Pink Petunia Designs

Favorite Ornaments

2011-12-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

I'm still decorating for Christmas over here at the House of Trotti. I might actually have it complete by Christmas Eve....maybe. LOL.

Our girls decorated the tree this year, and although there are many ornaments that are smooshed together and not quite in the place that I would have put them, I left it just as they decorated it. It's perfect in my opinion. I have decided that after this year I am going to purge a few ornaments from my collection. The tree is so full and I left a handful off this year just to make sure there was no overcrowding. It's obvious that did not help. LOL.

As with most of our ornaments there is usually a story behind them and although we have many, many, many that our girls have made (might I mention that I love every single one of them) I have a select few that are my absolute favorites that I would like to share with you today.

The first one is a bird's nest. Yes, this is a real bird's nest, and no, it wasn't found at our house on the ground or picked up in the woods while we were hiking, this bird's nest is special to me because it was found in the very first Christmas tree that my husband and my girl's chopped down together. We didn't find it right away. It actually went through the whole holiday season and I was taking down all the ornaments I reached in to grab one and hit it with my hand. Had never noticed it when we put it up, and the tree was pretty dense so I guess we just overlooked it. I pulled it out and couldn't believe the find. It not only was a very perfect little nest, but it had broken egg shells in it. ♥ The eggs you see in the pic are of course ones I picked up at the craft store and replaced, but these eggs are around the same size that were originally in there. We put the nest on our tree every year to be displayed and we always get a few inquiries on it. We also heard that in Icelandic lore, it is good luck to find a bird's nest in your Christmas tree. How cool is that?

My second favorite ornament is my Sac State Christmas tree. My cousin Little Denny is a very talented crafter. Her and her mom, my great Aunt, who has now since passed on, have always been super crafty and every year we would get a homemade ornament from them. In December 1999, I was about to graduate from California State University Sacramento with my Bachelor's degree. I had been in college for five years, working two jobs and was done in. I was getting to that point of not even wanting to walk in the ceremony in December, I just wanted to be done. One day in early December, prior to my graduation, I go over to my parent's house and this was waiting for me wrapped in a cute little bow from my cousin Little Denny. It reminds me of my big accomplishment and how much hard work it took to get there, so I proudly display it on our tree every year.

My third favorite ornament is my cookie monster. This one is near and dear to my heart because my Aunt Suzie made this for me. Can you tell that I come from a long line of craftiness? This actually isn't the original. My mom has the original dough ornament that she made when I was a little girl hanging on her tree and although it's my favorite, she wouldn't give it up. I kinda think it's her favorite too. So a few years back, Aunt Suzie or Suz Suz as we refer to her, made me another cookie monster to hang on our tree. I love it and so do the girls.

Laundry Room Envy

2011-11-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

I have laundry room envy. Wish I had space for this!!

Source: beneathmyheart.net via Debie on Pinterest

Look at the beautiful hooks for kiddos coming home from school to unload their crap. And a bench that opens up for shoes and balls and soccer gear to be stored. (*Long sigh*)Total envy!

Why I love Fall

2011-09-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few reasons why I love Fall:
Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks

Source: greenlitwins.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Inspiring Fall Fashion

Source: bohmeboutique.blogspot.com via Colby on Pinterest

Trees that look this beautiful

Source: flickr.com via Tina on Pinterest

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

Source: blog.tinyprints.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Apple Cobbler, yes mine has ice cream!!!!

Source: pillsbury.com via Lori on Pinterest

And of course, Halloween!

Source: marthastewart.com via Ashly on Pinterest

And last but not least....the Sacramento Antique Faire where I stroll kidless with my best friend while sipping our pumpkin spice lattes in the wee hours of the morning.

Source: facebook.com via Andrea on Pinterest

What do you love about Fall?? Link up and tell me.

Leopard Print Pumpkins

2011-09-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

These are totally being made!!!!

Source: tracys-trinkets-treasures.blogspot.com via Chris on Pinterest

Dreaming of a Cool Outdoor Space

2011-09-08T08:22:00.001-07:00

After three years our girls took one last picture and then waved goodbye to their old playset. The playset we bought for their birthdays several years ago has been an awesome piece of equipment, but it was slowly deteriorating and taking on a rather large lean. It would start to shake back and forth if the girls jumped on the swingset. Doesn't make a mama feel very safe when you see the large structure swaying back and forth with your children along for the ride. So, it was time. The playset went to a new happy home and we were left with a rather large chunk of square dirt and dead grass. I know it's definitely not the season to be re-doing our yard, but I can't help but dream about a really cool outdoor space next Spring. We planned on putting in some raised beds so that we can grow tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, etc, but I also have been seeing so many different cool outdoor ideas on Pinterest lately, that it really got my brain thinking about the possibilities of our great backyard. Here are a few ideas that I am really loving:

How awesome are these!!!!

Source: etsy.com via Debie on Pinterest

Or these!!!!

Source: thebottomoftheironingbasket.blogspot.com via Debie on Pinterest

I'm kinda in ♥ with the succulent table

Source: faroutflora.com via Debie on Pinterest

Great kiddo project and we seem to go through a lot of rolls with three girls in the house.

Source: topp-kreativ.de via Debie on Pinterest

Yes!!!!

Source: weheartit.com via Suzannah on Pinterest

I know that Mr. Trotti would enjoy this

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Debie on Pinterest

Lovely!

Source: whimsicalraindropcottage.tumblr.com via Debie on Pinterest

Source: cococozy.com via Debie on Pinterest

Ok, ok, this last one was a little far fetched for our little backyard, but you get the jist.

Genius!!!!

2011-08-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Source: cometogetherkids.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

Yep, wish I would have thought of this for my kiddos. Just gave one of these sun tea containers to the Goodwill last year. I might have to go buy it back. This is genius!!!!!!

Workout Inspiration

2011-08-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Source: sweetseas.blogspot.com via Debie on Pinterest

My husband is in awesome shape. He bikes to work, which is a round-trip of 60 something miles a few times a week, he is the PT leader in the Reserves, he goes to the gym every night, and he signed up to do Tough Mudder, which if you haven't had a chance to check out, you really need to. Think Marine obstacle course on steroids. His wife, me, can't run a mile to save her life. Well, I can, but I'm really slow. Super slow!!! Being 5'2, my strides seem to be that of a mouse or a 6 year old kid. Last year I tried doing couch to 5k and I did make it to week 3 and then quit when I got a bad cold. I know, I suck. I need to get moving again. I have been walking the kids to school in the morning and then home and then back up again for lunch and home and then to pick them up. Yesterday I did three miles of walking but I really want to start running. My goal is to be able to run a 5k by Christmas. My husband runs 5 miles a few days a week like it's no big thing. I want to be able to just run three!! So I'm going to start my couch to 5K on Monday again, and I will let everyone know how I'm doing. If I stay accountable to you guys, maybe I will acutually accomplish it. I love this great sign that I found on Pinterest. Good inspiration for running. I love the words! Hope everyone has a great day!!!

First Day of School

2011-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

I really don't know how it's possible that I have a first grader and a fourth grader? How did that happen? I just brought them home from the hospital, didn't I? Feeling a little old today on our first day of school. It's always bittersweet for me. We had an awesome summer and took several trips including Disneyland and two camping trips to the ocean. We went bowling almost every single day, went to the dollar movies once a week and had a few swimming lessons in between. All in all, it was a beautiful summer.

Both Scout and Peanut were more than ready to start school today. They had their outfits picked out, their backpacks ready, and were up before their alarm clocks went off. They both have awesome teachers this year which always makes a mama happy.

I love it when you get to school and see all of the new school shoes, outfits and lunch boxes that make their way through the halls. I also like to see the teacher gifts that kids bring to their new teachers. This morning I spotted flowers, apples (which I love), school supplies, etc. Here is what my girls brought to their teachers this morning.

Hopefully the chocolate will get them through the day today. Especially Scout's teacher, with 36 first graders. Yikes! Here are a few of my other favorite teacher gifts that I pulled from Pinterest. Most all of them have tutorials attached, so please check them out. Remember, it doesn't have to be the first or the last day of school to bring a teacher a gift. These dedicated people teach and help mold our children into the people they become. Any time is a good time to show our appreciation to them!

Source: creativeholidaygiftideas.blogspot.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Source: brownpaper--packages.com via Mara on Pinterest

Source: tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com via Mary on Pinterest

Source: brownpaper--packages.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Engraving Spoon Tutorial

2011-08-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

I so love this tutorial. I have always wanted to make spoon necklaces that were engraved with sayings or names. These metal stamps can be found at good old Harbor Freight, or as we like to refer to it, The Big Store, for very little $. Here is the link to the metal stamps! Just click on the link below for the full tutorial.

Source: elizabethannedesigns.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Stuffed S'mores Cookie

2011-08-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

I think I have died and found cookie heaven. Does it get any better than this?????? I may have to make these today. You can click on the link below that will take you to the picky-palate.com to get the recipe. YUM!!!

Source: picky-palate.com via Debie on Pinterest

Upcycled Wine Bottle Tiki Torches

2011-08-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

We here at the House of Pink Petunia love a good bottle of wine. Who doesn't? There is nothing better than a little upcycling your bottle into a fantastic project after you finish. I love this project and would easily be able to acquire plenty of bottles to go around the backyard. *Hiccup* ;)Click on the link below for complete tutorial. Cheers!

Source: designspongeonline.com via Debie on Pinterest

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T16:07:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

Plaid and Lace Drawstring Skirt Tutorial

2010-02-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Love this plaid skirt and lace tutorial from Kojo Designs. Think my little ones would look quite cute in these tartans.

I Love This Video

2010-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

It's J-Krafty, the original crafty gangsta yo! I love this!

I Really Want To Make These

2010-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

This is from the girls at Crop Suey. They always have great tutorials so please give them a look-see!

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year From Pink Petunia Designs!

Cupcake Ornament

2009-12-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

You know that I will be making these A.S.A.P. Just gotta find the fake snow!

Here is the link!

Snow Globe Tutorial

2009-11-24T07:31:00.001-08:00

Hey,
Long time no blog! Here is a fantastic tutorial by a crafty friend of mine Amy from Peptogirl Industries over at Handmade and Homebaked. This girl is the super crafter of all crafters! Please check out her amazing goodies and blog. Click on the word "tutorial" above to learn how to make her cute holiday snow globes!

I Need a Crop-A-Dile!

2009-09-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I really need a Crop-A-Dile. Watch all of the cools things this super product can do!!!!

Door Couture

2009-09-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

If you haven't got a chance to check out this fabulous website Door Couture, you need to. This website is dedicated to the decoration of your front door. A client of mine turned me on to this website where they have downloadable PDF's on how to make the different collections. She wants to me to make a crown swag for her shop. These ladies have such fantastic ideas for front doors, and it really starts a flurry of possibilities of how you can dress up that boring little door. Hope you enjoy!

Who Else Is Excited About This?

2009-09-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

<a href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2009/" target="_blank">Exclusive 'New Moon' Trailer Premiere</a>

Exclusive 'New Moon' Trailer Premiere

I Think That I Need This

2009-07-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

I was just doing some blog reading on one of my many favorite blogs called Handmade and Homebaked by Peptogirl. She just participated in the Renegade Craft Faire and got to meet Twinkie Chan. I am so envious!

Twinkie Chan is awesome and creates these fun things that you just have to check out in order to get the full effect. I became a fan of her work a while back when I accidentally came across her site while looking for cupcake related items, but this one above is by far my favorite.

Her site is so much fun to visit you just have to check it out for yourself. I think everyone needs a cupcake scarf. I know I do. One of these days when I save up enough cash and can justify it, I just might buy one.

My Favorite Things

2009-07-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

I don't get very much time anymore to do any blog reading. I used to have just five or six craft blogs and a few mommy blogs that I would read, but my problem is, that I have so many great blogs in my favorites area, that I get overwhelmed and really don't get to many of them. So I pick out a few of my favorites once a week and try to catch up. These ladies are everyday bloggers unlike myself, and really keep them running like a fine tuned machine. So here are a few that I found inspiring today. I always love the full color pictures. I am visual you see, so these make me happy....................................

First off is Bitter Betty's Blog. She has a great rick rack tutorial for her cafe curtains. I am done with blinds. It's all about the cute cafe curtains. So easy to make, you can change them up as often as you like. Look at her beautiful kitchen. Nice. And then, there is this beautiful jacket that she made. Love it. Wished I owned it. IKEA fabric. Next, we have Posie Gets Cozy. This picture here is off an old post, but I love the color and design of the scrapbooking paper that has been framed.

Thirdly, I love reading Naughty Secretary Club. Jennifer Perkin's mom made this fabulous little piece of kitsch for her yard. This definitely made me want to learn to mosaic. One craft I really really want to try. So that was my inspiration for today. I have been busy filling a few

orders for people before I head out on vacation. Hope to be in full blogging order when I get back.

Wall Art with Fabric

2009-07-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

Grab your staple gun and let's get started. This is an awesome project to do and you can also switch them out by the season if you so desire. Thought this tutorial by Whiz Bang Fabrics in S.F. was awesome. I thought I could take pictures of mine, but their tutorial was way more effective. I have a canvas that has a hole in it and this is what I did to cover it up. When life gives you lemons..................

Naughty Secretary's Club Contest

2009-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

I opened my Facebook account this morning and saw that Jennifer Perkins from the Naughty Secretary's Club was having a contest for a new sewing book called, "Chic and Simple Sewing." This book looks like it has some really great patterns and beautiful pictures in it. I really love books that have skill levels and this book has that. Nice. So if I don't win this book (please, please, please, let me win this book) I am definitely going to out and purchase it. If you want to enter the contest, follow the link above to Jennifer's blog and leave her a comment about sewing books. It's that easy!

It's That Time of Year Again

2009-07-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again! Time for the "My Favorite Things Swap" over at the According To Kelly blog. I am so excited. I participated last year and had an awesome swap partner, Heather from Chit Chat and Jibber Jabber who sent me the most awesome of SWAP gifts. I am really looking forward to see what this year has in store and have been thinking about what I am going to be sending out to my SWAP partner. HMMMMMMMM?

Who Needs a Tutu - Do You?

2009-06-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

So who wants to make a tutu? I do, I do! I always see tutus at every crafty event that I attend. I check them out and always want to purchase one for my little girls to spin around and play dress-up with. They are really the ultimate of girly items. The problem is, is that they are so pricey that I always pass them up. I have always wanted to make my own tutus but did not have the slightest idea about how to sew with tulle or where to start until............you guessed it, YOUTUBE!!!!! Oh, how I love this site of how-to videos! It really is such a great place to search for directions on every crafty thing that you want to try. So here is an excellent video on how to construct a no-sew tutu. I made one a few weeks back for Scout out of pink and purple tulle. The whole project cost me less than $5.00 and came out so cute. I would recommend getting the heavier tulle. The lighter weight tulle is cute and flouncy, but really gets tangled up easily. It looks more messy that the heavier weight. Hope you enjoy the video!

This Is My 100th Post - Wahoo!!!!

2009-04-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Wow! I just hit 100. It took me a while, but I finally made it. So I am having a little giveaway for one lucky girl who posts me a comment. I am not going to reveal what the prize is, but it's cute and simple and I think you will like it! Giveaway will end on Wednesday, April 29th. Winner will be announced on April 30th.

Doesn't this pic above make you want to run to Starbucks right now? I have needed one of these all week long! It's been a rough one. Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!

Inspiring Video

2009-04-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is so awesome. Just watch!

I Think That I Need This

2009-04-06T20:45:00.001-07:00

How cute is this guy. I was hunting on etsy tonight for some cute softies and came across this darling robot. A retro "Wall-e-esq" robot with a scarf. I love it. I think that I need it. This seller had so many cute softies to choose from. Here is the link so that you can check it out too. They also have a pretty awesome blog.

Shhh. Mommy Is On A Very Important Phone Call

2009-03-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

Every morning I faithfully check my Yahoo account for any new emails and then I go to Yahoo Shine and read all the headlines. It's a little break I get before I have to start my work day. They have great articles on parenting, love and relationships, food, managing your life, etc. Here was a post that I found today that I thought was great.

10 ways to keep your little kids occupied while you work from home

I have worked out of my home for the past five years and am always looking for new ways to entertain my little ones when I jump on the phone with a client. I thought the article had some great ideas. Most of them I was already doing, but I did find a few that i might try. Thought some of you mommy's or daddy's out there, might enjoy this.....

by Lylah M. Alphonse, on Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:45pm PDT

It's a fact of life for most working moms: At some point or another, whether you work from home or out of the house, you're going to be trying to get your work done with a little one at your side. Maybe your caregiver has the day off. Maybe it's a school vacation day but you can't afford to take one of yours to cover it. Maybe your child is sick. Maybe you're snowed in. Whatever the reason, here are 10 things you can do to help keep your little angel occupied while you make deadline:
1.) Set up a workstation near yours. Stock it with workbooks, coloring books, pens, paints, stickers, play-dough, gak -- whatever you like, just make sure they're all projects or activities your child can do with little or no supervision, and try to include items that they only get to use while you're working. An old computer keyboard makes it especially appealing for little kids. My preschooler keeps her collection of toy cell phones on hers, as well as a wonderful play laptop from her grandmother and assorted pens, stamps, rulers, and scraps of paper.

2.) Don't be afraid to use the television. There are times when my kids watch more TV than I'd like, and yes, I do feel guilty about it -- but not when I have to work. If I don't get my work done, the mortgage doesn't get paid, and that outweighs by far the Is-Two-Hours-of-Dora-Too-Much? issue.

3.) Don't expect to be able to work in blissful silence. There's an unwritten rule out there somewhere that the more urgently you need your children to nap, the less they'll sleep. (My kids swear by this rule.) If you can stand the cacophony, break out the noisy toys -- you know, the ones that you never let them use because they're just too loud and annoying. The novelty of being able to play with them will keep them occupied, and all of the excitement just might lead to a nap after all.

4.) Take breaks for play. Your kids are more likely to let you work in semi-peace if you take the time to devote your full attention to them in between bursts of work activity. Be completely present for play for 15 minutes, and then ask them to cooperate while you complete that assignment or participate in a conference call. When you're done, reward them (and yourself) with another scheduled play time.

5.) Set them up for story time. Books on CD or tape are excellent storytime tools for working moms. Choose familiar stories for younger kids, and be sure to have the accompanying book on hand; ask them to pick out a certain word throughout the story -- have them point out the word "monkey" during a reading of Curious George, for instance. Older kids can read along with the CD, or explore new (parent-approved) books while you're working.

6.) Give them an assignment of their own. Freelance writing moms can have their children write (or dictate into a tape recorder) their own articles at their workstations. Give younger kids a set of three pictures, and ask them to build a story around them. Write (or print out) a story for an older child, and ask her to illustrate it. Have him act out a play with finger puppets.

7.) Organize a marathon. Got a Playstation or a Wii or an XBox? Older kids can boost their hand-eye coordination with a game marathon. Whoever gets the best two out of three (or, if you're really busy, best seven out of eight) gets a special prize.

8.) Create your own board game. There are a hundred different types of "Monopoly" out there -- have your kid come up with a version based at home. Rename properties after ones in your neighborhood and, when the work day is done, play the game.

9.) Let them get wet. If you have a laptop and are willing to take the risk, you can declare early bath time and supervise them from the doorway while you work.

10.) Set aside a box of special toys. I don't mean uber-expensive or complicated playthings; I mean toys that they don't get to play with except when you're working from home. Fill a small box with interesting things -- Post-it notes, simple puzzles, picture books, small stuffed animals, etc. -- and change the contents often to keep things exciting.

Lylah M. Alphonse is a full-time editor, a freelance writer, and mom and step mom to five kids. She writes about juggling career and parenthood at The 36-Hour Day and Work It, Mom!, and blogs at Write. Edit. Repeat.

What She Had/What We Had

2009-03-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

As many of you know the Scout is highly allergic to milk and eggs so I am always trying to find new recipes for her that will replicate what we are having for dinner. So here is what I fixed last night. My husband and the Peanut tried it out and said it tasted just like the Kraft Mac and Cheese.

So here is the recipe. I got a lot of ideas off of the Internet and then changed it up a bit to suit the Scout's likes:

Scout's Vegan Mac and Cheese

2 cups plain soy milk ( I use Silk)
1 tablespoon of dairy free margarine ( I use Nucoa)
10 oz. of vegan-soy cheddar cheese ( I use Follow Your Heart - available at Whole Foods)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound of macaroni

Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine soymilk, margarine, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
When sauce comes to a boil, keep stirring for about a minute or two. Turn heat to low and stir in the cheese. You can grate the cheese, but I just sliced it up really thin. It will slowly start to turn from yellow to orange. It will also thicken up quite a bit.

Put noodles into a 1.5 quart casserole dish and pour cheese sauce over the top. Stir to coat all noodles. Bake uncovered for 10 - 12 minutes.

Scout is about as picky as they come (I wonder where she gets that from) and she took two bites and said it was too sour. That's the breaks. So she ended up eating chicken nuggets instead. She is a challenge when it comes to eating, but I still have to keep trying to expand her food horizons. The husband the Peanut loved it, so at least I know it will get eaten. Since I am allergic to soy I also made another more grown-up version of mac and cheese which was also well taken by 3/4 of the Crew:

Cheddar Mac Beef Casserole
courtesy of Kraft Food Magazine

1 pkg. Kraft Mac and Cheese (The original - gotta love this stuff)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. dried oregano or dried basil (I used oregano)
1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare mac and cheese as directed on package, omitting butter.

Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain.

Add tomatoes and oregano, mix well and bring to a boil.

Add meat mixture to mac and cheese and transfer into 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

It was pretty yummy. I also served it with a nice bottle of "Red Truck" wine. My new favorite table wine that you can find at Costco. Good stuff.

It's Been A While

2009-02-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

I'm back. It's been a few weeks. We are still fighting illness. Scout is much better, I came through my bug, but now the Peanut has a virus with croup. Tis the season for illness. So, I have been busy with sick kids, and distributing Girl Scout Cookies. I have already polished off a box of Thin Mints. They are my favorite.

I did make some time for crafts last week. I made about eight little tissue holders for Valentines Day. The first one I made was Betty Boop on a Harley for my good friend Michele. She and her husband Johnny love their motorcycle and are totally into their customized bikes. Check out their blog to see Johnny's creations. The tissue holder came out really cute!

I bought a yard of Valentines Day fabric to use for various projects and thought that these tissue holders were the thing to make. The girls loved them! I don't give the girls candy on Valentines Day. I know, what a boring Mom. This year, they got tissue holders and Valentines Day books. They thought they were cool! If you would like this super simple pattern for these tissue holders, check out one of my favorite blogs : Skip To My Lou

I also busted out several batches of Valentines brownies for different friends! I used Martha Stewarts idea about cutting them out with heart cookie cutters and also used another tip that she had on her show to get the brownies out of the pan without greasing it. I used parchment paper to line my pan, and lifted them right out. Go Martha! You are the best!!! It worked great. Most of you probably already know that trick, but I am just a little behind the times.

The Peanut wanted to make goody bags for her class party. I usually try to be really crafty and creative, but this year, it was all about the dollar store. I spent way less money and I think they turned out really cute.

So that was the week that I didn't blog about. Next project.......salt dough ornaments!

My Only Creativity for the Day

2009-02-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

O.k., I got lucky and didn't get the flu bug, but the Scout now has a head cold and has lovingly,(through many wet kisses) passed it onto her mommy. I am a little sluggish today and just feeling like my head is ready to explode. So, needless to say, there will be no crafty post today. I did do some blog reading though and picked this up off of Sweet Jessie one of my favorite blogs to read. This was the only creativity that I could muster today, so please bear with me. I realized that I still have a lot to do in my life after looking at this list, especially travel!!!!

Here are the rules: Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog - Duh?!
2. Slept under the stars - My favorite to go along with #5.
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii - hopefully in a few years
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain - Mt. Lassen
9. Held a praying mantis - this is not happening, so just forget about it. They are my worst of worst phobia. See prior posts on the subject.
10. Sang a solo - in the shower?
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - I think?
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables - when I was a kid we grew our own strawberries and grapes
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort - No, but I built a snowman, does that count?
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping - Sorry Mom!
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - Just Beat It
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - Nope, but I rode with my daughter twice. It was interesting.
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud - Yesterday
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - I love the drive-ins
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen - I worked at a homeless shelter for my internship
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies- Currently engrossed in over 200 boxes
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason - I am still wondering about those random daisys left on my windshield years back?!
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt - not yet, but soon!
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - Does a crack count?
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - hopefully next summer
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve - I don't think any strangers
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - Does fish count?
88. Had chickenpox-When I was seventeen and right before prom, ugh!
89. Saved someone’s life- Go Epipen!!
90. Sat on a jury - but never got selected
91. Met someone famous - o.k. I didn't meet him, but Robin Williams stood right next to me at the Exploritorium in S. F. so cool
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby - x2
95. Seen the Alamo in person- so serene and humbling
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit-my old gym said that I was and gave me a free pass for a week
98. Owned a cell phone - who doesn't?
99. Been stung by a bee

So now it's your turn to copy/paste and bold the ones that you have done. Let me know.

I Wish The Flu Bug Would Fly It's Way Outta Here!

2009-01-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. We had an excellent adventure deep in the wilderness this last weekend with the Napa B.E.T.S snow run. This is where everyone including us, takes our jeeps out and 4-wheels through the snow. It was fun but cold and I was an idiot and forgot my jacket of all things. My Dad who is always teased about overpacking came through for me with two sweatshirts. Dad, you are the coolest! The Scout and the Peanut did not get much sleep the night before and were a little worn out. I was pretty sure that the Scout may have been coming down with something and I was right. Never underestimate mother's intuition. She has the flu! She could not get a flu shot due to her horrendous egg allergy and the poor thing has it full blown. I took her to the doctor's yesterday and they said that if she is not better by tomorrow that she will have to come back. Tonight she has perked up quite a bit so that is great, but I am starting to feel a little on the sluggish side. Uh - oh? I am going to hope and pray that I am not getting it, but after being up for the last three days and cleaning up constant puke, it may be inevitable. (Sorry for the visual folks!) So hopefully, I shall return next week with some new crafty posts. If you don't hear from me, you know what happened.

Why We Rock!

2009-01-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

I thought this article on Shine today was pretty interesting. Thought you ladies might enjoy it!

Staying Alive: Four Reasons Why Women Are Better Survivors Than Men - Love + Sex on Shine

Organized Craft Room Ideas : Organizing : Home & Garden Television

2009-01-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

If only my craft room could look this awesome!
Organized Craft Room Ideas : Organizing : Home & Garden Television

Photocraft Emboridery

2009-01-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

I have been embroidering since I was about seven years old. My Grandma Margie (the seamstress extraordinaire) taught me when I went to stay at her house for a week in the summer. It was love at first stitch! My first piece was a dishtowel that I made for my Mom with two little bees on it. If I find it, I will post a picture. I was so excited to give it to her, that I couldn't wait for her birthday and handed it to her as soon as she stepped out of the car to pick me up. I was so proud. I love the gratification that you get when you finish an embroidery piece. I haven't embroidered in a while and recently got back into this fantastic craft. I found this video on YouTube and thought that this was such a cool idea for some gifts for friends and family.

Daisy's Dahlias

2009-01-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have showcased any of Petunia's Peeps, so I wanted to share this little one that I painted for my kitchen. It is entitled, "Daisy's Dahlias." I just love the pattern on her dress and the orange and blue. I hung her by a black and white polka dotted ribbon. She is very cute! I have been working on three other large pieces for both of my daughters' rooms that I will show next week. Hopefully I can't get them done by then. Maybe I will actually have enough time to paint one and stick it in my etsy shop for sale. Ha Ha. We shall see!

All The Single Ladies!

2009-01-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

I love Beyonce's video "Single Ladies" and when I went to get it off of YouTube to put it on my myspace page, I found this one too. I am still have tears from laughing so hard! Have a fun filled day!

Grace For President

2009-01-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

So Santa brought this little gem to my girls for Christmas this year. If you have girls (even if you have boys) and you haven't read this book yet, drop what you are doing and go and purchase it right now! It is fantastic! This book is about a little girl named Grace who wonders "Where are all the girls?" while looking at a poster of the U.S. Presidents. Grace decides that she will run for school President. It's about her adventures on the campaign trail. Truly an awesome book that even goes into explaining how the electoral college works - something that I have been confused about for a long time. So check it out. I have seen it at Wal-Mart and Barnes and Noble. I ordered mine off of Amazon which seems to be the cheapest route.

Styrofoam Wall Art

2009-01-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pieces of artwork that I made for my office space. I thought they were kinda cool and pretty easy to make. Here is what you need:

1 sheet of Styrofoam 24 inches in length and 12 inches in width and 1 inch in depth. If you can't find one that size you can cut it down to fit.

2 sheets of 12 x 12 inch scrapbook paper (the sky is the limit when it comes to your motif, so go wild)

96 inches of 1 inch wide black (or whatever color coordinates with your papers) grosgrain ribbon

Styrofoam glue (can be found at Michaels) or any other super tacky glue.

1 super sharp box cutter and cutting mat or electric knife

First you want to cut down the Styrofoam so you have two 12 x 12 square pieces. I used a sharp box cutter for this, but you want to make sure that you really get a straight edge when you cut it. Mine is pretty lumpy bumpy. An electric knife is great for cutting this, just be careful.

Next you want to put a good amount of glue on the back side of the scrapbooking paper.

Make sure it is lined up neatly with all four corners of the Styrofoam, and adhere it. I would highly recommend using a heavy book to set on top of the piece while it dries. It helps it adhere well and keeps the bubbles out. I purchased the Styrofoam glue at Michaels and was not very impressed at first. Styrofoam is so porous that it is really difficult to get the glue to work properly. I did let mine sit for 24 hours and it did adhere after all.

Finally, you are ready to attach your ribbon. Each piece is going to use 48 inches. Embarrassingly enough, I had a tough time figuring out how much ribbon I was going to need. And then I realized, "Duh, the piece is 12 inches square. Do the math, dummy." It was not one of my better moments. So you want to attach the ribbon to each side using the glue. Again, this can get pretty tedious because that darn Styrofoam just doesn't want to attach, but, have some patience and let the glue set awhile. I promise, it will work.

So there you have it. Two pieces of simple art for your wall. I placed a small finish nail in the wall to hang them and slid the Styrofoam right onto it. Very inexpensive art and so cool that you have infinite paper possibilities. The papers today are so nice and artsy looking, they really make a great statement!

Repurposing A Hunk of Junk!

2009-01-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

I am a recycling queen. I love to recycle! I try to be good about recycling all of our glass, cans and bottles. It drives my husband nuts because I go diving into the trashcan when he throws away something that could actually be recycled. I am also a bit of a scavenger. I love it when the street has free dump days and everyone puts out their respective "trash" on the street. I have made some pretty good finds over the past several years: An antique Sacramento milk crate, a wicker footstool and my last great find was a fire engine red rocking chair with some vintage nursery rhyme motifs that had been decoupaged. Sorry, no pic.... I gave it to Kim for all of her children's photography props.

So last year the family and I headed up to my in laws house for the day. They live on a sprawling eight acres. They had a huge area in the back that kind of served as a "dump" pile of stuff they needed to get rid of. I quickly scanned the area and spotted the "piece de resistance" - and old metal grate. What? A grate you say? Yes, an old grate. My husband and his buddies had found this old huge hunk of metal one day when they were down at the river doing what boys do and thought it would be cool to store their fishing gear in while they swam across the river. It looks almost like an old bread tray that the grocery stores have for display. I nabbed that up and asked my in laws if I could take it home. I think they thought that I was a little nuts, (which I am) but I had the perfect use for it, and they were thrilled to have me take it off of their hands. It makes a fantastic paper holder for all of my scrapbooking paper. When I get to marry my recycling and my great scavenger abilities it makes me so happy!

The grate measures about 2 ft x 2ft and is about 2 inches deep and fits perfectly on the top of my printer shelf. I can just slide it in and out when I need to use it. I think my husband was a little worried when I decided to take it home, but I think it is great repurposed as my paper holder. Very urban chic don't you think? Ha Ha! I love it when I can repurpose a big hunk of junk and save it from being dumped into a landfill.

Can't Wait For My Anthopologie Order

2009-01-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

So a few months back, my bff Kim and I decided to make a trek out to the new shopping center called "The Fountains." It is the high-end shopping center with all of the stores that I couldn't afford to buy a piece of gum in, let alone a skirt. We had the kids with us and just started checking out all of the different stores in the center. We came across the store Anthropologie. Can you say HEAVEN?!!!! I have seen so many cool things from Anthropologie over the years and I had been dying to see the store. Let's just say, it's better than I anticipated it would be. The displays are awesome, the clothes are the best, but the prices suck! A pair of socks was about the only thing that I could afford in the store. I mean their sweaters are great, but I am certainly not paying $158.00 for one! So we meandered the store trying to look like we belonged in their, all the while trying to pacify the Scout who had already reached her shopping limit for the day and really did not want to go into one more store.

I had eyed this fantastic belt that was in the window display when we walked in and quickly went hunting for it. I assumed it was going to be like 1 bazillion dollars or something, but it turned out to be $48.00. They only had one though, and it wasn't in my size and the price was still a little too rich for my blood.

That belt has been on my brain everyday since I saw it calling to me in the store window. So you know what my beautiful friend Kim did? She bought me a gift card to Anthropologie for Christmas! Whoopee! So today I cashed in my card and bought myself the belt online. It will arrive in 5 - 7 days. He He. I really wanted to post a pic of my belt, but security conscious Anthropologie won't allow my computer to copy the pic, and didn't like it when I tried to make it into a link either. So here is the long link version.
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=1952244073394693919&id=840225&parentid=ACC_BELTS_WAISTS&pushId=ACC_BELTS_WAISTS&popId=ACC_BELTS&sortProperties=&navCount=2&navAction=jump&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=bro&colorName=BROWN

The Mom Song

2009-01-06T22:11:00.001-08:00

My Mom sent me this email today. She only forwards them when they are really good. If you are a Mom, I know you will appreciate this one!

When Life Hands You Lemons - You Make a Cool Collage

2009-01-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

So I have been trying to find some good uses for all of my scrapbooking supplies that I am obviously at this point, not going to scrapbook with. I thought that this was a pretty cool idea and wanted to share it with all of my friends out there in Blogland.

I had purchased two 16x20 inch canvases from ye ol' Michaels to make some paintings for the Peanut's room and attempted to open them up when I got them home. I used the old "poke a pencil through the tauntly wrapped plastic trick," and needless to say, it poked a hole right through both of the new canvases. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I couldn't return them, so I thought why not figure out a way I could use them. Hey, I am a crafty sort of Magyver girl, I could do this! I generally use quite a few papers in my paintings anyway, but I really didn't feel like I could cover it up well enough to mask the rather large holes, so I decided to make a collage of sorts instead. Something that could cover up the whole thing.

Here's what I did:

I just used a few scrap pieces of paper that coordinated, an 8x10 pic of the girls (I think black and white is so timeless), some buttons and sparkly chipboard letters.

I just used my Modge Podge to glue the papers down to the canvas after I cut them and collaged them to my liking; then I added the pic with some photo corners for some easy photo changing if I opted to eventually change it; then I attached the chipboard letters with Elmers glue to read: Sisterly Love; after that I decided to add a few buttons with the hot glue to spruce up the corners that were looking a bit sparse; and lastly, I used some black acrylic paint and painted (not very neatly) around the edges. I got some paint on the canvas, but I thought it looked cool, because it almost appears to be inked.

This is a great project if you can get the canvas on sale and have a lot of the scrapbooking supplies on hand. The project only took me about a 1/2 hour and would make a great gift for someone. This one is hanging in the office in the kids nook where their desk and play kitchen reside. I love how mistakes can turn out to be fabulous things sometimes!

Crayon Roll - Tutorial Link

2009-01-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the link for the tutorial on how to make the kids crayon roll. It's a great tutorial and a super cute blog called Skip To My Lou! My bff Kim used rick rack on hers and had a difficult time with it. I think they look cute either way.

Some Old School Scrapbooking and My Leaky Cup

2009-01-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

So New Years is here and everyone and their brother is making their resolutions to lose weight, get in shape etc. Although I know that I have packed on a few pounds since the holidays, my resolutions this year include getting my office organized and functional and cutting back on my Starbucks consumption. Ha Ha.

As you have seen from my prior posts, I pretty much live out of my office space. The rest of my house will be neat as a pin but I can guarantee you a mess behind the office door. Most of my problem resides with incoming paper and constant craft projects. You see, I like to have several going on all at once. It's in my nature. I do this with books too. Have five going at one time. It drives my husband crazy.

So far, I have been doing a great job of getting everything organized. I purchased a stack of inboxes over at Costco for each member of the family. That way we don't have paper stacked on the front counter. I have been downsizing my crafting supplies since last year and only keeping the things that I know that I will finish.

One of my largest ongoing projects has been my pictures. I love everything about pictures. Although, I am not the best photographer, I love taking pictures. The problem is, that they get stuck on my hard drive and never printed out. Last year, I decided that I was finally going to go "old school" on my photos. I was just so "done" with all of the scrapbooking craze. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am in love with scrapbooking stores and all of the paper and the embellishments and everything. Embarrassingly enough, I probably have enough to open my own scrapbook store. The problem is, is it takes me so long to get one page done and every page seems to be so expensive when you are buying ribbon and grommets and chipboard words. I needed to simplify my life a little. I needed to get these pictures in books so that we could really enjoy looking at them.

My Grandma Margie is the most organized scrapbooker I know. Her albums are just pictures and captions. She takes pictures and has them developed and puts them in the same day. She sometimes includes announcements, thank you notes, letters, obituaries and the like. I love going to her house and pulling out one of the dozen or so albums and flipping through them. So, I decided to simplify my own pictures and do the same. I bought albums a couple of months ago and just started putting pics in chronological order. When I have time, I go back and add the captions in my own writing with a black pen. All of you scrapbookers are fainting in horror right now, sorry for that. Nothing fancy, no embellishments, no stickers, no glitter, just simplicity - and you know what . . . I almost have a whole year completed. I have been feeling very accomplished with my "old school" style of scrapbooking.

So as for my organizational resolution, I am still struggling with the organization thing, but I am slowly accomplishing small bits and pieces. I have downsized quite a bit and am feeling pretty good about my progress.

My other resolution this year was to cut my Starbucks intake in half. Ha Ha. It's the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. I started a few months ago when I bought some Oregon Chai Tea from the grocery store. Though I love the chai tea and how easy it is to fix at home. I just really miss going to Bucki's and saying "hi" to all of my Starbucks friends and getting my hot steamy latte from the friendly barista. Today I resigned myself to go because I had a little bit of a gift card still left and I was really jonesing for a hot drink. I knew that I should have abstained, my conscious told me so, but I still needed my Starbcuks fix. So through the drive-through I went and got my delicious cup of joe and began to pull away. I noticed a drip on my hand and so I grabbed a napkin and brushed it away, then another drip on my jeans as I was driving. Maybe the lids not on tight enough? I readjusted the thing and made it home and then...... drip, drip, drip... what the heck? And lo and behold I have a giant fissure running down the side of my cup. Ahhhhhhh! I was already home, so I grabbed a cup and put it underneath the leaky mess. Yuck! All in all, I should have stayed at home and had my cheap chai teal latte instead of spending $3.80 on my latte and leaky cup. Will I ever learn?

2009! - No Way Jose!

2009-01-01T23:54:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I can't believe that we are in 2009! My husband made it home last night a little early (11:00 p.m) so we were able to watch the ball drop together in Times Square and get a midnight kiss. When my brother called me today, he asked me what I did for New Years. You see, he is still in his 20's, single, with no kids. I kinda laughed and said, "What did you think I did? I sat home and watched an On Demand movie on the couch after the kids went to bed and watched all the partiers in Times Square freeze their butts off. I was secretly living vicariously through all those partiers. But alas, I had my day in the sun to stay out all night on New Years Eve and party like a rock star. Now, I would much prefer to stay in my jammies on the couch with a movie and have my girls snuggly snoozing away in their beds. That's how I know that I am officially matured. Ha Ha. So all in all, it was a good New Years.

I of course have not posted in forever and a day, but I wanted to post my cute little crayon carrier that I made for my little cousin Abigail for Christmas. My bff Kim and I decided that we wanted to tackle a Christmas craft project this year and thought these crayon holders would be just the ticket. Kim has much better math skills then I do, so my measurements somehow got a little mixed up, but, it still turned out pretty cute. They are actually pretty easy to make although a little tedious to get everything prepped. I made mine to fit sixteen crayons, but you can make them to fit eight if you prefer. My next project is to turn one of these into an apron. I think they would be so cute.

Black Apple Dolls

2008-10-21T22:45:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the Scout came down with the creeping crud and my husband and the Peanut decided they would make our scheduled trip to the family cabin without us. We didn't want to risk the ear infection. Guess what, she got the ear infection anyway! So while the Scout and I sat at home a wee bit bored in front of the TV, I thought we might get the sewing machine out and whip out a couple of Black Apple Dolls. I had been watching Martha Stewart a few weeks before and saw my favorite crafty girl, Emily Martin of The Black Apple being interviewed. She showed the audience how to make these cute dollies and then put a free pattern on Martha's website. How sweet is that? So I ran in and hit the print button in a jiffy and was waiting till I had a bit of time to whip up these little darlings. I really wanted to do them in a Halloween print with some goth black hair. I have tons of Halloween scraps laying around since it happens to be one of my favorite holidays.

I think the dolls came out really cute and my girls were so excited to get a little gift for Halloween. I did fudge a bit on the faces. I didn't have any canvas but I did have some old muslin curtains that my mom was getting rid of that worked fantastic. I also want to suggest to NOT use a Sharpee marker for the faces as I did. Invest in a nice fabric marker like I should have.

Here is a link to Emily Martin's tutorial: Black Apple Dolls. I hope you enjoy it!

Be sure to stop by my other blog at Cowgirls and Cupcakes and leave us a comment or send us a recipe via email to get you qualified for our 2nd big giveaway!

Two Really Cool Blogs

2008-08-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

I love to read other peoples blogs especially when I can find something that I have in common with the blog writer. The first one is: According to Kelly and is a must read if you are a mommy, wife, crafter extraordinaire. She has great postings and a really cool SWAP once a year that I just participated in. Please check out her blog if you get a chance as well as her etsy shop with her awesome jewelry.

The other blog I would love for you to check out if you haven't already is:
No Time For Flash Cards. This site has some amazing projects for kids. This site is so fantastic. I really wish that I could have found it earlier in the summer!

What Have I Been Busy Doing?

2008-08-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

I know, no blog for weeks, but I do have a good excuse. I was creating a new blog. What? Another blog, you say? Yes, but this one is different then Pink Petunia Designs. This blog is called: Cowgirls and Cupcakes. It is written by yours truly and my BFF Kim. We have been in the plannings for this blog now for awhile and were able to finally launch it about a week ago. The premise for Cowgirls and Cupcakes is: Recipe sharing as well as tips and tricks for people that have food allergies or feeding a special needs child. We came up with the idea after getting frustrated with our same old meal routines. Our families get bored of eating the same old stuff night after night so we decided to do something about it. Kim and I have both been a part of recipe swaps online with our friends and family and we thought we would take it to the next level and post it on a site for everyone to share. Right now, Kim and I are both posting our own "tried and true" recipes but very soon (like this week) we will be opening it up to the public to send us your best recipes old or new and maybe a little history behind them or even a picture and a link to your site or blog if you have one. So please, please, check out the new site and I will try to be better about posting to little Pinky here.

Thank You Heather!

2008-07-18T22:40:00.001-07:00

This is a little late due to a big family vacation, but wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to my wonderful SWAP partner for the "My Favorite Things SWAP" - Mrs. Heather Larson. The first time I read Heather's two blogs I knew that I was going to have the coolest partner - EVER! Her package arrived and I couldn't wait to bust right into it. Check out all of the cool color coordinated goods that she hooked me up with. Her theme was how to survive a summer pregnant. Although I am not prego, she is expecting her first little one in September and also lives in Arizona. I can't imagine dealing with 110 degree heat while having a swingbelly. I used to complain in the middle of June when it reached 95 and I had gained 70lbs (gulp) of a swingbelly. I can't imagine 110!!!!! Heather had it going on with all of her cool things to survive a pregnant summer. I am a handbag junkie so the cute little seahorse handbag was immediately put to use as well as those hot yellow sunglasses! I love all of the fun things in the package and have already used every single thing that was in there. Thank you Heather! One of my favorites was a mood magnet that she included. The hub checks it every day to see what my mood is and if he needs to proceed with caution. LOL. Thank you so much Heather for the fun package and I hope that you like what I sent! Check out Heather's digi blog. I wished that she lived closer so that she could teach me all about digital scrapbooking! It fascinates me!

Favorite Things Swap

2008-06-11T17:54:00.001-07:00

Because you know that I love to get things in the mail ..... I had to do it..... I joined "My Favorite Things SWAP" over at According to Kelly. If you haven't checked out this blog yet, please do so. Kelly has great posts and well worth a look see. For this SWAP we will have to send our SWAP partner three (or more) of our favorite things. I have a few ideas already stirring around in my brain and have already purchased one small piece of a favorite collectible glass at the thrift store. I wont' reveal any more than that because I want it to stay a surprise for my partner. I will post pictures after the SWAP is complete at the end of June. Can't wait to open my mailbox!

My Cute Yard Bird

2008-06-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Have you seen my cute yard bird. I just wanted to share a picture of him! I think he has such personality. He is made out of all recycled parts and stands tall and proud while protecting our garden from its unwanted predators. I think you need one of these birds too! The price was fantastic! If you would like to order one of these fabulous guys for your yard and live in the Sacramento or surrounding areas, or don't mind driving to pick it up, please contact: sactowatt@aol.com.

Please type "Garden Bird" in the subject line! Sorry the cute kiddos are not included, but it does give you a good idea of how tall they stand. I am really thinking about getting another one so he has a buddy. Who needs gargoyles when you have yard birds?

A couple of things...

2008-06-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have missed so much blogging and the only excuse I have for it is the Peanut catching a really bad virus that turned into croup. Lovely stuff. The humidifier, 7-up and SpongeBob have been running pretty much 24 hours a day around here. Now, I have the creeping crud too. What a bummer! Anyway, I will have to play a bit of catch-up now, so there will be quite a bit of info in this post.

First and foremost, I have to catch up by posting about the Jazz Festival. It was weeks ago now, but wanted to post about how much of a good time we had. We have family friends Matt and Sherri Colby-Bottel that play in the Blue Street Jazz Band at the Festival. I have seen Matt and Sherri perform on many occasions but have always wanted to see them play at the Jazz Festival. We didn't purchase tickets because we were unsure how long we would actually be able to stay at the festival with two small kids. We checked out the schedule the night before and knew they were playing at the Downtown Plaza Piazza, so we went to check it out. They have the Sacramento Brew Pub and Grill convenient placed across the way from the stage so we decided to break for a little lunch and see if we could snag a patio seat to watch the show. We were able to score a table outside and had a nice lunch. The band showed up and played. Sherri wasn't singing until the next venue, so we definitely wanted to stick around till the next show. All of the band members were fantastic, and as you can see by the pic above, there was a whole lot of dancing going on. The band is situated all over the United States. Matt and Sherri currently reside in Louisiana where Sherri is finishing up her doctorate program and Matt works out of their home as a computer program designer. Their music is described as "New Orleans jazz with a mix of swing, Mardi Gras, folk song, marches, waltzes, Latin music, and hymns." Truly an eclectic mix. I would highly recommend checking out their website for a look see and a listen too. I just noticed that they also have a myspace with one of my new favorite songs, "Creole Song," which is truly amazing to listen to. We made our way over to the Pizza Pavilion for their next show. We didn't buy tickets, but there were places on the street that you could see into the show. To our surprise, Sherri worked her magic and got us in to see their show. It was great, and the kids enjoyed dancing it up. I always enjoy watching people perform when you know they love what they do. Matt has been playing the banjo for as long as I can remember. His mom and my mom have been best friends since kindergarten so I have known him for many years. Sherri does all the vocals and has been singing with the band since she was thirteen. Here is a pic that the hub took after the show. The band will be celebrating their 25th year together this year! Congratulations to the band and a big Thanks to Matt and Sherri for a great time at the Jazz Festival!

That same weekend we took our first trip ever to our local farmers market. It was fun. A little more pricey than what I had expected, but it was still cool seeing all the fresh produce and flowers. I did have to break down and buy some fresh flowers for my kitchen. I couldn't resist. They also had a man there that had bottled his own olive oil. He was Italian of course, and greeted my daughter with a "Ciao Bella," he was probably in his sixties but I was in love. The accent gets me every time. If I went to Italy or Ireland I may never return. Ha Ha. Sorry cute husband of mine, you know that I am just kidding! So I am definitely going to return to buy some olive oil from him when I run out of the 50 gallons that I just recently purchased from Costco.

We were on a mission when we went to the Farmer's Market, we were on a strawberry mission! We planned to go home and bust out some yummy strawberry jam that afternoon. The prices were pretty high for strawberries, so we jumped in the car and ran down the street to the local strawberry stand where we scored a flat for only $18.00. A true bargain especially when they were just picked that morning. The car smelled like a giant strawberry shake by the time we got home. My husband has made jam on one other occasion and I, myself, have never made jam. My Grandma makes jelly and jam by the droves every year. She is truly and incredible woman, one that I will have to dedicate a whole post to. Like I said before, I have never made jam so the hub took over the jam making process with the girls and I shot the pics. Here are couple of the yummy ones:

The jam came out great. We ended up having eight large jars. My contribution was the pictures and the artsy labels. We have already given away seven of the eight jars so we will be bustin out some more pretty soon here.

Another thing that I have been meaning to blog about was a great new blog and website that is from the creative minds of a few of my Craft Mafia sisters. Its called Pimp Stitch. If you love embroidery as much as I do, you will definitely want to check out this site. They are offering a free pattern a week until their opening of their site late this month. So head on over and check out the creative brains of Amy Cluck of Peptogirl, Missy Balance of Mohair Circus, Tamie Snow of Roxycraft and Lauren Brandy of Goody Goody. Please go and "Pimp Your Stitch!"

And speaking of Mrs. Missy Balance. I received a fun package in the mail the other day that had such cool things inside. I had ordered one of her spool doll cell phone charms off of her etsy shop. It is so cute and looks quite good with her dark bobbed hair and my pink razor. She also included some super cute tags that say "Hey Cupcake" made with one of her Amuse stamps that she designed. This girl is multi-talented! I love the cupcake tags and am now going to have to purchase this cute stamp because we are having a cupcake party for the girls birthday and this stamp is just what I need. So thanks Missy!

Pink of Petunia's Peeps

2008-05-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here is Pink of Petunia's Peeps. She's a fighter, a survivor, a hero. She helps fight breast cancer by wearing pink. Stacey of Bouton Blue, one of the winners of my pay-it-forward contest and long time friend, is now the proud owner of Miss Pink. Stacey graciously walked about a bazillion miles last year in the breast cancer walk. I so appreciated her dedication and willingness to support many of the women and men who have come face to face with breast cancer. Thank you Stacey, I hope you enjoy your peep!

Cooking Mayhem

2008-05-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

A little while back I had finally succumbed to the fact that my bread maker was going to continue gathering dust in the cupboard and I really wasn't going to be making tons of bread for my family. I decided to ask my sister-in-law if she would like to have it. She said, "sure." So the bread maker went to her house. She baked us up some fabulous french bread a while back in my old bread maker and then I kinda got the urge to have a bread maker again so I could make my own yummy bread. I also thought it was a great alternative for the Scout. I am always looking for breads that have no milk or egg products, and this way I could totally control the contents. I was telling my Aunt Sharon of my longing to again be the owner of a bread maker and she said that she had one that she would give me because she never uses it anymore. Score! I was pumped this afternoon to bust out a loaf of french bread. I made a pot of soup and a key lime pie for dessert. We will be headed to the Jazz Jubilee tomorrow and thought this would be the perfect thing for when we got home late and I didn't feel like cooking. I followed the recipe that my sister-in-law had given me. It was easy. I followed the directions on the bread maker. O.k., no problem, good. I hit the button to start, and the bread maker took off kneading the dough. Excellent, I am three hours away from my hot french bread. And then I heard a loud knocking sound and suddenly the thing shut off. Hmmm. Maybe its starting to rise. No, the book says it has to knead the dough for 18 minutes and its only been 7. Uh oh, I smell the motor burning. Uh oh, its not working. Drat!!!!! So I call up my Uncle Tom and Aunt Sharon and shared my dilemma with them. Not like they would have been able to fix it when they are all the way in Napa, but I needed a consult. They said they didn't know what it could be, but that it was probably something that could be fixed. Now my Uncle Tom has been a fabulous baker most all of his adult life. He started working at Napa City Bakery when he was 14 sweeping the floors and eventually moved to Buttercream Bakery where he decorated beautiful cakes for everyone, and I mean everyone in Napa. His cake decorating was well known wherever he went. He told me "Punkin," this is what he has called me since I was born, "just throw it in your Kitchen-Aid and put the bread hook on and let it knead it for awhile. Then just let it raise where its warm and throw it in the oven." O.k. I will try it. I really had my doubts, not in his abilities, because I know his would turn out good, but I was worried about my ability to follow his directions properly. So I kneaded it with the bread hook in the Kitchen-Aid and then let it raise for about 45 minutes and then I threw it into the oven at 350 for about an hour. This was a total guess on my part. I just sat by and watched it. In the meantime I went to work on my key lime pie and the recipe called for me to whip the mixture until it formed soft peaks. I have made my own whip cream on several occasions and know it takes a while for it to form the soft peaks, but I whipped this thing with my mixer for over 20 minutes and then got frustrated and threw it in my Kitchen-Aid for another 10 and no soft peaks. It got a little bit foamy, but there was no peaks. My brother popped by at this time and I was so frustrated with cooking I was about to cry. The kitchen was a mess and the poor guy was trying to tell me about his day and all I could think about was my stupid bread maker not working and the dumb key lime pie not making those foamy peaks. Sorry bro, next time I promise to be a better listener, I was a little to preoccupied with my many mishaps. To make a long story short, the key lime pie came out o.k. minus the peaks and the bread came out of the oven and was "done to a T" as my Uncle Tom likes to say. Thanks Uncle Tom, you really helped me out with your great tutelage! The girls dug into the bread like it was the last thing on Earth to eat and I thought it was pretty great too!

Another Yummy Recipe

2008-05-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for good alternatives for foods that I love, but now have to avoid due to food allergies. I found out a little over a year ago that I am allergic to soy. A lot of people with heavy duty peanut allergies (such as myself) are allergic to soy. I was lucky, because I got away with 30 years of being able to eat it without incident. I have found through researching labels, that it is in literally everything processed or store bought. So goes my quest for finding soy-free, but still yummy products. With that said, I was deeply saddened by the fact that I could not have my favorite ranch dressing anymore. You see, ranch dressing in the bottle is full of mayonaisse, which is made with vegetable oil, which is soybean oil, which is what I have to try to avoid. I can eat it, but then I begin paying for it with losing my voice and trouble breathing and heaviness in my throat. As much as I love it, its just not worth the feeling.

I happened to turn on Rachel Ray today, which is the Peanuts favorite show, (the girl loves to cook) and she was making homemade ranch. I was sure it was going to be loaded with mayonaisse, but then to my delight it didn't contain any soy products at all. Hallelujah! It is made with lots of buttermilk, which I thought was always heavier than cream, but found out it is made from skim milk and has way less calories than cream. Could that news get any better? So here is the recipe to make your own. I am hoping it turns out as good as it sounds.

Ranch-O-Rama

1cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream (you can use light)

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, grated

2 tablespoons (about a palmful ) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons (about a palmful) fresh dill, chopped

1 tablespoon (a small palmful) fresh chives, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Yields 6 servings

In a medium-size bowl, mix together the buttermilk, sour cream, white wine vinegar, garlic, hot sauce, parsley, dill and chives. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix in any of your favorite ingredients to make it special

A Gift In The Mail

2008-05-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

I love getting mail. I wish everyone would just stop emailing and go back to writing letters, it would make me so happy. I have always had an affinity for stationery and pens, stamps and sealing wax; so you can imagine my delight when I opened up the mail the other day and found the best present waiting for me. It was personalized stationery made for me by the very talented Melissa Haworth of Haworth Handmade. She is also a fellow Craft Mafia sister of mine. I didn't realize till I opened them, that there were many different designs that she had included. How awesome is that! I was a winner of her pay-it-forward contest on her blog and this was my prize! It is so fabulous, I can't wait to write a note and send it on. Thank you Melissa for my nice present and for spelling my name correctly!! I love them!

Scouts Big Girl Bedroom Renovation Part #2

2008-05-20T13:10:00.001-07:00

The hubby, the Peanut and I headed out to IKEA yesterday to do a little shopping for the Scout's room renovation. We ended up buying her a dresser. I have been eyeing it for over a year now along with the bedding. Here is a sneak peak at the bedding that I just purchased last week at Target. Its called the Preppy Girl Collection. I bought two bedding sets. One in twin and the other in double. Sometimes I like to have the length of the double on a twin bed. I have had them where they are two short even with a bedskirt. So we will be returning one after we try it on for fit. Our plan is to put up white bead board on all four walls and in the closet along with new white baseboard and white crown moulding along the ceiling. The hubby is going to be scraping the ceiling first to get all the old nasty popcorn off. I was really hoping to have my hardwood floors installed before we did the Scouts room, but maybe next year! The hubby is making shelving for the closet and new hanging bars. I can't wait to see how everything will turn out. Back to the trip to IKEA, the place was dead because it was a weekday afternoon. It was so nice. We cruised around with our Starbucks coffees and tried out all the couches. I actually got to check out a lot of things that I never got to check out before. We looked at some new cabinets for the kitchen (YAY!- my kitchen has 70' retro cabinets right now) and a closet or wardrobe to replace ours in our bedroom. The hubby was driving one of those flatbed carts with the Peanut riding on top of the boxes. He thought it would be a brilliant idea to jump on the cart and ride it all the way up to the register. He is a rule breaker unlike his wife! He didn't make it too far because halfway through the warehouse the young and ambitious IKEA staff caught him and yelled at him to get down off the cart and to walk. He He! I just walked about fifty feet behind him and acted like I didn't know him. I am always having to do this because he is rebel and embarrasses me on a regular basis!

Petunia's Peeps

2008-05-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have been calling my little "people" paintings by the title, "Little Folk Art Primitives." I decided that it sounded boring and needed to be kicked up a notch, so I settled on a new name for these little folky divas. I am now going to refer to them as "Petunia's Peeps!" I love it when people use the term "peeps!" So here are a few of the recent creations that went out to the pay-it-forward winners. I still am working on two more and almost have them complete. They are so much fun to paint and I really tried to capture the winners interests in my paintings.

Here are a few of Petunia's Peeps that are proudly displayed somewhere in America!

Secret Indulgences

2008-05-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

I know the picture looks kinda gross, but let me tell you how good these sweet potato french fries are that I made last night. They are so good, that I might even give up chocolate for them. What?!? Yes, they are that good. Here is how I made them:

I purchased two sweet potatoes (not the yams but the sweet potatoes) at the store. They are both sweet potatoes of sorts, but the ones that you want are white in the middle, not the orange. Sweet potatoes have been found to be one of the most nutritious vegetables out there. They are super high in fiber, beta carotene, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C.

Peel them or leave the skins on whichever you prefer. I peeled them, because you know how kids get with skins or crusts left on anything.

Cut them however you prefer your fries. I cut them in about 1/2" layers and then cut them into skinny fries and laid them out on a cookie sheet.

Next, I drizzled a little bit of extra light virgin olive oil over the top. I learned with the oil that less is more - see oil in picture.

Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper over the top to your liking.

Pop them into a 450 degree pre-heated oven for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes use a spatula or tongs and flip them over and let them bake for another fifteen minutes. When you pull them out they should be pretty well done. If you want them a little more brown just pop them back in for a few more minutes.

They don't come out especially crispy, but Wowee, I ended up eating almost the whole cookie sheet.

While we are on the subject of secret indulgences, I have a confession to make - I snuck out of the house this afternoon while the hubby was still at home watching the kids play and cruised over to get my daily Starbucks vanilla latte and they had one of my favorite cookies of all time in the display case - Snickerdoodles!

I looked around and made sure there was nobody watching and when the barista asked me if I would like to have anything else, I smiled and did a jig and said, "One Snickerdoodle Please." I really would have preferred to order the whole case, but one will have to do for today. I couldn't go home with my huge delicious cookie in hand (there would have been some hurt feelings and big lips mainly from my husband for not getting him one) so I decided to indulge even further and eat the whole thing in my car in the parking lot. It tasted so good especially with my iced vanilla latte. Even though it was like 100 degrees in my car, I enjoyed every second of it. Its amazing how secret little indulgences like these can make a person so happy. Tomorrow I meet my personal trainer Jenn and there will be no more secret indulgences for awhile. Just thought I would get that little confession off my chest. Man, that cookie was good!

A Mama for Owen

2008-05-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Wanna read the cutest book ever? Check this one out, it's called "A Mama for Owen" by Marion Dane Bauer. Its about a baby hippo named Owen who gets lost from his Mama and adopts a 130 year old tortoise named Mzee (pronounced Mazay) to become his new mommy. This is actually based on a true story and is about the sweetest book I have ever read.

You Can Feel My Pain

2008-05-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saunter over to Wal-Mart with the Scout to pick up some rather unimportant items. I like to slither through my secret entrance in the garden department where I always find the shortest line and get super-close parking. So I am standing in the line in the garden department realizing that everyone else found out about my secret entrance and is now in line with me when the Scout (who up until this point has been strangely quiet) begins to speak...........

Scout: "Mama?"

Deb: "Yes, Scout."

Scout began to speak with the most clarity and tone that I have ever heard come out of her little mouth. Picture the President's Inaugural Address. Here it goes..................................................

Scout: "Mama, did you know that Poppy (grandpa) is a boy......................................................
so HE goes potty standing up!"

It was an epiphany that had been brewing the entire Wal-Mart trip.

Wal-Mart Customers & Employees in the Garden Department: (Uproarious Laughter)

Trying to maintain my composure. I really didn't know whether to burst out laughing or to drop to my knees and cry from embarrassment.

Deb: "You know Scout, you're right, he does go potty standing up!"

The woman behind the counter was very nice and scanned my stuff rather quickly with a huge smile on her face. I was hoping that she was a Mom and could feel my pain as I wanted to escape out of my secret entrance as fast as possible. I almost ran-over the greeter with my cart on the way out. Sorry guy!

Scouts Big Girl Bedroom Renovation Part #1

2008-05-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Craigslist is the best! I just purchased this "big girl" bed for the Scout for $100.00 on Craigslist. The footboard is not pictured here. Its just a little bit smaller then the headboard and oh so shabby chic. I have been literally looking for months for a wrought iron bed for the Scouts "big girl" room. I have been to antique stores, garage sales, combed ebay many times and finally found the perfect bed just waiting for me in Carmichael for $100.00. Such a steal when most of the places are charging $500-$600 for a brand new one minus the mattress and box spring. Can you tell I am a bargain shopper. I was a little worried when I saw the picture online that the bed was going to be smaller than what I had wanted, but I was pleasantly surprised when the lady opened up her garage door, and their stood the bed that I was looking for! Yipee! Right now the bed is a white enamel and I have big plans on painting it black. We have plans on gutting the Scouts room and starting over with bead board on the walls and crown molding along the ceiling, a new closet and new furniture. I will be adding a few of my own paintings to the walls and already have a few good ideas about what I will be doing. Right now we are tentatively scheduled for mid-June for the big project. It will be interesting with her moving into our room temporarily along with all of her clothes and belongings for the duration of the project.I will be keeping you posted on the upcoming renovations!

A Great Mother's Day

2008-05-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

Its been a few days or a few weeks since I have posted. Life has just been so busy lately. I haven't even had time to catch up on my blog reading. I have been busy with the Peanuts school activities, Little League, family stuff and my school stuff. There is only three more weeks of school left for my big kindergartner and then she will be moving to the first grade. Oh my how time flies! I have been totally neglecting my Pink Petunia Designs, and for that, I apologize.

I hope all of my readers that are mommy's out there had a fantastic Mother's Day! Mine was perfect. I woke up in the morning to the Peanut bringing me toast (that she had toasted herself) and orange juice in bed. I then was taken by the hand by both the Scout and the Peanut out to the kitchen where I was dazzled by a fantastic white bag full of handmade BEAUTIFUL cards! It was the best gift a girl could get. The hubby and the girls also garnished me with a new I-tunes gift card (because I had used up all of my husband's a couple of days before. Sorry Sweetie!) I also am the proud new owner of a new pair of pink Crocs. My girls both have a pair and I really wanted a pair, so the hubby and the Scout went to every store in the mall to find them for me. They are probably the ugliest pair of shoes on Earth, but you should really try a pair, the comfort will overwhelm you, and you will quickly toss out your Manolo Blahniks for a new pair of Crocs. After I lavished in all of my beautiful gifts and cusine, we had our baths, packed up the good old gas saving Yaris, and threw in the kids for a fun-filled day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. It was Girl Scout Day so the Peanut got in free and the Scout did too! Nice! The day was so fun. The girls loved the sea lion show and Thomas Town. The Peanut rode the big log ride with her Daddy (see pic above where the hubby is waiving) and had a great time. She's a daredevil like her Daddy. Her Mommy is a pansy ass and hates big rides that make you want to barf or pee your pants. I know, what a wus!

I have to say that Six Flags is seriously throwing back some cash. $15.00 to park and then you have to walk literally about a half of a mile to get in the park with not a porta-potty in sight and two kids that have just been in the car for over an hour. $25.00 for 1 drink, 1 order of chicken fingers and 1 order of french fries with onion rings. Is this just a little bit out of hand, or is it just me? There was a sign posted that no outside food was allowed, so being the "rule follower" that I am, I didn't bring in any snacks or anything for my milk/egg allergy kid into the park. My husband who likes to break the rules, told me to just stick it in the backpack. They were searching backpacks out in the front and I was afraid they would make me throw it out, and then we would be really screwed. They opened our backpack for two seconds and said, "o.k. you are good." Everywhere I looked, people had brought in their own food. I was frustrated and at lunch the only thing that the Scout could eat was french fries from Johnny Rockets. I wanted to cry because I was so mad at myself. Note to theme parks out there: Sometimes outside food is necessary, especially when dealing with little guys that have bad food allergies to everything you serve. Note to self: Break the rules! Sometimes, it's o.k.! We ended the day with a wonderful meal at Denny's where I lavished in the super-bird (that sucker hit the spot) and french fries and the Scout finally got her chicken nuggets, soy milk and animal crackers that she been pining for all day. Poor kid! All in all it was my favorite Mother's Day to date!

O.k. off to bed. Crafting coming sometime in the near future, I swear!

Big Girl Happenings

2008-05-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

There is some big girl stuff going on around here and I thought that I would share it with you. Here is the Peanut riding her big girl bike minus the training wheels. Last night she asked my hubby if she could have them off, and he said "Sure!" I think that he was more excited then she was. He held on to the back of her bike for about two seconds and off she sailed. A huge grin on her face. It even brought a few tears to my eyes and I was wishing that I had charged the batteries for the video camera, but who knew?
Today we went on a five mile bike ride down our beautiful American River Bike Trail. She would have gone fifty miles if we would have let her. When she got home she wanted to get back on and ride again. I love how small things like riding a bike can make kids exponentially happy! Who needs a Wii when you have this (see above). Its just her and the open road - and maybe Mom, Dad and little sister too!

A Gripe

2008-04-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

I just have to gripe for a second about something that struck me as odd. My Dad and my Grandma both save coins for our kids to put in their piggy banks. When the piggy banks get overloaded we take the coins out and roll them and deposit them into their bank accounts. So my husband had rolled all of their silver change and had it ready for me to take to the bank but had not rolled the pennies. There was a lot of pennies and the job was quite daunting! So I jumped in the car and headed to the bank to make the deposit. I waited in line and a cute blond girl of about 18 welcomes me and asks what she can do for me. I said, " I would like to make a deposit into my daughters' accounts. "O.k." she said. "But ma'am, ( I loved being called this when I am all of 31) we can't accept coins unless they are rolled. Sorry!" What? I thought. Is she joking? No, she sure was not joking. I looked at her kinda in awe and said, "But you're a bank." She said, "Sorry ma'am." There's that horrid word again. 'O.k. well, I guess my pennies aren't going to be deposited today,' I thought. I guess the thing is, is that they don't have a coin counting machine. Do you believe this? This is a well-known financial institution that has been around since the beginning of time and their banks do not have coin counters? Does this seem a little odd to anyone or is it just me? I know that this sounds ridiculous, but I'm just so in shock by a bank not accepting your money because its not rolled. Interesting.
All in all the girl was nice and of course I know it wasn't her fault, but I just think that if they have the ability to transfer money over the computer, you sure as hell should be able to take your hard earned pennies to the bank and have them accept them. Abraham Lincoln would have been appalled! My mom told me that her business banking is done at another fine financial institution that has also been around forever and they to do not have coin counters either. What the hey guys? What's so bad about coin counters? They are able to put them in grocery stores and then take a percentage of your hard earned cash, but they can't put them in the place that is designed to account for your monies. Again, interesting. Sorry for the gripe, I am just irked by this whole banking negligence!

What a Flirt

2008-04-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

There is a whole lot of flirting going on at this baseball game and I am not sure if I like it. I am in trouble, big time!

Thank You Bouton Blue!

2008-04-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

I just want to say a big THANK YOU to Stacey at Bouton Blue. I won her pay-it-forward contest. Yeah! I get to pick out something on her etsy shop and I am so excited. I have known Stacey since high school. Stacey and I have had many fun adventures together and I am so excited that she is also a Craft Mafia sister of mine. Stacey has the best vintage button rings around and she is an incredible knitter to boot. Please check out her etsy store and shop till you drop. Her button rings and knitted hats make great gifts or just a nice treat for yourself as well. You also might want to check out her great blog called Pill's Place. Thanks Stace!

Sayonara Sucker!!!

2008-04-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, I want to do the happy dance right now. Why you ask? Because I just said goodbye to diapers until I have grandchildren. Ha Ha. Super Cool! This (pictured above) is the last diaper from the final box of diapers that I purchased a few months ago. The Scout got potty trained over President's week and pretty much was trained over night. She is of course still using diapers at night or pull ups and big girl panties during the day. She has been doing great and no accidents during the day. But this here, is the last diaper ever! Just pull ups at night from now on. In a way, I am kind of saddened by the whole thing as strange as it may sound, to think that the baby part of my life is over. It is a strange feeling to come to that realization that your baby is not a baby anymore. Boo Hoo! Ok. I am over it. But I can tell you, on the other hand, how happy I am that we don't have to buy diapers anymore. Wahoo! Saving some cash and saving the environment, well not quite, we are still using pull ups, but soon, very soon we will be out of those too! So humor me for a bit while a celebrate this strange but relevant day in my life!

Scoping Update

2008-04-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a scoping update in a while and wanted to give you a quick one. I passed my last class and have moved on to the second to the last class which is the intense computer training. So far, so good. I have had quite a bit of experience in this program before, but I am learning a lot of new things. I am on chapter three of twenty and really hoping to finish it by the end of this month. I should probably be working on it instead of blogging, but you know how it is, why work on something hard when you work on something fun! O.k. o.k. I'm going!

Earth Day Festival

2008-04-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

I just sold some of my wares at the Earth Day Festival at Southside Park here in Sac-a-tomato and I have to say it went really well! Me and a few of my Craft Mafia sisters set up shop under the trees. It was a beautiful location but so super cold. Our noses were running and my teeth were chattering as I was talking to passerbys. I shared a table with Craft Mafia sister Sophia of Simply Strands. Sophia was the best selling partner ever. She has the coolest personality and is a super talented jewelry designer. She was the coolest too over not eating her peanut butter granola bar. I totally appreciate it Sophia. You saved me from a day of hives and asthma. She has the best fused glass necklaces, so be sure to check her out! Some of the other Mafia sisters that were there included Lorrain of Rain's Embellishments, Antoinette of Creatress Designs, Amy of Peptogirl Industries and Monica and Ruby of Puppybird. All of them very talented girls.

I wish I could say that I have great pictures from the event, but alas my camera died and my spare battery decided to have a malfunction so I only got a couple of pics of our table and they are both not very good. But Amy on the other had took some fabulous pics that you can check out on her flickr. Our table looks much nicer in her pictures.

A big thanks to my friends Kirsten and Bill for coming out to visit me at the Earth Day Festival! It was nice to see familiar faces and I got to meet their cute little boys.

I made it back home not totally frozen to the core and happy over the days successes. I am going to be busting out some more paintings over the next month or so. I did get some good suggestions from customers so I will make a note and try to implement them into my paintings. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Check Out My New Card

2008-04-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

My best buddy Kim is a really great graphic artist and super talented in her Adobe Photoshop skills. I have a business card that I had printed when I started Pink Petunia Designs, but unfortunately when I ordered them, it was about 2 o'clock in the morning, and I was sleepily unaware of the fact that I had included my address on them. I know, not to smart, right. So my buddy Kim designed me some new cards with my little Pink Petunia pig on them and added some fun paper and "voila," my new cards were born. Here they are! I love them! Thanks Kim.

Marsupial Sue

2008-04-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

"Marsupial Sue a young kangaroo, hated the hopping that kangaroos do..."

You see with the Peanut sick and SpongeBob becoming my least favorite sponge in the world, (there is only so many episodes a chick can handle) I have been doing a lot of reading over the past few days with the kiddos. This book is one of my all time favorites. Marsupial Sue by John Lithgow is the cutest book about a kangaroo named Sue that is in the throwes of an identity crisis. You will laugh, you will cry but mostly you will just laugh when you read it. I highly recommend it, so march on down to Barnes and Noble or Borders or Amazon and just pick it up!

2008-04-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have a sick kiddo. The Peanut has been sick since Thursday afternoon and we have been house bound ever since. We have been watching numerous episodes of Sponge Bob and I think that we have caught his "Best of the West" special now about three times. Between the fevers and the throwing up, it has been a real fiesta around here. I took the girls out Saturday in the back yard for a little fresh air and sunshine. I am a firm believer that it can cure what ails you! The Scout played on the playset and the Peanut and I lounged in our Adirondack chairs (did I spell that right?). As much as I hate that she has been sick, our lives suddenly slowed down a little bit and I have to say it felt pretty nice to not be rushing around to baseball and girl scouts and school and meetings. I guess that I had not realized how really busy we were until we stopped for a few days. I actually got a handle on my housework and laundry and things that I meant to get to months ago that have been patiently waiting for me on my desk. I even got some paintings done for my Pay-It-Forward prizes. Three done, two to go. Peanut is finally beginning to feel better today. I kept her home from school today so that she doesn't expose any of her classmates. Their mothers will be bowing down and thanking me. I have to savor the last day of slowness until school lets out. Wait... wait... just another minute, please!

A Little Bit of Halloween in April

2008-04-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

I dug this out of the trenches. This little painting is one of my Folk Art Primitives that I did last year before Halloween. I did a set of three Halloween paintings each depicting children in costume. The first one I did was a witch that was so cute, I had to give it to my Mom for her October birthday. The other is a ghost that is still in progress; and this one depicts a little girl dressed in a kitty costume and ready to trick or treat. You can check her out on my etsy shop.

Happy 50th blog post to me! I can believe I have posted 50 times!

Some Girl Scout S.W.A.P.S

2008-04-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post the S.W.A.P.S. that my little Peanut girl scout made for her S.W.A.P. and bingo party. We had to make a total of nine. I got out all the felt and the googly eyes. She told me what she wanted to make and I helped her cut them out. Some of them she cut out herself. She glued on the googly eyes and added the smiles. The mini popsicle sticks were stir sticks courtesy of Starbucks. She even sewed the little red flower all by herself. I am so proud. The hot coco came out looking a little wonky but what do you do? They had a great time at the S.W.A.P. and bingo. The one down-side to the whole thing was that the council had set out trail mix complete with peanuts. I try not to panic but my Peanut and I both are super allergic. We always carry our epi-pens and benadryl, but it still makes me a little panicky when I start to get asthma and have trouble breathing. Luckily, we have the BEST troop leader ever and she quickly removed the ones that were at our table and assisted my little Peanut in gathering her S.W.A.P.S from the other kids and promptly put them into a little baggy. I was sad that my little Peanut couldn't keep her S.W.A.P.S from the other kids but we both couldn't chance touching them after they had been touched with kids eating peanuts. She was o.k. with it though because she got to stay with her friends and play bingo. She also won a raffle prize of a cool paint set (right up her alley)! One of my favorite S.W.A.P.S. that the Peanut got that night was a thin mint Christmas ornament made of polymer clay with the troop number and the year. She also got a bingo dabber that one of the girls had made out of a pom-pom and foam. Very creative!

Kim & Deb's Adventures Numero Tres

2008-04-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

It was that time of the month again. Time for Deb and her buddy Kim to get out on the town and have a little kid free time! We are such wild women! Here is what our date this month consisted of: A trip with three of the kiddos to visit Cass for our monthly eyebrow sugaring. My they look fantastic! Next, we went over to drop off Bubbas at Kim's parents house and got to see all of the exciting renovations going on. Her Dad is a fantastic craftsman and is making all of the cabinetry for their renovated kitchen. Wish he would come to my house! I spent many a day at Kim's parents house reeking havoc and eating all of her mom's fabulous food and Kim's chocolate chip cookies. Did I tell you that she makes the best ones! Anyway, back to the story, after we dropped off Bubbas we took Bear and Scout out to Chilis for lunch. Normally, I am not a huge fan of taking the little ones to lunch with us. It usually consists of a whole lot of me telling the Scout to sit down, quiet down, eat her lunch and behave, multiple potty trips (mainly just to see what the bathroom looks like - you know how 2 year olds are fascinated with this stuff) and not getting to enjoy my delicious lunch because I am too busy trying to reprimand my 2 year old. Let me tell you how pleasantly surprised Kim and I both were to have the most fabulous lunch ever. We actually stayed at Chilis for an hour and a half eating and talking. Bear and Scout have found the best of friends in each other and really had a great time entertaining one another. Scout found it quite hilarious that the triangle advertisement on the table seemed to fit just like a party hat and Bear had a great time eating the Chips minus the queso dip. It was so fun! Next, Kim dropped Bear back off at her folks house while I grabbed us some Starbucks and we were off to the Green Tangerine in Rocklin. Kim has been dying to take me there and I have been dying to go. I arrived and was even more in awe then I thought that I would be. This place is the Mecca of scrapbooking stores! Wowee! I couldn't wait to set my stuff down and check it out! This place has paper like you wouldn't believe. They have a digital workshop, a workshop with huge tables and a classroom as well. They even have scrappy nights on the weekend where they serve dinner and desserts. How awesome is that? During the week you can scrap in the workshop till 9 for free. Unfortunately, I could only stay two hours due to a girl scout meeting. It did take about an hour for me to take in everything in the store and to run up a $20.00 bar tab on paper. Did I tell you that the prices are really excellent. I have gone to quite a few scrapbooking stores and throwing Michael's in the list, the place is really well priced. The next hour I got to work on a rather quick (o.k. super quick) project that I have been meaning to take care of. Kim's friend Jenn showed up and was working on a really cool project for her parents anniversary. She was so nice and had a great eye for color. Kim and Jenn brought their new Cricut cutting machine that they had purchased together. This thing was so cool. I have never really seen one in action before. There were a few small mishaps with a coffee spilling and the Cricut machine not cooperating but other than that, the trip was a success. Kim is an awesome photographer and her pictures of her kids are really the best I have ever seen before. She crops and blows everything up to an 8x10 size for her layouts. The pictures are great because you can really see all the detail on Bubbas and Bear. I can't wait to see her pages all completed. So five o'clock came way to fast and I had to pack it up. Kim and Jenn were staying till 9pm that night. I have to say I was a bit envious, but girl scout duty calls. These once a month dates that Kim and I have been having, have really been so nice for both of us and I am always looking forward to the next one. We have been throwing around some good ideas for next months big adventure, so we shall see what happens! Here are a few of the pics from the Green Tangerine. Sorry the one of me is super blurry and I kinda look like a pirate with those scissors. Arrrh! Check out the size of the tables in the workshop. Great to spread out all of the goods! Here are a few of the lovely papers that I purchased!

Here is Jenn prepping for her little LOVE album for her parent's anniversary. She did a great job on it!

Kim preparing the Cricut for some serious cutting! Look at the size of the tables and the overly comfy chairs. They even have garbage cans right next to each chair. Very nice and convenient! I was impressed. If you check out my friend Kim's blog at nimmersthoughts.blogspot.com you will find her take on our adventure together and a rather old picture, circa 1992 of us in her parents hammock. Did I really dress like that? That picture was quite a surprise! Kim, this means war!!!!

You Make My Day!

2008-04-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Look at what I got awarded! This was so cool. Thank you Amy from Handmade and Homebaked for awarding me the "You Make My Day" award. I really appreciate it! She actually awarded me this last month and I embarrassingly have not payed-it-forward yet. Here are the rules for the "You Make My Day" award. You award this to blogs that inspire you and always bring a smile to your face. Once you award it. The awardee simply passes it on to five of their faves. This one is going to be hard. Have you seen how long my blog role is? They are really all my favorites, but I do have a few that make me grin when they have posted something new. Here they are in no particular order of greatness:
Sweet Jessie - I love reading this one and I am totally coveting the beautiful quilt that she made for her mom.

Bitter Betty - She always has cool WIP's and the cutest kitty that looks like my old Mrs. Cat.

Candice Carpenter- Because she has the best kits and scrapbooking savvy and I am hoping to one day be honored enough to take a class from her.

Kristen Beason Designs - Her designs include two of my favorite items - Halloween and Folk Art a great combo and an incredible artist to check out!

Nimmers Thoughts - Because she is my best buddy in the whole world and the coolest Mom on the block with her new blog!

Thank you all for having such wonderful blogs to read and for inspiring me in so many ways!

And the Winner is.....................................

2008-04-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha! Its all of you! I had five wonderful comments on my Pay-It-Forward Contest and I can't choose just three. Yes, Melissa, even your a winner too! So I will be mailing out five original crafty surprises from Pink Petunia Designs. I am still working on them, so give me about a week or so. I promise they will be great! Thank you for all of the great comments about what you would do to Pay-It-Forward. You are all incredible women with huge hearts. I wish that I could award someone $1,000 so that they could pay-it-forward how they choose, but that's for the big wigs like Oprah to give away. LOL. Winners please send me your name and mailing address to my email at debietrotti@yahoo.com and I will get your prizes to you! Please type in Pink Petunia in the subject line so that it doesn't go in my spam box. Thanks for playing and remember to pay-it-forward again!

Thank You Haworth Handmade

2008-03-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have been a little behind in my blog reading due to Easter break and the bunny and eggs and all, and finally got a few moments to catch up on the blogosphere. I was a few weeks past due so you can imagine my surprise when I opened one of my favorite blogs to read called

Under Construction and found out that I was one of the winners of her Pay-It-Forward Contest. It is written by the ever-so-talented seamstress and woodworking extraordinaire, Melissa Haworth. Also a Craft Mafia sister of mine. I was so behind in my reading that she had posted it before Easter and I had not yet seen it. So I am so excited to get a little package in the mail from her. I love reading Melissa's blog because: 1) I can totally relate to her when she tells of her toddler tales with Biscuit 2) She sells such cool stuff and is a totally talented woodworker, seamstress and crafter (as mentioned above.) 3) Her tutorials rock! - She has done two just recently on using a rotary cutter properly (which I haven't been) and one on how to make a log cabin quilt square. Both were super informative for those of us who have never made a quilt but long to be a fabulous quilter. So thanks Melissa.

So the Pay-It-Forward contest is now going to be paid forward. Please leave a comment on this post about how you would pay it forward if you were given $1,000.00, and I will draw three commenter's names out of hat on April 6 for a special surprise from Pink Petunia Designs. The only request is that you pay-it-forward to three more individuals. It can be big or small. Whatever you can do. So comment away!

What I Did On My Spring Break

2008-03-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

So I never told you what I did over Spring Break. The Peanut was off of school of course and the Trotti Family from Texas came to stay with us for the week. There was six Trotti's that came for a visit. Grandma Trotti, Aunt Trotti, Uncle Trotti and three kiddo Trottis. The week started out with a bang. We traveled to Yuba City to visit our new niece. She is already growing like a weed. We ate lots of Girl Scout Cookies and some yummy homemade chicken noodle soup and homemade french bread. We headed to the park where the menfolk played a little ball and the womenfolk attempted to put a kite in the air. It didn't really work, but it was fun trying. We ended the day with some yummy cupcakes. Thanks Brother-in-law and sister-in-law!

The next day we took a trip to Scandia. It has been a while since I have been there and it is so much fun. The guys and Aunt Trotti all went on the throw-up machine. I don't know what the name of this ride is, but that's what I call it. Remember the hammer at the carnival. Think of that but 100% bigger. Yeah, instant tummy twirler. They had a sign posted that there was no screaming allowed. WTH! O.k. no screaming, but there were a lot of funny looks as people got off this thing. The Trotti's did great. This Trotti doesn't do those types of rides. It's not that I am scared of the heights, but knowing me, I would get a splitting migraine and throw up everywhere. Just speaking from experience! That's a picture of the hubby riding solo. Poor guy! We got bracelets which allowed us to do everything there. The guys and the kids were all over the bumper boats. The bumper boats had mega squirt guns which were used, uhum, sparingly! They were soaked. Next we jumped on the go-carts where we really reeked havoc. So much fun. The manager was eyeballing us the whole time. He emphasized not running into each other and was directly looking at my hubby when he said this! So there may have been a few nudges and a few spin-outs, but it was too much fun! We next headed to the miniature golf where Grandma managed to hit a ball out onto I-80 that then proceeded to hit a car. Whoops! The Scout, who stands a giant 30 inches tall loved the golf. Her sister, who had been begging us to take her miniature golfing, lasted about 10 minutes with it and got bored. The Scout loved it. She is a lefty so it was a little difficult trying to hold the club. She decided at a certain point to just kick it down the green. It worked. When we got to the windmill she walked up and threw her ball in the hole. That works too! It was a crack-up. She would have been there all day if we let her. Here is a couple of the pics. We also did the arcade which was fairly uneventful but the kids enjoyed getting their millions of tickets for their 10 cent junk prizes.

The next day was a cool day. The guys took off and went jeeping with our old goliath of a wagoneer. The girls called it a quiet day and headed to the movies to see "Horton Hears A Who" so cute. We then went to lunch at Chilis. A nice time without the rough and tumble boys. After the guys came back from jeeping, they took off to RPM Motorsports where you can race go-carts. My husband loves this. You have to take a training class first and then you get suited up and race. Even Aunt Trotti joined them at the end of the night. Here they are in all their racing glory! Of course their night ended with hot wings at Hooters, minus Aunt Trotti. Good call, sister.

The next day we were off to Soda Springs Resort for a day in the snow! So much fun! We did a little tubing, and the guys decided to do a little snowboarding. It was so cool because the Texas Trotti kids had never been to the snow before. They loved it and the boys especially loved the snowboarding. Here is a pic of my cute husband coming in for a landing.

The next day they were on their way back to Texas. We always have a great time when we have a visit with them, and for us its always like a vacation too. I think that I am going to marry Aunt Trotti because she does the laundry when she comes and cleans up my house! LOL, and Uncle Trotti, aside from sending my husband vulgar text messages, is great too! He spent the whole afternoon at the snowpark taking the Peanut and her cousin SassyPants tubing when I gave up and went for the lodge.

So that's are Spring Break in the condensed short version. We are headed out to Arkansas next year for a week's worth of houseboating with them. Can't wait!

Eggzactly!

2008-03-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

This morning we dyed Easter eggs. We have a tradition of the hubby being in charge of the dye and me taking the photos. The girls had a great time experimenting with the double-dipped eggs, changing them into messes of beautiful vinegary color. It was fun. Here are our eggs that the girls made this year.

The Book Worm

2008-03-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here is another one of my Folk Art Primitive paintings that I finished. This piece will be up for auction for a school fundraiser at Leonardo Da Vinci K-8 in Sacramento on April 11 at their Spring Fling Parents Night Out. The school is having a silent auction as well as a art auction. The piece had to be appropriate for a school art auction so I made my little painting in the theme of reading. One of my favorite past-times! The piece reads, "Reading is a Beautiful Thing." The art piece incorporates acrylic paints, inking, vintage style paper as well as a vintage button. I am going to cross my fingers that somebody buys it. The money from the auction will help fund a scholarship program that is available to all students who attend the school.

Orange Marmalade-Ricotta Cupcakes with Yummy Frosting

2008-03-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

CUPCAKES ARE BACK! They are back with a vengence! Who doesn't love a itsy bitsy treat of heavenly goodness? I love to try out new recipes whenever I get a chance, especially ones that involve frosting. I know a lot of people may have an aversion to ricotta cheese but just try it, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised. This recipe is one that I have found in my travels (or my Cottage Living magazine) that can't be beat. Every time I make them, I get rave reviews!

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 (18.25 oz.) package of plan white or yellow cake mix. ( I always use white cake mix - Duncan Hines)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice, divided

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup orange marmalade (I like Smuckers)

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I actually use Extra Light Olive Oil - I know it sounds strange, but I like it and its good for your heart)

4 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons of orange zest

Yummy Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1 tablespoon of orange marmalade

1 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest

2 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons of orange juice

Yummy Frosting Directions:

Beat first three ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until combined. Gradually add orange juice, beating at medium speed 30 seconds or until frosting is spreadable. Beat at medium-high 30 seconds or until fluffy.

Cupcake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert paper liners into 20 muffin cups; set aside.

Beat cake mix, 1 cup of orange juice and next five ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Scrape side of bowl with spatula, and beat at medium speed 2 minutes or until batter is thick and well combined. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each liner.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Brush tops of warm cupcakes evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Let cool in pans on wire racks for five minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Spread about 1 heaping tablespoon of Yummy Frosting on each cupcake. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, up to a week in refrigerator or (unfrosted) up to six months in freezer.

Kids and adults love these!

If you love cupcakes, you may want to check out these cool blogs:

Everyday is a Holiday - Fantastic artist and great blog to read!

All Things Cupcake - If you really love cupcakes this is the place to check out!

Handmade & Homebaked - Peptogirl (Amy) is also one of my Craft Mafia sisters and super talented at everything she does!

P.S. The restaurant in the pic is in NYC. I so want to try it out!

Scoping Update

2008-03-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

I am way behind in posting once again. Here is a little scoping update. I have finished with my class on Transcript Production. Got a B on the final. Was hoping for an A, but no dice. On to my class on How To Be A Professional Scopist. I am really enjoying this one so far. I have completed six of the ten lessons and am hoping to be done by this weekend if I can get the Peanut well enough to work on it. She has got a touch of the croup. I hate that stuff. She sounds like a little barking seal. After this class I only have two more classes left and then I am finished. Yay! My boss is going to send me some practice files to try my hand at. Hopefully I will do an o.k. job on them!

Look What I Got in the Mail!!!!!

2008-03-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

I love getting mail especially when I receive an anticipated package. I received my Itsy Bitsy Giveaway gift and it is soooooo cool. If you haven't tuned in before, I won the Itsy Bitsy Giveaway from Lauren at Speckled Nest. Thank you so much Lauren, I LOVE IT!!!!!!! This is what came in the mail: The cutest little oil cloth zippered bag. Oil cloth is one of my favorite fabrics. You can wipe it down so easily, and with kids, that's a must! The bag was filled with a ton of super cool goodies. The first one is a cute round pincushion with two leaf stick pins, the second, a handy dandy Kleenex holder that is the coolest thing that I have ever seen. I have already put it to use in my purse! A set of fabric covered buttons that she has turned into magnets, also put to use immediately. It also came with a small bag of vintage style papers that have been punched to use for tags and an old sewing spool with the cutest flowered ribbon wrapped around. I was so surprised that that little pouch could hold so much stuff. Thanks again Lauren, I love it! Please check out her amazing shop at: http://speckledhen.etsy.com/

I Won!!!!

2008-02-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

I was doing my usual bit of blog reading this afternoon and happen to check out one of my favorite blogs, Speckled Nest and found that I won the Itsy Bitsy Giveaway. I was so stunned to see Pink Petunia Designs on there, I about tipped over. I never win anything so you can imagine my surprise. Lauren of Speckled Hen, the author of Speckled Nest, is also a Craft Mafia sister of mine. She is a very talented seamstress and makes everything from handbags to aprons as well as many other great finds. I can't wait to get my little prize in the mail. I will take a pic and show it off when it arrives. Thanks Speckled Hen!!!!
Please check out her blog at:
http://www.specklednest.blogspot.com/ and http://speckledhen.etsy.com/

The Tudors is Smokin

2008-02-27T23:12:00.000-08:00

Wow! Two postings in a row regarding T.V. shows. I really don't watch that much T.V., just an hour or two at night after the Scout goes night night. I love On Demand. I watch old movies on Turner Classic Movies and all the freebie movies because hey, they're free! I just saw a preview on On Demand for The Tudors under Top Picks. I tried at first to open up the one in HD, but I guess you need some sort of special box, and we don't have it. But then I found it a little further down on the list and started watching Episode 1. It is sooooooooo good. Its a little love story(o.k. big love stories, yes stories) lots of history, drama, violence. Just a little bit of everything wrapped in a blanket for you. Not to mention super hot actors - always a plus in my book. So far I am on Episode 4 and I wish that I could stay up later tonight, because I am dying to see Episode 5. So check it out if you get a chance. Its On Demand till March 5th. I guess the new season will be starting on Showtime soon. Wish I had it, but I will have to wait till the next season is On Demand again.

Quarterlife Cool

2008-02-26T23:21:00.001-08:00

Tonight was the premiere of Quarterlife. Definitely a good one. I checked it out and loved it. Check it out on Sunday. Definitely worth the watch!

The Crafty Chica

2008-02-25T22:53:00.001-08:00

I was so excited to find a comment today from the Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo who is a talented artist, author of five fabulous books, national craft columnist and has also appeared on the DIY network as well as having her own webisodes on Lifetime TV.com. She has an amazing website and blog and a list of crafty credentials that will blow you away. I just wanted to post it so you could all check out the Crafty Chica. It's the coolest thing, because I was just at the bookstore the other day and spotted two of her books and was immediately drawn to the covers to check them out. Thank you Kathy for your nice comment. It means a lot.

Her site is http://www.craftychica.com/ & http://www.thecraftychica.blogspot.com/

Nail Salon - Anjelah Johnson - Comedy Time

2008-02-22T23:47:00.001-08:00

Deb & Kim's Adventure #2

2008-02-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

My friend Kim and I decided to start a tradition last month. We got together for a kid-free outing to Chilis for lunch and then to get our eyebrows waxed from our buddy Cass. Kim and I don't get out much, so an eyebrow waxing is like a day at Disneyland. We had a blast with each other and thought we would do it again this month. I have known Kim forever and a day. We actually knew each other while still in the womb, as our mom's worked together at Sac States library. We have had many adventures together. We had a great memory that we talked about the other night, this is of course prior to being married and having little ones..... I remember partying it up with Kim at Fanny Ann's in Old Sac and I fell down the stairs (I'm super klutzy for those who don't know me) and Kim had some guy drinking a beer out of her shoe, and then we got into a pushing and shoving match with some girls on the dance floor. Thank God my kids are not quite old enough to read my blog yet. Good times. So anyway, back to our now less aggressive mommy adventures that involve an afternoon without kids. We decided to make it a once a month tradition. We don't get to see each other very often, so we both really look forward to getting together. This time we decided to catch some lunch at Felipes. Its kinda in the ghetto, but those are always the places that have the best food! We of course order bean and cheese burritos because that's what we love and then from there headed off to get our pedicures. Kim and I both talked about how long it had been since we have actually had a pedicure, and lets just say it has been a while. She was worried about her big toe that had a dollop of old polish left on it and I was worried about my unshaven legs, but we braved it anyway. The experience was.....hmmm...interesting I guess you would say. The woman that Kim had was determined to up sell Kim on getting the $44 pedicure as well as her toenails painted a "beuful red colo" and she was insistent. If you know Kim, Kim is extremely diplomatic and said, "Uh, no, I don't think I want that red, I would really like this red." The lady said, "No, no, you like beful red colo." Kim maintained her composure much better than I would and ended up taking the "beful red colo." It was really beautiful on her. The guy that I had was massaging my feet so hard that I thought that my toes were going to come off and the massage chair that I was sitting in had these magical fingers that were jabbing into my spine as well as other places that they should not have been jabbing. The polish never really dried and I smudged mine on the way out and to top it all off you couldn't use card slide and no checks, only cash...Hmmmm quite suspicious. Maybe the IRS should check them out. They of course conveniently put an ATM machine right next to the register, that charged you $1.50 for every transaction plus $2.00 that my bank charged me. So all in all the pedicure that now looks crappy was $27.00 + $3.00 tip for killing my feet. I seriously thought my feet were going to fall off last night they hurt so bad + $1.50 for the transaction fee + $2.00 from my bank charge all for a suckie pedicure. Kim and I had to balance out our lousy pedicure by getting a Starbucks next door at Barnes & Noble and when I placed my order Kim was laughing hysterically. Here is my order. I want a Venti Decaf Nonfat 6 Pump Vanilla Latte at 130 degrees please. Yes, I am one of those pain in the but people at Starbucks. So all in all are date was fun minus the adventures at the nail place and we can't wait to get together again next month. We decided we would visit The Green Tangerine http://www.mygreentangerines.com/for an evening of scrapbooking. I can't wait. Here is a little treat from U-tube per Kim's suggestion of our nail salon adventure.

Folk Art Primitives Collection

2008-02-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my newest paintings that I have added to my etsy shop. She is one of my folk art primitives collection. It combines my love of folk art as well as my love of altered art. My little primitive girl is in love with love. She is wearing a red dress made out of vintage style paper that has been embellished and distressed with inks by Tim Holtz as well as my favorite art supply, a Sharpee marker. Her hair (though hard to see in my picture) has also been embellished with my favorite art supply. I have now painted about five of these little primitives but the other four have been given away as gifts. I am trying to expand the collection a little in the next month or so. I have been working on a primitive for an auction for a school that involves books and reading. The other that I have been working on is a breast cancer primitive painting that will be auctioned and half the money donated to breast cancer research, a cause that is dear to my heart. I will post them as I finish them up. I am thinking that I really need to invest in a light box. The camera thing is just getting me down. You can't see the cool color of my paintings. This one is actually very camel in color but looks a little dark due to the bad lighting.

The Dog and Bikinis

2008-02-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

I have been promising my Dad that I was going to blog about him for the last week, so Dad, I am finally getting to it. My Dad just came back from a trip to Hawaii with his best friend Hap and Hap's son Matt. Why not my Mom you ask? You would have had to liquor her up really well to get her anywhere near the airport. It just wasn't happening. So my Dad made the trip bachelor style. They went to the Pro-Bowl and Pearl Harbor and the Missouri and took a ride in a catamaran(sorry if that's spelled wrong) all while sipping mai tais and checking out girls that were too young for them in bikinis. They had a blast. I made my Dad promise me that he would go to the office of Dog the Bounty Hunter because it is one of my favorite shows to watch and they are located on the island that they visited. Hap has been to Hawaii several times and knows the neighborhood pretty well. He followed through on his promise and got me a picture or two of Dog the Bounty Hunters office. Its so cool. I know what you are thinking? Isn't that the guy with the mullet. Yes, its him and I LOVE that show. So here is a pic of my Dad standing right in front of his office. I was really hoping that he would run into the Dog going out on a mission to catch a fugitive, but alas, there was nobody in the office. He said they ran into a couple that had knocked on the door and a guy let them in for a tour. How cool would that have been? You should have asked Dad!!!!! Well I guess that will be as close to becoming a bounty hunter as I will get. My Dad also brought us home some really cool gifts. He brought the girls two Hawaiian dolls named Niki and Loni and me an awesome shell necklace and the best gift of all a Hawaii Starbucks card that you can only get in Hawaii. He even loaded it. Thanks Dad. And of course the best gift of all according to my husband, is the Hawaiian bikini girl calendar he brought back for him. Boys! I don't know if I will be thanking him for that one, but my husband certainly is. Ha Ha.

Craziness

2008-02-17T23:01:00.001-08:00

Craziness!!!! I know.... No blogging for like a week straight. What up dog? Well, lots actually. The Peanut started Little League this last week and what fun!!!! The Peanut is only one of two girls on her team and she (to my surprise) is hustling and paying attention more than the boys out there. Most of the boys had even a few tears shed, but the Peanut, she just went out and had a great time playing. I think being in soccer this year really helped. It always amazes me how quickly kids can make friends with other kids. Adults can't even hold a small conversation with a stranger and kids just gather and in less than five minutes they have a game going and chatting it up with the other kids. Adults should take note.

On the craft front: The Sac Craft Mafia meeting was fabulous. It was a pretty small group due to a lot of the rampant illness flying around Sac town, but it was fun. I told you about our two challenges that we had. One, was to make a gavel for our current president Amy. Our Craft Mafia colors are pink and black so I definetly wanted to try to incorporate that into the challenge. I wanted to make it as crafty as possible so I headed to Michaels (I know I said that I was supposed to stay out of there, but it was for club business, so it was allowed) and picked up a few small wooden pots and a wooden thread spool. Painted them, super glued them together, added some ribbon and embellished with my favorite tool in the whole world - a Sharpee marker! It came out pretty cute. I am really not into to many wood crafts, but it came out o.k. I was surprised when they asked if anyone did the gavel challenge and I raised my hand, but nobody else did! Mine was the only one there and everybody said it turned out cute so I was pleased. Our second challenge of the night was not really a challenge, but more of a swap, a Valentine swap. It could be a card or a favor. Now, I really love anything paper, and my first reaction was to do a fantastic card, but I decided instead to do one of my paper topiaries on a small scale. I have made a few of these now, all of them rather large. They usually take me about three days to complete, but because this one was so small, I completed it in just one day. It came out cute. I still tried to use pink and black and of course hearts, its for Valentines Day. Here are a few pics. We chose names and swapped our items, so much fun. Guess what I got............. I got the most fabulous pair of heart earrings made by Craft Mafia sister Lorain of Rain's Embellishments: http://www.myspace.com/rainsembellishments & http://www.rainsembellishments.etsy.com/. Here is a pic. Aren't they awesome? Please check out her sites. She is one very talented jewelry designer! Thank you Rain!!!!!! I have worn them almost everyday since. Especially in the spirit of Valentines Day! Speaking of jewelry, the hubby gave me a huge surprise Valentines morning - a beautiful gold heart necklace with lots of bling. Wow! We usually just exchange cards with flowers or a coffee from Starbucks which I love, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw a little box next to my card. Thank you cute husband of mine!

On the scoping front: I finished my final, yea!!!!!!!!! And, I got a B. I was a little disappointed because the two questions that I missed, I second guessed myself and should have gone with my gut. I always do that on tests. But, I passed, and that is the most important thing. I already began the next class which is Transcript Production. I have been producing transcripts for reporters for over five years now so I thought this section would be a breeze, but so far, not the case. Its hard when you have to learn a different style of doing things than you are used to. So only nine chapters in this one. Hopefully, I will have it wiped out in two weeks or so.

On the personal front: I did it, I went out and chopped my hair. I have to do this every now and then. It makes me feel like I am a completely new person every time I cut my hair. My first idea was to cut it and give it either to Locks of Love or to the Pantene program for women with breast cancer, but no dice. I guess that I can't have color treated hair. It has to be au natural in order to donate, and sadly enough, I have to color mine because of my quickly becoming evident, premature graying. I know, I am only 31, but it is coming in fast and furious thanks to my great gene pool. I was bummed not to donate my hair. It seems like such a waste. I had close to nine inches taken off. Wow! So here are my before and after pics. None of them are great pics of me. It could be the light, and my lack of camera intelligence and the fact that I held the camera up and took it myself, but at least you get the idea. I brought in a picture of Jenny McCarthy. I covet her hairstyle. Isabel over at our local Ulta in Birdcage on Sunrise in Citrus Heights did a fantastic job on my cut. I have had several bobs, but this one is so nice because she thinned it out a ton so I don't look like my head exploded. Thank you Isabel at Ulta. Go visit her she is fantastic!

On the kiddo front: We finally made it to see our friends in Redding this weekend. Their daughter was turning the big 03 and the party was at a jumphouse place. Kids love it. Actually, the husband had more fun than the kids and even broke out into a full blown sweat. I was loosing my pants climbing under the poofy things on the obstacle course. So much fun. The party theme was Backyardigans. One of our daughters' fave cartoons. Here are the party masks that they passed out as favors.

We tried to avoid it, but its here, the Peanut has caught the coughing virus that is going around. I was hoping it was just hayfever, but the poor kid hasn't stopped coughing all week. I finally took her to the doctor today and they confirmed it wasn't anything to worry about. She hasn't run a fever but her chest and her throat are killing her. We sat on the couch most of the day and drank 7-up and watched about a billion Sponge Bob episodes On Demand(Thank You Comcast!!!) and then the movie Deck the Halls. Too cute. I love Danny DeVito.

O.k. so that is the week in a nut shell. On to the next one. I am really glad that tomorrow is a holiday and the office is closed and the hubby is off. I need a holiday! P.S. I am pretty sure that my spell check is not working. I know that my spelling can't be that fantastic that I don't have any misspelled words in my post, but when I hit the button nothing happens so bear with me.

I finally fixed my links

2008-02-06T00:23:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am just on an organizational overload.

Getting the carpets cleaned tomorrow
Taking the cat to the vet on Friday for vaccination update
Getting my hair chopped this weekend.
Getting my eye appointment/physical done next Tuesday

and tonight....
I finally jazzed up my blog a bit with links that actually work now. Sorry about that. You can now check out all of my favorite blogs that I read when I get a chance. Also a pic of me (not a great one) and of the Scout (did I mention that she is the comedian of the family)! Also updated the books that I am currently reading. Too cool for school. Gotta get to bed its after 12:00 and I gotta work at the Peanuts class tomorrow.

Folk Art - A love of mine!

2008-02-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

O.k. , so I procrastinated. I didn't get my paintings on etsy or on my blog last night. So tonight I am taking tons of pictures (because we know what a whiz I am with a camera; see previous posts) just to get a good shot. I experimented with lighting, flash, no flash, guides for the close-up. You can see the color difference in the two pictures. Crazy, huh, or just my bad photography. I am just not good at this stuff. So I finally get a couple of semi-decent shots and I go to load them on etsy and I continually get an error message of "ERROR SAVED IMAGE." What the heck does that mean? I tried to troubleshoot it, and after a half an hour of messing with it and consulting a "not so helpful" help menu. I gave up--but just for tonight. I will try listing them again tomorrow. Did I say that I even resized them but, no go. So here are my two folk art paintings. I love painting. I have been painting since I was a kid and many of you might think, "They look like they were done by a kid," but that is my love of folk art. I have never been into the modern or the realistic. I love folk art because it really shows each artists individuality and fun in their paintings. Folk art is always so whimsical and unpredictable. At least, that is my take on it. I have been a collector of folk art for quite some time now and have an ever expanding collection of items hanging on my walls. My all time favorite is actually hanging in my bathroom. I know, a weird place, but it fits in there. It is actually a piece that was made with old pieces of barn wood collaged together to make a great American flag. It was super expensive, but I just had to have it and bought it for myself pre-kids, pre-husband. I will always treasure it! These two pieces that I painted were of two things that I can't live without. The first one is crows, yep, crows, they are my favorite. I just love those big happy birds. They have such unique personalities and I always get a little smile when I see one on a walk in our front yard. This crow in my painting is quite the Diva. She has a silver princess crown and holds a bag in her beak from the jewelry store Tiffany's. My second painting is entitled Mamas Cookin, and it speaks for itself. Big Mama is stirring up her biscuit dough in a green bowl while wearing her favorite red and orange polka-dot dress and white utilitarian apron. How chic! This painting was inspired by all the women in my family who have a love of food and cooking for their families. If you know my family, you would know that most every gathering revolves around the meals and snacks.

So here is a couple of pics to keep you busy till I get them up in my etsy shop.

On another note, I received my final for my Medical Terminology class and it is rather easy and short, a nice change from the other two finals that I had to take in the last three months. I will let you know what my grade is soon. Hopefully good. I plan on starting my scoping business as soon as I possibly can. My friend Ruth has a few juicy cases she is working on and we talked about me scoping them. Yay!