New Job

I got a job, I got a job, I got a job HEY HEY HEY HEY!
{ as sung to the tune of Little Rascals}

I am so beyond excited for my new gig ESPECIALLY because it means I will be getting OUT of the house and talking to Adults again! On top of all of that, it is working for one of the sweetest, most customer oriented business owners I know. The reason I pursued this little gem of a retail store, is because after shopping there for 4 years and being made to feel like family I knew that if I was going to leave Geovana and do something FUN that I enjoyed part time, I HAD to work at AnaBanana Kids in Naperville......Ever been there? If you haven't, you should. It is the utmost adorable one stop shop for children's clothing, gifts, accessories and the friendliest staff around. Juliet prides herself on customer service. From the moment you step through the door til the moment you leave shes engaged in your shopping, asking how your child,husband,sister,mother are doing and remembers details about your life like no one else. And the service doesn't stop with the owner! The entire staff, now my fabulous coworkers are equally as wonderful. They make shopping FUN, and especially nowadays when walking into a retail store feels more like a chore, where employees act as though were bothering them. Its quite the breath of fresh air to be welcomed and assisted as everyone at AnaBanana Kids does each and every visit. As if that wasn't enough, their prices are ALWAYS lower then the other area stores.....I wont name names but anyone that knows the brands, knows WHO and WHERE its carried....for way more! I'm all for a bargain, and AnaBanana Kids has everyday low prices in the boutique setting!

My original plan for this post was not only to RAVE about the store but to share pictures of the clothing, accessories, etc. The last couple days working we were so busy unpacking orders, keeping up with the online marketing and waiting on the ever so cool customers that I completely forgot to take a single picture! And on top of that, I have also been picking up shifts back at Vintage in Morris with THAT ever so awesome boss Cassie! I went from bored Momma, to busy Momma working 5 days a week again and I LOVE IT!!! I love that my husband is so darn amazing that he supports whatever it is I choose to do, from crafting to this blog to going back to work and leaving him with a daily honey-do list. He is the real reason I am able to chase all these mini dreams!

Since I was unable to capture a ton of photos at the store, I decided to make my little peanut model a few things I picked up today on my way out! I promise to follow up this blog with MORE store photos and again, if you haven't been there GET there! The store in at 8 W. Gartner in Naper, in the same plaza as Trader Joe's. Their sizes range from newborn, to size 10 in girls for most styles. Boys range from newborn up and their hair bow selection is top notch! If you cant it there, you don't need it! Also, the gift selection is nothing short of grand....all price points can be met, gift baskets can be made, and custom blankets can be ordered! From the Bears to the Cubs and Sox, all the sports in Chi City are covered as well!
Here are a few sneak peeks of the beautiful Mayoral clothing we've been busy putting out on the shelf! I was so excited to get first pick of my favorites from the collection, to bring home for Geovana! Please ignore the messy table behind her, she insisting on being photographed up there.....quite the demanding super model already!

 

 

 

I hope to see some of you soon at the store!! And please * like* AnaBanana Kids on facebook too!

 

Happy Trails, Elaine

MIA

Hello! I cant believe how long its been, We have had a crazy last couple of weeks. Between school, me going back to work, and fertility treatments starting....this Momma is EXHAUSTED!!!! I am really looking forward to my girls' night tonight ( aka dinner with a bestie and our 3 little Minis!) and "date night" Saturday....my husband ACTUALLY switched his schedule for the first time in a LONG time! I cant wait!!

I have been working on a BIG post and it's still a few days away, but in the meantime I want to share one of my favorite people in the world's blog. If you dont follow her, DO IT. I have know this amazing lady for over half my life (we are OLD) and her latest post has to be one of my all time favorite reads. So, sit back, relax, open a fresh bottle of wine (you know you have one chilled) and enjoy A Daily Dose of Davis on me ;)

http://www.adailydoseofdavis.com/

Recipes

How is everyones week so far? I am battling the caffeine withdrawls as I sloooooooowly wean myself off of my daily Diet Coke addiction.( no need to yell at me, I already know that its killing me slowly with no help from The Fugees) I am shakey, and I have a throbbing headache! I just keep telling myself.... MIND OVER MATTER! MIND OVER MATTER!

I have always loved cooking and experimenting with new recipes ESPECIALLY ones that substitute veggies for pasta and greek yogurt for butter, mayo etc! One of my best friends posted a zucchini lasagna she made last week and after some review decided that YEA! My husband will eat everything that is in there! haha He isnt a picky eater but he loves his pasta and butter....who doesn't?

So, I have altered the recipe to my liking and would love to share it with you! Now, I am mostly an Organic, non processed " nothing from a box" buying kinda girl BUT feel free to use your own variations of those items.

~~Zucchini Lasagna~~

Now, I based my recipe on serving 4 people (one of which is a 3 year old) and with leftovers. I knew we would want it for the next day haha

I used a pyrex that is 4 by 9 and I did NOT grease the pan.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees


You will need:
1 pound cooked ground turkey
3-4 decent sized zucchini, sliced and fork tender.
24 ounces Organic pasta sauce ( again, you dont have to use Organic) I chose to use homemade
10 oz. skim Ricotta
6-8 oz 0% Greek Yogurt. I am a HUGE fan or Trader Joes brand AND Fage
( I say 6-8 because depending on the "look" you may need to add more so its not dry)
2 LARGE handfuls spinach, chopped very fine
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Mozz cheese. ( I chose fresh from Whole foods that I shredded but obviously, use what you like!)
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup sweet onion (I am not an onion fan because of the texture so I sauted them with the meat)
salt, pepper or whatever seasonings you like. I used a dash and a pinch of each :)

heres the best part, in my opinion.....1 cup prepared (cooked) Quinoa

Now, if you are not a Quinoa fan you are crazy! (just kidding) its an accquired taste for sure but we love it! I usually buy the Whole Foods brand that comes in a clear bag.....its in the same aisle as their boxed foods.

So, to start.....cook up that meat and season it. I also include the onions and garlic with the meat.
Slice the zucchini and lay it all out in the pyrex, and cook in the microwave for about 5 minutes to make it fork tender.


In a large bowl....I stress large especially if you are as messy a cook as I ;) Mix the following:


Ricotta
greek yogurt
spinach
parm. cheese
half the Mozz cheese
s/p or seasonings to taste

Once everything is cooked, lay out a layer of zucchini, spread some of the ricotta mixture, and then some sauce. Another layer of zucchini, ricotta, sauce...and a third......NOW, heres my favorite PART! I am a huge cheese fan....the crispier and meltier, the BETTER!!! Obviously, the skinny girl deep down inside of me is screaming to get out so I HAD to find a cheese overload alternative....BINGO!!
I layed out all of my layers and instead of covering the entire top with cheese, I spread out the cup of prepared Quinoa and then the remaining 1/2 cup Mozz Cheese. The Quinoa gave it a crispy crust that seriously was out of this world and MADE this dish!

I baked it for about 45 mins until gooey and brown on top ( I checked, my inside temp was 150)

The layers stayed as intact as a noodle lasagna and that Quinoa gave it the perfect crispy crust!
It was a huge hit....so much so that geovana went back for seconds AND asked for it for breakfast, and lunch.

Let me know what you think! I would love for you to share pics of your baked deliciousness!!! This photo truly does not do the dish justice but by the time I got done eating, Phil had everything cleaned and I forgot to take better pictures! haha

Enjoy!

Xo Elaine




SALMON SALAD


A few of you saw my Salmon Salad on instagram and asked for the recipe so I figured I would just include it in todays post!


Growing up, when my Yiayia would babysit us, she would make us Salmon Patties. We would wait patiently while she cleaned and deboned the fish, and would make us eat the mushy bones because
"they are so good for you!" ( I will admit they are quite tastey!)

So, being on the health kick that I am I got it in my head that I would find a healthy crab cake recipe and after much searching, and no recipes appealing to me I settled for a salad instead and I was not disappointed whatsoever! Geovana my little guinea pig loved it and again, asked for fish for breakfast and lunch today (The salmon salad was tuedays lunch and the lasagana was tuesdays dinner!)

Here is how this yummy salad goes:

1 can Pink Salmon......this is one of the few items I buy in a can! but I have done my research and it is top notch :) I cannot remember the brand offhand! shame on me for not knowing!
Now, let me warn you that canned salmon is NOT for the weak stomached as you have to clean, and debone it yourself. Its rather simple but looks a little gross so be warned!
If you do not remove all the bones thats ok, they are very soft and will mash easily when you mix your salad.

I also sliced and mashed a whole haas avocado SO DELICIOUS!!! I used the avocado in lieu of mayo, which would be in a traditional salad of this kind.

I also added the following:

2 stalks finely chopped organic celery
3 large organic carrots, peeled and chopped very fine
1/4 cup sweet onion, again finely chopped. I am not a huge raw onion fan except for in tuna or salmon salads!
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
s/p
garlic

the last 4 ingredients are to taste.....the avocado is going to give it that rich creaminess

And, there you go!! Mix all of those tastey ingredients and enjoy!
I like to have extra for snacking.
Geovana enjoyed her salad on some delicious new bread I ordered from Peapod called breadsmith french peasant. She seemed to love it and I love knowing it was baked fresh just for my order!

I enjoyed mine by itself with a banana on the side....it was the perfect little lunch!
Do you have a favorite "salad" recipe? I would love for you to share it here!


Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by, Elaine

Eyes

Hi friends! Can you believe the weekend has come and gone again? We spent our Sunday together, at the Disney On Ice Rockin Ever After show and let me tell you, it was SPECTACULAR to say the least! Thanks again to my Mom and Dad ( Yiayia and Papou to Geovana) for surprising us with the best tickets! Right on the ice! Geovana spent the day on cloud 9, as did I! It was my first ice show and I can't wait to continue the tradition for years to come!

Today I want to talk about one of the most popular subjects for women.....makeup! I am a Junkie, self diagnosted of course and I will hop in the car in no time if I see a fancy new mascara advertised on tv......no joke, I will spend whatever it takes to fix this face ;) I used to spend a ridiculous amount on M.A.C. and Dior and others for mascara, but now, I focus the big dough on my foundation, powder, and blush all from Clinique (I have horribly sensitive skin and although everything else in my house is "chemical free" Melaleuca, I just cant bring myself to leave Clinique, theyve always done me right haha). Ive gone cheap on mascara and eyeliner lately and really have noticed a huge difference in the overall appearance of my lashes for the better!.......I also discovered the eyelash curler! YES, discovered, I know, I know, I must be living under a rock right?! BEST.DISCOVERY.EVER. If you dont have one, GET one. If you dont use one, TRY AGAIN. I never thought I needed it until I used it! I have tried EVERY mascara out there....every brand and I am telling you, these are the best of the best. You name it, Ive had it and I can say I will be heartbroken if any of these ever leave the market!

I have a terrible habit of leaving my makeup in the car and when you are dropping $50+ on a single tube of black magic it can be heartbreaking when the wand snaps off from the cold, or the mascara is runny from the heat SO I have switched to drugstore mascara, to alleviate the pain when I discover a broken runny tube! I decided I wanted to share my 4 top favorites and a few stragglers that almost made the cut! If you want a good tutorial thats basically "mascara for dummies 101" check out this makeup artists youtube video.....she gives a pretty decent step by step instruction on application:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl5jOgWpY2E

Now, let me start this with: I am NOT a photographer, I am not a model and I am NOT by any means a makeup artist....just a regular old gal trying to save money and look decent while doing it. I am going to share before and afters of my eyes so you can get the idea of what I am working with but please dont judge the uneven eyebrows that someone hacked a few months ago or the puffy, wrinkles under my eyes that are in need of some lift! haha

First up, my right eye before:

 

Quick 5 pumps of the lash curler:

 

 

And now, the mascara. For this eye I am using the following:

 

 

 

Benefits "they're real" is the most expensive I will be using, at $23 a pop it is pricey but I believe the best money can buy! I like it because it has a plastic applicator:

 

 

I always like to use 2 different mascaras for each makeup application, and with those 2, 2 different types of brush. So for this eye I am using the above plastic applicator, and then the traditional bristle as shown in the next 2 photos:

 

 

Together, they each do their given job and really make the last POP. Here is my right eye after 1 application of each above mascara. I used the "theyre real FIRST":

 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE RIGHT?! Below is my "before and after" I am in LOVE!!

 

Now, on to the left eye and 2 DIFFERENT mascaras

For this eye I did NOT curl the lashes first, I wanted you to see these 2 mascaras in action on their own ;)

 

Here are the 2 mascaras I used for the left eye:

 

 

And, their appropriate brush! Again, I used a plastic applicator first and the tradition bristle second. Now, the Almay one coat "get up and grow" advertises that it will assist in the natural growth of your lash.......Lets be serious here, its a gimmick. I used this mascara on its own for a full month and saw no result.....boo! But, I love the mascara otherwise! It really has a great one coat application!

 

 

So, here is my LEFT eye after one coat of BOTH mascaras:

 

Here are both eyes together! Not much of a difference, except I only used the curler on the right:

I dont know about you, but I think thats a drastic difference for someone who has short, straight, coarse lashes to begin with!

I love to experiment, and I am sure a few months from now I will be blogging again about something different that I am obsessed with but for now...these are it! I love that I have no clumping and I dont have to apply over and over. Also, I never ever use waterproof so the removal is as easy as pie with a little warm water, and tearfree Melaleuca kids shampoo ( because I am a big baby and cannot stand soap in the eyes!!)

Now, here are a few runners up!


The first, is great for thick, long lashes as it creates a great "cat eye" lash and curls as it dries.....I like this as a third for the above combos especially if I know I am going to be taking pictures

 

This next one is NOT for the messy mascara applier and I learned that the hard way! haha I am a blinker, and this mascara stays too wet too long therefore resulting in a MESS. I like how it looks, but it just wasnt the one for me.

This lash stiletto is a GREAT base ( as shown in the video tutorial) BUT it dries up in the tube SO QUICK!!!! I have given this one ample amount of tries but they ALWAYS dry up after less then a week, which is so disappointing because I love the long small applicator.

A few other of my beauty must haves:

The eyelash curler, my NEW best friend:

Clinque bronzer in 03 sunblushed....perfect for the winter "sunkissed" look. Dont forget your neck!

 

This is also a winter essential....and I love the inexpensive pricetag on elf makeup at Target!

This is the shimmering facial whip, which gives that sunkissed highlight to the upper cheek bone:

 

Liquid eyeliner pen......I have a hard time with this, because it always makes my lashes disappear! But, I learned that if I apply BEFORE mascara and not all the way at the lash base, then let it dry, apply mascara, THEN fill in the gaps....I have a much cleaner application without "losing" my lashes......Great for the cat eye:

 

This isnt the best "volumizing" lip gloss BUT I am out of Buxom which is the ultimate and got this at Cvs as backup and its darn close!

 

Clinque blush in 115 Smoldering plum (always reminds me of Eugene from Tangled haha)

Awesome color for over bronzer right at the cheekline, I always "smile like a donut" to establish the application point!

 

And, my go to powder ESPECIALLY perfect for foundation wearers!

My color is 07 Matte Neutral in the superpowder DOUBLE face makeup:

 

 

Thats it! I cannot wait to hear who tested, and loved the mascaras I talked about today! If you ahve something you think is better.......please share that too! And please remember, this is just my personal opinion and I am not a makeup artist......just a Mom who likes to experiment with my face :)

 

 

Until next time! Xo Elaine

 

 

 

 

Blanket Perfection

Hello!
One of my all time favorite things in life is the perfect blanket. I cannot even begin to tell you the amount of $ I have spent over the years to find just the right one. Whether it be for over the couch for reading time, on my daughters bed or even the comforter on ours....I am a stickler for all things soft and cozy.

The story of my custom baby blankets offered in the shop goes like this:

At about 39 weeks pregnant, emotional and uncomfortable I was stuffed from the perfect fattening breakfast and my Mom, sisters and I stumbled upon the cutest little girl's boutique! I cannot give names because theyre no longer in business and they went through court blah blah. I swear, I walked inside and the heavens sang to me, and since I already knew my little bouncing bundle was indeed a girl, this store was up my alley! And there it was, the perfect blend of soft, minky material, bright pink hues and a sickening pricetag of $88. But, being in the fat, uncomfortable, stuffed-from-breakfast state I was in, KA-CHING! that beauty was mine and I offically had "sucker" inked across my forehead.

Now, in my defense.......it's been almost 4 years, and been through over 100 washes and that badboy is still in MINT condition! But, alas, it sent me on a hunt for the perfect fabric to duplicate that gorgeous hunk of soft perfection. I ordered up as much material as my little sewing area could hold and enlisted the help of my amazing Yiayia (Grandmother, for all the nongreeks out there) and together, we created a blanket that was so close to the $88 investment I couldnt tell the difference whatsoever. Here we are, almost 4 years later and over 100 blanket sales, and I decided it was time for a little giveaway!

I have the most amazing customers, who not only have helped to support my little shop over the years, but continue to spread the word whether it be about this blog, or my facebook store, or the little area in Vintage (Dowtown Morris) that I used to rent,  they always seem to find a way to talk "Homespun Lane" and Thank you just never seems to be enough.......so here is the point of todays blog, before I ramble the day away!

Because of all the continuous support I have been given.....I want to give away 5 lavish, fancy, not so expensive blankets to 5 special Homespun Lane fans out there.....That's right, you heard me.....5!!!!!!

Here is how this is going to work:

1. You must follow the blog, which will give you one entry. You must then come to the blog, and leave me a comment after this post stating that you indeed followed me :)

2. For an added entry, you must share my blog on your facebook and ask that your friends follow the blog.

3. The above, will guarantee 2 blanket winners.......the following is what will need to happen for blankets 3,4,5 to be given away.

4. I must reach 100 followers on my blog for blanket 3 to be given away. This must happen by March 9th, exactly one month from today.

5. After sharing the blog with your friends on facebook, invite them to leave a comment on this post, telling me WHO (you) told them about the blog. If 20 NEW followers do so, that will be when I give away blanket #4.

6. IF and only IF we reach 200 followers by March 9th, then blanket #5 will be given away, randomly to one of the followers of my blog.....

Its that simple! I have so much amazing fabric laying around, and I want to give it away so I can then debut some NEW fabric waiting in the wings! How fun is winning something for free?! All blankets will be either hand delivered or shipped depending on where winner lives, and I will do all shipping the Week of March 15th, once all winners and entries have been tallied. This is just for fun, and obviously you don't HAVE to participate but let me tell you, once you get one of these blankets in your possession, you will be SO glad you participated!

On top of the giveaways, I will be running a deal that for every blanket purchased from Now, until March 9th, you will get an additional entry to WIN a blanket as well.....then you can keep one, and give one away!



I am so excited to give these gorgeous blankets away! And, on top of that gain more followers!

As an added bonus.....here are a few of the AMAZING new, unique fabrics that are available in the shop! Enjoy!

How cute are they?! I cannot wait to get to work on creating the perfect little blanket with these fabrics!

 

Now, let's get this party started!

Help me acheive my goal of 200 new blog followers by Marth 9th, and I promise you won't be sorry!!

 

Until we meet again, Xo Elaine