to the most creative girls in the world..

Dear Artsy Fartsy girls!!

I need your help...

I dont have much time and I'm brain dead. I bought 60 packs of seeds to make into bridal shower favors for Jens shower which is on the 11th. I had some ideas, but they are not panning out as I had hoped. soooo... help me please! If someone comes up with an idea that I use I'll make you something special and send it after the shower...

I'm counting on you guys for some super duper quick and easy, but extra adorable adn special inspiration!

OK.. I'm waiting!!

love ya all... thank you....

did you think of anything yet??

oh yeah.. and it has to be cheap.. I'm broke...

(not asking for much here am I?)

you want to make them for me too?? lol.. just kidding..

thanks again

xoxoxo

Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and remembers those who have paved the way for us to enjoy the lives we have here in our country. My father served our country most of his life in one capacity or another. He was a sailor for 4 years, and they he was in the national guard forever.. and then in the air force reserves when he retired from the government.

And there are hundreds of thousands more like him! Thats what today is about. so lets remember them while were all out picnicing and enjoying our family and friends today!

so, what will you be doing today? Torry Pie and the rest of the family will be coming over today for a cook out. Ive got hotdogs, hamburgers and italian sausage thawing out. And I've cooked the macaroni for the pasta salad. I need to get back to that. I also made real cupcakes as well as these tiny faux ones this morning! Now I'm off to shower and go for a bike ride.

Im feeling very much like a slug lately. I need to get back on my weight watchers and get moving again.. I hate feeling fat and lazy!!

(hmmm.. how did I get on that subject anyways???)

(torry pie taken last night! my little pumpkin!!)

Have a LOVELY day all you wonderful fabulous bloggy pals!

rain.... insane!!!

I signed up for Amy Powers birthday treasury box swap, and I got the fabulous Marlene Haveron for my partner. I was so excited and was burstign with ideas and I ended up having her box done with in days of knowing she was my parnter! Now Im just dying to send it to her and to post pictures of it! It really did turn out cute and I think shes going to love it. In the pic above, Frannie was checking it all out.. probably looking for pipecleaners.. her favorite craft supply!! lol(these became a sweet little garland for my office at work)

I'm so glad its the weekend. Just wish it wasnt RAINING!! I think Ive gone RAIN INSANE!! lol..ha! I've discovered a new mental diagnoses!regardless of the lovely weather that mother nature seems to want to share with us, I will be heading out shortly to do a little shopping. need to pick up some supplies to make those flowers I showed you last post. and I want to grab a few things for the shower. and.. some flowers... to plant when it stops raining.. some day.... no, really I think tomorrow and monday its supposed to be nice out.. and hot! I'll take it.. then you'll hear me complaining that princesses dont like to sweat!
well, I guess I'll be buzzing along now! need to make a few quick stops in blogland before I disappear for the day!

Have a great day all you wonderful bloggy girls♥

weekend plans

(not my picture posted on flickr by katydids)

Are these tooo freaken cute or what? Im getting the supplies and going to start making some of them this weekend for Jens shower. This site ritdye blog has the directions how to make them.
Jens shower is in 2 weeks, on the 11th. I feel very scattered and not as organized about it as I think I should be. but I'll get it together. I will. yes I will.. yes I will!
Im so thankful that tomorrow is friday and that its a three day weekend. I really need to clean my room this weekend too.. I 've been saying that every weekend. It seems that I manage to get the other rooms done.. but not mine! I also want to plant some more flowers.... so really thats my plans for the weekend.
a little supply shopping.. making these flowers.. cleaning my room, a little gardening and having the whole family over for a memorial day picnic!
Im exhausted.... I'm off to read a few blogs and then off to beddy bye!
night all!

just thinking about swaps

I had nothing to put on this tree at the moment.. so I hung the miniature bear "of the month" set that I made years ago. I had them stuck in a cupboard where I couldnt see them. This works for now. cute arent they?
And it got me thinking, the empty tree that is. That I should host a patriotic ornie swap! so I think I will. trying to decide just how I want to do it. I guess first I want to see if theres anyone interested. I'm going to keep it very small.

The other thing Ive been thinking about for months and months.. is a dollhouse tag swap. this could be so fun.. but again.. i want to see if anyones interested. another small swap.. maybe 10 girls. that way were not all making 20 tags. OK.. I really need to get ready for work.. I have to find something to wear... I have nothing!! (how many times do we say that in our lifetime I wonder.. "I dont have anythign to wear!!") I know I say it all the time with a closet full of clothes!

God blessed us with nice weather the last few days.. I am sooo grateful.. though I feel soooo terrible for all the people suffering the aftermath of the tornado in joplin mo. My sister lives in MO. but in st louis. I cant begin to imagine what these people are going through. Pray for them. the loss and destruction must be so devastating .

well, on that sad note.. I must move on.. and get my self in gear.

I hope the sun is shinning where you are today!!

see yas later!

♥pink peddled love♥

First night out...

I missed my sweet pink friend!

so out of shape...

did I really used to ride 8 miles at a time last year??

gonna have to build myself up to that again..

Rode around the church parking lot a few times tonight..

tires need air..

maybe it'll be easier when the tires are full.

Need to lose this freaken weight...

lost 55 last year..

gained back half of it..

such a piggy I am

OINK OINK!

just went out for a milkshake with the hubster..

oink oink oink..

then went and sat at the lake..

♥ahhhhhhhh♥

I LOVE the lake.

now I gotta go work on the rest of the invitations for Jennifers shower.

see yas later!

xoxo

a lovely weekend!

It cant get any better then spending time with TOrry Pie! Isnt he freaken adorable!?

I just cant get enough of him! I love him to pieces.. but you already know that, because I tell you that all the time! he is such a little doll. and teething like mad.. cant keep his fingers out of his mouth!

so lets see what did I do this weekend. Yesterday I worked on invitations for jennifers bridal shower and also went to a bridal shower for a girl I work with. I also made a crown and took it over to my step granddaughter! Im not sure I told you, but Jennifers husband came with two sweet children! theyve been staying with Jen and tony on the weekends and I finally met them last weekend.. Carson is in 5th grade and is very handsome. Hes the quiet one, then theres 4 year old Ella and lets just say shes in charge! she is adorable and I thought she needed a princess crown so i made her one. I needed a princess friend, so I'm thinking her and I will be good friends!

This morning Jens sister in laws and Bethany came over to work on plans for Jennifers bridal shower. I think we have that all in order and it will take place on June 11th. its going to be a big shower. They have planned to say their vows again with a minister and have a reception on aug 28th at the beach! ummmm... over 200 people invited to their "little party." PRAY IT DOESNT RAIN !!!!

we had company all day today. starting with this morning. Jens husband also came over and worked around my pitiful garden! (he says he stalks my blog... so Thank you Tony Trupo!)

I made a huge pan of lasagna and a salad and all the kids were here for dinner. And they are all insane I think.. eiy yie yie!
I picked lots of little bouquets for around the house.

I love this time of year when the lilacs and lilly of the valleys are all in bloom.. they smell soooo good!! they wont last long though, due to all this freaken rain... forcast reads 10 more days of rain! Im not kidding.. just doesnt seem fair when some of you are in desparete need of rain.

In the crafty department, I made this cupcake lights this morning. they are really cute. the pics dont do them justice. I did make somethings this past week for swaps that I am dying to show you but I cant yet.. maybe next week after theyve been mailed and received.

oh.. and I also managed to do a bunch of cleaning this weekend.. but still have so much more to do. My bedroom is a disaster and our windows need to be cleaned... badly...

OK.. thats all folks... I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to hit the couch and read a little bit of steven tyler!

toodles and have a great week!!

thankfully... friday!

Happy Friday! Ivenot been on the computer too much this past week. Got caught up in a swap project that I got obsessed with! cant wait to show you.. used lots of those supplies from the last post.

Ihad to bring all my hanging baskets in the other day as they are soooo saturated with rain that im afraid I may lose them all! this weather has sucked this spring. hoping for a nice afternoon today adn a beautiful day tomorrow then back to rain on sunday.

SOOO much yard work to do.. and thankfully my new son in law is going to come help me! I am so thrilled about that, because I dont like yard work!

well, I am going to be late if I dont get moving here.. but I just wanted to say Happy Friday to everyone! I have been buzzing through blogs, but havent left many comments.. I'll catch up this weekend!

I also have to catch up on my house work.. eiy yie yie!! its a disaster in some places around here!

Huggles all and have a great day!

hungry creative spirits!

I made a trip to one of my favorite shops saturday. Buffalo stamps and stuff. the store is packed from floor to ceiling with the neatest supplies. Its so easy to spend a small fortune in there. When I went in, there was no one else in there. I went by myself so I was in no hurry and I made sure to look at everything there.. and I do mean EVERYTHING. I was there a good hour and I didnt realize that there was a class going on next door. All of a sudden all these ladies started pouring into the store filling baskets full of stuff and many of them managed to get in line in front of me! I knew I was spending about 60.00 and I was thinking that I really shouldnt spend so much money on freaken pieces of paper! but I soon didnt feel so bad at all as I purposely ease dropped and watched to see what the others in line before me were buying and spending! 147.00, 165.00, 73.00, 124.00, 44.00 and 109.00. those were the just the ladies I could hear. There were probably 20 women in the store besides me. Im thinking the owner of that store made a mint in those few minutes! And what were they all buying?? Rubber stamps, inks, glitter, tools, papers, embellishments.. and who knows what else! they were making cards!

needless to say that I didnt feel quite as bad about my 60.00 after that!

Actually I feel blessed that I can afford to feed my creative spirit.. because its hungry and it likes to be fed supplies.. lots of supplies! Though I try to keep it on a bit of a diet! But I'm thinking that most of those ladies ahead of me have fat little creative spirits! lol!

anyways.. thats all folks! see yas later!

quick question!!

does anyone know how to put my list of blogs under a button? so that the whole long list isnt right there?

friday night... time for a tall cold one!

Im always amazed at how slow it seems at the beginning of the week for the weekend to get here.. and then next thing I know its Friday night! I remember in the old days... when Friday night was mainly a partying night.. yeah.. that was a long time ago.. it hasnt been that way for 30 years. truthfully, we quit all that partying when we had our first baby. But we sure did used to know how to party! now our friday is pretty lame.. a trip to wally world to buy a new rake and shovel, then home to make grilled tuna and cheese sandwhiches..

and then quick before he falls to sleep, I whipped up his and hers milkshakes! chocolate for him, strawberry for me! One of these friday nights I think we should drink beer! yes beer! how funny would that be? my kids would think we were nuts.. but I do have to admit that I love a good ice cold beer. well, I used to anyways! though I would say that that milkshake was pretty ice cold. hmmmm..... I wonder how many beers it would take me to....

fall asleep.. Ha! you thought I was going to say get drunk didnt you! I'm thinking it would only take one to get a little buzz, and two to put me under the table!

On the way home from work tonight I stopped at the amish green house and bought 6 huge gorgeous hanging baskets. their prices are so awesome! I only paid 86.00 dollars! they were like 14.oo a basket. the more you buy the less they are. anyways.. what a great deal, the same baskets else where would have cost me at least 20 or 25 a piece. I'm going back there to get the rest of my flowers too. And I love seeing the amish. I think they are so interesting. tonight there was a little girl that had a baby goat that was following her all around every where she went .. his name was snuffles. how freaken cute it was.

well all.. Bloggers been down the last couple days so I couldnt comment anywhere, but i plan on catching up with everyone in the morning!

Till then... Cheers!

lets make cupcakes!! (tutorial)

Id like to be able to give credit to where I got this recipe from, but the truth is, I have no clue. I searched the internet looking for recipes and found a bunch of them. this is one of them. You can find lots more by searching "faux cupcake recipes". This one worked out well for me. The only problem I had is that you cant start and finish them on the same day. And I am not a patient person. So I was really chomping at the bit yesterday to get home from work to finish them.

Its sort of funny, the things that get stuck in my mind. Most people probably never sit at work all day thinking that they cant wait to get home so they can put their fake cupcakes together and frost them! But that was what was in my simple little mind alll day long yesterday!

Luckily there were left overs from mothers day dinner and hubby wasnt home so I came right home and got started. (after seeing little torry pie for a few minutes and feeding him while his daddy had a doctor appt!) I didnt have to try to engage myself in any conversations and pretend I was interested... cause I really would have had to struggle to stay focused if someone had been here and wanted my attention!!

OK.. so I think you already know that I get a little obsessed sometimes.

So, here is the "recipe" :

you need cute cupcake papers of course
plaster of paris
2~1/2 inch styrofoam balls, cut in half
paper clay
lightweight spackling
paint to color your "frosting"
You will also need a cake decorating kit. I have just a cheap little wiltons kit. I bought a few disposable bags ( bet you could use lunch size baggies with the same results!) and i used the star tip to frost with.

day one

I mixed 3 cups of plaster of paris with 1 ~ 1/2 cups of cold water, and then filled 7 cupcake liners (in cupcake tin) about 3/4's full. These will have to sit 24 hours before you can use them. (I popped them out of the tins the next morning and let them sit for the day.)

Then I cut the styrofoam balls in half and covered the rounded tops with a thin layer of paperclay. Thats all you can do the first day.


day two
paint the rounded cupcake toppers choc brown.
when they are dry, glue them onto of the plaster bottoms. I used fabri tac glue cause thats what I use for everything since I discovered it!

Then I mixed about a 1/2 cup of lightweight spackle with a few drops of what ever color paint you want to use. fill the baggie and have at it! the 1/2 cup of spackle will frost at least two cupcakes. I made "frosting" several times so I could use different colors.
as soon as one is frosted you can add your "sprinkles".
You should use tiny seed beads and glitters..
I did not. I used real sprinkles, but Im assuming that in time I will have to toss them and make more with tiny beads and glitters. I just didnt have any that i wanted to use at the time, so I used the real thing!
(a little edit here.... dont use real sugar sprinkles, they stay wet too long while the frosting drys and they swell.. )
anyways!! thats that! then youre done. I dont know how long the spackle takes to dry. mine were still soft this morning.
Thats it girls.. now you can make your own.. but really, there are lots of other recipes out there if you want to try something different. I love how mine turned out though!

happy day!

care for a cupcake anyone?

I had a wonderful mothers day. So very blessed with awesome kids!

Unfortunetly Tiffany (robs fiance) had to work, otherwise everyone would have been here! the kids brought over all the food, a ton of steaks, mushrooms, cheesy potatos, asparagus, rolls, buffalo chicken wing dip, ice cream cake! did I forget anything?

oh yes.. gifts! and look at what Tony and Vanessa made me!! I was so impressed. they said they made three of these for what they would have paid for one. My little tony has a creative side to him!

so yummy!

and of course my little torry pie was here! the day was perfect!

did you see I finished my cuppie cakes tonight. frosted them with spackling!

I think i'll do a little tutorial this week and tell you how to make them, if you want to know. I think they turned out so cute!

Happy Monday everyone! I'm headed to the couch to do a little reading.. need to finish water for elephants so I can start my steven tyler book!

Huggles all!

hey! do these pictures seem bigger then usually? if you click on the on the second one, you will be able to see the whole picture.. blogger cuts half of us off!

Happy Mothers Day!!

I hope you all have a happy mothers day! I know that all the women I visit with here in blogland are wonderful mothers and deserve to be loved and celebrated by their families.

All of my children will be around today at some point today. They're cooking something up for dinner. not sure if they are literally cooking or if we will all go out. It doesnt matter to me which we do, as long as I get to see all their precious little faces. I Love my children with all my heart. They are my life. I pray that I will never let them down and that they will always adore me as I adore them. I am sooo glad that they all live nearby. I cant imagine them being far away!

(just deleted something that I had written here if things seem choppy or out of context all of a sudden. I had written something that I suppose I shouldnt share with the world.)

I'm ok.. just wishing that the conversation hadnt happen today.. on mothers day.

OH well.. Thank you dear God, for my own precious family!

sooo.. what will you all be doing today?

I'm going to make faux cupcakes to fill my little clouche above!

I made a trip to the book store yesterday so these yummies are waiting for me to hit the front porch later when it warms up a little!!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL MY AWESOME BLOGLAND GALPALS♥♥

saturday morning!

I started out to make mothers day cards.. Ive decided that I am not a good card maker! so I made these little banners instead and sent them as cards. I hope they like them! I probably should have just gone out and bought some cards!

ok..so, not for nothing and sorry for a momentary bit of whining.... but omg.. my body is soo stiff and achey this morning! It all goes back to the day I was picking up those darn sticks! I pulled a muscle in my groin or hip or whatever... and it freaken hurts. I moving like a freaken ugly old slouth! come to think of it, thats exactly what I look like today! LOL!

I started putting easter away last night and have been working on it still since I got up at 6:00 this am. I have most of it packed up.. now I just have to find a way to put my house back together! what the heck did I have out before anyways? hmmm.. we went from halloween, to thanksgiving, to christmas, to snowmen, to valentines and then to easter.. Now I have to go to the "normal" look..

what ever the heck that is!

So thats part of what I'm doing today. There's also a doll and bear show in batavia, that i would like to go to, but not sure I want to go limp around anywhere! Im also dying to go to barnes and nobles for a magazine fix.. we'll see how I feel with in the next couple hours... Its only 7:20 now and I really have to put my house back together .

OH the mess!! wish me luck!

and have a great day.

I'll be back tomorrow to wish you a happy mothers day!

cooking with Torry!

TGIF!!! Long week, didnt feel so great with a little tummy bug.. but couldnt let it stop me. not that I really did anything all week. I was on call and was a little busy with that a couple nights. Other then that, I ve been puttering. I made mothers day banners, instead of cards.. ok.. you card making people.. that is not one of my strong points.. and I so admire you!! I watched American Idol and I've been reading water for Elephants. thats about my whole week.

Except the highlight of my week was last night when I picked Little Torry pie up on the way home. He came over and helped Grammy pie make dinner. I told him hes a real good cook! we had a good time.. just ask him, he'll tell you he LOVEs his grammy pie!

and after watching this video, can you imagine that my son Robby whos gonna have the baby, told me that he doesnt think I'll be allowed to talk to his baby!! I should have asked him how he thinks I talked and played with him when he was a baby?

lol!

Happy Friday Girlfriends!

in honor of may day and some special news!

Some of you may have seen these pics last spring. I was going to go out again today and play with little friends in the garden.. but the yard is so full of broken branches and twigs that instead I worked in the yard picking up sticks! (NO FUN!!) besides these were such cute pics why do it all over again. except that I have several new friends that could have played too I guess. So I picked up most of the front yard sticks and branches.. well, maybe half and by the time I was had done that my hips and butt were killing me! SO out of shape! so I quit for now.. ...

Im sort of inclined to hire some kids to pick up all those branches and twigs.... there are soo many from thursdays wind storm. I hate doing that kind of work.. when I told my hubby that I was thinking of hiring someone.. he said, "hell, just pay him!" yeah, right, how silly would that be?! I finished my recipe book ! Its so cute. Im not sure how to show it all to you with out posting a pic of each page.. Maybe I'll check out how to post one of those little slide show thingies. Where do you find those anyways? Making cheese Raviolis for dinner.. Roberts fiance, girlfriend asked for them. speaking of roberts fiance.. You know that they got engaged a few weeks ago right? Well they had another surprise for me this past week. They came to work to tell me that they are expecting.

Shes concerned that people are going to thing thats why they want to get married, but they got engaged before she found out she was pregnant. Oh geez.. what ever.. who cares.. I cant get caught up in what other people might think.. it is what it is.. and I'm getting a daughter in law and another grandbaby.. maybe this one will be a girl. She is only 5 or 6 weeks along... so it is early. Just sending up my prayers for her good health and a healthy baby. They are very excited. Thats what matters right? I have some other concerns.. but I'm leaving everything in Gods hands and so are they! this I know is the right thing to do.

(this is my little stick and branch pile.. I'm a wimp!!)

Torry pie's getting a cousin!

happy May day everyone!