tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31480987803926931762024-03-05T12:43:25.881-06:00What Joy is FoundEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-35000693186659439812012-03-22T15:29:00.001-05:002012-03-22T15:29:00.269-05:00Fence Post Headboard<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When we bought our house nearly 2 years ago, it came with a great playground in back. At least, we thought it was great. Then we took a closer look and realized that it lacked a certain structural integrity that most parents would appreciate in a playground.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVe4LTmDOu08hqgAPagOdLVUlIpHTHiDExiHhLGr3vWVSQzKGD2jkjLqdLxsoxfw4SW5qdH3KgA1elMyboIPKTIOvFZ6nn7SVZO2stcGZNBXeqO4Kv9kElRtC6ZEBi0VzU2kPAulvhg/s1600/DSC_0019_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVe4LTmDOu08hqgAPagOdLVUlIpHTHiDExiHhLGr3vWVSQzKGD2jkjLqdLxsoxfw4SW5qdH3KgA1elMyboIPKTIOvFZ6nn7SVZO2stcGZNBXeqO4Kv9kElRtC6ZEBi0VzU2kPAulvhg/s320/DSC_0019_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So we tore it down. This resulted in leftover wood for future projects and a bad case of poison ivy for me (I'll spare you the pictures). I had several ideas of what to do with the wood and I finally got to work on a project: guest bed headboard.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I picked out 10 good boards.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQFGGoZ9CGCNdjiJ75YD7w6svcCKo_21tCYsahA_MrLk1cMD2Q2EdWnCoV9LlhzsP5uek-KCgRErGN0J-T1woh8GjwQyL7olSpN4SbNy2PrwRWC15Ll_SlZ7dG-bFtevY91745H66-g/s1600/DSC_0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQFGGoZ9CGCNdjiJ75YD7w6svcCKo_21tCYsahA_MrLk1cMD2Q2EdWnCoV9LlhzsP5uek-KCgRErGN0J-T1woh8GjwQyL7olSpN4SbNy2PrwRWC15Ll_SlZ7dG-bFtevY91745H66-g/s320/DSC_0013.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I sawed off the bottom of the boards to make them matching lengths and clean up the bottom a bit.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizselwoD5PIw0nSyQ4TyB1SilITK5riTD9KJJ2e8wFmeHsHsfELqsvOPEAf6NY2DZ4b-zb9ndNyZpavw-eVsS3kvuaeP0nSl1Nbk7uPXSlUmenp3bJrBLxngA0wP4rrGf1nhPRB6BSMw/s1600/DSC_0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizselwoD5PIw0nSyQ4TyB1SilITK5riTD9KJJ2e8wFmeHsHsfELqsvOPEAf6NY2DZ4b-zb9ndNyZpavw-eVsS3kvuaeP0nSl1Nbk7uPXSlUmenp3bJrBLxngA0wP4rrGf1nhPRB6BSMw/s320/DSC_0014.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I thought I could use the Dremel to do the cutting, but the boards were just a little too thick so I had to do it with a trusty hand saw. It was rough going at first, but then I found a rhythm and sawed through all 10 boards without too much trouble.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hand sanded the boards with coarse sandpaper.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVlf6eJ_f9iowPTBpdzOcT7kmdU822ANPCNFcVAhexSuRTTmn-x2TUmVyUa7JXBTr43NfIYHyqhjBo61KKMoLf8ed8h4UKEtAuZn44NaCj0_7Zw9QTHS4UvHc4XHy18m8TrFMcjqjLg/s1600/DSC_0017_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVlf6eJ_f9iowPTBpdzOcT7kmdU822ANPCNFcVAhexSuRTTmn-x2TUmVyUa7JXBTr43NfIYHyqhjBo61KKMoLf8ed8h4UKEtAuZn44NaCj0_7Zw9QTHS4UvHc4XHy18m8TrFMcjqjLg/s320/DSC_0017_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There were two thicker boards that were the perfect length to be my crossbars to hold the whole thing together. I put two nails in each board at each crossbar. (I didn't get a picture of this.)</span></span></div><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The boards all had nail holes from their play set days. Even though I was going for a shabby chic distressed look, I opted to fill them in since they were large and there were so many of them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2WDpcC5RJTf03zBqlzYEMiTn_9dHv8CGEFyvkgsQId8NOhjC71f2Tw_ipZ6RjweUP6THcQzUFMmw1jP6kbUsMO2PuP8Oz5OIM78HuZwQFfnuW_kRAJ8iJ-hlRFc1IiO0O_y4k-nzbA/s1600/DSC_0018_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2WDpcC5RJTf03zBqlzYEMiTn_9dHv8CGEFyvkgsQId8NOhjC71f2Tw_ipZ6RjweUP6THcQzUFMmw1jP6kbUsMO2PuP8Oz5OIM78HuZwQFfnuW_kRAJ8iJ-hlRFc1IiO0O_y4k-nzbA/s320/DSC_0018_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then came painting time.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yrtZ8UQ_1woEZ8wRcwjnStOdbaB9WFReVMMs9KoWKF3WyxsRuDNNTzgQHyv148WZFTb5qJue62H_yLB04AKDoQG7tleOjY1iNFyjhUUbip6ie2u3akTmNvUMzqJ9tQ7SySelFxJ6hQ/s1600/DSC_0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yrtZ8UQ_1woEZ8wRcwjnStOdbaB9WFReVMMs9KoWKF3WyxsRuDNNTzgQHyv148WZFTb5qJue62H_yLB04AKDoQG7tleOjY1iNFyjhUUbip6ie2u3akTmNvUMzqJ9tQ7SySelFxJ6hQ/s320/DSC_0066.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I gave it 2 1/2 coats. Here are pictures before distressing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-gkqFcseGI9Q31HfsFAXkgXkD_SdnX8eDKI36ecHkQaKVDleVsQ2p9XBnzYB9aVwcBZyvrfxakaRcfdpIUE62yf_LWr1OiNiWDqVkDa8K-bHRCHIzHn4H0nhh4S9JSrh1XO3rYx31g/s1600/DSC_0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-gkqFcseGI9Q31HfsFAXkgXkD_SdnX8eDKI36ecHkQaKVDleVsQ2p9XBnzYB9aVwcBZyvrfxakaRcfdpIUE62yf_LWr1OiNiWDqVkDa8K-bHRCHIzHn4H0nhh4S9JSrh1XO3rYx31g/s320/DSC_0068.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUqwZcuaGBxP5dmJztUbzEwBnFIGcrVhyhHKa7Qrjfo9AYWxnFziVK-xg9LSNT_XRKBWj4b3-37i7rJcsdBhVBv1yKAYSpgmTGS0c5lZKApB8U2mKo6Q6AucfOSNUrjoaO8hBSNulSg/s1600/DSC_0069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUqwZcuaGBxP5dmJztUbzEwBnFIGcrVhyhHKa7Qrjfo9AYWxnFziVK-xg9LSNT_XRKBWj4b3-37i7rJcsdBhVBv1yKAYSpgmTGS0c5lZKApB8U2mKo6Q6AucfOSNUrjoaO8hBSNulSg/s320/DSC_0069.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since the boards were so old, they already had a great distressed look so I just needed to do a little sanding of the paint. This was actually incredibly easy. I used the hand sander with coarse sandpaper that I used to sand the boards in the first place. I'm pleased as punch at how this turned out.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqceqtxJk_KR0FzIFSgZdIT0MBzExKPS_m0oHXfae7PyzcXC8OsMDc7xjzmZ2WonrWWXNSf6Vvv6M8YNPM9kSsJ2BqMXUw9X5zgM-x8vgD5_QjdIQ6prm6pP2XispjkQp0ddG5Dao_rg/s1600/DSC_0070_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqceqtxJk_KR0FzIFSgZdIT0MBzExKPS_m0oHXfae7PyzcXC8OsMDc7xjzmZ2WonrWWXNSf6Vvv6M8YNPM9kSsJ2BqMXUw9X5zgM-x8vgD5_QjdIQ6prm6pP2XispjkQp0ddG5Dao_rg/s320/DSC_0070_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdgG_pudn8J_OuTZHKCb8GJOpod2CnTk0KLdA2iNSrf1r9agyNU3JsN2gl4ZQjy23lNpGrX-_55PKoXsDPn3AMyTo6DSksIuYe7eNPfjEZWKjXKgaz6sCF_PRIdnEiFaJLoRK5xWzug/s1600/DSC_0071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdgG_pudn8J_OuTZHKCb8GJOpod2CnTk0KLdA2iNSrf1r9agyNU3JsN2gl4ZQjy23lNpGrX-_55PKoXsDPn3AMyTo6DSksIuYe7eNPfjEZWKjXKgaz6sCF_PRIdnEiFaJLoRK5xWzug/s320/DSC_0071.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kwLJjEiiFTJ03okB-EITTSYY8bMmBaRCqx9X2NwiSEE85G3Oi3Coq8aiTB6Vt4tQNGUpG0Rf3BhRkaNvLGkPh4V8qVJvDAwVV8ZOLcr5k3b0_WRP-tKde0pbBOxdrQvaVwNgjZsXWQ/s1600/DSC_0072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kwLJjEiiFTJ03okB-EITTSYY8bMmBaRCqx9X2NwiSEE85G3Oi3Coq8aiTB6Vt4tQNGUpG0Rf3BhRkaNvLGkPh4V8qVJvDAwVV8ZOLcr5k3b0_WRP-tKde0pbBOxdrQvaVwNgjZsXWQ/s320/DSC_0072.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's hard to tell from the pictures, but there is a difference before and after I sanded. It came out a nice shabby chic.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is the room before the headboard.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwcIXKRnXNSunuCQFicSJa1_FLu9-Kj2Q36zoQWX8gCzw5ZN9OLDgtxy9XpcckPtACtFWdNO0sSatDE63URkDQhwf3CRurn9DFTjROooqdhr7GAbRp-hiWQvYWF93jTGY0ElO0rCQOg/s1600/DSC_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwcIXKRnXNSunuCQFicSJa1_FLu9-Kj2Q36zoQWX8gCzw5ZN9OLDgtxy9XpcckPtACtFWdNO0sSatDE63URkDQhwf3CRurn9DFTjROooqdhr7GAbRp-hiWQvYWF93jTGY0ElO0rCQOg/s320/DSC_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And after.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRv29qTeZ0TYtE9LPYsD47T5qJHIQ2zOQiCbnstC7fTEDRfrdGCO9kXwc7rjyOuOuXw-J_00FPK1Sk0Qf6iNQNthxn9NUvoc08jdREGDz2cOMy8a9TOZhvUdQII93RdQ8dvgmeUuJOQ/s1600/DSC_0083_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRv29qTeZ0TYtE9LPYsD47T5qJHIQ2zOQiCbnstC7fTEDRfrdGCO9kXwc7rjyOuOuXw-J_00FPK1Sk0Qf6iNQNthxn9NUvoc08jdREGDz2cOMy8a9TOZhvUdQII93RdQ8dvgmeUuJOQ/s320/DSC_0083_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKblnZEn4rNZG7U8pn7MfdIADiOpDeW0k29bk6RnWi6xiG6crg3VDw-rNZ0VHWzaYT09MV1DnwBf30IFTmCfzuGHbdeIyjj6myqMT2IJVx-th63cOv2dBOKc8z9968R3r0957mUrawBA/s1600/DSC_0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKblnZEn4rNZG7U8pn7MfdIADiOpDeW0k29bk6RnWi6xiG6crg3VDw-rNZ0VHWzaYT09MV1DnwBf30IFTmCfzuGHbdeIyjj6myqMT2IJVx-th63cOv2dBOKc8z9968R3r0957mUrawBA/s320/DSC_0076.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The hubby (who I kept in the dark about my project) loved it and is thankful some of the wood is finally out of our screened in patio. And I got it done just in time for my parents' visit this weekend.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the end, I only spend $20.89 (not counting the doctor bills for the poison ivy).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nails: $3.47</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hand sander: $4.98</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">60 grit sand paper: $3.47</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Quart of paint: $8.97</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-40010062298277867492012-03-21T15:28:00.000-05:002012-03-21T15:28:56.317-05:00Blush and Bashful<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These beauties are my first flip flops of the season.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8s32ikpwO3hLloDbMF9-oI5KE_6Req7aX36YI65CFy5sR5uDMBfC8t1wM4boRi4LVKYZfYfTk_xXuOeqWo7RGgKnptpcZdg0ZOeKa8BeJFJucnzdTj9LyVVAzhOWkwqiPq56xofFssQ/s1600/DSC_0088_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8s32ikpwO3hLloDbMF9-oI5KE_6Req7aX36YI65CFy5sR5uDMBfC8t1wM4boRi4LVKYZfYfTk_xXuOeqWo7RGgKnptpcZdg0ZOeKa8BeJFJucnzdTj9LyVVAzhOWkwqiPq56xofFssQ/s320/DSC_0088_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had a gift card for Kohl's so I was there looking for a specific useful item. I found said useful item and was headed to the checkout when I walked past these. They stopped me in my tracks. I found two pair that I liked so I consulted by fashion sensei R and she picked these. Maybe because these are less flip floppy :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wasn't crazy about the look of the useful item I was there for so I put that back and spent the gift card on these lovelies which was a perfect pick because I only paid 10 cents out of pocket.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They are also the perfect blush and bashful colors so I'm ready for a steel magnolia wedding.</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-25045651693656952062011-12-08T09:00:00.005-06:002011-12-08T09:19:22.099-06:00DIY Canvas Print - Take 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">See <a href="http://whatjoyisfound.blogspot.com/2011/12/diy-canvas-print-take-1.html" target="_blank">Take 1</a> to find out what <i>didn't</i> work for me in making my own canvas print. Here is the successful version :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Supplies:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Canvas (I used 8"x16")</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Picture* (same size as your canvas)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Scissors</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Matte Mod Podge</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wax Paper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paint (color of your choice for the border, black is a nice complement to a black and white print - I used the small acrylic bottles found at Hobby Lobby)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sponge Brush</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Small Paint Brush</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spray Sealer Flat Finish (found with the spray paint at home improvement or craft stores)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Since I was up against a deadline (we were exchanging Christmas gifts at Thanksgiving and it was Sunday night that I finally admitted defeat on take 1 and we were leaving Wednesday morning which means I had to have this ready by Tuesday....), I was in a little bit of a pinch to get a large, decent print made. I usually use <a href="http://www.adoramapix.com/" target="_blank">Adorama</a> for my printing needs, but there was no time for shipping. I had trouble finding a local place (Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc) that would print in the size I needed (8" x 16") so I again went to the UPS store and had them print it on cardstock. This worked out really well as I didn't want a glossy finish anyway and I was able to increase the contrast on the print after the first time as it printed a little more gray than it looked on my screen.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutFzu5X0tdgAEr42FfMG5GsLwMHdOKtzzj1RRbSKm_YxB3Edtmqmm0OmErAK2WS95AjaAsewWcbPl9027dhfhF7ceBCX2isON4CRbszBm00PXNMRxfa21vb0bGFQDub6wX4ublLIDeQ/s1600/DSC_0151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutFzu5X0tdgAEr42FfMG5GsLwMHdOKtzzj1RRbSKm_YxB3Edtmqmm0OmErAK2WS95AjaAsewWcbPl9027dhfhF7ceBCX2isON4CRbszBm00PXNMRxfa21vb0bGFQDub6wX4ublLIDeQ/s320/DSC_0151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trim your picture so it will fit on your canvas without the edges hanging off. Spread a coat of Mod Podge on the canvas and place the picture on the canvas. Smooth out the bubbles with your hands. You have to work quickly here as the Mod Podge dries quickly on the canvas. Turn the canvas upside down and place some heavy books on it to give it a good bond.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once it is dry, squirt some paint onto a tray (disposable plates work great for this). Use a dry sponge brush to sponge paint the sides of the canvas.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOgV2BGskUt7liZ5AFLY-aewvVCL4eaiRey0ytIj63DwbcjS_gc48kwjH4Mdgb0Pxv1jA7SvmJd04KKgj08VRmu9y2Vb9iIf9QreEJeJ5iJk3_WiMclSj8nbOsY0oTYEG5iRTQXQbg/s1600/DSC_0152_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOgV2BGskUt7liZ5AFLY-aewvVCL4eaiRey0ytIj63DwbcjS_gc48kwjH4Mdgb0Pxv1jA7SvmJd04KKgj08VRmu9y2Vb9iIf9QreEJeJ5iJk3_WiMclSj8nbOsY0oTYEG5iRTQXQbg/s320/DSC_0152_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you sponge on the sides of the canvas, just the right amount should sponge over onto the edge of your print. This gives it a cool look and covers up any part of the print that might not have been cut straight (if you're like me). Use the small paint brush to get in the corners and in between the print and canvas, if necessary.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWS_iWRR2KSwlQWXKJm8caFGSM5V2gCQ3f5YEnqK2FOj9FpJkePCvUQUQgJn8w3h2tolHOLlajZ9kCrG2SHyKlC6sTx0bsYbDbd-Ap7uYbcSm5c29BQWC6dOxDUs5CMGmKj0Tk_Sfww/s1600/DSC_0155_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWS_iWRR2KSwlQWXKJm8caFGSM5V2gCQ3f5YEnqK2FOj9FpJkePCvUQUQgJn8w3h2tolHOLlajZ9kCrG2SHyKlC6sTx0bsYbDbd-Ap7uYbcSm5c29BQWC6dOxDUs5CMGmKj0Tk_Sfww/s320/DSC_0155_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once the paint is dry, cover the whole canvas, sides included, with a coat of Mod Podge. I generally use my finger as a Mod Podge applicator, but you could use a foam brush or something similar if you'd like.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmWGrWTfT9ZtIxq1HVBc1oSK5Yfw_OAsJ-oCuKTvz1lLMe3yDZHLvoaDDSrD7lOTKavCHcqertvieeU60Ab5DW3tLBJ7OJhGnl8dH-vQczLlErrVGxDTyVBKDZAu3WljmVO0lY7xgwg/s1600/DSC_0158_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmWGrWTfT9ZtIxq1HVBc1oSK5Yfw_OAsJ-oCuKTvz1lLMe3yDZHLvoaDDSrD7lOTKavCHcqertvieeU60Ab5DW3tLBJ7OJhGnl8dH-vQczLlErrVGxDTyVBKDZAu3WljmVO0lY7xgwg/s320/DSC_0158_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the Mod Podge has dried for a few minutes, set it upside down on waxed paper and again put heavy books on it. Let dry overnight.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spray canvas, including sides, with a clear, flat finish sealer/protector spray - two coats. This step is not necessary, but it helps to hide any imperfections in the Mod Podge layer and give the print a smooth finish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's the finished product.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4ph22gPhyBMHyaxRyu387hJnqnzEAOWiRypZENBnUMAXvrxaNoBZihXQw-ucV6r7SFwAycAqFUZzt6uwJXeSXI1EvTAXdjZigzsbe8a1mjSiNzRn9QBUknmHWUqUxKH6K8OPcNsAPw/s1600/DSC_0160_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4ph22gPhyBMHyaxRyu387hJnqnzEAOWiRypZENBnUMAXvrxaNoBZihXQw-ucV6r7SFwAycAqFUZzt6uwJXeSXI1EvTAXdjZigzsbe8a1mjSiNzRn9QBUknmHWUqUxKH6K8OPcNsAPw/s320/DSC_0160_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am delighted at how it turned out!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wanted a matte finish to the print so I used matte Mod Podge and a flat spray, but you can use the glossy versions if you want a glossy finish.</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-60047016489232991132011-12-05T19:00:00.006-06:002011-12-05T19:00:03.325-06:00DIY Canvas Print - Take 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've recently seen a few blog posts about making your own canvas print. I love this idea and thought I would give it a try with a picture I took of my new nephew. It would make a great Christmas gift for my sister and brother-in-law.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's the step by step on making a canvas print via photo transfer.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Supplies:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Canvas (I used 8"x16")</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Picture printed on plain paper (since I was using a large size, I got mine printed at the UPS store - be sure to print it flipped horizontally as the mirror image will appear on the canvas)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Scissors</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gel Medium (I used Liquitex Gloss Heavy Gel found at Hobby Lobby)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Foam Brush</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Water Bottle</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Newspaper</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl96CkUZTOH3tLBNPa1D7_DldrB5Tdhr9XHRzI37sHED2MECI8h0mIvFK1q3mgT_8zKeDUsHLQ7GwSDWq6nFIhYpOf4yvNJaxaMa7dcps_XMl5FPm0nPSl0n-AHuHQU0B5WQp8Ior0g/s1600/DSC_0109_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl96CkUZTOH3tLBNPa1D7_DldrB5Tdhr9XHRzI37sHED2MECI8h0mIvFK1q3mgT_8zKeDUsHLQ7GwSDWq6nFIhYpOf4yvNJaxaMa7dcps_XMl5FPm0nPSl0n-AHuHQU0B5WQp8Ior0g/s320/DSC_0109_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cut your picture to fit the canvas. I cut mine a little bit bigger than the canvas so the image would wrap around the sides of the canvas.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spread a thick layer of the gel medium all over the canvas.</span></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lMmg0hKz14yk2sgyI9NXI8QrFzYZsIIqY92GkM6A3IHen0KkZZpSVeTFXbWkdiJZXXsGqFwGCVkAFfjDTwAQGE8IFSKhsUvJ84aMF2HySVtVN_DGeoAN7Tn4tFMykV0SNl_1j057RA/s1600/DSC_0115_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lMmg0hKz14yk2sgyI9NXI8QrFzYZsIIqY92GkM6A3IHen0KkZZpSVeTFXbWkdiJZXXsGqFwGCVkAFfjDTwAQGE8IFSKhsUvJ84aMF2HySVtVN_DGeoAN7Tn4tFMykV0SNl_1j057RA/s320/DSC_0115_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place the picture upside down on the canvas and smooth it with your fingers. Try to get out all of the bubbles. If you cut the picture a little bigger than the canvas, be sure to cover the sides with gel medium and press the paper against the sides. Let canvas try overnight on newspaper. (I use our awesome, very country, Pigeon Roost News.)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxx4seHmQ9QxmqB62ETSlL8vLRLS7Liw9zw4B_B71XaG333Ndb1PfOSm0V0AcXT_z-d7cx2GnZQy4PDC9IEukXmJ6F_n-rhFBxKLZbK6eqNnd9MFDOGtD4d8W_S3E_UGarYZc_BdCww/s1600/DSC_0116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxx4seHmQ9QxmqB62ETSlL8vLRLS7Liw9zw4B_B71XaG333Ndb1PfOSm0V0AcXT_z-d7cx2GnZQy4PDC9IEukXmJ6F_n-rhFBxKLZbK6eqNnd9MFDOGtD4d8W_S3E_UGarYZc_BdCww/s320/DSC_0116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now for the difficult part. Use a water bottle to wet the paper and rub the paper away with your fingers. You have to be very careful because you need to remove all the paper, but not the image. This takes a lot of patience.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LAxd-HCTlsbsAgSZ-wydP8QuCq1mA4yPv6CL0FMo5qicFUF7WmPKa-QWk8-KeAKjOYPbsyrDejJNjxf1sR4HQrH1gjoEcWkWYS9RFve3_QvzWVoCqRNqBEwlWzLqRpKpzQGYQXzYng/s1600/DSC_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LAxd-HCTlsbsAgSZ-wydP8QuCq1mA4yPv6CL0FMo5qicFUF7WmPKa-QWk8-KeAKjOYPbsyrDejJNjxf1sR4HQrH1gjoEcWkWYS9RFve3_QvzWVoCqRNqBEwlWzLqRpKpzQGYQXzYng/s320/DSC_0118.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My image looked pretty good after getting a lot of the paper off, but when it dried, there were still paper remnants that became visible. I tried wetting the canvas again to remove the paper residue, but it was hard to get it off without also taking off the image. I put the canvas under running water in hopes of disintegrating the paper that way instead of rubbing which at this point was taking off the image, but that didn't work.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the end, I was left with....</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EwSXhqOq5GB9uienJzsju6_TJHNg1gBMtK7qVO_jaHI_Mf_P1NFvc0BqAfnuYXQ6oJaUthhkSviMdgm7OL-Lbn01OHD97Dn-UBrnnzxw36fnyPN4Te_9mmFWUu7fZtib5zeu64gJpA/s1600/DSC_0135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EwSXhqOq5GB9uienJzsju6_TJHNg1gBMtK7qVO_jaHI_Mf_P1NFvc0BqAfnuYXQ6oJaUthhkSviMdgm7OL-Lbn01OHD97Dn-UBrnnzxw36fnyPN4Te_9mmFWUu7fZtib5zeu64gJpA/s320/DSC_0135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not such a great gift. Thankfully, the blogosphere has more than one way to make a canvas print so on to take 2. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I really wanted the transfer method to work because I think it's the coolest, but</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> sometimes, you just need to admit defeat. Stay tuned for take 2.</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-73394895050476493342011-12-03T16:10:00.001-06:002011-12-03T16:10:00.215-06:00Confidence<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you've talked to my hubby at all in the last, say, 5 months, you would know that he is confident. Very, very confident. You would know this because he would have told you. Multiple times. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard the word, "confident," I would be a rich lady. He even made a chart of his confidence through the years. It's trending higher (which he is sure to tell you). But I digress.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Being from the South, he likes to wear sleeveless t-shirts in the summer. This fashion choice is one that amuses my sister and brother-in-law so when we found out that they have sleeveless onesies, we knew the perfect gift for said sister and brother-in-law's little bundle of joy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of course we couldn't give him plain old sleeveless shirts, we spruced them up Uncle Mark style.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQGL2Gl6nVNdBKhhli6FrkwQkMo5mRRwsraQRaf7vXg3qOqX-8-jOWCNAh4DIQ9tAoe3TZAguqm5t_zI8acGfwunNdTb05-bTrxiugiSMopghBK75kNQxrhQXEGFTCQHz_6VXaeZr-w/s1600/DSC_0162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQGL2Gl6nVNdBKhhli6FrkwQkMo5mRRwsraQRaf7vXg3qOqX-8-jOWCNAh4DIQ9tAoe3TZAguqm5t_zI8acGfwunNdTb05-bTrxiugiSMopghBK75kNQxrhQXEGFTCQHz_6VXaeZr-w/s320/DSC_0162.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Word of the hubby's confidence can spread even farther now. We also made a tuxedo sleeveless onesie (for those formal occasions babies go to), and a baseball one since that's the hubby's favorite sport.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since little baby J lives in Chicago, we got these in 9 month size so they'll be the perfect fit when warmer weather comes to town. Best gift ever? Quite possibly :)</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-55606233219584768262011-12-01T18:00:00.000-06:002011-12-01T18:00:02.005-06:00Bruchhaus Baby Bash!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We recently hosted a shower for some coworker friends. They are expecting a bouncy baby boy on December 10. I had a lot of fun preparing for the shower and Stephanie, my planning cohort, did a great job with the games and cakes. I think everyone had a great time (even the single guys!). Now to the pictures!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I altered our <a href="http://whatjoyisfound.blogspot.com/2011/10/fall-decor.html">fall decor</a> a little bit to fit the baby boy theme.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9L11oPs2uDO0Qo6AedW7TEhre0oBQBshw3i8C15kjdoQ6GZuWeV_mog0HL8vrSyfGYxbwshLdxW6JLmbamtHDZn3xgCfMO2Uj7lUwSvmrxenN9BzTEm01oCUdjFVaJBmSDRzisV_vw/s1600/DSC_0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9L11oPs2uDO0Qo6AedW7TEhre0oBQBshw3i8C15kjdoQ6GZuWeV_mog0HL8vrSyfGYxbwshLdxW6JLmbamtHDZn3xgCfMO2Uj7lUwSvmrxenN9BzTEm01oCUdjFVaJBmSDRzisV_vw/s320/DSC_0056.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We had a yummy hot chocolate bar with crushed peppermints, caramel, piroulines, and, of course, marshmallows and whipped cream.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalCvbNYZCNXQfhq5RW9bbt6cn0hP1hGta0_MAwplBsMI3-qUsyhs8e66eAQ8BvVDNCf8stqvmaz8V83NK1GaUT7v-Y82dwiMqFS5VE4iBYBdpi9J7VHjOPzjK_srZmyJv3UlZbgkSPQ/s1600/DSC_0066_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalCvbNYZCNXQfhq5RW9bbt6cn0hP1hGta0_MAwplBsMI3-qUsyhs8e66eAQ8BvVDNCf8stqvmaz8V83NK1GaUT7v-Y82dwiMqFS5VE4iBYBdpi9J7VHjOPzjK_srZmyJv3UlZbgkSPQ/s320/DSC_0066_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This excellent <a href="http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/pumpkin-pie-dip-recipe/1/" target="_blank">pumpkin dip</a> was fun to show off in a home-grown pumpkin.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-ZaS7AiiQBSbZ0PpQeMESopANmtWihioGOhYYtHUJv-recVi0apovbicHBFWbLEQ0tEDSsMxt8MR4JDIEn2RDiQ7MhNtrn1Qc3odD0Br8RUIfjTNbjMPs2tECA6F-xiRvvE_1TCsmQ/s1600/DSC_0073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-ZaS7AiiQBSbZ0PpQeMESopANmtWihioGOhYYtHUJv-recVi0apovbicHBFWbLEQ0tEDSsMxt8MR4JDIEn2RDiQ7MhNtrn1Qc3odD0Br8RUIfjTNbjMPs2tECA6F-xiRvvE_1TCsmQ/s320/DSC_0073.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stephanie did a great job with the diaper cake.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwk81PBJkB1dQ1TxMt9rjON4PAk50R9AHVLgzgfUT7AIzJfP8P-ZpNkN3UEXEQSuIU59Vi2oT5l9ki36Ifu7Wx19ltjnBfQci66jVALbY71incdgdSv322FZstG3OVQSKVKVbKb6Zg6Q/s1600/DSC_0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwk81PBJkB1dQ1TxMt9rjON4PAk50R9AHVLgzgfUT7AIzJfP8P-ZpNkN3UEXEQSuIU59Vi2oT5l9ki36Ifu7Wx19ltjnBfQci66jVALbY71incdgdSv322FZstG3OVQSKVKVbKb6Zg6Q/s320/DSC_0076.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the real cake.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_t3C_QayjE7ek8Ezb8R-aLggTBEXUN6zDKNHGmy81K0jdhDvHiN41EceiiZ_yUlGm958QpMeZTv54wjxuRXiAzSUgFeXdYWMB7De-1YO57YeqcQq-coQjyTUDFUVK6x1c8RG-7h8KdQ/s1600/DSC_0078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_t3C_QayjE7ek8Ezb8R-aLggTBEXUN6zDKNHGmy81K0jdhDvHiN41EceiiZ_yUlGm958QpMeZTv54wjxuRXiAzSUgFeXdYWMB7De-1YO57YeqcQq-coQjyTUDFUVK6x1c8RG-7h8KdQ/s320/DSC_0078.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The happy soon-to-be parents!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXQ1CH_v88UZhd4bEXBdBXvYlbWNVm-HvItc24eVldKIiukPCTwKusZXJUKBWk97-NcNRSqhsBb_LqmQ4B_Vpe7pu9_mVgpcEfzjdb_Gg-SBM5Ha12UjEDrVdt7V97e6qewmPmIWxLA/s1600/DSC_0079_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXQ1CH_v88UZhd4bEXBdBXvYlbWNVm-HvItc24eVldKIiukPCTwKusZXJUKBWk97-NcNRSqhsBb_LqmQ4B_Vpe7pu9_mVgpcEfzjdb_Gg-SBM5Ha12UjEDrVdt7V97e6qewmPmIWxLA/s320/DSC_0079_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Congratulations Michael and Abby!</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-78544122661423676082011-11-29T15:43:00.000-06:002011-11-29T15:43:11.832-06:00Schrute Farms<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Back in April, we planted some carrot seeds. Throughout the summer, I periodically pulled a couple, but they were always very small. So eventually, I just left them alone. Finally, this fall, I pulled up the rest and here's what we got:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewMpRo8aI91xgXHeBYM8b6wwT9Y_d8m_Uczh2aHAbWIa6DoaIevYs2cIbEv_3zqawtwMLgjtfDBOuZNiZ9iEoMxkG0ySU9VUX5ViULcSaLiu7QNs_gZZiFOjUPnggvgHpbQ8zgUE_Pg/s1600/DSC_0028_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewMpRo8aI91xgXHeBYM8b6wwT9Y_d8m_Uczh2aHAbWIa6DoaIevYs2cIbEv_3zqawtwMLgjtfDBOuZNiZ9iEoMxkG0ySU9VUX5ViULcSaLiu7QNs_gZZiFOjUPnggvgHpbQ8zgUE_Pg/s320/DSC_0028_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They look a bit more like beets than carrots.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8Jec_aQ7QQXuKCL5NpQtp3UY8fp8ID9QiPKhp0cs9FnoHgROucAJhTKmB-_84w0E8D0nlXECrC4lFAvY4O1qUxDG2LSZ44JbeclCTM4Jl79D9hD6EJxxLu-djmTXP-kIp895KGyHNw/s1600/DSC_0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8Jec_aQ7QQXuKCL5NpQtp3UY8fp8ID9QiPKhp0cs9FnoHgROucAJhTKmB-_84w0E8D0nlXECrC4lFAvY4O1qUxDG2LSZ44JbeclCTM4Jl79D9hD6EJxxLu-djmTXP-kIp895KGyHNw/s320/DSC_0040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since the growing season was ending, I was going to pull up the rest of the garden, but then I found this little pumpkin growing.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbOvELXShyphenhyphen0G88B_OEmTNgf_eh8y83JWPFv_adqiLBiri2wqJiBglIb3NTZDAdc8PybbCrZkWenVDg8rSFGdHB8dtfO5Lim_tYPbI0fCgsIrIW0bNSrcYxhWr5DI2BRCY-jKunsnZ8A/s1600/DSC_0045_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbOvELXShyphenhyphen0G88B_OEmTNgf_eh8y83JWPFv_adqiLBiri2wqJiBglIb3NTZDAdc8PybbCrZkWenVDg8rSFGdHB8dtfO5Lim_tYPbI0fCgsIrIW0bNSrcYxhWr5DI2BRCY-jKunsnZ8A/s320/DSC_0045_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hard to believe that little thing was growing in this mess! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BKa_FbThkIFZXMdij4Dtp4mHY-9bHuOZRDgAEw5UgomBAnaDiKN88SrN8x9sWW2KbHEJZ2ftT2CSNUPIEXHI9uFtxshdksHvzZmfubYpEOl6BUFw441FTMklua3nD8G2j2_q1guaFg/s1600/DSC_0048_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BKa_FbThkIFZXMdij4Dtp4mHY-9bHuOZRDgAEw5UgomBAnaDiKN88SrN8x9sWW2KbHEJZ2ftT2CSNUPIEXHI9uFtxshdksHvzZmfubYpEOl6BUFw441FTMklua3nD8G2j2_q1guaFg/s320/DSC_0048_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's the tomato plant that started growing tomatoes in September after the wind knocked it on it's side.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVjdTxXJZZdNmxaCTTEay0k2WYZ-aa9clrtk8NsasdLbI1zLJ1P8t5K43FwRo0PJN6QGjf6L7ezyll67HUbQhNiHZzOigDIlBAOmBKXGfVAbAZuT1FxmqcIt0GGcKknYFxTeN-LNGQQ/s1600/DSC_0051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVjdTxXJZZdNmxaCTTEay0k2WYZ-aa9clrtk8NsasdLbI1zLJ1P8t5K43FwRo0PJN6QGjf6L7ezyll67HUbQhNiHZzOigDIlBAOmBKXGfVAbAZuT1FxmqcIt0GGcKknYFxTeN-LNGQQ/s320/DSC_0051.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That pretty much wraps up this year's garden. I transplanted the herbs into containers and brought them inside. We'll have to come up with some new things to grow next year and give it another go.</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-84099185471202660832011-11-17T18:17:00.000-06:002011-11-17T18:17:50.613-06:00Fryin' Okra<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve never fried anything before. Like, really fried. Sure, I’ve fried an egg and used olive oil to sauté chicken, but I’ve never put a vat of Crisco in a frying pan and fried something. Until now that is. When my friend S and I were at the local farmers market, I saw a basket of okra. I told her that the hubby likes fried okra and she told me how she makes it (so good as to impress her father-in-law). So we split a basket and got out the Crisco.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chop up the okra; soak it in eggs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOB6e9Yjgr6frjOOpUMs2tjfHyFdCGMja6r7KCwb4T827hwk-pT4Fn9F_ic-2dJWz6EQTHow4gV9a0ayza1Hnna3ZCs3WKB4zKG6YyTNkOT_etr7bT4EetICBQU6JlMq10Wf4ovvHujg/s1600/DSC_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOB6e9Yjgr6frjOOpUMs2tjfHyFdCGMja6r7KCwb4T827hwk-pT4Fn9F_ic-2dJWz6EQTHow4gV9a0ayza1Hnna3ZCs3WKB4zKG6YyTNkOT_etr7bT4EetICBQU6JlMq10Wf4ovvHujg/s320/DSC_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mix cornmeal and whatever spices you like (I used paprika, garlic powder, and pepper) and add the egg-soaked okra.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat Crisco in a frying pan until it is liquid.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPuWIKshb9xrsIr62tCN-ZYwRF_c1qdyOg-i5ENcg4lcL4tHJ_himGYNUMCu2UNGz0OQ8Ndjb4Uwbv9r80b-jQ6mPqAOo1zW3iHF55DegtiA5FtzDkNDHptz8smHPKl7t2DkAkPCA_w/s1600/DSC_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPuWIKshb9xrsIr62tCN-ZYwRF_c1qdyOg-i5ENcg4lcL4tHJ_himGYNUMCu2UNGz0OQ8Ndjb4Uwbv9r80b-jQ6mPqAOo1zW3iHF55DegtiA5FtzDkNDHptz8smHPKl7t2DkAkPCA_w/s320/DSC_0005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toss okra in the Crisco and fry.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DZSfHFHle4ZAY2pq0pt3HO4htt0T5VptLg8fNn50t0OuEeV49BVpi4gEELLKsG12O1uhrImg8nDRMX_XDLkPYbhfqvceQhyphenhyphenB7VWLRnveK9PNO34W7VWOmMktarC9qaj3dYQTQDRDuA/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DZSfHFHle4ZAY2pq0pt3HO4htt0T5VptLg8fNn50t0OuEeV49BVpi4gEELLKsG12O1uhrImg8nDRMX_XDLkPYbhfqvceQhyphenhyphenB7VWLRnveK9PNO34W7VWOmMktarC9qaj3dYQTQDRDuA/s320/DSC_0006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In this particular batch, I didn’t use enough Crisco, but they still turned out okay. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvebtY7sbjjR2Af8jie613KZc9dJbVqs6hZlzhD8iPtP5hoXVwEEZQlUAN4wPTpz-aNbB4xqS_1fL-1rzq_Thjyy1KhucltmX6pdD2nCfM-s0RRqQgutLFhQ45oM1InHAsh1URt34DA/s1600/DSC_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvebtY7sbjjR2Af8jie613KZc9dJbVqs6hZlzhD8iPtP5hoXVwEEZQlUAN4wPTpz-aNbB4xqS_1fL-1rzq_Thjyy1KhucltmX6pdD2nCfM-s0RRqQgutLFhQ45oM1InHAsh1URt34DA/s320/DSC_0008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My Southern husband gave me a 6 for my effort. I’d say that’s pretty good for my first attempt at frying!</span></div><!--EndFragment-->Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-49558039356987847032011-10-19T16:00:00.001-05:002011-10-19T16:00:04.060-05:00Fall Decor<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I don’t usually decorate for the seasons, but this year I wanted to do something with pinecones. So with a little inspiration from Pinterest and some help from the garden, I redecorated the mantel and added a touch of fall to the dining room.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is the mantel before.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyRn48osFJqjMts3V3UMYVjZPfqw3O_OM2beTY1yQ8NttUAAuhbeR_j58KSLF5ahbl1IFUIWeRjclyev4bZYdom3KMuYRgrPpwRXzBledCvDWucEZ70gk3ngPpzzfWADnV0_TVNDWIg/s1600/DSC_0087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyRn48osFJqjMts3V3UMYVjZPfqw3O_OM2beTY1yQ8NttUAAuhbeR_j58KSLF5ahbl1IFUIWeRjclyev4bZYdom3KMuYRgrPpwRXzBledCvDWucEZ70gk3ngPpzzfWADnV0_TVNDWIg/s320/DSC_0087.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I started with the square hurricane vase. I filled it with popcorn, red kidney beans, green split peas, and topped it off with round spiky plant matter that fall off trees like pinecones (I have no idea what they are called, but they look cool). I put an upside down bud vase inside the hurricane before filling it with the popcorn, beans, and peas. That helped fill up some of the space inside so I didn’t need as much popcorn, etc. A couple pinecones surround the vase that’s tied with a strip of burlap.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe75yvgwB_0RQgnRYTq_1-RSIHdLn_FteFGS9nMEFYBOpEaxTU2ERucOyM-PEnOgpBEgKfX5i8mYkJPaGcvv9jARwESUiirW2YRBtRQVCuqqr5158cFd2ki-sMl7NonmcoFr3A47oSw/s1600/DSC_0035_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe75yvgwB_0RQgnRYTq_1-RSIHdLn_FteFGS9nMEFYBOpEaxTU2ERucOyM-PEnOgpBEgKfX5i8mYkJPaGcvv9jARwESUiirW2YRBtRQVCuqqr5158cFd2ki-sMl7NonmcoFr3A47oSw/s320/DSC_0035_2.jpg" width="307" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Upside down wine glasses make great candelabras. They also display pinecones and a gourd. I tied strips of orange fabric around the stem of two of the glasses and used a brown ribbon for the third. I love this wine glass idea because it can be reinvented in so many ways. Different color ribbons and display objects can be used for a variety of seasons and events.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidC75OrAfILwmQ5Oxk_VKbeEHeZvBZjDTSO3sPSfT6bonAC_VNHVWVQjdjGDW3E3gzfML8oEQ9hhzvCpnL1Bvt1AXPiluuSPo_ycxuJfQ6X48bzW9txIGNb5DrhLHQZ40y7puHC2U3Vg/s1600/DSC_0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidC75OrAfILwmQ5Oxk_VKbeEHeZvBZjDTSO3sPSfT6bonAC_VNHVWVQjdjGDW3E3gzfML8oEQ9hhzvCpnL1Bvt1AXPiluuSPo_ycxuJfQ6X48bzW9txIGNb5DrhLHQZ40y7puHC2U3Vg/s320/DSC_0043.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A pumpkin and gourd adorn the end of the mantel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmrc7gm32tagHXxRfQ1IgvzE7kgDnOqKQM4zb565OK8hn1-v_NgDXa6FS9dplpPZqHGBKE8qxc2fYJ8pGSSxlPwJH6c4Cxss03CGhNQyBLEZFvZb8wfZCtZb-7l_3epPsUajmVkUpig/s1600/DSC_0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmrc7gm32tagHXxRfQ1IgvzE7kgDnOqKQM4zb565OK8hn1-v_NgDXa6FS9dplpPZqHGBKE8qxc2fYJ8pGSSxlPwJH6c4Cxss03CGhNQyBLEZFvZb8wfZCtZb-7l_3epPsUajmVkUpig/s320/DSC_0045.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I used the extra gourds by the letter blocks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTcTgJOcmtRv0yyQVUVI9pFyDEeNn2MoDPTlPO9h5Ssl3lHt6MwY4VDi_-SIO8TXBLkoFXN84qZSWj7DOegGqoJUx43KB92POpIsnNDcjToLyQ4dLKYhx1gQR4xQDyz1QgmAzAQdg0A/s1600/DSC_0039_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTcTgJOcmtRv0yyQVUVI9pFyDEeNn2MoDPTlPO9h5Ssl3lHt6MwY4VDi_-SIO8TXBLkoFXN84qZSWj7DOegGqoJUx43KB92POpIsnNDcjToLyQ4dLKYhx1gQR4xQDyz1QgmAzAQdg0A/s320/DSC_0039_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I really like the final product. Simple, but festive.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRAwLq2E-HUfLxDqMnUBComrsIVevBHoSJDTRYUnSeLsRSLK1uBbS7OZVyfV_gpAOMVoBj5IQUndzk6RSV5TT55ggSmBygmS2jCqyK-AKXP4U32Q0eqZbfCON25UM7DWJA0GwtfG2eA/s1600/DSC_0048_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRAwLq2E-HUfLxDqMnUBComrsIVevBHoSJDTRYUnSeLsRSLK1uBbS7OZVyfV_gpAOMVoBj5IQUndzk6RSV5TT55ggSmBygmS2jCqyK-AKXP4U32Q0eqZbfCON25UM7DWJA0GwtfG2eA/s320/DSC_0048_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the dining room, I flipped the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68490865/reversible-jade-blue-and-brown-table">table runner</a> to the brown side and set up three pinecone/gourd wine glass candelabras.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdaqloEMq_ZpiHbkVGR_Ca2Jf9SI2oFvurU7w7z2VgyZ9njNoRB2oXvplncDqqzzzvm2BpQzwAOsFNrkmh6fYmPtLhWtPH2GIf2_af-5U3T-ApN2quE-KYwG9mwYop0Mvg1ZliILHBw/s1600/DSC_0031_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdaqloEMq_ZpiHbkVGR_Ca2Jf9SI2oFvurU7w7z2VgyZ9njNoRB2oXvplncDqqzzzvm2BpQzwAOsFNrkmh6fYmPtLhWtPH2GIf2_af-5U3T-ApN2quE-KYwG9mwYop0Mvg1ZliILHBw/s320/DSC_0031_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also filled a couple bowls on the hutch with the extra pine cones.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now I want to drink some hot apple cider!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sources: The popcorn, beans, and peas are from the grocery store. I picked up the pinecones and the spiky spheres on the side of the road when I was out for a bike ride. The wine glasses are from Dollar Tree and hurricane vase from Garden Ridge. I got the round candles on clearance at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The pumpkin is from our garden and the gourds are from Walmart.</span></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-89551367092066102042011-10-17T11:03:00.000-05:002011-10-17T11:03:08.887-05:00Subway vs. Goats<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This weekend, the hubby and I took a trip to Eureka Springs, AR for a wedding. On the way through rural Arkansas, he mentioned that a house in that area with lots of land is better than a condo in Chicago. His main point to back up his statement is that you have room for goats in rural Arkansas.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After being on the road for a couple hours, we were getting hungry and looking for a Subway to stop and eat. While on a winding, rural road (with no restaurant in sight), we saw a yard with several goats. Here is the conversation that transpired...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hubby and I simultaneously: Goats!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Me (sarcastically): Y</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">ou're right this is way better than Chicago. But they don't have a Subway.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">Hubby (emphatically): You don't need Subway. You have goat milk!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">Me (sarcastically, again): Because goat milk is so filling.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">Hubby (still emphatic): You can eat the goats too. Just don't eat <i>the</i> goat if there's only one.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's your opinion? Subway or goats?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-32930672638458429402011-10-13T20:22:00.000-05:002011-10-13T20:22:46.920-05:00Chicago!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I got to spend a week in my old city, Chicago, helping out with my new nephew! It was wonderful being able to help care for this adorable little boy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmCRCJrhNv0-q7eApozUDFZFrUWqIM3FuwPCGy3FP_LbYoctHpxRav-vO08oOGCnO5CMBHG_eMTdJHmBl0gFTx7N-Ug9WDY1Ue-bauXIo-dZ9qXdCgcOb6U066aunV87O_I8GDWvsAA/s1600/DSC_0070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmCRCJrhNv0-q7eApozUDFZFrUWqIM3FuwPCGy3FP_LbYoctHpxRav-vO08oOGCnO5CMBHG_eMTdJHmBl0gFTx7N-Ug9WDY1Ue-bauXIo-dZ9qXdCgcOb6U066aunV87O_I8GDWvsAA/s320/DSC_0070.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Isn’t he the most precious thing you’ve ever seen?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLkuqOTq4qZOB5k0nJY1HSqJY3ynrPWKa-LmG2nawH6r9dMJwWoF80xu3ENXh2tgZHK1Z-MrYYDJ7cDMvDStzsro2juEGdz3f2OweHX1QLlwv6EYOB79BrWBA2oQ3RrFSjQKGvc9Xow/s1600/DSC_0075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLkuqOTq4qZOB5k0nJY1HSqJY3ynrPWKa-LmG2nawH6r9dMJwWoF80xu3ENXh2tgZHK1Z-MrYYDJ7cDMvDStzsro2juEGdz3f2OweHX1QLlwv6EYOB79BrWBA2oQ3RrFSjQKGvc9Xow/s320/DSC_0075.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While I was there, I also got to hang out with my young, cool, urban friends, L and K. L just got back from a trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley while K had just gotten back from a fabulous trip to Paris. So we met at their new favorite spot, P Diddy’s (aka <a href="http://www.taverna750.com/">Taverna 750</a>) for dinner, drinks, and travel stories.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDEJ6_WIsBhKvUlLXkO1uXKopxpou5-XiVra6TxzujbvCp9KU9nGVxGGouMhjvX2chqLESPqcV_Z-a3AA5CMLlz1VuMDdGITAltaCJgHLG0c7U1FIIyZ_siiNkEt-sJp06wExJB_HEg/s1600/DSC01651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDEJ6_WIsBhKvUlLXkO1uXKopxpou5-XiVra6TxzujbvCp9KU9nGVxGGouMhjvX2chqLESPqcV_Z-a3AA5CMLlz1VuMDdGITAltaCJgHLG0c7U1FIIyZ_siiNkEt-sJp06wExJB_HEg/s320/DSC01651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The drinks at P Diddy’s come with a sidecar in a bowl of ice. Nice! L and I both got the 750 and K got a Manhattan.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwB3b6JwGrnjNK7rI0IHZXjOxrRztftF4Z18K8tCfecg88ITwMvtT7qWN1FH6cCNc0FgQKVGyl6mZkUv4h-cviLTM20SDYsVBhet5slPXq6lZq29v_jSRzr6vk11m31022rizPqAI5w/s1600/DSC01650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwB3b6JwGrnjNK7rI0IHZXjOxrRztftF4Z18K8tCfecg88ITwMvtT7qWN1FH6cCNc0FgQKVGyl6mZkUv4h-cviLTM20SDYsVBhet5slPXq6lZq29v_jSRzr6vk11m31022rizPqAI5w/s320/DSC01650.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s kind of like Italian tapas so we got to try lots of different dishes. We finished off the night with this amazing chocolate lava cake. So good!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUBTklzqIpcbPBY6wxrjAo1k4yP3PLAV-lrpdO-XykDf7uMgOqvJHkg5jll9b7RJnbNZUfsq_mojmvsd7XJxWWDZQ2rUQW-SRzhxw7HbGcnudvrmZVnT8WNH30zZKE_V_XWqL4FFDRw/s1600/DSC01653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUBTklzqIpcbPBY6wxrjAo1k4yP3PLAV-lrpdO-XykDf7uMgOqvJHkg5jll9b7RJnbNZUfsq_mojmvsd7XJxWWDZQ2rUQW-SRzhxw7HbGcnudvrmZVnT8WNH30zZKE_V_XWqL4FFDRw/s320/DSC01653.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What a wonderful week in the city. I even got to bring home a few bottles of cheap wine from Trader Joe’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>:)</span></div><!--EndFragment-->Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-21435062991432451462011-10-11T09:57:00.000-05:002011-10-11T09:57:01.208-05:00Alabama!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A few weeks ago, my husband and I had a free Saturday. When he suggested some sort of mini road trip, I immediately responded with, "Let's go to Alabama!" I've been keeping a tally of states I've visited and thanks to a trip out west this summer, I reached 40. But Alabama was not one of those 40. Despite the fact that it's the state right next to mine and it's only 80 miles down the road, it remained the only state east of the Mississippi that I had not visited. So off we went!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here we are at the border. He was so nice as to pull over and pose for a picture with me. :)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jaZzGNZY9zG9nJ3YoUufwOxyPAjC3jSZdwSbCXD8gkgR2T2HC__O9rUwQePBqLU2R6MOAHCW1mkhM6ogx8Ss_sv11_422XTQ89wdxmjxNn-5e45ngdmhQabGnuGBmFQ8xSX8S_5yMg/s1600/DSC01626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jaZzGNZY9zG9nJ3YoUufwOxyPAjC3jSZdwSbCXD8gkgR2T2HC__O9rUwQePBqLU2R6MOAHCW1mkhM6ogx8Ss_sv11_422XTQ89wdxmjxNn-5e45ngdmhQabGnuGBmFQ8xSX8S_5yMg/s320/DSC01626.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This trip did nothing but remind us that we were in the South. We passed a catfish barn, Discount Camo next door to the gun and knife store, and a dollar grocery with a tobacco-only drive through. This was all before we left Mississippi!</span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The highlight of Alabama was the signs for the Coon Dog Cemetery. Seriously?</span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We drove to Muscle Shoals at my insistence mainly because I recognized it from Sweet Home Alabama (it has the Swampers and they've been known to pick a song or two). We didn't find much there, but nearby was the home of Helen Keller.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-5OerG2dIybkSGOuOLhARFVURbP1_ZzlKUpmx-IEaiYCX55C7jQhXsodqzqb0nbTlQkhjUqB1AelvfHsAQc39ij9PGVlJSdhXeXr_VDfdoAa3Xqe6xBPXZrMZT_YPwnuO5HnBeJnFg/s1600/DSC01627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-5OerG2dIybkSGOuOLhARFVURbP1_ZzlKUpmx-IEaiYCX55C7jQhXsodqzqb0nbTlQkhjUqB1AelvfHsAQc39ij9PGVlJSdhXeXr_VDfdoAa3Xqe6xBPXZrMZT_YPwnuO5HnBeJnFg/s320/DSC01627.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We took the Natchez Trace Parkway back which provided some peaceful green scenery. We came close to going through Tupelo, MS which I have been wanting to visit even though my husband insists that it's not exciting. Similar to Muscle Shoals, my desire to visit is due to the fact that I've heard of it in a song. This one from The Proclaimers (of I Would Walk 500 Miles fame). "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sean I'd say the best one came from Tupelo, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mississippi I'll tell you now that grown men cry </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and Irish girls are pretty." We'll have to save Tupelo for another day.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">41 states down. Only 9 more to go!</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-5099580191902124222011-09-05T20:23:00.000-05:002011-10-13T20:25:46.964-05:00Makin' Whoopie! (Pies, of course!)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ever since I got a whoopie pie cookbook and baking sheet, I have been wanting to try them out. But, I needed an excuse so I wouldn't end up eating them all myself. When my friend E had a sweet baby boy, taking them dinner was the perfect reason to make some whoopie pies.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also love any excuse to use my KitchenAid mixer.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWymQpND2IR4ofn1UQcKATrSUwtJxu1YgHJoxfbLI-wKzxNi-j-m6RwQud2lYPnYDj4bOgLCaQgPU3LU-KX-Y1VDsPXigfHHI4bxQ_34moVimTZeo4KtAGndc0BcXY6R-DAS-rQVCCQ/s1600/DSC_0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWymQpND2IR4ofn1UQcKATrSUwtJxu1YgHJoxfbLI-wKzxNi-j-m6RwQud2lYPnYDj4bOgLCaQgPU3LU-KX-Y1VDsPXigfHHI4bxQ_34moVimTZeo4KtAGndc0BcXY6R-DAS-rQVCCQ/s320/DSC_0018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just before I licked the beater...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKYiN6fPD1r2DJ99PO9482OMem5eszVS_sK_lSKuCMArygGDd93ua-meKrOc-T8Z2k0xi-ZLabU26zfJCdWtXnfPOF2PkItJ7X9Olf5RcEkWrTSDCOdHn5KtZWh32DPFFoNOug54i0w/s1600/DSC_0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKYiN6fPD1r2DJ99PO9482OMem5eszVS_sK_lSKuCMArygGDd93ua-meKrOc-T8Z2k0xi-ZLabU26zfJCdWtXnfPOF2PkItJ7X9Olf5RcEkWrTSDCOdHn5KtZWh32DPFFoNOug54i0w/s320/DSC_0023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ready for the oven.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrMAI-RfMUUbA7r6RP8BG0jhzfGuDuWS-48nHHHtvhyGo_e63kLbOSWi2CylInkFf18WQm1FK3l8YZw-p0zEEjdO0B5zqNcrSppSXBbhu5FzJGP5etg452vITnIiGkulTm062OyqqSA/s1600/DSC_0026_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrMAI-RfMUUbA7r6RP8BG0jhzfGuDuWS-48nHHHtvhyGo_e63kLbOSWi2CylInkFf18WQm1FK3l8YZw-p0zEEjdO0B5zqNcrSppSXBbhu5FzJGP5etg452vITnIiGkulTm062OyqqSA/s320/DSC_0026_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cooling by the window.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4Hfxc_lnYVrHKQ-LvAVPNCQoi03NKLZYjv90DaBo-dEDmjByVHjokhtdoHS1cC2gnLb8d74DhmFiaQej233STDZY1SlNLJ2iv7xv5T21EfAZ-4Ktvl2AA47QldGBXZuDr3gC9ch8Ng/s1600/DSC_0034_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4Hfxc_lnYVrHKQ-LvAVPNCQoi03NKLZYjv90DaBo-dEDmjByVHjokhtdoHS1cC2gnLb8d74DhmFiaQej233STDZY1SlNLJ2iv7xv5T21EfAZ-4Ktvl2AA47QldGBXZuDr3gC9ch8Ng/s320/DSC_0034_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Marshmallow filling :)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R9c7NKIaak-iOugKC8YahgSVQDVd6HF2p3Xp649uB2MFyWGSpKs27n0-JG0yoZZc8exMBEzavZ7F7gsE1n5mwcC5y5CIyfJLDaEYJlSm6mzh2WsBzRg5WwCTocc0ifQz-2do8BVaFA/s1600/DSC_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7R9c7NKIaak-iOugKC8YahgSVQDVd6HF2p3Xp649uB2MFyWGSpKs27n0-JG0yoZZc8exMBEzavZ7F7gsE1n5mwcC5y5CIyfJLDaEYJlSm6mzh2WsBzRg5WwCTocc0ifQz-2do8BVaFA/s320/DSC_0037.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's official. They're great!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODuBa4BEGTQangGRuIU2h6w9DJICHduZIGiY91o_GOm6uHLlHN_wV3d6to3_ev5WAvWHe7i6HiF8cNKWx6tlYI_uzbQ2p7-p6pmhAqJVdezv9HE_W13c58WNsZ1J7JNx2Y9ZNNxLA1Q/s1600/DSC_0038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODuBa4BEGTQangGRuIU2h6w9DJICHduZIGiY91o_GOm6uHLlHN_wV3d6to3_ev5WAvWHe7i6HiF8cNKWx6tlYI_uzbQ2p7-p6pmhAqJVdezv9HE_W13c58WNsZ1J7JNx2Y9ZNNxLA1Q/s320/DSC_0038.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cupcake carriers are a good way to store and transport whoopie pies.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOjMYhVPpUyIdT0jxx_cJszcqCszIhOGvb5RwAXYw5nDADfVC91dRgy6t_oF_bOfCPBRuXHzOcshKHe4n7g3hYC3cy2s65WxM_u7mAt-Xfh8C3Gu28XHA-OnY3TASLS19LmSA7ji46w/s1600/DSC_0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOjMYhVPpUyIdT0jxx_cJszcqCszIhOGvb5RwAXYw5nDADfVC91dRgy6t_oF_bOfCPBRuXHzOcshKHe4n7g3hYC3cy2s65WxM_u7mAt-Xfh8C3Gu28XHA-OnY3TASLS19LmSA7ji46w/s320/DSC_0040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Writing this post has made me hungry, I might have to go eat one of the 2 pies left. :)</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-86612424557948563562011-08-31T14:01:00.000-05:002011-08-31T14:01:02.054-05:00The Week's Favorites<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last week, I had two delicious dishes that made a reappearance at the end of the week for a nice date with the hubby.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first dish is Lemon-Spiced Chicken (adapted from The Newlyweds' Cookbook). This is best made with thighs as suggested by the cookbook and confirmed by my resident poultry expert.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8 chicken thighs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 c evoo</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">juice from 1 lemon</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 T cumin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 t paprika</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 t red pepper flakes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 t oregano</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">several sprigs of fresh lemon thyme (great and easy to grow in the garden)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">coarse salt (to taste)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">black pepper (to taste)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJiy4xU_Lgr1KuETGiIa5mHHJ74nGYAuucXWxJoiAu98yFWGjQ14mN7Nqm3zWW6oJ8FfLzF9MxLh1JnGtRfWGFAm401iFEW7cytKvxTj925htxvfDtuEUACU5Fl1wgdhjEw0XYNR8xw/s1600/DSC_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJiy4xU_Lgr1KuETGiIa5mHHJ74nGYAuucXWxJoiAu98yFWGjQ14mN7Nqm3zWW6oJ8FfLzF9MxLh1JnGtRfWGFAm401iFEW7cytKvxTj925htxvfDtuEUACU5Fl1wgdhjEw0XYNR8xw/s320/DSC_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mix the oil, lemon juice, and spices in a bowl. I pull the leaves off of most of the lemon thyme, but leave a couple whole sprigs in there. Put the chicken in a baking dish and pour the mixture over top. Be sure to coat the chicken well with the mixture. Let sit for 30-60 minutes or refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Heat oven to 400.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ready to go in the oven...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUIsXCwL3pRc1MSy1ZzoH-cM1EhwN7pMmh4TVpiRfhoeEiM3LMaVkQ_C7BI6SPWqisocthOZCJ-Cir2J3SZeylYwWtdnN89-v0Z-zyW099xPAgvvC7sOoM0diMwgNoeMrQM-agDOdVg/s1600/DSC_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUIsXCwL3pRc1MSy1ZzoH-cM1EhwN7pMmh4TVpiRfhoeEiM3LMaVkQ_C7BI6SPWqisocthOZCJ-Cir2J3SZeylYwWtdnN89-v0Z-zyW099xPAgvvC7sOoM0diMwgNoeMrQM-agDOdVg/s320/DSC_0005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roast in the oven at 400 for 40-50 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Serve with pan juices poured over.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I complemented this with my favorite pasta salad.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxIUjuvm5YFu297ZSicdEMB94rJcRqPGWz7qHFoezkJv_xqmGh79IeF7WfYJKBN1RWoG27VfAetp-Lh3gZRcLWrguwBWVqHxSjExgBm9NyrAN9VIfrFVQeRvzqvIm4PZOnWGfdGxSqQ/s1600/DSC_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxIUjuvm5YFu297ZSicdEMB94rJcRqPGWz7qHFoezkJv_xqmGh79IeF7WfYJKBN1RWoG27VfAetp-Lh3gZRcLWrguwBWVqHxSjExgBm9NyrAN9VIfrFVQeRvzqvIm4PZOnWGfdGxSqQ/s320/DSC_0006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Call me a cheater, but I love Suddenly Pasta Salad. It's even better with my favorite croutons crushed on top.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also sauteed some yellow squash and spinach with a little chicken broth and fresh lemon thyme.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yum!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQYMVT_og9GIuAGInvsStOB3oLyzkwnIFIKHvuYZ5L1hPz2tmOaDSnYGlzZlMwNARCHtkopcGd_J_kJdYQ09nogYCVNscaNijDYHJ0ctHRyFCHi2i0TnZbvr28WmDlm-xElmEKa2bGw/s1600/DSC_0010_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQYMVT_og9GIuAGInvsStOB3oLyzkwnIFIKHvuYZ5L1hPz2tmOaDSnYGlzZlMwNARCHtkopcGd_J_kJdYQ09nogYCVNscaNijDYHJ0ctHRyFCHi2i0TnZbvr28WmDlm-xElmEKa2bGw/s320/DSC_0010_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-57089047051483532402011-08-24T17:04:00.000-05:002011-08-24T17:04:36.970-05:00The Making of a Purse<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I got a set fat quarters a while ago that I just loved. I wasn't sure what I would do with them when I got them, but then I got the idea to use them for a patchwork purse.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I work on a sewing project, I tend to take over the room and make a mess. Here are a couple shots of the process.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0QRFn-ORYu2dqGXW-YuPR3Q76MA10fBrGaB-G3thL5RgxgdM9TE18N7S7X7i6vU3rOMOstALWBKP7lWlOWpkj7OK90CwWYeH6Zh77RsdqtPg4yaXMxApvpkiJwoVuXswjXtocAxSyw/s1600/DSC_0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0QRFn-ORYu2dqGXW-YuPR3Q76MA10fBrGaB-G3thL5RgxgdM9TE18N7S7X7i6vU3rOMOstALWBKP7lWlOWpkj7OK90CwWYeH6Zh77RsdqtPg4yaXMxApvpkiJwoVuXswjXtocAxSyw/s320/DSC_0017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn9NJ2iakGOHwCHGf-FQQEXeH8dmbp8QNyShZZ2HVq-rgjpReQibaaPd7ZayRaVjPfnsRB1lOlkHSfPl-lw8Y658sD2cJWyZWciyZ38s_YUv2bY2re7KpWcEPnLq_9Zv30l4B-LZQGQ/s1600/DSC_0020_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn9NJ2iakGOHwCHGf-FQQEXeH8dmbp8QNyShZZ2HVq-rgjpReQibaaPd7ZayRaVjPfnsRB1lOlkHSfPl-lw8Y658sD2cJWyZWciyZ38s_YUv2bY2re7KpWcEPnLq_9Zv30l4B-LZQGQ/s320/DSC_0020_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think the finished product turned out pretty good!</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.265713108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.265713108.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.265713104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.265713104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Available at <a href="http://www.whatjoyisfound.etsy.com/">www.whatjoyisfound.etsy.com</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/80284807/patchwork-purse-hand-bag-peach-aqua">http://www.etsy.com/listing/80284807/patchwork-purse-hand-bag-peach-aqua</a></span><br />
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I didn't use all of the squares I got so I may have to do another patchwork quilted purse or come up with a different project.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-79815144429814476452011-08-17T17:24:00.000-05:002011-08-17T17:24:18.088-05:00Ann's Baby Shower<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My sister is having a baby (due September 1)! We are all so excited for this little bundle of joy to join us as he/she will be the first baby among my siblings. Of course we had to have a shower to celebrate. She lives in Chicago and her friend Liz had the great idea of having the shower at the Lincoln Park Zoo.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uYFJQ6wnotmzT67juZAu0YbeJt2F_FEMRf6npvFREA-0EiHJrJxdXtFQYI_-YVi_gsN96dRLAsoSP_pfOFfMiQrTrKqe_B8vD8bjqs4JUmyA6_PWXHtbOefHsQe8JSX-05WsXkMTlg/s1600/Lincoln_Park_Zoo_-entrance-10May2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uYFJQ6wnotmzT67juZAu0YbeJt2F_FEMRf6npvFREA-0EiHJrJxdXtFQYI_-YVi_gsN96dRLAsoSP_pfOFfMiQrTrKqe_B8vD8bjqs4JUmyA6_PWXHtbOefHsQe8JSX-05WsXkMTlg/s320/Lincoln_Park_Zoo_-entrance-10May2005.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is a picture of the invitation on my blackboard.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vi8ah9CAH_B68164__rDthOqnvpdxPmIjCuIw8RQUTSQE4TtOF6-ALEjnAKq1OznXxq0RTBL5Q6m2dTWfQC0_bD8CJjZs3p2LDFvuBDRKE309ecbuaV1yMkUOI267H8XXYNzVx7AMQ/s1600/DSC01625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vi8ah9CAH_B68164__rDthOqnvpdxPmIjCuIw8RQUTSQE4TtOF6-ALEjnAKq1OznXxq0RTBL5Q6m2dTWfQC0_bD8CJjZs3p2LDFvuBDRKE309ecbuaV1yMkUOI267H8XXYNzVx7AMQ/s320/DSC01625.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I thought this invitation idea was so cute, but it turned out to be a LOT of cutting. It was all worth it as I think they looked great.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The shower was on the patio of the cafe and aside from a few drops of rain before the shower started, it was a perfect day for an outdoor shower.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They are not finding out the gender (or giving any hints on names) so everything had to be gender neutral. Easy to do with a shower at the zoo.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here are the centerpieces:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCe2hgRxEuKokPapvbKmJzrO_Ads6hIeU7WRQw0BvGMFDz28DR1kjUJtXkJ7Q5ButGOnjPsOXPqwAWXuLwZ-dBHOSQIa_RAcWfJZ93klqzcYKQu5Jn09OpvuwD3hdfIMq-GYJUZECPg/s1600/DSC01605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCe2hgRxEuKokPapvbKmJzrO_Ads6hIeU7WRQw0BvGMFDz28DR1kjUJtXkJ7Q5ButGOnjPsOXPqwAWXuLwZ-dBHOSQIa_RAcWfJZ93klqzcYKQu5Jn09OpvuwD3hdfIMq-GYJUZECPg/s320/DSC01605.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My crafty aunt made two of these adorable animal centerpieces.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GTaMGUDofgZliUL7aniGEaR7oZakc8dgkCkktME5CIrg7Icl6N7cXQ72UA1ZgiaZ9QGkb11MpyYKXvMxPgSOQZVk-h4xzpCwxTN_QWDPHhsNRK4h9c-nbF-ZmhicGpRs92qLuh9NvA/s1600/DSC01604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GTaMGUDofgZliUL7aniGEaR7oZakc8dgkCkktME5CIrg7Icl6N7cXQ72UA1ZgiaZ9QGkb11MpyYKXvMxPgSOQZVk-h4xzpCwxTN_QWDPHhsNRK4h9c-nbF-ZmhicGpRs92qLuh9NvA/s320/DSC01604.jpg" width="286" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My favorite part of throwing baby showers is making the diaper cake.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6gxzhKWc6T4oqkvCbI_OjvJMvaD_BiOcEefUQdC2EOARYKwnf6C3YMolD0d3jvjii9TyxcmjGwTnFSKjtasNoGFzfpB9eRNe411i06xUPfJrLIRZDwD7ysx2Ep-VAS7qblDweUnAVA/s1600/DSC01603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6gxzhKWc6T4oqkvCbI_OjvJMvaD_BiOcEefUQdC2EOARYKwnf6C3YMolD0d3jvjii9TyxcmjGwTnFSKjtasNoGFzfpB9eRNe411i06xUPfJrLIRZDwD7ysx2Ep-VAS7qblDweUnAVA/s320/DSC01603.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shoes and onesies available at </span><a href="http://www.babiesjoy.etsy.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">www.babiesjoy.etsy.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sis and I at the shower.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTss2tbfSqjnd-zNo6SiDughOQFqaHKkyDtqTks0bw2j2cAhyK-_4TATO8ZJBCQfk1hV_giWXbkAGhaxucWKRfxjE1KcCmZdP_rrXdVsVrtzCl5GpkxJwUjh_1Wv55GkTy9exkiNqXJQ/s1600/DSC01608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTss2tbfSqjnd-zNo6SiDughOQFqaHKkyDtqTks0bw2j2cAhyK-_4TATO8ZJBCQfk1hV_giWXbkAGhaxucWKRfxjE1KcCmZdP_rrXdVsVrtzCl5GpkxJwUjh_1Wv55GkTy9exkiNqXJQ/s320/DSC01608.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shower attendees.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mingling.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The food included sandwiches, salads, and cookies from Panera and cupcakes from a local cupcakery. We had buckets of peanuts on the tables for people to munch on while she opened presents and gave boxes of animal crackers as favors. All in all, I would say that it was a delightful afternoon and she was adequately showered by family and friends!</span><br />
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</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-73300260819585655642011-08-15T17:56:00.000-05:002011-08-15T17:56:58.877-05:00Joyce and RoyceWe pretty much live in a retirement community in Northern Mississippi. Most of our neighbors are older than our parents and drive around the neighborhood in golf carts. There is a man who walks his dog in his golf cart. As in, he drives the cart around and the dog walks on a leach next to the cart. (I will post a picture of it sometime if I can get a good shot of this.) Our neighborhood newsletter looks remarkably similar to my 98-year-old relative Louis' who actually lives in a retirement community.<br />
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Two of our neighbors are Joyce and Royce. I was out pulling weeds this morning when Joyce stopped by on her walk. We chatted for a few minutes and talked about our garden. She said that they haven't been able to grow yellow squash. That is one of the only things we actually have been able to grow. So later, when I picked two, I took one over to Joyce and Royce. They were sitting in lawn chairs on their driveway (I think this is their summer past time) and pulled up a chair for me. I sat and chatted with them for about an hour. We discussed guns, Ole Miss football, pickup trucks, and frying food. Ahhh Mississippi.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148098780392693176.post-36911758570562010512011-08-15T14:00:00.000-05:002011-08-15T14:00:05.439-05:00Today's Harvest<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is what I harvested from the garden today. For gardeners who know what they're doing, a small cucumber, even smaller carrots, and funny looking tomatoes may not be a great harvest (at least the squash are respectable), but, I'm not a gardener that knows what I'm doing. For all the trouble we've had this year, this is great!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the squash plants died before it got in the ground. Okay, I broke the stem. I watched the zucchini plants and one squash plant wilt and die only to find out that I should have been doing something to get rid of the bugs crawling all over them. I think this year it has been squash bugs 154, Emily 2. One of the tomato plants just up and died one night. I thought the cucumbers were being eaten by the bugs that took the zucchini plants, but then I realized that I should have just been watering them. Oops.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Despite my noviceness, there are some bright spots. The herbs (basil, mint, lemon thyme) are all doing well (aside from a small lack of water), one tomato plant has finally starting producing tomatoes, the surviving squash plants are kicking out some stellar squash, and we got some good cucumbers before I deprived them of water.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All in all, it has been a good learning year for the garden. I'm looking forward to tackling some new things next year. Rhubarb anyone?</span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13980521600830064830noreply@blogger.com0