Ramblings from the Sunshine State

Yay! Etsy!

2009-12-27T20:23:00.003-05:00

I am so excited! I was just featured in an Etsy Treasury! Not first page, but I dont care, I'm still excited!

Check it out here!

ps - I hope you had a great Christmas!

Christmas Crafts

2009-12-19T11:31:00.008-05:00

I really havent been doing to much craft or project-wise lately. But when I saw the Eddie Ross wreath that's floating around, I knew I wanted to make it! I got my ornaments the other week at Target when they were buy 2, get 1 free. I wanted the blue & silver packages, but they were gone, so I went with the bright mult-colors. I'm not really a red & green girl.

But, in true Wendy fashion, it's not finished. It's been in this state for about 2 weeks. As you can see, I've got some spots to fill in. I think I'm just going to hot glue some in place. I'm not really interested in redoing the whole thing!

And the top isnt done. I havent decided if I should do the ribbon like he did? Or just try & hide that hook? What do you think? AND - if I do the ribbon - what color?!

These were started last year. They sat around in my craft area all year long, but I finally decided to have the kids finish them. They are foam balls, covered in toothpicks. I then spray painted them white. The kids went in with a paint brush and added the color of their choice. Then, while the paint was wet, I added glitter. I couldnt really get a shot of them sparkling, but trust me, they do!

They ended up pretty big, so instead of hanging them, we just stuck them in the tree!

I had plans of making Layla a hair clip holder, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. I found some awesome deals on clips at Claire's, they had been having a bunch of stuff on clearance, and when you bought 10 (they also did 12!) they were $1.00 each. She loves her hair clips, so we stocked up.

But besides that, I am ALMOST done shopping. All I have left is one gift card, and I'm getting that today. Now if I could just get the kids to sleep early so I can finish wrapping!

Under Our Tree....

2009-12-17T17:02:00.002-05:00

Yep, thats spray paint!

Ornament Swap Revealed!

2009-12-17T00:10:00.003-05:00

I havent heard back from my swap partner, so I'm going to assume she got these already, and go ahead and share. I couldnt decide on one ornament, so I sent two! I really hope she liked them!

Sorry for my lack of posting - things have been busy. Soccer is over, dance is taking a winter break, and Christmas is almost here! Are you ready? I'm ALMOST done, and about halfway done wrapping. Ive still got a ton of baking to do. I have some things Ive wanted to share on here, but it gets dark so soon, it's hard to get decent pics while there is still light out! Im going to try & post again by this weekend though. Have a good one!

Ornament Swap Received!

2009-12-07T20:16:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to post about this, but somehow I never got around to it. I received my ornament from my swap partner! Its very cute, thank you!!

Speaking of ornaments, I made more of these soccer gingerbread cookie ornaments for this years soccer team. We had our last game last week and we supposed to have an ice cream party at this little shop down the road this Saturday. You sit outside here, no cover really, only little umbrellas, and of course, it was cold & rainy! I gave these to the coach to pass out, hopefully everyone gets theirs.

Nothing else really too exciting to post about. I havent been working on any projects really, although I do have my ornaments hot glued and my wire hanger bent, ready to work on that Eddie Ross wreath that's been floating around the blog world. Have a good week!

Whew....

2009-11-29T12:03:00.003-05:00

Four day weekends are great, especially holiday ones. This one has been no exception. We enjoyed a relaxing Thanksgiving, filling our bellies with fried turkey & all the fixins. That night we went through the ads and made our lists, getting ready for Black Friday.

We headed out around 11:30 that night. I tried to rest but I dont think I ever actually feel asleep. Toys R Us was our first stop. Holy cow, we'll never do that again! I think it took about an hour to get INSIDE the store... the line went several businesses past Toys R Us. Once we finally got inside, it was madness. They had the lines woven throughout the store so you could hardly shop. We got in line and shopped as we wove. They were out of the 2 for $10 diapers, I only found 1 of the 3 Muskateer Barbies I wanted... I did get some really good deal on some clothes (50% off clearance prices), but not enough to make it worth the hours we stood in line. We finally got out of there around 4 am. From there we hit the mall and Target. Maybe it's just me, but I think Target's sale wasnt so great this year. The only thing I really wanted, they were out of, and that was the Up DVD. I think I finally got home around 10. I somehow managed to stay awake and get the tree up and decorated!

Now I'm not ready for the weekend to end! So how about you, did you brave the crowds? Get any good deals?

Ornament Swap Sneak Peek

2009-11-21T17:20:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share a little sneak peek for my swap partner, Pat. She doesnt have a blog yet, or I would share her link. I really hope you like them!

First Pecans...

2009-11-18T21:09:00.003-05:00

Now tangerines!

Up next is oranges, then grapefruit!

I Won!

2009-11-14T19:41:00.004-05:00

A little while back, I entered a giveaway on This Southern Girl's Life. If you havent checked Joanna's blog out, you should! The giveaway was sponsored by Madison Reece Designs. It was for my choice of pendant, and as soon as I saw them, I knew which one I wanted. But before I show you, look how they come!

I thought this would be a perfect Christmas gift for Layla!

I hope she likes it!

I know I havent been blogging much, it seems like we've been so busy lately. Between soccer and dance, and it getting dark right after I get home, it seems like there's no time! And it's so hard to take semi-decent pictures, hence the above ones taken in my bathroom. Anyway, have a good week. Oh, and thanks again to Joanna & Madison Reece Designs!

Help?

2009-11-08T12:33:00.004-05:00

After two years of complaining about the squirrels eating ALL of our pecans, we've hit the motherload. We are out there almost every day picking up the ones that fell that day. And let me tell you, we have a ton! We've given away I think two 1 gallon bags so far...

And we still have all this! AND they are still dropping. So... what can I do with all of these?! Any good recipes?

Halloween!

2009-11-02T21:46:00.012-05:00

Another Halloween come & gone. I cannot believe it's November already! That and Morgan is 8 months old today! Its crazy, where does the time go? Anyway... I though I'd share some photos from our Halloween. Here are the kids pumpkins. This is Blake's. He had that orange & white pumpkin. It was so weird, it was an off-white color inside and it smelled exactly like a cucumber.

And Layla's.... It's a cat, but because her pumpkin was kind of short & fat, I couldnt do the whole body.

Every year they take pictures infront of this Monsters, Inc. sign.

It's kind of hard to get good pics of all 3 of them at once!

Dorothy...

My mafia man... (I asked for mean/mad faces!)

And the cutest little bunny ever!

Trying this again...

And finally Blake and his cousin, Trey.

It was SO hot on Halloween. Poor Morgie was soaking wet with sweat. I had to take her bunny ears off but she was still sweaty. Hopefully this heat will go away soon, I'm ready for Fall!

We took down all the Halloween decorations tonight. It feels good to have the house back, if only for a few more weeks! The Christmas decorations will come out on Black Friday. Who else is shopping this year?

"Fall" Fun

2009-10-30T18:58:00.016-04:00

I say "Fall" sarcastically. It feels NOTHING like fall. I heard them say on the news this morning that Lakeland had RECORD high temps for the entire country yesterday. Not something to be proud of!! But even though it doesnt feel like fall, we still had some fall fun. Last Sunday we took the kids to the Pumpkin Festival at Hunsader Farms in Bradenton, Fl. It took about an hour and a half to get there, but I'm glad we went. They dont have anything like that here, and they had a corn maze!

My sister in law called this one "children of the corn".

Finally finding our way out!

Layla, looking happy as ever...

On a pony for the first time!

(Morgie watching her sissy)

Waiting for the bouncy slide...

The pumpkin cannon was pretty popular.

And so were the corn cannons!

Only in Florida do you spend the day at a pumpkin festival, 6 days before Halloween in 80° weather, and leave with sunburns! We had fun though.

On Tuesday, the high school down the road held a little carnival for the kids. It was at night, but still pretty darn hot. But at least the kids got to have fun & wear their costumes more than once.

Doesnt she look thrilled?

I cannot believe tomorrow is Halloween! Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies

2009-10-22T17:21:00.007-04:00

I have been wanting to share the recipe I've been using to make Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies, and I thought the Recipe Party at Southern Hospitality would be the perfect chance!

For the cakes you will need:

1 C. canned pumpkin
1/3 C. butter, softened
1 package spice cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 C. milk

For the filling:

1/2 C. butter, softened
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
2 C. sifted powdered sugar
3.5 oz. marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil (grease foil). In a large mixing bowl, beat pumpkin & butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add cake mix, eggs & milk; beat on low speed until combined, and then on medium speed for 1 minute.

2. By the heaping tablespoon, drop mounds of batter 3 inches apart on cookie sheet; keep remaining batter chilled. Bake 15 minutes, or until set and lightly browned around edges. Carefully remove from parchment or foil; cool on wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, lining cooled cookie sheets each time with a new parchment or foil.

3. Beat together butter & cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, marshmallow cream, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg. Beat until well combined.

Then combine & enjoy!!

Keep the cookies at room temperate, in an airtight container, layers seperated by wax paper. This recipe makes roughly 15 whoopies.

These things are delicious! They never last very long around our house!

Last Week's Finds

2009-10-19T17:24:00.006-04:00

No yardsales for me this week, but last weekend, on the way home from soccer, I decided to stop at one. It was SO hot & miserable. I felt sorry for people having sales that weekend, it was miserable. But lucky for me, they had marked everything half off. Probably so they could be done with it! I got all that for $1.70.

I liked this chunky frame.

This little glass dish. It says Dynaware on the bottom.

Some old shoe stretchers & some knitting needles. I dont knit, or crochet, but I really want to learn. Any tips?

Some more embroidery hoops. I finally find some metal ones!

And I found this little bag of chicks & ducks. They say 'JC Made in Hong Kong' on the bottom. They look vintage to me?

Thats it! Head on over to Flea Market Style for their "I'm a Flea Marketeer Party" to see what great things everyone else has found!

Pumpkin Time!

2009-10-17T19:04:00.006-04:00

It FINALLY feels like Fall in Florida!! No more 90° weather! This weekend at least. We had a yard sale this morning. Did okay, not fantastic. But at least I got some junk out of the house. We decided later to run and get pumpkins. I SO badly wish there were actual pumpkin patches here. Our only options are a grocery store, vegetable stands and churches. We went last year to one of the church's and decided to go back this year.

They walked all over the lawn, up and down and everywhere, looking for just the right pumpkin.

Morgie found hers! (with Daddy's help)

And Layla!

Blake had to be a little different.

I thought it would be cute to get the 3 of them with their pumkins. Morgie was more interested in checking out all the pumpkins than looking at me.

My plans for tomorrow include grocery shopping (blah), making some of those adorable Glowing Jack-O-Lanterns from Not So Idle Hands, making Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies & taking the kids to Spirit Halloween to look at costumes. They still havent decided! Well, Layla mentioned Ariel, Blake has no clue and I dont know WHAT to dress Morgie as. Does anyone else have kids that are still clueless about their costume?

Sweet & Sinister Swap - Sent!

2009-10-14T21:06:00.015-04:00

Now that I know my partner, Sue, got her package, I wanted to share what I sent her. She was so much fun to swap with! And I'm really happy she liked everything!

I made the burlap banner that has been floating around blog-land. I made one for myself, too!

Some glitter glue, vintage measuring tapes, buttons, beads, angels, leaves...

Vintage lace & seam binding, some more beads...

Old books, a pearl E, some trees....

I found this little vase at the thrift store...

And turned it into this...

Here are the bottle brush trees again. I made these using Sarah's directions.

I found this lovely apron and thought it would be perfect! I think its kind of unique. It's sheer and could be used on either side. Both sides are flocked with a velvet-like material, and there is chunky glitter embedded into it.

I made this Apothecary sign using some Martha Stewart paper for the background...

And I also found these old bottles, I thought they would go nicely with the apothecary sign.

Thanks for swapping, Sue!

An Oozing Cauldron

2009-10-11T14:15:00.009-04:00

One of my favorite Halloween decorations is this bubbling cauldron I made a few years back. I saw the idea in a magazine and knew I had to try it!

I picked up some clearanced cauldrons, some acrylic paint & some expanding foam (in the can). We stuffed part of the cauldron with newspaper, so we wouldnt have to use so much foam. After spraying, you need to let the foam sit a few days, because it wil contract. Then you just paint and you're done! I supposed you could try spray paint, but I used acrylic, and topped it with a glossy topcoat so it would look wet. I have thought about doing maybe orange and purple, but havent done it yet. This is what I traded for the witch fingers in my last post.

I've thought about maybe trying to make some to sell, but this stuff expands & contracts with the humidty and Ive had to touch them up every year, so I dont know.

Here they are on display in 2007.

Check out Along the Way With J&K for more great Fall decor! Would anyone want to see how I made them? Have a great Sunday!

Brennan Apothecary

2009-10-09T19:15:00.007-04:00

We finally got the Halloween stuff this past weekend. Even though it feels NOTHING like fall here in Florida. It's been in the 90's all week. Anyone want to send some cool weather this way?

I made this sign last year during the Sweet & Sinister Swap. It was pretty easy, you just need a steady hand! The words are painted on the back of the glass. I have it displayed with my ingredient jars I got from Michaels.

One of the ladies I work with made these awesome eyeballs.

She also made these creepy witch fingers! We did a trade - fingers for oozing caludron. (I'm going to post about them, still gotta dig them out!)

Arent they awesome?! She has also made chicken feet, human hearts, brains, brains with worms coming out & human fingers. She's a nurse so she knows her anatomy pretty well! The parts are made out of Sculpey clay, and she gets her jars, plates & cheese domes (for the brains) from yard sales.

I've got some more Halloween stuff I want to share, just need to get them photographed! We've got a soccer game & cheerleading camp tomorrow, and I also need to make some more pumpkin spice whoopie pies & post about them. So more posts coming soon!

Sweet & Sinister Swap Sneak Peek!

2009-10-07T20:59:00.005-04:00

I'm finally ready (I'm so sorry!) to send out my Sweet & Sinister Swap package to my partner, Sue, at My Mother's Pearls. I thought I would share a couple sneak peeks! I apologize for the not-so-great lighting. I wanted to take them outside this afternoon, but we had dance class and my SIL's birthday. So I had to take them in the kitchen.

I hope you enjoy it!

Sweet & Sinister Swap, Received!

2009-10-05T19:34:00.012-04:00

I was so excited when I got to my sister-in-law's house today, and saw my Sweet & Sinister Swap package waiting for me! My partner was Sue over at My Mother's Pearls. It was really fun swapping with her! And she sent me an amazing package of goodies!

Some orange hot chocolate, a milk glass dish, some black & white buttons, black & white trimmings...

Some Halloween chocolates (yum!), scrapbooking clips, black & orange candles...

A very neat & pretty bracelet/cuff... (love this!)...

Three spooky old photos (Or are they cabinet cards? I never find good ones, these are awesome!) Oh, and I love that Autumn Mix candy.

Awesome scrapbooking paper and some candy molds & bags (the kids will love these!)

One of her favorite movies, Practical Magic (I havent seen it yet!) and some fun stamps...

And my absolute favorite, this AWESOME wreath! I LOVE THIS! THANK YOU! There is so much awesome detail... buttons, glitter, flowers... but my batteries died and I could not find anymore to take any close-ups. :( Its really gorgeous though!

Thank you again for this awesome package, Sue!! I am trying as fast as I can to get yours finished up, I want it to be as awesome as your package was to me :) This was really fun!

What I Found This Week

2009-10-03T18:08:00.011-04:00

First, I want to thank all of you that have stopped by my paint party! I'm glad to hear I wasnt the only one who went a little crazy in my color choices.

Early this morning, my sister in law called to tell me that the lady across from her was having a yardsale, and had some baby toys. Morgie is needing some bigger toys, so decided to go check it out. I stopped at 2 others between here and there. I found these cute Fisher Price animals for her.

I found this sugar jar at the newly located "Crappy Thrift". It's no too crappy anymore. Much nicer, brighter & bigger area now. When I saw it, I knew I had to have it...

Because it goes perfectly with my coffee jar!

Another insulator, this one is bigger than the previous ones I have found. Such a pretty aqua color. I wish I could put these in my bathroom window so the light could shine through, but I'm afraid my cats would knock them down.

Now I rarely, if ever, get clothes from yard sales or thrift shops. I just never really find any I like. But I found a couple cute things at the crappy thrift. These are for Morgie. That little dress is from Old Navy.

I found a couple things for Layla, too. Like this Lilly Pulitzer dress.

And this cute little dress. It seems kind of short, might have to get some leggings. (I still cant believe those things are back in style).

Since I started blogging, I see all these adorable projects using felted wool. Now I'm sure living in Florida has something to do with this, but I NEVER find wool sweaters here. But I found two. The little one will fit Morgie in winter, but I dont know about her wearing it. It's so itchy feeling. So these will probably get felted. QUESTION... is it best to take them apart before felting?

The little thing on top of the sweaters in the top photo is a nut cracker. Why do we need one of those?

Our pecans are finally ready! This is the 3rd year we've been here with them in season, but the first we have been able to get any. I guess having 7 cats outside has its benefits.

Better run, the kids are dying to get the Halloween stuff out. Have a good one!

Free Paint Party!

2009-09-27T19:47:00.012-04:00

Welcome to the Free Paint Party!! I can't wait to see what everyone else has created!

I was lucky, and my SIL and MIL didnt want any paint, so they ordered some colors for me. NOW I could kick myself for not getting black and maybe a creamy white when Glidden had their giveaway. But I guess I got overwhelmed with color choices. So I ended up with a blue, a purple and a green. I decided to use the blue & purple to make chore charts for the kids. (All paints are from Glidden).

This color is Very Violet.

And this one is Robin's Egg.

I ended up having to rig these up because I cannot figure out Excel! But the tape really isnt that noticeable in person. I just found a generic chore chart printable online and printed up what I wanted their chores to be. I typed them up and taped them on. The blue blocks are for when they dont have to do it that day. I've been using a Vis-A-Vis marker to check off what they've done, or add any other chores. Dry erase would work, too.

I was really hoping to have our coffee table ready for this party, but we are having issues with the top. We didnt get the paint we usually use (Valspar) and the paint seems to be old, it just wasnt working well. So the top still needs to be finished. But the bottom is done! This color is Sea Glass Green.

Now it's your turn! I would LOVE to see what you've done with your free Glidden paint, but any paint is fine as well. PLEASE, only post your permalink, not just the link to your blog! Also, don't forget to link back to this post! I never got around to making a button, but please feel free to save the image at the top of this post and upload it to your blog. If you would like to do this again, please let me know! I am thinking about hosting another one a little later on. Oh, and please spread the word and pass this on!! Thank you everyone!

Im adding my party to Kimba's DIY Day!

An Award!

2009-09-25T13:51:00.003-04:00

I want to give a BIG thank you to Sarah from Chickie Momma Crafts for giving me this award! This is my first time getting one, I was so suprised, and excited! Thank you!

Here are the details of this award:

Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award. Thank you Sarah!!

Share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.

Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.

Tell those 7 people they've been awarded Honest Scrap and inform them of these guidelines.

So here are 10 things about me:

1. I am adopted. I found out when I was in elementary or middle school. I dont know anything about my biological family.

2. I can cross one eye, without crossing the other, as well as wiggle my ears.

3. I have never flown in an airplane, and honestly, dont really want to! (Of course, that interferes with my desire to one day be able to travel to Italy, Ireland, etc.).

4. I have lived in Florida my entire life.

5. I have too many cats (10!) but cant bear the thought of getting rid of any of them.

6. I met hubby online in a chatroom!

7. I REALLY want to own another horse (or two!). I had one growing up and miss her! I also miss riding terribly. Its been about 9 years!

8. I HATE that Layla's name seems to be growing in popularity.

9. We ALL have birthdays on the 19th, except Morgan. Mike & I are 2/19, Blake is 9/19, Layla is 4/19, Mike's dad is 12/19 and we were married on 11/19. Poor Morgie is the oddball with 3/2.

10. I can totally deal with snakes, I even had one when I was younger. But spiders terrify me!

Now to share the award... this is really hard! There are so many fantastic blogs out there!

Sarah @ Makin Projiks (Misadventures of Mama & JackJack)
Kim @ Kim's Treasures
Jennifer @ Rosey Little Things
Ashley & Whitney @ Shanty2Chic
Jane @ Out of the Crayon Box
Rebecca @ Blue Cricket Design
Shara @ Monkeybox

Halloween Treats

2009-09-22T19:52:00.003-04:00

Anyone else in the mood for pumpkin goodies? I know I am, hubby too. Even Blake has been asking for pumpkin pie. Personally, I've been craving these super delicious Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies I made last year. They are SO delicious! So when I went to get groceries, I dug out the recipe and wrote down everything I needed. I got to the store and found everything I needed but the pumpkin. I asked a manager and it turns out there is some sort of problem with the warehouse, no one has any! Sure enough, when I went to Winn Dixie there was none there either. So no whoopie pies yet for me... :(

Since I can't share those yet, I thought I'd share something I made when Blake was in Kindergarten (back when we could send homemade treats, now they all have to be store bought). They are Monster Feet! Although they look more like toes to me. They are really easy, but make sure you've got gel dye (like Wilton) or a lot of the liquid! I used the McCormick Neon dyes and they worked pretty good. Here's the recipe in case anyone wants to give these a try!

Monster Feet Cookies

1 bag (17.5 oz.) peanut butter cookie mix
1/2 cup flour
Green food coloring
1/4 cup granulated sugar
½ cup M&M’S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies
¼ cup vanilla frosting
2 cookie sheet pans
Aluminum foil
Resealable plastic bag

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet pans with foil.
2. Prepare the cookie mix according to package instructions. Knead in the flour and some of the green food coloring.
3. Pull off walnut-size nuggets of dough. Shape into 1 - 1 1/2-inch ovals and roll in sugar. Place on the foil lined sheet pans about 2 inches apart. Press M&M’S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies onto one end as the toenail. Bake in a preheated 350°F for approximately 9-12 minutes, or until just golden and cookies have puffed and spread. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, tint frosting green and spoon into a resealable bag. Snip a very small corner from bag and pipe wavy curly lines on top of the cookies to resemble knuckles.
Tip: If peanut butter cookies aren’t a favorite, then exchange the peanut butter cookie mix with a sugar cookie mix.

(found at Bright Ideas)

What fun goodies are you planning on making this year?

Blake's 8!

2009-09-19T18:45:00.016-04:00

Blake turned 8 yesterday! Where did the time go?! I can't believe it's been 8 years since his chunky little 9 lb 14 oz butt became part of our family. We love you big guy!

We had some difficulty deciding on a theme this year. First it was Star Wars, then Backyard Adventures, then the movies... But we ended up with Lunar Mini Golf. It's putt-putt played in the dark. There is a bunch of black lights & everything is lit up with neon tape or paint. So instead of t-shirts, I ended up going with visors. We got $1 foam visors & some neon puff paint from Michaels, and wrote everyone's names on them. It turned out great since you couldnt really see who was who!

Layla....

Morgan...

Trey (cousin) & Blake. (I found that shirt at Walmart & thought it would be perfect to wear!)

Some of the art on the wall...

The whole gang in the dark...

And with flash!

The cake... It's a moon with an alien playing golf! (a Ben 10 alien, who thought finding a little alien guy at the store would be so hard? I ended up raiding Blake's toys).

That's a lot of candles!

I think today I'm going to get the house straightened back up and maybe try & finish a project. Hope you have a great day!!

Don't forget about my paint party coming up! Have you done anything with your free Glidden paint? Or any paint for that matter? If so, I want to see it! Come back here on September 28 to share what you've done! Please, spread the word, this is my first party!