Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween~



I love Halloween. Love it!

And so do these 2 characters:


And once Ironman and Spiderman have gone to bed,
I get to rummage through the bounty.



Twix? Yes, Please.
White Chocolate Kit Kat? I'll have 2.
Reeses Pieces? Don't mind if I do.
Snickers? If you insist.

So glad my neighbors believe in chocolate!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Take a Look at this Sweet Shop!



I was browsing through listings on Etsy when I came across this gorgeous shop, SGardner, and I just had to share it with you. If you know someone that's expecting, I think you will find something here that would make a beautiful gift.

Isn't this elegant???!!!



Perfect for winter or a Christmas photo shoot~


For a sweet baby girl~



Even diaper covers!



I love this one and it is currently on sale!



Can you imagine all the hours of hard work that go into each and every handcrafted item that Susan makes?!

Please check out her shop.
I just know you will not be disappointed!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The First (And Quite Possibly The Last)Time I Make Caramel Apples


Today I made caramel apples for the very 1st time.
I got the recipe and tutorial here. (A great website by the way for recipes and party decorating)
The 1st hour was actually fun.
The last 5, 6 or 10 were not. (I think you get the idea)

I am pretty happy with the way they turned out.


In addition to these flavors I made Chocolate Apple Pie and Chocolate Sprinkles.

I made the Vanilla Bean Apple Pie by melting a Ghirardelli Vanilla Bean bar and drizzling it over the hardened caramel. I coated a Pillsbury pie crust with melted butter and cinnamon/sugar and baked it then crunched the crust up into tiny pieces and dipped the apple. Then I sprinkled more cinnamon/sugar on top. I think that one is my favorite.
(well, as far as looks....I have no idea how it taste and at this point I honestly don't care!)



What "fun" things are you making this fall?

By the way, I realize the Rangers lost last night,
but all fingers are still crossed!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Friday, October 22, 2010





Look who's cheering up (or scaring up!) my front porch~



Find the tutorial here


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Randomness in pictures



The "death trap"


I felt like some kind of a creep pulling
over to the curb,
rolling down the window and
snapping this photo while kids were
playing on the adjacent playground




I think this tree in our neighborhood is amazing.
It's huge and the branches rest on the ground.

Again, creepy lady rolling down the window
and taking pictures of someone else's property.




This fold-a-note (and a few others) will be
up in the shop tomorrow.
You can buy it.

Too bad I didn't have my camera on hand
when I knocked over a pottery planter at the
grocery store today with my huge purse and it shattered into
a gazillion pieces.
But just to give you the idea...



I have no photo for this (yet!!!),
but I am hosting a "girls crafting night out" November 5
at 6:30 pm. If any of you live in Austin
(I'm in North central in Allandale)
you are more than welcome to join us.
It will be just a few girlfriends, some
snacks and a time
to catch up on crafting projects.
Email me using the button on the sidebar
or leave a comment here with your email address and I'll send you the evite invitation.


Monday, October 18, 2010

Old School


There's a new playground at Zachary's school.
It looks exactly like a typical playground found in any park in 2010 in the USA.
It's all plastic.
And he is not allowed to play on it.
It's too dangerous.
Only 3rd - 5th graders are allowed on it.
If younger kids play on it they may bruise their elbows or skin their knees
or something horrific like that.

Please.

I wish my kids knew the joys of an old school playground.
You know, the ones we grew up on.
Threw up on.
Cracked open our heads and knocked out our teeth on.

The goldmine of all playground equipment was the merry -go -round.
It was especially fun if recess came right after lunch.



Who didn't enjoy jumping off the seesaw as it lowered
and watching their partner slam to the ground, nearly breaking their tailbone.
I busted my lip open on one of these.
What fond memories.





I miss this most of all.
The metal slide.
It was always strategically placed in the sun
where you could go careening down at 100 mph leaving a legacy of melted skin behind.

And my kids will never know these joys.

Perhaps I'll let them ride their bikes without a helmet on.
If they survive, they may get a small taste of what it was once like.