Scrapbooking Birthday Party Ideas

In keeping with Heather's birthday party theme ideas, I thought I would share with you some of  my scrap book pages from these birthday parties.  I don't know if I have more fun at the parties, or scrap booking the pictures after the party! When you scrap book and journal your pages you look back and have so many wonderful memories.  I tell my husband that one day these could be my only memories....hopefully that won't be the case...but at any rate they are beautiful pages filled with precious memories.

Here are just a few of the pages I have scrapbooked and journaled.  As you can see, I try to use pictures of the cake and decorations as embellishments for the pages. I also like to do cutouts and take the backgrounds out when possible, so that you actually end up with more detail and your photos are the focal point. Hope these pages will give you some ideas to work on.  Happy Scrapbooking!

Princess Party Theme...I actually used her Tiara as an embellishment on this page.

This was her Tea Party Themed birthday party.

This one is her Madhatter themed Party....Heather made her cake for this one also..

Another Princess Party Theme

Cake Pops and Zebra Stripes Theme....

I made snuggle pillows for the girls to decorate during the party.

They had a blast decorating them with all the goodies we had set out for them.


      Love and Hugs,
                   

Summertime! Funtime!

                        

Kyla making giant bubbles in the yard.

Summertime fun in the yard drawing pictures in their books.

Whoa!  Where have the months gone? It has been a while since Heather and I have been on here posting to our blog.  As Heather explained things have been rather "insanely" crazy for past several months in both our lives actually.  Hers more so than mine....but nevertheless we are back! I thought since it is summertime I would share a couple of easy summertime dessert recipes with you, and some of my favorite pictures of my great-grandchildren having some summertime fun!

 

Kyla and Anna with their Nana having a porch picnic!

Recently I came across a really simple summertime sweet snack for the kiddies. (Try and say that 5 times fast!)

It's called:      Peanut Butter Cupcake Brownies

To make, use any store bought Brownie Mix per instructions.  Pour a heaping teaspoon of batter into prepared mini muffin pans.

 Bake @ 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes.  Makes approximately 40 mini muffins.

While these are baking melt 3/4 C. peanut butter in the microwave for 45 seconds.   Then sprinkle the tops with a mixture of 1/2 C. peanut butter and 1/2 C. chocolate chips.  These are so easy and quick, and it's something the little ones can help with in the kitchen.  Hope you enjoy them.  They are yummy!

 After you remove brownies from oven...if the centers don't sink with the back of a spoon make a slight indentation in each.  Into each indentation, spoon a teaspoon of the melted peanut butter into each.

   Then sprinkle the tops with a mixture of 1/2 C. peanut butter and 1/2 C. chocolate chips.




 These are so easy and quick, and it's something the little ones can help with in the kitchen.  Hope you enjoy them.  They are yummy!

Another fun easy summertime snack for the kids are  popsicle treats.  You can freeze juice, yogurt, rootbeer or just about any of your childrens favorite liquid treats into a fun frozen treat.  With the extreme high temperatures we have been having this summer, those frozen treats taste good even to me.

Love and Hugs,

                        

Beautiful Poinsettia Tree

This time of year the time just seems to fly by. Before we know it Christmas is only 15 days away and we are behind the eight ball.  Literally trying to juggle all eight at once.  Tee Hee    I really meant to get this post up last week, but as you can tell by my lateness things are not getting any less hectic.

I hope that everyone had as wonderful Thanksgiving as I did.  We enjoyed three of our grandchildren-- Heather with her husband Josh and children Hailey and Zack;  Kristy and her daughter Anna (Kyla was sick); Weston our grandson, plus daughters Terri and Connie for Thanksgiving dinner.  We had such a great time with them.

Now if I can just get everything done I am supposed to for Christmas I will feel pretty good about the New Year fast approaching.  LOL

My cousin Doug Hinkle made his mother a Poinsettia Tree for Christmas this year and I wanted to share with you how he made it.  If you or someone you know is at all handy with a saw and hammer this is pretty easy to make.  Takes lots of Poinsettia's (depends on how tall you want your tree) but well worth it when you see the finished product.

First he built an "A" frame with a circle on top and a square on bottom to stabilize it.
Next he added construction cloth to cover the frame.

Now it's time to begin adding the Poinsettias.  WOW!  Just look at the finished tree with lights on it.
He used a child's table to set this one on so there is plenty of room below to put all of Santa's gifts.  You could use the same concept and make a table center piece..just on a smaller scale.  Hope you enjoy trying this one.

Until next time, Love and Hugs

Sweet Potatoes - Sweet Treats

Hi everyone....I'm a little late with my post this week...my husband had back surgery two weeks ago so things have been a "little" hectic.

Last week my friend and neighbor Lori Ellis gave me some sweet potatoes from her garden.  They are so sweet and delicious compared to the store bought ones.  I used two with dinner last night....mashed them with butter and served them with our Salmon fillets.

Then last evening I got this idea to make some Sweet Potato Muffins with the remaining ones.  So this morning I wrote a recipe for them and set out putting them together.  Wanted to see if they were good enough to share the recipe with you.  Of course, I thought so...Tee Hee...but then my husband tried one, and he said they were really good!  I will apologize for not having a photo tutorial this time.  I will do one next time I make them, which I am sure will be soon with Thanksgiving around the corner.  Here's my recipe:

Bake @ 350 degrees for 28 - 30 minutes.  (or until tester comes out clean)

Recipes makes 6 jumbo muffins.

Whisk together the following dry ingredients  in a medium bowl and set aside.

2 cups flour

2/3 cups granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

In larger bowl combine until smooth ( I used my immersible hand blender for this)

1 egg

1 stick unsalted butter (softened)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups cooked and peeled sweet potatoes

To this add the dry ingredients and mix just until  moistened.

Topping:

1 Tbsp. flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Mix together and sprinkle each muffin with heaping tablespoon of topping, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!  Happy Baking!

Until next time,  Love and Hugs

Birthday Board - Never Forget Another Birthday

Have you ever been embarrassed by forgetting a birthday in your family?  Boy I have!  Talk about having a red face and feeling about an inch high.  Tee Hee  Keeping track of all the birthdays makes my brain crazy sometimes. I believe I have found the perfect solution to that dilemma. I ran across this really great idea at The Idea Door  the other day for keeping me on track with family birthdays.  We have 17 great-grandchildren, 8 grandchildren, and 5 children; plus all the cousins and nieces and nephews so this project is perfect for us. 

It's a Birthday Board.....and here is how I made mine.

Materials Needed:

foam board

1/2 yard fabric

embellishments

ribbon 

card stock (variety of colors)

Aleen's Clear Gel Tacky Glue

Tools Needed:

punches -  in your desired shape

exacto knife

scissors

ruler 

chalk pencil or chalk

I started by cutting a 12"x 20" foam board.  I then covered it with fabric affixing it with the clear glue as shown in picture below.

 

 

I decided to use hearts shapes for the months and birthdays because I am all about love and family, and all things of the heart <3 .  I used a 1-1/2" heart punch for the months and a 1/2" punch for the individual birthdays below each month. 

Then I embellished each month with things that pertain to  that  particular month,  for example:  I used a pumpkin and a black  cat for October.

I used my Cricut Machine to cut the title lettering for the board.  I used 2" letters.  Before placing the letters,  I  made a chalk line so   that my lettering would be level across board.  I titled my board Family Birthdays.

 

After I cut all the letters and shapes I glued them to the board using the clear glue.

 I used ribbon to glue the individual hearts with names and   date on them .

I used an exacto knife to cut a small slit below each month to attach the ribbon using the clear glue, leaving about 3 inches or so extra pulled through to the back.  This will allow me to add birthdays if I need to, although they would not be in date order.

 This is my finished Birthday Board.  Even my husband loves it because now he can help remind me.  Tee Hee!!

  I hope you will enjoy making this project as much as I did.  Happy crafting ladies!!              

Until next time Big Hugs and Best Wishes

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is defined in Websters Dictionary as a yearning to return home (being homesick).

Evidently this sentiment is not so true for some.  I heard on the Today show this morning that Thanksgiving is defined as "obligatory dysfunctional family get-together", another one I heard this morning as FFF  "Forced Family Fun". I had a good laugh over both of these definitions.

This time of year always makes me nostalgic.  How many of you, like myself, remember waking up on Thanksgiving morning to the yummy smell of turkey baking in the oven?  My Mom would be in the kitchen at 5 a.m. putting the turkey in the oven.  The day before the house was full of the delicious aromas of  pumpkin, mincemeat, and pecan pies baking.

I have so many wonderful memories of Thanksgiving and sharing with family and friends over the years.  When I was growing up we always had a houseful of Aunts, Uncles and lots of cousins (14 to be exact);  plus our family of four children, Mom and Dad  and of course Grandma and Grandpa.

After I got married and moved away from home we made our own Thanksgiving memories. I remember one particular Thanksgiving when we were stationed in Florida near Fort Walton Beach.  Several families of us went to the beach in Destin, Florida and cooked fish the guys caught on our grills.  We had a blast.  It was quite different from the snowy Thanksgivings of my childhood.  No matter where we were stationed we always had a houseful at Thanksgiving.  We invited the young airmen who had no family there.  Those were such great and memorable times.

What are some of your most memorable Thanksgivings?  What is your  favorite family Thanksgiving tradition?  Would love for you to share them with us in the comments section.

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes?  I grew up with Pumpkin Pie.  How about you?

When we were stationed in Wichita Falls, Texas I came across this recipe in our local newspaper .  It became one of our families favorites.

                                                               Sweet Potato Pie 

Boil one large sweet potato and one small one in jackets until tender.  Run cold water over them and peel.  Mash with a potato masher until smooth.  Add 1 stick butter (room temperature), 2 cups sugar "if it isn't sweet enough it isn't fit to eat" (according to the author of this recipe) 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg, pinch of salt, 4 eggs (beaten), 1 can condensed milk, undiluted.

Mix well and pour into a 9 inch unbaked pie crust.  Bake @ 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until lightly browned and top is set.

                                                Nanny's Cornbread Dressing

I bake my own cornbread a day or two ahead of time, crumble and let it dry out a little. If I'm having a 20 plus pound turkey.  I bake a 9 x 13 pan of cornbread.

In a large bowl add to the crumbled cornbread,  two stalks of diced celery, 1 med chopped onion, 2 can fresh oysters (chopped),  1 can chopped water chestnuts, 4 eggs (beaten),  2-3 cups turkey broth,; sage, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a lightly greased baking dish.  Bake @ 350 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown on top  I usually do not stuff turkey with dressing. 

Note:  Depending on the density of your cornbread you might have to adjust the amount of broth up or down.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family does.  Please share your favorite Thanksgiving recipe with us...

Until next time Hugs and Best Wishes

                     Nanny

Don't throw those "sweaters" away.......

Wow! This week has flown by so fast.  Not really sure why.  Maybe it's the fall crispness in the air.  The leaves and the acorns are falling so fast my husband can't keep up with them   I was walking to the garage the other day and got knocked on the head with one of those darn acorns.  OUCH!  I hope that you have all had a good week.

Have you ever wondered what on earth to do with all those outgrown sweaters, or sweaters you've grown tired of?   Well here's some ideas for re-purposing those sweaters.

FIRST is felting  the sweaters and making totes out of them. 100% wool sweaters work the best for these.  Also, try thick merino, cashmere, and alpaca.  If you don't own any of these --thrift shops are a great place to find good buys on them.   These are super easy to make even for the novice sewer.

TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:

*  100% wool sweater (L or X L are good for totes)

*  Washer and dryer

*  Laundry detergent

*  Large needle

*  Strong thread (carpet and quilting thread work best)

*  Sharp scissors (heavy duty ones are best)

Step 1.  WASH - your sweater in detergent, in very hot water,  in your washing machine. (I've found that if I put them in an old pillow case and tie it, it makes less of a mess in your washer.)  Repeat this step if necessary.

Some shrink a little, some shrink a lot; but either way, the individual stitches become more difficult to see and the felted fabric will no longer unravel when cut. 

Step 2.  CUT - Following the pattern below cut off the sleeves and neckline of sweater.  Refold after cutting so the seams of the sweater and the strap openings face front.

Step 3.  SEW - Turn the sweater inside out, and sew across the bottom, 1/2 inch from the edge.  Fold straps, slightly overlapping, in thirds and sew to secure.  Stitch around the bags opening to keep the totes top from stretching.

 Here is a sample of the finished Tote.

If you are an experienced seamstress, here are some other ideas for making purses out of the sweaters.  Some sweaters don't felt up as well as others.  Not to worry though, you can still make some great purses and totes out of them.

First decide the size and shape you want your purse to be.  Then cut your sweater accordingly.  I like to line mine and put pockets inside them.  I look at garage sales and thrift stores for purses that are priced between $2 and $5 each.  I remove the hardware and handles from them and re-use on my sweater purses.  Much less expensive than buying new and I am re-purposing yet another item.

So ladies let your imagination be your guide and create away.  The possibilities are endless.  I've put pictures below of some of my finished purses.  Hope you enjoy seeing them.

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, please feel free to comment. We will share your ideas on our blog.

This last bag was made and designed by my cousin, Cheryl Beavers.  This colorful sweater was not felted.  Just washed before cutting.  I love the paisley print she used for lining, trim and handles.  So as you see the possibilities are endless.  Let your creative juices flow ladies. 

Hugs and Best Wishes,

                 Nanny