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!