Lazy Girly Weekend

My boys took off for a manly man weekend in the city, so us girls had a quiet, peaceful weekend home together.  I love my boys....BUT....it was nice not having all of that boy energy busting through the walls.  

So....with my house clean, laundry running softly in the background, two little girls playing quietly, and some real peace and quiet in the house, it's the pefect recipe for:  recipes.  That's right.  These recipe books are kind of like little friends, just waiting for a turn to be useful and please the family, and I never get time to just sit and drool, I mean look, at them.  If my family knew what was good for them, they would FIND time for me to sit and drool, I mean look, at these cookbooks--they would be beneficiaries of not only a happy mommy, but some delish food.  What is wrong with them?! 

One of my prized posessions - a personal gift from my Sweetheart.  Oh, how I love this book.

And the Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake.  I posted it here - but it's always fun for me to visit the actual recipe.

 ...mmmm....these cookies are a major winner, too....

 ...haven't made this cake yet...definitely going to have to do this soon.

 ...oh, seriously...it's so cold right now - maybe I want THIS instead...

Switching gears to some serious comfort food.  I'm no longer a Martha fan...I became disenchanted with her years ago...but she/her staff continue to put out some amazing stuff.  This book below has been my favorite for the past 12 years - it's timeless and wonderful.  

This cookbook has been so loved, in fact, that I need another copy of it since this one is looking a bit grimy.  {I can sense Martha wincing at this image...she would never let her book fall into disaray like this....}

Every recipe, every image conjures up homey comfort.  Just what a good cookbook should do.

Our family's favorite soup--Summer Corn Chowder

Oh, some Boston Cream Pie.  I could use a sliver...or two...or three right now.

Our all-time, award-winning favorite:  Chicken Potpie.  I've made this dish dozens upon dozens of times, changing it up a little, and even cheating sometimes...yet it always comes out amazing.  

...friggin' DELISH...

Speaking of delish....!!!  She's scrumptious!!  

She also shares my love of cooking - and tasting.  

Here's to a girl's weekend of peaceful splendor.  And crepes.  (they were mind-numbing good)

Cheers!!

Little Details

Sometimes, a little bit of detail can brighten up any space.

In this case, some bright, happy, cheerful blooms!

Such a simple thing to brighten up a dull winter day.  Even in this beautiful, sunny place, a splash of colorful flowers like this is just the thing to perk things up a bit!

Also....joining my Katie Daisy collection.....

...is this new piece.  {gasp!!}  It's PERFECT!!

It's amazing how a beautiful piece of art can brighten up a little space.

This happy creation is right above our dining table, first thing to greet us in the morning.  Right next to my sunflower pictures from Michigan.  

This one (below) is in my daughter's room.  A $5.00 frame & some spray paint is all it needed to burst into splendor.  I can't say enough how much I LOVE this piece!!!

Here is Katie Daisy's shop, The Wheatfield, where I am looking forward to purchasing more art.  LOVE her.  

{These two are ordered & on the way.....squeal!....}

...and this one is next...

Christmas Garland

Finally finished it - just in time to put it away.  yesssssss.  Hey, at least I'll have something new to hang up next year.  That's my goal - at least one new Christmas project each year.  By the end of Thanksgiving, I'm usually ready to work on something festivy & fun, which is when I started this.

It's Christmas cookies with sprinkles!  The original and amazingly adorable inspiration {found here} came from Nana & Co., whom I absolutely adore.  {I liked her candy canes, too, but I didn't have the patience to make any}  Everything this Goddess of Creativity does makes me swoon. Page, after page, after page of her blog is loaded with the most beautiful creations.  I don't think she and I could ever be BFF's because she's just in a realm of creative awesomeness all her own.  I would probably giggle too loud, play with my hair too much, pass some nervous gas, let out an awkward snort or something....it would be bad.

But anyhooo...

I love this happy, cheery, cookiefull garland.  

I thought I saved a template...can't find it at the moment...I should have one somewhere...but it was created with Photoshop and, GET THIS, the cookie cutter tool. {funny, right?!}  There's a shape in the cookie cutter tool box that is a scallop circle.  So I just sized my circle & scallop circle on my piece of paper, printed it off on cardstock, cut them out, and traced my shapes on felt.  So easy it's disgusting.

I'll go find my template so I can share it...  

Happy 2013!!

Another New Year?!  {wahoo!}  I hope everyone had a marvelous Christmas season! It's truly my favorite time of the year, a little sad it's over, but I'm definitely looking forward to every upcoming phase of another year and all of it's surprises.  The winter sunrises, Valentines Day, Spring, Easter, kids' events, warmer weather, summertime fun, lazy days, taking trips, a new school year, Fall festivities, and another Thanksgiving and Christmas season.  Every bit of it is just as exciting to think about as it was last New Years!

Every time the New Year rolls around, it comes directly after the Christmas hustle and excitement, with it's own little burst of excitement.  Although I'm not a huge "resolution" fan, I definitely believe in recommitting to doing my best.

Part of doing my best is better balance - and part of that is getting back in touch with my creative side.  I've let it sit by the wayside for too long--I miss it, I need it, and I'm giddy about creating beautiful things!

My Christmas project - still waiting to be finished - maybe by the end of the day today! {woo hoo}

A chunky, creamy, dreamy blanket I've started.  It's working up fast....had to order more yarn.  Did you hear that?  I have to order yarn.  Not cool...but at least it's an option.  It'll be like Christmas all over again to get beautiful, creamy yarn in the mail. Like a little preseeeent. For meeeeee.

And speaking of presents for me....my Love Nugget was extra good to me this Christmas.  He's amazing, I know.  And, yes, it's true.  I've become a Canon girl.  I know, I know....I feel like I'm cheating on my Nikon...but it was time to upgrade from my sweet, little D40, and this hot little number is fierce!  We (I mean my husband) did a lot of research, hunting, comparing, and more research and we decided on this one. I'm madly/crazy in love with my 6D.  We took her for a little test-run on Saturday, you know, so the two of us could get acquainted a little.   

With the help of our Chariot of Fire, (the jeep) my Canon and I found some beautiful things to take pictures of.  

ahhhhh...a winter's day in the Arizona desert.  What's not to love?!  And...my favorite part...is the light that spills all over the place.  Light, light, light.  So much light....it's soul food for me. 

The mighty Saguaro.  Did you know that a saguaro cactus can live to be 150-200 years old?!  These beauties are slow growing, and they're exclusively here in the Sonoran Desert.  A 10-year-old plant might only be 1 1/2 inches tall...so one this size could have taken over a century to grow.  It's got to be at least 12-15 feet tall - I'm standing downhill, several yards back from this beauty, so it's hard to see in this photo how massive it is.  

This, my dear friends, is our back yard.  Don't hate me.

...fell in love with a windmill.  What's not to love about a desert ranch windmill?!  So tall, stalwart, doing her duty to bring water to animals, punctured by gunshot, yet still so beautiful. 

 Seriously, though, why do I love windmils so much?!  I love the shapes, colors, and functionality of them.  Maybe because it's sort of a symbol of the hard-working ranchers, homesteaders, and salt-of-the-earth people who help make this country so great.  I don't know....but I love them...

Stand tall, my friend.

Always, for as long as I can remember, after a long day out in the hills, the road home is always hauntingly beautiful.  Out in the desert hills it's wild and untame...and home is warm and comfortable.  It's always hard to leave the fun of being outdoors, but once those city lights come into view, there's comfort in knowing that our warm home waits to welcome back the business of our crazy little family!

Happy New Year, everyone!!!  

Wishing you the happiest adventures to come!!!

Homemade Gift Tags

 Hello Blog-land!!  I hope you're enjoying the Holiday season, kicking it off with Halloween (it all starts from there for me...), and then The Big Feast of Thanksgiving, and how we're moving on to the December festivities!!  {wahoo!!}  It's not that I don't love the Fall festivities, but December is just so much more fun for me.  I do have to say, though, that it is waaaaaaay different celebrating the Holiday Season in the Arizona desert.  It's marvelous, a dream-come-true, warm, sunny, bright, and oh so delightful.  However, it's hard to feel all festivy without some winter around me.  {don't get me wrong...I don't want anything to do with snow...}  It's just a little different, I guess.

Along with a bazillion things I'm loving on Pinterest right now, I've currently got a thing for homemade gift tags.  They can be the perfect touch to a thoughtful gift.  Plus, they're cheap, easy, and they give everything a little hand-made flair.  {and we love flair, don't we?!}  So I've been on the hunt for some fun tags, and I'm passing on my findings to you!!  {you're welcome}  

I'm going to put my tags in a little box with some twine, and when I need a random tag at a random time, I'll have a huge assortment of something darling.  LOVE it!  For someone who is never prepared (me), this kind of thing makes giddy.  Not pee giddy...just giddy.  (or P. Diddy.  whatever.)

 {a project wouldn't be complete without something to munch on.  Laughing Cow light swiss cheese wedge & rice sesame crackers.  OY it's good.}

These tags are my creation - you can download  them here.  Print on any color of cardstock. {I prefer earthy neutrals}

 These tags are here.

--All images used were purchased through Designer Digitals

Lots of tags on this page by Creature Comforts

More tags from Creature Comforts

{thanks, Creature Comforts! I love you!}

LOVING these hand-drawn tags by Hey Look

And if you have Photoshop and want to make your own, here is a tag template by Armommie.  (they also have a bunch of fun freebie downloads!)

Enjoy!!!  Love ya!!

Primary Printables...finally!

For those of you who were interested in these - I'm so sorry it's taking me so long--I've been having trouble wtih the file sharing site that I use.

Okay--so here's the deal.  The files are there, they work, but the image doesn't come up clearly on the screen.  GO AHEAD AND PRESS DOWNLOAD.  It will automatically download, go to Adobe, and you'll be able to see/print it just fine.  Enjoy!!!

Beanbag Fun p.1

Beanbag Fun p.2

Quick Glance Lesson Helps

All Kinds of Fun

 Even though I don't have all of the time in the world to do everything I want, I can at least look back and say I've done SOMETHING!  That's better than nothing, right?  I keep trying to tell myself that.  Here's the random stuff we've been up to:

So check this out----I totally built that little kitchen with my bare hands!  And a screwdriver. And an allen wrench.  It was intense.  I never want to do something like that again.  It was one of those projects where I say to my honey, "Hey, honey--look what we can do together!"  .....  silence  .....  so as I said before, I did it all by myself.  I might not be Mother-of-the-Year all of the time, but right now I am. 

{and what of that sweet carpet I have...??!!  Pretty rad, right?!} 

My Primary calling keeps me constantly busy.  We had a special teacher's inservice meeting and I wanted to give them a "Little Bag of Tricks" for their classrooms.  I had 2 teachers show up.  ?!?!!!??  

Most of them got my little gift anyway, but I was, indeed, a little miffed.

  Inside each file folder packet is: a beanbag with game ideas, fishing pole with magnet, a boy & girl puppet stick (for choosing helpers and such), and a quick glance lesson helper page.  

These folders stay with each class, so if we get new teachers, they don't get to keep it.  However, it's a fun little packet for those days when the kids need a little something fun to make classtime easier.

I'll make some printables for you to download if you want them.  I LOVE the beanbag games!!

More desert crusin'.  We just...can't....get.....enough....

end of summer colors.....so pretty

Never, in all of my life growing up in the desert, have I ever seen a Gila Monster in the wild.  (pronnounced hee-la)  I was an idiot and didn't have my camera settings where they needed to be, so the 800 other pictures I have of this guy are a total blur.  {doh!!!}  Man, was I ticked.  

 But the COLORS!!  So different than what we're used to, and we love it.

County Fair - lovin' the chickens.  County fairs are the best, right?!  I want a cute little chicken coop with some little ladies of my own to take care of.  They give me fresh eggs, and I give them a home with TLC.  It's a dream...but not sure if it will ever happen.  There is a 'no chicken' clause in the neighborhood where we want to build.  ?!?!  NOW what?!  I'm totally bummed.

My little tornado continues to make life so very, very interesting and chaotic.  I love her so much...and at the same time want to bash my head into a brick wall daily.  I need to remember to keep the waterproof mascara put up higher.

Chillin' in Tombstone waiting for our amazing food.  What a fun place to visit - and the drive was beautiful.  Did I mention how good it is to be home?!

And...my  heart is broken....because our adorable Sister Missionaries got transferred.  They are some of the greatest friends I've ever had - I miss them terribly and it's only been a few days!!  They even let the Primary kids dress them up during singing time and, as one could imagine, the kids thought this was hilaaaarious!  We have two amazing choristers with some great ideas.  So lucky.

Sister Chidester & Sister Farnsworth.  Two Texas beauties.

So much laughing, so many great visits.  

Oh, how I love these girls!!!

{don't forget to invite me to your weddings, ladies....I'll still be here....huddled in the corner.....mourning your absence.....}

And now...I'm sure everyone is getting ready for the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/Holiday festivities that start in October and snowball for the next 3 months!  It's fun, busy, and exciting - all wrapped together. Kind of like fluffy hamsters on methamphetamines rolling around in a ball, right?!  Just bouncing, running around, all cute.   Okay, maybe that was a bad example.  Happy Holidays, though!!  Since it all starts in October, I figure it's totally acceptable to say that right now.  {plus, I wanted to say it first before anyone else.}

Is anybody going to tackle the Advent Calendar this year?!  It's not too late - GO FOR IT!!  

This is going to be my project during the Holiday insanity - think I can take this on?!  

I found it on Nana and Company - LOVE her.  And I love this garland.  I'm not willing to make felt food for my psycho toddler because she would either ruin it or discard it...which would make me sob hysterically - but I'm totally willing to make this garland as a new little Christmas decor.  Here's to hoping that I actually make it  happen!!!

Happy Times!!

Love to all of you!!