Check.....

I completed a project!  Whoo Hoo!  I really wanted to make a crepe paper wreath for Valentine's Day.  After I take my Christmas wreath down, my door is bare until Easter.  I decided that I woukd like to make a wreath for every holiday that I don't currently have.  I found this super easy crepe paper wreath tutorial on Simple Sage Designs.  I just picked some colors that I prefer and wa-la!

I am thinking about handpainting a wood heart in a filligree pattern for a corner of the the banner, but that will be something I will have to buy onmy next trip to the craft store.  

Soup's On

We originally had lots of plans today including a basketball game of Scoop's, some antiquing for me, and a craft project with Doodle in the evening.  Plans kinda changed last night when Scoop started puking.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.  Doodle came home from a sleep over complaining of a sore throat and is now running a slight fever.  Flu season stinks! 

Since neither one of them has a big appetite, I decided to whip up a pot of vegetable beef soup.  It is on the stove simmering as we speak and it smells delish! 

Stacy's Favorite Vegetable Beef Soup

• 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat , cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cups beef broth
• 3 cups v 8 vegetable juice
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery , chopped
• 2 carrots , peeled and sliced
• 2 russet potatoes , peeled and cubed
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups cabbage , chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can corn , drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can cut green beans , drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large stew pot. Add the stew meat and thoroughly brown on all sides. Add red wine and deglaze pot, stirring in all the brown bits on the bottom until the wine is reduced by at least 1/2. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and saute for about 5 minutes longer.
2. Dump in all the other ingredients and stir well.
3. Bring to almost a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let simmer (almost bubbling), covered with the lid slightly ajar, 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are tender.
4. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired, and discard the bay leaf.

My Top Three

Yes, thanks to Pininterest, my creative juices are flowing.  I have spent most of my day today trying to mentally organize all the projects I want to do. To feel less overwhelmed, I have made a list of my top three to accomplish in the next week or so. 

• I am in the middle of planning a dinner party with four of my very close girlfriends.  The cooking part is easy.  I want my menu to consist of lasagna, with my homemade, fresh noodles, Italian wedding soup, salad, bread, wine, and of course dessert.  Dessert may be birthday cake because two of the girls are celebrating birthdays in February.  This dinner menu is one I am quite comfortable with, so I can focus my attention of the pretty kind of details.  My big plan is to make my table beautiful.  In my mind, my color scheme is red and gold.  It is, after all, the month of love.  I have a gorgeous dining room table and I have gotten out of the habit of using that room for how it was originally intended, so this weekend I have made plans with my friend to go antique and thrift shopping to make the table B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!  Some items on my search list are tall glass candy jars with lids to use for my table setting and unique printed red and gold plates.  I am hoping for some great finds. 
• For my second project, my 10-year-old daughter, Doodle is going to be thirlled in helping me with.  I have always loved beautiful door wreaths.  My goal this year to to make one for every holiday season.    First up is this "too cute" Valentine's day wreath. Its a crepe paper wreath that I found on Little Tipsy.  She has included all of the step-by-step instructions.  She even noted that the she made the accessories deattachable so the wreath can be used for other "red" holidays like the Patriotic Holidays and Christmas.  Is that not genius!

• My third project is to finish the small antique buffet table that I began stripping back in late summer.  Once the kids went back to school in September, my days went back to chaos.  Since I am in Michigan the weather cooled, I admit the project has been stalled.   The table is just sitting in the garage begging for some love.  I have to take advantage of the warmer days ahead to complete this project.  I could well use this storage is my dining room and it will be a beautiful addition to it!

So, there you have it, that is my top three creative project list.  I have tons of other ideas and projects that I have placed on the back burner.  I will continue to "pin" my my board to do at a later date.  I swear, my new love for Pininterest has simply lit my creative spirit once again, even if I am overwhelmed with all the fantastic ideas!.  This blog is my little way of sorting it all out and inspiring me to get it done. 

Pin It

With my new found love for Pininterest, I have decided to start blogging again.  I am inspired by my family and friends.  From craft projects to dinner parties and bunco nights to and decorating, I want to share what I love.

Kumbaya

Yeppers,

Its that time of year...

We want to send Doodle away to Girl Scout Camp again this summer. Last year she went to a 3-day camp because it was her first time away at camp. When she came home from camp last year, it was all she talked about. She asked if she could go away for a "whole week next year"

Doodle would like to go again with her friend, Anna, who was her camp partner last year. I have been talking to Anna's mom and we found a GS camp about an hour away that sounds perfect. The girls want to go to a program called Camp o' Fun and here is a little description:

For Girls Currently in Grades 3-5

Want to do it all? Each day holds a new adventure, you’ll swim, boat, horseback ride, cook out, do crafts, visit the teams course, and try out all the things that make camp fun. This program is designed to give you a taste of camp life. Make new friends while you experience the camp adventure in just one week.

Perfect, right? This camp is just up Doodle's alley, but I have a little moral dilemma. Here is the cost of camp....

Cost: $585.00 per Rate A
$345.00 per Rate B

Why are there two different rates you ask? Well here is the explanation....

A note about pricing: Because families have different abilities to pay for summer camp programs, a voluntary tiered pricing system has been designed for GSSEM 2010 Camp Fees. The fee you pay for each camp session in no way influences the experience your camper will receive.

Rate A reflects what it costs to provide a camp experience to your daughter. Please pay this amount if you are able.

Rate B is heavily subsidized by GSSEM and is for those families that cannot afford the full cost of camp but are willing/able to pay a significant portion of the fee.

The Dilemma: Holy Moley.... Rate A is to me A LOT of money! I was expecting a week camp to be around $300-$400 as her 3-day camp last year was $180.00. All of you know the financial issues LT3 and I have gone through in the last 2-3 years with my work going to electronic medical records causing my work to be cut by 75% and with LT3 on layoff pretty much once a month. Our yearly income has probably been cut by $30,000/year over the last few years. Note that the GSSEM explanation states that this is a VOLUNTARY tiered pricing system.

My dilemma is that LT3 and I could probably "swing" Rate A, but it definitely would be a bit hard for us. I know that the $345 would be much easier. There are also "scholarship" programs, but I do not feel that we need to apply for one of those as we can afford to pay for camp.

I have never been one to take "handouts' and I am wrestling with this decision. Do you feel I am wrong in choosing to pay $345 rather then the $585? Your honest answers are appreciated!

Movin on over....

I have blogged on Xanga for four years. Xanga is a ghost town. I feel that I waste my time and energy posting well thought-out blogs for only myself to read. I thought I would try to move my blog here away from my familiar, but lonely surroundings of Xanga. Change is good, right. Of course, this is no life altering decision. It will take some time for me to get acclimated to blogging on a new format, but I will get there. I eventually will get around to customizing my layout. In the meantime, I will most like post the same blog in both places. We will see how it goes...

Let me introduce myself....
I am a 37-year-old wife and work at home mom of two, living in Metro Detroit. Live gets pretty interesting around here, come float around with Bubblz and her crazy rollercoaster life in the "D"