Happy (not gloating)!

Oh my goodness... three words: Black Apple Update. If you know what the means, thank goodness I don't have to explain it! Yes, I sat through the update today. I was less nervous/shaky/excited as compared to the past, since I just decided to let the cards fall where they may.

I got a doll... hooray! I couldn't believe it!! Then I got back to the "shop" screen, and there was the Sleepy Sam I had hoped for, as well. I thought what the heck, the chances of getting checked out with him is slim to none.

But I ended up getting another doll!

Is it a coincidence that these dolls just happen to resemble my husband and myself?

Regardless, I am overjoyed, over-the-moon with happiness... but then I go over to her board and it hurts my heart to see how upset people are that didn't make it through check-out. I feel bad for them since I have been there at every other update... but I can only imagine it makes Emily feel horrid. The excitement and happiness of the frenzy gets bombed by the bad vibes afterwards. Nonetheless, even though I don't "know" her, I am quite proud of the Black Apple chick and her success. Makes me glad to be a 20-something crafty female!

ps... I won't be getting anything else for Christmas!

Roly-Poly Chicken

When I went to the "Taste of Home Cooking School", they did a type of recipe I haven't done for awhile...a chicken roll-up. They are really easy and good, and I am not sure why I had abandoned them.

Basically, you take a chicken breast and cut it in half down the middle (ie. butterfly it, but cut it all the way through into two pieces). Put it between some plastic wrap and pound each piece out pretty thin. Then put a couple of tablespoons of a filling inside, roll it up, and secure with toothpicks. At the TOH show, they filled with a combo of mozzarella/Italian herbs/diced tomatoes; last night, I did a cheesy-mashed potato filling. Experiment with what you like.

Once rolled, brush them with a bit of oil and roll in seasoned crumbs. At TOH, they used the new McCormick Crusting Blends, and they are phenomenal. These are made with seasoned panko crumbs. BUT... seasoned bread crumbs would work, also.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes on a sprayed baking pan, and there you go! I made garden-fresh lima beans and parmesan-ham dinner rolls to go with it. Quite tasty, if I say so myself ☺

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Autumn Amigurumi Give-Away!

On the car-ride this past weekend, I fiddled with some amigurumi projects to pass the time. As this little guy unfolded, I decided I wanted to share him with someone... hence, my "Autumn Amigurumi Give-Away"! I think it will be a fun way to hear from my visitors and meet more crafty-mommy-bloggers!

Here's wee little Bailey bear! I made him from this pattern. From ears to toes, he is about 5 inches tall. Bailey has embroidered nose/mouth, little shiny black eyes, and an orange wool-felt scarf. On his chest is a tiny, handmade polymer clay pumpkin. He will gladly keep you company through the Autumn/Halloween/Thanksgiving season! Who knows what else might accompany Bailey to the lucky winner's home ☺

To celebrate the beginning of Fall (my FAVORITE season), my blog visitors can earn entries for the random drawing. Through Oct. 22, you can earn entries in several ways:

♥Earn 1 entry for each comment you leave on my blog through Oct. 22!

♥Earn 2 entries for becoming a follower of my blog (under "Blog Friends" on the left side of screen)!

♥Earn 2 entries for linking to my blog from your blog or website (this could include adding my blog to your blogroll)! Please email me (gumby8@hotmail.com) and let me know so I can give you proper entry-credit.

The more entries, the better your chance☺

Have fun! I can't wait to read your comments and meet more of you!

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Home again, home again, jiggity jig

(Sitting on Thomas, waiting for our ride to begin!)

The long weekend is officially over! We went up near Des Moines to see my husband's cousin/family and go to the Thomas thing I mentioned before. It was a good, relaxing time, but all of that driving (or, in my case, riding) really wears a body out! As we left our driveway to leave town on Friday morning, I thought to myself how we are always so eager to get started to a destination... but also so glad to pull back into that driveway again when it is over! Nothing like your own home and own BED! So true when we pulled back in yesterday afternoon.

On our way, we stopped in Coralville to shop a bit. We also stopped at the Tanger outlet mall in Williamsburg. I bought a new amigurumi book at Barnes & Noble and a few things at Target. I just wasn't in the mood to sift through racks of clothing for some reason. That night, Hubby's cousin took us to a place called Fuji Steakhouse. I had my first REAL, authentic sushi, and the rest had food off of the hibachi grill. That was entertaining, and the cook hit me in the head and hair with chunks of fried egg THREE times! LOL

The Thomas event was much less stressful than when we went up to the one near Chicago. However, Bella was a crab! We were able to get our pictures taken by Thomas and Sir Toppemhat before we ABSOLUTELY had to get her our of there. However, we were able to buy some time with the petting zoo area. She LOVED it!

Today, on the other hand, has been a mess! Hubby took another day of vacation to work on the horrible "bathroom in progress" mess. I am without shower or toilets (I had to go to the Y just to use the restroom! LOL), but hopefully it will be worth it in the long run. Right? Please??!!

Nighty night!

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ps... Check back tomorrow because I am going to start a little contest! WOOT!

Later, ya'll

We will be leaving in the a.m. to start an early, long weekend! We are taking the girls to see 'A Day Out with Thomas' again, which we did last year as well. It is fun, and I bought some Thomas scrapbook paper on clearance today at Walmart to make pages ☺ We will be staying with family and hopefully having a great time.

So, a long trip lies ahead... but I have a bag packed with new magazines and amigurumi patterns and yarn. What more do I need??

Have a great weekend and see ya next week

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Copy-Cat Tomato Post

Everyone, it seems, has been blogging about tomatoes lately. Who can blame them... they are delicious! Sally has been making gorgeous homemade sauces and 58 Cherries has been frying them up green. Well, yesterday I took one of my earliest favorite tomatoey dishes and gave it a bit of a new-fangled twist.

When I was a little kid and went to visit my grandparents (the far-away ones), my aunt would often make 'macaroni & tomatoes.' This consisted of cooked elbow macaroni, home-canned tomatoes, with tons of butter and salt. Mmmmm! I always looked forward to this simple, yummy food. I make mac'n'tom frequently for lunch, but with a pint of grape tomatoes in hand, I decided to give a "Rachael Ray" spin to an old fav.

I dumped the grape tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzled with olive oil. Then, I sprinkled with kosher salt and a wee bit of pepper, shaking the baking sheet to get them all evenly coated. Then I baked them in a 350 oven until they burst, approx 10-15 minutes or so.

In the meantime, I cooked some whole-grain penne al dente. A simple drain, a quick dump of the roasted tomatoes, and a bit of butter (and a touch of garlic salt)... a really tasty lunch! The tomatoes really do get sweeter ☺

Happy Hump Day to All... better go get out your Fall decor!

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Everything's Coming Up... Mushrooms?

Ah, 'shrooms! After all of this recent rain, the shady spot in our front yard is like a mushroom pasture. Now that it is drying up a bit, I really should mow the lawn... then only the small ones, close to the ground, will miss the guillotine.

Yesterday, I was mightily cheesed-off at my MIL (whom I have diagnosed with untreated bipolar disorder, but that is another story....) so I decided to whip off a fast amigurumi for some instant gratification and a good measure of happy. Possibly influenced by the carpet of fungi visible from my favorite chair, I chose this easy pattern from Kat Crochet. In no time, I had a finished Morel mushroom ☺ Our area is big on mushroom-hunting, and the effect of the holes in the crochet really look like the grooves in a Morel mushroom. I need to add a cute kawaii-ish face to him yet. [Does anyone know of a free, small GNOME amigurumi pattern, or have a pattern they would be willing to share?? I really want to make some small gnomes to perch on/under the mushroom(s) ]

Then I started thinking...a lot of these cute, vintage finds I keep promising to post about have a central theme: mushrooms! Check out this framed picture I bought for 25 cents. I actually intended to toss the picture and only use the frame, but the whole thing is starting to grow on me now. The frame is a neat vintage plastic faux bois:

Check out these old napkins. I bought the set of 4 for $1, and I think they are really cute. With two little ones, we stick to paper napkins... but maybe I might sew something out of them.

I like the rabbit and mushroom details most.

Lastly, I just found these kitchen towls in a bag I had forgotten about. Although they don't really go with the color scheme, etc. in my kitchen, they are really thick and soft. They will make great drying towels!

Wow, that's a lot of mushrooms! And as much as I like a cute fungi knick-knack, picture, fabric, etc., my favorite thing to do with them is eat them. LOL

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Autumn-like weather!

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