way cool...

i am a big fan of cool kitchen gadgets but i really hate anything that makes more work out of something than less. this though, may be one thing i seriously consider buying because the results are worth the extra effort they require. they're cookie cutters from william sonoma that you slide letters onto to put words on cookies. they're not for you to ice over which is great (wilton makes a thing for you to press into frosting or onto cookies but it's just a template to ice over, not worth it to me since i was never good about coloring inside the lines, i'd rather free-form it!) and the letters don't get all scrunched back up. i know there are several cookie cutters that make an impression on the dough but then when it bakes they get all scrunced and flat and you have no idea what they were supposed to look like but this looks different! no idea if it actually works for real humans (ie: me & my sister) so i'll be waiting until they go on sale before jumping in. if you want to see them in action check out the video here

vintage pearl giveaway...

awesome stuff and they are doing another giveaway, check it out!
http://thevintagepearl.blogspot.com

~V

proud to report...

that we have officially cut our gas bill over $100 from where it was last year at this time. how you may ask? it's simple, 3 easy steps and there has been minimal complaining. 1.) we don't let our thermostat get anywhere near 68 like it used to be programmed to. in fact, unless we're home and awake it stays at 60. while we are home it stays around 63 which may seem cold but if you have a few throw blankets around and wear pants instead of shorts it's not too bad and the dog & cat haven't begun to burrow so we know they're fine. 2.) we turned our water heater down a notch and yes, it still feels hot for showers but the washer & dishwasher heat the water anyway so why have it heating the bath water over and over all day long? 3.) we replaced our blinds in the living room with curtains that stay closed most of the time and block a lot of cold air from coming in the big picture windows, keep our bedroom & bathroom doors shut and shut vents in room we rarely use (baby room & second bathroom). mission accomplished and, just what do you think we're going to do with that extra few hundred dollars? we're going to pay off our last credit card... woot, one of my new year's resolutions much further along than i expected 25 days into the year and for now, that's what makes me happy :)

love love love....

the recycled sail bags from angela adams...

the medium tote in anchor blue for $130

and my fav, the silver seagul for $160

oooooh....

i so hope that i can one day knit and crochet well enough to make something like this... the crochet flowers may be the next thing i ask my crochet teacher (aka dad) teach me, i can't wait!! p.s. anyone else love this or have any idea how to make it, or am i just crazy for loving it? The creator has an etsy shop, the name of her shop is listed on the photo!

super inspiration...

i've become blog-addicted over the last couple of weeks spending hours and hours reading the blogs of crafty people and the blogs that they think are crafty which leads to more crafty people and you see how hours can be lost... my mind swirls by bedtime thinking of new ways i can use the craftiness of some to increase my own craftiness. here are some of the things i've absorbed recently:

i already really like monogrammed things but this pillow is to D-I-E forand a coat hanger made from... hangers?and i love this idea for keeping recipes at my fingertipsi'll be adding this kind of ruffle to my plain black sweater vest very soonpersonalized photo blocks for the kids for christmas? i think so!and that was made from a thrifted nightstand which is right the alley of a certain reviatlizer i know (me)this flower was made to go on a dog's collar...

i would love for my lou & i to have matching bows!

**on a side note, i am really really really sorry that i forgot to write down where these pics came from but i generally find myself re-reading some posts so i'll try to remember to add in tags for these items later!

monkeys are awesome...

especially since they seem to love blue jello... just like me!

me and my crafty sister...

part of our shopping today was to take a quick trip to michael's for lisa to get one of their cute reusable bags. about 30 minutes later we finally left with more things than we needed but we also got some great ideas and a few supplies to make something that they were selling that we could totally do. first up, these way cute felt gift bags, super simple:and then this soooo cute ribbon wreath. We bought a selection of pink and red ribbons to make two different styles and some foam hearts so we can glitter themand cute baskets with more ribbon detailsthen we saw these clover wreaths that we think we should totally add blue & gold ribbons to for football time :)

thai food saturday...

dinner at noodle alley, an awesome thai place with a hilarious waitress. she seriously asked us if we ordered dumplings as an appetizer even though we were the only table that hadn't gotten any food yet, the other occupied table was well into their meal by the time we ordered and instead of going back home for our food coma naps we went to play games at mega play. none of us have been there in what seems like forever (they've been open for 17 years) so we had to play the games where you 'win' tickets to 'buy' rediculous prizes (we're still a couple hundred short to get the stuffed dog i like that costs 750 tickets or several hours and probably $40+) but as of november 20, 2006 the 'price is subject to change without notice so we better hurry back and win enough tickets to get it (pat questioned my taking a photo of the sign but since it was printed in 2006 and it's officially 2010 i thought it was worth the 5 seconds it took) then we went to the arcade side where pat and denise showed off their DDR skillsor, maybe not skills, these are their gradesand i realized how bad i've gotten at frogger & pacman. it really was a great time had by all and we've decided that we need to do this more often, espcially since it's approximately the same price as going to a movie but this way we get to talk, laugh, act like children and make fun of the teenagers that have decided to 'reserve' the air-hockey tables even though they weren't playing. it also keeps us from having to choose a movie and rush through dinner to get to there on time. our next adventure? king gyros (so the boys don't have to 'hunt' for something on the menu that they'll eat) followed by whatever we think of doing... maybe a food coma nap

resolutions...

i know that some consider resolutions to be cliche so i'm giving myself a to-do list (i do love the to-do list). and no, it's not standard resolution things that have no exact definition of completion like 'lose weight' or 'spend less' because losing one pound would techinically count and i don't like that idea. my list won't just be a list that i've blogged, i've got a physical reminder of the list:

it's a forget-me-knot ring, HA (punny). anywho, so my list:

1.) pay off all of our credit card debt

2.) hang the pendant lights i purchased in 2008 over my kitchen peninsula and remove the cabinet that blocks their hanging

3.) remove part of our wall-to-wall closet and build in a workspace

4.) lose 45 pounds

there's loads of other things i'd like to do: visit my aunt in florida, remodel our basement bathroom, paint the garage floor, paint the living room, work harder on my own business, plan an amazing fundraiser for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law to help cover the cost of international adoption and raise some money for children of Uganda and start our family (ie: have a baby). there are so many things that need to be done in order to accomplish most of these things and finishing some with help the others (training for more 5ks will help with the weight loss) but most importantly i want my friends and family to know that they're loved and that having them around makes everything else possible.

christmas...

so, my post is a bit late but it's been crazy around here. christmas eve was a time for trying new recipes and spending some much needed time with the family. this was the red bell pepper that i bought to put into one of my chrismas day appetizers... the little baby pepper was growing insideand i made homemade marshmallows which were so good i won't be purchasing the regular kind unless it's absolutely necessary... they were easy and tatsed amazingi got to wear my new hairclip and coordinated my outfit around my new teal silk coach... simple yet comfy and way cute

my nieces on christmas day looked adorable in their sweater dresses and didn't fight all that much

and the whole fam (adults in this pic) hasn't had a photo taken in quite some time. we let the kids take the pic and they did pretty darn well. we did take a separate pic with them in it but i like this one better

merry christmas & a very happy new year to everyone!!!