Whatever

Stranded! It's the "stranded on a dessert island" question! You can only take one thing from each category. What is it and why are you taking it? A food that can be planted and regrown. Hmmmm, apples? A person you haven't seen in a long time. Karen. :) A book you read as a child. Anne of Green Gables. A celebrity. Derek Jeter (I'm aiming high here). LOL! The entire episode run of a television show (it's a very nice dessert island). Seinfeld. I love to laugh. :D Now it's your turn. :)

(Nora, Me, Nancy, Lin, Lorna, Donna (in back), Gina, April & Nancy) Thank you so much for all the laughs, the tons of chocolate, the oodles inspiration and for a FABULOUS day. I hope we can do it again soon. :)

My kiddos and I are totally addicted to the new reality show Jockeys on Animal Planet! We watch it every Friday night at 9. It follows jockeys around the famous Santa Anita racetrack. It shows their highs and lows and what it is like to be a jockey. I grew up around horses. My Dad and Uncle love them and I often spent summer days at the racetrack. When I was a kid we used to go to Saratoga to see the races. :) And now with my kids, we go to Calder every time we visit Miami. :) Natalie takes horseback riding lessons and is a horse lover. Dylan is coming around and finally got up on a horse last summer. So, it seemed natural that we would love this show. And we do! :) We are just sad that the season finale is tonight. We want more!!! And, we all have our favorites... Dylan likes Mike Smith. :) My personal fave...Aaron Gryder. :) Natalie's favorite is hotshot Joe Talamo. :) Tonight we will be tuning in and rooting for our favorite jockeys to win the $5,000,000 Breed...

This year instead of the traditional mother/daughter brunch, Natalie's Girl Scout troop decided to mix it up. We had brunch and a beading party instead. The leader hosted the event at her house and we all brought food and drink. We had a fabulous time eating and beading. :) Natty Patty modeling hers. So pretty. :) Here is the bracelet I made. It is called Beach Party. Perfect! :)

These are the new knobs I picked out for the cabinets. I like them. We are also getting new hinges but we have to special order those online so for now all I have to show are the knobs. Elizabeth asked for some tips on the project so I'll share what Stew is doing. He got all his info and supplies at The Home Depot. :) First he removes the doors and degreases them with a product called TSP. Here's a photo: Then when they dry, he sands them with a sanding block affixed with fine grit sand paper, dusts them off, primes and paints. Add new hardware and voila virtually new cabinets. Really not a difficult task just time consuming because of all the steps and the amount of cabinets. We narrowed down the paint color to 2 Ralph Lauren shades from HD... Chamois http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Match-of-Ralph-Lauren-SF06D-Chamois-p/mpc0025911.htm and Goldfinch http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Match-of-Ralph-Lauren-GH105-Goldfinch-p/mpc0025878.htm What do you think?

Last week we had off from school and since I was recovering from surgery there was not much I could do physically with the kids. So, I started searching for ideas and came across this idea for making yarn bowls from A Friend To Knit With. The original idea is from Rosie O'Donnell's book Crafty U. If you are anything like me, you have tons of leftover yarn from knitting projects that you just hate to throw away. This is a great project to help get rid of some of your stash. We always have white Elmers glue in the house. The only thing we had to go out for was balloons. We hit the dollar store for those. :) I used throw away tins for this project which is quite messy. So, make sure you cover your work surface and keep a wet rag to clean your hands in case you need to cut more yarn like I did. First you need to blow up balloons and put them into bowls smooth side up. The bottom side will turn out to be the opening of your bowl. :) Then you need to cut strips of yarn in ...

Our kitchen cabinets have seen better days. The whitewash finish is peeling off and they are splitting in a couple of places. I love a bright clean kitchen. So, a couple of weeks ago I had the bright idea to paint the cabinets white. I had no idea that Stew would jump right on the bandwagon and plow full steam ahead. But I am loving the fact that he did. I figure at this pace, he will be done before Easter. YAY! Here are a couple of shots of the painted cabinets. We still need to get new hardware. We are thinking about brushed nickel to go with our stainless steel applicances. I plan on ripping down the wallpaper and painting the walls either yellow or a goldish color. My family room is painted rosemary sprig from Benjamin Moore and it is open to the kitchen. My dining room is yellow on top and gold on bottom separated by a white chair rail but it is closed off by a door. My entry way is Monroe Bisque on the bottom and Monterey White on top and that is also open to the kitc...

From Family Circle ... Makes 1 dozen Prep 10 minutes Bake @ 375 for 25 minutes Ingredients 2 cups of all-purpose flour 3/4 cup plus 5 teaspoons sugar 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1/2 cup of milk (I used 1%) 2 eggs 1/2 cup of vegetable oil (I used canola) 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1 cup of fresh blueberries (I used about 1 -1/2 cups) heat oven to 375. coat muffin tray with Pam or use liners. I used liners. in a large bowl whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make well in center in small bowl whisk milk, eggs, oil and orange zest. pour into well in flour mixture. stir to combine. spoon batter into muffin tins. (I used an ice cream scooper so they all come out the same size.) sprinkle each muffin with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. bake at 375 for 23-25 minutes. remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Lemon Sandwiches Ingredients Makes 20 1/2 cup almond flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Finely grated zest of 2 lemons, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup apricot jam Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flours, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter, sugars, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition.Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes. Place cold dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper, and roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer dough on parchment to a baking sheet; freeze 10 minutes. Using a fluted 1 7/8-inch round cutter, cut out dough; transfer to parchment-lined baking s...

I do what I do. Sweet little Ellie was a student in my class last year. Even though she has moved onto the bigger class this year, we still have a really close bond. So, when I received this card from her for Valentine's Day my heart just melted. Her Mom told me she made up the poem all by herself. :) She will graduate this year and move onto Kindergarten in "big girl" school. I will miss her! I better wear waterproof mascara on graduation day. I told her she better come back and visit me. She responded with "when I have my babies I will take them to school at Hi Ho." :) So SWEET!

A little early. Hope yours is filled with sweet treats. XOXO Mo

Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Hearts Ingredients Makes 4 dozen 2 1/2-inch heart cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 teaspoon canola oil or pure vegetable shortening Directions In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or overnight. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/16-to-1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the center. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie to make designs. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, ab...

Hush Your Mouth 1. Do you like the thrill of a chase? Sure do, esp when I get the prize at the end. ;) 2. What winds you up? Rude people. :( 3. Are you a loud talker? Heck, yeah! :O 4. What comes easy to you? Speaking in public. :) 5. What did you dream about recently? That a Mom at school was pregnant. (She's not) ;)

A layout I did for Scrapjazz this month. My product spotlights were American Crafts and Making Memories. :) My 2 faves so it was easy. I like the cool and calming blues of these products. Perfect for water layouts. And Lord knows I've got tons of water photos. ;) Some cards with the junk that was left on my desk. Instead of cleaning it up and/or throwing it away I sat down and created these cards. Fun and frugal. LOL!

Key Lime Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients Makes about 60 FOR THE DOUGH 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 large egg yolks, room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon coarse salt FOR THE FILLING 1 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 large eggs, room temperature 1 tablespoon finely grated Key lime zest (from 5 limes), or substitute regular limes 3 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice (from 12 Key limes), or substitute regular limes 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt Confectioners' sugar, for dusting Directions Make the dough: Cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Add yolks and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour and salt until combined. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or up to 1 day). Make the filling: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk granulated sugar, flour, and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in lime zest and juice ...

I need some opinions? Soon it will be spring here in NY and that means wet soggy grass. Since I am a preschool teacher, we go out on the playground with the little ones everyday. So, I am in desperate need of some cute rain boots. A google search of pink adult rainboots came back with am ton of hits. I narrowed it down to these 4. WDYT? How about these rain boots from Chooka? Cute and only $55.00. :) Or these super cute DKNY boots? They are on sale for $99.95. :) A conservative but colorful stripe by Dirty Laundry for only $39.95??? Or should I go totally fun and get boots with a pattern? These are by Kamik and only $49.95. And what do you think about these as a replacement for the watermelon flip flops I posted a couple of pink Saturdays ago that Tory Burch no longer makes? I kinda like these even better as they are a wedge instead of just a flat flip flop.

Haven't done one of these in a long while. So, here goes... 1. If you owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve? Italian, der! 2. What is your favorite restaurant and why? Thai House II in No. Miami Beach. YUM! 3. What is your favorite fast food place? Mickey D's...best fries on the planet! 4. If you had to choose only one type of food to eat for a year, what would it be? Pasta! 5. What is your favorite cereal? POST, and only Post, raisin bran. :)

Rice Krispie Biscotti makes about 20 - 22 3 tablespoons butter 40 large marshmallows - 1 (10 ounce) bag 6 cups Rice Krispies 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips 5 - 6 tablespoon half and half sprinkles Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir to melt. Take pot off heat and stir in Rice Krispies. Let cool until it can be handled without burning your hands. Scoop out about 1/3 cup of the Rice Krispie mixture and form into a biscotti shape - a thin log shape. Place on a piece of parchment paper to cool. Continue with the remaining Rice Krispie mixture until all biscotti are formed. Let cool completely. Melt chocolate chips with the half and half in a heat proof bowl over simmering water and stirring occasionally. Dip half of each biscotti in melted chocolate and sprinkle with sprinkles. Place on parchment paper to harden. Store in airtight container. Perfect for the kids' lunchboxes or an after school snack. Yum!

Happy Pink Saturday ALL! A few friends of mine are posting Home Improvement Weeks on their blogs. And while I was perusing them, I noticed they had these really great iron wall plaques. I thought oh those are perfect for my family room which is in dire need of accessories. So, off to Homegoods I went. Well, I came up empty in the wall art department but got some fun pink items that are perfect for Pink Saturday. :) A couple of weeks ago, I cleaned out my linen closet and I noticed that my makeup bag was looking a little tired. I wanted something fun and tropical. And look what I found!? Isn't it awesome!? Now while I am putting on my makeup in the cold harsh winter here in NY I can dream I am on an island somewhere. LOL! Even tho I have a dishwasher and use it daily, there are still some things that need hand washing or just don't fit in the machine. So, while I was browing the aisles of Homegoods these pretty bright gloves caught my eye. Maybe they will help keep ha...

Meet my latest obsession...Dr. G aka Dr. Jan Garvaglia, the Chief Medical Examiner for Orange County, Florida. You can read her bio here...http://health.discovery.com/fansites/drg/bio/bio.html I watch her show religously on Discovery Health channel. In fact a new episode is on tonight at 9 pm est. Yesterday was an entire day of Dr. G. So while the hubby was watching football I was watching autopsies. LOL! I told him I missed my calling. I think I was meant to work with dead people. :O I mean I am currently addicted to The First 48 a homicide show and Dr. G. a show about a medical examiner. I have always been a murder mystery/true crime buff so I guess it's not really a surprise that I like these shows. I have also been following the case of poor little Caylee Anthony from Orlando, Florida. She's the 3 yr old girl who went missing and they think her mother killed her. So, when they found the body and I saw Dr. G. at the crime scene it was like reality tv met real life....