A Little Randomness…

First, for my ramblings, I submit to you a blog that has had me in tears so many times over the past month:  CAKE WRECKS.  It’s always a great pick-me-up, if I’m in a grouchy mood (who me?).  You HAVE to check it out, well, you have to, only if you have a sense of humor, because that is definitely required.  I must admit, I’m a total spaz (but I’ve already owned up to that one), because the first time I visited Cake Wrecks, I thought they were home made cakes…and I was a bit, ummm, confused as to why they were making fun of some of them, because they were better than what I could do.  (While, admittedly, some of them were truly awful).  Then, I noticed the little line under the blog name, where it tells you they were professionally made cakes (and also, in all honesty, seeing price tags on the cakes was a bit of a clue…blonde?  sometimes!).  So, please, do yourself a favor, and go check it out…but I warn you, you can spend hours there, asking yourself “why?”.  Really, like “why would a professional cake decorator try to sell that?”.  Yeah, there are some serious wrecks…but it’s fun!

ok, for another, totally off (craft) topic random tidbit…do you watch Deadliest Catch?  Yeah, you know you love it!  Well, I’ve been addicted since day one (and have the tiniest little,itty,bitty crush on Edgar)…anyway, now I’m smiling and sighing…he can totally distract me, and don’t worry, the hubs knows about it, he too, just smiles and sighs (although not for the same reason, I’m sure).  OK, off track again (you see why this is titled ‘Randomness’?), anyway…..Last Saturday Captain Keith (from the Wizard) was actually here.  Not here, in my house, (although I thought it’d be nice to have him over for dinner),  but here in my town!  I live in a somewhat small and out of the way area, and not very many celebs come here (yes, he IS a celeb, at least to Deadliest Catch Fans), and my son and I went to meet him.  Sadly, we waited in line over two hours, and by the end of hour 1, he had to leave to catch his flight.  We didn’t get individual pictures taken with him, but we got in a ‘group’ one, right before he left, and he even came up to Dima and I and apologized (yes, it was really meant just for us, even though there was about 100 other people there, it was personal, he really was sorry that Dima and I didn’t get to sit and chat with him…he said so!).

(that’s him in the middle with the khaki shorts and hat, me to the left a mile).

But, his brother Monty (or Mouse, if you watch the show), stayed behind to sign autographs, for another hour and a half.  And, of course, they ran out of signed pictures, THREE people ahead of us, and of course, my camera battery died as I handed it to the agent to take our picture…seriously? I couldn’t believe it. We were there for all that time and the camera dies?  UGGHHH.  Well, at least it wasn’t Edgar I was waiting to see (because if it was, I would’ve been in line for three days, and made sure I had charged the battery and brought something for him to sign, and worn makeup, and dressed nicer, and , and , and…).  Yeah, small crush.  Thankfully my son had his IPOD Touch, and we got a picture with that.

They were both super nice and friendly and down to earth…both apologizing profusely for the lack of time and that they just hadn’t expected the large turnout.  It was fun, and Dima and I are both looking forward to the next visit by a captain and his brother (Sig, Edgar…please!).  We’ll see, but for now, it was great fun!

Thanks for stopping by!  Do you have any Deadliest Catch crushes stories to share?  Leave me a comment and let me know!  Oh yeah, and when you’ve visited CAKE WRECKS and you’ve stopped crying and can form coherent words, leave me a comment and let me know your favorite WRECK!

2 x 2 FLAG AND MORE FIREWORKS!

I finally finished my 2 x 2 flag, and wanted to make it a little bit different from everyone else’s, so I added the phrase at the bottom, to match a phrase on my (new) wood fireworks.  If you remember, my first wood firework set left me wanting something more…I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew they needed something…well, this is what I came up with, and I  LOVE it!!

I was really just playing around when I tried the phrase on the firework. First, I painted them all white, then I added scrapbook stickers to say “because of the Brave”, then I painted it blue.  Once it was a bit dry I removed the stickers, and my phrase was there!  I was shocked, to be honest, because I really had no idea what I was doing.  To finish them, I distressed and stained them.  I love how old and rustic they turned out.  Then, when I thought about my flag, I really wanted the first part to the sentiment “land of the free”, but again, wasn’t sure how to go about it.  This time, I wanted it to be a bit more obscure, and barely noticeable.  Well, it didn’t turn out quite as obscure as I wanted, but I still like it.  I simply added the stickers before I painted it white, then removed the stickers, distressed and stained, just like before.  Even though my dad never served during a war (thank you Lord), he was a Marine, and I have always been proud of that.  I am so thankful for all the men and women who serve our country, and for their families who shoulder the sacrifice daily.    This set keeps their commitment and sacrifice close to my heart every time I see it.

I love your comments, and look forward to each one.  Please let me know you were here, and if you want, leave a link to your blog, so I can visit you in return!

I’m linking up:

 Someday Crafts

 My Repurposed Life

I’VE BEEN FEATURED!

 

Another big “WOO-HOO” today!!@!!!@!!

Allison, over at the amazing HOUSE OF HEPWORTH’S has featured my Knife Block Update, from last week’s  (HOH) party!  She is so crafty, and creative and talented…it’s very flattering to be featured on her blog!  Go check it out here!!! (I’m all smiles today!!)

Thanks Allison!!

Completed “HOME” Set (Finally!)

WOO-HOO!  I finally completed the order for 2 “Home” sets!  I really like how they turned out, and, being as this was my first official ‘order’, I learned a lot.  I’ll warn you there are a lot of pictures…

Cutie Snowman

Valentine’s Heart

Shamrock

Easter Egg

Flower

Sun

4th of July Star (other side is Christmas)

Pumpkin

Christmas Star (other side is 4th of July)

This is one complete set.  There are 8 “o” variations (with countless other possibilities, but I had to stop the madness).    I’m really pleased with how they turned out.  Eventually I’ll even make a set for myself…but right now I’ve got other orders to work on, plus the Christmas Bazaar is fast approaching, and with the uncooperative weather we’ve been having, I have to work double time (before the heat hits!). 

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment and let me know you were here!

I’m joining the party:

SOMEWHAT SIMPLE

HOUSE OF HEPWORTH’S

 @ My Repurposed Life

Go check them out!!

SLOPPY CASSEROLE

Well, at least that’s what my 3 year old calls it!    Really, I think it’s called “Sloppy Joe Casserole”, she just forgets the “Joe”,and since we all think it’s funny to hear her say, we now call it “Sloppy Casserole” too!

Before I start, I am apologizing for the pictures, I am clearly NOT a food photographer.  I don’t know how people get those amazing pictures of food?  At least I remembered to get a picture before the pan was empty!

So, this is my favorite go-to recipe because it is so simple and I usually have the ingredients on hand:

1 # hamburger *  1# ground turkey * 2 cans Sloppy Joe sauce * 1 bag Tater Tots and 1-2 Cups shredded cheese

Brown the burger and turkey until no longer pink.  Drain and rinse.  Return to the pan and add the 2 cans Sloppy Joe sauce.  Heat through.  Lightly spray your 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and add the meat mixture.  Pour the bag of frozen tater tots on top, spreading evenly.  Top with as much cheese as your heart desires. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. 

This recipe feeds my family of 7 (‘til we’re stuffed).  There usually isn’t any leftovers because the kids finish it off (if your family is smaller, just adjust it down, the original had only 1# meat, and 1 can sauce, I went bigger).  In my family, with 5 kids, it’s rare to find something that everyone likes…especially something that is simple to make, and pretty inexpensive…but here we’ve found it!  I don’t know about you, but I grew up LOVING Sloppy Joe’s.  We didn’t have them a lot at home, but it was a regular on the school lunch menu.  When I made them for my kids, I couldn’t believe they didn’t like them.  It wasn’t the taste, but the ‘sloppiness’ of it, they couldn’t get past the mess.  I think the mess is part of the charm.  Anyway, I was so sad that they didn’t love them, and I couldn’t very well make a batch just for me, so when I found this recipe I was thrilled (the original also had cream of chicken soup, but  after one batch of that, I deleted it from the recipe…it really didn’t seem to have a purpose).  We probably have it once a month or more.  What I also love about it is that I can cook the meat and sauce ahead in the morning, put it in the fridge, and then in the evening, just assemble it and throw it in the oven.  Very easy!

As a mom, I love to make casseroles.  They make my life easier (at least dinner time).  It’s really hit and miss with what the kids will like, and what I like so since this is a family success, I thought I’d share (my husband doesn’t like casseroles at all, but after sneaking a bite of this one, has decided it passes his inspection, and he will now eat it too.  That is a victory in this house!).  How about you?  Did you love Sloppy Joe’s growing up???  Do your kids like them??  Do you have any great casserole recipes to share??  Please let me know!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave some comment love and let me know you were here!

Hand Painted Wood Fireworks

I have to admit, I love the 4th of July…I  love what it stands for and I love the American Pride you see displayed, like no other time of the year…I love BBQ and fireworks at the park (and in front of our house)…and I really love the memories of going to a family reunion every 4th of July…I love it all!  Sadly, I don’t have any decorations (until now).  I’ve seen wooden fireworks on Etsy and on a few blogs (Maryberry Boutique, for one), so I decided to make my own.  They were so easy!  The hardest part was figuring out the wick…I think my next set will have a different wick (I love the one on Maryberry Boutique,with the stars, so I think I’ll imitate her genius!). But, I made these wooden fireworks out of 2x2s. They were super cheap, and  I think they turned out pretty cute.  I do think they need a little somethin’ somethin’, but I’m not sure what…what do you think?  What would you add (or take away)??

They look a bit lonesome sitting on the shelf by themselves, so I’m working on some other 4th of July projects as well. 

On another note, I am just finishing up an order for 2 of the “HOME” sets I showed you here.  I’ll post all the fun “o" decorations I made!  It’s been waaaay more work than I anticipated, but they turned out pretty cute.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave a comment and let me know you were here!