Saturday Extras....

We made our annual cookies as usual and this year we made 25 candy apples...that still wasn't enough....SOOOO I made a few more today and took pictures since we were so tired Thursday that we could barely stand up, let alone take pics...so here are the ones I made today!  Our goal is to have these up and ready on a site by the first of the year to take orders for Valentines Day.  Stay tuned!



Saturday Crafting

I've been on this flower kick the past few weeks and sat up and made quite a few.  I am trying to build up my products for my Etsy store, but everytime I show these to someone they buy them from me! So I am making them as fast as I can along with some other items.  Hopefully by the fist  of the year I will have a bit of product in my store again.



E-Book tutorial in the works...

I've been making these fabric flowers and decided to make an e-book tutorial to show others how to make them.  I have had some great response to these and think that the tutorial will be helpful.  Full of pics and step my step instructions. So stay tuned and be on the lookout!



Sewing Feat #1- Pants

Well I sewed my first pair of pants this week...here they are! Go Me! Well they are not completely done since I did not sew the elastic in or hem them at the bottom, but at least there are two open legs...I think that's an accomplishment! Anywayz, I will be making an actual wearable pair this week hopefully with the ruffles at the bottom and elastic in the waist!



Been MIA...But I'm back!

Hi All my bloggy friends!  I know I have been MIA for a bit. I've been sick and just not up to craft'n (even I can't believe that!...I must have REALLY been sick!) But I'm starting to feel better now, still have some tests to go through but for the most part I'm good!  So back to craft'n and cook'n!  Thanks to everyone for sticking around even though I haven't been here much.

If you've been following me you know I got a new sewing/embroidery machine.  I have sewn a few things here and there, I've even tried out the embroidery side of the machine.  The sewing has gone pretty good, the embroidery...not so much! lol I have no idea WHAT I am doing! The instructions only show how to put a plain square of fabric into the embroidery hoop....there are NO instructions on how to place say a onesie or a pair of baby bloomers on there.  Needless to say the whole onesie trial ended in me embroidering the front and the back together! LOL  The embroidery was beautiful, you just couldn't open it up! So if ANYONE can explain to me how to do this or can send me a youtube video or SOMETHING I would appreciate it!

Here are the fabrics I will be wrking with this weekend for a couple of projects.  One is a Christmas pillowcase dress and the other will be a pair of ruffled pants!

If anyone has any recent sewing projects posts, send them to me and I will feature them here.

Sew'n some stuff...

The new machine is set up and off I go into my sewing/ embroidery adventure.  Here's the machine I am working with...works pretty well sewing, haven't tried the embroidery part yet (that will be this weekend).

My test item was a baby blanket, and although the picture shows it folded up, it came out pretty good.

Send me some of your current sewing projects and I will post them! Happy Sew'n!





2010 Hot Holiday Toys

Well the Toys R Us 2010 Hot Holiday Toy list is out and although there are some cute things on the list this year there are also a few questionable toys that leave me saying WTH?!

Look a this!... Uhm for real!??  Look at the size of that thing compared to the little boy standing next to it!  That thing would scare me for sure standing in the corner somewhere when I got up to go to the bathroom at 1am!  And here's the description that they give on the website:

Imagine a little monster with a big personality. That's the Fisher-Price Imaginext Big Foot the Monster. He's happy. He's angry. He's sleepy. He's fun. He talks, walks and throws a ball. He also chews, burps and exercises. Kids can bring him to life with an easy-to-use wireless remote control. The symbols on the buttons show what Big Foot will do, so no reading is required.

He Burps!? No thank you!  I have enough of that going on with the real people at my house! LOL And maybe I am just not into it because I have a little girl, but I just can't see paying $110 for this thing! Now if they make this thing wash clothes and dishes, I will buy a whole army of them! lol  Whatcha think?



Sewing Adventure

I am pretty crafty and can make quite a few things, but this next project I am about to take on may take the cake.  I am not the best seamstress, sewing is not one of the things I claim to do well, but I am going to give it a shot.  Call me crazy, but I got a patten for the cutest pair of baby shoes and I am going to attempt to make them before March 2011.  See I found out that I will now have a niece in March... so she gets to be Auntie's model baby! The pattern actually looks pretty easy as do the instructions....hopefully they will look like the ones below! LOL  Has anyone else made baby shoes before and if so how did they come out?



Precious Patterns





Candy apple anyone? I GOT FEATURED!!!

Check it out! I was featured on 3 Four and Under Saturday! My candy apples that a lot of you thought looked yummy were the feature! Check out Trisha's blog when you get a chance, she's one of my BlogFrog friends!



With the weather getting cooler around here I am starting to feel like I want to make some candy apples.  My mom and I make them at Christmas time and give them away but I need one NOW! Don't want a plain one like they serve at the State Fair (plus gotta save my stomach for much more yummy things there)  I want one like the ones I made last year...(pics below) YUM

Nice crisp Granny Smith's covered in caramel and pecans, Heath bars, M&M's, white chocolate, dark chocolate...you name it!

So, putting this on my list of things to make in the coming weeks.  Will post pics....well hopefully I will be able to take some pics before I bite into them! TTFN!

Football & Crafts

Well it's Saturday and we are off to a football game today (GO KNIGHTS!!!) AND this evening is craftime....I dug out ALL of my hair bow making supplies and will be a bow-makin mama tonight!  Everything I make this weekend will end up in my Etsy store so make sure to check it out sometime next week.   I am sure my husband will be more than happy for me to get rid of some of this stuff (lol)



Let me try my first blog hop! If you're crafting today or have done in recently, leave me you link!

Recipes - Swiss 'n Chicken Casserole

I am always looking for recipes (easy one's) that involve chicken.  We eat A LOT of chicken at my house, and it just gets SO boring eating it the same ol' way.  I got this recipe from Kraft Foods....check it out



What You Need4 cups chopped cooked chicken 2 cups croutons 1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Swiss Cheese 2/3 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing 1/2 cup milk 4 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 cup chopped onions

HEAT oven to 350°F.


COMBINE ingredients.

SPOON into 2-qt. casserole.

BAKE 40 min. or until heated through.

Costume Dilemma

Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, my  3 year old Mini-me's school is having Trunk or Treat on Saturday the 30th.  If you're not familiar with Trunk or Treat, it's basically where all the parents park in the parking lot of the school and have candy stations set up out of the trunk of their cars and the kids just walk from car to car and gather candy to their hearts content. Nice, safe event for the kids.  Well my dilemma is that Mini-me keeps changing what she wants to dress up as...so we've narrowed it down to these three. Which do you like best?


Belle




Jazmine



Minnie

As I am writing this she NOW tells me that this is what she might want to dress up as...



She's REALLY into The Cat in the Hat right now!





But the REALLY funny part is that she said me and her daddy could dress up as this... ROTFL!!!!!

Thing 1 & Thing 2







{Guest Spot} - I'M NOT ONLY YOUR MOM- A Writers Den



Not really sure how I came across "A Writers Den" blog but I love it!  One post that I especially loved was the one named "I'm Not Only Your Mom" 10 Things your kids should know about you.  Here's an excerpt...Check out her blog to read the rest!

Here are 10 things your kids should know about you:

• Mommy Is Not My Real Name: I hear the word “mommy” so many times a day that I sometimes forget my own name. “Kid, my name is NOT mommy.” About 30 or so years ago, your grandma and grandpa had a baby. That baby was me, and the word “mommy” doesn’t appear anywhere on my birth certificate. Although I do enjoy you calling me mommy, at some point in your life, I need you to know that I was and still am the young lady that I was before I became your mommy.

• I Do Have Eyes In The Back Of My Head: This means that every time I tell you to do something, and then turn my back to walk away, and you proceed to cut and roll your eyes at me, sulking and pouting with your arms folded, I SEE YOU.

• I am Psychic: I know that I’m raising you to believe in God, and there will be no black magic in this house. But it’s time I let you in on a little secret, I’m psychic. In fact, all moms are psychic. God granted me these special powers so that I could be a better mother to you. Part of me being a good mom, is preventing you from hurting yourself. So if I tell you the fire is hot, and you will most certainly get burned if you touch it, DON’T TOUCH IT. I don’t think I owe you any further explanation on this matter.

Thanks for letting me share this with my readers! YOU ROCK!!!!

Cre8tive Swag 2011

So here's a little peak into what I am working on for 2011! Really excited about this, it's a lot of work but it will be great.... if you would like to participate or know someone that would, please send them my way!

Cre8tive Mocha Presents:

Cre8tive Swag

Sampler Boxes

 

Connect with independent business owners and try out their handmade products!

Cer8tive Swag will launch its first box of samples in February 2011

Looking for artisans that make the following items to participate:

Bath/Body Products

Cosmetics

Candles

Jewelry

Paper products

Hair accessories

Party favors

If you've got an Etsy, Artfire or any kind of e-tail store, then this is the place for you!

The goal of Cre8tive Swag is to promote independent business owners that might not otherwise be seen by the masses! We want to help you reach your target audience.

Who doesn't love samples? So now is your chance to get samples of your products into the hands of hundreds of consumers!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

It's really simple, just send us the following information to let us know you are interested in participating:

Web URL

Email address

A brief description of your business/products

Number of samples your would like to contribute

Small banner (125X125) for advertising purposes on our website

Our minimum number of samples that we require is 25 ...they can be small sample sizes or full size items(please contact us if you plan to send full sized items), it's totally up to you. Remember the more samples you send the more exposure you will receive. Those who send 50+ samples will be our featured contributor and their item will be placed on top in the box as well as their banner being prominently displayed for that month on our website and blog.

HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST?

We advertise your products absolutely FREE...there is no cost for you to participate!

All you need to do is create and package your samples and get them to us at the appointed time...we'll do the rest!

WHERE WILL YOU PROMOTE MY BUSINESS?

We are all into the Social Media scene and will make sure your products are promoted from our Official Facebook and Twitter pages. You will also be listed on our official blog!

We are working hard to start a Cre8tive Swag Etsy team as well.

We will also be promoting Cre8tive Swag and its participants on many other blogs with large readership!

PACKAGING YOUR SAMPLES

Make sure that your samples are packaged very carefully and will not leak or break. Attractive packaging is always a plus and will help your items stand out! Make a good first impression!

PLEASE NOTE: All bath/body products as well as cosmetics must have all ingredients list plainly and legibly. Any items that do not follow these specifications will not be placed in our boxes...Safety first!

More information will be posted in the weeks to come including our new website and social media sites, so check back often.

If you have questions, please contact us at cre8tiveswagbox@gmail.com

OFFICIAL BLOG

http://cre8tiveswagsamplerboxes.blogspot.com/

TWITTER

http://twitter.com/cre8tiveswagbox

FACEBOOK

coming soon

100th Follower! Yaaay!!!

Woo Hoo! Cre8tive Mocha made it to 100 followers!

Thanks to everyone who has become a follower! The best is yet to come!  Bring on the next 100!



Working Together

I am still working on a project that I hope to have up and running by January.  As you can see I make A LOT of different things.  And I'm always trying to think of creative ways to get the word out about my stuff, but I also know others that make some pretty amazing things that other just don't know about.  So my new project is a way to get these products out and help promote not only myself but other mom's in business.  It is by no means an original idea of my own (meaning it is being done by others) but I believe it will certainly work!  I will be posting more about this in the weeks to come so make sure to stay tuned.  It is a slow process getting everything together (along with working a full-time job AND taking care of my family) so don't abandon me if I don't post EVERYDAY! LOL  I'm here and working on something super exciting!  Of course I will continue to post my projects as well as others that have been sent to me. So stay tuned and stay cre8tive!



Etsy Shop Spotlights!

I have been working on some products to put into my Etsy store the past few weeks, but thought that I would start spotlighting some Etsy shops and their products!  There are SO many cool things listed on Etsy...so many that you just can't get to them all!  I really want to start spotlighing shops for the holiday season....soooooo if you have an Etsy shop or know someone that does , send them over.  I will feature their products and promote their store here. 



Photo Prop Saturday

Surprised!? I know!  I usually don"t post on  Saturdays but since today is an extra rainy day in my city and I will be staying in ALL DAY! I figured I'd work on some photo props that I will be selling in my Etsy store.  So stay tuned today for updates and pics of some of the stuff I am putting in my shop. If you need bows or baby hats for holiday photos make sure to check my store out frequently...I will be adding quite a few things in the weeks to come!



They Fried WHAT?



It's that time again....time for the State Fair of Texas! Anyone who has ever been to the State Fair knows all about the fried everything that they serve there.  The contest is considered a friendly food fight among Fair concessionaires. Entries must be new to the Fair, unique and taste-tempting. In mid-summer, an invitation is sent to all contracted State Fair vendors with details about the contest. Interested concessionaires submit menus to a committee for review and consideration. Often the committee will request samples for taste testing before choosing the finalists for the contest. On Labor Day, judges are brought in for the final round of competition. The winner for most creative in this year's contest went to Fried Beer™ while Texas Fried FRITOS® Pie won the trophy for best taste. Come on now, Fried Beer????...they have gone too far this year! LOL and they have ruined my beloved frito pie....how the heck did they fry it!  I will try my best to find these things and take a picture of them although you can rest assure that I will not be eating all of them, especially the fried caviar! LOL  Check out these entries this year!



2010 Big Tex Choice Awards

Texas Fried FRITOS® Pie – A generous portion of savory Texas born chili accented with a hint of sharp cheddar encased in everybody’s favorite corn chip. Lightly battered and fried to a golden brown perfection. With its smooth medley of hot, meaty, crunchy, salty, cheesy, oozing goodness; “Texas Fried FRITOS® Pie” transports you back to the golden age of Fair Food. Bert’s Burgers & Fries stand in Cotton Bowl Plaza, near the entrance to the Midway. Winner of Best Taste.

Fried Beer™ - Beer-filled pretzel pocket is deep-fried to a golden brown. One bite and the escaping beer serves as a dipping sauce. 21 and over, ID required. Concessionaire contact: Belgian Waffle at the of the Esplanade and inside the Coca Cola Food Court. Winner of Most Creative.

Deep Fried S’mores Pop• Tart® – Pop• Tart® with a sensational chocolate, peanut butter, s’mores flavor is lightly battered & deep fried. Hot out of the fryer the sinfully diet-busting treat is drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with whipped cream. Taste of Cuba in Cotton Bowl Plaza.

Deep Fried Frozen Margarita - Sweet & creamy funnel cake batter is deliciously coupled with margarita ingredients. Fried, dusted with a tangy lemon/lime mixture and lightly spritzed with south of the border flavor, it’s served in a salt rimmed glass. 21 and over, ID required. Desperados stand on Nimitz Drive, near the entrance to Creative Arts.

Fernie’s Fried Club Salad – Super colossal 12” spinach wrap surrounds generous layers of juicy diced ham & chicken, shredded iceberg, crunchy carrot strips, ripe cherry tomatoes, shredded sharp cheddar and hickory smoked bacon (see photo above). Deep fried until lightly crispy; topped with deep-fried sour dough croutons on a stick & served on a bed of shredded romaine lettuce. Choice of creamy Ranch, Thousand Island or Caesar dressing. The Dock Restaurant, inside the Embarcadero Building.

Fried Chocolate – A white chocolate mini candy bar + a cherry are stuffed into a mouth-watering brownie, dipped into delicious chocolate cake batter & deep fried to perfection. The finished product has a warm just-out-of-the-oven taste! Topped with powdered sugar and a rich cherry sauce and served with chocolate flavored whip cream. Nimitz Drive and on Funway inside the Midway.

Fried Lemonade – Lemon flavored pastry is made from Country Time® lemonade. First baked, then fried, this taste tempting treat is glazed with a mix of lemonade, powdered sugar, and lemon zest. Concessionaire contact: Chicken on a Stick stand located on Nimitz Drive, near the entrance to the Embarcadero.

Fried Texas Caviar – Texas version of a southern good luck staple. Black-eyed peas are fried and laced with special spices blended with Old Bay® Seasoning and are available in regular or spicy. Find them in Cotton Bowl Plaza (next to Cotton Bowl steps), inside the Auto Building, near Big Tex & on the Thrillway.

Does your state have a State Fair?  And if so, do they have any crazy foods?  Share!

Fall Fav...Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Chili

I get emails from Kraft Foods all the time with some pretty great recipes...here's one I got today for chili you can make in the crockpot!  Very simple and extra yummy!



What You Need


1-1/2 lb. Lean ground beef

1 can (16 oz.) no-salt added tomato sauce

1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans, rinsed

1 can (15 oz.) light red kidney beans, rinsed

1-1/2 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Mild Salsa

1 cup Frozen corn, thawed, drained

1 Onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. Chili powder

1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

Make It

BROWN meat; drain. Add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients except cheese; stir. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 5 to 6 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).

STIR just before serving. Serve topped with the cheese.

Do you Vlog?

I'm baaaack!  Sorry I've been MIA for a few days but I am working on a new project that is set to come out in January 2011!  I'm excited about this new venture and wanted to take a poll of my Cre8tive Mocha readers.  Do you Vlog? And if so about what?  Cooking, crafting, home improvement projects?  I like to say that I vlog "my reality".  In the months to come, I will be asking for more feedback as well as videos that you have shot of your everyday "reality".  I am using a Flip camera like this one at the moment

But hoping to move on to the newest version the Flip Slide by December.



So stay tuned my readers and keep vlogging...I will be looking for "your reality" in the days to come.



Fake Out Knitting

I am pretty crafty and have learned to do A LOT of things in my crafting days, but never have a learned to knit with needles.  I played around with crocheting a bit (made a million pot holders, LOL)  but no knitting.  UNTIL Now!  I am always looking for an "easy" way to do things, seeing as I don't always have enough time to do all the things I want.  So when I came across the Knifty Knitter about a year ago, I was excited. This was my chance to look like I could REALLY knit!  I used it a bit but not extensively, then it went into the craft stash...until this weekend.  Look at these cute baby hats I made. What do ya think?  These came out so good I may actually sell them in my Etsy store.

30 Days of Christmas Project

HOLIDAY SPOTLIGHT

“30 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS”

I know, I know its 12 days but Cre8tive Mocha is shaking it up this holiday season and featuring 30 different designers/stores/products for the month of November. Cre8tive Mocha is on the hunt for new products to share with our readers who are mostly mom’s and their families. Submissions require a non-returnable sample since readers must know we've tried and loved everything we promote. If you would like for us to do a giveaway (optional), a 2nd sample is required to be shipped directly to the winner of the contest.

***** If you have products or know someone who does that might be interested in getting their product out to the Cre8tive Mocha readers, please have them contact me at cre8tivemocha@gmail.com*****

NOTE: All items that we use for the “review” process will be donated to a local women’s shelter once the review is posted. We have some very beautiful products coming our way for review but we just can’t keep them so we will donate them . They will be very much appreciated! So know that your items are going to a very good cause! Thank you!

Just a sweet pic to start getting everyone in the holiday mood!

Buttermilk Pound Cake

I was kind of bored Sunday night and started looking around for something for me and the mini me to do...maybe a craft or cooking. As I looked through the fridge I noticed that I had some buttermilk left over from the red velvet cake I made for the 50th Party (see a few posts down) that was going to expire in a few days.  I had a taste for something sweet and decided on a cake.  If you've never baked with buttermilk you should try it.  The cake is SO moist, it melts in your mouth.  Well here's what came of my spur of the moment baking!  The recipe is below, try it out and tell me what you think.

didn't let it cool long enough, so it was kind of stuck to the pan!  But tasted YUMMY anyway!


Ingredients


3 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter 3 cups white sugar 6 eggs 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon and the vanilla extracts. Gently mix in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 90 minutes. Do not open oven door until after one hour. When cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan it is done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Tree

Tell me these are not the cutest things you have ever seen?! Check these out and the tutorial at Crazy Delicious Food.  Guess I will be adding this to my Fall "list o' stuff" to make!  If anyone makes these before me, send me a pic and I will post it here!

{FEATURE} Before & After

I love old furniture that looks like it is on its way to the trash and then is magically transformed by a crafty crafter!  Check out the table re-do by Denyse over at truly scrumptious  Gre8t job!

BEFORE

AFTER

Autumn Fun

I have been looking for some cool places to take pictures of of DD this fall and not sure why I have never been to the Dallas Arboretum in the fall time ( I won't tell you how long I have been in DFW) but anyway... take a look at this...They call this Autumn at the Arboretum - The Great Pumpkin Festival

There are over 40,000 pumpkins and gourds out here!
September 18 - November 14

So if you're in the DFW area and looking for a great place for Fall pics, you might try the Arboretum!  Maybe you'll see me there!

Chicken & Dumplings

With Summer ending and Fall fast approchaing I thought it would be good to get out some Fall recipes.  Here is a great recipe for Chicken & Dumplings from Raunya

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind: the first 2 carrots are added for flavor, you want to take those out because they will be mush if you leave them in the soup. The butter added at the end, adds salt, if you use unsalted butter you may want to add more salt, although I suggest using salted butter. Do not add the cream while it is boiling, it will curdle and be Gross. Please use breasts with bones and skin; it adds to the flavor in the soup, we only eat white meat, if you like dark meat feel free to use legs or thighs instead of or in addition to the breasts. This takes about an hour to make but it is worth it and pretty simple.


1 lb of chicken breasts with bones and skin (this is about 3)

1 small chopped onion

1 chopped bell pepper

3 stalks of celery, chopped

½ clove of garlic, minced

4 carrots

1 pack of refrigerated biscuit dough (10 count, do not get Grand’s or large biscuits)

½ cup of heavy cream

½ stick of salted butter, cut in small pieces

3 to 4 sprigs of fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste, do not over salt, (the soup will be salted later with the butter)

Boil the chicken breasts in 6 cups of water, with the onion, bell pepper, garlic, celery and 2 carrots. Chop the remaining 2 carrots in bite sized pieces and set aside. Once chicken has boiled, 30-45 minutes, remove from stock along with whole carrots. Remove skin from breasts and discard. Then remove meat from bones and tear or cut into bite sized pieces. Add chicken and chopped carrots back to stock. Bring to a low boil. Cut biscuits into 6 pieces each and roll in hands. Make sure you add them all at the same time. Keep this on a low boil/simmer for 30 minutes. The stock will thicken a bit. Turn the heat off, add the butter and stir. When the soup is no longer boiling add in heavy cream and parsley. Stir well and serve hot!

Real Party - Surprise 50th Birthday Party

Here are just a few pics from the party I just finished!  It was great and the guest of honor was VERY surprised! He had no idea we had been sneaking around for weeks behind his back planning this party!

Table Poms - Centerpieces

{FEATURE} Salted Caramel Cupcakes

OMG!!!!! I love salted caramel everything!  I can't wait for Starbucks to put the Salted Caramel hot chocolate back out for the winter (UPDATE- Oh yeah- had one this morning and it was awesome)...I drink one almost everyday! So I was beyond excited when I saw this recipe for Salted Caramel Cupcakes!  Check out the recipe over at Me & My Pink Mixer! Thanks Lynda!

Check Your Pockets...

I can't tell you how many times I have found money, carmex, paper and the dreaded ink pen in the washing machine!  I don't always remember to check the pockets and neither does my husband , so we end up with a little of everything in there! Came across this sign on Love Stiched and thought what a great idea! Remind me and my hubby to check our pockets before washing clothes! Check out the tutorial to this great sign!

PS. Pics from the 50th party I just did will be up in a few days!

{FEATURE} Oreo Cookie Ladybug

If you are having are having a  ladybug themed party or just have kids, you have to check out these super cute and extra easy ladybug cookies from my blog pal Courtney over at Between U & Me  They're made with Oreo cookies! Tell me these are not the cutest things you have ever seen. Thanks Courtney!

Picture Taking Mama

I love to take pictures! Whether I am in front of the camera or behind it...I've always been a picture girl!  Guess that's where my child gets it from!  :-)  I have become facinated with natural light photography and would love to get a new camera (a DSLR) to start taking some natural light photos.  I am researching cameras now,  and I think I have narrowed it down to the Nikon D5000. 

This is a photo I took with my regular digital this past weekend...i think it came out pretty good...I was trying to catch the girls at just the right moment (without them seeing me) and in the perfect light.  I think it came out pretty good. What do you think?

Tasty Tuesday- Not So Swedish Meatballs

Not so Swedish Meatballs


I saw a recipe similar to this on a Campbell's Cream of Mushroom can almost 10 years ago. I didn't like all of the ingredients so I switched it up a bit and this is what I came up with. It is now a family favorite, my 3 year old loves it, her dad loves it, everyone that has had it LOVES it. To top that off, it is super easy for a weeknight meal. P.S. Use lean ground beef do not use ground turkey, it does not turn out as well.


1 lb. of lean ground beef

1 egg

2 tablespoons of Worcheshire sauce

1/2 small onion chopped

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 dash of hot sauce

salt or seasoning salt (to your taste)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup of sour cream

1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

1/4 teaspoon of dried parsley

Mix the ground beef, egg, hot sauce, worceshire sauce, onion, salt and garlic together. Use your hands. Mix well and then form meatballs the size of a large marble (quarter). Brown in skillet for 25-30 minutes on medium heat. Remove meatballs but leave drippings in pan. Add remaining ingredients, stir and mix well, leaving no lumps or clumps. If you like spicy foods, add more chili powder to taste. Add meatballs back and cover, simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve with cooked egg noodles or rice. We usually have green beans with this, it all mixes well together (then the kids will eat the veggies).

...ACTION!!

SHE DID GREAT!  For her first flower girl appearance, my sweet baby girl did GREAT!  She flashed that million dollar smile and thew the flowers like a pro!  Very proud of her! Here are a few pics I took. Some did not come out so well as we were having to stay out of the way of the tv crew.  And speaking of tv crew....the two flower girls were waiting in the foyer, practicing their ballet moves together, unbeknowst to them that a camera man had settled behind them and was taping their every word and move! Too cute! So they will get their 15 seconds of fame along with I am sure a nice shot of them walking down the aisle.

Who? Little ol' me?

this came out so nice! They were watching the bride get into a horse-drawn carriage.

practicing my Photoshop skills. lol