Gishygoo

Cheese Cookies

2009-10-04T15:21:00.007-05:00

Some good friends of ours threw a Christmas party last year and made these cookies for the event. They were so yummy that I had to make some of my own!

Here is the recipe for these yummy bites!

Cheese Cookies

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated (room temperature)

2 cups plain flour

½ pound butter, melted

Dash salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Sprinkle flour on cheese and pour on melted butter. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. (Note: these are a little hotter after baked, so don’t put too much pepper in the dough.) Knead together by hand until well blended. Roll into quarter-size balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with fork. Bake at 300° for 30 minutes. Yield: About 100. A great cheese straw replacement.

2009-05-03T00:12:00.006-05:00

These are some pictures we took at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, AL. We got some pretty good pictures that day and the weather was glorious!

A Maternity Dress!

2008-06-21T10:30:00.005-05:00

My sister is preggers, so I am making her a couple of maternity outfits to help out with the new wardrobe. Lucky for her, these A-line billowy dresses are now in style! This dress really isn't maternity wear, but there is plenty of room inside for a tummy to grow. I can't wait to see my new niece/nephew (although I think it will be a niece, but I don't know why). Stay tuned for updates on maternity wear and baby crafts!

Lookout!!

2008-06-05T21:45:00.009-05:00

These are pictures I took with my new Nikon D80 that my husband so generously gave me as a wedding/anniversary gift. A year ago, when we got married, his gift to me was a beautiful letter that I will cherish always, but he felt that he needed to get me something to add to it. I don't feel like there was a good enough reason, but I do love the gift and won't be taking it back!!

Take a look and let me know what you think! I took these photographs while on a nature hike in the University of Alabama Arboretum. I took zillions (ok, about one hundred) and these are the ones that I liked the most.

There were several clumps of these little yellow flowers and this clump just stood out from the rest because the sun was falling on it just right.

This is probably a tie for my favorite picture. It was a pretty shady spot on the trail and there was one patch of sun that was shining directly onto one bunch of these blossoms. It was so pretty and I think I actually captured the feel in the picture, so it makes me happy.

I love this picture and it is my other favorite. I just happened to see this tiny ladybug as I passed by and thought she (oh yes, I am sure it was a girl, haha) was just too pretty not to take a picture. This photo actually had the potential to be blurry and awful because the branch kept swaying wildly in the wind, but I like how some of the leaves ended up not being in focus while the ladybug and other leaves are in sharp focus.

I Discovered Polymer Clay!

2008-05-17T21:37:00.007-05:00

Ha ha, I am finally jumping on the polymer clay bandwagon, and I must say that I am addicted. It's not only fun to make small trinkets, but I've found a use for the clay that is even better. I have long saved old jars from everything that comes through my house: from pickles to pizza sauce to jelly.

And it drives my husband nuts. "Why do you need all those jars? What are you going to do with them?" And until now, I have only been able to say, "You never know when you will need a jar!!"

Well, now I have a better reason. I can use polymer clay to "repurpose" my jars and actually make them useful in a variety of ways! Now, I have all of my family saving jars for me . . .

Here's some not so good pictures of a few of my latest creations. My favorite is the rose jar, but I also love the tiny night and day jars made out of repurposed baby food jars. I don't know what I will put in them yet, but that is going to be just as fun as making them! I'll keep you posted as I make more fun and cute polymer art!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-18T21:53:00.001-06:00

Our lives have been crazy in my household lately and we are having the best and worst year of our lives. My husband's mother was put in hospice care two months ago after her 9 year battle with breast cancer. As you can imagine, our lives have been turned upside down and we were saddened by her passing on October 22nd. The time was all too short and we miss her dearly. Please pray for us as the holidays arrive, especially as Thanksgiving will be the one month anniversary of her "graduation" to heaven. She was an amazing woman who touched so many lives that we know she must be organizing the welcoming committee in heaven already.

On a lighter note, I have finally gotten back into some crafting. Andrew's sister requested that I make a couple of dresses for her 2 year old for the holidays and I have completed the first one. I made it by copying a dress that we saw on Ebay and I must say I think mine turned out cuter. Haha. Really, though, the cutest part of this picture is the adorable baby girl in the dress! I used brown gingham, which was nearly impossible to find for some reason, and made the turkey from fabric remnants and this magical stuff called "steam a seam." This was my first attempt at some sewing machine embroidery and I think it turned out pretty well. My sis-in-law wanted her name to be stitched on it, so I figured I could do a better job on the machine than by hand. Tear-away stablizer is amazing! The cutest part is that when everyone asked Mary what was on her dress, she said, "A big flower." Cutie Tootie!!

Prepare to stay tuned for pictures of her Christmas outfit coming early in December!

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T14:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers young and old out there! Mothers are such an important part of our lives, whether they've been there for us or not. They are the very first people that we are introduced to when we come out of the womb, and they might be the most influential part of how we turn out as people. I am saying "Happy Mother's Day" to my own amazing mom as well as my new mother-in-law today. It's amazing when you join your life with another person's and you're able to see just how much you are like your own mother and how much your partner's mother has made them who they are.

In honor of a holiday, I am going to take the chance to introduce you to a wonderful book that I have fallen in love with called "Holiday Treats." This book is a compilation created by several different authors who have joined forces to bring us a rounded perspective that covers the holidays that most homes in America celebrate.

The book starts out with Halloween and ends with summer holidays and birthdays, covering in between a variety of holidays including Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and a variety of Jewish holidays in a format that is informative and fun. Each section is filled with creative recipes, crafting, games, and helpful tips that are sure to make it easy to create traditions in your family that your children will remember for years to come. It's a valuable resource for moms and grandmoms to look to, if only for a reference or to spark ideas for other crafts and creative recipes.

These pages are filled with colorful pictures and step-by-step instructions that often include tips for when children can help out and when adult supervision is recommended. The instructions are easy to read and often the authors use anecdotes from their own experiences to guide you as you attempt to start your own traditions.

The crafts presented in the book range in difficulty from easy-peasy to mildly advanced *(these are my personal ratings and are not contained in the book), but most of the time the crafts are kid-friendly and just as fun to make as they are pretty to look at. The recipes are generally simple and elegant, with most of the focus being on presentation.

I highly recommend this book, but if I had any complaints about it, it would be that it seems to focus only on Judeo-Christian and Jewish holidays and I would have appreciated a few holidays from other culturally significant backgrounds such as Chinese New Year or Cinco De Mayo. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to Jewish holidays, which is wonderful, but it might have been nice to see a little more cultural balance in the book.

Swap Love!

2007-05-11T02:09:00.004-05:00

Well, here it is! The long-awaited photos of my dollar store swapping fun with Kat in Buffalo! I am going to post pictures of her package to me later this week. The first thing that I made for her (and I guess the thing that she enjoyed most . . . she said she still uses it!) is a purse that I made out of dishtowels. I found three little dishtowels that were the same fabric and two were the same color of purple and one was a darker purple.

I made the lining with a light purple and put a cell-phone pocket inside and a large pocket on the outside, which you can see I have appliqued with a large "K" for Kat! The buttons were sewn on by hand (and totally removable by the way, Kat!), but I thought they were a nice touch. Wish that I'd had more time to make it look cuter, but I was a little rushed for time.

I had to add a cute little donut, because it seems that all of my swap partners have one of these on their wist! It's so much darn fun to make, too. I just included the picture to show that it is different from my last donut (ok, so it's not that different).

The next thing that I did was cover a small journal with some fabric that I repurposed from a wine bag that was velvety and had these awesome dangly beads on it that just made perfect fringe. And I took some felt and covered a set of bamboo coasters that I found at one dollar store and hand embroidered spider webs on each of them.

Here is a closeup to show some of the different spiderweb designs I did. I hope that Kat liked her package, but I do have something that I am still (!) working on for her. Life's been hectic, so I hope that she can forgive my tardiness! She's been an awesome partner and I can't wait to show you her fabulous talent!

I'm finally back!

2007-05-10T22:59:00.007-05:00

This is a long overdue post, and I apologize if I have any readers out there in cyberspace who have been disappointed by my sabbatical. Ha! Much has happened since I last wrote, so I have to catch you up a little.

To begin with, the first week of February, I lost my job. This has been a blow to Andrew and I financially and to myself emotionally. I just haven't had the gumption to do much blogging since I have been looking for a job and, until recently, planning a wedding. I hope that this is a forgivable offense and that everyone has not left me forever!

On the bright side, I am now a married lady! I am posting some pictures of our wedding reception and wedding party for your enjoyment. On a crafty note, my wedding dress was sewn by my grandmother, and she figured out how to make a homemade bustle for the dress even though it wasn't included in the pattern! I am so proud of it and her, so I just wanted to show it off. The end result was stunning! You can probably see it the best in the photo with my dad. My grandmother is the lady in the green dress in the background taking a picture!!!

She made, not only the dress, but also my vail, which was a cream netting that matched the color of the dress and was attached to a tiara that we bought at Claire's. The whole tiara vail was less than $12 and would have cost me a fortune to buy at a bridal shop.

The dress was practically a steal, especially since it was exactly what I wanted. The only cost to me was the material and the pattern which I bought online for $7. My "something old" and "something borrowed" were the brooch in the center of the drape which belonged to my grandmother's mother and is definitely an antique piece of costume jewelry. I had on brand spankin' "new" everything else and some blue and green underwear for my "something blue" as well as my "something green" (St. Patrick's Day!). My garter was also green, just for fun.

The wedding cake was absolutely deliciouso. It had a wonderful buttercream frosting on it that I am so tempted to dig out of the freezer and eat. Who needs that first anniversary tradition anyway? It was made by Andrew's cousin and I thought it looked simply elegant. (Tasted awesome, too.)

See below for a few more pictures of my family and my beautiful sisters/bridesmaids. I hope you have enjoyed this post, and more is to come, I promise!

Don't hate me . . .

2007-01-31T15:30:00.000-06:00

I've been away a long time, I know. First of all, there was Christmas, which was wonderful and New Year's, which was great and I spent both of them out of town. Then when I got back to the ole B'ham, some random death virus caught up with me and I was completely out of commission for about 2 weeks. Then I had so much to catch up on that I am nearly ready to pull my hair out from nerves at every moment. But it's been a fun month. (Or whatever.)

I would love to update you on a few things later this week. I have some neato stuff from a swap that I did with Kat from Buffalo, NY, to show you. That lady is one talented craftster and has inspired me enough to get a crochet hook and download some basic instructions for beginning to crochet! (PS: Kat, you are an angel for allowing me some extra time to finish up the rest of your package.)

Also in the works are my wedding invitations that I have been feverishly churning out at the speed of dark. I have about half of them addressed and completely assembled, and the rest have to be done by Saturday when the post office closes. (I am being very legalistic about sending the invites 6 weeks before the wedding.) I can't wait to show them to you, because they are absolutely what I wanted when I started out to make them!

Bear with me folks, I plan to get crafty all over your screen in the next few weeks. But then, I am going to take a pre-planned sabbatical for my honeymoon. Haha!

Cheesecake Thumbprints

2006-12-06T16:38:00.000-06:00

Several bloggers have blogged about the cheesecake thumprint cookie lately and it made me curious. I wanted to try it. So, I searched around on the internet and finally found a recipe.

I am happy to say that these are delicious. They are so easy, but do require a little bit of "babysitting," as my future mother-in-law put it. My dad says that he isn't crazy about cheesecake, but that he could pop these babies all day long. I made them for our Christmas Cookie Swap tomorrow with the girls from work. Yay! Two thirds of them are plain, but I used red plum jam to make the other third "fancy" and marbled the cheesecake. They are BEAUTIFUL!

I highly recommend using a quality cream cheese. Cheaper cream cheeses tend to have too many fillers (and set harder). I doubled this batch and it made it easier to measure. (1 block of cream cheese is 8 oz.) :-D

Cheesecake Thumbprints

Makes about 30

These cookies are best eaten after they have been refrigerated overnight. Allow them to sit at room temperature for twenty minutes before serving.

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
2 large egg yolks
1-1/2 teaspoons sour cream
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 1/4 cup sugar and pinch of salt, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add 1 egg yolk, sour cream, and 1/8 tsp vanilla; beat until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F, with racks in the upper & lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with Silpat or parchment; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar on medium speed until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla and egg yolk; beat to combine. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour, mixing until just combined.

Shape level tablespoons of dough into balls, and place on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Using the lightly floured end of a thick wooden spoon handle (or your thumb), make an indentation in the center of each ball.Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven and make indentations again. Rotate sheets, return to oven, and bake until edges of cookies begin to turn golden, 7 to 9 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Using a small teaspoon, fill the center of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon cream cheese filling, mounding it slightly (if you’re adept with a pastry bag it’s much neater using that method... otherwise, stick with the teaspoons or a self-release truffle scoop). Return cookies to the oven, and bake until the filling is firm, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container, layered between waxed or parchment paper, at least 4 hours before serving (cookies can be refrigerated overnight).

Chocolate variation: In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water (or using a microwave and 10 second increments, stirring between), melt 2 oz semisweet chocolate; let cool. Follow instructions for above recipe, adding melted chocolate (not hot, cooled slightly too room temp) to butter mixture along with the egg yolk and salt. Replace 3 tablespoons of the flour called for with cocoa powder, whisk flour and cocoa powder well to combine evenly before proceeding with recipe. The edges of these cookies will be firm to the touch when baked.

Enjoy!

My favorite thing I swapped

2006-11-29T16:03:00.000-06:00

This is a post about my favorite thing that I swapped with my partner. I made her a t-shirt for her daughter which had a design that matched her own tattoo. She and I emailed back and forth quite a bit and she mentioned that she had some tattoos, so I asked her what they were. She told me about them and mentioned that her "favorite tattoo and current obsession" was her Sailor Jerry tattoo that had a swallow and her daughter's name, "Sophia," in the banner.

Well, I was trying to figure out how to incorporate Sailor Jerry into my package and I did a search to see if I could get some examples of it. Lo and behold, this picture popped up. I was nearly positive that it was her tattoo, but that was confirmed when I discovered that the artist lived in the same city as my partner. Whoopeee!

Now, just how to use this valuable information. I decided early on to do two packages in the swap for Heather and Sophia. It occurred to me that it would be so fab for Sophia to have a shirt that had the same tattoo as her mom, but with "Mommy" in the banner instead of her own name.

So I messed around in paint and photoshop, bought some t-shirt transfers and a 4-yr-old size t-shirt, and VOILA! I am super proud of this. Also pictured is the bracelet that I made for Sophia that is very similar to a bracelet that I loved when I was her age.

A blatant copy and an original

2006-11-22T10:33:00.000-06:00

I am posting some more things that I sent my swapping partner, Heather.

She has a fondness for stuffies, so I really wanted to make her one for the swap. I found this on her wist and decided to try to copy it (but not exactly). I came up with a pretty good version of it, I think and I am rather proud.

I also decided to make her some handmade stationery. Again, I used the hot pink and black theme and made little polymer clay tiles with her initials on them to put on the cards as a personal touch. I liked this technique so much that I am thinking of using polymer clay tiles as "seals" on my wedding invitations.

These were simple projects (once I learned how to bake the clay without it burning up into little black squares) and didn't take very long to finish. It was fun to try to emulate MyPaperCrane's style and techniques, too. I will probably make myself a donut as a little "diet" buddy to help me get through till my wedding day.

PS: I am working on the request for a tutorial/pattern for the knitted bag in my last post. I hope to have a tutorial with pictures. *Cross my fingers*

A knit purse

2006-11-16T08:52:00.000-06:00

My swapping partner, Heather, received her package yesterday so now I am free to start posting about the things that I sent her. Whew! It's gonna take a while, so I am just going to blog about one topic at a time.

I knit her this purse out of BabyBee yarn. Her favorite color is pink and she liked it paired with black so I thought this yarn was perfect! It took a skein and a half to make.

I love this yarn so much . . . I'm really glad I bought extra!

I really wanted to make a cable knit purse, so I ended up making up the pattern myself. Next time I think I will try this pattern. However, I really enjoyed this pattern that I made up, so maybe it wasn't such a loss after all.

The lining is a really cheap cotton print that I found at Wal-Mart and backed it with a stiff interfacing so it would stand up on it's own and give some shape to the purse. I also lined the strap, which was hand sewn, so that it wouldn't stretch out to her knees when she wore the purse.

I made a "ribbon" that ran around the top of the purse and tied in a bow on the back, as you can see here. The ribbon also served as a means of attaching the lining to the purse without compromising the yarn. I'm rather proud of this ingenuity, actually.

Finally, the lining of the purse was the same that I used on the strap and the ribbon/bow. I added a pocket, because, well everyone needs a nice sized pocket in their purse!

I made the lining two pieces with stiff interfacing in between so that the pink of the material would fill in any "gaps" in the yarn between cables. It created a really nice effect and was better than just lining it with one piece and white interfacing.

All in all, this was fun and didn't take absolutely forever to knit and put together. If you'd like the pattern, comment and I will post it later.

Swapping Goodness

2006-11-11T15:41:00.000-06:00

So, the swap has finally happened and I am so excited! Heather is still waiting on my package to get there (should be there on Wednesday, if not before) and I have my wonderful package from her.

She's a felting and soap making fiend so I am really happy with my package. Wanna see some pics? Of course you do!

She felted me some slippers that are just so comfy and warm. They are my fave color too!

Let's see, next, she made me the cutest little clutch with buttons to die for and some amazing oatmeal and honey soap! I can't wait to try it out!

She also sent me a beautiful soft and warm scarf, a really sweet note on adorable stationery, and some twizzlers (only half eaten because of me, I promise).

And lastly, but definitely not least, she sent me a beautiful piratey bracelet that she made from shrinky dink plastic! It's so adorable! If you can't tell, it has an anchor, a treasure map, a naval star, a treasure chest, a pirate ship, a piratey sword, a parrot, and a buccaneer hat!

I just had to leave you with some slipper action shots. (It's hard to take pics of your feet!)

So Andrew helped out and took a picture for me. Sorry about the lighting here.

I'll post pictures of what I sent her once I get word that she has received it! I can't wait!!!

Easy Peasy Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

2006-11-08T10:04:00.000-06:00

While we're on the topic of easy recipes, I wanted to add this new one to my blog and share it with you all. I found a while back when I was looking for a recipe that was cheap and easy with broccoli. I think I'm gonna make it for Thanksgiving, because it's been a big hit everywhere I've made it and I like it much more than green bean casserole. I've varied the recipe a little each time I've made it, so feel free to experiment with it a little yourself!

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

2 10 oz. bags frozen broccoli florets
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 can Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
1 pkg. Stovetop chicken stuffing mix
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
2 cups of water

1. Thaw broccoli and place in 9x13 baking dish.
2. Evenly spread cream of mushroom soup over the broccoli, followed by the can of cheddar cheese soup.
3. Prepare the package of stuffing mix according the to package instructions with the water and butter. (I use one tablespoon less butter than the mix calls for.)
4. Evenly spread the stuffing mix over the casserole so that it covers the broccoli completely.
5. Bake the casserole at 350 degrees farenheit for 30 minutes, or until the stuffing is a little browned on top.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Optional: I have added cooked chicken cubes to this recipe to make it a full meal. Simply put the chicken in after the broccoli and then cover with soup (try cream of chicken instead of mushroom!) and stuffing.

My Favorite Chicken Teriyaki

2006-11-01T10:40:00.000-06:00

Recently, Cha! Cha! Gigi asked that her readers post their favorite easy chicken recipes. Sorry this is a few days late, Coleen, but here ya go. I hope it helps and I guarantee it's delicious! My fiance loves it and he's the pickiest guy I know! I'll make it and try to get a good picture this weekend.

Chicken Teriyaki

8 chicken thighs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar -- (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon Sherry
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix together all ingredients except chicken in bowl. Add chicken and coat with sauce. Marinate 30 minutes to overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain off most of the sauce. Transfer to 9x11x13 microwave dish. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for 11 minutes. Turn with a fork, brush with drippings, and cover with wax paper. Microwave on high for another 11 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

The Abston Church of Christ

2006-11-01T09:21:00.001-06:00

Wanna see something crazy? Go check out the lego church!

I have a WIST!!

2006-10-31T08:39:00.001-06:00

I am so proud. I finally got a wist, and boy did it make my day. I love being able to see things that I like and put them somewhere that people can view it anytime. And you know what's amazing? I can add to it/take away from it all year long!

Now I won't have to scrounge around looking for things that I want for Christmas when my mom asks me December 1st. I won't have to think, "Gee, I know there were several things that I wanted, but all I can think of is pajamas, and I don't really want those that bad."

I also found out how to embed it into my blog in a cool fancy slideshow. So, I'm pretty much happy.

I have no self-control!

2006-10-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

I love Etsy. I love the idea of Etsy. It's just like a continuous, online craftfair. I love the people on Etsy. They are guys and gals that love to craft and make a few things really well that they are willing to sell to the rest of us.

Recently, I made my first purchase on Etsy, after being a long-time lurker. It was quickly followed by my second, third, and fourth purchase. Now, I fear that I am addicted. I especially love, in particular, Craftonomy, who is having a sale this month because it is the month she was born in! Buy one item, get another for 25% off! Amazing . . . go check her out. Especially if you are a science geek, because, well, she is too. She has some beautiful jewelry - you'll barely notice that it's also educational! I'm buying for all my teacher friends . . . it may be a sickness.

My poor, sad bloggy-blog . . .

2006-10-11T12:16:00.000-05:00

This has been a rough month and a half for me, because I have been unable to do much crafting at all and I am without internet at my home, which makes it difficult to upload pictures, etc. Not to mention, my fiance keeps stealing my laptop . . . supposedly he needs it for "school." I'm just kidding; he probably does, but it's been hard to be a one computer family when he keeps it at school all the time.

I am so excited because I have just signed up for my first craft swap on Craftster! It makes me happy, because I love crafting for other people and it will give me motivation/a kick in the butt to get going on it. I recently got to spend 2 hours just looking at stuff on Crafster, and it was rapturous. I really need to catch up on all my blog reading, too! Someday, I will be a stay at home mom and I can have more time for blog reading . . .

Apparently, my celebrity chef match is Julia Child

2006-08-10T16:05:00.000-05:00

Butter, anyone? She may look down upon anyone who sacrifices fat for diet, but Julia Child is the grand dame of French cooking — for butter or for worse. Like Julia, you tend to enjoy the rewards of classic cooking and traditional life.Maybe you don't whip up lobster thermidor on a nightly basis, but when you do ramp up for a special meal — entertaining friends, for example — you tend to pull out all the stops. Experience has proven that "from scratch" does tend to make a difference, so if time allows, we'd guess you like to spoil your guests with everything from fresh fish to homemade pie. That's not to say you're not up for some shortcuts in the kitchen. It's just that when it comes down to it, you like to do things right, and don't mind taking the time to make sure that happens.

Wanna see which celebrity cook you measure up to? Take the test here.

I'm engaged!!!

2006-08-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am engaged. Andrew and I have been dating for about 16 months now. We knew about 15 months ago that we wanted to be married to each other. However, about 14 months ago, my sister got engaged to her now-husband and any plans to get married got shoved aside as my parents planned for my sister's wedding (1 terribly long year later).

So Andrew finally got my parents to agree to meet with him so that he could tell them of his plans to propose and ask for their approval (that was a whole other sneaky story).He very carefully planned this so that I had no clue until the last few moments what was going on. Just about everyone we know was in on it or knew that it was going to happen, except me!

He secretly called my boss, Chad, and asked him to make plans with me that Monday night. Chad claimed that he and his wife wanted to take me out to a nice restaurant to repay me for keeping their cats while they were on a mission trip. I was surprised and thought it was strange, but I asked if Andrew could come because I knew that he was coming into town that evening to help clean my apartment. Chad said that was great and that we could make it a "double date."

Well, then a whole lot of chaos ensued and I wasn't ready to go at the appointed time (8:00 p.m.) and I frantically called Chad to apologize and offer to take a raincheck. He said it was ok and that they were just chilling out and not to rush. Andrew kept trying to calm me down over the phone, telling me that Chad was ok and that he had worked things out. Well, we finally got out the door at 9:00 p.m. and when Andrew took a wrong turn, I nearly had a heart-attack. I said, "Chad lives the opposite direction!" That's when he told me that the whole thing was a ruse and that he was just trying to surprise me with a nice dinner to celebrate my new apartment. I accepted this answer because I had done similar things when I wanted to surprise Andrew before and it didn’t seem too fishy yet.

So, he took me to the O’Charley’s that we went to on our first date. I was still unsuspicious because he had taken me there two other times just for fun. We ate dinner, he paid, and we left. I had to go walk the dog at a friend’s home that I was house/dog-sitting for, so he was really sweet and we walked the dog together.

After the walk, it was about 11:00 and he said we needed to get going at 11:20 because we had an “appointment.” I thought that was really strange, but I still wasn’t expecting anything big. He took me to Samford University, and we stopped at the guard gate where he asked if one of two officers was on duty. He said, “Tell him Andrew is here.” And then I got really nervous and suspicious because it was the first time I started to suspect that he was going to pop the question.

The safety officer let us into the art building and down into the ceramics room, where Andrew and I had spent a lot of hours in that room talking and hanging out while I threw pots or crafted small bowls out of clay. Andrew handed me a sweet card and asked me to read it out loud. When I was finished, he said, “I chose this spot to do this because it is one of my favorite places on earth. This is where you first told me that you loved me and it changed my life forever. I chose this time because July 31st is when your dad made your mom his wife and August 1st is when my dad made my mom his wife and now, at midnight between the two days, I want to ask you to be my wife.” He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him and showed me the most perfect ring he could have gotten. I was stunned and it took me a few seconds, but of course I said yes. It was the most beautiful and creative thing he could have ever done.

I wanna plaaaaayyyyyyyy.

2006-07-28T11:28:00.000-05:00

I feel like the kid who has a broken leg during soccer season. I can't do anything crafty right now because my stuff is ALL over the place. I have been attempting to unload boxes in my new apartment with a vigor, but the air conditioning is broken (ugh) and it gets to be pretty hot and muggy in that place. I've got all my bookshelves arranged, but I still need to organize my crafting stuff and get a craft "area" going. I have several ideas for things I want to do.

I love the idea and look of this knitting needle wrap. I think the homemade stitch markers are so cute and fit so well with the theme of the whole wrap. I will definitely make some for myself and possibly my grandmother. Too bad I don't know anyone who really loves to knit other than the two of us.

And then, I have an evil plan to save the world by making grocery totes to replace my use of plastic bags at the grocery store. I really love this super cute tote that was submitted to the Whiplash competition. But, my favorite grocery totes are on this post on Craftster. I love all these people who come up with ways to save the environment.

In further news, I am now dying to move to Portland, Oregon. Reasons: 1) my favorite bloggers live there, 2) it rains alot, and I love rain, 3) the area is so eco-conscious, 4) I saw Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels in Portland and I really loved all the restaurants and site-seeing! Oh, how I wish I lived there . . .

A Mad Dash

2006-07-24T14:15:00.000-05:00

Although I don't technically have to be moved out of my apartment for one more week, I am almost completely out. This weekend, we moved all of my furniture, clothing, crafty stuff, cooking stuff, and bathroom junk. We cleaned the carpets. We moved the washer and dryer. We took out lots of trash. Lots and lots of trash.

Everything I own (except my clothes on my back, a backpack with overnight necessities and a lava lamp) is sitting in boxes in my new apartment without electricity. It's really amazing.

I am house and dog sitting for a lady that I work with this week. It's worked out nicely, actually. She has an air-conditioned home, hot water, a big screen TV and a nice puppy pal for me to use this week while I transition to a new home. This weeked was so stressful that it's actually a nice break to go back to work.

I do have a neat find for the week, though, that I wanted to share with you. It's a website where you can get vintage patterns and really cool discontinued patterns that you can't find most other places. Their prices are fairly cheap, too! And if you buy more than $30 worth of stuff (which I did :-D) then the shipping is completely free! So check it out here.

Pictures as promised!

2006-07-18T21:20:00.000-05:00

I promised pictures of the book, so here they are:

Here's a pic of the cover that I made. I wish it were more creative, but I was running out of time.

Now I'm just going to go in order of how I put the book together, skipping the ones that I've already shown you pictures of in my previous post. :-D

This hippo's mouth is buttoned shut at the nostrils, but it opens to reveal a fat red tongue! So fun, in my opinion, and who doesn't love hippopotamuses (hippopotami? what's the plural of this)?

This is my lovely lion. I know that most boys don't care about braiding, but they probably would love the lion anyway, so I included it. Across from him is a page with shapes that snap onto the outlines you see. They are all cut out of different print fabrics, so you get the idea.

My roommate loves the train because it spans two pages. I love it because you can take the elephant and bear out of their compartments! (They are attached with a string so they don't get lost though.)

I know I took pictures of the penguin already, but I took them as page layouts this time and didn't get the balloons yet. Mason is learning his colors, so he can do this one already. Underneath each cutout is a matching color just to help him out. (The pieces are velcro.)

Again, you've seen the alligator, but not my sunny clock! The clock hands on his face are actually moveable plastic pieces attached with a brad. Kids love this page.

The flowers have cutouts sewn to the page, but also buttoned pieces on top of them. The buttons are tiny, but this page makes me happy. I also have the ladybug, which I had to do once I saw it because I love love love ladybugs. Boys like bugs, right?

And inside the ladybug . . . baby ladybugs!!! I love it, but you don't have to.

I love this hang the clothes page. Sadly, many kids don't know what it means to hang your clothes on a clothesline any more. They hang up with hooks (from a hook and eye) and the basket underneath holds the clothes when they are not on the line! The kangaroo is the most difficult page to make, because she has a pouch.

And inside of it . . . is Baby Roo! I had to get the buckle for this from some kids shoes in the thrifstore, because they just don't make buckles small enough anymore!

I've shown you the giraffe, whose bows untie, but not the mitt. This mitt hangs with a hook on the page. He reminds me of the mitt from the hamburger helper commercials and he looks just like an oven mitt (quilted stitching).

This is the last page . . . aww. It's a sweet little turtle who looks like he is blissfully happy!

And inside his shell is . . . love! Awwww . . . what a great way to end the book. Thanks for looking! This has been a project made with a lot of love.

Craziness!

2006-07-17T08:49:00.001-05:00

It's been a while, but I've been CRAZY busy. I finished Mason's book (will post pictures later) and it was the cutest thing ever. My friend loved it and she was so impressed with the handmade gift. I love surprising people!

Mason's little birthday party was the most adorable thing ever. Lately, he has gotten obsessed with tractors. He believes that the lawnmower (a push-mower) is a tractor (I guess it is!) and he is just crazy about going out to the garage and looking at it. His mother says that the tractor will bite him, just so that he will leave it alone. Everything he got for his birthday was tractor themed (but no noisemakers, as per the parents).

I spent the weekend in Memphis with my family. My two sisters were out of the house and my parents "spoiled" me. Kelly went to Branson with her husband and Susanne was on a choir tour. They rented movies for me to watch with them and took me to my favorite restaurant. Nothing is quite so embarrassing as watching a James Bond movie that has a gratuitous sex scene in it with your parents. The only comforting thought was that THEY picked it, so it was not my fault.

Well, it was a pretty great week, but things are about to get hectic because I am MOVING!! I am out of my apartment at the end of this month and I am trying to get things settled so I can move into my new apartment by the end of this week. CRAZY, I tell you CRAZY. Wish me luck!

A Birthday Present for a Little Tyke

2006-07-05T18:46:00.000-05:00

I have been working on this for a shamefully long amount of time. I just picked it back up again because my best bud's little boy is turning two on July 11th. So, now that all I lack is the embroidery, I decided to get cracking once again.

I am making him a fabric "activity" book. I had one when I was little, and my grandma made it for me. She taught me how to make them and it has been a real bonding experience for the two of us to make some more together. She is my hero and the one who taught me to knit, sew, cook, and do other generally crafty stuff.

So, here are a few pages that I've finished. :-D

I've always loved this alligator since I was a little girl. He has a fun zipper mouth!

He licks his ice cream cone with a little polka dot tongue!! :-D

My sister loves the fishing pelican.

I invented all the pieces for this clown's face.

And his clown shoe is my very own pattern. I'm rather proud of this!

And you have to admit that this giraffe is just too cute.

I love the abacus-like counting page too. It's really simple, but still a learning tool for kids. That's all that I have for now, but I have several more pages to go. Hopefully I can show you more tomorrow! I need to finish soon, though!! Hee hee!

My Sock Monkey Entry REVEALED!!

2006-07-04T00:53:00.000-05:00

I finally finished my sock monkey. (Hehe, kept that a great secret, didn't I?) Andrew can now relax and not have to hear about my sock monkey anymore. Check out the craftster link here to see all my hard work.

One good, one bad idea

2006-07-01T17:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I was really depressed yesterday about a project that didn't pan out as I had expected/hoped. I didn't allow enough "wiggle room" in the shirt that I made from the pillow case, so it does not fit me. I think it will fit a pre-adolescent girl though, so I am going to finish it anyway and give it to a friend that I work with for her daughter. It's going to be darling.

Next up is a project that actually did work out and much better than I might have expected. My roommate bought a new sleeping bag last night to go camping with this weekend. Of course, it came packed in one of those bags that you can never get it back into, so she asked me to make her something that she could use to transport it this weekend and keep it in a nice roll. This is what I came up with.

Isn't it great? She loves it and so do I. She can now use it with any sleeping bag that she ever gets, because it is essentially a blanket with tie straps and handles. I love that material. It's from another sheet that I bought at the thrift store a while back. :-D

My Favorite Lasagna

2006-06-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

I am currently enjoying my favorite lasagna, a recipe that my mom always followed and has become the standard by which I measure all other lasagnas. I never enjoyed the Stouffer's lasagnas that are in the frozen food aisle because of this. Any lasagna that is not homemade or has anice seeds in it just grosses me out.

If you are interested in the recipe, I am posting it below:

Mama Gish's Lasagna
1 lb. ground chuck
1 medium onion, minced
1 head chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 long pieces lasagna noodles
2 large eggs
12 oz. creamed cottage cheese
16 slices mozzerella cheese
grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large pan, brown ground beef in oil with onion, garlic and parsley.
2. Add tomato paste, water, salt and pepper and simmer 45 min. to an hour.
3. Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package.
4. Mix together eggs and cottage cheese.
5. In 13 x 9 x 2" baking pan, spread about 1/2 cup sauce, then alternate layers of lasagna noodles, sauce, egg and cottage cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese, until baking pan is filled. Top with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake @ 350 F about 30 minutes until bubbly all through.
7. Let rest 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

Thrift Store Fun!!!

2006-06-28T20:52:00.000-05:00

I went to the thrift store yesterday to buy some stuff and came out with things that were totally not on my list. I like to look at the bedsheets when I am there because they often have fun prints and are very cheap, even when in good condition. So, I bought two different prints that were cute.

This one will probably be made into a beach bag for somebody:

I like the fish alot, but when I saw the teensy mermaid, I had to buy it. How cute is that for a couple of yards at $1.99? Umm, way too awesome.

The second fabric that I bought was smaller, but cheaper. It was a large pillow case, which might be a good halter top or something, but super cute:

And I have one last splurge that I bought because I am always looking at small decorative trays because I have this small obsession with other crafter's blogs and "Cram and Cream" trays are all the rage. So, this isn't cram and cream, but I thought it was just darling:

I didn't get a very good close up of it, but there are small prints of horses, angels, hearts, pigs, roosters, bunnies, cows, rocking horses, ducks, goats, and English pointers all over it. And I got two for a dollar! There are a few scratches on them, and they are made of tin, but I felt like it was too cute to pass up. Oh happy day!

And We're Off!!!

2006-06-27T14:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it seems that I am finally able to get things up and going with the blog. I don't know if it is my network here at my job or if it is the website, but things were frustrating there for a while. I would sadly peruse everyone else's blog, wishing that I could participate in fun posting and discussing. Now I can!!! Yay!!! I've got to get some of my crafty stuff together and post some fun stuff! Thanks for reading this, and I hope that you enjoy my blog.

Testing . . . Testing, 1, 2 . . .

2006-06-14T16:03:00.000-05:00

This is a test of my new blog! I am attempting to start a crafty/cooking/creative blog that maybe will inspire me and motivate me while giving me the chance to hang out in this cool blogging community and steal other people's ideas. :-D Wish me luck!