December Daily (Pages 1-6)

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Finally, I have a few pages of my December Daily to share. I have the front and back cover and pages 1-6.

I'm really loving the red and turquoise colors this year.

One thing I'm doing a little different is to record memories as they happen, rather than 1 page per day.  I just haven't been as organized this year and some days (especially work days) nothing of note really happens. So, I'm just going with recording things as they happen, which may be nothing for several days then 2 things the next day.  And that's OK.

And I'm trying to keep it pretty simple. It seems like life is so crazy and it's hard to fit everything in, but I really want to finish this project. I love looking at the previous 3 years of December Daily.

Looking for more December Daily information? See here

Anyone else out there creating a December Daily this year? I'd love to hear how you're doing!

Chevron Tiles

Last week I shared a sneak peek of the tiles I painted at As You Wish. We took the girls there for a family activity, but I had a blast myself.

But I had the hardest time figuring out what I wanted to paint. Sure, there were lots of cool items to choose from, but I was trying to keep costs down also. I finally decided on the square tiles ($4 each). Then I stared at them for a while, trying to decide how to paint them. And I stared, and I stared.

Finally, it hit me. Chevron stripes. Rainbow colors. Awesome.

Then out came my inner geek. Ruler, pencil, eraser, and math. Surprisingly, I had a blast figuring out how to measure the stripes. I divided the tile across by 4 and the length by 6 (since I had picked out 6 rainbow colors). It was actually pretty easy. If you look at the tiles closely, you will notice there are 7 colors. Turns out if you make six lines down, you end up with 7 sections. That was my only oops, and it just meant that I had to pick out one more color. Darn!

I love the way they turned out when they were all painted, but I thought they needed a line between each color to help define the pattern.

I'm not 100% thrilled with the black lines, simply because some sections are thicker than others. It was hard to control the flow of the paint. But in the end, I think it helps to give it that homemade touch.

Now I'm itching to go back and paint 2 more. I mean, seriously, who has 2 coasters? They always come in sets of 4. And I want to paint some for my shop.

I love it when I get all excited about something.That little spark gets ignited. Have you done anything lately that ignited a spark?

5 Pins I Love

1. For the inner geek:

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2.  To make you smile:

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3.  For the clock lover:



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4.  To make your heart swoon:

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5.  And one to start your week off right:

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What did I do before Pinterest? Seriously!

Sunday Inspiration



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This is so true. So for today, let's all try to ignore that image in our head and "just be". Let the rest go. And do something that makes you happy!


Friday Wrap (InstaFriday)

Hello peeps. It's Friday again. So it's time to share my camera photos with you from the past week

1. Hello, long overdue pedi.

2.  Hello, Tempe Arts Festival. And a gourmet hot dog lunch with my newly returned husband. No more business trips for a long time!

3.  Hello, Mr. Vespa. Do you have a yellow cousin? I would like to rent out my garage to one!

4.  Hello, homemade pizza. OK, I don't make my own crust. But I do spread the pizza sauce and add the cheese and pepperoni and bake it myself.  We haven't had a delivery pizza since we moved!

5.  Hello, painting. It took me, like, forever, but I decided on the rainbow chevron print for 2 coasters. I had a blast (as did Emma and Katie, but Mark went out to the car for a little nap).

6.  Hello, december daily. I like seeing the 2012 version of you. And I'm looking forward to filling you with lots of fun memories of time with my family!

6.  Hello, my tween. Dressed up for Colonial Day. She learned that women were not allowed to go to school and that kids played very simple games.

7.  Hello, new (old) converse (forced myself to throw away my favorite ratty pair, so now I'm wearing a pair I got a while ago but never saw much time outside my closet).

8.  Hello, craft time with 3 generations. Grandma, me, and the girls (this one is not very crafty and lost interest quickly, but she did give it a try).

9.  Hello, snickerdoodle cupcakes. Read about Baking Day here.

Well, it's been a crazy busy week for us, but filled with lots of time with family and friends so I can't complain.

Hope your week has been filled with many happy moments.

Wanna join the fun? Click on one or both of the buttons below to link up and add your own photos.

 

Baking Day

Hello. I'm in a sugar coma right now.

Today was baking day, an event that had been postponed a few times over the past 2 months.  But it happened today.

Two friends from work came over to my house to make some yummy food. Not really for Christmas. Just to bake together.

1.  We started with the prep work for a crock pot version of a white chicken and broccoli lasagna.  Then, when the other treats were done, we would have lunch waiting for us. Recipe here.

I forgot to take photos. It was very creamy and cheesy. Very. But yummy. And super easy. And 3 hours to cook.

2.  Next we made my infamous SNICKERDOODLE CUPCAKES  And then we threw them away. Turns out if you copy the recipe wrong, and leave out a cup of flour (wrote 1/2 cup rather than 1 1/2 cups), it makes a difference. A huge difference!

Then since we had time and all the ingredients, we tried the cupcakes again. Much better the 2nd time. But I cheat and use store bought frosting that I doctor up. Use the large container of vanilla frosting and add:

2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

The frosting has a bit of a crunch to it from the brown sugar. It is heavenly!

3.   Then we moved onto:  COCONUT CLOUD COOKIES

COCONUT CLOUD COOKIES

2 2/3 cups flaked coconut, divided
1 pkg Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Reserve 1 1/3 cups coconut in medium bowl.

Combine cake mix, egg, oil, water and almond extract in large bowl.
Beat at low speed with electric mixer. Stir in remaining 1 1/3 cup coconut.
Drop by rounded tsp dough into reserved coconut. Roll to cover lightly. Place
on ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing balls 2 inches
apart. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute
on baking sheets. Remove to cooling racks. Cool completely. Store in airtight
container.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Again, very simple and quick, other than rolling the dough in coconut.  I'll probably eat all of these since my family does not like coconut. Darn!

It was a nice way to spend the day with friends, trying out new recipes. We picked the recipes a few weeks ago, then planned who would bring what, and worked together as a team (even with washing dishes). And I had an excuse to straighten the house and put on some Christmas music. You should try it with a group of your friends!

See you in the morning for the Friday Wrap.

December Daily (Sneak Peek)

A little sneak peek at this year's December Daily:

Now I have to get busy and create the album (I'm usually ready to go by Dec. 1st).

Not sure what December Daily is about?  It's basically a place for me to record our daily activities during the month. It also helps keep me on track to do fun family activities before the month flies by so quickly. For lots more info, see here.