Tired Smiles

For some reason it has been a difficult week. My baby girl has decided that 2 am is the new 7 am, and sleeping is just plain lame. I have a sneaky suspicion she is trying to put Leonardo Da Vinci's sleeping habits to shame. Legend has it that he only slept 15 minutes every 4 hours and it looks like my child is following in his footsteps. Although I'm ecstatic to have my own little genius, I am definitely NOT one. This mama enjoys her sleep and lots of it!

I can't tell you how mean and ornery I've gotten. I'm actually really embarrassed how I've snapped at everything and everyone. I think what finally slapped me back together was setting my daughter down on her play-mat and handing her one of her toys. She sleepily looked up at me--tired because she had been crying for awhile--and gave me such a glowing smile it made my heart melt. I couldn't help but smile back and she then began to giggle. We are all human and make mistakes but I don't want to miss out on this time in her life! She is excited to learn and grow and I need to help foster that. 

There is so little time that I'm embarrassed to have wasted some of that. Well, little girl is snoozing away for now and here I am. Awake, tired, but happy. And on that note I will sign off.

If at first you don't succeed...

Thomas J. Watson was the CEO and chairman of International Business Machines (IBM) during one of the greatest growths the company ever had from 1914 to 1956. Watson was a self-made man who went through multiple jobs before finding success with IBM. Before he died in 1956 he was considered one of the richest men of his time and the New York Times called him the world's greatest salesman. This man also left a gem of advice that came quite in handy today. Here is the formula for his success:

"It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged from failure or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you'll find success."

-Thomas J. Watson

And on that note, let me tell you about Mama's Wooden Spoon's first vending fair today. It was just a small community yard sale but I felt like I made a fool out of myself! I found out how ill-prepared I am to set up a display worthy of MWS. Having to juggle a five-month old while setting up is tough in itself, especially when you even forget the table! I tried to make due with some cardboard boxes and a tablecloth which is a terrible combination when mixed with the wind. I guess I was going for shabby chic? It was a day that would have made Lucille Ball proud!

But with that disaster of a display I found out how important it is to be prepared. I came home and looked up some Gucci folding tables for my next vending event. I'm learning as my small business is growing. What's important is that I am fixing the mistakes I make. I believe in Mama's Wooden Spoon. Even one of the greatest salesmen like Thomas Watson had to start somewhere. I'm excited to document the beginning of my own business through the ups and the downs.

For the Love of Bacon

Hello everyone!

I know I need to tell my story and all that jazz, but a mama only has so much precious time to write a post before her child wakes up from a nap. I know, I know. How could I possibly begin to complain about the lack of time with only one child. Well, I won't start. It'll take up too much time anyways, but I would like to give a shout out to all those mamas with multiple chitlin's out there. Kudos and God bless!

Anyways, I figured that since Valentine's was coming up I better go ahead and post this tutorial on how to make bacon roses. Not those lame ones that use skewers to make bacon on a stick. I wanted the full ambiance of bacon on a stick of fake flowers. Much more classy. I really can't think of a better present to give to a husband. Mine will be working late that night as he's in specialty training for the military. This present really is a two-fer. Use the stem of the roses to make a bouquet of bacon for dinner (or breakfast makes more sense for most people,) and use the petals for dessert. Is there anything more sensual and romantic for a dude than that? I had one problem, I was unable to attain all the tools that would normally be used for bacon roses. I couldn't find any kind of disposable muffin tin and wasn't going to ruin a perfectly good one by drilling holes into it. Most bacon rose tutorials require these materials. So, I simply didn't use any kind of muffin pan. On that note, here we go.

What you will need:

• Bouquet of fake roses from any craft store
• Wire Drying Rack
• Pan to catch access grease
• Bacon
• Preheated oven to 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit
• Vase

It's that easy. No toothpicks, no drills or nails, just use what you already have in the kitchen.

Michael's had these set of roses for 60% off $1.99. I bought two which will make a total of 16 bacon roses.

Strip the petals off but keep the leafy base and the "plug" that will be found at the very center of the rose bud. Put the leaf base and plug back on the stem leaving about 1" of the stem on top. Don't throw away the plug as the leaf base will be too loose to set the bacon on. You can tape it if you want to, but I knew my husband would eat the bacon and didn't want glue that close to his food. Even if it is dry glue it just weirds me out.

Here's a closer look.

You'll be left with this mess of petals. Cut them up to make individual petals for a romantic night.

Now take your the wire drying rack and put it on top of the pan to catch the bacon grease. (Doesn't really even need to be a step does it?)

Now the good stuff. Roll each slice of bacon into a rose shape with the fatty side down. Tapper it off so that the inside is slightly higher than the outer part of the rose. I bought regular bacon and "center-cut" which is shorter in length and a little thicker to create different sized rose buds. If possible you can try and fan out the lean side, (which should be facing up) to try and create the blooming effect.

Place the bacon roses on top of the wire drying rack, fatty side down. Don't worry about having them fall down. It's not the end of the world.

Bake the bacon at 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes occasionally checking on them. I babysat mine to make sure I didn't burn them. I wanted to slightly undercook them so my husband could still warm them up and eat the rose buds. Cool and place at the top of the stem of roses. Place in a vase and let others marvel at your handiwork.

And there you go. Thanks for reading and please comment with any comments or questions. I'll be happy to answer them!