the infamous pumpkin cream cheese roll fool.

Okay. So yesterday (Sunday) I gave my very first attempt to a pumpkin cream cheese roll. I was for sure nervous about it but so is everyone the first time. I also made Salisbury Steak and Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes but that's for another post. I figured the decadent p.cheese roll needed it's own post. (It's also my first time to take pictures of a project so give me a lil' slack) I kept saying to myself, "oh crap! i forgot to take a picture of that." Oh well. It's a work in progress. :) Oh and can't wait to tell you what happened with the gravy for the Salisbury steak. Let's just say, I had to change. So anyways.

Mixing all yummy ingredients for the pumpkin roll. It said to use a "jell-o roll" pan but we poor! and the cookie sheet worked just fine. and what.

This is my oh so tee-nine-ey kitchen. Messy. I had to do several dishes to have a place to cook and what not. (we also are ill-equipped in the dishwasher department, which is usually fine but not so much when i was spending five hours in the kitchen of pure cooking). so yeah. clean up!

Do you like my little helper/crumb catcher.

Messy pumpkin goodness. BTDUB: While we were at the store getting the supplies my dear ladyfriend thought baking powder and baking soda were the same thing. (learn something new everyday!)

First set of dishes!

I was a little sad that I didn't use ALL the pumpkin. (then i thought, you only use so little pumpkin for a pumpkin cream cheese roll. then I realized, it's the clove and cinnamon that makes the pumpkin goodness, the really really good pumpkin goodness.) interesting.

So, the good thing about not having kids is that you totally get to lick the mixers and the bowl and the spoon!

The yummy filling. mmmm...cream cheese.

I also did not have a "cooling rack" so I set it on my awesome stand that I got for jen's baby shower. it's a rack. and it cooled. pretty much legit.

Then! I unrolled the pumpkin and smothered the inside with cream cheese goodness. so tasty too.

This is the roll first rolled up! I was oh so nervous it would crack. and it did. just a smidge. oh swell.

THEN! I wrapped it up and put it in the fridge for a while (like longer than an hour because I was cooking dinner)

As I unwrapped it I noticed my cracks had closed up and healed themselves! (much like when you pick a scab and the skin grows back.) yeah, just like that. ha!

Okay, not gonna lie. It was good. My ladyfriend feels it was a little chewy. Maybe that's from the cooling process... I'm not sure but I'm def. looking into perfecting this yummy (not so hard) roll. I'm going to try it again and see what happens.

Thanks for reading. <3>

k

i like, no love. DIY projects.

So, with the Holidays a-happening i thought well, i'd like to do something about the holidays this year. I've looked into making a pumpkin cream cheese roll (which i've heard can be difficult to do). So I will have to have a few trial runs for sure. I'd like to make "i'm thankful" cards to send out to some people that I just know in my heart i'm truly thankful that we're together in life. That some how, some way, at some time, we were together and i'd like to thankyou for that very moment for being there in that moment. Of course each person will have their very own personal note on why i'm thankful for them. these just have to be hand made. I'd also like to make yummy mini accorn snacks.

which i saw at http://www.joyshope.com/search?updated-max=2010-10-12T09%3A10%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=5

yummy mini accorn snacks:
you need---> mini vanilla wafers. hershey's kisses. and nutella.




































I think these will be perrrrfect for goodies at thanksgiving when me and the misses have to travel around the metroplex for thankgiving. We're going to be two stuffed birds i'll tell you right now! :)
I've been looking at christmas cards and christmas ornaments too! i know i know. i don't even know if i'm going to have a tree. (just now idea: i could make a makeshift tree!)...we'll see where that goes. but anyways. been looking at poppytalk. great little blog that features pigeon toe ceramics, and ray dunn (who is awesome), paloma's nest, hodgepodge, mb art studio, etc. etc...and lots of etsy stuff. which i adore etsy. who doesn't!?!


i've got to do some school work. i've got a monthish left and i'm peein in my panties i'm so excited/nervous/anxious. I hope i pass everything this semester. keep your fingers crossed and you peepers peeped! (actually i don't think you need to keep your "peepers peeped") now i'm thinking about peeps. i don't like peeps. but they're kind of cute and enticing. it's the bright colors and sparkly sugar. fo sho.

So. that's it. Lucille is doing wonderful. such a sweet potato. except! i'm not going to get into details but! yesterday she totally pee'd on a piece of furniture that someone was sitting on and managed to get all over them. not naming names but they were very mad and before that they were totally having a good day and then that happened and then i came home to a grump-o-potomus. but for real. i'll never tell who it was.












love, k

Happy Hump Day

I've been busy with lots of schooling and lots of working. and lots of lucy-ing and lots of ashley-ing. The other day I was cleaning the apartment because I can't be any kind of productive in a filthy house. I can sit in a filthy house. I can watch tv in a filthy house. I can sleep (somewhat) in a filthy house but I can't really read, work, study, etc. in a filthy house. Maybe it's because I'd rather clean and organize than study...but I think it's more of, "how can I organize my thoughts if I can't organize my space." well, anyways... I was sweeping the floor and luckily Lucille was tired enough that she wasn't trying to chase the broom, or my feet for that matter. She tuckered out on her soon to be too small bed. I thought I'd quitely take a few pictures, or eighty...well just as many as I could until she was completely annoyed and walked away. Just thought I'd pop in to say hello. hello. By the way, Lucille is extremely smelly and she is SOOOO getting a bath today. Have a happy wednesday.

Sweet Lucille

So, for the longest time my lovely ladyfriend has been asking about a puppy. She's wanted an English Bulldog all of her life and has never been able to have one. I was very against getting a puppy. Don't get me wrong, I love puppies and dogs with all my heart. I am most definitely a dog person BUT! I just don't have the time in the day to take care of a dog...or so I thought. I am a full time student and a part time receptionist with a 45 minute commute to work. I have lots of activities on the weekends that always spring up and lots and lots and lotsssss of homework that I never quite ever finish for some reason. ;) But, after months and months of persistence I gave in and we looked into (well, she had already done the research) adopting a puppy. I knew I wanted a girl (i have my reasons). So we searched and came upon this bundle of joy. Lucille Layne Duncan-Wisdom. How could I say no!?!?!

Lucy at 3.5 months. She's getting so big!!!

This is her baby picture before we adopted her.


This is from the first weekend we had her. She was sleepy clumsy baby!

Our first day together! She pooped in the kennel in the car, figures! haha...she can do no wrong with a face like that! (10 weeks old)

Lucille loving the cold tile floor. Still the first weekend and only 10 weeks old.

Me and Lucille sleeping in on a weekend. Those are nice. :)

Lucy in her Halloween costume! Our litte Lucy Bee!!!! and Felix checking out Lucille's stinger!


Lucille - 3 1/2 Months old and such a sweet face!

Lucy chewing on her bone outside! (3 1/2 months)

She's growing up too fast!!!

Now, I know I was the one who did NOT want a dog but now in my head I'm like, "What was I thinking!?!" haha! I've already asked the ladyfriend when we're getting another one. We've decided to get a male later on and his name will be Rufus. Rufus & Lucille. The perfect little couple! I love taking pictures of her!

Just thought I'd let you in on my lovely Lucille.

Have a good Tuesday.

K

Best Friends Baby Shower

OK, So I had only been to TWO baby showers, prior to this festive occasion. I hosted my best friends, Jennifer Rumbo-Drake, baby(ies) shower. I had no idea, well kind of but not really, what I was getting in to. I didn't want to do a completely traditional baby shower so I researched and made it my own/jennifer's own. I didn't want to go with all the pastel colors and "We're having Boys!" banners everywhere... I'm pretty sure everyone already knew that. I took a lot of my ideas from Ashley Ann Photography/ Under the Sycamore Blog because I fell in love with her blog as soon as my co-worker (Sarah) showed it to me for ideas. This woman is craft-T! no joke! Love everything she does!!!! So I hope she doesn't mind me taking a few of her ideas and making them my own. :)


This is the mother-to-be and her parents, David and Robin Rumbo. Love this family!!! :)

Friends and family!! I'm in there!!!

Please do talk amongst yourselves while we take pictures. trying to get the group together.

One of the tags I made for ONE of Jennifer's presents. Two peas in her pod!!

Okay, so I got this idea from Ashley Ann and tweaked it a smidge. I bought a plan cardboard box from Hobby Lobby and a stamp (which I love) with this really awesome ink that is supposed to be "vintage looking" I stamped all over the box and wrapped it with blue ribbon and twine and hot glued them on to the box so they would stay. I also had a package of flowers from Michael's in the scrapbooking section from the lovely Martha Stewart. It's an advice box!! I bought tags from Hobby Lobby and cut little strips of scrapbooking paper and taped them to the ends and stamped the back of them and tied a piece of twine to each one. Totally super cute.

These are the party favors!! I picked up 24 boxes from Michaels in the "wedding" section and stamped them with the same stamp of course and wrapped them up like little packages. They had chocolates in them. Oh and the stand I got at Target. I literally skipped over to it when I saw it. :) I get excited about these things!

I made a baby onesies banner (like a clothes line) super cute and super extra onesies for the mommy-to-be! :)

This was my favorite thing to make. The banners!!! I bought several different scrapbook sheets and cut them up. I then took starbucks sleeves and cut them up and mod podge-d them to the papers. I used a stencil for the "twins" part. and of course hole-punched and used twine through them. everyone loved it!! i think!?! well, i know i did!

Here's the finished project of the banners. I was so glad the place we were at had a mantle!

So, me and my girlfriend went to the fair the Wednesday before the party and picked up these awesome pearl bead thingys...They start out really small and you soak them in water and then the absorb the water and help hydrate plants and flowers. Super cool and they had many colors. You can find them online too! They look like marbles but feel like boba pearls (which are tapioca balls) if you've ever had them. Oh and super bouncy.

Here are some more!

Jennifer picked out the cake, super yummy and super cute!!!!

Ashley, my girlfriend, made the cupcakes. Red velvet with cream cheese icing and big sprinkles. My dear friend Danielle let me borrow her cupcake stand. It was perfect! Thanks Danielle!

So my mother is the best cook and loves to cook for large amounts of people. So she volunteered and made deviled eggs and sanwiches and boy did she ever! So good, which I knew they would be!

Ok, so this wasn't originally a "cup holder" but I couldn't figure out what to use it for and I thought it was too cute not to have so it became the cup holder. Just a plan wooden cylinder from Hobby Lobby and a doily from Michaels with some scrapbook paper and ribbon and the flowers for Martha Stewart and voila!

I took all the utensils and wrapped them with a napkin and then I took pieces of scrapbook paper along with doublesided tape (which became my best friend) and a piece of twine and wrapped them around. Simple, easy, and cute I thought. I picked up the basket at Michael's. They were having a 50 % off sale and I couldn't resist!!!

I made this awesome stand!! I was uber excited about it. I found they stand at Michael's on sale for 1.99 and then I found the plate at Target and thought it was a nice little fit. I glued them together and stacked the paper plates on top. :)

So, I also made other things but didn't take pictures of them. The prizes for the games were two candles that I decorated from target. So cute. So SO cute. and if I find a picture I'll post it. I also bought to picture frames from target that were cute all by themselves.

We had a lot of food and a lot of fun. :) I wish I had taken more pictures but hosting takes a lot and it was my first time. and I am a little proud of myself. :) But I know next time, if there is a next time, I will totally top myself!

Planning this baby shower was totally at a bad time in my life right now, I am a full time student at the University of North Texas and I work in Downtown Dallas as a Part time receptionist. I have a new puppy who I'm completely and totally in love with (Lucille) and I have so much homework I could spit. But! I will say that I am so glad that I did this because it was such a nice get away from the busy bee schedule that I normally have. and I never realized how much i enjoy being crafty and hosting parties. It was actually theraputic for me in a way. I loved every minute of the planning and crafting and hosting. Maybe I should look into that.

anyways, I'm off to class. I have a geography lab calling my name and though I'd rather ignore it I know I shouldn't.

Have a great week bloggy blog. I think I should post more often. yeah, probably.

Peace out,

k

salutations.

it's been a full moment. not a dull one by any means.

tappa tappa. the summer sun sets in.

so many things. to do. to want. to be. to learn.

so many.

missing space. s. ohhH painting is taking hold. and i'm needing to re-evaluate.

like. needing some new ideas. some fresh smells. fresh thoughts.

somethings blocked.

i'll paint until that changes.

i love keepin up with the jones's but it's hard. and expensive.

i need some fresh lemonade please.

an old flame that burnt out along time ago is finally beginning to be swept away and a sigh overwhelms me in a good off my back kind of way.

i appreciate the things we had but i'm glad i don't have them anymore.

i'm sure you are too.

getting in to the groove now. going to work on this and try that out. yup. keeping my days full. and my life abundant.

my new little guy. means so much to me but i could never explain it to you.