candied pecans

i have some of these...wasting their time in my cupboard...screaming for vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. i have neither. so, so cruel.

candied pecans

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp water

2 tsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Combine brown sugar, butter, water, and cornstarch in small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly.Stir in pecans. Sperad warm pecan mixture on tinfoil lined baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes in preheated, 375 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove foil from pan and cool.

These are so yummy on salads, too.

i feel especially evil today.

I wasn't feeling very good a while back; when I mentioned just that to Dani..."I don't feel very good"...she replied, "Are you feeling evil?" Why yes, yes I am.

I have a headache. Which I suppose is why I could only pretend spend $214.14 on Alexander Henry fabric today. My achey breaky brain just couldn't take any more add to carts. Here are some of my favorites...

bird seed

daybreak

devora

very berry

My headache has had an unusual affect on the reasoning lobe, and in a moment of weakness i pretend bought this duvet comforter i love, but feel pretend bad putting it on my pretend king size bed because this headache has left me unable to convince myself it's not too girly for conan. it's not...too girly...is it? It's called Woodland, from Pottery Barn. "Woodland" is manly, right?

sweet tunes

my brother jd just introduced me to some sweet tunes in the form of jose gonzalez.

you are listening to him right now.

as i told jd in my reply email of gratitude...i'd like to shut myself in the water closet with my earphones and memorize lyrics tonight.

check out itunes. become a believer.

i want...

i mean, "i would like to have"...a studio.

heather bailey

we're not allowed to say "i want" in our house. you say "may i please have" or "i would like" or "I'd really appreciate" etc.

...I would be grateful for...every pretend crafter's dream. a place for everything, beautified.

movie game

okay, i don't wanna wait till Monday. I'm allowed to change the rules. I'm changing the winner rules, again, too. It's just going to be the first person to get it right, none of this mumbo jumbo two winner stuff. keep it simple, eh?

adamzes was totally right.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Here's a clip of the scene if you don't believe me. Fast forward it to around 3:45.

Hey, check out adamzes blog, Serendipitous Sagacity, good stuff. I especially liked this Kellie Coffey video she posted. I Would Die for That. Gratitude, about covers it.

okay, here's your prize adamzes!

Email me with your address and i will send an owl.

thanks for playing. i've got a good movie in mind for the next one. I may just stump ya. maybe.

anna maria horner

This is "sketchbook" from her new line, Drawing Room. It's love.

this is when you play the glad game

I'm glad he decided to wash only his face with toothpaste.

I'm glad it's chicken noodle, and not tomato.


I'm glad he's picking healthy snacks.
Well, kind of.

movie game

Okay, this will be fun. Conan and I play this on trips.

Here's how you play...

I give you up to 3 clues to a movie, you guess. Simple.

My clue can be a quote from the movie, a piece of the plot, a character description. Whatever.

If you know the movie, share your guess, with the movie's FULL title in the comments. Make sure you leave your name if its anonymous.

If nobody gets it right by Monday, I'll give another clue. If nobody guesses it still, I'll give one last clue on Wednesday, and admit I'm not very good at this game.

However, if one or more of you guess it right away, I will accept defeat and pick a winner at random from the correct answers on Monday, March 30. HOORAY! For the winner.

I can't show you what you win, it will give away the movie. I know that's not much motivation to play, stop complaining. If you know the movie, you're a fan, and you'll like the prize. If you really don't like it you can sell it on ebay. But it's cool, I think.

Each time we play, the prize will have something to do with that movie. And be cool. Promise.

Oooh, I love games.

Okay, here's the clue:

"page three-hundred and ninety-four"

hmm. that may be too easy. All right...go.

UPDATE: all right already, i see the flaw. if one person guesses it right, everyone else can cheat and give the same answer. That's not fair to the one who was right first. I could just have you email me your answer, but that's no fun. I could just say the first person who gets it right wins, but that's not fair for the ones doing yard work. So...there will be TWO prizes. One for the first person to answer correctly, and the other picked randomly...from correct answers...honest answers. Confusing? Yes. I wouldn't do it any other way.

purple smoothies

This is not a story entirely about yumminess. I just wanted to warn you up-front. If you don't like nasty visuals with your food, read no further.

I love smoothies. Dump some frozen fruit in the blender, add juice or milk, maybe a little sugar, and you've got yourself a fruity delight with a straw. I've enjoyed the health factor for my kids, as well, since fresh fruit can be so expensive.

However, it's not so fun anymore.

A while ago I made the kids a berry smoothie, with blueberries and such, instead of the normal strawberry, pineapple, cantaloupe concoction (the variety bag from Sam's Club). I was excited, but they didn't share my enthusiasm. They all just stared at it. The dark color and berry seeds threw them off, I guess.

Andy was particularly put off by its appearance. He says, and this is where I apologize, "Uh, mom, I am not drinking purple diarrhea. Sorry. I don't believe that is healthy."

He then proceeds to call Jake down from upstairs by yelling..."Hey Jake! Come drink your diarrhea!"

Gross. I know. This is what I live with.

They all thought it was funny, laughed a bit, said it over and over, and drank the smoothies. I just about puked watching them. So I have a big bag of berries in my freezer. I can't do it. I just can't do it again.

I'm sticking with the tropical blend. They've ruined the berry theme.

get the coupons, buy some canvas

go to joann's today, sign up for their mailer coupons. then come home, get online, and sign up for their online flyers. Then look in your Sunday paper for more coupons. You can use all three of these in one visit. They will also accept coupons from other stores, like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Hello? 50% off. You take advantage, even if you don't want to. If you don't have anything specific you need, use the coupons and buy yourself either a yard of canvas or a framed canvas. Any size. Keep them in stock, and use them for rainy day kids projects, or for cheap art for empty walls. O the possibilities.

The boys and I made these to hang over their beds...with canvases i bought a long time ago, for $2 each. Not bad.

They picked a color and covered the canvas. then i outlined their initials, and they painted those with another color. I let them choose an "object" to add to it. Jake wanted outer space, and a small letter. So he painted stars and planets. Andy wanted a cornfield...go figure...i don't know...and joey wanted a car. An unusally shaped, expensive precision vehicle, from Europe. yOu'll find no other quite like it. So I traced the shapes lightly with pencil and had them paint it in, then outlined it all in black. Easy peezy acrylic paint squeezy.

of course, dani wanted to join in, and she could because i had an extra canvas. This is her rendition of the womping willow. brilliance.

see more canvas projects here. and here. and here. and my favorite...HERE, from the supercruze's. I love it. gotta do it.

Check out Joann's Free Shipping Club, too.

Awesome. More Awesome.

I'm sorry. I have to. I loved it.





while i'm at it...i love this one, too. David Cook isn't necessarily my favorite, but these are definitely my favorite songs from this season. Probably because I had a childhood crush on Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson. I used to set up a tent in my bedroom with my comforter and pillows, and listen to hello and dancing on the ceiling, and sing human nature to my Michael poster, while sporting my silver glove.

I'm giving away how big of a dork i really am.

andy's positive affirmations

andy is a very unique and "expressive" boy. he tells his dad and I, and his blankie (it's a girl, and she doesn't like being talked back to), that he loves us often, usually followed with an endearing little hug, sweet nuzzle, and his signature snuggle sigh..."mmm"...with a little shake.

yesterday he was excused from the dinner table to use the bathroom, and Conan quickly, and quietly, followed him and took his stance, hands and knees, outside the bathroom door to "surprise" andy as he came back to the table. the ever-so-loved growl and squeal took place, we laughed, and they both returned to the dinner table.

Conan asked Andy who he was talking to in the bathroom.

Andy replied, "just me."

Conan..."What were you saying?"

"Oh, I was just telling me I love myself." Very matter of fact.

"You were telling yourself that?"

"Yeah, dad, I love myself." To which he wrapped his arms around his sweet self, gave himself a little squeeze, shake, and sigh...mmm...with a grin you couldn't describe.

hmmm.

Today as we sat down to dinner again, i could pick out Andy's voice in the midst of the 5 others all wanting dad's attention. Not being heard, he spoke a little louder, but still with the tender tone of his popular affirmations.

I listened closely, as he said, "Dad, I'm glad I'm me. Dad, I'm so glad I'm me." Repeated 4 or 5 times, followed by the same self nuzzle and sigh, each time.

I'm so glad he's him too.

oh sweet...aloneness

miracle of miracles...i slept 8 hours last night...whoa whoa, wha? You heard me. I woke up in a panic...something's wrong...it's the end of the world...i...feel...rested.

Now as if that's not enough to rock the universe...i showered, in the morning...alone. All by my sweet self. I even shaved my legs.

It doesn't end there, oh no. Follow me here...I put on makeup, alone, and actually concentrated on where the eyeliner went. I did my hair, alone, kind of. I was afraid to turn on the blow-dryer in fear of ending the aloneness bliss.

I prayed alone, and read...alone. Thankyou.

Okay, here is where I must ask you to contain your squeals of amazement and jealousy. I...ate...breakfast...in the morning...alone. I made myself some imported Sonny Boy Cereal (it will save your life) with berries, yeah, i said berries, and sat at my kitchen table, alone. And i thought, thoughts.

Now, I sit and type, alone. And wait anxiously for them to wake up.

cookbook update

As some of you may remember, I started a project...a really long time ago...a, REALLY, long, time ago. I just wanted to let you know, it is not forgotten. I am entering recipes, still, and promise you will get your cookbook, but I'm not saying when because...uh...i dunno. I think i've found a way to publish it, at lulu.com. I can probably get them printed for under $7 there.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here is the original email, sent almost a year ago. You are welcome to join in the fun, just send me an email with your tested and loved recipes, and put cookbook in the subject. Keep it simple, is my only request. I've got to finish this...this year.


original email...
If this message has gotten to any husbands, it’s not for you. Please forward it to your wives, or suffer a long, lingering death by tater tot casserole.

It’s 5:00pm, the husband is coming home in one hour, the kids are covered in boogers and mud, and every crockpot recipe needs to cook for at least 5 hours. The dinnertime doom begins. The only solace I receive is that there are other women I know and love who have to cook dinner 21,840 times within the approximate 60 years of domestication, before the old folks home hands out the meal tickets. They are still alive, and happy…maybe. Or are they, too, living with this eternal torment in secret. Making dinner is not the issue here, I enjoy cooking, it’s the decision that kills me. If you are cringing, or crying, you know what I’m talking about. What’s for Dinner. When you finally find a recipe that uses the 3 chicken breasts you have in the freezer, you’re missing the chopped shallots, or the fresh ginger, or the arugula…huh? Who buys arugula? (If you do, go away.)

So, I have an idea. I would like to know what you make. Your favorites. I’d like to collect as many as I can, and creatively compile them into a cookbook for all of us. If you send a recipe, I’ll send a book. Any recipe. I promise, I will compile them all and finish this by Christmas (because it takes me till Christmas to do anything, like laundry, it will be done by Christmas. Dani is dying for her pink shorts, but she’ll have to wait for Santa, I don’t do darks till October). If you want some for Christmas presents for other people, I will do it, just send them in. I’d like to have all the recipes this summer, so I can work on it in pieces and make it really good.

Here are the categories I have included:

Appetizers and Party Food
Desserts
Beans and Rice
Drinks
Beef
Eggs
Breads
Pasta
Chicken
Pork, Turkey, Fish
Cookies and Snacks
Roast
Crockpot
Soup & Salad
Fruit and Veggies

Plus any clever tricks of the trade, organizational tips, dinner time stories, complaints, etc. These will be fun.

I’ll give you three weeks to respond, and anyone I haven’t heard from I will send an annoying reminder email. If I don’t hear from you after that, I will assume your dinner dilemmas are of no ones business but your own, and I will leave you alone, to live in your fantasy world, alone.

I am excited to hear from you. Send as many as you can, the more the better. Feel free to forward this to anyone you want, or to someone you know I’ve missed. Not only will it be great to have a butt load (excuse me…a boat load) of recipes we trust are great from women we know and love, but it will give us a needed outlet for the torment of the 5:00 hour.

Thank you. Really, thank you.

Love Cally


Here are a couple recipes from the book:


orange chicken
cook time: 30 minutes

Terry Jean Kocher
my aunt
red deer, alberta canada

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ginger
½ cup orange marmalade
½ cup orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained

· Melt butter in a large skillet. Brown chicken, seasoning with salt & pepper. Don’t cook the chicken, just brown it. Remove chicken to a plate.

· In a small bowl (I use a pyrex measuring cup) mix together brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, marmalade, orange & lemon juice.

· Pour sauce into the pan you cooked the chicken in. Bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits & stirring until thickened. Add chicken.

· Simmer 25-30 minutes; add mandarin oranges.

· Serve over rice.

strawberry romonoff
Judy Reed

Faye Gold
mother of Conan’s highschool buddy, LeGrand
kingsport, tennessee

½ gallon vanilla ice cream
1 small carton cool whip
2 packages frozen strawberries
Strawberry jam to taste

· Soften ice cream. Beat cool whip, ice cream, & strawberry jam together with portable mixer. Stir in frozen strawberries. Freeze until firm.

chicken tacos
Cook Time: 6 – 7 hours

Jennifer Hughes
friend
knoxville, tennessee

Serve with your favorite taco or fajita toppings on tortillas. EASY!

3 frozen chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 can chopped green chilies

· Place chicken breasts in crock pot.

· Sprinkle taco seasoning & green chilies evenly over chicken.

· Cook on high for 6 - 7 hours.



Be patient with me. It's coming.

have a good one

monster art party

the boys were invited to atticus' bday today. so fun. merrilee is major creative, and knows just what little boys love to do...make a mess.


and of course, atticus got a bag. even two-year-olds can't escape. we went to target and filled it with cars, books and other goodies.



happy birthday, atticus. and thanks for a fun day, merrilee.

taking the plunge

three words have stopped me from officially selling stuff...

intimidation

discipline

danijakeandyjoeykacie

it's scary. i'm a really good faker. there is a level of professionalism needed in economic endeavors, of which i have none. i'm not quite in that realm of feeling like my addiction of making is worth the "buy me" route. i'm not disciplined - i can't possibly imagine figuring out how to meet "deadlines", and stay productive when i really just want to sit, and eat donuts. and...i've already got a good job, working for five clients i'm in love with. it feels kinda selfish. i suppose i have the power to dictate how busy i want to be, and i can invite krispy kreme to my craft table on special occasions, so here it is...

i'm making stuff already, cause i like to. so i might as well make stuff and sell it. i'm just going to keep it simple, and make a place here on the blog where you can buy stuff if you want. i appreciate all the sweet requests for commercializing, so here i go...taking the plunge.

i am in the process of tweeking the pictures i have, and so forth. so give me another week or so, to fine tune this. i'll give you more details...when...well...when i think some up.

thanks for the push. i don't enjoy jumping off cliffs, at least alone anyways.

dear ali...

do your laundry.

i went shopping today

and i pretend bought myself a master bedroom, with crafting nook...

for bolts of fabric, i will pretend to buy tomorrow

i need a place to make stuff...and leave it out.

i'm not a believer in making your bedroom a workstation, but i suppose i'm willing to sacrifice.

i'm sure conan won't mind the hum of a sewing machine during the twilight hours of insomnia.

he's very understanding.

if you get a second...

read this post.

i am waiting patiently...

for anna maria horner's new line, drawing room, to be released. yum.

i love to shir...

i experimented this weekend. and i love it.

mom's, meet morning goodness...

Cereal is a staple. We go through, well, plenty boxes a week. I have a few rules when buying cereal: less than $3.00 a box, low sugar, and whole grains. No hydrogenated junk. High fiber. That has limited my choices a bit.

So I was at Wal-Mart, buying cereal, and my eye stopped at this new orange box I hadn't seen before. It was Family-Size, perfect. And the label said NATURAL, awesome. And then I glanced at that scary little sticker that usually sends me on my way. But oh no, they've made a mistake. A second glance, and can this be for real? Drumroll please...$1.62. Um, I don't hear your applause. Did you hear what I said? ONE DOLLAR AND SIXTY TWO CENTS!!! Then I looked at the nutritional label. Not hydrogenated anything, natural ingredients, no added fake anything. So I bought four.

Let me introduce you...

This is your new morning best friend, her name is Mom's Best Naturals. After further scouring their website, I love them more. Made with renewable energy, no artificial fluff, no high fructose syrups, made with whole grains, etc, etc. For those of you reduce & reuse lovers, just check out their Product Commitment.

Yup. I love.

Happy Morning to ya.

Howls Moving Castle

My kids are watching this movie . I am really loving it. It is an incredibly creative, very sweet, quirky, japanese animated love story. Just beautiful animation. Danis says, "This movie must have caffiene, 'cause i can't stop watching it."


Sophie, a 19-year-old girl who believes she is plain, has resigned herself to a drab life in her family's hat shop--until the Witch of the Waste transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In her aged guise, Sophie searches for a way to break the Witch's spell and finds unexpected adventures. Like Chihiro, the heroine of Spirited Away, Sophie discovers her hidden potential in a magical environment--the castle of the title. Using CG, Miyazaki creates a ramshackle structure that looks like it might disintegrate at any moment. Sophie's honesty and determination win her some valuable new friends: Markl, Howl's young apprentice; a jaunty scarecrow; Calcifer, a temperamental fire demon; and Heen, a hilarious, wheezing dog. She wins the heart of the dashing, irresponsible wizard Howl, and brings an end an unnecessary and destructive war.