Cre8tive Heart

Hand Painted Tree Mural

2012-03-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter waned a tree painted in the corner of her bedroom. I finally got around to painting it this weekend. And she loves it!!!

Yay!!!

2012-02-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

Ok I decided to try a recipe I found online that had a lot of great reviews.

And I'm so happy that I did because this pizza crust turned out to be really awesome.

The thing I love is that you get a pretty good sized pizza from this and it makes a great crunchy flavorful crust.

mmmmmm

GOSH do I love PIZZA!

There is something so comforting about a piping hot slice of this wonderful dish to make the corners of your mouth just turn up and smile!

Who can turn down an awesome slice of pizza???
Is there really anyone out there that can?

NOT ME!

And I think the main reason it's so loved is because it's so versatile.

Literally what ever you want ...

WHAT EVER YOU WANT

you can pile it on!

Which brings me to my question.

You know.

What do you love the most on your pizza?

Is it BBQ sauce? - Fresh Basil? - Alfredo Sauce? - Fresh Tomatoes?

Tell me!

I really want to know.

So post a comment and tell me your favs

and Ill pick one to try

Ok enough lolly-gagging

Hop on over to my sister site

Gluten Free Booty

for the Recipe - How To - And more amazing photos!

Gluten Free Living

2012-02-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

For those of you out there who are wondering what in the world happened to me and why I haven't posted lately, well it's because I've kind of been on a journey. A journey to heal myself and my family.

Let me skip back a bit....

When we traveled to visit my family for Thanksgiving last year I learned through speaking to my cousin that I may have a genetic disease that appears to have been nesting in our family for generations. So armed with that knowledge I scheduled doctor appointments and here I am today feeling much better and knowing how I need to live going forward.

Turns out I need to live Gluten Free.

All this time and all I needed was to cut gluten from my diet. Hmmm... How about that?

Pretty easy sounding hu? Remove gluten and you'll get better.

Sounds pretty simple and most of the time it is but it can be tricky at times. :)

Any how, I am happy you are here and hope you enjoy hanging out for a bit.

And if you would like to take a peek and read the rest of my story then please do so by clicking here.

2012-01-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

me and my honey

Close to the Steeler Football season. It was a close game. It was an awesome game. Sadly the Steelers are out but we are wishing Tebow the best on his push into the playoffs.

Gluten Free Brownies

2011-12-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

Just made these and they are soo yummy. Want the recipe? Click here.

Easy Teacher Christmas Gift

2011-12-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

We always walk down the isles of gifts at Walmart and Target each year searching for a gift for Anna's teacher and every year I think the same thing.

I wonder how many coffee mugs she has received over the years? How many scented bath salts or lotions live under her bathroom sink?

This year I just couldn't do it. This year we decided to make our gift. If anything it will be unique and will show that a little girl put a lot of love and time into making a special gift for her. And those kind of gifts are what I think are the best!

You will need:

1 Container the height of a crayon

We took a plastic macaroni salad container we had leftover and cut it down to size.

Target has the best food containers. They are super durable

We got a 96 count box of Crayola Crayons for a little over 3 bux.

And hit up Joann's Fabric for some cute ruler ribbon.

I had the clear gift wrap.
Hot Glue Gun

And that's it.

mountains Mountains MOUNTAINS

2011-12-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

Me and my Daddy and Anna Banana.

Big drop behind us!

There is really nothing I love more than this place and my restless spirit is what encouraged me to leave. Now when I visit all I want to do is STAY.

Me and the Hubs agree this is the place for us and we will move here when the time is right.

I just wish that time was NOW!

I would love for the girls to live here.

Beautiful. Peaceful. Wonderful.

Yep that pretty much sums it up.

Thanksgiving Trip

2011-11-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

We hit the mountains hard and had a blast.

There is nothing better than family, food and sweet mountain air to wash is all down.

{One of my favorite pics from the trip.}

Rocky Knob, Virginia | Blue Ridge Parkway

{And The Journey Begins}

On our ride up the girls had their ear buds in and all the music and movies they could consume. Does this look like determination or what?

Our first big city to pass... Jacksonville, Florida.

I'm actually very shocked at how good this pic turned out.

How did I not screw this up???

Cruising along side of Jacksonville. Why does this place always seem to be under construction?

Big cranes are always hanging around.

A little more than half way through we needed a pick-me-up bad! And my oh my did we spot the perfect thing....

Krispy Kreme!!!!

{not to mention it was right next to a Goodwill}

my thrifty suga loving self was in awe.

Didn't hit the GW though...we had to get back on the road!

And the donuts and coffee did just what the box said and made us happy all around. :)

The glaze. Yes I was glazed over after eating two of these and slamming a big Cup-O-Joe.

Massive Amounts of Sugar + Caffeine = 1 Steering Wheel Clinching Glazed Over Momma Staring Off Into the Sunset with One Mission...

GET TO THE MOUNTAINS!!

What were the the kiddos doing?

Moments after this pic was snapped they passed out. Sugar HIGH - Sugar low....................

I just wanted to take a pic of the US1 sign. No significance. :)

We had to get a pic of this little poser. Love the colors of his feathers.

Darkness covers us as we begin the big mountain climb!

{DAY ONE}

{DAY ONE}
Our first day in town we visited my sister Mindy and rounded up the crew and headed into Galax for some grub. We ended up at a fun little BBQ restaurant just off of main street.
Our waiter was hilarious!!! He heckled us the entire time. It was great fun, the food was good and the atmosphere was pretty dang awesome too.
We lucked out and got to sit in The Pig Pen.
A nice big table that easily seated 7 of us and a high chair.
Kind of hard to see but in this pic but Anna is doing her best pig impersonation, behind her you have me, then Mindy, Ava in the highchair, Mom then Johnny and Desi.
My Dad is taking the picture. You can see his reflection in the glass.

Johnny and Desi chillin in The Pig Pen!
{Wait! Is that a short bus back there??}

{DAY TWO}
Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day we worked our legs and hiked Rocky Knob just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here is Anna and Elora at the foot of the mountain before we started our hike. It was freezing cold when we first started off with gusty winds that made the areas of our bodies not covered by our jackets feel frost bitten. YIKES. Florida has really made my blood thin.

I just love this picture of Anna taking in the view after the hike up the mountain. I wonder what she was thinking when she was looking out over the the mountains. I didn't think much about that until I saw this picture. I'm going to ask her when she wakes up in the AM.
[Anna said she was thinking AWESOME!!! I just love it :)]

Grandpa and Anna - Enjoying the view.

The beauty of the Mountains are too wonderful to ignore.

Anna and Grandpa eating some peanuts and relaxing after the hike up.

Me and Anna {at 3572 feet} on top of Rocky Knob.

Must be that thin mountain air. Makes you do the darnedest things.

Thank goodness as the day went on the weather warmed.

On our way back we made a quick stop at Mabry's Mill. That's Anna way down at the end.

In case you are wondering where the Hubs and the Teen were during all this excitement, just letting you know they were tucked nicely in their beds enjoying a sleeping in.

{Just so you know they both really regretted not getting up after seeing all the pics!}

Hope you and your families enjoyed your Thanksgiving Holiday.

Mall Pretzels

2011-11-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

Wow are these good. I found this recipe online and decided to give it a try. I made them this afternoon after school with the girls and we all had a blast trying different designs.

Lets see..We had a butterfly...a flower...a heart (we ate that as soon as it came out of the oven) and many other pretty designs. It's fun trying to get the pretzels twisted up like you see at the mall.

Our favorite was salted and cinnamon sugar. mmmmm

So here's the recipe.

Ingredients
    •    1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
    •    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    •    1 1/8 teaspoons salt
    •    1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
    •    3 cups all-purpose flour
    •    1 cup bread flour
    •    2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
    •    2 tablespoons baking soda
    •    2 tablespoons butter, melted
    •    2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

Directions
    1.    In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.
    2.    Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan. Line 6 baking sheets with parchment paper.
    3.    After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place onto parchment covered baking sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.
    4.    Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
    5.    Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

Notes
    •    When forming the ropes, roll each one to about half the length you want, then set it aside while you roll the rest. By the time you get back to the first rope, it will have rested enough to roll further.
    •    A 3-foot long rope will make a pretzel approximately 8-inches in diameter. Plan on using one baking sheet for every two pretzels.

Thanksgiving Front Entry

2011-11-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have never decorated the front entry for the holidays.

Well let's just say the extent of it was holiday candies. So around Christmas time I would have holiday candy in a candy dish and have our Christmas Cards sitting on the table. That was pretty much it. But I have to say I've been getting into it the past two months.

I started with a Halloween themed entry which served as the perfect back drop to snap a pic of Anna before she ran off to Trick-or-Treat. And I just kinda rolled from Halloween into Thanksgiving. I first printed out two wraps for my candles one says Thankful and the other says Blessed.

Then I ran on a steal at Micheal's on fall flowers.

So I grabbed three.

Total cost of my pretty fall flowers? About $2.50! LOL They were 60% off!!!

Can you say... YEAH BABY!!!!
I used left over candy corn in the bottom of the vase to hold the flowers in place. Which also added more lovely fall colors to the piece.

I left the candy corn garland up that I made for Halloween.

Which by-the-way was soooo super cheap and oh so easy to make.

If you wanted to make it or something similar all you need is:

1 sheet of Card Stock

Some Fishing Line

Hot Glue Gun

and BAAM you've got GARLAND! :)

The other item I placed at the front entry was our Thankful Pot!

This is something new I thought up and we are trying this year to help everyone in our family count their blessings and remember what the

Thanksgiving Holiday

is really all about.

Each day we are all writing one thing we are thankful for on a sheet of the notepad paper, folding and dropping it into the pot.

Over Thanksgiving we will sit together as a family open each note and read them aloud.

I can not wait to see what lovely notes we get from the girls ;)

The final newly added item at our door is our Love Story.

OUR LIL LOVE STORY :)

Our history is long but the story is short, sweet and ongoing!

I put our names

Kimmy & Johnny

with the following line underneath...

We fell in Love - Tied the Knot - The rest is Kisstory

I just couldn't make myself put boring ole History when Kisstory sounded so romantical!

And YES I did say Romantical.

I don't know why but I just love saying it and use it whenever I can.

Hope you like the

Tour de entry at le Panella's!

Mulled Wine a Winter Favorite

2011-11-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Okay I have to admit I had never had mulled wine but have heard of hot toddies. So while reading the Game of Thrones books I kept coming across how they liked to add spices and warm their red wines to give them a hot drink to sip on cold nights.

Very easy and festive drink to make when the weather turns cooler. So when winter weather comes sweeping in, make this lovely drink and fill your home with the lovely smells of fall while also creating an Old World favorite. Mulled wines have been warming people for centuries, they are wines that have been sweetened, spiced and slightly heated - offering a delightful alternative to traditional coffees, ciders and toddy’s at holiday gatherings or just on a cold winter's night.

We will make this again!

Here is the recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

MY MODIFIED RECIPE

* One bottle (750 mL) of red wine
* 1/4 cup of brandy (I used Blackberry Brandy)
* 2/3 cup honey or sugar (Add sugar to taste don't jump and add the full amount. I will cut the sugar down next time was too sweet for me)
* 4 tablespoons of Mulling Spice packet.

* Serves 4-6
Next time I just may do it in a crock pot too. I love how this made my house smell!!

ORIGINAL RECIPE

* One bottle (750 mL) of red wine (suggestions: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot)
* One peeled and sliced orange (keep peel to add zest to taste into cooking pot)
* 1/4 cup of brandy
* 8-10 cloves
* 2/3 cup honey or sugar
* 3 cinnamon sticks
* 1 tsp fresh or 2 tsp ground ginger (allspice can be substituted)
* Serves 4-6

Preparation:

To make the perfect cup of mulled wine, combine all ingredients in either a large pot or a slow cooker. Gently warm the ingredients on low to medium heat (avoid boiling), for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the honey or sugar has completely dissolved. When the wine is steaming and the ingredients have been well blended it is ready to serve. Ladle the mulled wine into mugs (leave seasonings behind) and enjoy! I just put mine into a coffee carafe to keep it warm and took it outside by the fire to share.

Anna's Book Report

2011-11-03T07:40:00.001-07:00

This was a BIG deal in our house. Anna had to go in front of the class and present her book report. This is the first time I've heard her say "I'm nervous!" So we practiced, and practiced and when the day finally arrived she did awesome!

Check out her poster board. She did the drawings and all the lettering. We are so proud.

2011-11-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

2011-11-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

You have no idea how badly this had to be stated. Saw this and had to get it for the hubs. So he posted this declaration as you walk into PANELLA MAN LAND for all his beer drinking buddy's.

Halloween Cup Cakes

2011-10-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

My sister is soooo talented in the kitchen as well as out. She can draw like no tomorrow and bakes and cooks some of them most unbelievably beautiful and tasty treats and dishes. She recently sent me pics of her Halloween Cup Cakes with these oh so awesome chocolate toppers she made.

She drew these by hand on wax paper then when the chocolate was cooled placed them atop the cup cakes. So creative.

Love you Mindy..GREAT JOB!!!

2011-10-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

See how Ariel came to life in this chalk art at www.sketcharella.com :)

Holy Family Carnival

2011-10-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

We try to hit this every year. It's only here for one weekend in October and if you blink your eyes you'll miss it. It's not a huge carnival but that's what we love about it. We always have a lot of fun both the kids as well as us big kids too ;) This year Anna arrived pumped and ready to hit the rides. She always seems to find a friend to ride with and has a smile on her face the entire time. We heard every sound imaginable that night come out of this little child, screams, squeals, giggles and down right belly laughter was rolling out of her mouth at every turn. It was great.

We all got on the Rock-N-Roll Express together. That's us in the orangey red pic in the middle. We went forward for a while and then it slowed and yay backwards. My favorite! NOT!! The whole time we were sliding and being pressed outward which resulted in smashing Daddy! Near the end I thought I was going to barf! But it was from laughing so hard that I couldn't breath. Those are the good laughs though. The ones that take your breath and leave you feeling like you've done a 1000 crunches. Yeah those, you know the ones I'm talking about...and they are the best!

I also saw this shirt while standing in line at the beer garden and immediately thought of my Dad! Those of you who don't know my Dad...he's a HUGE BLUEGRASS FAN!!!! Yeah he has it bad. He loves his twangy mountain music picked on anything with strings and if you add spoons even better.

My pic is really too blurry to read but keep in mind I was standing in line for a cold one.

(shh... don't say nuthin' but it wasn't my first time standing in that line either)

And let me tell ya..the Catholics know how to party.

I digress, back to the shirt, so the little guy in the orange shirt was working his tail off pouring and serving beer so I had to snap quick.

You can't read the fine print but it says:

PADDLE

FASTER!

I hear banjo music.

If you've never been to this carnival give it a try next time it's in Orlando. I promise you will have a blast. Great family fun without the crowds and the proceeds go back into the church and school. :)

Spooky Halloween House

2011-10-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

My latest sketch. If you would like to take a peek at my sketch blog hop on over to www.sketcharella.com! This is where I am working to hone my artsy sketching skills and try other mediums as well. Hope you enjoy!

Movie Ticket Stub Rose

2011-09-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently asked me to make a rose from past movie ticket stubs that he and his girlfriend have gone too. So I decided to take on the challenge. I think it turned out looking pretty cool. He did however want the movie stubs in the order they saw them so the tickets were all different sizes and made the making of the rose a tad bit more difficult as I couldn't cut down the stubs. He wanted them all in tact. But here's the how too.

You will need:
A plastic rose we found some at Micheal's for $1.49,
A hole punch
About an hour of time.

I first started by pulling all the petals from the rose. Then with my tiny hole punch I made multiple small holes so I could tightly fit each ticket on the center nub of the rose stem. This worked great. They were nice and tightly secured and could be rotated easily around the stem making sure the flower was balanced. Also make sure to curl the edges by rolling the ticket up on a pen this will make bending the tickets later much easier.

I just kept curling edges with a pen before placing each ticket on and after all were placed I then did some last minute hand adjustments by moving some tickets around the center and re-curling edges.

Wah la! Here is the end result! I think it turned out pretty good for a first time try. Whatcha think? My friend left with a big smile on his face and I can not wait to hear how his sweetie reacts when she see's the thought he put into this gift. :)

Enjoy!

Halloween Mice Cutouts

2011-09-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

I created some mice silhouettes to cut out and put on our staircase as a nice spooky Halloween decoration. The kids love it! Martha Stewart has a pack of these you can buy (for a nice fee of course) but if you would like a copy of my mice cut-outs just let me know at kimmy[dot]panella[at]gmail[dot]com. :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

2011-09-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

The dresses these little muffins are sporting are no fade liners and I was able to find them at Wal-Mart. Be careful when choosing liners because some may be brilliantly colored and designed but will fade after baking.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins

Here's what you'll need:
For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours. ( I tried this method but after doing it I think this step can be modified and made easier by just putting the filling into an icing bag or large zip lock bag so you can later just pipe it. This way you have more control and you can make sure the whole muffin center is covered so you get that yummy filling in ever bite!)

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). If you go with the original instructions slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces and place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Otherwise skip this and just pipe it! Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

If you don't have a scoop you need to get one! I use mine all the time.

Another tip. To make sure you get the same sized muffin every time use a trust scoop for the batter. I used my large Pampered Chef scoop. One scoop for the muffin bottom and one scoop for the muffin top and I got 26 muffins out of this. They were good sized muffins too!

Prior to going into the oven.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!

The family gave this a huge thumbs up!! So this is definitely a keeper. My 15 year old asked me if I could open a bakery after tasting this. Haha. I have to admit that comment made me blush. Love you Desi!

Enjoy!

Awesome Lives Don't Just Happen. They Are Made!

2011-09-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

One warm sunny day in July of 1994 my Dad was working in his wood shop that is settled between my parents and grandparents homes. My Dad's rather normal day was suddenly interrupted when my Grandpa (Papa) called out to him to tell him that my Grandma had passed away. My Dad dropped everything and ran to their home and called 911 for assistance. My Dad had no idea what to do and quickly dragged my Grandma closer to the phone where he could get instructions on performing CPR. Neither my Mom and or my Dad knew CPR at that time and I can only imagine the shear panic and confusion that must have been going threw his mind during this. I know the phone he called from and it was an old rotary dial phone that had a cord that extended only a mere 3 feet at the most. I can picture him taking CPR instructions, putting the phone down, doing what the operator told him then coming back on the line to see what to do next. Can you imagine that?!!! I can not. I think this traumatic experience and feeling of helplessness is what pushed my Dad to become an EMT and join the Laurel Fork Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department. From there he decided to go back to school and become the Registered Nurse he is today. He has really come a long long way since that day and so has my Mom. My Mother was laid off from a factory she worked in for 20 some odd years and bravely slipped back into school and became a nurse too! I can't tell you how proud I am of both my Mom and Dad. They are AMAZING! They never let anyone tell them they couldn't. And when many people their age were thinking I CAN'T, they were thinking I CAN and I WILL! This is what I love about my parents. I know that my life will be filled with many adventures. I will try many things. I will discover who I am and I will be all that I can be. Because they have shown me that no matter what your age or gender, NO MATTER WHAT, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO GO FOR IT!! And "IT" can be anything as long as "IT" makes you smile and "IT" makes you Happy and "IT" fulfills you!

So with this post I salute my parents, who give their whole heart and soul to help the wonderful people of Carroll County, Virginia. They truly give their all. They are selfless in their pursuit to help anyone and everyone that may need their assistance. Trust me I know. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been on the phone with my Mom or Dad and the tones go off over the scanner and they simply tell me "I have to go" and we close the conversation with "I love you" and they are off. I don't hold this against them. They are helping others. This is their passion. This is what they do best. And I could not be prouder.

This journey hasn't been just my Mom and Dad either. They were accompanied by many fine people who have served and continue to serve proudly. One incredibly awesome person along for this journey was Rickie Payne. Rickie was a medical instructor that taught and encouraged many to learn, get involved and make a difference. This amazing attitude is what forged a very strong and long lasting relationship between Ricky and my parents.

In this photo Ricki is pictured left along side my Dad. This picture has a very funny story. They were both attending Orientation at Baptist Hospital for the Medical Chopper when this was taken. Because the drive was quite far they would meet up and ride together. So funny that they both showed up wearing the exact same thing one day. LOL They laughed so hard over this. And got lots of questions through out the day from others attending training like, "Are you guys brothers?" So Rhonda Wright snapped a quick pic of the two of them to remember the day.

Lets zoom forward a bit. In 2004 my Dad suffered a heart attack and by the grace of god survived it. I was pregnant at the time and couldn't travel to be by my parents side however, I called often to check on my Dad and to see how my Mom was making it and holding up. As you know nothing compares to being there and I feel so horrible that I was unable to do that but my Mom has assured me that she understands there were circumstances in play that couldn't be overcome. My Dad recovered and has been great since, but it wasn't until recently, only a few weeks ago to be exact, that I learned my parents had a special rock to lean on in this desperate time. They had Rickie. Rickie traveled 1.5 hours to be with my Mom and Dad, while my Dad was in intensive care awaiting surgery for his heart. Rickie made sure my Mom got safely checked into a hotel near hospital and also stepped up and talked to medical staff to insure my Dad wouldn't go into surgery without getting to speak to my Mom first. He also made three trips to check on my parents during that troublesome week and sometimes on very little sleep. Some days he would jump into his car and make that drive after a 12 hour shift at the hospital. Rickie was a true friend to my parents. He knew what life was about. He valued friendship and held it close to his heart. It's sad to say this but many of us will never know what it's like to have a friend like this. Unfortunately, people like Rickie and my parents are few and far between. So if you find you have a friend like them hold them dear, hold them close and truly value them.

Sad to say but my parents along with many many countless others lost their very close and dear friend Rickie unexpectedly when he passed away on August 8, 2011. No one wanted to believe it. No one wanted to give up hope. Which is why the medical staff who knew and loved him so dearly worked feverishly for over an hour to save him. Rickie has moved on to watch over us with the angels but he didn't leave without first touching as many lives as he could. Rickie will always be a true example of what living a selfless life is all about. He found comfort in teaching those around him everything he knew and pushing them to be everything that he knew they could be.

I never got to tell you Thank You for being there for my Mom and Dad. So I say it now. THANK YOU RICKIE. YOU WERE AWESOME BEYOND BELIEF. YOUR HARD WORK HERE ON EARTH HAS PLACED WINGS ON YOUR BACK IN HEAVEN.

GOD BLESS

You can not deny this man was truly loved and respected. This is an amazing shot of the funeral procession. Amazing all the Rescue Crews that showed their respect for Ricki on this day. I hope he knew how much he was loved by everyone while he was here.If not, I'm sure he does now. :)


Those who worked with Ricki at the Hospital. My Dad, Kim Shropshire, is in the back left center.

For more information about Ricki and how he made an amazing impact on the medical community and the people of Southwest Virginia please visit http://www.pipersgap.com/rlp.htm

Mac Cookies

2011-09-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Created these cookies for the Systems Administration Team that my hubby works on. I think they turned our pretty awesome. 12 Cookies for 4 guys that work their butts off. I didn't have an apple cookie cutter so I had to cut these by hand. They ended up turning out pretty nice I think. The Finder Cookie details were drawn on with a black pen made for cake and cookie decorating. Who knew they had these? So I scooped the edible markers up from the cake decorating isle at Micheal's Crafts and got busy!

The cookie recipe is from Glorious Treats Blog if you would like to give this cookie recipe a try.

Enjoy!

NEVER FORGET

2011-09-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

My tribute to those who died on that horrible day. God Bless "ALL" affected by that horrific day.

Lady Liberty sheds a tear.

2011-09-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I love the scent of crayons. It just takes me back to the first days of school when Mom had bought me my new box of crayons. Still love that smell. After attending an Illustrators conference another attendee told the class how she keeps a jar of crayons on her desk and when she gets stressed she pops the top and takes a whiff. I immediately made a mental note that I needed to do this for myself. And here she is.

Blue Ombre Cake

2011-09-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

{HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAD}

I am so proud of my sister for making this. Doesn't this look awesome??!! I can not wait to get pics of this baby after a slice has been cut. She made this for her hubby's birthday and has a bunch of family coming to their house for cake tonight. I don't think they will be running out of cake. This baby has 5 lovely graduated layers of yummy blue cake nestled underneath that yummy cream cheese swirled icing.

Love you Mindy! You so rock. You did an amazing job on this girlie!

If you would like to give this recipe a try visit. http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com this is the site my sister and I have been hitting and getting some very awesome baking ideas. Glorious Treats also has an amazing photoshoot of their oh so pinkalicious Ombre cake as well as great how to's.

Cookies

2011-09-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today I tried a new cookie recipe and I have to say..we love them!! If you would like to give them a try get the Cookie Recipe here. She has an awesome tutorial and explains everything so nicely.

After making the dough we ran out to get some heart cookie cutters. I found this nice set of 4 by Wilton and we only used the smallest three cutters.

But after making the icing I'm sad to say I will have to get a new mixer. I had a hand mixer and was shocked when the beaters actually broke off and left only stumps sticking out of my mixer. And the icing isn't that thick. I have no clue what happened. Maybe Ill be able to get a nice standing mixer.

Organization is key and having your assembly line ready makes the decorating a breeze.

2011-08-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

Its safe to say I have a crush on pink. I swear I love this color.

Pink Ombre Cake above was made by the lovely Glory at http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com! Check out her site and see what other lovely's she is making.

Apple Crumb Pie

2011-08-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

Here's what you'll need

1 (9 inch) pie shell (I used Pillsbury Pie Crusts)
6 cups thinly sliced apples ( I used 2 cans of Apple Pie Filling)
If making apples from scratch use the below blue highlighted ingredients
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter

I braided my crust for this type of crust or for more ideas visit here

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Stir in raisins and walnuts if desired. Spoon mixture into pastry shell.
In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. I also after the pie was completely cooked took 1/4 cup of corn syrup and thinned it with very hot water and brushed it onto the pie crust and the apple and leaf center. Sprinkled with regular sugar and then placed into the oven for another 3 minutes. This puts a nice glaze on the pie. I usually do not like the thick crust that runs along a pies edge but this one I loved

Custom Ketchup Labels

2011-08-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

Ok so I love the idea of custom Ketchup labels!! It just makes the occasion so much more special. We go through a ton of ketchup here and as you can see the one we have now is almost done. Therefore we go with the big 64 oz bottles. Unfortunately for us the largest you can get off the Heinz site is a 20oz bottle for $6 bux. (really pricey and that doesn't include shipping) No thanks. Ill pass. So I made my own labels. And Oh the things you can put on these.

Like? Want one for your special occasion or team. Shoot me an email at

kimmy[dot]panella[at]gmail[dot]com

Go Steelers!

Kiddie Coupons

2011-08-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

We have been having trouble with Anna eating Veggies so it prompted me to create some Kiddie Coupons and while making them I starting thinking of other Kiddie Coupons I could create. Here they are!

I was thinking of some fun things to do and turning recycling of junk mail into a fun game sounded fun. So I created this coupon so maybe one night you and your kiddos can pull out the recycle bin or create one just for this little game and everyone wads up junk mail and gives it a toss. He who dunks the most junk wins!!! They win this coupon and bragging rights around the house until you need to recycle more junk mail. haha

The other two are pretty much self explanatory. We gotta make a big deal when they go all night and don't tinkle. I just love the little poem I made for this coupon. :)

The New Foodie Award. Need I say more. This is what got this thing going in the first place. I made two Foodie Awards..one for taste the Rainbow and the one above for the different food groups. Hopefully we'll get some checks in the boxes.

If you like and want to download the files for print at home just click here and here and here.

They Are Free - To You From Me - Download, Print and Enjoy! :)

Cute Boot Booty :)

2011-08-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is my ooh so adorable little niece, AVA! She just got a new pair of boots for winter and has been posing for Mommy (my Sissy) to take some pics. She is just so darn cute!! Can't wait to visit her again.

Love you all!!! Brad, Mindy and Ava. :)

Be Still And Create

2011-08-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

I just love playing with fonts and words. Give me a good quote and I'll go nuts!

Family Name

2011-08-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Wax Hearts Sun Catcher

2011-08-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Martha's Hearts were so pretty in pinks and oranges.

We did the rainbow. Cause we just love color!!

Anna and I saw this little project that Martha Stewart

did and decided to give it a whirl.

Here's what you need:

Crayons

Iron

Wax Paper

String

Dowel Rod

Pencil Sharpener

Directions

Take a sheet of wax paper and fold in half long ways. Place crayon shavings on the wax paper and fold the other half the the wax paper over it. Iron over the wax paper but make sure to use a paper towel in between the iron and the wax paper so wax doesn't ooze out onto the iron.

Let cool and cut out your shapes.

Poke holes, string and hang from a dowel rod.

And that's it!

You can get the full tutorial here.

Fried Cabbage and Smoked Beef Sausage

2011-08-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Cabbage after its cooked down a bit. When I first put it into the pan the lid wouldn't shut.

Fried Cabbage - Smoked Beef Sausage - Boiled Potatoes

My Grandma and Papa used to make this all the time and I loved it.

Here is what you need:

2-3 slices of bacon (Why because bacon makes everything better) :)

1 Head of Cabbage (Rough Chopped)

1 Package of Smoked Beef Sausage (I get Carolina Pride) Cut into half inch pieces

3-4 Large Mushrooms

3-4 Potatoes peeled and cut in half

Cooking Instructions:

Fry the bacon until crisp pull from pan.

Place rough chopped cabbage into pan on top of bacon grease.

Pour about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of water on top of the cabbage and quickly cover the pan.

Turn the burner down to medium and stir occasional making sure to rotate the cabbage in the pan. Sometimes you will not be able to get the lid to sit firmly on the pan due to the amount of cabbage in the pan. No worries! The cabbage will cook down and the lid will eventually fit tight.

Cook until just tender and remove from heat.

Do not over cook or the cabbage will just become a mushy pile of cabbage.

Fry the sausage with mushrooms and since the sausage is precooked you are just getting the flavor infused into the mushrooms that will later be placed on top of the fried cabbage.

Boil your potatoes and serve with butter salt and pepper. Let the family mash their own on their plate.

This dish was served often at my Grandmas house minus the mushrooms and sausage. But she served hers with fresh green beans, a meat and of course a nice crispy hot pone of cornbread. MMMMMMM.

Love you Grandma and Papa!

Get Creative Breakfast!

2011-08-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

Okay I saw this idea of putting the pancake mix into a squeeze bottle and I had to give it a try and oh wow..do I love it!!!


My pancake mix went in without a hitch no funnel needed. yay!

First of all it's so much easier to store this way. Tall bottle takes up less room in the fridge!! Bonus!

My kitchen helper was there in a flash to help me mix up the pancakes and get them into the squeezey bottle. Thanks Anna you're the best!!

Plus the control you have is amazing. So of course I got a tad wildly creative with my pancake making this morning. :)

Enjoy!!

2011-08-20T06:57:00.001-07:00

Took Anna to see her pediatrician yesterday to go over her hospital tests. They all came back good. So for now we just keep a close eye on her just in case she has another seizure. I don't know if we will ever find out what caused these. Let's hope and pray she never has another one.

2011-08-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

We are at Arnold Palmer Hospital today for a 24 hour Video EEG. Trying to find out whats going on with our little one. Seizures can be quite scary and we want to know why they are happening, if we will be given that answer to that and how to stop them from happening again.

Today has been pretty good. We've had a few tears but nothing major. Today we checked in about noon and after getting into our room Anna was hooked up to the EEG leads and given a cute little cap to wear. They took her hair down and then put it right back up with her bow. Cause you know a girls gotta look good. No matter what! And she did ask..Do I still look pretty? My response...Of course you do!! There is nothing that could make you less beautiful!!!

Try breathing as fast as you can for 3 minutes while sitting still. IT'S HARD!!! And this little booger did it. It was tough and made her feel sick and really stressed her out but she made it through. When I asked the nurse why we are doing this..she told me sometimes stress on the body can cause seizures so they do this as a test to evaluate the changes in her body. So glad this test is over. NOT FUN!

After getting wrapped up we then had about an hour long ultrasound session where they looked at her stomach, heart and and her aorta. Snapping pictures left and right. What appears to be blurry black and white and sometimes sepia images to me appears crystal clear when placed in front of the right eyes. Let's pray those eyes find nothing abnormal and if they do let it be something easily fixed.

Next Anna got stickied up with tags for an EKG to look at her heart rhythms. This took much less time than the ultrasound. Quick and easy. Just like we like it.

BTW check out this place. You can tell it's all about kids here.

We had a late lunch played a little Old Maid and Go Fish and had a cup of chocolate ice cream. Yummo!. Perpa and PapPap came by to visit us about five which was super nice. It's always nice to have family by to visit with. Anna loved that. Then Daddy showed up for a visit and dinner. And had to get back to the house to keep watch over things.

Glad this is only 24 hours. We have been so busy that time hasn't sluggishly passed but it's always nice to be home. Like Dorthy said "There's not place like home. There's no place like home." And oh how true that phrase really is. But even better yet "There is nothing like family. There is nothing like family." Love you all and thank you so much for all your love.

We will be bouncing out of here tomorrow hopefully a little after noon and will close the day at home with Desi, Jack and Plaxi and Anna can fall asleep in her room showered with beautiful soft pink light and I can collapse into my soft cozy bed next to my love. :)

Till then we are watching movies and enjoying our time together.

Night!

The Age Old Trap!

2011-08-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

I don't think it can be said any more clear than this.

Mom's Famous Broccoli Cornbread

2011-08-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Looking for something different to try that is so delicious it will have your family screaming for more?? Try this recipe and let me know what happens at your house. This is an amazing dish and although no on in my house likes cornbread..they love this dish. Hope you give it a try. :)

You can find the recipe here

Enjoy!

A little this and a little that

2011-08-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ive been doing a lot of surfing and have found some things I really really love and want to share.

Joel Felix created this and I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it. It really spoke to me since I am in this phase now with my newly turned 15 year old. Say a prayer for me won't you?

You can send Joel an email and he will let you know when screen prints are available of this or you can check out his other aweseome work @ Joel Felix

While on my search I found some really cool furniture too.

This awesome table made from reclaimed wood from an old barn can be purchased @ this esty shop.

Next time you see some old crates..think of the possibilities.

Oh yeah..I love this. Reminds me of the pottery barn organizer.

With fall on our heels this would be a cute way to decorate pumpkins!!

Rice Krispie Treats

2011-08-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

So cute and I must make these!!

Homemade Almond Chocolate Biscotti

2011-08-13T16:03:00.001-07:00

Yummo!!

This recipe is oh so inexpensive to make and so easy too! And I forgot to mention..it's delicious as well.

The recipe is here

Delicious New Fragrance

2011-08-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

I have the green one and love it! And after smelling this new fragrance I feel I must have this one too.

2011 Steeler Game Schedule

2011-08-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Download this file click HERE!

Enjoy!

Mother and Child

2011-08-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think there is much more that can melt my heart than when I see animals loving on their babies in the same manner we love our own children. Sights like these make my heart skip a beat. Powerful beyond imagination yet quiet and tender at the same time. I find this sketch to be an emotional powerhouse.

Enjoy!

Asian Boneless Chicken Wings

2011-08-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Pardon our finest china!

These turned out great but a tad spicy because I got the wrong chili sauce. I actually grabbed the hot chili sauce from the Asian section. They must have been tolerable because the hubs went back for seconds and thirds! Although they were to spicy for the little one I think if I get the right sweet chili sauce she will love these.

Here is what you'll need.

Ingredients: 
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
Oil (for deep frying) (I just lightly poured oil into my no stick pan)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika 
1 egg 
1 cup milk

Cooking Instructions:  
Step 1: Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees (I just put a very light pour of oil in my pan and fried these).

In a large bowl combine flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Its good to use the practice of wet hand/dry hand for this. Dip with one hand into the wet..toss into the dry and fetch out with the dry hand. (This makes life so much easier) And actually my Grandma used to put the chicken in a brown paper bag a toss it. I think Ill try that next time too..just to speed things up.
In a small bowl whisk together egg and milk. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then roll in the flour mixture. Repeat so that each piece of chicken is double coated. Refrigerate the breaded chicken for 20 minutes. Step 2: Fry chicken in the hot oil in batches until the outside is nicely browned and the juices run clear (about 5 minutes per batch). Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the chicken is gone. Step 3: Mix fried chicken bits with your favorite wing sauce.

Asian Wing Sauce

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cornstarch 
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
½ cup corn syrup 1/3 cup sugar 
¼ cup chili-garlic sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce 
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger 
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic (minced)

Cooking Instructions:  
Step 1: In a small bowl mix cornstarch with rice vinegar. Set aside. In a small sauce pan combine remaining ingredients. Add the cornstarch and rice vinegar mixture and mix well. 

Step 2: Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat the simmer until it becomes thick. Remove from heat, allow it to cool then cover and chill it until ready to use (you can also use it right away if the chicken is ready). My sauce never became very thick but it did thicken up a bit it wasn't like pouring water and it stuck the the wings.

We served this up with white rice and it was so yummy! For the non rice eating folks in the house they got celery sticks. I think next time I will try baking the chicken pieces for a healthier low fat revision and see how they turn out. :) Ill post when this is tried.

Hope you enjoy.!

Desiree 15th Birthday Party

2011-08-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

This one was fun to do but tricky. Once the party started these kids didn't want a parent around at all. :( LOL But we kept popping in. But unfortunately I got no pics of the crew that was here. I'm just horrible at the party picture thing.

I did however get a few pics of the table before the teen madness began.

Party Trivia

2011-08-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Anna's Halfy Birthday Jamboree

2011-08-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

We have a Christmas baby so a HALFY BIRTHDAY was the best way for her to experience a true birthday party and also all the fun activities Summer brings. We celebrated pool side with light snacks and pizza.

The Invites
I designed and wrote the poem for the party invites. Love how the invites turned out. Simple bright white card stock printed front and back. I printed one and framed it to use for table flair. While the actual invites went out digitally as most everyone we know lives on a computer.

The Cupcakes

The cupcakes were homemade and oh so yummy.(If I do say so myself) I used Betty Crocker's Dark Chocolate cake mix) I had tried the recipe several months back to taste test it to see if we were going to like it. And we loved it! Ever seen D.C. Cupcakes on Food Network? Well you have to try this icing recipe. It's the D.C. Cupcake knock-off recipe and gosh is it so yummy. Do I have the signature swirl down?? No! haha. But I thought they turned out looking great. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (You can use the mic for this but not to much heat or you will end up with a mess)
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (sift to get a smooth icing, not necessary but helps)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

How to:
Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and with your electric mixer combine all the ingredients until smooth. You can add food coloring and mix to get different colors. I used Gel food coloring and it works great. You will need to use more of it if you want a vibrant color plus it doesn’t affect the consistency of the frosting. I put the icing into a Wilton disposable decorating baggie and used the round piping tool and just piped around the cupcake. I think if you just cut a large portion off the end of the bag and don't use a pipe tool you would be more apt to get the signature swirl of D.C. Cupcakes!

The Cupcake Toppers

I designed the cupcake toppers and printed them on my trusty HP printer and then used my decorative scalloped edge scissors to cut around them. However, I think I will invest in a Martha Stewart die cut punch for next time. Using those scissors can become painful on the ole thumbs. :( I took candy sticks from Micheal's and cut them in half and hot glued them to the back of the printables.

Want some printables designed for your party?? Let me know!!:) Email Kimmy

The Tissue Pom Poms

I found this tutorial over at The Busy Budgeting Mama. They are so super easy to make, cheap and you can make them in any color you can find tissue paper in. How perfect!!

Take 8 pieces of tissue paper and fold accordion style. (Remember the old fans we used to make in school?? That's how you fold this) Fold them along the short edge of the paper about 1.5 inch folds.

Then take any kind of wire, I used florist wire, and tie around the center of the folded paper. This prevents the paper from unfolding on you. Then take some fishing line ($2.50 at Wal-mart) and tie around the center where you tied the wire. Make sure you leave it long so you can adjust the length later to get the right height when hanging you poms.

Take your scissors and cut radius' along each end. So that you have rounded edges instead of hard square edges at both ends.

Then start pulling each piece of paper out and fluff Fluff FLUFF.

Hang and you are done! It's really that easy. :) I will post some pics of what mine looked like during the creation process. It's always good to see what someone is talking about.

Healthy and Pretty Fruit Skewers
I pondered long and hard on what I could skewer fruit on that would be kid friendly on a slippery pool deck and those bamboo wooden skewers just weren't an option. Then I happened across multi-colored drink stirrers so I grabbed a pack of 25 for $1.79 at Wal-Mart and went to town.

The skewers turned out great. They have no sharp ends and have a bulb at one end so fruit doesn't escape and they come in pretty colors!! We threaded Strawberries -n- Grapes and Pineapple -n- Grapes onto the stirrers with no problems.
Mommy Approved! Safe, Functional and Pretty!

The Party Menu

Asian Inspired Turkey Meat Balls (Want the Disney recipe?? Click here)

Hummus and Salsa

Chips

Deviled Eggs

Fruit Kabobs

Fresh Watermelon Wedges

Pizza

Thank you to everyone who came Our Christmas Baby had a blast!

Miss Anna is seen standing in the shallow with the pink and black bikini. I think all the kids had a blast.

Mckenzie and Desiree (Our teen daughter(s) :))

Our nephew, Tre, and Plaxico playing a good ole game of tug-o-war. Yes the dogs got into the party too!

I hate that I don't have any good pics of the birthday girl. I was running around like mad with the party and didn't get to snap any pics. How sad is that? Next time the camera is around my neck the whole time.

Satin Laces and Tip Toes

2011-07-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

My latest sketch. Delicate pink kissed slippers with satiny soft laces. The loveliest forms of grace and girliness glide in these to the delight of audiences. I just love ballet slippers and the lovely dedicated dancers that lace them up. I marvel every time I see this beautiful art form. Ballet - Grace in its purest form.

For more sketches visit my sketch site www.sketcharella.com. If you see something you like or would like a custom sketch let me know. :)

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-07-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Love this recipe and so does my family and neighbors. I made mine without the nuts and they turned out photo perfect and oh so delicious.

Here is what you'll need:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Mix sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker^® Kitchens

Purchasing

To ensure recipe success if using a vegetable oil spread, use a spread with at least 65% vegetable oil.

Substitution

Rise to the occasion! If using self-rising flour, there is no need to add baking powder and salt.

Time Saver

You can form these cookies more quickly if you use a #16 cookie/ice-cream scoop. Level off the dough on the edge of the bowl for perfectly round cookies.

Variation

If you didn’t think these cookies could get any better, try them with 1/2 cup each of semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips instead of the 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips. Incredibly, even more incredible!

Macaroni Cheese and Spinach Quiche

2011-07-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

1 pound Cavatappi, or other short pasta of your choice;regular or whole grain
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sweet onion, any variety
2 1/2 cups milk, evaporated milk or half and half
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pkg(8 ounces) of Italian blend that includes cream cheese (KRAFT)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp basil
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 cups baby spinach leaves about 4 ounces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray springform pan with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta according to directions. In medium sized pot, melt butter over medium heat; add onion, cook until onion is tender. Gradually whisk in flour until smooth, cooking about 1 minutes. Gradually add milk. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil;cook until thickened about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in eggs, 1 1/2 cups cheese blend, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper until smooth and blended. Stir in pasta and spinach. Transfer to springform pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese blend. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. Run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen pasta. Let cool for 20 minutes. Remove side of pan and serve.

Serve this with salad and you have a complete meal. Trust me one slice is very filling. My family loved this recipe and I will be making this one again.

Anna's Dance Camp -Just Dance Themed Show

2011-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Irish Dance

Anna is attending Dance Camp this summer where they learn around four to five dances a week, create the set and costumes for their show and then perform for the parents every Friday. She loves being on stage and dancing. So glad we have this available.

Anna's Halfy Birthday Jamboree

2011-07-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

2011-07-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

My parents have been together 41 years as of July 11th of this year!! How awesomely amazing is that?? They married young and had me the following year. So I guess you could say my parents have been parents most of their lives. They are an awesome Mom and Dad as well. I love them both will all my heart and soul. So even thought my sketch is two days late..I still want to say Congratulations to you both on this fantabulous day!!!

Love you!!

2011-07-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

Junior Diabetes Research Foundation

My BFF 's nephew was diagnosed with with Juvenile Diabetes and he and his family have had a very tough time getting his sugar under control. Lots of education, patience as well as a lot of questions and worry.

This year they will walk in the JDRF (Junior Diabetes Research Foundation) Walk in Atlanta to raise money in hopes of finding a cure one day, and soon I hope.

Growing up with a Grandparent with an extreme case of Diabetes made me have a true appreciation for those affected with this disease. It also made me want to find a cure even more. I've seen the sugar lows and highs and it's no joke. Knowing this makes it all the harder for me to imagine a child living with this. Lets hope someday soon we have a cure.

I sketched this little guy from a online pic I found when he was much younger and wrote the below poem as well. I hope a cure is found for his sake as well as all other children diagnosed with this horrible disease. Diabetes is no joke.

NO MORE OUCHIES

No More Shots
No More Pricks
To My Tiny Fingertips!

I Can Count
Sing A, B, C's
Diabetes Will Not Conquer Me!

I Love To Laugh
I Live To Play
Diabetes Will Not Ruin My Day!

Although I'm Small
Know I Am Strong
Fight I Will, Until It's Gone!

So Skip, Roll
Walk Or Run
Support A Cause While Having Fun!

Join Runners Here
And Walkers There
Send A Message Loud n' Clear!

All Monies Raised
All Dollars Spent
Funds Research- Treat, Cure, Prevent!
-Kim Panella

All images and poetry sole property of Kim Panella.
For more of my sketches visit www.sketcharella.com

My Pooch!

2011-07-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

Love my boy. He is my constant companion. Is always happy to see me when I come home and is never mean in any way. Love this dog.

This is just me working on my sketching. I draw everyday and have a blast doing it. If you would like to see more of my sketches, from realistic to cartoon, visit my site Sketcharella.

The Karate Pig

2011-07-07T14:19:00.001-07:00

The Karate Pig

This book is so cute. I love how it has all kinds of hidden pull outs too. Plus its a board book. Great for holding the little ones attention and because the book is heavy duty board it holds up to the not so gentle touch of little hands.

Secret Agent Man

2011-07-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

This morning Anna caught a frog when we were walking the dogs. She tells me, "Mommy look he's hanging down like a secret agent." I immediately thought of Frog Cruise and escaping from my child's hands is Mission Impossible. LOL

DaDa DaDaDaDa DuDuDuDu DuDuDuDu..DoooodleDooo DoooodleDooo :)

Family Fun Sunday

2011-06-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Family Fun Sunday!

We had a little family fun day this Sunday at the Panella house. I was the designated photographer. We played Wii Fit Hoola Hoop..the grand score winner was Daddy with over 300 hoop rotations. Woohoo...go Daddy!!!

PS. This is proof that teens really do smile while hanging with family. :)

Mostly Monsterly

2011-06-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

My sketch tribute to Bernadette!

I picked up this awesomely cute and monsterly adorable book at the book store during the Society for Children's Books Writers and Illustrators Conference. This is a great book about making friends and not losing sight of who your are in the process.

My six year old, Anna loved it and so did I.

Downing Doesn't Look Like Drowning

2011-06-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 1976 me and my Mom, along with my Auntie, Uncle and their son all headed down to Orlando, Florida to visit Disney. It was one of the most exciting trips I ever remember taking as a child. I was only five and today only very vivid memories stand out but there's one memory that will haunt me for ever. That memory is when I almost drown.

I remember the day starting out. Me and my cousin were jumping on the beds, squealing and having a fantastic time. My Mom, Auntie and Uncle were all getting ready to head to a convention that day and had hired a sitting service from the hotel to watch us while they were out. I remember the clear instructions given to them, and I distinctly remember my Mother saying, "THEY ARE NOT TO GO NEAR THE POOL."

Being the young adults the sitters were, I guess they felt they could control the situation and there wouldn't be any harm in letting us play in the water. So after our parents had been gone for a short while they suited us up and we headed for the pool. My cousin and I knew we weren't supposed to do it but we thought if the people who are in charge said we can, then why not?

I remember playing and having a blast. After a while my cousin decided to start jumping into the pool. It looked like so much fun so when he climbed out to jump again I went with him. We continued to do this for a while and each time we would walk a little further down the side of the pool before jumping. The last time I jumped the water completely covered my face. Although I was next to the wall of the pool I was too short to reach the edge and pull myself up. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO PANIC. I didn't even think to walk towards the steps. I didn't even think that the water would get more shallow if I headed in that direction. My only thought was, I'M GOING TO DROWN. I was terrified and my cousin saw it in my eyes. He tried everything to lift me from the water but I kept slipping through his arms. I remember spotting the sitters by the pool and from under the choppy water they appeared as two wavy blobs of color. In a final attempt to get their attention I began slapping the side of the pool. I remember thinking I couldn't hold my breath any longer and just as that thought crept into my mind so did the water creep into my lungs. Instantly two hands tightly gripped my wrists and pulled me from the water. I was exhausted, barely able to function, coughing up water while my lungs ached. Every breath I took made me cough harder which in turn made more water expel from my lungs. I vomited, I coughed, and I just lay limp on the pool deck trying to catch my breath. This was the scariest moment of my childhood.

After reading the article, Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning, I knew I had to write about this harrowing experience. And I can honestly say, if I'd been only few feet further from the pools edge this story would've had a completely different ending.

Take a moment and read this. I was shocked to learn that a lot of drownings occur within 25 feet of the parent and 10% of them the parent is watching it happen and doesn't even realize it.

Be Smart. Educate Yourself and Your Child. Learn to Swim.

In the Orlando area and looking for swimming lessons? We took our youngest to
Southwest Aquatics - Pedia Swim
and she's been swimming since she was a baby. I will admit, the classes were hard to watch but the staff is great and reassure you and your child all along the way. Swimming lessons were the best thing we could have ever done for our children.

One Day Left!

2011-06-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we pick up our girls from the airport. YAY!!!

They've been gone for about 10 days so my husband and I have been alone with two labs for the duration and to be honest we are starting to go a bit stir crazy. Makes me worry what it will be like here when the girls are all grown up. eek! Can't think about that!!

Any how tomorrow early in the morning I will be scooping up the girls and my Mom and Dad. My parents will be in for a short visit and then it's back off to paradise for them.

Tie Boys

2011-06-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

There are no little boys running through our house making messes and rough housing on the furniture, but we do have two black labs. Does that count? :)

Lets backtrack a bit...So I was at Goodwill one day and spotted the most adorable baby boy tie. I had to get it!! It was only 10 cents for heavens sake!! True I don't have boys but you never know when your going to need a little boys tie. Am I right?? I know... I didn't know what I was going to use if for ...but I just had to have it.

Now that I think back, I think that's the only thing I bought that day. Maybe I just couldn't leave without feeling I had bought something. Is that considered Retail Therapy???Oh well, I digress.

Whatever the case I finally spotted my opportunity to use this cute little thing. I told my hubs that I wanted to get a pic of the boys (our doggies) wearing ties. He told me it would be impossible to get them to sit pretty while I snapped shots. I didn't want to believe him. Long story short- He was right! Man I hate it when that happens. hehe.

I did get one good shot of Jack sporting his tie. But that's about all I got.

Oh well I think it would've been easier with a helper. But I was alone at home and they just wanted to play. And there's nothing wrong with that. So after snapping a few pics, I put the camera down, took off the ties and we played. :) Poor Plaxi (our older dog) it was like the life left him as soon as I put that tie around his neck. Funny, because the same thing happens to my husband when he puts on a tie. ha! So needless to say the pics I got of big boi ...well...they're not worthy of a post. But you can enjoy the little Jack Jack pic though.

Hope you have a fantastic Wednesday!!!

Illustrator Intensive

2011-06-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bit nervous, a tiny bit scared but a whole lot EXCITED!!! I will be attending my first SCBWI (Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Conference this weekend where I will be taking an Illustrators Intensive class as well as a Children's Picture Book Seminar. The Art Director and Illustrators teaching the Illustrator Intensive class will be assisting us in honing in on our signature illustration styles. I'm really very curious to hear what they have to say and can't wait to share all the goodies I pick up over the weekend.

Happy Fathers Day

2011-06-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful to have such a wonderful Dad. He is so funny and always makes me laugh. I love his great since of humor. Although we are miles apart we talk often on the phone and visit when we can. Super talented in everything he does. My Dad is an ER RN and works hard to insure those he cares for leave in better shape than they came. He's my hero! My Dad isn't just a great Dad and RN he's also a fantastic Grandpa. As a matter of fact my two girls are visiting him and grandma as we speak. So happy to have you as my Daddy.

Love you Daddy!

I made this infographic sketch about my Dad for Father's Day. It will be framed and ready for him to take back with him when he comes down in a few days to visit.

Dad with Ava.

Clowning around with Anna

My other Dad, Pops, is a wonderful guy as well. We spend just about every Sunday with him and Barbie, usually having Sunday dinner and a game of cards afterwords. Super talented with the camera, this guy is. ;) If you get a chance visit his blog and admire.

Love you Pops!

Now on to my husband, John. I really can't say enough about this guy. He has such a sweet gentle spirit and treats our girls like the little princess' they are. He is as patient with them as the day is long. He loves to read with Anna and help Desiree with her music. He is the most perfect Dad and I am so thankful to have him in my life.

Love you! xoxox

Saw these cool books last night at Barnes and Noble. JP was instantly loving the Guide to Weekend Fun! Lot's of really cool projects.

The River's Chill!

2011-06-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! I remember these waters growing up. They were always freezing cold but loads of fun! I have no idea how I ever swam in them. But every summer we were at the river getting our swim on. It must be the kid in you that allows you to endure the chill. :)

If this river could talk she would tell of young little girls, much like mine, visiting her waters edge to survive, not to play. She would paint a story of young girls and women gathering water in gourds to tote back to their Native American camp. Maybe even tell us about two young Indian lovers meeting here to profess their love for one another. Whatever the story it would be awesome. :) I can assure you. Not far from this area my Grandfather found part of a Native American pipe that he added to his collection of many other finds such as arrow heads and rock tools used by these awesome people who first inhabited this gorgeous land my family loves, The Blue Ridge Mountains. I may not live there now but my heart will always dwell there.

This is Anna's first time in a river, Little Reed Island Creek to be exact. Up until now it's always been swimming pools and water slides. Desiree on the other had is a seasoned vet when it comes to river wading. She's been going up to see Grandma and Grandpa since she was a tiny little thing. Neither of them seem shocked or even stunned by the chill or the fact that in some areas you can barely see the bottom due to mud stirring up as you walk along. And I bet they had smiles as wide as the day is long while they were there today.

Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa, (Mom and Dad) for all that you do for the girls. We love you both!!

Summer Tiki Party

2011-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Recently worked on Tiki Party Menu Designs for both a bar menu and food menu. Had a lot of fun working on these and really loved how the different versions turned out.

Since this is an outdoor pool party we also created some cute signs directing party goers to the powder room.

Just making simple items like these can inexpensively bring your party up a notch and give it that extra pizzaz.

If you ever find you need custom menus just let me know. They are more affordable than you would think! :)

Country Living!

2011-06-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

This little girl has been so excited about this trip to the mountains and the one constant has been the topic of going fishing. Desiree loves to fish and Anna has dreamed of going fishing and reeling in that first fish and this year her dream is coming true.

The first day all she did was drown worms and get the line wet.

But today I am proud to say my baby girl caught her first fish!!! And it's a pretty good sized fish too!

Check out the little angler working him to the bank.

Cranking him in! Look at that pole! He's putting up a fight.

Woohoo landed!

Nothing quite like that first fish!!! Congrats Anna!!

He's pretty big too.

No fish were harmed during this fishing trip. After the big photo shoot he was released back into his natural habitat. :)

Ava, Mindy(My Sister), Anna, and Desiree on the Grayson Trail.

Teen Room Super Make Over

2011-06-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Ok here was the plan. My 14 year old went out of town for Thanksgiving week to be with her Daddy and visit her family in California. She had been begging me to do a makeover on her room. Soooo. I surprised her with an over the holidays re-do of her room.

Her room was yellow and wasn't her style anymore. She was looking for a clean, more grown up look to her room. So I worked really hard and pulled this off on a budget and under time constraints.

She wanted light gray walls, white trim and she really wantws on whole wall in chalk board paint. At first I was very apprehensive of painting an entire wall black with chalk board paint. But I'm totally open to it now. We only live once and it's only paint, right? Which by-the-way I saw pictures and fell in love with the idea. How cool is this?? I'm an artist and love to doodle. I think I would have just squeezed my Momma till she popped if she had done something like this for me as a kid. (I really hope I get the big squeeze. ;)

This image came from http://openhouse.homegoods.com/index.php/2009/01/25/penny-pinching-paint-projects/ and they have some other cool ideas listed there as well.

And I found this idea that I totally love!! Is this not the coolest idea??? I want one!!!

You know what else I'm loving about this light grey color she wanted? The art work we put on the walls will totally pop! I saw this art gallery image at http://tealengthtulle.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/the-great-venue-hunt-2008-part-iii/ and the art just hit me in the face. I'm totally getting psyched about this project.

Will post finished pics soon!

Teaching Our Little Ones

2011-06-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

Raising strong, beautiful children.

Who aren't afraid to be themselves.

Who embrace what they love and make it their own.

Never compromising who they truly are for monetary gain.

Knowing when you do what you love the rest falls beautifully into place. (Thank You Karem!)

This is what I dream of for my sweet baby girls.

:)

I've always felt very strongly about this. I want my children to pursue in life whatever stirs their most inner core and fills them with happiness. I have said this to friends and to my children many times.."What you love to do most is what you should become in life." And this doesn't mean you have to stick with it your entire life either. As we grow, so do our experiences and with that growth we discover unknown passions that stir our emotions and make our hearts bubble over with happiness. That my friend is where I want to be. :)

Teaching our children to be themselves, follow their dreams and we as parents supporting them no matter what is of the utmost importance. I instantly fell in love with this awesome idea and I love this idea so much I'm going to do this for both my girls and will post their Dream Cards when complete!

RedBalloon Kids Business Cards from digous machado on Vimeo.

Yummy Summa Salsa

2011-06-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Try this fresh and tasty little number and watch faces light up!
Here is what you need.

1 Half a Red Onion coarsely chopped
1 Half Avocado cut into small cubes
2 Large Tomatoes cubed or several Romano Tomatoes cubed
1 Half Jalapeno seeded and minced
Handful of Fresh Cilantro rough chopped
Half a can of Nibblets Corn
Half a can of Black Beans washed and drained
1 Lime fresh squeezed or Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon of Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Bag of Tostitos Scoops or Tortilla Chips

You can add Chili Powder, Fresh Garlic or Cayenne Powder to add an extra punch to your dip. This is a basic floor plan you can modify and take this recipe to new heights. We made this a few weeks back and it's great even spooned onto Hot dogs. mmmmm

Enjoy!

Pretty Summer Colors

2011-06-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Anna on her first trip to the mountains without Mommy or Daddy. She and big Sissy are spending some time in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Here she is fishing for the first time courtesy of Grandpa! Thanks Grandpa..you're the greatest.

My Sister with her little one Ava, and my two girls Anna and Desiree. This is on the trail in Grayson County, Virginia.

Always posing. We love to take pics of the kids with the movie ads a the theater. This one we snapped while at the movies to see Super 8. Which by-the-way was a great movie.

Summer is just getting started :)

I'll post the recipe for a yummy dip using the below items soon!

Handmade Arch Fan Window Shade

2011-06-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Saw these at Lowes and decided to make my own. Very easy to do and costs far less. I found two sheets of large paper at my local art store, measured the height of the window at it's tallest, cut my paper to that size and then began to fold a fan. Just like the one's we used to make in school. :) When I was finished I stapled the two accordion fans together and placed it into the window. Installed!

Cheapest Purchased would be around $18 with limited selection.
Handmade Cost $6 and with limitless possibilities! Choose a paper that will match your decor to a "t". Any thickness, any color, any style. :)

When the sun shines through this blind it's really beautiful. You can see all the pretty leaves that have been pressed into this pretty handcrafted paper!

Enjoy!

Special Announcement

2011-05-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

Awe ...puppies!! I just love them. From their cute faces, bouncy out-of-control canter, to their wet slobbery kisses. I LOVE IT ALL!!! We have been looking for a while and finally found our little fella! Jack and Plaxico are going to be a dynamic duo! Love them both so much. The girls are in love with the new guy too, both are begging me to let him sleep in their rooms. :)

I was so impressed when we went to pick him up and he was already swimming and retrieving! Such a beautiful and smart little guy. I can not wait to see what all I can teach him.

Any how say a prayer for the new Mommy and Daddy who will be up a few nights until Jack gets settled in.

Spring or Summer Party!!

2011-05-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

Hey head over to My Pink Life she has an amazing table display for a Spring Time Party. I so want to do this some time.

Mom's InCENTive Boutique Is Open!!

2011-05-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

I hear about treasure box everyday. So I decided to open up a boutique of my own for my kid's to shop at. Just like in Anna's Kindergarten class she gets coins for the outstanding work she does. Then she gets to count out the money to make her purchase! My little boutique isn't huge and its really housed in a big bowl but it's filled with 100 calorie snacks, pencils, temporary tattoos, and some cute Hello Kitty items I found for a buck at Target. No matter how small it is..eyes were wide with excitement when she spotted it this afternoon. Hoping this will help her better improve her money recognition and counting skills!

Lovely Pub Style Chalk Art

2011-05-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

I can see making these for anything and everything.

Or even a sign like Kimberly made over at Crow Creek.

A family sign like I painted in an earlier post seen below. To see the blog post check it out here

My Pooch

2011-05-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

We were out doing out morning round of fetch and my big boy sat down and posed for me to snap a pic. Hes getting older, the gray is creeping up on him. Doesn't he look distinguished. LOL

45 Amazing Type Faces - Typographic Portraits That Is!

2011-05-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Amazing. That's all I can say. For more visit Type Faces

Enjoy!

Chalk Letterer

2011-05-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm seriously thinking of erasing everything off Desi's chalk board wall in her room and going absolutely bonkers!! I love chalk, chalk boards, and chalk art. I guess you can say I have an obsession. But check out this amazing artist Dana Tanamachi. She's amazing and also created the lovely art posted above!!

Enjoy!!

Chalk Ink??

2011-05-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of Chalk Ink? I hadn't but it all makes since now. You know, your standing in line at the coffee shoppe reading those oh so cool menus that have been hand written with pretty little doodles on what appears to be chalkboards. Like this one...

or this one..

and this one is way cool too!!

here's yet another...

You get the idea.

They are using Chalk Pens. Chalk pens are great because they give you a variety of colors and allow your masterpieces to be as permanent as you like. When you get tired of your doodles just say hello wet cloth and good-bye art and you are back to a clean slate. Pun intended :)

So here's is my spin on this. I got the pens and found a nice sized roll of black vinyl at Micheal's for about 4 bux which was less after the 40% off coupon! The vinyl has a sticky side so you can adhere it to just about anything and the cool thing about it..when you pull it up it doesn't damage your wall or wood. I am always making lists so I decided to put a big strip of it across my desk so when I'm on the phone, surfing, reading..Whatever..I can quickly jot down notes to myself and know where they are.

Gone are the days of searching for the post-it that had my big idea on it.

So here it is..take a look and let me know whatcha think!

Crayola Window Markers

2011-05-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

I love whiteboards, chalk boards, and now I can draw all over my windows!! Put these in Anna's Easter basket and we've had a blast with them. I got the recommendation from a friend of mine to give these a try. We love them. I've always used dry erase markers to write on the windows and mirrors but these come with White which adds a really super cool look to drawings.

Whimsical Pencil

2011-05-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to draw a whimsical piece and my hand felt like drawing curly-cues. :) Drawing this made my fingers happy and made my little kiddo's smile. Pretty love birds flirting in a tree, a pretty nest with speckled blue eggs resting on a high branch, curly flirty flowers, rolling hills and white puffy clouds and of course some butterflies and dragonflies and a tiny snail slowly working her way across the scene. It's fun taking a white piece of paper and making it your own. Try it sometime. You'll be amazed at what you can do!

Enjoy!

Something for that Creative Spirit!

2011-05-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

This Creative Blessing was written by myself and compiled into a unique typographic piece. It's an 11"x17" printable that is sure to please that creative spirit.

Trying to get a pic with this with my phone's camera is proving tough! UG! Sorry guys.

Visit my Esty shop, Starvin' Artisan for this and other cool printables!

Mother's Day Tea with Anna

2011-05-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Okay this was super cute! Anna was front and center. She is our little performer and she was working it. I so love these kiddos. Going to savor every moment this weekend with my babies. (although they are no longer babies) sniff sniff.

Check out the little song they did for all the Mommies!!

Check out this pretty wall art.

2011-04-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Looking around I found the coolest wall art for a studio. LOVE the idea. Head over to Little Things Bring Smiles blog to get the full tutorial.

Little Things Bring Smiles

Give us this day our daily bread

2011-04-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

I was inspired. Now I need to find a place to put this baby. :)

Hope you are having a wonderful Friday!

2011-04-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is the pretty desk swag I made for my sister-in-law to place at her workspace to help keep her motivated and focused on her goal! One day soon we will have another nurse in the family.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a wonderful Easter with your family!

Our oldest daughter was hiding during picture taking and I was cooking. Oh well one day hopefully we'll make it into the pics. We had a wonderful Easter dinner with PerPa and PapPap. The table setting was on the cheap. Here's the list.

1 Twin Flat Sheet $5
1 Package of Pink Napkins $2- Unfolded and used as place mats. These worked great because after we could just toss them and they brought pretty pinks to the table.
1 Bag of Robin Eggs $2 - Used for the center piece.
2 Egg Coloring Kits - .35 cents each - haha I know that's crazy cheap but I got them last year at an after Easter sale. The kiddos colored eggs while I cooked and we used them to decorate the table.
Ribbon $2 - And can be reused another time in another project. I know it will show up again. Love the pretty soft pinks.
The Menu- I designed the menu and printed it for the table. This was an awesome teaser and really got the family even more excited about the upcoming dinner.
Matching Napkin Wrappers - Created and printed. Super cute and cheap! Just print, cut and use double sided tape and you have a pretty but effortless added touch to each place setting.
Clear Plates - $2
Napkins for Bunnies - $2 - I actually got two packages for the price of one on BOGO at our local grocery store. The Bunnies were a real conversation starter. Everyone loved them and once I got one done it was super easy to fold the rest. Get the fold directions and other ideas from an earlier blog post of mine here Napkin Fold
Grand Total $15.70!

Everything else I had or shopped the house to pull it together. Grass from the girls baskets, flame less candles, white party trays, and white ceramic name plates.

Kimmy :)

Make a Pretty Easter Menu

2011-04-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

Make your dinner guests feel even more special with pretty menus. Here's our menu for tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Kimmy :)

Screen Printing Again!

2011-04-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

I really love to screen print and just wrapped up a batch for Neptune Elementary Schools third grade class. Thank you Jackie for thinking of me when you needed some creative help. Hopefully soon I will have that four color screen press!! yay!

Ms. Miner calls all her little ones her Little Monkey's and it's The Neptune Elementary School Rockets. So it was so fitting having the monkey riding a rocket!! They will be sporting these this Friday for field day and then will wash them up and use them for their field trip coming up May 12th!

Can't wait to get action pics of the kids wearing the shirts!

Thank you for the opportunity!!

Kimmy :)

sharpies! Sharpies! SHARPIES!

2011-04-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Check out these awesome Sharpie moments.

To check our more awesomeness visit Sharpie Uncapped!

SweetSweets Birthday Party

2011-04-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

We attended a birthday party this weekend for Anna's classmate Reese and the party was soo pretty.
The table was decorated so beautifully too. I loved the center piece of Dumb Dumb suckers that they made into a cute tree.

The mother had also sewn each child a pretty pink apron and a pink chefs hat! They decorated cupcakes with candy from the candy shop and later had pizza. Anna had a blast.

I got some really awesome ideas from this party. Too bad I can't sew. :(

Kimmy :)

Anna's Artwork

2011-04-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Our little one was selected to have her artwork displayed in the local Art Festival. We were super excited!! Congrats to you Anna!!!!

Pineapple Lush

2011-04-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Made this Pineapple Lush this weekend. Check recipes for more info.

Kimmy : )

Easter Napkin Fold!

2011-04-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is so adorable. Saw this on MyChinet.com. So cute and they have more folds to choose from!
The instructions seem pretty easy and can be downloaded from their site as well!

Above is fold 6 per requested. I will be taking pics of all the folds soon and uploading.

Happy Folding!

Kimmy :)

May all your CARDS be LIVE and POTS be MONTERS!

2011-04-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Created this for a family friend who is a huge poker player. This will be adorning the walls of his man room very soon. It's his birthday week and had no idea what to get for him so I decided to make him something that revolves around what he loves, POKER!