Paper Flowers

maryjane over at the beehive cottage posted her beautiful paper flowers
and i just had to give them a try...

i googled "how to make flowers with cupcake liners" and found many different tutorials. in the end i just winged it.

i used:

4 liners per flower

lollipop sticks

hot glue gun

ribbon

pink scalloped punch (probably 1 - 1 1/4")

and i loved that maryjane put buttons as her center but i didn't have any, so i used flower stamens)

maryjane is going ot be selling these in her etsy shop if you don't have time to make your own. LOVE them! oh, and if you get a minute hop on over and check out her vintage trailer! oh.my.gosh!

Baby Kisses...

A W.I.L.I.N.G. project & getting organized

since moving into a much larger house, i've been a bit overwhelmed with the daily tasks.
i was inspired by a blog post to revisit fly lady and try to regain control of my days and the constant struggle to maintain an imperfect home. i'm not striving for perfection, rather...sanity!



so i broke out my notebook, gave it a little face lift
and organized, organized, organized.



in the meantime, i didn't get any of the things done that should have been done.
but that's ok. i've got my routine down, and i feel good.



if your interested in getting your home in order, check out fly lady's website.
i ordered the $12 kit and was happy i did.

i changed my tabs a bit to fit with our family. if you have any other questions, just ask.

Because Kindness Matters...

and when we look back at what will {then} be {a book} of our lives, i'm going to want to you {gavin} to know just how remarkable i know you are...

a dad shared, in church, a couple weeks back a great story of his son. he told us about a moment when he truly proud of his son. it wasn't when he broke records, or scored the winning point. it wasn't about a medal he had earned or some honorable mention. it was of a simple act of kindness that mattered. kindness that was sincere and without expectations. i enjoyed the story. i wish i heard more stories like that one. to be honest, most parents praise their children for the things mentioned above and rarely for the things that matter most. the things that matter to the Lord. the things that make up who we are. who we really are. inside. the part that matters. i wanted to take a moment and share one of those moments so that when my children look back, they'll know what i believe matters most, and that will always be kindness.

to gavin,
the other day you & david were at taco bell and a homeless man asked you for 65 cents. he explained that he had 35 cents but needed more for a taco. you didn't have change but you had a 5 dollar bill. you handed him the $5. he told you he didn't have change and you told him it was ok. keep it. he thanked you and you watched him enter taco bell. about an hour later you went back and the man was still sitting inside eating. you were so happy and the spirit had touched you. kindness matters.

today. my battery died, you fixed it. a man needed help with his trailer, you helped him. your nana needed help moving trees, you helped her. you never complained. when you are in the service of others, you are in the service of the Lord.

gavin. i am proud of who you are, what your heart reflects, and what your actions show. because kindness matters most!

love, mom

2000 Flushes & the Toilet

when masyn was little i bought the 2000 flushes tablets to make the water blue {and help clean the toilee} she LOVED it. it was so "pretty". i thought i would bring a similar excitement to the boy. i was wrong...

{with arms in the air, head bobbing and a sound of urgency in his almost yelling voice, nolan runs into the kitchen}

"MOM! WE HAVE A PROBUM!

me: "what's the problem?"

"ME HAVE TO GO POOP, AND THERE'S SOMETHIN IN THE TOILET!"

me {thinking there's a bug in the there}: "what's in the toilet?"

"IT'S A PROBUM, ME HAVE TO GO POOP!"

me {again}: what's in the toilet?"

"COME, IT'S A PROBUM, IT'S BLUE!"

me {realizing now what the problem is and now laughing}: "it's ok, i made the water blue don't you like it?"

NO!!! AND ME HAVE TO Goooo POOP" {as he runs to the other bathroom}

it took several days to finally convice him that it was ok to use that toilet. we've got about 1,932 flushes to go! crazy boy!!!

Cupcakes...

hi terry! thanks for asking about the cupcakes. hope your not too disappointed with my answer.

i will start by saying that i believe in "kid tested, momma approved" meaning, if the kids {older & younger} like it, it's a go!
with that said, this is my most popular cupcake flavor and it just so happens to be super easy and quick {two of most favorite things, since, well. um. i'm kinda a last minute kinda gal}. betty is my go to gal for a quick, yummy and moist cupcake. the same goes for the buttercream frosting. it's always a hit.



now if you wanna go for the tried and true homemade cupcake, marian from sweetopia would agree {check out her amazing seashell cupcakes!} that martha's vanilla recipe is pretty darn good, as well as, her vanilla buttercream frosting.

happy baking!

Pillow Talk

have you seen this?
oh.my.gosh such a good idea, love it!
go over to bunny hill and anne has a list of the designers who are participating.

put on your jammies, grab some hot cocoa and have a gander
nighty, night!

Valentines!

oh my gosh, valentines day is in a week and i know your probably up to your eyeballs in everything valentines but these are just too stinkin' cute not to share!!!

the gals over at one charming party always have THE cutest ideas!
and this is no exception!

okay these are a MUST-DO. go on over and visit the decorated cookie to get the low down on these fun treats!

how cute would this be for a teachers gift or for a special someone!

LOVE it!

and one last thing for the gals at fat quarters! i {heart} them!

i know i've shared this cookie recipe before, but seriously. it is THE BEST sugar cookie recipe i've tried (and i've tried ALOT)



i got the recipe from a friend but i do believe it originated from pam.
and if you haven't visited pam over at stirring it up with pam, your missing out! seriously!

here's the BEST EVER sugar cookie recipe!

Cream:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar

add:
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbls. evaporated milk

mix in:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

roll out dough between 2 sheets of wax paper. place in fridge until firm. cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. frost after they completely cool. bake at 375 for 6-8 min.

The yummy icing!
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbls corn syrup
2 Tbls water
1 tsp almond extract
food coloring

ENJOY!



P.S. and hello...this post is made possible because of the love and encouragement of my beautiful daughter, loving mom, and dedicated friend who are constantly harrassing me because i am not updating my blog to their satisfaction ;) {love you guys A TON!} now leave me alone i have to organize my sewing room!

Did I Mention...

that our baby girl is walking???
yeppers, she's walking.
as of a couple weeks ago she is a full fledge walkin' mobile!



and how stinkin' cute is she walkin' around sportin' her sissy's purse.

i didn't get a picture with the phone in hand but boy do they learn quick!

Snowman in a Jar

i'm getting my creative mojo back FINALLY!!!



for my quilt class today, i made them "snowman in a jar"
i used "snow" (mica flakes), the ends of skewers painted orange, buttons for his buttons, beads for his eyes, i cut a hat out of black felt, masyn and i picked small (tiny) twigs for his arms, and i added some fake holly for some color.



i stained some tags with instant coffee and a small amount of water. dipped 'um in, string and all, and set them in the sun. i made pam's almond joy cookies and they were DELICIOUS!!! head on over to pam's blog, she has great recipes!



and don't you LOVE the red twine! i got it at anna's shop. yep thimbleanna has a shop.



she posted the great idea of putting it in the sugar jars that you can get at dollar tree! so stinkin' cute!!!

have a happy day!

Civil War Tribute

do you love civil war quilts? i do. i love the history behind quilt blocks, i love the stories that are told and the symbolism that they represent.

barbara brackman is sharing a block of the week along with the history of the block.

you can find the pattern and story here. enjoy!