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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

IT NEVER FAILS

Well a big HOWDY from Texas! LOL Hope ya’ll are doing good this morning! I am doing well… my plants are good, my kids are good, and my house is getting a little back to normal. Ok, Jean… whatcha talking about that the “Spunky Renee is on vacation?? I happen to be right here thank you very much! LOL!

Ok so remember how I said it was gonna be a lazy day yesterday? Well… it wasn’t. It never fails that I can’t sit still long enough to “relax” if you will. I always have to be doing something and yesterday was no different. I started by looking up lemon stuff on the computer but not finding much for that. SOOO I got annoyed, got up and dressed and went window shopping. I picked up some cat food at Petsmart then I went to Hobby Lobby. They didn’t have lemon anything except 1 overpriced, fake plastic lemon!



I did however get an idea for the centerpieces one of my customers wants me to make. She was telling me how the party is going to be black and either gold or silver… she couldn’t make up her mind. So it was a little frustrating for me with no determined color scheme. Well when I was walking around the store I saw these centerpieces of flowers in colored terra cotta pots. Hmmm… ok lets think classic… weddings, anniversaries, etc. What do they all have in common? Black & White! So I painted a small Terra Cotta gold, used white silk roses with black and gold tiny buds and added some silver star garland rolled in spirals. I might add some ribbon but I’m not quite sure yet. What do you think? Is it pretty and classy or funky and tacky?



Ok, so remember I told you I want to do my kitchen in the Lemon theme? Well I am trying anyway. After Hobby Lobby, I wandered to the next store into the hardware, paints, etc. I was looking at the paint sample cards. I found one called “Lemon Peel” and I fell in love! That is the paint color for my kitchen! I got a quart mixed up for me and then paid and left. Let me tell ya, its pretty bright! LOL… This picture just shows the first step… I will post new pictures each time its updated until its done.

Then I got some gas for the car and went and picked up the kiddos. I put together the centerpiece and was going to clean some more when I get real faint and had to sit down. My head hurt, I was ill to my stomach, and it was just like someone hit me with a bag of bricks. OOOPPS. Uh silly me forgot to take my meds that morning or eat all day… uh oh… so I tested my sugars, which were a naughty really low. Ok, stop what I’m doing and get to munching… starting with a candy bar! Good thing I have secret stash LOL… but honestly it was like eating mud… not very appetizing!

So, what’s on tap for today you might ask. Well, I figured after the kids get done in the doctor’s office, I might stop buy Pier 1 or Ikea or whatever it is down the road and see if maybe THEY have lemon stuff. The kids only have a half day today, so I’m not even gonna rush and try to get them back before school lets out. Maybe I should take them to the beach or something… its supposed to be a beautiful day and it shouldn’t be too crowded being a weekday. Hmmm… it’s a thought. After we’re done in Galveston with whatever we plan to do, I figured I would come back and paint more in the kitchen and maybe do some planting. Tomorrow starts April Autism Awareness, so I also have to clear out the table so I can do some mass sewing! My daughter is letting me use her machine… isn’t she so sweet? I was thinking about maybe putting a link on here so that my readers can buy some of the stuff if they wanted. What do you think? Would you like that? Remember, I contribute part of the purchase price to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation.

Ok so, while I was painting my kitchen yesterday, I got to reminiscing about when my DD was little and always wanted to help me in the kitchen when I was making cakes, cookies, etc. It was more like she just wanted to lick the bowls LOL, but to her it was helping! Then of course she’d get batter all over her and we’d have to change clothes. Well that made me look at aprons… and it inspired today’s craft. And the artisan just “happened” to use a dish towel with, of all things… LEMONS! LMAO! Go figure! So if you have little kids, grandkids, etc. who like to help you in the kitchen, try this one on for size… kids size! LOL!



Craft Idea of the Day: Kids Dish Towel Apron

Supplies:

1 dishtowel (mine measured 18" x 28")
one package of double fold bias tape--extra wide
thread to match
ribbon or trim (optional)

Instructions:

Lay out the dishtowel with the shorter edge on top and measure 4 inches in from each top edge, and measure 9 inches down each side edge. Draw a line between these two marks and cut on the line using scissors or a rotary cutter.

This is when you would add any ribbon or trim. In this example, it is added at the top and the bottom of the apron.

Now you need to open up your bias tape and pin it to the edges of the apron.

You will want to pin the bias tape to the apron so that there is a 15-inch neck hole and 22-inches of bias-tape hanging at each edge for ties. Now you can sew the bias tape to the apron.

Now fold your bias-tape over to the back of the apron (the neck-hole and tie bias-tape pieces will be sewn to themselves) and sew.

Finish the edge of the apron with a parallel seam and you are done!

I just thought that was the cutest thing. It would also go great if you bought a young girl her first easy bake over, or something like that. It would be a great gift for all kinds of events even if you don’t have kids of your own, but know someone who does.

Ok, now as you know, after our beloved crafts, its time to eat! WOOHOO! I love this part LOL! Well it’s casserole week peeps! So today I am bringing you another super delish pan of homemade yumminess!



Delicious Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients
4 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves
2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cup cooked rice
6 ounces sour cream
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed broccoli & cheese soup
1 (16 ounce) bag of frozen broccoli florets, thawed/drained
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups crushed buttery round crackers
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Bring to a boil the chicken breasts, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and enough water to cover. Cover, reduce heat to medium low; simmer for 35 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup liquid. Cool chicken, remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-size pieces.

3. In a large bowl, stir together sour cream, soups, broth, onion powder, garlic powder, cheese, broccoli, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in cooked rice and chicken. Spoon mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish. In a resealable bag, shake together crushed crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle crackers over the top.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Ok I’m drooling already! YUMMY! Ok folks, I’m gonna hop on off of here and wake the kids for their doctor appointments this morning so I can get on the road. I will be talking to you all tomorrow… same blog time… same blog channel! Peace, Love, and lots of HUGS!

2 comments:

  1. Whats with the schools making kids go for half a day? They started that stuff when my kids were school age. I think its ridiculous! If the school districts need to cover teacher in-service days then take the WHOLE day. Its tough for parents to cover a half day of school then have to be there with the kids the other half, not to mention bosses of the parents that work dont get the full-time employee they need. I'm sure parents these days dont appreciate the inconvience this "half day" causes. By the time you get the kids to the school, two hours later you have to turn around and pick them back up. Like I said, "ridiculous"!
    I wish chicken thighs were as versatile as chicken breasts. My DH doesn't like the breast meat no matter how you cook it. And the thighs just dont work the same in some dishes, especially if the recipe calls for the whole breast to be left whole. Maybe I will try this recipe with the thighs and see how it turns out. Wish me luck.

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  2. hellooooo Renee'
    i thought maybe to me you sounded a bit quiet 2 days ago. but today, you sound normal .
    wonder how I can hear you on here LOL LOL
    i dont know.... it is just me.
    i will check around for lemons too.
    j

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