The yearbooks are IN!!

Everyone loves them! There have been tons of compliments!! Kids are saying they are better then last years! :) Teachers have said, "wonderful job"...." the yearbook looks awesome"!

Some of my kids have signed mine...

I will NEVER do another yearbook, ever!!! This has been a really, really hard year...the yearbook just added to the stress level.


24 more days of school....Whoo-Hoo!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

1st day of school....1995

Itch

"While driving my school bus this afternoon my left foot started itching. Every time I'd come to a stop sign or a red light I would shove a pencil down my sneaker trying to reach the itch. It was driving me insane!



My aide on the bus, Ms. Sarah, is 73 years old, a very young 73 I might add; she is very knowledgeable and is always sharing stories form the "old days".

So I asked her what it meant when your left foot is itching?

She replied, "when your left foot itches at the bottom it means that you will walk into a strange place, when the right one itches you will walk on strange land". Both meaning you will go some place where you've never been before.

Hmmm...I wonder what the strange place is?!! Interesting, huh?!!

Saturday Happenings

Today was the Spring Art Sale that several UCA students put on every few months. It was held at Meg & Tori's home in Conway. It was a beautiful day to be outside, 83 degrees!

Tori has been busy writing papers and such for school that she wasn't able to make as much as usual. She made postcards from photos she took with her film camera. She also made 4 necklaces.

I crocheted 2 spring shawls.

Meg didn't have time to sew anything! She actually has the weekend off so she is relaxing. I have her dog and probably will keep him until she is finished with this year.

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I came home and started working in my garden. I weeded and put down new mulch. I didn't buy enough so back to Lowe's tomorrow. I bought 10 bags....I need about 8 more!

My azaleas are beautiful right now! This one had 6 huge bumble bees on it and although I am afraid of getting stung, I just love listening to them hum.


I planted flowers in my hanging pots. Geraniums, Variegated Vinca Vine, and Verbena which attract butterflies & hummingbirds.

I planted my vegetables. I'm doing container gardening again this year. I planted green beans, red onions, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower & cucumbers.

I turned my compost with the pitchfork (so I got my arm workout in) and added worms to the mixture.


John put the hammock out on Thursday. I look forward to cool evenings laying on the hammock, reading or snuggling with John.

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I have so much more to finish in the yard tomorrow. More mulch (another workout lifting those bags and squatting while you pour the contents out) fill hummingbird feeders, finish planting flowers for porch, hang up spring wreath, weed other garden....etc...etc...

I love Spring!

Art Show

Tonight Tori had her 1st Art show in college. It was in the Black Box Gallery (there are only 4 per year in the black box.)



Her art was called..... Vessels & Rays: A cellular exploration into the inner-workings of a deciduous tree.

The material she used to make this were coffee, coffee filters and fabric.

The shadows were amazing!!

This is Professor Holly Laws. She told us that Tori is a very talented young woman.



Here she is with her boyfriend, Nick, who came to the show to support her.

It was a wonderful evening. Tori, I look forward to many more art shows during your college life. I love you, baby bird!!

Busy week

Really, it's been one of those weeks. Just busy, busy, busy!! I feel like this frazzled cat looks!!


So much to do, so little time!

Bookshelf

John & I have been looking for about a year for a bookshelf. We have looked at new ones on-line, in stores, went to antique malls, but just couldn't find what we liked. So we finally decided to have Scott, a fellow Air Traffic Controller, custom make us one. Scott builds furniture as a hobby. So we decided on the measurements and told Scott about our other furniture and told him to surprise us.

Here it is! It is beautiful!! It is made out of Sapele wood from Africa.

I love how he made the partition....it is unique and also makes the unit extremely sturdy.

Here it is with all the books on it. The bottom shelves contain two sets of Encyclopedias. The one on the left was John's. On the right was mine growing up, I can't find book #20...I know I have it somewhere. I looked for 45 minutes with no luck. I'm sure it will turn up.

Of course I have my Harry Potter & Twilight series on the shelf!

A view of the feet. These were created by carving them out of a solid piece of Sapele . I love the grain in this wood.

I incorporated my Willow Tree Angels with the books. The one above is the Angel of Learning. I love that she is holding a book.

I'm ready for Scott to make me another bookshelf. I need one for all the children's books that are shoved in my upstairs linen closet. I am also considering having him make me a sewing/crafting table.

Earth Day Extravaganza

My sister, Kim's grandchildren (brother's I might add) celebrated their birthday's on Saturday. Konnor & Jude Righteous were born 2 years and 1 day apart. Since Jude Righteous was born on Earth Day his momma, Kayla, made him an Earth cake. Konnor's is the Sun.She did an awesome job on the cakes!!

The 3 year old, Konnor

Jude Righteous, 1 year old

"I got the whole world in my hands"

This is the only time we allow them to play with their food, right?! He didn't really care to get messy at first, but quickly enjoyed it!


Presents are always fun! I tell you these two boys ripped through those gifts fast.

The simplest gift is usually the most fun.

It was another rainy day here in Arkansas....but it was such a fun one!

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

1 stick unsalted butter at room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self rising flour
grated & freshly squeezed juice from 1 (unwaxed) lemon
lemon curd (jared or fresh)

Preheat oven to 350*

beat the butter & sugar together in a bowl until pale & fluffy, then beat eggs in one at a time. Sift in flour and fold in, then stir in lemon peel and juice.

Spoon a good dollop of the mixture into each paper liner and make an indention in the center. Drop in a dollop of the lemon curd. I used about 1 tsp. and top with more cake batter. Bake in oven for about 16 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

Icing:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Put the sugar and egg whites in a bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Beat constantly for about 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and glossy and stands in peaks. Using a piping bag and star tip swirl onto cupcakes or use a spoon and swirl on cupcake. The frosting will firm up.

If you love lemon these are really, really good.
Makes 12

Megan

Tonight my daughter Meg was inducted into UCA's Gamma Chapter of the Alpha Chi National Collegiate Honor Society. Alpha Chi is one of only three national, general scholastic honor societies. This is a very high academic honor! Only the top 10% of the junior & senior classes are eligible to join.



She is already a member of the National Collegiate Honor Society. Having an honor society listed on your resume provides a tangible sign of your academic success.




Meg will be graduating Spring 2010 with a double major in Spanish and Creative Writing and a minor in Linguistics. Her last semester(January - June 2010) she will be going to Leon, Spain to study Spanish. In December of 2010 she is going to teach English in Chile for a year.


John & I are so very proud of her and all her accomplishments! Tonight was a night we'll never forget. It was full of happiness and joy and pride!


We love you, Meg!

Easter & Bird's Nest Cupcakes

We spent Easter Sunday at my moms. We made a honey ham, green beans, rutabaga & potatoes, squash, collard greens, yams and rolls. I swear I gained 3 pounds over this entire weekend.

Flynn was ready to eat the sweets as soon as we arrived.



John feed me ham as he cut it.



My mom getting the food ready to serve.


The big girls sat at the kiddie table. Natalie was sad because she wanted to sit with them at the adult table. Meg told her, "Natie, I've been in this family for 21 years and I still haven't made it to the adult table. Cracked me up!

It was fun getting to see little Natie & Amaiya in their Easter dresses
Here is a recipe I know your kids will love! If you are a chocolate lover you will really like these!


BIRD'S NEST CUPCAKES
The children LOVED these cupcakes. They were delicious and so much fun to see there faces light up when we showed them.

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self rising flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk

Icing:
2/3 cup mascarpone (or cream cheese with heavy cream added)
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablesppon unsweetened cocoa powder
chocolate, for shavings
Robin egg candies ( I used whoppers robin eggs)

Makes 12

Preheat oven to 350*

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale & fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift in flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and fold in, then stir in milk.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cups and bake for 18 minutes until risen and skewer comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

To decorate, put the mascarpone, sugar, and cocoa powder in a bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy. Pop a dollop of frosting on top of each cake.

Arrange the eggs and chocolate shavings on frosting to resemble a bird's nest.

A Dam Good Day

Saturday was beautiful here in Arkansas. My mom, brother Tim & his son Flynn, me & my girls all went out and spent the afternoon in Little Rock.


We enjoyed pizza in the park. Damgoode pizza pie!!

Flynn found a caterpillar crawling around on the table. He is holding it up for me...if you look real hard you can see it hanging from it's silk string.

We went and walked the Big Dam Bridge. It was very windy at times.

Love this picture of father & son!


Held little dogs like they were babies.

Took pictures of ourselves.

Flynn posed with Grandma while holding his 2nd caterpillar of the day on a piece of wood he found on the other side of the bridge.


The caterpillar.


Spent the evening baking with my girls.


Together we made a mess out of my kitchen. Unfortunately, my messy baking habits have been inherited by my girls.

Meg made these cupcakes. They are the PBJ recipe except instead of jelly she added semi-sweet chocolate. OMG...they taste just like a peanut butter cup!

This week I'm going to post the 3 other items the girls and I baked for Easter. We were on a sugar overload on Saturday.

It was a damn good day!