started a little fire...

under my butt! tee hee yesterday i was completely worthless. i had a headache for the WHOLE day! from the time i woke up until just before bed, i was miserable! we took the kids to my parents' house. thank goodness we did, the extra hands really helped since i was out of it. hubby was a rock star! gosh i love him! he even went to the grocery store for me(we needed the essentials)...he loathes a&p! i've been wanting to get some crafts done for my etsy shop, but i'm still waiting on a few supplies...and yesterday's set back didn't help.

today is a new day. i'm feeling good. david is actually eating his breakfast--not just pushing it around on his plate! the laundry is half done...and after writing this, i will tackle this--


such a disaster. this desk is the "holding area" for important things...that have a spot, but i'm just too lazy to put them where they belong! i'm so sick of looking at papers stuffed all over the place! ok...so i'm off to it! today i am the good housewife! i may even have dinner ready on time! lol i love days like this!

love at first sight

yesterday was my first trip to a dollar tree...and i'm in love! up until recently, we didn't have a dollar store at all in the area. then, like magic, on the way to my sister's house for halloween...i saw it. it was practically glowing. i finally got over there yesterday...ya know...since i was KID FREE...ALL DAY!--i'll share more about that later in the week :o)

anyhoo...i almost shed a tear...ok, ok, maybe i'm being dramatic...but they had some awesome stuff in there!! its true, they have some cheap, crappy looking items...but then there are the diamonds in the rough. like the 12 packages of acrylic christmas balls i picked up to make a couple of wreaths(if they turn out nice, i may be selling them in my up coming etsy shop...stay tuned)...i also came across flour sack dish towels that i plan on embroidering for thanksgiving and xmas. my sister had to drag me out of there. i walked outta there only spending $24 on two full-to-the-top bags, and endless possibilities! aah...yes, my new favorite place.

ATWT

here i am @ a halloween party last week. i do know that guy, but he's not one of my favorite people. he was complaining about his tights all night--dude, you picked the costume!!!

theta mom thursday

ok, so it wasn't technically "me time", but i got out with my hubby to a halloween party on friday night! the music was too loud and there wasn't enough food out...but i had a great time hanging out with my sissy, her fiance, and my friends from high school-who are now married. so what if i had to scream over the obnoxious music to tell them how life was? i was out of my home until midnight! i was so tired when we got home. gave my parents the run down of the party...including the guy with the condom costume. emily doesn't have school for the next two days, so the kids are going on sleepovers tonight!!!!!!!!!! i will have the house ALL TO MYSELF tomorrow!! i could just squeal with delight! i'll let you know how i spend my free day next thrusday!!

taking the leap

i think i'm going to do it. i am going to open an etsy shop. i have been struggling with the decision for a few months now. we don't really have any extra income for me to go out and buy craft supplies that i may not be able to make a profit on. i have not been able to justify it. i've been doubting myself big time, and its wearing on me...i wonder if people will buy what i like to make? however, why not just give it a shot? i've been going back and forth in my head, and i think its just time to jump in head first. i think its a great time of year for holiday decor. i'm going to craft my heart out over the next couple of weeks then open my shop. i think i can, i think i can....

i will start small, with just a few items...ornaments, garlands and wreaths perhaps. i have butterflies just thinking about it! if any of you have any tips for getting started i would love the advice. still trying to come up with a name!! lol
here's the short list:
crafty tina
tina's creations
tina loves to craft
creative tina
little pretties by tina
ok, brain fart...arg!

*deep breath* wish me luck! ;o)

mummy cake how-to

i received such wonderful comments about my halloween mummy cake both here and on facebook. the pic also graced the home page of www.allrecipes.com yesterday! i was totally excited! i wanted to share how i achieved it--err--pulled it off ;o). i am by no means-what-so-ever and expert on cakes or fondant. so i think if i can do it...you can do it too!!

Marshmallow Fondant(i got this recipe from the wilton message boards)1 cup mini marshmallows1 tbsp water1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup powder sugarPlace marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky. This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out just as you would Wilton's fondant. I used corn starch instead of powdered sugar to roll this out...worked like a charm! keep fondant in a ball, and covered(you can refrigerate, but it should be @ room temp to roll--do not roll until you are ready to use it)*i found this very sticky to work with...frankly, i was scared! don't be, it ends up being really nice to work with.The Cakeone box of you favorite betty crocker mix! prepared as directed. i purchased this cake pan@ http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/ almost 4 years ago. this is only the second time i've used it! lolwhile perusing the site, it looks like they no longer sell this pan. they do have a mini version or a single "ball pan". however, i think you can do this cake with out this type of pan...use what you have!once your cake is baked and cooled, fill and ice it with your favorite frosting(umm, maybe not strawberry, there will be some frosting showing by the eyes. unless you want a bloody mummy---its up to you!)do not use too much frosting on the outside, otherwise the fondant will probably slide off...or so i've heard from the cooking shows i watch! hee hee ok, time to make it happen. roll out your fondant to about 1/8 of an inch. (reserve a ball of fondant for the eyes-a little bigger than a golf ball)i didn't worry about making it perfect. he's a mummy, he's been buried for thousands of years, he's not supposed to look pretty! using a pizza cutter i cut strips-approx 1 inch in width. start placing your strips on the head, working from the edges to the middle-where his eyes will be. i dipped my fingers in water and moistened the back of the fondant so it would stick to the other pieces. work from the outside to the middle, where the eyes will be. once you get to where you want to place the eyes, its time to create them. remove a piece from the big ball and dye it black-for the pupils. *use gloves if you have them!! dye the big ball whatever color you want his eyes to be. split that in half, roll into smaller balls, and flatten. place on the cake. do the same thing for the pupils. add any remaining strips around the eyes. oh wow, that was long! lol please don't be afraid to try this. i know its too late for a mummy cake, but maybe you can try making a christmas ornament cake? i hope you'll give this a whirl!

a good time was had by all

so halloween is over, but i just wanted to say that my kids had.a.blast!!!!!! david was too little to enjoy it last year, and emily was having tons of sensory problems-so it wasn't very fun for her. this year was terrific. david was running around waving to everyone, going up to doors--even trying to get into peoples houses!! lol talk about stranger danger! so that part freaked me out a little, but he only tried to do it twice. once there was a cute little girl giving out the candy(so who could really blame him?!), and the second time he wanted to see the little doggie. sheesh! emily just enjoyed being outside walking with grandpa and grandma. she looves to walk! ok, so right now she needs a hand to hold, but i'm thinking this time next year she'll be running door to door with david! i was so happy with the whole night. no major melt downs. we all had fun. without further ado, a few pics...
with grandpa...i love her face here!


dragging daddy around