tip toe threads

interior design musings giveaway

2011-03-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

giveaway on interior design musings!!

25 buckaroos to csn stores! bah! you could get something super fun!

V & Co fabulous giveaway....

2009-12-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

at Simply Modern Mom!!!!!!!!!!!

Go check it out!

I am so excited about this giveaway.

I have been drooling over the things in Vanessa's shop, Uptown Jane!

shiny and cheap

2009-11-19T18:18:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the wreath that Eddie Ross made last year out of ornaments?

Mine's not as pretty, but it was cheap!

If it falls it will break, but it won't shatter.

I bought plastic ornaments on clearance last year, and also some at the Dollar Tree.

Martha trees

2009-11-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

hopped over here and found a super link for some more cute trees

{image via marthastewart.com}

"enemies" and friends

2009-11-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

"Bad Guy" Jacob and "Super" Dallin

Speaking of dirt...

ornament 2009

2009-11-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

I ~~avoided~~ pushed back making more important Christmas things on my list and made our Christmas ornaments for this year.

{fun and easy instructions}

Spraypaint Pillows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

One day, I will have a bigger garage (bigger than the small, packed, one car space that I have now) and I will say:

"Hey ladies! I am going to do this SUPER cool project......

{image via: v and co tutorial: spraypaint pillows}

....so come on over and make them with me!"

and then we will laugh and paint and have so much fun hanging out in my garage!

okay?

okay.

growth chart

2009-11-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

{growth chart}

woe is me....i have no cricut

so i bought the vinyl on etsy

KITCHEN UPDATE

2009-11-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

a little antique white paint on the beadboard

a touch up or two or three

a couple things on the wall

THEN complete!

did you notice my COMPLETE color change?

i like to keep things exciting around here

i LOVE it

it's bright and calming

it makes me happy

really cool clouds

2009-11-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

in the sky

in our back yard

makes me want to go back to my 5th grade science class

(Mrs. Steele? Why are they wavey?)

Forget Ice Water

2009-11-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

It seems as though Ellie fixed the water/ice dispenser to spit out what she really wants.

DIY show off giveaway

2009-11-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

There is a super fun giveaway going on at The DIY Show Off.

Lots of prizes!

Head on over and sign up for the fun!

Leen the Graphics Queen Giveaway!

2009-11-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

{image}

yes, please!

These are beautiful and they are being given away at Leen the Graphics Queen!

The braches would look smashing above my bed and my kitchen is almost done being painted (yeah, yeah, still not done, life happens!) and it needs some new art!

Now, if you don't mind, I have an new Etsy shop to ~~drool over~~ look at.

caramel apples

2009-11-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

butterfinger was the winner this year

yum!

and yum!

Prehistoric Trunk-or-treat 20009 bc

2009-10-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

Archeologists in Winchester, Kentucky made a recent find during a rare, but important dig. Below, you will find evidence that there was life on earth in the year 20009 bc. Our findings:

Ooga booga ug ug ug. Uuug buuug huug-a-lug!

OOOOOGGGGAAAA BOOOO!!!!

Uugaagaa bugaagaa ugla bugla!

Lug-a-bug a booog doo boog.

Gooba booba looba AAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Gooba looba dooba gooba hhooooba!

Booobaalaa hoobagaoauuubahuahao!!!!!!!!!!

{groundbreaking evidence of the first ever vampiress}

{thanks for the costume idea steal Jordan}

dress for emmi

2009-10-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

This pattern has become my go to.

I really hope my kids give Christmas presents to all girl cousins this year. (hint, hint ;) ages 12 months (or younger) to 5 years)

Halloween Thrifting

2009-10-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some (last minute) fun thrift store halloween decor ideas at Savers.

Our ward trunk-or-treat is this evening!

Our costumes? Hint: It will be dirty!

GLAMOROUS

2009-10-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Civil War

2009-09-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, we headed over to the Civil War Fort site at Boonesboro for their reenactment. We were thinking that we would pull up and their would be a festival, with food and booths and tons of people. What really happened was this: We packed the kids in the stroller, only to take them out to get in the shuttle bus. We were shuttled a mile down the river road and dropped off at the beginning of a 1/2 mile up hill hike to the site.

The hike was beautiful, despite me wearing flip-flops and Paul maneuvering the stroller.

The cannons were so cool!

And so were the cool old soldiers.

They all lined up and got ready to shoot off the cannon.

Dallin was not too happy about that!

This guy is a carpetbagger. He was fun to talk to. He is wearing a beaver skin hat and told us about mad hatters and going crazy off of the glue that they used to make the hats with.

Ellie (Kristen) was able to make a rag doll, and has since ripped it apart! A picture of that would have been a pile of rags with stuffing spilling out of the head...I will spare you the inhumanity of it all.

Go Steelers

2009-09-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Paul and I caught the last 1:27 of the Steelers/Bears game.

It was a nail biter ending and the Steelers lost.

Dallin's teacher is a huge Steelers fan, so on Monday, I instructed him to say, "Da Bears!" to her. He wouldn't, but Paul, who had taken him to school, told on me.

Tuesday, I threw his Tenessee Titans shirt on (his only football shirt) and sent him off to school. As I was waiting for the bus to come, I got a text message from his TA: Dallin looked so cute today, make sure you take a picture of him.

The bus finally came, and down the steps came Dallin, wearing a "different" shirt a la Mrs. B:

I could not stop laughing, which in turn, made Dallin mad.
Then, I made him stand still to take a picture, which made him even more mad!

He likes to get off the bus, crawl onto the couch, wrap up in his "big green blankie" and have chocolate milk and a snack. He would not have me upset his routine!

pillow case, bed sheets, men's shirt

2009-09-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain, go away!

I need to finish spray painting some day!

I am actually loving all the rain that we are getting. It has made everything green again!

But it has put all my painting on hold. My door knobs might just have to wait a while to be finished!

With "the lair" all mine (insert evil laugh), I have found more time to sew Ellie some spring time clothing, just in time for Fall. I plan things well, don't I?

pillow case dress

{rosette tutorial}

bed sheet turned ruffle sleeve top
{Sparkle Power tutorial}

bed sheet turned "fall is coming!" dress

{the sweet dress}

.....and finally, for YOUR viewing pleasure.....I got this sweet shirt at Goodwill to use for refurb purposes, but before I cut it up, Paul wore it to a YW/YM etiquette dinner at church. We were the "bad example" couple and although he was a rude date with horrible table manners, he sure looked H-O-T!

{button shirt to toddler dress}

found

2009-09-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

i found this cleaning out my purse today

this was at my cousins wedding back in april

my purse was really messy

it was gas

2009-09-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a certain someone (who is not me, but will remain anonymous, unless she would like to out her or his own self). When she was younger, she was having (I mean she or he) really bad pain in her stomach. She was lying on the floor in our living room in the fetal position and her parents were about to take her to the ER department for fear that it was her appendix Then, she passed gas and felt much better. (Ironically, a couple years ago, her husband had that same pain and really got his appendix out on Christmas Eve and was in the hospital for five days..it was so sad!...and yes, I got permission to write this and she still loves me).

Fast forward, probably 15 years later and 1700 miles away, and this persons relative of the younger sister kind, was having horrible back pain. She got on google and searched for the ailment according to her symptoms: kidney stones! it read. This was not a horrible surprise, seeing as her sisters number one and two both get the nasty little things. Super, she thought, Paul and Dallin are on a camp out and I am here with kidney stones! Then, she passed gas and felt much better.

The End

Thanks for your concern!

this it what happens....

2009-09-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

when I don't feel good and my back hurts (google says kidney stone, I say bad gas...you asked...no, you really didn't, sorry...but I don't get kidney stones, my sisters do...either way, I hope I feel better in the morning) and Paul is working 2nd shift tonight so I can't tell, I mean ask, him to pick it all up. My kids like to leave me little presents ALL OVER THE FLOOR!
So I plop them in front of their healthy and nutritious macaroni and cheese gourmet dinner and run upstairs to hide for 10 minutes and make this super-duper cheap and cute dish towel dress (2/$2.50 dish towels from Target). Ellie was more than happy to wear and model the "piddy dess" on top of her jammies, all while sporting her very first black eye!

I made a couple mods, like the 3 inch slits on both sides at the bottom, as well as gathering the sides to give it more body.
(As far as sizing goes, Ellie is in 24 month clothes and this is big on her, thus the gathering.)

I have to say, however, that this is my favorite part of the whole thing: the ONE DOLLAR pair of leggings, also from Target. They are a size 6-12 months, but for $1 I risked buying them to see if they would fit...and they do!

They had black and purple as well--go to Target right now!
Target also has their College09 merchandise on sale...plenty of bargains to be had, my frugal friends!

if only i had lamb

2009-09-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

i ♥ gyros

ATTN: Helen--I did it!

2009-09-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

After one year and two months, I FINALLY finished Dallin's blanket.

I am normally a chronic non-finisher of projects, but I was determined to finish this one that I started when my in-laws were last here in July '08. They are now due to visit (WOOT WOOT!) next month, so I had to finish before Helen and Stu and 'lil baby Brady came.

Based on an idea from my friend Sara to cut up old shirts, I got most of the top fabric from my best friend, Goodwill.
This blanket was sometimes a major pain in the b-u-t-t. And my little $60 sewing machine was a trooper quilting this puppy! At one point, I had to cut the whole blanket in half just to continue quilting. It was my first time sewing on bias binding, so that is a little wonky, but I am so pleased with the outcome. Yes, I am a dork and so very proud of it.

The best part: Dallin loves it and that makes me so happy.

I told Paul, though, that if Dallin didn't like it, I would sleep with it!

Our Lair...

2009-09-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

The obligatory disclaimer: This is Paul. Kristen is kind enough to not mind when I post occasionally. In fact, she doesn't even edit or censor me (too much).

Anyway ... In case you haven't noticed our household has come down with a serious case of the crafties. Ok, well, not so much the house as the matriarch. As of late, anything that is not exactly as she likes it gets spray painted. Now that I think about it, I am surprised she hasn't sprayed me yet!

I got home from work around 7 PM the other night. While this isn't horribly uncommon; the fact that Kristen and the kids weren't waiting at the door was. Typically, Dallin and Ellie won't even let me put away my backpack or hang up my keys before wrestling me to the ground with their hugs (I act a little put out by it, but I really look forward to it every single day).

I walked into the house. Put my backpack and keys away and tried to figure out where my family was. I walked upstairs and discovered mass hysteria-- in the form of Dallin and Ellie's rooms being merged.

Our house is a three bedroom and when Ellie was born Dallin moved from the nursery (so to speak) and into our office/library/computer/sewing/scrap booking/Spare Oom. Kristen's old stomping ground had been taken over by a three year old. At the time it really wasn't that big of a deal as we were still busy with Ellie as a newborn and our spare time was still being eaten by our old friend DVR. But in this post-newborn Ellie/DVR world we now live in, Kristen had determined that enough was enough.

By 9:00 PM we had the kid's new, shared room completed and the other room a complete wreck. It took a few more days, but the new office/library/computer/sewing/scrap booking/spare oom (anyone catch the reference?) is now complete.

The door is closed and the kids are not allowed in (although this rule has only loosely been enforced). Kristen and I have a new Lair. Okay, okay. So it is really Kristen's crafty lair, but she may let me in once in a while.

I was just going to window shop, I promise!

2009-09-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. No more new projects. I dropped Dallin off at school this morning and I was going to stop in the thrift store that is down the road...just to look. If they have a big, chunky picture frame, then I would think about it, but only think. BUT THEN............ the sweet little lady at the front desk informed that a grocery bag full of WHATEVER I could fit into it was a DOLLAR. Sorry, Paul, all bets are out the window with that kind of deal!

I got everything on this table for only 5 George Washingtons, my friends! Even those of you who hate seeing the junk I buy can appreciate that, right? A can of spray paint can go a long way on some of these puppies!
30 books!

(and the ugly wood tulip? this one might get tossed....but it never hurts to cover it in metallic silver paint just to see what it would look like.)
A little TLC and this mirror will be perfect for my kitchen. This didn't really fit into a bag, but the nice lady gave it to me for a dollar!

Should I keep these black?

giveaway, oh, giveaway

2009-09-09T04:55:00.000-07:00

CUTE Halloween sign giveaway HERE!!!!

All these adorable crafts have me itching to create something new...but I have to finished my kitchen first! It's never ending if you want to do it "the right way", as Paul says.

Nails pops to fix

Cracks to caulk

Walls to prime

Kids to keep out

hmmmm.....

dutch doors

2009-09-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

{image}

Maybe for my birthday?

;)

Pirates for FHE

2009-09-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Come aboard the FHE pirate ship Duncan as we search for buried treasure.

{click pics to make big}

finish shelf - check

2009-09-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

I found this shelf at Goodwill for $2.50.

It will find a new home in my kitchen.

Speaking of my kitchen...tomorrow, we are off to buy paint that is on sale, with a coupon.
Yeah for deals!

Go get your thrift on!

2009-09-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

Ellie and I might just be taking a walk around the corner to Goodwill today.

Here are two easy-peasy projects:

V and Co.: little girl dress made from women's skirt

320 Sycamore: Chalkboard platters

(this is one of those said projects in the garage. maybe i will finish it today...)

1. "We are going to good Will's house? Where does good Will live?" Dallin would ask.

2. Paul put me on project freeze. I have to finish some before I go get some more. He's not mean, he's just smart and knows me really well!

3. Blogger? Why do you mess up my paragraph spacing 75% of the time?

Another giveaway!

2009-09-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

photo by calico

Calico is having a fun giveaway! Go check it out!

This girl is so fun, eclectic and quirky. Quirky is good. My definition fo quirky is pure awesome.

Now, if other people would stop entering....;)

U is for Upside-down Apple Crisp

2009-09-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

The air is turning cold and fresh. The humidity is no longer a bother! The windows are open and the A/C is off. I know you all are excited!

The best part of fall being around the corner....APPLES!

The original recipe is from my sister-in-law, Heather J., but I decided to half it and make it in individual prep bowls and bake for about 20-30 minutes. I love to eat the crunchy topping last, so it only made sense to turn it upside-down!

Apple Crisp

8 c apples, peeled & sliced
1c sugar
1 Tbl cinnamon
6 Tbl butter, cubed

Mix {apples, sugar, cinnamon} to coat in bowl. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish and top with cubed butter.

2 c flour
2 c oats
2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter

Mix the dry ingredients and 1 cup melted butter to a crumble and top the apples.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Shelf Giveaway!

2009-08-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

photo by Traci

Maybe you have noticed that I am a teensy bit obsessed with home improvement right now. No? Well I am. If it's not about my kitchen or door knobs, its about my landscaping visions (think sitting area in the front and sandbox with a beach theme in the back). Poor Paul is such a trooper with all of my ideas and at least listens to them.

These shelves are absolutely adorable, aren't they? I know they would look perfect somewhere in my house. She also talks about them here. She shows us how to make them AND she is giving one away!

Natural Bridge Landscape

2009-08-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

Humor me, okay? We took a billion and a half pictures. These are the last of them, I promise.

The hike at Natural Bridge is so beautiful at this time of year. It was so humid and misty underneath all the trees, it felt like we were in a magical rain forest full of hidden elves and fairies and gnomes. Everything was covered in vibrant green moss.

Stake Picnic @ Cave Run Lake

2009-08-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

speaking of black doors....

2009-08-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

On the other hand, I really like this!

Spray paint addict

2009-08-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

The "remodel" continues. I have been loving spray paint and my new friend "spray paint gun".

I just finished painting the chandelier in my kitchen.

I can't find a before picture, but it was similar to this. In fact, here is my inspiration (make sure to check out the link she provides to the soccer ball topiary...pure awesome. I will have to do this one, soon!).

I am planning on changing the mini lamp shades, or getting rid of them all together.
Here are the two colors that I am deciding between.
So far, the score is 5 for the darker green and 2 for the lighter green.
(6 of those votes are mine, 1 from my neighbor, and I am not counting Dallin's vote, "Mom, I don't want green, paint my door black!")

While I was taking pictures, I noticed that someone was (watercolor) painting as well!

Caught in the act!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Creole Dipping Sauce

2009-08-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Never mind that I just set fire to the parchment paper in my oven....yummy "smoky" nachos, huge flames, soot flying everywhere. Chalk one on my "kitchen disasters" list!

We had dinner at a friends house on Saturday and they made the yummiest fried green tomatoes.

Fried Green Tomatoes

4 large green tomatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs, salt and pepper onto another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Them dip the tomatoes into the milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs/cornmeal to completely coat.

In a large skillet, pour enough vegetable oil into the pan so that it is 1/2 inch deep and heat over medium heat. Place the tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. The tomatoes should not be crowded or touch each other. Flip the tomatoes when golden brown on one side and fry on the other side. Drain on paper towels.

Creole Dipping Sauce

(this sauce tastes exactly like the dipping sauce that comes with a bloomin' onion)

1 cup mayo

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbl minced capers

1 Tbl minced onion

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp horseradish

1 tsp paprika

4 sprigs parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until use.

"new" door knobs

2009-08-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

inspiration, instructions, and advice: here and here

4 poster!

2009-08-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ellie's new bed!

Paul found this little pretty for $6.50 at Goodwill.

It just needs a fresh coat of paint...and a mattress.

I love it!

homemade microwave popcorn

2009-08-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

My family has a love for eating. They have a love for cooking. They have a love for COOKBOOKS. So naturally, my mom and sister gravitated to my cookbooks that they don't have at home. My sister picked up a fun one to browse and found Alton's (we're on a first name basis) recipe for microwave popcorn. It was delish! Good find, Katie! Homemade Microwave Popcorn

1/3 cup popcorn kernels

2-3 tblsp melted butter

salt

Parmesan cheese (optional)

brown paper lunch sack

2 staples

large mixing bowl

Pour kernels into the paper bag, fold over 1/2 inch, twice and staple. Make sure the staples are 2-3 inches apart. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until popping is 5 seconds apart. Pour into bowl and toss with butter, salt and cheese.

some one's baking in my kitchen

2009-08-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

or BANGING, rather!

BEAD BOARD!!!!!!

I am so excited! I have bead board in my kitchen!

Thanks Paul and Dad!

Now I just have to pick out a paint color for the top....bye bye yellow stripes!

15 bucks

2009-07-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

The library had a used book sale.

$5/grocery bag filled with books.

I got 3.

This picture makes me happy.

art is in the eye of the beholder

2009-07-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Dallin loves projects and art. He loves more, however, to tell me how to create art. We were making flags this time around with a farm theme (D's choice, of course). Here is where we get to see my mad artistic skills:

Paul's critique: Um, honey, it's John Deere, not Dear John (so it should say Dallin Deere).

My rockin' spotted cow.
The red barn and a gigantic chicken.

Here is where my awesome skills exceed expectation:

the pond

the ducklings

and

the frog swimming in the pond

Paul's critique: Is that a bunny in the pond?

oh, and don't forget the lillypads.
Original prints are not for sale.

photos by Dallin

calling all pizza dough

2009-07-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

We want your pizza dough recipes! In an effort to be more frugal, I am trying out pizza dough from scratch instead of using my standby Pillsbury dough in a can. I tried this one yesterday. It was quick and pretty good.

for Kali

2009-07-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

Dallin wanted to add to the paper chain in the form of artwork for cousin Kali.

Cookies

2009-07-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

We got home tonight to cookies on our doorstep. They were squished in a plastic bag. I laughed, picked them up, and ate one. Then Paul asked who they were from. I had no clue. Then I checked my google reader and found this. Oh, Julie! I love you and your hilarious adventures!

Skirt

2009-07-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

If it's full of straight cuts and lines, I know I can make it!

And I can try and stretch myself on the pockets (without the button holes, that is too far beyond my level).

I have been waiting for her to put her tutorial up.

I love it!

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Zucchini Bread

2009-07-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Breanne's latest post gave me a craving for the yummiest zucchini bread. I forgot that this post was in it's draft stage only when I went to look for it. I love this recipe because it calls for sour cream. Baking with sour cream is soooooo delightful!! ;)

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix together all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the flour until well-blended. Coat the chocolate chips in the reserved flour and mix with the rest of the batter (this prevents the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom). Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (the original recipe says 1 hr 15 minutes, but mine was done at 1 hour).

Very cool

2009-07-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Sister,

Wish I was there to borrow it....(not sure Jason would let me touch it, though)

Ambition is a good thing sometimes.

Love,
Sister

Now, I am going to go to bed. A quiet house is sometimes dangerous to my bedtime.

Night at the Drive-In

2009-07-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Third times a charm!

2009-06-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! Zucchini has grown!

It usually grows out of peoples ears, but for some reason, our summer squash plants have always struggled. This year, it's growing like mad and we are so excited. We think it might be because we put our compost pile in between the plants....
Regardless as to why they are growing so well, we enjoyed it for dinner last night and it was YUMMY!

Father's Day Cards

2009-06-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Paul's only request for this Father's day was something homemade from the kids.

We got a little corny with this request, but we sure had fun doing it!

As a substitute for glitter, which is annoying to clean up, we used edible sprinkles.
Rice Crispies do not do well with glue ;)
Dallin's glue and sprinkles portrait of his daddy.

We took pictures of them because Paul loves to save cards like these, but we were afraid that the mice would get to them eventually.

Oreo Cookies --everyone's got it

2009-06-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

I know everyone has this recipe in some version or another. But I would cry if my house burned down and I lost this one. I made this blue icing for all you UK wildcat fans. I made this blue icing for all you Cougar blue fans. I made this blue icing for all you Carolina Blue fans. (Am I repeating myself?)

Homemade Oreos

1 chocolate devils food cake mix

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1/2 butter

Mix and roll into balls, or I use this small scoop (1 tablespoon).

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Buttercream Icing

1/3 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2-3 tablespoons milk

Blend until thick and creamy, adding the milk in small amounts.

Assemble by sandwiching icing in between two cookies.

festival time

2009-06-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

We headed downtown to a festival last weekend.

Here is THE coolest, orange rescue vehicle. And the fried catfish was pretty good, too.
You know how much we like our carni-food.

freeze it. because.

2009-06-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Because I cook for 16 and we're only a family of 4.

Because I don't like eating leftovers 10x in a row.

Because Paul forgets to take leftovers to work.

Because it goes bad in the fridge.

I have started to freeze individual portions.

Because Paul sometimes remembers to take it to work.

Back to the Basics

2009-06-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ignore the ad part and listen to the message.

Sound advice.

It makes me homesick.

Father's Day Gift Idea: For the Golfer

2009-06-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Paul's not a huge golfer. He will go with his brothers on occasion, but only because he loves hanging out with them.

I don't golf, either. Probably because I don't like to do things I am not good at (horrible, actually).

But I found something that makes me want to go out and buy clubs.

Just so I can make these

Golf, any one?

The more I think about it, Paul and I might enjoy a round of golf.

It would be nice and quiet.

Provided our kids were at the babysitters.

the view from the kitchen window

2009-06-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

i wish those houses would get out of the waythere, that's better
the world that has been created for us is amazing

first fruits

2009-06-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

Our pea plants are looking so good! As well as our radishes.
Paul was so excited, he pulled one out and grabbed the camera.

And took pictures at every possible angle (don't we all do that nowadays?)

He washed it and cut it up all pretty-like.

Took more pictures.

And shared one half with me.

Crunchy, fresh, and spicy.

Radishes are quite nice.

sushi

2009-05-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

spicy california rolls too uncoordinated for chopsticks

fork just wouldn't work

fingers got the job done

renee, you would have been embarrassed

garage sale

2009-05-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

If your garage is packed full and you try to clean it out on a Saturday afternoon, people will think that you are having a garage sale. They will drive up and stop. They will ask if the motorcycle is for sale (we are motorsitting for a friend). They will stop, converse to others in their car about your junk, and then drive off. It doesn't help if you have a helium balloon tied to your car, attracting attention. It also doesn't help if you just bought a dresser and a twin bed at another sale this morning. Both of which you put on your lawn until you clean out some space in your garage. Time to clean everything up so people stop looking!

Bring it on, Summer.

2009-05-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

We are welcoming summer time in a couple days early with

frozen yogurt popsicles

and skinned knees and elbows.

Three ingredients and you put jam on it.

2009-05-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Dinner roll? Biscuit? Whatever you want to call these, it only calls for 3 ingredients, and you put jam on them.

Here's the scoop:

I was trying to find a no-yeast recipe for bread this afternoon. I was given a KitchenAid Standmixer for Mothers Day by my oh-so-very hunky and smart husband (and children), and I wanted to inaugurate it with some bread! The only problem was that I had no yeast, and it being Sunday, I couldn't go to the store.

It turns out that I had yeast in the freezer, so I made a quick-start-keep-the-dough-in-the-fridge-for-2-to-12-hours recipe that came in the instruction manual. Maybe once in a while I should read a recipe the whole way through.

It's in the oven as we speak and if this works out, I can hopefully build up some confidence and start trying all the great recipes that you all sent us with our plea for a great wheat bread recipe.

Back to my search for no yeast bread. I found this recipe for dinner rolls. It sounds a bit weird, but Paul made them for dinner and they turned out pretty good! It uses self-rising flour, so I am not sure how they will turn out with out that kind.

Here's the recipe that we made, doubled, with a couple modifications (SUPER EASY!):

Miss Betty's Super Quick Dinner Rolls

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons mayonnaise

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If you are not using a nonstick muffin pan, grease 10 cups of a regular muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, milk, and mayonnaise. Spoon into the 10 prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until nicely puffed and browned.

We decided that these can be made into "Red Lobster" biscuits if you add some shredded cheddar cheese, garlic salt and parsley to the mix.

Click Clack Moo!

2009-05-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Doreen Cronin, author of books like "Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type" and "Diary of a Worm", came to our library today.

I hauled the kids (one big boy who wouldn't get off my lap and one little girl who wouldn't stay on my lap, or anywhere near) to meet her. I could not find our books at home for her to sign! Dallin makes sure that we have books scattered all over the house so it makes it nearly impossible to find anything when we need it.

She read CLICK, CLACK, MOO and answered the kids questions and signed books.

She was wonderful.

Good times.

Square foot gardening

2009-05-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Let me remind you of our garden woes last year.

This year, we decided to try something different.

Paul's dad, who is always ahead of his time, has been doing sqaure foot gardening for years now and always has success.

We went here and here and checked out Mel's book at the library.

We have a box below our deck.

(2 feet by 11 feet)

On top of our deck.

(6 inches by 2 feet)

We mapped out every square on grid paper and we label and date everything.

My mom sent me pretty gardening gloves so that my dainty little hands don't get too dirty.

Then the wise man build his gardens in some beds.....

(4 feet by 8 feet each)

and the rains came tumbling down!

The rains came down and the floods came up

and the gardens in the beds stood still!
THANK GOODNESS!

Hopefully, this year will pay off and we will get some good produce!

dear ikea

2009-05-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

i would like to come see you

maybe next saturday, paul will surprise me by putting us all in the car and driving there

i know you are two hours away, but i think i need you

love

kristen

strawberry ice cream and a movie

2009-05-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

How to Make a Move

2009-05-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Ellie and cousin Jake

click to make bigger

if I had to pick a favorite, which is hard to do, it would be the bottom left Poor Ellie, shafted.

Again and again.

She is determined, however!

Argyle

2009-04-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Dallin: "What's that?"

Uncle Mikey: "It's an argyle sweater"

Dallin: "It's your gyle?"

Uncle Mikey: "No, ARgyle. A bunch of diamond shaped patterns."

Dallin: "My gyle sweater at home."

strawberries

2009-04-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

dear strawberries,

you are yummy.

i like to eat you.

i like to cover you in chocolate.

i like to pour sugar all over you.

i like to put you on bread.

i like you indeed.

i really like it when you go on sale because you feel lonely and threaten to grow mold.

i like to make jam with you.

love, me

p.s. making jam with a 3 year old boy requires a lot of patience and a lot more clean up.

vinaigrette

2009-04-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hard word to spell, isn't it? Thank goodness for spell check!

Paul is not a fan. I, on the other hand, am a ceiling fan.

Lame joke, please feel free to roll your eyes.

In the last month, I have been fortunate enough to receive 2 great recipes for vinaigrettes.

One from scratch, the other from a mix.

Both delicious!

First-- Balsamic Vinaigrette (I had this amazing salad dressing on an amazing salad at our Relief Society B-day party last month.)
Buy an Italian Dressing packet at the store and follow all of the directions exactly, except substitute Balsamic vinegar for your regular vinegar. Delish!

Second-- Honey Mustard Dressing (A long two years ago, I had lunch with friends. Renee served this super salad. Then Renee moved and I thought I had lost this salad forever. I am so glad I have the recipe now! Thanks! Maybe she will post her lasagna recipe...;))

Here is the whole salad recipe, thank me (and Renee) later:

Renee's Salad is a Meal:

1 bag mixed salad greens
crumbled blue cheese or feta
2 handfuls of craisins (Ocean Spray is the best)
3-4 chopped green onions
sweet and spicy walnuts
honey mustard dressing

-Layer and enjoy.

Sugared walnuts:

-Make a simple syrup (water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat) and add a pinch of dried red pepper. Stir in walnuts and stir until the liquid is gone and the walnuts are coated with white sugar. Then put them on a cookie sheet and bake for just a few minutes at 350. Cool.

Honey Mustard Dressing:

1/2 C apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP of coarse ground Dijon mustard
5 TBSP of honey
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1 green onion minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 C extra virgin olive oil

-Shake it up really well or put it in a food processor. Chill and pour over your salad. This is really good served with crispy chicken strips too! I hope you all try it and like it.

Old and Responsible

2009-04-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished writing my very first letter of recommendation.

It was easy to write, seeing as the person who I was writing it for is pretty darn cool in my book.

(I did look up a template. It was my first, after all.)

It made me feel old and responsible.

It made me feel like I should start acting my actual age.

Appreciation

2009-04-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

We try hard to teach our kids at an early age to appreciate the finer things in life.

Rendezvous

2009-04-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Today I got a babysitter
I went to a secret lunch
With my not-so-secret lover
To a sort-of-secret place

It was adventurous
And romantic
Just because no one knew
But the two of us

fat/sugar free double chocolate mint brownies

2009-04-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Edit: Okay---lame April Fool's Joke--I struggle sometimes!

I am not sure that a brownie of this caliber exists in a fat free/sugar free form! I would really like to share with you my recipe for fat/sugar free double chocolate mint brownies

...BUT...

It's a top secret formula that I just can't bare to leak.

Tigger and Pooh

2009-03-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

Spring Break: Day 1 Dress ups, rip art and lots of play dough.

Salsa--oh soo good!

2009-03-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

This (canned tomato!) salsa recipe will hold you off until the garden tomatoes are ready, I guarantee it!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2009-03-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

We love Eric Carle books!

Happy Birthday Caterpillar!

St. Patty's Day is...

2009-03-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

a great excuse to wear a LOT of green

my favorite color

Green eggs

2009-03-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

How fun are these? Just in time for St. Patty's Day!

um...okay?

2009-03-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

There are times in my life when an "um...okay?" is in order.

Like today, when I was talking to my diagonal back yard neighbor and my next store neighbor (NSN) at the same time. It turns out they are kin (kentucky vocabulary for related). Then, NSN's mom shows up. NSN immediately throws her cigarette behind her and mutters, "I'm not smoking."

As the catching up between kin continues, NSN notices that she has slowly wondered upon her stray, still-smoking butt. She picks it up with a look of disgust on her face and throws it past the nearby property stake onto our lawn. While this is happening, I look at her mom, she looks at me, and NSN avoids all of our looks. (this all happened in slow motion, by the way). And the conversation resumes.

This is when I think to myself, "Um...okay?"

Submarines

2009-03-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

Paul says THE funniest things when he is half asleep. Last night, at 1 AM, we got up to go to the bathroom. While there, he asked me,

"So, do we have enough lint to build the submarine?"

Outside-In

2009-03-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

Desperate for some warmth we had a picnic in the family room the other day.

Then, continuing on with the "outside-in" theme as I am in the kitchen cleaning up, I hear something (a lot of things) crashing to the floor as Dallin shouts, "Snowing, Mom! Snowing!"
I walk in to find Dallin making a SNOW ANGEL (devil) on top of the "snow".

pizza! pizza!

2009-02-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

We make pizza a lot 'round these here parts.

It's easy, fun, versatile, and quick.

Today, we had pizza TWICE.

Breakfast:

cheese, eggs, ham, ketchup

Dinner:

his side-chicken thia

her side-caramelized onions, goat cheese
(we fed the kids mac&cheese, they wouldn't touch this one)

Apricot jam!!

2009-02-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

My mailbox was a treasure chest yesterday!

Inside was a box that contained this:

and this:
Thanks Kodi!!!!!

(you are my favorite)

Now, let's see if this one works:

Dear everybody,

I love you so.

Please send money.

Love,

Kristen

Healthy-er-ish Carrot Cake

2009-02-27T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here's an easy, healthier way to make a cake mix carrot cake.

(I got a variation of this recipe from my friend, Teresa.)1- box carrot cake mix

1- 14 oz can pumpkin

3/4 cup water

Mix ingredients and bake according to package directions.
It makes a dense and moist cake.

color

2009-02-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Color combinations are amazing to me.

Here is light/bright blue primer on red.Mystery paint color on light/bright blue primer (this one made me nervous).Mystery paint color on white.

That's right. We painted our bedroom mystery color.

2 gallons of miss-tints @ 5 bucks each -- it was too good to pass up

In the bucket it looked grey, on white it looked light blue, on light/bright primer it looked green.
Whatever color it is, we like it.

Light seafoam blue green?
It is quite relaxing (and Dallin still thinks that it is dangerous, which means that he is still out of our bed).

ASAP

2009-02-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Momma B,

Send more apricot jam.

STAT

Love, Kristen

XOXO

2009-02-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Last year we did this. This year, we going big, and romantic. We are painting our bedroom...still. Quite romantic, huh? Happy Valentine's day!

I could kiss the mailman.

2009-02-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

He's been quite popular at our house this week.

On Tuesday, the Mr. Mailman brought a Valentines package from G&G Duncan with a bag of Snickers--which were gone in no time at all (I had no self-control--that was the first time I cheated).

Then, today, I got a most wonderful surprise: A box FULL of chocolate (m-m-m's as Dallin likes to call them) from Aleisha all the way in Italy. I LOVE you, girl. You know how to make me smile!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

We will try to ration it, but I make no promises. We all know I don't keep them anyway!

bloggled

2009-02-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Back up your blog at BLOGGLED.

If you are like me and talk about making your blog into a book and haven't done it yet, you don't have to worry about things getting lost.

Genius!

Shake up your pancakes!

2009-02-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

We like to eat dessert for breakfast. Lemon meringue pie, s'mores, and upside-down pineapple cake...pancakes. So far, everything has worked out to taste pretty yummy.

Here is the basic pancake recipe that I use.

Ingredients:
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 egg, slightly beaten
· 1 1/2 cups milk
· 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
· Flax seed (optional)
Preparation:
Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. (This is where I like to add the flax seed bran. It adds Omega 3’s without the fishy taste.) In a separate bowl (who uses a separate bowl? More dishes to wash, yuck!), combine egg, milk and oil; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Recipe for pancakes serves 4.

Lemon Syrup
For “Lemon Meringue Pie” pancakes, garnish pancakes with whipped cream in a can.

2/3 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1 ½ cup sugar

Boil for 5 minutes.

Brown sugar syrup
For “Pineapple Upside-down” Pancakes, garnish pancakes with pineapples and maraschino cherries.

½ cup water
1 cup brown sugar

Boil for 5 minutes.

****For thicker syrup, whisk in 1 tablespoon corn starch when the syrup starts boiling.****

S'more Pancakes: Chocolate chips and marshmallows. When putting the marshmallows in the pancakes, they melted, leaving fun little holes to pour the syrup into. And, of course, top it off with graham cracker crumbs and spray whipped cream.

Steelers Ribs (Cowboy ribs)

2009-02-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

My STEELErs won.

Funny, right? I am trying to work on my humor.

At the beginning of the Superbowl game today, Paul asked me who I was rooting for.

Isnt' it obvious?

(for 20 years, 8 months, 2 weeks, and 1 day I was known as Kristen Steele)

Truth be told, we hadn't watched a single football game in our home this season until today.

Now, onto the food portion. I wanted lots of it:

ribs

shrimp

wings

jalepeno poppers

spinach artichoke dip

veggies and dip

the works!

We were eating alone. Ellie was sick and Dallin is picky.

I didn't want to spend all day cooking a feast for 2.

In comes the "small portions" freezer section at the grocer.

Everything except the ribs.

(I accidently threw the recipe that I used away. A quick google search led me to this recipe. I have changed it up a bit, trying to remember what I did. This is SUPER easy.)

Spicy Western-Style Danish Baby Back Ribs

2 whole slabs danish baby back ribs

1 cup water

1/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup dry mustard

1/4 cup chili powder

1/2-1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place ribs on shallow baking pans; cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile combine water, butter, lemon juice, dry mustard, chili powder, brown sugar, paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Remove ribs from the oven and slather the bottom of the ribs with sauce, broil 5-7 inches away from heating element for about 5 minutes (I had mine on low, got impatient, turned it on high, smelled it burning, turned it back to low). Turn over and cover top of ribs with sauce and repeat broiling. Serve ribs with additional sauce of desired.

This recipe would cover 3 or 4 small slabs.

**I thought that the sauce tasted funny in the pan, but the finished product turned out quite tasty.

Paul's photos

2009-01-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

Tree

2009-01-30T20:04:00.000-08:00

"The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do."

~Orison Swett Marden~

Paul rushed in the door this evening from his carpool ride and ordered us to all get in the car to go for a drive. You all know Paul's ordering: "Would it be okay if we put off dinner for 10 minutes, get the kids in the car, and go for a quick drive? But we have to go right now, you have to see these trees!" All nice and polite.

Where did this perfect man come from? Heaven. That's right. He cooked dinner the last two nights. The mom of the house has been a little cranky couped up and went on a little strike. I won't name names though. I have to protect the accused. (Is that enough bragging about you, Paul?) Back to the story. I get so distracted lately.

Ellie and I in our jammies, Dallin in his shoes and no socks. We grab the camera, pile in the car and start down the road. We have not gone a hundred yards when the car sounded funny. Is there ice stuck to the bottom? The home improvement store is right around the corner so we pull into the parking lot and Paul gets out to inspect.

Flat tire.
Completely flat.
So close to home, yet so far away.
Remember: jammies, no socks, freezing cold outside.

Superman, I mean Paul, runs into Lowes and buys a can of fix-a-flat.

With all the excitement, we missed the whole purpose of the drive: the sun shining on the ice covered trees. Paul said the whole drive home from work was amazing with the sun sparkling on the frozen landscape. Maybe tomorrow the sun will be out and we can see some of Mother Nature's beauty in this frigid climate.

In the meantime, enjoy the one picture of the one tree. I wish you were here to see it all in person. Ice can be quite dangerous, but oh, so beautiful.

No time for sewing

2009-01-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

My sewing machine is feeling a bit lonely. I spent so much time with Gladys (gotta name her, right?) before Christmas and I haven't seen her since.

School has been closed all week long.

Fingers itching.

Itching for something to create.

It's been too long.

Thank goodness for people who blog about what they crochet. Crocheting is perfect for a mom with two kids who love to be their mom's shadow and love to cut with scissors and love to pull cords and love to keep their mom away from dear old Gladys. Hat pattern

(with a few of my own alterations)
Heart Garland pattern
(again, a little change over here)