apple shaped altered book....

i am soooo going to make this now: cheekymagpie

back home...

...got back home yesterday around 5:30pm...exhausted. The trip to Dar's in West VA was awesome. I relaxed and reconnected with Dar, did some antique shopping, learned two news games; 'wild rummy' and 'quick dice' (or at least, that's what we're calling 'em), and had a great week! The kids were so happy to see me. Porter kept saying; "Moooooom!, you're Hooooome!" Yoda wouldn't leave my side all night and kept licking me (or was the James?)...snicker.

now...time to clean this filthy house! The boys basically did no cleaning whilst I was gone...go figure. Wish it was warmer, so I could open windows. Spring is still trying to get here, still a tad chilly though.

hangin' out at Dar's...

well, i've been here in WV since Tuesday afternoon and am having a fun, relaxing time w/ my friend, Dar and her family. Dar has such a peaceful, inviting home...makes you want to stay.

we went to Nitro yesterday, hunting around a few antique shops...today we plan to head to Charleston to do more antique/vintage shopping. i am on the 'look-out' for:

-vintage buttons
-shadow box figurines
-frames i can paint and shabby up
-vintage aprons
-blue mason jars
-vintage assorted plates
...and anything else that catches my eye.

Dar has adopted her daughter's cat, Indie. Indie is a sweet and pretty cat, who looks like he's wearing 'guy liner' and likes to play with bouncy balls and hang out in the sunroom, spying on the vermon and birds.

Cody has gotten taller and is still a wonderful 'dude'. I am amazed at how respectful he has become...they've done a good job with him. I am sure he's the hunk at his school, but he wouldn't admit it.

Dar showed me some of her vintage jewelry creations and I had to buy a few...she has a 'magic touch' when it comes to all things creative. You just have to see her stuff on her Etsy site: DARVAHLOUS

OK...more from West Virginia later.

peace out

tonight's dinner...

Crockpot Adobo
Got this recipe and photo from: http://www.thegrandinternational.com

2 1/2 lbs stewing beef, pork, or chicken (I use chicken)
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs white vinegar
8 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, roughly sliced
2 large potatoes, chopped into large bite-sized pieces

Dump all the ingredients except the potatoes into a slow cooker. Leave it in there for six hours on the high setting. When it’s done, fry the potatoes in cooking oil and drain. Stir it into the adobo. Serve with freshly steamed rice or garlic fried rice.

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SIDE NOTE: Normally, I do crock our dinner for sunday, but today is especially a 'crock day', since james found out that one of the 5 gallon water jugs leaked last night all over the pantry and part of the kitchen and now is pulling up the floor boards, drying the floor and re-laminating the 'wood'....an all day process, hence I won't be in the kitchen anytime before dinner. So...'tis a good crock day, eh? Better call LeBlue and let them know about the leaky bottle....maybe they have glass ones instead. glass is better anywho.
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glass jar frames...

I am sooooo totally doing this!

Found the info and photo from: PhotoJojo

I love this fun idea and so will my kids...doing something crafty together.
How cool will these look in a group, on a windowsill, on a tray, mixed sizes on shelves?

i've only just begun...

no, it's not a karen carpenter song...
i just signed up today to be a Young Living Independent Distributor!!!

see my YL Blog: The Lavender Fairy

up close and personal...

playing with photoshop levels and such...

worldwide ward cookbook...

I not only have a few recipes in this book...she gave me a free copy the other day and to top it off...they mentioned two of the recipes I submitted in this article: Salt Lake Tribune: Funeral Potatoes and Brigham Young's Buttermilk Doughnuts...now, how cool is that?

obx surf...

 

photo by Peg Graham

lavender love...

1. Dwarf Lilac 'Little Boy Blue', 2. Fairies 083, 3. Norfolk Lavender, 4. crafting 365 - day 241, 5. Lavender Sachet, 6. macarons, 7. Lavender Ice Cream, 8. LAVENDER FIELDS, 9. Harvesting Lavender

pretty cake bites...

Have you seen these yet? Cake Journal makes these 'wedding cake bites' and they are so lovely.

I think I'll make some for Easter this year...and a baby shower...and just for the heck of it. Simple and easy to make.

CAKE BITES

Bake a cake in a 9x13" pan, according to box directions.
Cool, and crumble into bowl and mix in 1 can of prepared cream cheese frosting. Next, scoop out with a melon baller and roll into 50 plus balls and place on wax papered tray to freeze for 1 hour.

Melt chocolate, white bark, or poured fondant. Now dip and decorate. Place in small paper cups.

Cake Journal's Wedding Cake Bites

sweet baby shoes...

I need these patterns, so I can make these as baby gifts. Aren't they simply ADORABLE?

Found this one on WendysWTN (Wee Toes and Noggins)Flickr,Wendy says: The basic pattern is from Leisure Arts (Leaflet 2889) Our Best Thread Crochet (1996). Mary Jane Booties picture on p.93, pattern on p.94. The tiny ruffle around the sole and the flower on top were my own creation/addition...


Found this one from hollanddesigns Etsy...



I NEED the patterns!!!

young living essential oils...

photo by Peg Graham

I decided to sign up as a Distributor for Young Living Essential Oils...as soon as the Tax Return gets here (under 2 weeks).

I am excited about this opportunity and to be able to use these products in my home and for my family and friends. We'll use the oils, nutrition and living products and talk about their uses and applications...so stay tuned.

You'll be hearing me talk about YLEO numerous times, so check it out and check out Gary Young's Blog

FOTC...crocheted....dude!

Irene D. over at Cut Out & Keep, made these abfab Flight of the Conchord dolls...Bret and Jemaine as 'Sheeple', way too cute! The pattern is an Owlishly original found on ETSY: Lana the Lamb


FOTC:


Lana the Lamb:

Augmentative Communication...

Porter went to CHKD for his eval for Aug. Communication yesterday. They were soooooo impressed at how far his language has developed and that he can write, use the computer, talk in sentences, ask questions....they said he won't be needing their services afterall. However, they went ahead and ordered a plethora of CD's for the computer for Porter to work on verbal skills and such....we'll get those free from the EDCD Waiver. Wahoo!

I am so tickled pink at P-Man's progress. (Now, if we can only get him to stop wiping his nose on everybody's clothes!!! ewwwww!!!!)

a walk on water...

taken from: A Walk on Water


Each year, autism affects one out of 150 infants born in the United States, with alarming evidence that the disorder is on the rise with each passing generation.

A Walk On Water is a film that follows one family from the moment they first find out their child has autism to their discovery how other families have chosen to fight back rather than accepting the status quo of perplexed scientists and the failure at the highest levels of government.

The movie examines how parents with autistic kids respond to a disorder that has robbed their children of their senses. These parents fall into two types being those who are unaware of potential causes, cures, and politics surrounding the subject and those who are swept up in the controversy and search for truth finding alternate lifestyles and medical solutions. Among scientists there is concern that mankind is playing Russian roulette with living systems and, ultimately, our own health through continued low-dose exposure to industrial chemicals and unsafe vaccines. No one can definitively state what accounts for this modern day phenomena; however, there is a growing body of evidence that genetics is the loaded gun and the environment is the trigger.

In the absence of absolute answers to autism and other disorders, we ask the question of what can be done to ensure not only our own health, but the health of the planet as well. A Walk on Water investigates these thought-provoking issues on a grass-roots level, and seeks to provide answers, in a manner that stimulates a debate at all levels of society, from government policies to concerned parents.

watch the trailer (give it time to buffer first):a walk on water- trailer

flickr friday fun...YUM!

1. chocolate coconut, 2. Crimson Velveteen, 3. Pink Cupcakes, 4. Tinkerbell Cupcakes, 5. cherry puccho cupcakes, 6. Cookie Monster Cupcake 1, 7. Untitled, 8. pink swirl white heart cupcake, 9. “There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”, 10. Cupcakes, 11. Here comes cuppie!, 12. Ducky cupcake lineup, 13. caterpillar cupcake, 14. HELLO KITTY CUPCAKES, 15. Monkey Cupcakes, 16. Cupcakes for a photograph, 17. Cat Cupcake, 18. Retro Cupcake, 19. Daisy cupcakes, 20. Little Penguin Cakes, 21. Chocolate Cupcakes, 22. Knit Night Cupcakes, 23. betz white cupcake ornaments, 24. Green Tea Cupcake Love (with heart shaped decorations), 25. jenny's homemade hostess cupcakes, 26. Flowers in the Grass, 27. Daisy, daisy, 28. Peggy's Birthday Cake, 29. Cupcake Pincushions, 30. daffodil, 31. Sweet, 32. test cuppies, 33. Clarice and Rudolph, 34. Carnation cupcake, 35. Thank You Cupcake, 36. La Vie en rose

framed...

i finally put those old window frames to good use...

happy valentine's day...

on the list...

for p-man's therapy room:

From IKEA-