Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween and Happy Anniversary!

Yep, today is mine and Mr. TSL's 9th anniversary!  woohoo!! :)  Happy Anniversary baby!

A few years ago, we dressed up with our friends as the crew from Scooby Doo.


The next year we added more friends and we were Gilligan's Island.

So much fun!

Our decorations for this year were minimal, but still fun!







This is where the Nate Berkus Knock Off rug lives now!!



Sweet Strawberry!

We used pumpkin seeds as seeds for her Strawberry costume!
Silly Candy Corn

Audrey is a bumblebee, I will add pictures of her tomorrow!  She is sleeping off some crabbyness right now!

-Make your life beautiful!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

3 exciting things!

1.  There is a contest over at Centsational Girl for a Holiday Tablescape...it's on Nov. 30th :)  (I'm blogging about this so I don't forget it!)  I just discovered her blog....it's. uh.maze.ing.  She is brilliant!  I know everyone probably knows that, but it's new for me!

2.  Michael over at Inspired by Charm is starting a new Thrifty Thursday Linky Party!!  i am so excited because I love his blog!  He runs this super cute bed and breakfast, makes the most fabulous food, and designs amazing vignettes!  He is also very humble and appreciative of everything, it's refreshing in a world of "I need, why me, boohoo."  Go check it out, it starts tonight @ 7pm est!  


3.  We all love Pinterest.... So are you up for the Pinterest Challenge again?!?
I know I am!!


Hosted by these lovely ladies!!


I will post our Halloween decorations and some pics of Mr. TSL's ghoulish treats for school when it's brighter outside...it's dark and cold right now!

-Make your life beautiful!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Too early for Thanksgiving?

I can't wait for Thanksgiving!  I know Halloween is on Monday, but as soon as it's over....Thanksgiving decorations!  I kind of sort of did a half ass on the Halloween decorations...I was trying to rule the world do the projects for Crafting with the Stars...lost track of time.  But, we did carve pumpkins and the porch looks cute...just no table decor and very very little inside Halloween decor.  Pics of Halloween stuff tomorrow :)

PS  did you see who won Crafting with the Stars?!?  The Real Housewives of Buck County...like I had a chance!  They were on Nate Berkus twice this season!  Today they won a trip to Mexico from Nate for an amazing 24 hour challenge...they are freaking awesome.  My blog wants to be like theirs when it grows up!

Congrats Monica and Jess!!

The girls have a three day weekend starting Friday and I'm thinking we may need to do a few crafty projects :)

I'll give you one guess where I found all of these...did you say Pinterest?!?  I bet you did!!


















-Make your life beautiful!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A Girl and A Glue Gun Shout Out and some features!

I am so excited to have been in Crafting with the Stars and Kimbo from AGAAGG was a fantastic partner!

She is so sweet and did this amazing post for me!

She also awarded me these:




Plus, to top it off I was featured over at Homemaker on a Dime and Sisters of the Wild West!



These are fantastic considering the week/month I've had.  This month on top of our usual bills, the dog needs shots, our tags are due, the kids both need new glasses, I need new contacts, the microwave died and so did the dishwasher.....blah!!!!  


I've been reheating everything on the stove, I never realized how often I used the microwave.  And sadly today, I had to hand wash the dishes :(. 



-Make your life beautiful!!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Meal Making Monday: Broccoli Cheese Soup and Sliders

This weekend some friends came down to stay with us and we had a BLAST!   it was the first time Mr. TSL and I have been out without kiddos since Audrey was born! Super fun!

Anywho, while they were here i decided to try out some recipes from Pinterest that I had been drooling over!
I kind of figure what's the point of pinning if I'm not doing anything with said pins :)

These recipes ARE NOT mine, I take no credit for them.  The pictures are of the ones from Pinterest.  The food was so good, I totally forgot to take pics.  Plus, what fun am I if I pause a conversation with a friend to take pics for my blog?!?  It's bad enough I do that to my family, they have to love me...my friends choose too.

The first item on our menu was Broccoli Cheese Soup, I LOOOOOVE Broccoli Cheese Soup and this one ranks up there with restaurant soup!

The second item on the menu was Ham and Cheese Sliders....so cute and delicious!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

adapted from Mangia Da Sola who adapted it from  Sugarcrafter
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups chicken stock (I used bouillon cubes + boiling water)
  • 1/2 lb fresh broccoli, chopped (I may have used more broccoli, I just started throwing it in)
  • 1 cup carrot, shredded and chopped (mine was grated)
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (forgot to put this in)
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom (don't know what this is and I hate recipes that call for stuff, so I buy it and never use it again)
  • 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 4 ounces grated Colby jack cheese (I used mozzarella)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Hot Sauce (I used cayenne pepper)
Sauté the onion (and garlic) in the butter over medium heat. Remove the onions (you can actually leave the onions in there) and add in the flour, stirring constantly. Add in the half and half, milk, and chicken stock. Bring to almost a boil.
Add the onions back in, along with the broccoli and carrots. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.
Season the soup with the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir in the cheeses (and you can play around with the amounts; use however much or little you like) and let simmer for 10 minutes longer before serving.


Ham and Cheese Sliders

This recipe sounds superb, but I got side tracked and was running out of time, so I skipped the sauce on the top...next time I will try it with the sauce!



adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything adapted slightly from the Recipe Club

24 good white dinner rolls
24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip (I just used mayo, I hate miracle whip)

Poppy seed sauce 
1/2 T poppyseeds
3/4 T yellow mustard
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 T minced onion
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.

** sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.




-Make your life beautiful!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Old Window Headboard

Sadly, this is my last entry for Crafting with the Stars. :(  Bummer...but, I still lurve the project!!

I struggled this week....like, a lot! I was going to paint some fabric and that didn't go as planned...I don't sew. My sewing machine is basically a giant paper weight, so I needed to be a little more creative. So, I made my daughters some headboards and painted them some curtains!!



I painted the striped curtains with hot pink paint and a white twin top sheet from Wal-Mart. After I painted the striped curtains, I painted the old window frames I picked up at a flea market for $10 each. They started red and I painted them white originally.  I used them in our bedroom as the headboard.



I'm thinking of making a tufted or different headboard for the master bedroom now!








For this, I switched it up to a much more girly pink! I planned to paint a multi-colored chevron to use for the headboards...epic fail. 



My inspiration for this project was this amazing set from PB Teen:



I may have had a mild nervous break down.


After I decided it wasn't the end of the world, I headed to Joann's for some fabric. While I am perusing, but what to my wondering eye should appear, but a perfect striped chevron and eight tiny reindeer. Seriously, they already had their Christmas crap out! I passed on the reindeer and picked up the fabric and a few more fun ones for pillows! For the headboard, I just stapled the Chevron fabric to the back of the old windows and screwed them to the wall. I took the lazy way out on the pillows...heatbond tape. It's my guilty pleasure...no sewing just my trusty iron. The iron only gets used for heat bond and to iron on Girl Scout patches....I do not iron our clothes. Oh, no my secrets out :) The girl's love their new room and I couldn't be more pleased and I only had one mildly neurotic episode!! 






We're not quite done with their room...I'm thinking they need this piece of art work and a few more ideas I pinned from pinterest!





I'm thinking it would be easy to add these to a pre-made white quilt or comforter!
Mama may not sew, but she can modify!







-Make your life beautiful!!

SUNDAY: 
The Girl Creative ,The DIY Showoff ,Sisters of the Wild West ,The Tattered Tag ,Flamingo Toes, Under the Table and Dreaming I Heart Nap Time 

 MONDAY:
Skip To My LouThrifty Decor ChickC.R.A.F.T.Sew Can DoDittle Dattle, Between Naps On the Porch, Homemaker on a Dime,  Making the World Cuter


TUESDAY:
Tip JunkieType AA Bowl Full of LemonsToday's Creative BlogFunky Polkadot GiraffeStrictly HomemadeA Diamond in the StuffAll Thingz RelatedHandmade Tuesday,
WEDNESDAY:
Blue Cricket DesignNot Just A HousewifeSomeday CraftsHandy Man, Crafty WomanSew Much AdoOrganize Your Stuff NowSeven Thirty ThreeSugar and Dots The Mommy Club  
THURSDAY:
My Repurposed LifePaisley PassionsHouse of HepworthsBeyond The Picket FenceThe Shabby Chic CottageSomewhat Simple, Inspired by Charm

FRIDAY:
Remodelaholic, Fingerprints on the FridgeMiss Mustard SeedChic on a ShoestringShabby NestTidy MomLittle Lucy Lu, My Simple Home Life

SATURDAY:
Funky Junk Interiors, be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Young and Crafty