A Busty Girls BFF...

I've been blessed (cursed?) with both my grandmother's curves.  Had I been born in the Victorian era, I may have been famous, however, in this era of stick straight little-boy-bodied models, clothes do not always hang like they should.

Meet the enemy (a.k.a. my very favorite shirt...)

Button downs tend to gape open at the third and fourth button for a girl like me.  For years, I pined over shirts that I couldn't wear because I refused REFUSED to go up a size and sport the boxy look.  Now, I have a tool for all of us out there struggling with our "girls." 

You can find your own packet of velcro dots in the craft department at your local Wal-mart.

Just open the pack, attach the velcro in places where your shirt would typically bulge open and voila!  Enjoy the brand new straight and narrow of a buttoned down shirt!

Unlikely BFF of the week...

Meet my new and very unlikey BFF - Body by Vi shake.  Today's version was Berry Cobbler (2 scoops of mix, 1/4 cup of berries, 8 oz. skim milk, 1 tsp vanilla, few tablespoons crushed graham crackers.)  Much like the addiction that Diet Coke has among women, I have become addicted to this.  Around 11am the craving hits - and I have never, repeat never wanted to drink my lunch - ever.  So this is something new - and so healthy.

I am in love!

Easter Eggs

This year I was ready.  I set the table in advance, with two separate dying stations - covering the entire table with kraft paper and paper towels.  I labeled the mugs at each station so that everyone knew which color was which, and set out two separate drying crates.  Martha herself would have been impressed. 

The boys quickly got to work, making the typical (read: acceptable) colored eggs at first ...

This eventually became a contest of who could create the GROSSEST egg ever - which translates into who can make the darkest brown or black egg...

And then the excitement really begins ...  See those glinty, mischievious eyes?

And in these moments, I quietly wonder to myself what little girls decorating eggs might be doing right about now ... Would they be dying pink and purple eggs? Maybe a pretty shade of robin's egg blue? Hmmmm..... 

But then at some point the squealing and screaching would begin, and so I will take brown and black eggs any day.  Who needs pink and purple eggs?  Not me!







Only in the South ...

I pass this sign every time I go to my mom's and it is always, always there. 

Does that mean they always have rabbits and bunnies for sale?  Now that I think about it, the bunnies become rabbits - and those 2nd generation rabbits make new bunnies - and man, if they don't sell some of these rabbits and bunnies - they are going to be eaten out of house and home. 

By the way - they also have a snarling dog chained up somewhere in their yard.  He is not for sale.  I didn't know about him until I snuck onto their property, camera in hand. 

It's a dangerous world out there, in the land of rabbits and bunnies. 

My advice to you is to keep your tail tucked in while scampering off of someone's property, way out in the boonies.  A girl always needs a good escape plan - and this one's worked for me every single time.

For kids who won't eat their vegetables ...

This was a super easy kid's snack for the Easter parties at Owen and Miles' school.

This is what you need:
Clear party favor bags (cellophane bags)
Scotch Tape
Green curling ribbon
Family size bag(s)* of Cheetohs (or Pepperidge Farm Goldfish)
Large Bowl and Scoop
Basket for delivering - makes it super cute!
I used 2 entire bags of Family Size Cheetohs to make 42 carrots.

This is what you do:
To make the rectangular cellophane bags into a cone shape, fold only 1 bottom corner to meet up with the opposing edge (about 1 inch up) of the cellophane bag. You should have a right angle.  Tape in a couple of places to hold the cone shape. This will give you the cone look you need to make the "carrots."  I recommend doing this step first, because it takes awhile when you are doing 42 carrots.  I apologize for not having a photo of this - but because of the glare on the cellophane bags, you wouldn't quite be able to see what I was doing anyway - and that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Next, dump your Cheetohs into a huge bowl, find your scoop and get rollin' sister, cause time's a wastin'!

Pour 1 full-size scoop into each bag, tie off with the ribbon and curl.  Keep going until you have all of your carrots finished and then stack into a basket. 

Be ready for ooh's and ahh's when you walk through the front office and halls of the school.  Be prepared for all of the puppy dog eyes and whimpers and cheesy "gimme one!" grins that you will pass along the way to the classroom.  Then prepared to be mauled by the kids in your child's class - cause they know the treats are for them - and they do not want to wait until the party starts.  Basically, prepare to be a hero - or heroine, whatever the case may be. 

(Malachi Brundage, Rees Bendetti and Owen)

This is why it is worth it - see that grin on my oldest youngin' and his pals - this is why mamas do what they do - and this is why ever 6 weeks my miracle worker angel friend, Kristen Kessler, does what she does when she covers up every single grey hair I sprouted from the stress of doing all of this craziness!  Thank goodness for her too!

Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies ...

Recently, we attended a Blue & Gold ceremony for the Boy Scouts.  One of the leaders made this recipe and I raved over how light and buttery the cookies were.  (In fact ... they tasted almost just like my Great Grandma's absent, yet extremely coveted recipe!)  Because they tasted so closely to Great Grandma's (and because I have spent a great deal of my adult life searching for anything resembling her cookies), I promptly hurried home to make my very own batch.

Final verdict ... they aren't Great Grandma's, but they were very yummy!  Light and buttery and gone in a flash!

(The search continues ...)  

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

• 1 box favorite Duncan Hines cake mix
• Optional 1 bag of chocolate chips
• 1 jumbo egg
• 1 stick softened butter or margarine

Baking Instructions:

1. Empty Duncan Hines Cake Mix in a large bowl.
2. Add in jumbo egg.
3. Plus the slightly softened butter.
4. Add chocolate chips.
4. Mix until combined.
5. Place dough by spoonful on greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes, 7 for chewy, 10 for crisp and brown.

Easy Wedge Salad

Sunday nights are good for two things - having the fam over for dinner or for getting together with our chummy lil' church home group. 

Recently, I had my parents over for dinner and served this simple and delish Wedge Salad...

Here's what you need:

1 head of Iceberg Lettuce

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning

1 cup of mayonaise

1 cup of buttermilk 

1 packet of bacon, fried

Salt/pepper to taste

Mix together the mayonaise and ranch seasoning packet, then add in buttermilk.  Pour into a gravy boat and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Fry up bacon until crispy.  Crumble and set aside.

Remove the core from the lettuce (I whack mine hard on the countertop, core facing downward so that it gets the full impact of the blow.  Learned this little skill from my mama!)  This little step usually loosens the core enough to remove it easily. 

Peel off the wilted outer layers of lettuce, wash the core and let dry. 

Then slice lettuce head in half, then in half again until you have pretty little petite wedges, if you have a large group.  You can slice them larger if this is your main course (for a girl's lunch, of course.)

Arrange wedges on a long platter, drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with bacon crumbles.

Voila!