A Much Loved Dessert

I'm in the grocery store when my son asks me to make a dessert for him to take on his weekend house sitting job. He suggested his favorite dessert--Banana Pudding. Um. I don't usually make this so I had no idea all of the ingredients I would need. The techie man child searched AllRecipes on his smart phone and found this one:

Banana Pudding IV

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 bananas, sliced
1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.

Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.

My MIL usually makes Banana Pudding for him if she knows ahead of time we are coming over. I have rarely had to make it, which is why I didn't know what I would need. After tasting it, I'm pretty sure her recipe is different and doesn't use Cream Cheese or Sweetened Condensed Milk. But needless to say, it came out delicious and was a hit!

Do you like Banana Pudding or have a favorite dessert that gets requested?

 ~Happy Desserts~

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace" (Num. 6:24-26)

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Time for Treats

My chickens love treats! I mean, who doesn't, right?! With our family eating melons several times a week during this abysmally hot weather, there is a never ending supply of really cool ways to beat the heat in the summer for our chickens!

They don't mind it when I toss the rind quarters out there but what they really love is when I freeze scratch grain, melon pieces and seeds, and cut up veggies in the rind.

Aren't they pretty? The one on the left just has some various pieces of watermelon, honeydew and the seeds scooped out of the middle. I didn't even add water, just tossed the whole thing in the freezer for a few hours. The middle one sort of speaks for itself; water melon chunks and scratch grain in a honey dew rind. And then the one on the right was filled with the inner scoops from the two melons and some water, then frozen.

The baby chicks are four weeks old and not too sure about this foreign food in their pen. But once one of them tried it, they all came running and tweeting, feverishly vying for a chance at the tasty treat. Of course, the old girls know what is coming when they see one of these rinds in my hand and this day I had two! 

I love backyard chicken keeping. Even though we live in the country, we can't let them run wild because of critters. We are in the process of figuring out how to re-model our two year old coop to include these dozen new chicks. But in the meantime, I am happy with them in our front yard where I can keep an eye on them, plus they are such fun to watch! They are learning to spread their wings and fly so I have to be careful when I open the pen door or they get loose! And trying to round up a dozen wild & crazy baby chicks is not something I want to do on a daily basis. Today, I managed to entice them back in with a treat, so yeah, they know what's coming now and can anticipate the cool refreshment heading their way.

Are you a backyard chicken keeper? Or do you have other animals? What cool treats to do you make to give them during the heat of summer?

~Happy Summer~

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'Vintage' Baby Girl Mini Album

It's been a while since I posted any craft projects. This is a mini album I made for my first granddaughter,
who is getting ready to turn 3!

Yes, I know. 

But I really did make the album almost two years ago so I'm only behind in posting the photos. :)

And speaking of photos, my daughter took these as I didn't have a very good camera at the time. I totally forgot about them and found them on a shared drive the other day. That's what really prompted me to post them. Otherwise, I would have happily gone through life thinking I didn't have any pictures of it to share. *snort*

I purchased a canvas mini album from the craft store. I don't remember which one as it has been so long but if I find another one I am buying it too. I really enjoyed working with the canvas!

The pearls are Prima, and most of the flower embellishments are probably Prima, but I handmade a few flowers from the scrapbook paper, too.

I'm famous for finding odd craft supplies for a discount and then trying to piece them all together.
 Another great place to buy supplies is Mighty Dollar.

Seriously.

They are cheap but name brands!

I made plenty of little pockets to slip things into, along with tags.

I love tags!

Okay, this picture looks a little green. I don't remember using green ink. 
My go-to ink is Soft Suede by Stampin'Up!

Embroidery floss is magic. Really. It makes such a pretty addition to any page!

There's that nasty green tint again. Hmmm...could have been my editing but I'm not claiming it. :)

There's a homemade flower up there^^^. Those are fun to make. Just cut out a circle (doesn't have to be perfect), dampen it with water and wad it up, let dry, unfold and layer with another one, adding a pearl or button. Voilà, you are done!

More handmade flowers!

Of course it's vintage themed because that's what I like best!

Lots of tags for journaling! Prima pearls and stamping, oh yeah!

See, it really is Soft Suede around the edges. Looks way better than green. :)

I love the side view!!!

Mini albums are my favorite craft to make. I now have several more that need putting together, so I think part of my summer will be busy. 

Oh, not for my daughter! Only one more for her baby who just turned one. 

But I have a new grand nephew, and two new grand nieces!

Have you been creating anything fun lately? Do share!

~Happy Crafting~

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Summertime meal

I don't know about you, but when the weather starts getting warm I start thinking about what kind of cooler meals I can prepare. 

Since our boys were going to be gone the other evening, I knew it was the perfect time to make one of my husband's favorites dishes. 

~ Guacamole Regionale ~

Start by chopping up fresh Avocado, Roma Tomatoes, Onion (red or white), and Cilantro.

(I didn't have any Cilantro, so I left it out, but it would have been so much better with some.)

Once you have those fresh veggies in your bowl, squeeze a little Lime juice in there, toss a few drops of Texas Pete Hot Sauce in, add a spoonful or two of your favorite salsa (ours is Newman's Own, Medium heat factor), and finally sprinkle a bit of Garlic Salt over the top and start tossing it all together.

If you like yours hot, add some jalapeno peppers to the first stage of chopping. But don't touch your face or eyes because it burns. Um. Don't ask me how I know this. I'll just say that I don't use it anymore ;)

Spoon it out on your plates in heaps because you will want to eat it all at once! 

Don't forget some Tortilla Chips to scoop it up with and enjoy!!!

Don't ask me for measurements because I don't have any. I just chop up however much we want to eat and season to taste. It always comes out different but delicious. J

Do you have a favorite summertime recipe?

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The Art of Embroidery

In our family, my mother-in-law is known for her expertise in needlework. 

From sewing to quilting to embroidery, her art is superlative. 

 (Clicking on photos will enlarge them so you can see even more detail.)

Here she is adding finishing touches of grass to an embroidered *barn. 

Y'all know I ♥ barns, right? 

And she has incorporated a Cardinal in the design, too. 

Oh, I love birds!

I love how authentic the Pine Tree looks.

When she is finished, there will be four designs and she will quilt them 

together to form the wall hanging. Isn't this awesome?! The first square is finished. 

It's so much more dramatic in person. I can't wait to see all four pieces put together.

 Did you know the earliest surviving embroideries are Scythian and date back to the 5th-3rd centuries BCE? There's a form of embroidery called Blackwork, where they only use black thread to make the designs and twist it in a certain way to give it dimension. I'm not sure what technique my MIL used on the barn but it seems awfully close to Blackwork. 

And look at this finished wall hanging...

Isn't it phenomenal?!

It's an ancient art form of Embroidery called Thread Painting or Needle Painting.

And the detail is absolutely stunning.

Can you tell that my mother-in-law's reputation is well deserved? 

But being the humble woman that she is, she'll be the first to tell you that it is a gift from the Lord. 

: : : : :

When I started writing this post I was only intent on sharing how much I admire and love my MIL's ability with a needle. I was going to attach a Scripture verse here but I have to say that after knowing her for 33 years, she is truly the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman. She is an awesomely dedicated wife, mom, MIL, grandmother and great grandmother who aptly fits the description. She has always put the welfare of her family first. Her faith in the Lord and love for hearth and home is what is to be admired. Her handiwork with a needle second. She may or may not read this post but I want to say Thanks, Mom. I love you. 

Have a blessed day in the Lord, my friends!

*The barn pattern is by Beth B Dix/ Primrose Lane, Black Mountain, NC. 

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52 Weeks of Journaling

I'm so excited! I joined Journal52, an online Art Journaling group. One prompt, every Monday, for 52 weeks. I wanted to get back into my scrapbooking and also learn some new techniques using paints. I think this might be the right place! So at least one blog post a week will be my current page.

We were challenged to make our journal covers over the weekend. I chose an 8 x 11 1/2 chipboard cover and went through my materials. I ended up using some of the supplies I bought to make a memory book about my daughter, Amy, who passed away in 2012. I really like the colors and patterns, plus I lean toward vintage in all my creative endeavors.

I went ahead and got my feet wet with a new technique and medium. Using Gesso, which I purchased at Michael's using a 50% off coupon, I papered the chipboard and swiped the Gesso mixed with some acrylic paint over it with a plastic store card (advice from my sister @ Sunshine & Lollipops), then went back and used the plain Gesso to get a two-tone effect. Stamping imagine in the lower right corner and outlining it with a dark brown marker really made it stand out. Adding the butterfly trail (which I have never done) up to the Butterfly embellishment was very whimsical for me but I like it! I found some Sparkle Spritz in my stash and decided to give it a go. It was fun to try something new, and since this is the back of the journal, I am okay with it. I like the glittery look. So, of course I had to go back and add some to the cover...

It's just a little glitz but it really looks pretty in person!

As the weeks go along, I want to incorporate my faith into the journal. I might even make some additions to the cover and back. Any project of mine is always a work-in-progress, right up until I put it in a box and call it done :)

It's not too late to join in, if you are so inclined. Just hop on over to Journal52 and you can get signed right up.  Really. Come on and give it a shot. 

Are you working on any special projects this year?

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

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Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Easy to make Autumn or Thanksgiving Wreath

I am always late getting a seasonally appropriate wreath made for the front door. This year is no exception. With less than a week to go before Thanksgiving, it may seem useless to even make one. However, I couldn't pass up an 80% off sale of all autumn florals at Hobby Lobby! I unpinned the cloth flowers off my basic wreath that is made from a foam circle and burlap to get it ready for a new look.

While I was at HL, I couldn't pass up this awesome purple hot glue gun! 

I needed a new one anyway :)

I snipped apart some of the floral spray pieces to make it easier to handle and attach to the wreath.

I'm quite fond of mums and sunflowers. 

And I loved the acorns and apple in this particular spray.

Even though these beautiful flowers are silk, they still bring a smile to my face. 

Sunflowers and Mums breath warmth and hospitality!

I tried to follow pretty closely the way they were pre-arranged on the spray when I glued them down. I think I need a few more leaves around the bottom but overall I am quite satisfied. 

Floral arranging of any kind is not my forte'. My daughter, on the other hand, is very good at making wreaths. Maybe I will showcase some of her work in December. 

Do you make your own wreaths or buy them ready-made?

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

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