MILK CAN PROJECT FINISHED

I posted recently about a few projects I needed to tackle and one of them was this milk can I picked up for $1.98 from all places, the grocery store.

With some vinyl lettering and some fall foliage it is now this:

I know you aren't supposed to use flash when photographing indoors but no matter what I did to add more light it just glared off the milk can.  Hmmm, maybe if I am super-duper good between now and Christmas dear hubby Santa might bring me a new camera then I won't have to deal with mediocre pictures.

INSPIRED BY POPPIES AT PLAY

I was recently inspired by Andy over at Poppies At Play when she posted her Halloween blocks.  She offers a download so that you can make a set like hers, which is pretty darn cute.  I had some blocks of wood in different sizes than her download would fit on so I just used what I had on hand for my own version.

Here is Andy's original set:

Here is my version:

I may still download her printable and make a set like hers.  I just love it when someone creates such cuteness that I can then copy be inspired by.

MORE ABOUT THE COFFEE CAKE

There is a funny thing about coffee cake that I wanted to share.  You see I am a Latter Day Saint (Mormon) and we don't drink coffee.  For the longest time I would pass over any coffee cake recipes I came across thinking they must have coffee in them.  Then I got wise and actually read a recipe through and saw there was no mention of 'coffee' anywhere in it.  Duh!!!!  Coffee cake is called that because I guess it is good to drink coffee with it.   Just like some people drink milk with cookies...I have such a simple mind, it is very scary!

SWEDISH COFFEE CAKE

My friend Shawn shared this recipe with me over a year ago and I just go around to making it.

Why did I wait so long?

It is delish!

 Ingredients for cake

 You first cut in the butter with the flour and sugar.  Next come the wet ingredients.  Be sure not to over mix.

 Reserve one cup of flour, sugar, and butter mixture.

 You add some more goodies to the reserved mixture to make a crunchy topping.

 Sprinkle reserved mixture over cake before baking

 It was smelling awesome while baking

OH YA, IT WAS VERY TASTY.

HERE IS THE RECIPE

{ 2 c. sugar

{ 1 cup butter
{ 3 c. flour

Mix with pastry cutter until crumbly.

Take out 1 cup of this mixture, set aside.

In remaining mixture add:

2 eggs

3 tsp baking powder

1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix with spoon thoroughly, but don't over mix.

Pour into greased 9" x 13" pan.

Add and mix 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp almond extract to the reserved 1 cup of mixture. NOTE: I added 1/2 cup chopped almonds to this mixture, which is optional.  Sprinkle evenly on top of batter in pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes, check it at 45 minutes and every five minutes after to check for doneness.

Icing: Heat 2 Tbsp butter, 1/4 tsp almond extract, about 1/4 cup milk. Add powdered sugar to make medium to thin icing.

Drizzle over warm (not hot) cake.

THE BIRTHDAY BOY

It was just a year ago that two new little ones were added to our family.  Dawson turned a year old on Sept. 18 and just three days later William followed.

William is such a good baby.  Very easy going with the cutest little face, you just want to squeeze those cheeks of his.  He is also the only grandchild to get the red hair that he and grandpa Jim share.

We couldn't have asked for anything better than to have him as part of our family.

We love you sweet William!

MAKEOVER PROJECTS

It seems that I have been doing more collecting of  items for makeovers than actually doing makeovers.

This is where you come in.  I figured that if I posted some of my "projects" targeted for makeovers then I would actually be accountable to someone.  So if you follow me at all and you don't see something posted soon involving something in these pictures then you have the right to CHEW ME OUT!

 I picked up this cute watering can at the grocery store of all places in their clearance section for...are you ready for this?   $1.98 (dust and all)  WooHoo!

 These flowers may or may not be part of what I am doing with the milk can.  Haven't quite decided yet.

 I have had these three wooden plates for a year or two.  I had great intentions when I bought them to do something fabulous with them.  Well you can see how far I have gotten.  By the way, they were .50 each at a yard sale.

 Spray paint, scrap book paper are in this items future.

 I picked up this board at Goodwill a couple of months ago for $3.99.

Not sure what I will do with it.  Any suggestions????  Feel free to let your ideas flow.

And finally this washboard that has sat in my garage for a couple of years.

What would you do with it?

Paint it?

Leave it as is?

Paint part of it?

Add vinyl?

I am still not sure but I have some ideas.



IT'S BACK...TELL IT LIKE IT IS TUESDAY!

I haven't done this little post in awhile so I thought this would be a good time to open it up for anyone and everyone to VENT A LITTLE STEAM. 

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS:

If something is bothering you and you just can't vent to anyone you know then this is where you can let it all go.  You can post anonymously if you like.  Feel free to change names to protect the innocent.  Sometimes just putting something into words helps, just leave it here and move on.

MISS AWESOME DAWSON

Guess Who Just Turned a Year Old!

Miss Awsome Dawson.

I can't believe a whole year has come and gone.

This sweet little blue-eyed baby is one little pistol.  She is unafraid of anything.  She walks, she is starting to talk, she can get from one room to the next in a split second and is curious about EVERYTHING. No cupboard or drawer has gone unchallenged.  No siree.

But we love her to pieces and are so blessed to have her as part of our family.

I WONDER WHY...

I don't know where these questions originated from but when I got them in an email I knew I needed to blog about it and add some appropriate pictures.

Only in America .......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America .....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America .....do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America .......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America ......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If flying is so safe,why do they call the airport the terminal?

THERE NOW, DOESN'T THAT MAKE YOU PONDER?

HOME PERSONALIZATION, JANE'S WAY!

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do some vinyl lettering for my friend JANE.  She was hosting her daughters wedding reception and wanted to jazz up her home, (although her home was gorgeous before we began).  Jane has a great eye for picking up garage sale items and has placed them throughout her home.  That could be a post all by itself. (hint, hint Jane)

This cute saying is in the bedroom sometimes occupied by sons and grandsons.

This is the saying above the bed in the upstairs guest room.

I wish my camera took better pictures, the lettering really turned out far better than the camera can capture.

 Loved this quote she put in her library.

 A very simple saying in her guest bath.

Here is a saying she found that is in her master bathroom.  I think it says something about bubbles in the bath.

Here is the adorable saying she chose for the bedroom that is reserved for her daughters and granddaughters.

I am so bummed about how this picture turned out.  It just doesn't even give justice to how perfect this saying is for her living room.

FOR MORE PHOTO'S AND FROM JANE'S PERSPECTIVE YOU CAN CHECK OUT HER VERSION OF THE VINYL LETTERING.  I AM CONFIDENT SHE WILL HAVE YOU IN STITCHES AS SHE DESCRIBES HER ADVENTURES IN TRYING TO INSTALL THE LETTERING BY HERSELF BEFORE SHE CALLED AND BEGGED FOR MERCY AND ASKED FOR SOME HELP.

Edit to add:

Here is one more from Jane's house.  It is actually in a long hallway so in order to get a decent photo I had to get at a weird angle to fit it all in.  I should have also take a picture standing back and looking down the hall.