a picnic lunch

With just a week to go until school starts we've been trying to fit it all in....and needless to say cleaning the house has pretty much gone by the wayside...but today "Cinderella" (ME!!) got a wild hair up her butt to clean the "castle"...the troops helped for a bit in the morning, but when they were hungry for lunch I was on a major roll...and a tight time schedule to get stuff done....Cubby suggested a picnic and they got busy in the kitchen. The menu consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pretzels and oreos. yummy.yum.yum!!! They packed it up in my handy picnic basket and took off....T. claimed the hat he's wearing is his "lucky picnic hat"?????




...down the trail that runs behind the houses on our street.



It looks like we live in MAJOR farm country....but truly we don't!! This house near us just happens to have a few random shaggy cows that roam around....




Of course I had to follow them...and sneak a few pictures of their picnic...well, I got to the end of the trail, which is where I thought they'd set up camp and they weren't there. So I stopped and listened...and heard their conversation. I back tracked a bit and spied them in the woods. If you squint your eyes...you can almost make out all three of them in their little spot. I almost wanted to join them...but they were loving being out all alone...and I loved it for them!!

Look Mummy!!!

The afternoon started out like this....



Then I looked out of my kitchen window and saw this.....



I grabbed my camera and ran out the door to see THIS!!!!!!!!!!




aaaahhhh....and in case you didn't notice Cubby is wearing flip flops, no shirt and NO HELMET!!!!!



But he does Have a big HUGE smile on!!! I've been asking him every now and then if he'd like to take his training wheels off....but he always had an excuse....or a "maybe tomorrow". He literally just took right off! He can even turn....stopping is the hardest part. He kinda just falls over onto the grass. "oops, that was a hard landing."

What is it?? Wednesday

My life is revolving around football and oxyclean right now......so my canister has made it's way into my laundry room and I filled it with the "Ox"....as I call it. I soak stuff EVERY day at this time of the year....practice pants and jerseys...with practices down to 4 days a week a games on Saturday I have lots of extra laundry to keep up on at this time of the year. Then all the football stuff goes right into the basket so he can grab it easily right after we're done eating dinner at 4:30 p.m...but it's all good..... I even keep his water jug in there so he won't forget to fill it up!

making bread over here.....

I CAN'T believe how easy it was!!!!!! Ever since I got Minnie....I've been wanting to try to make bread....but the whole yeast thing has seemed soooo intimidating. The only thing I would do different would be to not divide the dough in half...apparently my loaf pans are way bigger than normal because there wasn't enough dough for two loaves...but it was soooo good!!



A few weeks ago a dear friend of mine surprised me with a little treat...a cookbook.....Kitchen Aid ...Baking Companion...I have it pictured here with Minnie. Let me tell you...EVERY recipe in it looks FAB.U.LOUS. I was seriously considering doing a Julie/Julia thing over here and make something everyday...but I would truly be as big as a house. So I've decided to start out with the bread section....and there will be many more posts to follow with other scrumptious baked goodies....thanks again to my friend.....I will treasure it forever!!

sharing a beer with my Gram

Today is my Grams birthday....she would have been 93. She passed away 6 years ago from Alzheimers, just a few weeks after Cubby was born.Here is the last picture I have of my grandparents together...my grandfather passed away shortly after this picture was taken...it is with all of her grandchildren, except my sister...and Cindylou and T. when they were still little.... There is hardly a day that goes by that I don't think of her and miss her. I have soooo many wonderful memories that I hold dear to my heart....She loved to play cards....Euchre is a huge game in the Greenauer family. I would sit for hours and be the score keeper as my parents and grandparents played...I'll never forget one snowy day in Buffalo when we were at her house. My sister and I wanted to play out in the snow....she took our snowsuits and put them in the dryer for a while to warm them up for us before we went out in the cold. She never turned the radio on in the car either...we sang camp songs where ever we went! And when I grew up she loved to share a beer with me....she'd always say, "Wanna split one??" Well.....we'd usually split 6 or 8 ....why she didn't just want her own, I don't know....but she loved a big "head" on her beer...lots of foam...so she would sprinkle salt in it!! Happy Birthday Gram...I love you!!!

lunch bag tutorial

It's that time of the year....back-to-school-shopping time! And looked what I whipped up for Cindylou's lunches this year!! We were inspired by a little cloth bag we saw at Starbucks the other day...It was longer than this one and not lined....and it was $16.95....just a little bit of fabric....$16.95??! Of course you know what the Treatgirl did....she inpected it, took mental notes and of course came home and re-created it!!



This is the one I came home with just last week. I could tell by the look on her face and the way she said "aaaah.thanks." that it wasn't what she had in mind. I told her we wouldn't take the tags off and if we saw something she liked better we could take it back. :)




This is what she wants to fit in her bag....we are really trying to be "green" over here....hence, the lunchbag...no paper bags everyday....and this water bottle and container for her sandwich and chips....no plastic baggies either. So this is how I gauged how big to cut the fabric.




I used two different fabrics...oh, and did you notice the fuschia pink fabric?? ...it's leftover from the headboard we did in her room last week. I also got clear plastic to line it with....just in case there are any leaks or spills.



I cut 4 pieces 2 1/2 inches wide....and the length you'd like your straps to be....Cindylou wanted each of the fabrics for her straps.... Two pieces for the sides.....your desired width and length.....and one piece for the front/back.



Press the fabric pieces for the straps....also press the top hem of the bag so there isn't any raw edges showing.



Then sew the side pieces, right sides together, in the middle of the front/back piece. I cut the clear plastic lining the same size as these pieces and found it was REALLY hard to sew...I couldn't get it to slide along....well, I solved this problem by putting just a tiny bit of baby oil along the edge of the plastic. Perfect! Then I sewed the sides up.



I sewed the front and back of the straps together....then attatched them to the top of the bag. That's it. You're done. This project is pretty easy....I'm not sure if my directions are easy to follow.....but once you're into it...it's not hard to figure out. That's pretty much how I sew....without a pattern, and winging it :)



Cindylou didn't care for the trim.....I just attatched it with some pins to give her the effect...I thought it looked cute, but she gave it a "no." I've had this silver gift tag that says "enjoy" that I just had to dangle....you know how the Treatgirl likes to dangle things :)

Buffalo Wing Dip

Okay....let's just start out by saying I don't even trust myself with this recipe!! I rely on friends and relatives to bring this to parties because I'm afraid if I have the recipe I will just make it every day and sit and eat it into oblivion!!!!!! There are several different variations floating around out there, but this is my favorite... On my last visit home to Buffalo I caved in....my cousin brought it with her and we all inhaled it.....this morning I called her for the specifics because I have been CRAVING it, and HAD to have it TODAY......I couldn't wait until the next party....TODAY!!!!!! I.NEEDED.IT!!!! So here it is....the best damn dip there is!!!

Ingredients:
1 8oz. cream cheese
3 chicken breasts- boiled and shredded
1 bottle Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
2 cup bag of shredded mozzarella
1 bottle blue cheese dressing

Layer the cream cheese in the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Mix the shredded chicken, Franks Buffalo Wing sauce and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Layer this next. Next put 1/2 the bottle of blue cheese dressing over the chicken mixture....then top it off with the remaining mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with scoops or corn chips. Be totally prepared to be ADDICTED......I'm NOT kidding!!!!!!!!!!!

....are you ready for some football????

Tonight was the Chiefs first game of the season...We played Shaler and kicked butt!!! Winning 24-0!



T. is number 18 again this season....I can't believe we started football camp four weeks ago!!! That was even before the Steelers!!! It was the perfect day...sunny and mid-70's....cooling off quite a bit for the 7 p.m. game....it felt almost fall-like. Everyone had a great night...some things never change at the games....the 50-50 raffle, all the little brothers "playing football" behind the bleachers, walking tacos from the concession stand, the cheers from the parents and cheerleaders. I'm ready for another winning season....let's go Chiefs!! Take us to another Super Bowl!!

I was featured!!!!!!

I wanted to thank Kimba again for featuring me on her DIY recap today!!! Check it out HERE. I truly feel like a princess!!! I have been doing stuff like this for years......transforming a room in just one day...turning junk into treasures.....usually when my husband is out of town!! :) But it feels sooooo much more special to share it with all of you in bloggyland!!! Thanks.....and if you have something terrific that you've done yourself....be sure to get in on Kimba's DIY Thursday!!!

zucchini soup

This soup is soooo.sooooooo.soo GOOD!!!!!!! I got it from my dear friend Marzipanmom. She even won a prize with it last week in a zucchini cookoff!!! I have been craving it and this is the first batch of the season. I truly hope you make it and you will see how great it is too!!!

Ingredients:
2lbs. hot or sweet italian sausage
1 medium onion- chopped
4 cloves garlic- minced
1 green pepper- chopped
1 red pepper- chopped
2 zucchini- chopped
2 qts. canned tomatoes
1 32oz. carton tomato soup
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon oregano
3 or 4 basil leaves- chopped
1 Tbsp. parsley
1 Tbsp. sugar
pinch of baking soda
8oz. mini bowtie pasta

Brown sausage and drain. Set aside. Saute onions 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add peppers and cook until soft. Add cumin, pepper, oregano, basil, salt, sugar, baking soda and parsley. Then add tomatoes, soup, pasta and sausage. Simmer 2-3 hours. Add water or chicken stock if needed

What is it?? Wednesday

What is it???? That's what Gracie wants to know too!!!!!!



She just doesn't get it!!! Obviously she hasn't been keeping up with my darling little blog to know that every Wednesday I put something new into my pretty canister and feature it on my blog.




Mummy, can you just open it up and use that pretty silver scoop and get me some lunch?????



Alllllriiight!!!!! I'll just wait here a little longer until you get one super cute picture and then it will be lunchtime! Right???!

Cindylou's new smile

August 18th has been circled in red on our calendar for a weeks now...today is the day Cindylou got her brace's off!! Here is a "before" shot......



....and here is her GORGEOUS new smile!!!!!!!! She has been on cloud 9 all day. I'm sooo happy for her....and what perfect timing...just two weeks before school starts!!

cool whip cookies

Yep!!! That's what I said.......cool whip cookies! Have you ever had these??? If not, you're in for a treat! I made them over the weekend and they don't last long! And they take just THREE ingredients!

Here we go........

1 8 oz. tup of Cool Whip
2 eggs
2 boxes any flavor cake mix you want....I prefer Devil's chocolate!

All you do is roll the dough into balls and roll them in powdered sugar. Place them on a cookie sheet, then press with the bottom of a glass to flatten them. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-14 minutes. I have to warn you....the dough is REALLY funky! Kinda dusty, kinda sticky....I spray my hands with cooking spray so it doesn't stick while you roll the dough. It may seem like it's not working out ....but have faith and keep going. They are YUMMY.YUM.YUM!!!

Cindylou's room makeover....the Big Reveal!!!!

This is the before shot of Cindylou's room... She wanted to re-do her room for her birthday....well, actually she wants her ears double pierced but I don't want to go there....and her birthday isn't until October, but starting next week we have football games every weekend until November and the boys were at camp last weekend so we got started! I didn't think her room looked too, too bad.......and it took me FOREVER to paint these stripes! That little tuffet isn't really needed anymore....her bed used to be too big for her to climb into..*sniff, sniff* Now she's all grown up!...I made the little cover for it 'cause it was an ugly white fake fur...and now our little maltese Gracie uses it to hop up!



Chip found this chandelier on the side of the road about 10 years ago...and I painted it white, put a coat of iridescent glitter on it and added the pink boa feathers around the candles.....he also put a dimmer on it...so she can adjust it according to her mood..... :)We were WAAAAAYYY ahead of the times with the whole chandelier thing!




We also made this headboard out of a piece of plywood and foam....then he helped me cover it with fabric...and attach the "buttons" so it looks tufted.




She has NEVER sat at this desk to do homework...but it is filled with tons of knick knack crap that needed to be "edited"!!




The crystal lamps were from my mom and I added the fabric and pom-pom trim to the shades....and the rocker is from her nursery....I hand painted it and didn't want to part with it...so she loaded it with her American Girl doll and some stuffed animals.




TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is her new room!!! Totally teenage funky!! I can't believe we only spent $120 for the whole room!!!! We had purchased the bedding a few weeks ago at Target. It was an 8 piece set...skirt, shams, comforter and sheets! I'm not saying the sheets are 500 thread-count Egyptian cotton or anything...but they look cute :) And if you can't tell, yes, that's hot pink cheetah on the reverse side...So last Saturday was a whirlwind....I picked her up from karate and we got busy! We ran to Joanne fabrics to pick out the fabric for the headboard and some trim....the total came to $15...but I had a rewards Mastercard with exactly $15 on it.....so that was all free! Then we stopped at Home Depot to get the primer and paint....$38. I had a gift card for a local hardware store so we got the black spray paint for free. We got home and unloaded her room into her brothers room....good thing he was at camp! Then we taped it all off. I only started priming the room at 5 p.m.....and wasn't finished painting until 1 a.m.. When I'm on a roll....I don't stop.... That's how I operate...I just keep going until I'm done! Well, at 1 a.m. I got my second wind...so I moved the furniture back, hung the curtains, and dressed the bed. Wheh!!! Then it was almost 4 a.m. and I called it quits!!!




Over the last few days we finished up the final details. I sewed a new cover for the tuffet...and my brother in law helped me re-cover the headboard the next day, since Chip was at camp and I'm not so handy with that big, huge, scary staple gun all by myself.



And check out the little crystal candelabra we got at our local Goodwill for $5.99!! There was a grampa-kinda guy carrying it around with him the day we were in there and I JUST KNEW he had no use for it...so we followed him around and sure enough he set it back on a shelf and we swooped right in and grabbed it! SCORE!



Look what a coat of black spray paint can do :) I was panicking a bit because it's been so humid here all week, but it turned out great...you can't see it very well, but I slapped a coat of silver glitter over the whole thing...Chip re-wired it with black wire and added the black chain. I tried to spray the old chain and wire, but it didn't turn out so hot...cost for new wire and chain was $10.81.



New $5 lampshades from Walmart......decked out with some black trim that was on clearance for 50 cents a yard.




We spent some time "editing" her "collectibles...and swapped out the chair for one I had in the attic from an old neighbor...just a coat of black spray paint...free!! We even sprayed the cute pink switchplate cover black :) Even her black laptop coordinates....bonus! It also really helped that the bedding we chose still coordinated with a lot of the accessories she already had....like her phone! curtains and picture frames. So this really saved time and money as well.



I really wasn't up for doing this whole project... When I found out the boys were going to camp for the weekend I wanted to go to dinner with Cindylou and watch "Mamma Mia"....But it turned out soooooooo great!!! We both looooooove it! I just stand in her doorway and admire it. Hey, sister, with the big interior design group out in Vail....try to do over a girls bedroom as cute and funky as this!!! :)

no name cookies

Just so you guys didn't think I'd turned into salad girl over here...I got Minnie out today and whipped up a batch of cookies...and I have to admit, I still am excited for me about Minnie (in case you don't know...she's my pink Kitchen-Aid mixer :) ....and proud that I can now just "whip up" a batch of cookies!!! Because FOR.EVER I have had NO LUCK with stuff turning out!!! Anyway... I clipped this recipe from a magazine and they were called "my kids' favorite cookies"...well, since this is the first time I've made them, I'm not sure if they'll be MY kids favorite cookies....they may rank right up there...but chances are they won't be. So as I was baking them I thought I'd think up a new name for them.....I didn't think it would be this hard!!! So I'm throwing it out there to you guys......whadda think???? I was tossing around Hershey Presses...because you press a piece of Hershey bar into them...but that sounds dumb....Get back to me with some ideas! They are REALLY good...and I've never seen anything quite like them.....

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup flaked coconut
4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55oz. each)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Beat in oats and coconut.

Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets....I used my silpat mats---which I looooove. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Break each candy bar into 12 pieces; press a chocolate piece into the center of each warm cookie. Remove to wire racks. Makes 4 dozen

What is it?? Wednesday

Have you been wondering when I was going to fill my pretty canister with beer caps???! Well today is the day!! This is a part of Cubbys extensive collection. He had TONS of them....He wanted to load them in here for a week. As a matter of fact he wants his own cansister for his room...he doesn't want to borrow mine anymore.

He has caps from all over the world. When my dad travels through Europe he saves a bunch and brings them home for him..... he also opens his beer over a drawer in his kitchen, letting the cap fall in....when the drawer fills up he packs them up and mails them to Cub. Always a special treat to get a package in the mail.

He wanted to take the collection to preschool for his share day, but I talked him into taking his Star Wars stuff instead...I didn't want the teachers to make notes in his file :( But they are a learning tool.....he plays with them a lot.....sorting them by brand and lining them all up, then counting them and making patterns...they may not be age appropriate but oh well.

Zucchini Quiche

This a quick and easy recipe my neighbor shared with me a few years ago.....and since I've started on a zucchini roll over here I thought I'd share it with you! I love it too, because you always have these ingredients on hand, so it doesn't take a trip to the store to put it together.

PreHeat oven to 375 degrees

4 cups Zucchini- cut in small pieces
6 eggs
3/4 cup oil
3 C. Bisquick
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 C. Cheddar cheese
chopped fresh parsley
1 large onion- chopped
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Pour into baking dish. Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Cucumber Dill Salad

Well...here we go with another salad! Who knew I made so many????? I found this one at Cooks.com .....I brought it to a family picnic yesterday and it went over very well....so I thought I would share it with you. My mother in law makes a similar one and she mentioned I didn't put any onion in it. The recipe doesn't call for it....but she looooves to put onion in everything. Here's the recipe if you have a bunch of cucumbers.

4 med. cucumbers....I actually used 6
1 1/2 c. dairy sour cream
1 sm. clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. salad oil
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dill weed...and this is TOTALLY not enough!! I must have put about about 3or 4 Tablespoons in.

Pare cucumbers and slice thinly into large bowl. Stir together remaining ingredients except dill weed; pour over cucumbers and toss lightly. Sprinkle with dill weed. Cover and chill. Just before serving, toss carefully. 8-10 servings.