My Birdie Necklace Win

 

 

 

Take a look at this BEAUTIFUL necklace I won from The Shopping Lounge! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! She has so many LOVELY items to choose from, and they are wonderfully made and, did I say that they are BEAUTIFUL?  Take a peek for yourself!

 

I won this necklace through a Facebook giveaway they had, and got to pick my favorite. This was it!

Here are some of her others:

** The Shopping Lounge isn’t paying me to talk about them, and that isn’t why I won. I just think the pendants are so LOVELY!

Maybe you need one too! :>

Tissue Paper Hat Making Date

Have you heard of or made Tissue Paper Hats? They are such an easy, adorable craft for a tea party, dress up or just because! This idea came to me thanks to an object lesson given by a speaker at the Family Conference from our old church. I wasn’t a part of the kid’s class this was used in though.   He gave the finished hat to one of the kids and when I saw it, I fell in love. I knew I would be making this with some sweet girls in the future!

The original idea looked like these:

A simple piece of tissue paper formed around a head-sized bowl, carefully taped around the base with masking tape as you slightly gather, and rounded off to form the brim. I first made these at a Tea Party for my Awana girl’s in 5th and 6th grade.(Notice the drop in picture quality from just 6 or 7 years ago!)

And these:

The Fancy Nancy 5th birthday party of my favorite 6 year old.

Then, Monday this sweet girl’s mom phoned me saying her little girl had a special request of me. She’s been reading “Ferdinand the Bull” for school and needed to make a hat as a project. Of course she wanted to incorporate the flowers from the story into the hat, right up my alley!!!

She spruced up the whole idea by picking out PATTERNED paper, 3 of them!!! LOVE!! And I brought fun, birthday tape and felt flowers I cut from clearance placemats I KNEW I would be able to use for SOMETHING!! In fact, that’s how I justified buying them in FOUR different colors, and less than a month later, I used some!!! These additions made the hat so much more FABULOUS!! Thank you 6 year old!!

SO ADORABLE!!

The gathers really made the layers “pop” making it more fun and whimsical!

We also took the scraps of tissue paper, tied knots in the middle and poked them through the centers of the flowers to create the pollen knob and a stem for easier taping with double sided tape. (Double sided is better for 2 reasons: it’s much stickier, and well, it’s double sided, sticking to both the stem or flower/butterfly AND the “tape band”). Taping it to the tape band allows for mistakes and replacing, as the tissue tears VERY easily.

LOVE the layers! They add weight and durability also, making them sturdier and less likely to fall off with movement and teeny breezes caused by walking and turning the head.

Kids ALWAYS come up with something creative and unique, even for photos!!

LOVE those FRECKLES!!

My in-laws gave me a couple of Raggedies to find new mommies for, and one is now right at home here!

Do you have fun projects/crafts you love to make with your kids or little friends?

Hello Monday with Lisa Leonard

Recipe Exchange: Ham and Egg Bagel Sandwich

Today’s recipe for the Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange is so easy, I kind of don’t consider it a real “recipe” because it’s so easy, but here you go anyway! :>

You can make this with any bagel, an English muffin, toast or whatever, but this time (which was a few months ago, actually), I used a super yummy asiago bagel from Panera Bread as a special treat! This whole sandwich was a special treat for me! Mmmmm.

It’s extra easy if you have a little egg pan like my Sweetie does. He’s funny!

2 eggs

Some cheese, your choice ( I used a shredded mix)

Part of a ham steak, cut to size

Bagel, sliced and toasted

**Crack the eggs into the pan and add a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook completely. Sprinkle on the cheese so it melts. Meanwhile. Heat the ham, (or you can brown it the way I like, for the grilled-type flavor, yummy).  Layer everything onto the bottom half of the bagel, place the top on it and enjoy!

What’s cooking at your house?

Modest Monday: Lavender Loveliness

Another warm sunny day and summery outfit for Modest Monday! The cardigan I wore over this dress was actually a bit too warm for the day Sunday, and not my favorite style, but it looks like I’ve lost my go-to, thin little cardigan. I don’t know what I’m going to do! Good thing I didn’t throw this out last week when I was, once again contemplating it.

Side ponytail with my Flexi Clip.

Since we were shooting rings, here’s my not-matching wedding ring!

The dress: Target

Cardigan: ?

Locket Necklace: Forever 21

Pinkish/Lavenderish Claddagh Ring: Oktoberfest Street Faire (bringing my Irish roots)

Earrings: Craft Faire

Shoes: Sanitas from Footprints

Hair: Plumera Flexi Clip

Do you have favorite accessories or a favorite way to accessorize?

 

 

Adding Quinoa To My Stir Fry

We’re still working on incorporating more quinoa into our diet over rice and pasta, and this time I substituted quinoa for rice in my Stir Fry recipe, and I think I may like it BETTER than rice, white OR brown!!! So yummy!! It takes about the same amount of time to cook as brown rice and is perfect in stir fry!! I think I will do this EVERY time!! Try it!

Do you cook with quinoa? What are some of your tips or recipes?

Recipe Exchange: Orange Julius

Years and years ago, when we were still teenagers, my brother came across or came up with a great Orange Julius recipe that we were all in love with. Since then, I’ve adapted it and come up with my own favorite way to make it, where the texture is thicker and the orange flavor is stronger. So for today’s Recipe Exchange I’m sharing both recipes for you and you can pick the one you like the best! It’s pretty healthy too!

I like making a grape juice version of this too!

Tiffanie’s Orange Julius

2 Tbl. frozen concentrated OJ

4 ice cubes

3/4 cup milk (I’ve used all kinds of cow’s milk in this over the years)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. sugar

**Place everything in the blender, blend and serve!

* You can use frozen orange juice ice cubes, but the flavor is more watered down. I never found a way that worked to my liking.

*You could use honey in this, but it would probably change the flavor a bit. And you would probably only need 1/2 tsp. since honey is sweeter.

* I’ve made the same thing using frozen grape juice concentrate also, and it is super yummy! You don’t need ANY sugar for that one though.

Terry Jr’s Orange Julius

I egg

1/3 cup OJ frozen concentrate

1 cup milk

4-6 ice cubes

1-2 Tbl. sugar

*Place all in blender, blend and serve!

So yummy!!

Do you have a favorite drink you make at home or a remake of a “mall” favorite?

Modest Monday: Denim Dress and Flowered Scarf

Welcome to Monday! That means it’s Modest Monday time! This week I thought I would repeat some of my thoughts about why I feel the need to be modest as I have  many new readers since last June. Also, I am posting a repeat outfit, but worn in a different way and with way better photos. My Sweetie and I took the photos at our local Sweet Springs Nature Reserve, a favorite of ours :> We always have the challenge of snapping a photo mid-gust here at the beach, but I’d rather have wind than live without a beach!

The Bible calls us to dress modestly, and it is a daily act of obedience for me to dress modestly and femininely. Sometimes I just don’t feel like it, or I worry about what others will think. but I know in my heart I need to obey what God is telling me to do.

I’ve heard a lot of people say they can’t FIND modest clothing, and I admit it’s a challenge sometimes, but it IS possible! It may take more work and a few sewing skills sometimes, but it can be done. The easiest way to make MANY things more modest, is just to add a tank top that comes up high enough, a Halftee or Cami Secret to your outfit.

Today’s outfit is a empire waist denim dress with an A-line skirt from Sears on clearance  several years ago. It is a great style for me! I wore a pale pink tank with it from Jockey, that you can’t really see in the bright sunlight. The flowered scarf was either a gift from my sister-in-law or a thrift store find. The earrings were a gift from my Sweetie from Kohl’s I think. My Sanita dressier looking shoes and Lilla Rose Flexi Clip top off the outfit!

Talking with my hands again!

My Sweetie also liked the wildlife!

What are your modesty tips or struggles?

Hello Monday with Lisa Leonard

Practical and Precious Time with my Sweetie

Today I talked my Sweetie into taking the photos for my Modest Monday post tomorrow, at our local Sweet Springs Nature Reserve instead of out by our tree. It’s a favorite spot of ours and I thought it would be a nice little outing after church, and a fresh change for the photo taking. We love an opportunity to see Morro Rock! Of course, I said I talked him into it, but then I couldn’t pull him away!! He loves wildlife, AND he had my wonderful new-at-Christmas/birthday camera in his hands, so……..LOTS of wildlife photos! I love that we took this little opportunity to connect by doing something with both love! Taking a little time to do things like this can make all the difference in a relationship, and I know we need some time to connect with each other often, amidst all of the other things pulling at us. I’m really thankful for my Sweetie and this time we had together today!

Here are some of his photos of God’s creation:

Egrets in the wind.

Morro Rock through the haze.

He loved how the winds was ruffling the feathers of the Egrets!

How are you connecting with your Sweetie this week?

 

Hello Monday with Lisa Leonard

A 5 Year Old’s Request

I picked up these little finger puppets  from a local shop and took them to my ballet lesson with the adorable 5 year old, so we could play with them after. You’d think that would be enough, playing with them admiring them and putting on a puppet show. But first, she decided which one each of us ARE which was my favorite, her 21 year old sister’s and hers. THEN, she says…”Would you make this for me?” So cute, she wants a matching outfit to this little ballerina! I’m used to this, she often asks me to make her one of something I’m working on or something she sees somewhere. She knows her sister and I sew and are crafty. So, I was a little surprised, but not very.

I said that MAYBE we could find a leotard or bathing suit with SIMILAR stripes, and make or doesn’t she already have a lavender tutu?! I was thinking of saving myself some work. NEVER promise a 5 year old you can find or make a matching one!! What if you can’t? Shoot for similar. She is very particular also! She went for it.

Then I stopped by Target and saw 2 possible bathing suits that same day!!! Whew!! Now we just have to see if she’ll go for the yellow instead of white, and all horizontal stripes…

I also found one with stars. I took photos of each, uploaded them, took side by side views and sent them to her dad. We’ll see if she approves them. :>

Her sister and I can’t blame her for this way of thinking, she’s learned it from us! Watching us see something and duplicate it, or create something out of our heads. She’s seen the wheels turning and now her wheels are turning too. It’s sweet to see!

Distinctive Luggage Tags

I don’t think we’ll have trouble finding our luggage on our June trip to Ireland for a friend’s wedding!!

This wasn’t always true of me, but I like being different and I’m excited to see these greeting us at baggage claim!

My Sweetie has a mustache and I have red hair, so these are perfect! Yes, I know that isn’t her hair, bit it gives that effect!!

Thank you Target!