Monday, November 28, 2011

Pinterest-ing

I have a new addiction. It used to be Facebook, but as soon as I get that one under control here comes another awesome thing to distract me and keeps me shirking my blogging responsibilities.

Pinterest...it is pretty dang awesome. I have been repinning recipes, organizing ideas, gardening tips and cake decorating ideas. I haven't figured out how to actually 'pin' a page yet, but I'll get there eventually. I have been trying all kinds of new recipes. A lot have been hits, like the Pumpkin Cookies. But some have been misses, like the Pumpkin Cream Cheese bread. Here is what it is suppose to look like:


Here is what mine looked like:


Although I don't think that was my fault, I think the recipe was misleading and I want to try it again doing it the way I think it should be. It says that you can make 2 loaves out of this recipes, which will require you to quarter the batter since there is a cream cheese icing through the middle. But I seriously think it is only for one loaf because as you can see from the picture, the loaves came out crazy flat! Next time I make it I will make just one loaf and hopefully then I will achieve the right thickness.

Some successes have been the sock bun. This is Miriam's hair after using the sock bun. Super cute! And really easy for her to sleep with. One trick that I discovered the second time doing this is that it's best done with day old washed hair.


My next project I want to make an ornament wreath made from a wire hanger and there is this recipe for Eggnog Pound cake!

So much to do, so little time!!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

MomGyver!


Sometimes I think McGyver must have taken some lessons from his mother to get all those sweet skills on how to make things out of nothing.

A few weeks ago it was Drug Free week at my kids school.  They do silly themed days and one of those days was Wacky Sunglasses day.  Emma had some googly eyes glasses and Miriam wore a pair of my super humongous sunglasses and Tobie had nothing.  I couldn't let him go to school without the proper equipment and it just broke my heart to see my 9 year old rolling on the floor crying because he couldn't wear the googly eyed glasses that belonged to his other sibling. (I'm being sarcastic, it was super annoying.)

Theo found some work goggles that had the frame of sunglasses, but they were clear.  It made him happy and it would have worked, but I had to step it up.  I painted these weird eyeballs on the glasses for him to wear the next day.  Problem averted.

Situation 2, Hannah a little accident at the YMCA and I didn't have any extra pants for her.  I had some underwear, but outerwear was MIA.  So, I took her jacket, wrapped it around her legs, zipped it up the front and then tied her arm sleeves around the front to make it look like a belt.  It would have looked pretty dang stylish if it wasn't a flannel jacket with snowmen all over it.  Still, attempt was a success.

Being a mom sometimes you just gotta, in the words of Tim Gunn, "Make it work!"


BUY CHOFFY HERE!!!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween 2011

  The whole gang dressed up in our finest for the church Halloween Party.  Theo's a pirate, I'm a witch, Tobie's Wario, Miriam's an Alabama cheerleader (ROLL TIDE!), Emma's SuperGirl, Hannah's Minnie Mouse and Charlotte is my little chunky monkey!

Those stockings actual inspired my Halloween costume.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to be until I saw those awesome things in Target and the only way I could justify buying them was if it was going to be a part of my costume.  Now if I wear those out on a regular basis I consider it just getting my monies worth! ;)  I also have these crazy long eyelashes on that were black and pink, you know to match my tutu skirt, but I forgot to get a picture of that.  And those I will NOT be wearing again, I feel confident that I got my monies worth from those, so....we're good.

Also from the night I won the Dessert Cook-Off!  Yay Me!  I made a Layered Pumpkin Pecan Dessert which is just pumpkin heaven!  Maybe I'll post the recipe some time since I didn't take a picture of the actual dessert when it was finished.  I still have to get used to photographing food, it just seems so unnatural to me.  Right now in my mind it's: Step 1.) Make food; Step 2.) Eat food...see what I mean.  I have to add another step in there for the picture taking.  Maybe next time.






Halloween has always been my most favorite holiday, so of course I planned it that I find and marry a Halloween baby!  Theo turned 34 and he has actually been asking for a cookie cake for a couple of years now.  I finally got brave enough to try it.  This is his Tombstone Cookie Cake.
But of course I couldn't do just a plain ole' cookie cake, this is my Double Doozie cake!  That means sandwiched in between 2 large cookies is a layer of my Vanilla Buttercream icing.  Then to top it off I used marshmallow fondant to give it that smooth stone look.

You may be saying, "Holy Sugar Coma, Batman!" and you would be right!  There are no sugar dainties around here!  It ain't dessert unless your teeth fall out.

We had a great night of Trick-or-Treating.  I thought I was going to have to stay home with Miss Charlotte while Theo took the kids out, but then I got a brilliant idea (I know, I'm full of them!) to have the missionaries stay after dinner and hand out candy so we could go out as a family!  They get to do a service and Theo and I both get to enjoy walking all the kids around.  Win-Win!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Happy Halloween!!!