Blog Award

I received my first Blogger Award!
Joy at Mommas kinda crafty nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award.

Rules for receiving the award are:

1. Thank the person who gave me the award
2. Share 7 things about myself
3. Pass the award on to 15 (sorry...didn't get to that many) fabulous bloggers
4. Contact the bloggers I have picked and let them know about their award!


Thank you so much,  Joy!


Here it goes...
1. I am originally from California but have lived most my life in the great state of Texas!


2. I am afraid of heights.  Really afraid.


3. I'd much rather be vacationing on a beach than anywhere else.


4. Pizza might be my favorite food.  Or anything sweet and cakey or brownies.


5. Although I love the great state of Texas I hate the summer heat.


6. I love planning and throwing parties.


7. I want to be a photographer when I grow up.

I am passing this award to:

Wendy @ Edible Nutrition

Lesli @ All Things Mom

Britney @ My Saving Grace

Strawberry-Orange Cream Pops

It's getting, I mean, it IS hot outside!  I have a feeling it's going to be a long hot summer filled with nasty humidity here in north Texas.  Yuck!  I found a recipe for Strawberry-Orange Cream Pops that looked delicious.  I was going to wait until after my daughter finished pre-school but decided we'd go ahead and make them this week.  We'll make them again for sure!  They are quite easy and you can play around with the ingredients and add different fruits to your liking (or whatever you may have on hand).

Ingredients:

1 container (8 oz) strawberry flavored yogurt 

3/4 cup orange juice

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups froze strawberries

1 packet sugar substitute

6 (7 oz) paper cups - or whatever you have!

6 wooden sticks

1 popsicle is 1 WW pt.  

I used a 6 oz container of Yoplait Light.

If you or your kiddos are anxious drink one as a smoothie!

Frozen and ready to eat!

Yummy!!

Perfect summer treat!

Linking to:

Somewhat Simple

Pantry Make-over

Has your pantry ever gotten out of control?  Mine sure did! 

{Before}

I knew it was time for some organization to happen in here!  I went on a hunt for some sturdy plastic canisters and settled on round canisters (I wanted square) at Home Goods. I cleaned everything out of the pantry and threw some things away.  Then I filled up my new clean canisters and neatly put things back in the pantry.

{After}

 After all the shelves were nice and organized I printed off these super cute labels off Carina's Nirvana.  I cut them using my rotary paper trimmer (thanks, Dad!) and attached them using photo corners.  I even used one of the blank labels for "oats".  I loved them way my pantry looks now.  I could really go overboard and buy more canisters but I think my husband wouldn't appreciate the cost! :)

How exciting!!

This is a first for me.  Today I was featured on a blog.  I can't believe it.  I clicked on my dashboard and I saw my chore chart pop up and a blurb about it.  On The Creative Crate there's a nice little feature linking back to my posting.  Click here to see her post. So exciting!  I guess I better put my creative cap back on and start thinking of something next. :)  Now I have a cute button on the left side bar that says "I was featured".  Oh, the little things that excite me these days!!

Happy Thursday!

Chore Chart!

I've been looking online for months and months for a chore chart for my 4 year old.  I tried one that you create online and they click the things they do daily but that was too much work{for me :)}and I didn't like the idea of her being on the computer every day.  I'd see some online but think they were too basic, or I'd find one I'd like but it didn't have quite what I needed for our home.  I finally came up with my own idea!

I made this chore chart with:
clip board - wooden $1.99 at Target
scrapbook paper
Mod Podge
Paper Cutter
Scissors
clothes pins
Chores printed on paper
sponge brush

Every morning the clothespins start on the right side.  After she does each chore she moves a clothes pin over to the left side next to the chore completed.  I have a calendar where I put a sticker on every day she completes her chores and then she gets a dollar every week.  She's very excited about this.

Next time I'll print the chores on cardstock rather than printer paper.

Linked up to: The Idea Room link party

Painted Pot

After looking at this special plant grow and grow in its container for years I've finally decided to take the plunge and move it to a bigger pot.  You see this plant is very special to me because one of my students gave it to me my first year teaching during Teacher Appreciation week.  I had a very "tough" class, mainly the boys, and this boy (Ben) was one of the sweetest, kindest boys there could be.  I remember him walking into my classroom with a big smile and red cheeks from embarrassment and he handed me the plant, all the while his mom was standing at the door grinning.  I have not wanted to make the move to a new pot because I'm afraid I'll kill it!  It's been through a move and no longer sits in a window in my old kitchen but on the island in my new kitchen.  I stopped teaching when I had my daughter 4 1/2 years ago.  This plant is 7 years old.  I love it.

I decided I wanted a pot that went with my kitchen, of course.  I wanted one with black and cream.  I bought a terra cotta pot, black and buttercream acrylic paint and a stencil.  This project was actually quite simple and didn't take too long at all.  The paint dries really fast.  The longest part was painting the stencil.  Since I was painting cream over black I painted two coats.  I probably could have used three but I have two kids screaming to play so I stopped at two. :)  I'm not the best painter but I'm not looking for perfection.  After the paint dried I sprayed the pot with a clear coat for protection.

Before

I turned the pot upside down to paint

I traced the stencil with a pencil then painted.

Finished!

New pot with plant! 

(sorry it's dark)

Blueberry Ripple Coffee Cake

I haven't been feeling well lately so I haven't been doing much around here.  I do have a few ideas so stay tuned.  I hope to get creative in the next week or so!

My girlfriends and I are going away for the day and night.  And by away I mean downtown. :)  I'm so excited despite how yucky I feel.  To celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow morning with some of my best friends I made this delicious Blueberry Ripple Coffee Cake.  I can't wait to have some tomorrow morning with a mimosa and then come home and kiss my babies!!

Recipe:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/3 TBL cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 1/4 cup blueberries - I use the whole frozen bag which is approx 2 cups
1 box white cake mix

Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt & butter in a medium bowl.  Set aside.  Prepare cake mix according to directions.  Sprinkle 1/2  of sugar mixture and 1/2 of pecans over bottom of greased 13X9 pan.  Spread cake batter evenly over sugar mixture.  Sprinkle berries and remaining sugar mixture and pecans over cake batter.  Using a knife fold berries and sugar mixture into cake batter for ripple effect.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until done.

I like the pecans fine so I grind them in the mini processor. 

Sugar and butter - YUM!

First layer

Second layer

Ready for the ripple effect

Rippled!

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Picnik

Have you been to the website picnik?  It's a fun photo editing site.  You can use it for free or upgrade for a small fee.  I use the free stuff.  I made the collage for the header of the my blog (and my personal blog) on picnik's site.  It's so easy.  You can do all kinds of fun stuff with your pictures, including changing to black and white, sepia, adding stickers, text, etc.  Go on over and give it a whirl.

Mom*tog giveaway

If you shoot a dSLR camera this is a great giveaway for a book to help you learn how to shoot in manual.