Cuteness Overload!

I came across this adorable book in the library, Sock and Glove, and couldn't resist trying some of the projects described. These were so easy, the materials are relatively inexpensive (Home Depot sells a package of a dozen soft gloves for $5), and actually pretty enjoyable to make! I made three of them last night.

Since I couldn't find pink gloves for the pig, I bought a package of powder RIT dye and dyed a few of the work gloves pink. They came out the perfect shade!

The kids love them (M named hers Snowflake) and I too am falling in love with these little guys...I see a whole zoo of them in my future! Fortunately the book has instructions for a plethora of animals: dog, monkey, pig, sheep, cat, bear, zebra, panda, bunny, etc. What fun!

Both the pig and the dog were made solely from gloves. I haven't tried any of the sock animals yet but will soon. The best thing about the book is how easy it is to interpret the instructions!

 

YAY!!

My second book is up on Amazon! Woohoo!! I have to say, with all the practice I had with the first one, this one went much more smoothly, and in my humble opinion, is even better.

What a thrill!

Valentine's Fun

Well it's been a while since I've updated! Chaos has reigned supreme, as usual. Thought I'd pop in with a few pictures of our Valentine's Day crafts. If you're a subscriber to StepMom Magazine, you've already seen these! And if you're a stepmom who isn't a subscriber...you are really missing out!

These were so fun and easy!

Salt Dough Shapes:

Tissue Paper Heart: 

Handprint Heart 

(that's L's handprint, from the side, in pink):

Stay tuned for St. Patrick's Day crafts in the March edition of StepMom Mag...I have to say, it's my best craft article yet!

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Cutie Patootie

This is my stepdaughter's favorite place to sit while watching television:

 

And someone needs to take a brush to that hair! Unfortunately she's just like my sister: cries and says "It hurts!" the second she lays eyes on the brush, before it's even in her hair...

She's actually gotten much better about brushing her hair lately. I'm pretty sure my sister still has tantrums though :) :) :) 

Lovely bit of irony...

Wow, how quickly things can change...today has been a wonderful day full of sunny moods until about 20 minutes ago when a series of unfortunate events conspired to bring stepmom reality crashing back down on my head.

To protect the guilty (myself included, we all had a part in what happened) I won't post the details but let's just say there have been plenty of tears, gnashing of teeth, and hurt feelings around here in the very recent past.

Last night when we were playing in the snow the kids made snowkids and Bill made a snowdad and a snowstepmom. I thought it terribly ironic when I awoke this morning to find that the snowstepmom had crashed to the ground and broken into pieces:

 

Yep, pretty much. 

They are out playing in the snow again and for a multitude of reasons (said series of unfortunate events) I am no longer interested in this. So instead I'm inside vacuuming and otherwise trying to keep this house clean. Cinderella, indeed. 

It's times like this when I feel like a maid in my own house (which I realize is of my choosing---I like to have a clean house, and accomplishing this with two small kids and four furry animals is no small feat!) that I know for certain that the Grimm Brothers, Disney, Perrault et al had it all completely backwards (she says with a wink). In my experience it's the stepmom who works like a scullery maid, not the poor benighted stepchildren. :)

By the way, that reminds me, I've been meaning to ask: local Facebook friends, does anyone have a recommendation for a good housekeeper who will a). come to Coppell and b). be willing to do battle with the ever-increasing amount of fur in my house? We have decided we really could use some help!

I love my dog!

I'm pretty sure this is how Cloud spends 99.9% of her time when we're not around...judging by the amount of white fur on the brown chair, that is:

This is what happens...

Allow me to show you what happens when you have a cat scurrying around under your feet in the kitchen, and you're making a new dessert but you didn't print the recipe so you're trying to remember it line for line, and you distractedly dump melted Cool Whip and cream cheese into the Kitchenaid mixer and accidentally turn it on too high: You get melted Cool Whip and cream cheese all over the kitchen, including the cat that's been driving you nuts scurrying under your feet. Serves her right. :)

And yes, those are my kissy pajamas.

By the way, here is the dessert I was making: Blueberry Snow...it's DELICIOUS and oh so worth the mess!

The Perfect Food

A couple of years ago I heard the recipe for this dip on the radio. I'm sure it probably has a name but I can't remember it. But the recipe itself was so simple that I've never forgotten the ingredients, and I make this regularly...it has always been a huge hit! People love this dip; it is truly delicious. Here's how to make it:

Brown 1 lb of Jimmy Dean HOT sausage and drain. Melt two blocks of cream cheese on low (be careful not to scorch) and dump in an entire undrained can of original Ro-tel. Mix together and serve hot with Tostito's Scoops chips.

Today as I was making this for a Super Bowl party I decided that if I am ever sent to a deserted island and have to choose one food item to live on forever, it just might be this.  It is, in fact, the perfect food! After all, it does have representatives from each of the four major food groups: meat (sausage), veggies (Ro-tel), grains (chips) and dairy (cream cheese). So not exactly the healthiest of items from each food group (although I do use fat-free cream cheese) but delicious nonetheless!

A dream come true...

It's here! My first book is up on Amazon! I can't believe it. I've always wanted to be a published author but never really believed it would actually happen. Now through the magic of technology and the ease of self-publishing (which no longer has the crappy rep it used to) my dream has been made possible.

I didn't write this book to be a bestseller or make a lot of money...in fact if it sells even 100 measly copies I'll consider it a raging success! This was rather a labor of love, because I had searched for something similar to buy for myself, but came up empty. Then I had the thought...hey, if no one else has done this, why can't I? :)

I have two more in the works: one for stepkids (a guided diary) and a collection of stepmom stories in an anthology (still seeking submissions from stepmoms---email me if you want the details).

Wow this is so exciting! I'm an author! Wheeeee! 

Cloud and The Yogurt Raisins

My sweet dog Cloud (the canine love of my life) has picked up an unfortunate habit of stealing yummy morsels from the kitchen (or wherever they happen to have been left) when we are gone. Today she found a plastic baggie of yogurt raisins.

I can always tell the second I walk in the door that she has done something she shouldn't have, and she knows it. She does the "I'm sorry" ears (down and back) and she usually brings a bone or toy as a "sorry" offering, and she makes funny noises that are kind of a combination whining/growling. I should be mad at her for going shopping on the counter again, but she's so cute when she grovels I can't help but forgive her...which must be her point exactly.

I love my dog!!!!

BTW, my amputee kitty Callie and her brother Mr. Mistoffolees (otherwise known as The Rudest Cat In the World) make cameo appearances here.