Lowe’s Creative Ideas…

I love getting my Lowe’s Creative Ideas magazine in the mail.  It has so many great project ideas and best of all….it’s FREE!  You can subscribe here to get  free issues delivered to your mailbox also.

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Outdoor Halloween Trees..

My sisters-in-law and I are planning a Halloween Party.  And what’s a Halloween Party without the decorations?  And this Halloween Project is a real no brainer.  All you need are some branches, spray paint and a container to put them in.  And of course the best part is decorating the trees.  I won’t be decorating mine until the day of our Halloween Party so for now mine are naked!!!

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P’nut Butter and Jelly Cookies…

I absolutely LOVE peanut butter cookies…and I LOVE the 3-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe for these cookies.  And what could make these even better????   Blackberry Jelly!!!   My friend Gina gave me some jelly she made with blackberries she grew.  The weird thing is…I HATE blackberries.  Not the taste, but the seeds- the good thing about the jelly is that it doesn’t have seeds.

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Shortcut Strawberry Shortcake…

What do you do when you’re suffering from a head cold and it’s pouring down rain outside? Why, what else…you cook!!  And this shortcut cake is so easy to make you can even do it with medication running through your body…

But first an introduction…

Meet my friends helping me today- Rawleigh’s Medicated Ointment and Coca-Cola!!!

With enough Coke flowing through your veins and medicated salve on your forehead you can conquer the world!!  Well, at least a cake.   Now on with the recipe!!

Bake your cake according to the instructions on the box.  I used Pillsbury’s Butter Cake mix.

I then mashed about 2 cups of strawberries with a couple tablespoons of sugar.

This will create a wonderful and tasty syrup.

Once you spread the berries put the cake in the freezer for 10 to 15 mins.

This will make the strawberries stay in place while spreading the frosting.

Outdoor Party- Finally!…

OK, OK…so my son’s 19th b-day party was in May.  It’s now July and I’m just getting around to posting the pics.  You can see how I prepared for this party in part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5.

I started off by making bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers.  Nothing fancy. I  just split them in half and clean out the seeds. I then made the filling for them.  I used shredded cheddar cheese and mixed it with cream cheese.  I filled the jalapenos with the mixture and wrapped them with the bacon.  I then baked them for 10-15 mins. in a 450 degree oven.  I didn’t take an after picture but you can imagine how delicious they looked.  This wasn’t all I made  but I forgot to take pics of the other “treats” we had.

I then proceeded to make a cake.

Chase plays the guitar so I used one of his as my model.

My husband then suggested using Chase’s Flying V as the model.

Much better!  Thanks Mr. C.!!

I am in no way a cake decorator so this was the end result.  Not bad for my first decorated cake..not great either but not bad.

It was very moist and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Here Chase is blowing out his candles.

And Chase enjoying his cake.  MMMMM Good!

I had the kids at the party pose in the field beside our house.  I thought this would make such a great picture.

I love the old house in the background.  See my cute little nephew Jake in the far right posing?

He’s such a ham!!  And I love it!!

And lastly my son, JR, gives his little brother a birthday hug.  AWWWWW

Happy 19th B-day Chase!!!

Snake Bubbles, Cupcakes and a Ghetto Slip-N-Slide…

Happy 4th of July…  I hope everyone had a great day…  I know I did.  We had friends and family over for a cookout.  I absolutely love getting together with family.  When we get together its always a lot of fun.  We eat way too much, laugh too loud and have a blast!!  Here are a few pics of our 4th of July!!!

I started out by making tie dye cupcakes. Click HERE for a great tutorial at Skip to my Lou.

I frosted mine with a cool whip/white chocolate pudding mix instead of frosting.  I mixed white chocolate pudding with 1 cup milk and beat it with a mixer.  This will be thick.  I then mixed it into my thawed cool whip.  I refrigerated it after I mixed it until I got ready to frost the cupcakes.  I then decorated them with sliced strawberries and blueberries.

My cute niece, Makayla, thoroughly enjoyed the pinwheels on the cupcakes.

The cupcakes are a huge hit!!!

I found the tutorial for these water bottle bubble blowers HERE at How Does She?  These make the longest “snake bubbles” I’ve ever seen.  Jake and Sydney try them out with great success.

Chase entertained us with some tunes.

My niece, Kendall, gets the Ghetto Slip-N-Slide ready!!!

Don’t be jealous of our slip-n-slide…you can make one yourself.  Just lay down a tarp, turn on the sprinkler and find some kids that REALLY want to cool off!!!

This is how we spent our 4th…how was yours???

Preparing for an Outdoor Party- Part 4…

This next step I modified…mainly because I ran out of time.  Instead of getting drop cloths and making cute tablecloths, I purchased $4.00 twin flat sheets at Wal-Mart and called it a day.  I paired them with a long olive green table cloth I had and said…looks good to me!!!  I made the long table by stacking Rubbermaid containers from my basement and 2 closet doors I had…And Voila!!!  An extra long table.

1. Plant Flowers
2. Paint Wicker Furniture
3. Make Lanterns
4. Fix and Paint Picnic Table
5. Make Drop Cloth Tablecloths or Buy Flat Sheets from Wal-Mart
   
6. Make Drop Cloth Drapes for Back Porch

If you don’t have sawhorses containers can work wonders.

I used 2 long closet doors as the table tops.  Remember to remove the door knobs.

Once you cover up the containers and doors you’ll never guess it isn’t a “real” table..

Preparing For An Outdoor Party- Part 3…

The next step in preparing for the outdoor party…painting the picnic table.  I found some “Ooops” paint at Ace Hardware for $5.00.  The name of the paint wasn’t on the can.  Just a sample of the color.  It looks like a deep red to me.  Not too bright…not too dark.  I lightly sanded the table and then washed it off with some “Greased Lightening”.  My son, Chase, and Mr. C. used some L brackets to make the table more sturdy and my youngest son, Tre’, helped me paint it.  I love the look.  I only wanted the seats and tabletop painted red.  I love the look of the painted and unpainted wood together.

1. Plant Flowers
2. Paint Wicker Furniture
3. Make Lanterns
4. Fix and Paint Picnic Table
5. Make Drop Cloth Tablecloths
6. Make Drop Cloth Drapes for Back Porch

Mason Jar Lanterns- Round 2…

In my previous post- “Preparing For An Outdoor Party- Part 2” -  I used salt in my lanterns.  I liked the look but wasn’t crazy about it.  It was too beachy for me.  Well, I searched the internet for a better idea and I found it…  Use bird seed.  I love the look…it’s more earthy to me.  I hope you like it too.

Before

After

Preparing For An Outdoor Party- Part 2…

My next step in preparing for the outdoor party…the lighting.  I found the best tutorial for Mason Jar Lanterns at Chez Beeper Bebe. They have a printable tutorial for these wonderful Lanterns. One more thing I can mark off my list.

1. Plant Flowers
2. Paint Wicker Furniture
3. Make Lanterns
4. Fix and Paint Picnic Table
5. Make Drop Cloth Tablecloths
6. Make Drop Cloth Drapes for Back Porch

18 gauge galvanized wire

Spaghetti sauce, salsa and mason jars

I used salt (cheap) and scented candles

You can get the printable tutorial at Chez Beeper Bebe.