Mother’s Day Crafts

By On · 1 Comment · In Craft Projects, family, Mother's Day

Hey all you lovely people out there!

Who do you go to when you feel sick, lonely, scared, anxious, excited, gloomy, worn-out, joyful, and about a million bajillion (that’s a word, look it up–wait, don’t) other emotions that I can’t think of right now???  Why, your mom of course!  Mom’s are the bomb! My mom is the perfect mom.  She if funny, she is crafty, she’s sweet, she loves God most of all and loves my dad unfailingly.  She is an author, a poet, a teacher, a singer/songwriter, an artist, a wonderful cook, a seamstress (remember the sweat shop?), and she apparently is a bird watcher… (rolls the eyes)

She is a wonderful wife of 47 years, a devoted daughter to my sweet grandmother (who is another amazing woman!!), a caring sister, and again a PERFECT MOTHER!

Thank you Mom for all that you do to brighten the day of anyone you meet.  You are a blessing to me and many others.  I love you forever, like you for always, as long as I’m living my mother you’ll be.

Okay, enough of this, I’m going to short out my laptop with the tears that i’m drowning in right now…

I, on the other hand, am not the perfect mom.  HA  I can say this because I am leaving town tomorrow to have a girls weekend  at the beach with a bunch of other moms.  (It has been a long month with lots of sickness and dr. visits.  So I’m hittin’ the road Jack. Don’t judge me…)fafa7a7438e8315a7ab5d329beaa9727So our precious families are going to have a mom-less Mother’s Day.  This got me thinking… what kinds of crafts could dads pull off without too much stress and pain?   Now, Mr. Creativity can hang with me on some artsy stuff, but he runs the other way when it comes to crafts.  He is just too macho for a glue gun.  uh-huh.   So, here is a round-up of some easy breezy things that the kids can make and dads can chalk up one more brownie point.  :)  Just click on the links below the picture and enjoy!

Mothers day PicMonkey Collage

1. Mother’s Day Gift Jar

2. Washy Tape Pencil Holder

3. Ombre Painted Utensils

4. Stenciled Glass

5. Watercolor Painted Vases

6. Wrist Soiree  (Yes, I realize this isn’t a craft.  But dads can MAKE a decision as to which bracelet would be pretty. Brownie points would be earned.)

7. DIY Silhouettes

8. DIY Branch votive 

9. Chalkboard Painted Pots

10. Handprint Mason Jar Vase

For all the mothers out there, here is an Irish blessing for you as you enjoy YOUR special day:

May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck, brightened by a song in your heart, and warmed by the smiles of the people you love.

Blessings!

Holly

Yummy Stuffed Peppers

By On · 3 Comments · In Food

About 6 months ago, Mr. Creativity and I decided to go meat-less.  Please don’t confuse that with ‘meatless’, we are not vegetarians–not that there’s anything wrong with that (Seinfeld anyone?).  We are just cutting back on the amount of meat we fix.   So the fact that I hate with everything in me don’t enjoy cooking means that suppertime has become exceedingly more difficult to plan.  When you take away boiled/shredded chicken and ground beef, what’s a girl supposed to do?!?!?!?!  Especially one that was raised in the south with a plethora of casserole recipes in my memory bank.  So after having stuffed peppers at my neighbor’s house one night I decided to try and make my own veggie stuffed peppers, baby steps…  empty pepperOh yeah, and that quinoa band wagon that has taken over pinterest?  Yep, I have jumped on it.  And boy is it a tasty wagon.  Just in case you don’t know anything about quinoa (including how to pronounce it…don’t make the <perfectly reasonable> mistake of asking for “kwuh-NO-uh”, that is sooooo 2012.  It’s “KEEN-wah”) here is some info that will enlighten you…don’t we all need a little enlightening every now and then???  So now, let’s put the two together–quinoa and veggie stuffed peppers.  ta-dah!  pepper stuffing 2Yes, I realize it has been done before.  I am not a recipe making kind of person.  I am a recipe follower–unless I’m out of something and I have to change it up a bit.  So without more rambling… here is my recipe:

stuffed peppers title

6 bell peppers–tops cut off and hollow out
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp taco seasoning (or more if you like it spicy)
1 lime, juiced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 tsp better than broth (chicken flavor)

Wash quinoa and drain until water runs clear.  Cook according to directions adding in the better than broth to the water.  Saute onions, then add garlic and squash, cook until soft.  Combine this mixture and the cooked quinoa with remaining ingredients except for the peppers (only mix 1/2 cup cheese now, reserve the other 1/2 for the topping) .  Fill the peppers with the mixture and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes on a lower rack.  Add the remaining cheese to the top of each pepper and bake until cheese is melted.  Enjoy!!!stuffed peppers 3Blessings,

Holly

 

 

A Busy Month (and a half)

By On · 2 Comments · In family

Hello all!Boy, has it been a busy month and a half!  I turned 40 years old, and celebrated the entire month of March.  ha!  I guess I just have to embrace this old age I am entering.  I used to think 40 was ridiculously old (and it kind of is…), but it’s no where as old as I thought.  I still feel like a teenager…except for my knees. IMG_0644 I can’t imagine that I have 3 little beings that I’m ‘in charge’ of.  Seriously. IMG_0393 I still need someone telling ME what to do.  (Don’t get any ideas honey)  IMG_0355There have been very few projects that have gone on around the McCall Manor as of late.  The only ‘fun’ project that happened was when I chained my mom to the dining room table (sweat shop table) and had her make a burlap runner that I have been meaning to get around to making.  She just looked so bored.  I was only trying to help her out.  wink wink.It turned out perfectly and has even been used at a baby shower and on a TV segment since she made it!!!  My SIL used it on a TV spot she did while here in Florida.  Fancy Nancy stuff I tell ya!

We have had lots of different company during March and April, so my time was spent visiting, sipping coffee, and changing sheets! ha  We had my parents here for a week, some of my besties Jan and Gena for a wonderful weekend, our sweet friends that were moving out of their house and going to California (sob), my SIL, and wonderful friends from North Carolina for a week!  <whew>  It shouldn’t be legal to have this much fun.

I really thought that everything would slow down after that, because we had spring break coming…I thought WRONG.  We had a trip to the Keys planned and were just chomping IMG_0624at the bit to get down there and soak up the sun/sea air/laziness.  IMG_0623Which we did.  IMG_0723But then, on our last night of our wonderful vacay Bruiser started feeling horrible.  Not just ‘Mom, my legs are itching’ but ‘a-full-on-screaming-at-the-top-of-his-lungs-makes-a-mom-feel-powerless’ kind of bad.  Oh my.  It was horrible.  His legs and tummy were itching and bright red.  We were convinced it was an allergic reaction to the chlorine in the pool—we were told it had just been spiked.  So we treated with Benadryl and some Tylenol (that some angels in the next room were gracious enough to share) and he fell asleep—2.5 hours later.  Are you feeling my pain yet?  It was a very stressful last night on our vacation.  UGH

His rash and itching lasted for almost a week and then he started running a low-grade fever.  So I high-tailed it to the doctor with him.  Turns out, it wasn’t a chlorine reaction after all.  Apparently he had SCARLET FEVER. Seriously?!  Did we time warp back into 1813 instead of 2013?  Next thing you know I’ll have scurvy!  (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself)

Well after 10 days of Amoxil, he is feeling better.  IMG_0470But—wait for it—he still has strep.  Yep.  It just keeps on giving.  He has now had the 2nd round of antibiotics in his system for over 24 hours and has remained fever-free for 48 hours soooooooooo……  I am actually getting to type up a post this morning because ALL 3 OF MY KIDDOS ARE AT SCHOOL <happy dance> AND IT’S A LONG DAY!!!!

Maybe I’ll fix some coffee and watch Jerry Springer—or not.

Here’s to having a quiet house with only the sound of the washing machine doing it’s thing.  Can I get an AMEN?

Blessings,
Holly

Q & A For Kids!

By On · 2 Comments · In family

Hey all you lovely people!

I want to share with you something that has been a fun addition to our bedtime routine around the Manor. :)   My husband, Mr. Creativity himself, found this book at Anthropologie while I was shopping/drooling one evening.  IMG_0602

This is why I love my husband (well, one of the reasons anyway), he is a great daddy to our 3 kiddos.  He LOVES to hear their thoughts.  He takes them one at a time on ‘daddy dates’.  He enjoys hanging out and watch their movies with them.  He  L. O. V. E. S. our kids.  So he found this book and thought it would be fun to do with our kids.

Q & A a Day For Kids is set up so that you ask one child a different question each day for a year, then ask the same questions the next year and the next.  That way you can see how their opinions and perspectives change over the course of time.  Brilliant, right???  We however, are doing it for one year with all 3 kids answering the questions.  Not sure what we will do next year… I guess we can just stare blankly at each other… <crickets>

The reason we have fallen in love with this book is not because of how great the questions are–they are just random questions that kids can understand.  No, the reason is because of the conversations that come from these questions.  We have laughed until our sides hurt, felt blessed at the depth of their answers, been confused at some answers and even teared up because some of the things they say just melt your heart!   IMG_7445

Let me know if your family gets one of these books or, even better, if you already do something like this at your home!

Blessings!

H

 

 

 

Valentines!

By On · 7 Comments · In Craft Projects, family, Valentines

Hello Lovely People!

We are in the season of Love people, L-O-V-E. Which translates to Valentine’s Day crafts of course (forget roses and candy,  my love language is hot glue and pretty paper).  The kids have parties at school on Thursday and need to bring in goodies for their friends.  I am not opposed to sending in ‘store-bought’ cards, but I wanted to be crafty…so I headed over to Pinterest to see what ‘crafty people’ want me to copy from them (Aren’t they just the nicest???).  So I found a few things that I could pull off without too many trips to the craft store.  My favorite was an idea that Martha (we are on a first name basis around here with the queen of craft) had put on her website.  But being that I feel like a copycat ALL THE TIME I figured that I would put my on twist on it.  (truly, it’s not a big change, but it makes me feel better about myself when I don’t totally rip off other people’s ideas).  So after a trip to JoAnn’s and the Dollar Tree I had all the supplies I needed for 3 classes of kids and all of the teachers that are in control of our kiddos (nothing like a little ‘please-don’t-fail-my-child-this-year’ bribe–can I get an AMEN!!)

So friend Mrs. D came over for coffee and crafting (she loves this kind of stuff but her ‘baby’ is in 7th grade and doesn’t do cutesy Valentines anymore–what is a mother to do????).  My friends often refer to my house as the McCall Sweatshop because I can usually find a project that I need help with when my mom –or anyone– comes to visit.  Our friends came from Kentucky last weekend and they weren’t in the door 5 minutes when Danny was on a ladder hanging my curtains.  It pays to have handy people in your life, no?  I digress.

My supplies were: Set of 6 note cards, Wilton clear bags, pop rocks and white card stock.IMG_7400

The note cards were cut in half and then each half was folded in half to make the tag at the top of the bag.  Then I printed a label for the front of the tag that said ‘You Rock’ in the Jules Love font.IMG_7409  The back label said ‘From’ in the DJ Love font.IMG_7410  Both of these fonts are free for private usage.

I cut the Wilton bags just a little longer than the pop rocks package, then glued the labels to the front and back of the tag. IMG_7412 Once the kiddos wrote their names on their pile of tags, I was  able to fill the Wilton bag, then staple the tag to the bag. VOILA!!!IMG_7424

IMG_7422What cutie-pie Valentine things have you made? (That I can copy for next year)

Blessings and Lots of Love

Holly

Seeing Stripes!

By On · Leave a Comment · In home improvements

Well, it worked…  I put my to-do list out there in cyber space and it made me kick it into high gear.  Woohooooo!  I can check a couple of things off my list now.  It is crazy how wonderful that feeling is.

The Red Dining Room

The Red Dining Room

 

So, the red dining room had been around for 6 years or so.  That was more than enough time if you ask me.  The moment I saw the painter put it on the wall (next to the gold living room wall and the white ceiling and trim) there was a voice in my head that said ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.  That obnoxious voice bothered me off and on for 6 years, but I didn’t know what else to do with that room.

Showing Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayo

Showing Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayo

 

Then one day I was reading one of my favorite blogs by Emily A. Clark and she painted black and white stripes in her foyer.  DONE.  I fell in love with the look.  I would have never thought to do something so bold and graphic in my very traditional dining/living room.  But I knew it had to happen.

Defenders of the Ketchup Room

Defenders of the Ketchup Room

 

So, now comes the fun part.  Letting Mr. Creativity in on my idea… He is called Mr. Creativity because of his writing ability, his humor, his zest for life, his friendly manner, his behavior that fits in with our kid’s playful side—but he is not called Mr. Creativity for his ability to see my design vision.  But before I make him out to be the bad guy (which he is not) my friends all gave me a quizzical look when I ran the idea past them too.

Starting to brighten up

Starting to brighten up

 

Thankfully Emily A. Clark took the guesswork out for the rest of us and demonstrated that it was not a wild and crazy idea, but a beautiful punch of boldness.

Finished!!!!

Finished!!!!

 

(Please excuse the finial on top of the hutch, just trying it out)

Have you ever gotten a ‘wild hair’ to decorate outside of your comfort zone?  How did it go?

Happy decorating!

H

Mommy Guilt, Yoga Pants, and To-Do Lists

By On · 4 Comments · In Uncategorized

Well the people (in my head) have spoken and they say it is time to get back on my blawgh.  It has been waaaaaaaay too long since my last post and that is not due to the lack of subject material.  Let me tell you, this family keeps me hopping and makes this mom’s world go ‘round.  This dry spell has been due to 2 factors:

 

  1. It’s a terrifically busy life we lead.  Cheerleading, jiu-jitsu, football, school, play-dates, church, life-group meetings, PTO…you get the idea, right?moms-taxi-car-magnetsource
  2. I have a hard time taking time for me.  But that is changing… slowly.

 

Do you remember back when it was your first Monday morning after you graduated college and there was NOTHING that had to be done that day (assuming that you didn’t have a job already lined up)? Or the first day as a stay-at-home mom when your husband went off to work and you stayed in your pajamas?

 

That is what I am feeling these days with all 3 in school from 8am-1pm.    But sadly this feeling is much different now than it was then.  I have been accustomed to being the hands and feet of my family for many years now.  So now that my kids can dress themselves, pack their lunches, and make a bed like they are in the military, my hands and feet aren’t needed 24/7.  I keep thinking that I have deadlines to meet when it comes to cleaning potties or doing laundry.  Or that if I don’t wipe down counters and vacuum the floors someone will be let down.  I feel guilty that I can go to the gym and workout.  I feel guilty that I can eat a bite while catching up on recorded episodes of Rehab Addict.  I feel guilty that I ADORE the sound of silence. I feel guilty about not HAVING to get up and put on real pants.   But I’m working on all that…Yoga

 

Watch out world, this mom is taking back her right to enjoy the time while the kids are at school!!!!!  She is wearing yoga pants and drinking coffee!!  She is making lists of things SHE WANTS TO DO!!  Make no mistake people, this means war.

 

CAN YOU HEAR THE MOMMY SING? SINGING THE SONG OF ANGRY MEN! THIS IS THE MUSIC OF THE MOMMY WHO WILL NOT FEEL GUILT AGAIN!LesMis_05_1633387asource

 

Why do I suddenly feel like waving a giant flag and throwing chairs out of my window?  Anyhoo, you get the point.

 

I have a long tick list of projects that I want to get through this year and if I’m busy making deadlines for laundry and vacuums I won’t get even half of it finished.  Don’t get me wrong–I love a clean house.  I just don’t want to feel shackled to my cleaning routine.

 

So here are a few things that I would love to accomplish before next December 31st:

 

  • Paint dining room
  • Paint dining room table
  • Make slipcovers for DR chairs
  • Make new pillows for LR sofa
  • Paint office
  • Make the family room prettier (can you tell I have no clue where to start?)

 

That is only a fraction of what is actually on my list…I might need to hire a crew.  Hopefully, there will be many more posts as I get through some of my list.

 

How do you spend your days?  Do you feel guilt when the day is all about you?  Do you ever get time for yourself?  Let me hear from you on this, I can’t be the only one with an opinion.

Blessings!

Holly

Announcing New Fantasyland!!!

By On · Leave a Comment · In Disney, family

We recently were able to go and visit the latest addition to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.  It is the New Fantasyland and it is UH-MAZ-ING.  Seriously, I don’t get really worked up over Disney but this was spectacular!  If you are planning a vacay to Orlando anytime soon you are in for a real treat.  We went on a Friday morning since the kiddlets were out of school and, well, what else do you do when you live in Florida?  So anyhooo, we ventured over there with some friends and I got to snap some pictures to share with you.  Enjoy!!

Gaston’s, a quick service restaurant

Beast’s Castle

Cinnamon Roll and La Fou’s Brew (frozen apple cider with marshmallow’s on top)

Well, what do you think?  That is just a SMALL sampling of what is there.  I’ll post more about this place very soon!!

Happy Weekend!

Holly

Patio Rules!

By On · 4 Comments · In Craft Projects, home improvements, Uncategorized

When one has a patio, one must make patio rules…

At least one should have some general guidelines for said patio.  I have been loving Pinterest for just over a year now and have been eyeing all the subway art that people are displaying.  People are creative, aren’t they!!!  So when it came to adding some personality to our newly finished patio, I knew that I wanted to try my hand at making a sign with lots of fun fonts.

Since I don’t have a steady surgeon’s artist’s hand, I knew I would be relying on my trusty Silhouette machine.  If you are at all inclined to do crafty stuff, I would recommend investing in a Silhouette — or at the very least make friends with someone that owns one!!!  These little suckers are AWESOME!!  I will have to admit to you that when I first started working with it I quickly realized that my computer skills were severly lacking.  I remember my mom telling me how when she gave my grandmother an IPad, it was so confusing for her that she ended up giving it back to mom.  (and let me tell you that woman is smarter than most people I know–she still runs a business out of her home at the age of 86)  I am sure that my grandkids will be working from their “IBooth” while eating an “ILunch” and talking into an “IPhone 87″ while being teleported in their “IFlyingCar”.  All the while I’ll be sitting in my rocking chair trying to figure out how to change the channel on the tv.  I’ll digress before I get depressed.  ;)

So back to the patio rules… I had to come up with them.  I am allllllll about some rules now.  I am a mom after all, so this was fun for me.  Our list was:

  • Listen to nature
  • sip cold cokes or hot coffee
  • soak up the sunshine
  • read a book or two
  • fire up the egg  ( if you don’t know about the big green egg, well you don’t know nuthin’. ha)
  • visit with friends
  • be nice or leave

Yes, the last one had to be said.  You know if we just let mean people go anywhere they want to go what type of world would this be?  Thankfully we haven’t had to point the screen door out to anyone…yet…

Now that the fun part was finished, it was time to bring out the power tools and safety gear.  I am not one of those women that can just saw, drill, nail, brace, and spray paint in one day.  No sir, I like to think things through for a month and a half and make sure that I’m doing it correctly.  (plus as soon as I get going on a project there seems to be an urgent chocolate milk need or batteries die and need to be replaced in the wii remote immediately — EVERY TIME!) Anyone else have that same weird phenomenon around their house?  It’s weird I tell ya.  So here are some steps along with pics of how I created my sign:

Steps to take for awesome signage:

1.  Assemble scraps of wood into the size sign that you want.  (we had leftover pallets from our brick delivery.  I just pulled them apart <blood, sweat, tears> sanded them down, placed them side by side, took 2 more boards and screwed them to the back to connect them all)
2.  Stain or paint the wood.  (this color will be your words on the sign)
3.  Cut out words of your choice and adhere them to the wood (I used sticky-back vinyl so that they would stay put when I painted over them)
4.  Paint over everything.  (I actually did two colors –cream & green–because I wanted it to look aged when I sanded away areas)
5.  Remove the letters before everything dries.

6.  Sand.  I actually added a little stain after I sanded to tone down the brightness of the cream and green.  Just wipe it on and off quickly so that it doesn’t go too dark.
7.  Hang and enjoy!!!

Ramblings From a Busy Month

By On · Leave a Comment · In fall decor, family, Food, Uncategorized

Seriously!?! It’s been more than a month since I have rambled on and on about all the boring crazy-awesome stuff we do around the manor.  Since we haven’t spoken in a while I thought I would fill you in… with pictures to help keep your attention.  Sound good?  Great.  Here goes…

After I hung the fall wreaths

I put out the rest of the fall decor and made sure to get my favorite candles from B&BW.  Is it just me or does that place make you consider eating wax as part of your regular diet.  It’s ridiculous how much I love their fall and winter scented candles.  I digress.

So with all the fall scents hanging around in the house my brain gets triggered to make pumpkin bread.  (kind of like the book If You Give A Moose A Muffin, once the fall ball starts rolling you know that you are going to be buying the elusive ‘canned pumpkin’ and your pants aren’t going to fit quite right anymore)

I found this recipe for the world’s best pumpkin bread last year on Pinterest and now my family fights over who gets to eat the last bites (animals…).  On occasion I will add chocolate chips to the batter.  I know, right?  That made me gain 2lbs just typing it.  Also **you are going to want to unbutton your waistband now** I put brown sugar-cinnamon cream cheese spread on it.  Target sells it and IT. IS. FAB.

I think you should try it and then send me a thank you note.  That would be the polite thing to do.

So far it looks like all we’ve done is hang wreaths, kept mom from eating wax, and baked bread.  Sounds like a fun month, but wait… there’s more!

The kiddos competed in a triathlon with their entire school

These kids rock!

I went to visit my friend Jan who is battling breast cancer like a NINJA!  She is telling cancer who is boss every single day.  Go Jan Go!!     (I don’t know why Jan, Tara and I ALWAYS pose like Charlie’s Angels….except that it’s AWESOME!)

Buster and Bruiser are now ballers with mad skillz.

The Pretty Girlie is of course a cheerleader (yippee!!!!!)

Mr. Creativity and Pretty Girl  competed in a cardboard canoe race at a state park here.  It was a spectacle.  Their canoe placed 4th out of 28.  Not too shabby.  I’m sure the winners were NASA engineers or something because their canoe was water tight and ridiculous.  #paystobenerdyinschool

The boat closest too us is being paddled by a teen from our church and Mr. Creativity.  Bruiser is standing in front of me and cheering on his daddy.

Well, that is all for now.  I will not wait for another month before I post again, pinky promise.  So don’t cry yourself to sleep tonight with worry.  :)

Grace and Peace

Holly

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