a spoonful of..

Blurb book and more changes

2012-02-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

Yep, just like the inside of this house,

I have been rearranging the blog again.

The shamrocks are gone already.

Seems that I failed to realise that Mardi Gras is this Tuesday.

I was thinking that it was later in March.

It's time to do some Mardi Gras'ing around here!

~ minus the boobie beads.

Sally's high school interview went great!!!

We should know by early next week if she's in for sure.

My blog book arrived yesterday and it is awesome.

I did this one a little different,

highlighting events and things in alphabetical order.

It is filled with some great days, fun trips, good recipes and tons of photos tossed in.

Many people have asked who I use to create the books.

The company that I use to create my books is BLURB.

They have a great FREE program that you download to your computer to create your books,

there are many templates and ideas to choose from.

I used to love scrap booking.. until I met blurb.

Now, I put everything together on the computer, there is no mess and no bulky books.

The cost of a large hardback book varies with how many pages the book is.

Last years book is hardback and was over 400 pages and cost $90.00

This years book is also hardback and 125 pages and cost $50.00

.. but think about this,

add the cost of printing your photos, buying the supplies.. paper, stickers, glue, scrapbook..

and you've already paid for it.

Plus.. remember to search Blurb coupon codes online for a discount!!

Have a great night all!

Pretties, New coffee table and a little bit of spring fever

2012-02-15T20:02:00.000-05:00

First, are these little falling shamrocks annoying?

I know that sometimes graphics and music can cause the blogs to load slow.. so if anyone is having a problem let me know and I will take them off.

Who is ready for spring??

We have had so many mild winter days that I am ready to put the cushions on the patio furniture and set up the deck.

I can't wait!

We are all feeling much better now.

Thank you for all of the well wishes.

Isn't this little tablescape pretty?

I found that crackled yellow pitcher at a store in the mall called Kirklands.

It was on clearance for $10.00

Everything I put in it looks good

and it seems to fit in with any room of the house.

I liked it so much that I went back and bought another one today.

Earlier this week I went to on a thrift store mission to find a "new" coffee table.

I wanted something brighter and smaller then that old chest that I was using.

I found many oval shaped tables that I didn't want

and then, at my third stop I found this amazing little dresser.

All that is needed was an inside cleaning and some tightening of the fixtures.

A few fresh coats of cream colored paint

And I had myself a great little table for just $30.00.

gosh I LOVE thrift stores!!!!!!

I love when I have a piece of furniture that I can put anything on it

and it looks good.

That's my first blog book and the cool airplane that Paul got for Christmas this year.

While I am showing random things, I did some home shopping the other night.

What is home shopping?

Home shopping is when I go up to the third floor with an empty laundry basket and fill it with goodies for the house.

Like these geraniums, I know that it is not even spring yet.. but I just couldn't help it.

I need some reminders of summer.

I even brought down the sail boat to put on the shelf that is now back in the living room.

I broke the frame while rearranging things so I sat the picture (below) on the shelf for the time being.

That's my girls back in 09.

I can't believe that it's been that long since Michelle graduated high school.

What else is hard to believe is that Sally will start high school is September.

Tomorrow morning we have an interview with the school that she hopes to attend.

Keep your fingers crossed!

This picture just warms my heart. I am so proud of these girls.

Look at this guy.

What a dirtball!!!!

He stinks, his coat feels funky and he is a tangled mess

... but lucky for him, he is still a cutie pie.

I see a few dog baths in my future.

I have been working on a few new books.

This is the silly cover to my new 2011 blog book.

It was shipped a few days ago and I just cant wait to get my hands on it.

The other book is a summer cookbook that I hasn't sent to the press yet.

It is going to be a thank you gift for Sally's middle school teachers.

I will be sure to share them both once they arrive.

Have a fantastic Thursday everyone.

See you all very soon.

xoxox

2012-02-09T08:13:00.000-05:00

Sending February love your way.

It has been interesting around here,

first the nasty head cold that made it's rounds through the house

and now a funky stomach virus.

Yuck.

I hope that you are all well and smiling.

See you soon.

xoxo

random post

2012-01-30T13:41:00.001-05:00

The cold that I have been avoiding for over a year has finally caught me.

The past few days have been a haze of fevers, hot tea and lots of wadded up Kleenex.

Michelle has made sure that I have a plentiful supply of delicious peppermint tea and chicken soup from the Cafe that she works at. It's been a lifesaver!

Today, I am up, moving around. I even pushed to vacuum. What I really need to do is shampoo this carpet and furniture. Maybe tomorrow.

The Internet was installed on Thursday, it works good.. but Comcast did a lousy job installing the cable wires on the outside of the house.   We are very unhappy with the service thus far.   Not a good sign.

The main water drainage pipe rusted and broke and now when you shower or wash dishes all of the water ends up on the basement floor.   Thankfully it is in the utility area close to the floor drain.    Paul is trying to fix it today.

I finally sent an email inquiry to a company that I have wanted to work for for a long time but was to afraid to do it.    It is time that I stop dreaming about it and do it!   Now, keep your fingers crossed that they contact me.

I have a confession to make.
Have I told you about this love affair that I am in?

Yes, as much as I try to fight it, I am madly in love.
I just can't keep my eyes and hands off!
It has been going on since December and we're inseparable.
We're always in bed together, snuggling up on the sofa,   you can even find us sneaking around in parking lots and restaurants.

His name is Mr Kindle Fire.

It is 7 1/2 inches, small enough to fit inside of my purse yet large enough for me to enjoy the screen.

It had me at hello.   I purchased two kindle fire's for my daughters for Christmas, and then after playing with one, I decided to keep it and give the youngest daughter a laptop instead. ( She will need the computer for high school next year anyway).   Both Michelle and I love our Kindles so much that Paul wanted one too.. so we got him one.

On the kindle I can visit my favorite blogs and websites.

Watch my favorite movies

and those guilty pleasure television shows that I missed.

I can read great books without my reading glasses

(since I make the font very large)

I can log in my daily calorie count and read and write email.

I can play a some of my favorite games like bejeweled, farkle and solitaire.

Although I have been weening myself out of them, I can check my Twitter and Facebook.

and I can watch the live web cam action at our favorite Florida beach.

Mr Kindle, I love you!

Here are a few more random things from around the house.

I found these awesome reversible place mats at Tuesday Morning last week. Flip them over and they are red with white polka dots.

And this little truck..

That reminds me of my grandfather's old green one.

I can just hear the horn now...

Bah-ung-gah!

The paper whites that Michelle gave me for Christmas are budding.

I have had this little picture for a while.

One day , My old boss handed it to me ..

"Tinkerbell, This has your name written all over it!"

I have to admit,

It was perfect for me.

Pearl says Hello.

He is mad with me this morning,

Since his mother Michelle has to work he is resigned to his cage this afternoon.

Last week I made Sally some of her favorite Chocolate covered marshmellows and oreo's.

Needless to say,

The plate is empty now.

Can you tell that I love animal prints?

The coat in the center belonged to my grandmother.

I am guessing that it is from the 60's.

It's my fav!

I think that is enough randomness for one day.

I hope that you all are well and having a great start to this new week.

I can't believe that it is almost February.

It will be spring time before we know it.

Subway art

2012-01-24T18:45:00.000-05:00

There is a first time for everything

and I've had a few firsts this week.

I am experiencing one as I sit in a comfy chair with my skinny mocha latte

and suck up free Starbucks Wifi service.

Technically not free.. since the coffee costs about $5 bucks.

My Internet service is out and will not be restored/ replaced until Thursday.

Although the circumstances were somewhat stressful and it sucks being without Internet,

I am extremely happy and excited about getting a new network.

Maybe now, I can load photos for my blog in less then an hour.

Another first,

I finally made an attempt at making subway art.

After rearranging the living room I needed wanted a little something different for one of the walls.

I started out with the $3 Renoir that I bought at the goodwill.

~ Lord I hope that it wasn't an original, because I painted over the picture with white.

Then I decided that I couldn't paint, stencil or freehand the words that I wanted

so i broke out the Cricut machine.

I haven't used this thing in over a year.

Why?

Because it makes a huge mess!

I taped white paper over the picture and used a pencil to plan out my pattern.

Then used the Cricut to cut different fonts and sized words.

Finally I glued them into place on the painted surface

and poured on some awesome EnviroTex finish.

And this is what I ended up with.

It is not perfect.

In fact, stupid me forgot that we are in a new year and put 2011 instead of 12.

Ughhh!

There are many special things listed on there,

The numbers represent all of our ages this year.

and If you are wondering,

Hart Miller Island is the special place that we take our boat in the summer

and the Awesome 660 is the name of Paul's bike.

I like it.

Remember, if you don't hear from me

I am suffering from internet withdraws.

Don't be mad. : )

Hope you all have a fantastic week.

special valentines

2012-01-23T11:25:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that I still have these sweet little Valentines cards from my childhood.

My mom saved and dated every one.

( I am no where near that organized.)

Above are a few from my still best friend Sherry.. ( before she could even spell my name right)

This one ( below) is from my grandparents in 1976.

The funny thing is..

I can still remember receiving a few of them.

Last year the girls and I started a new Valentines tradition.

It started with a request from a fellow blogger Melinda at Country Dreaming who had asked her readers to make some valentine cards to send to the kids at the Kansas City Children's Hospital.

It was such a great project that the girls and I were excited to do it again this year.

We bought a few supplies, made some hot chocolate and spent

this cold January day together creating joy for not only some special children, but for ourselves as well.

As we laughed and chatted the whole time.

The girls really get into making these happy cards.

Now, they are all sealed with a kiss and ready to be sent.

Please join us and Melinda in sending some extra love to some kids who need a smile.

For more information visit Country Dreaming.

As well as donating the cards to the Kansas City kids

we are also creating Valentines for our own Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital.

I saw this awesome idea on Pinterest and thought that they would be perfect.

These are just a few test samples.

Now that I know how easy that are to make..

We've got about 100 more to go!

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Have a fantastic Monday.

Stay warm.

$2 Dollar store Valentines project

2012-01-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

The Valentines pinks and reds are showing up all over the place.

It is a breath of fresh air to see all of these fun winter valentines recipes and projects on the blogs lately.

I have got a cheap decorating idea to share.

Remember last year we made the valentines garland with paper dollar tree doilies?

They were so easy.

Just use ribbon and tie each heart together until you have a long strand of hearts.

This years Dollar Tree Valentines project is even easier then that.

Total cost: $2.00

I bought 2 rolls of wrapping paper, one red, one pink.

Peel the plastic back about 4 inches and gently rip the paper off of the roll like shown below.

fold the paper like a accordion

Use the same technique that you used when you were a little girl making long strands of paper dolls

and cut out a heart shape ~ Leaving the sides connected.

Pull apart..

... don't forget to decorate your little helper with the scraps.

Wave Hi to Leslie.

As you can see,

I rearranged the furniture in the living room again.

I was really in the mood for some change and some color.

Along with those tubes of wrapping paper

I also bought a package of little foam heats at the Dollar Tree.

I hot glued the hearts to some ribbon for hanging.

This place is a hot pink and red mess!!

There is a photo on pinterest that I love.

I gotta show you..

I don't really care for the stuff in the room..

but I love the color of the cabinet and the wallpaper together.

so pretty.

It has me thinking about painting this white cheapo china cabinet that same color.

I think that It would be very complimentary with the red wallpaper.

What do you think?

Should I go for it?

Hope that you all have a fantastic weekend!!!

An early Valentine and some Purple mania

2012-01-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a year so far.

No, there is nothing exciting happening..

I've just been ~~busy~~ consumed with other things going on.

Some good.. some bad.
but nothing that a little time can't fix.

How crazy is this?

I've still got my December header up and I am about to show you guys some Valentine decorations.

I REALLLY needed some color around this house.

...and a sure way for me to get rid of the winter blues,

is to hang out on the Sun porch.

It is mismatched and full of house hand-me-downs

and I love it.

It is happy.

You can't get much happier that pinks and reds.

There is such a hodgepodge of pillows on the day bed.

Everything gets thrown here.

See this adorable Boston Terrier pillow?

Sally made it for me for Christmas.

Super cute!!

The craft side of the room is all cleaned and organized.

Now.. I just need to create something.
Anything!

The welcoming committee is this sweet duck who happens to be sporting some Baltimore Raven's Purple and Black.

This was a gift from a man that works with Paul. The man, who has since passed away, made it for me after my mom died. It was very touching!

Speaking of Black and Purple,
Yesterday, The boys had a good time watching Baltimore battle Houston in the Playoff game.
I had fun just listening to their football smack talk.
This town is going crazy with thier Raven's mania.
I am going to try to take the camera out this week and show off some of this purple pride.

Since the Raven's won, Paul didn't mind to much that I put my pretty purple headband on Sharky.

hmmm.. just got an idea, I think that I might paint all of the dogs nails purple this week! : )

Today, I've been a little busy getting the house rearranged.

Finally, I think I've got it the way I want it. sheeesh.

I will be back later this week with some more Valentines fun.

Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Random bits and a coffee with the canine interview

2012-01-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends. Happy Friday!!!    What a nice first week of January.
I am slowly getting the house back to normal.    With all of the decorations that hang around the house from October ~ New years, my house looks naked after I pack all of the stuff away.   It takes me forever to get things looking good again.

Like the rest of you, there has been cleaning and lots of organising.    Dr Phil.. Help me! I am driving myself crazy with the need to get these things in order.

I am looking forward to the weekend, doing a few fun projects and some good cooking. I hope.   I've got the ingredients for a couple of Paula Deens recipes.
It is a new year filled with skinny dreams ..
I really need to stop watching her show.

Actually her son Bobby Deen has a new show out called "Not My Mama's Cooking" and I think that he lightens up his mothers recipes.   I need to check the television schedule for that one.
No more Buttah!

Last week I was asked to do the coffee with a canine interview at one of my favorite blogs coffeecanine
Click here to read my interview and be sure to stick around to read so more, there are some amazing pets profiled there.

Hope you all have a fun weekend.

check your smoke detectors

2012-01-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

I had planned on doing this post last week but the time got away from me.

After complaining about our crazy Christmas I felt a little guilty after watching the news the next day and seeing that tragic fire in Connecticut. Such a sad story.

(courtesy of ABC news)
The Christmas morning fire at a Connecticut home that killed three girls and their grandparents was started by fireplace embers that had been cleared out of the fireplace and put in either a mud room attached to the house or a trash enclosure next to it, fire officials said today.

It is unclear whether there were smoke alarms in the house, which was in the middle of an extensive renovation.
Lomer Johnson, his wife Pauline Johnson and their three granddaughters, Lily, 10, and 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah, were killed in the fire. The couple's daughter Madonna Badger, the mother of the girls, survived along with her friend and contractor Michael Borcina.

I dedicate this post to that family,
My heart is with Madonna Badger and my prayers remain with her and her family.

Flashback to June 24th, 1984

I was 12 years old that summer, school was out of session and we had just got "super Tv" .. the poor mans version of cable television.

We lived in a rented apartment on the second floor of a row house in the east side of Baltimore city.

It was a neat little apartment with only one bedroom which we took turns sleeping in.

Some nights my mom and step dad would sleep on the sofa bed in the living room and I would take the bedroom and then we'd switch..

I didn't mind because when it was my turn to sleep on the sofa bed I could stay up and watch movies on Super Tv.

The night of June 23'rd it was my turn to sleep in the living room.

Oh the joy.. I was very excited about that.

It was June, it was hot, and we had just got our very first air conditioner

which was installed in the living room window .

That night I did not unfold the sofa bed.. but instead put my blankets on the floor in front of the television,

where my dog Snuggles and I fell asleep watching the Harrison Ford movie, High Road to China ( it was the only thing on that night)

Early the in the morning of the 24th

I was woken by Snuggles, who was barking and digging at my blankets.

I remember a few things at that moment.

My throat burned and our brown plaid sofa was glowing orange

where the wall behind it was a wall of fire.

I ran to the bedroom screaming to my mom.

The house is on fire.

It all happened so fast.

My mom was frantically searching for clothes to put on.

My step dad was running back and forth to the kitchen for water to pour on the fire that was only engulfing the room.

They yelled for me to get out.. to call the fire department.

I cried as I carried my dog through the back door, down the fire escape ( where I fell and got a nasty gash on my shin ~ which I still have the scar to remind me)

I don't think that I really needed to use the fire escape.. but it was there and back then, I thought that was what I was supposed to do.

I ran to the houses on the corner, beating on several doors.

I don't remember which one answered first.. Whoever it was, I told them our house was on fire and to call the fire department.

That was the last time I saw that little house that my mom worked so hard to make a home.

The fire was electrical, caused by plugging the new air conditioner into a small extension cord.

Since it was electrical, the power cut off , silencing the old plug in smoke detector.

We were all safe that day, but we lost most of our belongs to fire, smoke and water damage.

I remember my mom sitting outside on the curb crying that we lost all of the photographs.. all of our memories..

and a fireman said to her..

"You are lucky. Your family is safe and alive to make new memories."

It was a quote that I will never forget.

The red cross was a tremendous help to our family, they helped with a down payment on renting a new place, gave us vouchers to purchase essential furniture and provided food until my parents could back on their feet.

It's been 28 years since that dreadful morning and I still remember it like yesterday.
I am still cautious about plugs and cords and I am very paranoid about having electrical cords go under the beds.

There is something that I slack on...
Something extremely dangerous..
I neglect our smoke detectors.
Since I have this talent for setting them off when I cook,
we pull the batteries out to quiet them,
and neglect to put the batteries back in.

My first order of business this new year was to refresh the batteries in our existing smoke detectors and to purchase a few new ones.

It is important that I take the few minutes that it takes to make sure that they are working correctly..

A few minutes.. could save the lives of my family.

The proper areas for smoke detectors is to have one on each floor near the stair case and one in each sleeping area.

Please take a few minutes to check your smoke detectors too.

The best of 2011 and wishes for a wonderful new year

2011-12-31T17:45:00.000-05:00

As I start out this last day of 2011

I give thanks that we had a safe, happy and relatively healthy year.

2011 was a good year for the spoonful family

Here are some of my favorites times..

Summer crabs.. ummm how I would love some right now.

Sunny days out on the boat.

Creating the spoonful blog book.. one of my favorite possessions.

The October weekend trip to Dover with Paul, we had such a wonderful time.

Halloween at the spoonful house

Creeping around those abandoned buildings was spooky fun.

The new jeep.. I still love it.

The easy kitchen floor redo.

Florida.. just a short 6 months ago.

Our favorite time is night time when the gulf breeze is warm and the drinks are cold

Disney World ~ it was neat to finally get to see it.

Who doesn't love these flower cup cakes.

Bean and berry picking

Jamming out at the Rush concert

Freezing toes and fingers off while tubing.

Saying Goodbye to our 6yr old carnival fish, Goldie.

A festive, happy and BUSY christmas season.

What a wonderful year with so much to be thankful for.

I pray that 2012 will be even better.

Everyone has been feeling better since Christmas,

What a christmas to remember and yes.. laugh at.

Thank you for all of your well wishes.

We are breaking in this new year quietly,

with some steamed shrimp, taco salad, more ice cream sundae's and maybe some Wii bowling.

Tomorrow.. I will begin the "undecorating" process.

I wanted to show you all the new curtains that I bought for the kitchen,
Don't they look gooood?

I also bought this pretty new table clothe to start out the new year.
Both the curtains and table clothe are part of the Country Living collection at Kmart.

I bought this little wire rack with some christmas money last week..

I would have never thought to hang it on the door..

but it was the only space available.

and once I hung it.. I was perfect.

Happy 2012!!!

May you all have a safe, happy and healthy new year.

Thank you for your friendships!!!!

xoxox

a Christmas redo?

2011-12-26T08:35:00.001-05:00

I want to pretend that Christmas hasn't come yet.

I want to pretend that this wasn't the most dysfunctional family Christmas in Spoonful history.

Yes, Lets pretend that Grandma Spoonful was not sick those few days before Christmas and unable to spend Christmas eve and Christmas morning with us as she normally does.

Thankfully she was feeling better and Paul made the drive to PA to pick her up since she still wasn't comfortable driving.

I want to pretend that we were all home and that we enjoyed our traditional Christmas breakfast.

I will pretend that all of the work that went into making the Struffoli was worth it and that it was as delicious as it was pretty.

Paul and I did have fun rolling the little dough balls.

If you look at the dough closely you can see what happens when men help with the cooking.

I want to pretend that Paul did not feel ill and start throwing up just as our guests arrived and dinner was ready be served.

Some kind of stomach bug attacked him and he has been in bed since 4:00 pm yesterday.

Although the dinner was delicious ( thankfully something was going right)

I would like to pretend that while seated at the table ready to eat, that my oldest daughter didn't flip out on my neighbor for no reason.

I would also like to pretend that I did not let the stress and emotions of the situation get to me

and that I did not lose my cool , scream and drop the F bomb at our Christmas dinner table.

I would like to pretend that we spent the evening playing games, laughing and reflecting as we normally do.

Yes, Virginia.. I would like a Christmas redo!

I swear, If the oldest daughter didn't have to work today

I would be tempted to rewrap the gifts and start over.

The important thing is that we were all here.. at some point.. whether it was screaming at the dining room table or hanging a head over the toilet..

We were all home and we all love each other.

Sheeesh!

Merry Christmas.

Oh.. and I almost forgot,
I would like to pretend that I washed all of the diner dishes last night after I got home from driving grandma spoonful back to Pennsylvania.

Happy Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Christmas Eve Dear Friends!!!!!

All of the work is done

and the children are snug in there beds waiting for Santa to arrive.

It has been a fantastic few days here in the Spoonful house.

We are gonna spend tonight just like we did last night..

playing games and eating ice cream sundae's.

We spent this afternoon watching the Raven's game, nibbling on snacks and this yummy vegetable tree that Sally and I made.

It was very easy to make..

first you use tooth picks and pin lettuce over a Styrofoam cone.

and then you decorate your tree with cherry tomatoes, radishes, peppers, olives, pepperoni, broccoli and stars make of cheese.

Yum Yum!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Merry Christmas!

I hope that you all have a blessed Christmas and that all of your wishes come true.

oh.. and P.S

I snuck out earlier and put the new seat on the boat to see how it will look..

He's gonna love it!

Here is a quick peek.

Have a wonderful day tomorrow.

a pre christmas slow update

2011-12-22T00:59:00.000-05:00

My goodness!
I have been trying to update this blog for a week.
Each time I start, I end up getting involved in something else.

I am determined that I am not going to bed until I finish!

With only 3 days before Christmas,
this post is chock full of pictures.

Have I ever shown you guys my favorite decoration?

Many many years ago when Paul and I were first married
we used to paint a lot of plaster pieces..
and he made this one.

Isn't it the perfect Christmas decoration!

Before I go any farther...

Thank you all very very much for the wonderful Birthday wishes.
It was a great day!

The girls made me some fantastic birthday surprises.

They baked a cake.

Made some awesome Twilight Christmas tree ornaments.

...and my favorite, they made these pretty jars filled with pine trees and snow.

Since our little fishy died last week,

we removed the aquarium from the shelf in between the living room and kitchen

and it is the perfect place to display these great jars.

There used to be a doorway there..

years ago, Paul closed it off to give us some more space in both rooms.

That side of the kitchen is always cluttered ~ which is why I hardly take pictures of it.

(Microwave cart, aquarium, plastic dog food containers)

I did some rearranging while cleaning the other day

and I brought this chest up from the basement.

It works well there.. don't ya think?

Wondering what is inside of it?

When you have three dogs... you need to store a lot of dog food!

Yes, I changed the tablecloth AGAIN.

See the new cupcake sign that I bought at Hobby Lobby..

Although, It is a little to big for my small kitchen

It was love at first sight.

I had to have it!

After Christmas I am going to make some new kitchen curtains

~ something to compliment the new sign.

Here is the real tree in the living room with the traditional cow on top.

I guess I should fix the tree skirt..
I accidentally sucked it up in the vacuum today.

Stymie is ready for Santa!

Actually.. he's waiting for me to leave the room so he can sneak up unto the sofa to take a nap.

In the dining room, presents are wrapped and ready to distribute the the neighbors.
See that Crate and Barrel box..
The tag has my name on it.
Wooohooo.
I can't wait to see what's inside.

I am finished working on Paul's Christmas gift.
Here is the seat that I am replacing .

Can you say YUCK!

I got a new cushion for the back of the seat.

For the bottom,

The new wood as been cut, primed, sanded and painted white.

The cushion is in place and it looks awesome.

If I get a free moment when Paul is not around

I will put it on the boat and show you all the finished seat.

I can't wait to give it to him.

He's gonna love it.

Tonight I made this Mountain Dew Cake for my Mountain Dew'oholic boss..

but I think that I might keep it. lol

Well friends..

it is almost 1:00am and I have to be at work in seven hours..

I think that I need to go to bed.

Have a great Thursday!!!!

40..WHAT!!

2011-12-16T05:30:00.020-05:00

Guess who's having a birthday today?

That's right

It's time to celebrate and reflect.

Today my body is 40!

My spirit however.. is still stuck somewhere in the early 20's!

The words roll from my lips like a bitter whiskey..

40.

The year that I met Paul I was just 17...

and now..

Let me just say it again.

40.

Yikes.

I'll be back..

I am going out in search of a time machine.

Have a wonderful Friday friends.

xoxo

Spoonful gingerbread house

2011-12-12T16:43:00.000-05:00

If the little yellow spoonful cottage was made of candy..

The steps would be made of chocolate, the siding made of peanut brittle

and a yummy M&M wreath would greet you at the door.

If the spoonful house was made of candy..

The roof would be licorice

and the trim would be sour lemon heads and gum drops.

Yellow gumdrop lights would shine through the gram cracker windows

While peppermint awnings shield the sugary icicles.

Our neighbor would be this cute little green cottage

with marsh mellow trim and gumball door knobs.

This is how the construction begun...

Tired of having my gingerbread collapse

I molded a house from cereal boxes and duct tape.

We had a palette of yummy sweets

Sally made a traditional gingerbread house

While I wanted to create one that resembled our house.

There was a lot giggling and munching.

Sharky kept a close eye on the situation

Please mom.. just one.

Mooching is obviously very exhausting!

It wasn't very long before Sharky needed a nap.

Have a great new week.

xox

a little bedroom tour, yummy pretzels and some BFF's

2011-12-09T07:19:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Friends.

Happy Friday!

What a week...

Are you all out of your minds busy?

I just can't seem to catch up with anything.

I did get a chance to put my Christmas linens on the bed

and add some minor Christmas decorations to our bedroom.

This room really needs a makeover.

Since my mom loved snow

it is only fitting that she is in a snow globe.

The sled on the wall ~ is always there ~

and belonged to Paul when he was just a boy.

This room is cozy and neat..

until you see the big picture.

There are flaws and things that need mending.

Our roof started leaking this fall

and now the ceiling needs to be replaced.

This spring the whole room is getting made over.

It's actually going to shrink a bit as we add a little hallway to the entrance of our attic.

I'll take y'all up on the 3rd floor soon.

I have slowly been clearing out the junk collection up there.

Eventually I am going to make a little sitting room for Paul and I.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How yummy do these look?

I got the idea and instructions from my Cousin in Law, Katharine

at Just a Thought.

Thanks Katharine

... they are as easy as they are delicious.

I ran out of M&M's!

I will leave you all with some sweet pictures of some best friends.

(Can you see Darla's fancy Christmas toenails)

Darla is now 8 and Sharky 3

and they play and fight all day long.

until they get sleepy

Three years ago this week

we brought this sweet Golden puppy home

and he and Darla have been best pals ever since.

Stymie the lab.. he's more of a loner and prefers to sleep in our bed with us!

Have a great weekend everyone.
xo

Christmas in the kitchen

2011-12-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday!

I've got this blog on autopilot this week since it's been another busy one.

I am so happy that it's the weekend!

Isn't this the cutest napkin ring?

They were a gift from an old blog friend and I just adore them.

For whatever reason.. I really like them with the blue plaid napkins.

Since I had bought the new pottery barn napkin rings for the dining room

I needed to find a new home for these sweet little trees.

They fit in the kitchen perfectly.

I love the softness of the colors of this table scape..

I am mixing plaids ~ but I think that since they are different sizes that they work together..

~ what do you think?

The snowman dishes are Debbie Mum..

They were a gift from my old neighbor many years ago

and they never get old.

I still love them.

I almost want to change the red checked curtains..

I have some extra green "table cloth" material to make some

.. but do I feel like doing it

~NO!

Have a seat and make yourself at home.

~ here are some fresh delicious Pecan Tarts to go with your coffee.

(gosh.. wouldn't that be fun. There are so many of you that I would love to chill with, talk to and learn from)

PECAN TARTS
(from Cooks.com)

1 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

2 egg yolks

2 c. flour

Mix all together, press evenly into tart pans and bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

FILLING:

1/2 c. butter

1/3 c. dark Karo syrup

1 c. confectioners' sugar

1 c. pecans (or walnuts)

Cook over heat until bubbly. Take off stove; add nuts. Spoon in shells. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans.

Have a wonderful weekend.
xo
L

It's begining to look a lot like christmas

2011-11-30T09:35:00.002-05:00

Wow.. everyone is decked out for christmas already.

I've seen so many gorgeous ideas, treats and goodies

that I am almost back in the blogger mode.

Now.. if my internet will only cooperate!

It was a great Thanksgiving in the spoonful house..

and now we are head first into those bins of christmas decorations.

I made these little christmas tree cupcakes to take to work on Black Friday

They are just a boxed yellow cake mix

and butter cream icing with a sprinkle of peppermint extract and green dye.

The dining room is fully decorated now,

The coca cola pail makes a green centerpiece.

Peek~a~boo!

Stymie loves the christmas tree..

He knows that he's been a good boy and that soon there will be lots of treats under the tree for him.

These two however..

are getting coal!

They are only worried about the squirrels outside.

I love how christmas decorations make me feel all cozy.

Unlike Halloween ~ which I also love ~

there is something tranquil about tucking fresh greens and pine cones around the house.

It makes me want to curl up with good book and a great cup of coffee.

... oh, and some homemade chocolate cookies.

I found these beautiful napkin rings at Pottery Barn.

It was love at first sight.

The place mats and cookie plates came from Target.

This wooden advent calender also came from Target.

I have always wanted one of them!

Those branches from Halloween are still hanging from the ceiling.

Now they hold snowflakes and the effect is amazing.

The christmas shopping is almost done..

I have a major project for Paul that I am working on and still waiting on parts to come.

Shhhh... I am making him new bench seats for his boat

( the seats at the bow of the boat)

How about you all.. how's the shopping coming along?

See you all soon

10 things about me ~ Christmas version

2011-11-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

I found this survey online and thought that it would be a fun way to get the Christmas blogging started.

10 things about me - Christmas version

What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Well, there are two movies that I could watch over and over during the Christmas season.

The first and my all time favorite is Home Alone. I love the whole ambiance of this movie, especially the music and the house. What a dream house that is, it makes me want to go upstairs and clean my attic. : )

My second favorite is Christmas Vacation. I think that I love this one because we all can relate to the Griswold's. Most relatable situation ~ the huge Christmas tree. We spent many Christmases cutting down a tree that was waaaaay to big for our small living room. The trees always look smaller in the woods. Oh, and I admit to once or twice making a crispy turkey.

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Again, I could never choose just one Christmas song. I just love Christmas music.

One of my very favorites is Christmas Cannons ~

but I also love those traditional songs that I used to sing along to as a kid.

Anything off of the Beach Boy's Christmas album always puts me in the spirit.

It was my moms favorite and she would always play the record while we were decorating the house.

It brings back such fond memories of christmassing with my mom.

Do you have a nativity scene?

3 of them actually.

I have a very beautiful nativity that my mother in law bought my many years ago.

An adorable manger scene that Sally made in 2nd grade.

and a teeny tiny set that I bought at the dollar tree.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

I feel that it is important to remember the true meaning and reason for Christmas.

What is your favorite Christmas animation?

This one is easy.

Rudolf!

In fact, it is on tomorrow ( Tuesday) night at 8:00pm.

What is your favorite childhood Christmas memory?

Any memories with my mom. My mom loved Christmas! We were dirt poor growing up and my mom always made the best of it. She gave me the most wonderful Christmases.

We used to color in Christmas coloring books and then she would cut out the pictures and hang them in the windows. We made Christmas trees and candy canes out of construction paper and strung popcorn and paper chains for the tree.

I wish that my kids could have enjoyed those Christmases with my mom

~ they would have loved it.

What was your most memorable gift?

My most memorable and cherished gift came from my grandparents.

It was the first Christmas after my parents divorce and my mom and I moved into my grandparents house with very little belongings.

I was around 10 years old and I loved Barbies.

That year, my pop built me a wooden barbie case

and my grandma decorated it.

Inside, It was jammed packed with Barbie clothes hanging neatly on tiny little coat hangers.

It was the most amazing thing ever!!

This is me with that box a few years later.

almost 30 years later that same Barbie case hangs in my dining room.

It still has the same fixtures but is now rustic white with black stars.

( here it is ( Top Center) back in the summer)

That same Christmas I was spoiled with every Barbie item that you could imagine.

My all time favorite Barbies..

Western Barbie

and Western Ken.

... Whom, I am pretty sure grew up to be

Gov. Rick Perry.

Do you have any Christmas traditions?

Yes. There are a few traditions that our family do every year.

This is Paul and my 22nd Christmas and the one thing that has never changed is our angel tree topper.

Our first Christmas .. we didn't have a topper so he improvised by putting one of my stuffed animals on the top of the tree.

And it is still there.

Only now it has wings and a halo.

I know that the kids would like something "normal".. but I just can't bring myself to change it.

Do you have a special Christmas wish this year?

My Christmas wish this year is the same as it is every year.

Peace, love, health, and happiness to my girls and Paul.

If you could have anything for Christmas what would it be?

Anything..

If I could have anything it would be to have my mom, dad, grandparents and father in law for another Christmas day.

I keep thinking of that Diamond Rio song "One more day"..

If you could spend Christmas anywhere, where would it be?

I never want to be anywhere but here at home with my family and my Kurig coffee maker.

Answering this survey has reminded me of all of the reasons that I love Christmas. I am so excited! Let the Christmassing begin!!!

Happy Holidays.

xoxo

getting ready for the Holidays

2011-11-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

Well Hello again friends.

Sorry about the confusion, no time hasn't passed you by that quickly

I am just getting a head start on my December blogging.

....And now that I have created the new header

I must catch up with all of my favorite blogs.

I know, I've been a crappy bloggy friend lately.

These past few weeks I've been suffering from an overload of work and Halmark Christmas movies.

I just love the cheesy Christmas romance variety.

Work.. that's another story!

We are all ready for Thanksgiving

I think!

Shhhhhh.

Don't tell anyone

but I am cheating this year.

A lot.

I want to enjoy the holiday without ~~stress and~~ a sink full of dishes!

Not only did I already buy prechopped celery and onions for the stuffing

but I also bought frozen cubed potatoes to mash.

oh.. and forget the china and silver

this year it is paper and plastic!

I found this awesome silver plastic flatware at Party City.

Guess what?

There is a Christmas tree up on our sun porch!

Last year I decided that I didn't want to do the big tree on the porch

again.. to much work.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do out there but I really wanted something pretty and easy.

While at the Pottery Barn the other day I fell in love with a tiny tree there.

It's the cutest thing ever.

I didn't buy it and I have been kicking myself all weekend for not getting it.

Last night, Michelle came home from work and handed me a Pottery Barn bag and said,

Happy Early Birthday Mom!!!

...and inside was that lovely little tree.

I simply love it!!!

This morning, I have a date with my two awesome daughters and a crew of Vampires and Werewolves.

Yes, I will be sporting my Edward Tshirt.

Have a fantastic Sunday.

See you all soon.

xoxo

November 14

2011-11-14T21:32:00.000-05:00

Well good gosh,

Has it really been two weeks since Halloween..

Two weeks since I've logged into my blog?

Sorry that I've been M.I.A

it's been a long busy few weeks and I've had a bad case of bloggers block.

I've been knee deep into a bunch of projects.. and working.

Sometimes I guess we all need an Internet break.

I bet that you are all getting excited for Christmas..

I can only imagine all of the great ideas and recipes that I've been missing.

Since I am slacking in my own creativeness

I thought that I would share some of this months favorite things with you all.

I got a sample of this cologne in the mail today

~ one ~~word~~ sniff

HOT!!!

You can bet that Paul is getting this yummy smelling cologne in his Christmas stocking.

The pottery barn Christmas living room.

ahhhhh...

I just love it!

Although, I am betting the that family that lives here doesn't own three CrAzY dogs

that like to do acrobats off of the furniture.

~ Once Upon A Time ~

I finally have something to look forward to on Sunday nights.

I love this new show!

wooohoooo...

It's time.

Just 4 more days!!!!

Who else is excited to see it?

Speaking of Vampires..

Hopefully my newest Harlequin romance novel order will arrive this week.

I've got another load of Christmas books but the one I am looking forward to the most is..

A Vampire for Christmas.

Rahhhhrrrrr!

Vests.

I am currently in a vest craze.

I got an excellent veterans day deal on these two awesome vests at Macy's.

and If I can just loose 6 more pounds by my birthday..

~ I am buying myself this fantastilicious belted (faux) fur vest.

How gorgeous is this!!!

Birthdays!

My little girls are growing up way to fast!!!

Today just happens to be a milestone Birthday in our house ..

Sally is now the big 13!!!

May all of your dreams come true!

Happy Birthday

I love you!

I hope that you all are doing well.

I will be back to normal soon.

Pinky Swear!!!!

Move over ghouls and goblins .. It's time for some change

2011-11-01T16:39:00.000-04:00

Happy November friends!!

Halloween night was much like the month of October,

It went by fast and we had a great time with some friends and family.

The day started like this..

See that ugly man?

That's me ~ dressed up like my boss.

and that lovely lady is my girlfriend who is dressed up like our other awesome boss.

I have known my boss for many years..

I worked for him for a few years before he came to Michael's,

and I have NEVER seen that man laugh so hard!

Big fun!

Halloween night was great,

we walked around with Sally as she trick or treated for the last time,

(another era coming to an end)

we came home, checked candy, baked a snake and sat around a bonfire with a few friends and family.

Today I got an early start getting things done around the house.

I hate to admit it, but y'all probably know this about me anyway..

I love when it's time to pack the Halloween stuff up...

when the ghouls and witches make way for peaceful pilgrims and fall tranquility.

The fall table is set.

Remember those branches and birds that I hung from the (Halloween) dining room ceiling?

I decided that I wanted to keep the branches..

I removed the crows and replaced them with these great paper leaves that I found at the Dollar Tree.

Speaking of leaves..

This afternoon you could have found me creeping around in my neighbors yards

clipping small branches of these beauties.

The trees are gorgeous right now.

The Thanksgiving tablescape

.... so far.

There is much more work to do

and I am looking forward to giving the house a fresh change.

November is a month to be thankful, make great comfort meals, fuzzy socks and flannel sheets, feel good movies and great books ~

I am ready!

Have a fantastic first week of November!

Halloween party, Kitty liter cake and special treats for kids who need them

2011-10-30T19:28:00.000-04:00

Boo!!

It has been a fun few days in the spoonfull house.

Halloween is in full swing around here.

Friday was Sally's Halloween Party and there was lots to do to get ready.

We made some ghost lollipops.

Some chocolate pumpkins and mice.

Pumpkin Ice..

(made from the Candy molds)

The ghost coconut cake

Mice topped cupcakes

We ordered some pizza's

and made some tasty Brain Stew.

The mummy dip seems to be everybody's favorite.

There were lots of crafts to make Masquerade masks.

Darla wanted to make crafts too!!

The masks and the party were great!!

All of the kids did a fine job!

(My camera took lousy photos that night)

Trick Or Treat

A few weeks ago Sally and I filled a bunch of treat bags with these :

100 treat bags

And today we took them down to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center

to share with the children there.

This will be a tradition that we will do every year.

This afternoon I made three pans of this..

Kitty Liter Cake

Ewwwwwwwwww!!!

Hope that you all have a wonderful safe Halloween.

See you in November!!!!

xoxo

More Halloween happenings

2011-10-27T00:07:00.000-04:00

Lots more Halloweening going on in the Spoonful house.

Yesterday I made these delicious whoopie cookies

( the easy recipe is listed in my tags as Christmas Sandwich cookies)

We made a stack for Sally's teacher.

and we made some treat bags for the upcoming Halloween party

You could call this a pumpkin potpie ~

actually it was a beef potpie and we devoured it!

I learned a new trick from my good friend Martha Stewart.

Break open a highlighter pen and put the guts of the pen in warm water

and you get this cool glowing liquid..

and under a black light..

It looks amazing!

This post is dedicated to my old friend who also loved Halloween.

Yesterday, she lost a short terrible battle with lung cancer at the young age of 46.

God Speed Cathy!

Hope that you all are enjoying this last week of October!

Eyeball sandwich

2011-10-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

Since this is the last week before Halloween

I am trying to keep in the spirit of things and make a creepy Halloween themed meal each night.

These olive filled meatballs look a little angry.

The eyeball sandwich

~ served up with some long witch fingers.

I got the idea from my friend Lynn over at Happier then a pig in mud ,

She's been on the ball with the Halloween cooking.

Her eyeball recipe has a Mexican twist

while mine are just plain Italian meatballs stuffed with a big plump juicy olive

and slow cooked in a delicious red sauce.

Boo!

Have a great day everyone.

Halloweening and a new kitchen floor

2011-10-23T16:02:00.000-04:00

Although I've been semi quiet this month

There still has been a lot of Halloween'ing going on in the Spoonful house.

Here are some of what has been going on.

Cookie decorating with a kit that we got at Michael's.

Being the target of this witch's evil spells.

Kitchen floor shopping.

... and installing.

(after watching countless YouTube tutorials on how to install, I learned that I could install these pretty adhesive vinyl planks over top of the existing tile floor)

With a T square and an exacto knife ~ this floor was so easy to put down.

I was finished before Paul even got out of bed.

~ and it only cost me $150.00 and a few sore knees

What do you get when you cross pretzel sticks, munchkins and chocolate?

A yummy acorn!

I've been enjoying my pretty bats , dead hydrangea's and the stained glass ghost given to me by my blogger friend last year.

Making fingers.

.. and toes.

Creating pumpkin topiaries.

Aren't they just gorgeous!

Enjoying battery operated candles.

Finally getting the new black oven hood that we needed.

(OK.. so it is not really new... It's painted!)

Mostly, I've been standing around admiring my new beautiful floor.

I still can't get over how pretty it looks.

For the rest of this evening..

I'm am going to put my blogger running shoes on and visit you all.

xoxo

Hope that everyone is having a wonderful October.

creepy tours

2011-10-18T09:31:00.000-04:00

Cue the scary music!

I am finally in the Halloween mood.

For whatever reason, I've just haven't been in to it this year.

How creepy is that sign..
This past weekend Sally and I, along with a bunch of her friends, classmates and moms,
went to tour the Fort Howard Haunted Dungeons.

It's a lot of fun.. walking through the dark woods being chased by chainsaws and werewolfs!
yeah.. big fun!

Actually, I had more fun during the hours that we snuck around the old hospital grounds.
I admit that this was not one of my good mother moments..
Much to my sweet friend's dismay,
I was a brave mom who helped the kids break into some of the abandoned buildings.

I hafta confess
~ I was scared shitless!

On a good note,
I knew that Sally would be to scared to explore with us..
thankfully, she stayed back with the sensible mom. " )

What do you think about this place?

Haunted?

Sure is beautiful.

There are atleast 12 of these vacant houses on the property ~

This was the first one that we snuck in to.

This is the creepiest picture..

taken by me, looking out of the window.

Kinda reminds me of this...

Scared now?

This is where is really gets fun..

and just a little spooky.

This is Fort Howard Veterans Hospital.

It has been abandoned for about 15 years.

In 1987, My grandfather died at this hospital.

He had a pace maker and was having some sort of trouble,

went to his Dr appointment and had a heart attack on the front steps of the hospital.

Possibly these very steps.

This is a photo of one of the rooms inside..

a few lights were still on.

We explored a few corridoors of the building without going to deep.

Lastlly,

this would be me..

hauling ass out of there!!!

Thanks kids, for letting me remember what it feels like to be an inquisitive 13 year old again.

..and thanks moms, for keeping lookout!

It was a great time!

Hope that you are all having a spook safe fantastic October!!!
xoxox

2011 Halloween Invitations

2011-10-11T20:47:00.000-04:00

Boo!

Sheeesh.. Here it is the 11th day of October

and I am just now getting those Halloween party invitations finished.

I kinda made some quickie invites this year,
(Thanks to some help from some smart chickies at work who gave me the skeleton idea)

And once I got going.. they started to take shape.

First I used some wooden coffins.. painted them black.

I cleared and glittered them

Added the party info on the inside of the "lid" in red paint.

Added some black fuzzy stuff ( like webbing)

and a skeleton

Then I hot glued his feet to the bottom of the coffin

added some white webbing, around the neck of the skeleton and glued to the lid.

~ so that it rises when opened.

Embellished the top with more webs, moss and skulls

And DONE!

all of the supplies came from Michael's.

Have a great Wednesday friends.

a beautiful trip to the cemetary ( Rated Z for Zombies)

2011-10-09T09:39:00.000-04:00

Good Morning.

Happy Sunday!

It looks like it's gonna be another gorgeous fall day.

I am loving this weather.

Yesterday, Sally and I took a trip to my grandparents cemetery.

It is such a beautiful place to visit.

See that building over to the left..

That is where my grandparents rest.

Inside of the mausoleum looks much like this one.

There are four large.. very long hallways filled with vaults.

My grandparents rest on the tippy-top of the last hallway.

Actually, it would be very easy to locate my family there..

Let your eyes search among the beautiful flowers and tributes

and then.. among those pretty things you will find the one family

with kooky glittered skeletons, bats and creepy black gauze.

I suppose you would have to have a sense of humor when you see it.

My grandma, would have loved it!!!

I really wanted to take a picture

but..

I don't know if it's disrespectful to the other souls that lie in rest there.

Plus, I've watched way to many horror movies when I was younger

and the mausoleum is kinda creepy.

Ok.. really, I'm a little afraid of this.

... and the truth is that I left my Zombie survival guide at home!

So no, I didn't take any inside photos of my grandparents cool Halloween decorations because I didn't want to be a Zombie lunch.

I can't run that fast!

Have a wonderful day everyone.

we are off to the pumpkin patch!

Candy Corn Cupcakes and reflections

2011-10-07T22:31:00.000-04:00

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

4 egg whites

Frosting of your choice

Candy corn or other decorations

Directions

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Beat in the egg whites.

(I separated the batter in half and mixed some yellow and orange food coloring in each half.. filling the liners with yellow then orange)
Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cooled cupcakes; decorate as desired. Yield: 2 dozen.

24 Servings Prep: 15 min. Bake: 20 min.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 132 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 171 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.

~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my neighbors garage.. his yard is a little bit of a mess, but that is not why I am showing you this.
I took this photo last night (with the flash on) while the moon was high over my house.

and this photo was taken with the flash off..

Do you see what I see?

Pretty amazing isn't it.

In all these years.. I have never seen this before.

It is the reflection of a telephone pole

but I saw so much more then that.

I saw it as a sign to reflect on the things that are important in my life,

A sign that because I do not always feel the presence..

God is here.. with me.

Enjoy your weekend everyone