Bren's Kitchen

So I ordered and recieved this before we went on vacation...Bren LOVES the pots and pans and dishes, although she's not quite so sure about the stove itself...it's a bit low. We haven't decided if we are going to raise it up or just build one from scratch?





I also ordered the lot of assorted accessories...the Mrs. Potts teapot is certainly my favorite piece! I wish Chip had been in the lot too! :-( BUT there are tons of neato accessories, including loads of bottles, that I hope to make molds of and make additional resin bottles. Have fun looking! =D

One good turn...

Since hubby bought me my awesome 'new' Denali...we decided to get him something cool too! We were out shopping for the boys backpacks and such and found this amazing chaise. The hubs loves to kick back in a recliner, but seems to be rather hard on them. (we've gone through 3 of them in the last 8 years!!!)So I went out yesterday and picked it up for him. Doesn't he look comfy!

Jumping the gun a bit, but...

I wanted to share the new toy my hubby bought me when we got home! While we were camping we discussed possibly getting either an RV or a larger vehicle and a camper. Now none of this was going to happen until next year when hubs returned from the Middle East. But Monday we decided to go out and just look around. We stopped first at the camper place and found several that would be in our budget as well suit our needs. We headed off to the local Chevy dealer as hubby wanted a Suburban to allow us to haul just about any camper we chose. My goodness they are expensive!!! We were getting ready to leave when the sales man mentioned an SUV that had been traded in the day before...it hadn't even been completely detailed yet...it was a 2006 Tan Yukon Denali...oh my was it pretty. Turns out the previous owner had traded it in on a CORVETTE!!!! So that should give you some indication of how 'clean' it was. They gave us an amazing trade in deal on our Sedona, and gave us a phenomenal deal on the Denali.



Hubby and I are calling it serendipity as earlier that day we were discussing giving our Sunfire convertible to a young soldier in need of a vehicle. (we've done that before and it really is a nice feeling to do something really nice for someone in need.

So we brought home this gorgeous new-to-us Denali which drives like a dream! AND suits our current and future needs perfectly!!!!

Day 2 of our vacation

We woke up bright and early to the sounds of birds chirping. It was a glorious way to wake up! We decided to make the 'short' quarter mile trek to the lower falls. (I say 'short' because the trek to the upper falls was 3/4 of a mile...however, the trek to the lower falls was much harder as it was zig-zaggy and very uphill!) So after much panting and climbing we finally made it to the lower falls. I didn't get any pictures as there was a young lady in the middle of a photo shoot. I didn't want to intrude. :-( It was pretty but not as nice as the upper falls.

We drove down the mountain a few miles to a little store selling both cut and uncut gem stones. We were able to go 'grubbin' again and we all had a blast. Each of the boys came home with several cherry-pit sized uncut garnets and tons of other semi-precious stones. Bradley got a fantastic nearly perfectly clear quartz point! Joe found a large chunk of smoky quartz and Hunter found a gorgeous piece of pink calcite. We picked up some lunch before heading north to find another set of water falls that the owner of the store recommended. The final leg of the trip back to the falls was incredibly hairy...1 1/2 lanes of dirt road with a cliff rise on one side and a sheer drop on the other. (can we say NO guard rails!!!) We encountered a couple cars coming the other way and MOST of them scooted as close to the cliff rise as they could to let us pass. HOWEVER the 1st car we encountered was some kind of luxury SUV who wouldn't move any closer that about 2 feet from the cliff rise...which left US riding the very edge of the drop. NOT a fun feeling! BUT we finally made it to the falls and I must admit they were SOOOOOO worth the harrowing drive.
(so I don't clog up my page with zillions of pictures visit my flick account to check out our vacation pics!)

What I've been up to...

Serendipity is a wonderful thing!!! First off I must admit to a bit of a lie...While I WAS in Atlanta for a few days I wasn't there to visit a friend...I was actually there to pick up my husband for his 2 week R&R from Iraq!!!! (couldn't say anything as it was a surprise to his family who read my blog through Facebook!) That in itself was an experience as he was supposed to be in late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. But due to arriving late(not his fault!!!) He missed the 1st flight out and didn't arrive until Friday morning! You can just imagine our boys surprise when I came home with their Daddy!!! We left Tuesday morning and headed north to Dahlonega, GA. After much driving around and around...(north GA doesn't seem to like to label roads!!! lol) we found the gold mine. We spent an hour or so sifting though a giant rubbermaid tub full of sand, dirt and gemstones! The boys found some wonderful semi precious stones, and had a fantastic time!(Pics of that coming later, gotta find my memory card! LOL) We did also pan for gold, but that was way harder with much less 'satisfying' result. We did each bring home a test tube with a few tiny slivers of gold in it though. But they had way more fun 'grubbin' for gems! We headed north again in search of our campsite, but again due to lack of proper road signs we ended up south of where we needed to be. Bought a map and finally found the original destination, then decided to head back to the area where the mine was to hit up Wal-mart. Then headed north into the mountains to camp at Desoto Falls State Park. We ended up in this gorgeous little camping area filled with lovely lush green trees and a pair of amazing waterfalls!
We camped in Desoto for 2 nights and had a fantastic time. Since this is getting rather wordy I am gonna cut this short and will update more of our trip tomorrow!
ARGHHHH!!!I am having trouble uploading pictures anywhere online, but I promise to add some real soon! :-(

I've been busy...

And have a good bit of busy more to come. I was off line the last couple days to go visit a friend in Atlanta. (Momma took a couple days off for some 'me' time.) Today and tomorrow will be spent preparing to head to KY for Donnie's family reunion. Bummer that he won't be able to join us though. =( BUT the boys and I are looking forward to taking some time out before school starts to get out into nature. We are going to tent camp in Northern GA and do some hiking and visit Dahlonega, which is the site of the first US gold rush. We'll take the tours of the mine and then do a little panning for gold! They boys are beyond excited about this. Then we are off to KY for the reunion on Saturday. Then we'll head back home sometime Sunday. The busy-ness will continue and our oldest Joe starts his junior year of high school on Wednesday! (Yep the 28th of JULY!!!) The younger 2 have a little bit more time, but not much. They head back to Kindergarten and 4th grade respectively on the 6th of August. So we are enjoying our last bit of 'freedom' with a nice refreshing vacation!

No pics today, but I promise to have tons and tons to share after our vacation! =D

OMG soooo yummy!!!!

Tonight for dinner I grilled some steaks, sliced them and threw them on top of a fresh green salad. For dessert I made strawberry shortcake. Normally I make a sweetened drop biscuit. This time I was just not in the mood for them. So I went looking to see if I could find any recipes for sugar cookies using dry biscuit mix. That brand in the yellow box!!!!) I found this one:

3 c biscuit mix
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c water
2 t vanilla

Drop by spoonfulls and bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Flatten them with a spatula, then return to the oven for an additional 2 minutes. (for my oven 8 minutes was perfect!) Let cool on wire rack for a little bit.

These were really good, with a hint of nutty-ness from the brown sugar. Not exactly my idea of a sugar cookie, BUT these ARE my new go to's for shortcakes!

BTW Cassie is still trying to convice Darren that she needs full access to his armchair for business purposes. She really seems to be pleading her case. Although I still don't think it's gonna happen! lol

Darren Demands Due Diligence

(Ok I know I promised no more alliterations...BUT...Really though I think I'm done...as Edward...well I can't think of anything that my Edward needs right now! LOL )

So after indulging Cassie the other night, Darren came to speak with me after the girls had gone off...where'd they go? I honestly have no clue! LOL He sat down with me and very politely informed me that While Cassie's red ottoman is comfortable and certainly big enough for two...he wouldn't mind having a nice big comfy 'man' chair. He said it was no rush, but it'd be nice to have something to kick back in and watch some TV. (when he can get a TV that is.) I told him that I would consider his request, but I was rather busy right now. I explained that I was altering 4 pair of dress pants for my sister, plus working on a commisioned set of American Girl-sized doll food...oh yeah and planning a camping trip. With a shrug of his shoulders and a "K" he set off back up to lounge on the ottoman.
As I sewed my sisters slacks I couldn't help but glance over at the big guy trying to get comfy on the ottoman. Ok so he had a point!

When I got to a stopping point in my alterations...I grabbed my Freida Gray book Dolls' House Furniture. Hmmm these were 1/12th scale projects, so it stands to reason that if I emlarged the patterns my 200% they should be perfect for 1/6th scale. Well I found a nice comfy looking arm chair and set to work. I used foamcore...lots and lots of 1/4 inch foamcore. Probably should have broken out the 1/2 core, but after my debacle with cutting the ottoman from it, I didn't want to! LOL (although a fresh blade makes ALL the difference!!!!!) I grabbed my olive green 'suede' and set to work. The armchair took much of last night and a good portion of today to do. And there are definitely things I will do differently next time, but I am very pleased with the results!

Hope you enjoy it too! Cassie came home and just had to try out Darren's new chair. SHe likes it too! However...
Darren was not amused and quickly regained his 'throne'. {no worries, there was lots of giggling coming from Cassie as he 'dethroned' her! ;-)
She tried to convince him that as an interior decorator, she really needs to know all about every piece of furniture coming into our home. Hmmm do you think he's buying it??? Yeah me neither! LOL

Cassie's Career Choice

(Forgive the alliteration craziness, but since yesterday's title was Bren's Bakery I figured what the heck! LOL)

Cassie came to me yesterday and wanted to let me know she finally chose a Major...she wants to be an interior designer! Wow talk about an awesome choice. That was something I myself wanted to do for a while as a young woman. So we chatted for a while, while I was altering some dress pants for my sister. Cassie rummaged around in my fabric boxes until she came up with a fabric she liked. Next thing I knew she had grabbed some scraps and a needle and was stitching away beside me.

Her little toss pillow turned out adorable and she loved the fabric soooo much she asked me to sew together a little cube cushion for her. (she said she'd do it herself but she's just not heavy enough to move the foot pedal!) So I whipped up this great little seating cube. Cassie pointed out that within the last week 7 new girls have joined us. (most are here for fashion makeovers and won't be seen for a while) Sooo anyways seating is going to be vital here real soon, and she is very excited to get started on her best friend Bren's bakery too. (hmmm seems like I'm gonna be real busy here soo too!!!)

Bren's Bakery

So Bren has been my work desk companion lately...she's been sitting with her kitten George on my work light. Not sure why other than guilt I think. When my mom was here and helping me clean up, Bren got shoved back in her box. Not sure why mom put her away and not anyone else? (could be that was the only box she could find! LOL BUT anyways, I pulled Bren back out, changed her outfit and she's been enjoying a front row seat to watch my crafting. She wandered off for a while and came back with a cup of coffee and a plate of chocolate chip cookies! (I thought she wandered down the street to Starbucks!) Well turns out she did...sort of, the coffee she bought. But she was in my kitchen baking those cookies.
ME: How come I didn't smell them baking? I LOVE chocolate chip cookies
BREN: Well cause I made a 'small' batch, silly!
ME: oh well...I guess that makes sense.

Turns out a little later she wandered off for a while again, and this time when she came back she brought with her a gorgeous Chocolate Ganache cake!!! (darn her for not letting me take a bite! lol) Come to find out my Bren has always dreamed of owning her own bakery!!! So I set out to surprise her with a cute little apron. Turns out my choice of fabrics was perfect. Her name of choice for her future bakery...Hearts' Desire Isn't that fabulous!

Happy 4th of July!!!

To all my friends who celebrate, have a safe and fun-filled holiday!!!!
(and to my friends who don't...have a wonderful and peaceful Sunday!)
{BTW I am sooooo excited...I took these pictures myself! Turns out my camera has a setting for fireworks!}

1/12th scale Dresses

These 3 pieces are for a 'fashion show' project in an online group I belong to. The Mini Doll List is an awesome site run by amazing people who put out truly fantastic instructions, kits and tutorials for just about anything and everything related to dressing miniature figures. We were challenged to come up with 3 outfits: a wedding gown, a little black dress, and a fantasy outfit.

--For the wedding gown I started out with something completely different in mind. However I am completely thrilled with the direction this dress ended up going. I think it's playfully elegant!

--My LBD is actually a replica of my OWN LBD! I wore this dress when Hubby and I went out to dinner and Casablanca this past Valentine's Day.

--Now with my fantasy gown i have become thoroughly convinced that these tiny 5-6 inch ladies ABSOLUTELY have a mind of their own!!!! Orah, Giselle and now Lola have each given me nothing but trouble dressing them!!!! I had a radicaly different outift planned for Lola, heck she even had a different name...BUT in no uncertain terms she explained to me that her name was LOLA and there was no way in heck she was wearing the outfit I orginially intended for her! Sooo after much fighting and bantering and bartering Lola emerged from her dressing room ready to show off her Can Can skills. (who knew she knew how too????) My favorite part of Lola has got to be her hair. I LOVE how her 'highlight's turned out. They were a bit fiddly to do, but the result was well and truly worth it!

Books, books and um...yeah MORE books!

I just realized that I have not updated my 100 books in 2010 list in almost 3 months!!!! YIPES! Sooo this post is gonna be short and sweet about the 14 books I have read since April.

In no particular order: (mainly cause I can't remember! LOL)

30---Laurel K Hamilton's Harlequin This is the most recent in her Vampire/Shapeshifter series...to be honest I wasn't real impressed with this one, the story seemed rather discombobulated and had waaaay too much going on in it. Not to mention the sex...now don't get me wrong I don't mind it hot and steamy...but I think Ms Hamilton too things a bit too far in this book, and from reading reviews I am not the only one. I think this is a PASS book.

31 & 32--- Gena Showalter's Into the Dark and The Darkest Passion. These are in her Lords of the Underworld (LOTU) series. Long story short this series takes on the Pandora's box myth and gives it a fantastic spin on it's ear.

--Into the Dark is an anthology containing the prequel short story The Darkest Fire, which explains how Pandora's box was created. The second short story is The Darkest Prison is more along the lines of a side story that goes along with the LOTU series. This is the Story of the Titan Atlas (yep THE Atlas who carries the weight of the world literally on his shoulders) and Nike the Greek godess of Victory. (BTW if your not up on your mythology the greeks and the titans were enemies!!! Makes for a wonderfully tragic love story! ;-D ) The 3rd short story is The Amazon's Curse. This is a follow-up short to The Vampire's Bride which interestingly enough was the first book I read and reviewed this year! LOL It follows the trials and tribulations of another star-crossed couple forced to play the gods Survivor-esque game.

--The Darkest Passion is book 5 in the LOTU series...this is Aeron's story. Cursed for his part in opening the box Pandora guarded, Aeron houses the demon of Wrath. Now free from the Titam King Cronus' demand that he kill a specific woman, Aeron is trying to settle back into his life with his demonling 'daughter' Legion as his calmer. (hard to explain without giving too much away sorry!) However often he can sense something...no someone...watching him. This entities presence upsets Legion and she often retreats back to Hell. Finally his 'stalker' is revealed to be an honest-to-gods ANGEL. "Fallen" she is quick to remind him. This is a whirlwind story and a fantastic nail-biter continuation to what is one of my Favorite Series!!!

33 through 40-- Jean Johnson's Sons of Destiny series. Think 7 brides for 7 brothers, throw in an extra brother, a HUGE dose of magic, a couple of Prophesies and you've got The Sons of Destiny. The 8 brothers start fulfilling the 1st Prophesy simply by being 4 sets of twins each born on the same day 2 years apart! Then as they grow into their own magical set of skills the government of their home country decides 'for the good of the nation...' to exile the brothers to an uninhabited isle that was once a Duchy of the nation. Each book follows each brother as he meets and falls in love with his destined bride. An 8 book series bound to keep you intrigued and entertained! Book titles: The Sword, The Wolf, The Master, The Song, The Cat, The Storm, The Flame and The Mage.

And lastly but certainly not least book 41-43-- Cornelia Funke's Inkworld Trilogy These are: Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath
Inkheart is the original book that the Brendan Frasier film of the same name was based off of. It follows Mo, a father with the amazing ability to bring stories literally to life, with simply the sound of his voice. Unfortunately that gift comes at a price, for everything that comes OUT of the story something ELSE must go in to take it's place. Sadly the first 'thing' to go is Mo's belvoed wife Resa. The night Resa disappears Mo realizes what happened and vowed never to read another word outloud. Fast forward 12 years alter and the past catches up to Mo. Now he must protect his and Resa's daughter from the villians he himself accidentally read out of the book.

Inkspell and Inkdeath continue the story...will Resa be found, does Maggie carry her fathers gift or curse depending on who you ask, will all EVER be right with the worlds again.

If you enjoyed the movie I HIGHLY recommend the books!!!

1/6th scale ottoman

Ok these posts about what I've been doing over the last month are honestly in no particular order. (and tonights is gonna be brief as I am exhausted from spending several hours at my sister's with my boys in her complex's pool!!! We had a blast, but I am noticing that every other word is misspelled....sooo brief and simple tonight! lol)

This is an ottoman I built for my 1/6th scale dolls. To me it really seems like an armless and backless sofa, but the website for the FULLsized one call it an ottoman. lol It is made from 1/2inch thick foam core, some foam packing material and a red faux suede. While it isn't perfect, the concept and design are sound. I need to remember to iron or steam the fabric first to remove wrinkles and I need a better, smoother way to cut foam core. I used an Exacto knife, but it really seemed to tear the foam inside. (could it be that my blade was dull? Is there are better tool for cutting foam core? I don't mind buying something, as long as it's not outrageously priced, since I think I'll be using foam core as a base alot.)

geez o pete

Almost another month has gone by, between postings, and I am sooooo very sorry about that. I have lots to tell and share with y'all so I will try to post several posts over the next few days...to TRY and catch up.

First off, my surgery went very very well and I healed wonderfully. Then next step is to wait until the tubal heals completely (another month) so I can stop taking the birth control pills. THEN we will see if the ablation actually worked or if it's been the hormones controling the issue. I truly hope the procedure worked as i really have no desire to take bc pills the rest of my life. *sigh*

It was wonderful having my mom here with us for 5 weeks. It was sad to see her head home, but at the same time it was kind of nice to get back to my routine. I did some massive house cleaning the couple days after she left for a party I had on the 19th and I am proud to say that for the most part my house is STILL clean! =D

It's been ridiculously hot down here, but the weather has been very screwy. Downpours of rain not 10 miles up the road, but nothing more than a sprinkle here. Thunder and lighting and high winds but still little rain. Oh well, although we could sure USE the rain right now.

Both sides of my front garden got planted and look really good, still haven't gotten around to the sides yet, but hopefully soon.

Oh yeah I turned 33 on the 21st. My sister took the boys over night the following weekend so that was real nice, got a good bit of crafting done (which I'll share in upcoming posts) and I've read a TON of books over the last month of so. (yes yet another post.)

Well I need to go take my son to pickup his new glasses in a bit, so I won't bore you with any more babble for now...BUT there will be more updates coming soon!!!