Seek And Ye Shall Find

My husband found me 10 years ago; since then he seems to loose everything. Aside from loosing his mind every once in a while, the thing he lost that stands out the most to me is his wallet a few years ago. Keep in mind he "misplaces" it often and it is always were he left it. This incident, however was THE BIG ONE. We looked forEVER, called local businesses that he had been to, delved deep in to the cushions of the couch and car seats. Finally, we cut our losses after two days and called the bank and credit cards companies, cancelling everything. The worst part of that whole ordeal was that it was right after Christmas and his birthday so he had TONS of gift cards waiting to be traded in for the goods.

Being the good wife I am I consoled him with a "there, there" and we cut our losses. Seriously, what's the point of dwelling on his our misfortune? I had bills to pay, and laundry to do. And that is exactly where I found it, at the bottom of our laundry hamper, his wallet. It was just misplaced after all.

That was a good story, a happy ending, most of the time with his luck it is. He does misplace things alot. Most often it is a frantic rush to find his parking pass or badge for work in the wee hours of the morning. However today was special, today it was his parking pass and... his beloved class ring! We tore the house apart this morning, standard procedure, looking under furniture, table tops, couch cushions. Much to my dismay he started this treasure hunt by ripping off and shaking out the covers of the bed, mind you while I was still sleeping in it! Talk about a rude awakening. So we searched and searched until he was officially late for work, his finger naked and exposed.

It was not until a couple hours later that I flashed back to last week when I got an email in my inbox from a mom in the neighborhood mom's group requesting the use of a metal detector. Long story short, woman lost her engagement ring in awful snow we had last week, and my dad used to be in a metal detecting club. They meet, he searches, she's happy. He finds the ring she accidentally knocked off her hand when shaking snow out of the sleeve of her coat.

So I gave my dad a call, it went something like this "Hi Dad, got a second? Have you put that metal detector away? I think Carlton lost his ring helping you in the yard yesterday." To which he replied "Your kidding me, yada, yada, yada, I'll go out and look when I get home." When he got home I watched him in his yard (he lives across the street) swing his detector a couple times, take a couple of scoops out of the snow, but no cigar ring. He traced Carlton's tracks back towards the street, which isn't hard to do considering he wears a size ginormous 14 boot and there is still half a foot of snow on the ground. My dad then hovered over where the trash cans go, since Carlton pulled them to the curb last night. Still no luck. My dad then crossed the street into our yard and hovered around a bit until he bumped into our snowman. As my dad swiped his detector across the base of him you hear beep beeP beEP bEEP BEEP BEEP and then a sure sign of finding something, my dad's head cocked up to the side just a little bit to reveal a big ol' grin emerging across his face. He has found gold, in the form of a George Mason University school of Information Technology class ring. Success in the snow!

Stink Butt was so excited and impressed that Pop found something in the snow he decided to give it the old college try too!

note: If there is a lesson to be learned here, do one of two things. Take off your rings in cold weather, as your hands shrink  and your ring will then become to big and loose or wear gloves.

Oh and Carlton, it might be helpful if the place you leave your wallet, badge, parking pass, etc. is the same place everyday. Then again, organized people are just too lazy to look for things.

A Tisket A Tasket, a Homemade Princess Basket

So I figure it is about time I get crafty up in here. Stink Butt attended a birthday party this morning for a little princess in the neighborhood.  I have a super hard time trying to figure out what to get someone for a gift. I don't wanna just buy something, because I am supposed to, I like to put thought into it.  I asked the Queen of the household what her little princess would enjoy and she said anything princess so, here we go. An Original One of  Kind Pretty Princess Basket(PPB) ooooooooo ahhhhhhhhhh. Please...calm yourself.

In my first attempt to bring you a picture tutorial, I bring you:

HOW TO MAKE A THEME GIFT BASKET

The first thing you need to do is choose your theme, my favorites are Movie Night, Baby Shower, Baseball, Spa and now the PPB.  Next collect the goods. I did all of my shopping for the PPB at the dollar store and TJMAXX - holla!

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen ( if you're out there) You too can make a PPB for a mere 19.00, tax not included.

Here is a break down of my gift allowance:

Item	Store	Price
Princess dress up kit ( includes: frilly skirt, shoes, handbag, crown, princess wand, and necklace)	TJMAXX	$8.oo
8 pack of smelly goodness assorted bath gels and soaps	TJMAXX	$2.oo
Everything else came from the dollar store.
white heart basket	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
pink comb	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
ball of hair bands in princess colors	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
pack of two bath poofs white and pink	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
6 pack of sparkly heart hair clips	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
grape flavored lip balm ( yum)	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
3 pack of head bands again, princess colors	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
princess balloon on stick	DOLLAR TREE	$1.oo
TOTAL:		$19.oo

To make your basket look like you just walked out of some fancy schmancy boutique pay attention to what you are putting in it. Had I just picked up random stuff it would have looked like I just filled stuff up at the dollar store, but with a little thoughtful planning it will look really jazzy!  I always pick a color theme first; this time it was princess pinks and purples, so everything I got was in those color families.  But that doesn't mean if it is the right color get it.  A purple cheese grater would look pretty silly in a PPB. I chose to combine dress up and bath time.  So that's what the PPB got.

Now that you are home with your swag, you can begin by having a nice big space to work on.  Aside from the stuff I just bought here is my list of handy supplies you will want on hand.

block of Styrofoam for basket filler	assorted ribbons	tissue paper
shredded paper	Shrink Wrap	clothes pins
pipe cleaners	wood skewers/chopsticks	double stick tape

All of which I have on hand for crafting, of course.

step one

Line the basket with foil tissue using double stick tape when needed to keep tissue in place. (This is not a step I typically do, however because the basket I chose has big holes in it I did it this way to hide the Styrofoam and filler.)

step two

Add Styrofoam filler.  This step is only nessesary depending on the size of items you are putting in the basket. Since my items are small I needed to beef it up so that the basket looks fuller. The items alone would look like a pretty chintzy gift, however with the Styrofoam in the basket, it looks like the basket is filled to the brim with the good stuff!

step three

Product placement. It is good to put taller products in the back to add height and to cram in as much as possible, when you start you will think "gosh, I don't have enough." By the time you are almost done, you will be wondering where to put the stuff.  In this particular basket I used chopsticks to give height to the hair clips and lip balm. I just taped a stick to the back of each package and jab it in the Styrofoam (another good reason to have styrofoam in the bottom of the basket) at different heights till I like what I see.

step four

By this time I've made a big mess. I clean my work area and make sure there wasn't any loot I left out.

Here comes the hard part, laying out your shrink wrap. It likes to static cling to everything and is big and kind of flimsy. Do not let this discourage you, you can do it!

Place the finished basket on top of the shrink wrap and carefully gather the four corners and bring them up to the top. I normally do not use a balloon on a stick, but it turned out to be very helpful. I was able to clothes pin the wrap to the stick while I was smoothing and taping it down.  Once you like the job you've done use ribbon , twist tie or pipe cleaner to tie the shrink wrap at the top. Carefully smooth and  double stick tape the wrap to the basket making sure it overlaps itself or there will be holes in the finished, heated shrink wrap.

step five

Now that you have it wrapped and taped it to your liking, you can start to heat this puppy up! Using your hair dryer blow air onto the shrink wrap starting at the bottom of the basket. Be cautious not to get the dryer too close or to stay in one place to long as you will burn a hole in the wrap. You will notice that it gets wrinkly and doesn't look very good.  Not to worry that just means that you have not heated it enough, keep swiping you hair dryer back and forth over the wrinkled parts and they will iron out, so to speak , nice and neat. Be sure NOT to heat the top of your basket  above where you tied it up,or you will not have a nice pretty poof of wrap at the top.

step six

Tie a pretty bow or curling ribbon at the top.

step seven

This step is most important!  Stand back and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done! Don't forget to think about that special someone you made your Original One Of a Kind Basket for!

So there you have it an awesome homemade gift basket  that looks like it came from the fancy schmancy boutique for under 20 bucks!  But wait that's not all..... it only took 30 minutes to make! I wish I could say the same about writing this blog! Enjoy, my friends and remember, the goal is to make a basket, not become a basket case!

Patty Cake Patty Cake

I bake, it's what I do. I never really started baking until I had my own home; as a matter of fact, I really did not become domestic until I had my own home, but that's besides the point.  Today I am baking a cake. It's my brother-in-law's birthday. Around here I like to call him Brother John, again besides the point.

My baking really took off when I decided to host, what has now become an annual event, my holiday cookie exchange. Every year  I ask friends to join me in rolling up their sleeves and rolling out the dough, more on that at the end of the year.

So this weekend we are celebrating Brother John's birthday. I always asked the birthday boy/girl what kind of cake they want. Brother John requested my Coconut Cake.

Hmmm, maybe he is inspired by all this snow we have, the cake is frosted in seven minute frosting (I use corn syrup) ,mounds of white fluffy goodness.  Or in my opinion, he is thinking of summer time, because while the cake bakes the smell of coconut and vanilla waft through the air and the warmth of the oven whisk you off to daydream-land, where you are sitting on a sun kissed beach, and you'll find a tube of banana boat in each beachbag speckling the shoreline. Then you're back to reality as the kitchen timer goes off; cakes are done!

I love to bake cakes for people, it's my little way of thinking of them and what they bring to my life. To me it's a big ol' hug around the neck, which I'm sure Brother John approves of - we're not really the huggy huggy type! So a hug delivered by way of fork it is!  Now don't get me wrong I gladly accept the hug of a store bought cake too, but there is just something special about homemade. The time it takes, the effort put in to it, the memories it makes - good stuff!

This past year my son requested a pink cake, for weeks all he could talk about was "my pink birthday cake." You want pink, you got it! Good thing I'm crafty like that, here is the perfect way you give Stink Butt the cake he wanted with out  having to explain why my 3 year old boy is eating a pink birthday cake. A Monster!

The cake itself was inedible lemon flavored box mix doctored up and store bought cherry frosting, because it was pink already. GASP for the love of God ,what was I thinking? Oh, I was following my golden rule "work smart, not hard" my Dad taught me that. Big mistake, the cake itself was not bad, but the frosting made it every little sugar junky's dream-bleh. I've learned my lesson. From now on I will make my own frosting or at least forbid cherry flavored, canned  frosting to cross the threshholds of this home. The best part was the guts of this cake, if you're gonna make a monster cake, ya gotta go all the way. I don't have good pictures of the inside of Stink Butt's cake, but here is one:

This is a how-to guide if you're feeling up to it. Pretty cool huh? So not only did he get the PINK cake he wanted in the form of a fun loving monster, but he got a pretty cool surprise inside! Because, let's be honest, aren't all monsters a swirly sea of colors inside?  So too bad for Brother John, that he did not request a swirly sea of  colors cake.  He'll just have to savor the taste of the tropics as he hoists a big ol' fork full of  boring white cake with coconut cream filling and toasted coconut sprinkled atop white fluffy goodness, as he devoures his coconut cake; Happy Birthday, Brother John.

How do you roll in your household? Are you the queen of slice and bake? Are you a "from scratch" girl? Or is the last ingredient to your cake or cookies paper or plastic at the check out stand?  Baking is easy, if you can read you can bake. As I mentioned earlier "work smart not hard." If you want to bake or think you are not a good baker this is where I started, you can't go wrong, The Cake Mix Doctor. I  picked it up at Costco and I haven't looked back. I do stray from time to time, but more often then not the recipe is from this book.  Every single recipe in this book starts from a box mix-LOVE IT! So it fits well with my golden rule!  Try it out and bake up a big ol' hug by the fork full for someone you love!

A Gift Wrapped In White

SNOW DAY
(part one)

You belong to one of two parties, the first: Snow days are a gift of free time. The second: Snow and snow days are a pain in the butt. Which are you? This is the second snow day we have had this school year, yet there isn't even enough to go play (10am). I've been bitter towards  the snow this year, apparently it decided to take a winter vacation this year and head south, like so many northerners that fall under the "snow is a pain in the butt" party.

My husband's family came to visit from Memphis TN this Christmas. I wanted so badly for it to snow while they were here, a true White Christmas.  We got a couple flakes (none of which were in the family) and alot of cold wetness. Last year we got the mother load! While it was fun on so many levels, after the 7th day, I changed parties and hopped in to the "snow is a pain in the butt" line.  When I was in the schools, I loved a good snow day, especially  those that were bogus, the kind where I could sleep in, then get in my car and run the roads and shop! I live on an emergency snow route. That being said, my street always gets cleared quickly and I'm on my way!

Although today is still a normal work day for me, the kids will be coming soon, and it's still a snow day! We've gotta do something fun, something special. I'm thinking some snowy art work and cinnamon buns. What do you do on snow days? Do you get snow days? What party do you belong to?

This is my Nephew in Memphis, enjoying all the snow down south!

Pain in the Butt Day
(part 2)

OK, OK, I spoke way to soon. I knew we were gonna get it, but still instant gratification, please! It's now almost 7pm and it is still snowing. I can not even open my front door! We live on a hill and the wind just picks up the snow and plops it right down on my door step. This is all news to me as it is our first real snow in the new  house. On the plus side I am inside with the embers of the fire glowing! Honey Dearest and Stink Butt are outside building their first real snowman of the season.

We did manage to get a few crafts in this afternoon. The boys painted on blue card stock with white paint, very exciting I know, but what do you expect for a 3 year old?  I made them snowflake quesadillas- talk about fancy! Then after nap time we baked some cookies.

We are expecting an overnight guest, hopefully any time now. Got a call from my Aunt that lives an hour and a half away saying that my Uncle would like to crash for the night if I'll have him. He works 20 minutes from us, left at 4:30 and is still not here!(7:15pm)  Does that give you an inclination how bad it is here?  Could you imagine having to drive I95 to get home on a day like this? So once again I find myself hopping in to the other party line, snow is a pain in the butt. On the positive side, I am very pleased that we could provide shelter in the storm, for my Uncle and it's always a good time when he is around.

It's bad out there. If you can stay home, let the snow people do their thing. Try to stay positive, and be thankful. Living on the emergency route I mentioned before I have heard the sirens more then I would like to tonight. This afternoon when Stink Butt heard them he exclaimed "Mommy- there's an emergency!" he then paused for a moment, and said "I hope everyone will be OK". It may not have been enough to melt the snow, but it sure did melt my heart.

update: after sitting in traffic for 5 plus hours and being 1.5 miles away from my house at 9:30 pm my uncle decided he had had enough of the traffic here, found a break in the median, turned around and headed south on 495. He got home safely by 11:30pm, 75 miles away.



Photo Taken By Flickr user Edward Hoover

Wouldn't You Like Know

Two years ago I was asked to list 25 random facts about myself on Facebook. A lot of it is still true. My goal is to get 25 random facts about my readers in the comments section. Come on, you know there is something weird unique about you, spill it!

25 Random Things.

1. I want to have Steven Tyler  over for dinner.
        (may I add this is pre-American Idol days)
2. I will stop whatever I am doing if Steel Magnolias is on.
3. I like my blankets to have texture.
4. I HATE HATE HATE stray pieces of hair- gross!
5. That goes for stray lint and dust bunnies too.
6. I don’t like to cook for less than three people.
7. My best friend will look at this and find that it is grammatically incorrect.
8. I want my son to have a little brother or sister or two
9. I’d like to own a B& B one day because I like people but not enough for them to stick around.
10. I want to meet Morgan Freeman and Dixie Carter (that's not gonna happen, anytime soon) but not at the same time.
11. I dance around during the day while doing chores to get some exercise
12. I detest Bicyclist that insists on riding on the street when there is a bike path RIGHT OVER THERE!
13. It annoys me when people push on to an elevator when I am trying to get off. DUH, you will have more room once I am out of the way.
14. Sometimes I just want cake.
15. My husband has kicked off 2 of my toe nails (they never grew back nicely)
16. Despite being an AWFUL student I loved teaching.
17. My husband’s childhood photos look exactly like my first grade school crush.
18. I hate reading books but read 3-4 magazines a week.
19. I went to the gym 100 times in 2008!
20. There are sapphires in my engagement ring that no one can see.
21. Two “Elvis Presley” came to my rehearsal dinner.
22. 90% of my friends are in education.
23. My sister and I are the ONLY two people in our family with OUR red hair
24. If I was born a boy my name would have been Matthew (I used it for my son’s middle name)
25. I want to make a Christmas song album and have the cover art be me as a smokey jazz singer in a red dress with one of those old school crome microphones!
26. I know it is only supposed to be 25 random things, But I have a random thing about the number 26!

Love Is In The Air

How long can I use my son as an excuse?  I often feel that people think I go over the top in preparation for holidays and celebrations. Sometimes I hear myself say "It's for the kids, the kids like it, it's fun". But secretly I'm the kid! It's for me, I like it, it's FUN!  I think it is because my life has revolved around the schools. Most people stopped being in a school (grade school) in their late teens. I on the other hand went back after a few years of higher education and became a Special Education assistant in the elementary schools. I loved the excitement of when holidays rolled around.  Each month there was a new calendar display;White snowflakes in January, Pretty little cherubs with tiny bows and arrows in February, and  perhaps four leaf clovers in March, whatever it was it was exciting. The trill of kids all excited about wearing pajamas to school or worrying about being pinched if they didn't wear green, love notes in a shoebox adorned with construction paper, love it! Does anyone out there remember those lifesaver lollipops you'd get in your valentine mailbox, the red ones with the creamy white swirls through them-yum! I always find it odd when speaking with an adult  from the "real world" about a Holiday when their response is "ohh, I didn't know it was Sinterklaas day... and you leave your shoes out, huh". We forget about all the fun stuff and things to look forward to as adults.

I just took down the last of my Christmas decorations outside today. It only took about an hour but it was a nice hour to myself, reflecting on what a wonderful Christmas our first Christmas in our new home was. The walls were bursting with family and friends, food galore and lots of fun! To think that Christmas is a mere 11 months away excites me all over again.  Although, I have plenty of other holidays and celebrations to think about until then.

First up I hear the little voice of a tiny cherub calling out to me. Hearts, Kisses, Red, Pink and White.  I'm already inspired to decorate let's just see what this St. Valentine guy has to offer. Stay tuned, Love Is In The Air!

Lacing up my shoes.

Welcome to my blog. The last time I decided to try something I had never done before, I chose to run my first 5K. Since then I have run  three. To those of you that don't know me, big stinkin' deal oooooooo a 5K. For those that do, yes, I own running shoes and use them for what they are intended for ... occasionally. This is me right before my first race, very nervous. I have the same feeling/ look on my face as I type this first blog as I did at the starting line for my first race. Can I do it? Will I finish before the last person? Will I  be the last person to finish?Although the thoughts are similar this time they go "Do I really have anything good to write about? Am I crafty enough? Will people relate to me? Should I forget this whole thing hit publish now?"

I've been thinking for months about starting my own blog. I really enjoy reading blogs and the more I do the more I think, umm I could do that. People wanna hear what I have to say. I'm crafty, I want to show my craftiness off to the world.  Ehh, what else do I have to do?  If you choose to continue checking back with me once in a while you'll be reading about the good things in life, family, crafting, baking, maybe a little  bit of exercise and the life of a stay at home mom extraordinaire. I'm starting this blog, just about the same way I started that first 5K. Let's hope I make it to the finish line, and that you'll be there to cheer me on along the way.

On your mark, get set GO!

 I finished... before someone else!