Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Fall Gift

Here is a great little homemade gift you can give for a Thanksgiving hostess treat or make some up for your neighbors for Christmas. Homemade Granola. No, I'm not going organic or living by candlelight. I still like pesticides on my fruit and I don't recycle my ziplock baggies. I got this yummy recipe from my friend Holly and it will be listed below.

To make it special, I put them in mason jars and put a little cellophane around them. Instead of fabric, I used scrapbook paper to put under my lid and tied it with ribbon and printed and punched out a little tag. I LOVE this stuff in yogurt, on top of my Blue Bell, or just by the handful.

Homemade Granola
3 1/2 cups Old fashioned Oats
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts
5 tsp veggie oil
5 Tbls Pure Maple Syrup
1 tsp salt

Mix ingredients together and spread out on baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring once throughout.
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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Don't Cry Over Spilled...Crumbcake

OK. So I have to pause your regularly scheduled postings of NC for this "special" update. So Aaron has been asking me for months to make Crumbcake "like Mrs. Julie makes." Well, of course I had to, but just kept forgetting to get it at the store. So he would ask me every now and then "Mom, did you get the stuff to make Crumbcake yet?" Like a good mom I replied, "No, I forgot again..."

So! Finally!! I got a wonderful little box of Krusteaz Crumbcake mix and woke up this morning at 4:30 a.m. to milk the cows and be a good mommy and make crumbcake from scratch...well...kindof. If it involves the oven for me it's from scratch. Anyway, my morning was consisting of getting myself ready and three boys ready for school. Caleb had a Thanksgiving program a Thanksgiving Feast (which I was in charge of) and eat with Aaron for his 3rd grade meal. The cake was smelling so good and 45 minutes later it was ready. I got it out of the oven and put it in the freezer to cool off so I wouldn't burn my sweet children as they scarfed it down before school.

A few minutes later after finding school shoes, signing folders, making Jacob's lunch etc., I went to get the cake out of the freezer. Yep, you guessed it...the long awaited, beautiful, better-than-Mrs. Julie's-Crumbcake, fell on the floor and broke. Now, mind you, I time everything very carefully to get the boys to school on time everyday. This delay could have set any other "normal" mom back. Nope, I just stared at it for about 5 minutes actually thinking...I wonder if I could get all the glass out? Maybe...No I can't...They can just eat the top...No... Kept staring at it and finally broke out the Toaster Strudels. Breakfast of champions.

I still have a dirty kitchen and I still owe Aaron a crumbcake.
P.S. Don't you every wonder when something breaks how there is soooo much more glass to clean up that was every there to begin with?


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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Blue Ridge Mountains

This is one of our first pictures together on our trip. We stopped at a scenic overlook and saw the reason why this area is called the Blue Ridge Mountains. I never knew it was for the blue hue that the mountains cast!
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Monday, November 15, 2010

Amazing

To me, this is God's masterpiece. Only He could create something so extraordinary, so colorful. It doesn't even look real. This was what we got to look at every morning out the back of the house.
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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Changing Seasons

We had the priveledge of traveling to the Georgia/North Carolina/South Carolina area at the end of October. We were just in time to see the magnificent beauty of the season change. I was blown away. Over the next few days I would like to share some of my favorite pictures of the beauty we experienced. I took over 1700 pictures. My camera was smoking and begging me to take a break... While a have a ton of pictures of the boys and our family time together, my favorites are the nature snapshots where I see God's hand. It's truly humbling and I am thrilled to share them with you. Feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Sincerely,
Kerrie

North Carolina

We had the priveledge of traveling to the Georgia/North Carolina/South Carolina area at the end of October. We were just in time to see the magnificent beauty of the season change. I was blown away. Over the next few days I would like to share some of my favorite pictures of the beauty we experienced. I took over 1700 pictures.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Fall Treats

Candy or Caramel Apples are a simple and easy treat for the fall. I made them this year for the teachers at the boys' school. I wrapped them up in a little cellophane, tied them with ribbon, and they were all glad to receive them.

I melted caramel in a double broiler. Which is a fancy name for my version...a little pot in a bigger pot of boiling water. This is so the caramel won't burn. Remove the core and stick a wooden apple stick or skewer through the top. Dip the apples in caramel and quickly roll in nuts. (I used hazelnuts) I placed mine on a cookie sheet and cooled them for a bit. Then drizzled chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. The toppings are endless! Have fun!
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Friday, September 24, 2010

Tagged!

I was "tagged" by my friend Carrie and thought I'd play along! Here are the questions she asked.

1. What is your favorite Bible verse? How did it become your favorite? Why?  Why you wanna make us pick??   I am nothing without the grace of God.   I love how Paul says...

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.   1 Cor 15:10

Also, John 6:35 because no matter what we are going through, GOD is our nourishment and we will never be hungry or thirsty in Him.


2. What is currently on your nightstand? Sudoku is always on my nightstand and I LOVE it.  The best thing on my nightstand, though, is my Kindle.  Michael called it my "boyfriend" once.  I just got through reading "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers...hello...talk about a good book.  Right now, though, it's anything to do with Isaiah because BSF is in full swing!

3. If you have a Saturday where there is nothing on the calendar (Yeah, I know you’re laughing right now!!), how would you most like to spend the day?   By the time I got done with it, there would be a hundred things on the calendar!  We usually go to the beach cabin or have friends over.  I love a dirty house on Saturday night.  That means I was surrounded by friends.

4. I’ve recently finished Dr. Kevin Leman’s book The Firstborn Advantage. Do you think there is anything to “Birth Order?” Do you see any birth order characteristics in you, your hubs, and/or your kids?  Is the Pope Catholic?  Heck yes there is something to birth order!  There is a scientific proven fact from the University of Somewhere that the oldest is bossy, a leader, a guinea pig to their parents, independent, driven, on-time, people pleaser.  Now, are you asking me if I see ANY of those in myself (ahem, oldest of five) or my oldest boy???  Certainly not! 

5. Do you plan to grow old gracefully or fight it every step of the way (within reason – i.e. age-fighting moisturizers, covering gray hair, etc.)?    Girlfriend, I've been fighting it since I was 15 with my Oil of Olay.  I think some of it is hereditary, but I'm helping it out as best as I can!  

6. Do you like Starbucks? And are you a fan of their seasonal coffees?  Is this question legal?  I think you get arrested if you blaspheme Starbucks in the United States.   
Love their Pumpkin Spice but I have to get the no-fun-skinny-non-fat-no foam-one splenda-Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Latte.  I think it has a total of 2 Calories...

7. How do you decorate and/or prepare for fall?  Love it!  I put leaves on the banister, fake pumpkins on the floor, a cornucopia on the buffet table, and little welcome signs out front.  (gotta have the good fall smell in the house too!)

8. What is your favorite fall recipe?  Mmmmm...I love making soups.  Baked Potato, Cowboy Stew, Bean, Tortilla, etc.  Gotta love pumpkin pie though.

Thanks Carrie, that was fun!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Save the Jars!!

No, this isn't a political or environmental statement or post.  But! You really do need to save those jars.  Pickles, olives, jelly, frappuccino, sauces, etc.   Throw 'em in the dishwasher, remove the label and save for a rainy day.  (or a beautiful day!)  This is a great way to create a VERY inexpensive gift for anyone.  Take your jar and wrap some cute scrapbook paper around it and glue it.  Then, embellish the outside how you'd like... a flower, a tag, a stamped image, etc.

Then the fun part.  Choose what you'd like to put inside.  With Halloween coming up, this is a great hostess gift for those costume parties.  You can fill them with candy corn, chocolate, jelly beans, M&M's...  it's endless!  For Valentine's Day, cover a jar and cut strips of paper and list the reasons why you love your hubby or kids and place inside.   One of my favorite things to give is homemade sugar body scrub.  (yes, it really works and I use it!)  The recipe and free tags are available to print.   Great for teachers, moms, sisters, or friends.  Choose the scent you want by using up some of that Bath and Body lotion you have laying around.   You probably have all the ingredients at home already!

Have fun and send me pictures if you make any jars!  I'll post them to share.  I've included two jars for examples.

Kerrie

Monday, September 13, 2010

Boxers or what??

Well, I'm sure my boys will hate me when they are older if they ever get around to reading these posts...

It's funny how things sound to kids. When Caleb was little I would spin him around and he would say "Oh, I'm getting busy! I'm gettin' busy!" Instead of "dizzy." That's what he heard.

Growing up, my Brother-in-law thought the song "Dude Looks Like a Lady" was saying "Do Me Like a Lady." Needless to say, when my sister heard him say that for the first time, she laughed her head off!
(it's still a huge laugh in our family to this day)

The one we still aren't correcting, for now, is Caleb's version of Tighty Whities. Here is our conversation...

Caleb: "Mom, I don't want to wear "tiny whiney's" anymore. I want to wear boxers like Jacob and Aaron."
(just to understand what I heard and plus I thought it was soooo cute I asked...)
Mom: "Now what? You don't want wear what?"
Caleb: "You know, tiny whiney's. Like my Batman or Star Wars underwear."
Mom: "Oh, okay. So you want me to buy you some boxers like Jacob, Aaron, and Daddy?"
Caleb: "Yes."

Let me clarify. I, as queen of the house, have ruled out ALL "tiny whiney's." None. Zero. Zip are allowed in my home. This has been this way for several years. It is just a preference and I'm sorry if that offends the "other side." Webster's defines tighty whities as "underwear worn for their support purposes, antonym of boxers. " We are just a boxer friendly home. We are the antonym of tighty whities.

The only glitch in this system is that they hardly offer cute little boxers for 2,3, and 4 year olds and we are stuck buying the Scooby Doo, Star Wars, Blues Clues Underroos from 1978. So, I understand where Caleb is coming from by wanting to be like his Daddy and big brothers. Thank goodness for Mimi. She found some cute boxers for Caleb and saved him from his "tiny whiney's."

Humbled yet again,
Kerrie


Friday, September 10, 2010

Gross...

This morning I wanted to give you a glimpse into the Lightfeet house.  Yes, this will be humbling and a little embarrassing but I know we are normal, right?  Anyone?  Anyone?  I'll just keep telling myself..."we are normal...we are normal..."

In our house of three (Ahem...) four boys, we are so very privileged to have this wonderful, very thought provoking, very educating, and well written book in our home.    It's 350 pages of everything Nasty and nauseating recipes, jokes, and activities.  It's called The Ultimate Everything Kids' Gross Out Book. 
Don't be jealous.

At first I was thinking "how cute!" this is exactly what my boys need.  Something that tells how to make mud pies, or the different kinds of insects, and tells "dirty" jokes like the white horse fell in the mud.
I. could. not. have. been. more. wrong.

The very first page they turn to...(page 8 mind you) is a Fart Chart.  Oh happy day.  Not only does this wonderful insightful, educating, book tell you what foods "produce" the most gas, but it very thoughtfully gives you a Fart Chart to record how many times a day one person farts.  In fact, did you know that the average person passes gas 14 times a day?  Do you know how many that is times four????  (please don't answer that)

Here is the "rating scale"
1-3 Tiny Tooter
4-7 Big Wind
8-10 Thunderstorm
11-14 Gale Force
15+ Class 5 Hurricane

Now, alot of people know Jacob has this "talent" (as his uncle puts it) to fart on command.  (didn't I say this blog was humbling...)  I WILL NOT go into his number per day.  That is where our blog friendship stops.  Let's just say it's very WRONG.  So, stay away from the beans, broccoli, cabbage, and most of all cauliflower and have a great weekend.  I will as soon as I find the air freshener.

Sincerely (and blushing),
Kerrie

p.s. I NEVER thought I'd say the "F" word that much in a post...

Thursday, September 9, 2010

DIY Frame


Here's a great, easy project anyone can do using some things you probably already have in your house. This frame is a great, inexpensive gift to create for a teacher, friend, or just to add to your own home. Think about all the cute paper you've passed up at Hobby Lobby or all the scrapbook paper you have in a box!














Supplies: Dollar Store frame (or any flat frame, old or new)
Scrapbook paper
Emery Board
Scissors and Glue











First, take apart frame, glass, and backing
1. Cut paper to cover frame
2. Glue paper to frame
Make sure you get all the corners and edges. I prefer stick glue for this.

3. Poke a hole in the middle and cut towards the frame and cut off excess.

4. "File" off the excess paper in a downward, slightly angled motion.
Do this for all the edges, inside and out.
The paper will fall off and be flush with the frame.

5. Optional: Decorate with coordinating ribbon or embellishments. I tied a few pieces of ribbon around the frame before putting the glass and back on.

So the next time you have a frame you are thinking about throwing out, don't! Just give it a face lift.
If you do this yourself, I'd LOVE to see it!  Email it to me and I'll post it for different variations.  Have fun!

Kerrie
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Monday, September 6, 2010

Girls' Night Out

OK. So let me start out my new blog by posting a girly gift set. I made this for a group of girlfriends that got together for a fun weekend. It's always fun to get stuff unexpectedly, right? I usually like everything to match or have a theme, so I went with the classic pink and black. Everything was handmade, which made it affordable. In future posts I will blog how to create the martini glass, frame, and CD.  (don't forget, for a more detailed picture you can always click the individual pictures)
In each bag I included...

Zebra picture frame
Monogramed Note Cards
Girls Night Out CD
Martini Glass
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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Why the Blog?


OK. So this is my new blog, my life, my outlet. I'm a mom of boys. Three to be exact and four if you count my husband. Growing up when you are thinking about kids, our human nature is to think "Oh how cute is it going to be with my little boy and my little girl." I have two brothers and two sisters so I'm okay on both ends. I (like alot of women) were looking forward to the day of dressing my cute little baby girl in frilly outfits and bows, braiding her hair, and going to recitals. Right? Well, God blessed me with a boy who I fell in love with at 16 years old. Michael and I have been married for 13 years and he loves me more than I deserve. Then God blessed us with Jacob, Aaron, and Caleb. I became an official, card-carrying, due payin', sold out, Boy Mom.

I'm a girly girl of sorts, thrust into a world of boys. Cub scouts, soccer, boxers (not briefs), camping, Lego's, Star Wars, armpit "music", wet dog smell, shades of blue, boy movies, boy parties, mud and dirt, poots,  farts, and every other word describing the nasty sound and smell that come from them. (and why they think this a continual and endless form of amusement is still a mystery to me)

If you ask me if it ever bothers me to be the only girl in a house, I would say yes.  I mean, come on, I live in a house full of ding dongs and testosterone. Sometimes I feel like the"fifth wheel" in the family.  But...if you ask me if I'd change anything I would say not in a million years.  I have the sweetest, most handsome, wonderful, respectful boys that I hope one day will become wonderful Christian husbands.  What a wonderful (and scary) privilege God has given us.

So...What does all this mean for my blog?  This is MY girl time.  My outlet. The time where I will be able to share things that I love to do and hope to inspire others to be creative.  I love to make things "cute."  Like a fellow blogger said..."Presentation, presentation, presentation."  I also love to make other people feel special.  This can be with a simple compliment of their hair or outfit, a card in the mail, or it can be a small gift.  In our fast food, fast-paced, pre-made life we tend to forget how much we can affect others by just a tiny action.  I also love photography, painting, card making, reading, gardening, and finding old furniture to redo.  I am a Christian.  A sinner saved by God's grace. I am head of the Women's Ministry at my church, Bay Area Presbyterian, and enjoy teaching the women's Bible Study.

I hope you enjoy my future posts.  I have never wanted to "show off" what I create, so I've kept it to myself.  After seeing other ladies' blogs, I am inspired to give other people ideas that are easy to replicate or just an idea or challenge for life. Also, I've been asked several time on certain projects  "How'd you do that?"  Here is where I'll be able to show you.  There will be a little "boy humor" added in sometimes, so I hope you aren't offended.  That's kind of just the way it is at our house.  I ask you to share yours too!  Boys are unique creatures, to say the least.  I am so excited about this new part of my week!  Check out what I'm reading on the right.  I'll update regularly.  My three boys are all in school now, so I have a little extra time.  Join me for the fun and subscribe!

Sincerely,
Kerrie

Here is my original Title...

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