Hello Monday

Last week when I was stitching LSU things I tried my hand at some Oreo Truffles.  I think I either forgot my "technique" or maybe I never had it :)  I've got to work on my icing and criss-crosses on top.  This icing is too thick for that.  I need to find purple and gold gel or find a recipe to make it. But, they actually tasted really good despite the way they look.

I have 3 great customers in California.  My newest one wanted a birthday shirt for her nephew.  His birthday party colors are navy and orange with a monkey theme.  Sooooo.... this is what we did for sweet little Carson.

Navy blue and white polka dot fabric with his name in orange.

 I'm working on a baby shower gift for parents who LOVE LSU like the rest of us.

I used an old football design that is a favorite (perfect shape) and used Whoa Nelly font (my all-time fav font).

This is a burp cloth by the way.

And a little something for Sloan.

I bought this design late last fall and never used it.  Oh so I remembered it and changed it up a bit with a variety of colors.  I also added some glitz with 12 little rhinestones.

 

{Design from Embroitique}

Hello Monday and it's almost over (at least for me).

I hope yours has been a wonderful one.

XOXO,

Karen

I'm Home

 I arrived home from Atlanta yesterday afternoon and I had a wonderful flight home.  The skies were sunny and no rain in sight.  Atlanta weather was absolutely gorgeous while I was there.  After the cool front moved in it was low humidity and temps were in the low 80's.  Just right for enjoying a short vacation with family.  We always spend a lot of time just visiting and catching up on family news.  We swam every day, shopped a little, cooked out, watched the entire Season 5 of Mad Men and oohed and aahed over my great-niece, Ella.

This morning I made a snack for our Bible Study Luncheon tomorrow.  It is July 4th Bark.  You can find the recipe Here.

Before I left, we finished this little project.  I saw it on Pinterest and just had to have one just like it.  I have a good bit of brick left over from building our house 25 years ago. 

We used some of that brick and placed it in the ground on its side.  Then filled the center with river rock.  The hardest part is getting a perfect circle.  I googled how to get a large perfect circle in order to find the best method.  I used a piece of string with a golf tee tied to each end.  If you want a 5 foot circle make your string 2.5 feet long. I put one tee in the middle and stretched the string out to find where each brick should be placed.  Yes, it took some time but I wanted it perfectly round (as nearly as possible).  I really want another one like this in my yard with pink begonias in the center.  How pretty would that look?

I told you I would share pictures of Atlanta but I didn't want to carry my camera with me so no pics of Atlanta.  However, I can share pictures of the great deals I found there.  I had been searching for garden stakes just like this one.  I found them on ebay for $25 each and almost ordered one.  I'm sure glad I didn't because I found the same one at Tuesday Morning for $9.99.  What a deal!

I found this one also.  I love fleur de lis.  It was $7.99

I don't think I'll ever pay full price for anything.  I'm going for the bargains :)

My sister-in-law loves Home Goods and so do I.  If I'd been in a car it would have been full of pretty things.  But when you fly you can't buy much extra.  This rode home in my lap.  Simple white serving pieces are so versatile.  I'm thinking salad dressing, maybe orange juice in this little pitcher.

We went to another Tuesday Morning near Buckhead Saturday.  I found these adorable polka dot pillow cases.  I will monogram some little girl's name on these.

And last but not least, I stocked up on more burlap.  I have several more things I want to make out of burlap.  There are 3 different colors...natural, cream and white.  At least I have a choice of colors now.

It's good to be home again!

Have a great Monday!

Karen

What A Week!

I've had a busy, busy week with VBS, Summer Bible Study and Grayson but it has been a great week.  I will share my week with Grayson later.  Right now I want to show you who also came for a short visit this week.  Sloan and her mommy came to check on Grayson, help with Bible Study and VBS.

You can see who really liked the activity chair.  Grayson sat in it once I think and climbed on it a couple of times but Sloan loves it!  So it is her chair now.  She had a cracker break and watched a little Yo Gabba Gabba.

My two favorite girls

Sloan's mom put her hair in pig tails...little bitty pig tails I must say.  If she leaves it down it looks like a mullet....no mullet for my baby girl.

Lemon Cake

One morning when Grayson was busy watching Disney Channel, I was able to bake a cake.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest and wanted to try it.  It is a light recipe if you follow the directions.  It calls for low fat buttermilk.  I had regular buttermilk left over from another recipe which I used so mine is not exactly light. 

 It is a delicious cake and the recipe can be found HERE.

 I also made pickles that morning.  These are called Fire & Ice.  My husband and I love them.  They are so easy to make.  I was able to get 4 pints with the recipe.

Fire & Ice Pickles

2 jars (32 oz each) dill pickle slices

4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic for each jar

Drain and discard juice from pickles.  In large bowl, combine pickles, sugar, pepper sauce and pepper flakes; mix well.  Cover and let stand 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Spoon pickles into 4 pint-size jars; add a clove of garlic to each.  Cover and refrigerate 1 week before serving.  Keep refrigerated.

They are hot, sweet and yummy!  Bet you can't eat just a couple :)

We're about to take Grayson to meet his mom and dad.  I don't know that I am ready to give him back. (Tears)

Have a wonderful weekend!

XOXO,

Karen

Memorial Day Weekend

I've had these pickles "marinating" for a week and decided I couldn't wait any longer to put them in jars.  A friend made these years ago and shared a jar with me and I have been wanting to try them since then.  Last weekend I did it.  Now I've got the best way figured out so I will be making them again soon and the second batch will be even better.  I want to share the recipe with you and will put it up next week.  I cut 7" squares of fabric to put a finishing touch on the jars, added ribbon and made a label in PSE (very simple label I must say).  I ran the labels on whole sheets of label paper and used a 3" scalloped punch to cut them out.

(I think I misspelled pickles but I'm not doing the labels over...hehe.  Maybe no one will notice)

Last night I finished a couple more shirts for Little Cash Man.  You have seen his surfboard shirt before but the "Wave" and the "Star Patch" are the new shirts.   All of these designs are from Applique Market and she has everything on sale for the holiday weekend.   Cash is having a "water" birthday party so he needed a "wave" shirt to be the Star of his 2nd birthday!

I'm off to spend the day with relatives who are in from Atlanta.  I got to meet my great-niece Ella for the first time.  Oh my, what a doll she is!  We are all hanging out at the pool today.

Have a wonderful, wonderful Saturday!

Karen

Last Day of School!

 Banana Pudding

Tomorrow is the last day of class for students and teachers and then school's out for summer!  I will continue to work off and on during June and July but I will be at home a lot, too which I love.  After our students leave at noon tomorrow we are having a faculty lunch.

Our principals are providing crawfish and burgers (for those non-crawfish eating folks) for the big celebration.  Our job was to provide the desserts.  Remember the Paula Deen magazine from the last post?  This is the cover recipe.  It looked so delicious and sounded easy so I gave it a try.  My "taste-tester (Aka-husband) gave it the "it's really good seal of approval".

I had enough left over that I could make him a mini banana pudding.  It has cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, 4 boxes of pudding, milk, Cool Whip and sour cream....it has a few calories in it :)

Remember the plain mugs I showed you a couple of posts back?  This is the finished gift.  I put permanent vinyl stars (cut by my Cricut using the  Plantin SchoolBook cartridge.  Then I made Bunny Bark but I am calling it Red, White & Blue Bark. I used red, white and blue candies and sprinkles.

The only Oreo cookies that I had on hand were Mint so there is a touch of green that really messes up my color scheme :)  Anyway, I put the bark in large treat bags and tied them up with more red ribbon.

These are going to school tomorrow to give to special friends that have helped me through this year.  I'm thankful for those friends at work, for a good year..... no great year (our school district is ranked 6th in the state!), for a safe year and for all that I have learned this year about children.  I hope that I have made a difference in one child's life because that's why every teacher I know teaches, not for the money or the fame or even thank yous but because we love children. 

Hugs and Kisses to all the teachers out there and for the difference you make every day!

Happy Last Day of School & Memorial Day Weekend! 

Karen

Summer Salad

I picked up this magazine while in the grocery store the other day.  It had several recipes that looked interesting.  I got all the ingredients today for the Black-Eyed Pea Greek Salad.

I love to cook with fresh vegetables in the summer.  This salad is very flavorful and quick and easy like the magazine says.  I also fixed a pasta salad, grilled chicken and buttered French bread.

Yum!

If you want the recipe please let me know and I will share it.

Enjoy!

Karen

Little Cash Man

Surf's Up for Cash

This is one of 4 summer shirts for Little Cash

Brand new, fresh designs are fun to stitch. 

His mommy ordered 4 completely new designs.

1 down and 3 to go.

I used to get one of these every year...wow I'd only been married 6 years at that time.  It had a recipe for Almond Tea that I made often in the 90's.  I almost threw this recipe book out awhile back thinking I would never make Almond Tea again.  So happy that I didn't do that.

I guess it's a girl-thing but don't we love flavored teas and coffees occasionally?

Almond Tea

4 cups strongly brewed tea

3 1/4 cups water

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 cup sugar

1/2-1 teaspoon almond extract

Combine tea, water, lemonade concentrate, sugar and almond flavoring in large pitcher.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Serve over ice. 

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Karen

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day Weekend

I have been blessed with 2 healthy children and 4 grandchildren, 2 of which are step grand-children but I consider them my very own.  Mother's Day Weekends are very special to me.  I do not need any beautiful gifts or flowers.  Just to have my family in church with me is the greatest gift I could wish for.  However, my  husband and children think I need more so I did get some beautiful flowers.

Ok I was a little bad. This dispenser is my Mother's Day gift to myself. Last week when I went to get my hair done, my stylist offered me cucumber water served in a dispenser like this. I knew immediately I had to have one and the cucumber water was sooooo good and refreshing. I didn't know how my family would react to cucumber water so I played it safe and made lemon/lime water. Oh my goodness I will be making "spa waters" all summer. I can't wait to try other combinations. I did learn it is best to put the ice in first, arrange your fruit and then add water. It is a great way to encourage your family to drink more water. Grayson loved turning the spigot so we watered plants with lemon/lime water :) If they grow really big and green we have discovered a secret plant weapon.

 I'm all about beverages right now.  The ladies at my church gave me a gift certificate and this is what I got with part of it......a beautiful carafe.  I made Almond Tea and put it in my new carafe....perfect.  One of my girlfriends has a great Mint Tea recipe that tastes yummy, too.  Perhaps she will share her recipe with us. 

Cauliflower Salad

Best salad ever....that's all I'm saying :)

I also prepared Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti ( I forgot to take a picture of it).  I usually use a friend's recipe but I decided to branch out and try a new version.  It is a keeper.

A little chocolate cake never hurt anyone.

So that is the meal I prepared for the weekend.  I will share all the recipes later this week.

Of course I had to monogram a few things....like a headband for my daughter

and running shorts for Sloaney.  Even baby girls like monogrammed sport shorts :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful, wonderful week.

XOXO,

Karen

Grads and Fruit Kabobs

This week has been one of my busiest ones ever but I've managed to sew in between the busyness.  I'm working on Mother's Day gifts, grad gifts and baby gifts.  My husband and I get a lot of graduation announcements and this year there were only 3 girls and the rest were boys.  Boys are not fun....they like  $$$$

But girls on the other hand are fun to shop for.  This year I wanted to do some different things in addition to the towels I'm stitching for them.  Most young girls like to work out and/or be comfortable while hanging out with BFF's. So for working out or lounging I monogrammed sports bras and sports shorts.

What every young college bound girl needs.....

Monogrammed shorts 

In the midst of a busy week at school we had to celebrate the up coming arrival of new baby boy.  We actually are having a baby boom at our school. 

My assignment was to bring the fruit.  Help! I told my super-creative daughter.  She said, "Mom, make fruit kabobs".  Ok, dear tell me how.  They were so easy and fun to make.  They were a hit!  Next time I think I'll add kiwi for more color. Speaking of my daughter, hop on over to her blog and you can see lots of pictures of my babies

www.jcaugustine1.blogspot.com

I have lots to share with you but I'm taking life one day at a time.  You teachers know how busy the final weeks of school are.  Hang in there teachers we're almost there!

XOXO,

Karen

O Spring Break!

O Spring break, how I love thee let me count the ways.  I love thee because I can sew, bake, visit family & friends and I love thee because I do not have to get up at 5 AM.  What a beautiful week of weather it has been, too.  I hope you are having a beautiful relaxing week, also.

Here are a few things I've been working on.......

{ For Sloaney}

{For secretaries}

Little bags of chocolate

My inspiration is from a favorite Stamping Up Demonstrator

Source

These are as good as the Pink Lemonade Cake Mix I shared awhile back.

Yummy!

More goodies for secretaries

Happy Secretaries Day!

Memorial Day is just around the corner.

Wouldn't a pair of red sequin tennis shoes look really cute with this?

I'm looking :)

Slow down Spring Break!

XOXO,

Karen