Semi-Wordless Wednesday...

Ok... it's Thursday, not Wednesday.  And this isn't exactly wordless either.  But it's winter break, so cut me some slack... I'm all discombobulated.  

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate!

  This is our 2011 card.  Yes, this was taken on summer vacation, as it is every year... when we are all tanned, relaxed, happy and not running in 400 different directions. I evened managed to squeak a REAL smile out of Sweet Son, who loathes picture day with his whole teenage boy heart.   I also get them printed in September, not because I am some super organized freak, but because Shutterfly runs some SWEET deals in the summer allowing me to order my 250 cards without having to take out a second mortgage on my house.  

Now there's some JOY!

And inside are these two cuties... looking back at our 2010 card I'm just a tad distraught as it appears in the last year a MAN and a TEENAGER GIRL moved in and someone kidnapped my babies... seriously, who ARE these people and what did you do with my kids???

Try It Tuesday... DIY Lip Glop... um, GLOSS.

Dear Daughter has entered the world of junior high and the multitude of girl friends that comes with those crazy tween years... and of course, she being the most giving heart in our family, wanted to gift each and every one of said girl friends this Christmas.  Seeing that her gift budget was not quite as large as her heart, we needed to come up with an idea that would be both tween approved and somewhat economical... hence, homemade Lip Glop! 

After perusing a few different "recipes" on Pinterest, 

we decided on this version... 

You will need:

Petroleum Jelly

Kool-Aid (any flavor you like, we even mixed a couple)

Small Plastic Bead Containers (after multiple stores with no luck, these were finally located at Joann's)

Avery Mailing Seals

Start with about 1 cup of petroleum jelly in a microwave-safe bowl.  Melt for 30 seconds at a time, then stir, until it is completely liquified... this will take several minutes and the bowl will be VERY hot, so good to have an adult do this part.  

As soon as it is liquid and still hot, mix in the Kool-Aid.  We started with Cherry, then Grape, then finally mixed Cherry with Pink Lemonade to make Cherry Pink Lemonade.  It takes about 1 package of Kool-Aid to one cup of petroleum jelly.  Immediately pour the mixture into the opened bead cups... let sit until it solidifies.  The Cherry tinted it a light pink, the grape turned out a little too gray for my liking but DD was happy with it.  The Kool-Aid gives it a lovely scent and a little bit of flavor as well...

The Avery labels are the perfect size to make your own, personalized labels.  The Avery website has a free online program for creating and printing them in the correct size.

These cute little pocket size lip glosses would be perfect for birthday party treat bags, class gifts, stocking stuffers, or girl scout craft projects.  And let me say, they were quite a hit with the tweeny-boppers.

As for the name, LIP GLOP?  Well, those moms out there will understand... you know how your adorable little toddler calls something the wrong name and you don't have the heart to correct them because it makes you LAUGH OUT LOUD every time they say it?   Dear Daughter asked to use my Lip Glop one day, and it's been Lip Glop ever since...

Wall Plaque by Mountaine Meadows Pottery

Tasty Tuesday - Raspberry Tart!

Just Sweet and Sweetly Hot Raspberry Jam - Paula's Garden on etsy

Hold onto your hats, friends... two posts in three days!  

I know, I can hardly contain myself either.

Being it is THAT time of year, I have 4 events in the next 4 days which require me to contribute a dish of some sort... have I mentioned I am NOT a cook?  Have I mentioned I was smart enough to marry a man who can whip up a gourmet dish from half a jar of peanut butter and an onion?  Ok, perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration, but he does possess some pretty remarkable culinary skills for which I am eternally grateful.  But it is a busy time, and I think I am on my own this week in the "bring a dish to share" department.

Book Club last week was hosted by my beautiful and gracious neighbor, Sherry... she gifted us all a tart pan along with a recipe for the YUMILICOUS appetizer she served (along with some YUMILICOUS cocktails).

Seriously, Book Club with adult beverages, fattening food, AND gifts?  Makes it worth reading a few less than remarkable books.  

So, we start with the tart pan...

I must say, there is something really cute about a tart pan.

Williams Sonoma Fluted French Tart Pan

And here is the recipe... which was included with the pan and all wrapped up with a lovely bow!

Even I, with my limited chef skills, ought to be able to pull this one off... to the store I go to load up on cheese and raspberry preserves.  Do you think it REALLY matters if I shred my own cheese?

Post Script... if you can find the pre-shredded Velveeta I would highly recommend it for this recipe.  I tried to shred my own, and it's a bit like trying to shred cream cheese.  GOOD TIMES... not.  Also, this can be done directly in a shallow pie plate or tart dish allowing you to skip the Pam and flipping onto a plate part of the recipe... a very good idea for a kitchen klutz such as myself.

Seussical Sunday... Holiday Topiary even the Grinch would love!

Dr. Seuss Printable

Blog slacker reporting for duty... seriously, no excuse other than the usual lame "life is busy" which is just getting so boring.  ANYWHO... today I'm back and bringing you a fun and fast little project to add some color and whimsy to your holiday decor.  And when I say fast, I mean it took me longer to write this post than to make this project.

Some of you may remember this little pumpkin topiary I did back in October...

Fall Topiary

I loved these SOOOOOOOO much (I have one on each side of my porch), I really didn't want to take them down when we started pulling out the Christmas lights... but don't want to annoy the neighbors, so back in the fall decorating box they go.  

So.Sad.  

Now, what to do with my cute little iron urns for Christmas?  After some online searching I found a few ideas, but since I am short on TIME these days, I needed something super speedy... running through the aisles at Hobby Lobby during the 50% of Christmas sale, inspiration struck like a directive from Santa himself. 

I started with three of those large indoor/outdoor shatterproof Christmas ornaments in large, larger, and largest... 

also some quick drying waterproof glass glue.

The biggest challenge was figuring out how to get these babies glued together and stacked in a way that they would dry without sliding apart.  My solution, as you can see in the above photo, was to stack the clear plastic packaging they came in, with the balls glued together inside.  These sat overnight to make sure they were good and dry, and the next day I just plopped them right into the urns...

Dear Daughter (aka Cindy Lou Who) thinks they look very Dr. Seuss... 

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, 
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” 
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Where have I been???

What the heck?  I knew I'd been gone too long when one of my DARLING friends played the word BLOG in our Words With Friends game... along with a "hint, hint" message.  GOT'CHA.
To quickly catch you up, I've been doing this...

For those of you who don't live in my neck of the woods... these are HOMECOMING OVERALLS.  A local tradition is for the girls to decorate overalls to wear to to school and to the HC game to hold up the GIGANTIC MUMS they wear to the game... these are mini versions that I made for the "little sisters" because heaven forbid they get left out of the fun.  You can only imagine what my dining room looked like during the creation process.  OY.

And the MUMS... here is a pic of one of the most extravagant and creative I saw at the game... too big to even get the girl in the picture!

Your eyes do not deceive you... it lights up!

Not to leave Sweet Son out of the festivities (it was HIS homecoming afterall, HA!)... SS and darling date at the game with their mums, and all dressed up and ready for dinner and the dance...

And of course... there's was Halloween.

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dear Daughter!  Most FUN part of this costume was the tray... Dollar store Coke tray and plastic glass... we put a pink napkin inside the cup to make it look like a shake.  The burger and hot dog?  Those are rawhide dog treats... HA!  All glued down so she could carry it around as one piece.  Oh, and she was smacking gum for extra effect...

This weekend is her BIG 12th birthday party... promise to be back with highlights of that extravaganza!

Friday Fashionista...

I am definitely NOT a fashion blogger, but I have been following so many great everyday women who post daily fashion inspiration, I decided to jump on Polyvore and play around with it myself...

So, it''s October, right?  Technically I suppose it's FALL, except that I live in Texas and today it will be 88 degrees outside... yep, EIGHTY EIGHT.  No need for sweaters around here anytinme soon, we just have to fake getting our fall on around here.  

This first set I LOVE LOVE LOVE for running around all day, lunch with friends, grocery store, College Night with Sweet Son... it goes everywhere, comfy as PJ's, lightweight enough not to sweat to death but still rocking those aweseome October colors.  I have every bit of this except my earrings are a knock-off version from Urban Outfitters...

I've also become a HUGE fan of Anthropologie lately... I know, where have I been???  Better than to the party than not at all, I suppose.  Found this in their sale room... short sleeves, lightweight, fall colors... that's what I'm talking about!   Bummer, they didn't have my size... so got online and BAM, there it was in my size and ready to join my fall wardrobe.

Walled City Blouse

Add my GAP bootcut jeans, these awesome shoes (and yes, I see that they are $110 but I found them at Burlington for $24... CHA-CHING!), and a pair of statement earrings and I'm calling it a DATE NIGHT!
TGIF, my friends!

Thursday This and That...

Hi friends!  Lots going on the past few weeks, just going to catch you up with a little "this and that"... 

Here's a fun fall project I finished last week... I know, I'm pumpkin possessed!  Got my inspiration from Pinterest and will not even insult your intelligence by giving you the play by play in pictures... all you need are some pumpkins (I used foam from Hobby Lobby, you could use the real thing, too) and some kind of container... then it's PUMPKIN, E6000 (glue), GRAPEVINE WREATH, PUMPKIN, REPEAT... 

set it on top of your container 

(thanks to Mimi for the cool iron urns) and VOILA!

I made two of them to adorn my front porch and they will be there until 

Thanksgiving... I "heart" them very much!

Then last weekend we attended a friend's 50th birthday party... I won't go into how much it DISTURBS me that my friends are turning 50, except to say that I'm pretty sure my parents JUST hit that milestone... right?  UGH.  Anyhoo... of course it was a "no gifts" occasion but felt weird walking in empty handed, so another Pinterest inspired idea (and I wonder where all my time goes, DUH!)...

Hysterical, right?  Cute candy jar was from TJ Maxx, used some of my scrapbook paper and ribbon stash for the sign, and filled it with 50 Tootsie Pops... BIG hit and so fast and easy!  You could really do it for any age... 30, 40, 50... not even going to mention the next decade yet.  That's called DENIAL.

Oh, and I did finish my Couch 2 5K program... YEA ME!  I am now supposed to have started the Bridge to 10K with my friend, Jules but I have been a slacker and SHE has not... think she's a week and a half ahead of me so I need to get off this dang computer and put my new running shoes on... until next time, my friends!  Make the best of your day...

The Look For Less... Pretty Pricey Pumpkins

I don't know what my deal is, I have been possessed by Halloween decorating. Perhaps it's my inner witch trying to get out, but in my defense we have had the same decorations for YEARS, they are looking a little tired, and I think they need a little EEK factor.  There are gazillions of adorable decorations to buy... but why would you when you can make your own for so much LESS moola?  I mean really, I would prefer to save my money for something I can't make
(hello, new fall boots!)...

These are from two very popular home decor stores... 

So what's a girl who doesn't have a couple of hundred bucks to spend on pumpkins (and wouldn't even if I did)  to do?  Start with this... 

                                                            I picked up these two plastic pumpkins at Michaels for about $5 each, but they are EVERYWHERE this time of year. I already had the black tulip paint, mod podge and scrap fabric in my stash, but if you have to buy them all three could be had for under $10 total.  Now for the FUN part...

For the white pumpkin just grab your tulip paint and start dotting... I didn't use a pattern, just went to town swirling them freehand.  This entire pumpkin took all of about 5 minutes to finish.  My kind of crafting, baby! 

For the monogram I first printed a large font letter on my computer and then traced onto the fabric.  You could use scrapbook paper, but the fabric molds to the curves of the pumpkin so much easier.  If you do decide to use paper, LIGHTLY dampen the paper before applying to the pumpkin... it will smooth out nicer and help avoid bubbles.  One coat of Mod Podge to the pumpkin, place the letter and then let dry for a few minutes.  Slap another coat of Mod Podge on top and you are on your way to the store to buy those new boots...  I hit mine with a spray of clear acrylic sealer since it will be residing on my front porch.

Spidey is from the Dollar Store... I'm good, but even I don't think I could have made HIM any cheaper.

Stairway to 5K... An Awful Lot of Running To Do!

Tote Bag

I'm back!  I know... it's been awhile.  Not an intentional blog break, but this school year so far has been insane interesting.  One starting middle school and one in the all important junior year... soccer, tumbling, swimming and basketball, dance, play rehearsals, girl scouts, back to school nights, PTA volunteering, substitute teaching, pep squad, football games, and this week there is homecoming hoopla.  C.R.A.Z.Y.  But, mostly fun crazy, and I haven't just been running kids around... 

Some of you OA old timers may remember the posts Run Kelly Run, Confession Friday and T.G.I.F. when I discussed my quest to complete the Couch to 5k running program.  And I am happy to report that in the midst of all this CHAOS, I am ONE... yep, ONE run away from graduation!   I have even managed a few outdoor runs, no small feat considering we are STILL hitting 98 degree highs on a regular basis.

Hand Stamped Cuff Bracelet

Some weeks I run once, some weeks 3 times, and some weeks not at all... but I have persevered and pushed through no matter HOW miserable... and let me say, some days are MISERABLE.  Today, towards the end of my run, my Pandora radio was playing "Stairway to Heaven", which depending on your age you may or may not remember is the longest freaking song in the history of the world and the song we always knew to request last at every school dance... and today I was PRAYING for that stupid song to hurry up and get up that stairway as I'm sure our chaperones were 30 years ago.  

Yeah, I pretty much still hate to run... and I am definitely NO speed demon.  But I look forward to celebrating my graduation with you, and I'm even maybe considering moving on to the Couch to 10K.  If that's the case, I'm thinking I need to find a new Pandora station...

Folk Art Painting

Make It Monday: Glitter Candles

Really, what's not to love about glitter?  And this is one quick and E.A.S.Y. glitter project.  Seriously, the most craft challenged of you could do this in between surfing Pinterest loading your dishwasher and facebooking folding laundry.  Here's what I started with...

Taper candles that were 79 cents at Hobby Lobby, glitter in coordinating colors, and Elmer's Spray Adhesive.  ANY kind of candles would work, pillars, taper, votive... you probably have some laying in a drawer.  I wanted these particular colors, so I bought them new, but I do have PLENTY barely burned I could have used in other colors.

Pour a nice line of glitter in the bottom edge of a cake pan.  Lay the candles out and spray with the glue (one a time so the adhesive doesn't dry too fast)... best to do on wax or parchment paper, but I was out so I just used foil.  Once you have them covered with a light coating of the adhesive, just roll the candle in the glitter.  Press it down a bit so the glitter gets good and stuck, and then lay out to dry overnight.

I suppose you can guess I was doing some Halloween decorating... these add some great spooky sparkle to my living room and dining room!  I plan to try to some different colors for Thanksgiving and Christmas, because they really do look so freaking pretty!

Happy 17th Birthday Bubby!

                                                    

Pretty adorable, isn't he?

DIY: Trick or TULLE? Haunted Halloween Wreath...

It is still Africa hot here but I am willing fall to grace us with her cool presence by gettin' my Halloween crafting on.  I lucked upon two of those straw wreath forms at our local thrift store... brand new and only $1 each so I went hunting for some inspiration.  After finding a couple of cute ideas on my new obsession, Pinterest, I set to work making my own version of a Haunted Halloween Wreath... 

Here's what I started with...

As I mentioned, the wreath was a buck, but  they are not much more than that at your local craft store.  The tulle rolls and ribbon were half off at Hobby Lobby, making them $2.00.  The dark orange is glitter tulle, so there were fewer yards on the roll.  The pair of packaged pre-made wood words were 99 cents.

Leave the plastic wrap on the wreath and you won't be picking straw out of your carpet until the trick-or-treaters show up... 

After a bit of trial and error, I determined I needed to cut the tulle in lengths about 18 inches long.  You don't need to get too technical, varying lengths just make it look more  full and festive.  Double your cut piece of tulle, loop it around the wreath and pull tight (as you see demonstrated here by Vanna Dear Daughter)...

Work your way around... I decided to intersperse the orange in no particular pattern.  It did take an entire roll of the black tulle PLUS the end of a leftover roll I had stashed in the craft closet.  Once you finish the tulle, add some chachkes to give it some pizazz... I chose these pre-made wooden words, and just attached them with my VERY FAVORITE Gel Super Glue...

Finally, I tied a bow to the top to hang it... and since I know my faithful readers are an observant bunch, I'm sure you will notice it is NOT the ribbon in the BEFORE photo... I LOVE that beautiful ribbon, but it just looked too fancy schmancy on this wreath so I scrounged a scrap piece of polka dot ribbon from the closet and will be saving the pretty stuff for a future project.  

Here's the final result...

Are you scared??? 

Semi Wordless Wednesday... Texas Our Texas

Bastrop State Park

Bastrop, Texas

Bastrop, Texas

Magnolia, Texas

Magnolia, Texas

Leander, Texas

Austin, Texas

These wildfires are still raging... 38,000 acres and over 600 homes in Bastrop County alone have burned to the ground and the fires are still uncontained.

YOU CAN HELP... Donate to the American Red Cross of Central Texas and pray for the families and firefighters battling this on-going and catastrophic event.

We need rain, and we need these fires to STOP.