80 Coasters

After drying the flowers from my grandfather's funeral, I was tasked with making 80 coasters for members of our extended family.  My grandfather left behind 6 children, 22 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren. 

He also left behind an amazing legacy.  He was a World War II Army veteran who earned the Purple Heart and came home from the war to marry his high school sweetheart.

My grandparents were married for 62 years and together raised 6 kids on the salary my grandfather made as high school Math teacher.  My grandfather tithed each of his paychecks to his church and was distinguished for voting in every election since 1942. 

My grandfather and I shared the same birthday, which will always remain special to me.  He was truly a member of the Greatest Generation and I was honored to be able to preseve his memory for so many family members by completing this project.

See August 26th Blog entry for more photos.

Kids' Artwork

I've been looking for a way to creatively display the kids' artwork without cluttering up our kitchen.  I saw this idea on another blog and copied it in my upstairs hallway.  All you need are 2 decorative drawer pulls, picture hanging wire, and 2 extra long screws.

I started with just one wire and then decided that I needed two wires to fill the space.  Total cost for this project was $25 and I was able to get all of the supplies from Home Depot.

Spooky Eyes

Here is an easy Halloween project that I saw on http://www.marthastewart.com/ last year.  All you need is a frame, foil, black glitter, glow-in-the-dark glitter, glue, & a template for scary eyes.  You can get everything, except the template, from Michael's craft store.  The templates are on the Martha Stewart website or you can make your own!

FIVE SIMPLE STEPS

1. Remove the cardboard from the frame and wrap it in foil. 

2. Remove glass from frame and use glue to create a face on the glass.  (Having a template underneath the glass works best so you can trace the lines of the eyes with your glue.)

3. Apply glue for black glitter first.  Sprinkle black glitter & let dry.  Shake off excess black glitter.

4. Apply glue for glow-in-the-dark portion of eyes next.  Sprinkle glow glitter & let dry.  Shake off excess glow glitter.

5. Reinsert glass into frame with glitter face on the outside of the frame.  Reinsert cardboard (covered in foil) into frame.  Display and enjoy!

DC Cupcake

I visited Washington, DC last weekend with a friend of mine and we waited 90 minutes to get a taste of the cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake (yes, it was worth the wait!).  The shop is owned by two sisters who left their corporate DC jobs to open a cupcake shop.  They will have their own show on TLC this fall called "DC Cupcake."

The flavors we chose were Peanut Butter Fudge, Key Lime, Caramel Apple, Cinnamon, Salted Caramel, and Chocolate Ganache.  Delicious!

Dried Flowers

Here are the flowers I dried from my Grandfather's funeral.  I preserved 7 roses in their regular form and pulled petals from the remaining roses to press them.

It took 3 weeks for all of the roses to dry out.  Afterwards, I arranged the full roses in glass vase with the pressed petals along the side.

I used the extra rose petals to create coasters.

Tinkerbell

We celebrated our 3rd birthday of the summer in Pixie Hollow.  My daughter chose a Tinkerbell theme and colored most of the decorations herself.

Lemonade Pie

This is a great recipe that only takes 15 min of prep time.  Its from the August 2010 issue of Southern Living Magazine.

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

2 (3.4 oz) packages lemon instant pudding mix

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 (9-inch) ready-made graham cracker piecrust

1 container frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip)

Whisk together evaporated milk and next 2 ingredients in a bowl 2 minutes, or until mixture is thickened.  Beat cream cheese and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Add lemonade concentrate, beating until smooth; add milk mixture, and beat until blended.  Pour into crust.  Cover and chill 8 hours or until firm.  Dollop each slice with whipped topping.

HINT:  For a homemade look, freeze crust 5 minutes and then slip it into your favorite pie plate before adding filling.