Another Cookie Cake

I just couldn't resist sharing this

Homemade Cookie Cake.Matt Bandsuch

Iced in chocolate buttercream, this cake gets the true homemade treatment as chocolate cookies smeared with white icing and mini rainbow sprinkles line the sides.

from Real Simple

Bunny Cake

Transform a store-bought (or homemade) frosted cake

into a colorful grand finale ...

photo courtesy Matthew Mead

with bunny-shaped sugar cookies.

Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

Get the Recipe

Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

Check out the new GIVEAWAY!

How about....

a FLOWER for your hair.

Yesterday I did my all time biggest pet peeve ... a habit I've been so good to break too!

Kayley's TAG from 6/08

Three Bad Habits of Mine...

1. I try to eat the whole elephant in one big bite.
2. Big time perfection issues......
3. Starting a load of laundry and forgetting about it.

because I had to make these:

for these!

Edith Twirl Skirts

I'm almost finished with the skirts for Ella and Addie. I need to get their waist measurements and they'll be good to go . I must say, I love PDF patterns! Jona does an amazing job. It's well written with great photos and it is suitable for beginners. I had so much fun. Now I really want to get this pattern . Isn't it adorable!
Working with Heather Bailey's fabric is such a treat!

I still have to play my little game.

....I think I found a new hobby! (just what I need)

I heart embroidery.... it is really fun.

I'm going to get the girls some little tank tops and try these sleeves.

photo from Jona Giammalva

I found this great tutorial from Jona.

Thank You Thursday

and the winner is......

Congratulations Kayley!

She has been a little entrepreneur since she was 13 years old. She loves art and is very creative. She started making purses that she designed, sewed and embellished with embroidery and shells. She loved to give them as gifts and everyone adored them. Soon people started ordering them from her and when Kayley was 14 she took them to a specialty boutique at Five Points an art district in Jacksonville. It was fun to be shopping and walk in a beautiful shop to see her bags!

She especially loves painting plaques. She painted her first one for her niece, Ella, and gave it to Marci at her baby shower.Once again, she started taking orders and I added them to my e-store. Here are a couple she did for my customers:

She then opened Pink Coconut Designs.

I'm so excited for Kayley and Scott. Kayley entered a contest through BYU for The 2009 Home Based Business Plan Competition. The contestants had to present a business plan and power point presentation. Kayley and Scott make such a great team as he is the perfect financial advisor and business consultant.

This is the new plaque she made for her presentation.

Earlier today Kayley did her Power Point Presentation, the last part of the competition.
They just found out she won!

Way to go- Kayley and Scott
They're on their way!

Spring is here!

Don't you just love this time of year. Here in Houston the Crape Myrtles are starting to bloom. They line the streets with such vibrant color.

The Azaleas are one of my very favorite. They were amazing on that Home Tour. It's fun to lighten and brighten inside too! I posted about this very thing in a Tuesdays Tip and can't wait to do some projects. I found some pretty fabric at Calico Corners that I want to cover the dining room chairs with.

What do you think?

I love the little nests on the plates, so I leave them out until Easter.
Our favorite Wire Tree adorned with egg ornaments.

I carry the bird pillows at Pineapple Hill and LOVE it so much I had to have one for us.

The Bordallo Pinheiro Green Rabbit Plates in the kitchen window.
My sweet friend, Susie, gave me that beautiful bowl for Christmas. I love it with the Robins Eggs in it.
The little basket is an antique and the bunny a friend made for me 14 years ago.


More little bunnies from over the years.

Isn't that little chick cute, I don't remember where it came from.

There's just something about spring and projects I totally have the bug not to mention how excited I am to work in the garden. Those poor neglected flower beds will be thrilled.

another giveaway

Pineapple Hill Designs is the Saturday Spotlight over at

The Secret is in the Sauce.

We're doing a Spa BASKET Giveaway

Check it out!

Thank You Thursday

Do you ever find wonderful things that you love so much it's as if they were invented just for you. I do! If only one of these days, I can be the ONE that invents them!

During the wedding, Kayley introduced me to this. I don't know how I lived without it. I also can't live without this or this (swiffer must love me)! Now, I won't be able to sew with out this.

My new find is Sula Peel-Off Polish.

This company is brilliant!

This new nail polish is water-based, formaldehyde and phthalate-free, and it peels off easily for short-term wear and quick satisfaction. If you like to change your nail polish frequently this is for you!
It runs around $10. They carry it at our Ulta store but you can go HERE to find a store near you.

Spring Break Esape

We're going on a

to

be back

Shamrock Oreo Truffles

Recipe Courtesy of Bakerella

Mint Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. Double Stuf Oreos - Cool Mint Flavor - (1 lb. , 1 oz. pkg.)
• use 22 cookies with cream centers included
• use 10 cookies with cream centers discarded
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
chocolate bark or candy coating*

1. Finely crush the cookies in a food processor or a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
2. Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together completely.
3. Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
4. Place covered in freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes to help retain shape when dipping in melted chocolate.
5. Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.

Refrigerate and enjoy!
*Or, go green:

white chocolate bark/candy coating for dipping
green candy melts for dipping

1. Make your green and/or white shamrocks first (see picture below). You can use a ziploc bag with a small corner cut off or a decorating bag with with a small round tip attached to make the shamrocks. Use a toothpick to direct chocolate into desired shamrock shape. (Of course, in hindsight, this would have been a lot easier if I had found some little shamrock sprinkles.) Let dry.
2. Then, dip half the truffles in white chocolate and the other half in green.
3. If necessary, dip them again for a smooth finish. I found it necessary, especially for the white ones.
4. Then, on the second dipping, while still wet, press your cooled shamrocks gently on the top of your truffles.
5. For another effect, you can take the ziploc bag of chocolate and drizzle across each truffle with the alternating color.
   

Makes about 36 truffles.
Recipe amended from Kraft Food & Family Fall 2006.

Bakerella used a brand from Hobby Lobby for the green candy melts and regular white chocolate bark found at Kroger for the rest.

Here's a few links to some other candy melts:

Colored Candy Melts
Merckens Candy Melts
Wilton Candy Making Tips

Important Warning

A friend sent this information to me and I'm only sharing it because I think it is very IMPORTANT to get the word out.

So many of us have or are around kids.

Please note: This story was verified at SNOPES .

Story:

Yesterday, my youngest daughter, Halle , who is 4, was rushed to the emergency room by her father for being severely lethargic and incoherent. He was called to her school by the school secretary for being 'very VERY sick.' He told me that when he arrived, Halle was barely sitting in the chair. She couldn't hold her own head up and when he looked into her eyes, she couldn't focus them.

He immediately scooped her up and rushed her to the ER, and then called me.
When we got there, they ran blood test after blood test and did x-rays, every test imaginable. Her white blood cell count was normal, nothing was out of the ordinary. The ER doctor told us that he had done everything that he could do so he was sending her to Saint Francis for further tests.

Right when we were leaving in the ambulance, her teacher came to the ER and, after questioning Halle's classmates, we found out that she had licked hand sanitizer off her hand. Hand sanitizer, of all things.

But it makes sense. These days they have all kinds of different scents and when you have a curious child, they are going to put all kinds of things into their mouths.

When we arrived at Saint Francis, we told the ER doctor there to check her blood alcohol level, and yes we did get weird looks, but they did it.

The results showed her blood alcohol level was 85% -- six hours after we first took her. There's no telling what it would have been if we would have requested it at the first ER.

Since then, her school and a few surrounding schools have taken this out of the classrooms of all the lower grade classes, but what's to stop middle and high school kids from ingesting the stuff?

After doing research on the Internet, we have found out that it only takes 3 squirts of the stuff to be fatal in a toddler. For her blood alcohol level to be so high was to compare someone her size to drinking something 120 proof.

So please PLEASE don't disregard this because I don't ever want anyone else to go through what my family and I have gone through.
Please send this to everyone you know who has children or are going to be having children. It doesn't matter what age. Please help get the word out.

Thank You Thursday

I have the cutest cleaning lady hands down.

She does a great job on the floors.

She loves to organize cupboards.

OOps!

If something spills, she cleans it up right away.
Especially if it's candy.