Keep'n The Sunny Side

TGIF

2012-01-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

Its been wet here.. really wet.
So looking forward to the sun the weather man is promising later today.
I'm holding him to it.. cause I'm so over this rain.

The birds are fed up too. They told me. J/K.. I'm not that crazy.
However, they are a little peeved that I haven't refilled the feeder.

I could be wrong, but I think this one was giving me a dirty look. ;O)

This one refused to even look in my direction.

If looks could kill, I'd be a goner.

Have a good one!

Cup cozy

2012-01-23T08:42:00.000-05:00

Something I made this weekend.

I find working with my hands to be very therapeutic.

I also love how I can grab my yarn and hook and take it on the go.

I made it to the Y 4 out of 7 days this past week.

I feel great afterwards and that's what keeps me going back.

What do you do to relax and alleviate stress?

Y & stuff

2012-01-19T15:43:00.000-05:00

Yep, we joined the Y. Hubs and me that is.
Those are my yoga clothes. (man that new camera app on my phone pics up every detail on my pants.)
It started out as just being me, cause I felt like I ~~deserved~~ needed to devote some time to just ME.
Then I got to thinking about how nice it would be to take a few classes together.
I know what some of you are thinking. "My guy would NOT do that."

We both went on Monday to get acquainted with the cardio equipment. It is NICE!
Tuesday we took our first power yoga class. It was the first time either one of us has
ever taken yoga. I dont know what I was expecting, but it was better than I had hoped.
It was in the dark too.. who knew?? Calm music, great stretches, no weird sounds.
Updog, downdog, warrior pose.....I actually know what these are now.. ha!
My core and arms were sore the next day so I know its going to be beneficial.

The very best part is the location. It is in the same entrance as our church and our
daughters school. I can take advantage of dropping her off in the morning and
jumping on the treadmill. OR Arriving early to pick her up and taking a yoga class before
dismissal. I'm really excited about it. Its not one of those gym memberships you buy in January
and you stop going by the end of Feb. This is so much more than a gym and I think
thats why I like it so much.

I guess what I'm getting at.... is..... we tend to forget about ourselves. Or put off
doing things for ourselves. I know I do.
I'm always concentrating on everyone else's needs. If you're a wife, mother, or
caretaker you know exactly what I'm getting at. I know I tend to let those things
identify who I am. I mean they are A PART of who I am, but not the only part.
So, I'm finally taking time for me.. (and my hubby too). Don't forget to spend time
together, sans kids sometimes... when you get the chance.
But most importantly don't forget about you. You deserve it.
Now.... I'm going to go take my own advice. ;O)

3 years

2012-01-17T09:19:00.001-05:00

......ago today, I started blogging.

I've "met" some amazing ladies along the way.

To me, blogging isn't just about sharing MY day, its about reading

and learning about yours as well.

I've read, commented & shared your.....

pregnancy announcements
births
graduations
how to's
reviews
recipes
creating wonderful projects
toddler tantrums
times meant just to vent
anniversaries
birthdays
first steps
exercise
new diets
homeschooling
potty training
cupcake making
new jobs
job loss
sickness
remission
death
good times.. make that great times
some bad times too...
AND.. much, much more!

I've shared much of the same with you.

When it all comes down to it, we're just trying to Keep The Sunny Side of Life.
Some days we do, some days we don't. It seems like there's always someone
that comes along and has a smile to share through a thoughtful comment.

I don't always comment, and neither do you. But I can see
you've stopped by, and I appreciate and I'm thankful for that.

Most of us have not met in person. We most likely will never meet in person,
but that will never keep me from calling YOU a friend. I think some of us
know more about each other than people we see in our daily lives. This
may not be true for some, but in reality, I think its true for many. Blogging
has made it possible to connect with amazingly beautiful people, inside and out,
that we otherwise would have never known. I'm glad to KNOW you!

Pink Saturday

2012-01-14T07:05:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to be participating in Beverly's Pink Saturday again!
I first started linking up a couple years ago, and met some wonderful ladies.
I'm jumping back in today.

This week, I'm sharing a couple of my crochet headbands.

Pink of course!

They are available for purchase in my Etsy shop.
I always like to share my new creations with my blog friends.

First up is the Neapolitan Chrysanthemum flower attached to a creamy white headband.

This Sweet Pea Green Bow with Strawberry Pink accent. Gotta have a little pink of course!

Both of these are available for purchase in my Etsy shop.
Click on the links or pictures to go straight to the listing.

Thanks so much for stopping by and go see some of the other Pink Saturday participants.

Just some ramblings

2012-01-12T13:06:00.001-05:00

My posts have been rather sporadic lately. Finding it hard to sit down and

write them up. I'm closing in on almost 3 years of blogging in a few days.

Anyway.. a few things going on...

I recently took a tour of our local Y, and I was really impressed.

I'm joining, and I think my hub's is going to join with me. I'm

mainly interested in taking some Yoga and Zumba classes.

Its very family oriented, so I think its a good fit.

I'm learning new things in the world of yarn. Hoping to share some of that soon.

Its relaxing for me. Keeps my hands busy.

Back to eating healthy. I tend to let my sweet cravings get out of check

during the holidays. Back on track and feeling better because of it.

A few of my photos are being used on the cover of a book.

When its published and she's ready to release it, I'll share more then.

Its an honor when someone appreciates and enjoys your work.

We are expecting some snow later today. Hoping its here and gone because

I'm really enjoying a very MILD winter so far.

Thats all for now..

Crochet flowers ~ on headbands

2012-01-10T08:35:00.000-05:00

I have been busy crocheting my little fingers off.
I added these to my ETSY SHOP with more on the way.
I'm having fun with it.

These are so dimensional. It's hard to capture in a still shot.
If your interested in purchasing, just click on the picture and it will take you right to the listing.
I also do custom, so if your looking for a specific color, you can make a request here, CONVO
me through my etsy shop, or email at keepnthesunnyside (at) ymail (dot) com.

Winter decor & a little project from the past

2012-01-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas may be over and packed away, but old man Winter is here to stay.

Really can't complain we have been above normal for temps and will be 50 degrees
by week's end. That is fantastico for Jan. in KY.

It always seems so bare in our home after we pack away the Holiday decor.
It's too early to be thinking Valentines day (IMO) and no where near spring.

Sooooo in keeping with the season, I'm sharing a few pics of my winter decor.
Not much, just a touch here and there.

A few snowmen

A sparkly snowflake and berry topiary

A warm red candle.

Plus, as I mentioned in a previous post, I snuck one little tiny strand of lights

in my eucalyptus garland to keep a hint of a glow a little bit longer into the dark winter months.

I shared this idea a couple years ago. They are easy and fun.

Click HERE for more info.

Just like last year, I added a bright red berry wreath to our front door.

I made this wreath with a plain grapevine wreath, some floral wire, and red berry picks.

I think it adds just the right amount of color to the front of our home.

We DID get a little dusting of snow on Monday afternoon.

Its gone now.

It sure was pretty dancing through the air while it lasted.

How do you change out your decor after you pack away Christmas??

Learning something new

2012-01-03T16:04:00.001-05:00

I have always wanted to learn to crochet and/or knit.

I finally taught myself how to crochet about a year or so ago, but never really got past straight lines.

You know, the kind that are good for a scarf or a baby blanket. A single crochet was about

as far as I ever got.

Around Christmas time I started seeing some really amazing flowers and other kinds of crocheted ornamental items and I decided to give it a go.

Thanks to Youtube, I've learned a few new tricks. Its a great winter time activity.

I have A LOT to learn. I have my eyes on a few more elaborate flowers.
So far, these are the easy ones, but ya gotta start somewhere right?

Its a new year!

2012-01-01T12:23:00.002-05:00

Welcome 2012!

2011 was good to our family.
We are feeling very blessed.

I'm hoping 2012 opens a few doors of NEW opportunities for our little family and good Health!

I don't make resolutions, but I will say this.
I plan (will continue) to make the most of every moment.
Time passes so quickly.

So.. on to what's a happen' lately.

SO.. for New Years Eve, we attended Mass and then enjoyed a lovely dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy.

It's a delicious truly authentic Italian restaurant. Dark lighting, old world family

photos, Frank playing in the background. When you order your meal, they ask you

to choose an additional meal that they box up to take home. No additional cost.

So we have a complete meal for today as well. I'm so glad we had reservations, for every table was full.

After a lovely dining experience we headed home and finally got around to watching The Help.

I know.. about time right? It was good. If you haven't seen it, you should. Let me just

say this... I will NEVER look at a piece of chocolate pie the same again. HA!

Thanks to our neighbors up the road, I was awoken promptly at midnight with a grand firework display.

I was the only one that fell asleep. I'm such a wimp. I'm one of those early to bed, early to rise kinda gals. If I had chickens I'd be up with 'em.

Despite the pics in my header, we've had no snow, but have plenty of salt and deicer thanks
to our local hardware store. The wind is whipping, the rain is showering, the trees are budding as is if it were spring. It's SO strange.

The rest of the decorations came down this morning. In a few, I'll be taking
down outdoor wreaths (on each window) as well. The wind is whipping like a storm
is brewing.. so I better get going. We keep our Nativity up until the feast of the Epiphany. It
serves as a reminder that although the decorations are packed away.. the feast of our Lords
birth continues.

I received a new Pottery Barn mini catalogue in the mail the other day. OH MY..
loving the color palette. Crisp and Clean look. Have you seen it?

Our feeder has seen a lot of activity lately. Love Cardinals.

BTW.. I love Youtube tutorials. I'm so thankful to those that take the time to make them.

I've learned so much. I'm stocked up on yarn, and I've been learning how to make flowers.

Love learning something new.

Everyone goes back to work/ school on Tuesday. We. Are. Spoiled.

My kiddo's have been up SUPER late each night.. or should I say.. early into

the morning. That's teens for ya. Sleeping till noon. Tuesday morning is gonna sting for sure.

We have 2 more days to enjoy.. and we're gonna make the best of our time together before

work, school, practices, games, meets, and obligations worm their way back into our day

to day life. I KNOW y'all know what I'm talking about.

Ok.. off to enjoy the rest of today.

How did you spend New Years? Big Party? Quiet night at home?

Family week

2011-12-30T11:32:00.000-05:00

The family has been home this week.

We've been...
sleeping
eating
mall (ing)
movie watching
Crocheting (me)
Sadey walking
Dinner dates (hubby & me)
.. and well lots of other misc. along the way.

Oh.. did I mention bowling? We hadn't been bowling in a number of years.
Hubs received a great email from AAA the other day offering
3 games of bowling + shoes for $5.00 a person. Well sign us up I said. He did.

We drove into Ohio for this blast from the past bowling alley.

I'm fairly certain that EVERYTHING was original to the '50's.

OK.. maybe the shoes are from the 70's.

No electronic scoring. We had to do it the old fashion way.

House balls.

Only 12 lanes.

We. Were. Awful.

Didn't matter.

We laughed at ourselves AND each other.

Been bowling lately? Found out you use muscles you may not have used in a while... just say'n.

What are your New Year Plans?????

THE bread pudding recipe

2011-12-27T12:30:00.002-05:00

My family and I are HUGE Disney fans.

One of our favorite things to do while in Disney is EAT!

I wanted to make a new dessert for Christmas dinner this year.

I love bread pudding. Not just any bread pudding though... Disney Bread Pudding.

I found the recipe FOR 1900 Park Fare (restaurant in Grand Floridian, WDW FL.)

I made this Christmas Day morning. I usually prepare my desserts in advance,

but I wanted it to be super fresh and moist. Even while preparing an entire

feast.. I was able to pull this off without a hitch.

The actual bread pudding recipe was found HERE.

Notes for bread pudding. I used texas toast. I put an entire loaf on a tray the

night before so that it could become stale. The next morning, I cut all the crusts

off the bread. (can't stand crust in my bread pudding.) Be sure to NOT skip

the water bath part. Very important.. I almost did. ;O)

The Vanilla sauce recipe was found HERE. I followed all directions with

the exception of the vanilla bean. I added 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring

directly to the mixture. (I was too cheap to pay $7.00 for a jar of 3 beans.)

It tasted AWESOME!

My family enjoyed it.. and I heard lots of mmmmm'....

Have you tried any new desserts lately?

Linking with......

Whew.. I can finally put my feet up

2011-12-26T08:08:00.001-05:00

Our family enjoyed another wonderful CHRISTmas.

I love to see it come, and always a little sad to see it go.

We went to Christmas Eve Mass, then joined the family at my mom's this year.

Christmas day was spent peacefully at home and my parents joined us for dinner.

My MIL is in FL., so we opened the presents we sent each other while she was on speaker phone.

A little different, but it felt almost like she was here with us.

Took a few pictures to share with her.

Our family was so very blessed this CHRISTmas.

Sadey is in love with her new play toy "santa" brought her.

I love the warm glow of all the white lights sprinkled on the tree and

throughout lots of garland spread across our home. My family does too.

I won't be in a rush to take them down. They will all stay up for at least another week.

Years ago, I used to be in a hurry to de~Christmas our home. I no longer feel that way.

I will be slowly taking down a few things here and there and replacing it

with more of a winter theme for the month of January.

I might even find a way to keep up at least one strand of white lights

to keep the warm glow. It is so nice in the evening to have just the lights

on while reading, watching TV and enjoying time together as a family.

Hub's & the kids are off work/ school until Jan. 3.. woohooo.

Lots of family time. Shhh.. don't tell my hubby but I keep hoping

for a little snow this week.

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend.

How did you spend Christmas??

Merry CHRISTtmas

2011-12-25T05:00:00.014-05:00

From my family to yours!

12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

If your an animal lover you'll want to watch this all the way through... at least once. :O)

Personalized Place Votives

2011-12-23T15:29:00.002-05:00

This year for our Christmas dinner I decided to do a little spin on the traditional place cards.

I'm using some of my empty preserve jars.

Adding some fluffy (faux) snow.

A red candle in each jar.

Some cuttings from our Blue Spruce.

A name card for each guys jar using jute. They are no frills kinda guys. ;O)

Lastly, each ladies name hand stitched onto some white cloth.

Used a little fiber fill stuffed it into a canning jar ring.

Using a dome lid and a piece of circular card stock to finish off the back and keep

everything snugly in place.

One for each dinner guest.

I had everything on hand.

I'm really pleased with the way they turned out.

They fit right in with my "nature" theme this year.

Sequin Headbands

2011-12-22T10:01:00.002-05:00

Are quite popular around these parts.
If you haven't seen any of these in your town, perhaps your girl (fits
adults too) could be one of the first.

I have added new colors. The Electric Blue is one of my favorites
and I sold one in that color within minutes of listing them last evening. The dark
pink raspberry is super pretty too.

Adds a great punch of color or sparkle to your "doo"!

Check out my Etsy site for more colors and details.
If you have a special color or thickness in mind, please Convo me through Etsy.
I love custom orders!

A fudge treat

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

I made fudge again this year. My daughter likes to gift it to her teachers.
From what she tells me, they like to be gifted it as well. ;O)

I made enough for her 8th grade Christmas party.
Added some sugar cookies & hershey kisses too.
The makings for a real sugar high!
Gonna be a long afternoon for the teachers.

Dishwasher Detergent Dilemma

2011-12-19T16:26:00.001-05:00

I cannot remember if I've talked about this on my blog before.
Even if I have, its worth mentioning again.

Since the Gov. has decided that our dishwasher detergent can
no longer contain phosphates, I've noticed my dishes were getting
more and more cloudy. Especially noticeable on glass and silverware.
(Is this "new" news to you?.. google it for more info.)

I have tried several different detergents to see if I could find ONE
that would alleviate the need to re-clean my dishes after a dishwasher
cycle. It was getting to the point where I was about to duct tape the
sucker closed and go back to good ole fashion hand washing.
Since I have very dry skin, I wasn't looking forward to dishpan hands.

I read a Consumer Reports article about the testing of Dishwasher
detergents. Apparently they had/have received A LARGE amount
of inquiries in regards to the sudden dishwasher detergent delema.

I read that after a number of detergents were tested
Cascade Complete All in 1 Action-Pacs were one of the best.
I figured it was certainly worth a try. I'd already been using the
Cascade powder and / or liquid on and off for years. The report
specifically said to use the the gel tabs or action-pacs. I bought them, tried them,
and I can HONESTLY say they work great. I have used them
ever since.

UNTIL.... I ran out last week.
About midweek I had used my last gel tab. I still had a bottle of
Cascade liquid in the back of my closet and decided against making
a special trip just for the tabs. I used the
liquid for 2 days. The first time I used it, my clear glass water goblets
were clouded over. Not to mention, my silverware and red plastic
cups had a white film on them. The dishes were not as clean either.

Seriously? Why is this? I have no idea.

Anywhoo.. on Friday evening I picked up the Cascade Action-pacs,
ran the machine the next day and I NOW have crystal clear
dishes again.

This is not a coincidence. This is not an isolated case either. This
IS happening to a lot of people. I would like to strongly recommend
trying these gel tabs IF you are experiencing a less than clean and
clear dishwasher experience.

BTW.. this is purely my opinion and it is solely based on MY own
personal experiences. I like to share a good product when I find one.
Absolutely no compensation has been received or offered.

So.. have you noticed a problem with your dishes? Have you
found a detergent that really works well for you?

I sure do like those Christmas cookies babe....

2011-12-17T10:29:00.003-05:00

I spent the morning yesterday making Christmas goodies.

Peanut Butter Kisses

Pretzel Hershey Treats

Chocolate Rolo Cookies ( yep, they have a rolo in the middle. Thanks Connie)

Russian Tea cookies ( Just like the name says.. these are so good with a cup of tea!)

Before the weekends through I will have added Gingerbread, Sugar cookies,

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge to the mix.

Oh..... and the inspiration for my blog title today.

Have you heard this song before by George Straight?

Stuff to do, stuff I've done and stuff I'm wondering

2011-12-16T09:02:00.001-05:00

Let me start out by saying that no matter how much I think I'm
prepared for the holiday season, I inevitably end up feeling a tiny
bit behind.. leading to a tiny bit of anxiety.. leading to stress. Blah!

But.. then I sit with only the Christmas lights on.. and I'm instantly calmed.

I have a rather detailed TO DO list that needs to be completely
checked off my Monday morning. A timeline works pretty well
for me, so I have things listed day by day.

Today I have 3 separate grocery shopping lists.

1) This coming weeks menu's
2) Cookie / goodie ingredient list
3) Christmas Day menu
4) Plus a master list.. that hopefully nothing gets added to.
I'm hoping that with my extremely detailed lists I can knock it all out with one stop. We'll see.

I have only 2 gifts to purchase (at least I know what and where I need to pick them up) and I am waiting on my last delivery to come today. All gifts are wrapped.. well almost. There is an exception that can not be listed here due to my lovely daughters desire to read her moms blog on occasion. ;O)

I still need to pull together a table setting for our Christmas day dinner. It will be
simple (that is how all my decorating is this year) and probably consist of what I have
on hand. I'm thinking candle light makes everything / everyone look beautiful.. no?

I still need to bake all my cookies / goodies today.... You can do this Amy.. YES YOU CAN!
A box of goodies needs to be packaged and at the post office tomorrow morning.. I think
I can, I think I can..

OH.. and I can't believe I STILL have NOT purchased my Christmas cards.
What the? I know... Getting those TONIGHT.. coming home, addressing and
going in the mail tomorrow. I can feel my stress level rising.....

If I'm gonna make this happen, its gotta start right now!

What I'm wondering?
If your gonna... have you sent out your Christmas cards?
If your gonna....have you baked your Christmas goodies yet?
If your gonna....is your shopping done?
If your gonna....Are your lists made, have you checked them twice?

But the real question is.... have you been naughty or nice? :O)~

Learning a new trick ~ tree light bokah

2011-12-15T10:46:00.003-05:00

I've seen some pretty beautiful Christmas tree light bokah lately.
Thought I'd give it a try. You can google it and find lots of diff. tutorials.
Making the little lens cover is the easy part. The settings is where it gets tricky. (For ME)

Did I figure it all out? Not really. But.. I'm making progress.

Here's how I did it.

Snowflake punch

Of course you can use any shape you like. Just keep it on the smaller side.

A little tape on the tabs and you now have a lens hood.

Now you need your camera and a dark room lit only with the tree lights.

A tripod make this much easier. Plus you will get a better shot.

BUT.. I didn't use mine.. and this is what I got.

It took about 15 shots.

I was able to get this one which happened to be the best of the 15

by using the following settings.

Nikon

18.55 mm lens set at about 55

Manual with Auto focus on Manual as well.

f 1.8

1/8 sec.

ISO 800

I was about 15 ft. from the tree.

It took a lot of trial and error.

I need a whole lot of practice.

I've seen some AMAZING bokah and I'm inspired to keep trying.

I think I'll try a heart next.

Have you tried this yet?

Enjoying the season

2011-12-13T11:40:00.001-05:00

Its so easy to get wrapped up in our "to do" lists when preparing for the Christmas season.
It definitely happens in our family. This weekend was a perfect example.
Trying to fulfill all our commitments for both our children and ourselves.
Whew.. sometime I don't know if I'm coming of going.

Hubby and I DID set aside some time on Saturday evening and Monday to
enjoy time together as well as taking in a little holiday cheer.

Saturday evening we visited one of my favorite places. It was super cold,
but the lights were bright and gave forth such a warm glow. The Nativity
and Wise men story were beautiful. Its a place you can leave the worries
of shopping, baking, long lines, honking horns & grouchy clerks behind.

( I shared this one last year.)

Hubby surprised me with dinner at one of my very favorite places.

We had a window table. Second floor, fourth window from the left.

This is a historic (built in the 1800's) home. The decorating is true

to the time period and the Christmas decorations were so lovely.

Food is SO good.

Using a vacation day, hub's was home on Monday giving us a full day

to purchase a few gifts that we were unable to buy online.

We had a quick breakfast at Starbucks, and lunch at a little bar and grill in the city.

We took a looksy at a "restore". I am looking for a cabinet for our laundry

room, but didn't have any luck this time. I'm keeping my eye out for something

that matches the rest of our cabinetry in our home.

I brought my camera along for our yearly trip to the Conservatory.

They always have such beautiful Christmas decoration, flowers, huge

tree with all natural ornaments. It has ALWAYS been free entrance

in the past. That has changed. They now charge a per person admission.

Many families go to this beloved spot for yearly family photos, etc.

Now, for a family of four they are charging $20 entrance fee.

RE. DIC. U. LOUS!

Disappointing.. very disappointing.

So, this is the only shot I have this year. There was no way I was

paying $12 for 20 min. Its a principle thing.

Last night I baked these for the first time.

They turned out really good. They are best warm, right from the oven.

Make them when you have plenty of people to share them with.

So.. Have you been setting aside some time to enjoy

all the wonderful things this holiday season has to offer?

Christmas Links

2011-12-11T09:43:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share some links I've found recently chock full of Holiday Inspiration.

Some you may have seen or even participated in. Some of the ideas may even be your own.

I don't know about you, but I can get lost on these wonderful sites.
Click on the Blog or Site name to go directly to the source.

HOME STORIES A 2 Z

Mantel decorating Party going on.

Source

TEN JUNE

Another wonderful Mantel decorating party going on as well!

Source

JUST GINGERBREAD

Looking to make a Gingerbread House this year?

Check out this link for recipe / decorating / templates.

Source

MARTHA STEWART LIVING

29 wonderful homemade food gift ideas.

Source

I've been looking for a few ideas for decorating my Christmas Dinner

table this year. I've gone with a very conservative natural theme, but

I've found some beautiful inspiration that you might enjoy.

OUR VINTAGE HOME

Source

HGTV Chic Holiday ideas

HGTV Festive Kids Tables

Source

HOME TRENDY

Source

How about answering your door wearing one these adorable Christmas aprons.

Click on the links for the sewing tutorials.

CREATION CORNER

Source

Phyllis Dobbs

source

PURPLE CHOCOLAT HOME

Source

Just a few links that have caught my eye lately.

Please feel free to share some of your favorites as well.

I'm always looking for new inspiration.

Homespun stocking

2011-12-07T12:46:00.001-05:00

Burlap seems to be quite popular in blogland these days.
It can be purchased by the yard and is quite inexpensive.
I had some left over from my wreath so I decided to make stockings.

These are super easy. You knew I was gonna say that didn't ya? ;O)

Here's how I made them.

I used an existing stocking as my template. I traced around
the stocking giving myself an extra 1/2 inch seam allowance. When
working with burlap it can come unwoven quite easily so I wanted
plenty of room to sew around the edges. Cut 2 pieces per stocking.
Since burlap is the same front and back you don't have to worry
about flipping your template.

2) I then used my new burlap stocking as a template to cut the lining
for the stocking. I used Pellon. Yep, iron on Pellon. Can't get any easier
than that. Cut 2.

3) Determine which side is going to be your outside/inside of your stocking.
Iron the Pellon directly onto the "wrong" side of your burlap pieces. This
way after they are sewn together, the fluffy Pellon in on the inside.

4) Put the right sides (burlap side) of your stocking together and sew all the way around
the outer edge, leaving an opening at the top.

5) Turn stocking right side out and flip down the top.

6) Hot glue or sew on a piece of ribbon for the hanger.

6) Decorate however you like. I used multicolored yo,yo's and some buttons.

This weekend...

2011-12-05T10:29:00.002-05:00

..... was a busy one. But who's isn't right?

Anywhooo.. I won't bore you with the details, but

My Girl and I did attend an annual ornament exchange party

on Sunday afternoon.

My son took the pics and they are GA~RAINY.. cause you guessed

it.. it was raining.. again. Plus, its still raining. I truly know how ya'll

feel that live on the wet west coast now. The wettest year EVAH here in KY.

For those that celebrate, tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day.

'The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; '

I usually include a few candy treats, christmas socks, etc.

This year, I found this idea on Pinterest.

Reindeer Root beer!

My kids love it, so this is perfect for them.

Wiggle eyes would have been perfect, but I used

what I had on hand.. cause that's how I roll.

Oh.. and I opened the mail on Friday to find this.

Can you see her?

I received MISS Flat Stanley on Friday. ;O)

She flew all the way from Oregon to visit the SunnySide family.

A sweet Sugar Pie Farmhouse "sista's" daughter is participating

in a little project where she flies to different states.

She visited our town this weekend. We took a few pics.. and

I'll be writing a little report for Miss G this week.

She's a little chilly though.. I think she's gonna be needing

a cute outfit before she takes her next flight.

More to come. :O)

Its Monday.. make the best of it.

These and Custom too

2011-12-02T05:59:00.001-05:00

I LOVE custom orders!

Please feel free to contact me through my Etsy Shop

OR email me at Keepnthesunnyside (at) ymail (dot) com

if you are looking for something special or unique.

I usually do a 1-2 day turnaround on custom orders and same day

shipping on existing ship items.

I ship daily ~ 6 days a week.

All the accessories above (plus more) are available in my shop.

You will find a direct link in my sidebar.

Bubble Burlap Wreath

2011-11-29T08:39:00.002-05:00

I mentioned I was working on a "Pin" yesterday.
The original Pin and the tutorial can be found HERE.

Here's my spin on the "Pin".

The wreath is a replica, but the embellishments are my own.
I decided to go for a winter theme. This way I can use it as part of
my winter decorating after the Christmas holidays.

I love cardinals ( how cute is he perched on the branch?!) and well....
it is my hope that my son will be a UOL Cardinal this time next year. ;O)

(Sorry (again) for the blur. We have had the wettest Fall on record this year and the lighting is terrible!
I had to do some major photo adjustments just to get it to this point.)

I'm loving Pinterest. So many ideas to share and enjoy!

PS.. Should you decide to make a wreath, I have a minor adjustment to the tutorial.
I would use THESE pins instead. The ball head pins DO work, but not
nearly as well. Depending on the size of the burlap weave, they can slip through.
ALSO, I wrapped my wreath with a long strip of burlap since I was planning
to hang it on a mirror.

So what do ya think, Cute?

Whirlwind Weekend

2011-11-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

It was FULL of FUN, FAMILY & FOOD. Oh and decorating & shopping!

Both in store and online. (Mostly online) I am happy to say that I'm probably 85%

finished purchasing Christmas gifts. It's honestly my least favorite

part. ONLY because I don't like to make Christmas

all about presents. Its hard to do though. So getting it done as

early in December as possible allows for US to just enjoy the season.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with our extended family and it was a great day.

The downside to not cooking, no leftovers. I was craving some corn

pudding and sweet potato casserole the next day.

We Christmas(fied) our home this weekend. My Girl had a request

that we not do a theme for the family room tree this year. She wanted to

use ALL ornaments both she and her brother had made over the years,

baby, personalized, even the macaroni and glue ornaments. PLUS,

she wanted to do it herself. How could I resist? I didn't. Here it is.

I think I need to remind her that we did indeed go with a theme.. FAMILY.

So.... today its back to our normal routine. I'm working on a "Pin".

That's an item I pinned on Pinterest for you NON Pinterest folks.

I'm nearly finished and I'll be back later to share.

How was your weekend???

Whimsical NOEL bunting

2011-11-25T07:35:00.002-05:00

Easy & no sew!

I used my printer to make the NOEL template.

Colorful felt, Aleene's clear gel tacky glue, and some bias tape.
No sewing machine required. ;O)

Endless possibilities!

Thankful

2011-11-24T06:33:00.000-05:00

Today is a day we are supposed to reflect and be thankful.

In my opinion its just ANOTHER day to reflect and be thankful. (Smile)

Each day is a reason to celebrate. God's gift to us.

The things I'm thankful for are probably similar to yours.

However, I wanted to thank YOU for taking the time out of your day to read

this here blog. Whether its daily, or whenever you take a notion.

Thank you!

I hope your day is full of fun, laughter, making memories, good food, &

spending time with those you love.

source

My little confectionary tree

2011-11-23T07:39:00.000-05:00

I decided my creative studio could use a little Christmas cheer.

(More to come) For now, I'll just be sharing my little tree.

Last year I made a Hard Candy Christmas garland.

I decided to expand on the theme and add a few more confectionary treats.

Made of felt of course. One of my favorite mediums.

So versatile, forgiving, and just plain fun to work with.

First up is a little Cinnamon Bun. Complete with icing.

Sugar cookies

What sugar cookie is complete without some sanding sugar, right?

Star

Gingerbread Boy

A couple more sugar cookies with green.....

.. and red icing.

Oh.. and a Chocolate covered buttercream in its paper wrapping.

She still needs a UNIQUR topper, and I haven't quite decided what that will be.

Any ideas?

Oh My Gosh!

2011-11-22T08:09:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this? You'll know why I chose "Oh my Gosh" as my title. ;O)

Cuties (Clementines) Crate

2011-11-21T16:24:00.000-05:00

I spotted our first shipment of Clementines at our local market.

Love these!

I decided not to waste the cute little crate they came in.

A little spray paint and its the perfect container for my ribbon.

Waste not, want not... right?

Happy Sunday

2011-11-20T08:25:00.002-05:00

I took this on a beautiful Autumn day a couple years ago.

We were driving down a long country road. Trees and more trees

on either side. I asked hubby to stop, right in the middle of the road and

I walked back into the woods. This is what I found.

The way the rays and trees reflect on the water is stunning to me.

Its like a painting. All God's work.

It's a reminder to look around.
SEE God's beauty.
Its everywhere.

Even where we least expect to find it.

Christmas trees... a story

2011-11-18T08:27:00.001-05:00

I spotted the first Christmas tree stand a couple days ago.
Fresh cut trees. They are so pretty.. I am a tree ~~hugger~~ lover.
I'm cool with cut Christmas trees though because they were grown for
that purpose and its as if they are fulfilling their destiny... LOL..
just let me have my illusions.. K?

source

Anywhoo.... I have a story to recount with you. MANY years ago,
hub's and I were married for just a couple years. We had a lovely
fake tree that we had been using. We (more like I) got the bright
idea that we should get a LIVE tree. Not a cut tree.. but living tree
with the bulb that we could plant in the Spring. We lived in OH at the
time and found a Christmas tree farm. We probably drove over an hour
one way to go fetch our tree. We picked out the tree, but neglected
to think about how it was going to fit into our Toyota Camery trunk.
Yeah, kinda forgot about that. (we were young'ns)

The bulb of the tree weighed a couple hundred pounds and it was difficult
for the farmer and my hub's to get the bulb into the trunk. The rest of the tree hung
out the back. Once it was tied down, we were on our way. Driving
over an hour back home. We finally made it home. It was late.
We were tired. I put our son to bed and then the realization hit.
How in the world were we gonna get the tree back OUT of the trunk?
Remember, it weighed over a hundred pounds and it was DOWN in
the trunk. I'm a light weight... even though I had developed some
killer upper arm muscles from lugging around my toddler son, I was
no match for the bulb of that tree. We tugged, climbed into the trunk
lifting with all our might, and eventually.. (like an hour later) got it out
of the trunk and onto the ground. Whew.. ok.. now we were in business.

Not really.

We now had to get it into the house. That required getting it
up to the front porch which was about 4-5 steps. We tugged and pulled
and grunted, and finally made it up to the porch. Whew.. ok.. now we
were in business.

Not really.

We lived in a bi~ level (front door opens
to entry way then you choose to go up a flight of stairs or down) and
we were in for some major lifting to make it up the stairs. Hubs even
put a piece of plywood up the stairs thinking we could drag it. Nope,
it was going nowhere. We were exhausted.. literally. It was late and
we were ticked. (smile) We tried everything possible to get that tree
up the stairs. It was just not going to happen. We were so disappointed
because we had spent a pretty penny on that tree, and I really wanted
that baby in our home. Alas it just wasn't meant to be. Back outside
it went, and believe me, that was no easy task either! The next day
hub's drug our old stinky tree from the attic and I reluctantly decorated
it as I had in the previous years.

So my friends that was the very last time I even considered purchasing
a live or fresh cut tree for Christmas. I've finally gotten over it... LOL..
and I REALLY would love to have a fresh or live tree this year.
I now live in an area that these trees are readily available AND
it can come right up the drive (flat) and right into our home (only
2 little bitty porch steps)

I have questions. I'm hoping U have some answers.

1) Do you use a faux, living or cut Christmas tree?
2) If you use a cut tree, how early do you purchase it?
I'm wondering about it drying out to soon.
3) If you purchase a living tree, where and how do you store it before it can be planted?
4) Do you have any issues with your pets and Christmas trees?

Decisions, decisions..... don't you just love the smell of fresh tree though....

A couple e~reader holiday downloads.. free!

2011-11-16T09:07:00.002-05:00

I found these free downloads for those that have an e~reader.

They are both for Nook or Kindle. Again... free download!
Not sure how long they will be available for FREE so if you're interested
download them asap. Click on the pic. for link.

Preserving the fall colors

2011-11-15T10:24:00.001-05:00

Somewhere in blogland I saw a great idea. Using wax to preserve leaves.
The leaves are so gorgeous around these parts and its so sad to see them
fall and disappear while mother nature takes her long winter nap.

I've been grabbing a few leaves here and there while out for walks with Sadey.

Each time I found a pretty one, I brought it home and placed it in this book.
I wanted to let them dry flat.

It worked pretty well. They dried in one piece, no curls, nice and flat.

I always have Gulf Wax on hand. (buckeye anyone?)

I chose a disposable pie pan to melt the wax over a stove burner on low.

(I sure didn't want to ruin one of my good pans.)

This way, when I'm finished, I can throw it away.

I used 1/2 of a brick of wax. It was way more than I needed for my small project.

However, if you plan to dip a LOT of leaves.. I'd say that's a good amount to start with.

Keep the wax on LOW heat.

(Use extreme caution, wax burns.. and is HOT! Keep away from small children.)

Use the leaf stem and dip each side of the leaf.

Let the drips fall and let dry on a piece of wax paper. Well.. thats what I did.

However, next time I would hang them from some twine over newspaper.

I lost a few leaves because they stuck to the wax paper. Go figure. ;O)

They will curl back up a bit, restoring them to their natural look.

So... what am I doing with these colorful waxed leaves?

Mailing them to my Floridian Mother in Law.. LOL!

I am including them in her Happy Thanksgiving Card.

Even though she is enjoying the sunshine and warmth of the south,

I thought she might like to receive a little piece of home.

I was thinking of other ways to use them, and I think they would be lovely

scattered on your Thanksgiving buffet or tablescape. Adding a little of natures beauty

to your celebration.

Windy Monday

2011-11-14T16:21:00.001-05:00

At least it is here in KY.
Unusually warm too... low 70's. (I'll take it!)

Hub's had the day off today. (vacation days, use them or loose them.)
We took care of some Christmas shopping this am. (feeling less behind now)
Went to see Jack and Jill. (Silly/Funny stuff, trailer below)
Enjoyed a nice lunch just the 2 of us. (mexican, the salsa burned my taste buds)

SO....... Do you wrap as you buy? OR..... Do you wrap all at once?
Personally, I'm a wrap as I buy kinda gal. Especially when it comes to the kids.

PS.. can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? Wow. Time. Is. Flying.

Happy Weekend

2011-11-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

Haven't posted since Wed... been busy, but nothing very interesting to share.

Basketball season starts today with 2 games.

We have a baptism to attend tomorrow as well.

No gifts was the request but I wanted to pick up this crib medal

for the new baby. Both of my babies had / have one of these

and it has a special meaning to our family.

I noticed Christmas movies started airing last weekend, and they are on again this morning.

Definitely jump starts the Christmas season IMO.

I have started my Christmas shopping, but I feel way behind.

Gonna catch up on that this weekend hopefully.

Thats about it for now.

Have a great weekend!

New shop items

2011-11-09T10:38:00.000-05:00

These are a few of my latest additions.

I do custom orders so don't be shy. If your interested in
something special just let me know. My prices are very
reasonable and I ship same or next day.

Click on each pic. to visit my etsy link for that item.

The set of bows below ARE the same exact size.

Just taken at a funky angle.

Brownies to the extreme

2011-11-08T08:06:00.003-05:00

My Girl and I tag teamed and made these brownies the other night.

They are really simple.. but are made in 3 (easy) steps.

They are by no way your average brownie and personally

I think you can change them up in different ways to suit your own taste.

They are officially named Triple ~ Layered Brownies.

The recipe is from my

101 Cupcake, Cookie, & Brownie Recipes by Gooseberry Patch

Ingredients:

20 oz. pkg. brownie mix

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 c. water

1/2 c. oil

16 oz. container cream cheese frosting (creamy, not whipped)

1 c. creamy peanut butter

12 oz/ pkg. milk chocolate chips

2 -1/2 c. crispy rice cereal

How to:

Mix up the brownie mix, eggs, water & oil.

Bake in a 13 x 9" pan for about 25 -27 min.

Cool completely!

Spread on the cream cheese frosting.

Put in fridge to firm up.

In a sauce pan, on low heat, melt the chocolate chips & peanut butter.

Stir constantly. Add crispy rice cereal, combine.

Spread on top of cream cheese frosting.

Place in fridge for at least 1 hour till firm.

Cut into squares. Recipe says 2 dozen, but

I suggest cutting them into smaller squares.

They are VERY RICH.

Like I mentioned before, these could be changed up a bit,

by leaving out the peanut butter (if your not a fan).

Adding marshmallow to the chocolate chips instead of peanut butter.

Changing frosting for an alternate flavor.. you decide.

These are so worth a try so add them to your list for a cookie / bar exchange.

The beauty of Fall

2011-11-07T18:23:00.002-05:00

.....is slowly starting to fade.

The leaves have turned, most have fallen... the red ones seem to stay with us the longest.

They're my favorite.

The sun sets an hour earlier tonight.

Its gorgeous at sunset. Sadey agrees.

The burning bushes are fast becoming bare.

This one is pretty in orange.

This is our little (not so little anymore) blue spruce that has grown so beautiful over the years.

These are by the thousands down by the creek.

Tomorrow is going to be in the 70's.

It's being called our second Indian Summer.

Its unusual, but we'll take it.

Christmas Tutes in review

2011-11-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

I thought I would repost links to some of my previous
Christmas tutorials and projects. Just click on the
pics to go directly to the post.

OK.. now I need to get busy with some new ones for this season.

I've been browsing Pinterest and I'm so inspired!

Christmas on the airwaves

2011-11-05T21:05:00.001-04:00

Its Christmas music all day every day on one of our local FM Christian radio stations.

I love it! Some despise it.
Same for the Christmas movies, Christmas decorations in the stores...

Its full blown Christmas around here.

So what do you think? Is Nov. 5th too early?

Happy Bday to My Girl!

2011-11-04T10:48:00.001-04:00

14 years ago today God blessed our family with a precious baby girl.

You have grown into an amazing young lady.

We LOVE you, and are so very proud!

Deal of the Day... cool site

2011-11-04T09:55:00.002-04:00

Have you heard of Pick Your Plum?

Its a great site that once per day (Mon. - Fri. at 7 am) will send

you an email with details regarding ONE deal of the day.

The items vary and the prices are amazing.

I've ordered from them, and their delivery is pretty quick.

The items were exactly as described, I was pleased.

Their return policy is pretty great. 30 days.. no questions.

Check them out.

(Disclaimer: No compensation.. just sharing a site I've used and enjoy.)

She chose the material

2011-11-03T10:00:00.001-04:00

...... I did the sewing.

These sequin stretchy headbands are pretty popular right now.

Easy to make too.

Hmm... besides nail polish or lip gloss any suggestions for additional

items to add to their bags?

Pinterest Challenge 2

2011-11-02T09:47:00.002-04:00

Do you love Pinterest? You do? Me too!

Young House Love's Sherry along with Katie, Anna & erin are hosting
their 2nd edition of The Pinterst Challenge.

Well.. it snuck up on me this time. I had just enough time last night to

make one of my pins. If I read correctly we are going for something
seasonal. I pinned this a while ago. Cute right? I thought so too.
(Click on this pic below to take you to the original designer of this project.)

I've made quite a few yo, yo's lately. This was right up my alley.. plus

I had just the right amount of time to pull it off. I scouted through my

crafty stash and gathered all my supplies.

Various christmasy fabrics

Thread

Compass (To make circles. I used various plates, bowls, lids, etc)

dowel

spool (paint if you want it colorful)

decorative tree topper

OK.. lets get down to bizzzness.

I cut my circles in various sizes from large to gradually getting smaller.

I started sewing the yo, yo's. If you've never made a yo, yo... THIS is a great tutorial.

Once you cut your circles they go super fast.. promise!

I painted an empty thread spool.

Its so shiny.. cause it's still wet. ;O)

Grabbed my dowel.

I snipped a tiny whole in the bottom of each yo, yo.

This allowed for the yo, yo to slide right on the dowel.. easy peasy!

The dowel was too long, so I snipped the excess off.

I left enough on the end so that the dowel would slide down into the spool.

Leave enough at the top as well for your tree topper.

I used a tiny little shiny bauble for my topper.

Here she is!

I think she's pretty sweet.

I was thinking that these would be perfect lined up on your holiday

party table with a place card attached. Allowing each guest to

take theirs home as a party favor.

Anywhoo... go check out all the other wonderful

Pinterst Challenge 2 participants HERE.

My Girl

2011-11-01T11:52:00.004-04:00

Another Halloween has come and gone.

She'll be 14 in 3 days. (omg)

She is NOT allowed to wear makeup... yet.

However, this was a party with her besty's and she absolutely

HAD to have the blue eyeshadow (the red checks are all natural)

to pull off a true "Like fer sure mom"... "Totally"! 80's chick.

The pearl necklace and bracelet were worn at my wedding rehearsal. (It was '93)

Side Ponytail.. I used to rock that in my day.

The wide neck striped shirt is actually new.. you will be seeing a lot of those

because they're coming back in style ladies.

Legging are from Target. They have great leggings at Tarjey.. just say'n.

Oh.. and the leg warmers, those are made from cutting off the

sleeves of an old sweater that she no longer wears.

The lace glove was borrowed. Her friend wore the other one.

This morning I picked her up bright and early.

We headed straight for the orthodontist office and OFF with the braces!

WOOP! Her teeth are gorgeous!!

Ok.. now I'm off to work on makeup bags. They are her "goodie bags"

for her bday party this weekend. I finished the sequin headbands yesterday

and she was all smiles about them. So I must have had her approval. (wink)

Go K-9's!

2011-10-31T12:00:00.004-04:00

Our Sadey girl wanted to show ya'll her costume.

I told her after all the barking at the Trick or Treaters last year she was not participating.

She pouted..... I gave in..... She won.

What can I say.. I'm a sucker for cute doggie attire.

Petsmart had costumes on sale for $1.97 on Sat... that sealed the deal.

Have a safe Halloween.
I'll be on the couch watching TV and eating snicker bars.

What's your favorite candy treat????

For those of you taking your little's out tonight... enjoy!

Candlelight date

2011-10-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hub's and I had a candlelight date last night.

Only.. not the dinner and candlelight date you might be thinking.

We, (along with most of the town) visited our community park for the...

It was super dark... but the walking paths were lit with hundreds of these.

The paths were filled with tables of hand carved pumpkins by members

of our community. This is the first year we attended and it really was fun!

Here are a few of the pumpkins.

Here are some of my favorites.

At the end of the walk they served Popcorn and Pepsi.

This is my kind of Halloween entertainment.

Fun in the Fall Y'all!

Book Marks

2011-10-29T23:59:00.000-04:00

These are my latest Keep'n The SunnySide Etsy shop additions.
Just wanted to share.

Each of these paperclips (antiqued) are embellished with either real buttons,
fabric covered aluminum buttons or flower gems. The tags started
out plain jane, but with a little help from some cute graphics and card stock they
become so much more.

Click on each picture to go to my shop for details.

These are just SO CUTE in person!

I wish I could figure out what's the deal with my camera lately.

I think these are absolutely adorable and would make perfect teacher gifts.

As a matter of fact, My Girl's teachers will probably each be getting a set of these.

Invitations

2011-10-28T08:38:00.004-04:00

I've noticed an increasing trend in invitations being sent online through email.

I think this is a fantastic idea. How many of us really hold onto

an actual paper invitation anyway?

My girl has received a few. I received one earlier this week for an

upcoming Baptism. Saves on postage, price for invites.. plus

the need to even leave the house. All 3 are major plus' for me!

They can be personalized in just about any way. You can even

add cute pics. There are many, many options.. from totally FREE

invites to paying a reasonable fee for the extra fancy invites.

I decided to use this one.

We chose a birthday invite that allowed My Girl to choose

the colors, style, verbiage, etc. She enjoyed doing it. She knew to

pick a free option.. and believe me there are MANY that are FREE.

Love that! After you have chosen your invitation, you choose all the

specifics like wether or not you want to provide gift suggestions, a map

to the venue, a reminder sent to your guest, (you choose how many days

prior to event) a potluck list (how cool?) and many others. My favorite part, is that

we can keep track of Yes, No's and Maybe So's. You can even set it up

using their software to plan your entire party to do list.

Anyhooo..... I just wanted to share a cool and FREE (if you choose) party planning tool.

I can see so many different ways this could come in handy in the near future....

Christmas parties

Cookie exchange

Bday

Christenings

Housewarmings

Baby, wedding showers.... Geesh..... so many possibilities!

If you want to try it out.. click on Punchbowl link above, and go
to Party planning.

(Disclaimer.. just sharing a fun online planning tool. No compensation, they have no idea who I am.)

A little catch up

2011-10-27T09:09:00.001-04:00

First off.. let me just say the weather has been gorgeous.
The leaves have all turned, and many have already started to fall.
I saved a few.. for a possible project. If that turns out, I'll share later.
My first attempt resulted in a bunch of dried up curly leaves.
I realized instantly that the only way to keep them in good shape
after you bring them inside.. is to put them inside of a book.
Who knew? I know.. ya'll did.. I'm a late bloomer.. (wink)

Last weekend was the end of soccer season for My Girl.
Of course.. basketball has started.. and that will result in probably around 40-45 games total.
Gonna be a busy season again. Her last though for her school as she is an 8th grader.

We waited for 3 months (after we placed the order) but after 10 years I'm finally
driving a new car. Our son is DELIGHTED to have his own wheels now. He doesn't even
mind that he's driving mom's (old) Highlander. We "de~mom'd" it, got a cool air freshener
(that doesn't smell like "mom") ... and he's one happy guy. Love that kid!

I usually don't share these kind of things.... but... Here's my "Mini Pearl".
You can't tell from this pic.. but she has a beautiful pearl sheen in the sunlight.

Some of you may remember my request for Bday party ideas for My Girl.

She's turning 14 next week. Well.. she decided on a low key sleep over party.

She wants to do a bonfire outback, watch movies, have pizza.. and a snack bar.

I'm gonna bake cupcakes and let them decorate them. They are getting a little

old for goodie bags.. however, I've decided to sew each girl a mini makeup

bag. My Girl can fill them with things like nail polish, lip gloss etc. She

has chosen a sweet group and I'm sure they will have a great time.

Thank goodness I have ear plugs. I may need a set for my hub's and son though. ;O)

source

I've mentioned before that I'm not really into Halloween. I like a cute jack~o~lantern
like the next person.. but the gore and smutty costumes are just plain disgusting to me.
I dropped into one of those temporary Halloween stores last weekend to pick up
an accessory for My Girl. (She's dressing as a nerd ) I am floored that they could
turn a cute little girl witch costume into a short dress that wouldn't even qualify
as a mini skirt. Not to mention the u~hem....... Play*** section. I mean really?
When did Halloween go from ghost scaring to Call Girl? You may not share my
opinion.. but I'm done with Halloween. I'm not even buying candy to hand out
this year. I will buy my family some candy treats, but the porch light is staying off.

On display

2011-10-25T09:31:00.001-04:00

I have acorns. Lots.
They are tiny and cute.
Mother nature worked too hard on those for me to hide them away in my creative studio.

I saw this.. and decided to put mine on display as well.

Its simple. Its pretty.
Go for a walk.. find some beautiful leaves and/or acorns.
Put them on display.

Yo Yo Christmas garland

2011-10-23T18:04:00.001-04:00

I have been working on this off and on this week.

I finally finished and I think it turned out pretty cute.

All hand sewn. (no yo, yo maker for this gal)

It measures 6ft. 1" in length. Each yo yo is 1.5" in diameter.

This would look so cute on a smaller Christmas tree or fireplace mantle.

Maybe even embellishing an entry foyer mirror, bookshelves, or staircase.

I'm going to be adding it to my Etsy shop this week.

I'm also working on a winter blue, silver and white version as well.

Tie one on....fabric wreath

2011-10-20T13:11:00.001-04:00

This wreath is SO easy to make.

All you need are a few simple items.

(1) styrofoam wreath or something similar. (mine is 9")

Fabric or multiple fabrics ( I used about 1/2 yard of soft gray)

Scissors to cut your fabric into strips.

Something to dress up your wreath. ( I made a felt poinsettia)

I cut my strips with a regular scissors. If you want a nice

finished edge you may want to use pinking shears.

My strips are about 1 1/4" wide by 10" long.

I did not measure each piece just eyeballed it.

For mine.. I like the frayed look.

I then tied each piece side by side onto the wreath form.

I am repurposing an old wreath form.. I do that often. ;O)

Continue tieing until you meet up with the other side.

It goes REALLY fast.

I used felt to make this poinsettia.

You can free hand it, or go HERE for a template.

I sewed a button in the middle and added an

alligator clip to the back. That way I can change it out

with other embellishments.

Took me about a total of 30 min.

Here it is hanging in my Creative Space.

The lighting is terrible today. Rain for 3 days straight.

The wall color is a soft beige but for some reason is

coming out yellow. Oh well.. I'm planning to paint it soon anyway.

Nope, I'm not decorating for Christmas already.

However, this is so subtle.. I plan to just go ahead and leave it up.

So.. what do ya think?

Wanna make one?

Fall Clean Up

2011-10-18T16:16:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year in the SunnySide household.
Fall clean up!

No matter how organized and clean I consider
my home to be, I am always amazed when it comes time to
do a deep clean up. I love when its all finished though.
Clean and organized is a great feeling to me!

I have a pile and I mean a PILE of clothes to be taken to the consignment
shop. We often Ebay (the top name brands my kids outgrow but are still
in fantastic condition) or Goodwill. This year, I'm taking them to the
consignment shop that just so happens to be right close to our home.
They will sort through what they want and I will donate the rest.

BTW.. My Girl had a pair of Uggs that were 2 yrs. old.
We sold them on Ebay for $50. She didn't like them. So they were
pretty much sitting unused. She ended up buying a nice Columbia jacket
with her money. Think about it ladies. Ebay, consignment, etc. is a great
way to get rid of what the kiddo's have outgrown or no longer like in
exchange for CASH!

Today was all about organizing hubby and my clothes closet,
the hallway coat closet, (organizing coats, gloves, hats, scarves, etc.)
then finally the garage. Why the garage? Cause we have shelves FULL of
shoes. Out with the summer, in with the rain & winter boots, etc.
I'm feeling pretty good about my progress today.

No pics today, just a little of what I've been up to.

Oh.. and I wanted to add that I'm super excited and proud that our
Son (17 & a senior) is starting his first rotation (shadowing
at doctor) at our area hospital.
He is involved in a program that allows HS students that are
considering a career in medicine to experience a little of what
goes on behind the scenes in a hospital setting. He and about
30 others were chosen to do this at the local hospitals in and
near our town. (He is fortunate to have been chosen,
40 were turned down) I'm kinda siked! (sp)

Later gators!

Whoopie.. we have a winner!

2011-10-17T13:10:00.001-04:00

Whoopie Cupcakes

The following recipe is from the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook

101 Cupcake, Cookie & Brownie Recipes.

I made these this morning... YUM~!

Cupcake Recipe:

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1/3 c. plus 1 T. baking cocoa

3 T. shortening

4 t. vinegar

1 c. milk

1 t. vanilla extract

Combine first 5 (dry) ingredients.

Next add remaining 4 (wet) ingredients.

Beat for 2 min. Grease muffin pan or use 12 muffin cup liners.

Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 min. Cool completely.

Cut tops off at an angle so that it gets narrower toward

the center, but do not cut through bottom.

(sorry for the blur.)

Filling Ingredients:

3/4 c. margarine

3/4 c. shortening

1-1/2 c. sugar

4 -1 /2 t. all purpose flour

1/8 t. salt

3/4 c. milk, room temp.

1 T. vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients for at least 8 min.

Use an electric mixer. It should combine well and become fluffy.

I used a pastry bag to fill the cakes.. of course a spoon will work as well.

(Note: I probably had enough filling for 24 cupcakes. This recipe is for 12)

Dust with powder sugar.

I cannot tell a lie.. YES I've already had one. Skipped breakfast so I guess
that makes it ok, right? Ok.. it doesn't but you only live once. I really
like the flavor. I find them to NOT be overly sweet. They ARE delicious,
but I was a little leery of the filling being a sugar overload. Not so at all.

I'm surfing the cookbook for the next recipe to try. SO many too choose from!

What to make? You decide

2011-10-14T16:26:00.000-04:00

I mentioned that last weekend I picked up this cookbook.

Well... I plan to make at least ONE of these yummy recipes this coming week.

The question is.. which one? I mean this cookbook is full of amazing

dessert pics.. so tempting.. it's very hard to choose.

So.. that's where YOU decide for me.

Here are your 3 options.

2 Kiss Cupcakes

This cupcake has a secret kiss inside.

Not to mention, the frosting is chocolate and from scratch!

Taffy Apple Cupcakes

This cupcake uses Carrot Cake and granny smith apples.

See that ooey.. goooeey caramel topping?

Whoopie Cupcakes

These are chocolate cupcakes with a amazing filling very

much like a whoopie pie.

So to make this easy I will label them 1-3.

You can leave me your answer in the comment section.

I will make the yummy dessert and share the recipe

with pics next week. Deal?

1 = 2 Kiss Cupcakes

2 = Taffy Apple Cupcakes

3 = Whoopie cupcakes

Come on ladies.. don't leave me hang'n.. I KNOW you have an opinion.. HA!

A ghosty project for the little's

2011-10-13T10:05:00.000-04:00

When my kids were smaller we used to do SO many craft projects.
I started them young.. LOL. Of course they had to go and grow
up on me and now its just me and my hot glue gun.. HA!

Anyhoo.... I thought this was a cute one for the little's in your life.

Its as simple as glass jars, white & black acrylic paint and a brush.
Mason, jelly, baby food, etc.. any kind of jars will do the trick.
Oh.. and they aren't pictured, but a few votive candles will finish off
this project.

Add a face.

As you can see, this is not a "pretty" project.

The more translucent (messy) the paint application,

the more light shines through.

The further away from them you get the cooler the affect as well.

Line them up on your window sill, sidewalk or driveway.

You could even put some wire around the rim and hang them.

Lots of possibilities.

I saw some more rounder jars the other day made up like pumpkins.

Wed... just a few things

2011-10-12T21:01:00.000-04:00

I spotted these while walking Sadey this morning. Last of the summer blooms.

Phone pic.. so its not the best.. but the colors were so gorgeous on a gloomy day.

My tooth is finally feeling better after a return visit to the dentist.

He needed to grind down the replacement filling. Soooo much better now.

My Girl is away at her 8th grade school retreat. She returns on

Friday. We miss her already. There was (a lot of) rain in the forecast so I

bought her these from HERE.

I have added more items to my Etsy shop. You can see them HERE.

I purchased some of THIS over the weekend. It is DELISH!

I made some of THESE for my boys this evening. Simple, feels like cheating

(cause you know its not "homemade") but they are pretty yummy.

Wool Felt IPad 1 sleeve

2011-10-10T19:04:00.000-04:00

Newest item ~ Click HERE for details.

Sunshiny Saturday

2011-10-08T16:05:00.000-04:00

Today is one of those days I wish I could bottle up and save for
the middle of January. It's Sunny, warm breezes, blue skies, the smell
of leaves is in the air. It truly is an amazing day.

These were taken just after the sun came up.
The leaves have really made the change. They are mostly orange and red.

We planted this mum 3 years ago. It was teeny tiny.

Now it is about 4 ft. in diameter at least.. maybe bigger.

Hubby and I enjoyed this beautiful day by attending another fall festival.

It's a tradition. (we like those) We go each year.

Hot dogs garnished with Sauerkraut.. yum.

I was happy to find a copy of THIS at one of the little stores I love to browse.

My Girl was the first to go through it. She is really enjoying the art of baking.

That's the main reason why I picked up this copy.

I look forward to making many of these recipes with her.

If you own it, tell me what your favorites are.

source

Thanks to those of you that shared Bday party ideas.

I appreciate the time it takes to leave comments.

I know that its so easy to browse through your google reader.

I want y'all to know that I read and appreciate each message you leave.

Our son went to Homecoming last night. He and a bunch of his

buddies stayed at our church's youth pastors home last night.

They all go to school with her son. We know her well.. just say'n. ;O)

They played basketball, Frisbee, games, etc. Its a great way to keep

the kids in a positive and safe environment. Often times after these dances, they

are so full of energy, they aren't ready to head on home.

I greatly appreciate that she provided the entertainment for our boys.

We are off to evening Mass and dinner together as a family.

Tomorrow includes open house for the high school.

My Girl will be a freshman next year.. OH EM G where has the time gone?

She plays a soccer game in the afternoon as well.

It looks to be another beautiful weather day tomorrow in KY.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend.

In need of party suggestions

2011-10-07T08:53:00.001-04:00

First a little background....

My Girl is turning 14 early next month.

source

We have yet to do a "girl friends only" party.

She really wants to have one this year. I'm happy to oblige.

However, her friends have exhausted the whole laser tag,

scavenger hunt at the mall, limo ride to Mcdonalds and cruising,
swim, bowling alley, blah.. blah.. blah.. type of parties.

They also do sleepover bday parties.

SO.. my question is... what can we do that is unique that

won't make my wallet cry for mercy??

I am looking for ANY and ALL suggestions please.

TIA!

It smells so good in here

2011-10-06T09:05:00.001-04:00

My Girl made her first pumpkin roll last night.

Completely from scratch and all on her own.

I had the best seat in the house.

Sitting at the island with the amazing smell of cinnamon & cloves.

I seriously had to restrain myself.. cause these babies are for dessert Wed.
(Which will actually be eaten on Thursday because they needed to be chilled.)

I'm not sure I can wait until after dinner.
They are calling me. :0)

Check out this cute dress form!

2011-10-05T17:22:00.000-04:00

Wish I could take all the credit but I can't.
I found the idea HERE.
The instructions are in this step by step VIDEO.

Yep, she has curves in all the right places.

Yep, that's a teeny tiny Christmas tree bulb on top.

Yep, that's a silver candle stick she's perched on.

She even has her own little "messy broach". (frayed edges)

What is she? She's a pin cushion of course! Every seamstress needs one.
Don't sew? Know someone that does? This would be the perfect gift.
It truly took me NO time at all to put this together. You could even hand
stitch it or use fabric glue if you don't use or own a machine. Check out the links
above for the free pattern and instructions.

(PS... I took this late at night.. the lighting was not kind)

(PSS... It appears that my comment issue has been solved... YIPPEEEEEE
So if you've tried to leave comments in the past.. and it never went through,
please try it now. I'd love to hear from you.)

Try it now

2011-10-04T20:24:00.000-04:00

OK.. a very nice person contacted me through my Etsy
account with a suggestion on how I might fix my comment
problem. I changed a setting and NOW.. I need your help.

Could I get some people to leave me some comments on
THIS post please??

Don't leave a girl hang'n.

Random off the top of my head

2011-10-04T12:29:00.003-04:00

My son made it into one of the colleges he applied for.

Still waiting on the official paperwork.. and word from the others.

But a person in the know informed hubs he was in. Oh.. and

he changed his major.

My Girl is going to a sleep away religious retreat with her 8th grade class

next week for 3 days. Mommy. will. miss. her.

Fillings fail. Yes they do. It failed and made me want to scream for

a sedative each time I drank or ate. PLUS, I get to go to the dentist

twice in one day. I had the filling removed and reinstalled,

then this afternoon the entire family has to go for 6 month cleanings.

I bet you are SO jealous of my getting to see the dentist TWICE in

one day.

I am almost positive my Sadey is allergic to Febreze. I think we

finally found the reason for her skin flair ups. Anyone ever heard

of pets having a reaction to it?

Apparently some are having issues leaving blog comments again.

Sorry about that. It is totally out of my control, I wish I knew how to

fix it.

When will the dye on DARK wash jeans finally stop transferring

onto my hands? I means seriously, they have been laundered at least

5 times now, and I still get blue hands throughout the day. Ridiculous.

Not to mention my poor car seats. Thankfully our new car has not

come in yet, or I'd have some real problems.

I really want to make a pumpkin roll this week. I have everything

but the baking soda. Guess I'll have to make a special trip.

I can't tell you how happy I am to be 1 of 40 moms that have a

special parking pass for afternoon school pickup. They were

given out first come to anyone who applied. This allows me

to show up right at dismissal to pick up My Girl, and we are first

to leave after buses. There is a LOT of jeal'n going on let me tell ya.

Some moms have to get to school 1 hour before dismissal to get a

a parking spot... CRAZY! We are in a separate reserved lot.

I am happy to see the return of some fun evening shows.

The Middle, Modern Family, Pan Am, Suburbatory. (not the best,

but there were some funny parts)

Well.. its lunch time, I'm hungry and I can't eat. Still numb. Sigh..

I pray the pain is gone and he fixed the problem. I'm surprised

you can't hear my stomach from here.

Cause I don't like posts without photos.. I'm sharing this one today.

Signing off.....

First October weekend

2011-10-02T21:02:00.001-04:00

Wow.. its October already. How quickly these last few weeks have flown by.

We started our weekend a little early with a University tour. Our son

loves the school, and we have high hopes it will be a good fit for him.

He's also going through the application process for a couple schools.

The past few days it has struggled to get to 60 degrees. We had a frost warning

last night. SO not ready for that.

The leaves are changing as you can see.

Saturday we ate lunch as a family at our favorite mexican place.. yum!

Followed by a few stops, evening mass and a little dinner date with the hub's.

Aren't these pretty?!

Sunday morning was CHILLY. 30's.. yikes. We turned the

heat on for the first time this season. Thankfully it warmed

up into the 60's. Sunny and not a cloud in the sky for My Girl's

soccer game this afternoon.

We were so busy last week and it looks like we have something

each and every night this coming week.

Staying busy is nice.. to an extent.. then I crave an evening with

nothing on the calender. Know what I mean?

This flower has about had it for the season, but check out

who's visiting. What is it? Anyone know? It sort of

resembles a butterfly.. but not quite.

Hey.. I can see you laughing at me.

What.. you've never seen a shaved Alpaca?

Yes, I'm a donkey with stripes.

Stretchy neck on the right is our friend the camel.

This evening hub's and I took a stroll through the creation gardens near

our home. All the pictures in this post were taken there this afternoon.

I am way behind on blog hopping /commenting. I'm going to try to catch up tomorrow.

Looking forward to a productive week ahead.

Taking care of business and checking off lists.

Stocking stuffer I HAVE to share

2011-09-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Each Fall/Winter my mom sends me a pair of these.

They are called June & Daisy cozy slippers.
She buys them at Sam's Club. I'm not sure where else you can buy them,
but I'm sure a quick google search would answer that.
They are very reasonably priced and are delightful on your feet.
SO incredibly soft inside and out.

(no, my feet are not really that wide.. HA!)

They even have a non skid bottom.

She sends an extra pair for My Girl. Hers are baby blue.

I don't mind telling you I can easily go through 2 pairs a season

because I hate to take them off my feet!

They are washable.. but you want to air dry them to keep them nice and fluffy.

These are perfect stocking stuffers for all the ladies on your holiday list.

Don't forget to pick up an extra pair for yourself. ;O)

The view from here

2011-09-29T13:26:00.001-04:00

This is it.

My creative studio has a 4 x 4 ft view of serenity.. natures beauty.

It's constantly changing.

Today it looks like this.

LOTS & LOTS of trees

Leaves changing from green to gorgeous oranges.

Birds at the feeder

Squirrels scampering

Deer grazing.

Leaves falling

Oh... and of course Sadey snoozing right beside me.

Not a bad way to spend the day "working"... right?

My little Etsy shop

2011-09-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

..... is coming along. Slowly but surely.

Just added these (size) 3-6 month infant girl headbands.
Handmade by yours truly.

Click HERE to see more info in regards to the headbands.

Click HERE to see other items. Oh.. and I made my first sale Monday.. yippeee!

Its back

2011-09-27T20:37:00.002-04:00

Thanks Tracy!

She was so sweet to leave me a comment today, letting me know that

Target has Pumpkin Spice creamer.

I picked up a couple or .....3. ( Wink)

Simple centerpieces

2011-09-26T08:38:00.003-04:00

When we entertain at our home, my table never feels complete

without something in the center.

I love to place a vase of flowers, candles, greenery, etc.

It never has to be fancy. I just like to have something pretty.

We had a busy start to our weekend and I completely forgot about a

centerpiece for Sunday's lunch.

This is what I came up with in a couple minutes.

(I forgot to take a pic. of our Fall table, but I used a nice

shade of green tablecloth with brown and orange plates.)

Our little pumpkin, a short piece of leaf garland and a plate. So simple, yet festive

and very much says Autumn is here.

My mom NEVER comes to our home empty handed.

She brought us this super yummy candle... Frosted Cupcake.

I'd love for you to share what your last minute, spur of the moment, using

what you have on hand centerpieces.

ETA: If you have a NOOK or KINDLE, check out this LINK.

Its for a free download.

Gooseberry Patch Pumpkin Cookbook

source

It really felt like Fall today

2011-09-24T19:45:00.002-04:00

Today was Applefest. We attend each year. This time it was just

hub's and I. The day started out cold and rainy. I was not deterred.

The further into Ohio we drove the brighter and sunnier it became.

By the time we arrived, it was gorgeous. Sunny and 60's, perfect Fall festival weather.

Per tradition, we headed straight for the old timey ice cream parlor. They serve

all kinds of food including lunch. We people watched through the

windows at all the street vendors. I had a BLT & hub's had a cheeseburger.

We headed straight for Dan the doughnut man's booth and to our dismay,

he was already sold out of apple fritters. Sad face. GREAT big sad face.

We walked the streets, checked out the venders, crafters, etc. We came

across a booth that was being run by an amish family. They were mixing

up, twisting and baking (using propane ovens) fresh pretzels. The line was about 20 deep.

We hopped in, and waited our turn. It was actually pretty fun to watch

them make each pretzel. The girls had quite the system going, and they

were selling faster than they could bake them. When we finally got ours,

it was absolute heaven on a plate. They were fantastic. We picked up

some of their buckeyes & a couple turtles for the kids to make up for no fritters. :O(

Before we head on back to KY, we always stop at two local farms.

They are orchards mostly. They sell everything, pumpkins, gourds,

fruit, jams, carmel apples, apple pies.. apple everything you can imagine.
Honestly, they have so many wonderful things, I can't even begin to
list them all.

I'm hosting a lunch at our home tomorrow and I picked up an apple brown betty

for desert. Oh yeah... its gonna be SAweet! Hub's picked up some amazing

purple grapes. Probably the best I've ever tasted.

Check out this guy. Well.. the guy is my hub's... but I'm referring to the one

wearing the black coat. He smelled something. That something was APPLE FRITTERS!

Yes sir re, Dan the Donut Man may have been sold out but we found them at Iron's.

Yippeee...... my kiddo's would have been disappointed if we came home empty handed.

Don't worry, he didn't get more than one touch on that bag.. LOL!

Yep, it was a pretty great day. My kiddo's are both at the age where they

do their own "thang" every once in a while. It is a great opportunity for hub's

and I to get out a little more and "date" again. Life's forever changing.

Just cause I'm curious..Christmas Questions for ya

2011-09-23T09:30:00.001-04:00

Source

Some of your are probably going.. uh... did ya know its only the first day of Fall?
Its not even Halloween yet. We still have Thanksgiving........ BUT..
For some its NEVER to early to talk Christmas. I know people that start shopping
day after Christmas sales in preparation for the next year. I absolutely must
start early. To me though, early is end of Sept.. beginning of Oct. Basically
right about now.

1) Have you started making your Christmas lists yet?

2) Have you started shopping OR Are you a last minute shopper?

3) Do you shop with a budget in mind OR There's no limit when it comes to Christmas?

4) Do you use your special talents and make gifts?

5) Do you shop for your entire family OR Do you draw names?

6) How much of your shopping do you do online?

My answers:
1) No, but I'm about to
2) No, & No I am definitely NOT a last minute shopper.
3) Yes, I am a budget girl.
4) This year I am for certain people.
5) We only purchase for immediate family, but gather a whole family to enjoy good food and cheer.
6) I'd say at least 50% of my shopping is done online. I have found that internet pricing is
lower than in store prices.

Your turn.

Sunnyside's Sunflower headband

2011-09-22T13:26:00.001-04:00

In my etsy shop. Read more about it HERE.

Technology now and the future

2011-09-22T09:05:00.000-04:00

I was forwarded this in an email this morning.
I thought I would post it for y'all to see.

It is amazing where technology is taking us.

I can totally see this being our future. I guess in some ways it already is.

Changes with the season

2011-09-21T09:14:00.002-04:00

Although its not officially Fall until Friday, the Mums are blooming at our home.

The leaves are ever so subtly beginning to turn.

I bought our first baby pumpkin.

.... and we have plenty of acorns.

Shhhh.... don't tell the squirrels.

They look at us funny when we go outside. ;O)~

Still haven't found my beloved Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer.

However, Kroger does have Peppermint mocha if anyone's in the mood.

OH.. and the first Fall festival is this weekend.

So excited to sink my teeth into the BEST APPLE FRITTERS EVAH!

My first ever etsy listing

2011-09-20T09:04:00.000-04:00

..... I finally took the plunge and opened an Etsy shop.

I only have 3 items at the moment, but I'm working on adding more.
It will be a wide variety of items that I enjoy making and want to share with others.

If you're interested in seeing my little (at the moment) shop. Click HERE

For the Festive Acorn listing below, click HERE.

As I add new items I'll keep y'all posted.

Football, Fireworks & Food

2011-09-19T12:28:00.001-04:00

Saturday's weather was beautiful!

We started our day with lunch at our favorite mexican place.

This is the best salsa!

We watched the University of Cincinnati VS. Akron game in the press box.

The day was gorgeous, sunny, and 70. Perfect football weather.

These are all pre-game pics. By the time the game started, the stands were packed.

3 parachuters landed. Pretty cool.

Fireworks

Bearcats coming out onto the field.

Lots of school spirit to say the least.

They served dinner which consisted of little gourmet hamburger and chicken

sliders w/ salad. They also had cookies and bars, popcorn, chips, etc.

All you could eat & drink. Including just about any adult beverage you would want.

It was a wonderful day with my favorite peeps.

And the GIVEAWAY winner is......

2011-09-18T09:45:00.000-04:00

Thanks everyone for joining in.

The winner is.......

Looks like random generator chose comment #1 and that is....

Lisa, if you would please send me your mailing address, I am happy

to mail your prize out first thing this coming week.

keepnthesunnyside (at) ymail (dot) com

I've been in the giving spirit lately so stay tuned for my next giveaway.

Apple (Caramel & Crumble) It's a Giveaway NOW CLOSED

2011-09-17T20:54:00.001-04:00

TONIGHT (9/17) IS THE DEADLINE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

This is my 1000th post, and I just realized.. HA!
Good timing for a giveaway I must say.

Up for grabs this time around is.......

(1) Bath & Body Works Caramel Apple anti~bacterial foaming hand soap (8.5 fl oz)

(1) SLATIKIN & CO.

Apple Crumble candle

(FYI.. these little candles scent a large area.. love them!)

Rules are same as usual.

Front door wreath

2011-09-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

My mom gave me a very festive fall garland this week.

I decided to use it to make a new wreath for our front door.

I used about 3/4 of it. So easy, just snipped it with wire cutters.

Used some floral wire to attach it to the wreath form I was already

using on the front door.

I added a cloth pumpkin. (that I won 2 years ago from another blogger)

Viola!

Quick and easy Chicken tenders

2011-09-15T09:51:00.001-04:00

This is another simple recipe I tried from E~mealz.

Choose the perfect amount of (thawed) chicken tenders to feed your family.

Dip each chicken tender first in honey mustard, then in french fried onions. I used French's.

Bake at 400 (greased pan) for about 15 min. or so depending on how your oven cooks.

Use extra honey mustard for dipping. If your not a fan of sweet & meat..

try regular mustard instead.

I thought they were pretty tasty and a little different than the traditional "nugget".

Busy as a Bee

2011-09-13T16:12:00.001-04:00

I just love sunflowers!

We have been busy bee's.

We visited Jungle Jims this past Saturday.

My Girl was in a soccer tournament in Ohio.

Click the link above if you're interested in seeing a peek at this food shopping experience.

Really cool place.

Oh and I'm taking a leap and opening an etsy shop.

My hubs has been encouraging me for some time, and I've finally ~~caved~~ agreed.

It will be a variety of handmade items by me.

It will be a little sparse at first, but I'm willing to make a go at it.

More details soon.

A little Fall sprinkling....

2011-09-12T10:47:00.001-04:00

... around our home.

I snapped a few pics to share.

As you can see, pumpkins are a big part of fall for me.

I just love'm. I have so many, that I can't even find places to put them all.

Since its still so early in the season.. (well.. I guess when it comes down to it,

it's not even truly fall yet.)... I have been very conservative on my decorating.

I did pick up 2 magazines. I'm not usually a buyer of magazines, but I

can hardly resist the holiday editions.

Crafts'n things & Holiday Crafts

I think this will be my afternoon carpool entertainment. ;O)

BTW.. our little Sadey girl is doing MUCH better.

She's a happy girl again.

I've run out of material

2011-09-08T13:33:00.000-04:00

... and I'm not referring to cotton or polyester.

I've got no projects, tutorials, recipes or good gossip. Just kidding
on the last one. Me gossip??.. naaaaaahhh.....

I've been busy doing some of the mundane boring things us housewives
take care of on a daily/weekly basis. You all know the drill. Not to
mention Sadey's allergies have flared up again, and we've been to
the vet, for injection, antibiotics, benadryl and oh yeah.. the bill. Sigh......
Her allergies aren't the kind that come with a runny nose and sneezing.
Nope, her skin turns pink, itchy & she licks and licks until she has open lesions.
It's not pretty folks. She scratched her muzzle on the ground so much
she even had the lesions on her snout. She is doing much better. I think her fever is
gone, and she now only resorts to licking about maybe 5% of her
day, versus the 95% as of a week ago. Poor baby. Who knew dogs
could be allergic to grass/weeds?

I have finally begun putting away summer decor, cleaning and
getting ready for Fall items. I have put up a few things, but I'm
planning to cut back this year, and only put out what I really love.
Maybe a few new projects if I can find something inspiring.

Back to school (3 weeks as of yesterday) has gone very well so far.
We transitioned smoothly into our routine, which is always a good
thing.

Hubs and I have finally come to the conclusion that we HAVE to
get a 3rd car. My ever so patient son has been sharing mine and
it has been working, but we can clearly see its only a matter of time
before it's no longer working. ;O) We did place an order for one
6 weeks ago Sat. The forecasted delivery date is NOT until
sometime in Oct. We've been without a car payment for quite
a while and I'm not looking forward to going back to one.
However, I am pretty excited to get a new car.

As you know from my previous post, I enjoyed a fabulous
PS latte the other day. SO delish. However, I try not to
indulge in those very often. I instead like to add a little Pumpkin
Spice coffee creamer to my morning coffee, but I have not
found it as of yet. If any of the flavored coffee creamer lovers
out there have spotted some, be sure to let me know in comments.

It's been chilly and rainy here the past couple days. I'm looking
forward to a little warm up and some sunshine this weekend.

I haven't seen many of these yet. Have you?

My treat for the day

2011-09-06T15:28:00.001-04:00

Oh you were so worth the wait.

#PumpkinSpiceLattes R back @Starbucks