Thankfulness: Day #30

Really, 30 days will never be enough to express all that I am thankful for. And this November's thankful list, once again, reminds me to find something, anything, to be thankful for each day, if not simply the day itself. I tried to touch on random things to be thankful for this year: technology, my couch, my co-workers.

It just goes without saying, although I'll say it now, that I am thankful for...

life: for all the adventures I've had & all that are still to come; for my family: which includes two wonderful munchkins that light up my world; for Jesus Christ, my Lord & Saviour: who gives me hope & peace & joy, who died on the cross to save little ole me (& little ole you), who loves me (& you) more than could ever be imagined. He is why I have a happy heart; for my health: though I had some scares this year, I went through crap to gain a new perspective (& that was a good thing)...

I know that goodness & blessing rain down on me every day.

Sometimes, like a giant sponge, I soak up every drop.

But sometimes I may just be in too much of a funk to recognize it.

Or other times I may take it all for granted.

So I will make an effort, every day, to pause & affirm those gifts that are mine.

♥

Stubby Pencil Studio: Review & Giveaway

I was recently contacted by the nice folks at Stubby Pencil Studio to do a review of some of their products. After one quick glance at their website, I was all in! Stubby Pencil Studio offers eco friendly kids art materials & school supplies. They also offer unique gifts for children: toys, games, books, craft kits. And their site is SUPER easy to manuever around, which is bonus.

This is what SPS sent the girls & I:

Watercolor crayons

We've never used watercolor crayons before. It took some practice getting used to them. But, what fun! The fab thing about this particular brand is that they are triangular in shape, which means they won't constantly roll from the table to the floor!

Watercolor colored pencils

Watercolor pencils were new to us as well.  I've always wanted to try them! They come in a metal tin which is nice. Both watercolor pencils & crayons also come with their own brush.  And I like the thought of this being one of those portable crafty supplies I can toss in my bag on a trip. No water mess. Just pencils.

Watercolor paper No 4 by Schoellershammer

I pretty much dislike this paper. Not really the paper itself, but the whole darn package. Maybe it was a manufacturing error or maybe I'm an idiot, but the two long parallel side of the paper were sealed/binded. I ripped several pages before deciding to try to carefully slide a knife down one side & cut it free. What a hassle!! The paper itself is nice watercolor paper, but "GRR!" to the rest of it.
UPDATE: Just found out from my lovely friends at SPS that the watercolor paper glued on both sides has a purpose: to prevent the page from buckling when painting. That. Is. Genius. So, it wasn't a manufacturer error. I was an idiot after all. (haha!) But I was correct in  separating the sheets with a knife. Couldn't find the paper in the shop, but if I find a link, I'll add it.

Holiday smencils 

Oh my goodness! These are AMAZING!! They come in 5 scents: cinnamon, sugar plum, candy cane, gingerbread & sugar cookie. They each come in their own tube & they're made from recycled newspaper. We had fun smelling them. Over & over & over. Really, a unique item! (And a great stocking stuffer!!)

Two Art journal kits

I was tickled that they sent two. The girls picked their favorite journal & ran off with them in their room. The journals vary slightly--the color of the front & back covers are all different--& made from heavy card, & blank for decorating! They all come with 5 pages of decorative paper & 6 pages of heavy cardstock---all in different designs & colors. There is a 14-page section in the front of the journal that explains different creative ideas for attacking your journal---from collage to different drawing techniques to doodling. And then there are 26 (or 52 front & back) quality white heavy pages for creating your masterpieces.

Two Flip tops

Seriously, one of the best inventions EVER! I think this should be at the top of your "stocking stuffer" list. (They're only $1.30 each!!!) We had SO MUCH FUN with these! The top starts off spinning this way:

But then, if you get it spinning fast enough, it actually turns itself upside down & spins this way:

We have spent HOURS playing with these. And sometimes my kids would even walk into the kitchen & see me, by myself, playing with the flip tops on the kitchen floor.

They come in this natural color, but also stained in blue, green or red.

The book: 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do

The girls & I already have the 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do card set, so we've had practice creating some fun fairy crafts in the past. But, I really love the book format!

I have already earmarked Stubby Pencil Studio as a resource for unique gifts I'd like to give. Here are a few of my favorite items:

Animal hands (temporary hand tattoos)

9x12 Cupcake sketchbook

Finger printing art kit

Hedgehog erasers

If ordering from Stubby Pencil Studio, be sure to check out their BONUS & SPECIALS section to see if any of the freebies or specials can be applied to your order.

The girls & I would personally like to mail the 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do AND the Gingerbread scented smencil to one winner! Please leave a comment to enter the drawing. Winner announced this Sunday, December 4th.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #29

I'm thankful for...

...a found puppy!!

I know several of you have been asking, & I'm SO happy to report that he has been found!

My friend's puppy, Steev, went missing. And, oh what a horrible feeling that is. I haven't experienced that so-sad-you-feel-sick-in-the-gut feeling in a long time. And he's not even my dog! That must mean I like him or something. It's really hard to see your friend so sad & not be able to do anything about it. We looked & looked & looked but couldn't find the little brown monster. 

 BUT, a nice lady found him (apparantly not too far from his home, but across Main Street nonetheless) & took him home, with the intent to call the authorities the next morning. And she did. Steev & his mommy master were reunited the next day.

I'm so relieved! And thankful! The day he was gone really was one of the saddest days ever.

I bet he gets a microchip in his stocking this year.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #28

I'm thankful for...

...everyone who came & played along at my Cyber Monday sale. It means so much to me. I had tons of fun! I would make a sale, & then immediately go shopping online for Christmas gifts. And then I'd make another sale & do the same thing. I even went holiday shopping for the girls today, with the Mr. in tow. So, thanks for that! I appreciate you very much!!

♥

CYBER MONDAY SALE!

Come holiday shop in your jammies & let me ship for free!

(Plus a free gift for you!!)

♥

Last week I started crafting like crazy, trying to get ready for the holidays & Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. Owlies, owlies & more owlies. I made 22 of them---I know, weird number. And that's all I'll be making this year.

I ate the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers yesterday. It was delicious. If only the pie would've lasted as long...

Pazely & I spent yesterday afternoon setting up the tree. We drank hot cocoa with mini marshmallows & listened to holiday tunes on Pandora. The Mr.'s face lit up when he looked at the tree one last time before heading to bed tonight. It was cute. It wasn't feeling like "the holidays" until the tree went up. And even then, it's taking its time sinking in.

I spent some of Friday shopping online. I LOVE holiday shopping online. And it was all handmade stuff. LOVE that even more. I bought myself THIS print. And THESE tags. I'm planning on doing lots more handmade online shopping today---& taking advantage of Cyber Monday deals.

My iphone broke last week. That's the pits. Not even sure what happened to it. Thinking maybe it got wet? So weird that I don't k now. But it's going all berserk & I just need to get a new phone & fix all this no-phone nonsense.

Sadly, my friend Susan's dog, Steev (as I now spell it) was lost yesterday. He wandered off while Susan & her hubby were in the garage building a doghouse of all things. She walked & drove & walked & drove looking for him. The Mr. & me & the girls & some friends jumped in our van & we drove around town for about an hour looking for him too. It was so dark outside & he's a chocolate lab, so it was difficult to see much at all. I feel so sick inside. I've been praying & I will keep praying that he shows up, or that some kind person has him in their care & will do the right thing & inform the police or the newspaper or SOMEBODY. He is 4 months old & didn't have tags yet & no collar. It's so cold outside & I hope he is warm somewhere. I feel a terrible knot in my tummy & I feel so sad for how sad my friend feels.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #27

I'm thankful for...

...a new perspective.

The Mr. made a fort for the girls by tipping our sofas & chairs face-forward & propping pillows & blankets here & there. It was a regular couch castle.

Zoey & Pazely played their hearts out & then it was time for bed. The couches stayed as they were.

And, instead of propping them back to their rightful upright spots, I left them as they were. And I re-propped some pillows, grabbed my crafty supplies, tuned into "The Sing-Off on nbc.com, & had a marvelous time in the leftover fort while the rest of the house snoozed.

♥

Klutz Pom-Pom Monster Salon WINNERS

Congrats to Jessie & Heidi!!!!

You are the winners of Klutz Pom-Pom Monster Salon!

Please emal me your address so those can be sent your way.
whimsy-girl [at] hotmail [dot] com

Thanks to everyone who entered!

And stay tuned tomorrow for another review & giveaway...

PSST! Don't forget that today is the last day to enter to win the WhiMSy love advent prize package, valued at $155!

(Click HERE for a sneak peek.)

 24 little prezzies, handmade by me, will be given to one winner, to be announced TOMORROW, Monday November 28th! Simply make a purchase at WhiMSy love for your chance to be entered in the drawing!

♥

Thankfulness: Day #26

I'm thankful for...

...a warm house.

Tonight we went to dinner at some friends' house.

Four hours later, when we scooted outside to get in our van & drive home, it was BITTERLY cold.

I HATE the cold. Like, a lot.

I was so happy when we pulled into our driveway, ran through the opened garage door & up the stairs into the kitchen. It was warm & cozy.

And I am thankful.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #25

I'm thankful for...

...a chance at getting to meet new family.

Because, really, I always wondered about them. I didn't wonder to the point of actually making a true effort at finding them though. I was intimidated by the thought of it all. Not sure I wanted to open that door. (It's a big door to open.) But when my sister discovered me via facebook, then I guessed that it was supposed to happen one way or another. Meeting my family last Christmas in Seattle was so thrilling!
And, having a visit from my birth father last month was really neat.
Although I am not the best at keeping up with communicating with my newly found father, & I'm sure he thinks I'm not interested in a relationship, I'm happy inside, though tentative & nervous at the same time. Don't know why, just am.
But either way, I'm thankful to have another part of the "Nikki mystery" solved.
♥

My First Thanksgiving

Ok, so not my first Thanksgiving. But the first one I ever had to cook alone. And I didn't even HAVE to cook it. The Mr. wanted to eat Chinese, or Mexican or macaroni & cheese or something like that. But I wanted to cook. I wanted to give it a try.

Though I wasn't confident enough to cook a real turkey for the first time, I did make green bean casserole, & twice backed potato casserole, & yams with those yummy marshmallows atop, & rolls, & stuffing, & platters of olives, stuffed celery, cheeses, crackers & veggies, & pumpkin pies. And there was a thick slab of pre-cooked ham present & a Jennie-O turkey breast. The turkey breast was really disappointing. Not that I was totally surprised at that. Next time I've just gotta take on the turkey too!

I'm sorry to turn this into one of those horribly boring family albums that you're being forced to sit through. I just can't help myself. Not that this event was anything extravagant. Because, it wasn't. But it was super special to me.

While the potatoes were simmering for 20 minutes for the casserole, I even made these finger-knitted  napkin holders. With time to spare!

For dessert, we munched on pumpkin pie. I made a few "cupcake-style" mini pumpkin pies for the girls with some leftover dough & pie filling. And I even made a teeny-tiny American girl doll sized one.

And now my fridge is super happy!!

 ♥

Thankfulness: Day #24

I'm thankful for...

...this quiet Thanksgiving.

And, really, it wasn't that quiet. But it was just the 4 of us in the WhiMSy love household.
While I was doing my thang in the kitchen, hubby watched movies. The girls fought half the time & the other half they played in the sunshine, streaming through the kitchen window, right at my feet.

I felt a tiny bit of sorrow for being so far away from my family this holiday, but I was grateful for the chance it gave me to build memories with my own little family.
This was the first year I made Thanksgiving dinner too.
I tried my best. And I'm rather proud of myself.
Though I cooked casseroles & stuffing & a pie, I wimped out & didn't cook a real turkey. We ate Jennie-O pre-cooked turkey breast. NOT the same, let me tell you. It only made me long for the real thing. Hubby & I decided that when I do this again, I've definitely gotta try a real turkey.
It felt like the longest day ever. But in a good way.
And, however silly it sounds: I felt like I grew up today.
♥

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

Stop by WhiMSy love all day on Black Friday, November 25th & receive 25% off your entire order!

Just enter the coupon code BF2011 when checking out.

(And don't forget to check out the Cyber Monday sale on November 28th! NEW Vintage Button Rings & NEW Fabric OwlieOornaments will be stocked in the shop by then.)

Happy handmade holiday shopping!

♥

Thankfulness: Day #23

I'm thankful for...

...Zoey & Pazely's teachers.

Every year, I like to gift their teachers. Specifically at holidays. Or on the first day of fall (which really should be a holiday.) Or when the girls & I have made something new & we want to share it. And it's not to gain brownie points or get my kid on the 'teacher's pet' list.

It's because I'm grateful. For nearly 7 1/2 hours a day, 5 days a week, I hand my girls over to teachers, & trust that my munchkins will learn. Teachers are helping to grow knowledge & endow wisdom in those little brains. Teachers are even sometimes the disciplinarian that some of their student's parents fail to be. Teachers train your kids to do their best, to make good with what they have. Teachers help children discover their talents. Teachers help grow those little people into responsible adults. Teachers help to affirm the things I already knew about my children & give me insight about the things I was unaware.

I mean, really....pumpkin butter?

It's the least I can do.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #22

I'm thankful for...

...a helpful Mr.

He takes the girls to school every morning.

And helps with the dishes.

And vacuums.

And takes out the trash.

And does his own laundry. (Due to a "pink laundry" incident when we were first married. But, hey, the point is: he does his own laundry.)

And he sometimes helps with the rest of the laundry.

And he takes care of the bills.

And other stuff.

And I don't think I let him know enough how much I appreciate that.

(And the fact that I have no picture to accompany today's post is perfect. On the rare occasion he obliges, but mostly he hates it when I photograph him.)

♥

New in November: Pumpkin Cake Roll

The Mr. & I had some friends over for dessert last night.

What to make?

Well, I usually make my popular pistachio torte. But I ALWAYS make that & wanted to try something different. I happened to see a facebook friend post a picture of a pumpkin roll she made that morning. And inspiration struck!

I googled pumpkin roll recipes & chose the one with the prettiest picture. (I'm serious! If a recipe doesn't have a picture, I'm less likely to make it.)

I baked the pumpkin roll in my kitchen while skyping with Tia, who was baking snickerdoodle cookies in her kitchen. We were a regular cooking show duo. It was a fantastic morning spent with my faraway friend.

The recipe can be found HERE.

I used a cookie sheet for my "pan", which measured about 11 1/2" x 17" x 1/2" deep. And instead of waxed paper (which seems to always smoke & stink up my kitchen if I use it in the oven) I used parchment paper. ( I LOVE parchment paper.) I read the recipe reviews & a few people said they didn't separate the egg whites & yolks. I DID separate them, since it was my first time making it. I'd never whipped whites until they were stiff. It took a lot longer than I thought.

But it was fun! 

When I rolled the cake, it started to split. You can see in the photo at the top. (It kinda looks like stretch marks. haha!) It didn't break all the way through, but it was kind of a bummer. Not sure what I could've done differently. 

It tasted yummy though! I mostly tasted the cream cheese filling, which is ok---but I'm a cake girl.

It was nice to mix things up, give my pistachio torte a break & try something new!

As I sliced the cake, wonderful smelling coffee was brewing, tea was steeping, & hot cider was waiting to be poured into happy mugs.

It was a delicious evening indeed!!

♥

Thankfulness: Day #21

I'm thankful for...

...my couch.

Some days it's hard to find something to be thankful for.

Especially when I'm feeling sickly & rather selfish & whiny.

But I love my couch. Particularly on days like this.

It's giant & cushy & cozy & swallows me up.

It's one of the first purchases the Mr. & I made together 12 years ago.

Even Tia, 1200 miles away, misses my couch.

It's a great nappin' couch.

And an excellent ploppin' sofa.

And it's one of my most favorite places to hang out in the house.

♥

Klutz Pom-Pom Monster Salon Review + Giveaway

The girls & I recently received the Klutz Pom-Pom Monster Salon to review.

I've said this before: WE. LOVE. KLUTZ.

And, I think this is my favorite Klutz book to date.

After school, Zoey & I started playing around with the yarn, making pom-pom monsters. As always, the instructions are super easy to understand & the kit comes with everything you need (minus scissors) to make lots of monsters.

We whipped out 2 pom-pom monsters pretty quickly. I gave mine to a sick little Pazely who was napping in her room.

The kit comes with a handy contraption that easily allows you to make pom-poms. Click HERE to view a 48-second video that shows you how the pom-pom maker works.

Really easy & fun for kids!

I love that you can totally personalize these monsters however you want. The kit comes with all the embellishments you need to craft up your monsters: foam tongues, teeth & fangs, little ribbons, googly eyes, & lots of paper punch-outs in the form of shoes, horns, wings, hair accessories, etc. 

(Though not necessasry, I love that I can even grab my own crafty embellishments & other yarn colors if I wanted to!)

Pom-pom monsters with afros, mustaches & mohawks?

The girls & I are SO looking forward to making more monsters over Thanksgiving weekend!

***And guess what?***
Two lucky readers will each receive a book!

Leave a comment on this blog post to enter.

Sorry, U.S. residents only!

Winners announced on Sunday, November 27th!

Wanna do some Klutz Christmas shopping??

Shop Klutz.com and use coupon code KLUTZ4U

for 20% off your entire order!

(Offer expires 12/31/11. Cannot be combined with any other offer.)

Thanks to the folks at Klutz for the books!

♥

Week in Review: November 14-20

I feel like last week was jam packed full of "firsts".

First time playing with air dry clay.

First time making cabbage burgers.

First time having egg nog {in forevers}.

First time the Mr. & I had a night apart from the girls since we moved to Nebraska 2 years ago.

First time I've ever kept pheasant feet in my fridge.

First time I ate a Mickey D's pumpkin pie.

First time this chilly season that I've gotten a sniffly-sneezy cold.

First time I've ever won a scarecrow-makin' contest.

First time I've ever eaten a candy cane before Thanksgiving.

(Just to name a few.)

It's so close to Thanksgiving & the fam & I still have no idea of our plans.

I'm really wanting to make a traditional meal with the turkey & all the fixings. (For the first time EVER.) But then I get scared.

But then I get un-scared because I'm pretty sure it'll just be a tiny gathering.

And how hard could that be?

But then there's an afternoon Turkey Day Buffet taking place at a local restaurant & I'm sure that'd be just as tasty. (And stressless & messless.)

And then I keep thinking how the holidays are approaching very quickly. And I just wish I were sitting 'round the table at my mom's house with my sister & brother & grandma & parents & nieces & nephew, enjoying our usual Thanksgiving eats. Mom made the turkey, my sis-in-law made the pies, & all I had to do was fill celery with flavored cheeses.

*sigh*

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #20

I'm thankful for...

...free entertainment.

I call this photo "Happy Feet".

The Mr. had helped a friend move furniture earlier in the day & brought home a giant sheet of bubble wrap. Zoey carefully counted the rows of bubbles & split it in two equal parts. I tossed the wrap on the floor & watched the girls, fresh out of the tub & in their jammies, dance.

Oh, here's something else the girls picked up for free over the weekend.

Who needs video games & hours of TV watching when you got stuff like this??

♥

Thankfulness: Day #19

I'm thankful for...

...my thoughtful Zoey.

The other night I went into Zoey's room & saw that she was reading "Ramona the Brave". I suddenly remembered that I am pretty sure I read that book as a kid & thought it would be fun to read again.

So, I asked her: "Zoey, can I borrow that book when you're done?"

 She replied, "Well, it's the school's book, mom. I need to bring it back. But I suppose I could ask my teacher if I could just keep it for longer."

"No," I said. "I'll just borrow it from the library sometime."

The girls spent a large part of the weekend with some of my friends. Included in all their fun were things like: a picnic, late night movies, painting pictures, pheasant feather plucking, walky-talky adventures, playing with Steev, visiting goats, seeing bucks in the backyard, spying kitties on the farm, & a visit to the library. When they returned home, Zoey handed me this book.

She had found it for me at the library.

Sweetest, most thoughtful thing ever??

I think so.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #18

I'm thankful for...

...technology.

Mostly 'cause it keeps me "closer" to my family.

I'm a family girl.

Love my family. 

Still feel like I sometimes stumble around 'cause I'm so far away from them & without my family I can feel lost & lonley.

I'll never get used to the distance.

Sometimes my heart aches so great.

But the texting, the skyping...

It helps.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #17

I'm thankful for...

...moments like these.

Last night, Pazely lost another tooth. She wrote a note to the tooth fairy that read:

"From Pazely. Dear Toothfairy, Can I borrow my tooth for show and tell tomarow. pur your anser hear ---->"

Without kids of my own, I wouldn't get very many moments like these. They are priceless. And they definitely fill my joy tank to overflowing. 

This is how the Toothfairy responded:

"I suppose that's ok dear. But don't expect extra cash when I get the tooth back for real. Love the Toothfairy."

(Apparantly the Toothfairy has the penmanship of an old lady with a shaky wrist. Or else she wrote the note with her left hand perhaps?)

Pazely ran into my room this morning to show me the dollar she got from the Toothfairy. She was so excited! I asked her, "Well, what did the tooth fairy say about borrowing your tooth?"

She replied, "I couldn't read it. It was in Spanish."

♥

New in November: Cabbage Burgers

I had my first cabbage burger last year. I had no idea what a cabbage burger was. It sounded nasty. But, they were actually delicious! They were homemade & scrumptious. The 2nd time I ate cabbage burgers was only a couple months ago, when the Mr. & I were out running errands & noticed a bakery serving them for lunch.

I found out that cabbage burgers are popular in the Nebraska & South Dakota area.

I found a recipe HERE.

I'm not going to say they were simple to make. I had to recruit the Mr.'s help because supper guests were arriving soon. The rolling out of the dough took longer than I expected, & the stuffing of the dough was way more frustrating than I anticipated. It was rather messy too. The recipe called for a 3/4 cup of burger/cabbage mixture to be added to a flat 5" square of rolled out dough. And then you're supposed to bring up the edges, pinch them all together, & flip the whole mound (pinched side down) onto a baking sheet. Well, 3/4 cup way too much. Maybe it's because I'm not skilled in the way of the bread dough.

Here's almost a dozen of the 18 burgers waiting to be cooked in the oven. I would have changed only one thing: I would've added more pepper to the burger/cabbage mix. (The ones at the bakery were on the peppery side & so yummy!) I thought mine were a wee bit bland, although my supper guests were happily munching away on their burgers & didn't compain one bit.



Once baked, Zoey helped brush melted butter over the tops.

We froze the leftovers, thinking we'd eat them for a meal next week, but we ended up eating them for lunch the next day. The Mr. LOVED them!
I'm so happy to have learned a new recipe, & a unique one at that!

New in November: Week #1: Caramel Apples
New in November: Week #2: Pumpkin Butter

♥

New in November: Pumpkin Butter

I've never made "butter" of any kind. But I've always wanted to try apple butter. THEN, I saw this easy recipe on Pinterest for pumpkin butter & had to attempt it. (I swoon for anything pumpkin!)

It's made in a crockpot. You literally dump everything in & let it sit, cooking, for a while.

It was made with canned pumpkin. And it was delicious.

I do want to try it with real pumpkin. I've never cut up a pumpkin before, so I'm a little intimidated.

My mom made some with real pumpkin the same time I made mine with canned pumpkin & she said it was very tasty. She cut up the pumpkin & roasted it in the oven. The skin came off easily. Then she used her blender to mash it all up.

I bought jars &, after returning my GIANT canner, finally got THIS canning set. I am hoping to make a butter of some kind (with real fruit), try my canning set out for the first time, & give cute little jars of butters as Thanksgiving gifts to the girls' teachers before the fast-approaching holiday break begins.

New in November: Week #1: Caramel Apples

New in November: Week #2: Pumpkin Butter

♥

Thankfulness: Day #16

I'm thankful for...

...laughter.

I love to laugh. And I love making other people laugh.

Every week, I talk to my mom on the phone & we laugh. It makes me miss my family. Because we sure know how to laugh when we get together. Oh yes, I do miss them.

Sometimes my friend Tia & I (another one I'm missin') just laugh at the dumbest stuff. Everybody else might not "get it". But we "get it".

And laughter as medicine? Definitely.

When I laugh, I just let it all out. You know how some people muffle their laughter or try to make it sound cute? Not me. I guffaw with the best of them. I chortle & the sound echoes. I tend to be super duper loud when I laugh.

But, you know what? I don't care.

**The photo is from April 2010. Pazely & I are fake laughing. Not even making a sound. HAHA!**

♥