Tuesday, December 30, 2014

shoe organization


i really enjoy being organized. if i have the proper containers, shelves, cabinets etc. i will organize it all and love every minute of it. 
for a little while now i had the idea of storing my shoes in clear containers so i could easily stack them and also see what they were. i had googled a few websites and the plastic shoe containers were way to pricey for my liking so i figured when i came across what i was looking for i would know what.

surprise…surprise…my mom (the best) remembered our conversation from a while back and she came across these little gems so they showed up for christmas this year and i couldn't be happier.
i wish i would have gotten a before picture with all of the different sized boxes and how not so organized they looked. i must have been too excited because i didn't even think of the before shot till after : )

here is the start of my shoe organization…i actually need more bins to finish my collection and also will get some extra to have for new shoe purchases. 






the aftermath...





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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

mario birthday partry


this extra special mario themed party was for our son ethan. his little heart was set on a tiered cake with mario and princess peach at the top…then a smaller cake set a little ways away from the larger cake with bowser on it. and yes he came up with that on his own…we opted for cake, cupcakes and cookies. 



we purchased the invitations from etsy. the original shop we ordered them from is no longer "open but just do a search of "mario invitations" and a ton will come up 




the mustache stickers on the cups, the coins and the mustache whistles were all purchased from the oriental trading company 


we absolutely loved the cake! reeves cake shop made the cake then i purchased the characters from amazon and made the pipe on the top. the pipe was made from a plastic pipe i purchased from the home depot found in the plumbing department. then i picked up some thick green foam paper at the flower factory (or any craft store)  and cut the size according to the pipe then added the additional layer of foam to the top of the pipe for added dimension and so it looked like mario. 




these little gems turned out perfect!! the star and toadstool cookies were made by meredith the owner of baked happy!! she does an amazing job and they even taste better than they look…which says a lot about her work. 

we hand made the piranha plants and the clouds. the clouds were cut from large sheets of styrofoam then batting was glued on one side. you could definitely do both sides with the fluffy batting if necessary.
the piranha plants were a little more tricky. 
you will need:
styrofoam balls 
red acrylic craft paint
green spray paint
white and green felt
dowel rods
flower pots 
flower arrangement foam for inside the pot 
stay tuned for a instruction post on the piranha plant









just a few little touches to add to the mario theme. toadstool radishes in the salad, blue sky punch and we served pasta and meatballs since thats what mario and luigi eat.




kids loved the mustaches and the party was a hit...


best gift of all was seeing ethan's excitement.  



i love our little family <3


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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

mm cookies


this recipe is from the hershey’s 1934 cookbook and was given to me by my cousin alisha. it was given to her by my great grandmother edna, whom we called minnie. i was lucky enough to be able to know her and actually spent a lot of time with her so this seemed extra special to me. 



the recipe is actually a base for any type of candy you would like to add to a cookie. i chose mm’s. as you can see from the pick the store was all out of the festive green and red so i opted for the regular colors. i think i nailed this recipe its pretty yummy. instead of sour milk though I used regular whole milk and i only used about a cup and a half of mm’s.



ingredients
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup light brown sugar packed
2/3 cup of butter softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup sour milk or regular whole milk
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips or other candy or nuts


preparation
1. pre-heat oven to 375 F cream the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. then add egg and vanilla; beat well. lastly add the milk and beat into mixture. 

2. in separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. whisk together to combine all dry ingredients.

3. slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix.

4. lastly fold in candy and nuts of your choice and also the desired amount you want.

5. drop by spoonfuls on cookie pan/sheet and bake 8-11 minutes



enjoy!




minnie and papa dixon (love) 



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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

fettuccine with basil, parmesan and italian turkey sausage





last monday i was in the mood for pasta and red sauce…once in a while i crave this combination. 
i am not much for either one, so my italian husband really appreciates these moments. 
this could also be turned into a crock pot meal but I would boil the pasta right before its dinner time. 
i had these ingredients at home already and felt a little creative... here is what i came up with…it turned out amazing! 
my husbands comment, "this is better than any italian restaurant."(he's very honest)
 mission accomplished!


4-8 oz of fettuccine (this was dinner for 2 so i probably used 4 oz.)
4 sweet italian turkey sausage
2 large garlic cloves
1 jar of mids pasta sauce (i used half of the jar)
1 block of parmesan reggiano (shaved)
basil leaves
olive oil
crushed red pepper (optional)

1. fill pan with water to prepare the pasta as directed on box. cut sausage into slices and brown in a skillet with a little olive oil.

2. once sausage is thoroughly cooked add pasta sauce and garlic to the skillet then let simmer. boil noodles.

3. shave desired amount of parmesan cheese and shop 6-7 leaves of basil. drain pasta and place on plate. spoon pasta sauce and sausage over the fettuccine then garnish with cheese and basil.


cooks tip: if you freeze the sausage for a little bit it makes it easier to slice.


enjoy!!



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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

peanut butter corn flake cookies



these amazing treats are little bites of something amazing! so simple and no baking involved!!


peanut butter cornflake cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup karo corn syrup

bring to a rolling boil, turn off heat and add: 

2 cups peanut butter

mix well ; pour over 6 ½ cups cornflakes

drop on wax paper with a teaspoon or roll them into little balls like i do! (just be careful they are hot!) i make them bite sized so they are eater friendly!

makes about 7 dozen 

cooks tip:
be very careful you don’t over boil the sugar and corn syrup; you don’t want it to turn hard. 
once you have it down according to your pan and stove make a note of how many minutes 
so your cookies will turn out crunchy creamy every time.

Friday, August 8, 2014

all aboard…i'm one!


i thought this was absolutely adorable and like nothing i have seen in photography before. 
melinda did such a great job on her sons first birthday pictures i had to sure this one with you.
right now she does photos for fun but might eventually think of turning her hobby into something more.
you can contact her through facebook 






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Monday, July 7, 2014

message in a bottle cut-out cookies


thought these were such a cute idea…even creating the message in a bottle cookies with another message inside for a beach themed wedding. or sending these to your love who is far away…


created by the pantry bakeshop in rak~uae








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Saturday, July 5, 2014

two little lions (children's designer t-shirts)

i have been so excited to share with you this line of designer children's t-shirts. it is awesome to see the dreams of these two become their reality. read on about how "two little lions got started and about the vision that nick and ryanne have.



"So last year we started throwing around the idea of starting a children's tshirt line and after 9 months of hard work we've finally released Two Little Lions! We wanted to create tees that kids would love to wear, and that their parents would be excited about as well. 
Our main focus was to have a brand that spoke positivity. 

We created our signature "Heart of a Lion" tee to express the idea of being courageous, brave and willing to face the world. Being a leader and not a follower. 



"Perfectly Imperfect" is to remind our little girls from an early age that beauty isn't "cookie-cutter" and comes in every single back ground, shape, color and size and that who they were created to be is, in fact, perfect and should to be embraced.



"Stud Club" is pretty much for every little boy because they're all studs, and having that positive mindset puts them in a club that's bigger than themselves! 



Our "World Changer" raglan is my personal favorite. Every single child is a world changer! If we instill in our children that they are capable of changing the world, the world can and will be changed! The cool thing about that shirt is that it is personalized with their name and a portion of the profits from each sale will be going to different people, groups or organizations that are changing the world! So not only will they be rocking an awesome tee, they'll have a part in helping change the world.




Each of our tees are original designed and custom made locally @ Liquid Custom Apparel in Canton Ohio. We currently offer sizes 2T, 4T & 6T."


i was already such a fan of these shirts and wanted one of each and then i read the purpose and meaning behind each design and i loved them even more. ethan and i went to the etsy shop and he chose the world changer t-shirt and we can't wait to get it.


thanks nick and ryanne for having a vision and taking the steps to make your dreams come true.
i am grateful to see the excitement with this line of t's and so thankful its started out and will continue to be a success. can not wait to see what is to come.

many blessings to you and your family



connect with two little lions:

instagram ~ @twolittlelions

order yours in time for back to school!
the company is based right here in northeastern ohio…we love supporting ohio based businesses!





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Friday, July 4, 2014

i love america





came across this photo and thought it would be perfect for today…someone is all set for the festivities!

brielle ~ age 3
photo taken by dana









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Saturday, June 21, 2014

sugar loves spice grand opening


anyone that enjoys women's fashion and shopping will squeal with delight upon entering "sugar loves spice"...




















kristy the owner of the boutique has been working very hard to bring you fashion forward clothing at affordable prices…i would definitely say mission accomplished! 
this weekend you can save an additional 25% off in store and online as well!

the layout of the boutique makes it very simple to coordinate an outfit since coordinating colors are
placed near each other. 






my must haves included a chevron printed mint & cream maxi, the tri-colored flared dress (pictured above, bottom right) and a pair of relaxed fit boyfriend jean capris. the place was packed and very busy(yay!!) so i am excited to return and browse some more.

every detail from decor to product placement was thought out and the entire layout and design of the boutique is absolutely perfect!






(this may be my favorite boutique accessory)






do not miss out…stop by the boutique and see for yourself. these pictures give you only a taste of the dream turned reality for kristy!




congratulations girl… so happy to see your dreams come alive with such success!
you looked absolutely amazing last night
(kristy, the owner pictured right along with her sister lily)
both are wearing dresses available at the boutique



you can click sugar loves spice and like their page on facebook for up to date details 
also visit their webpage by clicking here you can place orders and view whats available
do not forget the additional 25% you receive this weekend

address is 
499 portage lakes dr.
akron, oh 44319







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