self tanner

i love self tanner. it makes me feel feminine for some reason;  just like bracelets and lip gloss.  moddy and i have found a great self tanner by loreal.  you can find it at target.

bee

artisan bread

i got this book/recipe from my neighbor. i was so excited to make a loaf..that i made some with a sinus infection, 2 kids with the flu, and a baby with croup & ear infection! it was so easy and good! the book is filled with bread recipes that take only 5 min. to make! i recommend getting the book. i'm going to order mine asap from amazon!

first add 3 C. lukewarm water (not hot)
and 1 1/2 tbls. of yeast
no need to proof your yeast!!! (that cuts out the 5 min)

add 1 1/2 tblsp. kosher salt (i LOVE kosher salt)

now add your 6 1/2 C. of flour
i used half white and wheat flour

i usually use my kitchen aid to make dough.
but, bee told me how much she loves her food processor for dough.
i totally AGREE!!
DO NOT KNEAD

after dough is mixed and wet
place in a bowl you can seal,...i just put cellophane wrap on mine.
let rise 2 hrs. on your counter

see what i mean SICK!

she has avoided any sickness. she is a tough little chicken
btw...toast with homemade boysenberry jam and chocolate milk always makes a sick chicken happy!

after 2 hrs. set oven to 450. place stone on middle rack and a pan of water on bottom rack.
cut off about of pound of dough. place on a lightly floured surface. don't knead dough just "cloak" and shape.
ok..here is where i "jerry rigged" you are supposed to place shaped dough on a pizza peel.
well, i don't have one! so, I formed the dough and placed it on my lightly dusted with cornmeal silpat.
after the oven was about half way done warming i picked up the loaf and placed on stone.
let bake 30 min.
i think next time im going to let my bread brown a little longer.
left over dough place in fridge.
repeat direction for baking.
you can leave dough in fridge, in a sealed container for up to 14 days!!!
enjoy!


450 for 30 min.

DIY sunburst mirror

i'm in love with sunburst mirrors! i've got one above my bed, and one above my piano! i'm always in search for a new mirror and a place to put one in my house!  i was blog stalking today and low and behold...i found a DIY sunburst mirror! i think this mirror is so cute. it also looks super easy to make! i must admit, i'm always drawn to gold...but, this would look great anywhere! here are few of my favorites,.. followed by the DIY!

i think it looks so neat with all the different mirrors grouped together!

this room is so pretty.

http://www.thenester.com/2011/01/how-to-make-a-sunburst-mirror.html

this looks like a lot of fun to make!!

btw..if you like our blog add us to your favorites!

moddy

garden bench

they are everywhere! i've seen them at world market, pier 1, ballard design and on plenty of design blogs. I think they are super cute and colorful! they are great to accent with and when you get sick of it in your house throw them outside by your bench or pool!

i love them!

the yellow is fun, and the wallpaper is fantastic!

i love blue.

moddy

WOW!!

it took 2 1/2 months...to lose 25 pounds...but, i did it!!! i know, i know...i'm still chubby. but, hey...i got the 60 pounds off i put on 9 months ago! now, i have to lose the married to my husband weight...and then it's on to the dating my husband weight. i'm in no rush..it took 12 year to put in on...it's gonna take a while to get it off.

9 months prego with Bee at the Grove!!
we so, need to go back!
(bee has "godden" skinny as well!)



they are both so worth it!



moddy

rosemary bread

i love the FOOD network magazine.  in this month's issue there's a recipe for rosemary bread; kind of like the macaroni grill's rosemary bread.  this is a good recipe!  serve it dipped in olive oil and kosher salt. add a shot of balsamic vinegar to the dipping oil, nice.
http://www.thefoodnetwork.com/

bee


almost-famous rosemary bread

 1 1/4 oz. packet dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
2 T.  olive oil, plus more for brushing and serving
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 T. dried rosemarry
1 tsp. fine salt
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1. in a lrg. bowl combine sugar, yeast and 1/4 c. warm water.  let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. add 1 T. olive oil, the flour, 1 1/2 T. rosemarry, the fine salt and 3/4 c. warm water.  mix until dough forms.

3. kneed by hand or use mixer.  let dough rise 2 hrs. punch down, let rest.  form into (4) balls.  let rise until double.  bake in 400 degree oven for about 10 min. or until golden.  brush with olive oil, remaining rosemarry, and kosher salt.  dip in olive oil/salt mixture.

bar keepers friend

do you have yellow stains on your white porcelain sink, is your stainless steel sink all scratched up, do your pots need a little face lift?? this stuff will solve ALL of these annoying problems!! i love it! you can buy it at target, wal-mart, even william sanoma. it works wonders! i never use soft scrub bleach or spray to get rid of my stains. (i use it to disinfect) try it out!!

moddy

miracle!!

did you see my house 2 weeks ago?? i posted a couple of pictures of my pile of laundry, my slammed game room, and my daughters massive messy room! well, i'll have you know...it all got cleaned...and, it got  messy in about 15 minutes!! the other night i asked my husband "do you think we will EVER have the whole house clean at once?"...he said "no,... maybe when were 55." he is soo right! what's crazy is i have a few friends who are wonder women and can keep their house in tip top shape. but, i can't!! my plan of action is always the same. i have a 2 story....so, my down stairs is pretty much always clean. (at least when i'm the only one home) my upstairs...now that is a totally different story. this is what i have to tell myself  "it's ok...they (my chickens) aren't going to be here forever." sniff sniff..."it's alright, it might be messy but at least it's clean."... to my oldest "you can hang random posters, candy wrappers (don't ask), and lego magazine covers on your wall." (there goes my decorating ideas) HEELLPP!!!
here are my picture up-dates. i HAD to post these so you didn't think i was a complete slob!

btw..bee is in LAS VEGAS..that lucky girl! have a great saturday!!!




i wish i had a better flash...it looks so dark. (i think i know what im asking for for my b-day)



miracle!!

this room is probably the cleanest in the house.

there is the game room in all it's glory...oh and chicken #4.
(this is my next design project)

her room was spotless until she pulled out all her pet shops.

moddy

grey or gray

i decided to paint my kitchen table legs the other day.  i went to home depot and went straight to martha stewart paint and picked a color in high gloss.  i then proceeded to paint when i got home.  i will admit, the grey or gray was inspired by some really cute lamps i purchased at home goods a few weeks ago.  my color choice?  'zinc'.  now, what color should i paint my accent chairs?
www.homegoods.com
www.homedepot.com

bee

totally charming

this is who i hang out with everyday...allll day...and it's RAD!

with a cracker in his mouth and all,
he IS totally charming!!!

moddy

tiny holiday!

st. patricks day  is one of those holidays your secretly hoping your kids have forgotten about. but, if you have chickens like mine...they have been trying to catch the leprechaun all month!! last year we made rainbow cupcakes. this year we are going to eat lucky charms, make/eat corn beef and cabbage, make a leprechaun trap, and of course we will make the rainbow cupcakes again.(they were such a hit!)
 now, there is one draw back to  making corn beef and cabbage...the smell. i'm willing to take the smelly hit, because my chickens will think it's just great we are celebrating yet, another holiday.
oh, btw...i've decided holidays were made up, to make the winter months a little more enjoyable!

i've added the recipe i'm going to use for corn beef and cabbage. do you have a good recipe?

the recipe for these little gems is on http://www.familyfun.com/

our trap looks NOTHING like this....

Ingredients
4 cups hot water
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 large or 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 3-lb. corned beef round or brisket, packaged with spices
8 small white or yellow potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters
1 head of green cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs.), cored and cut into 10 wedges

Instructions
In a 6-quart electric slow cooker, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, pepper and onions, mixing well. Place the corned beef in the mixture. Scatter the potatoes over the top and along the sides.

Cover and cook on the High heat setting 4 hours. Remove the lid and scatter the cabbage wedges over the top. Cover and continue cooking on High 3 to 4 hours longer, or until the beef is tender. To serve, carve the beef into slices and serve with the cabbage and potatoes, with some of the cooking liquid spooned on top of the beef to keep it moist. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

moddy

piano bench re-do

i love my grandma..but, not the fabric on her piano bench. it was time for a change! so, i ordered some upholstery fabric from fabric.com. i picked something neutral so i wasn't stuck with one color. it took me about 20 min. start to finish to cover my bench!  i think it turned out great, check it out!
BTW...if you like our blog..become a follower!!

before!

i unscrewed the bench from the henge!

i cut the fabric to size, with about 3 inches extra all around. i folded the fabric over  and began stapling the fabric to the bench. oh, i also didn't remove the old fabric. I just covered it with the new fabric!

after stapling the fabric on the bench i screwed the bench back onto the henge's.

TADAH!!!!

moddy

wheat grass center pieces

my dear friend at Life's Little Treasures made darling center pieces made out of wheat grass!! i thought this was such a great idea that i wanted to share her post! she used this for a baby shower, and for a Relief Society dinner. they turned out so cute! check her out, she tells you the step by step way of making them! http://www.mandsfamilyadventure.blogspot.com/
(look under february)

moddy

coconut m&m's

i discovered these babies while shopping at target.  they're only here until the bunny leaves town. 

bee

moddy's march playlist

i know, i'm totally behind the times..i still buy cd's. i don't know what it is...i love to browse the target music area, or amazon for a really good cd! i also have to keep in mind that i have 4 small chickens that have to approve as well. after all they are the ones riding in my van with me at ALL times! here are my 3 top picks for march.

he has such a good voice and his music is ohhh so good!

i figured that sense we are going to see wicked for the second time, we needed to finally learn the music!
my little girl LOVES this cd!

this cd is our absolute favorite! it is fun to sing to and the music is cute, and funny!
we can't wait for the movie to come out on DVD!

moddy

another 'moisty' cake

i will add a favorite moist, and delicious cake to the blog: sour cream bundt cake. this dessert is great served with a quality vanilla ice cream. enjoy!

bee

sour cream bundt cake

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Mix
1/2 c. pecans
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. oil
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream (8 oz.)
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix sugar and oil. Add cake mix. Mix. Add sour cream. Mix. Add 1 egg at a time. Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Grease and flour bundt pan. Pour in 1/2 batter, then add pecans. Add rest of batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from pan. Let cool 5 minutes. Punch holes in top and sides with fork. Pour on glaze.

GLAZE:

1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. butter
2 to 3 tbsp. milk

Heat and pour over cake.

wiggles!!

words can not express our love for these primary colored grown men. it all started with our 9 year old. he started watching them when he was about 9 months. he has always been a early riser. he would wake up at about 5:45 a.m., mom and dad could barely function (we took turns)... we would slip in the wiggles VHS tape and watch (half a sleep)the  magic unfold. he would put his chubby little hands on the t.v. and bounce up and down.  that's when the love affair began. we all started singing the music with out realizing it, we bought the cd to listen to in the car, and we started buying the toys. now, 8 years, and 3 chickens later...we still love them. we were so sad when Greg retired,... that really was a concern for my oldest..(bless his heart). so, last night when i saw all 4 of my chickens watching Captain Feathersword work his magic, i could't resist capturing it on camera. if the Wiggles EVER come to the states to perform...we will be there!

moddy

chocolate mayo cake

for bee's birthday this year i made her a chocolate mayo cake. i know, gross right..mayo!? but, let me tell you...it was to DIE for! it was so rich and moisty (my sister and like to say that word..moisty)! we couldn't stop eating it! there are two ways to make this cake. you can use a boxed devils food cake recipe. or, you can do it from scratch...which is MUCH better!

moisty chocolate mayo cake

3 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 c. white sugar

1 1/2 c. mayo

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1 1/2 c. water

2 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

preheat oven to 350

grease pans

mix flour, bs, bp, cocoa, and sugar

stir in mayo.

gradually add water and vanilla. blend until smooth.

pour into pans.

bake 30 min.

cool, and frost.

use any butter cream choc. frosting you like. (i did the one on the back of powdered sugar bag) 

ENJOY!

moddy 

my great birthday!

well, i did it.  i got older and that's just fine with me.  my birthday was so much fun and thanks moddy, for the gift AND the golden girls' theme song.  you're also a great sister and i love you!  your gift was great too.  i'm looking forward to reading about the kardashians.  maybe i'll get some tips from the threesome! 

bee

BEE'S Birthday!!!

it's BEE'S BIRTHDAY!!! you can't have a birthday...without a party! i'm so grateful for such a wonderful sister! it's great having a sister through life's up and downs. Happy Birthday Bee!! i love you! (read this while listening to Golden Girls theme song)