Lego Head

Yesterday was AJ's 8th Birthday party. It was an extremely busy day as we had the last day of our Fine Arts Camp, the party and then the first performance of "Under God's Sea in 3D". AJ asked to do a lego party so two days ago I started looking for some ideas. There are a TON of great cake ideas out there that don't look too hard to pull off, but I wanted to do cupcakes. Square and rectangle cupcakes are not easy though, so I needed something that wasn't a Lego Brick.

I came across an image of these Lego heads that were soooo cute!! However, they were made with cake balls and I've done those before and they are a lot of work. So I started to look for another way to do these. I saw another site that said they could be done with marshmallows. YES!!! So that's how I ended up doing these little guys. I used them as cupcake toppers instead of just pops, they were a huge hit!!

These cute guys start with just a few supplies:

Large marshmallows, lollipop sticks, candy melts, black food coloring, a paintbrush, sharp knife, circle cutter and some cornstarch or powdered sugar.

First cut the marshmallow in thirds, using one half for the top of the head was just too tall.

Use the powdered sugar or cornstarch to help the sticky marshmallow not stick to the metal knife or circle cutter. I used the bottom of one of my decorating tips to cut out the center.

Do not plan on doing anything else like answering the phone or the door for awhile, this is a really sticky process!!

Use the sticky bottom of the cut marshmallow to attach it to a large marshmallow, center it as best you can.

Get your little army all lined up and ready to be impaled. This is great for taking out your frustration on all the little guys that have ended up under your feet for years! My son swears that he doesn't leave them for me to step on - so they must have their own vendetta against me!

Next you get to drown them! Place the candy melts into your microwave and follow the directions to get them  melted down and ready for dipping - be careful not to overdo it.

Now, drown your little heads making sure to give them a good coat and get rid of most of the excess so that they will be nice and smooth.

Set them up in a drying rack to dry thoroughly. A block of Styrofoam or floral foam would work great for this. I had to search to find something that would work since I hadn't thought that far ahead!

Next comes the fun part. Their faces! I had AJ go and collect up a bunch of his guys to give me a few examples to work with. I know they make markers that are for edibles that probably would have worked, I didn't find any though. So I bought a jar of black food coloring and a new micro-small paintbrush (wash before using!) These will go into my decorating box with my bags and tips.

Get creative, and have some fun!! I don't like raw marshmallows and these actually were really really good! I made lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and cut the sticks in half before inserting them as toppers. I think that packaging them individually as lollipops would have been cute party favors!

Eating out

Have you noticed the blogs lately about staying in and not eating out? I think I've read three different blog posts in just the last couple of days, one even issuing a challenge to not eat out for 30 days. This is a great idea, especially if 1) you are trying to lose weight 2) you are trying to save money or 3) it's become a bad habit to "just go out" or "pick up something" because you haven't planned ahead. Personally though, I would never accept this type of challenge!!

I cook most nights and we go out to eat occasionally - more than some - less than others. Sometimes fast food, sometimes a nice sit down place. For us, going out is a treat - something we plan for and something we enjoy doing as a family. It is worked into our budget and we try to save money by looking for those places with free kids meals, coupons, gift certificates, etc.

I always know when Brian comes home from a deployment that he is going to want certain home cooked meals as well as eating out at some favorite spots.  I bought certificates from restaurants.com right before he came home $2 for a $25 certificate. Your bill has to be $35 to use it, but for the three of us at dinner - that's hardly a problem.

Sometimes I like to go out just because it's nice to have choices and have someone else be the chef, waitress, dishwasher besides yours truly. So, as long as you're not struggling with the one or all of the three reasons for not going out above, don't let someone look down on you because you like a nice night out. Plan it out, budget it, and enjoy it guilt free!!

Because no matter what recipe you try - they will never taste exactly like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits!!

A boy's Hope Chest

I had a hope chest growing up. This one in fact. It's a concept that sounds outdated, but in reality is extremely practical. It was a gift for my 13th birthday along with a list of what it was soon to be filled with. Now, I didn't sit around at night embroidering linens by the light of an oil lamp and dreaming of my future husband, but I did spend many hours filling my hope chest preparing for the day I would move out of my parents home. I kept the list with me and every time my mom and I went to a yard sale, thrift store, or just found a great sale, we would try to check off something on the list. By the time I was ready to move out of my parents house and into an apartment - my hope chest had turned into a hope shed!

I'm already thinking about starting AJ's hope chest. A hope chest for a boy? Why not! It seems like people are getting married later and later these days, most likely he will be moving out and into a dorm or apartment and will need to have practical things to set these up. Even if he does get married right away, what are the chances that the girl would have a hope chest, it being such an antiquated idea these days. If they both have one, their lives begin together that much easier. Choices!

So what goes into a hope chest? Especially one for a boy. Certainly not the embroidered linens and rag rugs from long ago. :0) The great thing about starting early is that you have time to save money, shop well and don't have to settle for the dollar store items that you'd find in most dorms. Knives and pots can be expensive, buying them a piece at a time means better quality and they don't have to match!

Here is a basic list that I'll be working on for AJ now, I'm sure it will grow and change as time goes on. You can also add items as interests develop, such as baking items, bbq tools, a chess set. Fancier gadgets can be added now or later. A rice cooker or garlic press aren't essential when starting out. This is just the basics, if I could think of something else that could be used I left it off the list for now (ie. a whisk, a fork will do just fine for now). Most are practical items, but be sure to include a few sentimental items as well, your boy may not appreciate it right away - but someday maybe his wife will!

Kitchen
1qt, 2qt, 4 qt saucepans with lids
4 qt dutch oven
6" and 12" skillet
Pizza pan/stone
Cookie sheet
Baking pan, 8x8 and 9x13
pie dish (can be used as a small shallow baking dish)
metal colander (also can be used as a steamer)
Knives - chef's, chopping, paring, serrated bread
2 cutting boards
can opener
pizza cutter
grater
ice cream scoop
scissors
spatulas, scrappers
wooden spoons
flipper spatula
2 cup glass measuring cup
set of measuring cups
set of measuring spoons
coffee maker
toaster oven
mixer
hot pads/oven mitts
assorted dish cloths and kitchen towels
Utensils, bread knifes, teaspoons, tablespoons, forks, etc. at least 4 each
cups - 4
glasses - 4
bowls - 4
dinner plates and bread plates -4 each

Bedroom/Bathroom
Linens
blankets
towels

Larger Items
trash can
dust buster
tool chest with basic tools (hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, measuring tape, wrench, assorted nails and screws, etc.)

Sentimental Items
Family Pictures
Family cookbook
Baby blanket
Yearbooks
Family Bible/Genealogy
treasured Christmas ornaments

This list is in no way complete, but it's a good working basic list to start with. Add to it as needed and I'm sure by the time your young man is ready to move out into the world he'll be appreciative of the head start he's got!!

Is that a deadline I hear approaching?

I've recently discovered that I am NOT good without a project in mind and a deadline to meet. I seem to just wander aimlessly through my life and not really accomplishing anything. I think that may also be why I can't live without my lists. It's a way of recording several small projects with a deadline. Usually a few things on my list don't get done and get moved to the next list, but that's okay - at least they are out there and identified. I'm a deadline junkie, I need that rush to get something done!

I walked into my craft room the other day. I have a project I need to work on for a friend, but with family visiting right now it's too much to get into. I just kind of stood there, glancing around and had really no idea what to do. I can always think of a million things I want to do, but without a specific need or project in mind, it seems like an indulgent waste of time. I don't have a swap lined up, I don't have a card that needs to get made, I'm not ready to plan AJ's birthday yet although I really need to. I had nothing to motivate me to get it done NOW. I need a deadline! Something I'm working to beat. I want to win.

So I find a cleaning challenge (31 days to clean) and friends to keep me accountable, or invite friends and family over - that's always motivating! I join a book club to keep me on track. I'll go online and find a swap to join or class to take. Soon I'll have deadlines to meet and once again all will be right in my world.

Happy New Year!!

Well, here I go, starting again. It's like New Years... again.

Do you make resolutions? Do you keep them? For how long? I do every year and I don't think I've ever made it out of January. Now, I never go about it the "right way" with a clear and defined resolution. One I can easily define, the steps broken down into manageable and realistic goals and obstacles envisioned and solutions planned. Nope, my resolutions are "lose weight" and "get healthy".

The trouble is, I know what I need to do. I just don't like to do it. I have a condition called Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). One of the symptoms is that I am "pre-diabetic" and it is nearly impossible for me to lose weight without very specific factors being in place. It's what I like to call the perfect triad. I have to have all three things in place and if one of them is not working or non-existent, then I feel like I'm just wasting my time.

The first of the three in the perfect triad is my diet. I should avoid carbs for the most part. I love carbs. No, I LOVE love love love carbs. Anything with sugar is my friend and I would rather have fresh baked bread than pretty much anything else. Beyond Bread is like a crack house for an recovering addict - I just don't go. I fantasize of going. I don't overeat, I just don't eat the right foods. I can get all my calories for a day in carbs quite easily. So, I need to watch those, eat breakfast and stay away from my trigger foods.

The second part is exercise. I hate it. I have never gotten the "endorphin high" I hear about and I think it's a big fat lie. The only reason I see for running is if there is a man with a chain saw and a hockey mask behind me - even then, how fast can he be? He's gotta carry that big heavy chain saw! I am also hot by nature and don't see any reason to make myself any hotter, I live in Tucson. and sweating sucks.

The third and final part of the trifecta is the medicine. I need to take metformin which is a drug for people with type 2 diabetes and has been shown to reduce the symptoms of people with PCOS. Metformin is an evil, vile drug that my body hates with all of it's being. It makes me nauseous, and gives my gastrointestinal tract a workout that, in itself, should cause me to lose weight. Lots and lots of weight. It isn't at all particular about when or where it decides to take it's fiendishness out on my body. I've started and stopped this drug so many times in the last 15 years I couldn't even begin to tally it.

All of that said.....

Once again, I am making a resolution to start to "get healthy" and "lose weight". This time I will be writing down my goal, breaking it into smaller steps and working the plan. The perfect triad is in place. That and the strength of prayer are all I have. Pray for me or wish me luck, I'll let you know periodically how it's going!

TV time

Well, the kiddo is off at camp for a few days and so hubby and I have the TV all to ourselves. Sometimes watching the same shows, sometimes not. I don't usually like just sitting and watching TV, it just feels unproductive and lazy. I usually am working on something; lists for things I need to do, writing in journal or to a friend, FB and e-mail, sometimes stitching (I've tried the crochet/knitting things but I can't concentrate). Are you able to sit and watch in contentment or do you feel the need to keep busy doing something else?

I'd decided I hadn't been practicing enough and that I needed to start again - so this seems like a good time to begin!! ...

Lemon heavenly goodness

That's what my husband wants to re-name these Lemon Pull-Aparts. Oh my goodness, they are just scrumptious. I got them off of a blog and I can't find who's blog it is! I've done searches on all the ones I read and even did a couple of google searches and still can't find who to give credit to.


But these are too good not to share!! So, if this recipe belongs to you or came off of your blog - please let me know so I can give you credit, link back to your blog and just basically profess my everlasting gratitude for this recipe!!


One note on the lemon zest - don't skip this part!! You need the lemon zesty sugar. This isn't pretty lemon zest in long curly ribbons, if you have one use a microplane - you want this to be grated small like the sugar so it all mixes in well.

Lemon Pull-Aparts

Rolls:
12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice (I used half of the lemon)

Cut rolls in half and place in a greased 9×13″ pan. Drizzle with the melted butter. Mix lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle HALF of the lemon sugar mixture over the rolls. Cover and let raise till doubled. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan. Combine glaze ingredients. Drizzle over rolls while still warm.

These did not last long at all - not the entire day anyway and that was just for the three of us. Yes, they are that good.

Weekly Menu

Well, last weeks menu ended up all over the place! I did okay the first half of the week, but then we got to fish taco night (which I was really looking forward to!) and two things happened. The first was I didn't have any cabbage/cole slaw which is what I like on my fish tacos and I wasn't going shopping. Second, I got a surprise delivery to sample and evaluate a family style frozen meal. Yea, dinner! 


On Thursday I had to clean my fridge/freezer for my cleaning challenge. Wow. No, really - wow. The fridge was no big deal since I had tackled that beast before Brian came home from his deployment so I just needed to toss, organize and wipe out. The freezer I had passed over. Mistake, big mistake, HUGE. There were things at the bottom that I cannot claim were even once upon a time viable. I cleared out everything, threw away what I couldn't identify or justify, and went to town. Now, the cleaning challenge suggested using baking soda in water as a mixture for this task. I'm all for being green and natural and non-toxic, but there are times when that just isn't going to cut it. This needed heavy duty artillery in the form of good old PineSol. I got it cleaned, rinsed and everything put away without too much damage. I did find a few things that made me question my previous system (or lack thereof) for freezing and using frozen items. Although, I was quite pleased that the Pumpkin Bread from Xmas '09 thawed beautifully and was delicious.


We did end up at Arby's on Thursday night after going to the Planetarium. Due to what I found in the freezer Friday and Saturday night dinners were altered to use up some other finds that Indiana Jones would have not been surprised to find. Me, on the other hand.... yeah, I'll be developing a system for retrieving frozen items in a more timely manner.


So, it's a new week and I need to feed the family...


Italian filled shells - manicotti style


Fish Tacos (I'll be going shopping so should have everything this time!)


Carnita Enchiladas 


Grilled Pizza (gotta get this in there somewhere!)


A chicken dinner... fried? grilled? baked? Crock'd? I don't know this one yet, still looking for a new recipe to try out. Got a good one I can try???

Basic Idea?

Why I Hate “New, Unique” Money Tips

I read this article (click above) off of a FB post from The Happy Housewife. At first reading I completely agreed - stick to the basics, they are basics for a reason, no need to re-invent good financial advise. Then I read through it again and realized.... he got the basic premise wrong! How can you write an article about sticking with the basics and then not get the basics right?

The basic idea is this article is:

"Spend less than you earn — invest the difference. That’s all you need to know. The rest is developing the mindset and skills to make these things happen."

It sounded great when you read it right? Here's why it's wrong - the correct mindset: Earn, save, spend what you have to and then invest the difference. Did you catch that extra little bit? Do you know why those four little letters are the most important part?

Most everyone has the same nature. We get money, we spend money and then if there is money left over we think great!! and save it, invest it, or treat ourselves. Then the next month comes along and back in that little part of your mind you remember you had money leftover last month. So this month you earn, you spend and maybe you splurge a bit more and there is a little less money left over at the end of the month. If you are waiting until after the spending part of the formula before you are saving/investing your money you are doing it all wrong!

If you want to get out of debt, if you want to save money for an emergency fund or vacation, if you want to invest in your future - you do it first, NOT LAST. It is too easy to not have money leftover at the end of the month, especially if an emergency or such comes up. Instead, when those earnings come in, you first take out a set amount for giving, an amount to save, an amount to invest - whatever is left is what you get to spend.

And yes, then the equation is really simple and basic - spend less than what you have. If after that there is money leftover... call me and let me know how you did it, and then save it for a rainy day.

Child Labor

I love that AJ is getting old enough to be my minion. Sounds horrible doesn't it - but what is the point of having a child if not for some free labor? Well, scratch that. The labor is no where even close to being free! It's actually the most expensive labor ever if you factor in that to get it we are completely responsible for clothing, feeding, schooling and raising said little minion. There is also the fact that he has learned that for a little extra effort, Mom is willing to pay!

I am working on the 31 day cleaning challenge and skipped day three because Brian was having surgery and I knew I would not be doing much. I carried it over into day four and got AJ to help me complete both tasks. As he's wiping down the lower cabinets for me, he reminds me of a project he helped me with last year that I paid him to do and of course, the money that he earns working for Nonni when we visit.

Thankfully, I remembered that he is able to take money for a general store at the camp he is leaving for on Monday. I was going to give him an envelope with $5 anyway - but he doesn't know that! So I explained that for his help this weekend doing chores and helping with Dad he'd get $5 to take with him to camp. Most Excited Kid Ever! :0) I guess it's time to start doing an allowance for him instead of just handing over our loose change.

Why did I do it???

I'm crazy. I know this. My family all knows this. My friends know this (most are too kind to actually say it).

I was loitering around FB and saw a post by a friend from high school about a new book club that is starting up. It's for the Classics and they are starting with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I think that last year they released a movie based on the book, I haven't seen it - but it put the book on my radar screen as something I was interested in. I don't know if I've actually read the book, or if I just know a lot about it from pieces of info picked up here and there. I know several people who are in the group and I don't want to miss out - So I joined.

I know. I know! I wasn't going to! I mean, it's not like I have the book sitting on my shelf. Oh, wait - I have a kindle ... and most of the classics are free downloads..... Yep, got it.

Now, I'm also reading The Girl Who Played with Fire and have another book in that series still. Then a friend lent me The Hunger Games and I really want to get into that series. I'm also currently doing 31 days to clean which is kind of like a bible study mixed into a cleaning guide for your house. Oh, and I'm reading the Prairie Girl's Guide to life, a book on art journaling, countless blogs and fanfiction. My head is soon to explode. I don't have any problems skipping from book to book and am able to pick right up where I left off - so it doesn't bother me to have more than a few books going at a time. But even I must admit - this is getting a little crazy.

So, what are you reading?

Is it any good? Can I borrow it?  ..... help me, I can't stop......

Pincushion storage

You remember the jar from the feta cheese I showed you a few posts back?

Well, you know me and containers... I couldn't throw the cute little bugger out. So it became this...

After sewing the pincushion I had a bunch of little pieces of fabric left and still needed to fill up the jar with something cute. So I decided to make fabric beads. You don't need many materials to turn this....

into this....

I'm not going to go into a step-by-step. Google "fabric beads" and there are tons of directions out there. I added a bit of glittery glue over the top of them to give them a bit of shine. Here is the finished project in my craft room. Keep an eye out for cute little jars of your own!!

No Soliciting Sign

I've been wanting to put a sign on our front door for ages now. I don't know what it is about this time of year, but it seems like we are getting more and more solicitors going door to door. Now, I really don't mind the little kids for their school or scouts - but let's face it, either my kid is selling it too or I know someone who's kid is and I'm gonna buy from them, so that they then buy from my kid! And I really don't mind the evangelicals who are brave enough to go door to door to get the word out about Jesus. I say "Hallelujah, we are all saved here so we'll meet again soon"...

I really don't like businesses that go door to door though, and the biggest reason is because my hubby and I are SUCKERS!! We'll buy meat off a truck if the price sounds good, we've owned a Rainbow vacuum, we were those Amway people for a few years, we have an alarm system, our windows are new, had a set of Encyclopedia's we never used, bought a life insurance/investment plan.... you get the idea, SUCKERS!! So the only way I know how to avoid spending money on yet another thing (besides turning off the tv, hiding and pretending no one is home) - is to hang a sign.

I had this piece of wood, already painted - I think it was part of a kit for shelving or something. See the groove already made for another piece to slide into...

Then I went online and tried to find what I wanted on the sign. Some were kinda rude and I didn't want that - so the easiest one I found was a simple "No Soliciting Please". I sketched it out in cute writing onto graph paper.

 

I then had to figure out how to fill up the empty spaces in the corners - I didn't want it too "matchy" so I decided to do the same design in two ways. I wanted a flower and some swirls - but since I don't do my own swirls well, I stamped the design onto paper.

My mom would now use carbon paper to trace her design onto the wood - I however, don't own any, so I made my own. Scribble on the back of your design with a pencil using a heavy hand and laying down a lot of graphite. Then use a blunt object to trace your design on the front and the graphite on the back with transfer to the wood. I then go over it a little darker to catch more of the details.

Now, it's time to paint! I just used regular acrylic craft paint and gave everything two coats. Even added a little lady bug and bee as an after thought. :0) It then got a coat of polyurethane to protect it and I screwed two hooks into the top to hang it.

And we are ready to not have to hide and tip-toe around any longer!!

Chopped!

Do you watch Chopped on food network? It's one of the shows I always record to watch while I'm on the treadmill. I love it and I've learned a lot watching it.... it does, however, scare my boys.

I hate to waste food. I save even the tiniest bits of stuff knowing that it isn't going to be enough for a dish. These little goodies stay hidden in the depths of the refrigerator and pantry until I come across a few of them and go... "hey, I have an idea!!"

My concoctions never have names, it's usually "cleaned out the fridge salad" or "went through the pantry casserole". Some work out, some do not. Tonight was one that did work, I'm happy to say. I kinda thought it might, so decided to take a few pictures - so here is a typical "Nick's cleaning on the pantry/fridge salad".

This was 1/4 of a bag of baby spinach, there is a jar with a few Kalamata olives left in it, the blue lid jar is a Danish feta cheese that is marinated in oil with spices and herbs, there's a little chunk of Parmesan cheese and a few yellow baby tomatoes. What you don't see is a pot on the stove cooking the almost 1 cup of macaroni noodles I found (again not enough for a whole dish for us all).

The spinach was torn up a bit and the feta cheese and it's oil poured over the top. The oil is the base for the dressing. The tomatoes and olives were halved and thrown in and the Parmesan cheese was shaved and then chunked. I added a little of the olive juice to cut the oil a bit. The pasta was rinsed in cold water, drained and added. After tasting it (several times- you know, just to be sure....) - all I added was a little lemon juice and some lemon pepper.

Looks pretty tasty? A dish out of almost nothing. Love it!!

This little gem is the feta cheese. We first had it in Iceland and fell in love and for years couldn't find anything close. This is imported from Denmark and is very close to what we had. Keep an eye out and soon I'll show you what I'm going to make out of this cute little jar :0)

Addicted to Chocolate!

I saw this posted on FB the other day and laughed. Then I started thinking - that person is crazy! What is chocolate if not that first wonderful bite, the silky smoothness as it melts over your tongue and coats all your taste buds in heavenly velvet. I would be skinny if I could chose whether or not to let food pass beyond my mouth and into my throat - because once it's there I really don't care about it anymore other than wondering where it's going to eventually land (my hips, stomach, thighs, .....). Once it's left my mouth I'm looking for that next hit to my taste buds again, regardless of if I'm hungry still. Maybe this person isn't injecting it in, but sucking it out? Don't get me started on coffee......

Weekly Menu

Happy Memorial Day! I am definitely grilling today. The pork chops I did last time turned out so good we are going for round two! Looks like most of this week's dinners will be done out on the grill except for our sammie night - that'll be done mostly in the crockpot.

Last night was leftover taco stuff - turned into tacos salads and of course banana splits for dessert (although a bit more reserved this time!)

Grilled chops, smashed potatoes and zucchini

Corned Beef Sammies with pasta salad

Fish Tacos

Thursday night out on the town - who knows?!

Quick stir fry (Yakisoba)

Remember on Memorial Day

Remember them.....

1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France... A total of 2289

2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium... A total of 5329

3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France... A total of 4410 

4. Brookwood, England - American Cemetery... A total of 468

5. Cambridge, England... A total of 3812 

 

6. Epinal, France - American Cemetery... A total of 5525 

7. Flanders Field, Belgium... A total of 368

8. Florence, Italy... A total of 4402 

9. Henri-Chapelle, Belgium... A total of 7992

10. Lorraine , France... A total of 10,489 

11. Luxembourg, Luxembourg... A total of 5076 

12. Meuse-Argonne... A total of 14246

13. Netherlands, Netherlands... A total of 8301

 

14.  Normandy, France... A total of 9387

 

15. Oise-Aisne, France... A total of 6012 

 

16. Rhone, France... A total of 861

 

17. Sicily, Italy... A total of 7861

 

18. Somme, France... A total of 1844 

 

19. St. Mihiel, France... A total of 4153 

 

20.  Suresnes, France... A total of 1541 

 Apologize to no one.
Remind those of our sacrifice and don't 
confuse arrogance with leadership.
The count is 104,366
dead, brave Americans. 

And we have to watch an
American elected leader who
apologizes to Europe and the
Middle East that our country is "arrogant"!

HOW MANY FRENCH, DUTCH, ITALIANS,
BELGIANS AND BRITS ARE BURIED ON
OUR SOIL... AFTER DEFENDING US 
AGAINST OUR ENEMIES? 

WE DON'T ASK FOR PRAISE...

BUT WE HAVE ABSOULUTELY NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE!

Repurposing

Okay, yeah, it's recycling... but fancy.

I've had this shelf thing for years.

It's dark wood and sectioned with a glass lid over the top. I think I got it at the Ikea in Iceland and had plans for it... Well, since I've moved it at least twice now I couldn't just ""get rid of it". I think it was in the kitchen section and was made to hold spices or something. Maybe in the office section.... who knows! Anyway, I had planned to hang it up to store my rubber stamps in - well anyone who knew about my rubber stamp collection would be on the floor rolling. I'd need about 100 of these. It has glass over the top with a hole to use to open it, but it sticks and doesn't slide smoothly (I'm pretty sure I bought it in the clearance room).

So I'm cleaning up my craft room and came across this gem. I'm looking around at everything trying to come up with some good reason why I need to keep this. Then it hits me!! It's not for me, I've been holding onto it for AJ. So I installed hangers on the back and removed the glass completely (I'm saving it to use for my cutting table). Sorry the picture is a bit blurry, AJ loves it and is excited to get everyone in there just right (this was a quick demo picture - not even half of his collection).

And I'm looking forward to not stepping on Lego heads! (See, Honey, I knew we were moving and storing this for a reason :0)

Has Facebook changed your life?

No, seriously. I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about how my life is better because of Facebook. (No, this is not a paid advertisement :0)

Now, I'm talking Facebook and not just the internet/www. We started with AOL and email back in 1994 and it was amazing, but it didn't really change my life much other than making it more instantaneous to connect with people. My letters to Brian overseas went much much faster! Basically though, I emailed pretty much the same people I would have called or sent handwritten letters, and so many people didn't have email that I continued to do that for most of our family anyway.

After the 1990's we were in Iceland (2000-2003) and email became a much bigger deal then. Letters took way too long and phone calls were expensive. Plus, to have a taste of home we began using the web more. We googled a lot  for information, tv shows, and even ventured into Myspace briefly. My email list got larger and I had quite a few people following my emails about our adventures on The Rock.

Facebook, however, has blown all that out of the water. I love it. I couldn't imagine my life without it. I am a voyeur by nature; I love to read journals and letters written by other people and I love going through other people's photo albums and medicine cabinets. Now I can do it all from the comfort of my little netbook!

I find I am 'friends' with many more people than I would normally have the energy to maintain contact with. Now, I say 'friends' because they're mostly acquaintances - people who I know and who have a general knowledge of me mostly based on a past vague relationship of circumstances or geography. I may not know much about them, but I truly do care and find their lives almost as fascinating as my own. :0) I enjoy knowing what is going on in their lives and don't mind giving them a peek into mine. I may not have the energy or want to go out of my way to meet up with them in person, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy our brief time together online.

I love that I can keep up with so many people from my school days. There are quite a few I even wish that I lived closer to so we could have a real relationship that was more than a few lines of type and pictures posted.

I love that I can keep up with the friends we've made while in the military. We have all moved on from the places we may have originally met, I think without Facebook I would have lost the energy long ago to keep track of the additional moves and addresses of each one.

I love that I have reconnected with some of my family. I have relationships with cousins now that would probably never have surfaced without Facebook. We were not in contact sometimes because of age differences, but mostly distance from each other and opportunity to get together. I love that I can seen into what their lives are like and have found we have much more in common than just our blood lines.

I love that I feel more connected to our families. I love seeing pictures, reading their random thoughts and knowing what's going on in their lives. I like that I can respond to something said in just a few short sentences and then I know that they know that I was right there with them at that brief moment.

I love that I can now learn more about the people in my life who matter to me. I can read what my nieces and nephews are thinking and going through, teenagers who normally would not want me eavesdropping! :0)

I love that we can connect over things both silly and serious. A post about a tragedy, a rib about a football score, a joke, music videos/lyrics, a request for prayer. It all means so much in my day to day life now, I can't imagine life without it.

My nephew posted on his Facebook page awhile back that he had walked away and couldn't believe he left his computer window open with Facebook still logged on. I responded back.....

                                                                  "You can log off of Facebook??"

Recycle Me!!

In cleaning out my craft room lately I've come to the realization that I am a natural recycler. My husband would say that I just can't throw anything away - but that seems a bit harsh. I just see the potential in everything!!

I posted earlier about my container addiction, and this seems to just be a continuation of that theme on a broader scale. I keep cardboard boxes, cereal boxes, tea boxes - anything with good sturdy cardboard that can be reused. Metal of any kind also finds its way into my stash, plastic cups that can be used for sorting things or to hold water for painting, I've NEVER thrown out a button knowingly. You get the idea - in all things I can see a potential for something else - now, if only I had the time and will to make it from potential into practical.

My friend Cathy posted a challenge on a yahoo group to make a tag using mainly recycled items. Yea!! A chance to dig into my stash!! She is holding a contest and will be putting the projects up on her blog soon. I'll be sure and post the link once she does. I found an old keychain that I had laying around and a juice can lid and decided to go from there. Here is a picture of the items I started with:

 a sale paper, a triscuit box, a sheet of use coarse sandpaper, a large paint chip, a green card from a florist, a funky metal button, a juice can lid, and a key chain from an Indian school in Montana. I ended up not using the green florist card and here is the tag I ended up with:

I love it when I can actually turn trash into treasure! Thanks for the challenge, Cathy, and keeping me on my toes!! Now I need to go tackle a project I've been meaning to get done for AJ's room, more to come on that one!

The Hive

If you've ever come to stay with us you'd know I have a thing for bees, you could say that "I think they're the bees knees".

I didn't start out collecting bees. I started out with a love (that continues to this day) of all things Winnie-the-Pooh. Disney's version is okay, E.H. Shepard's version is far superior in every way! This:

Not this:

I am a huge fan of A.A. Milne and the classic English versions of Pooh. I began collecting when I was very young, back then the only Pooh items to be found were Disney's version. I had the books and drawings of the original, but not much else. As I got older, more and more the classic version came into style and I was in heaven!! It was more expensive and still not quite as easy to find - but it was out there.

Then something happened - both versions became easy to find everywhere and everyone knew I loved Pooh Bear! I got Winnie-the-Pooh everything!! I loved it all and wanted to show them all off. But he soon began to take over the bedroom, the bathroom, the living room and when he began to wander his way into my kitchen I was done! I went through everything, and saved only my oldest and most precious of items. The rest, I'm sad to say, moved on.

Now, I still loved my dear old bear, but had no more room! Then I began to notice his bees. He has the cutest little bee friends. In the early drawings they are mostly just scribbled, and Disney gave them military personalities. They seem to be drawn in a ton of various ways - but always so cute!! And so my new collection began. Bees!!

These days my bees live in our guest room which is decorated somewhat like an English Garden. The walls are green, there are flowers all around, English tea cups and tons of bees. This is one shelf with a few cuties on it. My husband is happy that they've finally settled into a hive and are not buzzing all around the house anymore -----

although, they are dressed as Steeler Fans so I don't know what the problem is!?!

It's the end of the world as we know it....

No, not more talk about the rapture. I referring to the fact that SCHOOL'S OUT for summer, school's out forever... okay, not forever - but the song just had to be sung.

Summer starts. I'm looking forward to the relaxed schedule, well - a little more relaxed. My kid's calendar is already full! Between camping trips, summer science program, fine arts program, a week with Grandma, a trip to CA, the cub scout's summer program..... well, we'll try and schedule some down time in there somewhere.

Our summer's definitely require a schedule. It seems like it would be better without one, not having anything planned, but we miss too much if we do that. I don't like sleeping in during the summer, that's the only part of the day when it isn't incredibly hot outside (or in my craft room). So I'll continue to get up at my normal time. I also need to be better about my menu plan. I have to know in the morning what's for dinner that night - as I hate grilling frozen food. My BBQ is in for a workout for sure!!

On thing we will be working on this summer is our writing. Both of us. AJ's penmanship leaves quite a lot to be desired. He can do a great job if he slows down and takes his time, but if he wants to get something done quickly he reverts back to old bad habits and it's just a big ol' mess. For myself, I was writing out something the other day and realized that I have really not been keeping up with my calligraphy. I found my supplies while cleaning up the craft room and sat down to look at some old attempts I had made. I really need to practice more. So we'll be working together!

I'm hoping somewhere in our "lazy summer days" we'll find time for the pool, play dates with friends, trips to the movie theater, library and bowling alley. How's your schedule looking? Ya wanna come over and play??

Weekly menu

Okay, this is another one of those weird weeks. AJ wanted cupcakes to take for the last week of school (he has a summer birthday so we try to do something fun before school is out). I got online and was looking at all kinds of cool designs for these cupcakes. I showed him a couple and asked what he wanted. He wanted chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Really?? Oh well, I guess easy is good sometimes.

I did forget how good homemade chocolate cake and real chocolate frosting was though - heaven!! It's a good thing all but two ended up going to school.

Dinners this week:

Grilled tilapia, shrimp skewers, veggie kabobs (yellow peppers, zucchini, onion, mushrooms) and jasmine rice.

Chicken strips, garlic smashed potatoes (brown rice for AJ) gravy, corn and apricot halves

Shrimp and crab ravioli, garlic bread, romaine salad with strawberries

Pork spareribs, green beans, mushrooms, (potatoes?)

Taco night with friends, banana splits for dessert to celebrate the start of summer!!

Crafting ADD

I wish I was one of those talented people who did one thing and did it superbly. My mom is one of those people, she does woodworking - she had many other talents and can pretty much do anything well (crochet, knit, painting, gardening, designing) but where she excels is at woodworking. She creates her own patterns, uses every kind of saw imaginable and then sands, paints, etc. until she has a project of excellence. She enjoys doing it and so it isn't a chore, but a labor of love. If she could, she'd probably spend most days in her shop and covered in sawdust.

I inherited part of that, I am a jack-of-all-trades kinda gal. I can see something and usually figure out how to do it, not as good as the original - but close enough for me! Unfortunately, I have to try everything!! I see something and think,"hmmm - wonder how they did that, looks like fun". So I give it a shot. Not just a little shot though, nope, I go all-in.

I decided to try knitting and crocheting when I was younger, instead of getting one pattern and one set of needles and the yarn for the project. I got the sets. I have sets of knitting needles, a full set of crochet hooks - skeins and skeins of yarn, printed up oodles of patterns.... you get the idea. I then found I don't really have the attention span and attention to detail required.

I decided once to try cross-stitch. Did I get a pre-assembled kit? Nope. I got a kit, plus blank canvas and the books and sets of needles and 1 skein of every color of embroidery floss. Do I like cross-stitch? Not at all. I'm good at it, I just don't have patience for anything larger than the size of a 50 cent piece!

And on and on it goes. I've got the stuff for polymer clay, friendly plastic, quilting, sewing, silk ribbon embroidery, tole painting, jewelry making, general crafting, felt crafts, beaded ornaments, art journals, altered books, scrapbooking, card making, cake decorating, mosaics, stamp carving, rubber stamping, paper making, altered art, fabric painting, knitting, crocheting, and cross stitch. Yep, I have it all.

I've taught jewelry making, beading, card making/rubber stamping, art journaling, scrapbooking and silk ribbon embroidery. Those seems to be the things that I keep going back to over and over again - but for limited amounts of time before once again, I move on. I think it's having students who keep it fresh so I don't bore myself to death. Anyone want to learn silk ribbon embroidery?? I have all the stuff.....

I need a 12 step program!!

It couldn't last

It's finally happened. I knew it was coming, it was only a matter of time. I held it off for as long as I could, but I can't anymore, it was inevitable.

My husband has introduced my son  to wrestling! AAARRRGGGHHHH! I can't stand wrestling. The whole thing is ridiculous. The fake fighting, the outrageous posturing, and the "commentary" makes me vomit in my mouth. When we got married it was understood that I was to be nowhere in the same zip code if he was going to watch wrestling. I had watched soap operas (very briefly during middle school) and so we made a deal. I wouldn't watch those and he wouldn't watch WWE, WWF, or whatever acronym they were using at the time. I felt they were pretty much the same. Lame!!

It started with a new video game for the PS3, it has the old guys my hubby grew up with as well as some of the newer ones. AJ thought it was hilarious but hadn't ever seen in performed by live people on TV. I resisted for as long as I could. Brian loves football which is fine with me, AJ however, doesn't find it very entertaining and only lasts for a couple of downs before heading off to do his own thing. I knew that wrestling would be something they could enjoy together, bond over - and so I caved and suggested it. Yep, I did it to myself.

All I ask is that I'm not in the same zip code while the male bonding commences!!

Contain it!

I'm cleaning out my craft room - yea, horrors!! Actually, the job is going much better than I thought for one simple reason ... I love containers!!

I have found the about half of the containers I've opened to clean out are empty or - contain more containers!! I found a cardboard box, filled with smaller cardboard boxes - I have entire plastic bins filled with tins of all shapes and sizes, but with nothing in them. (Tell me someone who can throw out one of those cute altoid tins and I'll show you a person with limited vision and imagination.) They are an organizer's gold mine!!

But then there are my not-so-cute containers... I mean really who needs 30 empty VHS cases?? I had a plan, they were going to be used to hold something and be all neatly labeled on a shelf..... just don't remember what that something was now. I have clear clam shell cases taking up huge plastic bins that I've been storing for years! I have no idea what to use them for.... but aren't they too good to throw out? What if I think of the perfect thing to put in them, but they're gone?!? Yes, I have nightmares about such things.

I am trying to be ruthless. I am moving all empty containers out into the AZ room while I organize my craft room. If I find a need for containing something, I go and pick out the perfect one from my own private stash. When I'm done - whatever is leftover will be recycled. Promise. (except for those cute little altoid tins, get real people!!)

Friendship Bread

Okay - so one of my friends heard me speaking about Amish Friendship Bread (the zucchini of the bread world) and asked me about it. I promised her a bag of goo when I had it ready and then ended up explaining the stuff to someone else as well.

So, if you have never heard of the stuff here's the low down on how it works:

You get a bag of goo from a friend. Inside is a bread starter that needs to ferment for a few days. (basically sugar, yeast, milk, flour...) So your friend gives you the instructions that tells you what to do each day to the goo. Some days you just mush the bag, sometimes you add ingredients, and often you need to let the air/gas out of the bag. On the 10th day you add a bunch of stuff, make other goo bags to give away to more friends and then make a couple of loaves of bread from the goo you have left. Kids love the goo bag and we usually name each batch. Our last batch we named Herman.
"Hey AJ, today we gotta squish Herman."
"AJ, Today we get to feed Herman!"

The bread/cake is HIGHLY addictive and mucho delicioso, but if it's been around your circle of friends more than once - people will begin avoiding you and ignoring your phone calls.

Top 10 before Rapture ~

Okay, jumping on this and going to figure out my top 10 things to do before I'm raptured tomorrow. :0P Oh, yeah... first I'm cashing in all accounts so I have mega funds to work with.

1. Forget about closing our accounts - we've been good and mostly debt free - and since I don't need to worry about interest I'm going to wrack up an obscene amount of debt!!

2. Break into where ever they're holding the last Harry Potter movie and watch it with a big bucket of popcorn with hot tamales mixed in.

3. Obviously I can't read the entire Twilight Saga one more time, so I'll skim it quickly and touch on all my favorite parts. Ditto for all my other favorite books.

4. Order an outrageously expensive Alexandrite and white gold ring. Express shipping.

5. Make a double batch of brownies with dark chocolate chunks mixed in, frosted with chocolate ganache, and eat the entire thing with my favorite B&J ice cream and drinking an extra large yummy coffee.

6. Use up all the art supplies I've been hording because I didn't want to waste them on something that wasn't "perfect".

7. Call everyone I know and see how they're spending their last day!

8. Swim naked in the ocean, giving the sharks one last chance at me.

9. Go shopping and hit all the stores that I find to ridiculously expensive to even enter on a normal day. Hit the salon/spa and get every treatment offered.

10. Spend time playing with my Hubby and son and just chillin'. That sounds like heaven to me.

Hate is such a strong word!

Do you have something in your house that you love - but no one else gets it? I have an "ugly pot collection" which my family loathes. Bringing my husband's attention to the collection can make him visibly shudder in repulsion. I don't get it, but I love using it against him. So, of course, my collection is prominently displayed in my kitchen.

 and this is the one that started it all, it's still my favorite -

This little guy represents my childhood. I am a 70's kid and these are the colors of my youth! The yellow is the color of the house I lived in, I believe you would call it mustard - I called it something much much worse. The avocado green appliances that dominated our small galley kitchen. The burnt orange color that my mother loved and made it's appearance in fabrics, carpeting and those awful large floral wallpaper prints! Back then I longed for neon colors, purples and pinks and detested these colors. Now, I seek them out in dishes, pictures and yes.... even fabric. What color represents your youth?

Weekly Menu

Do you all do a weekly menu? I try, sometimes I succeed. Sometimes, my menu is a vague recollection of ingredients I think I remember seeing in the freezer/pantry. Thankfully, this was not one of those weeks. However - to see what we did this week - you might think I took that approach! There's no flow, no sense to it all - just random meals that I thought sounded good.

We started out the week with a very large batch of chicken salad that was due to the very yummy tray of croissants I bought at Costco. (How I manage to spend almost $300 at Costco and still need to go to the commissary the next day is an issue I'll deal with later!)

So, our first night we weren't very hungry since we had eaten out earlier and dinner was large chicken sandwiches and grapes. The next night I decide that we are having  croissant chicken sammies again, but wanted something to go with it. I had some grape tomatoes that needed to be dealt with and came up with a Greek rice salad.  I had also just gone to the commissary and AJ has been begging for sushi and so we brought some home.  That doesn't keep so it was added to the menu.....

Yep, you read that right. Chicken Croissants, Unagi Maki (eel sushi) and Greek rice salad. Mercy.

The next night was another one where no one was really very hungry so we had quesadillas, mangoes and strawberries.

Last night we had the rest of the Greek rice salad over a Romain lettuce and grilled pork chops. (Impressed my hubby with my mad grilling skills!)

Tonight is Ravioli's brought back from Little Italy in San Diego, CA http://www.assentispasta.com along with Italian peppers and sausage.

Tomorrow is leftover Italian peppers and sausage heated up and served on hoagie buns with a ceasar salad.

Saturday is either going to be fish or Chinese depending on how my day goes. :0)

So, does your menu make a little more sense than mine does? I don't think I could pick a continent to stay with for a whole week, much less the same country! Maybe that will be my next challenge! :0)

Can she stick with it?.....

Probably not. That's just how I am, I like to try things .... and then.... I move onto the next thing. I've stuck with a few things through the years, but I'm sporadic at best! So, once again I'm going to give this blog thing a shot and see where it goes.

The kiddo is getting ready to start his summer vacation and I am hoping that both of us will be on some kind of a schedule - a productive schedule. So I am challenging myself to do this blog and also to do

I'm starting this on June 1st with some of my wonderful friends! I can't wait. If you'd like to join along, please go get it and let's go!!!

So, I guess that's it for this post. I don't want to overwhelm myself! Now.... time for another cup of coffee? Yes!