Cookie Decorator!

NOT MY COOKIES....the image is from Sweet Sugar Belle...located on my sidebar...I love her site! :)

And just like that...I'm a cookie decorator! Well, not really...just one in my head.

I've been researching cookie decorating for a few months now ... I'm hooked.

Step 1 - Research: Find the best products and methods for optimum results.

Step 2 - Purchase just enough products to get started practicing.

Step 3 - Practice piping on plates or parchment paper, not cookies yet :)

Step 4 - Practice more...

Step 5 - And more...

Step 6 - And a little more...

Step 7 - Practice baking the perfect batch of sugar cookies.

Step 8 - Marry the two...and practice on a cookie :)

Step 9 - Love the finished product (will I ever get to that point?)

Step 10 - Learn to ship them to my family and friends! Yes, that's you!!!

6 years ago I was obsessed with learning to make amazing chocolate chip cookies...like the kind of cookies that my teenage children will brag about...now that I've mastered that (no humility...I'll admit it) I need another obsession.

Some may ask, Why not start practice on real cookies? Because we'd eat them! NO, not good for my Weight Watchers lifestyle...not to be confused with a DIET...my new lifestyle :) Also, the frosting is relatively cheap to make so practicing daily won't be costly.

I'm currently on step 2. lol. My cookie making investments will be small....until I decide whether or not I have a steady enough hand...I'm not exactly an artist...like my sweet husband...so this may be a total flop!

We'll see. Enjoy the journey!

I'll be blogging all about it! :)

j

Font Website that I love!

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/freescrapbookfonts/

I have had a few friends asking me about the fonts on my handouts and signs for cub scouts and the relief society committee stuff I work on...so I thought I would also share this site with you!


The fonts are FREE and I totally trust this site cause I've been using it for over a year now. Luhve it!


She had a pretty good tutorial on how to download them and once you do one font...you'll be a professional! I love cute fonts!

Enjoy :)

Here's 2 of my favorites...the WISH I WERE TALLER is my "go to" font for almost everything. Labels around the house...scout stuff...gift tags....you name it!

Eat.Pray.Love.

Just finished reading this Book....Eat, Pray, Love. by Elizabeth Gilbert (picture above...isn't she so cute :) I saw Julia Roberts on Oprah talking about the movie coming soon and I was excited to run out and get it. My review...Cute book. Hilarious. She travels to Italy (um...hello...my dream... right after I spend a year in Spain), India (interesting), and Bali (um...not on my list but she makes it sound so cool!).

Easy to read but at the same time a Deeep Book...a few times I had to put down for a bit to have my brain catch up....lots of yoga and meditation stuff...funny funny. She hits rock bottom in the book and tells about her journey to pick herself up again...resulting of course in true love. Awe. Google it for reviews and I think you'll love it.

A few pages towards the end of the book...warning...are a little racy for me (1-10 I'd say a 4 or 5)...but overall I would recommend it to all my friends. :) Grab it. Its totally cute!

Pantry Dilemma...solved!

I have a pantry dilemma...my last pantry was HUGE and this one is...well...a closet. And that closet is right up next to the double doors to the laundry room and the double doors to the fridge....they literally share the same 3 feet of space in an effort to make my life miserable. Yes, m.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e.

So here was my solution. Baskets! I have a ton of wasted space above my cabinets in the kitchen...so I added baskets! Not really for decoration....tho they do look kinda cute I think...but for food! Is it totally practical...well...I guess a bigger kitchen and pantry would be more practical but ya work with what ya got right?! We're living in a temporary place...so I'm off to a new pantry every year or so...so I make do with what I have!

I do wish I could come up with some way to make them look more cute. I thought about greenery...buy green just isn't my color...I think I've looked all over the freakin blog world and have just settled on a plant shelf with just baskets. PLUS decor would just get in the way of functionality...right?! Simple. Works for me.

I purchased the baskets from Target when they were on sale. I had to run to 3 different super targets in my area...(kill me) but I love them! I wanted the fabric liner so I could wash it if needed and cause I wanted something to help break up all the BROWN ... I love the linen looking liners and they totally match my chairs in the dining room. Why didn't I just buy them with a coupon at Michaels, Joann's, HobLob? Cause I wanted to spend a fortune at Target. No really...Cause that would have been like 100 transactions, they don't have very many "sets" of baskets that all match, and I just loooved the ones I spotted at target...blah blah. Just cause ok?!! ;)

I labeled some of the baskets just for fun. Not really for any function. I'm sure my sweet husband would appreciate it it I actually labeled them correctly....like 'tomatoes' 'soups' 'pasta' ... but that would just not be cute! ;D So my labels currently say "1" "2" ... 'Faith' 'Hope' 'Love' 'Charity'..... and will probably change again and again.

I also purchased a step ladder on clearance at target to help me actually reach the baskets. Also...for the not so heavy baskets I just use my rolling pin and stick it through the hole of the basket to help lower it down...rocket science. My 4 year old loooves when I let him climb on the counter to grab the mac&cheese from the basket. Fun stuff.

So...what if my next home (March 2011) doesn't have a large plant shelf? I'll die. Just kidding...I have a few ideas. If I have an available wall near the kitchen either in the eat in dining area (not the formal dining area for sure!) then I'll buy 2 cute bookshelves and just fill them with baskets. OR I could just use them in a closet I guess. I dunno.

never thought this day would come...

I need laundry soap...

yes...I'm out...What the stink!?

Today...in a laundry furry I started a load...water running...and didn't have SOAP for it! Ugh!

Me...the stockpiling...couponing...domestic goddess (ok...the last one is a stretch) doesn't have laundry soap. Gees!

I started to panic and everything...seriously, what's wrong with me? I used oxy clean instead...oh well...off to walmart during preschool tomorrow...

Let me just say...I hate that I'm currently using up all my stockpiles...not coupon shopping...and not watching the sales! Eeek. CAN'T wait til I have time for that again.

Deeeeep sigh. Going to walmart to pay whatever price they have for me...maybe I'll grab a coupon if I can make myself go to my dreaded coupon box...that I haven't touched for weeks. sad face. Oh my beloved coupon box...I miss you.

j

Cooking Party...

Was a success! I am DOG TIRED! I finally got home, unloaded my meals into the fridge/freezer, and jumped into bead by 3:15 am...yes yes AM! My sweet mother watched my son today while Lexi and I took a nap. heaven.

What's for Dinner tonight....um....let me choose one of the many in my freezer...and pop it in the oven!

Yay!

Why did I do all that hard work last night just to start eating it all right away? ... I want to see which recipes my family likes...then I'll try to have another (maybe solo? maybe with friends?) cooking party to stock up on meals to eat during my packing times. awww...that would be blissful.

More details about the cooking party coming soon...when I have the pictures! :)

within whispering distance

moved to tears

i started my day off differently today. i really enjoyed the videos on this link. Especially this one...

http://www.lds.org/topic/gratitude/

oh....that's why

i never gave this another thought until today...

why do they always use the phrase...

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

for fonts...

well...that's because it contains a sample of each of the 26 letters.

i can't believe i never noticed that.

CUTE fonts here!!! ...

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/

The instructions are really easy and I'm lovin the new fonts on my computer!

I LOVE Cari...

She just gave me a total scene by scene description of the show I love Lucy that she was watching. Cracking up the whole time. Love it. Little did she know...While she was setting the stage I was picturing her as Lucy---she would totally do the same crap! Wait...does that make me Ethel?(I seriously have no clue how to spell that one) She had memorized like all the jokes and told me with such enthusiasm. haha. Friends like that just can't be separated by 400 miles. Love ya bud. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU this weekend (for the 60 minutes I'll be in town--sad face)! Happy early birthday. Are you turning...like 50 now?

Interesting Evening

Last night was sorta weird and ANNOYING!

Our AC broke on Saturday...currently waiting for the repairs...hopefully today. fingers crossed. Last night Jacob came into our bed at 1:30 am, said he couldn't sleep. I think his room was too hot? Dunno. I left around 3 to sleep in his room. 5 Lexi woke up and the two of us slept on the queen in her room. Then she almost fell off the bed...so we migrated to the couch in the living room. Cuddled there. 6:12 woke up for making sandwiches and breakfast. Interesting evening. 3 beds and a couch in one evening. Loving it. Let me tell you!!

Cookbooks

After not much thought...I've decided to start collecting vintage cookbooks. Yay! I have 3. Not very exciting yet...but its a start right?! Currently I have 2 Betty Crocker 1st edition (1st print and 2nd print) and 1 Pillsbury 1st Edition. Yay! Total investment cost: $4

Love it. Have a book to donate? Pass it along cause I WOULD LOVE IT! Anything older than 1985 (my birth year...).

Thanks!

PJ

When Satan goes to sleep at night, he checks under his bed for Jeffrey R. Holland
-not sure the author---but I saw it on my brother's facebook...

I really enjoyed his talk at conference and felt the strength that the Book of Mormon can bring to those that believe in its word.

Great Thought...

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff -- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

Thanks to my super christian friend Cari for forwarding this to me. :D

Where'd u go?!

Traffic School for my ticket (first one i've ever received..ugh)
Cubscout Leader of a brand new program
Laundry
18 month old whirlwind
3 year old messy BOY
house guest coming tomorrow night
more house guests (my in-laws:) coming this weekend

this one is lame...my office is hot---so I don't like to be on the computer during nap time cause its so stinkin hot in that room. dumb..I know. That's also my excuse for not wanting to fold clothes during nap time---my room is hot and that's where the clean clothes are. OH YA...I have a movie to watch while folding clothes today. Sweet. ttyl.

pj

still cooking. just not doing great about blogging it. every time i sit down to my computer i'm working on scout stuff. ugh. sorry. i'm loving my new job with scouts...that's why i'm letting it eat up all my time :D -j

The VENT is WIDE OPEN

Watch out! Here I go!

Its hot. I'm tired. My uterus hurts. My dishes aren't done. My Barro's coupon is lost. We need another fan in the house. My car is INSANELY dirty and needs an oil change like 2000 miles ago. I cant find my ensign. Just paid $11 to return a broken half chewed (by my 3 year old!) DVD @ blockbuster.

on the other side

I'm blogging. Just had pizza for dinner. My kids are sleeping. I'm ignoring my housework, taking a pms pill and watching a movie tonight with a Dr Pepper, yes---full sugar, full caffeine, and lots of ice. My gas tank is full (saved $.20/gallon with Fry's card!). Heath is happy. I'm in my Pjs. Just got paid. Finally chose a health insurance plan. I'm going to California this weekend.

I guess I'll decide to go to bed happy...that list is longer. It wins.

j

If you were a guest in my house and these satin zebra sheets were on your bed---would you think I'm weird or crazy? The secret is---I wish I could have these on my bed---so I think I might settle for having them on the guest bed. I think zebra is so cute! The guest bed has a black comforter (which will never actually be used since we live in freakin hot az. The current sheets are white (for bleaching purposes) and I have an accent throw blanket that's hot pink. Yes, I'm just talking about nothing but I really want this sheet set. Currently, I can't justify it...but I can dream. oh--HERE's the link to this sheet set at walmart. Wait, I can order them for Lexi's bed! jk. no satin for a potty training 2 year old.

108.6 degrees right now

Need I say more?

announcement...(not that kind)...

When we were first married we had 2 crockpots. Heath's looked like the one above. We lost mine during the move in February and last week heath's broke. It stopped heating up. UGH! I love cooking with crockpot and its so much easier. I love coming home on Sunday to a yummy smelling meal when I'm super hungry and super tired. (I swear church is a marathon!)

Its this my chance----both crockpots are out of the picture---can I finally get my beloved Red Crockpot?!! YES!

So----yesterday at Target I purchased this crockpot pictured above. BUT ITS NOT RED!!! All I want in a stinkin RED CROCKPOT! Sad face.

Here's my reasoning for buying this crockpot instead of the one I WANT and secretly would KILL FOR! (jk...i know, dramatic)

-It was cheap...$19 (not as cheap as last years black friday sale...but i'll take it)
-It matches the appliances in my kitchen
-If I ever brake the inside part (the black bowl thing) or the glass lid...then I can use the old ones I have. Yay! Spare parts!

I made this decision with my brain---instead of with my heart---that beats only for a red crockpot.

So...it is with sadness and a watering mouth that I announce I have a new crockpot and it will be christened this evening with Cream Cheese Chicken.

-j