Tag Archive | create

These are a few of my Favorite Things

I absolutely, positively, without a doubt, LOVE SUNFLOWERS! I have a dear teaching friend that helps feed my obsession by driving all over the Texas countryside with me to take pictures of the fields when they are in full bloom. This year, due to the rains we had in early spring, the blooms were exquisite! sunflower 1

Each one is beautifully unique!

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This past weekend, I was able to go on a brief getaway to the coast. It was a great escape from the everyday ‘stuff’ and I couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness wash over me when driving back home yesterday.

When packing for a beach vacation, it takes a lot of planning. Of course, the no-brainer is to throw in a couple of bathing suits, cover-ups, and flip-flops; but strategically packing the unfinished craft projects that you want to complete can be a bit tricky. On this particular getaway, I had decided that I wanted to sew some canvas bags. I had been buying coordinating fabric for this particular project and was super excited about trying out a pattern I had found online.

I did tweak the pattern a bit, but for a great step-by-step tutorial on sewing tote bags Amanda from www.crazylittleprojects.com is your gal. I can’t wait to try her messenger bag pattern next.

Just think of all of the possibilities! Beach Breaks – they’re not just for sand and sun anymore!

beach

With love,

—praying for JWR—

The Days that Time Worked in my Favor

Jun18

At the beginning of any extended vacation time from work, there is a spring in my step, an unrealistic to-do list of Pinterest projects to try, and a feeling that the world is at my feet because time is on my side. I can easily organize the responsibilities of laundry, cooking, and cleaning with a lighthearted attitude. I am so sorry for those that have not been able to feel that luxury of ‘time’ every once in a while because the opportunity to refresh is so important for one’s health. FullSizeRender (3)

This weekend, my husband surprised me with a road-trip for my birthday and our anniversary. Our definition of road-trip is: get in the car and drive to some undetermined destination.

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We spent two days driving to small towns, roaming around, talking, and laughing. Letting go is good and we both know that we have got to take these mini-vacations more often. We have decided however, that Siri will always travel with us in case we need assistance with gas station locations, hotel choices, and restaurant recommendations (that is a whole other story and one that we will laugh about together for years to come).

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With Love,

Penny

Cropping…The Greatest Invention Since Sliced Bread

Jun5

Seriously, whenever I take a picture, I look at it afterwards and wonder how I could even hit ‘click’ (or push that little circular doodaddy when I am using my phone because I don’t even own a real camera anymore) without seeing all of the distractor factors that take away from the image that I want people to really focus on. I get so frustrated with myself for not being more observant beforehand. For example, yesterday I stepped outside to take a picture of our American flag hanging alongside my father-in-law’s flag (as he was a Vietnam Vet). Even though I see the front of my house at least four times a day, I guess that I have been oblivious to the few remaining Christmas light hooks on the gutters or the poison ivy vines struggling to stretch across to a high traffic area where they can wreak havoc on ‘people with sensitive skin’until I witnessed it through the eye of the camera lens.So, of course, I have to take my frustrations to a whole other level because I just can’t let sleeping dogs lie (or is it lay?).

My dog, Reeses enjoying a nap on my Bandana Wreath Project

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could ‘crop’ out the the parts of our lives that have been awkward or embarrassing to us? We could just go home each day and view all of the events, then tweak them by cropping the visuals or clicking on delete for spoken words that spill out without careful thought! That’s right, just crop out those distractor factors or daily regrets. I know that I would certainly feel better if I didn’t have to spend time at the end of each day reflecting about its events.

2016 High School Graduation Cake – Sweet Girl is Baylor Bound in the fall

This morning, I delivered my final graduation cake for the spring of 2016. I can’t lie, it felt wonderful to wash the icing residue out of my hair and off my face before I drove off to deliver it. #2jobsrenoughjobs!

Graduation Celebration following Church Services

Now it is time to wrap up my last week at school for the summer. Phew! I have so many unfinished projects around the house that I know my next couple of weeks off will fly.

Cupcakes for a Cutie! Senior 2016

This responsible young lady ordered her own cake and was so appreciative when I delivered it to her. I love working with such gracious, thoughtful young adults.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to make any of my deliveries by boat this year. 2016 will go down in the books as the year of Flash Floods in Texas!

Whoo – hoo! It’s time to put my handy-dandy mixer away for a week, and celebrate a clean kitchen.

For the remainder of the afternoon, I will be kicking my feet up, relaxing with my slippers on (even in Texas during the month of June, my feet get cold), and watching the Hallmark Movie Channel!

With Love,

sunflower

It’s All About That Cake (’bout that cake)

May18

If you were to look up the definition of ‘Nervous Wreck’ in the dictionary, I am quite certain that you would see my picture as a visual representation and it would probably even have an unflattering caption underneath about my physical responses to stress. I really can’t explain why – I grew up surrounded by a loving and supportive family. I did well in school and got along fine with my peers. But, in spite of it all, I can remember as far back as third grade and attempting to hide my anxiousness that was so extreme, it made me sick to my stomach. I have tried every remedy known to man to relieve my stress to no avail; so for me, it continues to be a daily struggle.

beck cake

Go figure – instead of avoiding situations that cause anxiety, I seem to select hobbies that have the word ‘stressful’ written all over them; for example, cake decorating. The challenge of taking on new cake designs is like an obsession for me. This past weekend, I had multiple cake orders and each one had a special meaning to me!

I managed to survive and get all of the cakes completed and delivered to their correct locations with time to spare, but going back to ‘work’ on Monday was a killer.

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I really did feel like I had just played in a ballgame that had gone into extra innings! Then Tuesday rolled around, my kitchen was clean, and I had already started thinking about the orders that I have for the upcoming weekend.

clean kitchen

Welcome back, stress! Good-bye clean kitchen!

With Love,

sunflower

Storms and Showers

May11

Creatively Blue

‘Tis the season for showers – showers other than rain showers. I am talking about baby and bridal showers. If you happen to decorate cakes as another source of income like me, shower season is a busy, busy time.

When there is busyness, no time can be wasted on the inconveniences of Mother Nature. So, what’s a gal living in central Texas to do when there are cakes in the oven baking and it is storming outside, but she desperately wants to re-paint some much neglected wooden frames? Just sitting around waiting for the oven timer to go off is not an efficient use of time; therefore, it makes perfect sense to set up a painting station right on the living room floor. It would be ridiculous to do it at the kitchen table because of all of the cake items in the way. Besides, it is easier to watch episodes of Fixer Upper in the living room.

cupcakes

Life is about seizing the moments, not waiting for storms to subside and oven timers to ding!

sunflower

The Blessing of Youth

May2

Each day, I have three tutoring groups with students ranging from third grade to fifth grade in preparation for the standardized testing that is looming over us. . I find my greatest pleasure in teaching is when I am able to release myself from the stress of what the expectations are by standardized testing. I love getting to know the quirks of each and every one of the students, and really reliving what is important to them at this time period in their lives. Don’t get me wrong…getting to know the students and building that relationship with them is not about lowering the academic expectations. In order to grow our children to be all that they can be, we cannot and must not lower the academic standards, for they are far more capable of achieving goals than we give them credit for. After all, our children are the ones that are in control of our future.

“While I Still Can Dance…I will dare to open the vaults of my heart and mind and express my feelings for others. And I welcome others to share their hearts and minds with me.”

This weekend, as I took a step back from the world of education, I was anxious to complete a couple of projects around the house. The hubby did a great job of cleaning out the garage, so I really felt obligated to get some things organized myself.

Here is the thing about husbands though…they know that they can’t throw anything away as long as you are within a ten-mile radius of the house. So, while I was out delivering a cake for a Quinceanera, that stinker threw away some wood that I had gotten at Home Depot for a new project. Lately, it seems that one of our favorite games to play is “Trash-To-Treasure Tug-of-War”. I really need to put a tracking system on him when I leave the house, so I can monitor what he is getting into.

sunflower

Sweet Reflections

Apr14

Today, I am not reflecting on how special my relationships are with my husband, children, family, and friends. As superficial as this may sound, I am reflecting on sweet treats to eat! Actually, I am not much of a sweet tooth – I’ll take chips and dips over cakes and candies any day. I do however, love to bake cakes and decorate them. About ten years ago, my dear friend, NiCole, talked me into participating in some cake decorating classes at Hobby Lobby. I was very reluctant to go along, but when she told me that it was ‘bring a friend for free’, I was all in! The next thing I knew, we were doing cakes for all occasions and we even had our own business cards!

Well, this past weekend was a particularly busy weekend for cake orders so I thought that I might just show off some of my personal favorites from over the years.

My partner in crime, NiCole, asked me to come over and help her with this adorable cake this weekend!

How cute is this cake? This was for a bachelorette party.

Yeah! These girls won the soccer championship for their division – and they celebrated with this huge cake!

Sometimes it is the simple, yet elegant ones that make me just say, “ahhhh”.

May the Force be With You!

With Love,

American Made

Apr6

I am crazy, maybe even borderline obsessed, about the Ball American Heritage Collection Canning Jars. Last year when the vintage style blue ones began showing up on the shelves at Walmart, I bought not one dozen…..or two dozen…..but three dozen of them. Actually, whenever I pop into Walmart for another purchase, I still can’t resist walking down the canning aisle to see just how many they have left. When it comes to these babies, that line between needs and wants really gets blurry for me!

So, imagine my reaction on Friday afternoon when I discovered that now they have come out with VINTAGE GREEN! I will have to say that picking up that box of six quart size jars for $11.67 put a big, ole’, goofy smile across my face….even the cashier noticed it, because he called out “Happy Canning” as I walked away from the checkout! Little did he know that I have never really canned in my life; nor, do I ever have any intention to!

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When I opened my new box of goodies, I noticed the story of the Ball Mason Jars printed on the side. I was unaware that the three styles between 1913-1915 were called the “Perfect Mason”, the “Perfection” and the “Improved”. Also, shortly after World War I, the jars were discontinued. So, they really are a piece of American History. Last, but not least, these jars are made in America!

The beautiful blue jars are the “Perfect Masons” and the gorgeous green jars are “Perfection”. I am anxious to see what tint the “Improved” will be when they are released. After searching a bit on Google, I have a feeling that they might be amethyst or amber in color. Ironically, I discovered that there are some other nuts out there that are obsessed with these jars – go figure! There are even some YouTube Videos about the Ball Canning Jars.

I wonder what the Walmart cashier would think about my vintage green chandelier!?!?!

God Bless America and I still have that goofy smile on my face – Happy Creating!

With Love,

“In Like a Lion…..Out Like a Lamb”

Mar28

March is almost over!! WH-A-T, surely not! I am very concerned that at 48 years of age, I have become like an adolescent child on summer vacation – the days between the beginning and the end have all become a blur! Actually, I realized today, that while everyone else is transitioning into the month of April I am still transitioning into the year 2014! Okay, okay, so lately I guess that I have not been too quick on my feet. Jeepers! Where does the time go? I would really love to say that I have been super productive this month and therefore I have lost track of time (mmmmmhmmm. that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it), but really, it all boils down to that famous quote:

The road that is covered with huge boulders or obstacles was truly paved with good intentions!

(I may have done a bit of altering to the wording above to fit my own experiences and age)

The month did come in like a lion…. but, if you live in central Texas, it is not going out like a lamb. We are expecting severe weather throughout the remainder of the week. In years past, at this point, I had already planted my garden, pulled weeds, and replaced mulch by now! I had even sanded pieces of furniture that were in desperate need of a seasonal makeover. I had refinished the deck so that we could do most of our evening meals outside. ALAS……this year- dad.gum.it, No Such Luck!!! In other words, this weather is not in alliance with my Obsessive Compulsive Personality.

♥Gracie has been waiting patiently to dig in the garden!♥

(by the way, she loves relaxing on my drop cloth pillows –

and, I love the fact that she thinks that they were made just for her)

I want to share a project that I did! Actually, other than the cost of paint, this project was FREE! I just love it when all of the stars are aligned in my favor and I find a real treasure sitting out by someone’s trash dumpster. This table had really been through the ringer, but it had soooooo much potential!

After sanding it down, I painted the base with Valspar’s Black Onyx (paint and primer in one) I couldn’t bring myself to paint the top because the wood grain looked so pretty after the years of wear and tear had been sanded away. So I stained it with Minwax’ Dark Walnut. Before sealing it with Polycrylic, I mixed up just a bit of the black paint with some antiquing gel and rubbed it across the top! I am very happy with the way that it turned out. Also, did I mention that it was FREE??

I made a burlap runner to go across the top – throw on a white pitcher with some flowers and it is enough to make a person stand back, admire it, and feel pretty proud! I wish that my pictures had turned out a bit better. I was so pleased with how this one turned out that I made another one for my son and his wife (one of my favorite couples I might add.)

Aren’t they precious?

With Love,

Spring Has Sprung (inside…..)

Mar15

Alas, my spring break is coming to an end. My seemingly endless to do list will be left incomplete for a couple of reasons:

The weather just refuses to cooperate with my plans.
Last Friday, when my vacation began, it seemed like I had plenty of time; so I didn’t really start my vacation with sense of urgency…..after all, a list is a list, and what isn’t done today will always be there tomorrow.

I did get my headboard redone and it looks AWESOME!!! I will publish pictures in my next post! There is something satisfying about morphing a piece of furniture that is over twenty years old into something that is functional and stylish.

Today, I want to share a celebration with you! One of my favorite little first graders is turning SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Haylee!

I wish that this picture had turned out just a bit better….. Anyway, her theme is Lego Friends! Yep, now Legos come in pink, purple, teal, and yellow! I am getting ready to deliver her cake – along with a couple of little Lego sets to set up around it.

Boys and Girls, raise your hands if you wish that your parents or grandparents had bought stock in the Lego Company when it first started!

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With Love,

Each one is beautifully unique!

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With Love,

Penny

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Welcome back, stress! Good-bye clean kitchen!

With Love,

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