Our Poor, Neglected Blog

I know it's been so long. I think about posting a lot but just don't get around to it. Ah well. Here is a new picture of Sydney letting you know that she is 3 years old now. She's very proud of her age.

And the blueberry trees have been doing there thing and producing many delicious blueberries. Here is just a very, very small portion of what we have collected and eaten. I didn't make any cobblers or pies with them. We basically eat them right off the tree everyday.

Happy Birthday Sydney

Yesterday was the big 3rd birthday for Syd. Here's just a couple pictures of the mandatory cake & presents. Notice Dixie just waiting in the wings for just a tasty morsel to fall.

It was very fun to watch her open presents yesterday. This was her expression after every present opened. Needless to say, she was very excited.

Thanks to everyone who sent presents. We played with all of them yesterday. Yeah, seriously ALL of them. : )

Super Exciting News!

My felt food and my photos are now published in a magazine! : ) I'm so excited. I squealed when I found it in the mailbox. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts. The magazine, DDN Cucine, is out of Italy and caters (no pun intended) to Italian chefs, architects, and students. Anyway, they contacted me awhile through my Etsy shop and here we are. It's a huge magazine with lots of really great pictures. Too bad I can't read any of it.

Look at that 2 page spread! I had a friend translate for me (because it's obviously in Italian). Thanks Sonia!

Who has not played "kitchen", copying mom while she is baking cakes and cooking delicious meals? The result was always the same a lot of fun...and a house invaded by flour, sauces, and preserves. BeckyM is proposing an alternative that is practical and as much fun: felt food, hand-embroidered cakes, fruits, noodles and pizzas. Felt toys, ideal to stimulate the fantasy (and the desire of food) of the youngest.

Here's the link to flip through the magazine (I'm on page 101 & 102, I believe):

http://www.designdiffusion.com/En/NewsStand/NewsStand_Detail.aspx?IssueIDMaster=312

or just their website: http://www.designdiffusion.com/

Memorial Day Part 2

Just a couple more pictures from Memorial Day weekend with my parents. Here is Sydney as a sand mermaid.

Here is Sydney and Jean trying to wear each other out. It's a toss up on who won that game. : )

Memorial Day Weekend

My parents came in for the long weekend. We had a great time. It was raining for one of the days so we decided to go bowling.

My worst bowling game EVER! haha. My own almost 3 year old beat me. So sad. She did have bumpers though - excuses I know. : ) Thankfully, I redeemed myself the second game. Obviously the Wii bowling isn't doing me any good.

Grandpa and Grandma Jean brought matching Tinkerbell outfits for Sydney and Penny the penguin - even down to the glittery shoes. They also bought her a Hannah Montana microphone (per Sydney's request at Target). She loves that thing. She's such a performer! She now knows the song too.

She likes to "fly" with her Tinkerbell wings on the swing.

And sing too...

"Nobody's Perfect" is the song. It's quite catchy.

Talking with Grandpa.

Sydney loved all the attention and extra adults to constantly play with her.

We also went to the beach and the zoo. The beach pictures our on my dad's camera. So I'll have to show those another time. There are some cute pics too. Anyway, thanks for coming out! We had a great time.

Happy Wednesday.

So much has been going on around here. I've been working hard to finish all the food for the Children's Museum. Thankfully, I shipped it out last week. We've also been hanging out with friends and enjoying the nice morning & evening weather. There has been too much to ramble on about so I'll share some pictures of my model and 2nd quilt (and last quilt for a long time). This one I did the binding by hand. It didn't take me as long as I thought it would - just one morning. I think I prefer the hand binding over the machine too.

A couple of weeks ago the blackberries (or something like blackberries) were in season. Matt and Sydney went out to the preserve behind our house and picked a big bucket full. As requested, I made a cobbler from them. Hopefully in a few weeks I will be making a blueberry cobbler from our backyard blueberry trees.

I also have some hydrangeas growing the backyard. I am super excited about these. I really get excited about any great flowers growing in the yard because I do not have a green thumb and usually kill plants. So any flowers that grow is a miracle! : )

Motorcycle Babe

I forgot to share these on the last post. I find them funny. She was so happy to "ride" that motorcycle.

Happy Monday - that just might be an oxymoron.

Picture of Sydney, as promised.

We just realized that we have 6 blueberry trees in the backyard! I am so excited. We also have some raspberry bushes too. They are super tart though. Hopefully the blueberries will ripen to perfection. The proof:

I have seen a lot of these "cake balls" around the internet. One of my favorite baking sites, Bakerella, makes these cupcake shaped cake balls that are just too cute. My sister-in-law, Karen, sent me this article from the Dallas Morning News too. So I was ready to make some of my own. They are pretty easy to make and are really tasty. I just made a cake, crumbled it up and mixed it with frosting. I made the balls and stuck them in the freezer for a little while. After they are cold, I dip them in melted chocolate and add the sprinkles. I place them back in the freezer for just a minute and then they all done.

I love the round sprinkles. They add the perfect crunch.

Here's the inside - so you get the idea. Yummy!

Random Nothingness

I know, I know...it's been awhile since I last posted. I just really haven't had anything to post about. I've been super busy with custom orders. I'm really excited to say I have another big order going to the Chicago Children's Museum again for their 2009 Block Party Exhibit.

Whoo-hoo!

This past weekend, we went back to the east coast of Florida to visit our friends there. We was a wonderful trip and we loved being able to see everyone. Thanks everyone! I really didn't take any pictures...crazy, I know! There are no excuses. I should have made more of an effort.

*Important Military Deal*

I went to Old Navy today and they just started a new thing where military gets 10% on the first day of each month. So the next one will be May 1st. How wonderful is that!? You can thank me later. : )

I bought this new peanut butter at the commissary (that means it's cheaper than the listed price) yesterday. Oh my, it's so yummy! Perfect on graham crackers.

Alright, I guess that's it for now. I promise I won't wait so long for the next post and maybe it will have more important substance in it too. You know, like pictures of Sydney (instead of peanut butter). haha.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great Easter. I just love Easter as it's the foundation of Christian faith proving Jesus was exactly who He said He was - God in the flesh and our Savior.

In celebration, we had busy weekend. Yesterday, we took Sydney the base Easter Egg Hunt. They really did a great job putting everything together. Unfortunately, the pony rides were a no show. They had character mascots walking around (see picture below) and lots of free stuff for the kids. I was hoping this Easter would be Sydney's year to enjoy really appreciate a holiday. That proved not the case. We were in line waiting for the horn to sound so the kids could run the field and pick up eggs, Sydney got a little overwhelmed and had a mini-meltdown when the horn sounded. Needless to say, she missed out on a few eggs because of it. The thousands of eggs were gone in a matter of seconds - no joke. It was craziness. Anyway, we did a little egg hunt at the park today and she had way more fun doing it with just one other friend.

Just some of the goodies acquired during the fesitivites. : ) She is also wearing a bracelet and ring (stuff that you can't see in the picture).

Saturday also included a baby shower for a friend and tennis & dinner in the evening for our date night. Today, we went to church and then to the park for a few minutes before eating brunch with a large group of church friends. We had a lot of fun. Thankfully, the afternoon led to family nap time. Now we are just enjoying our evening.

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

Bib Necklaces

If you are a guy, you can stop reading now. You will not find this interesting. If you continue to read...well, I just warned you but (on the positive side) you will be up to date with fashion accessories. : )

Who would ever think as an adult we would be wearing bibs again!? The things we do for fashion, I swear. : ) So, I guess the new thing is these big, chunky necklaces that are referred to as bib necklaces. Here's are a few I found:

Gardenia Bib Necklace from Anthropologie

Anik Beaded Necklace by Lee Angel Jewelry

Colorful Bib Necklace by Urban Outfitters

The one I have made is based off of some bib necklaces I've seen on Etsy. Here's mine:

I made it white so it would coordinate with any shirt. I really like it. It's a little big, but not as big as the ones linked/listed earlier. There is a picture of me wearing it in a earlier post. So now, I am on to making some new ones - like a red one! Thankfully, they are inexpensive to make but take a lot of time.

Now, I have seen the Windflower Necklace from the new Anthropologie catalog that I feel like I can make and sport around town. It's perfect for the spring! I'll let you know how it turns out when I get around to it.

Just another "I can make that!" moment.

On another note, I am so excited for Easter. Sydney is at the perfect age now to really appreciate the festivities (not so much the religious aspect though - maybe next year). This weekend is going to be a lot fun. I can't wait to share all the pictures I plan on taking.

My First Quilt

Here is my first quilt ever. I'm sure my mom would be proud as she was a quilter. I sure know my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are very proud too. : ) Just made of scraps and I appliqued the birds on. It was quilted by Karen's Quilting Service. I have one more quilt to bind. It was the quilt that I showed a little sneak peak before. Hopefully, it will get done this week. Anyway, it's a perfect napping blanket and currently resides in the newly decorated guest room. Thanks for looking.

Weekend

I was so happy this weekend because my best friend, Lauren, came into town - with Jason & Riley (of course)! It rained, okay stormed, on Thursday so we just kinda hung around and let the girls play. On Friday, Matt took the day off and we all went to the zoo and the beach. We ate at a really yummy restaurant on the water and had a really great time together.

Lauren and I decided to go the Melting Pot for their dessert fondue. Wow, was it good! Here we are with our goodies. They had marshmallows, bananas, strawberries, cheesecake, pound cake, brownies, rice krispie treats - you get the idea. All that was dipped into chocolate! Wow, I'm going to have to go for an extra long run tomorrow to make up for it. But gosh, it was worth it! : )

This Weekend

First off - you guys are so funny about Facebook! : ) Within a few minutes of signing up, I had about 20 friends. I never realized how many people are on and how often everyone comes to comment.

Question: Is it weird to look up kids you use to regularly babysit for? I did. It's neat to see their pictures and where they are attending high school and college. But how creepy would it be to get a friend offer with the message "Hi, I use to babysit you and change your diapers! Remember me?" Creepy? Yes, yes it is. : ) So no worries, I won't do it.

Anyway, on to our weekend. On Saturday, it was no work and all play. In the morning, we took Sydney bowling for the first time. The cutest thing was that they had her size bowling shoe! She used the ramp to push her ball down the lane. I think she got about a score of 70. Pretty good. Yes, there were bumpers for her. I won't tell you my score...

In the afternoon, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Yea! To the beach we went.

Sydney just loves the beach. Matt and Sydney run up the beach...

and down the beach...

over and over again. Needless to say, she slept well. That night was our date night so we went out to eat some Thai food. For dessert, we went for some gelato. Yummy. Sunday, was the usual - church, out with friends, trip to the new Kohls in our area, nap time, grocery shop. You know, the usual. : )

On another random note. I really enjoy Greek pizza. It's toppings consist of spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese. Since we don't live near Sweet Tomatoes anymore, I decided to make one of my own. And take a picture of it. You should have seen Matt's face when I brought out the camera! He's such a good sport.

It was good but the spinach needed some salt (which I hardly add to anything) and the pizza sauce needed more spices. Oh darn, I'll just have to make it again. : )

FaceBook

So I obviously can't stand up to peer pressure very well because I joined Facebook. : ) I can't even tell you how many times it has came up this week with friends - I guess one too many. Anyway, so I guess you know where to find me...

No worries, I definitely like blogging much better!

Sonia - I can't find you on Facebook either!

Babycake Cupcakes

This recipe is found in the April Issue of Family Circle or Here. I first saw it on The Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown. The recipe won and it's now being served at TGIFridays. Anyway, they are mini cupcakes and taste like a really good spice cake. The frosting recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk (which I've never used for a frosting before) rather than regular milk. I'd say the cake is really good and the frosting just okay. Next time, I'll try regular milk in the frosting and see if that helps.

I made them for our last lesson of Beth Moore's Patriarch Bible Study. I just love her studies. What I liked best in this one is that she made Abraham, Isaac, & Joseph people and not just characters. They were real people, real struggles, real feelings. It so easy just to read through the Bible and forget that these were real people, like you and me. Real people God uses to accomplish His plans and purposes. Very refreshing.

Mobile, Alabama

Whew! We had a busy weekend but it was a lot of fun. Matt took Friday off and we went to Mobile, Alabama (said it your best southern accent) for the night. We went their children's science museum, the Exploreum, first thing in the morning. They had a couple of neat exhibits and thankfully it wasn't crowded. Next, we went to Bellingrath Gardens. Holy smokes, the best garden/arboretum I've been too! It didn't hurt that it was one of the best days to go. The weather was perfect and with spring here the flowers were in full bloom. We just did a lot of walking and enjoyed the beautiful day. Here's some of our pictures. I spared you from all of my flower pictures (I took a lot) but I did share a few of my favorites.

On Saturday morning, we headed out to the battleship USS Alabama. It was interesting to see the ship. It made me really appreciate not ever having to work on one! They also had a submarine you could tour on. You couldn't pay me any amount of money to work on one of those either! Anybody bigger than Sydney-size is too big for a submarine. Here is Matt and Syd in front of the guns.

Here's where our personalities and interests differ. Matt at the guns:

Me in the kitchen:

Look at these professional, industrial mixer! Think of all the cupcakes you could beat at once! : ) They did have to feed 2500 men on board.

Then we went straight from the battleship back to our college friend's house to watch A&M lose to UConn. And when I say lose, I mean lose bad. Next, I dropped Matt and Syd at home and went to a Mom's night out with some friends from church. It's always nice to get out and about with friends.

Sunday was church, lunch with friends, family nap time (much needed!), grocery shopping, yard work, and excerising . Exhausting! We really had a great weekend though!