Sunday, February 7, 2010

Snow Day...

Crafts and such have been on hold for a while, so I decided to post some of the pictures from the snow we had last weekend.

The "problem" with TN snow is that the ground wasn't frozen solid so the giant snowballs got a little muddy... ahh well... 

I like to think that every picture tells a story, this one is the after shot of an "I can fly" episode... did you know that 6ish inches of snow really can cushion a fall when your 6'1 little brother falls on top of you???? 
Well, now you do.

 
Sometimes, even the geese get curious...

  
While we were building a fort...
 

Our younger more artistic brother was building a castle (on a much smaller scale)

 

Yes, we did get the roof on, and my oh my, when we came out of the fort, it was snowing again!!!

 

What with all the "fort building" we didn't get to the sledding "nonsense" until the next day.
Couldn't have planned it better, since the snow that had been so perfect for making snowballs the day before had frozen into excellent sledding material


This particular snowman is probably a good... oh 6'5 ... ish

Hope you all had a wonderful week!!!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Sew, and Snow...

I started that purse... but see, there was snow.  We don't get enough snow here, so I got a bit distracted and spent a good 4 hours at least playing in it (not all at once of course).  In between I managed to get a little bit of work on the purse done.

First, I washed it (by hand since I didn't want to mix the colors...)

Then dried them (eventually I stuck them in the drier since it was taking so long...)

Then, the ironing of course...

Then I started sketching the plan (since I don't have one)

Next, I marked out the lines to cut and started in....
 
 

Then the sewing begins... the bottom was a little tricky..
 

That is all I've gotten done for now...  Hopefully it will turn out well, since I made my own pattern, and have done very little sewing.

In other news, the snow fort went well :o)

Friday, January 29, 2010

Mini Key Lime Cupcakes

I was reading on calico about her plans for some baking cookies, and offered to share with her a recipe for key lime cupcakes that I have thanks to my amazing sister, and Betty Crocker.  I think it is super deliciousness!  The recipe you will find below contains the changes and tweaks that my mother taught all of her children to insert into recipes.  We never follow exactly (maybe the first time... maybe)
Any how... Here you go cally!!!

 
 The original Betty Crocker recipe can be found here



Prep Time: 40 min
Total Time: 1 hour 50 min
Makes: 48 cupcakes

Topping
1            box (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 1/2            cups whipping cream
1/4            cup Key lime or regular lime juice
4            drops green food color
1 1/2            cups powdered sugar – I didn’t add the sugar here since I enjoy a little bit of tartness

Cupcakes
48            regular-size paper baking cups
1            box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
            Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Frosting
1            container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
1            tablespoon Key lime or regular lime juice – I just buy the stuff in the lime shaped container, I also add a little more lime juice than this calls for, but you don’t add too much, or else the topping will be too runny… (that could have been why mine were a little too runny) but I REALLY like lime.
1/2            teaspoon grated Key lime or regular lime peel
                       
                                   
           
1.  In large bowl, beat pudding mix and whipping cream with wire whisk 2 minutes. Let stand 3 minutes. Beat in 1/4 cup Key lime juice and the food color; stir in powdered sugar until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
2.  Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoonful batter (don’t use any more than a TBS the cupcakes are better when they are thin) into each muffin cup, using about half of the batter. (Muffin cups will be about 1/3 full.) Refrigerate remaining batter. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining baking cups and batter. Cool cupcakes completely, about 15 minutes.
3.  Remove paper baking cups from cupcakes. Swirl about 2 teaspoons topping on top of each cupcake.
4.  Stir frosting in container 20 times. Gently stir in 1 tablespoon Key lime juice and the lime peel. Spoon frosting into 1-quart resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut 1/2-inch opening from bottom corner of bag. Squeeze 1 rounded teaspoonful frosting from bag onto topping. Garnish with fresh lime wedge, if desired. Store in refrigerator.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Divide batter in half. Distribute 1/2 batter evenly among 24 muffin cups. Refrigerate remaining batter, and repeat process.

Now, enjoy your yummy deliciousness!!! :o)

---------------
Make the Most of This Recipe:
Special Touch
Check your market for seasonal fresh Key limes in bags, and juice them. Key limes are smaller than regular Persian limes, about the size of a golf ball. You will need 5 Key limes to make about 1/3 cup juice.

Nutrition Information:
1 Cupcake: Calories 140 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 1g); Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 115mg; Total Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 14g); Protein 0g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 2%; Iron 0% Exchanges: 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Such a bad idea...

Okay, lets start with the fact that I am ... not cheap per se, but definitely not designer.  I am a poor little graduate student and thus Walmart is the source for most of my shopping needs.  *Gasp* I know, so terrible, there seems to be a general "trendy and fashionable" ban on anything Walmart, but so it is, I shop there. Ironically, I get lots of compliments on my clothes from there *Gasp again* yes, I do actually stoop to buying clothes from Walmart, once again, apparently a no no, so I hear, but if they like what I wear from there how does it follow that they wont shop there too??? Any whatsits... that is all beside the point.

I am on my way home, and to be a wonderful daughter I am stopping at walmart to pick some stuff up for my mom, and as I walk through the store I look at the purses, I would like a new purse see, one that is a bit bigger for the days when I want to carry more than my wallet and cell phone. However, I am not really up for spending the money on one, and while Walmart has one that I really do like, it would fit my purposes quite well, but I am in a frugal state of mind right now, and am not allowed to go over my budget, and am doing my best not to buy unnecessaries, even if I can afford them.... so, once again I passed the purses by because I don't need one. Then I see these wonderful frames for $3... oh the things I could do with frames, but I don't need to spend money on stuff like that right now...

Can you see where this is headed, I was in a bad way, I shouldn't have been in a store...

Then, I think, hey, why don't I just buy some fabric, I can make a purse for much cheaper than I can buy one right???

Did you know that Walmart has these darling little fabric cuts for a dollar??? I took pictures of them, but can't get them off my phone right now... I will try and find my adapter and get them posted later. The problem is.... there were SO many!!! I wanted them all!!! At least I had the control to limit my selections to 7 cuts... 3 of one, 3 of another, and one that I just loved and had to get because... well, I just know I can use it somehow. 

So, $7 + figuring out a pattern + time = purse... hopefully.  Its going to be fun!!!!


OH and the buttons.... I just LOVE the buttons!!!! (again, pictures to come soon) Those I could have gotten for cheaper I am sure, but that is what I get for walking back by the craft section,  they were calling to me...

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Trying my hand...

At painting...

Its not well done, the shadows and reflections are non existent, but I had a good time with it.




This one I just had fun playing with the color on... (same picture, just "tweaked")

Following Old Friends...

One of the reasons I love blogging is because it helps me keep in touch with what is happening in the lives of friends who have moved away, or I just don't see as often as I would like.

One such friend is Merrilee, author of mer mag who moved away a few years ago.  Since she and her family were only here for her husband Jon's schooling, their visits are rare, and all the more exciting for it.

Recently Mer was interviewed on cafe mom and you can find her interview here.


Mer, Baby O, Myself, and Kenton (Merrilee's Brother)
In the background you can see some of Mer's amazing art work.

Monday, January 25, 2010

The problem with Selling

I have a shop on Etsy... I've been working on building a product base (aka I have been making jewelry) However, the problem is, that I love giving it away.  I had several necklaces made, and yesterday I gave two to some friends, and plan on making a third to give away to another girl. That isn't counting the necklaces I plan to make for the 5 other girls in my program at school... even with all this giving away... I still have a few new items to put up on Etsy... maybe one day people will actually stumble across my shop and buy something! :o)  For now here are the pictures of the soon to be posted Necklaces... there are more, I just haven't photographed them all yet.

A few "Simple Stonework" necklaces





 


These next few are repeats of a similar style... I get lots of complements when I wear my own choker, so I made a few, and then gave away one. So only two of these are still in my possession, but I don't remember which...

 
 

Don't you just love it!?!?! its such a pretty little bead!!! Mother of Pearl (Faux I'm sure... ;o) with a baby pearl inside (on some of them)