Test Picture

Ok, I can get pictures from my computer onto the blog, but not from my phone to the blog.  I downloaded the Google plus, like they said, but later read in a review that it does not work for the iphone 3g!!  Very frustrating.  Anyway, you now have a picture of Tom as my test!!

Mandi's chocolate chiffon cake with rosewater icing was delicious.

Alex bought this rocking chair from Pier One in 1970 to rock baby John in, and John later had it in his first bachelor pad apartment. The black paint started to wear off and flake, so 10 years ago, I thought, "Oh, I'll sand and repaint it by hand." A project that barely got off the ground, as evidenced by the partial sanding in the two "before pictures. That's how it has sat in my basement for 10 years. . .

With the warm weather today, I was inspired to tape and newspaper over the caning (which is in fabulous shape), and spray paint a pretty walnut color on top. The two "after" pictures make it hard to appreciate how adorable the chair looks now! We love it and can't wait to use it on the porch ASAP!

                                          New life to the old chair!

 His and hers kitchen aprons made for us by Alex. Forgive the lack of a human model; both of us are not primed for a photo shoot this morning, but I wanted to get these up!

 John asked me to post his homemade ciabatta and homemade pizza from this morning!

John's homemade soft pretzels

 
Homemade succulent wreath. This time of year, Lowe's did not have a wide selection (let alone color selection) like the choices in the instructional photo, but mine will do for now and will grow in over the next few months, then I can hang outside.

The top woman is from the catalog, the bottom is mine! Waiting a few weeks for her tresses to fill out. She has to stay indoors for now, but will have a place on my side porch come Spring!

Overall, reminds me of Kate Bush's "Under the Ivy" (1985)

 Cheese owl, veggie man, and peanut butter brownies we made for Adam and Molly's Superbowl party. Definitely a good way to get veggies into my children. They all ate everything except for the veggie man's mushroom GI tract. :)

Elliott and I made these "Rainbow Fruit Kabobs" for dinner at my friend Larissa's house. All four kids loved them, and surprisingly, the skewers were less of a hazard than I anticipated.

Zoe's butterfly molds from the plaster kit Santa gave her. She loved mixing the plaster and pouring into the mold more than the painting.

Elliott's homemade Star Wars journal. Covered his composition book with brown paper bag book cover (like we used to make when I was in high school), then pasted on cut outs from a magazine ad for Star Wars cookie cutters.

Elliott and I made these little leaf impression "coins" out of Sculpey clay and then baked them. He had the best time making the impressions with a glass, between wax paper. In the original instructions, you're supposed to write the name of the leaf on the back to help your child with leaf identification. Elliott and I just like holding them and looking at them. . . :)

Instructions at:
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/home-garden-projects/gardening-nature-crafts/garden-crafts/leaf-tokens-876186/

Birdseed wreath made in a bundt pan. Kids loved mixing this concoction. We also made some mini ones in a cupcake tin, and burrowed a little hole so that they could be hung with a ribbon. Elliott gave them to his class for Valentine's Day. See instructions at:

http://familycorner.blogspot.com/2011/07/bird-seed-wreath.html

Okay guys! I think we are in business now! Going to post some of my creations from the past couple of weeks. This is a hydrangea-covered egg (Easter decoration). Used a hot glue gun to attach snippets of artificial hydrangea to plastic egg from Michael's. Need a different container--something more like a candlestick. . . see instructions at http://thesweetsurvival.blogspot.com/2011/03/hydrangea-covered-easter-egg.html