Momma Got Her Craft On

This weekend I went crafting and I am too excited about what I made to not share it. I’ll tell you all about the pumpkin muffins I got the boys to inhale tomorrow. But today. We relive my weekend.

On Friday night we had a meet and greet type thing. When I arrived, I received a swag bag to keep all my treasures in. And then I found out we got to keep them!

And there where several different make and takes areas set up. Here are my favorite things I made that night.

headband with rosettes—in Thunder colors of course

cute little earrings

and this wire word to go in my classroom next year

 

When Saturday rolled around, it was big project time! We made moss letters, vintage jewelry, etched glass, and started a smash book.

moss letter decorated for the Thunder as they play in the NBA Finals

 

vintage jewelry necklace—my first attempt at making jewelry. I had a lot of help though.

etched glass—could not believe how easy this was. I will be making more soon.

smash book—the beginnings of one anyway. This particular page is from Sweetie Pie’s first time fishing. Daddy was teaching him. The writing is a letter he wrote thanking his daddy for taking him fishing.

Phew! That’s it. By the end of the day my heart was full and my mind exhausted. It had been too long since I had done anything crafty, and this made me realize I need to start scheduling craft time into my calendar. And you should see my DIY board on Pinterest now. It. Is. Full. And that, my friends, makes my heart smile.

Jami

Tea Time

I have a running joke with a couple of ladies I used to teach with. You see during the time we taught together, we had many a TGIFs & during one of these, we were introduced to one of my favorite margarita recipes. When we wanted to have a TGIF (which were not necessarily on just Fridays. Go teach. You’ll understand.), we’d email each other to see if we’d like to go have tea.

Tea being code for margarita. Just in case you missed it.

All I remember is this recipe came from a book on of the ladies happen to be reading. Sorry I don’t remember more or I would credit the book; it’s been 7 years & several of these margaritas later.

Ready?

You need FOUR—yes that is all—ingredients. (You can of course add salt & lime to the list but those are just bonus. These are the cast of stars.)

1. Frozen limeaid (12 fl. oz.)
2. 7 Up (Never, Ever, Ever, Sprite. And I have no idea why. I just put that here because I remember the book saying it. .)
3. Corona (Regular or Light)
4. Tequila (But of course)

Dump the frozen limeaid into a pitcher. Using the now empty can of limeaid, fill it with 7 Up. Add it to the pitcher. Use the limeaid can again, fill it with Corona. Add it to the pitcher. (You will have a little beer left in the can or bottle. Just go ahead and drink that yourself.  You have my permission.)

And, finally, using the empty limeaid can one more time, add the tequila. You can add anywhere from a half a can to a full can depending on what you like. (aka how strong you want them.) I generally add about 3/4 of a can. Mix it up. Serve on the rocks in salt rimmed glasses with a slice of  lime. This recipe usually makes about 4 margaritas.

Cheers! Now go invite some friends over for tea.

*I do not condone excessive drinking of alcohol. This is simply for fun and for my blog.

Little Gems

Check out these little note cards! Do you likey?

I think they are beautiful. The photographs on the fronts were taken by Julie of Julie Sancken Photography.  Here’s a closer look at them.

Julie uses her photographs on the front of these blank 3.5 x 5 note cards & was gracious enough to send me some of these to review.

I have to say, I love ‘em. You will too.

Gotta say, the black & white one is my favorite. I was so excited to learn that she sells these photographs as prints as well. I have my eyeball on that black and white as a print for my living room.

But back to the notecards.

Perfect size for a quick, little handwritten note without all the white space left over. And the handwritten note?  That is a past time that should be rekindled if you ask me. I know this is the digital age and all, but a handwritten note is just more heartfelt. No way of getting around that. In fact I wrote a note on one of the note cards today for my husband. He loved it.

And the quality is stellar. Yes, I did just use the word stellar. They are printed by Kodak. I took the liberty of writing a little note to Julie on two of the cards just so you could see the quality. The first one is written with a Sharpie marker, & the second is just a regular, ol' ball point Bic pen. Both wrote on the cardstock nicely.

If you are interested in Julie’s note cards or her prints venture on over to her photography site & take a look. Here. Let me make it easy for you. All you have to do is click on this button. What can I say? I’m a helper.

Jami’s Favorite Things

For the past 3 or 4 Christmases, my mom has started giving my sister-in-law & I a gift of her favorite things. Kind of a knock off of Oprah’s Favorite Things. She puts some of her favorite things in a bag and has us open them at the same time.  It’s a gift I really enjoy getting because I always end up discovering something new that I LOVE. This year my favorite thing of mom’s favorite things was a jelly watch.  While I can’t give you all a gift of my favorite things, I thought I’d at least tell you about my top 10 (in no particular order). Ready? And Go!

(I have not been compensated by any of these companies for my opinion on their products. These are truly some of my favorite things. If you came to my house you’d find them all. Well, except for the chocolate & the beer; I’ve consumed them.)

1) Arbonne RE9 Corrective Eye Cream

I honestly believe my crow’s feet have been drastically reduced by my use of this eye cream. That little bottle lasts me about 3 months. It’s a bit expensive but totally worth it. TOTALLY. 

2) Pampered Chef Stones

I own almost every single stone Pampered Chef sells. And I. Love. Them. All. There is truly a difference in cookies baked on a cookie sheet & cookies baked on a stone. The stones just cook more evenly than other pans.

3) Diet Dr. Pepper

I drink WAY too much of this stuff. But I do heart it. I wish all restaurants carried it. I’ve been know to choose where I will eat based on whether they carry DDP.

4) Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate & Caramel Squares

Just doesn’t get much better than chocolate and caramel together. These really are a little piece of heaven. Santa leaves them in my stocking every year.

5) The Stephanie Plum Series

If you have not read this series, GO. Start now. You will love it. It’s entertaining to say the least. I like to read them on the beach. So, get to a body of water and introduce yourself to Stephanie.
Trust. Me.

6) Dunkin’ Donuts Dark Roast Coffee

I wasn’t a coffee drinker at all until I became a SAHM with my 2 boys. Now, seldom does a day go by that I don’t drink a cup of this coffee in the morning. And, yes, it is really more like a cup of creamer & sugar with a little coffee mixed in. BUT this is the coffee I am stocked up on.

7) The Pioneer Woman’s Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever

Just make it. You’ll see. That is all.

8) iPhone

This is one of those things that I didn’t know I was missing until I finally got one. Wouldn’t be without it now. I’d be lost without it. Lost I tell you.

9) Lindemans Peche Lambic

My husband introduced this to me at a local pub. The peche=peach by the way. Oh my. It is a delicious beer.

10) Bissell Sweep Up

Just got this for Christmas from my parents. LOVE IT. So much easier than dragging the vacuum out every time the boys get crumbs all over the floor. I think I will grow to love it more.

So, what are some of your favorite things?