TJ Maxx finds

my life won't be complete until i own this chair. it speaks to my soul. i want to design my entire craft studio around it

this trunk wants to come live with me

($120 TJ Maxx)

another fun blog!

so today the wonderfully talented Amy @ Modge Podge Rocks linked to a blog i'd yet to find;

Homemade by Jill

her stuff is SO CUTE!

look what she made for her son for Halloween! and his felt playhouse is awesome. as soon as i finish Bear & Bunnys bed tent/princess castle, i'm going to attempt a playhouse! it's got a super cute garden & mailbox... ADORABLE!

i'm definitely adding some quiet books & this one too to my arsenal for our frequent flying adventures.

homemade popcorn

wow. this is one of those things that is so easy i feel stupid for not doing it all along.

popcorn. made from kernels. in the microwave.

not the store bought pre bagged kind, (complete with nasty chemicals :::yuck::: )

but the kind that you prepare yourself, from scratch :::gasp:::

it's easy.

i promise.

a quick swagbucks search brought me to here

what you need:

bag of popcorn kernels

(i store mine in a mason jar)

paper bag

microwave

measuring cup

1. Pour a quarter cup of popcorn kernels into a paper bag.

1. Fold the top of the bag three times.
2. Place the paper bag in the microwave.

1. Set the timer for 40 to 60 seconds.

1. Remove the bag and pour the popcorn into a dish.

1. Cook unpopped kernels for about 15 to 20 seconds.
2. (mine took 60 seconds;
3. (be aware that this will make a mess in your microwave. why i thought the kernels would pop & stay in the bowl is beyond me?)

1. Serve.

popcorn balls

i was going to make, these, found at Pleasant Home, but then i realized that i don't have any jello then i remember i book marked this recipe, found at Little Birdie Secrets (but i don't have cereal) ... what if i combined the two...

to be continued

UPDATE:

it was good. so good.

so de-lish that we never made it as far as balling them; we just attacked the glob as soon as it had cooled enough to stop burning our finger tips/

a crafter crush

while blog hopping this morning i stumbled upon,

http://notsoidlehands.blogspot.com/

i'm in loooooooooove.

pretty sure i bookmarked every.single.one of her

craft posts.

go check her out.

homemade granola clusters

we love granola over here; love love love LOVE it.

it's really easy to make too.

and you can add whatever you want to it & 97% of the time it will turn out yummy.

here's what we tried today:

6ish cups of kashi cereal

3 packets of all the oatmeal no one likes

1.5 ish cups raisins

1.5ish cups crasins

handful or so of almonds

x1 can of sweet condensed milk

preheat oven to 350

mixed it all in my mixer

dumped it in a large pyrex

baked for 10ish minutes until top layer was light brown

took out of oven

gave it a good stir/flip/mix

baked for another 10ish minutes

remove from oven

let cool

dont burn fingers when you try it anyway

store in a container

while your kids nap, take container to your room while you catch up on TV shows on Hulu

fall colds

we've all got runny noses. today has been a day of cuggles and soup and watching movies in mommies bed.

wounded Navy SEAL

http://dancnossen.blogspot.com/

that link will take you to Lt. Daniel Cnossen's recovery blog

He is a United States Navy SEAL

He was wounded when he stepped on an IED pressure plate while leading his platoon in operation in Afghanistan on September 8th.

He's now back here in the States receiving treatment for his wounds.

He's doing well, but has a long road ahead.

Please send him positive thoughts.

Wish him strength.

Wish him peace.

Wish he & his family a sense of calmness that they will be taken care of.

GREAT GIVEAWAY!

Go check this out

My blog buddy, Holly over at Domestic Dork

did a review about a super cute etsy seller, Wee Essentials

Stop by Hollys blog, read her review & leave some comments to put you in the running to win the $20 gift certificate to Wee Essentials!

my new ride

So my birthday was this month.

We spent that Saturday afternoon thru Sunday afternoon in the Outer Banks.

My lovely friend Ashley & her family rented an AWESOME beach house & invited us down.

We had a great time & it was a lovely distraction from Mr. Mans up coming 'Big Boy trip'

Speaking of Mr. Man.

Oh my fantastically wonderful Mr. Man.

How I love him so!

He surprised me with a fun fun fun present this year.

Every year I wonder how he'll top the last

(he is a master gift giver / surpriser.

One year he scoured ebay for a first edition copy of one of my favorite stories, Le Petit Prince

if you've yet to read it, i implore you to; it's wonderful :sparklyheart:

anyway, back to my original point)

He is an outstanding gift giver.

This year he surprised me with

.

.

.

.

.

a bike.

not just any bike

a beach cruiser.

correction, a red beach cruiser.

complete with red bike trailer for the girls.

and a removable basket for me to take into the store.

AND a bike rack for my car.

he even put it all together a.s.a.p so i could start riding.

so far we've been going on a ride at least once a day.