Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Well hello there! I feel like I’m talking to a stranger. Sorry it has been so long! Apparently December got a little busy. Between shopping, work, playdates, ornament exchange, cookie exchange, visiting in-laws, Christmas, and dealing with customer service issues (stupid people I swear!) I guess I lost track of my blog. I guess??! No, I DID lost track of my blog…it was always in the back of my mind though. “I really need to do that” “I really should just write SOMETHING!” Well…I am back now. And I need to remind you that in the first ever edition I said that I wasn’t too good at this but I sure would try, so here is me giving it the ol’ college try. Though, I really shouldn’t be calling it that because I didn’t give college the ol’ college try! But that is where I meet my hubby, so I guess I was doing something there huh. Wow, tangent.


My plans for the New Year are to write and promote my blog more. I have a tutu “business” and I want to advertise them more on here and show them off. Maybe have a tutu tutorial of sorts. I also want to show my other creations, all of the cute things that I have made thanks to the ideas of some other very crafty/bloggy moms! I slacked off this holiday season and I really need to get my butt moving…so here it is, I’m moving it!!

cookie exchange!

I am getting super excited about my mom's group 2nd Annual Cookie Exchange! Each mom will bring 7 dozen cookies to share. 6 dozen will be divided to take home and the 1 extra dozen will be to eat at the party! I love trying all the baked goodies the other mommas have made!

The cute little blog Little Birdie Secrets is doing a virtual cookie exchange party and I am a featured cookie! Well...you know what I mean! I have already shared my recipe here on my blog but the more this recipe gets out the better a world we will have ;)

Check it out! Virtual Cookie Exchange Enjoy!

Christmas Tree shirt...sooo cute!

A friend brought this blog to my attention today..."Just a Betty trying to be a Martha" and it is super cute! She has this tutorial on how to make a ribbon Christmas tree on a onesie. And after seeing it I wonder "Why the heck didn't I think of that?!??!??!" But...thank you Just Betty for the wonderful idea! I am off to the store...for some reason I do NOT have any Christmas ribbons. Shame on me! And then I will head right back here and make my little princess a Christmas tree shirt to match the cute little skirt I made her the other day (pictures of the skirt are coming soon...). The same friend is having a Christmas craft playdate at her house tomorrow and we have to be deck out for it! Make sure to check out the oh so easy tutorial from Just Betty's blog so your little angels can have a super cute Christmas tree shirt too!

The best cookies you will ever have...guaranteed!

Much thanks to the Pioneer Woman and her absolutely awesome website! And thanks to my friend B for bringing this recipe to my attention. Why do I feel like I should be holding a trophy and wearing a gorgeous dress? I must say…THAT is how good these cookies are! Here is the original recipe on the Tasty Kitchen website. I omit a few things, though I have tried the original I believe it doesn’t need the chocolate chips or M&Ms that are added in the batter…and the chocolate drizzle is amazing but also isn’t necessary.

Forgotten Kiss Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
24+ Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Slowly add flour and mix well. Form 1 inch balls around each kiss.

Bake 350° for 8-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to rack.

I have used milk chocolate kisses, caramel kisses and hugs! Yumo! My friend B also tried peppermint kisses and those were super yummy too!

I guarantee these will be a new family favorite. The first time I made them I had to make them again 2 days later because I wasn’t ready to live without them yet! Sad but true…
And if you have not checked out Pioneer Woman – Tasty Kitchen you must!
Happy baking!

Vampires, werewolves and faries, oh my!

I have been a little preoccupied the last week or so with Charlainne Harris’ “Southern Vampire Mysteries” Holy cow…I thought that after the Twilight and Harry Potter series’ that I wouldn’t be able to find another set of books that would hold my attention! I am not sure what exactly got me to watch HBO’s True Blood but I did. I thought it was rather silly at first. My first and only idea of vampires was from Twilight. Edward could come out in the day, doesn’t sleep in a coffin, has sharp teeth but not retractable fangs, and lives in a “loving” family. So as I am watching True Blood I got a good laugh as Bill’s fangs come popping out…weird! A few friends of mine were reading the books and said they were good and that I should pick them up and read them. I do not know why I don’t trust book recommendations…I really should start. A few months later I picked up book 1 at the library. It was really similar to the show, or actually the show was really similar to the book. And unfortunately I do not have HBO so I am missing the second season! AHHH!! After reading that first book it took me awhile to get the 2nd, it was pretty good. The 3rd, good…the 4th holy crap good. I am an Eric Northman lover, oh man…do not get me started on Eric. He stars in a few dreams of mine…change of subject. The 5th book was alright but I was still dreaming of the 4th J The 6th book…same, the 7th same. The 8th same yet again. The 9th I dug entirely. I do not want to give anything away so if you aren’t there yet I apologize. The jury is still out on whether or not I wish the world has supernatural creatures in it. On the off chance that I would get to meet Mr. January then I would say yes, yes I would like to believe supernatural creatures exist. Then fear takes over…uhh…vampires are scary….werewolves, yep scary too. Fairies? Never thought of them as scary no…but yep now I do! Now I have to wait till May of NEXT year to see how the story continues. I have my theories but I will not bore you even more with my little vampire chit chat.

And isn’t it funny how you see a picture of someone. Then read a story with that person in mind as a character. But your mind changes the looks of the person that plays that particular character. Example: Eric in True Blood, not a bad looking man. I just looked up pictures of him and I was thinking, “That’s NOT what he looks like!!!” The Eric in my head looks similar to the Eric on True Blood but tweaked…hmmm. Same for Edward in Twilight. I didn’t read Twilight until it had already been out for a few years, and still after the movie previews had come out. I already had a picture in my head of what Edward was “supposed” to look like (Rob Pattenson). So as I read the books Edward looked like MY version of Rob. Anyways…what made me think of this is that I wanted to post a picture with this blog entry of Eric and when I googled pictures of him he just didn’t look “right”…catch my drift?! Wow…what a tangent.

Thanks to the Sookie books my house is an absolute mess! Dirty dishes, stacks of laundry to do, the dinner menu to make still, a blog that has been left alone, my fish on Facebook have died…you know…the important stuff! But I am thankful that my husband has picked up a bit around the house, made dinner this weekend and even vacuumed!

I am trying to find another series to read while I am very impatiently waiting for the next Sookie book…and I desperately need recommendations. I can not guarantee that I will trust them but I am working on that! I will give almost every book the first chapter test.

big girl bed...done!

Thanks to my mom the little princesses big girl bed is done! She has been sleeping in it the last few nights and has done wonderfully! I was super nervous that she would love the freedom and take complete advantage of it...but she does not. She even takes naps in her new big girl bed. I am so proud of my little baby for being such a...big girl :( She is growing so fast, I need to stop blinking. The whole big girl bed process was fun, and never had it entered the ol brain of "losing" my little baby. That was until my hubby called me over as he was taking apart her crib and you could see that he was sad. Our little baby has grown up...and will never sleep in a crib again! Que the water works. Oh man...even the little one was a tad upset. "My crib" She had a look in her face that said "what are you doing?" ya know...what are you doing with my bed?!

Since her bed was a little high I got her a cute little wooden step stool and painted it the same color as her bed. I plan on decorating it somehow as well...but haven't decided what to add. Would love some ideas!

Here is the finished product:

not too bad for a $35 bed from Craigslist!?

The princesses "friends" as she calls them...they sleep with her ever night. Buzz, Woody, Tigger, Pooh, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie!

Happy Halloween!

Have a fun, safe and spooktacular Halloween everyone!

my little baby...

My little princess is growing up :( It is big girl bed time! I can't believe it...my little baby is big enough for a big girl bed. She is sooooo done with her crib. "I sleep on floor momma?" She so badly wants out of her crib that she is begging to sleep on the floor! Soo...I didn't want to go out and buy a $300 bed...for numerous reasons. Instead I looked at Craiglist every single day, and not only was I doing it I had friends looking for me as well! Side note: I've got some pretty cool friends. The kind of friends that look for furniture for my daughter. Sweet! Where was I? Oh yeah...Craigslist. So I found this bed, at least I think I did, and came across a super cute bed for $35! Can you believe it, a solid wood bed for $35?! I loved it, and I loved the price even more. It does have some damage but nothing that can't be painted over and easily forgotten!

Here is the before:
And after 1 coat of Kilz white primer and 2 coats of Pineapple Citrus yellow:



My mom has really helped with the painting process. I've realized after painting a coat of primer and a coat or so of yellow paint that I really don't like painting! Thank goodness for moms! Stay tuned for the absolute finished product...hope it should all be painted and dried and made by tomorrow because i'm getting super de duper antsy!

beans, beans the magical fruit...

Yet another recipe…only because it was so delicious! And $2 a serving! Can’t beat that eh? Again, I found it in an old Woman’s Day magazine issue on budget friendly meals. I think I might be getting a new magazine subscription, especially since it has given me some awesome dinner ideas! It was so good that there wasn’t enough left to take a picture of…sorry gals. It was bowl licking good…sadly I’m not kidding!

Pasta e Fagioli

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (I used herbs de’provence instead)
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 ½ cups small bow tie pasta
2 15-ounce cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, rosemary and carrots; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasional, until vegetables are soften. Add the broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook 8 minutes, or until al dente. Add the beans; cook 2 minutes, or until pasta is done. Ladle into bowls; top with cheese.
This was a super yummy dinner and I love how easy it was on the wallet. I had always wanted to try Pasta e Fagioli but was kind of weirded out by putting beans with my pasta. I am kicking myself thoroughly for waiting so long to try it. This will go on my list of “staple dinners”. The beans in it taste good…not too beany and they kind of brake down and become sort of a sauce for the pasta. It is a perfect comfort food! And great for those cold nights when all you want to do is sit on the couch with a blanket and snuggle with the kiddos!

Dinner tonight!

Curried Lentils and Rice (with Monday nights leftover chicken)

1 cup jasmine rice
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 cups water
1 cup brown lentils
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
chopped cilantro, to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. Heat oil and curry powder together in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft. Add the water and lentils and bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 22 minutes, until lentils are soft. Rove from heat; stir in the honey, vinegar, salt and sour cream. Ladle over bowls of rice. Top with cilantro if using.

YUM YUM!

I found this recipe in a money saving article in Woman's Day Magazine. They had numerous other recipes that looked and sounded amazing! I have alot of them on my menu the next few weeks so I will make sure to post those as well.

I am also serving this with the extra Crock Pot chicken that I made on Monday. And man was that good(and super easy!).

4 chicken breasts
1 package italian dressing mix
1 cup water

Cover and cook low 8-10 hours
Shred it with a fork and serve it over rice or noodles, or use it in any recipe calling for shredded chicken!


Well off to clean before I have to go to the airport to pick up grandma!

What to do...

So I am at a point right now that I have so many things on my list that I don't know what to start with. So basically I haven't started anything! Ha! Instead I have painted my nails black (tis the season right?) and read half of my Sookie book (love!) and eaten some chocolate chips and talked to a friend on Facebook. Productive right? Well, I did also take the princess to a birthday party this morning at a pumpkin patch. So much fun! But since I had my mind on my to do list I forgot to wear boots. Bad bad bad bad idea...so much mud! And I am sooo not a messy muddy person, noooo way! Of course the princess was dressed well enough for the occasion. Thanks to the birthday girl we got to take a sweet little pumpkin home! As well as a cup and a half of mud...yum! So between laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, the kitchen, bedrooms, sweeping and vacuuming I can't decide which one to start with...hmmm...such a tough decision isn't it!? And then there is my craft to do list...make 3 tutus, 2 wands and that is surprisingly it right now. I've gotten all of the Halloween costumes behind me. The princess is going to be Darby this year...please tell me you know who that is. You know, Disney channel, friend of Tigger and Pooh...cute little red head. Yep, that is her! I figured let her be something she knows, there are so many costumes that I love but she doesn't understand so it just wouldn't be as sweet. Plus this was semi-easy and mostly homemade!
Ok, step away from the computer. Step away and nobody gets hurt...
I'm off to do my "company" cleaning! Wish me luck, I need all the luck to stay off of here!

First post!

Why am I having such a hard time starting a blog? Hmm…let’s see…I don’t like being bad at something. I keep putting this off because there are so many super cool crafty blogs out there how can I compare?! My list of “things I want to make” is getting longer and longer (and longer…) and I suppose this will help me to finally get going! You will be my motivation…my much needed kick in the rear. I have gotten so many cool ideas from the other wonderful moms and crafty bloggers out there! I love tutus, and love to make them for all of the little girls in my life! I believe every princess needs a tutu. I absolutely love Amy Butler, and wish I had her talent and style. I love fabric and wish I could own all the beautiful fabrics of the world, but also wish they were closer to the $4/yard price that what they actually are. I know, you pay for quality, blah blah blah. I love photography but am terrible at it…though I keep telling myself if I get the right camera then it will look good (who knows…my crappy pics might look like good crappy pics)! I love cupcakes, something about them screams sweet, and there is something so childish about them. I absolutely hate patterns, they confuse the heck out of me and I always end up doing it my own way anyways. I love redo crafts, adding a little piece of your own personality to things you already own. Now, I love the idea…do I actually do it? Not so much…but I really want to! I have a knack for starting something and not finishing it…or waiting too long to finish it and then forget where I left off. It’s one of many flaws I am trying hard to work on! I am told I have too many opinions, why is that a problem I would like to know?! J I like what I like, deal with it! Kidding! (sort of) I have a daughter, she is the reason I have joined this whole crafting world. Though it was embedded in me when I was born, both my grandmas sew like crazy, and paint, and knit/crochet (couldn’t tell you the different…) and cook, and bake, and anything and everything else crafty. I love to bake! It is a terrible hobby…just ask my jeans. I’ve gained the “Moms Group 5”…you know it if you are in a moms group. That extra 5 pounds that you’ve gained because of all the goodies people bring to playdates, but man are those goodies, well, good! Cooking is ok; I love making “everything but the kitchen sink” crock-pot meals! A little bit of this, a little bit of that…and you know what? So far they have all been pretty tasty! I do not do well with recipes; cooking recipes that is…baking recipes are alright with me. Weird huh? So I have decided that this little blog will be about my adventures in crafting and cooking and baking. Or whatever fancies me that day! I will make sure to take some terrible pictures for you gals (or guys) to show you the things that I make. And I will give credit where credit is due…as I have gotten a lot of ideas from other bloggers. Thanks for listening to my rant and wish me luck in this new endeavor!