TUTU CUTE!

Hello all! A family member emailed me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I could make her a baby shower gift. "Well of course I can!" She gave me free reign over the entire project, which I love! Here is what I ended up with:

Tutu's are always my go to project when I'm in a pinch. They are fast, simple, and make a big impact. There are Tutu tutorials all over Blogland. My technique  has kind of adapted on it's own over the years, through lots of trial and error. If you would like a tutorial on mine, please let me know!

Next, I just bought a plain white onsie and appliqued the letter on it. Easy peasy. I also made her a matching hair bow and headband. (More on that soon:)

There you have it. A super cute, unique baby shower gift. If I had more time I would've made her a few more onsies, but this works in a pinch!

Sorry for being short today, I will try to post more details later. The state of Texas is literally on fire all around me and I'm a bit preoccupied in prayer. Fire is a horrible disastrous thing. Blogging is my outlet and it is a great distraction when I need to take my mind off of the happenings of this world. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Chelsy

A little update!

Hey y'all! Miss me?! No? Oh, ok then. Well, I missed you! Guess what's been going on at the Phillips house in the last six months? Jaxon started walking. Then he started running. Then he turned one. I. KNOW. A lot happened in six months didn't it?

Newborn and One Year

What a difference a year makes, huh?

Hubby started a new job. He is now a college instructor. Awesome, huh?! Taylor has been her usual sweet self. She is smart as a whip and surprises me everyday with something new that shes learned.

She also got a new pet, and...well....she just loves him so much! Can you tell?

Taylor went to her first movie at the theater with her "boyfriend" Cason. She did really well, and we both enjoyed our day out!

And finally, I'm ending this post with one of the hardest, saddest  things I've ever had to go through. Daniel's sweet Granny  went home to be with our Lord last week. Although I only  had the privlege to know her for a few years, she made a huge, HUGE impact on my life. And I know so many other people can atest to what an amazing lady she was. It was truly a gift to know her for as long as I did. At the funeral her granddaughters read Proverbs 31: The wife of Noble Character. I am still amazed at how much this passage directly reflected everything our Granny was.  If you have never read it, I would encourage you to do so. I will spend the rest of my days trying to please the Lord and the people around me in the ways that our Granny did. Please call your loved ones and tell them how much you love them and hug their neck next time you see them.

Here are the verses from Proverbs 31: 10-31(NIV)

Epilogue: The wife of Noble Character

10 A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still night;

she provides food for her family

and portions for her female servants.

16 She considers a field and buys it;

out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,

and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff

and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor

and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;

she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,

and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. .

-Chelsy

What's black and white and cute all over?

OK ladies, are you ready for a super cute and easy project? Good, cause I gotcha covered! But first I have to make a little confession. Please don't laugh at me, but....I have a funny thumb. If you've ever noticed in any of my pictures I always try to hide it, but now the secret is out.  It's okay, you can laugh if you want. I know it looks like a toe. I hope you don't have nightmares tonight dreaming about my "toe thumb" as my family affectioantely calls it.

                                                (Please keep reading, I promise it gets better:)

Do you love?

I found this idea on.....where else? Pinterest!! So of course I re-pinned it, then I clicked on the link and the tutorial was in FRENCH! I think? I don't speak french so I'm not sure, but that's what it looked like! Lucky for me, Pinterest is AWE to the SOME and somebody left a comment in ENGLISH. But to keep with proper Blogger etiquette here is the link. If you speak french or whatever then you can follow their tutorial. If not then you can follow mine. Mmmmkay, here we go:

You are going to need:

Base coat, Nail color (Pale colors work bettter.), Top coat. And newspaper clippings.

You are also going to need this "Secret Ingredient" I'm not going to tell you what it is, but if you figure it out then you're in business. Oh, I'm just kidding it's {whisper} Vodka! Gasp! Don't judge me. If you don't have vodka most any kind of clear alcohol will work. If you don't keep liquer in the house, maybe you could borrow some from your neighbor. Err....maybe not. 

Anyway- All you do is paint your base coat and color and let them dry. Then dip your fingernail into the vodka. Take your newspaper clippings and press onto your drunken nail firmly, gently peel it off and voila! Repeat it on all your nails then finish them with a top coat. So fun and cute!

I hope you all will try this and let me know how awesome you think it is! Hasta luego amigos! (I speak spanish, but not french? Oh brother.)

-Chelsy



P.S. If you get some" newspaper" on your skin, just dip a Q-tip in nail polish remover and wipe it off.

The Boy.

God made a world out of his dreams,
Of wondrous mountains, oceans and streams,
Prairies and plains and wooded land,
Then paused and thought,
"I need someone to stand on top of the mountains
To conquer the seas, explore the plains and
Climb the trees, someone to start small and grow,
Sturdy, strong like a tree." and so...
He created boys, full of spirit and fun,
To explore and conquer, to romp and run,
With dirty faces, banged up chins
With courageous hearts and boyish grins.
When He had completed the task He'd begun,
He surely said, "That's a job well done."

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cake

Yum....are you drooling yet? It's okay, I won't tell!

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but this is all that's left! Oh, and see that little sliver there? Yeah, it's about to be in my belly! Jealous?

We had this cake on Easter Sunday, along with Carrot Cake(I posted about it here), a super delicious ham and too much other stuff that was amazingly good and made me way to stuffed! Anyway, while we were at the table enjoying our desserts my husband informed me that "This buttermilk cake is my absolute favorite, it's so good." To which I replied "You say that about everything." But, he is right folks, it's soooo good! It's light and fluffy and the perfect summer treat (or spring if you don't live in Texs and it's not 90 degrees outside:). It's even better if you throw some berries on top. If you weren't drooling before, I bet you are now right? Would you like for me to quit torturing you with how delicious this cake is and give you the recipe already? Alright, here you go:

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cake (from my mother-in-law):
2c. Sugar
3/4c. Crisco
3 Eggs
2c. Flour
1/2tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1tsp. Baking powder
1tbsp. Vanilla
1tbsp. Almond Extract
1c. Buttermilk*

-Pre-heat oven to 350.

-Grease and flour your bundt pan well.

-Mix the sugar and crisco well, until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add all dry ingredients, mix well. Then add the buttermilk, vanilla, and almond extracts. Mix well, then pour into bundt pan. Bake for 50min-1hr.

*If you don't have buttermilk you can mix 1tsp vinegar with regular milk. Let it sit about 10 min before using.

Easy peasy right?! We top our cake with strawberries, but I know any berry would be equally delicious! Don't fret if you don't have berries, it's super good just by itself. I hope you will try this cake and enjoy it as much as we do!

Happy Tuesday!
Chelsy

Linking up here:

The Best Carrot Cake EVER!

Yeah, you heard me! Best carrot cake EVER! This particular recipe was handed down to me from my Grandma (aka Nanny). My Nanny is a very special lady that I am very close to. She is the one who taught me to bake and she is also the one that I blame for my addiction to chocolate. (I'm in denial) With Easter on Sunday, I thought this would be the perfect time to share this with you! I can't wait to have a sliver slice hunk of this deliciousness! So, let's get this party started!

Here is what your gonna need:
2 c. Flour
2c. Sugar
4 Eggs
3c. Grated Carrots (They sale bags of grated carrots now, but when I learned to make this the very first time, it was the ol` peel and grate technique! Good times!)
1 1/2c Veggie Oil
1tsp. Vanilla
2tsp. Cinnamon
1/2tsp. Salt
2tsp. Baking Powder
1tst. Baking Soda


Here's what your gonna do:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Mix dry ingredients. Add oil, eggs and vanilla and blend well. Bake in 3 9in round pans @350 for about 30 min. You'll know when those babies are done! Easy peasy right?

Now for the Heaven(aka Frosting)
 You will need:
1c. Chopped Pecans
1box Powdered Sugar
1 package Cream Cheese (8oz)(softened)
1 stick Margarine (softened)
1tsp. Vanilla

Mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add vanilla, powdered sugar, and pecans. Blend well. If your frosting is to thick to spread you can mix in a tablespoon of milk one at a time until it's smooth enough to spread. I've never had to do this, but I just wanted to throw it out there, just in case!

I searched and searched for a better picture, but this is the only one I could find. My wedding cake was my Nanny's carrot cake recipe, and it was so delicious and special!

I hope you will try this recipe out. It's really simple,  I promise! I would love to see your pics or hear about how delicious you thought it was!

Happy Wednesday Peeps,
Chelsy

Linking here:

The little things.

Guess who's entered the world of civilization again? THIS GIRL! I am happy to report that while hiding under a rock was fun for a little while, we now have a working computer again. Since we live in Texas, and the weather has been 80-90 degrees since the middle of march, I didn't think I would miss my computer that much. Boy was I wrong.

I often think "It would be so awesome to live back in the day." You know, the day before electricity. The day before all of new fangled technologies, like can openers, and indoor plumbing. Then I wonder if I could survive. Could you? I know that I could, but it would definitely be a transition. Everything would be so much simpler. There would be no government conflicts. No talk of recessions, or shut downs. No terrorists, or airport security. Or even an airport for Pete's sake. God would still be number one, and nobody would even question it. Everyone would go to their Sunday meetin` place to worship and visit.

There would be no worrying over bills, because you wouldn't have any. You would grow your food, and trade your neighbors for things you needed. No credit cards or debt, unless you count what you owe the local general store when your crops come in. Yes, things would certainly be more simple. But would they be easier? I'm not sure. Just my two cents. Amen.

Chelsy