Link Love

Did you know a lot of my favorite blogs that I usually try to check on a daily basis aren't even listed in my "Daily Inspiration" on the right?

It's true. They're not.

They have been my own little secret. Well, ok, most of them have like 25,000 people that check their blog daily.

Since I hate secrets, I thought today would be a good day to share some of them with you.

So here ya go! Enjoy!

How To Eat A Cupcake

V and Co.

Bakerella

Conversations With A Cupcake

Omnomicon

The Church Experiment by Steve Fuller

Nesting Place

The Blessed Nest

Jordan Ferney/ Oh Happy Day

Bye Bye Pie! This blog is so hillarious!

and last but certainly not least my favorite blog (next to cjane enjoy it of course! which is already listed in my "daily inspiration") is...

The Pioneer Woman I can't even tell you how much I love her blog! I'm sure you will too!

No kidding...if I haven't checked cjane enjoy it or The Pioneer Woman for a couple of days I start to get nervous or feel like I'm forgeting something.

Now that I have given you the links to all these wonderful blogs, you will certainly never have time to visit mine again!

I really hope not.



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College classes can be fun!

Well, cake decorating went ok on Tuesday. I guess.

My cake...Pretty boring.
My roses half-way cooperated. Only half-way.

Speaking of classes, Shari and I had a Soap Making class this week also.

For some reason that makes me giggle. Soap Making! Ha! If we worked as hard getting our masters as we do all these arts & crafts classes, I'm sure we would actually have one by now.

Anyway, it was lots of fun!

24 Hours later we had these bathing beauties...

Ha ha We work so hard at our studies!

Omnomicon Recipe Round-Robins

I don't think I have shared with you one of my favorite food blogs, Omnomicon.

Well, Omnomicon has a thing called Recipe Round-Robins.

This is a short explanation from her blog:

Omnomicon: it has a monthly contest!
There are some recipes that everyone has a version of, and yet, we each insist that our own version is the best. I’m talking macaroni and cheese, oatmeal cookies, chicken soup . . . you know, those sorts of things. So with all those variations (some slight, some huge), which one should you pit against your own favourite? The aim of the Recipe Round-Robin is to determine just that.

I volunteered to be a "taste buddy". Basically meaning that she would submit some recipes to me to "test" and then submit my vote as a favorite.

This month was Chocolate-Chip Cookie recipes.

Now, I'm going to be truthful here. I have ALWAYS said that my favorite chocolate chip cookies are always made from the pre-made, refrigerated cookie dough from the grocery store. For some reason, I just don't like homemade chocolate chip cookies as much!

Boy, was I proven wrong!

I tested two recipes last week and I'm here to tell you they were the most delicious cookies!

I hate to tease you, but I'm not allowed to post the recipes here. Sorry.

I'm also not going to tell you which cookie got my vote. It was really hard because they were both so good!

Here are some pics though:

Shelia's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Friendly Choco-Chippers

My friends and co-workers enjoyed being my little taste buddies!

Good, good cookies! Mmmm...

Oh yeah, and you should go check out Omnomicon. You will love her photographs!

Ready for the pickin

Have you ever had fresh, garden peas? If not, you are missing out!

Tastes nothing like canned or frozen peas. Nothing!

I love picking vegetables from my in-laws garden. It makes me feel so good.

I love the little flowers that are on pea plants. These probably have a name. Mmm...and I can't wait for the squash to be ready for the pickin!
These are beans... (also not ready for the pickin)
Look how pitiful Raven looks...all muddy and wet.
Poor thing...bath time shortly followed.

I can't wait for Jon and I to have a garden one day.

I want...
Peas
Tommy Toes
Squash
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Beans
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Green Onions
Strawberries
Dill
Cilantro
Thyme
Rosemary

Just to name a few... :)


I'm off to Cake Decorating class again tonight. This time I must decorate an entire cake myself. Yeah, we'll see how that works out!

Dear Rose,

Please cooperate with me tonight. I get so frustrated when you just lay over to one side or completely fall apart on me. I promise that if you will be nice to me I will set you on top of the prettiest, yummiest cake. I won't even eat you.

Love, Kristen

Creative Nights

This was Shari last night during So You Think You Can Dance.

When I'm cutting fabric I usually spread out on the dining room table.

Not Shari. The coffee table is her table of choice.

Well I guess last night she had no choice. See my quilt still on the dining room table in the background. (As well as Shari's new awesome gold purse that I'm so jealous over.)

Ha ha Don't you just love that gigantic picture of that girl in the background.
And how Shari uses her knee to hold down the rotary ruler! Not sure how many sewing experts would approve. What do they know anyway!

Look what all that cutting resulted in. She sewed a new valance for our living room and...

...new pillows! (Well, one for now. But others are on their way!)
Before... After... I, on the other hand,

made Sloppy Joes for dinner,

did some of this...

spray painted a small vanity, (pics to follow)

finished a load of laundry,

watched So You Think You Can Dance,

and did a whole lot of this...

That dog still cracks me up!

Ahh...now that's a good night!

I Love Cake

Last night at Cake Decorating class I learned many things...

one being I can't make a rose.

See that one on my placemat? Only one of the night to turn out half decent.

O N L Y O N E out of 25! I need practice.

I love Cake Decorating class though. It's actually relaxing and therapeutic to me.

Except for making roses of course.

See you again next Tuesday night rose. I'll be ready for you.

This is my grocery store bag that I carry all my decorating supplies to class in. I picked this one up in NYC. If you don't have a grocery store bag yet and you are still using those plastic bags, I strongly encourage you to get one. Yeah, I know...good for environment and all that stuff, but I love mine because it's so much easier to carry. I'm not trying to fit 10 plastic handles in my hands or worrying about them breaking on me. (which has happened way to many times) This bag I just throw over my shoulder and go. I also have an adorable green one from Disney World that my friend Lindsey brought me back. I love it equally!

Kristen's Weekend Adventures

Maybe I should rename this blog "Kristen's Weekend Adventures". I feel like that is all I post these days. Sorry.

A N Y W A Y...

had a great weekend! I did attend the Beer Cheese Festival in Winchester, KY and ate waaay to much beer cheese.

Beer cheese vendors (commercial and homemade) were set up in tents in one row down the middle of the street. After you paid $5 you received 3 tickets to vote for your favorite. Every tent gave a sample. Some with pretzels, others with crackers.

Shari and Easy joined me Saturday. They kept trying all the free samples.

For example...

Easy is on that darn phone again! Always on the phone! I think he was twittering most of the day!

Again..."Who me?"

I also got a lot of work done on my quilt. Still a work in progress. This is by far the biggest project I have ever attempted to complete!

Shew! It's A LOT OF WORK!!!!! Now if I can just get all this quilting done this week!

I have to admit though...I'm a copy cat!! I fell in love with this quilt that On a Whimm created using the Scrapdown Squares. She is the genius behind this design...not me! She is VERY creative and talented! I loved it so much that I couldn't get the design out of my head and it blocked any other design from entering in.

Thanks for the great design On a Whimm!