Planted Garden

This year I decided to plant more veggies & fruit! My only problem was since we are moving in a few months, I couldn't plant anything in the ground - they all had to be planted in pots so I can take them with me. SO, I found veggies that grow well in pots, and got right to it!

Here is a list of what I have, so far:    :)

*Lettuce: Romaine, 2 kinds
*Spinach
*Lettuce: (I forget this one)
*Chives
*Cilantro
*Pepperocini
*Strawberry
*Tomato
*Green Beans

What I learned about gardening this batch so far: 

*Lettuce only needs morning sunlight & shade for the rest of the day.
*Strawberry plants are suppose to be easy to grow & don't require that funny looking pot to grow. A 12" pot is best.
*Lettuce grows excellent in pots!
*My new tomato plant is growing faster than last years (almost time to turn it "upside down")!
*You can grow different sorts of veggies/herbs/lettuce in the same pot. You can even plant them with flowers.
*Not all pots have holes on the bottom for drainage. Why, I'm really not sure since I'm pretty sure whatever you plant (food or flower) NEEDS drainage. Therefore, I had to use some extra manuel labor and drill holes in the bottom of yes, every pot.

Phone Prints

Anyone out there ever PRINT pictures from your phone? I don't think I have ever printed pictures I've taken with my phone...I save them to my computer instead :)  Here's a cute [kawaii] idea for printing those pictures!

Pugly Pixels

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FYI: If you follow my blog & have noticed my lack of posts this month, I apologize! We are in the midst of packing/moving/building, so my mind is preoccupied & a little scattered with all that. I've kept most of my craft stuff out, but so much of my "stuff" has been packed that I've been a little uninspired to be creative. SO, until we get into the new house (roughly 2-3 months), any posts I make will be contributing to other sites I find & love, Makeup & link-ups to other blogs. 

Open House

I'm SO excited! The company I work for has a new location & is hosting an Open House today from 1-4p! We are at 7th & Elwood, in downtown Tulsa. April, the owner has come so far since she first started her business (I forget exactly, but around 5yrs maybe?). When I started working for her she had only started about a year before. But WOW! Congrats April!! This year will be by far the busiest!! Yesterday she had a segment on Fox 23, here's the video!

Look beautiful on your wedding day

How to trash paint

Recently I've been looking for a way to get rid of a bunch of paint buckets sitting around our house, so here's what I found out:

   1. Most recycling locations do NOT take paint
   2. Home Depot & Lowes do NOT take paint
   3. Stores like the above sell a product you can put into the paint that will dry it out in less than 24hrs
   4. If you leave the lids off of your paint cans they will dry out in 24-48hrs (depending on how much paint there is)
   5. There are places that take reusable paint. I've heard they'll mix all the paints together to make one paint, then send it to 3rd world countries.
   6. Trash-men cannot take paint in a liquid form (of course if its in a bag I'm not sure how they'd know)  :)

Big Freeze 5k

A friend of mine encouraged me to join her on her very first 5k this morning, so I went! I warned her I hadn't done any running since Oct....so she could run her pace if need be. BUT we actually stayed together the entire race! With the help of a buddy, I made the 5k in 40:34!!


I got the race results from http://onlineraceresults.com

Overall: 57th
Female division: 28th
Age division: 4th

Hobby Challenge

I always amaze myself at what I can do. Many of us want to do things in life, but never do. This past year I have done more with my life than I have in a long time. So my challenge to you: GET UP AND DO SOMETHING! Life's too short to always want to do something. Here's a short list of things I did this past year (and yes, I did still spend quality time with my daughter):


Ran a few 5k's:

Started violin lessons:

Started Fluffcake Tutu's:

Started this blog:

Coached a JV girls Volleyball team: 

Traveled to California, San Antonio, Las Vegas & took a cruise:

hobby turned job: Worked as a makeup artist for Ronz Photo & Faccia Bella

Birthday Time!

Oh my, its been awhile since I did these makeovers, but still need to post! :)  I did makeup for about 15 girls at a Birthday party! It was FUN, but definitely tiring! I used the airbrush makeup on all of them, then applied blush, eye liner, mascara and eye shadow (anywhere from neutral to smokey eyes).

Happy New Year!

This New Years Eve we had Mexican food, so here are a few recipes we used.

Guacamole

*1 packet guacamole mix
*1 Tomato
*3-4 Avacados
*Cilantro
*Lime Juice
*1/4 Onion

Cut guacamole and mash in bowl. Mix in seasoning packet. Dice tomato and cut onion into fine pieces. Mix the rest of the ingredients into bowl. Add a few drops of lime juice. 

Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs

*Shortbread, cubed
*Strawberries, sliced
*Almond Bark (Vanilla), about 5 pieces
*Skewers


Melt almond bark in microwave safe bowl per directions on package. Put strawberries & shortbread on skewers, then drizzle chocolate on top. (I laid mine on a tray with wax paper for easier clean up)

Tomatillo Salsa

*1lb Tomatillos, husked
*1/2 cup finely chopped onion
*1 tsp minced garlic
*1 serrano chile pepper, minced
*2 T chopped cilantro
*1 T chopped oregano
*1/2 tsp ground cumin
*1 1/2 tsp salt
*2 cups water
   *If I make this again, I'd use less water. It came out too watery for me. 

Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chile pepper into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt; pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a blender, carefully puree the tomatillos and water in batches until smooth.

Salsa Credit: All Recipes

Tortillas

*4 cups Flours (all purpose)
*3/4 cup vegetable oil
*1/2 T Baking Powder
*1 T Salt
*3/4 cup Warm Water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water and start mixing. When the dough is firm enough, knead it a bit on a flat surface. Break pieces off about the size of a golf ball & place them on a floured surface (cookie sheet).
Let sit for 30min with warm cloth covering them. 
Using a rolling pin, roll balls into tortilla shape. If you have a tortilla maker, you can use that :)
Cook tortillas on a flat griddle or skillet at medium heat. You don't need any oil on the skillet. Cook about 1-2min each side. 

End of the year

How we celebrated December:


1. Looked at Christmas lights
2. Bought Christmas presents
3. Wrapped Christmas presents
4. Donated jackets to a coat drive
5. Read Christmas story
6. Watched ELF & other Christmas movies :)
7. Made Christmas cookies
8. Enjoyed a Christmas party!
9. Went on a trolly Christmas light tour

   

Winter Checklist

Found this on the Organized Home website, and thought it was good, so I wanted to share!

When wintry weather blows, will your family be prepared?

Winter brings special seasonal challenges to an organized home.  Winter storms can make navigating roads and walkways hazardous; power outages and snow days highlight any family's readiness for cold weather.

Take time now to review your family's emergency preparedness with this Winter Preparedness Checklist. It'll help you prepare your home and automobile for cold-weather hazards.

Out and About

Will your home welcome winter visitors safely? Get ready for snow, ice or rain on walks and driveways with:

• Snow shovel
• De-icing compound
• Waterproof floor mats

The Inside Story

Household emergency supplies should include enough food, water and supplies to last four days without power or help. Check your home emergency kit against this basic checklist:

• Food that doesn't require heating or refrigeration, such as canned meats, soups and stews, cereal, and energy bars
• Manual can opener
• Paper plates, cups and plastic utensils
• 1 gallon of water per person per day (allow enough for four days)
• Flashlights and batteries
• Battery-powered radio
• Battery-powered clock
• Cellular phone
• First-aid kit (printable first-aid kit checklist)
• Four-day supply of prescription medicines
• Blanket and cold-weather clothing for each family member
• Pet food and additional water for household pets

On The Road:

Winter transportation can mean ice, snow, and hazardous roads. Road conditions can change in an instant. Before traveling, give cars a winter preparedness exam:

• Check antifreeze
• Check and replace older batteries
• Remember to keep the gas tank near full to avoid freezing water in the fuel line
• Check tires and spare tire for proper inflation

Make sure automobiles contain the following emergency supplies:

• Bag of sand, road salt or non-clumping cat litter. The bag's extra weight means better traction, and the contents can be spread under slipping tires.
• Ice scraper
• Jumper cables
• Small shovel (to dig snow away from wheels, or scatter sand on roadway)
• Tire chains (every driver should practice putting them on)
• Flares or reflective triangle to warn other motorists if you break down
• Blanket
• Flashlight and batteries
• Gallon jug of drinking water
• First aid kit 

When traveling by car, include emergency food and clothing for each traveler. Pack supplies in a backpack in case you need to abandon your car.

An emergency backpack should include:

• Jacket, hat, gloves and sturdy, snow-proof boots for each traveler
• Nonperishable food
• Cellular phone
• Money

Environmentally Speaking

Ever wonder what's in your water? How about what you breathe in through the air? Did you know some toxins are known to cause cancer? Be smart about your health and check out the facts about pollutants in your area.

US Environmental Protection Agency

Here are a few ways you can help: 
  *Get a in-home water filter
  *Recycling in all areas helps in so many ways
  *Look at the food and stuff you buy. No BPA is a good place to start.
  *If you can buy your food locally, you can always check and know what pesticides are/not being used.

Christmas time is here!

This has got to be my most FAVORITE holiday of the year!! So much to this holiday that I love, including: Christ's birth, Christmas tree's, lights, decorations, shopping, friendly people [for the most part], pretty bows & paper, desserts & SOO much more! This year I chronicled my family building our [fake] tree & decorating. Now, I am including the mantle decor because of the after shot :(  Last night my daughter was trying to change how the lights blink, and in doing so, pulled the entire contents of the mantle off....subsequently breaking all of my oh so lovely stocking holders that I WAITED and WAITED to go on sale last year. :(  Now I'm without stocking holders & I don't even know what to get because I loved these so much haha Pretty sad, I know.