Gem Flamingo

I have a secret love for flamingos

I think I've always kinda liked them....but a new found love for them is starting to brew inside me

Not only are they my favorite color....but they're just so...sooo.....nerdy?!   There's something awkward about them that I love.  Does that make any sense?

Almost like they're kinda of the underdog and I'm rooting for them.  And they can twist and bend in ways I can only hope I will get to someday with my yoga practice.  I basically strive to be a flamingo.....Ok not really.  But I want to bend like one for sure!

Anywho....I can totally see myself being that crazy old lady with a bunch of flamingos in her yard....I freakin love them!

When I broke the news to The Boy that I wanted to put a flamingo in our yard his response was "Only if it's wearing sunglasses"

So I ran out the next day and bought a cheap one from the dollar store.  I was far too excited and impatient to figure out the whole sunglasses thing....so I decided to go with gems

I just hot glued them all over and.....voila!

A gem covered flamingo

Cheesy as hell?  Yep.

Awesome nonetheless?  Absolutely.

And just so I fulfill The Boy's wishes....I think I might have to go buy another one just to give it some sunglasses.  I wouldn't want my poor hubby to be disappointed now would I?

I think it would have been alot cuter if I had used a faceted type gem instead of these plain ones....but I was overly excited and eager to make one that I didn't care at them time and used what I had on hand

Does that mean I have to make yet another one?  I think so!

Before you know it I will have a whole flock of flamingos in my yard.  Stay tuned for the flamingo fun 

MoMo Monday Week #9

Happy belated Father's Day!

Hope all the dads out there had a great day

Here's a card MoMo made for her daddy a few years back

Complete with her cute little paw print...not the brightest idea I ever had though

And her list of reasons why he's such a good daddy

MoMo is such a card making fool!  Go HERE to see the card she made me for Mothers Day
 

Pesto Crescent Bites

I went to a baby shower back in September

There were mountains of delicious food everywhere....but I was pretty much eating only one thing

These delicious little crescent bites that I could not get enough of.  I think I almost polished off the entire tray myself....it hit the point of embarrassing but they were like baby shower crack man!

When I asked what was in them I was surprised at how simple it was....just store bought crescent dough and pesto

So simple yet sooooooo delicious!

I couldn't get these delicious little things out of my head so when Thanksgiving rolled around I had to make them for our appetizer spread

I originally intended to make my own pesto, but when I saw that I could buy an entire jar of the premade stuff for less than I could buy one of those little plastic packs of just the fresh basil....not even including all the other ingredients....I decided store bought it is.  The price of herbs is pretty ridic!

I don't have any pictures of the process of me making them but it's pretty straight forward.

Just unroll your crescents from the can, spread a little pesto all over the dough, and roll up as you normally would

Since some of the pesto seeped out as I rolled it up I spread some on the top too just so it would all look the same

Bake according the the package directions.  You can keep them whole If you want but I cut them in half to be more bite sized

 I promise everyone will love them.....so my suggestion is to make alot =)

DIY Wedding Planning Notebook

Meet my friend Jade

I have known her since my Freshman year of high school.  We also waitressed at the same crappy restaurant (bow ties and dancing included) and then went on to go to Culinary school together 

Here we are at Disneyland

At the beach

And good ole senior prom

She's the friend that I don't get to see often.....but nothing changes.  She's always a text away and there if I never need her.  I love this girl to death!

When I heard the happy news that her boyfriend popped the question I was soooo happy for her! I instantly began thinking of gift ideas. I decided I wanted to give her something that would be useful in the planning process but still cute and thoughtful

So I decided on a wedding planning notebook

They chose yellow and grey as their wedding colors which I LOVE.  In fact, I want that to be our living room colors when we buy a house....but enough about me....back to the bride to be :)

I bought a yellow binder, some scrapbook paper, some cool letters, and some embellishments

Her dog......my bad, her child.... is named Daisy and it's also her favorite flower so I had to incorporate them

Inside I put dividers with different planning topics

These topics included: venue, food,  cake, music, ceremony, clothing hair etc, decor, guest list and invitations, flowers, and honeymoon

In the back I put page protectors that she can put behind each divider

In these she can put notes, inspiration pictures, receipts, business cards.....whatever

I got super lucky and found a bunch of grey and yellow notecards and notepads and Michaels.  Perfect for jotting down all your to do lists and notes

 

Notice MoMo's little foot in the upper right corner?  She kept laying down on top of all the stuffs as I tried to get a picture.  I moved her about 4 times before I gave up and decided that this was as good as it was gonna get...so there her little paw is

I put it all in this cute bag.  I really scored on the yellow and grey stuff!

I haven't had a chance to give it to her yet but I really hope she gets some use out of it all.

And if she's reading this......surprise! lol ;)  

I can't wait for her big day


   
 

Patriotic Decor

I have a thing for patriotic decor

The last few years have really brought out my inner flag waving "Merica!!" side

I think it's partly because you can keep all the decorations up for so long....basically you could have them up from May-September and nobody would judge you

Ok....MOST people won't judge you 

Here's a cute and cheap craft you can add to that collection

All you need is some acrylic paint, scrapbook paper, wood letters, and a picture frame

I have an abundance of these Dollar Tree picture frames leftover from Christmas gifts that never came to be.  I've meant to make them the past 2 Christmases and never did....so I think it's safe to use one for this project then.....dontcha think?

All I did was paint the frame red, and the letters white

These letters from Michaels were the perfect size to fit a 5x7 frame

I bought some blue glitter cardstock that was unique because it was corrugated.  I think it made it alot more interesting

Cut your scrapbook paper or cardstock of choice to fit them frame and hot glue your letters to it

That's it!  I originally intended to glitter the frame as well.....but ended deciding to leave it plain red to put more focus on the blue.  

Let me tell you....for a glitter addict like myself that was a quite an accomplishment

But of course.....then I ended up using glitter star picks ( from 99c Only) in a mason jar next to it as an accent.   So I still got a second glitter fix....but what are you gonna do?  Addicts don't recover overnight

MoMo Monday Week #8

Happy National Donut Week!

MoMo is pretty excited about it because she is a big donut fan

When we have an Entenmann's variety box of donuts like this......

MoMo has been known to get caught with her head in the box.  She lifts the top and sticks her head right in almost as if she's under the hood of a car

And what makes it even better is she takes after her mama.  She could choose the powdered, or the chocolate.....but my baby goes right for the classic buttermilk....my all time favorite.  Now that's my girl!

But since I don't have much self control when it comes to donuts....They aren't in the house much these days

Back around Thanksgiving I bought donut holes to make some cute acorn desserts with the little girls.  The very next day after I bought them I woke up to find this........

MoMo had punched through the window of the box and licked a donut hole to death!  Apparently, the bitch needed some sugar and couldn't resist the temptation any more.  Silly MoMo!

And here is a picture of us sharing a donut....Lady and the Tramp style

And one of me....mouth full of donut....looking like a big dork and MoMo happy to get it all to herself

Now make MoMo happy and go get yourself a donut.   And maybe one for her too ;)

Low Carb Spam, Eggs, and "Rice"

I love Spam....let's make that clear

So much in fact that I wrote an award winning poem about it in the second grade

Well.....at least the first line of the poem

And I'm not kidding about the award....I was the district wide contest winner for my grade level.....what now sucka!

Prepare yourself for some poetic genius

Ahhem.......

I Like Spam and I like to skate

But there are things I really hate

Like hair in the sink and mushy peas

And wet smelly dogs that make me sneeze

I like Saturdays and rainy days

And going to the movies when my dad pays

But most of all I like to sing real loud

And talk on the phone when I'm not allowed

Why Robert Frost is famous and I'm not....I'll never understand

;)

So as you can see....I have a passion for Spam.  I don't care what people say about it.  I don't care that you plop it out of a can....nothing can sway my feelings of love for that salty pink meat.  Nothin!

I've never been to Hawaii....but considering how much they love pineapple and Spam, as do I, I'm sure I would love it  

Oh....and the beautiful weather and scenery couldn't hurt either....but mostly the Spam

But from what I've heard and seen a plate of white rice, Spam, and eggs is a very popular meal

I wanted to recreate it here at home but with a low carb twist

Start by slicing your spam....I like mine kind of thin

And pan fry it until crispy

If you don't like Spam I'm convinced you've just never cooked it right

I paired it with scrambled eggs (with a drizzle of sriracha) and cauliflower rice with loads of butter....because I can

(for those of you who have never made cauliflower rice it's just shredded cauliflower fried in a pan with some chicken stock added to let it steam and cook through)

 It was delicious and exactly what I was craving

I think a low carb lifestyle is easiest to stick to when you find a way to satisfy any cravings you have by reinventing it and making it fit your new eating habits.  It just takes some tweaks and a little thought....but it helps stick to it in the long run