Just a blurry glimpse.....

A glimpse of this boy's excitement to be starting his own baseball "story"....fun times!!!

Camera fun with son # 1

Having fun with the camera.........

Tis the season.....if you need me....you can find me at the ball-field!

Edwin Dale Blue Ribbon Performance

Creativity at work....Revisited

So I was informed by the daddy of the creative child here...that he had been following my latest blog entries, but just didn't "get" the most recent one about play dough....





 so I guess I have been viewing this through my "mommy" lenses and perhaps I should explain what I am seeing here.

This comes from a woman that cried in art class...when given a lump of play dough...all I could think to do was cook it...either in the form of cookies, cakes or well....cookies.
So it just reminded me that there is nothing much more special than the way our mothers can see so much in so little...see that what may look like a blob to others actually is dirt bikes racing up that hill...

 So once again we made play dough. 


Put play dough in their hands and the creativity happens!  I love it!

Moon Pie Cake Meets Demarle

 My love affair with Demarle products in no secret!  To know me is to have eaten something made with Demarle!  If you have never heard of them....I am sorry!  It is a wonderful French product...professional cookware that came to the American market about 10 years ago.  

For years my Moon Pie Cake took the form of 2 stacked cake layers certainly delicious....

even described as beautiful....elegant,,,,and prized....(once sold at an auction for $150!!!!)

This time I used a fluted mold on top and then the 2 round cake layers below.  This actual "mold" has been discontinued by Demarle at Home...but this one would achieve the same look.  The 3 layers of cake and 2 layers of cream filling....with the chocolate lava, I mean, ganache....made a cake fit for a winter feast! 

Creativity at work....

I love it when the kids go missing and this is what I find......

 

Yeah...for Lincoln Logs!

Thrift store find....$3 complete set! Never had been used!

Great for library books too

Great to keep tabs on the library books!

Also a great time to pull out the old scrabble game that my dear, encouraging, thrifting friend found for me at a garage sale for $3!!!

It is always fun to leave a love note for someone soooo sweet and loving!

Trying not to be greedy....

So, my first purchase of the black metal file slots....I bought one.  After some friendly prompting and this link from Jones Design Co. sent to my Facebook wall...showing toward the end of this Emily's use of her metal file rack for her children's artwork and misc....I returned and bought 3 more...I am already loving them here!

Loving some organization!

Found these at our local Humane Society Thrift Store!!!

The price was unbeatable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knock Off Ballard Design Finial....

So the thing that is wonderful about blogs....is the harvesting of wonderful ideas....


What I love even more is when my blog reading friends send me links from blogs with great "easy" and inexpensive projects.....esp projects that demand my thrifting addiction.

So it all started with this.....link.

Glued with E6000...sorry for the blur....my blackberry is at fault!

Primed...and the combo on the far right is still missing a few pieces...you may noticed it is cut out of the other 2 pics.

Complete and in the living room.......Ah the wonders of glue and spray paint!

All in all total cost was about $5 for the 2 finials!  Truly a fun project!

My winter "roses"

When the lawn is brown, the flower beds empty and the trees are bare...I love the camellias; truly my southern winter rose.

I Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 

I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that even blesses me with flowers in winter....and soooo much more!

Key Lime Fancy Muffin Cakes

1 White Cake Mix
1 Lime Jello Mix
1 Stick of Butter, melted
1 Cup water
3 Eggs

Beat well. Batter will be green..absolutely delicious!

Disperse evenly within muffin tray with a large scoop. (Mine is Pampered Chef's large.)

Cook in oven according to box directions for cupcakes.


Cream Cheese Dollop
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 stick butter, Softened
2 cups Powder Sugar

Combine in mixer until smooth and stiff creamy consistency.

I use the Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to place a pretty dollop on each inverted muffin.


Key Lime Glaze

There should be a good bit of cream cheese mixture remaining...use this to make the lime glaze.....by adding....

the juice of 2 limes and enough milk (1-3 TBS) to make a thick drizzle. Wisk till milk and lime juice are blended into the glaze.


Check out the products I used at this link Demarle%20at%20Home%202010%20Catalog I used pans # 17 and #24, for a beautiful outcome!

Tweet Heritage

Thankful for the many wonderful memories at the family home over the years.65 years of marriage...for better or for worse in richer or for poorer...in sickness and in heath....till death do us part.. These are trying days for my dear, Grandma.  She is ailing and Grandpa has Alzheimer's.  She still wants to care for him on her own.  She still has her mid-western woman strength and tenacity. They shared with me their love of gardening and growing pretty things. My memory of their dining table always included fresh flowers brought in and arranged by Grandma.  The other very special memory of that dining table was playing Skip-bo or Phase 10 and sipping hot tea with honey.  In her kitchen, Grandma always had a stash of chocolate chips...she claimed the lecithin in the chocolate kept her sane.  My favorite recipes from Grandma would have to be her oatmeal cookies and her oriental salad.  It always amazed me how she could put out a spread of food from so little and the meal would be so satisfying.  She is not a Southern cook...just the simplicity of Western fare....salmon, chicken, a good roast and lots of fresh vegetables.  My love of canned plums is due to Grandpa's enormous plum tree that he guarded from the Starlings....and Grandma would do her part to can them.  Grandpa always had such a bountiful garden...I remember apples from his garden that must have been the size of a softball or larger....the sweetest and most crisp thing I ever tasted!1 daughter, 6 sons, 20 grandchildren, and 23 (and counting) great-grandchildren...certainly a quiver-full!I pray that these 3 sons the Lord has given us will look back someday and know something of the commitment of those sacred vows.  Of course 65 years seems like a long way off since we are just approaching 15 years, but regardless of the number of years may the strength of our love ever be evident and our fervor to serve the Lord above all else be paramount.