The Cutest Little House in Town

Gardening at last

2011-07-11T20:55:00.001-05:00

After 2 and half very long years of no gardening, I'm back in the saddle again! However, it's not so much gardening as demolishing. Our neighbors commented that I was "taming the jungle at last" and they were not exaggerating one bit. I will show you an example...

This is our back patio pergola and it is completely covered with ivy. Ahhh! Do you see how the boards are swaying?? It has caught every pine needle and tree debris for many MANY years. I got after this a few days ago with many tools of torture including sheers, bypass pruners, and loppers. The result has been this....

A complete and utter annihilation of all source of nutrients. Victory is mine! Now all I have to do is wait till it dries out and loosens its grasp of the pergola rafters.

The ivy isn't the only problem, no no. The sprinkler system has been the bain of my existence since moving in. First off, we had no idea how to set the timer and then when we did figure it out we had no idea how long to run them for. The real beef of the issue came upon us this past weekend when we tackled the leaky heads. Five heads were consistently leaking and we thought that if we replaced them all would be fixed. No easy feat but it seemed straight forward enough, so off to Lowes we went, full of pep in our step. We started this day at 9 in the morning.... after 4 hours of digging and replacing and more digging and a little dash of PVC repair we thought "YES, this is it!" We turned the water back on and ..... drum roll please..... STILL leaking! So back to Lowes we go (third trip of the day). VERY long story short, we figure out that it's the diaphragm in the zone valve. Lots of bruised knuckles, egos, and knees later we fixed the leak. We now have a new and wonderful understanding of sprinkler systems, our knowledge is growing every day! Home ownership is an ever evolving test of one's knowledge and most definitely a test of patience.

The cutest little house in town GREW UP!

2011-06-27T14:42:00.000-05:00

We are going to be home owners again! After two years of renting and saving like we've never saved before, this is the payoff. Boy, oh boy, is this an improvement from our current apartment! My dad says that I should change the name of my blog, seeing as how this is definitely not a little house. However, I'm still madly in love with the name and will be keeping it. I'm going to be tackling this home the same way I tackled the projects in our last home, my style has not changed and I will still carry on many of the cute little house attributes that made our last home so cozy.

I will be changing over to WordPress, though, for ease of use and functionality with an iPad. Since buying my iPad, I dread turning on my eight year old laptop and blogging has definitely taken a back seat because of that. Plus, I'm sure that I will be completely giddy with excitement to share projects going on at our new home!

More to come....

Halloween wreaths

2010-10-03T10:47:00.000-05:00

Wreaths are my favorite part of holidays. Easter wreaths, fourth of July wreaths, Halloween wreaths, Thanksgiving wreaths, and Christmas wreaths. This is the season for Halloween wreaths and I have found an abundance of inexpensive ideas floating around in blogland. Click on the photos to follow the links.

Candy corn, how adorable!

Easy rag wreath. I may just need to go out and buy some fabric.

Not quite a wreath, per say, but it's still adorable!

$11 wreath... can't get much better than that!

Jewelry

2010-10-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

I love having unique jewelry. When I'm asked, "Where did you get that?" I thoroughly enjoy describing the little shop by the lake or the artsy boutique downtown. It doesn't usually cost much and it feels so good to purchase directly from the designer. I don't need Tiffany's, gold and gemstones... just give me silver and stunning designs any day!

Estevan once gave me a pair of earrings from a coworker who not only designed websites but also designed beautiful jewelry. Her name is Sara B. and she now has an Etsy shop with many gorgeous new designs. Her designs are all inspired by the Great Lakes, very pretty! Check out her Etsy shop here or click on the photos to follow the links.

Check out my room!

2010-09-30T20:25:00.001-05:00

My last post was started last week and I lost track of time.... imagine that. Sorry. I'm trying as hard as I can to keep on top of this little blog and I thoroughly enjoy having this little outlet to tell the honest truth about my move from fourth grade to kindergarten. Thanks for staying with me through all this mess!

Now on to some pics of my new room. It's just 2 weeks old and already looking SO cute... I'm obnoxiously proud of it.

Everyone keeps coming in my room to check out the lanterns. Found them in the $1 bins at Michael's.

Significantly smaller Word Wall than my word wall in fourth grade. Yatsee!

Mailboxes, play area, and reading rug.

Free stuff from the other kindergarten teachers. I LOVE my team!

I'm the first at my school to bring this idea to the table. These are E-Instruction clickers which are assigned to specific students for testing purposes. I cut a shoe organizer in half (so the little ones could reach on their own) and numbered each pocket. Pretty nifty, right?

My little bitty desk area in the far corner. I'm never at it... seriously, I've never even sat there.

Reading rug. I traded lots of stuff with the teacher who took over my last room. This rug, rocking chair, and little reading pillows were hers. Aren't they the sweetest things?

My carnivorous plant.

Look what it caught!!!!

Kindergarten, what?!

2010-09-30T19:55:00.003-05:00

I am still in shock.

S H O C K

Last week I learned that I was being transferred from one school to another and from one grade to another. And not just a little transfer in grades, I'm talking from one end of the spectrum to the other. I'm now a KINDERGARTEN teacher! My old school hired too many first grade teachers but I was the last one hired so I was transferred to a school that needed a kindergarten teacher and a first grade teacher from my old school took over my old fourth grade class. Make sense? I know, it doesn't make a whole ton of sense to me either.

Even though my fourth grade students miss me very much, I keep receiving emails from them, I know that they are very happy with their new teacher and I'm UNBELIEVABLY more happy as a kindergarten teacher! I had no idea how much I was missing the little ones and all the adorable things that I can do with them. Crafts, paints, picture books, oh my!

I am literally on pins and needles waiting for Christmas crafts to come around, not to mention all the cute falls crafts I can make right now. I did a little browsing around one of my favorite blogs, One Pretty Thing, and came across these SUPER CUTE and easy crafts. Click on the pics to follow the links.

Plaster spoon bugs.

Pipe cleaner finger puppets.

Hand print spider!

First Weeks of School

2010-09-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

What a great first two weeks of school! Everything is unbelievably busy but I'm actually still alive and doing well. I'm so glad that my second week was better than my first week... if we keep up this pace, I should be sitting very pretty by the end of the year! So proud of my kids.

I am also very proud of this board outside my classroom! I made the tree leaves out of sheets of foam in two shades of green. The sheets of foam come in large, rectangular sheets and I cut them out in random, wavy cloud shapes. I then glued them together on the ground and, when they were FINALLY dry, I stapled them up on the wall. The trunk is made from brown paper and the picket fence is made from white foam sheets. I'm a huge fan of foam sheets!!!

I love having groups, although the kids have to search for their desk every morning because I'm still playing around with their seating arrangements. I'll get it figured out soon.

My desk! So happy I could hang my "Welcome Friends" flag, it used to be hanging outside the front door of our old home.

Every day I place extra copies of papers in these folders. Makes taking care of make-up work easy!

I love these pens, so easy to make and they look so pretty. Plus, I get them back every time!

Classroom ideas

2010-08-01T19:53:00.003-05:00

Please pardon my absence, my mind has been very far away from making a cute little house and has instead been intent on making a cute little classroom. I can hardly believe how many followers I've gained since my off and on hiatus began! I just sat down for the first time in weeks to peruse through blogland, looking for ideas to share with all my new followers and was completely stumped still. I could share recipes which I haven't tried (nah), I could show you skirts I'm infatuated with (boring), I could even share photos of drool worthy jewelry (been there, done that). But, truly, this blog is about what I'm in love with NOW and can't stop thinking about, it's about my passions. So..... I've decided to share with youwhat has really been on my mind. MY NEW CLASSROOM!

I'm going to warn you now, this blog may take on a whole different feel. What I really feel like sharing with the world is my passion for fourth grade and all that elementary school ensues. However, I'm still very hopeful for being able to cook the occasional new dish which I, of course, will share with you! Not to mention, my new career will make home ownership possible once again for my husband and I. So stay tuned!

Here are two picks of my newest wave of inspiration for my math and science classroom.... I'm thinking GO GREEN. This idea unabashedly comes directly from my alma mater, the kids in Texas are just going to have to deal.

I love the look of this large-scale tree idea which is made out of paper, found here. Wouldn't it be fun to change out the leaves with the seasons? Every student can make their own leaf/flower for the tree.

Good News!!!

2010-07-02T17:38:00.000-05:00

I just received the best news! I am now officially a teacher in the state of Texas. I was hired earlier today to be a fourth grade teacher in Klein Independent School District. This news is beyond wonderful and I still can't believe my good fortune. Hopefully, now, I will be able to get back to blogging instead of sending out resumes and stalking principals every waking moment of the day!

Cheers!

Arroz con Gandules

2010-05-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

This is by far my favorite recipe and it is a staple in our cute little house. It's a recipe for a traditional Puerto Rican rice and could literally be a commercial for Goya. Check it out....

It really is served with just about everything in Estevan's family and we cook it pretty often as well. It's just so dang easy and the flavors come together so well that it could be served with just about anything. And like nearly every other Puerto Rican dish, it is not spicy in the least... just flavorful! I've edited the original recipe by taking out a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the Adobo is plenty salty enough. I also increased the amount of liquid from 2 cups (water and gandules liquid combined) to a bottle of water and gandules liquid. Maybe it depends on the type of pot being used but I found that I just kept adding more and more water previously. Enjoy a taste from Puerto Rico!

Arroz con Gandules

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large, sweet onion, roughly chopped

1 package Sazon

1 tablespoon Recaito

1 tablespoon Adobo

1 can Gandules Verdes, reserve liquid

0.9 fl. oz. (0.5 L) water

1 jar sliced pimientos, drained

2 cups rice

Directions

In a large skillet or cast-iron pot, sautee onion in olive oil until tender. Add the water and reserved gandules liquid, Sazon, Recaito, Adobo, gandules, pimientos, and rice. Bring to a boil and stir for 3 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to the lowest setting (seriously, I mean it, the heat must be low) and let cook for about 30 minutes. I try to only stir it about 2-3 times while the rice is absorbing the liquid.

***Tip: If you need to serve it a little later, take off heat, cover with paper towel and recover with lid. This helps to catch any of the excess moisture so that you don't end up with mushy rice.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

2010-05-26T08:36:00.000-05:00

I'm very happy right now that I made this meal not too long ago and I still have leftovers because.... drum roll please.... I broke my first bone! (Funny side note: when I told my dad he thought I said "phone" and then asked nonchalantly, "You do have a warranty right?" to which I just dumbly sat silent and tried to process why my daddy was making a joke about his only child breaking a bone. LOL) It's a fracture on the tip of my ring finger on my right hand. How did I fracture the tip of my finger, you may ask? It's a bad combination of me being stupid, watching two classes at the same time, and a child who didn't see me there. I was standing in front of a door jam between two classes holding onto the side which the hinges are and leaning into one of the class rooms. A student from the other class didn't see me and slowly closed the door which my finger happened to be near the hinges... neither one of us realized what was happening until I heard the cracking of my nail and bone.... "AAAHHHHHH, OPEN THE DOOR, OPEN THE DOOR!" Instant blood and guts and tears (ok, maybe not the guts part, but it was traumatic for both me and the poor child). Now my finger is in a splint and is all sorts of interesting colors, according to the doctor it should be all better in a month.

This too shall pass. Now onto happier things! Sorry about the weird intro.

This is an incredibly tasty and easy meal, I'm so happy that I became a follower of Annie's Eats because every recipe that I've tried from her blog is absolutely as advertised: delicious! Seriously, you should stop by her blog soon, it's incredible. I made this with her recipe for Garlic Rice Pilaf....YUM!

(Love my new photogenic counter tops!)

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. lemon zest (1 lemon)

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons, at least the way I hand squeeze)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2-4 lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks

2-3 tbsp. melted butter

Thinly sliced lemons, for garnish

Directions:

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake well to blend. Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, pressing out excess air and sealing once more. Refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade. Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy and well-browned. Halfway through baking, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Source: Annie's Eats and adapted from Simply Recipes

Remember me?

2010-05-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

Hello, you may remember me... I'm the person who occasionally writes on this blog.

Wow! It has been incredibly long since I've sat down with my computer to post anything here. Thank you for sticking around during my blog hiatus, I'm hoping that it will be over soon!

Some yummy recipes and delicious photos are coming soon!

Driving Range

2010-05-12T10:32:00.001-05:00

We've been living in The Woodlands for almost a year and let me tell you, there are golf courses everywhere! On a preliminary search on Google, I came up with at least 10 different courses in The Woodlands alone. WOW. About a month ago, Estevan and I decided that we needed to start. We did some research and found some excellent deals on Craigslist, one of which panned out for both of us. We went to a house looking to just purchase men's clubs and walked away with both the husband's and the wife's set of clubs. Boo-ya on taking full advantage of rich people's need to upgrade! Then, a few weeks ago I went to Ladies Night at a local golf store and scored a bag of free goodies including balls and a $10 gift certificate... oh and FANTASTIC DEALS on clearanced out clothing. And it all comes together to make this......

Oh yeah. I'm talking at least $300 in savings in this photo!

What really made the day great was running into these guys at Chic-fil-a beforehand.

We had a great time at the driving range. Maybe we weren't all that good but it's only going to get better.

Let's face it, we can't get that much worse!

New Place

2010-05-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

Holy moley! What a whirlwind couple of weeks! We've finally got everything in order at our new place and the rooms are starting to take on that old familiar, homey look. This is the first flat that Estevan and I have ever lived in and I have to admit, we are are really liking it. And yes, I'm taking on the European model of calling our apartment a flat. Sounds so much cooler and sophisticated, right? =) We chose a complex that is very freshly built, we are actually the first ones to live in our unit, and it's on a lake! The transition from house to apartment has been surprisingly easy. Even Java is adjusting amazingly well! Java has made many new friends here, one of which is named Belle. I'll have to take my camera out more often because it's the funniest thing when Java and Belle meet... they stand on their back legs and hug each other! So funny.

Ok, so on to the main show.... here's some pics of the new place. Enjoy!

Granite counter tops throughout the flat. LOVE THEM!

We were so shocked that this table set fit. Super cute.

Our place faces East. Awesome morning light and it remains bright throughout the day.

This in one of two built in bookcases. I think I'm done fiddling with the arrangement. Maybe.

All moved in!

2010-05-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

We've finally finished moving and almost all the boxes have been unpacked. I'm hoping to be up and blogging soon. Keep posted!

For Sale no longer!

2010-04-12T13:59:00.003-05:00

Oh boy oh boy! We are moving again. I can't believe it myself! When we moved down here, we moved into a three bedroom house and completely underestimated the amount of purging that we did while moving from Michigan. So now we are moving into a two bedroom, two bath apartment just down the road a bit. Plus, we'll have a pool!

But now here's the kicker... while living in this monstrosity of a house, we filled it up with some furniture that won't exactly fit into an apartment. So now I'm trying to sell some of it. I've had some luck on Craigslist but one piece hasn't gotten a lot of interest and I just don't understand because it's so cute! Take a peek and leave me a comment if you live in the area (The Woodlands, TX 77380) and would like to have this beautiful shabby-chic table set for only $225. The table measures 5'6"x3'6" and could very easily seat 6. It fits perfectly! Snug as a bug in a rug. =P Pics to come.

Two of these adorable chairs. I seriously love these chairs.

And two of these with the cushions.

Stuffed Shells

2010-04-12T11:42:00.001-05:00

This meal is by far my favorite pasta dish. It is very easy to put together and requires mostly ingredients that I always have on hand. Oh, and it tastes delicious too! I found this recipe over at Annie's Eats, I tweaked it a little by adding in a green bell pepper.

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

1 12-oz. package of jumbo pasta shells

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese

6 oz. fresh spinach, chopped OR 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is completely cooked and no pink remains. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir together to combine. Add the cooked sausage mixture to the bowl and stir until evenly mixed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread a thin layer (about half) of the chopped tomatoes in the baking dishes (either three 8x8" pans, or one 9x13" and one 8x8"). Stuff each shell with some of the cheese mixture, and arrange in the baking dishes, open side up. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

Source: adapted from Simply Recipes via Annie's Eats

Give a Hoot

2010-04-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

I am so in love with owls now! Ever since getting that wild hair to make my own thank you cards, I can't stop thinking about how I'm going to carry this theme on to my teacher career. I can just see my future classroom now.... owls everywhere! And not just any boring, run-of-the-mill owls, but colorful and funky owls. After a little browsing through Etsy, I've found my perfect classroom accessories.

Magnets by Leearthaus

Steel Memo board by EkohDesign

Wall Decal by WowWall

Book shelf by MapleShadeKids

Plush bookends by AprilFoss

CrAzY owl clock by Zanzara

Custom Thank You's

2010-03-27T22:40:00.002-05:00

Today, I had a really great experience at a job fair for a local school district. To express my appreciation for the time that these principals and teachers took out of their Saturday morning, E and I made up some thank you cards. I found this image of a wall decal and he whipped up a variation of it on one of his outrageously complicated design programs. We then added my signature font of primary colors and printed it up on some blank cards.

Voila!

Pretty, right? I have a lot to be thankful for.

Little Miss Momma is having a GiVaWaY

2010-03-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

I am a huge sucker for giveaways. HUGE. I've fallen in love with Little Miss Momma's blog and she is having an awesome giveaway. Get this, if you win, you get to choose three items from some very cute bohemian items. I really want those braided bracelets on the top! Click on the photo to enjoy her original post.

While you're there getting the info on the giveaway be sure to check out her beautiful crafts and tutorials. So pretty!

Stencil wall art

Cork board picture frame with button and earring push pins.

Oh the many reasons....

2010-03-24T08:48:00.001-05:00

I need a sewing machine. Seriously, NEED one. There are so many adorable crafts out there lately that I've fallen in love with (like this scarf, or this rug, or this purse) but can't complete because I lack the most necessary component.

I do have my mom's old singer from the early 80's... but, really? It's older than I am. It has no manual and I'm positive that it's never been tuned up or cleaned. I'm scared to death of this thing. It's sitting in front of me right now and it gives me the heeby jeebies just looking at it. So many parts that I have no clue how to use! I looked up manuals and they cost $15 from a site that I've never heard of and they don't have any photos of the manual.... maybe a rip off site? It's just too nerve racking and I would just rather get a new, simple machine. Sound crazy? Here, take a look at the monster in my living room.....

Patina on terracotta pots

2010-03-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking for the past 24 hours about how to turn a plain terracotta pot into an aged masterpiece of patina. You see, my dilemma first arose while looking around at Thompson & Hanson (see photo). A beautifully aged yet tiny pot, I mean tiny pot, cost $10.25 and the very same pot, minus the patina, cost only 75 cents. So that would be $9.50 for mold. FOR MOLD! So, I've been researching how to age a perfectly new terracotta pot and have found a very simple way to do it.

Simply, brush plain yogurt onto a pot and let it sit outside in the shade until you get the desired amount of mold. It may attract ants and other bugs, so set it in an unused part of your yard. Seriously people, mold is not worth $9.50.

Thompson & Hanson

2010-03-19T09:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my good friend, Ashley, and I spent the afternoon outside at a beautiful oasis in downtown Houston. Thompson & Hanson is a lovely garden center which also hosts a very delicious cafe called Tiny Boxwoods. Ashley told me that the cafe is always busy with the "Ladies That Lunch" and she wasn't exaggerating! This cafe was incredibly busy but I can attest to the reasoning: the food was absolutely superb.

We probably could have spent a few more hours going through the garden center, looking at all the pretty plants and ingenious designs. Here's some of our favorites....

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

2010-03-18T08:24:00.000-05:00

Oh my. My best friend from high school emailed me a link, Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, that I think will be the end of me. Seriously.... this website is going to keep me in the vicious cycle of baking, blogging, eating, baking, blogging, eating. I may never see the light of day except to run to the grocery store and buy ingredients. Or maybe I could just call E on his way home.... hmmm.

I'm not joking people, just look at this beautiful creation. It's a flippin' Cinnamon Roll CHEESECAKE! Holy moley. Click on photo to enjoy the original post (trust me, it's very funny).

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon Roll Batter:
2/3 cup white sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
½ cup whole milk
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Cheesecake filling:

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 TBSP flour
3 eggs

Cinnamon Filling:

1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 TBSP cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
milk (if needed to thin frosting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9-inch Springform pan.

Cinnamon Roll Batter:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat for another minute. Scrape down bowl.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the sifted and creamed ingredients together. Mix on low speed until throughly combined.

Spread half of the batter onto the bottom of the Springform pan. It will be sticky and thick so spray your hands with baking spray and press down. It will be a thin layer, but trust me it will rise up during baking.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

Add the vanilla and flour and beat for another minute.

Pour all of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon roll batter that is in the prepared pan.

Cinnamon Filling:

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the cheesecake.

Take the rest of the base batter and drop spoonfuls over the entire top of cheesecake. Once finished, take a knife to swirl the ingredients together. This is hard to do as the batter is pretty thick, just do what you can.

Bake for about 50-55 minutes, cake will be puffy and lightly browned. Let chill for 20 minutes at room temperature and then cover and move to fridge for 4 hours. Remove cake and let it warm up to room temperature just a bit. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat until desired consistency is reached. If too thick, thin out with milk.

Hickory Hard Goods

2010-03-17T09:42:00.001-05:00

Today, while reading through my Daily Reads list, I came across a fabulous guest blogger over at You Are My Fave named Liz. Liz's blog, Say Yes to Hoboken, is such an adorable blog and I have a feeling that it will make it's way onto my Daily Reads list soon. Needless to say, I've just spent the last half hour browsing through Liz's blog and I found this great company, Hickoree's Hard Goods. Durable and classic items.

Perfect canvas tote for teaching, gardening, going to the beach, whatever! $35.00

"Hoof Pick" belt.... I don't think I would be picking hooves, but this belt is gorgeous. $60.00

Another great bag! $87

Flippin' awesome print! $425

"#44 of this editioned print now hangs in the Executive Office Building at

1700 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC."

It's all about comfort

2010-03-16T17:34:00.001-05:00

I went to DSW today to check out the sale racks.... no luck.... but I did spy a pair of shoes that I will be keeping my eye on. They are Tevas and if you've ever bought a pair of Tevas you know how unbelievably comfortable they are. I own a couple of their flip flops and I could literally walk in them all day (I used to wear them all the time when I worked in a department store). They mold to your feet and are so light.

Check out these newly designed wedges from Teva; they are comfortable, light, well made, and look really cute on. A big upgrade from the flip flops. Click on the photo to shop Zappos.

Out and About

2010-03-15T16:08:00.009-05:00

Today was my first day of spring break and what a wonderful day it was! It's about 75 degrees and sunny. While enjoying the day at one of our outdoor malls, I found an amazing home store called Z Gallery. I could have spent all day browsing around, looking at all the beautiful things. Click on the photos below to shop along with me.

P.S. I don't know what's going with my font either and I'm now waving the white flag of defeat.... Blogspot you've outsmarted me again!

Caprise Pilla Holders $9.99 (Holy steal of a deal Batman!)

Cyperus Stems, 6 for $23.70 (Z Gallery has some amazing faux flowers)

Sassolino Pillar Holder $39.95

Twig Coat Rack $139 (I'm going to stalk this one for a sale)

Chloe Vases $29.95-49.95

Ceramic Parrot $39.95 (ridiculous and awesome and at the same time)

Compliment Snaggers

2010-03-09T21:14:00.001-06:00

I've been feeling icky lately and nothing seems to be cheering me up. However, tomorrow I will be subbing for an elementary class and those little kiddos always seem to know just how to make me smile. Nothing cheers up your whole day better being told that you're pretty, or how much they like your shirt, or your necklace, or your shoes. Seriously, those cuties are chock full of compliments.

This is a note that I received from a former student. He always had a hard time writing, he could never find the right words and would usually never write much.

This day, however, he found the right words to bring tears to my eyes.

I'm in a rambling mood tonight, apparently. I really just wanted to show off some ideas for snagging more compliments. Colorful items are always winners in elementary schools! Click the photos to see how to make these for yourself.

Alisa Burke

Blue Cricket

No Plain Tees - Etsy

Hair from American Idol

2010-03-03T19:48:00.000-06:00

Sorry Alex Lambert, I just can't get over it.

Baked Rigatoni

2010-03-02T15:20:00.001-06:00

Here's an easy and tasty recipe to share. Everything is store bought but when you put it all together and stick it in the oven it tastes very homemade.

Baked Rigatoni

Ingredients

1 box Rigatoni, boiled to "al dente"

2 jars Traditional Pasta Sauce

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella (approximate)

Sweet Italian Sausage, about 3 links, de-skinned

Directions

Heat oven to 350. Boil pasta to "al dente" and drain. Brown Italian sausage in skillet, breaking up into small pieces and drain excess fat. Combine pasta, Italian sausage, both jars of pasta sauce, and most of the shredded mozzarella in large mixing bowl. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle remaining mozzarella over top. Bake for 30 minutes or until all mozzarella is melted and filling is bubbling hot.

Classic Cardigan

2010-03-02T11:52:00.002-06:00

A classic cardigan is something that can be worn any time of the year and will go with just about anything in your closet. I'm currently lacking in this department of my wardrobe and I'd better start looking before everyone starts cranking up their air conditioners here! Layers are very important when the temps start to rise and businesses go overkill on the coldness. Bonus: all of these cardigans are on sale! Click on the photos to shop.

Anthropology

J. Crew

Antropology

Anthropology

Antropology

Small, Super Cute, Reusable Shopping Bag

2010-02-26T10:24:00.002-06:00

I almost forgot to mention the awesome deal that I found at Bath & Body Works. These little pouches were sitting so cutely in baskets I'll admit, very strategically, by the checkout line. Impulse shopping? Why, YES thank you! These really are so cute, though, you have to admit... and for $2.50 how could you pass up something that fits so snugly in your purse? This little cutie will work perfectly for those last minute, didn't bring along your normal grocery bags, "I need eggs and shampoo," shopping trips. No more plastic bags for me!

Hand Soap

2010-02-26T10:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had a little shopping excursion to Bath & Body Works to buy some hand soap. Even though we are on a very tight budget I allow myself this one little indulgence. In these days of store brand products and waiting to buy till the sales come back, I still go about every other month to stock up on my Coconut Lime Verbena, Apricot Mint, Rain Kissed Leaves, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Brown Sugar and Fig, Midnight Pomegranate, oh the list goes on and on! I love these soaps. Seriously, I can't live without them.

Do you have anything that you still indulge in? Please share the items in your house that you can't bare to forgo in these tough times.

I have to admit, I was a little put off by the newly designed pump and container. The look is growing on me but the pump will take some more getting used to; it gets stuck and then when I push down harder it forcefully comes out and squirts soap across the whole sink and on my shirt. Not very nice.

Cornbread

2010-02-25T08:42:00.008-06:00

I've been sharing this recipe a lot lately and I just now took a glance at the original post on my blog... what a strange layout! I don't know exactly what I was thinking, but I was definitely not thinking about my readers with such an odd flow of words and photos. So ladies and gents, I now present to you an updated Cornbread Recipe!

Ingredients
2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 box Jiffy Yellow Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 cup milk

1/3 cup oil
cinnamon, for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 335 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for cinnamon. Whisk together by hand until relatively smooth, about 45 seconds. Pour batter into 9x13, greased pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and swirl in gently using whisk.

Bake for 35 minutes, check with toothpick.

Delicious, moist, flavorful, and goes with anything!

And it begins....

2010-02-24T14:14:00.000-06:00

Something has been missing in my life over the past few months, that missing piece is gardening. I absolutely loved my little garden in Michigan and probably became too attached to some of the plants. I even had a dream last night about going back to my garden and being absolutely heartbroken that the new owner hadn't watered anything for the whole summer. No flowers, no hostas, no hydrangea... just dirt and twigs. I woke up very upset. Yeah, I became way too attached.

It's about time to start a new garden down here in Texas. I've been doing some research today to find where to begin this task. Literally, I know nothing about gardening in Texas! It's like starting from scratch all over again.

This is the book I will need: Neil Perry's Complete Guide to Texas Gardening

This is the place I will go: Montgomery County Master Gardeners Association

And this is the blog where I will get all my ideas: Donald's Texas Garden

Faux-Bois Planters

2010-02-21T20:12:00.001-06:00

I received a new Living magazine in the mail today, completely out of the blue and unexpected. I have my sneaking suspicions as to who may have renewed my subscription (thank you, Mami, if it was you). I love those little surprises that come in the mail!

I was reading through it this evening, loving all the gorgeous photos and beautifully written articles, when I came across a craft that I am definitely going to do soon.

Isn't this faux-bois planter the most fantastic thing you've ever seen? Ok, maybe not the most fantastic, but it's at least up there on your list of awesomely-inexpensive crafts. It's made by pouring "hypertufa" mixture between two vessels and sitting for a few hours.

The mixture consists of equal parts perlite, peat moss, Portland cement, and enough water to reach the desired consistency. So simple! Click the photo to see detailed instructions on how to make this particular planter.

You could also use two metal mixing bowls of different sizes to form a more modern design. Click this link to read the history of this craft and for different types of molds.

Chic Leather Finds

2010-02-20T21:54:00.004-06:00

I just found a fellow blogger from my own heart. The Sale Rack is "a blog about how to save money without compromising your taste or lifestyle." How fantastic is that?! Even better is that she offers some giveaways that are chic and usable merchandise. Her most recent giveaway was from a company called Graphic Image. I just did some browsing and I love their leather bound items. Plus, they offer personalization on almost all their products. Classically chic, perfect! Click on the images to shop.

Seven Daughters wine

2010-02-20T11:24:00.001-06:00

I love this wine.

That's about all I can coherently type out right now.

Hey, that bottle didn't empty itself last night.

Cheesecake bites

2010-02-19T17:21:00.000-06:00

Could it be?! Did I just save that hideous excuse for a cheesecake? Why, yes I did!

Ta-da! I present to you cheesecake bites with raspberry topping and chocolate accents. Presentation is everything and I THANK GOD that I own that square serving bowl! Disappointment averted.

Cheesecake (maybe?)

2010-02-19T10:23:00.001-06:00

I'm scared. Really scared.

This cheesecake is ugly as sin and I don't know if I even want to try it. I'm posting it because this is my very first attempt and I realize that not everything comes out perfectly the first time. Plus, I learned a lot from this recipe. I learned that a cheesecake is done when it completely puffs up and will not necessarily be done at the allotted time... this one took an hour longer! I also learned that poking it every 10 minutes with a toothpick to see if it's done yet (geez!) is not such a good idea. I completely mutilated this thing! Hopefully I will have better luck next time. Try, try again.

For obvious reasons, I am not sharing this recipe at this time because I SO did not do it justice. I'll keep you updated when I find a recipe that works for me.

Update I made this particular cheesecake for a dinner party that I'm going to tonight and I've been completely spastic, thinking and stressing about this flippin' dessert! I actually went out and bought some raspberries for a glaze/topping after researching some recipes. So I came home, cooked up some topping, poured it onto the cheesecake. Then I did more research, found out that you shouldn't pour the topping on while it's still hot (which I did!) and that you shouldn't pour it on until you are ready to serve it or it will get soggy(I poured it on at least 3 hours before serving). I completely FREAKED out and decided to just scrap the whole idea and make brownies. But before scrapping it, I took one little slice out to try. Wouldn't ya know, it tastes great and I devoured the whole slice! That's what ya get for freakin' out. Geez Louise.

The Rusted Chain giveaway

2010-02-18T20:05:00.001-06:00

I think I would be Teacher Chick... or maybe Happy Chick, but that's only part time. =P

I love a good giveaway!

Check out Beki's blog to express what kind of chick you are to get a chance to win (and to cheer her up today).

Spinach Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

2010-02-18T15:24:00.000-06:00

I've fallen in love with this easy recipe for a super healthy salad from my Cooking Light cookbook. It's very quick and perfect for a mid-day snack. I whipped this one up right before tutoring today; I don't want to be a hungry grouch for the poor boy!

Sesame Vinaigrette

1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoons honey

dash of salt and pepper

Stir together with a whisk. Place spinach in a large bowl and drizzle vinaigrette, tossing gently. Or you can drizzle a tiny bit over a serving of spinach and save the rest of the vinaigrette, a little goes a long way!

Some ideas for toppings would be grilled red onions (toss with a little sesame oil and cooked until tender), tangerine pieces, feta cheese, etc. I topped mine with Parmesan and wasn't that impressed ... but sometimes you just have to work with what you have.

Feedback

2010-02-18T09:16:00.000-06:00

Alright everyone, I need your help. I've done some changes to the layout of The Cutest Little House in Town blog and I need your feedback! What do you think of the new header image? Is it too big? I sized it to fit my monitor but I'm not sure how it looks on other monitors. I also went and tweaked some of the HTML code to get rid of the pesky blogger outline around the header image and added my own to the image itself. Does everything look normal to you? I'm not a very techy person, so I just want to make sure that I edited the right code.

Please leave comments, I need them today. Thanks for all your help!

Happy Blogiversary!!!

2010-02-17T21:12:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that it's been an entire year since I began this little blog. I've been through an awful lot since beginning it, that's for sure. The Cutest Little House in Town blog began as a chronicle of my experiences as a first time home owner... keeping track of every home update and every garden tip throughout the year. Apparently, those tips were all worth while because now someone new is loving that cute little house. Since then, this blog has evolved to hopes and dreams for my future home along with the occasional recipe or two. One day, hopefully sooner than later, I will have another cute little house to blog about. Until then.....

Just keep blogging, just keep blogging... what do we do? We blog, blog, blog!

In the meantime, I have a true first to share with you. Today was the very first time I peeled an apple in one complete piece. Check out the pic! I have proof! In honor of my blogiversary, I made a delicious apple cake. This is by far my absolute favorite recipe and it deserves a second posting. Enjoy!

Apple Cake

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temp
4 cups apples (3-4 large apples), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 (340 works better in mine, play around with what you like). Lightly grease a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl.
Cream the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a medium-size mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended, about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape the bowl twice with a rubber spatula.
Add the eggs one at a time, and mix on medium-low speed after each addition until blended, 10 seconds. Scrap the bowl each time. Once the eggs are added, mix again for 10 seconds.
Add half the dry ingredients and blend on low speed for 15 seconds. Scrap the bowl, add the rest of the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until blended, about 5 seconds more.
Add the apples with a few turns of the mixer.
Spoon the batter into the pan and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the top. Bake the cake on the center oven rack until the top is firm and golden and a toothpick inserted at the cake's highest point comes out dry, about 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Recipe from Rosie's Bakery

Fab Kitchen

2010-02-16T19:01:00.000-06:00

I've never looked at a kitchen photo and said "I want this, exactly this" before..... until now. I'll be honest with you, this post is more for my benefit (bad memory) than for yours. But, please, feel free to drool over the marble counter tops, awesome shelving design, glamorous refrigerator, and fabulous antique rolling pin collection. Found via Basically Anything That is Awesome.

Google, you make me smile

2010-02-16T18:38:00.000-06:00

This is awesome. I love curling!

Museum festivities

2010-02-16T09:01:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it, we actually did something for Valentine's Day?! For our eighth Valentine's Day together we went downtown to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston with some new friends. Although the 'Street Festival' wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, we all still had a lot of fun. Here are some pics from our little excursion.

We were pictured online in the local newspaper. "Seensters"

Ashley and I with our sunglasses. LOVE!

My Valentine

2010-02-13T09:38:00.001-06:00

“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” -Antione de Saint-Exupery

Stretched Canvas Artwork

2010-02-12T09:18:00.002-06:00

For the last week I have been substitute teaching for a high school computers class.... needless to say, I've been doing a lot of blogging around the internet. Yesterday I found many inspirational ideas for wall decor over the sofa at Julie's beautiful site, BelleMaison. She always has such beautiful photographs and unique design ideas! I fell in love with the idea of hanging a stretched canvas piece over the sofa. Such a statement piece!

Wouldn't it be gorgeous to have the photograph of my little Limelight Hydrangea made into an art piece? I would definitely tweak it; maybe gray out the background so that the lime color pops.

Here are some websites that I've found where you can download your images and they make them up into a piece of art. Amazing!

fineartamerica.com

www.uprinting.com

www.designerprint.co.uk

Coral

2010-02-10T09:48:00.003-06:00

Coral may be a passing fad but I still think it's pretty in small doses. Little pops of color are always refreshing and orange seems to the color of the season when it comes to home decorating. Click on the images to see where they come from.

I love these earrings. I may actually buy something off Etsy instead of just blogging about how much I like them.

These are some pricey little numbers but I'm sure you could find similar frames at a local store and print off coral images.

I just want to reach out and touch these!

Gorgeous... expensive... but gorgeous.

Those accents are so pretty! I really like the symmetry and the pops of orange.

Bow Necklaces

2010-02-09T09:26:00.000-06:00

A simple bow is a classic accessory for any piece and a necklace is no exception. The simplicity of these necklaces are very charming, don't you agree? I wonder how easy it might be to make one of these... looks easy enough! Click on the images to go to the sites.

Etsy - $70.00

Anthropology - $178.00

By Boe - $55.00

Juicy Couture - $28.90 SALE

Valentine craft

2010-02-08T09:47:00.001-06:00

This is mostly just a note-to-self kind of post. I SO want to do this with my own class of kids. Wouldn't parents just absolutely love receiving this valentine? I love how simple and relatively easy to clean up this craft is... just be sure to do it right next to a sink for quick hand washing!

Click on the image to see full instructions.

Dress season

2010-02-08T07:47:00.010-06:00

Anthropology has some great dresses this season. I love their simple structure and beautiful patterns. So classically gorgeous. Here are just a few... click on the images to go to their site.

Photo Collage

2010-02-07T10:56:00.000-06:00

I've been looking for a way to display some of my favorite photographs but have been struggling with the idea because I have so many! I don't want to have twenty frames on a wall and I certainly don't want to have to pick only three. So this idea has just been a vague notion until I saw Annie's (of Annie's-Eats.com) collage that she put in her new kitchen. I love this idea!

So I hopped on Picasa and whipped up a collage of my own favorite photographs. Love it! Now I'm just dreaming of a kitchen with walls big enough to hang this collage on. =(

Super Bowl Party Recipes

2010-02-01T08:15:00.008-06:00

Estevan and I will be hosting a Super Bowl party this year and I am so excited! My goal is to not have to resort to delivery pizza; instead, I'm going to make everything from scratch. Pretty big goal, right? It does, however, become phenomenally easier when you find great blogs like Annie's Eats. Her recipes look delicious and her photographs could be considered artwork. I'm definitely going to try out some of her recipes (stuffed mushrooms, salsa, Car Bomb cupcakes) and revisit one of my own (cornbread) for our party. Here's one of Annie's recipes that I'm really excited about......

Pizza Bites Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
1/2 batch pizza dough (enough for 1 pizza)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Metallic glitz

2010-01-30T20:02:00.003-06:00

Look at how pretty these are! I've never been a huge fan of metallic shoes but these are just too cute. I'm so excited that Born is starting to make some cute shoes instead of chunky, clog-like things; they are the most comfortable shoes and they last a long time.

Born

Stuart Weitsman

French Sole These have got to be my fave. So adorable!!!

My future's so bright.....

2010-01-26T14:19:00.011-06:00

I would wear these sunglasses at night!

Ray Ban

I am falling head over heals for these. A friend of mine was wearing these the other day and my jaw dropped in awe, I just had to try them on. I love Ray Ban! However, I'm still unsure of how I feel about shelling over $100 for a pair of sunglasses. Worth it? Maybe I could justify the purchase as an investment in the health of my eyes. It is really sunny in Houston.

Or you could just click HERE to buy them for me and that will end that whole problem. =P

Life

2010-01-24T08:31:00.007-06:00

Life is an interesting experience, sometimes you just have to sit down and take prospective.

Estevan and I have had some exciting turns in our life over the last few months and I am very thankful for all of them. The very first turn was our trip to Texas where Estevan interviewed and was offered a new job; on that very same trip we received an offer for our home which we very quickly negotiated to our selling price. Our home was on the market for 4 weeks and we sold it without having to pay the bank. That, in itself, is a miracle in Michigan.

Next, we moved and got settled into a beautiful city that has every amenity that we could ever have dreamed. In that same city, I have found my niche as a substitute teacher. The friends I have made in each school are the most amazing people and are willing to go above and beyond to help me find a permanent position. Just the other day I received a letter of recommendation from the entire first grade team at one of the schools. I'm so proud of what they had to say that I just have to share an excerpt.....

"Erica is an exceptional teacher. She’s a 'natural' when it comes to interacting with young children. She possesses and demonstrates strong classroom management skills. She conducts herself as a seasoned teacher when dealing with behavior problems and academic needs. Erica has a calm, but firm, manner when engaging with students. Naturally, they respect her and trust her."

Their letter still makes me a little choked up when I think about how much they mean to me and vice versa. I'm blessed to have found such truly wonderful people here in Texas. It occurred to me last night that I'm trying to find a teaching position in a school district where it's about who you know... and I know a lot of people! The very next turn will be finding an open position and 'wowing' their socks off in an interview.

That next turn in our life is coming upon us very quickly and it's looking good. Most of the foot work has been done; me resume is ready, my portfolio is full, my experiences are plentiful, and my connections are speaking highly of me. It's time to sit back and wait for what life has in store.

Sigh

2010-01-21T13:30:00.002-06:00

These shoes deserve their own post. Found via Basically Anything That's Awesome.

Storage Ideas

2010-01-21T08:08:00.004-06:00

Within the last few weeks, after our house was filled with guests for Christmas, we have decided to downsize our home. We moved from a lovely 3 bedroom home in Michigan and into a much bigger 3 bedroom home in Texas. We thought that we would be able to fill it up nicely like we did before but apparently we completely underestimated the amount of purging that we did. Now we are stuck in a house with one bedroom completely empty besides one lone desk. Since this is a huge waste of space and money we are now seriously considering moving into a 2 bedroom apartment with attached garage just north of The Woodlands. However, with a move like this (from house to apartment) I will need to consider how items are stored in order to maximize the space. And who else to turn to besides Martha?! Here are some amazing storage ideas from non-other than the queen herself.

We have two oak chests that are not being used to their fullest potential and I think I just found the perfect idea for them. All you have to do is purchase an adjustable hanging file-folder frame for the files in the bottom. Then add two pieces of molding to either side of the trunk to hold up the organizer tray. The organizer tray is made up of many different sized wooden boxes glued together and painted to match. SO SIMPLE!

Find full directions here.

This closet is amazing! Every detail is so well thought out. I just can't even stand it that my closet has piles of purses, shoes, and umbrellas lying on the floor.

Oh wow, where has this idea been hidden all these years?! When we moved from Michigan I had piles and piles of paint cans that had the most piddly amount of paint in each. I will definitely keep this handy idea in mind the next time we paint rooms!

Don't even get me started on how I need to organize my craft supplies. Project supplies are stuffed into a cardboard box, scrapbooking things are piled up in the corner of our bedroom, pencils and markers are God only knows where! This tidy little cabinet is exactly what I need... only minus the chintzy curtain.

Salt and Pepper Shakers

2010-01-16T23:46:00.004-06:00

Good Sunday morning to you! It's been an awfully boring weekend for us but it has been productive in one respect. We finally put away everything having to do with Christmas! I'm pretty embarrassed to say that it's taken so long but at least it's finally done.

While I was scouring the house for any remaining items I came across our snowman salt and pepper shaker collection. We have only 3 sets but they make a cheery holiday display in our kitchen. We're always keeping our eyes open for more snowmen sets but didn't add any this year so I decided to do a little online browsing last night and you won't believe what I found! These are just a few prime examples....

Wow. That's all I can say.

I need these.

Who can say "no" to two matching Mr. Peanut shakers?

What is even going on here? Seriously.

And this set is for my Love Duck. =)

Birdhouse Jewelry

2010-01-15T07:59:00.002-06:00

Amy Lapierre and Alen Lapierre run a unique little jewelry shop in NYC called Birdhouse Jewelry. I've fallen in love with their whimsical designs and, seriously, who can turn down inexpensive 18 karats? Check out their Etsy shop here.

Original Artwork

2010-01-11T17:24:00.008-06:00

Alight, I'm going to come clean with you. I'm kinda running on fumes for creative thoughts right now... I guess I'm taking a break from all the holidays where I used my noggin too much! So where do I go when I need a little inspiration? I go to Etsy. I love that site not only because it contains so many fabulous hand-crafted goodies but because the site itself is just so darn beautiful to look at and browse. I found an amazing artist during my last perusal, her name is Laura Sue, and you can check out the rest of her collection here. I love those last two paintings of the books, I'm thinking of making something similar using actual books as stamps.

Blogging

2010-01-06T08:15:00.004-06:00

I simply have to share this because this is awesome! A few months ago I discovered Little Birdie Secrets and have fallen in love with the creators of this blog and all their posts... and now they will be in a commercial! Check out the Little Birdie Secrets' commercial for Windows 2010.

It's so amazing how popular crafting blogs are becoming, even my own little blog has visitors from all over the world. I love this world-wide community and every one of my 16 followers (and those who are dedicated without being a public "follower", google analytics is the best).

Chicken Gyros

2010-01-04T10:22:00.005-06:00

I am loving this recipe. Sounds so good I had to share it! I found it through an amazing website called Annie's Eats, you can find many more delicious recipes there. I'll keep you posted when I try this recipe out... it has so few ingredients that I think I might try it this coming week.

Annie's Eats

Chicken Gyros
Ingredients:
For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. chicken pieces (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

To assemble:
Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

Directions:
To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth (if you don’t have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible.

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. (I butterflied the chicken breasts and then cooked them under the broiler.) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips.

Heat pitas (I sprayed with some spray oil and then popped them in the toaster oven for a few minutes). Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Elly Says Opa!

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T18:04:00.009-06:00

Thank you to all my readers for your patience in this time of blogging drought here. I have been quite busy cooking, entertaining, eating, drinking, playing games, and traveling around this past week. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of my holiday exploits but the memories will last longer than photographs ever could. I wish the holidays could last longer, but I have to admit that I'm very much looking forward to getting back to normalcy.

The holidays are quickly coming to a close and the new year is starting off on the right foot. My New Year's Resolution this year is to be more dedicated. During 2009 I gave up many of the things that I loved because of money, time, motivation, etc.... The excuses are stopping this year! My scrapbooks will be bursting at the seams, my book shelves will collapse under all the weight, my Wii Fit board won't know what hit it, my oven will be begging for mercy, and this blog will document it all. So be prepared dedicated readers, you are in for a treat.

The goofballs in the robes say, "Enjoy your weekend!"

Merry Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T08:40:00.004-06:00

I can hardly believe that it is already December 24th. This year has flown by for Estevan and I. Just one year ago we had no idea that we would have sold our house, gotten new jobs, and moved clear across the country. 2009 has been one heck of a year for the boy from Michigan and, generally, a run-of-the-mill kind of year for the girl from nowhere in particular.

This Christmas will be the very first year that Estevan hasn't celebrated Noche Buena with his family in East Lansing. It will be just the two of us for this beautiful night before Christmas. I will be making a small meal for us.... steaks, arroz con gandules, and apple cake. We will also be Skyping with the family up North, fun fun!

To all my readers, I wish you love, laughter, and peace.

Like white on rice

2009-12-23T13:58:00.004-06:00

I love this white Christmas tree! When I have room enough for two trees I want to make this one and start collecting white and silver bulbs. So gorgeous; found via Habitually Chic.

I have also tracked down this project from its source. It can be found here: Maison21. It's worth a read-through, the man is very funny.

Christmas Tree 2009

2009-12-22T09:02:00.006-06:00

I'm so excited for Friday! Oh heck, even Thursday will be great and I can't wait. All my wrapping is done, I can finally clear off my wrapping table of paper, tape, ribbon, and tags. The tree is looking very full and so beautiful with all those ribbon be-decked presents (I live for wrapping and ribbon). My favorite wrapping job has to be the present that I put together for my sister-in-law Patty, see the picture below. Can't wait till all the family gets here!

Every year, our tree gets a little more decorated. I still remember our first year with only the cinnamon applesauce stars and a few glass bulbs from Target, we didn't even have a star!

I'm finding it very hard to believe that it was only 5 years ago. It amazes me how much we've done in such a short amount of time.... bought a house, got married, graduated from MSU, sold our house, and moved across the country. SERIOUSLY INCREDIBLE!

Three round tins tied together with a simple ribbon.
Easy way to keep everything together.

Oh what a day

2009-12-19T08:36:00.005-06:00

Can you believe Christmas is less than a week away?! I'm so happy to see Mary and Joseph on the last row of houses going up to the manger.

This day is also special for me because today marks the day of my first official date with Estevan 7 years ago. He drove 4 hours up from MSU to take me out to see a movie during our winter break from school... sure it was only Alpena, MI at the Royal Knight theater, but it was better than eating in the cafeteria at Langdon Hall or going to house parties in East Lansing.

December 19th was also the date that he proposed to me 5 years ago. We had spent a wonderful day together Christmas shopping, going out to dinner, and driving around our neighborhood looking at all the Christmas lights. He proposed to me on one knee in front of our own Christmas tree. So sweet and simple.

I love you honey!

On The First Day of Christmas....

2009-12-16T08:24:00.010-06:00

Here are some Etsy finds using my favorite holiday theme. Maybe my true love will give one to me!

This color combination is amazing.
$14 from Spacemoderne

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this holiday card!
$12 (for 8) from Kissandtellcards

Wouldn't it be neat to design all the family
stockings around The 12 Days of Christmas?
$24 from ThreeSocks

Seriously, could you get any cuter?
$6 from Churchmousestudio

Such a pretty necklace!

$30 from Sherrytruitt

Dining Table Makeover

2009-12-15T17:44:00.009-06:00

I got my home improvement fix this past week after a nearly half-year hiatus. I can't believe how much I missed mixing paints, digging through the tools, wandering through home improvement stores, and the many subsequent trips back to those same stores for things we forgot which then leads to the cashiers poking fun at you for coming back 3 times in one day. Yeah, it's a good time.

So here's what all that hassle and fun led to...

We started with a salvaged table top, it's sitting on top of our old ratty table in this pic.

We bought all the supplies to turn that top into a full table.
This is a prime example of things we forgot and mistakes we made. Notice that there is no actual color, just a primer and a varnish. Also, that varnish was DISGUSTING! Do not buy spar varnish for going over paint; it will turn it the color of molasses and will smell up your entire house for a week. We ended up priming and painting the whole table again and then finished with a plain old CLEAR polyurethane.

We attached the pine legs, primed and painted, flipped it over continued priming and painting.

And after a few days this is what we came out with.....

Ta-da! Now all we need to do are two more chairs so that we can finally seat six!

Success!

2009-12-09T14:49:00.007-06:00

I just made another pumpkin pie and my crust cutters did a beautiful job. I also adjusted the recipe a little... I only used a 1/4 tsp. of ginger, cut down the nutmeg, took out my previous addition of cloves, and added a 1/2 tsp. vanilla based purely on the fact that I thought it smelled good in the mixture. This recipe is a work in progress in an effort to accommodate both my tastes (more spicy) and Estevan's (more traditional). Here's my updated version of The Good Housekeeping recipe for Pilgrim Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients

1 pie crust
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare pie crust in dish as directed.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In large bowl, with wire whisk, mix all ingredients until well combined.
Carefully pour pumpkin filling into pie crust.
Bake until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
Cook on wire rack at least 1 hour before cutting.
Serve with whipped cream.

Java Love

2009-12-08T10:03:00.005-06:00

I haven't talked about my little bean lately, so here are some recent pictures that I've taken of my favorite dog...

The treat is right there! Just reach up and grab it...

Java the giraffe.

Dog's may go to heaven, but as far as Java is concerned,
laying on our guest bed between the two of us is heaven enough.

Apple Pie with Leaf Crust

2009-12-08T08:14:00.006-06:00

I tried out my new pie crust cutters last night! I love these little guys from Williams and Sonoma (thank you Auntie!). The cutters worked beautifully, my recipe did not.... this was definitely a terrible first attempt at baking an apple pie. Better luck next time!

Not as pretty as the picture on the box, that's for sure.

Stacked Newspaper Trees

2009-12-07T17:16:00.003-06:00

This looks like a very good candidate for my next craft project. I love Martha, find her directions and video here.

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments, oh my!

2009-12-06T08:33:00.008-06:00

Years ago, for our first Christmas, I made cinnamon applesauce ornaments. We didn't have many ornaments, just some bulk packaged ones from Target, but these cinnamon ornaments gave our tree a homey feel and the smell was amazing. After a few more Christmases (and one dog), our tree is filling up with beautiful and sentimental ornaments and I've had to say good bye to my cinnamon applesauce ornaments. You may ask, "Why?" and "Why do you mention the dog?". I mention the dog because last Christmas, our first Christmas with Java, we found out that he is deathly allergic to cinnamon. Very traumatic for all of us, but he made it through alright and I won't be tempting fate anymore with a tree full of cinnamon ornaments. So now, all I can do is pass along the recipe for my beloved ornaments, I hope that you enjoy them (and that your dog isn't allergic).

Recipe

1/2 cup cinnamon
1/2 cup applesauce (store bought)

Or you could use equal parts of any amount based on how many you want to make.

Mix together by hand and roll out between two pieces of wax paper, making them about a quarter inch thick.

Using cookie cutters of any shape, gently cut out and place on wax paper lined baking sheet. Poke holes near top using a toothpick.

Bake at 200 degrees F for about 2 hours. Leave out to dry further over night.

Snowballs

2009-12-03T18:37:00.005-06:00

It's going to snow tomorrow in Houston! They are actually expecting 2-5 inches tomorrow, crazy. This will be the very first time that I'm hoping to NOT have a snow day. I just spent an hour or two making snowballs for the students that I've been teaching for the past week. I stuck a marshmallow on a lollipop stick, dipped them in melted white chocolate (using a spatula to help) and then rolled them in shaved coconut. Really sweet and really delicious!

I gave these to my students a few years back in Michigan in honor of the first snow of the year. Now these are in honor of probably the only snow of the year down here in Texas.

Perfect little individual treats for kids.

It's Here!

2009-12-02T19:56:00.004-06:00

I received my ornament from my swap partner yesterday. I love it! It fits in perfectly with with my other ornaments. Thank you April!

I am so happy with how this ornament exchange went. I will definitely be participating next year!

Close up.

Family vacations are my fave

2009-12-02T18:59:00.014-06:00

Here's some snippets from our trip up to Michigan for Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

This is how we made it from Wyandotte all the way to Howell.

Isa made these for the table. So cute!

Titi Myrt made these turkeys with her kindergartners, very interpretive. =)

Bill, Amalia, Missie (with Penny), Myrt, and Lela.

Missie, Myrt, Lela, Lelo Adolfo, and Patty.

Tio Kevin carving the turkey.

A little after dinner conversation.

Detour in St. Joseph. Good to have all the family around.

Meijer run!

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potatoes

2009-11-25T07:36:00.004-06:00

Happy Day-before Thanksgiving everyone! Today I will be dropping Java off at the kennels and then we will be catching a plane back to Michigan at 5. We are so excited!

Seeing as how this will be my first family holiday which I haven't been able to bake a dish to pass, I thought that I would pass along my favorite recipe. These sweet potatoes are smooth and creamy with a beautiful crust of pecans, oh and it's sweet as all get out! Nothing like you would think sweet potatoes could taste. Trust me, my dad hates sweet potatoes but he gobbles this stuff up!

This is by far my favorite holiday recipe.

Filling

3 cups fresh (boiled) sweet potatoes
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Topping

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients for filling together until smooth, will be only slightly lumpy. Pour into lightly greased casserole dish. Mix together ingredients for topping with fork and sprinkle over mix; it will melt evenly to cover filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Tip: boil sweet potatoes with cinnamon stick or a sprinkle of cinnamon for extra flavor.

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

2009-11-24T08:32:00.005-06:00

Have you had enough pumpkin for one season yet? Good, neither have I. Here's another recipe that I found using a Martha recipe via Katy Elliot's Blog.

For the Cookies
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Icing
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Make cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.

Martha says to use a pastry bag to pipe onto parchment lined pans but I just spooned 1 1/2-inch rounds onto seasoned stone baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Make icing: Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Piecrust Cutters

2009-11-24T08:12:00.003-06:00

These have to be the cutest little tools I have ever seen! SO SO SO adorable. I don't just want them, I need them!

Seriously, buy them for me at William Sonoma.

Classic Cardy

2009-11-23T08:12:00.003-06:00

Ok, I normally would be saying "Ugg for UGLY!" but I am falling in love with these boots! I simply adore the sweater and button details. Plus, now that I don't have to worry about salt and slush ruining these little beauties, I love them even more. Go to Zappos to check them out, free shipping is the best!

Ornament Exchange

2009-11-21T17:15:00.004-06:00

I'm very pleased to say that my ornament for the 2009 Bloggers Ornament Exchange is done and packaged! Just waiting till Monday morning to mail it out to my swap partner, April. I'm so excited to see what's in store for me.

Check out April's sweet little blog.

No peeking!

Pilgrim Pumpkin Pie

2009-11-19T16:21:00.004-06:00

I made my very first pumpkin pie last night. It actually turned out very good. I should have never doubted The Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 pie crust
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (my own little addition to the recipe)

Prepare pie crust in dish as directed.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In large bowl, with wire whisk, mix all ingredients until well combined.
Carefully pour pumpkin filling into pie crust.
Bake until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
Cook on wire rack at least 1 hour before cutting.
Serve with whipped cream.

Here, try a bite!

Away in a manger

2009-11-17T14:21:00.006-06:00

I think I may have a compulsive disorder. I simply HAD to finish these today!

Closer picture of the Three Wise Men.

Yeah, their crowns aren't even dry yet. I just had to take a picture to show you!

Done!

2009-11-17T09:42:00.014-06:00

In all honesty, I thought this advent calendar was going to take much longer to complete. But since it only took a few days to complete I suppose I will just have to hang it up on my mantel (quiet little squeals of joy). I'm now patiently (not really) waiting for Joseph and Mary to start their journey on December 1st.

Here's what I used:

Wooden gift tags (sets of 4 found at Michael's)
Thin Popsicle sticks
Wooden disks
Wooden star (glitter optional)
Stiff felt (found in kid's craft aisle)
Wood glue
Black spray paint (matte finish)
Oil pastels (could also use paint, I just had these on hand)
Self-adhesive magnet strips
White puffy paint
Twine

Here's how I made it:

I lined up the wooden gift tags with their holes at the top (the wooden disks will hide them) and then glued Popsicle sticks on the back to hold them all together. I glued about 4 sticks on the back of each row (see inset picture). I let it dry completely before flipping the rows over and gluing the wooden disks over each tag hole. Then I spray painted it all black. I then penciled all the numbers in because I know I make mistakes. After making sure my numbers were correct I went over the pencil with white puffy paint. Next, I drew in windows and doors with the oil pastels and stuck on pieces of the magnets for each house. Then, on the top row of houses, I glued on a piece of twine with 2 loops; these loops are used to hang it. I then glued all the houses onto a piece of felt, making sure that the 2 twine loops were peeking out the top. I attached a Popsicle stick manger to the top row using 2 more Popsicle stick braces which I wrapped twine around to appear more rustic. Finally, another piece of twine was tied between the two loops so that I can hang it on my mantel.

To make Joseph, Mary, and Donkey:

This was tricky because of how small they are. I used two layers of felt for each figure, this makes them more sturdy. The bottom layer of felt for each figure was light tan. I simply cut out a hole for their faces which let the light tan show through. I used webbing to stick them together (something I had left over from my wreath craft).

Here's a closeup of the village. I drew cozy little windows and doors using oil pastels.

Mary and Joseph makin' their way up!

I can't wait till they are sitting up there in the manger. I'm probably going to make a different set for this scene, though... I'm thinking a whole manger scene including baby Jesus and the three wise men. Going to need more magnets!

Fish-in-a-bag Soap

2009-11-17T08:30:00.002-06:00

I love this! From Little Birdie Secrets, found via One Pretty Thing.

Guess what I'm making

2009-11-16T16:55:00.010-06:00

Here are some clues.... (Thank you Jaime at Chirpings of Little Bird for the inspiration!)

I'm very giddy about this project. I'll fill you in once it's complete!

Melt in your mouth Pumpkin Bread

2009-11-11T17:26:00.003-06:00

Get ready for a mouth watering, eyes rolling to the back of you head, involuntary "mmmm" experience. Yeah, it's that good.

Ingredients
3 cups sugar (hey, I never said it was good for you)
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1 1/2 teaspoon each ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves (I used less ginger and nutmeg)
2/3 cup water
2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together sugar, oil, and eggs; beat until well mixed.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the egg mixture alternately with water.
Stir in pumpkin and walnuts.
Pour into greased bread pans.
Bake about 1 hour for 9X5 pans and about 45 minutes for smaller pans (pictured).

I'm Flip Flops, what shoe are you?

2009-11-10T14:07:00.002-06:00

You Are Flip Flops

You are laid back and very friendly.

Cheery and sunny in disposition, you usually have something to smile about.

Style is important to you, as long as you can stay casual.

It takes a lot to get you to dress up!

You are a loyal and true person, though you can be a bit of a flake.

You tend to "play hooky" and blow off responsibilities a lot more than most people.

You should live: By the beach

You should work: At a casual up and coming company

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Ornament Exchange

2009-11-08T21:10:00.005-06:00

This is why I love holidays!

Go HERE to sign up, you know you want to.

Cut off date for sign up is November 12 and they need to be made and shipped by November 23.

Falling for felt

2009-11-04T13:55:00.005-06:00

Fall is technically taking place, I know that, but it sure doesn't feel like it here. After living most of my childhood in upstate New York, nestled in the sloping Appalachian mountains, I've become very accustomed to judging my time periods by the ever changing color of the trees. With the temperature edging around 80 all week in Texas, I have a feeling that I'm going to have to make my own change. Maybe I'll hang some of these lovely felt creations around the house.

Lovely felt leaf garland from Pam Garrison found via You Are My Fave.

Fall Berry Wreath from Martha.

A wreath that I made last Christmas using Martha's idea from above.

Felt Apple Tree found on Esty.
For some reason, I love this idea and might make one for my desk when I get my own classroom.
Although I would make one change... I would definitely put apple leaves on the tree instead of oak.

Trick or treat

2009-10-31T08:46:00.005-05:00

Treats! Oh, treats please!

Ghoulish Petits Fours

Little Devil

Monster Pops

But maybe a little trickery later... I'm going to keep my eyes open for dog and cat masks in the stores. How chic to go to a party as Holly and 'Fred'!

Designer Kleenex boxes... hehehe

2009-10-29T18:22:00.005-05:00

As if I need a new reason to go to Target, I find out that these adorable Kleenex boxes will be available there this season. Betz White, my favorite crafter, designed these for Kleenex and I am absolutely in love with them.... plus it helps that I'm just itching to put up my Christmas tree!

I am so going to be switching from Puffs to Kleenex this cold season!

Shrimp Fajitas

2009-10-27T07:57:00.008-05:00

Light, flavorful, and absolutely delicious! Made these last night for dinner from a recipe that I adapted from AllRecipes.

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
8 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream for topping

In a medium bowl, combine the Worcestershire, lime juice, soy sauce, and chile powder. Add the shrimp with a few onion slices and a little chopped cilantro, marinate in fridge for 30 to 60 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bell pepper and onion for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque. Combine the shrimp and the vegetables. Place shrimp and vegetable mixture in tortillas; sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

Finally, a use for these little guys! They are 1 tablespoon each.

Yum yum!

Road Trip Anyone?

2009-10-25T09:29:00.003-05:00

About 30 miles south of Amarillo lies the town of Happy. I think we should go there if only for nothing more than a photo of this sign.

Found via DanielleOctober

Neighborhood Shenanigans

2009-10-25T07:53:00.008-05:00

Pumpkins, lights strung between the trees, BBQ, and exotic animals.... who knew what a fun combination this could be?! Last night we went to TGR Exotics which is an amazing place just a few minutes away from our house in a surprisingly neighborhoody setting. Good times!

Such a cozy hometown feel and really good food!

Yes, that is correct, we rode a camel. All was going really well until.....

(You're going to want to click on the pic below to zoom in on our faces!)

And down we go!!

There is no zoom going on in this picture. That is a Bengal tiger with only a chain link fence between us. And, yes, it is sucking its thumb. So cute!

It was a very good night with good friends.

This is what teaching is all about: FUN

2009-10-23T15:55:00.003-05:00

So I put my noggin to work last night and came up with a costume to wear to the Storybook Parade at school today.

These were my conditions:

Had to be a character from a book that I already owned.
Quick and relatively simple to make.
Use only materials that I had at my home.
And exciting for the kids.

Using all those conditions I quickly crossed off Doctor Suess characters because I have no feathers or funky wigs. No Chicken Little because I own no red babooshka. No Max because I have no wolf costume or crown... and definitely no Wild Thing for obvious reasons.

So it all came down to some green construction paper, a little ribbon, a brown sweater, sharpie markers, and an apple shaped stress ball (thank you Titi!). And Voila, I present to you The Giving Tree!

I spent some time cutting out green construction paper leaves, attched them to a length of ribbon which I then wound around my hair and also to some bangels which I wore on my wrists. I scavanged that brown sweater from Estevan's closet (which I'm pretty sure was bought some time in the early 90s) and "carved" out the inscription so lovingly remembered in the book.

The kids absolutely loved the costume and the parents did as well. I'm positive that the principal will remember me as being the sub who went all out and had a blast! Being remembered is an assett to me in this time of subbing.

The Cutest Little House in Town

Gardening at last

The cutest little house in town GREW UP!

Halloween wreaths

Jewelry

Check out my room!

Kindergarten, what?!

First Weeks of School

Classroom ideas

Good News!!!

Arroz con Gandules

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Remember me?

Driving Range

New Place

All moved in!

For Sale no longer!

Stuffed Shells

Give a Hoot

Custom Thank You's

Little Miss Momma is having a GiVaWaY

Oh the many reasons....

Patina on terracotta pots

Thompson & Hanson

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

Hickory Hard Goods

It's all about comfort

Out and About

Sassolino Pillar Holder $39.95

Twig Coat Rack $139 (I'm going to stalk this one for a sale)

Chloe Vases $29.95-49.95

Ceramic Parrot $39.95 (ridiculous and awesome and at the same time)

Compliment Snaggers

Hair from American Idol

Baked Rigatoni

Classic Cardigan

Small, Super Cute, Reusable Shopping Bag

Hand Soap

Cornbread

And it begins....

Faux-Bois Planters

Chic Leather Finds

Seven Daughters wine

Cheesecake bites

Cheesecake (maybe?)

The Rusted Chain giveaway

Spinach Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

Feedback

Happy Blogiversary!!!

Fab Kitchen

Google, you make me smile

Museum festivities

My Valentine

Stretched Canvas Artwork

Coral

Bow Necklaces

Valentine craft

Dress season

Photo Collage

Super Bowl Party Recipes

Metallic glitz

My future's so bright.....

Life

*Sigh*

Storage Ideas

Salt and Pepper Shakers

Birdhouse Jewelry

Original Artwork

Blogging

Chicken Gyros

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas Eve

Like white on rice

Christmas Tree 2009

Oh what a day

On The First Day of Christmas....

Dining Table Makeover

Success!

Java Love

Apple Pie with Leaf Crust

Sigh