Ephemeral Evidence

Canvas Wedding Gifts

2013-03-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite people got married last month. She and I are ten years apart-I'm sorry to say that I am the older one, and she is the wiser one :) I wanted to find her and her husband something a little more personal for their gift...so I made them a personalized wedding canvas...

If you are knowledgable in Photoshop, these are easy to make. I had a picture of some distressed wood and I played around with the hue levels. Next I found a free vector image of the state of Florida.
You can download any state for free at Digital Vector Maps.
I added a heart over the beach were they were married.

I made my Photoshop canvas .75 larger than the actual printed canvas and added a cute chevron pattern so that you can see the print from the sides. I quoted out a few different printers. There are a ton of them out there and the price differences are dramatic! The best deal I found was at Canvas 4 Life.

Lastly, I signed the back with a gold Sharpie for a little extra love. I think I may open an etsy store. These are so fun and easy to make. Contact me if you'd like more info or would like to order one.

Five Morning Tips for Non-Morning Moms

2013-02-25T05:09:00.000-08:00

I would LOVE to be that gal that gets up at 5:45, gets a workout in, showers, has the perfect waterfall braid and is ready to refinish a piece of furniture by 800 a.m.
Truth be told I am the worst.morning.person.ever. I scramble around in disbelief that the alarm is going off, sit for a few minutes too long and try to regroup before stumbling to the bathroom to insert my contacts. My sinuses hurt, my joints ache...it is awful. Thank GOD that I'm in charge of a few other human beings and a dog with a small bladder or I'd be in bed until noon. In a perfect world, I'd go to bed at the same time as my kids do but that rarely happens. If I lie in bed at an early hour, I usually have to read, or I toss and turn and think about all the things I could be doing instead of sleeping. I usually get a little second wind after the kids go to bed. I'm FREE! Free to pin on Pinterest... Free to skype my friends... Free to look online for the perfect dining room rug, mascara or catch up with Kate Middleton's waistline. I'm working on it. Knowing you have a problem is half the battle right? In the mean time here with a few things that have helped me in the morning:

1. Hard boiled eggs. We all need protein in the morning-especially kids. Eggs are cheap and easy to eat. I usually boil a dozen eggs at the beginning of the week and keep them in a Ziploc in the fridge. If you are really ambitious, you can even peel them beforehand. One of my girls will eat the whole egg, the other will only eat the whites, but still she is getting some protein and I feel good about that. Add some pre-cut fruit and whole wheat toast and you are good to go! Use this method for perfect hard boiled eggs. It is the best I've found. Use a timer and DON'T forget to salt the water. Use this method and you will not get that creepy green grey ring around the yolk

2. Speaking of breakfast, I LOVE EAS Carb Control shakes in dark chocolate. They are a little pricey but still cheaper than a fast food meal and I can justify the cost since I rarely buy coffee in the morning. They are packed with protein, vitamins, and are filling. They are perfectly portable and easy to drink on the run. Stock up and keep them in your fridge. Who has time to make a smoothie in the morning? Not me.

3. Lay out as many breakfast items as you can the night before...DUH. I know. Just do it. This includes vitamins, paper plates, forks, bowls whatever you use to eat with. Fill up sippy cups with milk. Get coffee and filters in the machine - unless you have a Keurig...then I'm jealous of you! It takes maybe 5-10 minutes and it is worth it.

4. Also the night before: Homework folders in backpacks, soccer bags packed, water bottles filled, lunches packed or lunch monies packed, permission slips signed, throw as much as you can in the car the night before.

5. This is especially good if you work outside of your home and/or have finicky girls. On Sunday night, prep FIVE outfits on a hanger with absolutely everything including accessories, underwear, stocks, and shoes so that in the morning you have everything you are going to put on your body in one place, wrinkle free and ready to go. Use a baggie to gather earrings and accessories and attach it to the hanger with a rubber band...these items usually take the longest to get together in the morning. You don't need to have every load of laundry done consuming your weekend, just take 40 minutes on a Sunday night and come up with five outfits. Make it fun. Iron while you watch a movie, or catch up with the Real Housewives Beverly Hills On Demand. I used to get frustrated with my stubborn three year old over her garish choices in the morning, (she always picked the faded unicorn shirt with the spaghetti sauce stain and tiny holes) and usually we were missing a sock, or she had to have THE hair accessory that we couldn't find. Now we have it all planned out and we agree upon everything Sunday night, and she picks most of it herself. Miraculously, she now grabs out the hanger holding her outfit for the day and gets herself dressed.

Try these for a week and see if it makes a difference. Have a great morning! :)

Reading Now: The Good House by Ann Leary

2013-02-17T07:35:00.002-08:00

This is a story of addiction. I loved the way Ms. Leary makes it easy for us to understand the slippery slope of alcoholism. The story centers around Hildy - a sixty-something real estate agent in her small New England town. The story takes us through her day to day life and interactions with various friends and their drama, business dealing throughout the town and her family life with her daughters. I would not say that it was "wickedly funny" as one review stated, but it is a good read none the less. I particularly liked the ending.

Matcha Tea

2013-02-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

One of the things that has helped me survive the blah months of winter is matcha tea. I have met my matcha! Have you heard about matcha tea? I recently started drinking it only to notice that there are rumblings about it everywhere. Last week it was featured on The Dr. Oz Show. The claim was that matcha tea powder combined with ginger is a fat burning powerhouse.
I became interested in matcha because of it's unbelievably high level of antioxidents, and it's mood mending properties - Matcha is said improve focus as well as calm and relax. The Zen Buddists began the tradition of whipping tea powder and hot water into a bowl as part of a ceremonious ritual in the 1100's. I'll try me some Zen any time!

My initial search for matcha on Amazon was a little overwhelming. As I navigated through the reviews I quickly realized that there are matcha snobs, just as there are coffee snobs. I heeded their advice and came to the conclusion that the best matcha source is direct from Japan: http://www.hibiki-an.com

My air mail package from Japan

Pretty Japanese paper

Matcha is traditionally prepared with a whisk (chasen), bowl (chawan) and spoon (chashaku). I did not purchase a special bowl as any small bowl will do. I did purchase a chasen holder to keep my whisk in shape. Two scoops with the chashaki and then add hot water to the bowl...whisk in a "W" motion and keep the whisk towards the top of the bowl until foam forms. I usually add a lttle agave syrup and soy milk...it is SO GOOD!

Miserable winter or Zen sunrise? Have your matcha and then weigh in...

Happy Valentine's Day 2013

2013-02-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

Love is in the air :)

My Valentine Mantel

2013-02-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

I love Valentine's Day! I also love decorating for it. Here is the mantel display I created this year - along with all of the sources so you can copy it.

1. LOVE sign from Hobby Lobby. It was 30% off, and also HOT PINK. I spray painted it off-white along with the sticks for this project. Here is a link for a Hobby Lobby coupon.

2. Amaryllis plants. I picked these up half off after Christmas. I should have planted them sooner but once they bloom they will be pink and white striped. I planted them in Ball jars and tied them with an off white grosgrain ribbon from JoAnn Fabrics and used this coupon.

In the bottom of the Ball jars I used Gel Water Crystals. The crystals hold water and

expand to keep the plants hydrated and they look pretty!

3. I purchased these hurricanes at Target a few years ago. Any hurricane will do. I filled them with candy hearts and inserted a flameless LED candle from Michael's in each of them. I used this coupon to get 40% off the set. I really like this particular set of flameless candles because they are real wax and there is what appears to be a real wick (not the fake looking sculpted wick).

4. Baby jar candles made by my mom and my daughter. They are so easy. You can use any sort of napkin, crepe or tissue paper and apply it to a glass jar with school glue.

5. This banner from etsy.

The Goss Method for Mature Eyes

2013-02-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Wayne Goss? I have been following his make up tutorials for a few months and I love them. It's a little odd to watch a man apply makeup but I promise he knows his stuff! One of my favorites is this tutorial for "mature eyes" :) Yes I am over 30 - so that if that makes me mature so be it. I had never used eye brushes to apply eye makeup...but once you try it I think that you will agree that contouring is key!

Happy February

2013-02-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

Do you Vine yet? I may have to get back on the Twitter bandwagon!You can find me here:missesbee

Valentine Tree Centerpiece

2013-01-31T19:20:00.000-08:00

Hello Pinners! I had stepped away from my blog for almost a year. Since starting Pinterest, I have had an enormous uptick in hits on my Valentine's Day DIY's. Here is another one. I purchased these heart ornaments years ago at Hobby Lobby. I have seen the same ornaments this year at JoAnn Fabric - they are inexpensive - around $2.00 for 8.

My kids gathered sticks for me from the backyard, and then I spray painted them white. The glass jar is from TJ Maxx. This would make a lovely centerpiece - but I put mine outside of the house.

If you live in a cold climate like we do...I would suggest putting some sand or glass pebbles in the bottom of your jar if you decide to place it outside...

Happy February!

Turning Nine

2012-10-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

After a crazy summer moving into a new home and a new school, E. turned nine before our eyes. So many changes this fall. She started a new school and wanted to have both old and new friends over. Her new school suggests that every girl (or boy for a boys' party) gets invited to a birthday party. I love that policy.

So, she invited three girls from her old school and all of the girls in her new class. I allowed her to have a sleepover. That is what she really wanted. And, I figured that most of the girls in her new class would not stay the night since I had not formally met any of the parents...I WAS WRONG. 15 girls attended and 10 slept over. It was fine. Really!

The girls made individual pizzas, cookie pizza's and candy necklaces. They watched E.T. and stayed up giggling until almost 11:00. I also had my fabulous hair stylist here doing updos. That was really fun.

I was happy to get her to her soccer game the next morning. Happy Nine sweet girl.

Reading Now: Heaven is Here: An incredible story of hope, triumph and everyday joy by Stephanie Nielson

2012-04-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

I read Heaven is Here: An incredible story of hope, triumph and everyday joy by Stephanie Nielson in two days. I have been inspired by Stephanie ever since I started reading her blog. I don't recall if I started reading her blog before or after seeing her Oprah episode, which I found fascinating. I appreciate the fact that she is a devout Mormon yet does not come off as overly "preachy". I found her faith extremely moving and I am not an overly religious person. Her passion for motherhood is so inspiring.

The one thing I would like to know is how the plane crash happened. She never explained what the issue was with the plane. Perhaps it is somewhere in her blog. Overall a GREAT book!!

Pea Soup - Using Easter Ham

2012-04-10T19:07:00.002-07:00

And how was your Easter? Pa made us a fabulous ham. One of the best things to do with leftover ham is make pea soup. I use this recipe. Before you prepare this recipe please note: You should ALWAYS "sweat" the veggies before you prepare the soup-minus the potatoes. Trust me on this one!

While the peas are soaking cut up your carrots and celery ( I added some onion too)....

Put your olive oil in our saute pan over medium heat...

Add some minced garlic to the oil then add your veggies

Make sure the heat is not too high or you will burn them :)

Let them simmer until they are soft.

Then return them to the pot with the ham bone and potatoes and prepare as directed!

This soup will freeze great. Just pour into a Zip-Loc freezer bag and lay it flat on it's side to freeze.

Lollipop Tree and Other Third Birthday Details

2012-03-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post some details from Wren's third birthday...For a fun decoration, I made this fun lollipop tree.

I used a Styrofoam ball from Michael's (Use your 40% coupon-there are always coupons online) I used dum dum suckers and butterfly suckers from Micheal's and a metal container from the Dollar Store. The THREE sucker is from Vintage Confections. Check them out! They have some really unique candy party favors.

I like serving cupcakes instead of cake at kid's parties. They are easy to make and decorate, and easy to give out at the end of the party if you have extra. I used these sugar wafer butterflies from Sugar Robot. They are so pretty...

She approved!

Weekending

2012-03-12T05:56:00.003-07:00

Healthier Doughnut Muffins

2012-03-04T19:00:00.002-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is check out the recipes on Pinterest. I could spend hours on the recipe section alone. Last week I vowed to actually MAKE some of these fabulous finds!

The doughnut muffin is an extremely popular pin. There are a couple of variations of this recipe on Pinterest and I chose to modify this one slightly to make it a bit healthier...

They are delicious...and my little ones gobbled them up...and so did I!

Healthier Doughnut Muffins

Adapted from Mybakingaddiction.com

For the Batter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract -use the good stuff! It does make a difference :)
2 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal**
1 cup milk

For the Glaze
(I omitted the glaze and used green sugar for March but next time I will make the glaze)
3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.
Add the Egg Beaters, beating to combine.
Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
Stir the flour and flaxseed meal into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.
Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Turn once while baking.
In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden.
Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

* Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour ** Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal
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Life's A Bowl Of Cherries

2012-02-29T13:26:00.001-08:00

...just watch out for the pits. I was diagnosed on Saturday with strep throat, an ear infection, and a sinus infection. There were no cold symptoms, just a sudden sore throat, pounding ear and headache. I was just telling my girlfriend that we have had such an easy winter here. Then BOOM, my illness and a snow storm hit. YAY!! Since Saturday I have been averaging 12-13 hours of sleep each night. I woke up feeling as if I had never gone to bed. It's the kind of deep ache in my muscles where the thought of walking accross the room made me wince.

Yesterday I had a complete blood panel drawn along with a mono test. I've had mono in college and it felt a lot like this. As we were sitting in the waiting room in the lab, I heard the receptionist say "Someone keeps calling our phone line and is sending a fax". That fax was my bloodwork order. We waited for a long time, me, my hubby and Wrennie Roo, who also has strep but was luckily acting like her old-breakdancing self. When I finally was called the nurse said "You don't look so good". Um, is that really something you say to a patient? How about "You will get better" or "This too shall pass"...sigh

I was convinced that I had one of the following: mono, diabetes, lupus, or rheumatic fever. I'm happy to report that everything came back normal. Today I am starting to feel better!! Being sick, even if for this four-day span made me so thankful to have my health - and enjoy moments like these...

It's the Little Things....

2012-02-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

A CHEAP bracelet from Forever 21 and Do You Lilac It? from OPI.

C'mon Spring!

Thought of the Day Thursday

2012-02-23T05:05:00.001-08:00

Trendy Triangles

2012-02-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

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Thought of the Day Thursday

2012-02-16T07:46:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

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More FREE Valentine's Day Printables!

2012-02-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd make some cute tags for my girls' Valentine's Day treats. Since there are so many cute printables online, I thought I'd add to them! Download these after the jump!

Download!

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Thought of the Day Thursday

2012-02-09T05:04:00.000-08:00

Wax Paper and Crayon Valentine Hearts

2012-02-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

I'm going crazy with Valentine's crafts...only because I AM IN LOVE!!! This is the best dog ever ;) I made these Valentine Hearts with our Brownie Troop last week and they were a hit. This is a very fun project to do with the little ones, but you need to be extra careful because there is an iron involved.

Oh and a pencil sharpener...

You will need some wax paper, crayons, an iron, and a pencil sharpener. Because I had to prep crayon shavings for a troop of 10 girls, I used a mini food processor. I have not attepted to clean this mini food processor. Right now it is in the freezer. Fingers crossed.

Fold a long piece of wax paper in half and trace a heart shapes on the top.

(A cereral box makes a great heart stencil.)

Peel the paper off of the crayons and break them up into pieces. If you are smart and using a pencil sharpener, start shaving each crayon. You can use any color you'd like.

I used mostly red with a few other colors.

Voila!

Start ironing. Depending on your iron, start at medium. Keep little fingers AWAY!

Once the wax cools, cut out the shapes and hang!

Love is in the air...

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I'm Sexy and I Know It

2012-02-07T12:25:00.001-08:00

Kind of love this dog...