New Etsy Shop

Ok folks.......I have decided to open a second Etsy shop. Diaper Cake Dazzle is the shop I have with my BFF but I want to start doing more mini albums and invitations.  I didn't want DCD to become a place to sell just anything. I like things to have order and thought it would be better to have a separate shop. Keep like items together and not just random listings. Even though we have hadn't many sales with DCD I am still hopeful.

I had a couple different names in mind and once I decided on one it was taken:( but I worked around it and with the help of the BFF I came up with Creative Munchkins. So stay tuned...........

Rain Rain Go Away

It has done nothing but rain for like over a week now and the weather peeps have rain in the forecast for the next 7 days. We had couple days last week that it didn't rain so we were able to get outside for a bit. The boys are starting to get a little cabin fever and go wild.

Over the weekend the winds were so bad. I slept terrible on Saturday night because of it. I kept looking out the windows checking on the fences and our tree in the front yard. It even woke up Cameron. He came into our room about 2:30am and said to me, "Mom, what's that noise?". So I turned on his TV, the movie of choice was Cars, to kinda drown out the sound of the wind and the house rattling.


One of the days we got out last week.

 As far as getting any baseball games in this week, I doubt that will happen. The fields are soaked plus it's suppose to rain like everyday. We are going to have like a week straight of playing once this rain stops. Oh well....at least the boys will have fun. They love going to the games and running around and it gets me out of the house as well.

I am so ready for some Spring weather. I cannot wait for those 75 degree days with the sun shining......I know they are just around the corner;)



The boys doing what they love....playing in the dirt.



 

 

Sutter Sirlion Chunky Chili

This is an easy and super yummy chili recipe. We had it the other night for dinner. It was a perfect night for it because it was cloudy and rainy. It's been a awhile since I made it. I love making meals that I haven't made in awhile. I got this recipe from a lady I used to work with. We had pot lucks a lot and she made this for one of them, it's a Raleys/Knob Hill recipe. It's super delish!!!! Just to warn you it's a little on the spicy side.

Sutter Sirlion Chunky Chili

1 2lb package of Sutter Sirlion (cut or diced up in cubes)
2 10oz. cans Ro-Tel Milder Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles
2 7.75 oz. cans El Pato Tomato Sauce
1 7 oz. can diced green chiles
1 6oz. can tomato paste
1 large onion
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. each: ground cumin and oregano leaves
2 15oz. cans  black beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except beans, salt and pepper in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered, for 2 hours. Add beans and cook for 15 minutes more.

***This chili is on the spicy side so for a little less heat use diced tomatoes in place of the Ro-Tel tomatoes***

Let me know if you give this recipe a try and how it turns out......ENJOY!

How To Make Cute Little Ribbon Flowers

Who doesn't love flowers? Today I am going to show you how-to make ribbon flowers. These little flowers will look great on your scrapbook pages, handmade cards, and invitations.

What you need:
Ribbon (4-6 inches, depending on how you want the flower to look)
Thread
Needle
Button or brad

*Any size ribbon will do but for your first flower a thicker ribbon might be a little easier, this ribbon is 7/8"*

First cut your ribbon to the desired size.

Thread your needle and start to stitch. Stay close to the top of ribbon and make a double knot at the end of thread.

Stitch all the way across the top of the ribbon.

Gently start to pull the thread. Be very careful as sometimes the knot will go through the ribbon. As you start to pull the ribbon will curl.

When all done pulling the thread it will make a circle. Once you get the flower how you want it,  make a back stitch. Don't cut the thread just yet.

Sorry...this isn't a very clear picture but you get the idea. Pinch the ends together and stitch it up, once again a back stitch helps. When you done trim off the little tail.

 And now your almost done.

You can add a button or brad to the center. On this one I added a circle made from a punch.

Here is a smaller flower with a button center.

It helps to try a couple first. They are pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Try practicing on the same piece of ribbon a few times that way you don't waste any ribbon.

Have fun!

My New GHD Straightner

About a year ago I purchased a hair straightener from Ebay. We have purchased a few things off Ebay and never had any problems before. Well after a couple months I started to question the performance of this name brand straightener. Finally about a month ago I called the manufacturer and they confirmed it was indeed a fake. Just what I thought. So I contacted Ebay and since it had been so long I could longer file a case against the seller through Ebay so they referred me to some government website for Internet Crimes, so I filed a claim. I even sent the seller an email but of course haven't heard anything back from him. I am not expecting anything to come out of the claim but at least I tried.

So last week I got a real GHD hair straightener from a salon, so I know it's not a phony.





It comes with a little bag to store it in. There is this heat resistant pad that is wrapped around and then roles out to put the straightener on when in use.......pretty neato.

Ryan told me I better not need a new one for like 10 years, he said it has to last until 2021. I have only used it a couple times, haven't had time to do anything with my hair all week because of the sick kids, but it worked GREAT! This is one of those things that I had to splurge on and get the name brand, it's totally worth it.

Now if I could just find out what's going on my stupid hair. It's been very rough feeling lately. My hair usually is always silky smooth but as of late it's been funky...driving my crazy!

On a side note Easton is feeling a little better and isn't as needy or fussy but now Cameron has the cough, the fever, and the dreaded runny nose. At least he can wipe his own nose, still won't blow it yet and today he has just been laying on the recliner watching TV.  He's been carrying his snot rag around with him for the past couple days, it's pretty funny. Easton's' nose isn't running as bad, thank goodness. You make any movement towards his face and he turns his head away from you, they really do hate their noses being messed with. And we had to miss another baseball game today, Daddy is flying solo at the field today.

Sick and New Followers

Looks like today we just might be staying home. No gym or baseball game. Over the weekend the little man came down with a little cold and now his nose is running like a faucet and he's coughing like crazy. Anyone who has had a sick child knows they are a little more needy when they are sick, especially a one year old, so it's just better if we stay home. And now Cameron woke up this morning coughing and yesterday I woke up with a dry and icky feeling throat, I hope it doesn't get any worse. I hate being sick! I also hope Ryan doesn't get sick but it seems like every couple months some type of sickness is making the rounds.

I am so excited to see I have some new followers. Hello all and thank you for checking out my blog and following me. And thank you for all your kind words about the cakes. My BFF and I love making cakes and get so excited each and every time we get the opportunity to do so.

Hope everyone has a great day:)

New Super Cute Cakes

I have been pretty busy all week creating cakes so I finally found a few minutes to post some pictures of the latest creations.

Check out our new cakes and burp cloths that have been or will be added to our Etsy shop.

This mini cake was requested by my brother-in-law. I had never made a mini cake before so I was a little afraid of how it was going to look. At first I wasn't sure about it and sent pictures to my partner in crime, Cynthia, and she assured me it was super cute. Even Ryan thought it looked funny at first but then when it was all completed he said it turned out really good...thanks honey:)

This is the burp cloth I added to the mini cake and will be available for sale on Etsy.

This sports themed cake was a custom order requested by my MIL BF, Marc, he wanted a baseball/sports themed cake for his boss's new grandson.

These handmade burp cloths were included in the sports themed cake and will also be available for sale at our Etsy Shop.

Cynthia and I are hoping that these cakes will bring more customers to our shop.

Crazy Busy

WOW....I have been a busy little bee! I am finishing up another diaper cake today. This is the forth one I have made within a week. I still have another one to finish up but that one doesn't need to be done until Friday.

I have been going going the last 2 days and need to go some more today. It's hard to get all my running around done in just one day with the boys. I have a limited time in the morning to get things done before it's nap time. And I recently signed back up to the gym so I have to fit that into the morning schedule as well. We must get home before nap time or there will only be a 10-15 minute nap during the car ride home and then I will get screwed because the little man might not fall back to sleep once we get home. That is the only time I can get certain things done around the house. Forget about doing things in the afternoon, it starts getting crazy around here about 4:00 or so when I have to start cooking dinner. Our schedule will soon be changing because next week the baseball team my husband coaches starts playing games....this should be interesting with two kids now running around the field but that is another blog topic for another day.

Anyway....one of the cakes I made was something we haven't tried before......a mini cake. It turned out pretty cute. I will get some pictures up as soon as I can. I love creating and making these cakes, its fun and I really enjoy it. Hopefully these cakes will bring more business......fingers crossed;)

New Etsy Listing

The sneak peak Diaper Cake from yesterday is completed and looking super cute. I just love the pink and brown combination. I am also in the process of making a brown and blue cake so stay tuned;)

 

Whoooohoooo......Two More Sales!

So exciting to report we got 2 request for diaper cakes. I am so excited to be making a cake. I started one yesterday and will have it finished sometime today as it's a customer pick-up ( a family member ) but hey...it's still a real sale:) The other one is for a co-worker of my Mother's. I think most of our diaper cake sales will come from referrals at first. One cake is going to a baby shower and the other is just a welcome home gift so hopefully others will see our work and fall in love with it. As I look at the half-completed cake on the kitchen table I am so happy with the way its turning out, its so cute.

Here is a sneak peak........................

I am not finished yet but you get the idea. I still need to make a couple burp cloths, put on the topper, and adjust the bows. The other one I am making will be brown and blue for a baby boy. 

Random Scrapbooking

So I was able to make it scrapbooking yesterday with the girls. It almost didn't happen but glad it all worked out and I was able to go. As usual I didn't get much done. I starred at the same pictures and paper for like over an hour trying to think of something and nothing came to mind. I was stuck in a rut and have been for awhile. My goal is the next time we scrap is to have a plan....yeah right!

There is this new tool I wanted but the store we go to was all out. It looks really cool and I can't wait to get one and try it out......Sew Easy Stitch Piercer.

This is the tool. I think it cost about $7.99, which I think is a good price.

This is one of the different attachments you can get for it and I think these are $2.99

It looks kinda neat and it's better than getting the sewing machine out and will add a lot to your pages.

I went to bed thinking of page layouts and designs. I have so much to do and catch up on. I have lots of pages that need some finishing touches like adding embellishments and journaling. Ryan says I can get one page done a day if I really wanted to, so that's what I am going to try and do. Well maybe not one page a day but maybe a few a week. I think this is the second time I have said this. This week I need to kick it in gear and get the bathrooms cleaned, house dusted, and a few other things done that why I can work on some pages. It's hard for me to do extra things like scrapbooking when I know I have other things that are more important waiting to be done.

OK....let's see if I can do this.

My Valentine's Day Card

So my husband and I really don't do Valentine's Day gifts. We rarely even do birthday gifts for each other and haven't done Christmas gifts since before we had kids. We have been together for almost 15 years and married for almost 5, maybe that has something to do with it. But we do always get each other cards. This is the card I got for Valentine's Day....I thought it was funny and wanted to share with you;)

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Crazy Quiet Over Here.....

Ok........This rarely happens in our crazy house but it is unusually quiet right now. Cameron told daddy that he wanted to go to baseball with him today. My husband is an assistant varsity baseball coach and practice has started up once again and Cameron gets to go sometimes and today was one of those days. And then the little guy has been napping for what seems like forever. I can't remember the last time he took a nap this long but I know he will be waking up shortly. He better or else he will never go to bed tonight. So for now I am enjoying some peace and quiet because come a couple hours when Cameron gets home there will be no more quiet time;)

GO PACK GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So excited the Packers won the Superbowl. I think I am more excited for my husband. Both of our teams won the Championship this year. The Giants won the World Series and now the Packers won the Superbowl....how cool is that? And how often does that happen, both your teams winning the Championship?!

We went to Ryan's friends house, his golfing buddy from work who just happens to be a die hard Steelers fan, for a little party. And of course we all showed up in Packers gear. It was a fun day of eating and watching the game.

The victory picture;)

Coming soon.......

Here is a little preview of what's coming soon in our Etsy shop.


My Baby Bump......it's a mini 3 ring album of that lovely lady bump you have when your expecting. It will be a great little scrapbook to show off all those cute belly pictures. There will also be room for you to journal some little notes about your pregnancy.

When it's finished I hope you will come by and check it out:)