Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Crash

I figured I'd start the week with the good, and end with the bad.

Several moths ago, my sister and her oldest girls (6 and 4) were in a terrible car accident.  I won't bore you with the details, but the driver of the car (17 years old) passed away the following day after hitting my sister and the girls head on.

CLICK HERE to read one of the news stories on the accident.

My sister broke her big toe (which sounds like nothing but is definitely still mending), the oldest girl (Lilly) had some facial bruising and a concussion (caused by the airbags), and the second oldest (Ella) broke her arm and had surgery to repair/set.

(Ella at the hospital awaiting her surgery)

Situations like these definitely make you thankful for family and all the time we have together.  

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Moo! Moo!

For the last several years, Dad claims to be working on his "bucket list."  One of the top items on the list was to own and raise cattle again.  Having grown up on a dairy farm, Dad LOVES farm life...me, not so much!

Since my last blog post, Dad's first two cows arrived.  Initially Dad wanted two calves, but he decided at the cattle auction that they were too expensive.  So, he chose the next best thing...two pregnant cows.

Meet Molly and Polly.  Yes, I agree!  They're terrible names.  Dad has ALWAYS wanted to name cows Molly and Polly.


Well, in September or was it October?  I don't really recall, but two calves arrived.  My brother's kiddos named the first one...Tiger!  My sister's children donned the second one...Frisky (the same thing they named their caterpillar last spring).





We (and all the neighbors) have thoroughly enjoyed watching the growth of the cows.  They're very friendly, juvenile, and absolutely adorable.  Never did I think I'd say that about COWS!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Dr. Barnes...yup, finally!

That's right!  It is finally official.  


I finished my dissertation, defended it, and graduated...all since my last blog post. 


Graduation was in December, and we stood in line for an hour to take the traditional "arches" photos.


Such a relief to know it's over!

Monday, January 3, 2011

I'm Back...

I've been missing for quite some time...as many of you I hope have noticed.  A lot has occurred since the last time I posted, so I figured I'd take the week to update you on the happenings of my life.

Here are a few sneak peaks of this week's blog posts...




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!