Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Woodscape with a Cardinal flare!

A baby room like no other baby room! I was looking through an old Martha Living magazine called Baby and found a baby room so beautiful I could not wait to get it started for our own little guy. All the colors were neutral and had a flare of red as the accent color, I just loved it. I really wanted red as well, so I decided on a red cardinal, which is really hard to find for a baby's room, lucky my mother-in-law had these handmade pillows made by her mother that just made the room super cute. Here is a list of projects I did to create my woodscape baby room!
I striped the chair and painted it white! Added the cute pillow and a red Ikea trashcan. Great little reading nook for baby "E".
I hand stitched two pictures for the room with matching fabric from his bedding, one cute tree picture and a fun bird picture.
Created three hand sewn blocks from felt in red, white and tan colors. I used 1-10 numbers and stars shapes on the blocks, will be great to play with when the little guy gets older.
Here is an up close shot of my hand stitched bird picture!
Revamped lamp shade, punched holes in the bottom of the shade and ran red satin ribbon through it. Then I hot glued a red ribbon on top adding loops to it creating a fun look!
Great find for 4 bucks at the local thrift store, spray painted white and added a red cardinal in the cage, just a fun piece to dress up the room even more.
Got old frames and painted them white, then I added some old pictures, as well as leaves I collected. Great collage on the wall.
Hand stitched mobile, I could not find anything that went well with the room, so I created my own.
Up close details of the bird!
The final area is the crib. All the bedding was handmade by my sweet mother-in-law in white, tans and rich browns. I made a cute flag banner using old linens and we also got a cute name picture that I hung above his bed. (not seen in the picture)
Well I hope you like the room, I do. Creating something handmade makes everything more personal for your family. Enjoy!
Beckymae

Saturday, November 14, 2009

What a combo!

Spiderman, a pirate, princess and a cute butterfly!

Love to eat Woopies

History of Whoopie Pies
Whoopie pies are considered a New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition. They're one of Maine's best known and most loved comfort foods. Mainers will even claim that they were weaned on whoopie pies. In Maine, these treats are more like a cake than a pie or a cookie, as they are very generously sized (about hamburger size). they're so hug that you'll want to share one with a friend. A big glass of milk is almost mandatory when eating a whoopie pie.
A whoopie pie is like a sandwich, but made with two soft cookies with a fluffy white filling. Traditional whoopies pies are made with vegetable shortening, not butter. The original and most commonly made whoopie pie is chocolate. but cooks like to experiment, and today pumpkin whoopie pies are a favorite seasonal variation.
The recipe for whoopie pies has its origins with the Amish, and in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, it is not uncommon to find roadside farm stands offering these desserts. Amish cooking is about old recipes that have fed families for generations, with no trendy or cross-cultural fusions or mixtures. These cake-like whoopie pies were considered a special treat because they were originally made from leftover batter. According to Amish legend, when children would find these treats in their lunch bags, they would shout "Whoopie!"


Whoopie Pie Recipe - How To Make Whoopie Pies
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

Whoopie Pie Filling:
1 cup solid vegetable shortening*
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff**
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* Butter may be substituted for all or part of the vegetable shortening, although traditional Whoopie Pies are made with vegetable shortening only
** Marshmallow Creme may be substituted.
In a medium bow, beat together shortening, sugar, and Marshmallow fluff; stir in vanilla extract until well blended.
Directions:
In bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and egg

In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the milk. Add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, alternating with the milk mixture; beating until smooth.

Drop batter by the 1/4 cup (to make 18 cakes) onto prepared baking sheets. With the back of a spoon spread batter into 4-inch circles, leaving approximately 2 inches between each cake. Bake 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make Whoopie Pie Filling. When the cakes are completely cool, spread the flat side (bottom) of one chocolate cake with a generous amount of filling. Top with another cake, pressing down gently to distribute the filling evenly. Repeat with all cookies to make 9 pies. Wrap whoopie pies individually in plastic wrap, or place them in a single layer on a platter (do not stack them, as they tend to stick).
To freeze, wrap each whoopie pie in plastic wrap. Loosely pack them in a plastic freezer container and cover. To serve, defrost the wrapped whoopie pies in the refrigerator.


Enjoy your woopies! I had tons of fun making them and so will you!
Beckymae

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

This Saturday!

~You are warmly invited to join me for~
An Uncommon Holiday Show & Sale
This Saturday, November 7th, 3pm-8pm
Georgetown Chamber of Commerce 100 Stadium Dr.
Across from the Rec Center on Austin Ave.
Shop fabulous products!
Sample gourmet delights!
Connect with excellent services
All provided by local women in small business!
Click here for a list of our wonderful vendors and get some early shopping ideas!
Join us for a fun evening of classy Christmas festivities!
I'd love to see you there!
Visit UncommonWomen.net for more details!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Baby is almost here!

I dear friend of my took some great fall pictures of me being 7 1/2 months pregnant, I was so excited to see them! She did such a great joy capturing me in the fall with this cute little bundle of joy growing inside me. I have been working really hard this pregnancy to stay fit and it pays off after looking at the pictures she took of me. My husband really enjoyed my look, especially with my hair blowing in the wind!



Well we are to report about 6 to 8 weeks left before baby "E" arrives into this world, and we are all ready and waiting.
Room done: check
Clothes washed: check
Birth plan done: check
Diaper bought: check
What's left to do....I do want to make a cute swaddle wrap, so I have been drawing up designs for the creation...