Hangin with my gnomie

Yesterday I walked by the couch and saw Gunter, just sitting there.

He was wearing a pair of those paper 3D glasses that are on the tops of Kleenex boxes right now.

I asked him what he was doing and he replied "Kaela said these were 3D glasses and since I want to see in 3D, I'm wearing them."
I explained how people already saw in 3D, that the glasses were meant for theaters.
I told him he should take them off because they make you nauseous if you wear them too long.

He blew me off and said he would take them off when he was good and ready! (he was quite prickly yesterday...I think this whole P90X thing has him feeling a bit left out....)


My day goes by and I'm walking through the kitchen...and hear a horrible noise. You know the noise.....you've MADE the noise.

We call it horking....retching, ralphing, spewing, barfing, puking (hate that word)....amongst others......


now if you'll notice, Gunter is horking into Mojo's dog bowl. (He couldn't get to the toilet fast enough....the whole "no legs" thing.)

Mojo REALLY didn't want to eat dinner last night...

Canape' knife tutorial...

This week's challenge was to reuse something you would usually throw away....which gave me the perfect excuse to use some old wine corks I'd been saving.

I had several old canapé knives that had torn up and faded handles. I was planning on ditching them too.

Instead, I took a mallet to one of them and cracked the rest of the handle off. ( I didn't want to bust them all until I knew this would work.)


Next, I pried the little bits from the edge using some pliers.

Once I got it clean, this little round part just slipped off...and conveniently left a little half inch tip.


I made a slit in the end of the cork and then simply shoved the little tip end into it. The beauty of cork is that it closes back on itself.
The fit was super tight so I decided not to use anything to hold it in place. I can always add it later if I need it.


The first one turned out so well, that I went ahead and made the rest of them...all 6!






Now all you need is my cheese ball recipe to go with them:

This stuff is awesome....people always ask me to bring it to parties.

Ingredients:

1 dry package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
2 packages softened cream cheese
Spice Islands Herbed Pepper Blend*

Directions:

Mix the first 2 ingredients together and form into a ball. Place in the refrigerator to harden up a bit....about an hour.
Pour a few tablespoons of pepper blend into a small dish. Then roll your cheese ball into the spice blend until it is totally covered.
Refrigerate until serving. I serve this with crackers and/or veggies....

You can also halve this recipe. It is WONDERFUL in place of mayo on sandwiches.

* if you can't find this particular blend, you can make your own using cracked black pepper, garlic, italian seasonings and salt. Just be sure to TASTE the seasoning to get a good balance.

weekend spin.......

We made a quick dash to FWB to see my family. We all got out to the car and saw this:

Apparently Gunter was going with us!




We got to see everyone this time around but my camera batteries died so I only have a few photos to share.
After promising to go the last several times, we finally managed to make it to the beach!
The bad thing about growing up at the beach is that you tend to take it for granted. Matt and Kaela rarely get to go so we made it a priority this time.

My brother Art showed them how to body surf....which they did for over 2 hours straight. It was just rough enough to make it fun.


Matt was still in the surf for this photo:


Unfortunately, the seaweed was already here so we needed lots and lots of rinsing! Sheri had a tough time of it.....naughty seaweed!


here we are trying to take a family photo.....hopeless!


Matt relaxing, he is soooooo wishing we lived here, and days like this make me miss Fort Walton SO much.

Even Gunter went to the beach with us....he forgot his bathing suit though so decided to just stay on the boardwalk....



I made this little pajama trout to do a toy drop while there.

We dropped it at the Officer's Club Beach House in Destin. It was super windy....I hope someone found it before it blew away.



That evening, we went out to eat and then visited with my sister's husband Bill.
He is in the hospital right now so we would really appreciate some good thoughts and prayers sent his way!


Late that night I noticed Gunter and Sheri giggling...I have no idea why they had that big barrel of cheese puffs with them......


We stayed through Sunday and the on the way home, we ate lunch in Mobile.

We showed the kids the little church where Dean and I were married.
It is about 137 years old and so pretty....the inside is very small but just lovely, with stained glass windows and hardwood floors and benches.




Sometimes quick trips are the best...I can't wait for our next one!

happy mail

I dread going to the mailbox. I hate it so much, that I ask my kids to do it. That way I won't barf if there is an unexpected bill in there.

I used to LOVE getting mail....you know, back in the day when people sent letters....and I didn't have more bills than moola.
Everyone now and then though, I get a little something in the mail that really surprises me. Even more surprising is when I get 2 surprises a week apart!

Then, SURPRISE! A couple weeks ago, Kerry sent me this jam making kit in the mail. Totally made my day. (I have been wanting to make some jam for awhile but couldn't find the little tools that make it easier. Like the little magnetic thingie you take freaky hot lids out of super hot water with, or the little lid pusher downer to make all the air come out......stuff like that.)




Then this past week, Jill sent me a little hedgehog pin cushion that is just PRECIOUS!

as if that wasn't enough, she also sent me some fabric and a cute owl pen!

Thank you both SO SO MUCH! You girls made my day....twice!

nesting....

I was straightening up my yarn and came across a bunch of yarn scraps in a bag.

I hate to throw it out but don't have much use for it.

We have an old cat tail bird feeder for sunflower seeds but haven't used it since moving here. It just sits in the garden as an ornament.

Well, I just shoved all the yarn bits down inside the feeder. The holes are large so getting the yarn bits out shouldn't be a problem.


Although its late for this year's nesting, I know the birds will see it because it is right next to a bird bath in the bushes. Maybe by next spring, they'll feel comfortable enough to use it....if not, at least the yarn looks pretty!

Ironcraft #27 and dessert of the month: Cheesecake Tarts!

This week's challenge was to make something patriotic....with starts and stripes.

Well, I decided to go a different route and made a little tart for Dean's dessert of the month club....and they were quite a hit!
Here is what I did

Ingredients:

1. 18 pre-made graham cracker tart shells
2. 2 blocks cream cheese
3. 1 can sweetened condensed milk
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
5. 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or ReaLemon)
6. 1/4 cup strawberry jam
7. 2 cups mixed, cleaned and hulled berries.  Any kind
8. sugar (optional)*
9. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 

*Put your berries in a bowl and then sprinkle them with about 2-3 tablespoons regular sugar and put in frig.*

Arrange your tart shells on a pan that you can fit in the refrigerator.

Blend cream cheese on high until light, smooth and creamy, add sweetened condensed milk and beat again.  Add vanilla and lemon juice, blend.  Get all lumps out.  
Take a cookie scoop and put 1 scoop of the cream cheese mixture into each tart shell. Jiggle the mixture to smooth it out.  You can use the back of a small spoon to make the center a bit concave if you want.  It holds the berries better that way.


If you are serving immediately, go to the next step.  If not, put in frig or freezer until serving.

When serving:
Strain the berries and fill the little tart shells with them, carefully piling them up a bit. You may have a little bit leftover....eat it!

**Now, take the strawberry jam and heat it for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
Remove and stir in the lemon juice. Mix well.  (This is also optional)

Gently drizzle the jam mixture over the berries....this will act as a binder once it cools.


Place in the frig for a bit to set the jam or eat right away. 

Before serving, add a tiny dollop of cool whip and a cutesy cupcake topper!


Then step back and watch your son toss the topper into the trash and shove the entire tart in his mouth in 2 bites!

It makes me so happy when I make stuff up on the fly and everyone loves it!!!!

Mosaic Monday

I made this "Potter Person" years ago and thought she was perfect to share today.

Patriotic Patty is wearing her favorite star spangled earrings and red hot lipstick!

Happy Independence Day!