pink nostalgia

the 29 list: #5 go on a picnic

One great thing about my employer is that we get half-day Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  I always like to make the first one count.  This year, my friends and I went on a picnic.  And after we started planning it, I realized, "Wait!  This is on my 29 list!  Woot woot!"

We went to Miss Nellie's Pretty Place in Cameron Park.  Except for the fact that it was literally 100 degrees, it was pretty perfect.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My friend Y wanted to take some jumping shots a la Kelly Purkey.  We weren't very successful, but we had fun trying.

 
 
 
What you can't tell is that the camera is sitting on a concrete step about 10-15 yards away from the girls.  So I would hit the self-timer button, sprint around the fountain, hop onto the ledge, then jump, all in flip flops.  Then jog back and do it all over again.  (And did I mention it was 100 degrees?)  Those perfect jump shots are harder than they look!

how to: dessert jars

 

So I saw these on Elizabeth's blog and thought, "I could do that!"  So I did!  Twice!

CAKE JARS 

Bake a cake in a 9x13 pan (mine was birthday confetti).  [NOTE: You should undercook it by 2 minutes so that it doesn't fall apart when you put it in the jars.]  Once it's cooled, use the jar opening to cut circles in the cake.  Cut the circles in half (horizontally) and put a half in the bottom of each jar.

 

Transfer a can of icing into a sandwich-size Ziplock bag.  (I used whipped chocolate...mmm.)  Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.  Squeeze a layer of icing over the circles of cake.  Add sprinkles.  : )

Continue to layer cake, icing, and sprinkles until you get to the top of the jars.  (I used three cake layers and two icing/sprinkle layers.)
 
 

FRUIT PIZZA JARS

Roll out a tube of sugar cookie dough and bake for the minimum time per the instructions.  As soon as the cookie is cool enough to handle, use a jar opening to cut circles.

 

Shimmy a circle into the bottom of each jar.  It's easier when they're still warm and pliable.

Whip together 8 ounces each of Cool Whip, powdered sugar, and cream cheese.
 

Transfer the icing into a sandwich-size Ziplock bag.  Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.  Squeeze a layer of icing over the circles of cookie.  Top with sliced fruit (I used strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and bananas).  Continue layering.  (I did two layers of each.)

 
 

Decorate your jars with flowers and ribbon.  I used 24" pieces of ribbon 1/4" wide.  For the flowers, punch 12 large scalloped circles and 12 small scalloped circles out of one piece of double-sided patterned paper.  Press the edges up so that the flowers have some dimension.  Add a small circle to each large circle and top that with a button.

 

My friend Jessie made the toppers.  Thanks, girrrrl.

Take your jars to a picnic and share them with your best friends.  : )

 
 
Cheers.  : )

sneak peeks

So I can't share everything just yet, but here's what I've been working on.   It's big.

 
 
 
 

It's going to be a great weekend.

Cheers.

happy mother's day mini

My mom has always referred to me as her baby (just like I suspect she will forever call me "cute").  She uses it mostly when she's in denial.

"You can't go to the school dance with a boy!  You're my baby!"  "But Mom, I'm thirteen."  (Said with a ton of attitude, I'm sure.)

"You can't go to college!  You're my baby!"  "But Mom, I'm eighteen."

"You can't be getting married!  You're my baby!"  "But Mom, I'm twenty-three."

"You can't be kissing!  You're my baby!"  "But Mom, I'm twenty-nine." 

"You can't be twenty-nine!  You're my baby!"  "But Mom, you're forty-hmrmmrmr."

So I thought I'd make her a mini album of when I actually was her baby.  These are some of my favorite all-time photos.  I've been looking at them a lot lately.

I think the photos are from 1985 or 1986.  The story goes that I was terrrrified of that pig.  Hence my faces.  The other story goes that every time I had a dress on, I loved to show my panties.  What can I say.  Too many jokes to choose from.

That's my aunt BB on the left, me in the middle, and my mom on the right.  The end of her necklace has a small photo frame about the size of a quarter that has a baby picture of me in it.  : )

  

 
 
 
 
 
Supplies: Fabric paper, patterned paper, ribbon: Dear Lizzy + American Crafts.  Patterned paper, paper flowers: Girls' Paperie.  Brads, felt flowers, foam thickers: American Crafts.  Punches: Fiskars.  Marker: Sharpie.  Lace, pins.

Click on any of the photos to enlarge or click on the new album in the right margin.

The album only took me 5 hours.  I was expecting it to take 12 (y'all know I'm a slow scrapper).  I wanted to use my fabric paper since my mom's a quilter and appreciates fabric.  I've also been saving my Girls' Paperie Paper Girl and Dear Lizzy lines for something really pretty and special, and this was it.  As soon as I decided to do a mini album, I knew I had to use these supplies.

I followed Elizabeth's instructions here.  Each page is about 4x4 (I think - I already gave it away - ha!), so I printed all of my photos as wallet sizes.  I had to use Fabri-Tac on all of the fabric.  Once I figured that out, it worked like a charm.  Also, I only just now noticed that I signed the date as 2010 instead of 2011.  Whoopsie!

Happy mini album.  : )

like mother, like daughter/how to win at horseshoes

So as I was looking at our weekend photos, I noticed something.

       
 

  
 
  

It looks like we're related!

Mom shamefully lost at horseshoes.  It was my first time to play, and I beat the pants off of her.  I was surprised that she didn't know all of the rules, and she was surprised that I remembered the rules one at a time and only when they were relevant.

I started off with 50 bonus points since I was the youngest person to throw in the first round.  When I got to 82 points, I automatically got the 10-point bonus for having the exact same score as my birth year.  Of course, each player lost 10 points when her horseshoe rolled head-over-heels (which frequently happened to Mom) and each gained 10 points when her horseshoe rolled sideways (which frequently happened to me).  Plus 1 point for clinking the post, minus 2 points for clinking the opponent's shoe, and a bonus 10 points for me when I reached 100 points more than Mom (she spent the entire game in the negatives).

Final score: 103 to minus 47.

Sorry, Mom.  I was just following the rules!

happy weekend

All of this...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Plus, birthday brownies, Julio's, getting smacked in the face with a tree branch, and one or two Glee soundtracks. 

And that was only Saturday.  ; )

throwback thursday: sunshine

This was my doll.  Her name was Sunshine because she was yellow.  Yes, I was a very clever child.

 
 
 

As you can see, I loved her a lot.  Now that I think about it, I don't know whatever happened to her.  Hmm.  Does that make me a bad mommy? 

Goodbye, Nashville! I hardly knew you!

I was in Nashville last weekend to visit my friend Beth and tour the city.  When I look back, I can’t believe we did so much.  It would be a lot faster to tell you what we didn’t do, which is sit around.

Country Music Hall of Fame

 
 

The Ryman Auditorium

 
 

Lunch at Bread & Company

I had the T.A.B. sandwich, which was shredded turkey, bacon, bleu cheese, Granny Smith apples, and pesto mayo on their homemade wheat bread.  It was a big ‘un.

 
 

Beth had the PB&A (peanut butter, Granny Smith apples, and honey cinnamon cream cheese on cranberry walnut bread) which sounds crazy but is amazing.

Shopping in Historic Hillsboro Village

 
 
 

At store Social Graces

The Grand Ole Opry

 
 
 

Sparkles Cupcakes 

We didn’t know exactly where this store was.  Beth had inadvertently left her phone and GPS at the house.  My phone had a nearly dead battery and no internet access.  So first we called Beth’s husband to get us to the right part of town.  Then I called the store for directions.  It was a little comical since I don’t live in Nashville and the girl I talked to just moved to Nashville.  In actuality, it was Beth and the cupcake girl conversing via me.  The girl didn’t sound confident but said it was 1.5 miles past the Wal-Mart and on the left.  Beth knew where that was, so we were set.

So we go to the Wal-Mart, and after about a mile, we pass a second Wal-Mart.  On the same road.  Hmm.  Maybe it’s 1.5 miles past the second one?  So we drive further until there’s really nothing left, make our first U-turn, and head back, all the while still looking thinking that maybe we missed it because surely we’ve already passed it.  It’s still not there.

I make my second phone call to the store and we get redirected by a different cupcake.  After the third Wal-Mart and second U-turn, Beth said to me, “Okay, I’m up for whatever, but let me know if you’d like to give up.”  To which I replied, “Uh uhhh.  I’m committed.”  And finally finally we found it.  [Insert gospel choir here.]

 

Dinner at Park Café

 

Brick Roasted Chicken Breast

 

Molasses Glazed Pork Chop

Arrington Vineyards

 

Cheekwood Botanical Garden

 
 

We also had lots of great girl time, homemade meals, movies, and general merriment.

My only disappointment was that I didn’t bump into Taylor Swift.  I was prepared to block the exits until she agreed to be my friend.

I have to say, I’m really enjoying these “city” tours.  Who's next?!

the 29 list: #8 fly somewhere

I'm crossing this one off of my list twice since I'm flying round-trip.  ; )

I have just successfully flown from Waco to Dallas to Nashville to Dallas to Waco for a long weekend with my roommate Beth and her city.

 
 
 

Last Tuesday, I was talking to my friend Angie about my trip and telling her that I’m flying out of Waco which is so much easier than DFW.  She’s never been to the Waco airport, and what I was describing was completely incomprehensible to her.

Me: There’s free parking, no shuttle, no getting there two hours early because security is so small…

Angie: Really?  I had no idea.

Me: It’s pretty small.  There’s only one or two gates.  I can’t remember.

Angie (perplexed):  Is there a McDonald’s?

Me (scoffing): No.

Angie: Well, that’s good to know.  Now I know if I ever fly out of there, I have to bring my own snacks.  What about a book store?

Me (laughing): No.

Angie: Magazine stand?

Me: No.  There’s not a Chili’s, either.  And you can’t buy souvenirs anywhere.

Angie: Well, I didn’t think there’d be a Chili’s!

Me: There’s not even a sandwich cart!

Angie (even more perplexed): But what is there?

Me: You know how Dallas has terminal A, terminal B…?  Waco doesn’t have that.

Angie: They don’t?

Me: They don’t even have the long hallway to separate security from the gates.

Angie: They don’t??  What do the have?

Me: Gate 1.  Gate 2.

Angie: I don’t understand.  When you walk in –

Me: When you walk in, there’s the ticket counter on the right, security in front of you, and baggage claim on the left with a glass wall behind security.  It’s more like one huge room than anything.

Angie: I just don’t understand.

Me: I’ll take pictures.

 
ACT waiting area.  Editor's note: I was wrong.  There are 3 gates, and there is a little shop.

happy birthday, pink nostalgia

I started this blog one year ago today.  In 365 days, there have been:

183 posts

850 photos

55 scrapbook pages

5 mini albums

33 throwback thursdays

20 lists

7 videos

11 mentions of ribs

What a year! 

I would truly like to thank everyone who has ever read this blog, especially those who have written comments, sent me emails, or talked to me about it.  I love getting feedback, but it still takes me aback when people reference my blog back to me.  Dave does it at least once per week, and my response is, "...Oh!  From the blog?"  I'm always surprised when people tell me that they passed links to their friends, parents, or spouses.  Thanks for passing it on, and I hope you think it's worth it. 

And a special thanks to my sweet family and friends who let me bounce ideas off of them, help me brainstorm, proofread, post their photos and parts of their lives, and lavish me with continuous encouragement.

I hope you've enjoyed it.  I've had a great time writing and sharing.

Cheers.  : )

throwback thursday: heart and soul

All of us at the same piano.  Sigh. 

 
 
 
Mom and Aunt JJ - May 1977

 
me - 1983ish

 
 
Aunt BB and cousin Erin - July 1992

It reminds me of growing up with the duet Heart and Soul.  All of us can play it.  It happened a lot - one person would sit down on the piano bench and start playing the bottom part, then whoever wanted to would sit next to them and layer in the top part.  Inevitably, a third person would squeeze in and start playing a few wrong notes.  This is usually when my mom or Papa would shout from nearby, "Wrong note!"

They still have that piano.

 
Aunt JJ, Christmas 2010

tax season top 25

So here's how my top 25 looked after tax season.

 Here's the "before" list (see the blog post here):

 

And after:

 
Click on the photos to enlarge.

And Adele takes it by a landslide!  I listened to Hometown Glory for two days straight.  It was a very productive two days.  : )  I'm a little surprised that Taylor Swift didn't fare better.  But don't worry; she got plenty of car time.  : )

Done.

 

the 29 list: #27 sew something

I caught a sewing bug last week, so I knocked out #27 on my list.

Project 1 - Sleeping Mask

From Amy Butler's book In Stitches (which has at least two more projects that I'd love to make).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special thanks to my mom who talked me through it.  I'm okay at sewing if I know what I'm doing, but I don't know all of the jargon and believe it or not, I'm not good at following directions.  Plus, I'm impatient.  I know, shocker.

Project 2 - Chair Pillow

Ahh yes, this one was much easier.  No directions to follow, I just winged it.  I put two fat quarters together (right sides together), pinned and sewed around the perimeter, turned inside out, stuffed, and machine-stitched the opening.  I tufted the pillow with DMC floss, covered 4 buttons with a third fabric, and stitched the buttons on.  Done and done.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Project 3 - Apron (sigh)

Again, no pattern.  I couldn't bear to cut the lavendar and cream fabric, so I concluded that an apron would be perfect for it.  I added the slightest ruffle at the bottom because ruffles make me happy.

 
 
 
 

I'm thinking of doing a tutorial post on this maybe this summer, since this apron is my favorite one to make.

Project 4 - Square Deal Pincushion

I used this free pattern from Heather Bailey.  I thought since it was free, it would be easy.  I was wrong.  I messed up four times.  And it's not perfect by far.  This is the one that I made for my friend Lindsey.  I also made one for me that I'll post later.  It's even more imperfect.

 
 
 
 
 
 

I do love this fabric and bought some of my own for an Amy Butler apron.

So, I'm declaring #27 complete.  But I'm still going.  ; )