Count It All Joy!

Halloween Eyeball Treats

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 02:00:00 +0000

I found the "cutest" eyeball treats online and just had to make some for my family. (those are not words I ever thought I'd say!!)

I've had the stuff to make these for quite some time and unfortunately a few life events meant we weren't at work as much as usual and I didn't get to make these for either of us to take in. I did remember at the last minute yesterday and ran in and made a small batch just because I could! We ate some and I gave some to the neighbor kids next door, who did proclaim them to be "cool".

Finding red sprinkles during the fall season wasn't easy, but my trusty cake decorating supply store of course had some. And what fun would eyeball treats be without the bloodshot effects?

When I made these yesterday I couldn't find them on the blog that originally inspired me, so I had to wing it. I did find it today though - eighteen25 blog. I used white candy melts so mine aren't zombie eyeballs, but I still like them.

I'll put how I made them and feel free to click over to the original blog as her method is slightly different.

Ingredients

square pretzels

white candy melts

m&m's

red sprinkles

mini hershey's milk chocolate bar

(I used the convection feature on our microwave and made them in very small batches, but obviously this would work quite well in a regular oven.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet or small pan, then place a candy melt on top of each one. Put in the oven just long enough for the candy melts to appear shiny, then remove pan from oven.

Carefully put an m&m UPSIDE DOWN on top of each candy melt, then sprinkle some red bloodshot sprinkles on each.

It was at this point that I realized I needed a pupil for each eye and couldn't remember how the original blog did it. Keith pointed out the plethora of Halloween candy we had waiting on the trick or treaters to come, so I unwrapped a small Hershey's milk chocolate bar and microwaved it just until shiny. I used a small, pointed butter knife, dipped it in chocolate and made a small pupil on each.

The salty and sweet taste go so well together and I might do these at Thanksgiving with an orange candy melt with brown m&m's..... and no bloodshot eyes ;)

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 02:14:00 +0000

Sometimes things just work out that don't take a lot of thought... and this was one of those things.

We were walking through the grocery store and saw these bags of marshmallows. It truly was a light bulb moment for me and I had to grab a bag to try Rice Krispie Treats.

The bags are 8 oz, vs the 10 oz regular marshmallows, so I painstakingly figured out what the correct amount of Rice Krispies would be for this smaller bag. So proud to figure it out, then discovered the good folks at Kraft had already done that for me and it was printed on the bag. Sigh... ;)

It was a little bit sad watching the cute little pumpkins melt and lose their shape.

These were really quite good, though I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't taste pumpkin in them. I found them to be a strong spice flavor and I'm not so certain that kids would like them. We did though!

And a quick note on the props in this photo and I didn't even realize it until playing with the photos after the shoot. This ended up being a cool memory shot for me - the napkin was embroidered by my mom and the cutting board was made for me by my dad. How cool is that??

Deep Thoughts: "Family is a gift that lasts forever"

Shared with: Inspire Me Tuesday

Friday's Fave Five #251

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 00:07:00 +0000

It's Friday - thank goodness! Time to list 5 of my favorite blessings of the week. Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is running this gathering, so head over and read more blessings. :)

1. The neatest thing happened to me yesterday on the way to a doctor appointment. Flipping through the radio channels I happened on the song "You're My Best Friend" by Queen and started singing along. My beloved's beautiful face came to mind and I had the biggest smile - just a fun moment. Then I pulled up to a stoplight and a big, bright butterfly flew past the window and it became a take my breath away moment. I have noticed in the past few years that many times, just when I need it most (even if I didn't realize I needed it), the Lord will send a butterfly flitting past and it's always such a heartwarming moment. I was telling this story to Keith last night and I told him it was one of those perfect moments in life that you truly want to wrap up and put in a box so that you can take it out and experience it time and time again. God is so awesome!

2. Last Saturday I went to a crop for the first time in months and had such a fabulous time! It was great to talk and laugh with friends and to come away from the day with a renewed excitement for paper crafts. I managed to take one picture that day, just of the general area in front of me:

3. Tuesday was Grandparents Day at Brooklyn's school and Keith and I were fortunate enough to be able to go. We all had breakfast together, toured the school with her and checked out the book fair (they are brilliant for scheduling the book fair when Grandparents Day was going on. Coincidence? I think not!). She is getting to be more and more fun and we enjoy every single minute we get to spend with her. And let me add too that we are so thankful that she still wants us to come! :)

4. Good times.... One day after work we decided that a cherry limeade sounded good, so off to Sonic we went. Beau was especially pleased when the sweet sound of his favorite words rang out - "Dogs get to go!!"

5. I stopped at Central Market on the way home from a doctor appointment and found a "new to me" kind of apple - Sweetango. The sign said they were from Minnesota, so that grabbed me right off the bat. The sign further said that they were juicy, sweet, with just a hint of fall seasonings. I have a thing for offbeat apple varieties, so I bought two. While they were quite tasty I would have a hard time saying they were so good as to warrant the higher price. But if I have to splurge on something, really an apple isn't too bad... right? ;)

Wishing all a very blessed week!

Deep Thoughts:

{Favorite Products} SweetBaby Cuticle Oil

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:30:00 +0000

This is a totally different kind of post for me, but I get so much good product information from blogs that I wanted to give back. And once in a while you run across something that impresses you so much you really do have to share.

Let me start off by saying this is not a sponsored post. In fact, the owner of this Etsy shop has no idea I'm doing this. I will though give a shout out to ChitChatNails blog as her review is what led me to ordering this product.

I don't know if it's getting older, my body chemistry or what my hands come in contact with on a daily basis, but my cuticles dry out horribly. I've tried a lot of products - and most do work - but for one reason or another I haven't found The One yet.

When I read the review on this cuticle oil it was kind of a light bulb moment. A roller ball for cuticle oil - why has nobody done this before? SweetBabybyDonna at Etsy does and it's wonderful! I use the roller applicator on my cuticles and then rub it in with my fingers. There is no lingering greasy feel and I love that.

I ordered the Caribbean Coconut because I seriously love all things coconut. What a wonderful, light fragrance! It was just enough to be fun and not enough to knock you over.

The cost with shipping was $12 and the applicator is a little bit bigger than the average lip balm container. I thought it would last me a long time, but I'm finding I love how it feels and have been putting it on several times a day so maybe not. Either way, I'm sure this will be my new 'go to' cuticle oil.

Hope this helps you to have pretty cuticles!

Deep Thoughts: "God has you in the palm of His hand. He has never once failed before and the good news is, He is not about to start now."

52CCT Challenge - Christmas Tree Card

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 01:33:00 +0000

So exciting to feel creative and play with my hobbies in the evenings again!

This week the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown Blog is having a Color Challenge - use Red, White and Kraft on your card. I love this color combination, so it was a lot of fun for me.

I went with an 'oldie but goodie' for this card and love how it turned out, even if the photo isn't worth a hoot! (maybe I'll take a new picture tomorrow during the daylight)

Anyway... I used the Cuttlebug Christmas Tree embossing folder, so this was a pretty fast card to make and is so pretty. The tree has Candy Cane Stickles sprinkled throughout for added sparkle. Cardstock is white, kraft and Regal Red - all from Stampin' Up - and I used pop dots on the red/white layer.

Deep Thoughts: "Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree! How richly God has decked thee!

Fairy Garden with Bunnies

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 01:34:00 +0000

I have seen so many amazingly beautiful and intricate Fairy Gardens around the internet and love looking at them. But honestly none has spoken to me quite like the one I saw at Debbie-Dabble (click on her name to go and see). You know how sometimes you see something and it's not that you want to duplicate, but it sparks an idea and you run with it based on what you saw? What I saw in her fairy garden was a great amount of fun to be had for Brooklyn and I.

This is what I ended up with, total cost about five dollars by repurposing some things I already had. To start with, this pot never did get any perky posies this year, so rather than leave it looking like a ghost town I snagged it for this project.

I went to the local Goodwill and found a box of with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, the fence and a small pot of posies. That's when I decided my theme would be bunnies.

This shows off the little ceramic potted posies - too cute! I also found a set of two bunnies, this little girl is one of them.

My original plan was to buy a few succulents to plant in this garden since they are so low maintenance. But when Keith and I visited our favorite nursery we discovered the succulents were $5.99 each! Instead I picked up two petunias at the mark down price of only .99 cents. It's still hot in Texas, so they should last for a little bit. And I'll just replace them in the spring.

And here's the little boy! Then I found the little wooden house that has a nice hinged roof. I think that Brooklyn will enjoy putting things in there.

The boy is sitting on a bed of shells and you might have noticed some behind the little girl above. The thrift store had a brand new bag of shells for quite cheap.

I also wanted a little pond, so I sacrificed the half cup measure that I got in a set at Dollar Tree one year at Thanksgiving (since I knew there would be so many of us cooking in the kitchen at the same time I bought an extra set!). Keith cut off the handle, then filed it smooth so that Brooklyn wouldn't hurt herself on the sharp plastic edge. I thought it would be cute to put shells at the bottom of the pond, but once I added water the silly things floated! Ah well, I suspect we'll still have fun with it. And I don't plan on leaving water in it - I'll just add water when we're ready to play.

This was really a lot of fun to put together and now I can't wait for Brooklyn to come over and play with me! :)

Deep Thoughts: "Grandmas are just antique little girls!"

Linking to: Friday Flair Link Party, Cottage Garden Party, Home Sweet Home, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Thrifty Things Friday

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 20:45:00 +0000

The Newlyweds are home from their honeymoon and they came over to show pictures and share stories from their wonderful trip. We had a really nice evening and even shared cooking dinner together and that was just wonderful. We made a Sesame Noodle with Chicken meal that I found on Pinterest, but honestly it was just ok and I won't be sharing the link or recipe.

But I do like to have a dessert on hand when people come over and since our daughter is lactose intolerant I have a Pinterest board at the ready with recipes to try. And this one was a winner!

If you've spent any time at all on Pinterest - or now on Facebook with all the recipes that are shared - you have surely seen this recipe for Pineapple Angel Food Cake. Nothing I had linked back to an actual site, so I can't give credit for this. But it was GOOD! And easy! And relatively good, or at least not as bad, for you!

The Ingredients:

Yes that's it - just an angel food cake mix (the notes on the pin said it must be the "one step" angel food cake mix) and a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple.

I didn't even get my mixer out - just used a wooden spoon to stir it. It had a very light and airy batter. This would be a great cake to make with kids since it mixes so easily.

It did sink down a bit in the middle, but that didn't affect the flavor at all. While it was baking I kept thinking that the house had that 'fair smell' to it of very sweet funnel cakes (though it didn't taste at all like a funnel cake).

Mmmmm....... :)

We served it with a dollop of Cool Whip because I seem to remember 'back in the day' that their jingle was something about Cool Whip Non-Dairy Whipped Topping. However, below their list of ingredients it says in bold letters: CONTAINS MILK. Lynne' decided it would be best not to test out the theory so had hers without.

This was a really good, light, summery sort of cake since it uses the angel food cake mix. And since I'm a big fan of pineapple I really enjoyed it.

PINEAPPLE ANGEL FOOD CAKE

1 Angel Food Cake Mix (Betty Crocker works great)

20 ounce can of crushed pineapple

In a bowl mix together the cake mix and entire contents of pineapple can - I used a wooden spoon. Pour into a 13x9 pan sprayed with nonstick coating and bake for 30 minutes at 350*.

Shared with: Brag About It #20, The Scoop, Inspire Me Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Tuesdays at Our Home, Weekly Homemaking Party

Introducing the Bride and Groom!

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 14:30:00 +0000

Our beautiful Daughter and our wonderful new Son-in-Law! The wedding and entire day was just picture perfect - I truly cannot say enough good about it. I've just barely begun sorting through the - literally - thousands of pictures that have been sent to us, but I wanted to get one on the blog so that I could share my joy. Life is so wonderfully good and we are so blessed.... :)

National Watermelon Day

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 01:45:00 +0000

Well how about that - today is National Watermelon Day!

Today we were going to have the happy engaged couple over for lunch to go over last minute wedding plans (only two more weeks - oh em gee!!!!). I called the other kids to see if they wanted to come and we had a rather impromptu family lunch - perfect afternoon for any mama!

Few things taste as good on a hot summer day as a grilled burger, so that's what we went with. I got a text that Brooklyn had picked out a watermelon, so they were bringing it over for dessert.

She really goes to the best summer daycare - I'm so impressed. Now that she is school age they have some truly unique and awesome field trips a couple of days a week. This week one such field trip was to the farmers market, where they learned about many different fruits and vegetables. One tidbit of knowledge that she came home with was how to choose a perfect watermelon. Well since this is not a great skill of ours Keith asked Brooklyn to tell him about it (he is such an awesome grandpa!).

First they had to wash the watermelon because it did have dirt on it. Then she told him that you put your ear on it while thumping all around. She said choose a watermelon that sounds hollow all around.

I wish I had taken a picture of the slices as they were the prettiest red and just dripping with juice. As tasty as it was Brooklyn really must have learned the secret to choosing a good watermelon! I think grandpa might have been a tad disappointed though when he found out it was seedless because he was wanting to teach her the fine art of watermelon seed spitting. But as they say, always leave wanting more.....

Deep Thoughts: "The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of their worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the every day moments."

Mason Jar Monday - Cupcake Liner Storage

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 03:51:00 +0000

I've reached the point on the Kitchen Remodel that I'm putting away some of the items that I don't use on a daily basis, like cupcake liners. I used to cook cupcakes a lot and loved taking them to work. Then the oven died, along with my cupcake dreams. ;)

I started bringing all the packages of bits and pieces of cupcake liners into the kitchen and just piling them on the cabinet while I figured out the best spot for their storage.

There really were a lot of them and I couldn't stand the thought of throwing them out.

And then it hit me - especially after I saw the next box to unpack was filled with mason jars - that this would be PERFECT for cupcake liner storage!

I just used a wide mouth quart size jar and took all the liners out of their packaging. They fit down in the jar beautifully! I did experiment a bit to be certain I could get them out again when I needed them and it was no problem at all.

Crisis averted - no messy packages in my cabinets and I'm half tempted to leave this cute jar out on the counter since it makes me smile!

Deep Thoughts: "The trouble with organizing a thing is that pretty soon folks get to paying more attention to the organization than to what they're organized for." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Shared With: Brag About It

How to Clean Cookie Sheets

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 11:44:00 +0000

Our big Kitchen remodel is almost done - queue the choir!! I'll be posting pictures once we get a bunch of the cleanup done, but let me just say I'm beyond thrilled with it!

One of the meals I cooked this week is an old-time favorite of ours - meatloaf and mashed potatoes. We started using a meatloaf pan some time ago and really like it - the pan above is the bottom part and the top is a similar pan, but with holes in the bottom so that the grease drips through into the bottom pan. But this time while the meatloaf was cooking I started smelling a rather BURNED smell and come to find out I had a nice, baked on charcoal layer in my bottom pan:

YUCK! Sad thing is that this picture was taken after I tried several methods to get it clean, including using a spatula to try and chisel it out.

I remembered reading on Jillee's Blog - One Good Thing by Jillee (one of the best blogs ever by the way!) about a foolproof pan cleaning method and by golly it works! I'm pretty lazy though, so the thought of making a paste and then scrubbing didn't really appeal to me. What I did was sprinkle baking soda on half the pan (in the interest of comparison I did one side at a time) and then sprayed hydrogen peroxide (in a cute pink sprayer!) on the baking soda until it was good and drenched.

I stuck it down in the sink just in case some kind of volcanic eruption should occur. Fortunately nothing exciting happened.

It was at this point that the phone rang and I ended up talking about 5-10 minutes. I came back in the kitchen and used my spatula and look how clean it is with no scrubbing at all!

This was pretty exciting to me because I had just told Keith I would probably have to throw this pan away - and now it looked like I was wrong!

I repeated the process on the other half of the pan, but this time I used a green scrubby instead of the spatula. I only let it sit for maybe 5 minutes before scrubbing and it came right off. Then I tilted the pan and repeated, making sure to get the soda/peroxide mixture down in the corners. Again, very minimal scrubbing and in the end my pan looked like this:

I'll bet the scratches are from the spatula scrubbing, so I don't recommend that method, especially since it's really not necessary. After the baking soda/peroxide cleaning I then used my regular dish soap to clean the pan.

I am so thrilled to have found a simple pan cleaning method!!! And really I'm not real sure what that says about me that I'm this excited...... ;)

Deep Thoughts: "You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you. - Andy Warhol"

Shared on: Share Your Cup Thursday, All Things Thursday, Tasty Thursdays, Pinterest Party, Live Laugh Linky, Thrifty Thursday, Kitchen Fun & Crafty Friday

Movies on Monday - Despicable Me 2

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 02:41:00 +0000

I don't know if there are even enough words to describe how much we enjoyed seeing this movie! We made plans to meet the kids at a theater (a different one that also serves meals!) to see Despicable Me 2 and I was like a kid before Christmas I was so excited!

First thing Keith and I did was plan our lunch at McD so that we could get the Happy Meal toys to give to Brooklyn at the movie. The little whistle thingy didn't work on either toy, but really that was ok because B and I used them to have sword fights and all was good. ;) And when I posted this to FB one of my cousins left a comment reminding me that you can buy just the Happy Meal toy for only a dollar, so next time we'll probably do without the meal. Although it has been many years between the time my kids were Happy Meal age and now my granddaughter is Happy Meal age and I have to say that I thought the little french fry holder was CUTE!!

I forgot to take a picture of B & I at the theater until after the movie had already started and the photo turned out really dark. But the wonders of post-processing at least made it to where we are visible and that's a memory right there.

Just in case you're on the fence about whether or not to see this movie, my advice is get thee there as quickly as you can! There were so many Laugh Out Loud moments for Brooklyn and of course hearing her laugh made me laugh even harder. And now one of the family sayings just happens to be "Bee-Dough, Bee-Dough, Bee-Dough" from the movie. Just too funny!

Friday's Fave Five #240

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 01:18:00 +0000

This right here is one of the things I missed the most during my break in blog posts. It is so satisfying to end the week listing 5 of your favorite blessings. So happy to see that Susanne is still running this!

1. Bridal Photos - Last week we did the bridal portraits and had such a fabulous time! Lynne', her maid of honor and I met at the wedding venue for pictures, then went to a few more places around town for more photos. It warms a mother's soul to see her beautiful daughter all dressed up in wedding finery, smiling and having a great time. When we were finished the three of us went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner and that was great too. The closer it gets to the date the more excited I get!

2. Bridal Dresses - As luck would have it our bridal portraits were shot on the first 100 degree day of the year. In addition to that she was running all around and the dress was a little tired from all the excitement. I took it in today to get cleaned and ready for the big day and I have to say that the ladies at the bridal shop are so kind and helpful every time I've been there. I mentioned this to the lady helping me and she said that it's easy for them to be kind when we were not waiting til the last minute on everything and then expecting them to jump at our command. Again I am impressed with my daughter doing things ahead of time and saving us from any of that stress!

3. Kitchen Remodel - It's coming right along! A few tweaks to be done this weekend and then on Monday the granite guys arrive. I'm so excited and so thankful to have a wonderful husband that can do all of this - and do it so well. It's turning out gorgeous and I can't wait to cook again, especially in an all new kitchen!

4. Beau - This little dog has brought so much joy into our lives. I sometimes look deep into his eyes and wonder if he's happy here or if he still thinks of his previous home (he was a rescue dog). Keith just shakes his head and tells me I give this dog far more credit for thought than what he probably has, but I can't help but wonder. I know that he's happy here and the picture above shows that. He *adores* the water and sprinklers are absolutely the cat's pajamas for him - he goes nuts when he sees me setting it up! He was running and leaping and barking and just the epitome of joy, though he looks a little grumpy in the photo above. You'll just have to trust me on how much fun he was having.

5. Knitting - I'm working on a beautiful cowl, the first one I've made. While we were watching tv last night I'm just happily knitting away and a certain little cocker spaniel decided it was time for love. Somehow he managed to jump on my lap and under the knitting, just as happy as a clam. Silly boy... :)

Scripture for Home on Our Kitchen Walls

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 01:42:00 +0000

While we've been working on the kitchen remodel I thought it would be kind of neat to have some scripture for our home on the walls in the kitchen. Keith agreed and I put on my thinking cap to decide what would be a good Bible verse for our wall.

I first wrote it on a wall that ended up being painted over and that didn't please me. This time I leaned over the almost installed lower cabinets with my sharpie in hand and wrote it in a safer spot. The Bible verse will actually be covered by the upper cabinets, but this was more satisfying than painting over it by far.

Having a Bible verse on the wall or not is of course never mentioned in the Bible. But we know it's there and we like it.

Our house was built in the 70's and I don't think it was remodeled before now. There's a part of me that wonders if in another 40'ish years somebody will remodel again and see this and maybe pause to think about the family that wrote this. (As I'm typing this I now wish I would've dated it, but the cabinets are up and it's too late!) Maybe this small glimpse inside our lives will give them a hint of the happiness we have in our daily walk as it also gives us a daily reminder.

Deep Thoughts: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 NIV

4th of July Candy Bark

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 16:04:00 +0000

I think I've mentioned - many times - that 4th of July is one of my absolute favorite holidays. It speaks to my sense of pride in our nation and it also has always been a time that our family and friends get together to celebrate. This year isn't going to be as big of a celebration for us as what we usually have, but that really won't slow us down.

My Pinterest feed has been filled with so many fun treats to choose from, but since we are still working on the kitchen remodel I don't have a stove/oven/sink in the kitchen and was afraid my hands were tied. Then I started noticing all the candy bark, trail mix and popcorn and it was a light bulb moment. I kind of pulled from all of them to come up with mine.

Easiest thing ever to make and the only appliance needed was a microwave!

I will warn you it's one of the sweetest things I have ever eaten.

And doesn't it look all festive in the Longaberger Basket??

Here's the general directions to what I did and feel free to adjust to what you want.

4th of July Candy Bark

6 Oreo Cookies

a handful of pretzels

Wilton vanilla candy melts

red and blue mini m&m's (I bought a bag and meticulously pulled out the colors I needed!)

red and blue sprinkles

optional - mini marshmallows, chex cereal, Cheerios

Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Crush the oreos and pretzels and spread loosely over the paper (I just crushed them in my hand).

Place about half a bag of candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and melt about 1 minute at 70% power. Stir, then repeat until it is all melted, but do not overmelt - it gets yucky. Drop in generous blobs over the top of the oreos and pretzels, then lightly use the back of your spoon to smooth it out. While the candy melts are still wet, sprinkle the top with m&m's and sprinkles.

I placed the cookie sheet in my refrigerator to help it set, probably about 15 minutes.

A tip: the blobs need to be pretty generous. The first half of my candy melts I tried to just use the spoon and ended up with a dirty looking batch as the candy picked up the cookie crumbs. Tastes the same, but not nearly as pretty.

Shared on: A Diamond In The Stuff, Take a Look Tuesday, One Project At A Time, Terrific Tuesday, You're Gonna Love It, The Scoop, Brag About It, Anti-Procrastination Tuesday

Stop and Smell the Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:05:00 +0000

2013 has been a very busy and fabulous year for us. So far, well at least after the spring semester ended, it hasn't been a stressful year, just busy. Every small and big thing happening seems to come with a long list of detail to take care of.

I was reminded on our morning walk that sometimes in the middle of the busy times of life it's a good thing to just Stop and Smell the Flowers.

Beau and I take a walk every day and now that the Texas heat has arrived I've moved our walks to the morning so that his little piggy pads don't burn on the hot sidewalk. One neighbor has a beautiful patch of flowers right next to the sidewalk and Beau always tends to stop and sniff the flowers. In this picture though he finished flower sniffing and just sat down, almost as if to take in their glory. By the time I got my phone out and camera app on he was ready to continue the walk, but this photo is close enough.

After we had walked a bit the revelation hit me that we can learn a lot from our dogs (really we learn a lot from them daily!) about life. Stop, relax and enjoy this wonderful morning. It truly is a gift.

Deep Thoughts: "You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way." Walter Hagen

Frugality - Pampers Wipes

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:54:00 +0000

I think one of the reasons I don't get a lot of things finished in a timely manner is that I so very much enjoy doing a multitude of hobbies. Now I'm dipping my toe into the couponing world and adding another enjoyable hobby to the mix - but this one saves money instead of costing money!

My recent victory - these packages of Pampers wipes are regularly priced at $2.99, but after the store sale, store loyalty card discount and coupons I got them for .24 cents each!!! With grandbaby number two on the way I figure I might as well stock up now and help the kids save some money. If it happens that she's not able to use this brand, and we all know that happens sometimes, I'm sure we'll be able to find somebody else with a new baby that would be happy to take them.

Once I actually know and understand more what I'm doing I'll do a full post on my method. But I was so excited about this score that I just couldn't wait to share!

Deep Thoughts: "he who will not economize will have to agonize" - Confucius

Happy Birthday Loni!

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:36:00 +0000

My beautiful daughter-in-law recently celebrated her birthday and of course we all love to celebrate. We had dinner out with all the kids and both of my 1.5 granddaughters - a great time together as always!

Loni has always been one of my biggest Crafting Cheerleaders, so it's especially fun to make a card for her each year. I also love the new 'My Spin on the Pin' challenge in our scrapbooking group - sure makes it easier to be creative!

This is the pin I used - http://pinterest.com/pin/82331499410733993/ - and here is my card:

Virtually identical to be sure. The Happy Birthday stamp I used is from Morning Star Stamps, the circle punches and white cardstock are Stampin' Up.

The paper is a pretty cool deal. I'm finding that more and more I'm using digital paper and just printing out what I need. It's far cheaper and a lot less to store. All of the pattern paper on this card is in the Go Floral Paper Pack by Studio Basic.

What I did was open a page in Photoshop Elements, then put two inch squares of each of the pattern paper I wanted to use on the page. Print, then cut to fit the openings I had punched in the card. I used dimensionals to pop up that entire layer.

I'm pleased with how this turned out and of course it could be used for any occasion just by using a different sentiment stamp.

Deep Thoughts: "Smile as much as you can, because today is your special day. Happy, happy Birthday to you!

My Worktable on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:47:00 +0000

Since I haven't finished anything for a while I thought I'd at least share a picture of some of the things I have in progress.

This is the overview of the table I use most for my crafting. Bottom left you'll see a stamp/ink, diamond glaze and dimensional tape - I just finished doing a card and I'll share it shortly. To the left is my Zutter and that reminds me of another project I need to share (the mind.... it really is the first to go....).

The little cozy is covering my serger, which sadly has not seen any action in quite some time. It does still hold a place of honor on the table though.

And of course the knitting, always the knitting. How do I love knitting... let me count the ways...

This blob of beauty is the wedding shawl, very much the priority project right now. I am ready to start the Scalloped Lace Edging now, which is only 15 rows. Of course when doing a shawl, those last 15 rows are the longest rows, but it's ok because I am loving knitting this for my daughter. My personal goal is to have it finished and blocked before the 19th so that I can bring it along when we pick up the wedding dress from alterations. I'd like to know beforehand if the shawl will actually look good with the dress rather than showing up at the wedding and thinking it's a good idea and then discover it's not.

Never content to only have one knitting project in progress, especially one that is very special and has a time limit like a wedding shawl, this is what I cast on June 1st. I, of course, am weak and was lured into Camp Loopy with The Loopy Ewe again this year.

I'm knitting the Magpie Cowl with Alisha Goes Around Richness (of Martens) Fingering yarn in the Evening Lilac colorway. Oh my word, this yarn is a thrill to knit with!!! 75% Superwash Merino Wool, 15% Cashmere, 10% Silk. The pattern is easily memorized and this is great tv knitting, nice since the lace wedding shawl isn't so much.

Movies on Monday - Epic

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:44:00 +0000

One of the most fun movies I've seen recently was with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter. I had been asking Brooklyn for some time if she wanted to go to a movie and she kept telling me no. Finally when they were all over one weekend to help Keith with the kitchen remodel we decided to just go, especially since the house was in such a disarray.

We really are lucky to have quite a number of theaters in the DFW area that serve food during the show. It's also nice that you can pick your seat and reserve it online, so no worries about having to get there early.

This picture is Brooklyn and Loni before the show started. When we got in our seats Brooklyn started seeing that this would be fun. Shortly after they started playing the previews of upcoming movies and she kept laughing at them, especially the new Minion movie. I leaned over and told her that grandma LOVES to go to movies and can never find anybody to go with, so any time she wants to go she should pick up the phone and give me a call.

Such a beautiful selfie of Brooklyn and me before the movie. This is an untouched, unedited photo - seriously, could I have done anything this splendid in Photoshop??? ;)

The movie started after our photos and shortly after the waiter delivered a brownie sundae for the three of us to share. I think it was at that point that Brooklyn decided movies are awesome.

And the movie? It was pretty cute, but I will never understand why a movie made for littles has to have such intense "bad guys" to make a point. There was a little girl behind us that started crying at the climax of the movie and told her mama "I wanna go home", so they did. Why try to terrify 5 and 6 year olds???

But as we walked out of the movie Brooklyn was all smiles and saying she wanted to go again. I would say that Epic got 3 thumbs up from our group!

Kindergarten Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 05:45:00 +0000

A quick post before finally heading to bed tonight. Today was such a special day I just couldn't go to bed without posting!

Today was Brooklyn's Kindergarten Graduation program at school. Keith and I both took the day off work to attend with James and Loni. We are so blessed that not only do they invite us, but they genuinely want us to be there. And Brooklyn's face just lights up when she sees Grandma and Papa there for her. Family is one of the most important things in the world and I hope we're always able to support her in all that she does.

Moving on - and not so deep now - here's a picture of the four of us while waiting for the program to start. My beautiful daughter-in-law Loni and I sat together, behind us you can see James' in the picture and the silly bunny ear fingers belong to Keith. Any time we are with the kids there is laughter - and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is 100% why we were there. Brooklyn is holding her Kindergarten certificate and kept directing us to different places at school where she wanted her picture taken. Both of these pictures were taken with my phone, but I have a camera full of photos waiting to be downloaded (and who can wait for that when you're a Grandma wanting to brag a bit???).

The first part of the program was in the cafeteria and each Kindergarten class went on stage one at a time and sang a song. This worked out perfectly as it gave the parents and guests a little extra room to move up front and take pictures. Her smile when she saw us up close on our knees with cameras was worth every minute of that sore knee. ;)

After that program we were dismissed to the students' classrooms. Brooklyn's teacher, Ms. B, gave out the certificates and an award for each student. Brooklyn got an Art Award and that came as no surprise to any of us - she LOVES art! The teacher did such a good job and told a little story about each of the children when they got their award and posed for a minute so we could take pictures. She said that she was so glad to have a good artist in her classroom because she really cannot draw pictures. Now when she needs something drawn on the board she asks Brooklyn to do it for her.

I'm sure I'll have a smile on my face while sleeping tonight. :)

Deep Thoughts: "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose." Dr. Seuss

Happy 4th of July Card

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:36:00 +0000

A local scrapbooking group is starting to do a weekly challenge we're calling My Spin on the Pin. Our only guideline is that it must be paper crafting related so I'm hoping to get some cards made and ready to send out.

Here's the pin I'm using - http://pinterest.com/pin/82331499410634118/ and here's my card:

4th of July is one of my absolute favorite holidays ever. For us it's all about getting together and having a grand time with as many family members as want to come along. We are almost always at the lake for the 4th and that includes decorated golf cart parades, homemade ice cream and swimming. That night we will have air beds throughout the house, so much so it's almost difficult to walk around! Just love getting everybody together. :)

For this card - my stamp punch was a little bigger than the pinned card used, so I only used 3 stars. I also didn't have any twine, so instead I used pop dots to give it some dimension. The stamps are from the July Fourth set from Stampin Up.

This is really a lot of fun and I encourage everybody to look through their pins once in a while and do them instead of just collecting them - and I'm saying that for my benefit just as much as anybody else's!

Deep thoughts: "Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there."

Teacup Succulents

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:20:00 +0000

This is part of what I did for my moms for Mother's Day this year. I absolutely fell in love with them and will soon find teacups to make one for myself! There is something so dainty and lady-like about a teacup and when you put a miniature plant in it kind of makes you want to swoon.

I checked a nursery and a few other stores for mini succulents, but found exactly what I wanted at Lowe's. In fact I found all the necessary parts at Lowe's, except for the teacups - those are from Goodwill.

I used this soil, mostly because I'm a rule follower and it says cactus on it. But I also felt like any good start I can give to these little plants would be a good thing.

The little rocks came in a bag called Soil Cover. Since I didn't intend to put a hole at the bottom of the cup I figured the rocks would help for drainage.

I really could see a few of these lined up on my kitchen windowsill. And the nice thing is that they take very little upkeep.

Deep Thoughts: "Life is like making tea - boil your ego, evaporate your worries, dilute your sorrows, filter your mistakes and get a taste of happiness."

Linked to: Pinworthy Projects, Be Different Act Normal, Sundae Scoop, Funky Junk's Party Junk, Friday Flair Link Party

Dahlia Fold Card

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:30:00 +0000

This was such a fun card to make! I was searching for a card with folds so that I could join a local swap (and then forgot to sign up in time!) and saw this. I knew immediately that this would be perfect for Mother's Day cards!

I used the video tutorial found at Dawn's Stamping Studio and had no trouble at all making my dahlia. I used a 1 1/8" circle punch and I think the size worked well for the size of the card.

I made these cards while at a crop with friends and it really does take a village sometimes to make things perfect. I had purchased some brads for the center of the cards and after making the dahlia I knew they were too big. Danielle had a lightbulb moment and ran over to go through her bling stash and found the centers - they were perfect!

These were so much fun to make that maybe next time I won't be so intimidated to try something new. ;)

Supplies Used: Sentiment is from Messages for Mom set by Stampin' Up; pattern paper for top card in the My Mind's Eye 'The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine' 6x6 paper pad; pattern paper for bottom card in the Teresa Collins 'Vintage Finds' 6x6 paper pad (both paper pads purchased at Michael's); center bling by Danielle

Deep Thoughts: "Flowers don't worry about how the're going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful." Jim Carrey

Pinterest Salad Dinner at Church

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:25:00 +0000

Our Women's Ministry at church is starting a new monthly get together with just some fun topics and an opportunity to fellowship and get to know one another. Last night was the first and the topic was "How to Use Pinterest." Now y'all know that I'm already a big fan of Pinterest, but that didn't keep me from going and having a grand time.

We had a potluck "Pinterest" salad dinner and I of course whipped out my phone to take a couple of quick pictures. I didn't snap all the food and it's not because it wasn't fantastic. But I did want to share both of these because I was just so impressed with the presentation.

I loved this take on the classic melon balls. She used the standard three melons, but then put them inside a hollowed out half a lemon and added a mint leaf! Not only were they super cute, but each bite had a slight hint of lemon flavor.

Another fruit bowl, this time with a bowl made of chocolate! She filled them with berries, a dollop of whipped cream, mint leaf and a piroutte cookie.

Deep Thoughts: "You can't buy Happiness, but you CAN buy Donuts. And that's kind of the same thing."