Nothing Says Summer Like...

To me, nothing says summer like s'mores. Nothing! It wasn't a "tradition" in my family. Nope! But when I was about 5, my grandparents moved to the mountains. It was heaven! For the entire family. Weekly, we'd go visit. I'd spend entire summers with them. And because my grandma LOVED to fish, many hours were spent at the lake.

We always had a little fire going, at sunset. My grandma would be making coffee, on the open fire. And I'd go find a stick. I'd sit there, roasting my 3 marshmallows. It was my perfect end, to all those perfect days. With my grandparents at the lake!

When I was in middle school, I started going to summer camp. For music. It wasn't all summer long. But it was glorious! This is where, I learned about s'mores. I know! I had a rough childhood. It took until I was 11 years old, to discover s'mores!!!

Well, I sorta kept my little secret, to myself. Until 4 or 5 years ago. I'd buy Hersey bars, graham crackers, and marshmallows. The beginning of summer heat, meant I needed these things! It was that one thing, I just loved to share with my Goddaughters. It didn't matter, that I had to use the BBQ grill to toast our marshmallows. :)

I also finally made my parents s'mores. I think it was 3 years ago. My Mom LOVED them! My Dad, I think he thought I was nuts. But I sat there, over the stove, toasting marshmallows. And we enjoyed our little treat.

Well, this week, I needed a bit of a "pick me up." I spent all day Monday, in the hospital. Dealing with some health issues. Things I'd been ignoring for far too long! And I'd been feeling bad. Not really wanting to do anything. Which isn't good, when you're getting paid, to make people happy. I'm telling you, in general, musicians are a happy bunch of people. But some days, that smile, is just another part of the costume...

So I was pleasantly surprised, when my friends had a fire going. And all the makings of s'mores. Yum! That smile, wasn't fake. And it's been plastered across my face, ever since. Yes, my friends now how, to cheer a girl up. :)

As my Goddaughters were so excited, covered in sticky, yummy goo, I got an idea. Can I turn s'mores into some amigurumi fun? I took to Google. And I came up with this picture...

So cute!!! But another broken link, when I tried to find the source. :( Have you seen this picture before? Or know where I can find the pattern? I searched Ana's blog. To me, these look a lot like her patterns. No luck! I searched Etsy, eBay, and Ravelry. No luck!

I think these will be perfect, for the itty bitties in my life. I just need to find the pattern. If you have any idea, where I can find this pattern, please leave me a comment. I'd really appreciate it. Oh, and don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Groundhog Day

On Monday, I was just not having the best of days. Sometimes, that just happens. And you have to deal with it. You know, life is not always about sunshine and puppy dog tails. Let me tell you, neither was Monday.

But I'm lucky. I have a wonderful group of friends. That surrounded me. Helped make Monday, a better day. Thank goodness for them! And as I was trying to wrap my head around the days activities, my friends made me a yummy dinner. My best friend suggested we watch Groundhog Day.

Where that came from, I'm not sure. But she pulled out a DVD. We settled in. With our yummy dinner, and enjoyed the movie. I'd never seen this movie. I don't know how that happened. But this was a nice way, to take my mind off of my troubles.

And the evening wasn't complete, without a little crafting. I started a new summer throw. Crochet. I'm in love with the colors of yarn. And I'm totally "winging" the pattern. I'm making it up as I go. So we shall see what happens! Either way, this is what I needed on Monday night. Oh, and don't forget to enter our giveaway. You have until Friday! :)

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

Welcome everyone from Sew Mama Sew!!! There are 2 days, in the "Crafty World," that I really look forward to. Both are Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Days! :)

Since Christmas, I've had this book waiting. Just for today. You see, for Christmas, I received 3 copies. And well, I didn't need 3 copies! I managed to exchange 1, for the 2nd in the series. But the 3rd, well I couldn't do anything with it. So I thought, I'm going to give one away. :) Between, it's an AMAZING book!

Now for the rules. You have until May 25th, at 5PM EST. And all you have to do, is leave me a link, to your favorite online shop. For craft supplies, or patterns. Super simple! And don't forget to head over to Sew Mama Sew's blog. There are so many great giveaways posted right now! Good Luck everyone!!!

Ideas From Friends

I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I'm in a band. Actually, 3. But right now, I'm traveling with just one of the bands. We're on the road for almost 2 weeks. And it's perfectly fine with me! Because I get to spend so much time, with some of my best friends.

On top of that, some of their wives came too! That means, a few of my Goddaughters get to travel with us. And you know what, life is just better with little ones! It just is. :) Between our work, we got lots of time, to just sit, talk, and catch up. For me, this is so welcomed! Because most of the time, I'm just on the go.

While talking yesterday, one of my friends mentioned this idea. She found it online, but didn't save the source. So if you know where it's from, please leave me a comment. :) Anyway, she saved the picture. On her phone. Then she e-mailed it to me. Isn't this adorable???

I think idea is so fun! I don't eat lots of Altoids. To be honest, I have a tin of the minis. And I've had it since before Christmas. But you know that band that I mentioned? Well, it's filled with tons of cowboys! Who enjoy munching on tons of Altoids. The original ones. Some whispering happened. And before I knew it, some of the most precious little girls, were begging their daddys to hurry up and finish their mints!

Genius I tell you! Well, when we get back, can you tell what I'll be working on? Heck, we have Monday and Tuesday off. For the most part. I just might, try and make a run, to pick up some supplies. I'm sure, these are super easy, and quick to whip up!

I just love that my friends come to me, with fun ideas like this! Do you have friends that do that? Or do you have any other fun ideas for me? I'd love to hear from you!

Jell-O Cookies...Yum!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to baking. We're going to give that credit, to my Auntie. She took care of me, until I was in 1st grade. Before and after school, I'd hangout with her. :)

You see, my Auntie was a caterer. She worked various events. And made the most amazing wedding cakes! Yup, before all these crazy cake shows...my Auntie was making church cakes. With running water fountains. And big doll birthday cakes! She taught me, to always try new things.

And as an adult, I feel like, I've done just that. Experimented with lots of food. Tried things, that previously, I never would have! And now, lots of those things, are my absolute favorites to eat. :) But this also applies to cooking and baking. Recently, I found Jell-O cookies. Everybody smile!!!

I know that they sound odd. But trust me, they're delish! The first recipe, came from a friend. She found them right after Valentine's Day. And they were honestly, the perfect addition, to a Baby Shower, that we threw. Yum! They were delicious. :) We made them with various red and orange jell-O...because the color palette for the Baby Shower was pinks and peaches.

About 2 weeks after that first recipe, another friend gave me a 2nd jell-O cookie recipe. This time, I tried green jell-O. Perfect for St. Patty's Day! And I really liked the lime flavor of the cookies. :)

Well now, we're across the country. Working. And I had another friend ask me to make some fun cookies. Now I know, I could have gone with something easy, and delicious. Like chocolate chip cookies. But I wanted to surprise, some fantastic kiddos, with colorful cookies. With this heat, I didn't want anything too heavy. Or with frosting that would just melt all over the place.

That's when I remembered those tasty jell-O cookies. But darn it, I don't have my recipes with me. But don't fret. I took to the internet. And found another recipe. :) Just as yummy. Just as quick! And just as fun. What more can you ask of a cookie?

To be honest with you, all 3 of these recipes are pretty similar. The final cookie, is pretty much the same. But they are definitely something you have to try! Because they are amazing. I know that jell-O cookies probably sound weird, but trust me, they are delicious! Now go bake a colorful batch of cookies!

A Little Inspiration

I have a confession to make. Money is really tight around here. For me anyway. Mostly because, it's the end of my Spring semester at school. And I need to be making some rather large payments. It's unfortunate I tell you! Being that my Mom's birthday was Saturday. And Mother's Day was yesterday. But what can you do?

I got real creative. And I wish I had taken pictures to show you. But my Mom enjoys certain things. Like gardening. So I went to the Dollar Store, bought a few fun baskets. And loaded them up, on fun garden things. Including a ton of seeds!!! My Mom has been planting a garden, for a few years now. I also bought some gardening tools, and decorations. Oh an of course, flowers! My Mom LOVES flowers!

I also made her a fun basket, full of snacks. My Mom likes to snack. :) So I thought about lots of yummy things. But like I said, she had 2 special days. And I wanted to make her a little something for her kitchen. Being that she's in the middle of changing the decor.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, and I were looking at one of those catalogues you get in the mail. And we saw these colorful wooden utensils. So fun! But they were a bit expensive. $50 for 5 utensils. What? That's what I thought! 2 days later, Jelly e-mailed me this picture. And it all hit me!

Jelly and I got to painting. We painted up 2 sets. A very colorful one for her. And a more "manly" set for our friend, Mems. He cooks for all of us, twice a week. We just thought he'd enjoy this.

Then I decided, I'd make my Mom a set. For her, I used yellow and green. She's going to be decorating her kitchen in John Deere tractors! How fun. :)

So there you go. My Mom really enjoyed her set of kitchen goodies. Not only did I do a little painting, but I managed to make some potholders. And add some fun decorations, to some plain kitchen towels.

Now, I think I'll start making some more of these sets. For the Christmas Craft Fair. I might even make some aprons. These should be fun!

Whimsical Book Necklace

One thing, that you probably don't know about me, is I'm a HUGE reader! As in, I read 5 books a week. For fun! That have nothing to do with school! I've been like this, since I was a little girl. You see, when I was little, nothing was better than the week, that the Book Fair rolled into our school library.

My oldest Goddaughter is also a BIG fan of reading. And crafting. Lots of time, she finds a project. Then her dad takes her shopping for the supplies. And I go help her. I've been teaching her how to sew. She's pretty good at crochet. And we've tried our hand at jewelry making. It's a fun thing that we share. Not only do we craft together. But she also has someone to talk to. That's what I enjoy the most!

Recently, she sent me this picture. Well, her dad did. And asked me, if I thought we could make these. I said we could. A fun book necklace! It got my heart racing a bit. :) And now, we have one little project planned. Before my Goddaughter and her daddy leave for the summer.

Honestly, my brain has been in overdrive! I just can't wait to make myself a necklace. I'm that much of a nerd! Or a bookworm. However you want to put it. And of course, I'm looking forward to some quality time, with my Goddaughter.

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day! I just enjoy May Day. Mostly because I get to surprise the people I love, with little gifts. For the last 11 years,  I've left my neighbors a little something sweet. Just to let them know, I'm thinking of them. And friends generally get some yummy baked goodies. My Goddaughters, well that get a little flowery treat.

But I also enjoy May Day, because it brings us further into the growing season. Generally speaking, the flowers have been blooming for weeks here. And the heat, well it's definitely on the rise. May just brings so many wonderful things with it. Especially, the end of the Spring Semester. :)

Oh, and I found this picture. I just adore these little flowers. I think in a color palette of 3 or 5 colors, this could make a fun summer throw. Where is this pattern from? Because honestly, I want to work on this during May! :)