Family Love

I'm so happy to have had my Mum come and stay with us for the past few weeks. We've had loads of fun together. Our closets are bulging, and so are our waistlines...and I can't wait to do it all again!

Friendship

There is a cozy corner, in my heart,
All tucked away,

Warmed by the light of friendship's smile, and song
And laughter, gay.

A secret nook I keep, just for a favorite few,
And there is always Open House
Within that place for you.

Happy Halloween

It's almost Halloween....and believe it or not, I'm feeling somewhat prepared. I'm sure it's because my mother is here with me, and has been helping me bring to life all those crazy ideas that swim around in my head (what would I do without you Mum...Thanks!)

We've been busy:

Halloween Costume Made....CHECK

Boo Bags Delivered....CHECK

Fall Teachers Gift Created...CHECK

Class Treats Completed....CHECK

House Decorated Inside and Out...CHECK

Little K dressed in something Cute and Haloweeny for the week...CHECK

Creepy Bento Lunches Made...CHECK

Haunted Gingerbread House Baked....OOPS, didn't quite get to that one!

Here are Little K's lunches from the past few days to get you into the Halloween Spirit!

I've had so much fun not only making these...but being completely inspired by what other have done. Check out these cool Halloween Themed Bento Lunches. Now do you see why I just can't stop.

My Flickr Friend Texasmomof4 started the group on Flickr and I'm blown away with what everyone has come up with. I have a feeling there may be more Holiday Themed Bentos in the works.

Have a Fantastic Safe Weekend. Save a Peanut Butter Cup for Me!

Parent Teacher Conference - Survival Basket

It's Conference Week at Little K's Elementary School.

With budget cuts and staffing changes, many of the teachers have over 30 kids in their class (compared to under 20 just a few years ago). I've never been a teacher, but as a Retail Manager, I remember what it was like to give Employee Reviews to 30+ employees. It's draining, taxing and tiring - even when you're discussing positive topics. I can only imagine how it must be for the teachers who have to meet with 30+ families in just a few days.

With this in mind, we put together this little basket of goodies for Mrs. Simpson to get her through the week.

It's filled with Water to keep her hydrated - Tac Mints to keep her fresh - Fruits (apple, banana, asian pear) to keep her healthy - as well as some Raspberry Candies and Almond Poppy Muffins...because sometimes you just need something sweet.

Little K is just thriving in Mrs. Simpson's Class, and we can't thank her enough. Hats off to all the teachers out there who give of themselves selflessly to make our children the best little people they can be.

Over The Top Award

I recently received this Cool award from two friends. Susan at Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook and MandLMom at Pigs Do Fly.

Whoo Hoo….my First Blog Award. Thanks so much Ladies!

The rules of this award are simple:

1) Answer the questions with only one worded answers (questions are below)
2) Thank the blogger who gave it to you over and over and over (that’s exaggerated a bit)
3) Pass it on to your favorite blogs

I hereby grant this award to:

Make Life Sweet

Magpie Ethel

Lucky Number 13

Our Crazy Fun Life

Now the questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? Kitchen
2. Your hair? Messy

3. Your mother? Here
4. Your father? Gone
5. Your favorite food? Asian
6. Your dream last night? Incomplete

7. Your favorite drink? Propel
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. What room are you in? Office
10. Your hobby? Crafting
11. Your fear? Nothing
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Improved
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something you aren’t? Minimal
15. Muffins? Carrot
16. Wish list item? Tripod
17. Where did you grow up? Allover
18. Last thing you did? Slept
19. What are you wearing? Jammies
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? Strays
22. Your friends? Loyal
23. Your life? Fantastic!
24. Your mood? Happy
25. Missing someone? Many
26. Vehicle? German
27. Something you’re not wearing? Bra
28. Your favorite store? Vintage
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When was the last time you laughed? Now
31. Last time you cried? Friday
32. Your best friend? Gary
33. One place that I go over and over? Michaels
34. One person who emails me regularly? JoEllen
35. Favorite place to eat? Cheesecake Factory (not my fault it’s more than one word)

Fast Fix It

Before my Mum arrived, we did a little sprucing up around the house. Nothing like a visitor to get you to work on your household "To Do" list - right?

Nothing major, but lots of little things that no-one will ever notice like:

• Scraping the old caulk from around the tub
• Adding fresh white new caulk...ahhh it looks so clean
• Cleaning off the mineral deposits from the faucets
• Sealing the Granite counter tops so the water marks don't show
• Repairing the silicone seal around the sinks

I feel better having done them - because I get to cross something off my list. Even if I'm the only one who knows.

One thing hubby and I did do - that is a little More noticeable (or actually, to make them Less noticeable) - was to paint the recessed lighting in our kitchen.

Our house is over 20 years old and has these lovely recessed fluorescent panels in the ceiling.

The lighting is the least of our worries when it comes to updating the kitchen, so having an electrician come in and replace them with pot lights is not going to happen any time soon.

Our solution?

Paint them white to blend in with the ceiling so they (hopefully) fade away, instead of drawing your attention to them with the dark oak frame.

I know - my father is probably rolling over in his grave at the thought of me painting over real Oak! In this case - I think it was necessary.

We also replaced the plastic diffuser panels. I didn't realize how yellow they had gotten over the years - and of course, they were a lovely bubble rain texture (Sorry, I hated them so much I forgot to take the picture before we smashed them into itty bitty pieces).

The hardest thing about this project was cutting the plastic panels down to size..apparently standard fluorescent lighting has changed over time and we had a bear of a time cutting them.

Did you like how I said "we". That implied that I actually did something on this project. Dear Hubby was the one standing on the stool on the kitchen counter painting the wood. I tried to cut the panels, but just didn't have the oomph (and I consider myself pretty strong), so he had to do that too. Does it count that it was my idea?

The kitchen is so much brighter now and I'm happy with the temporary fix results.

Blame it on the Book Fair

I'm so sorry - I have been derelict in my blogging duties. I have lots of excuses why I've been absent lately, but today I'll choose just one to take the blame (because taking responsibility myself would be just too grown up of a thing to do, and it's always easier to blame it on something else).

I've been volunteering at Little K's school helping to decorate and set up for our Bi-annual Book Fair with my friend Marni. We were just talking the other day about how we got roped into this...errr I mean how we ended up volunteering for this job? The truth is, it's fun to do, we love working with the Media Staff (Hi Stacey) and it's a creative outlet. But it is a lot of work, and I'm happy to say, we are on track for a fantastic Grand Opening on Friday.

This years theme is "Destination: Book Fair. Read Around the World".



This is a close up of the main bulletin board inside the Media Center where the Book Fair is set up. Those red balls are Giant Push Pins marking the cities on our World Tour.

We can't take credit for all the clever decorations. Scholastic puts out a fantastic "How To" kit and even includes on-line templates and patterns for many of the ideas. Although, I have to admit, we often don't use them...because being the perfectionists that Marni and I both are...we think we can do better on our own, and so we sometimes try.



We made invitations for the Staff that looked like Passports. We try to keep the materials as low cost as possible, so the invites were made simply from construction paper and a few scrapbooking tools (punches and corner rounder). The "visa" stamps were created using MS Word.



The main entrance was decorated with images of children from various nations, with their countries flag and native greeting.



The Teachers Wish board is for families to purchase books to donate to the classroom libraries. Teachers fill out "request" of books they would like at the Staff Preview, so for the Book Fair opening, the suitcase pockets will be filled with wish list cards.

Scholastic provided a template for the suitcase pockets, but we chose to use a similar die cut from the scrapbook store. Much faster than cutting them all out by hand.



The tables are decorated with globes already owned by the school.

For several weeks the students have been coming in during free time and coloring Flags from all Nations. They were strung in banners above the book display tables.

Our attempt at a Hot Air Balloon behind the cashier table. Take another look - can you see it now?



Bulletin board borders were added to the cases and embellished with flags (found on a free clip art site and printed on cardstock).

Kids activities include Guessing Jars filled with Italian Pasta, Chinese Fortune Cookies and Mexican Tortilla Chips.

Hopefully you'll understand what I've been keeping busy with lately. My mom has also recently arrived for a visit, and we'll soon be off on a little road trip. But I have lots of projects lined up for Mum and I to do while she's here, so we'll be back to posting with a vengeance soon.

Little Clothespin Cutie

I'm afraid my Bento Lunch creations are at Risk. I've discovered a new obsession that seems to be monopolizing my time lately.



Isn't she adorable (if I do say so myself)? Now can you see why I'm obsessed with making these little cuties. This one was completely "styled" by Little K. She chose the fabric and colors (hair and eye colors are the same as hers)...she even painted the legs/tights and stripes herself.



I love how the stripes on her tights are all wonky.

This one was actually just a trial run. We have a friend who celebrated her 6th Birthday this weekend, and I wanted to make a little Clothespin Doll Scene for her present.



This is what we made for her. The colors are coordinated to her Birthday invitation (shown in the background). The little dolls hair and eye colors match the Birthday Girl.

Her theme was "Birds in the Garden", so we had to add some flowers and a little bluebird singing away.






I've been admiring the work of several Flickr artists that make fantastic clothespin dolls. Some of my faves are Jenny at be cheery, Susan at Sweetimaginations and Carol at Wee Cute Treasures. Their creations inspired me to give this craft a try. They give their dolls such personality and each artist has their own unique style. It's been fun watching their work.

I remember making clothespin dolls as a child. I think it was a kit that had all the pins and sheets of felt with itty bitty pattern pieces that you cut into clothes and then glued to the clothespin. I worked for hours on those little creations. I guess I was a bit obsessive even back then. The thrill has come rushing back, and I still have lots of supplies, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these cuties to come.

But first - I think I better go pack Little K a bento box for school tomorrow.

Arizona Night Sky

Taking a moment to appreciate the Sunset.

The sky lights up like this nearly every night here in Arizona, but I rarely get to see it. Cleaning Up from dinner, Packing Lunch, Snuggling with Little K, they all keep me occupied inside while the day comes to an beautiful end outside.

Maybe tomorrow we'll sit outside together and watch the sun go down. The dishes can always wait until after dark!

Pasta for Everyone

Little K and I had the great idea to make pasta - from scratch! I'm not quite sure why, since you can buy a box of pasta in any flavor, or shape you want for just around a dollar. I guess it was the thought of playing around in the messy dough that appealed to both of us. Besides, isn't anything home made Better than store bought?

So with that thought in mind - we got started.

The ingredients are simple. Just Eggs, Flour, Olive Oil and Salt. I'm sure a real Italian cook would just mix it all together until it felt right. But we needed to at least start with a recipe.

Homemade Pasta

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Mound flour in the center of a large board. Make a well in the flour and break the eggs into the center. Sprinkle on the salt and add the oil. With your fingertips, mix the eggs into the flour gradually incorporating the walls of the well. When all the eggs are mixed with the flour, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. It will be very firm and should be quite smooth, the kneading process will take about 10 minutes.

Roll the dough into long strips. Dry the strips slightly (we use a long handled wooden spoon). After the dough is slightly dry, (don't wait too long or the dough will be too brittle to cut), cut the strips into desired shapes (long thin strips). Dry on a rack until ready to use.

Incorporating the flour into the eggs was a lot of fun. That's Little K doing all the work. Look at that beautiful golden color. I swear it's from the brown eggs I use.



Two huge jars of olives I keep on my kitchen counter worked perfect as a drying station for the pasta. We used a long wooden spoon across the top, and hung the cut pasta strips over the spoon.

As we were cutting the strips, I was really wishing I had bought that pasta machine I wanted for making Skulpy Clay creations. I'm not sure why, but the the shape, and thickness of the pasta effects the taste, and it's pretty difficult to get the pasta thin enough when you are rolling by hand (at least for us it was).

I won't say it was the best tasting pasta we have ever had. I think if we were able to make the strips narrower and thinner, they would have tasted better. But we had loads of fun making our noodles, and I'm sure we'll do it again soon.

While we were waiting for the pasta to dry, we whipped up some home made vanilla ice cream to eat with these delicious white nectarines. The Pasta may not have been perfect...but the ice cream was pretty close, and definitely better than last time....I think we finally have it figured out.

So come on over for dinner. We always have the ingredients on hand for Homemade Pasta and Vanilla Ice Cream.

Fun Find

I got these adorable green Ramekin Dishes some time ago at the Dollar Store. I didn't expect them to hold up very well (you get what you pay for), but there were the best shade of Green and I just couldn't resist.

I've had them for a few months, and used them over and over again. Much to my surprise, there is not a single chip or crack. I've even baked in them. They are great for Dips and Salsas, I grab one when I need to Scramble an Egg, and last night we used them for Taco Toppings.

I could have used a few more (for the Salsa, Sour Cream and Lettuce), but for some reason I only purchased 3?

Now I'm off to the Dollar Store to see if I can find any more. Hope I get there before you do, because I might just buy them All Up.

Family Card Challenge - HBCC #2

I spent some time organizing my Craft Room over the weekend (which is also the Guest Bed Room). I haven't been doing any paper crafting lately, frankly...because I couldn't find anything. I'm happy to say, I'm feeling much more creative now that things are a bit tidy and I'm ready to Get My Craft On!

After seeing all the new goodies I was putting away, Little K decided she wanted to to another Family Card Making Challenge (probably because she won the last one). This time, she wanted Daddy to play along. Being the good sport that he is, he agreed. Although he did make us promise that next weekend we have a "who can change the oil in the car fastest" Challenge. Little does he know, I'm actually pretty good at that.

So here are our submissions for your review and consideration.

We followed the Hannah Bug Color Challenge #2 - Use Dark Grey, Dark Orange and Light Orange.

It's a new Challenge Blog designed for Kids Submissions. Hannah (Lori's daughter from The Pink Elephant) just started the site, so spread the word to all your Crafty Kids - how fun that they can play along with their peers in their own challenges.

Submission #1 - Best Friends

Submission #2 - Smile

Submission #3 - Hello Friend

We also added our own twist. Since we couldn't all fit into the craft room - we pulled a limited few supplies (cardstock, buttons, brads, ribbon, stamps and punches). We brought them to the kitchen table and that's ALL we were allowed to use. No one could go into the craft room and dig for the perfect button, or get just one more bling. We had to share the supplies and use only what was on the table.

Considering those limitations, I think they turned out pretty good - and very different.

Feel free to leave a comment on which one you like the best. The winner gets Braggin' Rights (but beware, there may be a re-match in the works already).

New Blog Header

So what do you think? I was playing around with some of my photos to see if I could come up with a Blog Header.

If only I had a Graphics Program (and the brains to use one), I would love to make a Colorful Graphic Logo. But alas, I'll have to use what I have available (AKA - the Free stuff).

For now, this will have to do. You Likey?

Thanks to my brother Keith for being my Computer Tutor this summer. I wouldn't have been able to figure this out without his help.

Busy Bento Week

I've been having fun making Little K's Bento Lunches this week. Here are a few of the more interesting ones I thought I would share.

We got a new Bento Box this week, and I couldn't wait to use it. Little K has been busy making jewelry, and made this adorable Pink and Black Zebra set.



Of course, she coordinated an entire outfit around the Necklace and Earrings - so I thought the Panda Bento would be a perfect compliment to the outfit.

Doesn't everyone coordinate their lunch to what they are wearing?

Don't you love the little band that makes him look like Kung Fu Panda? It's an elastic strap that keeps the layers together...notice the eye brows.



I accidentally threw away the Panda Soy Sauce Bottle, so he won't be making another appearance. I still have a chick, elephant, lion and bunny, but they don't quite go with the panda theme.



The rice face was so fun and easy to make. I just copied the details from the box lid, with the addition of a radish bow and some blusher (it is a girl after all).

This is Today's Bento. I recently purchased Susan Yuen's book and I love how she makes her little people, so I was inspired to give it a try.

Just in case you didn't get the subtle reference to our family.



I added another box of fruits and veggies, because the Happy Family scene is made completely of rice, cheese and meat.



Little K wanted to be surprised, but I was worried it would all shift when she rode the bus...so I actually delivered it to her at school at lunchtime. OK, maybe I'm going just a little overboard now. Hey - it's Friday, it's OK to splurge.

Happy Friday - from our Family to Yours!

Cat Vomit and Other Fun Stuff

Look what I woke up to this weekend. Right in the middle of the bathroom floor, where I was sure not to miss it.



Almost a little too obvious. Come to think of it - Little K was telling me a story the other night of how she once found a little gift like this from the cat. Funny - I don't remember her ever pointing out such a thing for me to clean up.

Can't you just hear it now - "Ewwww Yuckkk - Mooommmm - look what the Caaat did!"

I'm pretty sure she wouldn't just clean it up herself

without telling me. Wait a minute - something is going on here!



Yep - I was the unsuspecting recipient of a practical joke engineered by Little K and Daddy. Thanks to the help from this book.



If Fake Cat Vomit isn't your thing, these books are still great. Although you might be surprised. I wouldn't have thought Little K would have been interested in this (pretty gross for my girly girl), but she was on the floor laughing like a maniac just waiting to see my reaction.

These books are filled with all sorts of fun stuff that we used to do as kids, using things around the house. You remember, back when we had free time and had to entertain ourselves, and when even the simplest things were funny and interesting. Things like:

• Make a Lemon Powered Clock
• Train a Dog to Shake Hands
• Modern Women Leaders
• How to Negotiate a Salary
• Rules of the Game - Basketball
• How to Blow the Biggest Bubble
• Pressing Flowers
• Campfire Songs
• First Aid
• Boys

I'm not sure how our lives became so complicated and scheduled with activities, but reading these books with Little K reminds me of my childhood, and has been great fun for all of us. For those of you who have Boys, not to worry, there's a book for you as well.

Humm - I hear giggling upstairs. I think those two are up to something again.

Bountiful Baskets

Just a quick post today - I'm trying to get organized around my house (so far, My House is winning).

We placed our first order with Bountiful Baskets last week - a local Food Co-Op. Look at all the fresh goodness that we picked up on Saturday. I've been busy baking and cooking all week using the wonderful seasonal ingredients.



This was the regular basket order (that's half fruit, and half veggies), Plus the Italian Pack and a Case of Cherries. Thanks Roma for cluing me in to this - took me awhile to get around to an order, but it won't be the last.

My hubby and Little K both have a Sweet Tooth (or 2), so I did some baking.



First there was a Peach Tart. This recipe is from Paula Dean. I used Strawberry Jam for the glaze because it's what I had in the fridge. Other than that small change - I followed the recipe as is (I know, hard to believe - right!).



I also made a small Peach Custard with the extra ingredients that didn't fit into the tart pan. It's basically the Peach Tart without the crust. I'm not a big custard fan, and really didn't think I would like it without the yummy butter crust, but it was really good. Smooth and Silky.

Next came a Rustic Apple Pie.



It's made the same as a regular Apple Pie, just without the pie plate. I roll out the crust and place it on a baking sheet lined with Silpat. Plop the apple mixture in the center of the crust and fold up the edges. I added a little crystallized sugar for sparkle and an egg wash for browning.



I make my pie crust in the food processor, so there is no floury mess all over the counter. I also pre-cook my apple slices (in this case, rough cut apple chunks). That way, the apples are assured to be soft and tender, the crust doesn't overbrown (waiting for the apples to cook), and I can keep the moisture under control - there is nothing worse than a watery Apple Pie. They are cooked in a saute pan with a little sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and flour. Quantities of each depend on your taste, and how "wet" you apples are.

Finally - we made a batch of Ratatouille using the Eggplant and other vegetables. Little K wasn't to thrilled about this recipe as we had just rented the Movie Ratatouille, and she was convinced there was more than just veggies in it.



I used a combination of several recipes. I don't think the traditional version is supposed to have mushrooms, but I had them available, so I added them. One of the recipes I saw used capers, so I included those as well.

Lots of other good stuff has been cooked up this week using our Bountiful Basket Harvest, not to mention what we ate fresh (carrots, grapes, melon, strawberries, cherries). The bananas got over ripe before we finished them, so I think they are headed into some Banana Nut Bread. I also have a freezer full of pitted cherries with plans for a pie and maybe some jam.

But first - I have to get back to conquering my house and all its disorganized belongings.