Saturday, November 21, 2009

Life is doing it again!!

Doing what, you ask??
Getting in the way of my blogging... AGAIN!!!
*Sigh*
I promise to have a few fun projects posted this week, so keep checking back.
I am off to see Blind Side right now and I have my Kleenex in hand.
Have an SPECTACULAR weekend!!
*tpj
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Sunday, November 15, 2009

How Cool is This?

My sweet hubby spent the weekend cleaning out Nanny's (his 86 year old great-grandmother) garage and brought home all kinds of goodies.
You RARELY see me without a camera in front of my face and he knew that no one would appreciate this treasure more than me!! And he was right!!
The Polaroid 95a Land camera was manufactured from 1954-1957.
It even came with the case (not pictured)
I cannot wait to display this camera within our home... it truly is a treasure!
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Drum Roll Please...


We FINALLY had updated family pictures taken & I will be the first to say... it's about dang time!!

Many Thanks to Sabrina with
Southern Grace Photography, she was sweet enough to capture these moments for us. My husband & I went to High School with Sabrina and connected through Facebook (Gotta love Facebook!). Sabrina was so patient, creative and a ton of fun!

Here's a quick sneak peek from our recent session...


Houston, Photography, Southern Grace Photography

Houston, Photography, Southern Grace Photography

Houston, Photography, Southern Grace Photography


Houston, Photography, Southern Grace Photography

Thank you, Thank you Sabrina!!
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Saturday, November 7, 2009

I'm BACK and Feeling Bow-Tastic!


Life keeps getting in the way of my blogging & didn't even ask my permission. ;-) I am getting some craft ideas together and should be updating soon. For now, here's one that I LOVE...
I betcha didn't know... You can make your own gift bows!!
How cool is this?!



I FINALLY found a tutorial for making paper bows!!

I will be decorating with some of THESE in the very near future!

What fun!!

Enjoy!
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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween!!


Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween!!

Our evening will consist of Trick or Treating, a Goosebumps Movie &
"Popcorn" Cupcakes

Fun! Fun!

Goosebumps, Cupcakes, Popcorn, Halloween

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Mummy Dogs


Mummy Dogs

This recipe has been passed around quite a bit & I thought I'd to make my own.

Ta-Da... Mummy Dogs!!




Creativity in the kitchen ROCKS!!


Wishing you & your family a SPOOKtacular Halloween, from my Spectacular family!

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It's PUMPKIN time!!

You can't have Halloween without carving PUMPKINS!!

Here is a quick pic of the pumpkins my boys & I carved.



Do you and your kiddos carve pumpkins?!

The trick or treating and doorbell ringing begins in 2 days and I can't wait!! I love seeing the excitement in the kiddos faces and the creativity in their costumes. I think Halloween is as fun for me as it is for them!!


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Sunday, October 25, 2009

Candy Corn Cupcakes


I LOVE Candy Corns & I LOVE Cupcakes, so what's a creative girl to do?!

Candy Corn Cupcakes... AWESOMENESS!!




Doesn't this picture make you want to dive in?!



Ta Da! Candy Corn Cupcakes!

And the best part....

They are Oh-So-Colorful!!



Candy Corn Cupcakes

1 box butter cake mix
3 eggs
2/3 C water
1/2 C softened stick of butter
Yellow Wilton Color Gel
Red Wilton Color Gel

Directions:
Prepare cake batter as directed. Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds).
Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes.


Divide batter into 2 separate bowls.
I used yellow and red (no taste) Wilton Color Gels
Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity. I used approximately 1/4 t and they were very bright!

Fill cupcake liners halfway with yellow batter first and top with the orange batter. Bake as directed and top with white buttercream frosting and a candy corn.

I can't get enough of the Wilton color gels... Try them out in this recipe or your next recipe.
Enjoy!!
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Modern Monster Table Decor

Modern Monster Table Decor



Denise Baker from Little Ant Design sent in some pictures of her new Halloween table… and – seriously – how fun is this?! I’m especially loving the bony silver hands that are “holding” the utensils (clever!) and the cool skull & crossbones labels wrapped around the soda bottles…


Where does one get those cool modern trees used in the centerpiece? At IKEA…

Here’s a view the entire table… looks fabulous!




For details on how to recreate a similar table at home, visit “get your spook on: someone set the table”.


I would LOVE to see the table ideas of other bloggers!! If you've blogged about or have creative ideas, let me know... I'll definitely check them out!!

LOVE IT!
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Monday, October 19, 2009

Ghostly Goodies

Ghostly Goodies... Genius!!

Every year for my Dad's birthday, I make a chocolate brownie layered trifle. I decided to take the recipe I use, switch it up a bit and created these YUMMO Ghostly Goodies!!

Here's what you'll need:

1 can - Eagle Brand Condensed Milk (a can of AWESOMENESS)
1 box - chocolate pie filling (I used Jello)
1 - 16 oz of whipped cream
1 pkg of Oreos
1 small pkg of chocolate chips (mini would be best, but use what you have)



First you make the mousse...

Step 1: In a large bowl, pour entire can of Eagle Brand into the chocolate pie filling.
Mix until completely combined.

Step 2: Add 1/2 container of whipped cream into Step 1 mixture.

Step 3: Mix until completely combined and fluffly. Now you have your mousse!

In a large ziploc bag, crumble the package of Oreo cookies. This step is simple and the kiddos love to help!

Now you can begin layering your Ghostly dessert.

Layers:

Layer 1: Sprinkle cookies on the bottom of a glass.
(I used a clear glass, because I love the look of the layers.)

Layer 2: Chocolate Mousse

Layer 3: Top the mousse with crumbled cookies

Ghostly Topper:

Snip the corner of a ziploc bag with a pair of scissors and fill halfway with whipped cream.

Top the layers with whipped cream and add 2 chocolate chips for the ghostly eyes!



Enjoy!
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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Pina Ghoulada


Check out this FUN cocktail recipe from the one & only HWTM!!

PINA GHOULADA

**Insert Evil Laugh Here**



Full recipe & garnish details below…


*****


PINA GHOULADA


20 oz pineapple juice1 can cream of coconut – (15 oz)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup orange juice

10 oz rum (optional, but who am I kidding... Totally using the rum!)


Whisk together pineapple juice, cream of coconut, heavy cream, orange juice and rum. Place 2 1/2 cups ice in a blender, then and add 1 cup drink mixture. Blend until smooth, and pour into prepared glasses. (If mixture is too thick, add more pineapple juice before serving.) Repeat process with remaining ice and mixture.


OR – Make it Quick: Just use frozen or pre-mixed pina colada mix for the drink.


*****

For the “BLOOD RIM”:

Corn Syrup “Blood Rim”(a Martha Stewart recipe)
3 tablespoons corn syrup

1/4 teaspoons red food coloring

Pour the corn syrup in a shallow bowl. Dip a toothpick into the food coloring, and stir a very small amount into the syrup to combine. Hold a glass by the stem, dip rim into the syrup mixture, and turn glass, coating entire rim. Turn the glass upright, allowing mixture to drip down sides. Dip the remaining glasses. Set aside.


*****

For the EYEBALL GARNISH:


Ingredients:canned lychee in syrup, drained (available at most Asian markets)strawberry (or other red-colored) preservesblueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)
Directions: Dry lychee & fill cavity with red preserves. Insert blueberry, blossom end facing out. Spear with a toothpick or cocktail skewer. Gross!




And there you have it... the PERFECT Halloween Cocktail!!


Enjoy!

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

My First...

We could go in a LOT of directions with this title, but it's actually My very First Award!!
Shocked much? I am!!

Many Thanks to One Cluttered Brain for awarding Mine Are Spectacular with the Over The Top award... OCB, you are too kind!!

With this award, I am supposed to select 5 bloggers who are Over the Top and deserve this honor as well.
So... Here they are, in no particular order:
My Sweet Chaos - This blog is great and one of the first blogs I started following over a year ago! Ariana is a Super Mom and I love following the tales of her Sweet Kiddos! Kudos to My Sweet Chaos for keeping me hooked!!
OH! And I almost forgot... My Sweet Chaos enjoys photos as much as I do, so she is always updating her blog with fun photos!
Creations by Kara - This is one of my FAVE Trash-to-Treasure blogs. Kara always seems to make something out of nothing and I heart her for that!! AND she LOVES using spray paint... I could I not follow this blog?!
Thrifty Decor Chick - If the title of this blog doesn't give it away, stop by Thrifty Decor Chick's blog and you will be INSTANTLY hooked... I was!! I am inspired over & over again with TDC's creativity and know you will be too!!
A Breadwinner Wife -I started following this blog recently and I am SO glad I did. I love real & I love witty and A Breadwinner Wife is both and so much more!!
Picky-Palate - Jenny at Picky-Palate just Rocks My Socks (if I was wearing them)!! Her creative take on Oh-So-Yummy foods, is like none other!! If you have been following my blog and haven't stopped by Picky-Palate... what in the world are you waiting for?! Get cooking with Jenny!! Your family will Thank you!!
Now... because this is MY blog, I am selecting one more blogger who is absolutely Over the Top!
Room Remix - PK at Room Remix is just too awesome!! SO creative and always thinking outside of the box!! PK is a decorating inspiration rockstar and I LOVE it!!
Now go check them out!
If you have recieved this award before, you MUST be Over the Top and should be recognized again!!!! Thanks for playing along!
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Glowing Ghouls

I am LOVING these Glowing Ghouls from Not So Idle Hands!!
I cannot get enough of ALL the fun Halloween crafts and decorations. These goblins really top it off... SO simple & SO cute!! I am definitely trying this out over the weekend!!
See below for the tutorial...


Glowing Monster Jars @ Not So Idle Hands (These are too cute! Tutorial here.)
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Bakerella... My Kind of Super Hero!

Oh Bakerella... How do you do it?!
You tempt me, you inspire me and you fatten me up and I LOVE every bit of it!!
If you have not visited Bakerella's website or seen her cake pops (i LOVE cake pops!!), I cannot stress enough how fabulous she is!! Go check it out... NOW!! Be tempted, be inspired and get fattened up... I know you'll love it!!



Purple People Eater... So Stinkin' Cute!!

Click here for the cake pops tutorial and tips for everything you need to recreate these treats!
Try them out!!
On a side note: I learned (all by my little 'ol self) how to hyperlink words withing my blog to link to other blogs!!
Whoo Hoo!! Go Me!!
*Doing the happy dance*
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Monday, October 12, 2009

Witches Brew-ha-ha!


How cute are these invites?!

Seriously...they make you want to throw a Halloween Party, just so you could make them!!

Heartland Paper posted this invite on their blog...WITH....
DIRECTIONS & A PATTERN!!

Complete AWESOMENESS!!





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