Happy Birthday Mom!

For my mother-in-law's birthday, I let her make veggie pizza. Actually, all she wanted for her birthday dinner was veggie pizza (I think it was just so she could watch her son be forced to eat vegetables) and she wanted to help make it.

(Don't judge me for my dirty oven. It's well used. Someday there will be two of them and they will be in the wall. Someday.)

Growing up, Jonathan always had a watermelon instead of birthday cake, so guess what his mom got this year?

It was great to be able to celebrate mom's birthday here this year! Happy birthday mom!

My New Canon T1i

I have always wanted to get into photography, so I took the plunge and bought a new camera. While I have SO much to learn, I had fun playing with my new toy this past weekend. Because they are are so easy to photograph, I thought I would use 3 toddlers for my first subjects! (Ha.)

Halloween at 1319 Cornerstone Dr

I love fall, but I love soup in the fall even more. Maybe it's my moms fault. I remember growing up and whining because my mom loved soup so much that we would beg for dinner to be something that we can't eat with a spoon. I think she would have had soup everyday if she could!
I love to make cards, but they never seem to get mailed out on time!

A friend of mine is a 1st grade teacher and I asked her if I could help with her class party. I was so excited to plan and after a million ideas went through my head, this turned out to be my favorite activity. I took 3 plastic skeletons and spray painted them on white butcher paper. I then took the skeletons apart and then spread the pieces all around the classroom. The kids had a blast finding the bones and putting the skeletons back together.

I love to decorate, but my husband is not a huge fan of all the Halloween decorations. This year I gave in and only put a few things out. Then, for some reason, Jonathan got the decorating bug at 6:30pm on Halloween! Even though it only lasted a few hours, I am glad that he got some Halloween spirit!

While we had lots of fun food for our Halloween feast, I think my "bone bread sticks" were the best! I just made pizza dough and shaped it like bones. After they baked, I brushed butter and garlic on them and finished them off with a dusting of Parmesan cheese. (They looked extra creepy dipped in "blood" spaghetti sauce.

Our little Lobster

"Oh I lobster, and never flounder....

...he wrapped his line around her and they drove off in his carp.
Oh I lobster, and never flounder....

I octopus his face in, he'll only break her heart!"

So maybe she wasn't the happiest lobster, but she was still cute!

Scrappy Hobby Horse

I had TONS of fun making these hobby horses for my nephews! I hope they like them. My favorite part is the mane! I just tore some denim fabric and washed it like a rag quilt.

Strawberry Picking In October

You read it right! Today, October 22nd, I picked strawberries from our garden! Crazy huh?? I never would have thought we would be picking strawberries in October; an activity that usually happens in June around here. Don't be fooled, the weather has been freezing and even into the single digits at night. These strawberries will make a great "fall" dessert.

Back to Blogging Again

After several failed attempts to blog about our cruise, I have given up. So, if you would like to see pictures from our cruise, you are welcome to check them out at http://www.fireworksinmexico2009.shutterfly.com/


Now on to the latest. The other day, one of my students said, "Sister Randall, your windows are really fuzzy. I can't say dirty cause' that would be rude." After about wetting my pants, I decided that I would wash my windows. Now in my defense, you have to know that the sprinklers shoot our lovely hard water onto the windows all summer long. Since it's all the rage in the blogging world to do before and afters....

Our Fuzzy Window




And then clean


So that's what the neighbor's house looks like! Well maybe this will inspire you to clean one of your "fuzzy" windows. ( I know you have one too!)

Apron Update

Well, if you must know, I'm CRAZY! Wait... if you know me at all, you already knew that! I have decided to make 30 aprons in 2 1/2 weeks (all while recovering from an INSANE summer as well as start my studio back up and get ready for our cruise!). I am going to attempt to sell them at Peach Days in Utah. I hope they sell! Any that don't sell, will go to etsy assuming that I can set up shop there. My poor husband has been so kind to help me keep up on the house work so that I can sew like a mad women and get this all done! Wish me luck! PS... I am trying to decide on a price for my aprons... do you think $15 is too much?

Homemade Salsa!

First, you pick some tomatoes from your garden and chop them up.

Then drain and rinse a can of black beans. (Rinsing your beans helps to cut down on the gas!)

Toss in a can of drained whole kernel corn with your tomatoes and beans.

Add some red onions (or green-thanks for the tip Courtney!)

Chop up some cilantro and toss it in!

Then add some kick with fresh hot peppers or canned Chilies!

Pour over a little olive oil to hold it all together....

And YUMMO! Fresh garden salsa! Be careful to not over mix because you can break up the beans!



Dinner without cooking! (And uses up stuff from the garden and food storage!)

My First Attempt at Artisan Bread

My mom makes this "fancy" artisan bread with TONS of garlic in it. I thought I would take a stab at it, and YUM-OH! If you look at the second picture carefully, you can even see the garlic smelling steam seeping out. I think I just made my hubby very happy!

Addiction

Okay, I think I have an addiction! (But they are so fun to make!) I have fabric to make about 10 more....

Pink and brown and pink Ric-Rac

I love these colors! Doesn't this just make you want to make cookies?? Pink and brown is my new favorite combo!

Our living room

I have been bored with all the BEIGE in our house, so we decided to spice it up a little. First we had this...

and now with a little magic, a lot of sore muscles and some paint... drum roll please... Tada!

Okay, it's not finished yet. The big gap in the frame collage is going to be a big letter R and the pictures in the frames will soon be of us and not a sideways boat, but you get the idea!

Babysitting

I love babysitting! (Crate available for rent.)

No children were harmed in the making of this picture, although some sanity was regained!

Worth all the scratches!

Picking berries in the sun is by definition summer. One thing I love about having our own home, is having a yard. While it is a great deal of work,

it's worth all the scratches! If I could, I would share some warm raspberries with you right now!

My cute family

When we were in NY, the stars alligned long enough for us to try and take some family pictures. I love my CRAZY family!