I just wanted to post an update to my previous post about my husband's cousin.
Deputy Robert Britton passed away today (Monday) from injuries sustained in the accident last week.
Thanks to anyone who might have seen this post and sent up a prayer for his family. I know his dad is taking this pretty hard and he leaves behind 2 adult children. I'm sure this is a huge blow for the sheriff's department as well. Robert was very well liked.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Please pray
My husband's cousin, who is a deputy sheriff in our area, was injured Thursday morning in a freak accident involving a cow, while at work.
See the news story here.
Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
He is in very critical condition.
See the news story here.
Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
He is in very critical condition.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Painting Painting Painting
It has been a super busy week that has passed in the flash of an eye.
I haven't had time to finish anything that I could list in my etsy shop and I've had very little time to sew or do anything fun. :(
Why? you ask. It's because I finally started a project that I've been putting off for some time.
The majority of our house needs to be repainted - especially the trim and doors. I hate painting trim and doors. But I finally got started on it because we've been having days in the upper 70's and 80's for the past couple of weeks and so it's perfect, weatherwise, to paint. Luckily, I've already repainted a few of the rooms.
Our half bath got a makeover here.
I repainted my sewing room here.
And I repainted our spare bedroom - which is suppose to be our game room - a couple of years ago.
So, the past couple of weeks, I've been working on the trim and doors in our long hallway which includes 3 rooms and my son's bathroom. Because of my back 'issues', I have to work a little each day. I've finished all the trim on this side of the house and 3 of the doors. Still have to finish up 4 doors. I bought the paint for the hallway walls yesterday and hope to get started on that tomorrow. I've also done touch up painting in my son's bedroom and bathroom since he doesn't want those rooms changed. Here's a pic of a section of trim that's been painted. I was a bit messy but I'm repainting the walls anyway.
I'm hoping I will like this paint color because if I do, I'll be repainting the living room, dining room and possibly my bedroom with the same color. I have a different color in mind for the kitchen and will be waiting to repaint it as we are planning a remodel for later this year. I'll post a pic of the color when I get the hallway walls painted.
Sad, huh? At least, it makes me sad.
I haven't had time to finish anything that I could list in my etsy shop and I've had very little time to sew or do anything fun. :(
Why? you ask. It's because I finally started a project that I've been putting off for some time.
The majority of our house needs to be repainted - especially the trim and doors. I hate painting trim and doors. But I finally got started on it because we've been having days in the upper 70's and 80's for the past couple of weeks and so it's perfect, weatherwise, to paint. Luckily, I've already repainted a few of the rooms.
Our half bath got a makeover here.
I repainted my sewing room here.
And I repainted our spare bedroom - which is suppose to be our game room - a couple of years ago.
So, the past couple of weeks, I've been working on the trim and doors in our long hallway which includes 3 rooms and my son's bathroom. Because of my back 'issues', I have to work a little each day. I've finished all the trim on this side of the house and 3 of the doors. Still have to finish up 4 doors. I bought the paint for the hallway walls yesterday and hope to get started on that tomorrow. I've also done touch up painting in my son's bedroom and bathroom since he doesn't want those rooms changed. Here's a pic of a section of trim that's been painted. I was a bit messy but I'm repainting the walls anyway.
Here is a picture of 2 of the doors. One has been repainted bright white - which was the color all the house trim was suppose to be in the first place - the other door is the color the idiot painter painted all our trim when the house was built even though he was told specific paint colors and paint finishes.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Here are some yummy, wonderful, green things made by my fellow EtsyMom Team members to help you get your green on! Click the pics and it will take you to the shop.
So have some green beer and go shopping for handmade yummies!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Book Review
Ok, so today, I have some book recommendations.
Many moons ago - I think when I was a teenager but who remembers? - I read the book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. It is the best Christmas story I have ever read. I mean the BEST. It's about this family of kids named the Herdsmans whos father abandoned them, so they live with their single mom who works all the time just to keep a roof over their heads. The kids pretty much raise themselves. They have almost no adult supervision and they basically terrorize the town.
When my son was in 1st grade, I read it to him for the first time. He loved it. We've read it together several times since then and he has also read it by himself several times since then. When he was in second grade, his teacher let me read it to his class before Christmas. The kids who payed attention really enjoyed it.
I have since discovered that Barbara Robinson has more books about the clever Herdsmen including The Best Halloween Ever and The Best School Year Ever. I've read them both and they are a hoot.
At our last trip to the Half Price Book store in Dallas, I found this little gem (for $1.98 :)
My Brother Louis Measures Worms. It's a series of short stories. I'm about half way through it and it is laugh out loud funny. These are great books for your kids to read. They're at an AR level of about 4-5. Really great little chapter books.
So, that's my recommendation. Any book by Barbara Robinson - especially The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. They are great for adults too! Happy Reading!
Many moons ago - I think when I was a teenager but who remembers? - I read the book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. It is the best Christmas story I have ever read. I mean the BEST. It's about this family of kids named the Herdsmans whos father abandoned them, so they live with their single mom who works all the time just to keep a roof over their heads. The kids pretty much raise themselves. They have almost no adult supervision and they basically terrorize the town.
When my son was in 1st grade, I read it to him for the first time. He loved it. We've read it together several times since then and he has also read it by himself several times since then. When he was in second grade, his teacher let me read it to his class before Christmas. The kids who payed attention really enjoyed it.
I have since discovered that Barbara Robinson has more books about the clever Herdsmen including The Best Halloween Ever and The Best School Year Ever. I've read them both and they are a hoot.
At our last trip to the Half Price Book store in Dallas, I found this little gem (for $1.98 :)
My Brother Louis Measures Worms. It's a series of short stories. I'm about half way through it and it is laugh out loud funny. These are great books for your kids to read. They're at an AR level of about 4-5. Really great little chapter books.
So, that's my recommendation. Any book by Barbara Robinson - especially The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. They are great for adults too! Happy Reading!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Happy Birthday to me! and a sale!
Today is my birthday! Yay!
I'm not going to say which one though. I think once we hit 35, we should be able to subtract the years instead of adding the years. So, going by that theory, I'm 27. :)
To celebrate my birthday, I'm having a sale in my etsy shop - Handmade Whimzy.
Get 10% off all items by using the coupon code - birthday1.
Discount will also apply to the already marked down hair accessories and scented sachets.
I'm planning to run this sale through Saturday. So, Happy Shopping and Happy Birthday to ME!
I'm not going to say which one though. I think once we hit 35, we should be able to subtract the years instead of adding the years. So, going by that theory, I'm 27. :)
Get 10% off all items by using the coupon code - birthday1.
Discount will also apply to the already marked down hair accessories and scented sachets.
I'm planning to run this sale through Saturday. So, Happy Shopping and Happy Birthday to ME!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sweet Little Coin Purse
I've officially finished one sweet little coin purse in my new sewing venture. It's perfect. Well..... actually, it's practically perfect. I got alittle over zealous with the glue and got some of it on the fabric. So, I'm debating about whether or not to list it in my etsy shop. If I do, it will be as an oops and at a discounted price.
Here is it:
It's actually a tiny bit of glue that you can barely see. But I know it's there ;)
Here is it:
Monday, March 7, 2011
Ganache
This past Friday, I told my son that we would go to the new cupcakery, Ganache, in our town after school to celebrate the beginning of Spring Break. The store has been open for about a year, so I guess it's not new but we had never been there before, so it's new to us :)
We each got a cupcake. I got Raspberry Chocolate, my son got a Lava Cupcake which didn't have any icing but did have melted ganache in the middle, and my DH got a Coconut cupcake.
My Raspberry Chocolate cupcake was delicious. The cake was moist and yummy and very chocolatey with just a hint of raspberry flavor. The icing though, was awesome. They must have puried the raspberries for the icing because it had seeds in it and the flavor was very strong. I give it a thumbs up!
My DH liked his coconut cupcake. He said the cake part tasted like vanilla cake but the icing was very coconutty.
My son stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. I guess that means it was good?
So, I'd say it's worth another trip. Next time I want to try the salted caramel cupcake. It looked really yummy. I think I can talk my son into the Smores cupcake - it probably won't be too hard.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
This Weeks Sweet
This weeks sweet treat was a Banana Sour Cream Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.
Yumm!
I get recipes from the Kraft website every once in a while and this was one of them. Their recipes usually use Kraft products, of course. But you can substitute other brands.
I made this recipe for Sunday lunch. My in laws were coming over and I thought they'd like it. And they did! My father in law ate 2 pieces plus they took some home with them. My son didn't like it though. He said the icing didn't go with the cake and honestly, I kind of agree with him. I think if I make it again, I'll use a chocolate buttercream frosting or even vanilla buttercream.
If you do make this recipe, I don't recommend that you use fat free cream cheese for the icing. It makes the icing runny and sticky.
Here is the recipe, courtesy of kraft.com:
What You Need:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream (I used Light Daisy)
3 eggs
1/4 cup oil (I used light olive oil)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Walnuts
HEAT oven to 350°F.
BEAT first 5 ingredients with mixer on low speed just until moistened, stopping frequently to scrape bottom and side of bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Pour into greased and floured 13x9-inch pan.
BAKE 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
BEAT cream cheese and butter with mixer until well blended. Gradually beat in sugar.
REMOVE cake from pan. Carefully cut cake crosswise in half using serrated knife. Place 1 cake half, top-side down, on plate; spread with some of the cream cheese frosting. Top with remaining cake half, top-side up. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting. Press nuts into sides. Keep refrigerated.
*****************
All of the adults liked the cake but the kiddo didn't. The cake part was REALLY good. Very moist and you could really taste the bananas. We give it a thumbs up.
Yumm!
I get recipes from the Kraft website every once in a while and this was one of them. Their recipes usually use Kraft products, of course. But you can substitute other brands.
I made this recipe for Sunday lunch. My in laws were coming over and I thought they'd like it. And they did! My father in law ate 2 pieces plus they took some home with them. My son didn't like it though. He said the icing didn't go with the cake and honestly, I kind of agree with him. I think if I make it again, I'll use a chocolate buttercream frosting or even vanilla buttercream.
If you do make this recipe, I don't recommend that you use fat free cream cheese for the icing. It makes the icing runny and sticky.
Here is the recipe, courtesy of kraft.com:
What You Need:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream (I used Light Daisy)
3 eggs
1/4 cup oil (I used light olive oil)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Walnuts
HEAT oven to 350°F.
BEAT first 5 ingredients with mixer on low speed just until moistened, stopping frequently to scrape bottom and side of bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Pour into greased and floured 13x9-inch pan.
BAKE 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
BEAT cream cheese and butter with mixer until well blended. Gradually beat in sugar.
REMOVE cake from pan. Carefully cut cake crosswise in half using serrated knife. Place 1 cake half, top-side down, on plate; spread with some of the cream cheese frosting. Top with remaining cake half, top-side up. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting. Press nuts into sides. Keep refrigerated.
*****************
All of the adults liked the cake but the kiddo didn't. The cake part was REALLY good. Very moist and you could really taste the bananas. We give it a thumbs up.
