A Nice Surprise

About a week ago, the custodian at my school told me he was going to Branson, Missouri with his mother. He didn't seem too excited but he was taking his mother to visit someone and have a little vacation. To give you a picture of him, he's about 10 years older than my dad so his mother is fairly old and doesn't get out much. I excitedly told him about the Titanic museum that is there. I have never been there before, but would love to go. He is a very nice man and of course said, "Yeah, that sounds interesting." I realized he probably wouldn't go but also wouldn't shoot my idea down because of my enthusiasm about it.
If you have read this blog then you know by now that I am sort of an oddball with many strange fascinations (ex. glass bottles, ceramic rhinos, cameos, etc.). Believe me, there are plenty more of those, one being my love for the Titanic. Many people have thought this love came about from the 1997 American romantic James Cameron film starring a hunky Tiger Beat (they still make that magazine) heartthrob. But no, my interest in the Titanic came about a year or two earlier in my 7th grade Social Science class. My teacher was out for the day and showed a film on the Titanic about its history and the artifacts found in the wreckage. She probably never would have guessed the impact it would have on me. Something about such a huge, beautiful ship and such a tragic story had me intrigued. Now, Cory thinks I'm a sicko for reading up on tragedies. Reading about shootings and fires interests me, but not in a "I'm glad that happened way" but in a concerned and very empathetic way. I try to put myself in their position and think of the fear they must have felt....How would I have reacted? What would go through my head?...and so on. I have many times felt physically sick reading about such sadness. Sorry, I'm rambling...I told my custodian about how the Titanic interested me and that one day I would like to visit the museum. It has rooms that are actual replicas of rooms on the ship. It also has activities to make you feel like you were there, like 28 degrees water, a cool breeze, and even a deck you can stand on that tilts up as much as the ship did before it sank. I could go on! I have been asking Cory to go for a while now, but there's never a great time to go nor does money grow on trees. I will go someday though. :)
Well, this morning as I came into my room and on my desk sat a "collector's guide" Titanic book, along with two "boarding passes" (the tickets museum guests receive to go on board...there's a fun story with them). The custodian had gotten them at the museum and brought them back for me. It truly made my day! I quickly found him in the hall and thanked him over and over. He shared his experience with me and gave such nice details. He made me feel like I had been there. It seemed like he soaked in the info to report back to me. It was really a great start to a Monday. A rainy Monday, at that.
I guess I'm posting this to encourage people to do something kind for someone else today. Just listening and taking interest in someone else can really make their day. Maybe write a note to a coworker, call a friend or family member you haven't talked to in while, or maybe even make a yummy treat for someone who has shown you kindness....and with that, I'm going to go and make some yummies to show my gratitude.
I hope you have a dandy day :)

If you would like to see what all the Titanic museum holds, then check out the website http://www.titanicbranson.com/. If you would like to take me with you, then call ;) jk

Caramel Cake

This is a recipe adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor. Her books are wonderful and recipes are always tasty.

This is for Caramel Cake and this is what you need:

1 package of white cake mix

1 cup buttermilk (the original recipe calls for whole milk)

1 stick of butter, melted

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease & flour 2 9inch round cake pans.

Place cake mix, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in mixing bowl.

Blend in mixer until smooth.

Divide the batter between the pans and place in oven.

Bake for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes then invert them onto a cake rack for 30 more minutes.



To make the frosting you will need:

basically A LOT of sugar :).....really you will need

2 sticks of butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tsp vanilla


Place butter and brown sugars in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes. Add milk and bring mixture back to boil (this won't take long). Remove the pan from the heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir until the frosting is smooth.

Use immediately while warm to frost the cake. If the frosting hardens while working with it you can put the pan back on the stove on low heat until softened.

*This cake can get a little messy while frosting, so I put a bit of wax paper under the edges of my cake to catch drippings. After the icing has set a little, then pull the wax paper out and you will have a clean plate underneath.

**the white little lumps on top are balls of powdered sugar. My sifter apparently wasn't up to par tonight :)

Drip Bottles

Yes, this is another bottle project. If you read this post about bottle vases, then you know my love for bottles. Today's post is actually a craft I use to do with my childhood friend when we were in 5th grade. So I guess this is a juvenile craft but I still think it's pretty nifty. It's also a great way to recycle old crayons, which if you're like me is when the nice sharpened tip is worn down. :)


Here's what ya need:


a bottle, a lighter, some old (or new) crayons, and a candle is optional





First, peel the paper off of the crayons.


Next place some paper under your bottle.


Now melt the crayons onto the bottle. If you use a lighter it can get a little messy. I used an old candle in case of any crayon drippings.

And th-th-th-that's all folks! (that was said in my best Porky Pig voice)

A very simple craft that's fun to sit on a shelf. You can also use the bottles as candle holders. It's also fun to use seasonal colors (ex: red & green for Christmas, orange & black for Halloween, and pastels for Easter)

Not to hate on Roseart crayons but the colors weren't all that wonderful. For a nicer palette, I would go with Crayola. They provide pretty light blues and gold & silver.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a dandy day ;)

Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

I found this recipe on the world wide web when I was in high school. I've made it many times and it always turns out the same: delicious!

This recipe takes a while but it's worth the time. They taste like the cinnamon rolls you can get at the mall.

Here's what you need for the dough:

1 1/4 oz package active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted margarine

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour


First, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large mixing bowl.

After it dissolves mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add the flour and mix well.

Knead the dough into a ball. Put in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour ( I put it in the oven). The dough will double in size.

It makes you feel like a magician when you pull the towel off after an hour! :)

Now go ahead and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough flat until it is about 21 inches long by 15 inches wide.

For the filling combine 1 cup of packed brown sugar and 2 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

You'll also need 1/3 cup of softened margarine. Spread the margarine on the dough like so...

Then sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.

Now roll from the top (21 inch side) to the bottom edge. It makes a little dough log.

Cut the rolled dough into 1 3/4 inch slices and place 6 at a time, evenly spaced in a greased baking pan. I use the baking pan because some of the "yummy goodness" leaks out while baking.

After you place the rolls in the pans you have to let the rolls rise a little (about 30 minutes).

Now bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

While the rolls are baking you can make the icing. I didn't take any pictures of the icing being made because the rolls smelt so yummy and I got too excited and forgot.... Anyway, for the icing you'll need

1 stick of margarine; softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup (2oz) cream cheese; softened

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and beat until fluffy. The mixture will look dry at first but if you mix on a high speed I promise it will be creamy.

When the rolls come out of the oven, coat each one with the icing.

Wah-lah!

**If you're not planning on eating them right away, you can put the non-frosted rolls in the freezer and save some icing in the fridge. Just heat up the rolls for about 25 seconds. You can have a treat each morning :)

Now that I think about it, you may could put the frosting on before you freeze them...Although I've never tried it.

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives"

Just a quick non-craft post about a great find I stumbled upon. Last year I got a crush on this hourglass from Anthropologie.
Now if you've ever been to Anthropologie you know that some items are a bit pricey. This little sucker was ON SALE for $32.00. I know that's not tons of mulah, but being on one income it was a purchase I couldn't make without feeling guilty.

Well, on Friday I went to Target and started browsing the home decor aisles. Then I saw the twin of my love from Anthropolgie(except it was only $14.99.) Whoohoo! I know it's silly to be so excited, but I think it's so lovely. Just wanted to share this tid-bit of info in case anyone wanted one.

Here's a picture of my new purchase. The flash reacted weird with the glass....or maybe it's just so grand that it just radiates ;) Oh yeah, and it really times one hour.

Bottle Vases

Today I'm posting a super simple craft. First of all, let me tell you that I love glass bottles/jars. When I was younger I would always save glass bottles and display them in my room. They were usually Stewart's soda bottles or Clearly Canadian sparkling flavored water (remember that stuff?) I would also save glass jars and store crayons, candy, and buttons for display purposes. Cory makes fun of me because I would buy almost anything if it were in a mason jar. Sometimes I have to turn my head at Cracker Barrel to avoid seeing all the beautiful mason jars filled with candy. Below is a picture of a jar from my great grandmother's house. I'm not sure how old it is but my mom gave it to me a while back. I also really like this coke bottle they sold a few Christmases ago. It was modeled after the first coke bottle.

Ok, so now you know my love of glass bottles. I don't save every bottle I see now, but I still appreciate their simple beauty. One bottle I really like the shape of holds one of my favorite drinks: Frappuccinos! I know this sounds silly but every time I threw a bottle away it would make me sad to see it go. I had to think of a way to keep a few bottles around and for them to be functional. Functionality is one of my main goals in making crafts.

I finally found a solution when I opened my Martha Stewart magazine (this was when I was still in college). She had a craft where she painted glass with enamel paint so that water wouldn't damage it. So this brings me to today's craft.....Here's what you need.

Yummy Frappuccino bottles. Or any glass bottle, really.

And enamel paint. I got this at Hobby Lobby for about $2.

First you'll need to empty the contents of the bottle and peel off any labels. If the label leaves a sticky residue then you can always use Goof Off to get it off. Make sure the inside of the bottle has been rinsed out too.

Now squeeze some paint into the bottle.

A little paint goes a long way. After a few squirts start turning the bottle around to coat the inside.

After you've coated the inside turn the bottle upside down and place on either a paper plate or aluminum foil. You'll be surprised how much paint will run out of it.

After it dries, you can use your bottle as a vase or just for a pretty decoration. The cool thing about painting the inside of the bottle is that it looks like the bottle was made that color. It really has a cool effect and still has a glass shine. If you have a tinted bottle to begin with (like my great grandmother's jar) you can just put white paint in it. It just makes the glass look opaque.

On a side note, another really pretty bottle to use as a vase to hold pink flowers is an Arizona Green Tea bottle. Isn't it lovely? I think it has a "shabby chic" look to it and would be pretty at a picnic or barbecue.

Cool Website

Here's a really cool website that can help you with choosing colors for a project or room. It's at http://bighugelabs.com/colors.php. You can upload any picture and it will create a color pallet for you. Below is an example of what it does. I thought this picture was really pretty so I uploaded it and it pulled out these colors.

I really enjoy looking a interior design websites/blogs to get ideas for whenever I have a house. I like to save the pictures to a "dream home" folder so I won't forget. In this folder I also put pretty pictures that I find online. When I found this site I uploaded a lot of pictures from that folder and found it fun that I'm drawn to the same colors almost everytime.
Oh well, not too much to write here. Just wanted to share this neat website. I hope you have a dandy day :)