Wednesday, March 13, 2013

DIY Wreath Form

Wreath - simple decoration that livens up your front door and provides a friendly welcome to guests. We've been having fun 'designing' new wreaths to fit the seasons. Once again, Pinterest is great for inspiration. Last time I made one, I bought a wreath form from Walmart for $5. This time I wanted to try something I had seen on Pinterest and make my own using a pool noodle from the dollar store.


I cut the noodle down until it was the size I wanted it to be and formed a nice circle, and then taped the ends together really good.


Then I wrapped it with twine. {Like I've mentioned before, this takes a really long time. I'm trying to figure out the best way to temporarily attach decorations instead of hot gluing them so I can use the same form for different designs. This wreath was a gift, but my next one I will definitely be figuring that out so I don't have to do this again!}

I made fabric flowers this time and love how they turned out! So, my pool noodle experiment was a success! You would never know by looking at it that that's what the form is made out of!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Fads

Every year the ladies of our church go to a meeting called SPARK. It's been described as "a one-day Vacation Bible School for women". They have a different theme each year and encourage the ladies to dress up for it. This years theme is 'Somewhere In Time' and you're supposed to dress up from different time periods. While some of us ladies were discussing the different fads that come and go, I mentioned how one day Maggie and I will probably look back and wonder why in the world we wore scarves so often! We then started joking around about how we would have all of these scarves and would need to come up with a different way to use them. I decided that it would be fun to see how many 'scarf repurposes' I could think of, so here they are!

{window treatment}

{dusting rag}

{arm sling}

{wreath}

{table runner}

{child leash}

We had fun trying to think of different ways to use them! Can you think of any other ways?

{Disclaimer: No children were hurt in the making of this post :)}

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Saturdays

are for...

... making Apple Fritter Muffins ...

... sitting in the sunshine while reading your Bible ...

... running errands ...

... music practice ...

... working on the church website ...

... eating delicious pizza ...

... making and eating snowballs ...

... sister 'slumber parties' in the living room ...

... warm fires on chilly nights ...

Friday, March 8, 2013

Q&A

Sooo, I was nominated twice for a blog award by two very sweet bloggers about a month ago - Sarah @ A Daughter of the King and Erica @ Aunt Erica. Thank you so much for the nominations! I'm sorry it's taken me this long to do a post, but I did want to at least acknowledge the nominations and answer your questions!

A Daughter of the King asked:

Do you play an instrument, and if so, what? I play both the piano and the flute.
What is your dream vacation? Touring Europe or relaxing somewhere tropical!
What is the most unique thing about you? Mosquitoes absolutely love me! While on a two week camping trip, I counted over 50 mosquito bites just from my knees down!
If you could meet three people, other than Jesus and no matter what time era, who would they be? Queen Esther, the apostle Paul, my future husband ;)
What is your favorite song? And Can It Be

Aunt Erica asked:

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? I would love to go back to Europe...I'm thinking Paris, Scotland, England.
What is your favorite recipe? I'm not sure I could nail it down to one, so I'll go with the first one that came to mind (which probably means it's my favorite!) - The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls *drool*
Are you a morning person? No
Favorite quote from a movie? Hmm...that's a tough one too. We recently watched North and South, and my favorite quote from that movie is: "I don't want to possess you; I wish to marry you, because I love you!" :)
What is your favorite nail polish color? I'm loving red right now

Be sure to head over and check out Sarah and Erica's blogs!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Birthday Eats

I mentioned some of the food I had on my birthday in yesterday's post and I thought I'd share the love and give you the recipes! Sound good?



Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

For the Loaf:
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

For the Lemon Syrup:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:
1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.
To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Recipe Notes:
This recipe will also yield about 12 standard muffins or 36 miniature muffins, baking time adjusted.
It could be doubled and baked in a well-greased and floured bundt pan, baking time adjusted.
This recipe could also be baked in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round, to create a thin cake (approx. 1 1/2 inches tall), baking time adjusted.


Frog Eye Salad

16 oz Acini Pepe #44 pasta
3 quarts water
2 tsp salt
1 TBS oil

Bring water to boil. Add oil, salt, and pasta. Follow cooking directions on package.

1 cup sugar
2 TBS flour
1 3/4 cup pineapple juice (drained from canned pineapple)
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBS lemon juice

Combine and cook over medium heat. Stir until thick. Cool to room temperature. Combine with pasta and refrigerate until cold.

3 (11 oz) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 (20 oz) cans pineapple chunks, drained
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (12 oz) cool whip
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup coconut

Mix with pasta and refrigerate.

Note: As you may notice from the ingredient list, this makes alot! If we're only making it for our family, we half the recipe and there's still plenty of leftovers.


Frozen Chocolate-Covered Cappuccino Crunch Cake

1 (10 3/4 oz.) frozen pound cake
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) chocolate chips
4 cups (1 quart) coffee ice cream, softened
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 3/4 cups coarsely crushed malted milk balls
Frozen whipped topping, thawed (optional)
Coarsely crushed malted milk balls, (optional)

Slice pound cake into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. Place half of the slices on bottom of 9-inch springform pan; press down firmly. Set remaining slices aside.

Bring cream just to a boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add milk chocolate morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Pour half of the chocolate mixture over pound cake in pan, spreading evenly to within 1/4-inch of edge of pan. Cover; freeze for 1 1/2 hours or until chocolate is set.

Combine softened ice cream and whipped topping in large bowl. Fold in 1 3/4 cups crushed malted milk balls. Spread over chocolate layer in pan. Cover; freeze until ice cream is firm, about 2 hours.

Top ice cream with remaining pound cake slices; press down firmly. Spread remaining chocolate mixture over pound cake. Cover; freeze at least 6 hours.

To serve, remove sides of pan. Garnish with additional whipped dessert topping and sprinkle with crushed malted milk balls, if desired. To cut cake easily, run a knife under hot water and dry with a paper towel before making slices.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Hello Monday {Birthday Blessings}

Hello breakfast in bed - lemon blueberry bread...yum!

Hello birthday wishes in just about every form of communication possible.

Hello friends and family that make this girl feel so blessed!

Hello SUNSHINE!!


Hello shadows while going for a walk.


Hello birthday dinner - bacon avocado burger, parmesan potato slices, frog eye salad (weird name, but delicious!)

Hello sweet family of mine. (We need to convince Josh and Liz to move here asap...miss them so much)


Hello wider hips birthday cake. Pound cake, coffee ice cream, whoppers, ganache, and whipped cream is a deadly combination!


Hello 26!

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah."
Psalm 68:19

Friday, March 1, 2013

insta{friday} & another year

{this makes me happy}

{why walk down the stairs, when you can slide?}

{sisters...sisters...never were there such devoted sisters}

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The following are pictures from a february photo-a-day challenge
{the order is top left, bottom left, top right, bottom right}

'vintage' // 'angle' // what i'm doing during the 'game' // 'a routine' 

'self portrait' // 'challenge' // 'hobby' // 'in my hand'

'comfort' // 'up' // my dream 'transportation' // 'heart'

'sweet' // 'love is...' // i dislike...' // 'around town' (stayed home that day, but our house looks out over town)

'i wore...' // 'sunshine' // 'lights' // 'in a pocket'

'eyes' // 'handwritten' // 'favorite thing' // 'listening to...'

'every day i...' am surrounded by God's handiwork // 'old photo' // 'favorite spot' // 'i ate...'


  in other friday news...today's my birthday! 26...seriously? where has time gone? how is it that the 'old photo' right up there was NINE years ago?? this past year has been a blessed one for sure and i'm looking forward to see what the Lord has in store for my twenty-sixth year of life!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Valentine Skit

We did this skit for our Valentines Banquet. This was us doing it a second time for church members who didn't get a chance to see it. Although it was better the first time around, we still had fun with it! Enjoy!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Baking with the Hulk

The Hulk showed up at our house this morning. I decided the best thing to do was use his muscles to help make some muffins!



Healthy Chocolate Muffins {aka Hulk Muffins!}

1 3/4 c. oats
3 egg whites
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt (I used vanilla)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. hot water
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. truvia baking blend or baking stevia (I used reg sugar)
1/2 c. semi-sweet choc chips

1. Line muffin pain with cupcake liners.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a blender (except chocolate chips) on LOW. Blen until mixture is smooth. Do not over blend. (Ummm...apparently I didn't read the directions very well. I just mixed it all up in my mixer. They still turned out though!)
4. Place mixture in cupcake liners about 3/4 the way full. Top with chocolate chips.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

These are actually pretty good! They don't have your typical cake-y texture, but they still have good flavor. I'm curious to see if they turn out different when I actually follow the directions! :)

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Deliciously Homemade

Let's be honest, there are some things (not many) that aren't worth the effort or taste to make on your own. That's not the case with the recipes I'm about share with you though! These homemade hummus and french bread/baguette recipes are so good, and they don't stick around very long...in our house at least!



Hummus is a delicious dip for veggies, pita chips, baguette, etc. Or you can use it to make Hummus Pizza. It calls for tahini paste which can be kinda spendy depending on where you get it. We were able to get a pretty good size jar for $9 and it'll last us for awhile. When it runs out though, I want to try THIS recipe for tahini-free hummus.

Garlic Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained
3 TBS tahini (sesame paste)
juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 2 TBS)
2 TBS vegetable oil
2-3 TBS olive oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until pureed.

Notes: You might need to add more oil to get the consistency you want. -- The original recipe called for 6 cloves of garlic, but we found that it didn't have enough of a garlic flavor. Adjust to your taste. -- For roasted red pepper hummus, reduce the garlic and add some roasted red peppers till you get the flavor you want. It's delicious!!


Bread...who doesn't love it?! Especially homemade bread! This is a really simple and delicious recipe.  It's nice because you can get several loaves out of it depending on what size you make them. (The first time I made this I had 2 large loaves...the second time I had 3 smaller loaves and 2 baguettes.) And let's not forget that your house smells amazing while these guys are in the oven!

French Bread/Baguette

Mix - let sit for 5 minutes:
2 1/2 c. warm water
2 TBS yeast
3 TBS sugar
2 TBS yeast

Add:
1 TBS salt
1/3 c. oil
6-7 c. flour

Knead for 2-5 minutes. Cover and allow the dough to rise. When it reaches the top of the bowl, punch it down. Repeat rise/punch process 2-5 times.
Grease baking sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape loaves. Place on prepared baking sheets, slit tops with sharp knife and let rise for 30 more minutes. Brush with egg wash. Bake at 375* for 30 minutes. (I think I only baked the baguette for 15-20 minutes.)

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Hummus Pizza


This is sooo good! A friend introduced us to it and it quickly became a favorite in our house. We typically use pita bread as the 'pizza crust', but I had some homemade french bread on hand so I decided to use that and it was delicious!

I don't really have any measurements for you -- just put on as much as you want!

Loaf of french bread (or pita bread)
Hummus - we like garlic or roasted red pepper
Baby spinach
Cooked chicken, seasoned with italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese

Slice your loaf in half and spread hummus on top. If you use pita bread just spread the hummus on top of the pita - no need to cut open. Layer your spinach, chicken, and cheese. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Slice into pieces and enjoy!

Like I said, I used homemade french bread this time around. I also used homemade hummus. Recipes for those will be coming this week, so stay tuned! Update -- GO HERE for the recipes!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Insta{friday}

Oh dear...I'm seeing a bit of a pattern with my Instagram pictures!

{birthday cupcakes}

{much needed caffeine while visiting bus kids}

{delicious popcorn from my secret sister}

{birthday cake numero uno}

{birthday cake numero dos}

{made valentine cookies with the kids}

want to follow me on Instagram? @kaliwaldron

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Valentine Candy


BE MINE - John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

ALL MINE - John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.

TRUE LOVE - Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

LOVE ME - Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

I'M SURE - John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

SWEET TALK - Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

BE GOOD - John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

FAX ME - Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Valentine's Banquet

This past Friday evening our church held a Valentine's Banquet. I had the privilege of being able to be a part of it in the way of decorations, dessert, special music, skit and serving those in attendance. Some might think that it would be such a downer to be at a Valentine's banquet as a single person, but I've served at them for several years now and it's such a blast! If you can't join them, serve them! :)

Maggie & I were in charge of decor - much thanks to everyone who helped us put it all together!


oh kevin! he was the only teen who showed up to help and did a great job!

*stolen borrowed from Maggie's blog*

*this one too* -- this is the skit crew...hopefully i'll be able to get a video up of our skit in the near future. it's hilarious!

I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends and church family the Lord has blessed me with!
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