Moving Was Tough

Guest post from: Denver Stephens

Moving was hard but I’m thankful my family was right there by my side the whole time supporting me. I love my family dearly and mom and dad in particular were such a huge help getting my “new” life all set up once I bought this place. I just got divorcedand it’s been a hard transition going from family man to single guy again and I just really appreciate that my family is so close knit at a time like this. I gotwww.direc4u.com channels and a second bedroom set and even a dog but there are still some times when I’m really, really lonely and it’s good to be able to call one of my sisters or even my dad to talk for a while. I know I’ll come through this soon but it’s been a challenging year and I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of my gracious relatives. I got really lucky when God decided who would be related to who at the end of the day!

Willow Blue Blog!!

If you haven't already be sure to head over to my new blog @ Willow Blue

That is one UGLY chair!

I'm not a big yard sale person, but I think since I am starting a new love affair with refurbishing furniture that yard sales are going to become one of my new favorite things to do. So, I went to some yard sales over the weekend with my sister and found some pretty cool chairs. One for $2 and another for $5! We were pretty tickled. This is where are new adventures in reupholstering begin:

 Removing that Ugly Fabric!

Spray painted with Leather Brown color

  

Getting the cushion covered

Nail guns= FUN

Getting the seat ready

Sneak peek

The Fabric, which was on clearance for 2-something a yard! 

Finished!!

We also have my sisters chair too! It's not completely finished so when we get it finalized I will show it off too! It's evem more fabulous than mine!

Things I am loving..

     Normally I don't get into decorating too much. Mainly because to truly decorate to my hearts desire would cost me a fortune. Plus I don't really have a set style. I love the look of Tuscan Furniture. I would love to have room just devoted to this theme. But then all also love Bamboo Furniture.

     I found some great things on Become, which is another great online shopping site that compares prices for you, including this gorgeous chandelier:

GORGEOUS! Definitely loving the look! There is so much on Become! I especially love the Resource Center!

Head over to my NEW blog!!!

Willow blue is officially moving!! Head on over to Willow Blue Blog!!!

Special Thanks to my sister at Digital Jenny for her help!!

Mini Project :)

Here is a mini project I did Tuesday night. This was an failed attempt at a craft night with me and one of my sisters. We fully admit that we are craft challenged. We just try to keep up with our other sister who is much better at it than we are. :) However, here is my latest attempt:


Found an old picture frame at my parents house:)

All sanded and ready to paint

The color I chose (a mixture of 2 purples)

Painted (though I added another coat)

Added some cork board

Now I am just unsure what else to do with it! I may even go find a cute paper to put in it instead of the cork board. I want to do something cute though. When I get it figured out I will post the official end result. :)

What SHE Wore Wedneday: September

Here is last Wednesdays outfit. She is getting better with matching. And don't you just love her tattoos? Markers have actually been banned from this place, but there is still one here and there that my little mischievous child manages to find. Resulting in lovely art work not just on herself, but on my walls. Mr. Clean anyone?

Things that make you go..WOW!

So, I was trying to find a cute little project to do with felt so I've been doing lots of searches online. I was looking on Pinterest and found such a cute idea. Here is a picture:

How cute are those!!! But wait, you think that is the WOW? Oh no...you MUST check out the blog these came from over at Snowy Bliss!! Then after you are finished "WOWing" at that, check out her cook Halloween themed cake!

Swagbucks Update September

Ok, since I have started Swagbucks I have done pretty good on there. I am not consistent with it all and I am sure if I spent a lot more time on there I would probably rack up! So far from earning swagbucks I have gotten 2 Amazon e-gift cards, each for $5! To me, that is great! For my first one I got my son a book from the Spiderwick series, and still had a dollar left! How? Buy used on Amazon!! I paid more for shipping than I did for the actual book. I got the book for a PENNY, then spent 3.99 shipping. (In all honesty I realize I could get that book even cheaper considering shipping at an actual thrift store, but hey, I still spent $0) For my second gift card I actually order my son the Spiderwick movie. :) For it the price was $1.01 and shipping was $2.98. Again, buy used!!! Now, this is my first time buying a used movie on Amazon,  so we will see how it goes. It was list as in Very Good condition. I know if I had just waited I could have traded for a higher valued gift card, but getting stuff in the mail makes my son happy so I figured, what the heck! So if you haven't, check out Swagbucks! Even if you just use it as your search engine, you can earn Swagbuck randomly! :)

A site I must share!

Since Christmas is coming up (yes, the "C" word) I have been searching online for gift ideas. I came across a pretty great site that my Canadian friends I am sure will love during my search for Ipods. You can just click on the word Ipods and it will take you straight to it for you. Pretty much any Ipod or Mp player you could possibly be looking for, I have seen it on there. My son has really been wanting an Ipod for a while now so I think that will definitely be on his list.

What's cool about this site is that they compare the prices for you and then directs you to the appropriate store! How great is that! Happy Shopping everyone!

Halloween Trick or Treat Bag!!

Halloween has been on my mind pretty much since the beginning of August! I'm excited to get to decorate for not just Halloween, but for Fall. So during one of my searches online I came across these adorable bags on Craft Town:

I definitely plan to make these for my kids this year (and hopefully I make them good enough that they will hold up for a few years use) The only I will be doing differently is that I will make the hat, spider, and whatever else I decide to add, out of felt and attach them. 

Instructions:

You need: Sackcloth, scissors, thread and needle, rope, Halloween motifs
How to: From the sackcloth cut a rectangular piece big enough to form the front, the bottom and the back of the bag . Be careful to cut on the same thread on the whole length, so it will not stretch wrong. Cut 2 more pieces as high as you want your bag to be and sew them on the sides with the bigger one. At the top fold it inside so it will look nice.

Make the handles from rope and sew them at the both sides of the top.
Attach the Halloween motifs by sewing them or with glue if you think they will hold.
Now go trick or treating!

Think About it Thursday

What She Wore Wednesday

This is what my daughter choose for her outfit Wednesday last week. She was rather proud of it. I have to give her props on her color coordination. And of course, the shoes are awesome!

Potato Deja Vu

Yes, another potato post. I can't help it. After posting my blog yesterday I had to figure out something to do with the potatoes I had so I came up with something. There is no recipe...not going to lie..I threw it in a bowl and crossed my fingers that it worked. I can give estimates though since I actually did use a measuring cup and tablespoon.

Now these were some potatoes that I had actually forgotten I had. I was suprised they had not grown spouts. So anyway I cut them into these nice little wedges and used the following ingredients:

I was uncertain about the garlic powder, but I figured who cares, what could it hurt? My approximations for everything are : 1/2 cup bread crumbs (that I am certain of since I used a cup) maybe 2/3 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 tbsp salt, and about 1 tbsp pepper. Does that sound bad? If so, I didn't use that much. ;p

So then I coated my potato wedges with a little oil in a bowl and then tossed them around with my concoction. Look how yummy:

Cooked these for about 35 minutes at 450 degrees and they were very good. I was surprised!! Now, I promise that I will not post about potatoes again for a while. (which just means I am out of potatoes)

Never met a Potato I didn't like...

Seriously, if there was one food that would be my magic weight loss solution I would be a happy camper if it was a potato. I don't care what form it is in, I will eat it. So I had to share this recipe that I discovered at Playing With Sugar.  If I had all the ingredients I would be making these. But I will just have to improvise with what I have.

Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries

NOTE: The amounts listed are for every one pound of fries. One pound of fries is the equivelant of appoximately 3 medium potatoes. (I just double or triple the recipe to fit within my needs).

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium russet potatoes (approx 3 medium potatoes)
1 1/2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning
2 TBSP of Kraft Parmesan Style Grated Cheese (I used reduced fat)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 425.
*Wash and cut potatoes into 1/8ths.
*Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil (I used Reynolds Release foil so that they will not stick, but you could also either use non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease the top of the foil with extra virgin olive oil).
*Mix all of the spices and the parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
*Place all of the potatoes (remember we are talking about one pound at a time) into a gallon size freezer bag, add olive oil and the parmesan cheese/spice mixture to the bag.
*Seal the bag and shake until the potatoes are evenly coated.
*Once thoroughly coated dump onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread in a single layer.
* Bake 30-45 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown. (Baking times will vary depending on the amount of fries that you make and the size that you cut them). For the ones shown in the picture they were baked at 425 for 45 minutes.

ENJOY!

Vista Print: Since I'm thinking ahead here..

I was just realizing how close the big "C" word is. Yes, I'm talking about Christmas. (and I promise not to utter a thing again about it after this post until at least after Halloween) I know that I want to send out some cute Christmas cards this year so I got to looking around about found some really good ones at Vista Print.

I've found about 3 designs already and I'm not even off of page one. I didn't even realize just how much they offered. I'm even thinking of buying some "I (Heart) Sheena" decals for everyone for Christmas. :)

https://click.discountclick.com/vistaprint/click.php?tid=678758

What SHE Wore Wednesday

When I found out that I would be the mother of a little girl, after only knowing what it was like to be a mom to a son for so many years, I was anxious. I just didn't know what to expect. I think she has exceeded my expectations!! She makes me laugh everyday. So to the topic of my blog. What I Wore Wednesday would be an interesting blog....except that What I am wearing today is not that interesting, nor will what I wear probably ever be considered very "wow". My 2 year old daughter however, is quite a little dresser. She loves clothes and loves dressing up. So, this is going to be my "Sneak Peek". Since I already have quite the little collection of her "outfits" I wanted to go ahead and show them off in my first "What She Wore Wednesday" blog. Enjoy the wonderfulness that is my daughter, Taylor.

 Because Jackets and Boots during Summer is SO IN!

This just might be one of my favorites

All Dressed up and Ready to Go....too bad it was past bedtime.

Mohawk hats and mismatched shoes are the New thing, just you wait!

Move Over Martha! Monday

Today's craft was a fall wreath. I got together with one of my sisters and we both made ourselves wreaths. For the record, we stole the idea to make wreaths from our other sister who is always doing this stuff. :) So here is all the preparations for this wonderful fall wreath:

My "M" for the wreath. I couldn't decide for sure what color I wanted it to be, but in the end was very happy with my choice:

Trying to see what I want to go where:

And my finished project! (just ignore the brown ribbon on the right side, which was later snipped off)

I'm pretty tickled with the results. I have low expectations for my first wreath. But what can I say, but Move Over Martha!! It's a GREAT thing!

Rice Krispy Treat Goodies!

I LOVE this. Was spending time looking at recipes and new things to make and I happened across these at the Rice Krispies website! Love this idea! How fun!

Summer Recipes - Dessert bars on ice cream sticks dipped in chocolate

Whipping up these summery goodies and popping them onto ice-cream sticks with your kids makes any summer day a little cooler.

(Nutrition Information)

• 3 tablespoons   butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40)   regular marshmallows
• - OR -
• 4 cups   miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups   Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
• - OR -
• 6 cups   Kellogg's® Cocoa Krispies® cereal
• 18   wooden ice cream sticks
• 1 1/2 cups   semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• - OR -
• 1 1/2 cups   white chocolate morsels
• 1 tablespoon   vegetable oil
•    Multi-colored sprinkles (optional)
• Why use Kellogg's® Rice Krispies®?

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

2. Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into eighteen 3 x 2-inch bars. Push one stick into the bottom of each bar.

3. In small microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate morsels and oil. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Dip bars into chocolate and decorate as you like. Place on wax paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Notes:For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.

Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.

Corn Cobcakes

Ok, I LOVE to look up new recipes online. And who doesn't love cupcakes? These have got to be the cutest cupcakes I have seen! I found these on Disney Family Fun! How clever was this idea! I think they would make a cute addition to a family picnic. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• White and yellow jelly beans (we used Jelly Belly brand)
• White-frosted cupcakes
• White decorating sugar

• Yellow Starburst candies
• Corn holders
• Corn plates

Instructions

1. For each ear, press rows of jelly bean kernels onto three frosted cupcakes. Line up the cupcakes and sprinkle decorating sugar across the tops.
2. To make a candy butter pat, microwave a Starburst for about eight seconds, stretch it into a melted-butter shape, then set it on top of the center cupcake.
3. Add a corn holder to each end of the cob, and serve on a corn plate.

Fall!!!

As it is slowly but surely getting cooler outside I find myself giddy that Fall is almost here. My two favorite seasons are Spring and Fall, but I really think that between the two, Fall has to be my absolute favorite! I love the colors, the activiites, holidays...I just love EVERYTHING about Fall. I can't wait to see the leaves turn colors around here! I hope to get the opportunity go go out and photograph some fall scenery!

Feed Me This Friday

Ok, I'm kinda giggling at my own blog title here. :) So lately my mother in law has been talking about Cheddars, which is a restaurant that she has recently discovered. (I've not been yet, but plan on it) So I went online and checked out there menu. Upon reading I happened across their Spasagna. This sounds like something I would LOVE! So this is going on my To-Cook list. I hope to fit this in the menu next week! How yummy does this look!!

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs spaghetti noodles, uncooked
• 2 lbs mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided use
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  
  Directions
  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2.  Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and drain. Place in large mixing bowl.
  3. In another mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, ricotta, half-and-half, mozzarella, oregano, basil, white pepper, garlic, salt, and half the Parmesan cheese.
  4. Add above cheese mixture to the spaghetti. Using hands, mix gently until spaghetti is evenly coated with mixture.
  5. Rub a 9x13 glass baking dish with the olive oil.
  6. Gently place spaghetti mixture into prepared dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
  7. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven, remove foil and place dish on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
  9. Cut into six-eight squares and top with meat sauce below, or your favorite meat or marinara sauce.  
  Meat Sauce. 
  1 24-oz. jar spaghetti sauce. 
  12 oz. ground beef. 
  1 Tbs. chopped garlic. 
  1 C chopped onion. 
  1 teaspoons kosher salt. 
  1 teaspoons dried leaf oregano. 
  1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil. 
  1 teaspoons granulated sugar. 
  ½ C red wine. 
  ¼ C Romano cheese. 
  Additional salt, pepper to taste. 
  Heat a heavy saucepan on medium heat for five minutes. Add ground beef and stir to break up clumps. Cook till meat is browned well. Drain meat and set aside. 
  Add onions and garlic to saucepan and cook over medium heat for about five minutes, or until softened. 
  Return reserved meat to pan, along with spaghetti sauce, salt, oregano, basil, sugar, red wine and romano cheese. Stir well to combine. 
  Bring mixture to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. 
  Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Swagbucks!!!

I started using Swagbucks actually months ago and then kinda fell off from it. I'm kinda curious if I can make it beneficial for myself. So today I am starting it back up and will update on my progress!



I referred a friend to swagbucks.com and moved one step closer to redeeming a Free Prize of my choosing

Think About it Thursday 8/11

Brad's New School Adventure

So Monday my son Brad started 4th grade.  From K-3rd he went to the same school and this year he started a new school. Needless to say he was very nervous. I was nervous and stressed for him. Just seeing his anxiety broke my heart. So on Monday I was pleasantly surprised that he was up and ready to get to school! He even rushed me. (Which resulted in him getting to school way earlier than necessary) So that calmed my own nerves for him. However, when he got in the car after school he didn't have as good a day as I had hoped he would. There were just a few things that were different from his past school that he wasn't expecting. He also was too shy to try to make friends. When asked to grade his day, he gave it a C. :(

So yesterday (Tuesday), I was nervous for him again. I got him to school at a better time. I gave him a mission to ask one of the boys whose name he had mentioned what he did over the summer. I went home worrying. But when he got in the car he was a much happier boy. I asked him what grade school got and he immediately said A! He proceeded to tell me about his new friends. YAY!! And he couldn't wait for today! Today they started music! And his new friend played something that he wanted. lol Today got an A+! Woohoo!! This school is actually going to just have so many more activities for him and better opportunities to do things he is interested in. The big difference in this school compared to his old school is that it was K-12 and this school is K-5. So instead of focusing on High School Athletics and etc, things are geared towards my sons interests! Big A++ from me!

Here he is in all his First Day of School cuteness!

Book Lover's Day

Did you know that today is National Book Lover's Day!? Now this is something I can celebrate! I've loved books for as long as I can remember! So today I am vowing to pick up one from my selection I have and start reading!! Seriously, it's been over 2 months since I have read something and that makes me sad. :( I think it's time for an escape.

Love This

I would love to find this on a picture or even paint /stencil this onto a canvas. I'm thinking new craft..

He's a LEGO maniac...

So for a while my son has been wanting some lego stuff. Particularly this little lego man shown here in this blog. It didn't help that yesterday at the open house at his school they had a display window that featured a lego scene created by another student. My son has always been interested in building things, but just now wants to really get into it. So I will be adding legos into my daily "clean up this mess" list. lol