Bunches and Bits

Baseball Fun Bucket

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

I volunteered to make a quilt to be included in the Classroom Auction item for our schools upcoming fundraising event.

Our class families donated tons of great stuff to make up a Baseball Fun Bucket (for our local minor league team).

I've been wanting to make a Rag Quilt for some time, so I figured this was the perfect reason.

I am NOT a quilter - I don't like having it be perfect in my sewing...or my cooking (that's why I'm not much of a baker).

This quilt was so easy - and fast to put together.

In one day I had all the squares cut (including the face fabric, batting and denim backing)

The next day I did all the sewing, seam snipping and had it washed and dried.

Super Cute (if I do say so myself). I used this tutorial from Connie at Green Apple Orchard blog.

I also volunteered to put all our donated goodies together - to create the Fun Bucket.

Tee Shirt - Visor - Foam finger - Logo Baseball

A cute little be-ribboned tag telling everything that is included

And a bundle that includes the Tickets and Food/Gift voucher (as well as a bat shaped pen and note pad)

There is a little empty spot left - do you see it there in the corner?

I may have to add a few of these aluminum Coke Bottles too.

Because they are so darn cute - and they Match!

(this is one of my project 365 photo-a-day pics....that's why it has a date)

I will definitely be making more of these quilts - this time for us to keep.

Especially now that my fabric stash will soon be neat and organized

(a new closet is being built in my craft studio as we speak)

Whoot Whoot!

Project Life: Cover Page

2012-01-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

I am embarking on Project Life.

If you are not familiar - you can read more about it here on Becky Higgins' blog.

In a nutshell: it's a simple way to document your everyday life.
An answer for those that have become overwhelmed by all the fancy scrapbook creations out there, but still want a to preserve their family memories.

What I LOVE about this project - is that it can be whatever YOU want it to be.

It is designed to be a photo a day - 365 project (or in the case of this Leap Year....366). The page layouts allow for one photo - and one journaling card for each day.

Who am I kidding - I'm not anticipating that I will accomplish that - so I'm setting a less lofty goal. I'm allowing myself to let this project turn out be whatever I feel like.

It will probably be a combination of:

~ Documenting life around me from a candid point of view (like this project from last year)
~ Posed pictures of my family and friends
~ Finding the beauty in our every day life (like Rebekah's Ten on Ten)
~ A Few Bench Shots
~ A Few Fence & Flare Shots
~ Some Instagram pics
~ Mementos, Notes, Lists, Quotes.......

You get the idea. With this one project - I can do it all.

After initially making our Cover Page - I started blog surfing - and began to feel my basic page was not up to par. It needed a little more bling:

So I went back and added some glitter, buttons and washi tape embellishments.

Then I read this post entitled "Eye's on Your Own Paper!"

Translation: Don't be influenced by what everyone else is doing. There will always be someone doing something (that you think is) better than you.
Be true to yourself - and don't worry about the rest.

Boy - did I need to hear that!

This is the completed Cover Page. It's Done - and I'm Happy with it.

I haven't decided if this is for Little K (so she will have something to remember the moments of her childhood), or for Me (so I don't forget), or for Hubby ( to keep him informed about the little things that fill our days).

I suppose it's all of the above.

Special Thanks to my flickr friend everydayus for introducing this project to me. I'm thrilled to be doing this together with her - sharing ideas and inspiration - across the miles.

Little Lunches

2012-01-13T13:15:00.000-08:00

I've been asked recently if I still pack bento lunches for Little K.

The answer is Yes - although they have become less creative (and therefore requiring less time) lately, so I don't often take any pictures.

I find it harder during the winter months - when the fruit and vegetable selection is not as varied - to come up with new ideas. Not to mention that my Bento Stash is much in need or re-organizing.
note to self: put that on the To Do List

Here are a few pics I took over the past few weeks.

My favorite Laptop Lunch container. It's not in the true Bento style - but the little compartments kind of qualify it as a bento.

I was excited to see cherries at the grocery store - yay - something different than the usual carrots and grapes.

The cut outs on the bottom are bologna and cheese with crackers. She's not a bit cheese eater (that's why they are small ovals).

One tiny little begonia blossom that hasn't been frozen out yet - added as a garnish (not to be eaten).

These are my other favorite containers. I got them at the Daiso store when we were in San Francisco last year.
Everything just seems to look better in a round container.

Fruits, veggies and another begonia flower blossom.

The top round has a Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich (cut into a round) with polka dots from cinnamon sugar (left of after making breakfast that day).

I'll get back to making more fancy lunches soon, but in the meantime...You can see more of the lunches I have made over the years - over there ------> in the Bento Lunch Gallery (it's links to my flickr set).

You can even find one of my creations published in the Laptop Lunches (Dec 2011) Newsletter in the "from your kitchen to ours" section.

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T15:33:00.001-08:00

Hello Again. I'm Not Lost. Still Here.
Just Spending Time with the Family

December kept us busy, but we managed to have some great times together. I did get quite a few pics of all the Holiday projects we completed, but didn't get around to blogging about any of them.

I know lots of you have already taken down your decorations, so the last thing you want to read about are Christmas Activities and Crafts.

Maybe I'll wait and post about them next year.

As for me - we'll keep the trees up for at least another week. I'm not ready to move on just yet.

We ended up celebrating New Years Eve with an impromptu Neighborhood Progressive Dinner. Usually I plan for months in advance - but this get together was decided on just days before (as in 2 days before).

5 families - 9 adults - 7 kids

I was in charge of the Entree Course:

Boeuf Bourguignon
Pureed Root Vegetables
Mushroom Ragout
Sourdough Crustini
Parsley Buttered Noodles
Chicken Nuggets

An individual Petite bouquet at each place. Mixed white flowers in a mini beaded vase (they are dollar store votive holders, painted, rolled in glue and beads).

Silver napkin rings - wired with glass beads.

Sparkley Clock Name cards.

Marshmallow Snowballs in a cellophane bag tied with silver, pink and purple ribbons.

Dinner (for the adults) was served in the dining room which is decorated for Christmas in pastels, silver & pewter. You can peek at it here. It was a nice change from the traditional Red and Green Holiday decor in the rest of the house, and an easy transition to a sparkley New Years.

In case you are wondering how I pulled this of with just 2 days notice - when I am known to plan and work for months before an event....

I Cheated!

I have used this color scheme in the past, and had the napkin rings and votive/flower holders already made.

There has to be a benefit to moving a lot....you can re-use your decor and No One will ever Know.

Happy New Year!

Ten on Ten: December 2011

2011-12-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

Joining in on Rebekah's monthly Ten on Ten project.

One Photo Every Hour - for Ten Consecutive Hours - on the Tenth of the Month.

Adding my own personal challenge to look for all things White and Wonderful because...

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"
(are you singing along in your head with me)

Hope you are having a wonderful December so far.

Gratitude Project: November 2011

2011-12-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Fall Season, Thanksgiving, November all seem a distant memory. What a whirlwind month for us.

It is only the first few days of December - right? We are already into full Christmas Mode at our house. Holiday music playing - trees up and being decorated a little bit every day.

I wanted to share our final recap of the many things we are Grateful for - our November Gratitude Project.

I hit a few bumps - and didn't manage to get something posted EACH day - but 26/30 isn't bad.

Photography

1. The Skills and Talents of my Mother, 2. The Crazy Carpool Schedule, 3. Collaboration, 4. Fall Temperatures, 5. Helping Hands, 6. The View from my Kitchen Window, 7. List Making, 8. Time With Friends, 9. Breakfast, 10. Healthy Eating, 11. Time with Family, 12. Entertaining, 13. The Colors of Fall, 14. Amazing Teachers, 15. Modern Medicine, 16. Great Neighborhood, 17. Friends and Friendships, 18. Indoor Sports, 19. Being The Passenger, 20. Our Family of Three, 21. Flannel Sheets, 22. Dedication, 23. Silent Phone, 24. Family

(click on the links to read more about each day)

Bokeh

I hope you all had a wonderful November.

Fall Harvest Party

2011-11-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

I wish I could share some photos from the Fall Harvest Party with all the tables and linens in place and the food stations filled - but there is just never enough time to get everything prepped AND take pictures.

It was a glorious day (and evening). The rains cleared up and all the Fall Leaves were in full color.

You will just have to imagine that everything looked beautiful and tasted even better. (You can see some of the food prep going on here).

THE MENU

Appetizers:

Fresh Veggie Bar (similar to this)
Soy Aioli & Garlic Creme' Fraiche Dipping Sauces
Roasted Red Pepper Dip with Pita Chips
Tomato Basil Bruschetta (I love the one from Trader Joes)

Main Course:

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms (recipe)
Tropical BBQ Meatballs
Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Shrimp Cocktail
Roasted Apple, Onion & Squash Tart
Individual Potato Gratins (adapted from this recipe)
Tortellini Skewers
Spam Musabi

Dessert:

Pumpkin Roll (recipe)
Apple Caramel Trifle (recipe)
Pecan Tassies
Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bites
Mini Cheesecakes (recipe)

I had each course set up in a different part of the house:

Appetizers at the Breakfast Bar
Main Course in the Dining Room
Desserts and Coffee in the Office
Cocktails were served at the Bar in the Family Room
Beer, Wine, Water and Punch were set up on the Deck outside the Kitchen

This set up helped traffic flowed throughout the evening, so not everyone was clumped in one area.

I used an old cheese box to hold colorful paper napkins.

I love the patina of the old wood - especially against the burlap table runners.

The cheese box inspired me to make something similar for the Buffet Table Centerpiece. I've been keeping some old fence boards from when we had some repairs done.

I knew I'd find something to make out of them. Because they were pretty weathered (and not very sturdy), I attached them to a solid 1 X 8 pine board base to create a long trough like box.

Then I filled it to the rim with moss and twigs.

I couldn't resist adding some mushrooms.

Pumpkins of all sizes, and gourds and berries.

I did buy a set of handles, but other than that, everything was from my "collection" of scraps.

Candles of all different sizes tucked in between the harvest goodies made everything glow.

It looked so pretty......until the FIRE.

Yep - we had a little Fire. The Candles caught some of the mossy twigs alight.

Open Flame + Dried Wood + Moss.....I guess I should have seen that one coming?

This isn't the first time something like this has happened - it seems to be an unfortunate tradition at our dinner parties.

Luckily no damage was done and no one got hurt.

Everyone had a wonderful time. It was great to spend some personal time with my husbands Staff and their Families.

Everything Fall is now packed away and we're in full swing decorating for Christmas.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Ten on Ten: November 2011

2011-11-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

This is not a very interesting Ten on Ten. Sorry about that.

I'm deep into Party Prep so today was all about cooking. Yep - 10 hours in the kitchen. That's pretty much all I did today.

I'll catch up with you all after the weekend.

Gratitude Project - Week One

2011-11-08T09:21:00.001-08:00

So many things to be GRATEFUL for.

Taking time this month to focus one special thing each day.

WEEK ONE

1) The Skills and Talents of My Mother
2) The Crazy Carpool Schedule
3) Photography
4) Collaboration
5) Fall Temperatures
6) Helping Hands
7) The View From My Kitchen Window

We're enjoying the start to a wonderful November - hope you are too.

Decorated for Fall

2011-11-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Fall Harvest Party is this weekend. I'm pretty much completed decorating the house. There are always a few more things that need done, but I think it's time to stop (because there is a boat load of food that needs prepped).

Welcome!

I love these double doors - but it presents a problem when all your holiday decorations are made for a single door.

I needed some kind of decoration Duo. So I made a quick set of simple wreathes tied with burlap bows. I'll be using burlap for the table runners, so I thought it was a great tie in. Very messy to make - but very easy.

I wanted to use real mini pumpkins, but their scale was too large, so I ended up with artificial ones. I'm not thrilled with the "shiny" look - so I may give them a quick spray with a matte varnish to see if that helps. But for now - they are good enough.

For the Family Room - I made a "Welcome" Banner to string across the mantle.

What do you call them? Banner - Bunting - Garland - Flags - Pennants?

Whatever they are called - I seem to be infatuated with them lately.

I made this one from a collection of fall fabrics (I love picking out coordinating fabrics). The letters are cut from felt and appliqued to the flags with a cute zig zag stitching. I had to include some buttons.

Notice how the apple fabric and button details match the invitations we sent? I love it when things come together like that.

I also made a few extra banners. They are for sale in the shop (and can be at your house in plenty of time for Thanksgiving).

I had some leftover fabric from the banner - so I made a table runner using this easy - quilt as you go - tutorial.

I am sooooo not a quilter - so I was thrilled with this unique method where you sew and quilt all at the same time.

And I couldn't resist making a Candle Cozy while I was at it.

Now on the the Kitchen Nook area.

I love changing out these shelves seasonally. The mantle in the Living Room is very shallow which doesn't offer many options - so I make up for it with these shelves.

Some of the elements are part of the display year round (like the chicken and pottery).

Other things get moved from elsewhere in the house (the candle stick usually holds a candle in the Family Room). For this display - I added a fall berry ring and one of those fun green/white/orange pumpkins.

Are they pumpkins or gourds?

I had plans to put vintage bird prints into these yard sale frames - but now I think I like them better empty.

Some paper leaves cut from scrapbook paper with the edges inked add a little touch of Fall. I had intended to use real fall leaves - but we've only just started to get cold here, so there is not a lot of color on the trees yet.

You can see how I decorated the Office Mantle here. I have a display of straw bails, pumpkins and gourds near the front door - but it's hard to photograph (because it's on an incline) - but I'll try and show that later.

If you happen to be a pinterest follower - many of these ideas will look familiar to you. You can see the inspiration over on my Fall Entertaining board.

Now I'm off to the store to get my food ingredients.

Happy Fall!

Gratitude Project - 2011

2011-11-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's the first of November.

I love this time of year. The weather is cooler - the days are still sunny. I'm excited about the upcoming holidays. I have much to be Thankful for.

I'll be participating in the 30 Days of Gratitude flickr Project again this year (as well as posting on the blog).

A photo taken every day - for the 30 Days of November - to remind me of all the things I have to be Grateful for.

This will be my third year (you can see a recap here).

I can't wait to get started - I'd love to have you join me.

Fall Mantle

2011-10-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

We've finally gotten some cooler temps and I'm Feeling like Fall. Slowly I've been putting up some Harvest decorations.

This is the fireplace in our Office. It's technically the formal Living Room - but that's not what we use it for.

The mantle used to be Honey Oak (our house was built in the 80's), and we added built in shelving and painted everything white. Some day I'll show the Before and After pics of that project.

I wanted this display to be rustic and natural.

Using burlap, gourds, acorns and leaves.

I grew the birdhouse gourds in our garden at least 5 years ago. They have been sitting in a crate in the garage all that time waiting to be turned into the perfect little birdie home.

A quick seal of acrylic to add a little shine - and they mix perfectly with the fresh gourds.

The sap bucket was purchased years ago at my favorite Flea Market in Chicago. I wanted to use it as a flower bucket - but it leaks.
No problem for this display - everything inside is dried.

I'll be using burlap at my husbands staff Party in a few weeks - for the table decorations - so I've incorporated it in several places throughout the house.

You can sure tell Burlap is a HOT decorating trend right now - I had to go to two different stores to get what I needed. Fun & Cheap to work with.....but oooh soooo messy - and itchy.

I have a few more details to finish up on some other fall decor - so I'll share the rest of the house later.

Fall Harvest Party

2011-10-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Every year we host a Holiday Party at our home for my husbands staff. We skipped last year - having just moved, I was in no way ready to host a small intimate dinner gathering for....30!

Here we are - a year later - and I'm still not ready, but we're doing it anyway.

It's usually closer to Christmas - but we're doing it a little earlier this year, to try and avoid all the crazy hectic feelings that come with working in Retail at Christmas Time.

Cranky Retail Managers do not always make great party guests.

Step One - send out the invites:

I had so much fun making the paper folded "flowers". I'll be using burlap as the table toppers, so I wanted to incorporate some of that in the invitations as well.

Buttons - Buttons - you can't forget the buttons.

I'd love to say that's my handwriting - but it's rub on.

The inside deets - we're calling it a Harvest Celebration....doesn't that sound fun?

Because the invites are so bulky - I wrapped them in bubble wrap and used an extra large envelope. A few little outside embellishments, and that plain manilla envelope is plain - no more.

There is even this sweet little owl peeking out from the back.

All packaged up and in the mail.

I made a few extra (since I wasn't exactly sure of the guest count at first) and they are available in the shop - in case you are interested. I left off the "you're invited" sentiment - so they can be used for anything as a blank card.

We've been busy putting up Fall decorations and now that the weather has finally cooled down a bit - I'm getting in the Harvest Celebration mood.

Were Going BOOing

2011-10-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year. BOO signs are showing up on front doors and windows in our neighborhood.

We got BOOed last week - so now it's our turn to spread the Halloween Cheer.

I usually love shopping for BOO bag goodies - there are always so many cute things in the stores, I can't wait for an excuse to pick up a few.

This year I couldn't seem to find much that I liked. Maybe because we are in a new (smaller) town, with not as many unique stores? Maybe I waited too long and all the cute stuff sold?

Whatever the reason, we needed to find some (family friendly, cute, not cheap, unique, fun) Halloween Goodies.

Our solution was to get a little Crafty - and make something.

Cookie Ghosts

I can not Lie. This is not my original idea. I found it on Pinterest (sigh).

Aren't they cute. Nutter Butter cookies tipped in white chocolate with mini chocolate chip eyes.

Kind of home made - but not too much work. Little K did the dipping and I applied the eyes (using my bento tweezers for precision placement of those tiny little bits)

This could easily be done with another cookie if you want to avoid the potential nut allergy issue. (I'm thinking these would be amazing).

We nestled them in a re-cycled plastic container (I think it originally help cherry tomatoes) and tied it up with a rag bow that matches the ties on the boo bags.

I'm a bit obsessed with banners and buntings these days. They can be made with so many materials - and are fairly easy to put together.

How about a Halloween Banner.

So where did I look for ideas? Pinterest (of course)

We made this one completely last minute from things in my stash. I think it took a total of 5 Letter Size Sheets of Solid scrapbook paper, and a few scraps to make TWO of these adorable cuties.

This one is my favorite (it's an Owl in case you can't tell). We rifled through the basket of punches to find shapes we could use to make the details. The feathers are made with a decorative picture corner punch, and the feet are cut from a small scalloped circle.

I cut all the wedge shaped pieces (you can get 3 from each sheet), but Little K did almost all of the decorating herself.

Frankie is Little K's favorite. I had to explain that the things coming out the side were supposed to be Bolts - not Arms. She kept wanting to put them lower. (I wonder if Bride of Frankenstein is appropriate for a 10 year old to watch).

As usual - when they were all done - we both said "why didn't we make one for ourselves?"

Everything is now safely tucked inside our BOO bags.

All tied up with strips of colorful Halloween fabrics.

Tonight's the night. No after school activities today. Hopefully not too much homework. We're going BOOing.

Maybe the Jack O Lantern Jingle Bell was not the best thing to include - if we're trying to be stealth.

Not sure what all this BOO talk is about. Find out more here.

Thirty Days of Gratitude

2011-10-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I joined a flickr group that challenged me to find something to be Thankful for - and take a photo - each of the 30 days of November.

I consider myself pretty lucky - I have a great life - not much to complain about. But it's sooo easy to get bogged down by the every day things - and get just a little Cranky. Especially during the busy holiday season.

I love this challenge because it's like a slap in the face for me. Time to take stock in All the wonderful things I have in my life.

Here is a recap of my 30 Days of Gratitude for the past years:
(click on the links below to see more about each of the photos)

2009

1. Happy Thoughts, 2. Just the Girls, 3. Tchotchkes, 4. Time and Tolerance, 5. Wisdom, 6. Intervention, 7. The Beauty of Dance, 8. Reading, 9. Time Together, 10. A Helping Hand, 11. Sweet Girl of Mine, 12. Family History, 13. Going Green, 14. Slow Cooker, 15. It's Time to Decorate, 16. Glitter, 17. A Taste of the World, 18. A Table for Two, 19. Friends and their Babes, 20. Health and Well Being, 21. Sweet Little Mice, 22. The Arizona Biltmore, 23. Sunshine and Rain, 24. In Memory of..., 25. Amazing Night Sky

2010

1. Moderation, 2. A Strong & Pleasant Scent, 3. Friends, 4. Dinner, 5. Moving, 6. Suburbia, 7. Children and the Arts, 8. A Clean House, 9. Grey Hair & Wrinkles, 10. Tooth Fairy, 11. Sweater Weather, 12. Home, 13. Freedom, 14. Game Night, 15. Fun, 16. Unconditional Love, 17. Quiet Time, 18. Nature, 19. Coffee Maker, 20. A Man is Only as Good as His Tools, 21. Inspiration, 22. Moving Cards, 23. Simplify, 24. Sweet Surprises, 25. Lights, 26. Snuggle Time, 27. Warm Cookies and Milk, 28. Willingness, 29. Natures Bounty, 30. December Memories

November will be here in just a few weeks. I plan on playing along again this year.

I invite you to come over to flickr and join this wonderful group with me. No pressure. No worries if you can't post every day (notice my first year didn't have 30 photos).

Hope to see you there.

Ten on Ten: October 2011

2011-10-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

A little peek into my day. Playing along with Rebekah's fun Monthly Challenge.

A photo taken every Hour - for Ten consecutive Hours - on the Tenth of the Month.

Fruit Bowl
(because I'm tired of always having my cup of coffee as the first shot of the day)

Laptop Lunch with Lo Mein

The Morning Walk to School (before the rains came)

I've got great crafty plans for these little rocks

View from my Window

Mom's Locket
(a gift to her from my dad, many years ago, that I'm now honored to possess)

Pouring Down Rain

Pretty as a Peacock

Nest

Fall Fabrics (another project in the works)

In Love with Doilies

2011-10-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Look what arrived in the mail today.

A package filled with crocheted goodness.
Each one a different size and pattern.
In all shades of cream and white.

Handmade by my sweet Mother.

She's been working on them for awhile now.

At night, while watching TV. Her own kind of Crochet Therapy.

The plan was to make them into something like this:

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Karina on Pinterest

But first, I'll just sit back and admire how beautiful they are.

THANKS MUM!

Special Order Bride and Groom

2011-09-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when my friend Deb made these amazing cookies for me?

And how I said how we bartered our services?

Well - now it's time for Me to complete my end of the barter.

Deb is making a Cupcake Tower for a very special client's Wedding this weekend, and asked me to make a Bride and Groom Clothespin Doll Cake Topper (I guess technically it would be a tower topper).

The Bride doesn't know anything about it. Debbie is going to surprise her with it as a gift when she delivers the cupcakes to the wedding.

I'm a little nervous - what if the Bride doesn't like it - or doesn't even want a topper? The good news is - my friend Debbie now has the topper in her hot little hands, and is very pleased (so that's all I really should be concerned about).

Since I wasn't dealing with the bride directly - it presented some challenges on how to get all the details of what the Bride and Groom would be wearing - so I could make them look as personal as possible.

Debbie is a very clever girl - she had her secret moles planted near the bride that would feed her information daily:

What's he wearing? Will she have a veil? What color are the flowers? How will she style her hair? Will he wear a bow tie? She managed to get all the information I needed.

Including a picture of the bride wearing her tiered lace dress - that no one else has seen, because the bride wanted to keep it a surprise to everyone until the day of the wedding.

I think I was supposed to burn that photo after I was done. Espionage is so thrilling!

Even though the dolls undergarments would never be seen (the tux and dress are permanently attached)....I felt compelled to first give them some cute undies.

I had the photo printed and made it into a simple card that I included with the dolls. Hopefully the bride and groom will get a chuckle out of that (and not be offended).

Thanks Debbie for giving me the opportunity to make something for your adorable clients. I can't wait to see how this little topper looks paired with your amazing baked creations.

Brown Paper Packages

2011-09-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

I think I might like wrapping a gift - almost as much as I like finding the perfect gift for someone.

It's a great opportunity to add another little detail - and make the anticipation of whats inside just that much more exciting. After all - the package is the first thing the recipient will see.

I don't usually use gift bags - for me it's much more fun to actually wrap a package - in beautiful paper - and top it with a great big hand tied bow.

But in this case I decided gift bags were the perfect choice - mostly because I needed quite a few.

I started with just plain brown paper gift bags - and added a variety of embellishments to jazz them up a bit.

I kept everything in neutral colors of brown, cream, white and linen.

Each bag had a similar strip of scrapbook paper across the front and a grouping of flowers in the corner.

They were all just a little different.

The materials (scrapbook paper, linen fabric, ribbon, buttons, and pre-made twine flowers) were all found at the craft store.

I used several punches to create the borders and flowers. The larger flowers were hand cut and layered.

And each one had a matching flower embellished tag.

Inside I tucked these little gifts - as well as a grouping of postcards that I ordered from moo using some of my Fence photographs.

All tied up with a pretty ribbon - and tag - and a tiny little button (I heart buttons).

If I ever decide I want to go back to work - I would love to be that lady behind the counter at the fancy store that wraps up your purchases and makes them look all pretty. Do they even do that anymore?

For the record - I have been know to neatly place {throw} a last minute birthday gift into a purchased gift bag - because there are some very pretty options - and I don't always have the time to do something different.

Ten on Ten: September 2011

2011-09-11T13:52:00.001-07:00

Playing along with Rebekah's fun Monthly Challenge

I'm way late in posting my Ten on Ten this month
(see below for the reason why)

Morning Coffee on the Treetop Cafe

Little K - Creating Memories

Packing Up (to go to their new owner)

A Peek Outside

Waiting at Ballet

The Drive Home (before we were on the road)

SMASH Book Love

Sewing

Shipping

Just Because - I love those kinds of gifts

Diversion - surprise from my Hubby. I got engrossed in getting it all set up I forgot to upload my 10 on 10 pics.

Do You Pinterest?
I'd love to see what inspires you. Drop me a note so I can check out your boards

A Little Gift

2011-08-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a little something for our relatives when they came to visit from the UK this summer. I wanted it to be handmade - useful - and still small enough to not create a problem when they traveled home (because they pack light - unlike me).

(photo from eighteen25 blog)

I remembered this idea for an emergency clutch and thought it would be perfect (you can read the full instructions here).

What makes this so clever - is that they are made from an ordinary potholder - and zip lock bags. How simple is that?

Here is how mine turned out.

I started by going shopping to get the cutest potholders I could find.

...and I looked - and looked - and looked...

Too kitcheny - wrong shape - only sold in a set

I could not find a cute potholder anywhere to save my life.

But I did find some really cute fabrics.

I'll just whip up my own potholders. How hard could it be? It's just a quilted square!

Think again - they are much harder to make that it looks - so don't look at my wonky corners and uneven quilted stitching. It's the thought that counts.

I made a set in coral.

And another set in Blue.

And a third set in Orange and Green (that's my favorite).

Each one has a different coordinating pattern on the inside.

The zip lock bags are just zig zag stitched down the middle to create those great re-sealable pockets.

I started out by adding a contrasting tape to cover the center seam.

That step was quickly eliminated after just a few.

In the end - they turned out great. We filled them with gum, mints, band-aids, moist towelettes, mini tooth brushes, and other travel aids.

It really is a great idea - so if you come across some adorable pot holders - pick them up. They would be super easy to make with pre-purchased potholders.
Not so easy if you do it the way I did.

Story of my life.

Back to School Breakfast

2011-08-23T11:52:00.001-07:00

We live on the end of a street that has 5 families that all go to the same Elementary School...so everyone gathers at our house and takes the Annual Back to School Photo on our front steps before heading off.

(I giggle at the term Annual - since we have only lived here a year....but that's why I love our neighborhood)

This year I invited everyone over for Breakfast before Shool:

Bacon
Scrambled Eggs
Belgian Waffles
Milk
Orange Juice
Coffee
(and a little Champagne for the parents)

Plus some extra muffins and sweet goodies contributed by the neighbors (thanks ladies)

I saw this free printable at eighteen25 a few months ago (around Teachers Appreciation time) and thought it would be a perfect reminder on the first day of school.

So I printed up a bunch, framed them and had them all around the kitchen. I just loved the bright and cheery colors - and coordinated a few other things to match.

I found these colorful food trays at the dollar store years ago (back in the playgroup days). We don't use them as much anymore, but they worked out great for our group of 15.

I didn't realize that the kids don't get their school lunches in trays like these anymore....so they all thought it was pretty cool. May have to start bringing them out more often.

I made some treats for each of the kids - for their First Day of School.

There wasn't much time to pull this all together (we only just returned from 3 week trip to Pennsylvania a few days before), so I kept it simple. I'm already planning on some even cuter treats for next year....

Blank signs were made for each of the kids to write their grade on (oops - sorry for the bad photo...I was a little busy)

I would love to show you a beautiful picture of all the kids perched on our front steps with these adorable signs....

That didn't exactly happen:

One had her sign turned backwards
Several were making bunny ears
Only half of them would smile
There were a lot of squinty eyes (too much sun)
One went running off in the middle of the picture
Another held her sign in front of her face

But I love that group photo...that's how our mornings really are.
And I'm OK with that
(because I got a whole bunch of great photos of my kid the day before - hee - hee).

And so we went - off to school. Some walking, some riding bikes, some running ahead...and the parents following behind (with Mimosa's in hand).

We've been in school for a week now. Back to our regular routine - and loving every minute of it.

How was your kids first day of school?

Dry Run Sunday

2011-08-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Monday is the first day of school around this area. Little K spent the weekend organizing her school supplies and picking out her favorite outfits for the week.

No matter how much preparation we do before, or how early we get up, the First Day of School is always rushed.

Little K hates to be late. So that means I don't get a whole lot of time to take pictures.

Which makes ME grumpy....

Which makes Little K grumpy....

Which is NOT a good way to start off the year.

So this year I had a (dare I say) Brilliant idea!

Why not take pictures the day before?

Kind of like a dress rehearsal - to work out all the kinks - and be sure everything is accounted for.

A Dry Run (on Sunday)!

Little K was able to take her time, try out different hair styles without being rushed, and pick out just the right accessories.

We discovered her skirt didn't have attached shorts (so we needed to dig a pair out the dirty laundry and get them washed before Monday) - much better than the alternative....

I was able to take all the pictures I wanted.

In all different locations throughout our yard.

So much easier to get a genuine smile when you can take your time (and when I'm not screaming....SMILE).

For those of you that think I'm a little Anal - or a Control Freak - or borderline Obsessive.
I say: GUILTY

But it if works for us.
And we have the time.
And reduces our anxiety and stress.
Then why not?

On Monday morning - we can take our time getting ready and enjoy a nice leisurely breakfast. That's a much better way to start the First Day of School.

OOPS - did I forget to mention that we're hosting a First Day of School breakfast for all the families on our street.

So maybe it won't be completely stress free Monday - but at least I'll have some great pictures of Little K (and she'll be wearing clean shorts).

The British Invasion

2011-07-31T12:39:00.001-07:00

I'm currently in Pennsylvania visiting my Mum - who is entertaining her family from the UK.

They have only been here a few days - but it's been non stop entertaining since they arrived. Seems all of our family and friends want to meet the crazy Brits (and the Welshman).

Mum hosted a big party on Saturday Night. Everyone brought their favorit dishes (German Potato Salad, Calico Beans, Home Made Fudge, Chinese Chicken Salad)....yum.

My contribution arrived via UPS - from Cincanniti Ohio. Courtesy of my friend Deb at Mt. Lookout Sweets

She makes these amazing hand decorated cookies (and dozens of other sweet treats)....

...in addition to managing her busy daytime job, and taking care of her sweet (and very entertaining) mother who suffers from Alzheimers.

She's an inspiration to anyone who ever thought about turning their hobby and passion into a business. Starting up just over one year ago, her business is booming.

Maybe it's time I open that Etsy shop I've been dreaming about?

I'm excited that Deb and I were able to barter our services.

I recieved her amazing cookies in exchange for a little crafty project I'll be sending to her at a later date (shhhhh - it's a surprise for one of her clients).

And so the British Invasion continues - and we're loving every minute of it.

Happy Housiversary

2011-07-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

One year ago - I was standing on the front porch of our new home waiting for the Moving Truck (OK....that would be Moving TruckS) to arrive.

I can hardly believe we have been here for a year now. I still have a few boxes that need to be unpacked - and a long list of home decor and improvement ideas - but I'm feeling very comfortable and settled.

Thought I would share some of the beautiful sights of our new hometown that we have enjoyed over the past year.

Walk With Me

2011-07-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

One of the things on our Summer Fun List - is to take a Photo Walk.

I don't now how we ended up choosing the first day that the temps hit over 100 degrees - maybe not the best planning, but we had a great time.

Little K invited a friend along, and the three of us set out along the shaded (and not so shaded) path from our house to a nearby park, with our cameras in hand.

We each captured some of the same images, but it's interesting to see how different they can look from a another persons vantage point.

Come along and take a Walk with us.

"A Walk to the Park {Karina}"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

"Summer Day {Little K}"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

"Walk to the Park {CB}"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Next time - we'll head in a different direction, and see what we can see.

Fourth of July Festivities

2011-07-06T23:36:00.000-07:00

Last year on the 4th of July weekend we were:

- in a car driving from Arizona to California
- with all our pets (a parrot, a crab and and cat)
- several weeks worth of clothes
- all our important documents
- and a whole bunch of cleaning and painting supplies

We arrived on July 4th and went straight to the new house to get started on all the work that needed to be done before the moving trucks arrived.

Not much celebrating done last year, so this year we were sure to participate in at least a few Independence Day Festivities.

We were invited to a neighborhood get together and I made mini cheesecake cups to share.

My Aunt Pat used to always make these and I remember thinking how magical they were. Cheesecake in a bite size form - how fantastic is that! I used to devour these by the dozens.

I've never made them before, but I know they were made with Nilla Wafer cookies in the bottom. I did a quick recipe search and found this one. I'm sorry to say - I don't recommend it.

Since the recipe is pretty straight forward, I didn't think there would be many versions, so I just went with the first one I found (I got sucked in by her pretty picture).

The batter was very loose. The cakes browned too quickly and they seemed still gooey inside.
Don't get me wrong - we still ate them - and they weren't bad, just not what I remembered.

I should have searched farther and used the official Cherry Cheesecake Recipe from Nabisco. Next time.

I used plain white and red polka dot paper liners, and topped them with both cherry and blueberry pie filling.

These cute 4th of July toppers were made from a free printable download courtesy of Paper and Pigtails that I found here.

Since I wasn't sure how the Cheesecake Cups would go over - I decided to bake up some mini pies as well (plus I had a little leftover pie filling)

Cherry and Blueberry pies - each with a different crust design.

Cherry is still my favorite.

I found these adorable cupcake boxes that were the perfect size to hold one mini pie.

Tied them up with a ribbon and bow, and another one of the 4th of July layered tags.

....and off to the neighborhood party we went.

We saw an amazing display of Fireworks.

Put off a few of our own (only the legal ones of course).

Got creative with the sparklers.

And when the sparklers ran out (or wouldn't stay lit) we continued the creativity with a flashlight.

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Weekend.

Peach Love

2011-06-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

It's Peach Season. We went to the Big Farmers Market over the weekend and loaded up with fresh fruit (and other yummies to be shared later).

Got a whole bag of mixed varieties of peaches and nectarines for $1.50/lb.

I knew right away I wanted to make my favorite Peach Tart.

It's a Paula Deen recipe that I have made many times - using all different kinds of fruits and glazes.

The recipe calls for peach jam thinned with orange juice for the glaze. Instead I used some home made Apricot Jam given to me by a friend (thanks Shannon), and Mango Juice (because that's what we have in the fridge).

I should have paid a bit more attention the the type of Peaches we bought. These were definitely not Free Stone - so I had to wrestle the slices off the pit and they ended up a little messy.

But that's OK, because it's kind of a rustic desert after all.

So Easy, So Yummy and So Forgiving.

Go and give it a try - before all the peaches are gone.

Graduation Card

2011-06-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

My nephew graduated from high school a few weeks ago and is getting ready to head off to Penn State in the fall.

We weren't able to make it (across the country) to the party, but I did get a card in the mail.

It's made in an envelope style so the money holder slips out from one end.

The letters were cut with my Cricut machine - I used a variety of assorted sizes to get them to fit across the narrow space.

The "2011" year was printed on my computer and then punched using a 1 3/4" circle punch that nests perfectly inside the 2" scallop punch.

Since this was going in the mail, I didn't want to send cash. Instead, I printed out a 100 dollar bill (from a clip art site) and used it to hide the check that is included behind.

On the back of the money holder portion - I included a hand written note. Everything was sized to fit into a standard Letter Sized envelope for mailing (note, I did cover with a piece of heavy cardstock to prevent the embellishments from rubbing through the envelope).

All solid cardstock is from Bazzill. The patterned papers are from a (never completed) project from a few years ago, so I'm unsure of the name.

Shower Rats

2011-06-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is what I found in the shower this morning!

A gift from my daughter - intended for my hubby - because he had shrink wrapped her toilet seat the night before and placed this little guy on top.

I can only imagine what would have happened if she had woken in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Luckily - she was fairly wide awake and noticed him right away.
{insert loud shrilly shriek that caused me to jump out of bed}

I think this little rubber rat has been hanging around our house since Halloween. Somehow he was forgotten when all the decorations were put away.

It all started with my husband - who decided it would be funny to put said rubber rat into Little K's shoe one day!

Since then he has been making the rounds. He goes into hiding for a few weeks, then re-appears when you least expect him. Where you least expect him.

In the underwear drawer....under a bed pillow...in the pantry....inside the coffee canister....tucked into a backpack...

Not exactly what I consider funny - but little K most definitely does.
(see some of their other antics here)

I love that they have this little game together - and that in the middle of a busy work week (for my hubby) with long hours and early mornings, he takes the time to shrink wrap the toilet seat and hide a rubber rat.

Ok - maybe it is just a little funny.

Note: all photo credits go to Little K and the Instagram app on her iPod touch

Fathers Day Photo Gift

2011-06-17T15:59:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking of doing something like this since Little K was a baby - so this idea is 10 years in the making (have you noticed I'm a bit of a procrastinator)?

It was so much fun to do, because Little K was able decide on all the creative details herself.

We went to the craft store and purchased big white letters. There were lots of options to choose from (font style, size, color).

These were the ones Little K decided on. The only problem was - they were none of the Letter "I" in stock.

No Problem!

We purchased the Letter "L" instead.

And with a quick swipe of the chop saw - Problem Solved.

She had so much fun making goofy faces and trying different posts. After taking about 150 shots - we uploaded the photos where she could choose her favorites.

A quick edit to Black and White, some simple cropping and they were sent to be developed at our favorite Walgreens 1 hour photo shop.

The picture frame was also purchased at the craft store - simple black frame with a 3 photo matte included.

She added a personal message and her signature/date to the matte before it was put back together.

All totaled I think this project cost less than $30, and just a few hours to put together.

It's perfect with our ONLY child posing in all 3 photos, but would be just as cute with siblings each holding a different letter.

There are even large craft heart shapes that could be made or purchased and painted white (making the heart with her hands and still managing to smile was kind of difficult).
Families with 2 siblings could have the kids pose holding the heart together in the middle frame - the possibilities are endless.

A handmade Fathers Day gift that I know, will soon be proudly displayed in Daddy's office.

Sneak Peek

2011-06-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

We've been working on a little project around the house.

Not quite ready to show it yet, but we're almost finished.

Here are a few hints...

It started with the perfect color of Avocado Lime (perfect, that is - according to a 10 year old girl)

It involves some fabric and ribbon

A few home decor items

Some crafting and building

and some sewing!

Any guesses as to what we have been up to?

Hope to be able to share it with you all soon.

Ten on Ten: June

2011-06-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Playing along with Rebekah's fun monthly challenge.

A photo taken every Hour, for Ten consecutive hours, on the Tenth of the month.

Sleeping In

He thinks our deck is a Lounge Chair

Bracelets for Craft Hope

My new favorite scent - Lemon Verbena

Fun with apps (I have the beer version)

Fresh from the garden - warmed by the sun

On my Toes

DQ grin - 'nuff said

Dinners in

Just arrived in time for summer

Can't wait to see what you all have been up to today. Hope it's been a great day.

Ten on Ten: June {by Little K}

2011-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

It's Summer Vacation - so this set of Ten on Ten was done by my creative daughter
(taken on her itouch using instagram)

Koffee Klatch Card

2011-06-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Inspired by.....

...polka dot plates...

...fresh cherries...

...vintage (looking) fabrics...

...blue skies with big puffy clouds...

and floral dishes.

Inspired... to make a sweet little card inviting the neighborhood girls over for coffee.

So easy:

Little "V" shaped pieces of my favorite fabrics glued to lengths of waxed twine (if only I had some red and white bakers twine at my fingertips).

Blue cloud patterned paper layered on Bazzill Basics cardstock (pomegranate and kraft), with a strip of green (parrot) cardstock sewn to the bottom with a basic zig zag stitch.

Memorial Day

2011-06-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

While most people spend Memorial day at a Picnic or Swimming, we decided to take a slightly different direction - literally.

UP - to the mountains.

We went to Tahoe for a day of skiing.

This time, at a new resort for us, Squaw Valley. Many of the other resorts in the area are already closed for the season, but this one is at a higher elevation - it stays open longer.

Memorial Day was the last official day of the Ski Season. There was still plenty of snow including a fresh 12" from just a few days prior.

It's quite an amazing place filled with history. Where the 1960 Winter Olympics were held. Very cool to see the ice skating arena where Olympic medals were won and the treacherous Black Diamond slopes where the worlds best ski.

The base of the resort is at 6,000 feet, and the snow has mostly melted.

But a quick ride on the Gondola up to High Camp at 8,200 feet, and there is plenty of powder.

Yep - that's a swimming pool in the background. Yep - there were people swimming. Nope - not us (but only because we didn't bring our suites).

Didn't I tell you it was cool?

We might have to invest in some gear of our own - this is not a cheap sport.

A walk around the Olympic Village at the end of the day.

All this, less than 2 hours from home. Did I mention how much I love living in Northern California?

School's Out.....for Summer

2011-05-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

I have the urge to break out into song, feel free to hum along.....

note: Alice Cooper lives in Phoenix (more accurately Scottsdale) Arizona, near where we used to live. I've never met him personally, but apparently he is quite an upstanding and philanthropic member of the community. So much for his Shock Rocker image of the 70's.

Little K finished up school last week and her class decided on a Movie Star Party to celebrate.

That celebration was in addition to the other activities that have been going on at school in the past few weeks:

Field trip to the Aquatic Center
Music Recital
3 Day Overnight Trip to Coloma, CA
(where gold was first discovered)
4th Grade Water Play Day

Phew - I am definitely ready for summer vacation after all that!

As much as I wanted to do all the planning for their Movie Star Party, Little K's teacher convinced me that the kids were more than capable of taking care of most of the details themselves.

As a perfectionist amateur party planner who has control issues - those are fightin' words.

In retrospect - the kids has some amazing ideas for their party and did a great job pulling it all together.

I managed to take control of making the cupcakes. This was a perfect time to try out the Popcorn Cupcakes from the Hello Cupcake book.

I used a different technique for the popcorn than described in the book.

Bowl of popcorn?
Nope - they are made from mini marshmallows, cut and squished to look like popcorn kernels.

I used the yellow mini marshmallows (from the pastel bag) and also white mini marshmallows.

With a pair of scissors, cut into each of the marshmallows (about 1/2 way down). I used a different number of cuts for each. (in the photo above from L to R: 3, 3, 2, 4)

Then dip the cut marshmallow in powdered sugar (because the inside of a mallow is very sticky) and squish it with your fingers (also dipped in powdered sugar). Squeezing the bottom uncut portion of the marshmallow so it opens up like a flower, and then flattening each of the cut sections.

I added the popcorn marshmallows to the frosted top of vanilla cupcakes. If you plan on making these - be warned. It takes a lot of marshmallows to cover the cupcakes, so mine ended up looking a little sparse after making enough for 30 students.

Given more time, I would have found/made red and white striped cupcake papers, but I still think they turned out cute - a little plain, but cute.

I made a few mini cupcakes and put them in a popcorn box - just for fun.

Now that I think about it - real popcorn would have tasted good as well (sweet and salty)

The Movie Stars loved them.

All the Party decorations were created by the students (with some on-sight supervision - I just couldn't stay away).

The classroom was dressed up with the Hollywood Hills, Stars from the Walk of Fame, and a Red Carpet covered in balloons and bordered with red paper chain ropes.

They collected autographs from their movie star classmates.

And we put together simple prize buckets for some of the games.

The paparazzi was on hand to snap pictures of all our Stars including Jack Black, Hagrid, Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow, Charlie Sheen, Bethany Hamilton, Quinn Fabray, Taylor Swift and Brittany Pierce. Even their teacher got into character and came dressed as Rapunzel.

It was a great way to end the year. Looking forward to summer relaxation, if only the weather would cooperate.

Tired and Uninspired

2011-05-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit uninspired when it comes to packing Little K's Lunches lately.

I still pack nearly every day - but I don't often take a picture. The last time I made a post about them was over a year ago.

I'm not quite sure why I'm losing my motivation?

Maybe it's because she's been more picky in her food likes lately?

Maybe it's because she really dislikes the school lunches - and I'm feeling the pressure to have to pack every day?

Maybe it's because I've been making them in the mornings, and I feel more rushed (instead of at night like I used to)?

Could be any - and all - of those things.

This is one of the better ones I have created lately. Back in April when we had a string of nice sunny days and I was inspired to make a Spring Themed lunch.

But more often they look like this. At least the added flower and cut out cucumber makes it a bit more photo worthy.

Or this - down to just a flower - not even a cute cut out shape.

Leftovers from the night before - and a dish of crackers. How lame is that? At least I had a homemade brownie bite to include.

The dinner leftovers in this one were not even home made - KFC chicken strips.

But then I decided I need to cut myself a break!

I have to remember what my goals were when I first started packing Little K's Bento Lunches:

ONE - to do my part and reduce waste
TWO - to give my daughter healthy and nutritious lunches

While they may not always be the cutest (or photo worthy) lunches, I think I'm still accomplishing my goals.

By the way - I packed my first Laptop and Bento Lunches over 2 years ago. For those of you that know what a short attention span I have - I'm pretty proud of myself.

I don't even want to count how many bentos I've packed in that time - or how many plastic baggies I've kept out of the landfills.

While I may not post about the lunches I make - I often add them to my flickr gallery that you can see here - or over on the sidebar in "My Bento Lunch Gallery".

So what do you think - should I start taking pictures of even the not so clever or cute bentos as well? It's kind of fun to see how my style has changed since I started. Maybe some day I'll even add up how many I've made.

Anybody else tired of packing lunches yet?

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-05-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

We stopped by the farm stand on Saturday and picked up a flat of fresh berries. I had planned on making some Strawberry Kiwi Jam, but that will have to wait because we ate them all up...almost.

Strawberries remind me of summer. They were my favorite fruit as a kid. They were always ripe around my birthday in June (when we lived in Pennsylvania). Here in California, they have been in season for at least a month, so I figured it was time to indulge in a taste of Summer.

I have to admit. I usually make Strawberry Shortcake using that container of pre-made red gel that they sell in the produce department. But this time, I didn't have any - and I knew there had to be a way to make something better from scratch.

I was quite impressed with the results.

Strawberry Shortcake Fruit Filling

4 pints of berries, tops cut off, washed and quartered
1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste if needed)
1/4 cup of pomegranate juice (any fruit juice will work)
1 tsp. almond extract
Cornstarch and water

Combine 2 pints of the berries and sugar in saucepan and stir to coat. Allow the berries to sit without heat for approx 15 minutes until the berries begin to release their juices. Add fruit juice and cook mixture until fruit is bubbly and soft, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and carefully puree fruit mixture with a stick blender. Continue cooking on medium heat.

Mix a few tablespoons of cornstarch with water until dissolved. Add cornstarch to fruit mixture (in small batches) stirring continuously until thickened. Add additional cornstarch mixture as needed depending on how thick you like your sauce. The berry sauce will look clear and shiny (not creamy or opaque) when done. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract.

Allow sauce to cool - add remaining 2 pints of cut and washed berries.

This sauce is so yummy. The addition of the almond really makes is special. I can think of dozens of uses for the sauce alone (without the berries) - in lemonade, on waffles, as an ice cream topping, with splash of vodka on the rocks. I may have to make another batch.

For the Shortcake portion - I use the recipe on the Bisquick box. My only change is that I use cream instead of milk, and maybe a bit more sugar.

The trick is to not overwork the dough while you are mixing it, or forming it into biscuits. It will be sticky and crumbly, and that's OK - they are supposed to look rustic. I also brush the tops with some butter - because everything is better with butter (and bacon, but I couldn't work that into this recipe).

We enjoyed these little beauties with dinner tonight - and have just enough to have another serving tomorrow night - or maybe for breakfast?

Now if only the rain would stop - it would really begin to feel like Summer. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Ten on Ten: May

2011-05-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

A photo taken every Hour, for Ten consecutive hours, on the Tenth of the month.

A way to document our day, and as a reminder that there is beauty in the ordinary.

Walking

Preparing

Snacking

Playing

Volunteering

Creating

Waiting

Releasing

Finding

Shopping

Hard to believe the school year is coming to an end and summer will be here soon. Hope you all are having a great week.

You can read more about this fun monthly photographic adventure on Rebekah's Blog.

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T04:45:00.000-07:00

There will be no bouquet of flowers for my Mom (from me) this year.
(last year they arrived not looking so great)

There will be no hand made card.
(I forgot to put the house number on the store bought card, so that may not arrive either)

There will be no Mother Daughter Lunch.
(We haven't lived near each other in almost 30 years)

But there will be Love sent across the miles.

And a Wish that we could be together.

With much Gratitude for all that she has done.

And Pride that she's my Mum.

Happy Mothers Day!

Mothers love is peace. It need not be acquired. It need not be deserved. ~ Erich Fromm

Teachers Appreciation 2011

2011-05-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

We are coming to the end of Teachers Appreciation Week.

At Little K's new school - the PTA does a great job coordinating the efforts throughout all the classrooms. They put out a schedule suggesting ways to show your appreciation to the teachers on each of the days of the week. You have the option to participate in as many days as you like.

Monday - the Teachers were all greeted with the outside of their Classroom Doors Decorated.

I was a bit worried - because her teacher is not much of a cook - but I loved the idea of showing how she nurtures and develops her students.

The recipe card spells it all out.

I went with a clean - sort of retro style to fit her teachers personality. She loved it.

Funny Story Side Note: I went to the school early on Monday morning (it's an outdoor campus) to put up the door decoration. As I'm working - a bright flashing light starts to go off (like the fire alarm, but white) - and then a voice comes over the loud speaker. "Unauthorized Activity Detected - Photo Taken".

YIKES - apparently the school has motion detectors, and when I started working on the door - I tripped the alarm. Picture me - in my sweats, no morning shower yet, and my hair barely combed. That's going to be one lovely picture.

Luckily - I had already seen the custodian on the grounds, and she told me not to worry about it. Apparently all the other Room Parents put up their decorations on Sunday - Oops.

Tuesday - was the day that each child brought in an individual flower. The roses are all in full bloom here - so she ended up with a beautiful bouquet.

I brought a vase in to hold all the beautiful blooms. She has a bit of a contemporary style, so I went with something more modern. Added a strip of paper and twine as an accent.

And a stacked tag. The outer one says "Thanks". The one underneath says "for helping our kids bloom".

Wednesday - the kids were asked to bring in a home made card or note.

Thursday - was the day to bring in any Gift Cards. I asked for her teachers input before hand and suggested some of her favorite stores to the parents.

Friday - was Fruit Basket day. The kids brought in a single piece of fruit.

We've had a huge participation from the kids so far - I hope the basket is big enough to hold all the fruity bounty.

I made a print using Wordle and some corny fruit sayings, and attached it to the basket handle.

This is the piece of fruit Little K brought in for her. We had to dress it up just a little. Isn't this apple cosy adorable?

I can't take the credit - I found the pattern here, and sent the materials to my Mom to crochet (since that's something I was never able to master).

She had so much fun making them - she whipped up a few extra. Guess what Little K's teachers are getting next year!

In addition to all the individual classroom efforts, the PTA also acknowledges all the Teachers with a Breakfast (on Monday), Lunch (on Wednesday) and Car Wash (on Friday).

Happy Teachers Appreciation Week to all our Teachers - and Thank You for all that you do!

Spring Break

2011-04-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

I love where we live.

With less than a two hour drive from our house - we can have Sunshine, Snow or the Ocean Breeze.

And we experienced them all during Spring Break this year. Hubby took the week off work and we had a little family Staycation.

We started with some time at home, working on the never ending house projects, and enjoying the Sunshine that finally seems to have made it's appearance.

Next - a few sleepovers for Little K followed by a Day Trip to Tahoe for some skiing.

This was the last week before most of the resorts closed for the season, but there was still plenty of Snow to be enjoyed.

On Friday, we headed to the Coast to spend a few day in the City by the Bay. I tried to convince hubby to detour up to the Wine Country (yep - that's less than 2 hours away as well), but thought I better save that trip for a girls weekend.

We started at Pier 39

The Sea Gulls were as big as our Cat - maybe even bigger.

Loved the Kite shop. If only there was some wind at our house....and a few less trees.

We enjoyed the Aquarium of the Bay.

Full of all kinds of native California Sea Life.

That evening we stayed at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill. Amazing!
Had we planned better - we would have stayed and had Easter Brunch.
Had we planned better - we would have moved in there....forever.

Not sure what was going on, but these amazing vintage Sports Cars were delivered while we were there.

I only had to sneak into the Valet Parking garage to see them up close. That's not really trespassing - is it?

The next morning we started at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

Little K is already sketching out a new design plan for our backyard to make it just like the Japanese Garden. There go our Palm and Orange Trees.

We had a yummy lunch in the Tea House, including one of my favorites - Taiyaki. I really need to get one of those cute little fish irons.

Then over to the Golden Gate Bridge.

This is the first time we have walked across it.

Only made it about half way. That was far enough for me (and my new found fear of heights).

We made it back home in time to enjoy a wonderful Easter Brunch at The Zinfandel Grille.

Teachers Appreciation Week

2011-04-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Next week is National Teachers Appreciation Week.

Last year - we were in the middle of selling our house in Arizona and looking for a new place to call home in California.

While I did manage to show our appreciation for Little K's teachers last year, I didn't post about what we did, so here is an update from 2010.

Little K had 2 teachers that we wanted to Thank for all their hard work throughout the year.

First, was her ELP teacher (Extended Learning Program - what they call the program for gifted students)

I put together a basket filled with green and flowering plants.

With a little note of Thanks from Little K.

I didn't realize what a wonderful ELP program the Mesa School District has in place - until we moved and discovered the GATE program (Gifted and Talented Education) in California is not quite the same.

Maybe we should have gotten Mrs. S something better?

I am more thankful than ever for the great year she was able to experience while we were in Arizona.

For her everyday teacher (also Mrs. S), I asked each of the students to bring in a handwritten card or note telling what they liked best about their teacher.

I made a scrapbook album from a basic binder, and covered it with padded fabric and swatch details.

I had to add a fabric flower, and buttons too.

Inside, I used Page Protectors in a variety of configurations, filled with embellished cardstock.

This way the kids notes and cards could easily be slipped into the pockets.

I also added a decorated envelope - to hold more notes and cards and keep them all tidy inside the album.

This page protector was the perfect size to hold the kids wallet school photos.

I included some note cards made from the same scrapbook paper and cardstock, and tucked them into one of the pockets.

We also asked each of the students to bring in a single flower. I had an empty vase, filled with water and tied with a ribbon sitting on her desk. As the kids brought up their note/card - they put the flower into the vase and she had a bouquet of fresh flowers for the rest of the day.

Each of Little K's teachers over the years has been completely different - and yet each one has made such an impression on her (and us). I am thankful for all they have done to help us nurture the loving and kind young girl she has become.

Thank You!

Big 10 Birthday

2011-04-10T23:08:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated Little K's 10th Birthday - Again.

Her actual Birthday was several weeks ago, but we were out of town on our annual Ski/Snow Trip with friends.

Not to worry - we brought along some cupcakes to celebrate.

Almond Cupcake with Raspberry Coulis Filling and Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

And Vanilla Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache and Toasted Coconut Topping

10 candles just barely fit on that little cupcake

She also celebrated with her classmates and a Donut Cake.

But last weekend was her party at home with friends from school. It was one of the easiest parties I have ever done - mostly because Little K planned it herself. I was just there to execute it all.

The most time consuming thing was the cupcakes.

Her Party Theme was "Favorite Pets", so I had to decorate the cupcakes with each of our family pets.

Peanut Butter the Cat.

Tabby the Hermit Crab.

Baxter the Parrot (OK - it's really just a birdie - but it's in reference to our pet parrot).

Plus a little Puppy - because her guests have dogs.

I've been wanting to make these little pinwheels, and I had some extra cupcakes (since I made both chocolate and vanilla), so I used them as centerpieces.

The house was decorated simply with balloons and streamers.

I did add a little Happy Birthday Banner because I had some paper leftover from the pinwheels.

And I wanted to use my Cricut machine that I haven't played with much since I treated myself to the purchase.

The weekend celebration started with a trip to the roller rink.

Why is it that these places all look the same no matter where we live?
(note the Medieval Theme)
They haven't changed much in the 30+ years since I used to go as a kid.

I guess that's what makes it to much fun.

Then we headed home for pizza, snacks, cupcakes, presents...

...and a Sundae Bar.

While the girls were playing Twister - one of the neighborhood boys stopped by with some flowers for Little K.

His note is very careful to point out that the gift was just because they were friends, classmates and neighbors (just in case anyone might think there was some crushing going on). I'm sure his mother had something to do with it - but the sentiment is so sweet. I love our new neighborhood!

After more giggle time, movie watching and many rounds of Truth or Dare (thanks Aunt Lisa) - the girls finally fell asleep (and so did I).

I think I can get used to this low key kind of Birthday. Turns out Little K knows how to throw a mean party.
Until next year!

Ten on Ten: March

2011-03-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

A photo taken every Hour, for Ten consecutive hours, on the Tenth of the month. You can read more about it here. Don't forget to check out how others spent their day.

I had to cheat a little bit because smack dab in the middle of the day I was at the Zoo being evaluated as part of my Docent Training Program. It probably wouldn't have gone over to well if I whipped out my camera and started taking photos as I was supposed to be interpreting with the Zoo visitors. So there is a 3 hour gap in my consecutive photos.

The good news is - I passed my interpretation phase and I'm one step closer to becoming a Docent - the big final exam is on Saturday.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Pan Seared Shrimp with Romesco Sauce over Creamy Grits and Greens

2011-02-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Have you been watching the Food Network program - Worst Cooks in America?

I'm not sure why I even started watching this show. I consider myself a decent cook, so it's not like I thought I would learn anything. Maybe it's like watching the American Idol Auditions, you just want to be sure there is someone out there that is worse than you?

I kept watching even after the auditions, and was amazed at the kinds of recipes they were teaching these self proclaimed terrible cooks. I was shocked at the techniques and ingredients that I was not familiar with.

A few weeks ago they featured this recipe.

It included:

Shelled and Deveined Shrimp (I've always purchased mine already deveined and had no idea how to do it myself).

Creamy Grits (seen them made - never eaten them or cooked them at home)

Mustard Greens (unless you count spinach - I've never cooked any kind of greens)

Romesco Sauce (I'm a total sauce girl, and even I didn't know what this was)

Grapeseed Oil (again, seen it, heard of it, but never used it)

In case you lost count - that 5 ingredients that I have never used before. How can that be? I'm a good cook! I watch all kinds of cooking shows and try all sorts of new recipes.

There was no way I was going to have the Worst Cooks in America be better skilled than me.

The Challenge was ON - I was going to make this recipe!
The first hurdle was deveining the shrimp.

It's supposed to run along the back of the shrimp.

Just cut along the vein with a sharp knife and it can be pulled right out.

Sometimes the vein is hidden.

This one was along the belly of the shrimp. But it works just the same - cut with a knife along the vein and pull it out.

OK - that was easy enough. All the shrimp peeled and deveined.

Now on the the Sauce. I think I've actually had this sauce (and even tried to replicate it at home). One of my favorite dishes at a local restaurant back home in Pennsylvania serves delicious crab cakes with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. It think it might be the same as the Romesco Sauce (just without the fancy name).

It's easy peasy to make. Just throw everything into a food processor and blend away. It reminds me of a pesto because it has nuts, herbs, garlic and oil, but What's interesting about this sauce is that it's thickened with crusty bread (crumbs) rather than Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Now that the sauce is made, on to the Grits. My only comment would be to follow the liquid/grits ratio on your particular brand of grits. When I used the proportions in the recipe, the grits were way to thick and I had to almost double the liquid (and therefore ended up with way more grits than I needed but had them for breakfast the next day - Yum).

They stayed nice and warm parked on the back of my cooktop.

The greens were much easier than I expected. For some reason I thought they had to cook for hours on end with a ham bone or some kind of fatty seasoning to take out the bitterness. Not the case - they were basically just wilted in a saucepan just like I've done spinach. The dash of red pepper flakes was a nice addition.

Now that the shrimp were all cleaned and ready to go, they only had to be seared for a few minutes and then the pan deglazed.

The finished dish was beautiful and delicious, and I feel better having mastered several new techniques and ingredients.

The final episode of Worst Cooks in America is on this Sunday night - I'll have to watch to see I can make the final meal, or if there is still more I need to learn.

I guess it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

Sweet Valentine

2011-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy weekend for us filled with all things Valentine.

Starting out with a fun night spent at the Sweetheart Ball - a fundraising dinner and auction held for Little K's school. Delicious food, great items to bid on (we didn't win any though), and a good time hanging out with neighbors and friends.

Little K had just as much fun at home with the new babysitter, and can't wait for us to go out again.

We still had lots to do before the Valentine Party at school, including making cards for Little K's classmates.

This was the prototype.

The final version of the cards ended up having a few less details. She made two styles - Pink for the girls and blue for the boys.

With a postcard style back.

She even made one for herself.

While Little K was busy creating cards - I was in the kitchen making snacks. Her teacher requested that any treats brought in be a healthy choice - no cupcakes or chocolate dipped goodies allowed.

So we decided on Apples and Cheese. Both with sweet little heart details added for the occasion.

I also tried making some homemade granola using this recipe. The reviews commented how the bars didn't stick together very well, so I just broke it up into chunks.

My first attempt at home made granola - and it's delicious. I used almond slivers, red walnuts, yogurt covered raisins and cranberries instead of the recommended nuts and fruits to go with the red and white Valentine theme. I'll be making this one again.

A few more of our decorations. We call them Heartflakes. Made just like paper snowflakes but incorporating hearts.

Happy Valentines Day - give someone you Love a Hug today!

Valentine Card Holders

2011-02-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

Monday is Valentines Day - so that means the craft fairies are hard at work at our house.

Little K will be making her Valentine Cards over the weekend - so we'll have to share those later.

I've been working on a little craft project for the kids to collect their cards in.

Made out of paper gift bags and shapes from construction paper. The larger shapes are drawn for the kids - they will just have to cut them out. The smaller shapes are already punched and will be included in their "kits".

I'm pretty sure the Love Bug was originally an Oriental Trading craft. Don't you just love their ideas? If I didn't have such an aversion to fun foam, I might actually purchase more from them. Our projects are made from paper - no fun foam to be found here.

I wanted to give them a choice, so there will be Panda kits as well. I had to buy the black gift bags individually (more expensive than the bakers dozen of white bags available at Michaels), so there won't be as many Panda's to make...I sure hope I don't have a riot on my hands - because he's awful cute (yep - that a puffy little panda tail up there).

I'll also have plain white bags and shapes available for those kids who want to "freestyle". I'm amazed at how much the 4th graders still like crafting - even the boys. Especially the boys!

I'm looking forward to crafting with the kids on Monday - now I have to get back to putting all those bits and pieces together into kits for them. Oh, how I miss the days when there were just 20 kids in a class (sure I'm not the only one).

Have a great weekend - hope you are creating something fun for Valentines Day as well.

February: Ten on Ten

2011-02-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

A photo taken every Hour, for Ten consecutive hours, on the Tenth of the month. You can read more about it here.

It happens every month. Won't you come join the fun next time?

Valentine Mantle

2011-01-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have a small box of Valentine Decorations. They used to share the same box as the Easter Decorations, but when my Easter Decor expanded last year, the Valentine goodies got moved to another box:

A Plain Brown Box
A Box that is quite small compared to all the other boxes in my garage
An Unmarked Box
A Box that was nowhere to be found in the very large pile of mostly Christmas boxes

Just when I thought we were going to have to celebrate Valentines Day without any decorations - I spied that Little Brown Box. Sitting in the corner, carefully tucked out of harms way by my sweet hubby as he was putting away the Christmas stuff - just waiting for me.
Sweet Man of Mine.

And so - we decorated for Valentines Day. Pretty much everything went up on the Mantle in the Family Room.

This is how the fireplace usually looks.

The brick goes from floor to ceiling with a shallow mantle also made of brick.

It's very shallow. Just barely deep enough to hold a few votives. It makes decorating a bit of a challenge because basic things like candle holders and books won't fit.

The hearth is decorated with a basket of firewood some Rustic Green bottles.

I've collected and made the Valentine decorations over a period of several years, and this is the first time they have been displayed all in one place. Without even realizing it - I've got a bit of a bird theme going on.

Cute little Love Birds found on clearance a few years ago.

I made this banner from pre-cut shapes found at Michaels (I don't think they have them anymore). They already had the holes drilled in them. All I had to do was embellish with scrapbook papers and string them together.

The edges were painted and distressed. Buttons, ribbons and flowers were used to embellish the letters. I used a white paint pen to add stitching details.

I also made a paper heart wreath at the same time, using the same scrapbook papers.

A simple heart shaped frame made from cardboard was embellished with a variety of punched flower shapes. Buttons, ribbons and brads form the flower centers.

Once the mantle display was all put together, it still seemed a little off balance. There was something else needed on the other side by the ceramic birdie plate (found at Safeway/Dominick's just this year).

So I rummaged through all my things and found a cute pink painted flower pot (previously used as a pudding cup at a birthday party). I thought about putting some red flowers in it, but I had none on hand, and really wanted to finish this project without having to purchase something new.

How about a red tissue covered ball sitting atop the flower pot?

Sounds good, but I have no styrafoam ball to use as a base - and also no red tissue paper.

But I do have some extra round light bulbs (from several houses ago that I will never use so please don't ask why I'm still keeping them).

And I have red (and pink) napkins. Those will work.

So I made a bunch of red napkin paper flowers. Using the twist and fold method that I'm sure you have seen done before. I cut the napkins into 1" - 1 1/2" strips and just twisted them around in a snail shape, starting with the center and working my way out.

A little glue on the light bulb holds them in place.

Because they are made of paper - and easily manipulated, you don't have to worry about filling in the gaps between the flowers.

You can just squish them together until the gap is covered.

The finished paper flower ball (or in this case - light bulb).

I added a few layered buttons to the flower ball for some additional interest.

And that completes our Valentine Decorated Mantle.

Although I am thinking about making another larger napkin flower ball to sit on the hearth next to the green bottles.

But first I have to go buy a styrafoam base, because I don't think I have a light bulb that big.

Looking for some Valentine Decorating Inspiration? Check out all these fantastic ideas at Beth's Valentine Mantle Linky Party.

For My Brother

2011-01-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

Today is my Big Brother's Birthday.

Recently he has been writing some lovely poetic tributes for each of our family members on their Birthdays. I thought about sending him a Poem that I composed for him, but couldn't put the words together quite right.

So I decided to give him a Birthday tribute in my style - using pictures.

He is all these things and much more:

(created using Wordle)

Happy Birthday Keith!

Rescued Bulbs

2011-01-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

I have these sweet little bulbs popping up all over my back yard.

Poor little things have been chopped down by the lawn mower over and over again.

Their tiny little tops being cut off just when they think it's safe to peek out of the ground.

So today I rescued them. Dug them up from the yard.

I have no idea what they are:
Daffodils?
Narcissus?
Paper Whites?

With any luck - we'll find out soon enough.

They have been propped up in a pretty glass bowl, filled with pebbles and water and now sit by my kitchen window ready to drink up the sunshine.

I hope those little roots stretch their legs - right now they look pretty cramped and uncomfortable.

There are plenty more. These will be transplanted elsewhere in the yard. Somewhere safe from the lawnmower.

Next time - remind me that I have a perfectly good potting bench where these sorts of gardening adventures should take place instead of in the kitchen.

Better go mop up the muddy floor.

It's beginning to feel like Spring - at least today.

Pantry Cooking

2011-01-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

At this time of year - it seems the Crock Pot and I are old friends. But some times I'm just not in the mood for something soupy - or shredded.

But I still don't make the time to meal plan (or grocery shop), so I love having recipes that use mostly pantry items - things that I always have on hand.

This is one of my favorites. I usually have frozen hamburger, but even when I don't remember to let it thaw - I can always run to the store and pick up just that one item. Or better yet - have hubby pick it up on his way home. All the other ingredients are part of my Pantry Staples.

Warning: these photos are not pretty. The finished product is brown, covered with brown. I didn't even dress up the plate with a green garnish - because it was late - and we were hungry.

I tried to add some pretty yellow corn in the background for color - with a beautiful dob of butter melting on the top. But sweet hubby tried to help and mixed it all together before I got a photo.

But it tastes yummy - and that's what really counts (at least when you are pantry cooking).

Ketchup. Lea and Perrin's (because I can't spell Worcestershire Sauce), Bread Crumbs (Italian Seasoned - of course), mustard (only the spicy brown kind will do for my tastes), and Canned French Onion Soup.

I use the canned Onion Soup almost as much as I use the dry packets. If it's not one of your Pantry Staples - you should give it a try. You will be amazed at what you can season with that lovely little can.

Salt, pepper, eggs (had to check on that one since we used a ton with our holiday baking) and ground beef.

Mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and part of the can of soup. Form the mixture into patties. They have to be oval shaped - or else they will look like Hamburgers. Salisbury Steak patties are always oval. Don't know why - but I guarantee they won't taste the same if they are not oval.

The patties are browned in a saucepan (use a little oil if you hamburger meat is low fat) and removed from the pan. The remaining ingredients are then added to the pan to bring up all the lovely brown bits from the bottom and stirred together. Add the patties back in, cover and let simmer until cooked through.

I added an extra can of soup in the meal shown in this photo - because we also had mashed potatoes and I like lots of gravy. The basic recipe creates less sauce and is usually served on a platter rather than in a bowl. The patties are always super moist and tasty because they have cooked in the sauce.

Salisbury Steak

1 10 1/2 oz. can condensed French Onion Soup
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper

1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tablespoon prepared mustard
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon flour

Mix together 1/3 of the can of soup, beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties. Brown patties in a saute pan using oil if necessary. Pour off any excess fat and remove patties from pan.
Add remaining soup, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Gently stir. In a small bowl, gradually blend flour into water until smooth and stir into soup mixture. Add patties back into pan, cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally.

Ten on Ten: January

2011-01-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

A photo taken every Hour, for Ten consecutive hours, on the Tenth of the month. You can read more about it here.

Chilly way to start the day - even the morning dew was frozen

Little K's Bento Lunch

Bench Monday: Stand on a Bench, Wear something pretty, Extra points for live props, Double points for chickens. Come join the fun

Yep - I'm a hugger - one of my favorite Christmas gifts

A quite corner

12:00 already - where does the time go?

Baxter - he's a Red Bellied Parrot and it's his 14th Birthday this month

All the Christmas decor packed up and put away - except for one (Argh)

Creativity tools

Salisbury Steak for dinner

Party Refreshments for Nancy Drew and her Clue Crew

2011-01-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

Now that it's the beginning of a new year, talk has started around our house about what kind of party Little K will have for her Birthday this year (in March).

That made me realize, that I never finished posting about her Nancy Drew Birthday Party from Last year! Yikes - I guess a little thing like picking up your family and moving them to another state got in the way.

So here we are, with the Old Fashioned Luncheon Menu for our Nancy Drew Super Sleuths:

Deviled Eggs and Mini Pigs in the Blanket

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches - with the crusts cut off. The paper bands are made from coordinating scrapbook paper and add a little color to the plate.

We had to have a Layered Jello Salad. I found a vintage mint green Tupperware mold on e-bay. You can't tell in the photo, but it's actually 4 rainbow colors of jello layered. It was a pretty hot day, and the whipped cream started to melt down the sides and covered the layers.

Cheese and Fruit Cups

Veggies and Dip

And a Beverage Station with Pink Lemonade

Bottles of Root Beer

And little Jugs of Water embellished with paper bands

After a hard day of Super Sleuthing - the girls enjoyed a relaxing picnic on the lawn.

You can see other elements of Little K's Nancy Drew Birthday Party here:

Invitations, Sweets Table, Decorations, The Perfect Outfit, Mystery Game

French Toast Souffle' Casserole

2010-12-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

I've been making this Breakfast Casserole on Christmas Morning for many years.

Even though it's only the 3 of us at our house, opening packages tends to take up the better part of the day, and the last thing I want is to be in the kitchen and miss all the fun going on under the Christmas Tree.

This recipe is perfect. It's put together the night before and the flavors blend together overnight in the fridge. Then I just pop it in the oven an hour before we are ready to eat.

FRENCH TOAST SOUFFLE' CASSEROLE

approx. 16 slices of stale white bread (cut into cubes)
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
12 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup real maple syrup

Grease a 9 X 13 pan. Place bread cubes in pan. Beat cream cheese, eggs syrup and heavy cream together until light and fluffy. Pour over bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drizzle with more maple syrup. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes until set (cover with foil after 25 minutes of baking to prevent over browning)

Even though it's a casserole, it acts like a souffle' and will come out of the oven all tall and puffy, and will deflate over time. The recipe is also very forgiving. I always forget how many eggs it takes, and this year I didn't have a full dozen, so I only used 8. I was also short on heavy cream, and substituted low fat milk, and it turned out just fine. I have added fresh fruit before baking (blueberries are great) and sprinkled with cinnamon and raisins or powdered sugar.

I like the fluffy middle parts. Gary likes the crispy corners, and Little K like the edges with a little bit of each. Something for everyone.

Happy Holidays!

The original recipe credit goes to a co-worker Nicole Bishop. It's from a cook book put together by the employees that worked in the Men's Buying Department at the Sears Corporate Offices in Chicago.

The Holidays Around Our Home

2010-12-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

We have been collecting Lladro figurines since we were first married.

Our First was this Bride and Groom - a gift from my sweet hubby on our Wedding Day.

We also started purchasing an annual Lladro Christmas Bell that first year.

Over time, they have changed styles of bells and added new shapes.

Nestled in with other simple pastel ornaments and tiny pearl lights.

Twenty years later, we have quite a collection. Enough to warrant a separate Christmas Tree dedicated solely to these beautiful bisque porcelain pastel colored treasures.

Our new house has an additional fireplace in the Office/Family Room adjacent to where the Lladro tree is displayed. So that means I get to create an all new mantle display.

I was totally inspired by the mantle Susie created in her home, and used many of the same elements.

I had these beautiful Mercury Glass Candle Sticks from a dinner party a few years ago, that I knew would work perfectly with the Pastel Winter Scene I wanted to create.

Using mostly items I already had on hand, and a branch from the neighbors Ash tree that was hanging into our backyard (thanks Walt), I was able to create a simple Mantle display to coordinate with the Lladro tree.

I found these vintage looking glass ornaments at Home Goods. They are huge, and in the perfect assortment of deep pastel colors.

One found it's way onto the mantle.

And the rest hang below from white organza ribbons.

The crystals on the candles sparkle like fresh fallen snow.

I have some snowy white birds that I may still add to the branches (just like Susie did). But for now, only a few tiny glass ornaments adorn them.

An old tarnished silver trophy filled with glittery hydrangea adds a little contrast to all the shine.

The completed Mantle.

Across the room there is another snowy scene. Vintage looking paper houses just like I remember being under the tree as a child, and a collection of bottle brush trees.

Most are new reproductions, but the green one is from when my husband was born over 50 years ago (on December 17th). A gift to my mother in law during her stay in the Hospital at Christmas time, that she has since entrusted to me.

It's not Christmas yet, so that means I have a few more days to do some more decorating. I'll be back later.

Ten on Ten: December

2010-12-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

The concept is simple, but oh so sweet:

A photo taken every hour, for ten consecutive hours, on the tenth of the month. You can read more about it here.

Today was spent mostly around the house doing the same things over and over - laundry and putting up decorations. So as not to bore you with 10 photos of piles of clothes I took a moment each hour to capture some of my favorite Holiday inspired things around our house.

Still lots more decorations to put up, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.

December Daily - Week One

2010-12-09T14:36:00.001-08:00

Happy December

I love this time of year, no matter how busy crazy it always seems to be. With Gary working in retail - and new in his position - we won't be traveling home to visit our family in Pennsylvania this holiday (sniff sniff). Most normal people would take that opportunity to finish unpacking the boxes from our move this summer, or re-paint those rooms that need it. You didn't really think I would do that did you?

With all this extra time on my hands, I decided to create a December Daily Journal. If you are not familiar - you can find out more here from Ali Edwards. My goal is not really to create more work for myself, but quite the opposite. With all the prep of the basic decorated book done before December, throughout the month all you have to do is add pictures, mementos and journaling. Plus to make sure I don't go overboard - I have the guidance of a fellow perfectionist friend to remind me to keep it simple.

The Cover:

I used a basic 3" ring binder to hold the pages and sewed a lightly padded cover using fabrics and trim that I already had on hand. That was my goal for this project. To use as many of the papers and embellishments that I already had in my stash. I did purchase more of the basic colors of cardstock, and just a few additional patterned papers, so most of what you will see is not from any current line.

Before We Begin:

I added a pocket page (made from two 8X10 photos adhered around the sides creating a pocket) that included a large family photo on the front, with the basic details on our family at the bottom of the page (ages, address, phone number). I also made a journaling page with a tab to slide inside the pocket that had details on how we came to live in our current home.

That may seem a little strange, but we have moved quite a bit in our married life (7 times in 20 years of marriage), and while Gary is very good about remembering our old addresses, I am not. I often wish I could remember the address of our first home together, so this is a way of documenting those details.

Day One:

On the left hand side is the back of the photo pocket. I made a collage of other photos from the day we took family pictures for our Holiday Card.

I'm trying really hard to make this process about capturing the memories, and not obsessing about everything being just perfect. But I wasn't happy with the quality of the photos I had printed (I just used a one hour location). They are too dark (they actually look better in this photo than they do in real life). I may end up re-printing that page, but we'll have to see.

The right hand page is what we did on December 1. It's another photo collage of how we spent the evening. Little K will be performing in the Pamela Hayes performance of the Nutcracker, and once a week she has rehearsals at the midtown Sacramento Studio (in addition to her regular classes and rehearsals at our nearby studio). While she is busy dancing her heart out, Gary and I sneak down the street to a little Italian restaurant Michelangelo's for a "date night". The photos are of the restaurant, the desert we had and Little K's sweet ballet feet.

Day Two:

The journaling is about how my mom helped me make these little paper stockings for a Christmas party several years ago, and how it made me a little Sad putting them up this year since she won't be able to spend time with us this December. I don't have anything on the left hand page (backside of Day One) yet, but I will probably add some more photos of these holiday decorations.

Day Three:

It's Friday - and that means pizza, popcorn and a movie. The left side (backside of day two) is a 5X7 photo of little K doing her favorite thing. Eating pizza and watching TV in the living room.

The Right side page has a pocket made from an envelope. Inside is a journaling tag and more photos of the pizza, snuggling on the couch with the cat and eating popcorn. Did you notice Peanut Butter the cat trying to get in on the action as I was taking this picture (top right).

The journaling tag is embellished with a ribbon and the 5X7 photos are adhered back to back so they slip easily into the pocket.

Day Four:

This was Saturday. Little K's school had a Winter Wonderland event that included breakfast, the school choir and a preview of the Book Fair. I didn't get any good photos while we were at school, so I ended taking pictures at home of her enjoying the books we purchased that day.

The left hand page shows the books she selected. I think she will get a kick out of seeing what she was reading several years from now. I originally did some journaling on the bottom of this page in my own hand writing. I wanted to include handwriting in this project, since it's an important part of preserving the memories, but I really didn't like how it turned out. I ended up covering it with some computer journaling.

The right hand page is using a 3 part page protector with more photos of her reading. I journaled a bit about the Winter Wonderland event and kept that in my own handwriting (for now).

So I'm now officially done with Week One of my December Daily. It's only December 9th, so that's not too bad - I'm only 5 days behind.

I have ideas of other things to include in addition to photos and journaling, so hopefully those will show up soon. Stay Tuned.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

We are spending Thanksgiving at our new home this year. Just the 3 of us - Little K is going to help me cook, and has requested that we eat dinner early so we can start decorating for Christmas.

I have so many things to be thankful for. It's often easy to get caught up in the stuff that happens unexpectedly, that it's hard to see how much there is to be Grateful for.

This month, I again took the challenge to recognize the gratitude I have around me each and every day.

1. Moderation, 2. A Strong & Pleasant Scent, 3. Friends, 4. Dinner, 5. Moving, 6. Suburbia, 7. Children and the Arts, 8. A Clean House, 9. Grey Hair & Wrinkles, 10. Tooth Fairy, 11. Sweater Weather, 12. Home, 13. Freedom, 14. Game Night, 15. Fun, 16. Unconditional Love, 17. Quiet Time, 18. Nature, 19. Coffee Maker, 20. A Man is Only as Good as His Tools, 21. Inspiration, 22. Moving Cards, 23. Simplify, 24. Sweet Surprises

(click on the links above for details on each photo)

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ten on Ten: November

2010-11-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

The concept is simple:
A photo taken every hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of the month.
You can read more about it here.

Not the most exciting day this month as most of it was spent prepping for a little trip.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a
Happy Veterans Day!

Shelf Paper

2010-11-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Am I the only person in the world who uses Shelf Paper?

Actually - based on the condition of the inside of the cabinets when we moved into our new home - you don't need to answer that.

And based on the very limited options of Shelf Paper in the stores - you don't need to answer that.

Clearly - I am the only person that still uses Shelf Paper.

I don't know why I do? Maybe it was years of living in college dorms and not so clean apartments that made me want to cover up all signs of a previous tenant. Maybe it's because many of our homes have been older and have shown wear and tear? Maybe it was what my Mom taught me? Maybe I just have issues?

Whatever the reason, there is nothing better (to me) than a nice clean foundation to put away all your personal belongings.

In our new house - we have some really cool cabinets - so it was kind of fun.

This is our kitchen pantry - with shelves lining the inside of the doors and fold away hinged shelves inside to get access to the full depth of the cabinet.

The silverware drawer is behind a fold down drawer front - complete with built in dividers and a cutting board.

Thank goodness for Little K's helping hands. I'm too old to be down on my hands and knees reaching those bottom cabinets.

My favorite "surprise" was this one. Any guesses as to what's behind this drawer?

Have you figured it out yet?

Yep - a built in ironing board spring loaded in one of the Laundry Room drawers.

Funny thing is - we had no idea it was there until I started to line the drawers.

Sweet hubby had been living in the house for almost a month - sleeping on an air mattress, with none of our household belongings (while we were packing up in AZ).

He even went out and purchased an iron so he could iron his work shirts. He was using the kitchen counter as an ironing board, when all the while - this perfectly good ironing board was in the next room mocking him.

Everything is all put away and most of this pretty clean shelf paper can no longer be seen. But I feel better knowing it's there.

Words of Love

2010-10-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today, my dear sweet hubby and I are celebrating our 21st Wedding Anniversary.

Here we are - in my parents Home where we were married - on our Wedding Day.

October 20, 1989

Someone please tell me at what point the big hair and big glasses from the 80’s stop being a fashion blunder and start to look like something classic and vintage? I keep waiting. At least my dress has some timeless styling. It could have been worse – Gunne Sax was still quite the rage at this time.

I would love to tell you that I found an amazing gift to give my loved one. Or that he is planning a fantastic surprise for me. The truth is, we don’t celebrate these events with elaborate gifts. Partly – because if we want something, we go and get it for ourselves, which makes surprise purchases difficult. But also, because those are not the things we tend to remember, or what really matter.

I hope that we tell each other, and show each other, the depth of our love on a daily basis – and not just on Birthdays or Anniversaries. Some days I’m better at it than others. My Mom occasionally reminds me not to take for granted what an amazing, forgiving and tolerant man I married. Thanks – I do need that.

I did treat myself to a little gift a few days ago that I could call my Anniversary Present.

The Cricut Create Personal Cutter. I used to have unlimited access to one via my friend and next door neighbor Marni – but now that we have moved….I have to begin stocking my own scrapbooking tools.

You could also say that I got a great gadget for my hubby as an Anniversary Present.

Our 20+ year old Garage Door Opener konked out over the weekend, so I had a brand spankin' shiny new one installed yesterday - including sensors and an outside keypad.

But both of those purchases would have most likely been made whether it was our Anniversary or not.

So to Celebrate our years together – and to look forward to the many years ahead – I wrote him a letter, to make sure I tell him how much I love him (in case I forget to mention it one day).

I bet I'll get some sweet words from him as well - because he's good that way.

He always has been.

I love you, not only for what you are, But for what I am when I am with you ~~ Erich Freid

Ten on Ten: October

2010-10-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

The concept is simple:
A photo taken every hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of the month.
You can read more about it here.

I have been wanting to do this ever since I heard about it from my friend Amy. Not only to document a day in our lives, but to remind myself that something beautiful can be found in even the most ordinary of things.

So here we go!

Because today was Sunday - Little K was able to join in on the fun and did her own set of Ten on Ten.
(all photo and editing credits go to her)

Hope you all had a great Weekend.

Apartment Living

2010-09-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

While we transitioned from our home in Arizona to where we are moving to in California, Little K and I spent nearly a month living in an apartment. Not actually an apartment, but one of those Extended Stay Hotels designed for temporary living.

It sounds like fun. A Furnished 2 Room suite with a kitchenette. Weekly Maid service. No yard work.

Our room was a pretty good size. Separate Bedroom. Sleeper Sofa. Furnished Kitchen. Private Bath. It reminded me of my Apartment in College. I remember having plenty of room to spread out back then.

This is going to be great - Right?

Much to my surprise - things have changed just a bit in the 20 (or so) years since I was in College. Now there is not only Me, but also Little K - and sweet Hubby who returns home on the weekends.

Add to that - the houseplants we'll be bringing with us to our new home. And the flammable items and paint that the movers wouldn't take. Painting and cleaning supplies to be used at the new house while our goods are in storage. Items to keep a 9 year old little girl occupied during the summer - and all the paperwork and important documents needed for the purchase and close of our old and new homes.

Oh yeah - and Pets. Did I mention 3 very needy pets that are not happy about having their living spaces downsized.

OK - so maybe it's not quite the adventure I expected. But it certainly is an adventure to remember.

The good news is - climbing up 3 flights of stairs several times a day, often with heavy groceries, has built up my calf muscles.

And the neighbor living next door is a fantastic cook. I can smell wonderful breakfast and dinner aromas wafting through the hall. I have to find out how they are doing all that cooking with just a microwave and a hot plate. Maybe they will invite us over for dinner.

With only 4 bowls (and one of them being used as the kitty's water dish), it doesn't take long to run out of dishes to use for breakfast cereal. In a pinch - the measuring cup will do just fine. Little K thought that was pretty fun.

It's also a great opportunity to have friends over and say our goodbye's. Always fun to have a jumbo Pool and Hot Tub in your backyard.

2 little monkey's jumping on the bed would never be allowed at home. But in the hotel - why not?

Having sleepovers - staying up late watching TV - reading teen magazines. It's all good.

Storage space is a little tight. Especially in the bathroom with two girls and all our "products". We resorted to using the kitchen drawers. Luckily - they are still within easy reach.

There's even an on site Pantry with drinks, frozen meals and fresh fruit. Much better than resorting to dinner out of a vending machine.

I'm pretty sure I could buy these things at the grocery store for less than half the price they charge, but sometimes convenience is worth the price.

Best of all. Huge Washers and Dryers. I can get all the laundry done at once.

Yes - this is indeed better than my first Apartment.

After the first week - even high strung Peanut Butter the cat settled in and relaxed. She's feeling quite at home on my bed.

We are now out of temporary living in Arizona and all moved in to our new home in California. It was a great option for us during the moving transition - but maybe just a few weeks too long.

I've been keeping busy - unpacking, organizing and making our new house feel like our Home. Can't wait to share it all with you.