Twenty-One

Today my girl turned 21.

 

 

I can't hardly believe it. It just seemed like yesterday that I gave birth to a healthy 7lbs. 13oz. 21 inch long baby girl. She was the best thing in my life. And still is.

Its sad to see her grow up but she has become a beautiful, smart, young lady. She is strong. She is easily intimidated but not persuaded. She's a college senior with good grades and has even made it on the Chancellors list. She has Christian values and moral standards. She makes us proud. We are best friends. We share stories and even clothes. There is nothing I would want change about her. Well, I take that back. If I could keep her young forever, I would.

I usually make her a cake every year but for this milestone birthday, I decided to actually buy a plain iced caked from the bakery and decorate it myself. I didn't have much time so I came up with something kind of quick to do. I used decorating gel to look like spilled wine, and added a few fake flowers (washed first of course).

 

 

I wanted to find a theme that represented her being a legal adult. Ok that scares me a little. But again, I remind myself that shes smart.

The family all met up to celebrate at a local restaurant. We let her pick the place. She chose Captain Steves seafood restaurant. 

 

My Husband had Grilled flounder

 

I had flounder and oysters.

 

 We all had a good time and the food was delicious.

She will be celebrating all week long, ending next weekend with all of her college friends and sorority sisters taking her out to celebrate big!

"Happy Birthday Daughter, we love you."

DIY Gift Bow

Have you ever had to wrap a last minute gift and just hated to go out and buy a bow somewhere just to be torn off later? Well, your gonna like this. I came across a great idea on making my own with an old magazine laying around and attempted the task.

Go get a magazine, scissors, glue stick and stapler and make one with me.

Here we go....

I found a fishing magazine. Who don't love little fishes right?

I tore out a page (magazine pages are slick and shiny)
Cut 13 strips (top to bottom of page) about 1/2 inch wide.
Leave 3 full length
Cut one inch off 3
Cut two inches off 3
Cut three inches off 3
Cut the last piece down to about 3 inches long (this will be your center loop)

 

With 12 of the strips, fold into a figure 8. Use glue stick to hold in place.
With the last strip, fold into a circle and glue to hold.

With each 4 sizes, place together like a flower and staple the middles.

Then place each flower inside the larger flower and staple all together as one bow.
Then glue the circle loop in the center to finish off.

 

Now you have a little bow to use.

Secret: This was my first one. I'm sure they will get better with practice. 

I think these would be really cute made with recycled maps or newspaper too.

I've shared this on:
nifty-thrifty-tuesday on coastal charm
made-by-me-49-linky-party-and-features  (Featured)
lil-luna-link-party
blog-stalking-thursday at thecraftyblogstalker
under-100-linky-party at beyond the picket fence
craftionary's friday-fun-party-and-features
make-it-yourself-monday

Mail from the North Pole

It may be to early to talk about Santa but I just wanted to share this.

The other day I just had to complement a facebook friend on his beautiful singing voice and kind heart. Believe it or not, he goes by Storybook Santa. He is the best Santa around and just happens to spread his love to the children at a department store at a mall in my City. He is well known by everyone (of course). Children line up to tell him everything they want for Christmas. They all have that excited look on there faces as they get to talk with the white bearded, rosy cheek jolly fellow with Mrs. Claus there by his side.

The other day, I go to the mail box and guess what......
There it was.....

A package from yours truly...Official stamp and all.

Included in the package were two CDs, a letter from Mrs. Claus and a picture. I was really excited. I will share the CDs with my Dad who likes Gospel music and I think he will enjoy it.

It makes me happy to know there are good hearted, Christian people still in this world that work hard to spread kindness and bring smiles to everyone they come in contact with. This man does not know me and I dont even know his real name but I can call him a friend and know he and his wife are good people who use themselves as a witness.

Do you believe in Santa? I asked a similar question back in December and then added my thoughts on the subject. You can find it  HERE.

Storybook Santa has a you tube site you can hear him sing HERE. Sound like Elvis to me.
What do you think?

Crocheted Boot Cuffs

Summer is getting behind us and Fall is moving in. Winter will be here before you know it. Winter is my least favorite time of the year but this year I'm gonna try and make the best of it and try not to whine to much about it. Too me, the less I have to wear, the more comfortable I am. I do not like bulk.

But speaking of bulk, I made these cute little boot cuffs to wear with my boots this winter. Who wants bulky thick socks under their pant legs that are already squished in the boots? Not me.

 

They fit down into my boots about 4 inches and extend over the top about 4 inches, I can wear them up or roll them down over the top of my boots.

For the skinny minis out there, some of these would be great to fill the gaps between your boot tops and legs to add warmth.

I know in some states, socks are needed but from where I live, we will rarely get lower that 35 degrees. So all that thick winter wear is not worth buying.

Weekend Pinterest Fails

I'm a big fan of Pinterest. There are unending possibilities and so many creative artists, crafters and cooks out there!  I love getting ideas and trying them, and if at all possible, I will try to make it just a little different so the maker can still be original.

I came across a recipe and a craft I could not wait to try and then share in my blogging world.

First- The recipe was for "crab ragoons". This is one of me and my daughters favorite things at the Chinese restaurant. So I got the stuff for this easy recipe and did it exactly the way it said to do it. I didn't even add my own trick because this one looked so perfect already.

(source)

FAIL!
The cream cheese and crab mixture was perfect and wrapping them into little won tons was easy but cooking them up was just a mess. They didn't want to brown pretty and crispy except around the edges and those ended up being really tough. It could be the brand of won ton wrappers I used or the way I fried them. Maybe and deep fryer would have worked perfect. I still want to eventually ace this one because except for the texture, the taste was there! We ended up eating them anyways.

How mine turned out.

Second-I found this craft idea and shared it with my daughter who is always looking for ideas to do with her sorority sisters. "Write on a white plate with a sharpie marker and bake in oven at 150 degree for 30 minutes and the marker will never come off".

(source)

FAIL!
As soon as the plates cooled, I washed them and the writing came right off! disappointment here. She was really excited about this one.

Her plate looked really cute.

 



Have any of you had any experiences like this? I do not doubt the original creator of this recipe or craft, Its just that I could not pull it off. 

Crochet Roses

Everybody loves roses. You can make your own with paper, scraps and ribbon, but I just made some with yarn.

As every one knows by now that I've gained a liking to crocheting. Ive been doing it since last November. Its relaxing sitting down to a good Life Time movie with a ball of yarn.

I mostly make little things because I do not have the patience to make something that will take me a while. So, most of the things I make will fit in the palm of my hand.

I'm going to attempt to type out the instructions below.

Here is how I did it.

Rose Calyx:
1. chain 5
2. sl st in 1st ch to create a circle
3. 5 sc in center of the circle
4. slip st in the first ch to connect
5. chain 3
6. sc in next chain from hook
7. sc one more in next chain
8. sl st in beginning of that chain
9. sl st in next sc
Repeat 5 thru 9 four more times (makes 5 points)
tie off.















Rose
1. chain 26
2.  sc in 2nd ch from hook
3.  sc remaining chain to end
4.  chain 3 turn
5.  skip two ch, dc in 3rd
6.  chain 3, skip two ch, dc in 3rd (repeat to end)
7.  chain 3 turn
8.  dc in chain loop 3 times
9.  chain 3, sl st in chain loop (=4 dc)
10.  sl st into next chain loop
11.  ch 3 , dc in next loop 3 times (repeat 8-10 to end and tie off)
12.  begin rolling into a rose while stitching the together to hold.

OK now that's done, I hope you understood.

Next, I bought some pipe cleaners from the dollar store and since I could not find green ones, I actually mixed some paint to make the green I needed and painted the pipe cleaners.

It took them over night to dry and I actually like the rough texture it gave them. They felt like a real rose stem with out the thorns.

Next I put the end of the pipe cleaner into the center of the calyx and knotted it to hold it secure and then I sewed the roses onto that.

Now I have this cute little bouquet of roses. I didn't make a whole dozen because six is about all the patience I had. I even made a couple little buds that are not yet fully bloomed.

Im going to put the hook down for the weekend and start on some new recipes I found on Pinterst that I cant wait to make and share with you next week!

I've shared this on:
craftionary
get-schooled-saturday at too-much-time
made-by-me at jaqsstudio
crochetboulevard

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing is the salad soaker of choice at my house. If you ask my Daughter, she will tell you there needs to be a bottle at restaurants on the table right beside the ketchup. She puts Ranch on everything!

I decided to make my own ranch dressing and adding some zing to it. I found a recipe for this delicious new twist at teenagetaste.com .

The dressing turned out creamy, thick and delicious and since I love Cilantro, this was my taste pick of the day. You can find my recipe HERE or click on my recipe tab. However, if you take a poll in my home, nothing beats the Hidden Valley Ranch original!

I shared this on:
made-by-me-46-linky-party-and-features
tasty-thursdays at mandatorymooch
showcase-your-talent at whats cooking love
full-plate-thursday at mizhelens country cottage

Set Sail

If you have been keeping up with my blogs, you may remember me mentioning the Piece of drift wood  I found on the beach during my vacation.

I finally got around to creating the idea I had for it. A little sail boat.

My husband found me the perfect stick, and from some scraps of cloth my mom gave me, I was able to create the sailboat I had in my mind.

I love nautical themes and items. I guess that goes along with my love for the beach. This little thing really floats too. I like the way it turned out. I didn't want it to be perfect. I just added a sail to it and let it become what it wanted to be. I added the number to it of a special year.

"You need not sail unaided.

Give Jesus His rightful place,

And through the seas of life

You will be sailing by Grace"

Ive shared this at:

under-100-linky-party at beyond the picket fence
craftionary
make-it-yourself-monday
coastal charm

Dorm Room 1011

Well, Its that time of year. The time where we pack up all of my daughters clothes and school things and take her back to school. She is only 30 minutes away so its not all so bad but I still get that upset, lost and lonely feeling on the way back home from moving her in.

This is her last year of college so we didn't want to spend alot of money on new dorm room items and decided to just reuse what we had. She lives in an on campus apartment shared with 3 other girls. They all have there own room and share the common areas. We have to make do with fitting everything in a 9x12 room.

She likes to go with a color theme. The first two years of college, she used alot of pink.
For the 3rd year, she decided to go with more mixed citrus colors such as green, orange, pink and yellow.

Here is a look at last years room....

Its really bright. I liked this one the best and check out the peacock she drew to hang next to her bed.

and here is a look at this years room.

Since joining a Kappa Delta Sorority, she has grown fond of the color green. So we took out the fruity colors of last year and just stuck with mostly green. I love the pink and green monogram artwork she painted for this room.

She simply hung it with a ribbon.

She also got a little creative with her plastic drawer tower by using some scrapbook paper to cover the inside of the clear drawer fronts.

It added a great look to match her room while hiding the contents.

Here is what the common areas of the apartment look like until they decorate it a little.

Living room

 Dining room

Kitchen

A look down the hall that leads to a bath room, shower and 4 dorm rooms

I just wouldn't feel right moving her in without making some delicious brownies to share with the other three girls that will be living in the apartment.

We wish her the best this year and can't hardly wait til she graduates!

wait.....Did I just say that?


Ive shared this at:
nifty-thrifty-tuesday
Make-It-Yourself Monday

Vacation!

Wow its been a week since my last post. I have been on vacation and between poor internet connections and sharing a computer with the rest of the family, it was something I decided to put off until I have some time to myself.
It was a pretty good week at Myrtle Beach. We started our mornings off with long walks on the sand. The shells would wash up with the tide like little pieces of broken pottery while I would look for some sea treasures.



I never noticed how colorful the little muscle shells were until I got down to take a picture of them.
 


I found a piece of yellow sea glass and I also found a piece of drift wood that will work well with a project I have in mind.



We enjoyed a little hula dancing and fire dancing show from a Hawaiian family at the campground.

 

There were five sisters (one not pictured) and they did great! Now I want to learn to belly dance. Ha!

Most of the days were sunny as we sat on the beach getting our tan on and getting under the umbrellas at times for some shade. The ocean water was warm and calm. Perfect for some wave jumping and swimming.
 

We had to fight the weather in the afternoons as the clouds would roll in and thunder and lightning would run everyone off the beaches.


 

But that didn’t stop us from cooking out on the grill and relaxing under the picnic shelter at our camper.
 

I hated to hang it up and head back home but work comes Monday and then my daughter will be heading back to college on the weekend. Soon it will be time to prepare for Fall.

Have you taken a vacation yet? Where did you go?

Do People Really Pray?

[This is not directed to any single person and is completely my own opinions]

As I scroll through face book, I see many friends in need of prayer. Many reasons are for sickness, death, family problems, new job expectance, etc. Then comes the comments. “I will pray for you” say some. “I will keep you in my prayers” says another. I cant help to wonder sometimes, “Do people really pray? Do they think its suffice to just say they will? Every one wants people to pray for them, but do the people that ask for prayer really even pray themselves? I could be wrong in even questioning this but my mind wonders.

Prayer is valuable, prayer is powerful. It should not be taken for granted or underestimated. Prayer is real.

If people say they will pray for someone, they need to stop what they're doing and say a quick prayer. Make themselves a personal prayer list or add a friend on someone else's prayer list. God hears every prayer and there is no prayer that goes unanswered. I believe God answer them with either yes, no or wait.

I just hope if anyone says they will pray for me , they really do it. I need all I can get. LOL.  Oh and the “LOL”….I really did just “laugh out loud” , which brings me to another question…..hmmm?

Cinnamon Doodles

We somehow ended up with a lot of bags of flour tortillas. That's what happens when you have someone in the house addicted to cheese quesadillas. I love those things! Anyway, the other day I had a sweet tooth and wanted a quick and easy fix. So I took some of those tortillas and some sugar and cinnamon and made what my daughter calls “Cinnamon Doodles”. I couldn’t get them to make a twist,  and just a stick would be boring.

You start off by cutting your tortillas in strips. Then twist them and place them in a pan of hot oil. The oil does not have to be too deep, just let it cover the pan. They will not stay good and twisted. That's why they are called doodles instead of twist. 

Once you lightly brown them, place them in a bowl of a cinnamon sugar mixture. Toss them around a little bit and wah lah. There you have it. A sweet little snack. They are really good dipped in cool whip or honey. They are equivalent the the Mexican Sopapilla which is made the same way except you cut the tortillas into triangles insted of doodles and drizzled with honey, chocolate syrup, powder sugar, etc.

Try it. Its delicious.
Does anyone else have sweet ideas to make with flour tortillas?

I've shared this on
 get-schooled-saturday
tasty-thursdays at mandatory mooch