Paying It Forward

"Pay it forward" (PIF) is the concept of doing an act of kindness, and asking that the receiver pay the debt forward rather than giving something back. I'm sure most of us are familiar with the concept, at least I am, from the Kevin Spacy movie Pay It Forward . I came across this at Angela's blog Moda...Home...Mom (which by the way is awesome!). Some how I lucked out and managed to leave the 3rd PIF comment and made a commitment to PIF.

So here are the rules: I will make and send a gift to the first 3 people who post a comment to my PIF post requesting to join this exchange and who PROMISE to Pay It Forward to 3 other people, and ask that they do the same, etc. This gift will be handmade by me and will be sent to you within the next 365 days. Crafting can take awhile and this way you'll have no idea when its coming! By joining this pay it forward, you have to Pay It Forward by making the same announcement and commitment on your blog (yes you need a blog to participate!). If you are one of the first 3 that sign up, please be sure there is a way I can contact you through your blog or email so I can get your contact info. Anyone interested?

WIP - Baby Quilt

I know, I can't believe it either....a WIP...from me??? (Sorry for the crappy pictures, these were taken late at night)

Quilt tops are so easy to make. The cutting is time consuming but the sewing is pretty easy if you can manage to match up the seams correctly. The scary part, for me, is the actual quilting. I have yet to actually quilt something, so I figured what better to start with then a baby quilt.

This particular baby quilt is for a friend who is literally due any day now. Her little boy is being stubborn, and isn't ready to make his big entrance into the world. I'm hoping to have this ready for his christening, which seems like a long time. But if you know me, you know that I'll be lucky to ever finish this!

The quilt is just a simple 9 patch. It will look tons better after it's pressed!

I have about half of the blocks done and hope to finish the rest this weekend. It's an ambitious goal though because this weekend is supposed to be beautiful!

More Easter Recipes...

As a newly married woman, I'm dividing my holidays between my new family and my "old" family. This year I celebrated Easter dinner with Hubby's family. MIL was serving ham and I CANNOT have ham on Easter without pineapple souffle. I couldn't imagine Easter dinner without it, so I made it.

Pineapple Souffle (Super Easy!)

Ingredients:
~½ cup butter, softened
~½ cup white sugar
~ 4 eggs
~1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
~5-6 slices bread, cubed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cream butter and sugar.
3. Beat in the eggs. Beat well.
4. Stir in crushed pineapple and bread.
5. Pour in a casserole dish or glass baking dish. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.
6. Serve warm!

Notes: The recipe calls for more sugar (about 1 cup) but it really doesn't need it.

Review: I loved it. I did have to make this twice though. The first time I completely melted the butter and decided to use it anyway. Big mistake! I remade it, just prior to putting in the pineapple so it wasn't that bad. My second version could have used about 5 or 10 more minutes in the oven though (my oven is weird).

Everblossom Cupcakes

I've been trying to work on presentation. I just don't have a knack for it, but I still find myself trying. Right before the Easter holiday a woman at work sent me this recipe for Everblossom cupcakes so I decided to make these for Easter dinner at MIL's house.

- Picture from the family.go.com

Ingredients for decorating:

Batch of baked cupcakes - I used triple chocolate
Vanilla butter cream frosting
Butter knife
White candy melts
Candy Dots - m&m's in Easter colors

Here are my representation...


I will admit I made them from memory. I bought "whipped" icing which did not work very well. The candy dots did not stay very well and there was no way I could have stuck ten candy dots on each cupcake so I cut it down to six. It looks better with ten, but I thought that was too much candy.




Tray of cupcakes ready to go. These did not transport well on Easter. The icing did not hold the candy dots very well but I think with different icing it would have been fine. These were delish!

Happy Easter!!!

A few snap shots from our Easter celebration:

Each place setting had a dyed Easter egg with each person's name on it. Edible place cards - so creative!


After dinner, we hid the eggs that were still left on the table for the Easter egg hunt. Unfortunately one didn't make it across the lawn...I honestly have no idea how MIL's egg ended up like this...honestly!

Pictures of Gidget being a good girl during the Easter Egg hunt! It was easier to take her picture than it was to take anyone else's. Gidget had her "big girl" surgery on Friday so Paige stayed home on Easter. We weren't sure Gidget would be up for company, but she certainly seemed like she wouldn't have minded.

Anyone up for a game of fetch?? Anyone????

Six Months Ago Today

I married the love of my life and we went on an amazing honeymoon to Mexico...

Six months later, it's business as usual! I still procrastinate and just got around to approving the final layout for the wedding album. We still need a new roof. Our dog still needs some obedience training. We still live next door to the same annoying people. The only real changes are I'm getting better at cooking (i think) and we might (but probably not) get another dog.

Most of today will be spent cleaning the house and cooking. The only time we clean the house is when we have people over which is not nearly enough. We are having my brother and his family over for dinner tonight. I'm making spaghetti, meatballs, and sausage for dinner plus peach cheesecake for dessert since it's so darn easy to make.

Swedishology

From facebook, but what the heck, right!

Tag- You're it!!! Let other's know a little more about yourself by re-posting and tagging your friends. Re post note as your name + "ology".

1) What is your salad dressing of choice?
Ranch

2) What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Fuji's Japanese restaurant

3) What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of?
It would have to be sweet, maybe apple pie.

4) What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Mushrooms

5) What do you like to put on your toast?
butter and strawberry jam

6) How many televisions are in your house?
oh god, like 5!!

7) What color cell phone do you have?
Purple

8) Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Left

9) Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Wisdom teeth and some fibroadenomas.

10) What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Probably a cooler full of samples.

11) Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
No

12) If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
No thanks!

13) If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I think I'd make a good Autumn or Sarah.

14) Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
No, probably not even for $100,000

15) How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
Probably 5 or so.

16)What is/are your goal/s for the year?
See my 101 goals blog :)

17) Last person you talked to?
the regional leader in the company I work for

18)Last person you hugged?
Hubby

19)Favorite Season?
Spring/early summer

20) Favorite Holiday?
Christmas

21) Favorite day of the week?
Saturday

22) Favorite Month?
May

23) First place you went this morning?
Work

24) What's the last movie you saw?
Quantum of Solace...I think my mailman stole it because Netflix still hasn't received it and I mailed it a week ago.

25) Do you smile often?
Not as much as I'd like at the moment.

26) Do you always answer your phone?
If it's my mom or Hubby yes, otherwise they won't stop calling. At work, nope!

27) It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
Not my stalker, I changed my cell number!!

28) If you could change your eye color what would it be?
Green would be pretty.

29) What flavor drink do you get at Sonic?
There isn't one in my area.

30) Have you ever had a pet fish?
I have many pet fish.

31) Favorite Christmas song?
All I want for Christmas by Mariah Carey

32) What's on your wish list for your birthday?
Well my birthday just passed, but a new roof would be fabulous!

33) Can you do push ups?
No.

34) Can you do chin ups?
Maybe one!

35) Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Excited! Bring on the babies!

36) Do you have any saved texts?
A few memorable ones.

37) Ever in a car wreck?
No :::knocking on wood:::

38) Do you have an accent?
I've been told I have a jersey accent...but that was well before I even lived in jersey.

39) What is the last song to make you cry?
None

40) Plans tonight?
Gardening

41) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
Yep, college, it was awesome!

42) Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
Yesterday....dinner but that's pretty much it.

43) Have you ever been given roses?
Yes

44) Current hate right now?
Work!

45) Met someone who changed your life?
I've met a few.

46) How did you bring in the New Year?
I think I was asleep.

47) What song represents you?
Not a clue

48) Name three people who might complete this?
NA

49) What were you doing 12 AM last night?
Sleeping

50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning?
It's time to get up already?? Why are there beagle paws in my back!?!