Feels like a goodbye

Maybe you've noticed that I haven't been posting very much. Well, I am now working almost full time, I substitute teach 4 days a week and take friday off to run all my errands. I've also submitted my paperwork so hopefully I will be teaching art again in the fall. Why the return to work?

A couple reasons. 1. we have no money. So my income will help us out. 2. I'm not a great stay at home mom. I'm unorganized and I feel hopeless when it comes to being at home ALL the time. I haven't been really happy in a long time so we decided that I do better when I am working.

We found a great babysitter for my daughter, she has a son the same age so they basically play all day and she is the most wonderful loving mom I've met so I'm thrilled she loves to have my daughter with them.

Repercussions.....
I don't have time for crafts. I'm basically working, come home and relax for a bit then dinner, play with Ella, get her ready for bed, and then tidy up the house, laundry, and if there is any residual energy left I work on my hairclips. So I don't really have any stuff to put on my blog. I'm trying to get this craft fair going, which is pretty hard, and some nights I just want to go to bed as soon as Ella goes to bed. So I'm going to leave my blog for a bit. I'm sure I will be very active on it during the summer since I won't be working then, but otherwise I'll just moth ball it for a little while. I love having all the links to my fav blogs on here so I can keep up with them when I feel like it, so feel free to stop on by and check those out and we can chat later on. :) Love, and happy crafting.

Melinda

Are you crafty and do you live in Las Vegas?

Alright, BIG NEWS over the holiday break I had a super brain storm. I was looking into showing my flowers at ren faires and I couldn't believe that it was like 450 dollars$ I'm like Heck NO! That is ridiculous. I wouldn't even make that much. So I looked into other craft fairs and it was the same thing. So I realized, well someone needs to change the world and I guess I'm the one to do it. So here it goes. I am launching the Las Vegas Locals Craft Fair. 
I thought, why do craft shows cost so much money? What if you have it at a place that doesn't cost anything? What if it is only for locals so you don't get a bunch of outside professionals who hog all the business? And what if you hold it at one of the nicest but unknown locations in Vegas? Boom Baby!! Success!!!


So on April 9, 2011 I will be hosting the first Las Vegas Locals Craft fair at UNLV. Exciting huh? Warren was amazed that I got a great idea and was able to make it real. Not like all my other stupid  amazing ideas. I created a blog. http://lvlcf.blogspot.com/ and right now I am putting the finishing touches on the application packet so people can start registering. It is 20$ to get a space. That will cover all the expenses and maybe have a little left over for next year.

Fun huh? I know you were thinking, boy Melinda hasn't done a post in a while, she is so lazy. Well Booyah! This is what I have been working on and thinking about. So if you have any friends who are crafters, have them keep that date in mind. April 9, 2011. And check the blog on Saturday for the application to download and send in.

Happy Crafting!

Look out here comes another year.

Well it is the end of a year. I think the end of a year is kind of a bit of sweet and sour. On one hand you think of all the great things that happened this year and then you have all the tiring, junky things that happened as well. I'm sure all of you have had plenty this year, maybe more junk than good. I like to look back and see the good stuff I have done. 

1. Started my blog

2. Started selling my hair clips

3. Ella turned 1 and she seems pretty happy with her imperfect mom.

4. I'm still in my house.

5. I've tried lots of different recipes this year.

6. Taught recipes to the women in my church and reaffirmed the idea that I would be a great tv cook. (because I'm basically crazy and slightly hilarious to watch when I cook)

7. I'm healthy, slightly overweight, but healthy.

8. I'm getting used to being at home without going crazy.

9. I figured out to bring ear plugs with me whenever we go on a trip, has definitely made me saner.

10. I have a wonderful family that includes a whole lot of people who I love and who love me and really that is all you need.

I suppose that is pretty good.  I haven't achieved very much financially or intellectually this year but I figure there are plenty of years for that.

I'm looking forward to next year. I see it as a clean slate that I can work with. I know I should wait till Jan. 1st to make my list but I'm anxious to get going. So here are a couple things I want to do in the coming year. 

1. Keep my house cleaner and more organized. I have a small space and I need to work with that more.

2. Look into selling hairclips and accessories at Ren fairs this year, I think that is an untapped market.

3. Work on sewing more.

4. Work on my spirituality and devote more of my time to ingesting spiritually uplifting stuff.

5. Love my husband more. I think I take him for granted too much and alot of the time I get annoyed and just want to nag him about stuff when there  is plenty of stuff wrong with me. 

6. Do more artwork. 

7. Drink more water.

8. Dejunk my life, so focus on stuff I really want to do and get rid of all the side stuff that I never really get around to but I waste energy thinking about it.

9. Stop worrying so much about money and find something that I love to work on.

10. Spend more time playing with my daughter.

I think 10 is a good number. And I tried not to pick ones that I won't really do. I taught a lesson in YWs where we talked about goals. It said you shouldn't spread yourself too thin on goals, instead devote your energy to 1 or 2 for a couple weeks. That way you will actually accomplish something. 

Have fun thinking about the new year and then spending a month getting used to writing 2011 instead of 2010. :) Love ya

Mmmm Lima bean and ham soup.

Isn't it funny how your tastes change over the years? Every year my mom would make lima bean and ham soup around christmas time and I hated it. Slowly as I got older I grew to like it and then last year after I made my first ham at home I made my own soup and Holy Cow it was amazing!
Now you may say, why do you think it was amazing. It just was. :) That and my Dad never really likes this soup but I invited them over and he ate two servings of it because he liked it so much. So here is how I make it.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. dry lima beans
1/2 onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 ham bone
extra ham chopped up (about 2 cups, I like alot of ham)
1 Tbs. butter
Spices:(very important) garlic powder, parsley, basil, sage, and marjoram. (I use all dried in a bottle spices)

1. You can soak your beans overnight or you can do the quick gook method which is usually listed on the package of your beans. Rinse the beans and check them then put in a large pot with about 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and boil for about 5 minutes. Cover, turn off and let sit for an hour.
2. Drain your beans and add back in 4 cups of water. Add your ham bone and cover but leave it open a crack to let the steam escape, simmer for about 3 hours.
3. In a separate pan add butter to melt then add chopped onion and celery. Stir until onion is translucent.
4. Remove ham bone and add ham from bone and extra ham. Add cooked onion and celery.
5. Cook for about 10 minutes then season. I don't do regular measurements of my seasoning I just have this sixth sense to it sooooo. I did a layer of garlic powder that lightly covered the entire surface of the soup, same with parsley and basil. Then I did about half the pot with sage and marjoram. Stir it and taste it then add what you think needs more. Usually it is parsley or garlic.
6. Let it cook for about another 10 minutes then serve.

*note: You could make this in your crockpot by soaking the beans overnight then draining them in the morning, add the water and the ham, let it cook all day on low and do the final steps about an hour before you serve it.

Bethlehem and it glows!

So last week was our Relief Society Christmas program and one of the ladies asked me to make a scene of the manger as a table display for her room. I immediately had an idea for making it stand up and have windows with lights coming through. So here is the finished piece.

I made it out of black foam board. I cut the top edges so they are curved and attached those to the back bottom to make it stand up. I used an xacto blade to cut out all the openings then I glued yellow tissue paper to the back. I added some curtains in some of the windows. Then I used pearl paint for the star light and pearl paint mixed with silver for all the buildings and the ground. I used gold for the glow on the windows and doors. To light it I cut cereal boxes so I had two columns that stand up. I lined them with aluminum foil to reflect the light and I stuck a little shelf in so I had two levels of lights. Then I bought those flameless candles and voila! We have a glowing centerpiece. It came out awesome so now I have it displayed in my home.

Great Christmas Gift ideas

Isn't he so cute! He is on the list.

Alright, so it has been a while since I blogged and suddenly we are like 2 weeks away from Christmas!! So  I wanted to do some christmas crafts but I have been super busy traveling and shopping and all that other great holiday stuff. Anyway, one of my fav blogs is doing a giveaway if you post a christmas craft on her site and now she has over 100 Christmas crafts so I thought I should just link her blog for the crafts because there is an amazing assortment.

Christmas Gift ideas

Peach cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese frosting

So tasty!!

Yep, so for Thanksgiving I was in charge of a dessert and corn. :) Pretty nice huh? So I have these peaches that I canned this year that are amazing and I though Mmmm peach cupcakes. So I found a recipe on another blog, Smitten Kitchen which is a really great blog so you should check it out. Her photos are pretty awesome too.  The cupcakes came out delicious, very moist, and a nice change from the usual cupcake.

Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese frosting

Makes 24 to 28 cupcakes

3 cups cake flour(bought mine at local grocery store and yes it does make a difference)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) buttermilk, sour cream or full-fat yogurt
3 large peaches, peeled, cored, and chopped smallish or about 2 1/2 C peaches

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 muffin cups with paper liners. Pull out 3 cubes of butter and 2 packages of cream cheese to come to room temperature.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy (if your butter isn't room temperature I like to unwrap mine and put it by the oven to warm up or put it in the microwave on defrost for 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition, and then the vanilla. Gently mix in the buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt (I used the buttermilk, I think Vanilla yogurt would be amazing). Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the peach chunks.

Divide the batter evenly (added extra to a couple and they came out squishy) among the prepared cupcake liners. I use a 1/4 measuring cup and that works out prefect. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. After they cool a bit I like to cover them with a dishcloth so they don't dry out while I am making my frosting.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

The cornstarch acts as a thickener for the frosting. Powdered sugar already has some cornstarch in it but since we are using brown sugar you have to add extra. When the frosting is really cold it will be very thick and hard to squeeze out so you might need to let it sit out for a couple minutes.

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture and vanilla, beat until frosting is smooth and light. Chill the bowl in the refrigerator until it thickens back up a bit, about 30 minutes, then spread or dollop on cooled cupcakes.

Frosting Tip* 

To get those hershey kiss looking frosting you use a round wilton # 10 tip. I don't have a big pastry bag so I snip the end off a gallon ziploc bag and stick my tip in so it pokes out through that hole. Then I put a little tape on it to hold it in place. Now I load up my bag with frosting and I'm ready to go. The great thing is that if I don't use up the frosting I can just store it in the fridge for a bit because it is already in a ziploc bag.