STAMPO

So, did everyone have a good weekend?  We had a fairly productive weekend.  We cleaned out Hubby's late mother's storage building and found lots of sentimental treasures.  It took us all day and we were exausted but the pictures we found were worth all the work. 

Saturday night I attended my friend Christy's Stampo party.  Have you played Bunco?  It's a fun dice game for people who dont know.  I've only played once before so I needed a refresher, but it was great fun......as long as I didn't have to keep score.  I am too easily distracted to keep score.  Anyway, Stampo is like Bunco with Stampin' Up products as the prizes.  Have you heard of Stampin' Up?  They have tons of crafty goodness.  They have tons of stamps, scrapbooking paper, embellishments, vinyl and even fabric (woo hoo).  Check out some of these adorable things my friend Christy made.

Isn't that carrot adorable?  So cute!

Great stuff for making cards, including embossing tools.  Isn't that truck adorable?

This is my FAVORITE!  So cute for a sick friend!  Can you read it?  It says "Just Chicken In".  Isn't that adorable?  Chicken soup and tissues, etc. for a friend?  Love it!

I also got a few pictures from Stampin' Up's Facebook page:

Look how adorable!  Y'all know I love me some ruffles.  And they're made out of paper.  Isn't that crafty?  Love!

Some of their super cute designer fabric!

Y'all should definitely check out Stampin' Up.  If you find something you like, you can contact my friend Christy to set up an order.  Her email is irisofmyeye@yahoo.com. 

So, what did you do this weekend? 

Luma Cookies and Non-Poisonous Apple Cake Balls

So, I wonder how many awesome bakers/cake decorators there are out there.  I wonder how many of you could make an awesome cake like this:

I found this cake on Diary of a Stay At Home Mom's blog.  Isn't it awesome?  I'm so super impressed with her right now.  WOW!  My cakes always tend to look like one of the layers is trying to escape and forget them being nice and even.  I make humpback cakes.  Ya know what I mean?  The kind where the middle rises up about three inches above the rest of the cake?  Yeah, so not pretty.  Once I tried to cut off the big lump and it turned into a giant sink hole.  So, let's just say cake decorating is not my forte.  So, I went the safe route and ordered both cakes from the bakery.  They had a Snow White cake kit so that worked out fine.  Mario, not so much.  Of course, my kid would be obsessed with something popular in 1987.  UGH!  So, I opted to just put a couple of his Mario Kart cars on top of a plain cake. 

But I decided that both kids had to have SOMETHING made by mom that had some kind of theme. 
See those little stars on the side of the cake above?  They are called Lumas.  I decided that I could make Luma Sugar cookies?  Why?  Well, because they are one color and I have a star shaped cookie cutter.  A very long time ago, I had a recipe for sugar cookies that used powdered sugar.  They were delicious and they kept their shape while cooking, but they were a pain in the neck to make.  Well, I found a similar but much easier recipe at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle blog.  It worked like a charm.  I also used her Royal Icing recipe.  Wanna see how they turned out?

I think they turned out pretty good for a girl with a shaky arthritic hand.  The best part is the J was so excited when he saw the cookies.  I didn't tell him I was making them so he was completely surprised. 

So, now for E's special treat.  I wasn't about to attempt Seven Dwarf cookies.  No way, Hosea.  So, it finally hit me........the apple.  So, I decided to make cake balls that looked like apples, non poison apples.  I thought I would use pretzel sticks for the stem.  While I knew it was a brilliant idea, I found out pretty quick that it wasn't a never been done before idea.  I checked Pinterst for apple cake balls and found several examples.  Have you been to Bakerella's blog?  This chick is BRILLIANT!!  You can see her amazing candy apple cake balls HERE.  So, let's just say that my apple cake balls were not perfect, but I did add something a little different.  I put a few chocolate chips inside to represent the seeds.  I'm sure nobody noticed.

See how my cake balls never look pretty and perfect.  They're a little mishapen and well, gloppy, but they do at least resemble apples.  E was excited about them and that's the most important part. 

So, my BFF, Tori Spelling, was on Rachel Ray a few weeks ago to talk about her new book, CelebraTORI.  It's a book about entertaining and includes recipes too.  One of her suggestions was to repurpose old frames, take out the photos and insert either fabric or scrapbook paper and use as a serving platter.  Wanna see?

Don't worry, I cleaned the glass first.  Cute, right?  The frame idea, that is.  The apples look a little gloppy.  I am not a good dipper.  Thanks to my BFF, Tori, for the serving idea.  I know Tori would just love my plastic tablecloths too, right?  HA!




*I would just like to say for the record that while I adore Tori Spelling, she has no idea who I am, although I am sure that if she did, we would be very good friends.  HA!  Don't worry Tori.  I'm not a crazy stalker lady.  I'm just a normal everyday mom who adores you. 

Birthday Banners and Moustaches

So, ya know how some kids have these huge blowout birthday parties every year and they have tons of cool decorations and tons of food and it's all perfectly coordinated and beautiful?  Yeah, well, we don't do that.  Why?  Well, because I'm poor and I have four kids.  If I had big huge birthday parties for them every year, we're talking over a thousand dollars a year.  I don't know about you, but I don't have an extra thousand just hanging around not being spent.  So, because E was a stay at home child, not a daycare child, this is her first year to have lots of little friends.  Sadly, J has never had a birthday party with friends either.  He's finally come out of his shell a little bit so we decided to let them have a joint birthday party this year. 

So, I have spent the last week frantically working on birthday party stuff on the few days I had off from work.  E decided she wanted a Snow White theme and J, of course, wanted Mario.  Well, at least their colors coordinate - red, royal blue and yellow.  I can work with that. 

So, first things first.  I knew I HAD to make a banner.  I spent entirely too much time at Hobby Lobby looking at scrapbook paper before deciding on solid red and yellow for their banner.  I got out my trust Cricut (thanks Mom) and went to work.  I cut yellow letters and white shadows of the letters to go on my 6 x 6 red banner piece thingees (yes, that is the official name).  Then I used my trusty clear straight edge ruler thingee (also the official name) to center the letters and mark where my holes should go. 

Then I strung it all together. 

Yes, I know I should be embarassed about how awful my table looks.  Sadly, this is how it looked most of the week.  We have leftover scrapbook paper, Body by Vi shake mix, E's library book, Pop-Tarts, my handheld mixer, and all of the banner stuff.  Nice, huh?  Just keeping it real folks. 

The other thing I knew I had to make for the party was the ever popular Moustache On A Stick.  Because it was a Mario themed party, I traced out a Mario style moustache and traced a bunch out on a black foam sheet.

I cut them all out and glued them on wooden dowel sticks. 

I'll show you what else I made for the party later in the week.

Zucchini Corn with Pepper Jack Cheese

Several years ago, a friend of mine, Tim, was getting married.  Okay, so it was almost 20 years ago.  Gracious!  It hurts me to say I did anything 20 years ago.  I'm getting so old.  ugh!  Tim's mom was SUPER creative and a fantastic interior decorator.  She knew all of the beautiful places around Little Rock to have all of their beautiful showers and wedding festivities.  Their engagement party was held at Little Rock's Ten Mile House. 

Also called Stagecoach House, it was once a stop on the Sothwest Trail stagecoach.  It is considered on of the oldest existing houses the Little Rock area.   At this party, we were given a tour by people dressed in historic outfits before dinner was served in the dining room.  The tables were set with fine china, silver and lots of candles.  It was gorgeous.  I had one of the best meals I have ever eaten that night.  We started our meal with Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  It was AMAZING and I'm still looking for a recipe that could hold a candle to what I was served that night.  We also had beef tenderloin and an amazing corn dish served in the corn husk.  It was sooo good!  I finally asked the waiter if he knew what was in it.  He told me to make it and I've been serving it ever since.  It's so easy and so good!

Zuchini Corn with Pepper Jack Cheese

1 zuchini, diced
corn
pepper jack cheese, 4 - 6 oz.
olive oil
salt
pepper

* At Ten Mile House, they used corn on the cob.  They cut the corn off the cob and saved the shuck to serve the final product in.  It was a beautiful presentation for a fancy dinner, but I'm not fancy on an every day basis so I usually just buy can corn. 

Pour 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Toss in your diced zucchini and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Drain on a paper towel.  Cook your corn.  I do it in the microwave.  Combine the zucchini and the corn. 

Finely shred your cheese and top your zucchini corn mixture. 

Microwave until it melts and stir it up.  Sal and pepper to taste.  If you want to get fancy, serve it in the shuck.  Luckily, my kiddos aren't fancy people so I usually just put it in a bowl.

So easy and so tasty! 

Have a great day!

My Latest Curtain Obsession

So, remember how I said I wanted black and white buffalo plaid curtains for my dining room?  Yeah, I still haven't found any.  It's so frustrating to know exactly what you want and not be able to find it, or you find it and can't afford it.  Either option stinks.  Anyway, I am still on the lookout for my buffalo plaid, but I've also recently become obsessed with bold black and white stripe curtains.  The first ones I noticed were in Khloe Kardashian's breakfast nook.  I can't find a picture, but they really struck my fancy.  Now, I notice them everywhere.  I just can't get enough.

Paula Prass' Dining Room Curtains

And what about these?

Little Green Notebook

The Yellow Cape Cod

Hey Coobabe

Aren't they all just wonderful?  I love the bold look, but I'm not sure if they would work in my dining room.  The first photo is my favorite.  That lime green paint with the bold stripe looks amazing!!!  I actually considered repainting my kitchen and dining room to a bright limey/apple green, but I'm afraid my Hubby would have a fit.  I would have to plan it out and get started while he was at work without telling him.  He's walk in and I'd say, "Ta da!  What do you think?"  I'm sure that would be fine with some husbands, but mine always wants to be involved in the decorating decisions.  You see, he was raised by a space planner/interior designer so he always has an opinion.  I'm afraid to even ask how he feels about bright green paint. 

So, what's you latest decorating obsession? 

Easter Fun

So, did everyone have a good Easter?  We spent the night with my parents Saturday night.  We ate and colored Easter eggs.  Such fun! 

The kids got up to find their Easter baskets/buckets.

We went to early worship service with my parents and managed to snap a few pictures before the kids starting stripping off their church clothes. 

Alright so, maybe her bow is big enough to be Nellie Olsen.  I never claimed to be a good bow maker.

I love this picture I snapped of my parents.

So after we took a few pictures, we ate.  We had the BEST ham I have ever put in my mouth!  YUM!  And of course, Hot Corn.  Double YUM!  Anyway, after we stuffed ourselves and visited for awhile, the kids insisted it was time to hunt Easter eggs. 

Let the hunt begin.

Hubby counting E's eggs

J emptying his loot out of his eggs.

My cutie pie nephew, M.

So, did you have a good Easter celebration?

Easter

Easter is not about bunnies, eggs and candy.  But it is about the lamb, the Lamb of God.

Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Easter Decor I Should've Made

Let me just start off  by saying that I had very good intentions of decorating for Easter.  I really did.  You see, I am not a good multi-tasker.  There I said it.  I am more of start one thing, finish it, start another thing kind of girl.  Because of this, I was focused on vacation and Spring Break.  Since Spring Break, I have been dealing with stuff at school, working at school, getting ready for Benchmark tests, IEP meetings at school, field trips, etc.  I haven't had any spare time to get ANY Easter decor going. 

I thought having all the kids in school would free up so much time to be crafty, blog more, have some "me" time, etc.  Well, it seems the opposite thing happened.  I work several days a week and spend the rest of my time desperately trying to play catch up.  That leaves very little time to be crafty, work out (hence the size of my rear end), or blog.  I hate that.  There just aren't enough hours in the day.

So, because I didn't get much cute Easter stuff done, I decided to make a list, with photos, of the stuff I would have done had I had the time.  I would like to start out with the ONE Easter crafty something from last year that I put back out this year. 

My Hanging Burlap Carrots

Yep, that's pretty much all of my Easter decor.  So, this is what I wish I would have made:

Isn't that cute?  I found it on Pinterest, but it wouldn't take me to a link and I couldn't make out the link on the bottom.  If it's yours, let me know.  I'd love to give you credit.

CUTE!  Also found this on Pinterest, but the link took me to some weight loss website.  RUDE!  Think someone is trying to tell me something? 

Aren't these decopauged eggs cute???  Love them.  These were made by Brown Paper Packages.  You can find the how-to post here.

My friend Debbie at Words on Wheels gave the decopauge eggs a try.  Hers are super cute. 

See her blog post here.

I probably would've ended up tossing them across the room in frustration though.  I don't have much patience when stuff is sticking to my fingers.  ugh! 

One more thing that I just love is this He Is Risen cross.  It was made by Lauren at Crafty Couture and it is just PRECIOUS!  Polka dots, burlap and the words "He is Risen".  It just doesn't get any better than that!

Isn't that the cutest???  You can find Lauren's blog here.

Well, I guess that's about it for the shoulda, coulda, woulda Easter blog post.  I hate I didn't get much done in the way of decor, but at least I finished E's Easter dress.  It's made out of this:

Have a great Easter weekend!

Samantha Brick Controversy

So, this morning on the Today show, there was a story of a woman who complained about how hard her life is because she is "so beautiful". Have you heard this story? Her name is Samantha Brick and is a columnist in Great Britain, I believe. This is a link to her article entitled 'There are downsides to looking this pretty': Why women hate me for being beautiful". Let's take a break while you go read it. Seriously...you will NOT believe the things she wrote. This is how the article starts.

Wanna hear what else she says?

"Take last week, out walking the dogs a neighbour passed by in her car. I waved — she blatantly blanked me. Yet this is someone whose sons have stayed at my house, and who has been welcomed into my home on countless occasions.  I approached a mutual friend and discreetly enquired if I’d made a faux pas. It seems the only crime I’ve committed is not leaving the house with a bag over my head.She doesn’t like me, I discovered, because she views me as a threat. The friend pointed out she is shorter, heavier and older than me."

Wow!  Really? So, are you curious to see what this self-proclaimed beauty looks like?

Google Images

So, while I do think she is somewhat attractive, I wouldn't say she's above average in the beauty department.  Here she is a video from ABC this morning.





She states in the video that the firestorm proves that her beauty is a problem.  While I do know that women can be very judgemental and just plain mean to women they preceive as a threat, I do think that the reason she probably is not liked by women is that she is unbelievably conceited.  I am sure that rubs most women the wrong way.  It does me.  Again, while I do think she is attractive, I do not feel that she is so stunningly beautiful that women would hate her because of it. 

So, what do you think?  Do you think women would hate her for her beauty or do you think it is her attitude?