Fields of Gold

Sweets Cake

2012-01-28T16:12:00.002-06:00

Awakening my blog finally. What better way than with one of my recent cakes. Fondant lollipops were so much fun to make and relatively easy for sure :o)

Purse Cake Tutorial...Finally!

2011-10-30T13:40:00.002-05:00

Start by baking your layers. I chose a 10" pan for this cake. After they a thoroughly cooled, you can place the layer together to make the cut for the bottom of the purse. After the bottom has been cut, start to add the buttercream. I chose a thick consistency for this since we will be standing it on it's side. This was my first attempt at doing this and was hoping that it wouldn't come tumbling down! It never did...Yay!

Here is a shot of the cake iced and standing.

I chose to carve a few "dents" to give it a more natural look once the fondant was put on. Now it's crumb coated.

Next I rolled my fondant out and measured a circle from the 10" pan.

From here I apologize for lack of pics during steps, it was pretty late at night. I cut circles for both sides of the purse and then measured the strip that would go in between.

I added chocolate fondant to cover the seams of the pink fondant and give the purse the leather edging. Notice the handles? Yep they flopped their way down. Next time I will have to use gum paste, chocolate fondant is great, smells wonderful (think Tootsie Rolls!), but it takes a really long time to harden.

embellish with a bow and Viola! I added the pink fondant "tissue paper" to hide the fact that the cake board. Happy decorating!

Now That's Juicy

2011-08-26T17:41:00.005-05:00

Here is a purse/bag cake that I did last weekend. I've never done one like this before and there aren't many tutorials on how do one so I did take a few pics along the way and will hopefully have enough to post a "how to" soon. I did learn that my freehand isn't too bad, but I need some more practice .

Ninjas Go to School

2011-08-10T13:44:00.002-05:00

This summer we had Ninjas in our backyard and I haven't been blogging.

Seen here is the "floating Ninja"

But school started today. Sweet Pea is almost as big as her third grade teacher and she's pretty much a foot taller than the other kids in class. Is there a magic pill to give her to stop growing for maybe just a year, clothes are getting expensive. I can't help but look at Little Man and think that he's not so little anymore. Plus he learned how to burp this summer. Not small burps mind you...really deep down, gross burps that Daddy can be proud of, as long as he doesn't do this in public. Boys...sheesh.

Projects are coming! Recycled Flight suit will be made into a diaper bag for a dear friend of mine. Maybe another bag or two and some pillows. Anyone found Pinterest yet....yes I'm late on that wagon. LOVE iT!! Now I don't have to write down my ideas anymore. My husband will have to come pry me away from the computer at night however.

I'm Proud To Be...

2011-07-05T14:55:00.003-05:00

And I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Thinking about all our friends and relatives who make us so proud. I love this song, I actually can't listen to it but a few times a year without crying like a baby. This military brat grew up hearing this song all the time, and is often heard while friends and family send off their loved ones and upon return.

With family in town for the 4th, we talked about the recent tornado that came through our town. I never mentioned it on here, but our home was within a few miles of the April 27th EF-5 that swept through northern Alabama. Scary, scary day. We all have stories, each one so intense, scary and full of thankfulness. For those less fortunate, I want to remember them as well as those still putting their homes back together or rebuilding. Going a week without electricity was a luxury compared to what other's were going through and still are.

Still rebuilding lives, pics from down the road.

Finding little treasures all over my backyard...

I was waiting around for this little guy for an hour or so just to catch him gorging on the sunflowers I planted just for him and his wifey. Gold Finch's make me happy in my weird and sometimes annoying animal loving way.

But while I waited, someone else was visiting my little flower garden.

Now get closer...

It's a Swallow Tail and I don't think I have seen one before unless I was at a butterfly house. I almost peed my pants in excitement! Sweet Pea said it was a Swallow Tail and I know that she knows her butterflies! She is just too smart...I LOVE her!

I am so amazed by God's attention to detail, look ...at...it!!! Breathless!

Speaking of Sweet Pea, she got her ears pierced while we were on a recent trip to Grandma's. She didn't flinch a bit and was my brave little hug bug, did I mention I just LOVE her?!?!

And I just can't get enough sugar from this little man. LOVE this guy!!!

Lost his two front teeth since school has been out. I'm also letting his hair grow even though the Hubby likes to keep his and Little Man's hair in a nice Air Force buzz. I'm putting my foot down, at least until school starts, then we'll duke it out in the backyard :o)

And little miss Tallulah is keeping us entertained by chasing the sprinkler around the yard. Molly of course stayed in the closet all day, she hates fireworks.

Happy 4th of July!!!!
Keep them britches dry and be safe !

Random Sunlight

2011-06-08T18:17:00.001-05:00

Feeling the need to post something furry...it's been awhile and the evening sunlight in the kitchen was marvelous :o)

I am Weak, But I Make Cake Purdy

2011-06-06T09:02:00.001-05:00

So yes, I have been lacking in posts lately...a lot. I really have no excuse except that I haven't been feeling like blogging. I never like to get personal and won't start now, however I will say that life has been very challenging, to say the least. I came across this verse this morning, what comfort ... But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Of course I won't leave without showing you my latest tasty works:

Smash Cake - First one I have ever done and won't cover future ones with fondant. The little guy didn't quite know what to do with it and his mom had to take it off so he could get all messy.

Using some leftover stars, I made some festive Memorial Day cupcakes. The sparkle is done using Twinkle Dust and even if you aren't crazy into cake baking, this stuff is so much fun and edible!

And this sweet cake I made this past weekend. A very good friend of mine wanted to have a brother/sister cake and combine the two. I haven't done a combo cake before and thought it turned out pretty well. You gotta love kids cakes, so fun!

Have a beautiful day!

Tangled With Thomas

2011-06-06T08:17:00.003-05:00

It is possible to mix the two! I made this cake last weekend for an old friend of mine who was having a party for her daughter and son. Rapunzel was store bought and I used colored fondant to create the hair that flowed down the center of the cake. I wondered how I could get the effect of the waves in her hair and eventually discovered that tinting the yellow fondant with a little of buttercup yellow (which is much darker) and folding and delicately stretching it a few times worked great. Or it may just look like yellow snot. But a five year old girl will definitely think hair, right?

I made the flowers using fondant and some various flower cutters and then using my ball shaper tool thingy, I gave them more of a 3D look. Of course I used luster dust until my fingers were nice and shiny :o)

I used fondant to create all the fun features on the Thomas side along with buttercream grass.

I also used fondant to create the vine that would cover the seam on the back of the cake. I love doing kids cakes, so fun!

Participating in

Not Your Every Day Girlie Pillow

2011-05-16T09:48:00.008-05:00

No, it's not Halloween yet. If you have a boy, you probably know that boys don't want the cute, fluffy tooth fairy pillows that we find everywhere or pillows handed down from mommy (found here, i think the ruffles and hearts killed it for Little Man). So I knew I had to make something special and non girly. I saw a blog not too long ago with the same idea. Meet the "Tooth Monster".

He gobbles teeth by night and produces George Washington's for breakfast.

I'll have to work on a tutorial since I made this guy pretty fast one afternoon. Colors were chosen by Little Man himself and is made from felt.

Participating in

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T09:53:00.005-05:00

We had such a busy but beautiful, blessed week! Wow! The weather was gorgeous this weekend and our church family made my heart so happy!

Just a little recap in pictures ...I made this shower curtain last week. Never made one before. I used Michael Miller Fabric to brighten up the kiddos bathroom.

There was some rest and relaxation thrown in here and there :o)

The kids had a school music program this week as well. I LOVE their music teacher so much and enjoyed hearing their sweet voices. Little Man also got to show off some of his art work.

Of course, what would a holiday be like if we didn't torture Molly...don't be fooled, she loves it.

We dyed Easter eggs of course. All 30 of them. I also came to realize this year just how much older my kiddos are. I set out everything for them, but they pretty much dyed all the eggs themselves....sigh...

And of course I had to torture, I mean take pictures of the kids. I had wanted to take the family to a local Mexican restaurant that is closed on Sundays and has the prettiest, colorful doors and fountain. But, by the time we cleaned up from the brunch we had at church, the kids weren't having it (or the hubby for that matter). So I didn't push it. But instead I made them promise to give me at least 10 minutes, whine free, when we got home. I was pleased :o)

We spent that evening with a big group from church who really don't have any family around for the holidays. It was the most perfect ending to the day.

Have a beautiful day!

Matching Bow Tie and Hair Clip

2011-04-25T09:00:00.004-05:00

I came across a blog the other day and she had made her boys the cutest bow ties and it looked simple enough for me to make! I had to try it out...viola!

Of course it took some sweet talking for my son to wear it on Easter...all morning. If you want to make one for your Little Man/Men you gotta try this tutorial. I had to sew a little more by hand than is mentioned in the tutorial, but it was just as good.

Since Easter Sunday is the best excuse I have to make my family get classy and matchy, I made my daughter a sash for her dress in the same material as I made my son's bow tie and I made this hair clip for her as well:

I used a basic fabri YoYo and jazzed it up with some vintage ric rac and a button.

Have a beautiful Day!

Linked to

Backyard Sighting

2011-04-24T07:16:00.003-05:00

We grow them bunnies big here in the South :o)

24 Hour Cleanse

2011-04-14T09:11:00.002-05:00

As you can tell by the title of this blog, we've been sick around here.

Insert sweet puppy face here

And I can not tell you how bad I never want a stomach virus again. The interesting part about it is that the kids usually bring home this stuff. But Hubby was the winner of this round (ding, ding, ding!). I'm recovering today and cleaning like a mad woman so that the kids won't get it. I even woke up "after" school had started thinking they were late, but hubby had got the kids ready (at this point, I don't even care if Sweet Pea has her hair brushed), took them to school and let m sleep. I wonder who will get the best hubby award this year?!

This Guy ^!

I am thankful though that all this sickness came after our Women's Retreat. Being in charge of the retreat this year made me anxious, blessed, scared, happy, freaked out, honored, and slightly stressed (not exactly in that order). It was an in-town retreat, which was a good way to get my feet wet since I am planning next year's as well and it will be out of town. Our speaker was Pam Caldwell from Faith PCA in Birmingham and boy did she give it to us! She was honest, down to earth and really got our women deep in the word. Next year I am planning to be more organized so I can get to hear more, I was running around too much to get to hear most of it. I got to relax and hold a sweet covenant child during the last hour, that was WONDERFUL, he feel asleep on me and it reminded me to be at peace and reminded me of the days when I sat and was still more often holding my sweet babies, I miss that.

Anywho, I took my camera, but only got a few shots :o( None of the decor which my committee gals put together...booo! We had 51 women attend and the pictures below were taken during lunch time when the ladies were able to relax outside and just enjoy one another. I kept stopping to talk to everyone and that is the reason for my lack of photos. Here are just a few of some pretty fabulous ladies!

And because I am all about keeping it real, here is a pic of KiKi begging me to clean the mess that was created during the past two weeks of planning for the retreat...thankfully I cleaned BEFORE i got sick.

Have a Beautiful Day!!!

Easy Peasy Personalized Magnets

2011-04-11T13:59:00.005-05:00

Looking for a creative yet simple little favor for guests at your next shindig? Or maybe a teacher's gift or thank you gift? I made these super simple little magnets for a baby shower my church hosted for a local outreach.

Here's what you will need:

Mod Podge (everyone needs to have atleast 5 bottles in their home:o)

Clear decorative stones (usually found in the garden/floral area of your hobby store)

Magnets

Super Glue

pretty decorative scrapbook paper

Printed verse/quote

I used a 1 1/4 round punch to cut the scrapbook paper

I picked a Bible verse to print and made sure to make it small enough to fit on two stones.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" Jeremiah 1:5

Mod Podge it all together to your liking, glue the magnet on back and Viola!

Linked to

Lemons and Lavender

2011-04-05T18:22:00.002-05:00

Our church is hosting a women's retreat this weekend and I had the best group of gals helping to bring it all together! Here's a sneak peek and here's to hoping that I don't forget my camera that morning :o)

Each girlie girl gets to take home a coaster.

Freshly trimmed lavender will permeate the room .This is what is called "Spanish Lavender" not "True Lavender" that we are always seeing. But it smells just as good and has lovely blooms, plus it was all I could find from the lavender family this time of year.

Of course someone came sniffing as soon as I set the plant down on the floor. Hubby has a new nick name for her..."Tinkle". I think that's self explanatory and it's a work in progress, I shall not be defeated!

Lastly, I realized I wanted to make a coaster for my morning tea using spring colors, this makes me HAPPY :o)

Choffy Must Be Shared!

2011-03-30T09:15:00.004-05:00

OK, y'all. This is something that MUST be shared...Are you ready? Who has heard of Choffy? I hadn't either until I read this post from WhipperBerry. I'm thinking this could be huge and spread like wild fire. Of course I haven't tasted it yet, but if you like chocolate and coffee...wow! And it's a 20 calorie chocolate fix!

Visiting a TV Station

2011-03-14T09:48:00.003-05:00

So finally, our family is all well. After a recent stay in the hospital for Little Man, we're back to normal, well at least "normal" for our family :o) I kind of wished that I had taken pictures from the hospital, but as any mom knows, taking pictures to remember the fun at a hospital is not at the top of our lists. Our first official day of Spring Break was so beautiful! We started the day with our traditional pancakes and bacon (we fix a big breakfast every chance we get on saturday mornings since those days seem to be so rare when we don't have somewhere to rush off to) and then yard work and trimming some crepe myrtles (and no we did not commit crepe murder). Then after a picnic lunch outside, we headed to the ball fields for ball practice. I can not tell you how wonderful it feels to be back on the fields watching the kiddos play in the warm spring like weather. HAPPY, HAPPY DAY! Then we headed up to one of our local TV stations with the Cub Scouts. Let me just tell you, I think the parents had more fun than the kids did!!! They even got to be on the 5 o'clock news, LIVE! I don't have the link for the broadcast yet, but hopefully I will soon. Here are some pictures of the fun:

The boys (and a certain big sister) got to help the weather man finish the weather line up for that evening. That desk is where the the meteorologists sit and drink lots of coffee whenever we have severe weather (is it me, or does anyone else notice how our weather crew gets excited during bad weather?). I asked him to make it warm and sunny all week, but I don't think he listened.

Then the boys realized they were on the TV!

Craziness ensued ...followed by the Hubby "squishing" Sweet Pea's head over the state of Alabama.

Little Man on the Green Screen. Each of them got a chance to act like a Meteorologist. Mommy did too, just no pics to prove it :o)

Did you remember to Spring Forward this weekend?

Sweet Pea, practicing Meteorology Yoga, that's my girl!

We even got to watch some of the news being broadcast live. Meaning LIVE... ON AIR...with 5 boys. I was the only mother on set and I was a nervous wreck. I just imagined one of the lively boys creating "noises", but they were so good, SO GOOD! Way to go Den 4, so proud :o)

BDU Upcycled!

2011-03-14T09:12:00.003-05:00

After my mother saw my hubby's flight suit upcycled found here, she wanted me to make a bag for her using my father's BDU's. These bags have become very popular among the military community. I especially LOVE the diaper bags! May have to make one even though we're long gone from diaper stages. Here was the result:

I grew up seeing my dad in this every day...camouflage makes me feel right at home.

I just love the fabric used on the inside. So bright and cheerful! Complete with magnetic clasp.

And to finish off the back, I attached my dad's Master Sgt stripes. Can't wait to mail it off to her!

Participating in :

What We Did For Valentine's

2011-02-14T09:41:00.005-06:00

I love Valentine's Day, I always have. Even though I married a man that told me in our 1st year of dating that Valentine's day is not a real holiday (it's a running joke now of course, he learned :o)

Sweet Pea's Valentine's were so much fun to make. I made sour cream look a like containers out of some cute scrapbook paper that she picked out and filled them with kisses. (Tutorial found here).

Little Man wanted something different. I put some scrapbook labels on little orange Gatorade bottles for him to hand out. The tag says "Orange you glad it's Valentine's Day?".

And on to my fun little stress inducing evening making these cake pops:

They really shouldn't be stressful, but it was late and I was tired. I would like to thank my hubby for helping me and not tying me to a chair and beating some sense in to me :o)

They turned out cute and I have a feeling that a certain class of second graders will love them, it was worth it.

Bakerella is where I found the idea. If you haven't already visited her site, go here, she's way more creative than me for sure!

Oh and I also made these coasters for the kids' teachers.

An idea I got from a super crafty lady at Tinkerwiththis.

Also participating in

Happy I love you day!!!!

New Arrival of a Big Eared Kind

2011-02-08T09:44:00.006-06:00

I have problem.

I can't say "No".

To an animal in need.

I suppose I could stay off of Petfinder. Or not go to the pet stores when animal shelters are out trying to find homes for the unloved and abandoned.

The kids have been begging us for a puppy. We haven't adopted a puppy since mine and my hubby's first "baby" after we got married, sweet Chloe whom passed away when the kids were toddlers. I tend to veer toward the the adult furry creatures since they are most likely to not be adopted and if in a kill shelter, well you know what happens there. (Please, PLEASE adopt from a shelter or pound before looking anywhere else! So many warm hearts looking for a forever home and just want to be loved. And for pete's sake, NEUTER and SPAY!!!! ) Sorry, just had to let that out :o) Back to our scheduled program here....

Then this arrived last week.

Mater sniffed it out…

"NOOOOO" He meowed. "Not another dog, and a female to boot!"

Kiki was eager….

"Molly, hey Molly"…

"What?"

"Don't you wanna come see what's in this bag?"

"Nope, just wanna go outside, in the cold and lay down, I love the cold." ( I always imagine her talking in a voice like Eeyore off Winnie the Pooh).

We opened the bag.

Hubby says "it looks like something Kiki would kill in the back yard." NICE

I thought she was pretty funny looking too…until she looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes. I'm in love.

"She sure is little, how will Kiki handle her?"

We put her on the ground.

"Now you listen to me, see...I'm here to take over the joint, you do what I say, you hear?!"

"Seriously ?" Kiki said. " I can take her down with one…"

"Take down!"

(Disclaimer: No animals of any kind were injured during this photo shoot)

"Yeah well, I can run faster and I have bigger ears than you do! Don't be jeal!"

She's a keeper, and she makes little man feel better when he's sick :o)

We named her "Tallulah Hiccup". "Lulu" for short ;o)

Pretty In Pink

2011-01-31T10:06:00.002-06:00

Ballet slipper done for another sweet little girl turning 3! I just love making these girly cakes :o)

To the Birds

2011-01-31T08:47:00.002-06:00

We went to Guntersville State Park a couple of weekends ago to participate in their Eagle Awareness. We got to see a couple of birds of prey as well, the kids just LOVED it! If you are within driving distance, it's well worth the trip. There are just two weekends left and I think they have more opportunities to see these gorgeous birds and even go on a hike to see nesting places of Bald Eagles. How cool is that?!

For those who love Harry Potter (have not read a single book, but I know there's an owl in it) the beautiful Barred Owl

As well as the Great Horned Owl

And yes, he's got his head turned all the way around looking at us annoying onlookers.

And one of the more common hawks but my absolute favorites....the Red Tailed Hawk

My men even got a photo op!

All these birds are unfortunately unable to be returned to the wild and are being taken care of by rehabbers from Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (AWRC) . I am a member of the North Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitators (NAWR) which take in all kinds of wildlife from squirrels (rehab crazies go here) ,birds (excluding birds of prey) and even deer. Maybe when the kids get older, I just may help these gorgeous birds!

Calla Lilies and Cinderella

2011-01-19T10:13:00.002-06:00

Not a whole lot of organizing going on around here right. However, there has been a lot of designing!

Calla lily Anniversary cake made for my hubby's aunt and uncle for their 50th Anniversary! Wow, married for 50 years...that's awesome!

My first attempt at gumpaste calla lilies. Loved making them :o)

Roses and hydrangeas as well with a hand painted gold band around each tier.

Here is one of my ultimate favorites! It's a Cinderella slipper cake that I made for a super sweet friend and coworker at Yoga Gal for her daughter's 3rd birthday.

Slipper is made out of gumpaste and then hand painted and dusted with snow white disco dust (i'm a sucker for luster and disco dust...I love it! and then it gets all over my kitchen and I feel like Tinker Bell just visited!)

Pillow is actually made out of Rice Krispie treats and covered with fondant. Too much fun!

Day #5- Down Under

2011-01-06T14:43:00.002-06:00

It's Day #5 of the

Under the Sink (eeeewww)

I have overlooked this area of my kitchen for awhile now. I still cannot believe that I never put in a liner. I was hoping whatever that was spilled, would come up and that it wasn't battery acid or something like it.

Before:

After:

Aaaahhhh!!!! Very refreshing. My label maker is the hottest item in our house!

It's a Challenge

2011-01-03T13:47:00.003-06:00

So, I am not a completely organized person at all... just ask my husband. I try to be neat and tidy, I really do, but somehow I just lack those skills...sigh. Is there hope? Probably not (once again just ask my husband of 10yrs) but I am a person willing to try.

For one of my New Years Intentions (i'm a bit tired of "resolution").... I am taking part in the dun, dun, dun

I missed a day (cleaning the junk drawer, I have two though. Now wait, three, no four....) but, all was not lost! Oh no! Before I knew about the challenge over at A Bowl Full of Lemons, I had planned to organize my food pantry once and for all. I am embarrassed to do this, but if it means that I may inspire another reader, all is good.

Before : YIKES!!! Looks like an episode of "Hoarders"!

First things first, I had hubby buy me one of these. Got this at Target for under $20. And boy did I have fun labeling! I may just do the whole house!

After : So relieved! Woke up the next morning feeling like a different woman! Don't you just love my calendar? YOGA puppies, from my parents for Christmas, LOVE IT!! The kids just crack up every time they see it :o)

I put similar items into baskets (purchased from Lowes) and labeled everything.

I also bought stackable drawers for extra storage below the shelves, and labeled them as well.

What are you going to unclutter this month?

It's a Rug For Your Mug, Duh!

2011-01-03T08:29:00.004-06:00

Ok, so after seeing my friend Kelly at My First Quilt make some super cool mug rugs, I had to try it. I made about 20+ of these bad boys for gifts this Christmas. I had wrapped them all before I took a picture, I know, can you believe it?! Thankfully I had two more left. What's a mug rug you say? Well it's pretty hip in the quilters world (yes, we young people like to quilt as well) and it's like a coaster for your coffee/tea/hot cocoa and a snack for the side, totally washable. As I was sewing these up one day (ok, a few days...didn't I mention already that I have a love/hate relationship with my sewing machine?) dear hubby would come by and gander (do people say that word anymore? I like!) at them and finally he asked me to make him one...hence the John Deere mug rug.

Participating in ....

Christmas Snow

2010-12-27T10:45:00.002-06:00

I can't help but blog a few pictures of snow fun here in the south. I have seen one other White Christmas in my lifetime and that was while I was living in Montana..1996 I believe, yep, my first year in college. But hey, that was Montana. Chances for snow are higher there. Hubby and I broke out the Montana box full of all our boots, hats and ski gloves.

We played in the snow...

Our fur babies helped us build a snowman...

...we built more snowmen and then went inside for hot chocolate. What a satisfying afternoon :o)

DPP 2010: Day 24 & 25

2010-12-27T10:17:00.002-06:00

I am wondering just how many more of us DDPer's stayed on target all the way to the 25th? I had a hard time towards the end and it's the 27th and I'm posting the last two. Atleast they were taken on the 24th and 25th :o)

DDP 24 Making cookies for Santa">

DDP 25 White Christmas...in Alabama! What are the chances?!?!">

Can you believe that we had a White Christmas!?!? It will be a day that I remember forever, God truly blessed us that morning with newly fallen snow...so peaceful, so miraculous...

DPP 2010: Day 22 & 23

2010-12-23T15:49:00.003-06:00

I took this photo yesterday, just never got around to posting it.

A winter morning, inside that is...

Have a beautiful day!

DPP 2010: Day 20

2010-12-21T08:33:00.002-06:00

Yes...I'm resorting to yet another photo of an animal...for those who know me well, I just can't resist these furry subjects. Our Kiki here is resting after a long weekend in the kennel.

DPP 2010: Day 18 & 19

2010-12-20T10:15:00.002-06:00

We were in TN for some family Christmas fun this weekend so I took pictures to post when we got home. This was from this past Saturday, my hubby and one of his many aunts. I thought this picture was just too sweet. She kept coming up to him, rubbing his face and telling him he has a lot of gray! But the look on their faces is nothing but warm fuzzy love :o)

This one is from a tree that we pass every time we go to Memphis...I'll have to google it and try to figure out just how this got started. We're throwing a pair on our way the next time we visit!

DSC_0109">Here is the tree from afar.

DPP 2010: Day 16

2010-12-16T15:20:00.003-06:00

Ever heard of Snow Man Soup? I didn't either until I came upon a blog the other day and thought it was too cute to pass up.

The bag (which we gave to teachers and neighbors) contains 2 hot chocolate (white and dark) packets, mini marshmallows, a little bag of crushed peppermint sticks and a peppermint stick to stir. Fun, huh?

Will little girls like this treat as well?

DSC_0025">

I think that could be a Yes :o)

Have a beautiful, yummy day!

DPP 2010: Day 15

2010-12-16T08:42:00.002-06:00

Such concentration! Making our Gingerbread House :o)

Here it is all finished.

DPP 2010: Day 14

2010-12-14T11:25:00.004-06:00

Ok, so no...I'm not going to play catch up this time. I fell off the DPP wagon for a day or two and I'm Ok with it :o) On to today's pic...

and another..

How does ice "grow" up from the ground? This is from a red dirt, empty lot next to us. This has happened a few times and it's so bizarre. But yet beautiful! We have had frigid weather for the south. It was 15 degrees when I got up to teach Yoga at 5:30am yesterday morning and snow flurries were still coming down. We have abundant sunshine today...YAY! It's still in the low 20's but as long as I have vitamin D streaming through my windows, I'm good as gold!

Also as promised, here is a picture of Little Man's birthday cake.

He is loving Boy Scout anything right now, wow does he ever love it. So when it was time to ask him what kind of cake he wanted, this was it. Not one of my best, but he loved it.

DPP 2010: Day 11...Little Man's Birthday!!!

2010-12-11T17:41:00.002-06:00

Gotta post this pic real quick for Day 11...

Now I'm off to cuddle and watch home movies :o)

DPP 2010: Day 10

2010-12-11T17:36:00.002-06:00

You will have to forgive me for not posting Day 10 yesterday.. I was busy making a cake and hosting family for Little Man's birthday celebration! I'll post the cake soon but here is a pic I took yesterday of PaPa giving a geography lesson using Little Man's new globe. He has been asking for a globe for awhile now.

DPP 2010: Day 9 and Real Kitchens Exposed!

2010-12-09T19:11:00.009-06:00

Soooo...let's talk about it...ok? Let's talk about how our homes are "NOT" pictured in our blogs. I admit, I LOVE the way our homes look when we post pics. So beautiful, so perfect! Just like a home should be if we had our very own Snow White! Not like this...right?

Yep, this is what my kitchen counter (well at least part of it, the other part you can't see was when the powdered sugar bag exploded beside or in my mixer (I couldn't figure out which). We've been feeling a little under the weather at our house and this is what happens when my brain moves faster than my body. If you look closely...I have way too much tea setting out...next to the Windex..., also followed by the cupcakes I am making for Little Man's Birthday (more on that later of course!), a bottle of Mod Podge, a gym bag, an ear thermometer ( I told you we weren't feeling well!) . And wait! Is that material that has blown up on my kitchen table as well?!?! My cellphone resting so peacefully on a kitchen towel since I left it next to thawing veggies, which equals really wet mess! And I still have not taken down my "fall decor" around my light fixture... Oh my, well at least I have the Forbes magazine to tell me how the wealthy live... A woman can dream, right?

Have a Beautiful Night!

DPP 2010: Day 8

2010-12-08T16:01:00.002-06:00

"Mom! Can we keep him?"

I think it may have gotten up to a whole 33 degrees today! These frigid temps bring out all the fuzzy head gear.

DPP 2010: Day 7

2010-12-07T20:54:00.003-06:00

Yes...the dreaded..."Stand by your brother so I can take your picture!".

(in a motherly, yet nagging kind of voice...)

Here's Little Man ( as far away from his sister as he can get) and Sweet Pea after their Christmas program this evening ...I love their school like I love new yoga moves... :o)

DPP 2010: Day 6 & Confessions of Craftster

2010-12-06T12:02:00.005-06:00

Finished: Table runner for the kitchen table. I used leftover material for my binding since it was too cold to venture out to the fabric store, plus I'm getting cheap these days.

Confession: As much as I LOVE making "stuff" I DISLIKE sewing...maybe it's because I don't have enough patience (I once made a quilt by hand, all the way, no sewing machine, and I was never the same again). Is this just me? Do I just need more practice? One thing I do know, get a gazillion bobbins! You can never, I repeat never, have enough bobbins. Alrighty then, I feel better.

Have a beautiful day!

DPP 2010: Day 5

2010-12-05T14:13:00.007-06:00

OK, so I promise not to post a cat pic for at least the rest of this week ;o) I would just like to let you all see the position Mater takes EVERY TIME I pull out material and start sewing. It's cute at first, but then he gives me this look..."You're not finishing this project until you pay some attention to ME!"look. Since Little Man was not feeling well this morning, I got to start on my table runner for the kitchen table. I found some really cute charms at a local quilt store, I love them. They have a retro look that I just adore. I'll post a pic when I get done. Have a beautiful day!!!

DPP 2010: Day 4

2010-12-05T08:40:00.003-06:00

A little late, but here is a pic I took of Mater looking just slightly annoyed by me :o) This has become his favorite spot, yet again this year.

DPP 2010: Day 3

2010-12-03T19:28:00.004-06:00

"The Tree"

(packing our tree for the drive home)

I was so thankful to get a real tree this year! We have had a fake tree since the kids were born and Little Man didn't quite know what to think of this "go pick your own tree" business. But as Thanksgiving came upon us, Hubby and I started to think about the tree in the attic...we dreaded getting that thing down. Hubby hated dragging that blasted thing down from the attic and I had to pull out my up to the elbow gloves and separate the the limbs, one by one, by one, by one...and two to three hours later, we had a beautiful tree. It's just nice to take a break this year and does it smell ever so lovely!!!

DPP 2010: Day 2

2010-12-02T13:13:00.004-06:00

"Not recently, Clark. He read that squirrels were high in cholesterol. "
Name that Christmas classic...we usually watch it 3-4 times before Christmas Day, sans the kids of course :o)

DPP 2010: Day 1

2010-12-01T13:27:00.005-06:00

First Day of December

How do you count down to Christmas? I decided to take a more natural, traditional look this year. I got the idea from theredthread blog found here. I even made the birds from fabric I had on hand. Don't let these little guys fool you, they took me 3-4hrs to make and I just did 5 of them, and of course that is reflective of my not so great sewing skills. But they turned out too cute. You can find the pattern here. I think I may make a few for Christmas ornament gifts, maybe out of felt this time...the possibilities are endless! Here's a pic of the advent calendar put together.

The sticks were actually leftover ones that I used for sprucing up my chandelier in the dining room for our Halloween party. I used wrapping paper that I bought last year at Hobby Lobby (of course!), it's really great paper and I thought it had a nice down home feel to it.
I think this came out a little blurry, but here are my favorite two birdies..they're love birds, just like dear hubby and I are (super cheesy...lay it on thick!).

Little Man got to read the first day's bible verse simply because he needs to be the odd days so Sweet Pea doesn't read one on his birthday (the 11th), the drama from last year was a lesson learned!

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14

I'm Ready for the Annual DPP!

2010-11-30T11:14:00.004-06:00

Last year I participated in the:

I love, loved, loved it. It is sponsored by a friend of my sweet friend Haley at Missing Mississippi: notes from a dixie exile whom I knew from my time spent in New Mexico. The challenge is to take a picture every day and post it to your blog or to the Flickr Pool. It starts tomorrow and I can't wait!

Got Carbs?

2010-11-27T08:56:00.003-06:00

Oh yeah, we had lots of carbs this weekend. Little late, but we had a great Thanksgiving and I'm praying you and your family did as well! I cooked everything this year and my parents came to visit and even my grandmother tagged along this time. That was extra special since she has Alzheimer's and does not travel much. I love how the kids are out the day before since they love to help tear up the bread for the dressing. I had to post this pic of them from 2006, Little Man sneaking a bite of bread! I make dressing a little different than my southern friends down here, maybe it's all the moving around I have done in my life. I make homemade cornbread but I also add a french bread, torn to pieces (gives it that nice rustic look) and toast them lightly in the oven and add sage and poultry seasoning. Makes the house smell yummers!!!

Here they are, helping like they have every year since they were able to use those sweet fingers. Wow, takes a mommy's breath away when you see how much older they are....hang on a second while I grab a tissue.

Ah ha!! He's still sneaking in bites of bread! Little stinker!

Somebody just just wishing and hoping they will drop something!

And not to be forgotten, my annual from scratch apple pie. The kids even helped with the lattice work and leaves. May our thankfulness runneth over..... Have a beautiful day!

Hubby's Flight Suit: Upcycled

2010-11-13T09:32:00.006-06:00

So I have seen flight suit bags for awhile now and have been wanting to make one. After all, most of my life has been in the Air Force. I was an Air Force Brat for about 22 years and then married into the Air Force (and I told myself I would never marry a man in the military, that was before I laid eye's on my hot hubby!). So on to the bag....

Started out with this. I found a quilting store in the next town over with such beautiful fabric, I was like a kid in the candy store and need to be restrained. Fabric here is by Moda.

Then I cut my pieces out like this. I also used fusible webbing. I didn't use a pattern but there are several patterns and tutorials on the web. Skip to my Lou, found on the side of my blog posted recently and she has a bunch or tutorials to share.

I will spare you the details of putting the bag together...here's the end result.

I LOVE this fabric!

I made Sweet Pea her very own sling bag from her daddy's flight suit as well :o)

Fabric was also a lucky fun find from Moda !

Furry Friday

2010-11-12T14:30:00.004-06:00

So thankful for the bond between my Sweet Pea and her Mater.

Thankful for a guy named Paul

2010-11-02T18:46:00.005-05:00

A guy named Paul...WHAT? I struggle..who doesn't? I have a few too many friends these days that struggle way more than I think any human should ( like I know, doesn't God know just what we need? After all, He created us!). What are your struggles? My struggles? How are they different? How are they the same? I personally am struggling with changes in the family. I wish I could say they were fabulous changes. I believe that we all are given what we need to seek refuge in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Paul spoke of a thorn in the side, 2 Corinthians 12:7 "To keep me from being conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me". However God told Paul “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Wow, God's power is made perfect in our weakness? Wow... Take a moment, think about what that means. We can learn from this truth, that God gives us limitations or struggles, so that we cling to Him. It brings us closer to Him, to depend on Him. I'm thankful for reading about Paul....

1st Thankful Day

2010-11-01T18:53:00.003-05:00

It's November! It's a whole month of blogging about what we're thankful for.....

I'm thankful for a reason to dress up this past weekend!!! I LOVE to dress up! The more creative you are, the better! Although I wasn't as creative as I was last year. Hey, it was cheap (hubby had it on hand from his years in the Air Force). I deleted my name, but if you look closely at my name tag, my call sign is "Yoga Chick". Which by the way, this flight suit will be a future project, so stay tuned.

I still have no clue who "Jango Fet" is...but here he is with a sweet Princess Leia....barefoot.

I just love these girls! I want them all to be my sisters....I never had a sister....

And last but not least...the "Roll Tide Roll...Mullet Guy" who happens to be our Pastor...priceless. I don't think he reads my blog, so I think I'm safe :o)

What are you thankful for?

Birthday Blessings

2010-10-18T09:51:00.003-05:00

I'm still trying to figure out how this little toddler above (I was also 6 mos. pregnant with Little Man at this time ) turned into the sweet but growing up too fast child below. That's the same birthday crown she has had since she was born.

I had asked her a few months ago what cake she would like for her birthday. After agonizing about it for a few weeks, I finally said "How about I make you a cake with the color blue (her favorite color) in it and surprise you?" She loved that idea and I think she was pretty surprised :o)

Giving the peacock a kiss!

The peacock was made from Rice Krispie treats that I molded to resemble a bird. I then covered it in blue fondant.

The feathers...there are 40 individually hand painted fondant feathers. I used luster dust, watered down along with disco dust to give it that extra sparkle factor. This was a FUN cake! I couldn't even imagine what I would charge for it, so tedious.

Unfortunately, the peacock was on my son's mind the whole time...why do boys feel inclined to do these things? Yes, he's cutting the head off of the poor innocent bird.

I'm in love with this sweet shot that I got of my dad and Sweet Pea!

Birthdays are such a blessing!

Smore Good Time

2010-10-17T13:34:00.004-05:00

Fun weekend! Busy but way sooo fun! First stop was an overnight camping trip with the Cub Scouts. We put up tents, we had a fire, we shot BB guns, we had smores overload, we went haunted hay riding, we stayed up way too late and came home dirty, smelly and happy! I had so much fun with these sweet boys that I didn't get many photos, very rare for me. This was our kiddos first camping trip as well. I still can't believe we have never taken them camping! We were the king and queen of taking off on camping trips on a moments notice before we had kids. Geesh, we have turned into fuddy duddy's.

Father son putting up the tent.

First time EVER shooting a BB gun. Guess what he has been asking for Christmas now?!

Birthday update coming soon....

Candy Corn

2010-10-06T14:38:00.003-05:00

I LOVE October! I have loved this month even before my Sweet Pea was born in October. I love to see all the orange everywhere...pumpkins, leaves, sweaters and candy corn.

Candy corn takes me back to my childhood. Every fall, my mom had a glass pumpkin jar full of these high fructose, corn syrup, cavity causing little guys....oh how I still love to eat a few and then a few more...food therapy? Maybe, I'll just stick my heart monitor on and go chase my kids around until I burn them off :o) It's just once a year, right?

Well, at Michael's the other day, I saw candy corn ribbon! I can admire my front door now and it won't add calories to my diet.

Getting Our Techno On

2010-09-29T08:26:00.007-05:00

So recently, our truck plunged head first into the XM Radio world. I continuously bounce between the 80's, 90's, Coffee House and Fox News. The other day my kids heard this song...

They LOVED it!!! Little Man was shaking his Little Man booty and Sweet Pea was pumping her jam! Now this song cannot be played enough for them. I was in Southern California when this song came out and I remember having just as much fun recording this song on my fancy smancy tape player. Sometimes when it's really humid and my blow dryer is on the fritz, my hair looks just like that. Make My Daya!

As soon as I can find an hour to get crafty, I am going to make these cuties

found here. Dear Hubby, please oh please can you get me my fall stuff down from he attic?

There's a GiGi in town

2010-09-28T16:30:00.003-05:00

And I'm not talking about my grandma either. If you have never heard of a Gigi's Cupcake or have never had the ultimate sugar high from stuffing your face with one of these bad boys then you are either missing out or you are trying to avoid that junk in the trunk feeling. Well, thanks to Miss Gigi herself, we now have one just a mile from here. I've only been twice (and honestly, who can finish a whole one anyways?) to the other location and thankfully it was so far across town, I never had a reason to go by the place. I'm not a sweets kind of person either, however, I'm going to see how long I can hold out and not find some excuse to go. How about I still have another 20lbs to lose and I don't want to regain the 15 I already lost!?!?! Yep that should do it...it better....

Taken this past summer on our very first outing to Gigi's Cupcakes...on the other side of town....YUM!!!

GiGi's Kisses

2010-09-26T20:01:00.005-05:00

We got to go home for a couple of days this weekend to celebrate my niece's 2nd birthday. Every time I go home I try to get pics of GiGi and her great grand kids since she's starting to get up there in age. Family is precious and we just don't get to seem them often enough.

Getting Strappy Part II

2010-09-26T19:36:00.005-05:00

Getting strappy with my scrappies. This time I made a red, black and white (my kiddos school colors, NOT Bama colors) camera strap cover and it turned out so cute. Now I need to bug the hubby to get my fall decorations down from the attic, it's been officially autumn since last week and I haven't done any celebrating, for shame!

Feeling Fall'ish

2010-09-20T09:29:00.004-05:00

Taking a break from cleaning my kiddos' room (because the nice little stomach virus visited us last night, yep both of them) I realized I hadn't posted in a while. Trying not to think of the nice little bug, let me recap what I did this weekend in the baking world.

Fall arrives this week, and let's hope it starts to feel it as well....I made these Buttercream Chocolate Almond Truffles to celebrate!

It all started by making these (my 5th "paid" cake YAY!)
It was for a girl we know who was turning 13 this week. I made the cake to match the design on her plates and napkins.

I made the simple 8' round to go with the cake after she found out there may be more coming to the party than she first had planned :o)

So to make the truffles I put the leftover cake (what I cut off to make the cakes even on top, it's surprising just how much you get) in a food processor and then stir in some buttercream. You can also add the store bought icing if you like as well, anything that will hole the cake together in a ball will do. Last year I put caramel and chocolate chips in with the cake and it was sooo good!

Next, I scoop the dough into little balls and freeze them while I am melting the chocolate.

I used these cute little leaf cutters that I got from Williams Sonoma a couple of years ago. They are perfect to cutting fondant shapes as well!

Then I had to stop because I saw this...too precious. They had just gotten out of the pool and they had one towel on the porch, big sister was making sure Little Man was warm enough :o)

Ahem... back to the truffles. I let the fondant leaves dry a bit and then painted them with food coloring and added luster dust. Fall is almost here!

Bentolicious!

2010-09-11T17:01:00.004-05:00

So have you heard of Bento boxes? I have a sweet friend of mine who has been loving these little guys. They (bentos, not my friend) are originally from Japan and we all know that the Japanese culture is way healthier than ours. The serving trays are smaller, meaning we Americans have way too big portion sizes. My girlfriend has been posting cute lunch ideas for her girls and I just had to jump on the cuteness bandwagon. I made these up this afternoon and had way to much fun taking pictures of food :o)

Car Lashes

2010-09-08T10:45:00.007-05:00

Dear Hubby,

Please, please can you buy me some of these? And don't forget the crystal eyeliner!

Babes and Baseball

2010-08-31T08:40:00.005-05:00

Aaahhhh....fall ball. Little Man is moving on up to machine pitch and this past weekend, he decided to slide! Needs some practice, but you just gotta love it!

He's thinking about it....Look at that intensity!!!

Yep, I think he was trying to go arms first, but didn't quite make it. He was so proud though!

On to the babes...One of our fall babies.

Sweet Pea of course is right there. I am so thankful to be able to be able to teach my kiddos about life and taking care of God's creatures, big or small. We are after all, stewards of this earth. Can't wait til this little guys eyes open :o)

Have You Heard About This Blob?

2010-08-26T13:20:00.003-05:00

I was reading a blog I frequent and came across this one blog called Reagan's Blob and instantly I was hooked. She is a super hip and beautiful mommy living in Manhattan (I wish I could dress just like her). Her story will lift you up and make your heart feel all warm and cozy. Go ahead and read this one blog entry to get started and then take your kiddos outside and smother them with hugs.

Starts With a Sale on Canvas

2010-08-25T14:15:00.005-05:00

Still getting my craft on and so many friends of mine from all over are having babies lately!!! I'm loving it! I also realized that I have done a few name paintings and have never posted them. I whipped this one up pretty fast yesterday for a very sweet friend from church....I was going to outline the name in black, but then decided against it...but it may have made the name "pop" better. What do y'all think, try it again with black outline?

You Say Mod, I Say Podge!

2010-08-21T10:27:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to get a certain picture of the hubby and I put on canvas. The problem, I'm not willing to spend $85+ on a canvas right now. What to do, what to do....Then I thought,"well why can't I just slap it on a canvas I already have?". I set out to work...

Using a canvas from a previous art project gone bad (to save money, remember?), I painted the edges black. Then I printed the photo on regular paper (not photo paper) and then got my happy little Mod Podge paint brush out and went to work. I slapped a bunch of that stuff on there. I was pretty pleased at how it came out, except for a few air bubbles, it looks like it could be part of the canvas. I may have to try it again, those kind of things bug me like crazy :o)

Those teeth of mine look very horseyish....Yeehaw!

Crafty Weekend

2010-08-16T11:52:00.004-05:00

Well, since I couldn't convince myself that a plane ticket to the North East is so worth it to have craft night with this creative woman here, I decided to have my own this weekend. I had so much fun making these cards. I picked up a box of different colored card stock cards (half off coupon, cha ching!) and went to work with the goodies I already had in my continually growing art closet.

Feeling Rosy

2010-08-11T19:22:00.007-05:00

OK, so lately I have seen these really cute "rosettes" on anything from handbags to hair clips, even shirts. I began a search on the Internet to find out how to make them. Here is what i gathered from a few places...

Step 1: Rip a 1inch strip of pretty fabric. Can be 1ft to 2feet long.

Step 2: Wrap the strip around a large pipe cleaner. Covering both ends.

It should look something like this.

Step 3: Sew the backing just so it holds together...like so

Step 4: Optional I cut a flower out of scrap brown felt and the attached it to the rosette.

Step 5: Sew rosette to headband (I happened to have an elastic headband on hand).

Finally: I made two more smaller rosettes and attached them to either of the larger rosette.

Participating in :

"I Would Send You a Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils..."

2010-08-11T19:05:00.002-05:00

" Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. " -Joe FOX

I just love that movie! I hope if you haven't seen You've Got Mail, you have put it on your Netflix in a hurry! The Kiddos started school this past week...Sweet Pea is in 2nd and Little Man in 1st. So excited!

One of the many things I remember about the beginning of school, was getting to know our new commissary with my mom and being incredibly nervous about meeting new friends. Go Air Force :o)

Clean is Fun...Especially in Egypt

2010-08-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

It's HOT! Oh so HOT! One of our favorite ways to cool down and get clean....trampoline+sprinkler+soap= clean kiddos! Silly face is optional.

It's Suds Man!

And then everybody walks like an Egyptian to dry off.

Furry Friday

2010-07-16T09:22:00.004-05:00

So maybe this will be the start of something new? Furry Friday's! YAY!!! For those who are rolling their eyes (that means you sweet Hubby) you can just ignore the Furry posts :o) I really have put him through a lot with my crazy animal self. That is why I have promised him that our limit for four legged, furry creatures will be three. It's a magic number for me, 2 dogs and a cat. No more, no less. And he KNOWS what kind of a family I come from! I remember driving across the country (I was an Air Force brat for those who don't know) from Alabama to Montana with 2 dogs and 6 cats (yes, I said six). It was insane to say the least. Not too mention that because of our zoo, we couldn't stay at hotels. Didn't have a camper (that would come later) so we set up a tent at random KOA's along the way. Funny thing is, I didn't know any better and I thought this was pretty "normal". Oh BOY!

I have those days when I am rescuing an abandoned nest of baby squirrels or running after fawns and my hubby looks at me with that look of "Dear God, How did you pick this crazy woman to be my helper here on earth." I wonder sometimes the same thing, but the beautiful thing about it is, that we balance one another. He puts a limit on my overwhelming love of these furry creatures and I have shown him that yes, you can love a dog and that dog will be so loyal to you, you can't help but thank the Lord for unconditional love. And Hubby (if you're still reading) KiKi can't wait to see you. And no, Mater wasn't sleeping on YOUR side of the bed :oP

Men

2010-07-15T10:28:00.008-05:00

Have I mentioned before that our computer is located in the "MAN ROOM"? Yes it is. It's filled with all kinds of "manly" things. My hubby has lots of books on various subjects like war, history, faith, etc. All his Air Force memorabilia, sports stuff. But I ask you, why do men like objects such as this?

The bobble head doll coach guy....

And what is the purpose of the tiny bottle of Coke? Which does not really have any Coke in it.

And at this very moment, Obi Wan Kenobi is staring me down...creepy.

And to top it off, hubby got him a sign for his door, just to make it clear to the rest of us.....does this not make you think of urinals?!?!

But hey, with this kind of face looking at me daily, I think the sign can stay....sigh...

Oversize My Fridge

2010-07-09T15:41:00.004-05:00

I felt inspired by Tink over at Tinker With This a couple of weeks ago and made these super cute oversized clothespin magnets. Just a little Mod Podge, some perky scrapbook paper, glue, magnets and 5 minutes later....Viola!!! New magnets. You gotta try it!

I used two magnets just in case :o)

Use them to hang some fabulous artwork made by your fabulous children!

The Force Was Weak

2010-07-06T08:52:00.007-05:00

The force was strong with this family! Yesterday we paid a visit to the traveling Star Wars exhibit at the Space and Rocket Center. The kids had a blast, especially Little Man. His face was priceless as he took it all in. It was pretty expensive and we're glad we went. However, if you're not a REALLY big fan, I would save your money. The Chronicles of Narnia exhibit will be coming in October and now I'm wondering if it will be disappointing as well.

Little Man building a robot, hands on fun for kids!

I think we all know who these guys are.....

"MMmmm, like it he did."

Celebrate Our Independence!

2010-07-05T21:36:00.006-05:00

Happy Independence Day!!!! How did you celebrate our beautiful country?!

Go Out and Wear Those Colors!!!

2010-07-03T12:17:00.004-05:00

(Kiddos July 4th 2006)

WOW, Yep, I'm in love with our MAC! I was downloading some old pics from my old computer this morning and thought this pic would be appropriate for saying:

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!

Too Hot Not To Fail

2010-07-02T14:48:00.008-05:00

Ever the absent blogger I am these days!!! I apologize to my sweet readers out there, how few they may be. Part of the problem has been this very unhealthy relationship with my computer....aaarrggg. My ever so sweet hubby fixed that problem yesterday however!!! DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!! We finally got a MAC! Can I say that I have found a new love?

I post lots of pictures on here of my projects and adventures, usually the outcome is beautiful (above photo is one of my sunflowers, they make me feel all happy inside!) . My garden this year...yep, not so much. While the tomatoes have been coming in very well, the peas and spinach I planted....FAIL!!! Below is the proof that I killed it, maybe the heat did. I am thinking they don't like this extremely hot weather we're having.
Not going to let that get me down though, steak kabobs anyone? Very healthy choice as well!

And what can be better that roasting marshmallows in your own backyard? Fun!!!

Hope y'all are enjoying summer as much as we are!!!

Summertime Angst

2010-06-18T17:25:00.002-05:00

It's summertime and the kiddos have been busy for sure. Lately, finding things for them to do has not been that difficult. On the days that I do have to be creative, it reminds me of being a child during summertime. I am hoping my poor brother (who is 4 yrs. younger than me) does not remember how I loved to play dress up with him (good thing he NEVER reads my blog, right?!). Anywho...as our day was winding down today, Little Man came running down the hall hollering like a mad Little man about lip gloss and his sister....Oh my! I don't have a picture (he will so totally thank me for that later), but apparently, his sweet sister attempted to hold him down and apply some bright red lip gloss. I apprehended the culprit and told her "Boys don't like to wear lip gloss" and also thought "my hubby is going to lose his mind when he finds this out". After a face washing and clothing change, it was all good. Question is, what is it about us females that we are always trying to change the males in our life? In this case, not for the better. Here's to summer fun!!!

Just Like Love Birds

2010-06-10T16:24:00.004-05:00

My parents are coming tomorrow for a visit and it just happens to be their 33rd Anniversary! So of course I had to make a cake. My mom doesn't know yet, but since they have no internet at home, I'm not worried about her finding out.

Introducing "The Love Birds"

I thought it would be fun to show the step by step process of the nest and bluebirds. I started out with brown fondant (that I tinted earlier) and cut it into strips, about the size of pretzel sticks.

Then I metcilously (not!) placed the strips on top of one another to make the nest. Have you ever noticed how beautiful birds' nests are? I can't believe that they can get the nest done so neatly! I did use a paint brush dipped in a bit of water to help the twigs hold on.

Here are all the little peices waiting to be put together.

Graduation and Baby Showers

2010-06-04T15:20:00.003-05:00

Bad blogger am I! Summer time should ease the business that has been going on around here hopefully. Then I can get back to my mindless ramblings and animal fanatics!

So, Little Man graduated from Kindergarten last week...and yes I did cry. He's my baby, the last one and it was that darn song that they sang at the end. It has been so wonderful watching him grow this past year. It's so amazing to watch your child mature, those moms who have older children will understand, they just change so much during their Kindergarten year. In Little Man's graduation picture, I can see him 12 years from now....Ok, better stop or I'll start crying again.
I have been creating new works of art as well....Below is a picture of a cake I made for a dear friend of mine who is expecting. I wish I could take credit for the idea, but I saw another fantastic cake decorator make this cake and thought it was too cute. Introducing.... Baby Showers

I made a baby girl in a pea pod out of fondant.

Flower sprinkler, also made out of fondant. I had such a fun time making this cake :o)

By the Sea

2010-05-17T12:31:00.007-05:00

WOWZA y'all!!! I took a mini break from blogging and now I'm back! Trip to the beach was such a blessing. I am always amazed at how much easier it is to take a family vacation, my kids rock! I think I may have heard "He's looking at me" or "Her book is touching my book" or especially "Are we in Florida yet?" (that comment began before we even reached Birmingham) only about 50 times this trip.

Here are a few examples of how not to take beach pictures:

It's never a good idea to tell your child "only one more" and then proceed to take another 20 pictures....

Silly pics are fun, but will probably not be on my mantle.....

The "squinty eye" look, never a good idea....

Molly got a haircut while she was in the doggie hotel.

Before:

After:

She feels like a million bucks without that gigantic fur coat on!

For our anniversary, my father gave us an absolutely gorgeous painting! He is an awesome artist and painted one of our favorite places in the world, Glacier National Park. I attribute many trips to this place to falling in love with my hubby. I can't wait to take the kids there one day!

And finally, I made another cake last week. I call it By the Sea.

Hand carved sand dollar made from white chocolate. Hand painted chocolate and fondant shells and pearls.

My favorite was the pearl in the oyster!

So Sorry....

2010-04-27T18:47:00.003-05:00

There may be a lack of posts because...

...Hubby and I will be here.....

...relaxing like this....

...celebrating 10 years of this!!! I love you sweet hubby!!! I am so thankful that God has blessed me so much!!!

Whip It Up and Lick That Bowl Clean

2010-04-19T20:06:00.004-05:00

Make your own fluffy, delicious Buttercream Icing:

You will need:
1 lb of powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1tsp Princess cake & cookie emulsion flavoring (almond flavoring will work as well. I LOVE this emulsion, it's a nice rich flavor and and just about any cake shop supply store has it or you can order it online. Once you try emulsion, you will love it too!)
3-6 Tbsp milk (I use 1%)

Beat the butter and flavoring together until well blended. Add the powdered sugar, slowly, one cup at a time. The consistency will be thick. Make sure the sugar is blended very well with the butter. Then add a Tbsp of milk at a time and beat on medium speed. For cupcake icing, I add about 6 Tbsp's of milk and whip it for 6-10 minutes, that way it's nice and fluffy. Viola! Beautiful, tasty buttercream!

This is my latest cake done for one very dear sweet friend for her birthday. I was honestly honored for such an opportunity. On a technical note, I still need help trying to keep my layers from buckling. This is one of those things that seems to be ever present in my cake baking excursions. However, I was pleased with the chocolate silhouette birds, branches and flowers.

Such a thoughtful gesture from my sweet friend Susan. I just love flowers!!!

Maxing and Relaxing

2010-04-17T11:23:00.003-05:00

Relaxing on a Saturday morning....and noticing how well my camera captures my lack of cleaning the floors this week.

Kiki with that half asleep look, I actually got some great natural light from this! Very excited about that.

Sorry if you're not digging my random furry creature pics....I'll be back to my regular craftiness soon. Made a new cake for one of the bestest gal pals recently as well, so photo to come!

Warmer Weather Feel Goods

2010-04-17T11:00:00.003-05:00

Loving these beautiful spring days! So much that I haven't had too much time to be crafty. In fact we had company come two weekends in a row so I was forced to clean up my "craft" table (hubby calls it my "hoarding table"). I also have been busy planting my gardens. I'll have two this year, one for flowers and then a bigger one that hubby made for me strictly for veggies. I also wanted to try something new this year and planted everything but my tomatoes from seed. So excited to see what happens and if I can pull it off. Mean while, our nights are full of...

...air time on the trampoline. This is by far one of the best things hubby and I have ever spent money on!

Spring kisses between sweet sistas!

Blowing bubbles with my precious niece!

And just enjoying some great family time! Hope you are too!!!

Signs of True Love

2010-04-07T16:39:00.007-05:00

This June, I will have known my dear hubby for 13 yrs. He still makes me laugh so hard that I pee my pants. That's true love :o)

I'm Nothing Without My Peeps

2010-04-07T16:16:00.005-05:00

I LOVE PEEPS!!! Don't like to eat them, they are just plain nasty. BUT, I love to buy them in every color I can find. Then this is one of the things I do with them :o)
CUPCAKES!!! Who would have guessed right?! I got to make these and share with the kiddos at our church dinner on Easter. The bonus is having a super cool friend who had a super fun cupcake stand, thank you SUSAN!!!. Why don't I have one of those?

Speaking of Susan, I have to post this pic of the sweet ladies who made napkins look like carrots for the kids table. Susan and Julie are super fun! I LOVE fun crafts!!! Green plastic utensils, orange napkins and green pipe cleaners...who knew?!?

Cake Art

2010-04-03T09:38:00.002-05:00

One of the best things about having little kiddos is finding ways to incorporate art and food into stories the kids learn from the bible. I got to make Empty Tomb Cakes for Little Man's kindergarten class. Someone told me how to make these last year and I thought the idea was just too cute to pass up.

I cut a hole just about halfway through a Snowball cake (by the way, I think they are just one of the most disgusting highly processed, edible substances in existence...blah) for the entrance to the "tomb". Then I frosted the cake with green icing and sprinkled it with coconut that I dyed green as well. I used a fudge Oreo as the "stone" and added a few malted milk eggs as some "stones" on the side.

The kids loved them and they got to bring home their Empty Tomb cake to show their parents and retell the most beautiful story of how our Savior rose from the dead, just as he said he would.

He has Risen! He has Risen Indeed!

Slippery When Wet

2010-03-23T09:47:00.009-05:00

The hubby and I got to take the kiddos to Memphis to see Grandmother and Grandad during our spring break. It was a spur of the moment kind of trip and while we were there we went to the elegant Peabody Hotel to see the famous ducks. Yes people, I said ducks. You see they are very famous and have been gracing the hotel lobby for the past 75 yrs.

On the roof of the Peabody (ever see "the Firm" with Tom Cruise? There are several scenes with this hotel in it).

Little Man standing by the fountain in the beautiful lobby.

The red carpet.

The duck trainer...how do I get that job :o)

They went into that fountain in a hurry! Note the large crowd, there were probably over 200 people standing all around us, waiting for these ducks. The mallards ride down an elevator from their "palace" on the roof of the hotel and walk the red carpet to the fountain everyday at 11am.

"Thems' some spoiled ducks!"

We had such beautiful sunshine, just right for bubbles! I didn't realize until I downloaded this photo that I had captured pure happiness on Little Man's face. Makes my heart smile :o)

Tennis with Grandmother makes a trip to Memphis complete.

No...wait a minute. A trip to the shooting range with my hubby and my father-in-law makes the trip complete!

Egg-static! It's Spring!

2010-03-22T11:40:00.002-05:00

Yes it is spring, however, it's been snowing ALL morning!!! WOW! Not sticking though....PHEW! Here's a few photos of my cute little Mod Podge eggs, just in time for Easter!

Dear Spring...

2010-03-15T15:58:00.006-05:00

It's almost 4pm....I've been anxiously waiting for the sun to peak out from beneath those mean clouds and make me feel all warm and fuzzy. It's spring break and no, it doesn't feel like spring...at all. I'm not complaining dear Spring.... if you're out there... I miss you. I made you a gift to welcome you in. Plain old 2X4 cut into 4inch sections (courtesy of the hubby).
Next I tore pieces of scrapbook paper and used Mod Podge to make a beautiful surface. I cannot believe that I have never used Mod Podge before, it's so much fun! The bad thing is now I am looking to Mod Podge anything in the house, there's a big oatmeal canister just calling my name :o) I know, it's the little things that make me happy.

I used Itsy beads that can be found at Hobby Lobby with all the candle jar fillers. I chose lime green.

I wish I had thought of this idea, but I saw Ashley post something similar on her fabulous blog Make It and Love It during fall. It took this long to make some cute blocks myself. I chose to use fun spring scrapbook paper instead of material.

DEAR SPRING,
Please come SOON!!!

Just Another Day

2010-03-11T20:10:00.004-06:00

My day began with yoga as usual, with some extra downward dogs.

Breakfast was quite the fight.

Then the sun came out after lunch and I couldn't help myself. I had to leap through the field's of gold!

Dinner time entertainment, courtesy of the alley cat.

Bedtime cuddles and kisses are always a must.

Sweet Dreams!

By the way, I either had one of the very best photography days EVER or I got these photos in an email from my daddy, because he loves me :o)

Going Strappy: First Attempt

2010-03-09T20:22:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, I came across a blogger who had such a cute SLR slipcover as her giveaway. Instantly I thought "Maybe I could do this" and stuck it in that deep cluttered place in mind with all the other projects I "plan" to do. Today was such a great day to try it out.

I Googled "camera strap tutorials" and found Made by Petchy's blog one of the easiest. Click on her site here if this looks like something you may want to try, I will post my pictures and a few steps, but she has it all on her blog.

So off we go! First I laid out all the materials I would need.

Of course "you know who" plopped his orange tushy right in my way as usual.
Such a smug look. Alrighty then....

Here is the material I used along with yellow tissue paper (by the way I recently bought the BIG rainbow package of tissue paper from Hobby Lobby and it is thicker than the average tissue paper and great for making patterns and then you will also have plenty of tissue for all those birthday parties!) to make a pattern for my SLR strap.

Having my strap traced, I'm ready to start cutting. (Yep, that's a Christmas pencil, SO!)

I wanted to use a little bit of patch work. Here are my pieces already cut.

Sewing the squares together .

Ironing the seams, almost there!

Had to cut the other side, which would be just one print alone.

Viola! It turned out pretty well I think, but I worked pretty fast (and fixed dinner in between) so I would love to make another one and have a top stitch. The top stitch on Petchy's site seemed to really make it look clean and crisp.

So It May Have Been A Few

2010-03-08T13:46:00.005-06:00

In our house the Easter Bunny (atleast she thinks so!) has already made his (her) appearance.

(No, Sweet Pea did not lose her arms in some freak sewing machine accident, she was cold when I was taking this !)

Recently Sweet Pea and her daddy got to attend the annual American Heritage Girls Father/Daughter Dance. This years theme was to come dressed as your favorite character. My sweet hubby went dressed as "The Manly Man" found in countless romance novels and in my kitchen. Sweet Pea went as the adventerous Nez Pearce girl, Kaya, from the American Girl series. We made the necklace together and since I didn't want to spend too much $, I was able to get some brown fleece pretty cheap and whipped this little dress up in about an hour. It worked perfectly.

Daddy with his Sweet Pea. Brings a tear to my eyes....she came home so excited, she'll remember these times for the rest of her life.

>Of course yours truly had to make some cute cupcakes up for the occasion....sprinkles by request. (I am planning to post the recipe for my favorite cupcake and buttercream recipe soon so stay tuned!) These cupcakes tend to make little boys make this face.

As well as creating a minor disaster in your kitchen.

But after cleaning up, just sit down and stretch out your tootsies like so...

and relax...aaahhhh.

Just Another Southern Morning

2010-03-02T10:55:00.005-06:00

Yes, this is the view from my kitchen window this morning, and yes I live the south, where we seldom if ever see this much snow. The funny thing is, that we have had so much snow this winter that they DID NOT cancel school this morning! WHAT??!! In a place where all we have to hear is the mention of the "S" word and all chaos breaks loose. To think that it has snowed enough that us good ole southerners are just like "Yep....it's snowing...so?", it amazing!

Snow covered hood of my truck, on the way to school!

Hazards of rolling down the window with snow piled up on side!

This little mocking bird has been hanging around the feeder and our squirrel/bird house and chasing other birds away. Will this be the mommy of some new occupants this spring?

And finally, I pass by this tree every time I go to the gym. I love looking at it in the different seasons...all by itself in the middle of this field. I wonder what happened to the other half of the branches...struck by lightening?

So Ready!

2010-03-01T13:38:00.002-06:00

Who's ready for Spring?!

Sometimes

2010-02-19T11:15:00.004-06:00

Sometimes it's OK to sit yoga style on the kitchen counter and eat chocolate.

Playing the "No Blinking" game with a cat can be a great way to ease stress.

Fried pork chops (no matter how much I hate making them) makes a hubby happy (and weird).

Pouty faces are just beautiful and making them smile is even better.

After all these years I found that "See Food" is pretty gross after all.

And sometimes, you REALLY do get what you really want for your birthday! (hint...it's not the black shirt or bracelets)

Is It a Real Holiday?

2010-02-13T20:30:00.005-06:00

I remember my first Valentine's Day with my sweet Hubby. I actually didn't see him until my birthday, which is just 3 days after V-Day since he was visiting his mother in Tennessee. On my birthday, he gave me a book on Titanic, the movie. Remember that movie with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio?" Jack...Jack...I'll never let go Jack...I'll never let go...."

Yep, that was OUR movie...still is. But, as sweet as that is, I brought up Valentine's Day. His words exactly..."Is that a holiday?" How romantic. I love him though, him and his unromantic self....forever...I'm his.

He and I- 1998

You've Got Mail...and Cookies!

2010-02-12T12:34:00.005-06:00

The Friday before Valentine's Day, the kiddos got to have a fabulous party AND they got to have Pajama Day as well! How cool is that?!? I pondered the idea of wearing my PJ's that day as well, but didn't think the folk's at the grocery store would enjoy that too much. We started the festivities the night before with ....

...homemade Valentine's for some extra special people!
Hard at work she is! (a little bit of Yoda in there for kicks)

Yes....that is a sewing machine as well on my kitchen table...don't we all?!

On to baking and decorating some homemade Almond Butter Cookies with Princess Icing, and sprinkles of course!

YUM!!!
And no, I didn't have a single bite the whole night...what a miracle :o)

Sweet Pea checking her mailbox and finding Valentine's from her classmates, so fun! I also took a photo of Little Man and his class in their PJ's, so priceless, wish I could show it, but for privacy for the other students, I'll have to hold off on that one.

Hope you all find a special way to have fun this Valentine's, even if you just give in and eat that cookie :o)

Happy Together

2010-02-10T16:41:00.006-06:00

As if I don't have enough unfinished ideas swirling around this bubbly head of mine, I come across this blog called Happy Together. LOVE IT !!!! Click on the button below to see more...warning: may cause more projects to be left undone.

Does This Salted-Caramel Chocolate Cupcake Make My Butt Look Big?

2010-02-10T08:54:00.010-06:00

Photo by my so talented friend, Tracy. Salted-Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

I should be scooping the cat box and mopping the kitchen floor right now, but alas I couldn't wait any longer to post about this past weekend!

I have been looking forward to our Women's Retreat for months now and was it ever a wonderful time. I am so blessed to be part of a church where there are so many beautiful women who truly love the Lord. Our topic of study was Love so Amazing: Sanctification by Grace by the gifted speaker, Mary Beth McGreevy. You can read more about this topic at my sweet friend Susan's blog here .

I also had the pleasure to make some yummy cupcakes for a couple of the ladies birthdays. My objects of desire came from this magazine:

Chocolaty gooeyness.....

Even made little samplers for Sweet Pea and Little Man's teachers!
Salted Caramel-Chocolate, Fresh Citrus with Buttercream, Mocha Latte, Cappuccino with Double Shot Latte Buttercream and Vanilla Almond Princess with Buttercream (not shown) mini cupcakes. I made around 15 dozen (give or take a few). My hubby came home from work the day before our retreat and thought that I had gone mad :o) Little did he know that I had plans to make another 6 dozen the next day because I had sampled the caramel ones and they weren't as good as I thought they should be.

Tracy's pictures are just so beautiful! I thank her so much for taking these photos!