DIY Room Decorating

Seems like if it's not on Fox Soccer Channel around here, it's on HGTV. And with this family heading into it's 10th vacation day, these kids needed a project. Mom stumbled across some cheap wooden letters and some acrylic paints...and this is what we came up with. Actually, they turned out really cute. Some Radio Disney and a craft project. Now that's an afternoon.

Here's the work in progress:

Blue is Hayden's favorite color. He wanted it to "match" his Star Wars sheets. Later we went to the store in search of Star Wars stickers, but since Mom wasn't willing to travel far and wide for that journey, Hayden settled on Glow in the Dark Batman stickers instead. In fact, since they were the only glow in the dark sort, he said: "Well, this must be my lucky day!" Indeed. Good to be a 6 year old boy.


Here's Lindsay cutting up sponges for sponge painting. Not 1 minute later, Mom talked her out of that idea and painting stripes to match her bedding instead. And it does exactly! Her lines came out perfectly straight thanks to our friend, Mr. Masking Tape.


Here's Mal with her blank pallete! She was the last to finish because she is SO indecisive. She ended up sponge-painting hers 3 different colors and trimming it out in black. Her furniture is black and her bedding has the colors of the sponging, so it's going to look great on her wall! She's very meticulous, so the trimming of the lines with masking tape took quite a while due to all the curves. But patience paid off in the end.

Drumroll...finished product.

Was a great way to polish off an afternoon. It's tough keeping up with all you young mom's. In fact, come to think of it, I don't even try. Still, I guess we're not done with craft projects after all...now...back to Lindsay's science project (which is what got me to the craft store to begin with)!!

Recipes...since you asked

Homemade Turtles or "Sweet Sleds" (from American Girl Magazine Nov/Dec 09)

Cover a plate with wax paper. Arrange six (or 600) square pretzels on it. Unwrap chocolate caramel candies (such as Rolo's) and set on top of pretzels. Microwave for 25 seconds. Gently press a pecan (be gentle, don't smash) atop the softened candy. Allow to cool...enjoy!

Popcorn Cake

Pop 2/3 c. popcorn in a pan with a little of the oil (from 1/2 c. oil), the old fashioned way. Do not salt. Discard unpopped kernels. In the pan, add remaining oil and a stick of butter. (Why not?!) When melted, add 16 oz of mini marshmallows and melt down on low until 2/3 of the marshmallows have melted. Take off the heat and add 16 oz EACH of red & green M&M's and dry roasted peanuts. Press into bundt pan (I'd spray it with non-stick cooking spray) and allow to cool and set.

Trust me, it's so good. It makes a ton...so this should feed a crowd!

Tradition

When my girls were about 2 and 4 years old, we started the tradition of having a gingerbread house making party every Christmas Season. 10 years later, we are still going strong. 3 families rotate houses. One "hosts" the party, makes dinner, while the others bring dessert and appetizers. Everyone brings their own "house". The first year we had much to learn. We struggled to keep the sides of the house up with frosting. That led us to eventually using a glue gun...a housemaker secret that's golden! Now everyone shows up with an already "constructed" house, ready to decorate, cookie sheet and all. We use leftover Halloween candy for decorating, wheat chex with powdered sugar (this year) and graham crackers for rooftops, coconut for snow...there are so many different ideas we come up with every year. After so many years, it's a seamless party, that is purely relaxing and fun. Each set of siblings comes up with such a unique house...it's so much fun to see what they turn out. And they love it and look forward to it every year as well. Good food, good friends, good memories. I can hardly wait til next year's party.


Starting from the beginning...

Yummy appetizers with fruit fondue for dessert!

The table pre-lasgna, salad and bread! It was so yummo!

Doesn't that just make you want to run out and make fondue? Chocolate fondue with fruit and angle food cake. There were other treats as well such as square pretzels topped with a rolo and a pecan. Sounds weird? Don't knock it til you try it...and can't stop trying it!

Marshmallow, peanut, m&m popcorn bonanza. This one was a winner! (Plus, you can't have just one dessert...it's a rule. It is a party, after all.)

My Hayden and his cute Gingerbread train. He was very excited to have something of his own to decorate this year and the girls (who seems to be perfectionistic) were happy to have their house back to themselves.

This house has a graham cracker garage with a car parked in it (out of candy, of course). A hershey bar fence with the gates swinging open. The smarties are stacked in a circular fasion with licorice red rope to form a gazebo that hosts a fire pit. The front yard was dusted in snow.

Oh my...we are full! But we're happy!

Join Me, Won't You?

Ok, so I'm not gonna lie. While my life isn't crappy (excuse the expression), it's been really trying lately. Mostly cuz of work related issues. And that's hard. Because we're owners, and we affect other people, not just ourselves. And while I try to "go with the flow" -- it's like a fish swimming upstream -- it doesn't suit me at all. I'm very structured and I like predictability. And life, right now, is anything but.

Speaking of butts, Thanksgiving did not help to shrink it. And while remaining positive is on the daily agenda right now, exercise is just what the doctor ordered for my ever expanding back side. The sun doesn't hurt, either. Or a salad from La Bou, butt I digress.

This is a dangerous month, folks. As if November weren't fattening enough (thanks, Lane, for the Sweet Potato Pecan extravaganza with 5000 calories per bite), December can be downright cruel. (Hello Grandma See's). So I decided, let's control what we can control. I can control whether or not I exercise, for my backside or mental management. Yesterday I went running. Well, really, it was probably more of a wog. (You figure it out). But running sounds so much more impressive. Today I went for an 1 1/2 hour hike with a friend of mine. I live in a hilly town -- and we hiked some trails today. The sun was shining, crisp air, perfect. Sweating with a sweatshirt on. The fur on my legs helped me to stay warm even in shorts. And I feel better. In fact, it made me feel great. And I always do post-wog. As my sister would say...I love SWAK. (Sweaty back) or (SWITS...sweaty pits). (C'mon, you try it. It's fun and funny. We've had entire phone calls laughing at all the stuff we come up with...)

And you will, too, if you need it. Get out there! Do it! It may just be the best part of your day. And if you can, do it outside. I quit the gym cuz I hate it (and I don't need people watching my back side hit my back while trying to burn a few calories in the name of "I'm trying" and better health). Fresh air is the greatest. Because while I may not have a goal to lose weight this month (not that I would mind...) -- (okay, I always have that goal but don't necessarily work towards it) but I do have a goal to not lose my mind. Or get overly anxious. Definitely a dominant gene in our female side of the family. And whether any of that works or not, I KNOW, I KNOW I feel better when I've moved my body. Enjoyed nature. Sweat off some of my worries. It gives me strength and joy. And it's free. And December is a long month. And it's the time of year I need it most. And while I love Santa, I don't want to look like him!

Official Merry Christmas to all.

Now, about that La Bou salad...