Sunday, July 18, 2010

Guess Who: Braves Edition

Meet Will...


Will is my 6 year-old nephew. Well, actually he turns 6 tomorrow.  Will is a baseball genius. He loves Major League Baseball and watches the Braves game every night. In fact, last year he persuaded his parents to redecorate his bedroom into a MLB theme.


So, in keeping with the Year of the Handmade Gift...I borrowed an idea from Becki at The Madsen Times (Click HERE to see Becki's creation).


I recreated the game Guess Who into a Braves Edition.


Obviously, you have to know a lot about the Braves to be able to play.  Will should have no problem!


We're celebrating his birthday tomorrow night.  I cannot wait for him to open it!

  


Hopefully, he'll LOVE it!

Linking up to:

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

I'm Back...

Have you wondered what happened to me?

Well, not to make you jealous - but this was where I went...


Using www.bookit.com, I discovered Punta Cana...


My vacation...hotel, flight, all meals, and all drinks was cheaper than just housing in Florida...


I planned a two week vacation, but I came home a week early. I anticipated analyzing my dissertation data, but the software wouldn't work on my computer. Plus, www.weather.com predicted a week of rain. I couldn't justify wasting a week of not working on my dissertation to just be sitting in my room.


So, I enjoyed this exact location (the majority of my trip). I read two books, 4 magazines, and wrote 16 pages of my dissertation. I was diligent and tried relaxing.  

Isn't it pathetic that I had a hard time relaxing?  That is definitely not me.

I start my job in two weeks, and I am extremely anxious about having as much of my dissertation finished as absolutely possible.

So, maybe one day I'll get back to Punta Cana, but for now I'm headed to the office tomorrow for some serious data analysis.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Blog Swap with A Vision to Remember

I am so excited to be Blog Swapping today with Alyssa! Doesn't she have such a cute blog?!?

I am the author of A Vision to Remember. I also have my own etsy shop, where I sell many of my creations. I am a stay at home mom of 2 awesome girls and one dog. They are my inspiration for sure. Everything that I have made has been for them in some way.

Here are a couple of things that I have made over at my blog:

I love making rag quilts. I sell many in my etsy shop, but this pattern is available for download on my blog here.



This was a fun pleated headband that I made for myself (one of the few times that I craft for myself, if you know what I mean :)


I also made this fun Ribbon skirt for my daughter (Part 1, Part 2)

I also have many other tutorials on my blog. Make sure to stop by and check them out.


I also have my own Etsy shop. There I sell rag quilts, car seat tents, and lots of patterns. Some of the patterns I sell are rag quilts, belly band, and fabric flowers.


Peach Mellow

Image was borrowed from here


Ingredients:
1 package small marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1 pint of whipping cream
1/3 cup butter
graham crackers (crushed) you need enough to cover the bottom of your pan
Peaches

Melt the marshmallows and milk in the microwave. Then place in fridge to cool down. Whip the whipping cream until peaks form.

Melt the butter and add to the graham crackers and squish onto the bottom of to make a nice crust.

Peel and slice the peaches and place on top of the crackers (there really is no set amount just however many you would like.

When the marshmallow mixture is cooled then add the whipping cream and fold together.
Then pour over the top of the peaches.

The above picture is one I borrowed from a website, and if you did not notice the items are in a different order. It really would not matter either way. Also if you have extra graham crackers you can sprinkle over the top of your marshmallow mixture.

Today I made some of this dessert, but I did not have any graham crackers so I crushed chocolate covered flake cereal. It was delicious. This recipe would also work with other fruits. So give it a try


If you love to cook then I am looking for contributors for a 30 day Food Challenge. For the month of August I will be making 30 different meals and none of them the same. If you want to join it let me know. More details can be found right here


Thanks again for swapping blogs with me and make sure to stop by tomorrow and link up to Check ME Out Saturday Link Party Have a great day!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Daddy's Day



Like many American families, I'll be celebrating Father's Day with my family on Sunday. This is the first year I can remember where we have celebrated on the actual holiday. Years ago, we celebrated Father's Day in October.  With Dad's insane schedule, it was the first time everyone in our family could get together. 

I've struggled to come up with a gift this year. Being that I deemed this year, "The Year of the Handmade Gift," I knew I had to come up with something creative. However, that is hard when it comes to Dad. 

Aiming to mark off items on his "bucket list," Dad recently purchased two cows. Bare in mind that we (my entire family lives within a 2 mile radius) live in a suburb of Atlanta...far from farms and cattle. He loves coming home at night, changing into his blue jeans (which I didn't even know he owned), and walking over to give them their nightly treat of sweet feed. 

I happened to be out of town the night the cows arrived. However, it was a family and neighborhood affair as everyone watched the two cows (named by him...Molly and Polly) investigate their new home.  My sister-in-law uploaded pictures of the cows' (who by the way are pregnant...or bred if you are using farm language) arrival. When I saw the picture below of Dad, I immediately knew I would use it for his Father's Day Gift.


I quickly remembered that I had a similar picture of my grandfather (Dad's daddy) with a cow too. 


So, I changed both photos to black and white and found a double sided frame that I weathered to make look older too. The picture of PawPaw (my grandfather) was very faded and only had orange coloring remaining, so the chance worked well for it.

I think Dad will love it. I know he really misses his parents, so this will be a good remembrance for him

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Good News, Good News!

As many of you know, I've been job searching over the past six to eight months. Because I'm not finishing my dissertation until December, I limited my search to the "perfect" job (which of course must be in Georgia because I am certainly staying near my family). In fact, you may recall in March, I turned down an offer at a great place, and I haven't talked much about the search since then.

Well, I have good news...make that great news.


This morning I accepted an offer as an assistant professor at North Georgia College and State University. I had my first interview (via the phone) three weeks ago (while I was at the beach). Last week, I followed up with an on-campus visit and a teaching demonstration. Although I loved the faculty and felt like it was a great fit, I was nervous about not finishing my dissertation because of the new responsibilities. Well, wouldn't you know...they sensed my anxieties.


Yesterday, I received a phone call asking if I would be more interested in working part-time during the fall (until I finish my dissertation) and come on board full-time in January.

I'm blown away how everything has fallen into place.

The pictures I included are all of the campus. North Georgia is in Dahlonega (about an hour) from my house. The area and campus are gorgeous. The town is adorable, even with a downtown square in walking distance from the university.


Three of my favorite aspects of the job are...(1) the faculty that is so supportive and interested in working together for the benefit of the students, (2) the program is a dual-certification program (so, I'll get to help general education teachers prepare for the diversity that exists within classrooms in the 21st century)...and (2) the university has an ENORMOUS study-abroad program!


I'm so excited...as if you can't tell. I will know more in the coming weeks (like what classes I'll teach in the fall), but until then...there is one heck of a celebration going on in Marietta!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Rosemary and Oregano Chicken

This is definitely one of my favorite recipes!  Yummy, yummy, yummy. Here is a quick tutorial and a digital recipe card that you can download, print, and add to your collection. I hope you enjoy!

Purchase these ingredients.

Place chicken and potatoes and chicken in a large dish.
Add olive oil, making sure to coat the chicken and potatoes.
Sprinkle chicken and potatoes with rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.

I added a mixed green salad from my garden.

Pair with a delicious wine.

Yummy, yummy, goodness.

Click HERE to download the recipe card.

I'm posting a link to this post on the following sites:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is hosted by 
Blessed With Grace.
Delicious Dishes is hosted by 
It's a Blog Party
Tuesday Tastes is hosted by 
Crazy Jayz Place
Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 
11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven.
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by 
Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by 
We Are THAT Family 
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by 
Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesday is hosted by 
5 Minutes for Mom
Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by 
The Trendy Treehouse
Friday Food is hosted by 
Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by 
Designs by Gollum
Finer Things Friday is hosted by 
Amy's Finer Things
I'm Lovin It Fridays is hosted by 
Tidy Mom
Show off Your Stuff Thursday is hosted by 
Fireflies and Jellybeans

Tuesday's Garden Party at Oregon Cottage

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

WANTED: Blog Swap

Hi Everyone!

I'm interested in scheduling several blog swaps over the next couple of months. If you're interested, please post a comment below or shoot me an email.  Here are some ideas of post topics that I think would mesh well with the Persnickety Peacock...

Recipes
Crafts
Tutorials
Decorating Ideas
Garden Tips

Hope you'll join me in this fun swap! 

Monday, June 7, 2010

Week 6 Garden Update

My garden is growing like crazy!


I've already made mental notes of what I plan to change next year.  For example, my tomato plants are shading other plants. So, next year I'm planning to put them alone in a long and skinny raised bed.


My blueberry bushes are finally growing! I'm still planning to make a few changes to help encourage their growth, but I haven't had a chance yet.


I harvested a large bounty this week. My sister took several things (parsley, rosemary, 1 green pepper, 2 green tomatoes) home after her girls picked them out the garden. 





My sister is planning to make fried green tomatoes on Wednesday...and create a guest post...right, Allison? Now that it is in print...you're held accountable!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Garden Slip Up

Yesterday my oldest nieces came over to help work in my garden. They've been eager to pick anything and everything they see growing.  So, when my sister needed to make a quick trip to the grocery store, I figured they could help me pick a few veggies, pull some weeds, and water the garden. 

Well, being that I'm quite a novice gardener, I thought the carrots were ready to come out of the ground.  So, we dug down into the ground and pulled out these babies.




Obviously, the carrots need a little longer in the ground. So, much to the girls' dismay...we left the remainder in the ground.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Blog Swap with Kaysi from Keeping it Simple


Hello everyone! I am super excited to be here with you today!! Alyssa is super creative and has a lot of fun stuff at her blog, I just love the name of it, so creative!!


Let me introduce myself, I'm Kaysi



Keeping It Simple
Here are a few things about me:
I am the mother of three boys, ages 5, 3 and 1
I have been married to an amazing man for 6 years
I love chocolate!!
I love color, green is my favorite but brown and blue are up there
I like to keep things simple, not overdo them
When I get a spare moment, I love to craft or look at crafts

Each day of the week, I have something different.
Motivate me Monday, that's where I have link party and you get to show me all the cute things that you have done.
Tutorial Tuesday, I give a tutorial of a craft that I have done
Whatever Wednesday, this is my day that I put anything up.
Scrapbook Thursday, this is the day that I post a scrapbook idea or give a scrapbook tip
Fridays are the days that I do Blog swaps with other bloggers.
Here are a few things that you can see at my blog:


Thanks Alyssa for doing this swap with me, it's been fun!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Update...

Do you ever feel like you're spread too thin?  Well, that is what I feel like on a regular basis! What annoys me even more is that when everything needs attention at once, my blog is what is put on hold.

Let me explain why I've been away...

About a month ago, I presented my dissertation prospectus (chapters 1-3) to my committee of four professors. They ask you questions, provide insight, and make suggestions regarding your study. Once they approve, you submit your proposal to the university to get permission to begin collecting data. Well, I held my meeting and received permission from my committee to move forward...exciting!  At the conclusion of the meeting, we set a date for my dissertation defense, and the current plan remains for me to graduate in December...now if I can only find a job!  

The following week, I spent a 6 days in the lovely North Georgia Mountains at Amicalola Falls. I wish this was a relaxing getaway, but instead I sat on the back porch of a cabin typing away. Every year, a professor at the University of Georgia hosts a writing retreat. About 15 doctoral students spend their days and nights working towards a self-imposed goal (mine was to create a draft of a manuscript I've had on my to-do list for way too long). This was my second writing retreat, so I knew it would be intense. I can't complain much because (1) I made the choice to go, and (2) albeit extremely insane it is the most beneficial experience for me as a graduate student. Oftentimes, the PhD world can be somewhat isolated. Everyone is working on their program of study (that they create independently) or their dissertation (that they create independently). In turn, you frequently feel like you're floating along all by your lonesome self. The week away with grad students grounds you in the reality that there are many others feeling the same way you are, with the same apprehensions and anxieties, worried and stressed about the same insecurities. So, although it was a long week...it was great!

After being home for only four days, I hopped in the car with my sister and her three girls (5 years old and under) and headed to the beach. With all the kids and their stuff, we have to take 2 cars. My sister and I enjoy the ride together (with me getting up and handling situations with the kids). Her husband leads the way, windows down and listening to music...we get a little envious when the kids are screaming! Anyway, I'm here at the beach...trying to enjoy a non-vacation with three wee ones.

In the meantime, I received permission from the University of Georgia to begin collecting data for my dissertation. That is exciting. I disseminated phase one of my research yesterday, and I am like an annoying child checking to see how many people have responded to the survey...every 10 seconds. Can you tell my livelihood rides on this stinkin' study?  Good thing I like it!

So, there is the update. I have quite a few blog posts running in my head, and I've lined up some blog swaps (and am in search of more) for the coming weeks.

Thanks for staying tuned...even while I'm crazy trying to swim upstream.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Week 5 Garden Update

I'm amazed at how much my garden grew this week! In fact, I had to stake the tomatoes and beans. You can even see my middle tomato plant (back row) already fell over.  Luckily, I got it staked before the plant broke.


I have a fun, new recipe to try with some of my harvest this week.


My blueberry bushes are struggling. What should I be doing to make them grow?  Help, please!