first things first, visitors, and hell freezing over (again)

hello!
yes i'm talking to you.
{over here waving and jumping up and down}
i just wanted to say i enjoy your comments, questions, emails, tweets, and links! thank you!
seriously do you know how tempted (each day) i am to go to each one of your guys' sites and give you as much praise, love and words of encouragement that you all give to me? not only that, but some of you make me laugh real hard with your comments as well.
but, those who read on a regular basis know that i have a plentiful plate of children, home, crafts, and sanity, that makes me have to do a mass "thank you for your wonderful comments and thank you for liking my blog." right here, on a post, to all of you...
so from the bottom of my heart "THANK YOU" ;)

these two are my in-laws.
yup, i'm pretty lucky.
they are here.
in my house.
to visit and to help mr. v and co with some handy stuff
my father in law is one super handy guy.
he took care of me while mr. v and co was over seas

and because i want to be a nice d-i-l, i make them food, and pay attention to them.

i cooked a pretty good home cooked meal, and i made enough rice to feed a football team (by accident).
well that's if football teams ate rice.
anyways...i had rice coming out of my ears...and didn't know what to do with it so my s-i-l found a recipe for rice pudding using COOKED rice.

turned out pretty darn good.

so here's the recipe for rice pudding made with COOKED rice...just in case you get stuck making too much rice like i did.

{yes, insert gasp here}
yes, that would be THREE times this week i do a post with food in it.
yes, hell is freezing over
here you go:

what you will need:

2 cups of COOKED rice
3 cups of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of raisins
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

combine rice, milk, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan
bring to a boil
lower to a simmer, add raisins.

cook until all the milk is absorbed
add: cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg
cool
(please don't ask me how many it serves cause i don't know, i just know that i doubled it and now i have rice pudding coming out of my ears)

have a nice weekend. ;)

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texture and sort of like martha's pom poms

i made this pillow yesterday.
i don't know if you can tell but i'm really into texture right now.
i'm working on a new moda bake shop project which has a lot of texture.
this little throw pillow is to go with katie's quilt cover i'm making for her toddler bed. it makes sense in my head, hopefully it works out in real life...we will see.

yesterday we also played with tissue paper at my house.
the boys had lots of fun "making stuff" which later was called "mom vacuming up a lot of little pieces of tissue paper..yay...fun". katie just thought it was fun to step and jump on it all the while screaming "oh no! oh no!" wierd girl.
my final product were these pom poms using this tutorial.
wonderful!
i've been eyeing the martha stewart pom poms but couldn't justify $10 for tissue paper. mine cost around $3 and could make 9. i only made six so i guess it cost me less than that...like... ouch my head hurts...use a calculator...$1.98.
but with the ones the boys used i guess that goes up to $3...still a bargain if you ask me.
"now that's a good thing"

good eats from the garden

this post is mainly for my organic eating, healthy living, excersing, just recently cell phone using, hispanic, spitfire of a mother...first off to wish her a happy birthday, but also so verify that once again i am taking good care of her grandchildren and making them eat things that aren't fully processed comes out of an aerosol can and looks fluorescent orange. can i just say one thing here?

i have peas coming out of everywhere. i mean it, i haven't been this regular in years.

had i known how many stinkin' peas i would get from one plant let alone two whole damn rows of plants i probably would of re-thought how many of those little boogers i put into the ground.

we planted two kinds:

"early frostys" (which the kids and i just sit and pick and eat right then and there)

and "oregon sugar pods" (which i currently can't keep up with and find myself swearing every time i go out there to go pick some more...i mean how many ways can i steam and saute these blasted things?)

so see mom your grand kids are eating super healthy and are super regular.

comments closed

happy birthday

to the husband
because he was over seas, i made everything he hated for his birthday last year. we did this so he wouldn't be sad that he couldn't be here.

but this year with him being with us, we had to opportunity to do the birthday tradition of making the very infamous ice cream birthday cake that all the kids in my husband's family got to have for their birthday growing up and one that i've sort of kept going for him in our family.

now my husband being the #5 of 5 kids, didn't know there was any other way and thought all the boys and girls throughout the universe had this cake for their birthday.

so hence we have the vanilla with pink lemonade concentrate ice cream cake with graham cracker crust.

a few days ago i asked "do we have to do pink lemonade in it?"

the look on his face was as if someone had just told him that santa clause didn't exsist or that the sun won't rise tomorrow.

it wasn't till that moment after 34 years of having the "ice cream cake with pink lemonade" that the thought occurred to him "wait i have options?"

we did apple raspberry concentrate instead of pink lemonade.

the verdict:

the husband and kids all love it better.

what i learned from this little incident...after 11 and half years being married to my husband, i just assumed that he loved the pink lemonade in the cake...and...

my husband after 34 years of going to the grocery store never once thought..."hey, there's other juice concentrates in the frozen section."

happy birthday to the man who keeps me laughing every.single.dang.day.

i love you.

edited: here you go you complaining bunch of nancys! ;) the recipe:

but instead of pink lemonade subsitute for your choice of berry concentrate.

enjoy
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it just wasn't completely right

one thing is for sure: take a picture of your room and everything you like about it will be highlighted as well as everything you DON'T like about it.
it was all bugging me and i didn't know how to make it better. so i started to play with things.
one thing that bugs me is the green wall. i want it tan. mainly because it's the past owners green wall not mine. when i get to it i think it will make my room look a little more like what i am envisioning.

i looked all around to see what i could do and i came up with this for now. baskets on the wall like in my laundry room. the serving plate's been around for a while but i spray painted it white so it would go with the neutral theme i was going for.

the quilt was bugging me too so now it rest nicely on the chair ready for use when the fall and winter months hit. the wreath i hung from the rack i think helps not take away from the armoire.

all is now well in my picture. for the time being that is. (well except for the cords that i'm working on disguising by the armiore.)

have a great weekend.

we get another one at home and let me tell you we're relaxing this time around!

armoire before and after

so i mentioned that i went to home depot last weekend and that i've been working on a project that i've procrastinated on for quite some time...
i got some paint and finally got to it...

when i bought this armoire from a friend 5 (or was it 6?) years ago, my intention was to get it and immediately paint it a cream or fire engine red. well, just shortly after i got it our marathon of moves started to happen due to the army... and after so many years we are finally sort of feeling settled here in the middle of nowhere.i used "behr ivory" and then with a power sander sanded the edges. the final step was to get a stain on it to give it the more dirty worn white look. i used the "american walnut" polyurethane stain.

yes i know, that would be the quilt that usually goes in my daughter's room. for now it hangs pretty here and the nine patch i just got back from the quilter is hanging in her room. i already know what i want to do for a quilt here...oh yes, the wheels are turning, i'll show you as it progresses.

i changed things around for more cheery colors. see there's one of my milk glass and of course my two most favorite prints in the world in hoops.

yes i think the white makes it a little more updated and i like how it brightens things up.

next on the list:

recovering my 12 and half year old couches...but it might just take me another good 5 years to get around to that big project...and by then, couldn't i justify new ones?

adding white and neutrals

i like color.

you could almost say i'm a "colorful" kind of gal...actually i think someone has even described me as "colorful" in the past.

or was that "interesting"?

whatever the case i like color. and my house used to be all color and no "light". but the trend in my house these days seems to be leaning the other way, of a lot of "light" has been added.

you can see it in my quilts.

my furniture that i paint seems to reflect this as well.

i've even started a new obsession of white and milk glass. especially when found at a second hand store for $1.50 it most definitely becomes an obsession to find more of it.

just recently i changed my main color of my bedding to white. (the quilt in my header sits at the end of my bed so there is a little bit of color there.) katie's room, with as much color that she has...she does have a couple of white painted furniture and white plates.

and while the color is still found in my home, (maybe i'll do a post of all the color in my house next)...i am starting to see some more lights and neutrals.

as for my personality i think it's most defitnitely still heavy on the "colorful" side.

new way to hang plates 101

i love plates being on walls.
i wrote a whole post about it once.
but i hate the gross brassy plate hangers that help keep them up on the wall.

so i tried something new until i can get my hands on some of these:Invisible English Plate Hanger Disc-4 Inch (For Plates 8 to 12 Inches in Diameter)

*i got the hot glue gun out and some ribbon. (any ribbon or scraps of thinly cut fabric will work. i've tried both)

*once i put a nice dab of hot glue on the plate (on the rough part of the plate) and placed my ribbon on the hot glue, i then put another glob of hot glue on top just to seal it up a little more.

*i then went ahead and hung up my plates without the brassiness nastiness (please don't spell check that...i'm sure it's all kinds of wrong)

*****

i tried this a few weeks ago and waited to post it till now after i made sure that if you did try it, we wouldn't have crashing plates falling because of my suggestion. so far the hot glue has held up its side of the bargain at least in the small plate deal.

but i most definitely do not suggest hanging large frames this way or say 50lb mirrors...that would be just plain silly.

*if you are nervous about using hot glue you can always use stronger stuff like crazy glue or epoxy glue.

******

so remember:

*small plates= yes on the hot glued ribbon or fabric

*large 50lb frames or mirrors= stupid and silly to even try the hot glue idea.

don't say i didn't warn you.

let me know if you try it!
and i'll post when i get my
Invisible English Plate Hanger Disc-4 Inch (For Plates 8 to 12 Inches in Diameter)
and thell you how it works!

our weekend

we, for some reason this summer, haven't been able to spend too many weekends just being home.
this weekend was completely different, we didn't really go anywhere.

well we did make one trip to home depot.

name of the game this weekend...operation lets do some of the things we've been meaning to do for a long time all in two days.

that included:

*spreading a weed control plastic blanket in the kid's play area

*spreading 90 bags of bark (and we still could use some more!) in the kid's area

*mr v and co finished the sand box cover and we added more sand into the sand box that mr v and co made over two years ago.

*i bought paint (oh yes i did) to finally do a project i've been meaning to do for over 5 years now. (pictures to come later on this week)
*i made a new header for the blog. after seeing my friend melissa's new header i had to get on it and make one for myself. (you can make your own mosaic here.)

we did a fire pit and then let the boys camp in our back yard. they've been wanting to do this ever since we let them sleep on the trampoline a few nights earlier this summer.
little miss thing wanted to be part of the camping experience as well.

katie tried she really did, but with all the excitement i think it was too much for her. around 10:30 we told her she had to go inside and try to fall asleep in her own bed. she didn't like it, but finally gave in to the dark side and conked out.

all in all we had a good hard working weekend and i'm sore to prove it.

tutorial: fabric strawberries

yes, yes, this would be my latest tutorial for moda.

go and see the whole tutorial and please go leave me some love over at the moda bake shop.

have a "sweet" weekend.

we're enjoying ours at home.

just how we like it.

winners and a tutorial

random picture to keep things interesting

and the winner of the auti dress is:
# 10 daysgoby who said:
"I love the dresses - I tried making one of those and I'm SO MUCH BETTER OFF buying one - especially when there are such cute fabrics!"


well it's your lucky day cause the random # generator picked your#!
if you could just email me at vanessa[dot]christenson[at]gmail[dot]com so i can foward your email to brandy, that would be great.

and because i want to give a few more of you a thank you for supporting our crafty mom, i'm giving away three of my ruffle pillow pattern:
the winners to the ruffle pillow patterns are:
#120 carol
#193 carolyn
#58 cara who i'll contact because she didn't leave a link

thanks for playing and thanks for supporting!

news on my homefront:
there will be a new tutorial tomorrow
i'm tingling with anticipation and i'm hoping you will like it.
come back tomorrow for sure!

you may call him cow whisperer

cow whisperer formerly known as GI joe husband: hey there meatloaf.

meatloaf: hey there dude who's totally not going to kill me cause he's getting soft around the edges and totally falling for my evil plan of being all cute only while he's looking.

cow whisperer formerly known as GI joe husband: hey so i was thinking...

meatloaf: yeah?

cow whisperer formerly known as GI joe husband: do you know why i bought you?

meatloaf: dude, i don't like to think about that. not a happy thought maker you know?

cow whisperer: yeah, well i'm starting to have my doubts.

meatloaf: oh yeah? (hehehe, i have been sooooo working you)

cow whisperer: yeah, i mean i totally feel like i can talk to you...and while i work out in the yard you follow me around...you make me feel loved, you know?

meatloaf: dude don't get me wrong but i'm working you, and by the way you are talking it's going to plan. but see that chick over there with the camera. she's not buying it...so what cha gonna do?

chick behind the camera not getting worked over by the cow: uh jake? what do you think you're doing? didn't anyone tell you you aren't suppose to make friends with your food?

cow whisperer: i know but look at how cute he is.

chick behind the camera not getting worked over by the cow: are you kidding me? he's soo working you.

cow whisperer: yeah, but look he's licking me. he likes me...and i think we understand each other. i think i've taken the mean streak out of him.

chick behind the camera: oh my hellvens jake! so what are you? jake PhD in marriage and family therapy AND COWS? "come see me if you are having issues in your marriage or if you aren't getting along with your cow?"

cow whisperer: i kind of like the sound of that.

meatloaf to sloppy joe: hey dude i think we've won the dude over but that chick's going to be a problem...can you create a distraction while i take her out?

chick behind the camera to cow whisperer: i don't like how they are looking at me.

cow whisperer: yeah, they don't look at me like that. huh...that's funny.

chick behind the camera: yeah i don't like it.

have a great weekend

come back on monday we're having a sponsor giveaway.

that's if i make it without any "accidents" that the cows i swear are planning.

my first quilt

camille over at simplify is having a parade of quilts. we are to show off our first quilt and then our last quilt we've completed.

so here it is, in all it's glory. my first quilt. it is a rag quilt and i along with 5 other women all walked away with the same quilt. i will forever hold on to this quilt for it reminds me of how stressed out i was (so stressed out i probably had diarrhea) just thinking about attempting this quilt, but with the help of my friends i was able to accomplish my first quilt of many to come and to realize i can do this.

this one is my quilt most recently completed in my house. i have some waiting to be quilted at the quilters , and i made the one for the moda bake shop...but this one is mine all mine and lives at the end of my bed and is completely loved

but this is my most recently "quilty" project that i finished, the dresden plate. i was proud to get out of my comfort zone of squares and triangles. and super excited that i don't get diarrhea every time i try something new anymore.

pleated ruffle and smocking

i've been doing some custom orders as of late.
those kind of stress me out.
see, it's easier to make something up, like it and then present it...
have others like and ta-da! all is good.
then it's another thing to have someone want something, give you material have an idea of what they want or even better say "i trust you" and then let you go to town.
in this picture i was responsible of making up 2 pillow shams (and bind the quilt, and make a decorative pillow that was gathered...not shown.)

what i came up with was the "pleated ruffle" small enough to give it some femininity but not over power it with too much ruffle.

when i saw the quilt i thought that if i did anything that would compete with it, it would turn out to be too much. i try to take into consideration the person i'm making things for. she's "ruffle-y" but not too much. :)

i wonder what i would be...in the ruffle dept?a few of you asked how i got katie's 4th of july dress done so fast...
as much as i would love to take credit for the smocking on katie's dress...i cannot.

but that's good news, cause that means that there is pre-smocked fabric out there (mine was from walmart...remember out in the middle of nowhere that's all i got)
and all i did was while in the store, wrap the fabric around katie and then told the attendant to cut it right where i needed it. came home sewed it up (not needing to measure or cut anything because i did it at the store already!) then i took left over ribbon and sewed them on for straps. super fast and seriously took about 4 minutes.
i'm keeping my eye out for more of that kind of fabric because seriously, sooo cheap and soo cute and sooo okay if it gets raggedly worn out. total for the dress was (including ribbon) $3

in other news...

the garden is a growing

we've had unseasonably cold weather out here

but...

we have little white flowers

and that means yummy pickings

soon.

not bad for two sea level city folk wetting their feet of the country life gardening above 7000 ft.

4th of july dress

i made it yesterday...and yeah it fits perfectly so she can wear it today.

we will be celebrating it out in the middle of nowhere...small town style...with neighboring friends, home cookin' and BBQ-ing, and lets not forget the fireworks (that are probably not legal but you didn't read it here.)

recipe for some gooooood times.

thanks to all those serving right now, who have served in the past, and those who are getting ready to serve and to their spouses... thank you for your service to ensure that i can enjoy this wonderful day with my family.

happy 4th of July

i think it's turned into my most favorite holiday...

we interrupt all crafty blogging

due to family being here.

my sis in law and her husband are here from california.

a little bit of grilling,

a little bit of smore-ing,

a little bit of site seeing,

and a whole heck of a lot of

rockband-ing