Here are some of the latest things I've been up to!

I know I seemed to play hide and seek on here a lot. I'm not the most avid blogger, but I do love to share. I know that it's already past Valentines and I slept through sharing what I did for that somehow, but these items would be perfect for anytime you want to show someone you care. :)

When Target had there Valentine's stuff I wanted it all! I decided though it would be best if I would take their ideas and use them as inspiration to create my own decorations. So I cut out hearts, sewed them, stuffed them and strung them to make a banner. I also realized I didn't buy V-day cards. I bought a pack of blank ones at Michaels and let my creative juices flow. I places a "love" bunting banner one each one, but then drew a special drawing for each one. For some reason I didn't take pictured of the drawing though. I bought candy bags for everyone ( even the dogs). :) They had mini chocolate bars and conversation hearts in them. For some reason I always feel like I never did enough so I bought the truffle kits that Target were selling and made those. I would like to say it was money well spent because everyone loved them. Now I never like to leave anyone out. Even if there is something special about them that might make my job a little more of a roller coaster. My niece is special needs and can't really experience some of those things, but I wanted to give her something too. I made her homemade vanilla and chocolate pudding and added sprinkles! I just have to say though that I love etsy.com and it's ability to bring all those talented people out during those special times of year. I would rather wait and give a gift semi late knowing that it was handmade and truly unique. My husband is totally into the Grumpy Cat right now and I just happened to find a lady who makes Grumpy Cat cookies! He loved them and they honestly tasted way better then the one's we got at a bakery here in town! Here is her shop if you want to check it out http://www.etsy.com/shop/whippedbakeshop .

Other things that have happened lately here was we had a snow day! I know for some on the east coast this is no big thing, but I live in Arizona and it is such a rarity. Lets just say I was so excited that I ran out in my short to play in the snow! I know that sounds crazy, but it really wasn't that bad and it was so amazing! :)

 Also recently I got to go to my first Boston Celtic's game! I wish it had been in Boston, but that's clear on the other side so I settled for the one in Phoenix. It was an amazing game and I cannot wait to go to my next one! I was a little bummed that they had Kevin Garnett take the night off, but that's life. 

Finally while on this journey I learned how to crochet as well as knit! Our little home has needed some brushing up and sometimes home decor can be so expensive! I decided to take an old couch pillow and use it's stuffing to make a new one. Not bad I don't think for my first crochet project. :) I also dyed our lampshade red. It's dried now to more of a coral. To dye your own lampshade just use Rit Dye and follow the instructions on the box. I would suggest setting up and area that can be cleaned up easily. The dye will photos in. I was actually having a hard time finding decent 5x7 frames for a reasonable price. Two frames cost me $4  at Michael's and I just used the paint I had at home. If your a crafter like me you'll probably have something lying around that you can use. If not paint isn't too expensive at the craft store and there are tons of colors to choose from.

What a day!

I hope everyone's day was way better then mine. I honestly think it's time for a career change and that shop idea is looking better and better each day. Time to start and newer, better chapter in my life. On another note I'm sure everyone is aware that it is flu season and I have been trying so hard to not get sick. I have a pre-anesthesia appointment tommorow that will determine whether or not my surgery is a go next week. I really don't want to reschedule. Two of my best buds right now are echinacea and ajwain. Ajwain helps with the sinuses. I always have a problem with this area so this was a particularly helpful seed. You can use it in tea, put it in a little baggy and lay it your pillow or my favorite I like to put it in the vapor rub compartment of my humidifier and it clears the whole air. Echinacea just helps boost your immune system. So bundle up and stay well! :)

I love knitting!

I have found a new love thanks to the Martha Stewart knitting loom. As if I didn't have enough loves in the craft world, right? I was always discouraged before when trying to use the needles but with this nifty tool I am just about invincible.  I've already create three projects and I'm working on a forth. I just got this a week ago.

Friday, Friday, Friday is my favorite day!!

Weird though, but does anyone like looking at the sky and admiring it's beauty like I do. I honestly think that Arizona has some of the best sunsets and gives the best cloud pictures ever, but that is just me. I took this picture a little while back. I though it was cool how the rays of sun our going up instead of down. :) 

This week has been quite a busy one. All in all though it was exciting and full of fun as usual. Sunday I was at work and decided to be spontaneous and make a Oreo cheese cake from the toaster oven that we have in that small cafe that I was at. I wanted to do something more exciting and out of the box, but there is only so much you can do in a small cafe like that. It came out ok and I really wish I had taken pictures. Then my husband and I checked out the Art Institute where we lived to see what it would take for me to go there. It looks like it will be a little longer before I fulfill my dream to become a Pastry Chef. I decided  becoming a mother was way more important at the moment. I also tried for the very first time to make a Gluten Free cake with Gluten Free frosting. I must say that it wasn't my cup of tea. I don't know if it's because I got the box mix or what, but I will try other measures to stay healthy before I do this again.                             

I also finally got the Martha Stewart Knit and Weave Loom that I've been wanting and I love it! I remember trying to learn knitting the other way and I just couldn't comprehend it at all. If you feel this way too and have always wanted to knit I would totally suggest getting this!Well I think that's about all for now. Hope everyone  enjoys their weekend !


 

Happy Saturday!!

How is everyone doing this fine Saturday afternoon? Things are surprisingly quiet over here and I kind of can't wait to get out on the town and have some fun. I've actually done a  few things in the past couple of days that might be relevant to your weekend shenanigans. I learned how to make my own toaster pastries. This actually was a must in this house because I am constantly running out of things to eat for breakfast and sometimes just skip right on to lunch because it just seems more logical. The best thing about this is that it's so easy to make. All you need is pie dough and your favorite filling like fruit preserves or Nutella.   I tried making my own dough and I don't think I've either mastered the technique or found the right recipe yet. If you want to take the easy way out just go get the dough in the refrigerated isles of the supermarket. I want to try the dough recipe in my Julia Child book next, but that will be for another time, another day.

Ok the next one is basically something we've all done before and isn't really that new, but I wanted to share anyway. You know how you have that feeling sometimes of "Oh man I don't want to cook, but don't want to order take out either"? Well that was me last night. On almost every given night I will cook a meal that will range from 30 minutes to an hour. Thursday I did Mac & Cheese with 5 types of cheese and ziti pasta instead of the usual macaroni. So I decided yesterday I would make a pizza with Pillsbury already made dough, turkey pepperoni , cheddar cheese and Classico's pizza sauce. It's took under 20 minutes and tasted pretty awesome!

My husband's grandpa is currently fighting cancer. He is such a caring, funny and loving person that it's hard to see him have to go through something like this. I always want to be of helping hand and of course in this situation it kind of makes one feel helpless to stop his pain. That's why I was so excited when I found a recipe for ginger syrup by accident yesterday.  It's suppose to help with nausea in pregnancy, sickness and those undergoing chemo. I got the recipe from Tip Garden. I can't wait to give this to him and know that it's one less thing that he has to worry about. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I know I've been really absent lately and I'm going to try to change that this year. I guess I just want to be one of those bloggers that just shares what I recently found or made and that's it. I really do applaud all those who have time or the ability to create on a daily basis. I have many resolutions this year, which kind of surprises me because I thought I didn't have any. I guess because they are more like goals that just need to be met. This year I hope to be announcing that we will be having our first child. Thanks to a great fertility specialist our dreams are not as far as they seemed a couple years ago. Next I would like to smooth out the details and be able to open my own online store. I have so many creative ideas that are pushing me all over the place I just need to sit down and pick one that will work the best. Another goal is to be going to culinary school in the fall!! I am so excited and can't wait. I plan to use this time before hand to brush up on my culinary skills so I won't be so lost and discouraged when I get there. I would like to say that all of these are great resolutions/goals to have this year. I just know that this year is going to be totally awesome!

Here are somethings that I had been working on during the holidays. 

For New Years this year there wasn't much we could do because a bunch of us had to work the next day. I still wanted to have a little fun though so I made these paper blowers. I was thankful I came across the idea at Love Pomegranate House. They were easy to make and were a hit. I think these would be a great addition to any party. 

Cotton Candy Maker

Hand Spun

For Christmas I got lots of much needed appliances for my kitchen. One was a cotton candy maker! I was really excited to see this one because it meant I didn't have to spin sugar by hand anymore to make my own cotton candy. :) My sister has the Bella one and my mom gave me the Jelly Belly one. I would have to say I like mine more because it make way more cotton candy and when you buy refills it has a lot more packets. My plan is to make my own mix though and have unlimited flavors! :) 

During the Christmas season I went crazy on baking! I love to bake, but I also forget there is just two of us in this apartment and we will become diabetic if we're  the only two eating it. Gingerbread had to be one of my favorite concoctions this year. Once I figured out how to do it from scratch I was hooked. One of the last things I did was little drums for my husband. He's a percussionist and even though it gets kind of girly around here I try to find things that suit him too. For Christmas I made Eggnog cupcakes with Tennessee honey whiskey frosting. I got the base for my cupcake from Baker Royale. I just used all, all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder and instead of sugar I used Truvia.  For the frosting I ended up using store bought vanilla and adding the whiskey in because I was running low on time. My egg whites would peak, but when I added the butter it would collapse. I was trying to remember what I would do in this situation before and I think your suppose to fold the butter in to keep it from breaking up. To add to the holiday baking I made a Diamond Supply Co. cake for my brother-in-law for his birthday. I was quite ecstatic to see to my piping skills had come. Frosting seems to be my best friend and fondant..not so much. He loved it and that we enough for me! 

One of my gifts from my husband was Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". I plan to cook something out of here and get further knowledgeable about french cooking. I have to say that I like the way that this book is written out. I don't think I see very many cookbooks like this anymore. 

Finally, I was able to baby sit my niece for a while through all the hustle and bustle of  December and it was lots of fun. I had been making cinnamon ornaments earlier during the week and I decided that it would be a cool idea to make one of her hand for her mom. I of course had to make some alterations to the usual recipe that I see on the web. It always seems like when I want to do something we don't have the stuff to do it. I had the cinnamon. In fact I cleaned the apartment out  of it. Then instead of applesauce I had to use butter. I'm pretty sure it would have been a little easier with the applesauce, but it worked out just fine. I baked it for a little bit, but for the most part I let it air dry. I used glitter glue, glitter and lots of mod podge. It made a wonderful addition to the rest of her gifts!

             

Celebrate the holidays with your pets too!

If your still looking for that special gift for your furry friend, but aren't sure what too get. Here are a couple great recipes for cats or dogs and won't break the bank. I got the cat treat recipe from Amy Bites. The only alterations I made was instead  of catnip, I used tuna flakes(try using actual tuna). I then used Christmas cookie cutters to give them that holiday feel and made a yogurt icing. I got the icing recipe from Just a Pinch. My cats are kind of in between being good and picky eaters. When it comes to treats they like the store bought stuff the most. They mostly liked the icing and just left the cookie. Boy does this sound familiar. :) For the dog treats I got the recipe from 17 Apart. The only alteration I made to this one was I added ham to half the batch. Some of them looked like Christmas cookies all iced up and the rest were sliced to look like beef jerky. :) My parents dog loved them! Now all you have to do is find or make a cute little toy and your all set!  I would have to say I went all out this year on the pets in our family. I got a cardboard city scratcher and treat gift bag for our kitties. Christmas cookies, kong bones, and candy cane raw hides for the family dogs. I almost want to go as far as buying stuff for the bird! :) I think the best thing of all was when I finally got to donate to the animal shelters. Its just a great feeling! :) If you can't think of anything and feel rushed on time. Why not donate to the Morris Animal Foundation. Right now if you donate they will match it!What are you doing that's extra special for you pets this holiday season?