ROSEMARY AND THYME

RosemaryThis evergreen shrub, a symbol of remembrance and friendship, prefers a hot, dry growing environment. In warm winter climates, rosemary can grow outside year-round, but in the North bring it inside during the cold months.
Test Garden Tip: Surround rosemary plants with gravel mulch to ensure soil does not become too wet.

Thyme

This Greek herb loves heat and sun and is a magnet for honeybees. The flavors of thyme are strongest when it grows in well-drained soil, so consider planting it in a raised bed or mulching with gravel.


Test Garden Tip: After plants bloom, shear off about a third of the stem.

DINNER WITH CHEF MICKEY - DISNEY WORLD 2011

Pat and I enjoying the excitement 

of the grandchildren at

dinner with Chef Mickey

at the 

Contemporary Resort

in

Disney World.

Minnie Mouse

and

Mickey Mouse

with

the granddaughters.

A TIP FROM THE SOUTHERN LADY COOKS

Most everyone uses the oven for baking, here is a tip from the Southern Lady Cooks blog:

If your recipe says preheat your oven to 400 degrees, you should preheat to 425 degrees and decrease to 400 when you put your dish in. You lose heat when you open the oven door.

SUNDAY DINNER WITH FAMILY

Love the tradition of having a Sunday meal with family.

ICE CREAM BALL TREATS

Ice Cream Pops

These would be great treats; especially since it is so hot outside!

INGREDIENTS

    ice cream

    chocolate hard shell-style ice cream coating (Magic Shell)

    toasted coconut

DIRECTIONS

1. Freeze a baking sheet.
2. Insert lollipop sticks into small scoops of ice cream and place on frozen sheet.
   Freeze overnight.
3. Dip ice cream ball into chocolate hard shell-style ice cream coating (Magic Shell).
   Immediately sprinkle with toasted coconut.
   Return to freezer until serving time.

ETSYKIDS SOUTH TREASURY

Burp Cloths

by

Originali Tee Too

Fuchsia Tutu

by

Tutu Cute and Moore

Diaper Clutch and Wipe Case

by

Ella Minnow Pea

Magnetic Refrigerator Chart

by

Oh Suzy-Q Designs

Check out more hot creations in my treasury by EtsyKids South designers.

BIRTHDAY PARTY CANDY TREATS FAVORS

Birthday Party Favors

How much fun would this be for the birthday guests to make their own party favors with their favorite candy treats?  Set out bowls of colorful candies they can chose from to make their own tasty party gift.  These were made from layering colored Skittles in cleaned recycled plastic bottles.

BIRTHDAY PARTY CANDY DISKS DECORATIONS

Land o' Candy Party Decorations

Make these easy birthday party decorations from colorful plastic dinner plates.  Wrap two plates (adhere together) in cellophane and cinch the ends with ribbon.  You can place them on the wall or hang them around the party area.  You could also insert dowel rods (sticks) in them and line the sidewalk leading up to your entryway or place them around the outside party area.  You could also personalize them.

BIRTHDAY PARTY BALLOON POPS DECORATIONS

Balloon Pops

Turn basic balloons into freestanding lollipops. Wrap them in cellophane and add a wrapping paper tube stick, then position them around the room.

MATERIALS:

Large foam brush, white acrylic paint, wrapping-paper tubes, balloons, ribbon, 2-oz. paint or glue bottles, tape, cellophane, scissors

DIRECTIONS:
1. Use the brush to apply two coats of paint to a tube; let dry.

2. Blow up a balloon, knot the end, and to the bottom attach a length of ribbon that is about 6" longer than the tube.

3. Tie the loose end of the ribbon to the paint or glue bottle (secure with tape if necessary) and drop it into the tube so that ribbon comes out the other end.

4. Cut the ribbon from the paint or glue bottle, pull it taut and tape it to the inside of the tube. (The top of the tube should cover the balloon knot.)

5. Cut a 3'x4' piece of cellophane, cinch around the balloon, and tie with ribbon.

6. Insert the loose paint or glue bottle in the bottom of the tube to help it stand up. Secure in place on the floor with strips of tape if necessary.

LAND O' CANDY BIRTHDAY CAKE

Birthday Cake

The iconic colored squares  will lead happy tasters past a lollipop forest and gumdrop mountains to the ice-cream-cone castle on this candy covered cake.

Ingredients

• 2  boxes  cake mix (any flavor)
• 3  16-oz.  cans vanilla frosting
•     Colorful fruit chews (such as Starburst and Jolly Rancher)
•     Twizzler's Pull 'n' Peel red licorice
•     Gingerbread men (we used Pepperidge Farm Gingermen)
•     Colored sprinkles
•     Gumdrops
•     Round peppermint candies
•     Jujubes
• 6 or 7  lollipops, varied sized and colors
• 3  ice-cream cones
•      Red food coloring (optional)
•      Cocoa powder (optional)

Directions

1. Grease and flour one 9-inch and one 7-inch round cake pan. Prepare the first cake mix according to package directions and divide the batter between the pans, about 2/3 in the larger pan and the rest in the smaller pan. Bake according to the package directions and place on a rack to cool. Prepare the second cake mix and bake in the two pans the same way. Let the cake layers cool completely. Holding a serrated knife parallel to the cakes, carefully level the tops until even.

2. Set one 9-inch round on a large platter or cake stand and cover with a thin layer of frosting (a crumb coat that will keep crumbs out of the final frosting layer). Position the second 9-inch round on top of the first and cover with a crumb coat. Using the remaining frosting from the first can, add a second coat of frosting over the two 9-inch cake layers. Repeat, setting the 7-inch layers on top of the 9-inch ones and using a second can of frosting.

3. To make the path, unwrap 3 or 4 fruit chews and microwave them for 5 seconds to soften. On a clean surface, roll each one flat with a rolling pin. Cut them into 1-inch squares. Press squares into the side of the cake to make a path that starts at the base and curls up to the top. Repeat the process until satisfied. Pull off a few strands of Twizzler's Pull 'n' Peel and use to outline the sides of the path to finish it. Coil a strand into a bull's-eye and place at the end of the path.

4. Outline the edges of the gingerbread-man cookies with frosting and dip in colored sprinkles. Press cookies into the base of the cake, then add the candy around the cake. Cluster a group of lollipops in one area of the top layer.

5. Crumble a few cookies into each ice-cream cone to fill the base. Spoon a dollop of frosting on top to look like ice cream. If you like, tint some of the frosting pink to look like strawberry ice cream and add cocoa to some to make it look like chocolate. Press the cones into the top of the cake at different heights. Scatter sprinkles over the "ice cream" for color. Makes 24 servings.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND

Del Frisco's

What a wonderful 40th wedding anniversary night out on the town!  Our kids sent us via limo to Del Frisco's restaurant in Fort Worth followed by an overnight stay at the Texas Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine.  They also sent us with a bottle of champayne, a beautiful anniversary cake, and a DVD of family photos set to music.  Needless to say, we enjoyed all the celebrations and memories!

Texas Gaylord Hotel

Thank you John and Cathy!

We love you both.

40TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Our children sent us a beautiful bouquet of flowers this morning for our wedding anniversary.  It marks the beginning of a wonderful day full of surprises!  Can't wait to see what happens next.

DISNEY WORLD'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Beauty and the Beast

Toy Story Mania

Live on Stage

DISNEY WORLD'S ANIMAL KINGDOM PARK

Maharajah Jungle Trek

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Festival of the Lion King

The Tree of Life

Wildlife Express Train

Finding Nemo

The Oasis Exhibit

DISNEY WORLD'S MAGIC KINGDOM

Mad Tea Party

It's A Small World

Pirates of the Caribbean

Monsters, Inc.

Country Bear Jamboree

Buzz Lightyear

The Electric Parade

WALT DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM

Now the adventure begins!

DISNEY WORLD'S PORT ORLEANS RESORT

French Quarter

DISNEY WORLD - HERE WE COME!

Can't wait to get there!

QUICK BREAKFAST BURRITO

Spoon scrambled eggs onto a tortilla, top with picante sauce, and roll it up for a spicy breakfast burrito on the go.  For variety, you can add browned sausage meat and shredded cheese.

PILLOW TUTORIALS

Follow these links for pillow projects

from

Better Homes and Gardens

ruffled yellow felt pillow 

and

pillow with fringe 

name pillow 

 fresh tulip pillow 

squares and circles pillow

LAUGH FOR THE DAY

LAUNDRY PULL BIN

Laundry Pull Out

Wherever there's clothing, there's dirty laundry. A deep pullout bin with a liner lets you easily transport soiled clothes from the closet to the laundry room, and keeps them off   the floor and out of sight.  This looks so much nicer than my white laundry basket!

SHOE STATION

Shoe Station

Here's a clever project for shoe storage.  If shoes litter the bottom of your closet, reestablish order with built-in cubbies. You can also add sloped shelves with a narrow lip that holds shoes in place. If your space is tight, don't despair. Keep your closet tidy by storing each pair in the original shoebox or a see-through plastic box. If your box isn't transparent, tape a photo of the shoe to the front of the box.

FOLDING STATION

Folding Station

When your closet includes a flat surface for folding clothes, you're more likely to keep shirts and sweaters neatly stacked. Rather than removing items from a countertop space, customized a drawer that pulls out to create folding space. When the chore is done, the drawer can be closed.  This would be neat to have in a laundry room too.

FAREWELL TO MARSHAL DILLON

James Arness

My dad loved to watch westerns, so I grew up watching Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, Rifleman, The Virginian, Bonanza, The Lone Ranger, and others.  One of the outstanding shows was Gunsmoke starring James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon.  Marshall Dillon  was a big , strong character who walked with a limp and said very little.  I always thought my dad was very similar to him.  Every Saturday night we would watch Marshal Dillon and his co-stars; Miss Kitty, Doc Adams, and Deputy Chester (later Festus) keep Dodge City safe from gunslingers, bank robbers, and other human varmints.  His popularity led to TV's longest -running dramatic series from 1955 - 1975.  James Arness died today at age 88.  We will miss you Marshal Dillon!