Baby Photo Session

Yes, yes, I have been spending far too much time gleaning ideas from Pinterest.  I not only have been finding great recipes but I've also been trying out some baby photo ideas as well.  Here's my inspiration photo:

Here is my version.  I've got to work on my back grounds a bit and if I had wood floors it would be awesome, but alas, this is what I've got to work with.

Sugared Pecans or Walnuts

Yum.  That pretty much sums up this recipe.  I'm hoping to revisit this recipe over the holiday season and share with my friends and family as gifts.  The original recipe came from here.  I found that adding more powdered sugar helped coat the nuts better.

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces pecans or walnut halves
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preparation:

Turn slow cooker to HIGH about 15 minutes in advance. In hot slow cooker, stir together the nuts and butter. Add the powdered sugar, stirring to blend and coat evenly. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to LOW and remove lid; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the nuts are coated with a crisp glaze.
Transfer the nuts to a bowl.
In another small bowl, combine the spices; sift over the nuts, stirring to coat evenly.
Let cool before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert

Alrighty, I've been struck by a sweet tooth, and I must say it is doing the scale no favors, but the treats are so delicious.  I've been visiting Pinterest lately and have been bookmarking lots of tasty treats so I have been trying them out lately to see if they turn out as well as they look.  Most of the desserts have not disappointed. 

This recipe came from Taste of Home
Ingredients:  

• 20 chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (softened or cubed), softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

Directions

• Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust.
• In another large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping.
• Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.

I had to put part of this in the freezer so I wouldn't eat it so quickly and it is way better frozen-creamy and delicious!

Side Cabinet Redo Update

Here's an update of the cabinet that my husband helped me redo.  I originally bought the cabinet for two dollars at a garage sale.  At the time I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but it had really good bones and was sturdy.  We spray painted it paprika, made a drawer, and bought new knobs...needless to say it is worth a bit more than two dollars now, but still rustic.  If only I had another piece of furniture to refinish, I must go garage saling soon. 

New Look

I've been stuck in a rut as far as style goes for quite a while.  I've always dreamed of being the well dressed one at a party, the one people look to for fashion advice, the person not afraid to mix pattern, sheen, and textures.  Alas, I am the one that blends in with the wall most days, wearing clothes from several years ago-most of which were bought by my mother-in-law.  I worry what I would wear was it not for her (she buys me nice things) but I just don't go out of my way to go shopping, especially now that I have my little man to tote around.  I decided the other day, after another long look into the mirror at my brassy dyed hair, frumpy jeans, and baggie shirt, that it was time to make a change, if not now, when.  Well, that's what I said when I decided to dye my hair blonde, and that didn't really turn out, so hopefully this will be a better outcome.  Here's a few looks that I think I have always envisioned for myself.  I've got to start the transformation with an awesome pair of boots-that's where I will start.

Here's an example of an outfit I would love, laid back yet bright and put together from Anthropologie:

Yet more from Pinterest:

and another:

 

 

 

What are we doing here?

So lately I've been questioning the direction of this blog and the purpose.  It seems these days that everyone has a blog, so what would set mine out from all the other crafty blogs-the answer is nothing does, but then I realized that the blog isn't made for everyone else, but I'm making it to help me remember crafts, projects, and recipes-not only will this help me when I get Alzheimer's which unfortunately I believe to be in my future, but it may entertain any readers that stumble upon this blog as well.  

Eye Opener

 I came across as I was browsing Pinterest this morning, a heartbreaking photo:

Here's the description from wikipedia:
In March 1993, while on a trip to Sudan, Carter was preparing to photograph a starving toddler trying to reach a feeding center when a vulture landed nearby. Carter later said that he waited 20 minutes to see if the vulture would flare its wings. He finally took a picture and then chased off the vulture.^[5]


This photo broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes.  Recently we've been hearing about the starving people in Africa walking hundreds of miles to make it to food distribution centers-with mothers burying some of their children along the way-this somehow didn't hit me as emotionally as this picture.  Maybe it is because I can imagine this was my own son crawling, so close to food and someone just taking a picture and not assisting him to nourishment.  I realized how fortunate we are to be able to have more than enough food every single day and not have to worry about where our next meal was.  How tragic life can be.  There is an alternative account of the photo and it says that the parents ran towards the food center to get food and return with it to their children, I hope dearly that was the case with this child, although, it doesn't make it any less real that children are withering away to skin and bones.