Peep "topeeparies" tutorial

Remember this post from last year's iron craft challenge?

Well, my topeeparies turned out so cute I decided to make some more this year to go with my Easter decorations. (It was raining outside when I took the photo so you can't see just how green they are.)



Here is a quick tutorial on what I did.

You'll need:
peeps
vase or tall glass
spray paint in dark green (or black)
wooden skewers
teeny pots
floral foam
Modge Podge
white and gold craft paints
gold glitter
foam brush
dried green herb
Take a wooden skewer and run it through the bottom of your peeps and then spray paint the peeps green...very lightly...you don't want them to get gooey. Let the over spray go about 2 inches down on the skewer too. When done, set them into a vase to dry, it should take just a few minutes.

Take Modge Podge and lightly coat the entire peep with it. Make sure to cover the bottom and between the ears.




Sprinkle liberally with your dried green herb. I used Basil, since I grow it I never seem to use the dried stuff and it gets old.


Then set them into the vase to dry again while you paint the little pots.


Take your little pots and sponge on a bit of white paint followed by gold paint.

While the paint is still wet, sprinkle with gold glitter.


Insert a bit of floral form into the little pots and then top with some of the moss.
Cut your skewer to about 3 inches and then stick it into the pot.

Cuteness :-)

soups on....

Years ago I got hooked on a pre made soup mix (that shall remain nameless.) It was everyone's favorite but when we moved here, I couldn't find it. I finally found someone who could get it for me but then she moved so I bought a bunch on ebay. Ultimately I decided that was simply ridiculous so I came up with my own version...which everyone loves just as much, if not more.

Val's Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

veggie or canola oil
1 small onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can Roteil
1 can cream corn
2 cans fiesta corn or 2 cups frozen corn
1 can great northern beans
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large jar cheese whiz* (or 1 block of cream cheese)

In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in oil until soft then add chicken stock and seasonings.
To this add all canned ingredients. Stir well and bring to gentle boil for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat and add the chicken, heat through.
Then add the cheese whiz. Do not boil once you add the cheese whiz.
Once everything is throughly heated, taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

*Adjust seasonings AFTER you add the cheese because cheese is naturally salty.

Everyone in our family tops their own bowl with something different. Dean likes to crumble corn bread in his, I like avocados and the kids like Fritos.....its all good!

crafty stuff

March was a busy sewing month for me because of Matt's room redo but I managed to do a few other things as well.

I made my bird for this month's YOE..

I finished some more dammit dolls for my make it monthly gift.
Given the situation with the team, I decided to make Saints dolls to give to friends...I hate to say it but I think we'll need them.


this poor guy has NO idea what's in store for him...

I also redid the front door and did some Easter decorating around the house....


These eggs are some real ones that were blown and then hand painted. We got them when we lived overseas and my mom gave them to me a few years ago.
It is amazing they have not been damaged in all these years.

The little rabbit with the toadstool umbrella was in my Easter basket many many years ago

and so was this little momma rabbit in her cute dress...

more eggs...wouldn't this be a neat thing to try?....


and then some topiaries I made from peeps....


I stumbled across this bunny and got it 75% off because it had some chips in the paint and the eggs were missing....

Nothing a little bit of paint couldn't fix though. Being crafty has its advantages.

Dessert of the Month

Last fall, I ran across this eclair recipe and knew I would try it for Dean. He LOVES eclairs...and so do the kids.
Then the holidays came and went and then Dean found out his cholesterol was high...so I kept putting this recipe on the back burner.

I finally made them for him the other night and they were a hit with the entire family. I don't like stuff with filling but even I liked these.....yummy.

The recipe calls for a size 10 tip to pipe the dough and I was thrilled I had one on hand.
Then mine came out small and wonky...I just made twice as many and blamed it on the recipe. It didn't dawn on me until the next day that I had used an ICING tip instead of a PASTRY tip!


No one cared because they tasted great and that is what matters around here. Now that they were a hit, I'll go out and purchase the correct tips to make them properly.

Matt's room re-do

Matt has been wanting a change in his bedroom so we did that as part of his birthday this year.

Dean and I looked EVERYWHERE and finally decided on a comforter set we knew he would like. The problem was, they didn't have any of the accessory pieces for the room.



Without going into all the details of a long suffering search and looking at appalling prices for pre made curtains, I decided to just do it myself.

I went back to the store and bought a second comforter set in the next size down. Then I ripped all the seams on everything and pulled out the stuffing (they don't use the good stuff in these comforter sets y'all...)

The comforter became reversible curtains...





The bed skirt and stuffing became pillows. And the shams became a curtain for his window seat.


I found coordinating fabrics and finished his seat cushion and recovered his old bean bag to tie everything in together.


Dean helped me paint an accent wall to match the repainted shelves....





And we used garage hooks for the curtain tie backs



I lined the curtains with black fabric instead of muslin and now when they are closed, his room is as dark as a cave...and he loves it.


I REALLY wanted to do one wall with a piece of corrugated metal but that idea got nixed by Dean and Kaela.
All Matt needs to do now is to clean up his room.....good luck with that!

second childhood

Mojo's nickname used to be Mr. GP....aka Mr. Grumpy Pants.

But that nickname no longer fits. When we moved here 5 years ago, he started going through his second childhood.
He is NEVER grumpy...far from it. He is super playful and the vet says he is the most fit corgi he has ever seen. (That is due in part to running extra hard to keep up with Ginger.)

Along with all that renewed energy and happiness comes some naughtiness too.

Not only does he steal toys from the cats but he is constantly getting caught in their little tunnel thingie.


and sometimes he just knocks it out of the way so he can take a nap on their carpet.

we are blessed to have such a happy healthy 11 year old!

Monday

Decide on a whim to cook a big dinner to go with the simple salad originally planned for dinner...even though it means standing for about 3 and a half hours in the kitchen....on a Monday, after work.

Get started by putting on your new teacup apron and then covering your sweet daughter with a warm blanket so she can take a nap before doing more homework...


pull out this cookbook for your favorite focaccia recipe....



heat the olive oil mixture needed for the dough in the microwave a little since it is supposed to infuse overnight...but only for 30 seconds....


while the dough is rising, make some red sauce using your dad's recipe and set it to simmer:

(Saute half an onion that has been minced, add 4 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 can tomato paste, 1 small can tomato sauce, 1 large can crushed tomatoes, 2 large cans water. Juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp sugar and a scant tsp of chili powder for kick.)

then make some stuffing for jumbo shells...
(saute the other half of the minced onion with more crushed garlic along with a pound and a half of ground beef. Then add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Drain. Add several handfuls of freshly chopped spinach and mix well. Then add a small container of ricotta cheese, 1 egg and a couple palmfuls of grated Parmesan. TASTE it to correct seasonings)


as for the grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses...grate your own, it is SO much better...and easy to do with the right equipment.


realize you are thirsty and bypass the H20 for this...


then stuff the shells, pour a bunch of that sauce of them, then cover the whole thing with mozzarella you bought for sandwiches.... you can always go get more cheese later in the week.
Bake the shells at 350 until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly so it looks like this....


remember to bake the focaccia bread....when it is done, it looks like this:

forget to take a photo of the salad that started the whole thing because everyone knocks you out of the way to get to the food.

Go to the table and be happy knowing that all that time in the kitchen was TOTALLY worth it!