Mystery: Where oh where are you camera?

Missing:  beloved family member Cannon Sureshot.  Three years young.  Wearing a black camera bag.  Distinguishing features:  memory card is taped together, batteries are rechargeable, pictures of girl kissing whale on memory card.  Last seen in the vicinity of Michaels in Westminster but could be anywhere thanks to the dark corners of my mind.  I used to curse that big lens and bulky bag but would retract any previous misgivings for my baby back in one piece.  Please contact me if you have seen her.

Mystery Gourd

Yeah!  After a week of being away from my garden I can harvest something!  I was hoping to come home to some red tomatoes but they are still green.  I picked these beans, blanched them (I always think about the Golden Girls when I use that word) and froze them for later use.  Now, this gourd!  I need help from some garden girls to tell me what to do with this one!  I just love how it turned out but do I dry it for decor?  Cut it and eat it?  How?  Help me out ladies, let me know what you'd do!!!

Well I stayed up late Saturday night watching the crazy gals at My Pink Stamper but I didn't make the design team .... this time!  I'll keep trying!  Thanks for all of your great comments and encouragement!  I appreciate you guys!!!  

Mystery: Why wait?

Busy weekend here at the Turner ranch.  Busy Birthday weekend.  If you didn't know, now-a-days, as opposed to the 'olden days' when I was a kid, birthdays are celebrated for days on end.  Friday is Ange's 11th birthday.  i knew it was coming for about 364 days now but just got the brilliant idea for the theme THIS MORNING!  I do this to myself all the freakin time!  Why?!?!?  Am I better under pressure?  Wouldn't I like to go to be on time the night before?  Do I not blog surf for hours researching ideas?  Am I just the best procrastinator??  yes, yes, yes, YES!!!  using my Samantha tone.
Ange wants to swim with the belugas when we go to Texas so thinking, thinking, thinking, oh let's do an aquatic theme.  Duh!!!  So off to Walmart I go 8 hours before her party to pick up aquatic items.  I got sweedish fish, licorice (sea anemones), carmel popcorn for barnacles, bull's eye candy for life rings (after you eat the middle out), ruffle chips for life rafts, wasabi mix for pirate booty, regular goldfish crackers, etc.  We pulled the table scape off using some shells and driftwood we collected during a recent park visit and some creatures she won at the carnival last week.  She wanted to make the signs for each label and they turned out cute with her touch added to them ... I didn't have time to search in the 100 degree attic for my netting but nobody noticed it was missing.  That was about it for theme.  I had a bff's daughter's grad party to go to in the afternoon so I did what I could in the short hours I had to pull it out of my butt.  Here's a few pix of the table scape ...

goldfish crackers and sweedish fish

rafts, sea anemones and eels

The barnacles and life rings.  

My Earth Day Contribution

Have I said I can't cook lately?  Well, I can't ... I try.  Thank goodness for the internet!  What would we do without it?  How would I learn to boil an egg?  
I'm not a big egg fan.  I've always suffered from eczema and when I was younger I got it in my head that it was from eggs (egg-zema).  So I've never really enlightened my palette.  However, what's a traditional Easter dinner without deviled eggs ... enter the internet.  I tried one method after watching a video that instructed you to boil the eggs then remove them from the heat and cover for fifteen minutes, cool, ice, etc.  My finish to the instructions: peel them, watch them run then throw them in the compost bin ... for mother earth to enjoy ...

Wahhhhh!!!  Twelve eggs later ... I tried again.  Watched a different video and they turned out.  Whew!!  I actually made the deviled part and piped it back into the egg.  Yeah!  I didn't take a picture but they kinda looked like this .... we like to sprinkle them with Old Bay seasoning to give them that Bal'more taste!

Thank goodness I have a year to practice my egg boiling before next Easter!

Quickutz/LifeStyle Crafts are back!

Sorry I haven't been very bloggy lately!  My mom was in the hospital for a short time but is home now and recovering nicely!  Nothing major, just a little preventative op.  I finally caught my spring cleaning bug and starting with my scrap room.  Have a vision in my head but who knows what it will look like when I'm done!  I'll keep you posted!

Remember Quickutz?  I sold a TON of them in my store years ago and they were hot, hot, hot!  Then the big machines came out and they were referred to as Quick-whats?   I couldn't part with mine during my many clean out yard sales and kept my favorite dies too.  I do use it from time to time but when I saw Tatertots and Jello was giving away the newest version from Lifestyle Crafts along with some great accessories, I had to share with you!  They definitely have some great items that are really competitive with some other products out in the market.  Here's what she's giving away ... Isn't it awesome!!!

Hop over to her blog and see some of the great things you can do with this multipurpose machine!!!

Speaking of hopping, I have some great Easter cards to share with you this week!!

  

Sloppy Chef - No Mystery!


I HAVE to be the sloppiest chef around!  This Friday is Ange's school is having a talent show with a cake decorating contest.  Ange wants to enter the contest and I thought I would make some cake pops in the shape of   paws (they are the panther cubs).  Don't worry Bakerella, no fear of me stepping on your apron strings any time soon!  After checking out her website, books and blogs, those darn pops looked so easy.  Mine turned out to be cake flops or even cake poops!!  
I am 'famous' for improvising recipes so why should this be any different?  Here's a list of my mistakes in order of disasters:
1.  Use a box cake mix -  me? Oh no!  Made it from scratch using the recipe on the cocoa container with boiling water
2.  Put the mix in two 8" round pans - I had just finished using an 8 and a 6 for Ange's cake so why bother running downstairs to get the other 8" pan!!   which leads to ...
3.  The mix in the smaller pan overflowed in the oven, burned to a crisp (in my fresh cleaned oven) and filled the house with a wonderful smell
4.  I used to much frosting and the combo resembled frosting with a little caked added instead of the other way around ... I continued with the recipe as if it was going to turn out so ...
I used mini marshmallows for the paws, tried to dip it in the chocolate and wahlah:  cake poop on a stick!


BUMMER!!!  Plan B:  cupcakes.

Top Left:  The cake crumbles, they looked okay

Top Right:  after mixing the frosting .. too mushy but continued

Bottom Left:  Okay, after I threw dirty dishes in the sink, I did a double take and a saw a face on the rack, see it?  I'm thinking ebay ...

Bottom Right:  The finished cake flop - rejected!!

Okay, the cupcakes, they'll do ....

The top layer of Ange's cake.  I'm so proud!  She did the fondant cut outs all herself ... I got the premade stuff at Michaels and used the spray color ... I did cut out the HES with the Cricut ... the best thing I did all day!

  

Mystery:  Do you still get fun mail?

Recieving fun mail sure is a dying trend. Most of us don't even have real mailboxes anymore.  I love it. I remember during my high school summer days, when my mom would work and I'd be home alone, I would stalk the mailman. I never got anything good but it was just the anticipation of maybe I won a contest or got a bunch of albums for a penny (remember those clubs) ... ahh... good times. Grown up mail is not always fun. I do get a little tickle in my tummy when I see an envelope that is hand addressed and card-shaped! I got this little beauty the other day and I was so thrilled! Thank you to my bosom buddy for thinking of me! During our scrap retreat a few weeks ago I treated her to a facial for her birthday. I love how she went out of her way to let me know how she appreciated it. Back at ya buddy! This card made my day and was so perfect for our spa visit. I want to make a vow to bring back the posties of days gone by and keep those mailmen walking the beat! Leave me a comment letting me know when your birthday is and I'll send you a little love via 'snail mail'.

Site Review Sunday ....

I don't really need to 'review' this 'site because it is awesome and find myself visiting weekly but when I saw these recipes, I had to share!  We all know this week is the end of March :{ where has this month gone?!?!  Can't believe it!  Just reminds me that my quarterly insurance will be due and that will pinch the scrap budget but that's okay, I'll suffer through somehow.  You guys know I don't have any supplies - April foolin' early! Well, if you are into fooling your family, here are some recipes ... I'm going to try the cake with the pizza inside!  I'll let you know how it turns out!


Love ya Taste of Home!

Bundt Cake?

Nope, pizza bake with mozzarella on top!

Chicken Nuggets?

Pound cake with sweet, tasty dipping 'sauce'!

Check out the website for more ideas to fool your family!

Under the sink mystery

So, let me ask you a question ... how often do YOU clean under your bathroom sink?  Me, not so much.  The only reason I 'chose' to do it today was I discovered a little water, then a little more, then a lot.  Since I had my bladder lifted over the summer, I have very little tolerance for leaks.  I didn't know what I was going to do today but this was not on my list.  So I emptied the whole cabinet out and was disgusted ... not only with the mess of the water but what I have neglected to throw away or get rid of.  Who needs 3 blowdryers, velcro curlers, 8 curling irons, and electric wiggly curly things?  Okay, so it's good to have a spare dryer on hand but all the other torture treatments?  My hair isn't even long enough to fit into some of those curl-inators.  I will admit that one or two belong to my older daughter but she hasn't lived at home for years.  They aren't like their first blanky ... so why did I hold onto them?  Romantic visions of passing them onto my younger daughter, who straightens her hair every chance she gets?  I don't think so... Secretly hoping for an 80's revival?  Aren't we all!  But that will come and go and I will still have the ability to curl my coif in whatever style I choose.  Maybe I will decide to part with a few but I will keep a couple on hand just for nostalgia sake, and for when my kids are cleaning out my estate, they can give each other the "seriously, what was she into" look and they can toss them.