Smonday anyone?

If you just put an "S" before lots of words they automatically sound better...try it.


Well, it worked for Undae...

Just trying to stay warm...

Isn't he adorable?

Well, I guess his eyes being open just a bit is a little creepy, but otherwise, seriously, isn't he adorable? I put his sweater on him and covered him back up with a lovely cashmere blanky, only the best for my sweetie! And he finally got warm enough to go back to sleep, you know, sleep...that thing he does for 20 out of roughly every 24 hours?

My new favorite quote...

Second star to the right and straight on until morning. -Star Trek VI

Anyone else care to comment on their favorite quote?

Big plans for the weekend!

                                 Showering is no laughing matter!


I think the artist of this piece is Rob Scotton...can't be really sure because I have had it on my computer forever and my powers to make myself small enough to read super tiny print are on the blink...so are my magnifying powers...sorry!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

We had a little guest last weekend!

My nephew stayed over last weekend and he was so cute I had to snap a few pictures...Check him out!
This first picture is what he does when you tell him to smile...

Looks almost painful, right? But it is so cute in reality! He did this every time I told him to smile. I just have to wonder what his parents are teaching him! : )
Next is a picture of what he can do to my nice clean living room in just under 10 seconds flat.

But at least my brother has taught him to pick up after himself and so this picture is after he has even picked up several things already. I'm not sure what Weenie Dawg is contributing to the effort, though. I think he is getting a head start on deleavening by looking for the cookies my nephew stashes around my house...including the Coco Puffs he puts in toy cars. They are like little round dark people, not saying they are fat-just round from every angle!

Ready for the work week?

                         He also has a mean game face...
I think he is ready for rush hour traffic, a coffee shortage and the B-52's Love Shack song all before 8 am and all at the same time. Be brave my dear Fluffy's. Be brave! Go forth and conquer this world.

Weekend Plans?

Not much going on here this weekend...

But this isn't out of the ordinary at all. Nope. Not. At. All.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, getting rested up and prepared for another work week, or as I like to call it, Winter Break.Schools out, schools out, teachers let the fools out...

Neither of these pieces are original artwork from me or altered by me, and I can't even give the artists cred because I can't remember their names. I hope that wasn't a passive aggressive post teenage angst kind of comment...I see you shaking your head. You love me, right? Well, hope you smiled, at least... : )

What are you looking at?

Well, with my classes wrapped up for this last semester you would think I would be posting like crazy. I mean, I have the time now, right? Hmmm...I always find stuff to fill my days up though so it seems like I have to make time for things I really want to do, otherwise they just won't get done. I think I read something the other day that said I put the "pro" in procrastinating. If it can't be put off until tomorrow then it probably won't get done today either. Any thoughts? What do you have to make time for? And what do you push off until the last possible moment? If you are reading this I really do want to know what you think...have you seen my visitor count? You are so rare and few, my precious visitors! Seriously, confess. Leave as anonymous if you need to. I'll still know who you are. Maybe. I mean, I didn't know my own sister wanted to take a pottery class! Surprise me...

                                                  Bonus points if you make me laugh!

Monday?

I just checked and it seems I don't blog much on Mondays. I can't imagine why not. I do get out of bed on Mondays. I do turn the computer on. I even cook on Mondays. So, why not blog, too? But it has got me thinking...what do I do with the first day of the business week? What do you do? Do your Mondays go better than this?

Of course, it's not the mule that overloaded the cart, huh? Well, hope you have a good week and don't overload your brain or your mouth! (You know, keep your foot out of it?)

Housecleaning Tip #173

My kinda math...

Just wondering...

( I Created this by cropping a vintage image and adding the words on paint.)

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

Here is a sample of a little treat I baked up for a dear friend of mine, her friendship is one of the things I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving, and however many guests she ends up with...

And one more picture with a little brighter light, I think...Can you tell they are turkey shaped???   :)

Anyways, most of them have a pumpkin filling, some of them have a pumpkin and butter rum cream swirl filling and one of them has an apple butter rum cream swirl filling. I am thinking it would be fun to offer a surprise for the person who gets that one, that way they get two surprises in one!

I got this idea from looking around Bakerella's site...she got the idea to make pie pops from Luxirare...and so the fruits of one woman's labors are spread afar! I didn't do pops because mine are pretty good sized and slid right off the sticks! But, I can't wait to try making some cake pops next. If anyone reading this has made them let us know and throw in any tips you can think of, as well. A lovely sister of mine helped me with the filling when she was over this past weekend. She made the pumpkin swirl cheesecake tart recipe that I have posted on here somewhere. It was just as good as it sounds and looks really cool so make sure you check it out. It is easier to make than it sounds. But we had almost enough filling for two pie shells so I saved it and added some extra stuff to it and wah-la! Pie pop filling. Can I still call them pie pops since I left the sticks out? Hmmm...

Hope everyone has a very blessed Thanksgiving and has much to give thanks for!

Parade of Paper...Now Open!

Announcing it here: Parade of Paper is now open! I have finally opened an Etsy shop to showcase my handcrafted and personalized cards and paper embellishments. Check me out!

Owl Fun

Messing around in my craft room and came up with these things...what do you think?

Do you get it? "Owl" be right back...! Corny, right? But kinda cute, maybe? I would like to attach some kind of ribbon or something to the top of it so it could be hung on a door knob or something. So it would make a good gift for someone who has a cubicle or office, see?

A couple of fun bookmarks...can you read the second one? It says, This book is a hoot!
They are really simple and done on recycled card stock bookmark paper and, unlike my craft room, these look better in person...I really have to practice more with my lighting and settings!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Tart

My sister, who hates pumpkin pie [ I know! How un-American, right? ;) ] and cheesecake, sent me this recipe because she had this dessert the other night and said it is amazing. But Deb inspired me to share a recipe and I just wanted to pass this one on for anyone who wants to like pumpkin or cheesecake but hasn't figured out how to yet...
 

INGREDIENTS
1 9" PASTRY CRUST
3/4 CUP SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK, DIVIDED
1 8OZ BLOCK CREAM CHEESE, SOFTENED
4 OZ BLOCK-STYLE 1/3-LESS-FAT CREAM CHEESE (NEUFCHATEL), SOFTENED
1 T VANILLA EXTRACT
1/4 t. SALT
2 LARGE EGGS, DIVIDED
1 LARGE EGG WHITE
2/3 CUP CANNED UNSWEETENED PUMPKIN
1/2 t. GROUND CINNAMON
1/4 t. GROUND GINGER
1/4 t. GROUND ALLSPICE
 

METHOD
PREPARE AND BAKE THE PASTRY CRUST IN A 9"INCH ROUND REMOVABLE-BOTTOM TART PAN. COOL CRUST COMPLETELY ON A WIRE RACK.
PREHEAT OVEN TO 300 F. COMBINE 1/2 CUP CONDENSED MILK AND THE CREAM CHEESES IN A MEDIUM BOWL; BEAT AT MEDIUM MIXER SPEED UNTIL SMOOTH. ADD VANILLA, SALT, 1 EGG, THE EGG WHITE, BEAT UNTIL COMBINED. SPOON 1/2 CUP CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE INTO A SMALL BOWL; ADD 1/4 CUP CONDENSED MILK, 1 EGG, PUMPKIN, CINNAMON, GINGER, AND ALLSPICE, STIRRING WELL WITH A WHISK.
POUR REMAINING CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE INTO PREPARED CRUST. POUR PUMPKIN MIXTURE OVER CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE; SWIRL TOGETHER USING A KNIFE (MARBLE). BAKE 300 F FOR 50 MINUTES. TURN OVEN OFF; COOL TART IN CLOSED OVEN 45 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM OVEN; COOL COMPLETELY ON A WIRE RACK. COVER; CHILL.

The person who sent the recipe, to my sister, mentions that she does not have a tart pan and so has used a regular 9" pie pan or dish and that has worked well also. I haven't made it yet myself but since I love pumpkin pie and cheesecake, unlike my dear sister, I am sure it will be wonderful and I will take a picture and add it in whenever I get it made. Enjoy!

Where are the gifts?

My original idea for this blog was to put up store sale info and other freebies or tips that I found as a sort of offering or gift for anyone who happened upon this blog. It hasn't quite worked out like that but maybe some of my pictures or meanderings of mind will inspire or motivate or encourage someone and that is like a gift, yes? I will keep trying to find tips or freebies, though, and hopefully have some of them to post in the future...if you have anything you would like to offer the world in general leave it as a comment and maybe, just maybe, the seeker shall find it.

Crafting Cave?

Well, this is as neat as it probably ever will get! This is my craft room and while it's not huge, 7'x11', it is still a wonderful space that I love and am very thankful for...I didn't have any space like this in my last home so I really do appreciate it. Just wanted to share some photos of it so my dear friends can see where the "magic" happens...also this is where I go when they call and I need some privacy...it's the physical version of a "chat" room, huh? ;)

I do my sewing projects on the right side of the room and my paper projects on the left side of the room. Yes, the walls are 3 different colors, with the middle color blended into the top and bottom color...I should get some close-ups of that because a dear lady helped me with that and we really loved how it turned out. Anyways, I have nice window I can hardly see out of because my paper organizer is parked in front of it, but I just peek around it and I can see who's coming or going up and down my street and what the kids are doing in the front yard.

This is a closer view of the sewing side as seen from the paper side. I scoot the machine to the edge of the table top, turn my ipod up and put the pedal to the metal...just kidding, but only on that last part! As you can see I have lots of material to work with, pun intended, stacked all the way to the ceiling, in fact. My beads and jewelry stuff is on the top of that little white cabinet near the right edge of the picture and then, over by the doorway(which you can't see but there isn't a door there anyways) there is more material, a huge bolt of some really great stuff I got mega cheap at a home redo store, with flowers thrown in where they fit because I also make some flower arrangements for some events and if I stick them in boxes I forget I have them! Here is another angle of the sewing side as seen from the entrance to the room...

Next come some shots of the paper side...

 Here is a closer view of the paper side of the room, though I have more material under the desk in the big 3 drawer bin you can see and the green topped bin is sitting on another 3 drawer organizer, with more material! in it and that rolls around, so I can get into the storage closet behind it. I tried to take a real close-up of the paper area so lets see if I can upload it...

I still need to paint the cabinet support but I don't mind the raw wood for now. It kinda brings an "organic" element into the space, huh? ;)
I'll close with a taller(?) view from the room entrance...

This way you can see more of my super pretty cherry floor. I rarely get to see this much of it, myself! If you love it leave a comment! Well, I guess you can leave one even if you don't love it...

A day in the life of Weenie Dawg

At the crack of dawn, also know as noonish...

Well, he still hasn't rolled out of bed yet but he's close...at least he has me out of bed by this time!

 First things first, here he waits patiently to be let out the backdoor so he can, uh hmm, attend to business.
What's next? More excitement, of course...

 He has to make sure his favorite food is still being stocked locally. Not that he can access it, but he likes to look anyways! I feel the same way about pizza at midnight. All that activity wears a dog out, you know...

 So it's time for a nap. But with an owner like me you can guess what's coming next...

A rude awakening! He doesn't mind much, though, and has lots more napping spots. He naps his way through the day and when it's evening time he keeps an eye on things from his window bed. Spoiled? I know.

He can see all the comings and goings of our neighborhood from this window. He keeps a real close eye on things until it's time for us both to go to bed, again.

Fall Fun?

Fall is one of my favorite seasons because of the cooler nights and leaves all over the ground. After a few weeks the leaves get real old, though, and I like to rake them for about 30 minutes and then I am done. My enthusiasm wanes quickly when serious labor is involved and margarita's are not...so I had a flash of genius this morning that mostly involved me not doing all the raking but the yard still getting raked. Want to know? I watch a young cousin and she was over today, so I suggested she and my son might have a lot of fun jumping in a pile of leaves...which they thought would be a blast! A few hours later, one giant pile of leaves and one nicely raked yard yielded these pictures...

They unknowingly scored some serious brownie points with the neighbors, too. I told them the neighbors probably wouldn't mind if they took some of their leaves, laying in their yards, for our pile and sure enough, the neighbors said take all the leaves you want! So at least four of our neighbors got rid of some of their leaves...30,000 down, 150,000 left!

Bathroom Before and After

So we moved several months ago and here are some photos of what my master, I mean mistress, bathing chamber looked like before I got my pink coated paintbrush on it...





It received a feminine makeover of sorts and now it feels much more me...


Now I have added some feminine touches...and I really love it. It is not perfection yet, but I am happy with how it is turning out. I didn't take these pictures with the notion of posting them online, so they aren't show quality, but a dear friend of mine wanted to see them so I put them up anyways. I should take some new ones, and I probably will, after I clean the bathtub surround off a little more and hang the mirror up that is sitting on that surround, see it over there? The doors open up and it's pretty cool. Anyways, let me know what you think of the project so far....

Kids Can Clean Up Too!

If you have wood or linoleum floors your children can help you keep them dust-free. Want to know how? Well, this isn't a new tip and I guess it isn't really just for kids, either, but put on some clean socks and spritz the bottom of them lightly with whatever you use to clean your floor and then cut loose, you know play some loud music and scoot your booty over every square inch of your dusty floor and before you know it, no more dust! You won't get a good glide on if you spray too much cleaner on your socks, so go easy. You may find it works better to spritz the floor and then slide through it on your way to drier spots. It may go without saying, but I will assume you aren't using something toxic that will eat away your flesh if it soaks through your socks before you finish having fun! There are safe effective cleaners out there, so use them to make sure this stays fun and doesn't earn you a quick trip to the E.R. The point is, it can be fun and something children can help you do. It helps them become more responsible and contribute to taking care of their home, which are both skills they will need for life! Also, you probably want to use some really old socks or gray ones or ones that can be bleached or ones you were about to pitch in the garbage anyways, but you probably already thought of that, now didn't you? :)

Angelic; probably best description...

Angelic is probably the best description I can give for how beautiful a young lady by the name of Jackie Evancho sounds. You can see her clips from Americas Got Talent on YouTube by clicking on her name. There are lots more clips of her on there. I am not related to her, nor do I know her personally, but I can't get over how beautiful her voice is so I am sharing it here, too. Please check her out, if you haven't already heard of her or seen any of her performances. You will be amazed! And stunned.

Creative Organizing Alert!

Just found this super fabulous idea and wanted to give it a plug...and a special place so I will know where to find it! I think it could easily be used with any sort of craft supplies that you have...check it out. People who make mega-fun stuff, like the stuff you can find at fluttering flowers, could probably use this idea to keep track of their supplies in a creative and beautiful way, if they need such a tool...I personally can't wait to get started on this project. I will try to take some pictures if anything turns out photo worthy. ;)

Activity Cue?

Ever sat at your computer for hours without even realizing it, until you tried to move and couldn't? I have tried to find some sort of alarm system or thingy I could put on my computer to chime on the hour to keep me aware of the time and that I needed to move something other than my hands and fingers every once in awhile. I could never find anything until last night! I found a site with links to free software. Software that you can download and install and it does magical things. Not really, but it will chime an alarm when you have been typing or browsing for a consecutive 40 minutes. Then it will count down a 5 minute break for you. I have been wanting to get more active, so when the 5 minute timer starts I work out like crazy. And since it is only for 5 minutes I am encouraged, as I watch the timer, that the insanity is almost over, almost over, almost over...yeah! It's over. And I can go back to playing games on Big Fish Games. It's hard work but someone has to do it! :) I will post a link here, right here, when I find it again. Okay, it's there now. These programs are called RSI Prevention Software so you can google it yourself if none of the links on the link I provided look good to you. I downloaded the Break Reminder one myself. It said something about it being a trial version but I think that is only talking about if you are a commercial user, which I am not. But I am really loving it and highly recommending it! Update: it really was only a trial! Here is another link to a program called Workrave and it is not a trial version. If you want to adjust the timers right click on the window once it has downloaded and is running. Then you will get a menu and can make the adjustments you need to. I think Workrave may also be on the first link I provided but anyways I just wanted to let you all know programs like this are out there and they can help you get more active, which really is a good thing...really.

Easy Menu Planning

Step One: Make a list of all the Main Dishes or Meats you and your family like. This is the funnest step and a great place to involve the whole family. If you already have side dishes you like with certain main dishes list them together here. You can also list special requests or desserts and whatnot here.

Step Two: Next you can download this sample menu form if you have Microsoft Word 2007, as soon as I figure out how to enable that function. Save it on your computer and then you can make adjustments and changes. You can't make changes to a read-only form so that's why you have to save it on your computer. Until then you can make your own form by opening a new blank document and creating an 8x4 or 5 or 6 or 7 table, depending on how many snacks you want to plan for in a day:
0 snacks=8x4 table
1 snack = 8x5 table
2 snacks=8x6 table
3 snacks=8x7 table
More than 3 snacks combined with 3 smallish meals is not recommended, for your budget or your blood sugar!
The 8 spaces in the top row will be the labels for all the columns below them. So the first space would be labeled MEAL, because under it you will be listing the meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus any snacks. The next 7 spaces are for, you guessed it, the days of the week.

Step Three: Take your list from step one and fill in the squares. First put a main dish then add in sides as desired. I like to make sure I have a few veggies and maybe a fruit or bread with each meal. If you make your meal plans like that you will end up with very balanced meals.

Step Four: Create an additional table or simply type in the foods needed for the menu. You can organize this list however you would like or need. Here is where I note foods that are on sale and where. I also add pantry items I like to keep on hand, if I am running low on them. For example, I like to keep nice cheeses and crackers on hand, in case company stops by. You may have other things like that and here is a good place to list them so you don't run out and can make sure you get them at the store while doing your other shopping.

You can make this menu as detailed or general as you like. I like to plan my meals with the future in mind. For example, I planned a turkey breast roast for Tuesday night and then I planned to use the leftovers to make a turkey salad, which is just like chicken salad, for lunch on Thursday. I didn't plan for us to eat the leftovers the very next day because that seemed a little repetitive. You can also plan your menu based on weekly sales and save some "dough". For example, our local grocery store had a super deal on ground beef so I stocked up and, to keep the freezer from being overrun with beef, I will use beef more than normal in this weeks menu. You can plan farther ahead than one week, though, and that will probably help with making your menus economically friendly. You will know, from the grocery list at the bottom of the menu, what you need ahead of time. So, if it goes on sale you can pick it up, knowing it won't go to waste and will be used soon.

Forgetful Readers Tip!

Ever start reading a really great, super helpful, book and come across a line or tip that you wish you could remember? Next time be ready by using a blank or ruled 3x5 index card as your bookmark, so when you come across that little thing you love jot it down. When you have finished the book you will have the most important things from it on a handy and organizable index card!

Super Cute Stuff

I have a dear friend who makes the coolest and cutest stuff with polymer clay. I don't know what YOU can do with all of it but I love just looking at it so I ordered a few pieces just to sit on my desk and give me some eye joy! Check out her stuff. If you love it as much as I do let her know!

Text Books on the Beggars Budget

Did you know that the average student will spend over $500 per term buying textbooks? Seems like an awful lot of money to buy textbooks that often get opened one time, right? With Chegg.com you will save hundreds! Maybe thousands, over the life of your college career...

So stop wasting your money and start renting from Chegg.com. I’m on the bandwagon and I’ve saved enough to buy all my term papers! Not really, but I have saved some serious cash by Chegging my books. I have a promo code that will save you an additional 5% off your total order, use. It is promo code CC127789. Use it now!

Want proof?

Essential Biology by Campbell, Reece & Simon is $83.18 if you buy it on Amazon.com. If you rent it on Chegg.com, it’s only $11.78. That’s a savings of over $71!

It’s so simple, just search for the books you need and place your order. Chegg will ship them to you fast and at the end of the term you ship them back for free. It is very simple and easy to do. And you won't have to stand in a line at the bookstore trying to get back $20 for a $300 book!

Cool bonus for you and our earth? They plant a tree for every order and you get to choose where it is planted.

Don’t forget to visit Chegg.com and use promo code CC127789 at checkout.

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