Melly Sweater

I am not the most up to date blogger. This is the famous Melly sweater made especially for Sydney. Check out the tales of it's creation here. This is Sydney performing for the camera...didn't you know that tilting your head is how you pose for a camera? Little minx. Have an amazing Easter. ~Susan

Spring?

Pinwheel mix

Cut and Come Again Mix

I love gardening. I haven't always had time to garden as much as I like but hopefully this year. I am currently planning my cutting garden. This time I will grow plants that I've had previous experience with. My favorite sucessful annuals(this mean they grow from seed every year) Cleome, Cosmos, Tall Snapdragons, and Zinnias. Here are a few pictures to fill your day with a little more spring. ~ Susan

Envy

Giant Violet Queen

Paint this....

I've been planning to paint my living room/kitchen for some time. I've even tried out the colors on my walls. What a surprise when my sister, Laura, brought me paint in exchange for babysitting. You know she didn't have to buy the paint but ....Yeah!!!! I'm so excited here are the sample colors on the wall.

Guacamole, Lettuce Alone, Cornmeal, and Grenadine(last two not shown) Pittsburgh Paints

What do your kids want for breakfast?

Every morning I shake my head. When I was growing up we had oatmeal and toast for breakfast. I loved it. My favorite special treat was cream of wheat, Rice Krispies, or Honey Smacks yum, yum, and yum.

Here's how my morning goes....

"Girls what do you want for breakfast?"

I know I probably shouldn't have started asking but it's too late now.

As soon as I finish this question Paige toddles to the fridge and proceeds to bang on it. If I open it she lunges for the eggs and says EH! Until one is scrambled and at her place she watches me intensely. Even my youngest knows that I get distracted easily.

Sydney places her order depending on the produce of the day....

" Um(while staring into the fridge. Like the contents have changed from the night before. Sorry sweetie no refrigerator fairies here.) I want a salad. I think I want pickles you know the sweet ones not the spicy ones. Oh and some of those olives........... Mom, what are those salty things you put on my salad? I want six of them.(capers, yes, my little monster loves capers I have to limit her consumption which is why she asks for a certain amount.) Oh and some tomatoes."

"Syd do actually want any lettuce in this salad."

"No I want a tomato and pickle salad. But no cheese it makes it taste funny."

So here's Syd's breakfast.

Kate as usual wanted sausage. "Just sausage mom" As we all know The breakfast of champions. You have to know that I deny Kate this breakfast frequently due to time constraints and my dislike of a grease spattered skillet before 8:10 in the morning.

And that's how we start our day, every day.

Have fun in the morning! I know I will!

Feeling Creative...

I created two very fun cards last week. I love them, they make me happy. Themes to work with were beach and flowers. Let me know what you think.

My favorite Sydneyisms from last week...

On Sunday when Sydney came home from Lisa's...

Syd - "Oh, I'm hungry, so very hungry."

Mom - "I know Lisa fed you dinner honey you can't be starving."

Syd - "We had macaroni but only one piece."

While watching a Monk repeat with Mom and Dad...
Syd -"I am mazing."

Dad - "Why are you amazing Syd?"

Syd - "Cause I member this one and you didn't I'm mazing."

Thank goodness for little girls who remember for us and are amazing!

A Monsoon in my Lagoon...

I was busy learning how to use the Silhouette cutter by Quickutz today. I really like it. While creating I snapped a couple of photos of our backyard. I love that it floods we have the best grass in the summer, so very soft to walk on! Paige thought that there were bubbles in the water. She was mesmerized for a long time. We don't worry since we don't have a basement and our house is way way above flood level. To bad we can't get some fish.

I've been wondering where all of our birds have gone. In the winter we usually have two to threes pairs of cardinals and a bazillion songbirds. Well while working in my studio I looked out the window to discover this amazing creature in my tree. I think it's a Kestrel...kind of grainy I took the photo with 16 time zoom in the pouring rain. No wonder we have no birds. I've seen one of the guys in action and it would make me find another place to hang out. Hey maybe I should keep the Chihauhau inside, okay she's a little hefty for a bird to be carrying away. It's fun having a window to open with no screen...you would have laughed watching me climb on the counter open the 20 year old window and lean out while not getting my camera wet or knocking the tools off the counter or out the window. I live to entertain myself. Lots of fun nature today. ~Susan

A week in the life...

My last week was ordinary.

I love that ordinary can be so entertaining.

I've been busy organizing the studio and creating my own clock. I love that I've had the opportunity to meet Ali Edwards and Lisa Bearnson. They are both amazing, talented and kind. So I thought why not put them up on my wall to inspire me to focus on creating.

My clock reads...It's about time.

Ha that makes me laugh, isn't it always about time?

Full view of the clock.

Title shot

Gotta have bling!

I'm still impressed with the scalloping technique Melly taught me.

I scalloped, punched, and stitched...I was on a roll!

When you're feeling a little tired, lonely, sad, or just hungry.
You need to try Melly's Baked French Toast.
The yummy caramel like topping makes it FABULOUS!

Melly's Baked French Toast
(shared without permission,

but I know she would want to corrupt everyone with this yummy goodness.)

1 one pound loaf of French Bread, cut diagonally in one inch slices

8 eggs

2 cups of milk

1 1/2 cups half and half cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup of butter

1 1/3 cups brown sugar

3 Tbs light corn syrup

Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Pour over bread slices, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning preheat the oven to 350. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture.

Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

and enjoy your heavenly breakfast....yes you can still put syrup on top.

What do you do in the wintertime?

Well my girls build tent forts anywhere that they can.


John's insulation skills remember I promised this picture.
He is overly particular about which direction the insulation goes.
Gotta love my man.

I did not do this.

It wasn't planned.

I'm not saying I didn't think about it, but....
I went into my bedroom and found Paige,

like this, watching our screen saver.
If you have called here recently you've heard her...

crying, moaning, or screaming in the background.

When there was silence for more than a couple of minutes

I went to see what the smallest Rappling was up to.

There she was and oh I couldn't stop giggling,

at least I found the camera.

Do you see the smirk in her eyes...little minx, she knows she cute.

Okay that's it for today. On the to do list for tomorrow...working on wedding invitation samples for my youngest brothers wedding, taking a walk, and whatever else comes up.