Roly-Poly, Let's shop Foley!

Drew's got here after 10 Thursday night. Olivia is a doll! She's one, and Jackson is an adorable three year old. Of course it was a late night, or shall we say "early morning?!" We girls, including Rhonda and Anne, had made plans to spend the Friday shopping the outlets in Foley. Grandpa Schneider had generously loaned us their van, so we were delighted to be able to ride all together and spend the driving time yakking and catching up! Our first stop was for lunch at the Stacey Rexall Drug Store. It's an olde-timey soda parlor/pharmacy where they serve sandwiches and ice cream galore! It's an experience in itself! While an electric train buzzes around near the ceiling, the druggists fill prescriptions in the back behind the saloon-style swinging door, and the soda jerks serve up old-fashioned fare in the front....you feel transported back in time to the '50's! I devoured a hot dog topped with mayo, mustard, ketchup, relish, sauerkraut, and onions. Could barely detect the wiener under all those toppings! lol! And of course I had to have the "Baby Buffalo"! It's a sundae made with marshmallow creme, hot fudge sauce, and chocolate ice cream, topped with piles of whipped cream and nuts with cherry on top! Twas supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!! (that was my favorite adjective when I was probably 10!) Fresh brewed coffee was only $.10 a cup! We browsed in the adjacent art store (Rhonda and I want to take in a few classes there soon!!) before heading on to the Tanger Outlets, which were bustling with people and great sales. I actually didn't make any purchases other than some Reebok undershirts for Danl. I did alot of dreaming and "leather smelling" though! :) So many awesome shoe, purse (Coach!), and kitchen stores to tantalize me.....But I don't really need any more shoes or purses right now, and my kitchen cabinets contents spill out when you open the doors! The guys met us for a sumptuous seafood supper at Shrimp Basket. I had the Mahi Mahi tacos. We had talked about stopping by Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert, but for some reason it didn't sound good anymore after we "rolled" out of  the Shrimp Basket. Was another super late night, before we finally called it a day! We said our sad farewells this morning....a short but sweet stay! I just pittered the day away, totally lacking any energy. When I stopped by Gramps to return the van, he thought I looked kinda pale, so he gave me a fish oil pill and some dark chocolate to get me all fixed up! :) So I should soon be feeling perky again! Danl ordered me to take an afternoon snooze, then took me out to Happy Palace for supper so I wouldn't have to cook. He's so sweet....

company's coming!

Drew and Audge should be here any minute!! :) Yay! So excited to see some of our favorite friends! Thanks to Mel coming and helping me clean, everything is ready! The house is sparkling, the newly painted green guestroom walls are glowing, the mini fridge is stocked, the fish bowl is unrecognizable, the porch pots are boasting fresh petunias, the fridge shelves are scum-free, the shoes by the door are straightened, the laundry is caught up, the yard is freshly mowed, and we are exhausted! But along with the exhaustion comes a satisfied, tingly feeling of wonderment that we have accomplished so much. I think "company's coming" needs to be a regular occurrence around here! Welcome visitors, one and all!

what have I done?!

Well, the guest room is now a happy, vivid green! When Daniel poked his head in, his comment was, "What have you done?!!" I should take that as a compliment, right? I thought so too! I adore the new color, but will admit that it is a bit overwhelming right now without any curtains or wall art. Once I get the decor in place, I'm sure that everyone will love it! (Maybe I should have a couple pair of complimentary sunglasses handy on the night stand though....)

thrift-store thrills!

Since I had to go to town today to buy the splediforous, fresh, striking, summery, vibrant, Japanese Fern green paint for the guest room, (I'm trying to convince others of its beauty! The guy at Bondurant remained unconvinced I could tell!!!) I curved my route to include Atmore's finest secondhand shop, "We Care." It was a moderately good day; I came home with 5 children's books @ $.59 each and 1 @ $.99 (my favorite being Petunia's Christmas. Does anyone else love that spunky goose as much as I? :) I plan to give the 2 "Little Critter" ones, the Richard Scary's Cars and Trucks, and the book on iguanas to Jacob for his birthday, and keep Petunia and Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss to add to the Faircloth book collection. I also snagged a yellow and navy striped long sleeve shirt for Jacob @ $1.69, and a black locker organizer for $.99. I love these for adding extra shelving for storage in my delinquent cabinets! On I journeyed to "Dirt Cheap," which isn't technically a thrift-store, but the stuff inside is dirty, dinghy, broken, damaged, or defective enough to qualify as secondhand in my books! I managed to dig deep enough to end up with the following treasures: an aqua, queen-sized fitted sheet @ $5.00 to go with the tan top sheet and pillowcases on the guest bed, a brown, temporary curtain panel for guest room @ $3.00, and a small, black, modern shelf @ $3.50 that will be perfect for sock monkeys to sit upon!

Homemade Cookie Dough Poptarts!

This delectable treat was my breakfast this morning! Here's the link for the website I found the recipe on. http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/09/23/homemade-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-poptarts/?pid=3725#slideshowTry it! I think next time I will double the cookie dough, but not the choc. chips. The filling ideas could be endless~ I'm thinking raspberry, or cookies and cream....

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Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Poptarts
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of melted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons Bisquick
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
1 round of uncooked pie crust
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of caramel ice cream sauce
1/2 teaspoon water
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, melted butter, Bisquick, and chocolate chips. Cut a pie crust into four small rectangles, then spoon the chocolate chip cookie dough mixture on top of two of the pie crusts. Place the second pie crust on top of each “filled” crust. Use a fork to press down the edges. Bake in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, caramel ice cream sauce, and water. Drizzle over the top of your cooked poptarts. Serve with ice cream and hot fudge or melted nutella, if desired.
Makes 2 poptarts

happy broom day!

Did you know that today is "Broom Day"? (Otherwise known as the "Vernal Equinox" to sane people) I didn't know it either until a friend told me that my broom should stand on it own today! So I grabbed my ole blue brown and it stood at command! How impressive! If only it would obey when I say "SWEEP! Thou slothful broom!" I guess I should just be content with the novelty of it standing there on its own! I decided to further educate myself about this novel phenomenon, but upon I googling it, I found that it is a widely controversial subject! Some claim that a broom or an egg will balance any ole day of the year; that the equinox has nothing to do with it! Others say that it most certainly does! I'm going with "Broom Day"! How boring to take the magic away! Our blue broom has balanced for several hours now, even with me thumping around the house. (Daniel tells me that he can't imagine how I can make so much noise clumping about without weighing as much as an elephant!) It's kinda spooky to see our broom standing eerily upright as if it's just waiting there like a witch-taxi! :) I'm staying clear of it so it doesn't reach out and grab me! It did retaliate the other day for me making it whisk up a few piles of grass by slicing my finger open on its sharp metal end! (the black plastic cap had come off!) I have never written so much about brooms in my life; so before this post becomes too broomified I will sign off with a warning - "Beware of Brooms and have a happy Broom Day!"

green grass chairs

If I wasn't allergic to rye grass, a chair like this would be a super fun thing to have have perched on my porch! I just really love them for some reason. Green things make me happy! In Hobby Lobby on Tuesday, I spied a small, chic dry erase board with a lime green frame! Mel convinced me that I needed it (at least I'm blaming her!) and every time I glance at my to-do list, it makes me smile. Our guest room/studio/someday nursery is totally Kilzed now as of this afternoon, and is awaiting a fresh layer of paint! What color will it be? You guessed it!! GREEN! Japanese Fern from Behr to be exact. I tried to import the sample pic of a room painted in that color off their website, but it wouldn't let me. I hope to get the paint mixed at Bondurant tomorrow and go to town with my brush and roller! Or shall I wait to get Behr paint from Home Depot next time I'm in P'cola??? Calling all paint experts! Tara, Jill, Rhonda, and others! I know y'all all have done alot of painting. Thank you in advance for shouting out a few opinions!

quote

I really like this quote! I don't know who wrote it, but it is good!

The truth is, we will sometimes fail to be who we want to be. But we will get closer to who we are meant to be every time we fall or fail and then choose to take God’s hand so we can get up again!

home again, home again, bliggity blog!!

Please excuse my lack of blogging these past few days! It's been hectic around here! This is the first chance I've had to sit in my red chair to relax for a minute and blog a bit! We had revivals Sun, Mon, and Tues, so those nights I was at gone to church. Monday, Leroy had to see Dr. Moore for his irritated ears, (a result of allergies!) and to get his annual checkup/shots. I also had to get the oil changed in my car. Yesterday, Mel and I ran down to Pensacola and pounded the pavement getting some necessary stuff accomplished and some not so necessary shopping done too! :) We devoured pizza and spaghetti at "Italy's Finest Pizzeria" for lunch. Remember how good that place is, Mom(Lisa)? :) Several months ago, I purchased a Groupon for "Adonna's Bakery and Cafe" on Palafox St., so we made good use of that for an afternoon snack! I savoured a huge raspberry-stuffed croissant, while Mel enjoyed two scoops of ice cream. This morning I had to switch gears first thing, because the mower belt I picked up for Daniel yesterday was the WRONG one! So back down to Kingline Equipment I go! Then I went to Atmore to deliver it, go the bank, get groceries, go to post office, and meet Aunt Sue at "Nan's Main St. Cafe" for lunch. I had the daily special which was smother-fried chicken, spicy fried green beans (awesome!), corn nuggets, garden salad, and cornbread. Very Southern, fattening, and filling! Today is Mom's (Lisa) birthday! "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Mom, happy birthday to you!" I have the birthday carrot cake in the works; once it's done, we are heading down to Sake Cafe to celebrate! Yay for birthdays!
 (Gracious!!As I read over this post, I realize I really like to eat and talk about food! Help!)

happy st. paddy's day!

A day for green....but it somehow didn't happen for me even though green is my favorite color! Along with red, black, black and white, grey, brown, yellow, navy... ok! I'll stop! Back to the green thing, I kinda forgot in the morning what day it was and snagged a black and grey dress from my closet. Remembering back to school days, it was SO important to not be caught without green for, alas! you would be pinched all day long! What foolishness, but it was fun! This eve, Daniel and I decided to go out on a long overdue date! (If going to Bass Pro to buy work shirts qualifies as date!) Daniel bought me some birthday cake fudge from that awesome 'lil corner of Bass Pro where the food, fudge, candles, and other goodies are. My favorite corner of the entire store! Have to do my part of supporting the hunting industry you know! Gotta love date nights! :) Supper at Stix was definitely date-like! If anyone is wondering, don't bother trying endamame.... Anyway, without thinking again I wore a brown, silver, and black dress, a yellow watch, a navy short-sleeve jacket, and carried my grey purse from Mirna. I do own dresses with green, a white and green watch, and a very green purse! I'll guess I'll celebrate St. Patricks another day! Thinking back, I did eat lettuce at lunch, so at least I consumed something green! Goodnight!

annie's baby shower

Yesterday was a no-post day; twas helter-skelter getting around for Annie's baby shower in the evening! Our theme was monkeys since that it her nursery decor. I was responsible to make the chocolate monkey cupcakes. Typical of me, I was running around Atmore last minute to find mini Nilla Wafers for the poor monkeys' ears! I wasn't sure what would be the best "ear option", so in addition to the mini Nillas, I also grabbed mini Nutter Butters, Bud's Best Wafers, and Lotus brand Biscoff cookies which are "Europe's favorite cookie with coffee!" (Can't wait to eat some!) I did settle on the mini Nillas. The Nutter Butters settled in my stomach. Our menu consisted of chocolate cupcakes, banana cupcakes, coconut cupcakes, toasted chicken melts, kiwi, bananas, and oranges with creamy fruit dip, little party favor bags of peanuts, pretzels, and banana runts (adorable!),York mint patties, pink lemonade with a lime slice, and coffee. Monica had made gobs of tissue papers pom-poms in lime, hot pink, and brown, so that really made the school auditorium look festive! The moms shared memories, we had a song, and everyone took a quiz to see how well they knew Annie. It always amazes me how well everything comes together in the end, even if you do have had mild panic attacks in the beginning! With everyone working together, it somehow all gets done. I was exceedingly thankful that Moni had so much done ahead! :) Annie received lots of cute and useful gifts; can't wait to see her little girl putting them to use! A relaxing shower was enjoyed by all...
(Help! Since I had babies on my mind, I dreamed we had a little girl named "Emma"! She had lots of freckles, and in my dream I said, "Guess she is fair-skinned like me! lol)

beach cravings

I suffered from beach cravings today....it was gorgeous out! The sun shone, the sky was blue, the grass was green, and the beach was calling! But I had to stay inside doing paperwork, bills, vacuuming, and cooking. I did dash to the post office and to the elevator to buy dog food AGAIN! The man taking my money commented, "Your dog must be FAT!" I told him that we have two, and yes, they are pretty fat! At least Diesel is! Leroy has to fight for his food, poor thing! He has gotten fatter lately though. Back to my original train of thought, does anyone want to have a beach day one of these days????? I'm so ready to surf the waves on my boogie board and soak up some sun...
(FYI - this pic is of the pier at P'cola Beach. Found it on the web! pretty cool!)

wacky wednesday

Wacky Wednesday it is
Hair all a frizz!
Showed my face
At the old home place.
Sewed a few seams
And had a few screams!
Cut out a dress
And made a big mess!
Mel did swell,
Eventually all went well!
Fajitas for lunch,
I gained a bunch!
Twas a good day
In every way!
This poem is so weird
I am almost skeered
That I don't have a brain
And poems are a pain!

sewing day at church

Today was Sewing Day! I am always excited when it comes around, because what could be more fun than a bunch of women getting together to get crafty, gab, and eat, while having an all around good time putting our efforts into making life a bit easier for others who need blankets, comforters, quilts, layette bundles, and the like. I called Summer earlier to see if Jackson wanted to go with me, which he definitely did! He always loved Sewin'. Enjoyed having "my" lil boy with me again... We had a delectable lunch of all sorts of things over rice. Polynesian, Creole, Mushroom Meatballs, Coconut Chicken Curry, and Chicken Alfredo. All that along with various salads, Graham Cracker Fluff, cornbread, cappuccino muffins, and brownie sundaes for dessert! I didn't leave anything "untried!" While I wasn't stuffing my face, I worked on the "scrappy modern quilt" Rhonda and I instigated last month. We are sorta copying this gorgeous quilt I saw on Pinterest. It is from the quilt blog, http://blueelephantstitches.blogspot.com/ We are just using fabric scraps we had on hand at church, but I am quite impressed with how it's turning out! I hope we can get it sashed, bound, and in the frame to start hand-quilting it next Sewing! We finished piecing all twenty blocks today. This "granny squares" quilt pic is what inspired my fabric scrap organization! I want to get my own "shabby chic" quilt underway soon!

drooling over these plates

Raj Dinner and Side Plates

Ride into Raj on a beautiful painted elephant and lounge the day away. A timeless pattern of elegance and intrigue. I saw these plates in a mag when I was in the waiting room at Dr. Cleveland's the other day. They captivated me immediatley! Made me think of you, Mel! :) Don't you just love them? They can be purchased here  http://www.frenchbull.com/ Check out all the other cool stuff available, too! 'Bout need a bib, I'm drooling so badly!

I did it again...

This post will have more meaning to some of you than to others, because some of you will remember the tragedy of the black-eyed peas I incinerated a few years back! What awful memories that evokes!!! We, the house, and anything that had been in the house, reeked of smoke for days as if we were habitual chain smokers until I borrowed two ozone machines that finally zapped the lingering whiffs of smoke. Moving on to the present, this past Saturday night I got hungry for a quesadilla (Danl had taken his lawnmower rep out for supper), so I put a wheat tortilla in a pan, topped it with cheese and diced ham, and then turned the burner almost to HI which is my normal cooking setting. Then the thought crossed my mind that while my quesadilla is heating up, I should quickly throw in a load of laundry! I dashed to the bedroom to get it gathered up. While doing that, I decided to quickly change into my pj's so I could add the clothes I was wearing to the pile I wanted to wash. Meanwhile my poor quesadilla began to smolder and rapidly turn to burnt sacrifice, while smoke clouded the kitchen. Suddenly I remembered my supper, and raced to the rescue! But alas! It was in the last stages before flames most likely! I grabbed the pan with the ashes it contained, and plunked the whole works down outside on the porch! Back in the kitchen, I turned on the vent to rid the house of smoke, and carefully made me another quesadilla. When Daniel got home, he almost choked it still smelled so rank! Thankfully, I knew from experience what to do! The next morning, I called to Maynard and Brooxe's and somewhat bashfully asked "could I please borrow the ozone machine again?" Thanks to their generosity, this marvelous machine has been cheerfully buzzing out ions or whatever it does to make the bad smell go away, and our house is smelling (almost) back to normal today! I certainly hope I have learned my lesson! Or maybe there's no hope for me, and we should just invest in our own ozone machine.

a few updates

Thought I'd update from some previous posts! "the great closet clean-out" is FINISHED! And there's even shelf space leftover! Needless to say, I am THRILLED! Now I need to tackle the spare room closet....and the kitchen cabinets....and the space above my washer and dryer....Let's not even continue with this line of thought!!! Moving on, the "all stacked up" problem was remedied with ten black baskets originally from Target that I scored at Dirt Cheap for $4 each! Alot easier on the pocketbook than the $200 I had thought of spending on wire baskets from the Container Store for my fabric scraps. And what I am most pumped about - remember the greedy "I want, I want" post? Well, my wonderful mom-in-law told me the other day that she had ordered that gorgeous, knockout of a cake stand for me for my birthday!! Yay! Thank you so much, Mom! You will get the first cake I serve on it! Your choice of flavor, too! :) Nothing like getting started with celebrating my June birthday in March! Sorry, I just can't help that I love my birthday so much! Please bear with me....I know I'm hopeless!

thrift-store snags

This morning, after finishing necessary errands in Atmore, I felt pulled to the thrift-store for a quick dash down the aisles. I'm glad I followed my instincts! I walked out rewarded with the following super snags! A shiny silver basket for closet organizing = $1.49. Black metal basket for the closet = $.89 Bright yellow chicken mug with tiny white flowers for my small spatulas in the kitchen = $.29 Tablespoon-Tsp measuring spoon for my salt jar = $.39 Victoria's Secret PINK stuffed dog for Diesel and Leroy = $.69 Glamor Girl printer paper = $.89 and my most adored but least useful purchase of all - A pair of gold deer = $3.49! I was thrilled to find them, for I had seen some similar in Country Living a few issues back, and thought they would look right at home on our living room bookshelves since Daniel is an avid hunter. For these I used some Christmas $$ I hadn't spent since I didn't want to break my pact I have with myself to not spend money on things I don't really need. Christmas $ is in a whole different category! I know a few dollars shouldn't seem like it would make a difference, but it all adds up after awhile!

the great closet clean-out!

Today is the day! The day to thoroughly purge our bedroom closet has arrived! I began the attempt yesterday evening, but only succeeded in dragging out most of the contents and scattering them all about the bedroom. I found some things I didn't even remember I had, and a lot of other things that I wish I didn't remember I had! Nice things, very nice things....But where oh where should they be stored?! And shoes, and shoes, and shoes! Let's not even get started! And they are not just my shoes either! I think Daniel has as many pair as I do! I should stop blogging, and commence organizing....I am craving that glorious feeling of surveying a newly organized, clutter-free space...

normal day

"Normal Day, let me be aware of the treasure you are."

Rhonda has this quote (not sure if I am remembering all the words right!) on her chalkboard in her kitchen. I like it. Sometimes I get to feeling like normal days are just too blah, and I crave excitement! But if life is hectic for several days in a row; then I realize that I am longing for a "normal day!"
Today was a normal day....I ran the stew of of my poor washing machine, baked and sold a 3-layer yellow cake frosted with fluffy chocolate buttercream, scurried to Atmore for a few things (namely powdered sugar for the cake, WHY do I have to be SO sanguine?!!) and vacuumed and changed air filters. Allergy maintenance is my new priority! I guess I will just have to struggle along the best I can with meds, dust mite covers, etc., because I received the sad news today from CHA that although they do cover allergy testing, they do NOT cover allergy shots!

what I am NOT allergic to!

Today I went to the best allergy specialist in Pensacola! The purpose of the visit was to determine if I should continue the fight for life in this pollen-infested, dust-laden, mold-encrusted world! Just kidding, but that is how I feel sometimes! The result of the "skin-prick" allergy testing (which itches FAR WORSE than chicken pox!) I endured was that out of 47 irritants, I am NOT allergic to 5 molds! How wonderful......Otherwise my reaction was, as the doc said, "SUPER-allergic!" To improve my quality of life, Dr. Cleveland is recommending allergy shots. This takes approximately 4 years to complete. So tomorrow, I need to contact my insurance, and get on with the process! Wish me luck!

a cake batter day

Today was a cake batter day! Birthday cake and sprinkles are my new fetish! The day started with cake batter pancakes and ended with these scrummy truffles! I found this recipe on a fab food blog http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/ (check it out sometime! she makes awesome food!) I needed something to take for snack to the housewarming the Smith and Jantz families were throwing tonight for my cousin Kimberly and her husband, Albert, and since I've been wanting to try these, but NOT end up eating them all myself, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity! They were fun and easy to make, and the plate came home empty! ;) I used funfetti cake mix since I didn't have yellow on hand, and I didn't think adding cake mix to the white chocolate would improve anything, so I skipped that. Otherwise, I followed the recipe!


Cake Batter Truffles

by The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup yellow cake mix

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3-4 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons sprinkles

Truffle Coating:

16 ounces (8 squares) almond bark (or white candy melts)

4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix

sprinkles

Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished. Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

Here's the link if you want to start your day right with cake batter pancakes! Perfect for the young and young-at-heart!

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breakfastbrunch/pancakeswaffles/cake-batter-pancakes/

go green!

It was definitely time for a fresh face for this blog! And, Since March is the "green" month to me because of St. Patrick's Day and Spring arriving, bringing with it green grass, green leaves, green weeds and so on and so forth....green seemed the best color to go with! How do you like it? ;)