 tbsp of the filling on each won ton wrapper.

You can fold it in many different ways, but I chose to fold the wrapper so it made a little pouch. I wet the edges of the won ton wrapper with water I used a paper towel that I dipped in water. The steps of how I folded the wrapper are pictured below.

All done and ready to fry! Make sure all of the edges are closed so that no filling can escape during the frying. 

I fried them in canola oil and then placed them in a baking dish lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

They were absolutely delicious! You could dip them in sweet and sour sauce if you have that on hand.

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

DIY Paper Wreath

At MOPS a few weeks ago we were given the craft to make a paper wreath, and with two babies, I decided to take the craft home. I finally got the time to make it and it was surprisingly easy!

The materials needed are: 

• Pages of a book, ripped out. I took a black marker and colored the three exposed sides of the book before I ripped the pages out. 
• Marker with a flat and wide base (I used a dry erase marker)
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Foam tube, ends taped together, approximately 12 inches in diameter
• Twine
• Sharpie (Or any pen-like object)

First, I tied a bow with the twine at the point of the foam circle where the two ends met and secured it with hot glue.

Then, I took one page and put the marker at the center and folded the page around the marker.

I then put a dab of hot glue on the flat end.

Lastly, I held the page to the wreath. You need to hold it in place for about half a minute and let the glue set. A third of the way through, I started to use a sharpie and inserted it into the middle of the page to push it into the wreath.

Completed wreath! It actually turned out pretty big, And it looks great!

Organizing a Small Pantry

Our pantry was overflowing and messy. And it was about time that I went through everything to make sure nothing expired was taking up valuable pantry space. Because folks, my pantry is tiny. 

Don't judge! Here is my pantry before (Notice the loose potatoes on the floor!). I'm embarrassed. 

And after! My husband and I went to Target and they have these awesome bins with removable dry erase tags. LOVE! And each bin came with an extra blue tag that I snagged for one bin that I had previously (the red one). 

I keep onion and garlic in the basket to the right because it keeps it dry and out of the light.

Heavy appliances on the right and miscellaneous on the left (chips, snack, chip clips, etc.).

Crock Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

On cold winter days, who doesn't love soup? Especially broccoli cheddar soup! It's one of Will and I's favorite things to eat- and I've been wanting to make a version using out slow cooker for awhile. All you'll need to complete this meal is a loaf of french bread!

To start, melt 1/3 cup of butter in a skillet. Add 1 1/2 cups of chopped onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then add 2 cloves of minced garlic, 6 tbsp flour, and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the flour into the butter to make a roux for about 2 minutes. While whisking, pour in 2 (12 oz) cans of evaporated milk until smooth.

Then pour the milk mixture into a slow cooker and then add 5 cups of chicken broth, 5 cups of broccoli florets, and 1/8 tsp dried thyme. Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours.

After cooking, turn heat to LOW or WARM and add 1/2 cup of heavy cream. 

Lastly, add 12 oz of shredded sharp cheddar and 2 oz of grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy :)

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis