So EGGS-ited I could have DYED!

Due to scheduling conflicts (and because I just couldn't wait any longer!) the annual "Crazy-Awesome-and-Extremely-Eccentric-Easter Egg-decorating-day" took place the weekend before Easter.

ShaNae came to stay with me in Rexburg and we got our artsy pants on. First it was the eggs - they are of course the highest priority. Pictured above you will see her awesome assortment on the left and my crazy collection on the right.

Next we iced a few sugar cookies - a must for every holiday if we get the chance. I won't tell you which ones are mine and which are hers, because frankly they are all embarrassing.

 Then we had a brilliant plan to get baby in on the holiday hullabaloo. He must be initiated into these Traditions early.

We even got Jake to participate. He cleverly disguised my outie belly button with a purple polka dot. I guess the thought of having permission to draw on me with markers was motivation enough - he would have preferred permanent I think, as he usually does in marker wars... But that's another story.

And here is the grand Easter Egg in all its glory. We just wanted you to feel included little guy :)

For the actual Easter weekend Jake and I spent a few days in Mink Creek with his parents... and the EASTER BUNNY came. No one expected him to show up, since we are all grown ups, but I guess he wanted to introduce baby to the holiday while still in the womb as well! Candy eggs spread out on the floor, a few hidden eggs scattered about, and a "basket" for each of us.

RICHARD- An organizer full of office supplies for tax season, a giant roll of duct tape, some rope,etc.
VICKIE- A Flower pot with gardening gloves, pastel dish cloths, chocolate, and a video about Christ.
JAKE- An ammo can containing a knife, Big Bang season 4, Phineas-and-Ferb fruit snacks, electronics cleaning wipes for his new laptop, and a new shirt!
NESS- My childhood basket sitting on top of a new body pillow. I also got some nice ankle socks, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves on DVD, and a new skirt.
BABY- Lots of healthy food for Mommy to eat, and a little book called bedtime stories.

And as much as I enjoyed it all,  I vow it will be the last time I travel before baby comes.

We had a really peaceful Sunday and had time to reflect about the life of Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
 I know our Savior lives and loves us, and am ever more grateful for this testimony. Here is a little tidbit I wrote down...

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right...

 I love Easter. The crazy traditions, the family time, the bright colors, the blossoms of Spring, and who can forget the cadbury eggs. But most of all I love the reminder of RENEWAL - I know that through the Atonement and the Resurrection, I am given the opportunity to start fresh. My life has meaning and direction because of the sacrifice my older brother, Jesus Christ, made for me. I love being reminded of this at Easter, during the Spring season and... every week in Sacrament Meeting for that matter. I am grateful that I can renew my covenants so often, and really feel the love of the Savior from day to day.

S.P.R.I.N.G.

Do I dare hope that Spring is here? Can it be so?
SHORTS
PUDDLES
ROBINS
INFANT
NEW BEGINNINGS
GREENERY

Maybe not quite yet. But I just wanted to acknowledge how GREAT it feels to have the sun coming through our windows and the breeze coming through our house as I open the door.

Not much else going on, except for me being VERY pregnant:

 This is the belly at 33 weeks, and I am thinking..... "Can I really grow much more in the next 7 weeks?"
As you can imagine, it is hard to get around and a bit frustrating to try - But doc says everything is going well.

With time racing forward, and due date coming rapidly you would think I would be using my time wisely. Meh... not so much. I do have the baby room mostly organized, and we have almost all the baby gear we will need - but there are still so many things on my "before baby comes" to do list.

...and said list does not exactly include making Easter crafts. Yet, I cannot help myself: I found a funny play on words that a few people were using on Etsy - so this is my version:


Of course I was EXUBERANTLY energetic about it and showed Jake right away. He applauded my efforts, but quickly came up with a "better" alternate suggestion.... So I made that one too!

Now I must warn you, it kind of requires a demented sense of humor to fully appreciate ---


We had a GOOD laugh about it, and then I just couldn't resist acting upon the crazy notion to actually create it....Poor little Peep in tiny little noose. 

I realize that my Spring Decor does not quite live up to the performance I gave last year. But alas, I will have to be content knowing that I took Jake's twisted enthusiasm and made it our reality.

May the weeks to come be warm and rejuvenating!

A wee bit of craftin'

Just a few projects to celebrate St.Pattrick's Day and this lovely month of March:

It all started on one crafty afternoon, when a friend and I were in a festive mood! With some paper, wire, green rafia, and a hoop,  we made some lovely front door decor.

Later in the week, I picked up a green basket and filled it with some green treats.

With some leftover paper, I transformed a plain ugly picture frame into this green checkered beauty. My printer is out of ink, so I could not print anything fancy to put in it. I still might replace the words with something more magical in the coming weeks.

With some old 2x4 blocks and a little paint, I made this little leprechaun hat and put it on a wooden easel.

For our kitchen wall, we needed a little leprechaun friend to greet us for breakfast each morning. I also picked up the giant pub glass at the dollar store and filled it with green good luck stones.

This banner is made of burlap and is stamped with the word "L.O.V.E" for Valentines day. But since it has not been up very long, I decided to give it one more month of use, by covering the word with "L.U.C.K"

And another February to March transformation. These are my Valentines Blocks....

..... that are now REVERSIBLE! I put these shamrocks on the back, and I love the way they turned out!

So many more ideas in mind (cough cough PINTEREST)  but I am without the funds and time to carry through with them all. I suppose my Crafting Craze has been appeased for now :) 

Gingerbread Wonderland

So a few years back, around Christmas time, I saw a gingerbread-house-kit up at the farm (where Jake grew up.) I casually mentioned that I think gingerbread men are SO cute and that all the peppermint candies and gumdrops make me feel like a kid during the holidays.

Well, that Vickie ("you sneeeaky Mom!") overheard the comment and has been quick to spoil me with gingerbread decorations for my home ever since! She finds the cutest things and every time I receive one of these sweet little gifts, I really do feel  like a spoiled little kid!

So this year, as I pulled out all the Christmas decorations, I decided that I had enough to create a whole gingerbread wonderland in my front room. Here are a my top three favorites:

Number one: This adorable gingerbread boy and girl that she picked up in Disney World! It is so funny, because I would never ever think to buy something like this for myself, but I guess that's why they made such a great present! I wish the picture showed more of the detail of their clothes, hair, and little faces. Their little house on Candy Cane Lane, bought separately, is also an advent calendar - Just makes me happy inside :)

Number Two: This banner is about as tall as I am, and is thick, hand painted canvas. I just love the texture and how it makes the room feel like home - and it implies that I make cookies all the time, which I do!

 Number Three: This set of ornaments is also really textured and cookie-licious! They are bright and happy and perfect for our little family - soon to be three!

Some of the other things that I haven't pictured: Salt and Pepper shakers, oven mits and hot pads, Dish cloths, placemats, throw blanket, pillows, plug in night light, and a candle cover that is shaped like a gingerbread house and the smoke comes out the chimney!

My own Mommy caught onto this little trend and sent me a very sentimental item from my childhood:

A good friend of the family made it for her years ago, and I have always loved it. It has a sense of wonder about it, and let's not forget that my mind connects it with CANDY! nom nom nom. I filled it with cookies right away and love seeing it on our kitchen table.

Anyway, there is a little background on my gingerbread obsession and how it came to be. When you walk into our house, it's a little overwhelming - but it's that whimsical kind of notion that you just stepped into the North Pole candy kitchen or something.

So in order to stick with the unavoidable theme, I decided to make our Christmas Tree match! I got a really great recipe for gingerbread cookies from a good friend of ours (Thanks Amanda!) and made my own ornaments! Go me!

 They were a little bit tricky, but not too shabby for a first try. They make that room smell Delightful!

With just a little red string, they hang on the tree nicely. This is the artificial tree we have by the window (minus the mini candy canes I recently added):

I have recently discovered the ribbon look, rather than using tinsel and we love it. (Although, there is something to be said for that stuff - It's an "old school" look like the trees I had growing up: with tinsel, multi colored lights, snow spray, wonderfully mismatchy ornaments, and those little foil icicles everywhere! I think I have too much of a symmetrical sense about me now that won't allow me to create such a memory-filled masterpiece.) Anyway, our tree has been basically the same every year since we have been married, blue and silver stuff that we bought our first year, and this is the new look for 2011.

Also, I cannot bare to let you believe that we have only a FAKE tree in our house. That would be a disgrace! Okay, to each their own, but I really die a little inside if I don't get a REAL tree. I don't make Jake take me out to cut one, and I always get the smallest cheapest one I can find, and try not to spend money on decorations for it --- but I MUST have that pine scent lingering in my nostrils. haha 

 So here it is. My pride and joy. Got a great deal, and love it immensely!

I went with the rustic look and found some rusty jingle bells, etc to use as ornaments. I spent a LONG couple of days stringing popcorn and berries, but they look so awesome! I also had some rafia in a bag that I used to tie some bows, and  had some left over gingerbread cookies to use as well.

I didn't have a tree topper, but I did have some red and white checkered dishcloths that I cut up and used to sew this star! Yay, I actually sewed something. It's not really a skill I possess, but I have been using my grandmothers sewing machine a little and have made a few basic projects. This little pillow is a bit skiddy-wampus, but it adds to the whole "homemade" look, right? Ah, well, I love it.

I guess that's why I love blogs. As long as I love it, I get to post about it.

And while I am on the topic of things I love, how about the Nativity and the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ. The centerpiece of my "wonderland" and hopefully the center of our Christmas celebration:

 More of my thoughts on the Nativity will be published on my "other" blog.

I hope you all feel the JOY of preparing for Christmas and none of the stressful chaos in the coming weeks! Remember, it's a time for sparkly eyes and wonderlands - not for budgets and deadlines.

Weekend well spent

I waited and waited and waited all week for my younger sister ShaNae to finally arrive Friday night! We were over due for some fun times, and we were going to have them!

That very night the crafty craze began as we made some Christmas gifts for friends. I cannot elaborate or post pictures, because some of you might just be recipients of such gifts! I know we are kind of early on the Christmas cheer, but I admit that I am already completely excited for the holidays.

The following morning we took our sweet time getting out of bed. We had some cereal with fresh raspberries - the perfect mid morning snack.  Then had a quick cleaning spree! Don't really know what possessed us to do this... but ShaNae was even nice enough to tackle our bathroom -
dun dun dun! 

We had worked up an appetite at this point so we were off to our traditional meal location - WINGERS! Have I ever mentioned that I drool and dream over their wings?  So So SOOO good. In fact, I already want some more.

Anyway, after our succulent and satisfying lunch, it was back to the house for some Fall / Halloween decorating. We re-arranged my front room and transformed it into a marvelously relaxing Autumn haven.

 

Once my "Harvest" Yankee Candle was lit, all was right with the world. Every time I smell it I feel like I am in the most perfect cozy corner that ever was! I love the room and just want to hang out in there all the time.

That night we settled in downstairs and watched some Psych episodes - this was something my husband participated in. He had been on the outside most of the day, as we carried out our crafty and "non-manly" activities. But don't feel too bad for him,  I am pretty sure he enjoyed a whole Saturday to himself.

Sunday morning was bright and sunny! It has been extremely drizzly, snowy and cold all week - It was so nice to feel the sun coming through the windows as we had breakfast. I made crepes and everyone ate their fill. Then it was off to church to enjoy a great fast and testimony meeting.

Sunday afternoon was cookie making time!!!Sugar cookies are kind of a big deal...

Pumpkins, Ghosts, cats, bats, and candy corn!  I would estimate that we made between 40 and 50 cookie masterpieces. Here are a few close up:

It was maybe sort of a little past dark when we finished and ShaNae headed back to Provo. Woops! She made it back safely, but it was probably hard to keep her eyes open while driving ---

Hahaha! Aren't these candy corn eyeballs genius!? Cracks me up! We are very glad she was able to come down and spend the weekend. Thanks ShaNaedle and see you at Thanksgiving!!!

Easter Craftin' Craze

Our Easter Tree (in a hail storm)
Note to self: It is harder than you might think to tie ribbon on top branches

Burlap Bunnies
Note to self: Sidewalk chalk looks cute on burlap bunny ears

Easter Lillies 

Rustic Vase

Ruffled Table Runner

Note to self: Simple is sometimes awesome

Delicious Sugar Cookies!

Note to self: Save some for your little sister next time

 Kitchen Table Center Piece

Note to self: Use things that don't cost money, like sticks!

NEW SKILLS

New skill number one: cooking a seriously tasty rack of BBQ ribs. While searching for new recipes online I came across a "comfort food" section and began drooling incessantly! They had a picture similar to this one of mine, and my tummy told me that's what I had to make for dinner.

I was excited at the prospect and went to the grocery store in search of some baby back ribs. Well, what I found was quite intimidating... a whole side of pork that had to be at least 3 ft long. At the Rexburg grocery store this huge slab (covered in fat mind you) was my only option. Uh.... not quite sure what I was doing, but I bought it. hahahaha. I had a coupon, so this rather large chunk of meat only cost me $10.

Once I got it home I just trusted the internet cooks to tell me how to proceed. Apparently you have to do what is called "stripping the membrane" --- sounds gross, I know. And it pretty much is. It's the white slimy layer on one side that you have to peel off. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, just kind of unnerving. (This, coming from the girl who has hunted, shot, and gutted a moose - eye roll.) Anyway, the point of removing that layer is so that the seasoning can saturate the meat. Flavor cannot penetrate the membrane - thus the reason for taking it off. I also trimmed a bit of the excess fat off. The hardest part was breaking the rack into smaller portions. I used a big knife, and cut the meat into 4 sections but then you have to break the bone. Kind of tricky, but if you get a good notch in it with the knife, it snaps pretty easy. Grossed out yet? It's easy from here on....

Next step, making the dry rub. Here is the recipe I came up with after researching the matter:

1/2 C Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp Paprika

2 Tbsp Salt

1 Tbsp Pepper

1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper

2 tsp minced garlic (or garlic powder)

1tsp Cayenne

I also added some onion flakes that I had and a few sprinkles of a grill-mate mix that I had.

Just mixed it all together and rubbed it onto the meat - both sides. I let it sit for about 15 minutes and then brushed a layer of BBQ sauce on. (Our favorite is Jack Daniels Original so I used that.) I wrapped each of the 4 sections tightly in tinfoil and let them sit in the fridge for about 4 hours --- probably be good to do it overnight, I just didn't have time.  Once they had been in the fridge for a considerable amount of time I took the tinfoil packets and put them on a cookie sheet. Baked them at 300 degrees for 2/12 hours. For a finishing touch (that I highly recommend) I unwrapped each one and added more BBQ sauce - then let them broil uncovered for about 10 more minutes.

Just have to say that I had one very happy husband that night and a couple of friends who were sufficiently impressed. The only thing I might do different next time is use one of those disposable tinfoil baking dishes - clean up was a little intense. :)

New skill number two: learning to sew. I have discovered a few fun projects lately that require this skill. When it comes to sewing, I have always kind of found a way around it (namely doing without or calling Mom) - but decided that I might really like it. So I claimed my grandmother's sewing machine (manufactured in 1965) from my parents storage room and my Dad helped me restore it to working capacity. It's funny to me how it is part of the desk. It does not sit on top, but actually folds down into the furniture. But it's well built, and I'm actually amazed at what it can do!

 

In the picture you see brown burlap material to the left and a strip of cream muslin under the needle. It is the workings of a very basic table runner that I made to compliment some of my Easter decor (see burlap bunnies in next post.) With the help of this awesome machine, I made a muslin ruffle at each end and was quite happy with the outcome. The whole project was intended to look shabby so it worked out well that my edges, and lines weren't exactly perfect ---

 I have a few other ideas about what I will be using the machine for, and you might even see some future posts about my lavish fabric piecing skills. (yeah right!)

Little sis' turns 24

It's always strange to think about the years drifting by... always mind-boggling to reminisce about how much has transpired since you last stopped to take a breath... But the concept of time really caught me off guard this past weekend as I celebrated my little sisters 24th birthday. I think she is gaining on me!

 I am so blessed to have a sibling so close to me in age and attitude. Our brains tap into the same circuit, and sometimes I think we were meant to be twins. We didn't always get along so well, but these days there isn't much in this world that I value above her.

So here we are on her birthday - Sunday April 10th. There was a party at her place that night involving a few friends and some lively chatter. Mostly it was an excuse to share (and show off) the amazing cake we made the day before:

She wanted a Bollywood themed cake to help her feel better about not traveling to India this year as she had planned. Life happens and things don't always work out the way we hope, but at least she got an awesome cake! It even has Happy Birthday written on the base in Hindi script! We'd been scheming about the details for a few weeks, yet we still had to make several trips to the store for things we forgot. It came together hour by hour and to give you some idea of how slow we were about it,  here is a list of movies we watched in the process:  Tangled, Stardust, Count of Monte Cristo, Road to Eldorado, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and South Pacific... Whew!

It was fun to try our hands at sculpting the fondant. The edible paint gave it a cool marble look. We called upon all of our creativity to put this Ganesh figure together How did we do?

A whole box of candles, a lighter, and a happy birthday song later and... MAKE A WISH! They were all clumped together so I don't imagine it was very hard to blow them all out in one breath. There was a bit of an incident where the fondant started sizzling and burning, but no real damage done. When I handed her the knife, she was quite hesitant to begin cutting :)  --- but the layers of yellow and strawberry were soon sliced and generously shoveled into our mouths. Mmmmmm, cream cheese frosting in between! 

 And this is payback. Yeah, that's right... remember the highly unattractive one she posted of me on facebook? Mwa HaHaHa! Hope you had an amaaaaazing birthday ShaNaedle!

My Nephew is 12!

My sister and her husband invited Jake and I to spend a night with them at their timeshare in Bear Lake this past weekend! My parents, and younger sister were able to join us as well! Everyone met at the condo on Sunday afternoon and threw a birthday bash for Mckay - He is the oldest of her kids and turned twelve! Upon arrival we baked some Pizza for dinner, mmmm. Then it was time for swimming! (Yeah... we didn't wait very long after we ate. We were too excited.)  Lots of splashing, floaty wings, basketball, and diving rings - and don't forget the hot tub! It is such an awesome feeling to go swimming in the winter. After the pool closed for kids, we all went in for some birthday cake! A quite awesome looking birthday cake if I do say so myself :) I was assigned the task of making one to save his Mom the time, and this is what I came up with:

A ski hill, complete with fondant figures which depicted each member of their family. I also added trees, skis, and a frosty looking #12. Made from layers of Devil's Food Cake by request. It took me a whole day to finish, because I am just learning, but it was really fun and was a big hit! Each kid got to eat their own little person and got a sugar high just before bedtime.

The next morning we got up early to greet another fun day. We shoveled some eggs in our faces for breakfast then were on our way to the real ski hill! Just a half hour away we arrived at Beaver Mountain in Logan. This is the place that Jake and I most often go skiing, because of it's proximity and good prices. So it was fun to have some of my family there this time!  The kids did an awesome job on the bunny hill. They learned the tricks of the trade and we had a good time helping out where we could. The weather was not ideal, but they were troopers about it. For lunch, they brought a big box of sandwiches and snacks which we ate by the fireplace while our clothes dried out. After grabbing some grub, we headed back out for another few hours of battling the blizzard. All the kids wanted to go up the big lift for a challenge. It was easier for some than others, but they all made it down eventually :)

And now I am going to post the steps of making the cake for my own future reference. So for those of you not interested in the process and painstaking deatils.... read no further :)

Step One: Bake Cakes. Two Rectangle, One 8" round, and two halves of Wilton's Sports Ball Cake Pan.

Freeze overnight for easier handling and decorating. 

Step Two:  Layer, shape, and frost with a thin layer of chocolate or Buttercream Frosting.

StepThree: Roll out Marshmallow Fondant and cover entire cake.

Step Four: Color Fondant, and cut out letters for name.

Step Five: Make Fondant Figures and let them harden as long as possible.

Step Six: Assemble with gumpaste glue, frosting, or toothpicks.

Step Seven: Be very proud!... But then inspect to determine how to improve the next go around :)