The Mad House

He Still Loves His Cozy

2009-11-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Today Brandon came up to me and asked for his baby blanket. His "Cozy" was what actually inspired me to name my etsy shop "My Cozy Creations". I got this cozy as a gift at my baby shower when I was pregnant with Brandon. At the time it was so soft, cuddly and cozy. Brandon loved it from the time he was born. It was the only blanket that he wanted to go to sleep with. As a matter of fact, he had to have his cozy with him wherever he went!! We tried to get a couple of other "cozys" but, this was THE cozy! One of his uncles even called him Linus because he would throw a fit if someone tried to take his cozy away! Then all of a sudden he just didn't need it anymore, he was about 2 1/2 when he decided he was too big to carry it around anymore. At this time he also got rid of his binky and didn't want to take naps anymore either. Pretty much all at one time! I wish he would still take naps, but he just doesn't.

So, today he asked for his cozy. And now he's cuddling up with it. His long lost friend. He asks for it every couple of months, so that he can cuddle up with it.

He still loves it!

Halloween

2009-11-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

In no particular order (mainly because I don't feel like rearranging the pictures) here is what our Halloween looked like!

This was or trick-or-treating party! All of the cousins together trick-or-treating in Grandma Jane's neighborhood. Look at poor Adam's face!! He's so scared!! Most of his cousins had scary costumes that he didn't like all too well. The big one with the mask had to take off the mask after these pictures so that Adam could see that he was nice. poor guy.

Adam the dinosaur. He was trick-or-treating for his favorite candy, Whoppers! So when people asked what kind of dinosaur he was we would say the Whopper-saurus! He also was always the last to get his treats at the door, so people would always give him more, because he's cute and because he called all of the ladies Grandma. "thank you gama" cute.

Brandon the Spiderman! My mom cut out the eye holes to be bigger, but as you can see in the top pictures, he didn't even wear the mask when trick-or-treating, because he still couldn't see that well. But he carried his Spiderman head, his candy bucket.

Carving pumpkins that we grew in our garden!!

He's getting too big!!

And last, but not least, we had a visit from Grandma Berta!! And while she was here we made our haunted gingerbread house!! The boys had fun covering the roof in candy corn!

Catching Up

2009-11-03T12:39:00.001-08:00

What we've been up to lately...

We went to the fair and saw my ribbons...

And posed for pictures (Adam was asleep in the stroller during this pic)...

Brandon started preschool! He takes the bus all by himself...

And we've been making fun crafts while brother takes his nap!

Massive Cookie

2009-08-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have a cute little 4 year old that likes to do things with his mama when his little brother is taking a nap.

Yesterday we were reading some books that we got at the Library. One of the books was called "Wild Boars Cook". He picked it out at the Library all by himself. It's a fun book about some really hungry boars that decide that if they want to eat a lot, they have to cook! And at the end of the book is one of the recipes that the boars cook, a Massive Cookie. So, we made the massive cookie. Here it is before it was baked, we thought it was massive then!!

Just look at it after it got out of the oven!! That thing was MASSIVE!! He had lots of fun reading the book (well, having mom read the book) to his brother and dad later that night before we ate it for dessert after dinner. It was really crunchy and really sweet, but it was fun to do and he had a blast! So, if your kids love books and like to bake with you, go and get "Wild Boars Cook" at the Library! We returned it today to the Shelley Library, so if you live out here, go snatch it up!!

The Karate Kid

2009-08-12T11:29:00.001-07:00

These are for you Grandma Berta!

Brandon recently started taking Karate classes in Idaho Falls. He really loves it! These pictures are from his third class. We are hoping that Karate helps him to listen better and have more respect. He does still have a little trouble following directions during class, but he is getting a lot better!

LOL, this one makes me laugh! He is such a goofball!

I tell you what, it's hard to take pictures of this kid, he moves way too much!!

When he got home from Karate class yesterday we had The Karate Kid movie from Netflix in the mail! He watched it right when we got into the house!

Baking & Bear World

2009-08-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer we went up to bear world with my sister Savana when she came to visit. The boys had lots of fun seeing all of the different animals. Here is Todd and Adam getting up close and personal with a doe.

Adam checking out the pot belly pig that was way bigger than him!

And Brandon and Savana petting little baby goat kids! They were so cute! The duck wanted some of the action too! Or maybe it just wanted some of the food inside of Vana's hand!

Here is a raspberry peach cobbler that I made last night with the last of my fresh raspberries, thanks Lori! I just used my regular peach cobbler recipe and added in some raspberries. It was yummy!

And yesterday morning I made this buttermilk raspberry cake, with hopes of posting it on to But Mama, I'm Hungry! But before I could get a picture of it Adam did this to it! He thought it would be fun to dig his hands into it to get some to eat. It was yummy! You can find the recipe here.

I'm Just Craving A Really Big Burrito

2009-08-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Last night for dinner I made Chile Verde burritos. {The recipe will be up on But Mama, I'm Hungry! In a few weeks. Right now I have recipes lined up to post until the end of this month.} Anyway, I made chile verde, mexican rice, refried beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and homemade chips. Yeah, I was cooking all day. And we made burritos for dinner out of all of those things. Todd was craving a really big burrito (inside joke) so he made this almost 4 pound burrito. At first I thought we were going to share it for dinner, like the whole family... but he wanted to see if he could eat the whole thing. So, he started eating...

It was really big, this platter is the same one I use to put things on for Todd to take to work, like a whole batch of cookies big.

This is a candid shot of Todd almost done with the whole thing. He had one bite left to go. See that "I'm in pain" look? Yeah, he claims he wasn't in pain, but I think this picture says it all!

So, he ate the whole thing! I swear, that thing was big! He used 2 HUGE tortillas to make the burrito! We weighed it right before he ate it and it was just under 4 pounds! Yeah. He said it was the best burrito he ever ate. In his whole life. I'm glad he enjoyed it!

And here are Brandon and Adam after eating dinner and a cookies & cream cupcake (the recipe will be up in a few weeks). Adam loved them! Can't you tell?

The Loss Of A Good Friend

2009-08-04T07:28:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I told Adam that I wasn't going to buy any more new binkies after he lost his last one. I swear, this kid loses binkies like it's going out of style. And then a couple of days after I told him that I wasn't buying anymore, he finally lost his last one. I stuck to my guns and didn't buy anymore new ones. Adam was pretty sad at first, those first couple of naps and going to bed at night were pretty hard for him. In fact, the first night he cried for almost an hour. But, he eventually got over it and is now completely binkie free for 1 1/2 weeks now! He's a big boy now! Now we just need to work on potty training! ;)

He looks so much more grown up without the binkie, don't you think? He's a cutie!

A Rodeo In Town

2009-08-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

The boys had lots of fun at The Little Buckaroo Rodeo this year! Both Brandon and Adam competed in the Stick Pony Race and they had a blast! Brandon really wanted to do the sheep riding, but he's a year too young so he's hoping to do that event next year. Even though he looks bigger than most of the kids that were competing in it this year! Adam had so much fun, this was his first year doing it and he loved it! He even met a little girlfriend, as you can see in one of the pictures above. He is just too cute! They are both my cute little cowboys!

Freak of Nature

2009-07-31T08:44:00.001-07:00

I went out to the garden yesterday to pick some vegetables and this is what I found.

A conjoined yellow squash. They some how fused together while growing.

Weird.

Join me, won't you?

2009-07-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have been in the works of getting together all of my favorite recipes to eventually write a cookbook. In the meantime, I've created a new blog about some of my recipes. The blog is brand new and needs your help to stay going! I've only got a couple of recipes listed so far, but I plan on posting almost everyday with a new recipe. So, if your looking for some good recipes to feed to your family, follow me over to my new blog "But Mama, I'm Hungry!". I look forward to sharing my family's favorites with your family. If you have any tried and true recipes that you'd like to share with me, I'd love to see them! See you soon over at But Mama, I'm Hungry!

SO MAD!!!

2009-04-21T08:30:00.001-07:00

Ugh!! I just thought to look to see if the Pillsbury bake off contest is going on this year. It is, and I missed the deadline to enter by a day! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! I am so mad at myself right now. I found one of my entries from two years ago just a few days ago and didn't think to look at the website until today.

I've Done It!!

2009-04-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

I have created a sweet and sour chicken recipe that is just as good as any good Chinese restaurant! And I mean a good one in California, because we all know that the Chinese places out here in Idaho kind of suck. Here it is.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Just as good as take-out!

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small bite size pieces
1 cup flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1 1/3 cups cold water
oil for frying

Sauce:
½ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1/3 cup white vinegar
¾ cup water
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
½ large onion, chunked
1 green bell pepper, chunked
½ cup pineapple tidbits

In a medium saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients, except for the onion, bell pepper and pineapple. Bring sauce to a boil and turn heat down to medium. Add the onion, bell pepper and pineapple and heat until vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and water in a large bowl. Whisk together well to make a thick batter. Dip chicken pieces in batter and drop in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool on paper towel lined plate. Serve over hot cooked rice, pouring sauce over chicken and enjoy!

I would have taken a picture of it, but for the past, um... six months my digital camera has been lost. Just yesterday I found it!! After dinner was already all eaten though. :) The dang thing was behind the dvd player, which stopped working on Wednesday, so we got a new one and while I was putting the new one in, I found my camera! Yay!! And here we were blaming poor Adam on the missing camera! :)

Alphabet Meme

2008-12-31T15:22:00.000-08:00

My sister in law Aleyta tagged me, so here goes.

A - Available or Taken: taken
B - Best Friend: my mom
C -Cake or Pie: cake all the way.
D - Drink of Choice: water or coke zero
E - Essential item you use everyday: flour
F - Favorite Color: pink
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: chocolate please
H - Hometown: Hayward, Ca
I - Indulgence: really good lotion
J - January or February: no thanks, not a fan of winter, but Todd's birthday is in February.
K - Kids & ages: Brandon 3 1/2 & Adam 18 months
L - Life is incomplete without: family
M - Marriage Date or Most Memorable Date (and why): marriage 11/08/03
N - Number of Siblings: 3 two brothers and 1 sisty
O - Oranges or Apples: clementines
P- Phobias or Fears: freaky laughing people. (don't ask)
Q - Fave Quote: "Whats right isn't always popular and whats popular isn't always right." My senior quote that they some how messed up really badly.
R - Reason to Smile: my crazy kids.
S - Season: Spring
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: If you'd like to do this, go right ahead!
U - Unknown fact about me: I didn't believe in killing animals when I was younger. So I didn't eat meat.
V - Vegetable you don't like: I don't like squash, other than zucchini.
W - Worst Habit: I guess you'd have to ask Todd. lol, I can't think of anything.
X - X-rays: yep, I've had a few.
Y - Your Fave Food: La Pinata Mexican food, which I only have like once a year since it's out in CA. But, I really love homemade bread....mmm!
Z - Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Make This For Dinner NOW!!

2008-12-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

So, you say your family doesn't like tuna casserole? Really.... Well, I challenge you to make this recipe and tell me that they don't love it! I used shell pasta and the bread topping. Go make it...NOW!!

The Food Game

2008-12-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law Aleyta tagged me with this fun little game. Things in bold are foods that I've tried in my life. Lots of them I haven't tried, including any of the alcohol, but this should be fun.

1.Venison - duh!!
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghan
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi1
5. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns - When I was a kid I had a Filipino friend that I would go to her house sometimes, and one time we had these! Yummy!
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans - of course!!
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - only fried though, I don't think i could handle raw!
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - when Todd and I were dating we went to a Giants baseball game and got some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl to share and Todd was eating some of it and not really paying any attention and ate the whole entire thing!! To this day if he eats everything of something I laugh and say "was that good clam chowder?"
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float - I am mormon!! hehe
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka + Jell-O - only the jello part of this one! :)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - ate this with Lita (my grandma) in an Indian restaurant when I was a kid.
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu - isn't that the fish that can kill you if not made right?! I would never eat that!
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - when the Krispy Kreme opened in Union City when I was a kid, we stood in line out in the cold for like an hour just to get some! We even got one hot off of the line!
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. ratatouille
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain - of course!!
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - This all depends on what you call roadkill.
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict - My mommy makes the best!
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse....yuck!! I can't believe people would actually eat a horse!
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

A Handmade Christmas

2008-11-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

If you didn't know yet, Christmas is just around the corner!! I'm trying to make a lot of my Christmas gifts this year. Nieces and nephews are all getting pillow cases that I've been busy making, most of which were made out of fabric that I already had! Here are some instructions, just in case you'd like to make some too.

I'm also going to be making a couple of hooded towels for Brandon and Adam. They can always use more towels for after bath time! I've been looking at a few patterns, here is one that looks pretty easy.

I might even make some casserole totes. We'll have to see on that one though. I might need to find a better pattern for those. Have any ideas?

Are you making any of your Christmas gifts this year?

New Blog Name & Recipes

2008-11-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

So, I've decided to change up the name of my blog. Since my house is always crazy and my kids drive me nuts, I thought "The Mad House" is pretty much the right title for my life. Anyway, we just got back from our ward Harvest Party and everyone was raving over the cheesecake that I brought. So, I thought I'd share the recipe for that and the white chili I made.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

For The Crust:
4 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

For The Filling:
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese , softened
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 bag bite sized Reese's Peanut Butter cups, cut in half

Preheat oven to 275° placing an oven proof dish with water in the bottom of your oven, this will help so the cheesecake doesn't crack.

To make the crust, crush the oreos, either in a zip loc bag (this is what I do) or in a food processor. Then add the butter to the cookie crumbs and mix well. Pat the crust mixture onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. **Mine is only 8 inches, so I also put some in a muffin tin lined with papers. With this recipe I can get one 8 inch cheesecake and 9 muffin size cheesecakes.**

For the filling, make sure the cream cheese is nice and soft before mixing. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add sugar, peanut butter and cream; mix until smooth. Stir in vanilla, then fold in peanut butter cup pieces with a rubber spatula. Pour filling into prepared crust. Place the filled springform pan on a cookie sheet (mine always leaks and then butter gets all on the bottom of my oven while I'm cooking it.) Bake at 275°F 1 hour 35 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned. **The muffin tin cheesecakes take 35 minutes** Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for one hour. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan somewhat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

White Chicken Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Pinto Beans
1 can white hominy, drained (I use a big one, you can use a smaller one depending on how much you like hominy)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cilantro (you can find this in the mexican food isle by all of the little packets of spices)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, hominy, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is really good with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Yummy Soup

2008-11-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of really yummy soups that I made and brought to a church activity yesterday. Everyone was asking for the recipes. Enjoy!

Vegetable Ham Alfredo Soup

Adapted from a recipe by Sherelle Christensen

2 cans chicken broth
2 cans evaporated milk
1 Tbs. Dried parsley
pepper to taste
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen french cut green beans
1 ½ cups chopped ham
1 jar Alfredo Sauce
4 oz. Cream cheese
Add all ingredients except for the alfredo sauce and cream cheese to a big pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until potatoes are soft, then add alfredo sauce and cream cheese. Heat through until cream cheese melts. Serve with hot rolls.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
10 corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 pound chicken meat, cooked and diced
1 cup milk
12 ounces shredded cheese
Put everything in a big pot and cook down until tortillas break apart and thicken the soup. Serve with broken tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

I'm getting excited!

2008-09-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

My baby brother is getting married a week from Saturday! I can't believe he's old enough to get married all ready! It seems like we were just kids not that long ago! I'm so happy for him and his fiance Aleyta. She's a great gal and they are so lucky to have found each other. I know they'll be happy together!

They'll be getting married in San Juan Bautista, CA so we'll be flying out to my parent's house next Wednesday! I'm really excited to see everyone! They haven't seen Adam walk yet! And can you believe that they asked Brandon to be the ring bearer!? I think they're a little crazy, but I'm sure he'll be super cute and add some....um, excitement to the wedding. haha... Anyway, I can't wait to see everyone and see my Matty get married! I love you guys!

Got Apples?

2008-09-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Our apple tree is overflowing with apples! We just started picking them this week and today I made my first pie of the season! It sure does look yummy!! I made this one for a neighbor of ours that brought us over a strawberry pie a few days ago. So, to bring back her pie pan, I made her an apple pie! I'll be making another one tonight for us for dessert. I would be sure to hear it from my husband and kids if I didn't make one for us! Here is the yummy recipe!

Dutch Apple Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl. Combine 6 cups of peeled and sliced apples with ¾ cup sugar, 2 Tbl. Flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg. Mix well and pour into a pie shell (store bought or homemade).

Mix ½ cup flour and ½ cup brown sugar until it is a fine mix. Cut in 3 Tbl. Soft butter with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle mixture over pie and bake for 40 minutes. Check and if it needs to be covered with foil, do so and bake another 10-20 minutes.

Another Giveaway!

2008-09-16T07:42:00.001-07:00

I'm doing another giveaway over at my other blog! Come enter for your chance to win one of two prizes! Yep, two winners! Each winner will get a set of soap and matching bath salts from Heathen's Hearth! You can enter to win, even if you know me, or the shop giving the prize away! Go enter today!

The Etsy Sixteen

2008-09-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Go check out The Etsy Sixteen at Sunny Day Happy Face. Alicia made an etsy quilt and I'm featured in it! Go see!!

I'm ready for Fall!

2008-09-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

This summer hasn't been too bad, but for some reason I'm just ready for it to be fall! Not winter, I'm not ready for long snowy days, but I am ready for the cooler weather of fall and all of the yummy things that fall brings. Thankfully it has been cooling off a lot lately and this morning I decided to make it official that it's fall, at least in my house!

I made a huge breakfast today, at least huge for a weekday! I found a recipe for pumpkin patch pancakes with apple cider syrup over at Real Mom Kitchen. I made these along with bacon and eggs. If I didn't make the eggs I was sure to hear it from my kids, they think they need to eat eggs every morning. As long as they eat, I don't really care, so I made eggs too. Anyhow, the pancakes were really really good and the syrup was to die for! So yummy! I only made a half batch of the syrup and I'm glad I did, we still have lots leftover. Probably enough to make pancakes another five times! But we don't eat a lot of syrup with our pancakes so maybe normal people could go through it faster. I would highly recommend these recipes! Go try them!

Pumpkin Patch Pancakes

Mix up your favorite pancake mix according to package directions. For every cup of dry mix used, mix in the following:

¼ cup canned pumpkin

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice (If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand you can make your own. See recipe below.)

Cook pancakes as you normally would.

Apple Cider Syrup (this is the full recipe)

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4 cups apple juice or apple cider

In a sauce pan mix together, sugar, cornstarch, and pumpkin spice. Stir in apple juice or apple cider. Bring to a boil, remembering to stir occasionally. Boil until desired thickness. Remove from heat and serve over Pumpkin Patch Pancakes or give it a try over regular pancakes.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix and store.

Hey Ya'll

2008-09-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know about my etsy shop feature and giveaway over at my other blog! Come enter to win a 5x7 print of your choice from photoamato! She has some great pictures!

The Prize Winner

2008-09-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

As requested, here is my prize winning Red Raspberry Cheesecake Squares recipe! I hope you all love it! It is really really yummy!!

Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares

1 box fudge brownie mix plus ingredients to make
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 in baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside. Prepare brownies as package states, pour into baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. While brownie layer bakes, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. When brownie comes out of oven, spoon cheesecake mixture over brownies, spread as evenly as possible. Dot with jam and swirl with knife. Top with chocolate chips and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake looks set but still a little wiggly. Cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove from pan using aluminum foil, peel away and place brownie on cutting board. Cut into 24 squares, making sure to wipe knife between each cut. Place on serving tray and enjoy! Make sure to refrigerate any leftovers!

A Fun Day!

2008-09-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun yesterday! In the morning Todd took Brandon out Dove hunting. They came back with lots of dead birds.

I wasn't too thrilled with the fact that Todd let Brandon hold them, but he was having fun and had a bath right after these pictures were taken.

Then we went to the Eastern Idaho State Fair, where I had entered a few things into the baking section. I got a few honorable mentions and two first places!! Here are my flour tortillas! Which were hard as a rock at that point!

And here are my Red Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Squares. Not only did they win first place in their division which was cookie-other, they also got the Superintendent's Award for cookies! I was so excited!! This was a recipe that I created last year for the Pillsbury Million Dollar Bake-Off that didn't get chosen. So I was so happy to see them get recognized for how yummy they really are!! I kind of got teary eyed, I know, I'm a dork!

Among other things we did at the fair, Brandon rode the mechanical bull!! He had lots of fun!! He wasn't scared of that thing one bit!!

He is a true cowboy for sure! But you wouldn't be able to tell with this mohawk and vans. hehe.

Etsyversary Giveaway and Sale!!!

2008-09-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

Today is my one year Etsyversary!! I'm so excited!! I'm having a huge sale!! Come check it out! Then head on over to my other blog mycozycreations.blogspot.com and enter my giveaway!!! And don't forget to go over to Love Etsy Feedback for the other giveaway!! You have two chances to win a crayon cozy this week!! Yay!

A Sale And A Feature!

2008-08-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

Big sale going on at MyCozyCreations.etsy.com right now!

Buy any crayon cozy and get a headband half off.
Buy two lunch box napkins get the third half off.
Buy any trick or treat bag get the second half off.
Or buy any 4 or more items and recieve FREE shipping in the US or Canada!!

Not valid on custom orders. Either wait for a revised invoice through PayPal before paying, or go ahead and pay now and I'll refund you! Sale Ends Tuesday morning!

Keep an eye out over at Love Etsy Feedback for a feature on my etsy shop!! There will be a giveaway and a discount code!! Danelle has a great blog going on and everyone should be reading it!! Go enter all of the current giveaways and get some great stuff! Not to mention the discounts you can get at some great shops!

Also, check out Danelle's shops on etsy!! Got to TagsAndButtons for great promo items!!! And Damdesigns for great original art! Go check it out!

Catchin' Fish

2008-08-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

Brandon loves to go fishing with his Daddy!! They go whenever they can, this was a fish that they caught one night.

They went up to a stream about 15 minutes away from our house one night at about 7 pm or so. When it was dark they came home with this big guy! He was 17.5" long! Pretty good for a three year old!

Brandon reeled him in all by himself! He's quite the fisherman!! He loves fishing and talks about it all of the time.

Look at Adam's first molar! Yay! That one was a pain in the butt to get in, but he's happy to have it now!

Peachy Cheap!

2008-08-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Brooke just opened a new online shop!! It's called Peachy Cheap and I think it's a really cool concept! She offers one product a day at a really low price, all of her stuff has to do with scrapbooking, so if you really love to scrapbook, then go check it out!

Here’s how it works:

· Peachy Cheap sales one deal per day until it is gone.

· Everything is discounted up to 99% off retail price so they sell out fast.

· Act fast or you will miss out, once they are gone, they are gone.

· Shipping is always $4.99 and ships within 2-3 business days.

You can check it out at http://www.peachycheap.com/.

Defeated

2008-08-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went down to Okie's with determination to win! Todd thought he had it, he thought he for sure would win this contest. Here is his BEAST!!! It is a pretty huge burger!

He was pretty calm just sitting waiting for his food, the only worry was the guy way down at the other end of the line of guys getting ready to eat. He was a pretty big guy. But we thought for sure that he wouldn't be able to eat as fast as Todd.

Todd was getting ready! Crazy eyes and all!!! Then they called to start eating. Todd was doing pretty well. Holding his own. But for some reason, he couldn't quit get it down as fast as he was hoping for.

In the end, this guy, BIG CASEY, the 500 pound sumo wrestler out ate Todd. By like 4 minutes! This guy was amazing! He had the beast down within 5 minutes! If you go here to youtube, you can see him in action!! Todd was disappointed, but at least he lost to a huge sumo wrestler and not some girl! Todd did claim second place, but the prize was not nearly as good as first place! He got a $15 gift card to Okie's and a $10 gift card to Hot Diggety Dog, the place that holds the hot dog eating contest. The only hope for Todd next year is that Casey is probably going to be on Biggest Loser, so he won't be eating like that next year!! Good luck Casey!

Anne Made Art

2008-08-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Looking for some cute art to put in your little Pirate's room? Check no further then AnneMadeArt! Anne is a very talented artist from Canada, all of her pieces have a wonderful whimsy feel to them. I just love all of them!!

If you don't have any Pirates but might have a Princess then check out this piece! What little girl wouldn't love this?! I asked Anne what inspires her and here is what she had to say,

"Most of my prints are inspired by my kids - things they like to do or things that interest them. My favourite piece from my shop is the Little Princess Altered print. This one was inspired by my second daughter who loves to dress up - especially to dress up as a princess!"

Go check out all of her wonderful art today over at annemadeart.etsy.com.

The Beast!

2008-08-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

**NOTE** Todd just told me that I was wrong about the time, he ate a quarter of everything in 36 seconds, not a minute and 26! sheesh!

If you don't have anything to do this Friday at 1:00 you should come on over to Okie's Burgers and Chili in Idaho Falls! Todd will be in "The Beast" competition. Whoever eats the beast (which is 20 oz. of meat plus the bread and all of the fixings and 1 lb. of fries) the fastest wins the loot! Every person had to pay $10 to do it, the max amount of people in it will be 10 and then Okie's will be doubling the money! So he could be winning $200! He did a test run the other day when he signed up and he ate a quarter of everything in a minute and 26 seconds! So, if goes that fast for the entire thing he'll be sure to win! Seeing as he's the current hot dog eating champ of Idaho Falls, I don't think he has much competition. It should be fun!!

New Blog and a Recipe!

2008-08-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Come and check out my other new blog!! My Cozy Creations! It will be all about my etsy shop!! I'll be having monthly giveaways too! Come check it out!

Here is a recipe for a super yummy summer treat!! I also have this recipe in my etsy shop!

The Yummiest Peach Cobbler

2 pounds ripe peaches
¾ cup sugar
1-tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Peel, halve, and pit the peaches. Slice each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Combine the peaches, ¼ cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Let the fruit stand, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes.

Make the dough: Cream together the butter and remaining ½ cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined.
Transfer the peaches to an 8-inch square-baking pan. Drop the dough in rounded tablespoonfuls over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden, 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cobbler cool slightly and serve it warm. Best with vanilla ice cream!

You can use other fruits with this recipe as well. I like to add fresh blueberries along with the peaches. The color and flavor is amazing!!!

Piggy-Tails Stationary

2008-08-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Do you have a hard time finding really cute Birthday Party invitations? I know for Brandon's last party it took me forever to find some cowboy invitations. I don't know why I didn't just look on etsy. Live and learn. Next year I'll for sure be doing a search on Etsy! I came across these cute birthday party invitations the other day on etsy. I love star anything, you could probably tell that by looking in my etsy shop though. I think I pick out star fabric more often then any other kind. I've kind of always been like that though. When I was a teenager my entire room was a celestial theme. Okay, back to these dang cute cards!

They aren't only the invitations though! Look at what you get! 8 invitations with strawberry pink envelopes, 8 Thank-you cards with strawberry pink envelopes and 16 gift tags. Sara over at Piggy-Tails thought of everything! And with an option to buy more of any of the three, she's got you covered! And she personalizes them for free! How cool! I asked Sara why she started her business and here is what she had to say!

"Piggy-Tails came about after always having a hard time finding cute children birthday party invitations that weren't based on popular TV shows and characters, so I decided to create my own! Piggy-Tails specializes in coordinated birthday party packs, which include invitations, thank-you cards and gift tags and now also birthday banners and cupcake toppers! We also carry an assortment of cards and stationery. Customizations are always welcomed!"

If you wanted to continue with the star theme for your little girl's birthday, have a look at these! I just started making these party packs recently. I had a customer ask me if I could make crayon holders to hold 4 crayons each. She wanted to take them to a restaurant she works for to show them an option for the crayons they take to tables for kids. I haven't heard back from her, but since then I've have about 5 people contact me about doing birthday favor sized crayon cozys. So, now guess what I have in my shop!

I think this size is just too cute! And you would probably be the first out of all of your friends to have them as a party favor!! Pretty original and much better then just candy! I am currently working on a pirate party pack for a custom order!! It's been lots of fun!

Rodeo Cowboy

2008-08-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night Brandon was in the Little Buckaroo Rodeo here in Firth. He had such a blast!

He competed in the stick horse race! It was a dream come true for him, because after all, he is a "real" cowboy.

He had so much fun going around the barrels that he wanted to do it again, so he did! Everyone was laughing and cheering him on! It was lots of fun and he was really cute!

He even won a buckle! Pretty good for only being three years old! Now he has bragging rights! He also did the chicken race they had. They let a bunch of chickens go and anyone under the age of five could go in and try to catch one! Guess what we have in our backyard now!? A "real" chicken! One of the rodeo clowns helped him catch one! He had so much fun! I'm sure this is only the beginning of all of the rodeos he'll want to be entered into.

Memory of Me

2008-08-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

My neighbor Lori had this up on her blog so I decided to play along.

Here's how it works:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember, good or bad but be nice please!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Day at the Lake

2008-08-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went out to Rigby Lake and had lots of fun! When we first got to the lake Brandon had just woken up from his nap in the car and was really cranky. I had tried to get him in his swimsuit so he could go on the boat to fish with Todd, but he wasn't going for that. I finally lost the battle and got him changed back into his clothes. I was kind of sick of people staring at me because of my screaming child. So, we ate lunch first instead, which was probably the best choice. We had some peanut butter whoppers that Brandon really liked posing with.

Adam had some yummy oreo cookies. mmmm!! We also ate sandwiches, but the snacks were the favorite part of the kids!

Brandon started to warm up to the idea of possibly not wearing his clothes and changing into his swimsuit, but not before he ate a ton of whoppers.

Adam got extremely dirty, but was having a blast. I have no idea how that child gets so many dang scratches on his face. Must have something to do with having an older brother.

So, Adam got back at Brandon and grabbed him! Brandon didn't like that too much. But it was pretty funny.

Brandon finally got changed back into his swimsuit and had a blast swimming! Todd and his brother were in the boat fishing so I was on the beach with the kids. They also had their cousin Daniel to swim around with. But Daniel got distracted and stopped playing with Brandon, and Brandon went out a little too far. I looked over and he was kind of freaking out, going under every so often. So, without really thinking about it I went out to grab him about a second after I saw him. After all, I'm not about to let my kid drown! So, I saved my kid and got really wet in the process. I hadn't brought any extra clothes and all I was wearing were my jeans, so I had to change into Todd's shorts so that my jeans could dry out. Fun stuff! I would have been fine with that, but we also had to go to a birthday party later that night. I showed up in Todd's shorts. Pretty funny.

Adam didn't want to be left out of playing in the water, so he had some fun in the sun too.

All in all we had a pretty fun day and all day today Brandon has been talking about how he went swimming in the lake, but he didn't die. Kids are pretty funny. He really wants to go back again, hopefully we'll be able to go back before summer is over.

Superfly Lullabies

2008-08-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Superfly Lullabies is an awesome little etsy shop that has some amazing baby items! Check out this cute blankie! It has Amy Butler honeycomb fabric on one side and super soft minky on the other side! What little baby girl wouldn't love snuggling up with one of these!?

And wouldn't it be awesome if mom matched baby's blankie while out and about? Imagine all of the compliments they would get! This headband has Amy's honeycomb on one side and garden maze on the other side. It is perfect for the mom on the go!

This cute bib matches the blanket perfectly!! What little girl wouldn't love a bib that has minky on one side! Oh how this is making me wish I had a little girl! Those dang boys!

Your daughter would probably love her blankie so much that she would still be carrying it around once she is old enough to color, this crayon cozy with the same matching fabric would be perfect for carrying around all of her favorite crayons!

I asked Julie over at Superfly Lullabies a little about why she started making her cute creations, this is what she had to say.

"I started making my blankets & accessories for a few reasons: I was bursting with creative energy to the point I was about to explode, and seeing that I love fashion and to sew, it seemed very fitting that I make some fashionable accessories for Mums like myself, who wanted something other than pastels and bunnies to wrap their babes up in! The other major reason is that I'm the wife of a full-time student, trying to bring in some income for our little family of four while my husband completes his degree. It made more sense for me to find a way to stay at home & raise my kids than to work to pay a daycare to do it. "

I totally know what she means! Staying home with my kids is far better for them then staying at some daycare. So, when you get the chance, go check out Julie's shop, she has lots of cute blankies to choose from!

Rabbits!

2008-08-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa used to say that on the first day of the month for good luck. I can't remember if he said it on the first day of the month with the letter "R" in the name of the month or without, so I just say it every month on the first. Rabbits!!

Since I last posted we've been busy with lots of rodeos, lots of sewing and lots of baking too. Today I'll talk about the rodeos.

It was probably destined for Brandon to love the cowboy life from the day he was born. Seeing as his Dad likes it so much! Brandon is completely obsessed with horses, cows, goats, boots, hats.... anything having to do with being a "real" cowboy. You probably already knew that though.

At church we had a little mini rodeo. The kids got to do some pretty fun stuff! They had a greased pig event and a kid even got to take home the pig! Pretty fun!! Brandon didn't really like having grease all over his hands, he took care of that though by wiping them off on his new shirt. Which by the way, he HAS to wear backwards because that is where the picture is and what good is a picture on your shirt if you can't see it?!

They also had a "get the ribbon off of the goat" event. I was thinking that the goat would be free to run around and the kids would chase it trying to get the ribbon off, but they just had the goat tied up. Brandon really liked doing this event, so much that he did it like 10 times. You know, OCD boy likes to do things over and over and over again, but only if he really likes doing it!

Poor Adam didn't get to do much, just sit and watch. Brandon also rode a calf, but my pictures didn't turn out too well because he was only on it for like 2 seconds, if that. I kind of actually missed it because it was so fast! He had fun though! We also went to the rodeo last night. War Bonnet Roundup to be exact. I forgot to bring my camera, it was really fun though! They even had a concert at the end. Collin Raye performed and he did pretty good! I didn't know he had so many famous songs! Tonight Brandon is going to be in the Little Buckaroo Rodeo here in Firth. He is participating in the Stick Pony race! It should be a fun night!! If it ends early we might even go check out the fireworks in Idaho Falls over at the big rodeo! Brandon loves fireworks.

We've also been catching lots of bugs. Crickets to be exact! He loves his hoppers! So far he's caught about eight of them. The first one he caught was sitting on his bed!!

Pin Cushions!!

2008-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

I made these two fun pin cushions today! Don't you love this fabric? It is called Urban Farm and it is by Keri Beyer. I got it over at The Quilt Shoppe in Rigby! If you are local, you should go to this quilt shop! She has sooo many cute hip fabrics! By far my favorite quilt shop around here, simply because they have more of my style fabrics then the others do.

I made this one first, it has this on one side and then the black on the other side. I think I like the patchwork one better and will be making more of these for my etsy shop!

This was my first attempt at putting on a button, and I must say that is was really easy! Just don't tell my husband, because now he'll want me to sew on all of his popped off buttons. He used to always do it before. He's had lots of experience since serving his mission and having to fix his own clothes!

Peanut Butter Whopper Cookies!

2008-07-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Mmmm!! These cookies are so yummy!! When I first saw the recipe over at Picky Palate, I wasn't too sure about the peanut butter whoppers, but yesterday while at wal-mart I saw them and grabbed a box to try out this recipe. They were wonderful!!

A chewy peanut butter cookie with a slight crunch from the whoppers every now and then. They are really good! You should make them! I didn't make mine into sandwiches like she did, because I kind of think that it would be a little too much sugar for me, but you could try it that way too! They would even be good made into ice cream sandwiches! Mmmm!

Happy Birthday Mom! Brandon misses you lots and talks about you all of the time. He had lots of fun at the Zoo with you!

And at Bear World too! Don't forget to have bubble eggs for breakfast in the morning! We love you!

Donation Quilt

2008-07-17T14:31:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful week with my mom. We went to the Zoo, to Bear World, and lots of quilt shops! Brandon was so sad to see her go, he really loves his gramma.

After she left yesterday he cried himself to sleep, poor little guy. He really misses not being able to see her as often as he would like to. While he and Adam took naps I started making this quilt! My mom and the women that she goes on retreat with are going to be making quilts to donate to the police department. That way the "Uncle Matt Guys" (that is what Brandon calls all policemen, since my brother Matt is one!) can give children quilts when they have been through something traumatic.

I used scraps from crayon cozys and travel size pillows that I have made in the past. It turned into a pretty cute quilt for fabric that I otherwise wouldn't have had any use for! Brandon really likes it since it has Lightning McQueen and dinosaurs in it! He kept saying that its his quilt, but I told him its for a little boy that doesn't have any quilts. He was happy about that!

Win a Ginger Blossoms Quilt!

2008-07-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

You could win this quilt! Go over to Old Red Barn Co. blog and enter to win! Isn't it pretty?!

Hot Dogs!

2008-07-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday to celebrate the 4th of July we went to downtown Idaho Falls and Todd participated in the annual hot dog eating contest! Last year was the first year for the contest and I didn't get to go because I was still in the hospital after having Adam, but this year I got to see him in action! He won last year, eating 13 hot dogs. This year he broke his record and ate 15 hot dogs in 12 minutes! He won! The guy that took second place ate 10 hot dogs, which is pretty good, but Todd totally had him beat! To say the least, it was really exciting!

We all had a blast watching Daddy win! The boys even had matching hot dog shirts! I got them on etsy from this shop! Everyone commented on how cute they looked and then we said, "Yeah, and Daddy just won the hot dog eating contest too!" The people that own Hot Diggity Dog, the restaurant that sponsors the contest all LOVED the shirts they were wearing, the hot dog hat (which you can't really see in the picture because the boys didn't want to wear it, it's on top of the stroller.) and my hot dog earrings that I got here!

Adam had lots of fun but got really really tired and ended up falling asleep in his stroller right after the contest.

Brandon had a blast dancing to the live music and eating an ice cream. He even played a knock down the milk jug game! We had a great day, with lots of fun! I love the 4th of July!

Ginger Blossom

2008-07-01T14:59:00.001-07:00

Look at what I got in the mail a couple of days ago! Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossom fabrics!! Aren't they so pretty!? I love this line, it's so refreshing and fun! I can't wait to make something with them! I'm trying to decide what I want to make with them still. I'm either thinking a tote bag for me to take to the library and places like that or maybe a wall hanging. I don't know, we'll see. Right now I'm just having fun looking at them!

If you would like some of the Ginger Blossom fabric for yourself head on over to Beth's etsy shop! She sent these to me as a birthday gift and I couldn't be more thrilled to have them! Thank you so much Beth! I really really love them!

Guess who turned one year old today?! Adam Wyatt! Yep, my baby boy is one!! I can't believe it! This year has gone by too fast! It seems like I was just in the hospital having him!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Tote Bags!

2008-06-30T07:28:00.001-07:00

For the birthday party that we went to on Saturday I ended making this tote bag to give as a gift. I didn't have a pattern, I just kind of had an idea in my head and started making it. I really like the way it turned out!! The fabric is so fun!

I put this fun cookbook in the tote bag and we were set!! The little boy really loves to cook so I think it was a great idea! I had got it at the thrift store a few months ago. You can't beat a $1 book!

I liked the frog tote so much that I decided to make Brandon a tote bag too! I hadn't taken measurements on the frog one, so this one came out smaller, but it's still big enough to carry books and toys in. He took it to church yesterday filled with books and toys! He loved having his own little bag to carry around!

The dang kid fell asleep on the kitchen floor right before church yesterday. Right next to the dog! Needless to say, it wasn't fun waking him up to go to church!

Little Cowpoke

2008-06-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby is going to be one this week! It definitely doesn't feel like a whole year has gone by since he was born.

With the left over fabric squares from Brandon's Cowboy quilt, I decided to make Adam his own Cowboy quilt! I started making it yesterday afternoon and this is as far as I've gotten so far. I'm thinking I'll add one more row on the bottom and then a border and the quilt top will be done! Boy, what on earth am I going to do with three quilt tops!! I seriously need my mom to come and help me figure out how to finish them! Good thing she'll be here in a couple of weeks!

Isn't he so cute!? He's such a good baby!

So far he loves his quilt!! I added leftover strips of fabric in between each section of blocks. I think it looks pretty cute and it was a good way to use up that fabric. I don't like waste!! After I'm done with this top it looks like I'll have some extra blocks still. I didn't know how big of a quilt I was going to be making for Brandon, I didn't really have a pattern, I just started sewing, so when I was cutting out my fabric I cut out 4 inch squares out of all of the fabric. So I'll probably just keep those aside to make a scrap quilt to possibly donate. We'll see.

I got a call last night from someone from church he said they are having a potluck party tonight. Now I have to figure out what to bring! When Todd got home from work last night he said that they had told him about it last Sunday at church, but he failed to tell me this!! He also said that it is a birthday party for a 10 year old boy, which they didn't tell me on the phone! So, I guess I have to make something to bring as a gift too. Plus I have to make a treat for the Primary class I have to teach tomorrow. I've got a lots to do today!

Not So Freshcut Quilt

2008-06-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Being highly inspired after a church activity where we decided to start a block of the month quilting group, I came home wanting to make my first quilt. I didn't really want to wait for the quilt of the month group to start, after all, who knows when that will actually be. So, I was looking through all of my fabric and online at a few different websites and decided to make this Heather Bailey Freshcut quilt. If you haven't seen her fabrics before, then you are missing out! I love them all and have a lot of them! Thanks Mom and Beth!! So, I started cutting out all of the fabric the next day. That was last Friday. I finished making all of the rough blocks (pre-sizing them to an actual block) that day! I loved it so far and couldn't wait to see it put together. Then Brandon wanted me to make his Cowboy Quilt, so I took a break from putting together the freshcut quilt to make the top for his quilt. Yesterday I got the freshcut blocks out and my new 12.5 inch square ruler thingy that I got so that I could cut my blocks out the right way. Only to find that my blocks weren't big enough to be cut out to 12.5 inches. Ugh! I followed the directions the way I was supposed to, but I guess I did something wrong. My blocks were only big enough to cut down to 11 inches square. So, that is what I did. They didn't come out perfectly all the same, but they all were 11 inches square. So, as I put them together the seams of the rows didn't match up like they were supposed to, but you know what?! I think I really like the way it turned out, even if it isn't exactly like the pattern. It has more character. So, my top is done and ready for me to figure out how I'm going to finish it. Brandon wanted to be in all of the pictures I was taking of the quilt this morning, so if you see any feet those are his.

Brandon looking oh so cute on the quilt!

The entire quilt top. It is a small lap quilt, it would be the perfect size for a little girl.

This picture didn't come out too well. The light is a little off and Brandon kept standing on the quilt so it was all wrinkly looking. Oh well!

Progress Report ~ Cowboy Quilt

2008-06-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I worked on finishing the top of the cowboy quilt. I got the border on and I think it looks pretty dang cute! It isn't big enough for his bed, but he already has a quilt on his bed. An I Spy quilt that my mom made for him! He loves that quilt, he likes to lay and look at all of the different things. Anyhow, this quilt is just a little bigger then lap size. A good size for a 3 year old to lay out on the floor and watch a movie on. I think he'll love it. He actually already does. He keeps wanting me to let him take it away so he can play with it. He doesn't really understand that it isn't done yet. I'm sure he'll be really happy when it's done. Anyhow, now I need to read up on how to finish a quilt. I'm not sure if I'm going to just tie it or if I'm going to attempt machine quilting it. I'm thinking just tie it, since this is my very first quilt, and I don't really know what I'm doing. Maybe I'll make the smaller version for Adam and machine quilt that for practice. Since it will be smaller and easier to control. We'll see.

The cowboy actually took a nap yesterday! Woohoo!!!! This doesn't happen too often, so when it does I'm more then okay with it! He was playing with a pillow and then all of a sudden I looked over at him and he just fell asleep on top of it in the middle of the living room right in front of the fan. I wasn't about to move him, never wake the beast! So, I had to get Adam up off of the floor, so that he didn't wake up his brother by crawling on top of him.

He wasn't too happy about that. haha... I actually had about 2 hours of quiet. Then Adam woke up from his nap, but Brandon slept on the floor without waking up for a little more then 3 hours! I love nap time.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies!!!

2008-06-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

One of my first loves is baking. I've been baking since I was probably about 12, maybe even earlier. Coming up with recipes is sort of new to me. Here is one that I sell in my etsy shop.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies!!

Ingredients:
1 c. butter (no substitutes), softened
¾ c. granulated sugar
¾ c. brown sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lg. egg
2 ¼ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.With an electric mixer cream butter and sugars until nice and creamy. Add cream cheese and continue to mix until all lumps are gone and it is nice and smooth. Add vanilla and egg and mix. Slowly add flour, a little at a time. Add baking soda and salt and mix well, but not too much! Turn off your mixer and add the chocolate chips, folding by hand with a rubber spatula. Scoop cookie dough by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet; make sure they aren’t too close though! Bake in your oven for 9-11 minutes, I do mine for 10. Cool on a rack and once they are all the way cool put into a plastic bag or container and keep in the fridge! Since they have cream cheese in them you don’t want them to spoil! These are the best chocolate chip cookies ever! They stay nice and moist!

So far, everyone that has tried them has loved them. Let me know if you make them, and how you like them! They are super yummy.

Hi, my name is Cowboy!

2008-06-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is how my three year old Brandon introduces himself to EVERYONE he meets. Whether we are at the store, at church, at the park, anywhere. He isn't afraid to talk to people, I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, but he really does like just about everyone. Sometimes he'll say he's "Robot Cowboy" sometimes he is "Brandon Cowboy" it changes daily, but one thing that is always the same is that he is Cowboy. He hates going anywhere with out his boots and hat and even totes around a play gun (although I don't let him take it out of the car). Now that it is getting warm out he wears shorts most of the time and although I put his sandals on him in the morning, by afternoon he is always wearing his boots.

This past weekend, I was working on making some quilt blocks for a Heather Bailey quilt I decided to make on the spur of the moment. I love all of her fabrics and have lots of them, and wanted to make my first quilt without the help of my mom, who lives in California and is the best quilter I know, you can check out her blog http://colorfulquiltingworld.blogspot.com/. Anyhow, I was working on this quilt and Brandon Cowboy comes over and asks me what I'm doing. He loves quilts and pretty much all types of blankets, he has since he was a baby. He is the perfect child to give a quilt to, because he loves them so much. So, he said to me, "Mommy, I want a Cowboy quilt!" hmmm.... I thought, I do have some cowboy fabric, okay! I'll make you a cowboy quilt. So, I've been working on the cowboy quilt since Sunday and I almost have the entire top done. Just a few more rows to be added on and then the border and then I'll have to figure out how to finish it. (Like I said, this is the second quilt top I've worked on by myself. I'm not a quilter, don't know how to quilt, I do know how to piece, but not how to finish them. This is all an experiment for me! We'll see how it works out.)

I decided to do a simple nine patch block for his quilt, I think it looks pretty cute so far. The colors are really bright and the best thing about it is that is a Cowboy Brandon quilt! I have a few extra blocks left, so maybe I'll make a smaller version of this quilt for my almost 1 year old baby boy, Adam!

After all, he's a Cowboy too. "Cowboy Brother" actually.