My Attempt at Subway Art

These are my sisters' Christmas gifts-

We were trying to scale back as much as possible & only give to the kids

But they always do so much for my girls so I wanted to give them something

meaningful & unique

This is my first attemp at my own unique style of

Subway Art

I used favorite song/artists for the quotes.

We all love music so much

This one is George Michael's "waiting for that day"

These started out as canvases that I purchased at Michaels-3 pack for $8.00 i think?

I painted it with acrylic paint.

I dont have any organized way of doing this I just go.......

For this one I used blue & white to get the weathered look

I cut lyrics out with my cricut & stamped some too

Covered it all with a coat of Mod Podge

This one is "all you need it love" by the Beatles!

Now looking back at this, I think I would have added more words to them

But I love the way they turned out

I love the pop of red I used with the green & the blue!

Let me know what you think!

Some Projects...finally!

Teacher Christmas Gifts

Journal-

marble note book-$.98 (walmart)

scrapbook paper

mod podge

stamps & ink

Monogrammed magnet clip-

clip$3.00 for 2-(walmart)

Post it note holder-

Materials:

Lucite frame (dollar store)

Scrap of cute scrapbook paper left over from journal

post it note pad(walmart-package of 3)

embellies-flowers, brads

hot glue gun

just attach the post it note pad to the frame, slip in a scrap paper to fit addd sticker or monogram to personalize!

EASY!!!!

Just Because

In case you noticed,

yeah

I haven't posted any crafty stuff here lately

I know

just lots going on.

Hoping to get back to it soon!

But here are some pics of my cuties

after they decorated their tree!

Late Halloween Bargains at Michael's

The girls & I had a

**girls night out**

when Joe went to the lake house with his friends,

so we did what any other girls would do

we went to Michael's!

All their Christmas stuff was out but there were a few left over Halloween items laying around that they were

practically GIVING away

so these are a few of the treasures we brought home

Got all these for less than $5.00!

Gotta love a bargain!

The ghost basket

Full Price $9.99

Sale Price $.99

These guys are so ugly but they reminded

me of the singing busts at the

"Haunted Mansion" at WDW!

full price $1.99

Sale price $.19 each!

Tim Burton-ish,

full price: $14.99

sale price: $1.49

This was just cute

Sale Price $1.29

Full Price $12.99

Funky

Sale Price $.59

Full Price $ 5.99

See, here is the receipt! Crazy!

The Jersey Shore in NC!

The photos speak for themselves!

Joe & I attended a Halloween Party this year.

I am not a big fan of Halloween,

even less of a fan of dressing up!

Being from NY

This was not a far stretch

being that on most of our nights out

when we were in college & our 20's

we encountered people who were dressed like this

or acted like this!

Dare I say that I probably even dated

someone like this,

anyway

we dubbed ourselves

"The Happening & T-Wow"

We had a blast and danced the night away,

yes

even The Happening danced!

after we "GTL"

I AM tan and I like being tan BITCH!

this is the shirt BEFORE the shirt.

Big is out & lean is in.

I mean this situation is gonna be indescribable, you can't even describe the situation that you're about to get into the situation

Trick Or Treat

A Cheetah & A Bunny

C picked this gourd

S picked this one

The Pumpkin Farm with Nana!

Warriors

This weekend
Joe & I
ran in the
warrior dash
in
Quarryville, PA,
in the middle of
amish country.
This is what we looked like before,

clean & shiny!
Ready to go!

This is "AFTER"


Scary



after climbing walls, bales of hay, rope ladders, wading neck high in frigid water as we had to jump over huge logs, crawl through mud under barbed wire & jump over fire

I did it
I survived
I am a warrior, maybe not a fast running warrior, but a warrior none the less!

.

Cinnamon roll pancakes=heaven!

I found this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Pancakes on a blog called bigredkitchen a while ago & stashed it away in a file called recipes for someday,
Really i have a file for
Recipes For Someday
(& Projects For Someday....that's how much of a geek I am.)


Anyway, since my mom &n my sister gave me this

gorgeously delightful birthday present

Can you believe it?
I was shocked!!

(she is so pretty, like a little black dress but she is red..
HAWT, right???)

I have been waiting to break her in,
but secretly didn't want to get her dirty.
Had to let that go!
Today seemed like the perfect reason to make these pancakes,
not that you need a mixer to make pancakes.....
I did make banana bread too!
More about that later!

Back to the pancakes,
Can I just tell you, they are a piece of heaven!!
I wish I took pictures, of my face when i took a bite!

They are cute, they are fun & they are absolutely delish
Would be a great treat for Holiday breakfast or a brunch.
You have to try this out!
I didn't make the cream cheese icing but I am sure that would be fun,
the kids would be all about swirling some on!

On a organized cooking note,
I do make a lot of breakfast food ahead & freeze them.
I started doing that to get away from feeding the kids so much processed crap
especially breakfast foods.
All I do is make french toast and pancakes ahead of time from scratch, allow them time to cool and then
freeze them in a huge zip-lock bag
They defrost quickly in the microwave or toaster
They taste great
I probably wouldn't serve them to guests for brunch
but for the kids they are just fine!!!



Using a recipe from Everyday Food Magazine,
cant find it on the web but I did find a link to it on this blog.
Foodhero.

It is super simple & have made them in mini muffin tins as well.
I should start taking pics of my food, it is a lot of fun to see the finished product!

Have fun & let me know if you try them!

Never Forget-9 Year Anniversary of 9/11

These are actual pictures taken of
the World Trade Center
Twin Towers in the 1970's

The photos were taken by my father of the WTC & the park surrounding.
They were taken back when these things were not common place:

color coded terror alerts
Al queda
extreme security at airports
infidels
weapons of mass destruction
Osama Bin Laden
Evil doers
shoe bombs
2 oz limit of liquid on airplanes
war in Iraq
Taliban
an attack on American soil
using airplanes full of fuel as "missiles"
Flight 11
Flight175
Flight 77
Flight 93
Anthrax
box cutters


On this day I always feel compelled to watch the specials
and watch the news.
I want to be reminded of the pain that we all felt that day,
in some way it is my version of never forgetting.

Most of us can't even remember what life was life before 9/11
It makes me sad that my children will not know life
without knowledge of 9/11

Today I did participate in Tunnel to Towers 5K run/walk in
Wake Forest.
this is the official site where it all began,
in honor of Steven Stiller

http://tunneltotowersrun.org/

this is where we ran today:

http://charlotte.news14.com/content/top_stories/630258/wake-forest-holds-tunnel-to-towers-5k-run

Saying prayers for all who lost loved ones that day.

Priceless-McCartney Family

Hotel Room...................................................$113.00
Pails & Shovels...................................................$1.00
Full Gas Tank...................................................$45.00
Playing by the ocean, splashing in the pool & floating down a lazy river &
uninterrupted family time........................

PRICELESS!

NIGHTTIME WALK ON THE BEACH

SISTER HUGS BY THE SEA

HERE'S WHERE I PLANTED MYSELF FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME!

THE VIEW, THIS COULD NEVER GET OLD!

My Wish

OK, so I am not a huge country music fan but I did have a station on the other day because I heard a Sugarland song so I left the station on by *mistake*.
Then this song by Rascal Flatts comes on
I was humbled

This is exactly how I feel when i think about raising my daughters,
this is what I want for them,
THIS IS MY WISH FOR THEM

OUR WISH
it is up to me & my hubby to be sure that we pave the way for it TO happen!
I have not been the best mom lately & have been overly impatient & crabby
then i heard this I know I was meant to,
it was a little slap on the back of my head to say
CUT THE CRAP & do the right thing by them!

WOW

LOVE IT

MY WISH
by rascal flatts

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow

And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin' ?til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish
(My wish for you)

This is my wish
(My wish for you)
I hope you know somebody loves you
(My wish for you)
May all your dreams stay big
(My wish for you)

Cute Baby Photo Frame

My latest project, feel like making 100 now!
Cute!
The baby sign is just to hold the spot for the picture,
i almost wrote baby pic goes here, may add that

Friday Fill In's

1. You do your thing; I do mine and sometimes we meet for a movie in the basement!

2. Cleaning is what's been on my mind on and off all day.

3. Remember when the hardest decision was what should i wear today.
4. Blogs, finding a camera and music are three of my favorite obsessions :-)

5. During the last year I haven't gotten as much done as i would have liked!

6. Riley puts a smile on my face.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to hear a band, tomorrow my plans include going to a friend's lake house and Sunday, I want to chill!

Friday Fill In's

And...here we go!

1. Laughter is hard to find lately.

2. HMM WE WILL SEE are the three words that started off the last email I sent.

3. What I'm most looking forward to today is sleep.

4. Cathy puts a smile on my face.

5. Where in the world is my camera, oh yeah, it's in the Costa Rican Black Market somewhere!!!

6. Coffee with a friend just what I needed!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the movie WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, tomorrow my plans include BRUNCH AT FLYING BISCUIT FOR MY BDAY and Sunday, I want to TAKE CIERRA TO GET HER NAILS DONE!

Ahoy Mateys!

You know when you send a baby present,
the older sibling feels left out?
Just finished making this to send to a friend's boy who just became a big brother!
He is 5.
What 5 year old boy doesn't like pirates?

That being said, what 40 something year old woman doesn't think of
Jack Sparrow when she thinks of pirates???

yummmm
.....i digress


This was so easy to make,
I mod podged scrapbook paper on the wooden letter "T"
which I purchased here (just for this reason)
Cut the skull out of the same scrapbook paper
and m/p'd that onto chipboard.
Painted the edges black,
drilled holes
and strung wire through it,
tied some hemp at the top of the wire,
tried to keep it masculine (was so tempted to tie ribbon)

Just noticing the pic is really blurry, had to scan it,
no camera :o( as of yet, but secretly hoping that I get one for my bday in a few days! :o)

Recipe: Asian Pork Tenderloin

I am always on the lookout for good recipes & new ideas that hubby & the girls would like. The girls have always been good eaters, I decided very early on that I am not going to be a short order cook & I think that helped. We also try to make dinner time our family time & eat together every single night. WE ALWAYS did growing up & I cherish those memories with my sibs & mom & dad(sometimes dad) as well as with my extended family, growing up in an Italian home, food & meals were sacred, if you are Italian you know what I am talking about!

I am going to try to share at least one new recipe a week here, ones that I have tried & my family has really liked, kids included.
so with out further ado...here goes. Let me know if you try any of these.

Since we are trying to revamp our whole life as far as eating healthy goes,
my new most favorite-ist magazine is

Taste of Home- Healthy Cooking.

The meals are really healthy and shockingly scrumptious.



Made this dinner for the fam & it was a huge hit and super easy to make, I did not use the ground mustard since I am not a huge fan.
Also, I grilled this (summer = never turn on the oven!) & basted once or twice on each side.
Served it with brown rice & broccoli sauteed with garlic.

Asian Pork Tenderloin

(pic from Taste of Home-Healthy Cooking-Aug/Spet 2010)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pork tenderloins (3/4 pound each)

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Pour 1/2 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the pork; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.
• Drain and discard marinade. Place pork on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 450° for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Yield: 6 servings.
  

Sights around Carillo & Samara, Costa Rica

Pics & Places I love!

WingNuts Sign

Coolest shot of the shops & galleries in town!
(photographer Brett wins an award for this pic)

Walking through town

Dining at El Vino, my fave! Who would think there would be such great italian food in CR?

Great burger place!

Jalopy's license plate