Monday Monday Mini Post

We had a fun weekend. I dropped my husband off in Cincinnati for a moped rally, then I headed another hour with the kids to visit my family. It was a nice day filled with popsicles, ice cream, pizza, and soda. The kids were in heaven. Sunday was spend relaxing, looking at kitties at the pet store, and finally getting to play with my room box. I have so many plans for things I want to build. I have alot of plans to be honest with you. I have a large mental list of pictures I want to work on , miniatures I want to build, christmas items for my shop, things I want to do with the kids this summer, well the list goes on and on. I have realized as a mom, life is pretty unpredictable, and as I get older my zest for getting things accomplished has been waning. It seems like lately by the time I have free time I want to fall asleep. It kind of weird how when I turned 30, I lost alot of energy. I don't like it. I feel like I need a big energy boost. So goes life. I realize that this time of my life will be busy. If all my list doesn't get accomplished today, there's always tommorrow, a fresh day.
I had fun setting up my room the other day. I love having all kinds of little knick knacks and bottles like a real room would look.



I even had a wonderful hand model. My five year old daughter wanted me to take a picture of her hand in the house. She was trying to sneak it in , in several shots, giggling. Finally I told her to pose her hand in the house. She was so careful and didn't even knock anything over.

Have a great Monday!

Friday: See, Hear, Taste

Weekend's seem to have been chocked full of things lately. I suppose that's what summer is for. We have moped rallies and visiting family in the works. I am really wanting to do some dollhouse work on Sunday. This week has whizzed by.
I wanted to share some things that caught my fancy this week.

Have you seen "Dear Photograph" before, it's quite amazing!

Have you heard the whole food's rap. It gets stuck in my head.

This recipe for chocolate cake really took the cake! It was delicous!

I love this print by "NanLawson" called the "Brainstormer."

On flickr this week my friend Susan was sharing her new found interest in friendshop bracelets. I made so many as a girl. It sounds like something that would be fun on a summers day. The designs are quite crazy!

found via weheartit

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday To A Special Girl

How quickly five years goes by. My girl is the sweetest, most thoughtful, carefree, funny, loving, and beautiful joy. I made her a double layer chocolate cake, and she wants to go to Steak n' Shake for dinner. Sounds like my type of birthday too ;)

Good Morning Monday

We had some ferocious storms last night, complete with children screaming, and the electricity going out. My daughter has to have a nightlight, so when she noticed it went out, and the thunder was roaring, she was not happy. Luckily the power was restored a few hours later, yippee.
We had a great weekend. We went to the zoo on Saturday and got to see the new bear exhibit. Let's just say, it was uhhmazing! We watched grizzly bears wrestle right in front of us. We also watched the polar bear dive for his fish. It was nice and overcast all day, so the whole day was enjoyable! We even got our pic taken with Spongebob! He was visiting the zoo this weekend.
Father's Day was wonderful as well. I made my husband a carrot cake (recipe i've shared before, and its amazing!) I also did my cast iron pizza with sausage and chopped onions. I have to say if you haven't made your own cast iron skillet pizza, please do! It's excellent! Dad had already gotten his gift a few weeks earlier, a new but vintage schwinn.
We didn't make it to the garage sale, the zoo was calling our name.
I had a couple of cups of coffee last night so that I could start working on watercolor with some of my sketches. I hope to here soon, knock on wood, to be selling some prints of my pieces, along side my embroidery.

Question?
For those of you who have had prints made of your works, ? Where is the best place to have this done?
The pic up top is the one I did last night. I plan on doing alot my sketches, and possibly using some of my older pieces for paintings as well.
My minis have been neglected for a couple of weeks now. They are calling my name.
Have a great Monday!

This Is Summer!

I had a bit of fun this morning with "Polyvore." It actually makes shopping and putting outfits together a blast. I have been wanting some strappy sandals this summer, and I'm thinking I may be heading to American Eagle to get a pair. This sums me up well. Jean shorts, sandals, grilling, popsicles, and tank tops, that pretty much me in the summer. I have to admit, I just am not a girly girl. I have a hard time putting a dress on for fun. Special occasions are fine, and I like dressing up for those, but everyday, just not me. This is me.
I've learned, the older I get, at the ripe old age of thirty, that I want to be true to who I am. I could try and look or act like everyone else, or I could be honest and true to my likes, what makes me comfortable, and what I enjoy most. I think this is what I admire most in my husband. And we support each other in this way as well.
He always encourages me in my hobbies, and never thinks searching online for the perfect miniature television is crazy. He is into bikes right now. When he is passionate about something I love it, and I want to support it, and I enjoy seeing him enjoy his hobby or interests. I think this is what makes us not just husband and wife, but best friends as well.
We do the same thing as well with the kiddos. I like to see them excited and the wonder in their faces when something is intriguing to them. They are on a rolly polly or potato bug kick. They name them, have special containers they put them in while they visit, and then they release them into their natural habitat, the backyard. I think this is why I like homeschooling so much. I get to see them get excited about the things we learn.
We might hit up a gigantic garage sale tommorrow if weather permits. Father's day has chicken wings, pizza, and carrot cake in the works for a special someone. Then next week a special little girl will be five. Alot of celebrating.
Have a great day!!

Regular bloggin' with Egg Rolls

via weheartit

It seems like my blog has been rather hit or miss lately. I would love to blog more. I want to even start like a theme for different days of the week so it keeps me on task. It's funny, even though I'm not a widely read blog I still love to blog everyday. It's like a online journal of sorts really. Do you feel that way? It's a little piece of me.
Last night I made egg rolls for the first time. They were delicous. I got some great recipe tips from my father-in-law a.k.a. "best cook ever." They were way easier than I had expected. Do you want to make them? I'll share my secrets...
Well to make the rolls this is what I used:
Store bought egg roll wrappers (I found mine in the organic section)
Bagged slaw mix (thinly chopped cabbage and carrot) you can chop yourself if you wish
1 pound Ground Pork
Fresh Chopped Ginger 2 tsp.
Chinese Five spice 1/2 tsp
Garlic Powder 2 tsp.
Fresh Chopped Green Onions (as many as you like)
Sesame Oil few dashes
Canola Oil for Frying

To prep chop a couple of tsp. of ginger. Cook your ground pork with the ginger, 2tsp. of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. of chinese five spice seasosing, green onions, cook until no longer pink.
Set the meat mixture aside when done cooking.
Now fill a pan or pot with as much canola oil as you think will fry these babies, and add some sesame oil to the canola, a few dashes does the trick, and let it heat. I wait until a drip of water will make it sizzle.
Now lay out your egg roll wrappers, place as much veggie mix as you like and pork, and roll it up nice and tight. I make about five then put them all in the pot. Fry them until they are a nice golden brown on each side.
A pound of pork makes quite a few, and we had plenty left for leftovers.
I served mine with some fried rice I made and plum sauce(store bought) for dipping. You could use sweet and sour as well.
Delicous! Oh and yes, a tip to keep the edges stuck together when folding, make a mixture of 2 tsp. water with 2 tsp. flour to make a paste, and dip your finger in that and wipe on the edges, it acts like an edible glue.
Let me know if you make these. You won't regret! You can get as fancy as you want too with the inside mixture. With kids, they are picky usually, but they actually enjoyed these! My daughter devoured the plum sauce like it was dessert.
Well I'm off to enjoy a beautiful summer day!

I'm Back! And Lots To Share!

We had such a relaxing time. We did a whole bunch of walking, eating, and going to different little places. We really had to good time just utilizing how close we were to alot of things and walked almost everywhere. We did make our way to "Hot Dougs" where we stood in line for 2 hours for a hot dog. Now to most this may seem insane, but the sheer deliciousness of these dogs was quite amazing. And don't forget your cash, its cash only too. We tried several different ones. We did a "Paul's beer brat", the traditional chili dog, and the brat with garlic horseradish sauce and gorgonzola cheese (Wow!) So good!!! But the "Duck Fries" (fries cook in duck fat) were the star of the show. We even got some cheese to dip them in! Wow!


And Here's the line!



The first night we were there we didn't realize "Hot Dougs" closed at four o'clock so were immediatly yelped what to eat. I was in the mood for Thai food, so we found a little place called "Sticky Rice." I don't remember the last time I ate so much food. We shared a bunch of things so we could try alot. We had their spicy sausage, pad thai, green curry with chicken, spring rolls (wow!), but the star of the show was the "mango sticky rice." By the time I got to the dessert I was stuffed to the gills, but this was so delicous, I made room!
We really wanted to eat at a authentic "Chicago Style" pizza place, so we found "Lou Malinati's." I literally took us less than ten minutes to walk to. We went at lunch time and were there a few minutes before they opened at 11.


They had a miniature set of chicago at the Musuem of Science and Industry. It was hard to get a good picture, it was 'free day', so it was quite chaotic, but I did see the few things I wanted to. Thanks to "The Shopping Sherpa" I saw "Fairy Castle." It was quite amazing! Talk about taking a dollhouse to the next level.


We walked the "Magnificent Mile" or Michigan Ave. a few times. Here's my handsome hubby posing so cute on the street.

I hardly ever take pics of myself. But I thought this one was okay of the few my husband took. I don't know how, but I always end up looking angry in pictures. This one we took in the "Water Tower" building. They had a life size "Woody" made of legos. It was quite amazing!

We also went to the "Shedd Aquarium" the last day we were there. It was also a free day as well. I would definitly not go back on a free day, and just go when its normal admission. They wait was two hours. Too much for how little they let you see of the aquaruim for free. It was a beautiful aquarium however. Waiting in line was a beautiful view of the city. And the weather was nice too!
I didn't take pics of everything, but we did go to "Uncle Fun" a cute little toy shop with your classic fun toys for really cheap. I also wanted to visit "Renegade Handmade" which we did as well. It was neat to see it in person. Cute, and in a really great area too. The architecture was simply spectacular throughout the city. Oh and yes we walked to the Navy Pier as well. You can't miss that! Just the history behind it! I really did love Chicago. I will definitly go back. So many more places I would love to visit there!
Have a great day!

Mini Post!

So I'm pretty excited for my Chicago trip. I hope to take a bunch of pics. I plan on eating, eating, and yes eating. I've been busy getting the kids going on their summer reading at the library, enjoying family, watching water gun fights, eating carmel apple suckers (have you had these before? They will shock and amaze you!), and enjoying some minis. I got my t.v. in , and I couldn't be more excited. I haven't seen one like this, complete with wood paneling on the front and an antenna.

I love how the antenna looks bent.
I've been working on some new pieces as well. As I was saying before about zen gardens I decided that I needed a mini one.

I made the little box, and then used toothpicks to make the little rake.
I also finished a white twin size bed. I plan on making some bedding for it when I get back.


I also got some of the Orcara fast food. I thought it would be suiting to eat fast food in front of the new t.v. I will take a pic of the bucket of fried chicken with all the fixin's. I really do like the fast food series they did. They even made a mini 2 liter of soda that looks like "Pepsi" but is instead named "Oopsi." So funny.


So I recently discovered faux aluminum sticker paper. I can't wait to make use of it. I have been wanting to figure out where to buy it, and I found some at Lowe's the other day. I might make a little kitchen cart with an alumninum top to it. I'm still planning on making a sofa here soon. I need to get some foamcore so that I can get it in the works. So many minis, so little time ;)
Have a great day!

Minis and Blogs

Where do the days go? I've been busy finishing up a school year, preparing for our trip, and working on my embroidery. It will be nice to get a break, and have some creative outlet time. I plan on making plenty of new dollhouse furnitures, sketching, embroidering, and even working on some Christmas ideas for my shop. I really want to make more ornaments this year. I made little soldiers last year, and they were a blast to make. It's amazing how, when the summer ends, it seems the holidays creep up surprisingly fast. If I can get organzied enough, I really really want to make time to do some screen printing. I have a hefty list of mental to-do's, but, it can't hurt.
We are anxious for our Chicago trip. Through some amazingly generous mopeder's we were able to get our hotel stay for a third of the price. A really nice hotel in the heart of Chicago. We are planning all my mini stops (thanks to the shopping sherpa), and eateries that we have been told about. I plan on indulging like noone's business. It really is hard to fathom not making meals, cleaning, or preventing toy fights for several days. I can't hardly wait! It's hard to leave them, but I know they will be in good hands, so that makes things easier.
I have been wanting a little television for my room box, and when I saw the Mimo Herbal Tea Shop television I knew they would be it would be the perfect look , complete with an antenna. Now I know we are all flat screen and all these days, but I love the old style look!


I also finished a little shoe shelf the other day. I just couldn't get the sizes perfect on this one. Not some of my finest work, but overall it does the job. I wanted this one black, instead of a stain. I like having next to the front door.

I even included a thermos, bento box, and purse, ready to go by the door. I love that re-ment set. The bento box is very detailed.

I recently found MitchyMooMiniatures, and I couldn't love her blog more! She has an amazing tutorial on making a couch, which I cannot wait to work on when I get back. She also has an awesome giveaway going on too!
Also another amazing blog I have found is BRINJA KOBENHAVN. Seriously check out her miniature section. She made a room box that is the exact replica's of her home. She uses recycled materials on most of her pieces. I could look at her blog forever. She has a beautiful workshop and store in Copenhagen (from what I've seen on her blog!)
I love it when I find new blogs.
Have a great weekend!