SOCIAL MEDIA

Cocoa Daisy's October Kit : Farmer's Market

9.30.2011
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Here are the layouts!  I could create with this kit forever I think.  I love the mix of patterns and colors and the embellishments in the kit itself and the add-ons are just drool-worthy.  I love!

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For the chipboard pieces on this layout I mimicked the little dotting that was on the half circle (see above photo) onto the owl and cloud by using my journaling pen.  I think it made the pieces pop a bit more than they might otherwise have.

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I love those faux burlap fabric chipboard letters.

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Hmmm...I actually love all the alpha stickers in the kit and add-ons it would seem. :)

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There is also an adorable apple stamp (actually several stamps available this month) that was fun to play with.
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This kit seriously had me fall in love with scrapbooking again!  It always feels great to get back in the groove.  Get your October kit while you still can here.
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first day of 2nd grade mini-book

9.29.2011
First Day of 2nd Grade Mini-Book

Oh Cocoa Daisy, Farmer's Market October kit...how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Seriously, I adored this months kit and I think it might just show a bit in my projects. Here is my mini that I love, love, love. It's been awhile since I've tackled a mini and it felt good.

First Day of 2nd Grade Mini-Book

When I saw that this apple chipboard album was in one of the add-ons I knew I had to have it. Zoey's dress that she wore to school on her first day this year had two appliqued apples on it. I knew I was going to do something using those first day photos and this book!

First Day of 2nd Grade Mini-Book

First Day of 2nd Grade Mini-Book

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 6

Page 5

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

Back Cover

I'll post my layouts using this kit tomorrow.

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a warm breakfast for these cool fall mornings...

9.28.2011
Chuckle

This was a breakfast dish that I grew up enjoying with my family.  The recipe was passed down to me from my mom who got it from her mother.  You can serve it up with cinnamon and sugar or cinnamon and real maple syrup or cinnamon and applesauce.  It is the best breakfast for cool weekend mornings.  I believe you spell it "Chuchel" but our family opted for "Chuckle" as we always seemed to have a good chuckle or two when we tried to flip it in the skillet and keep it all in one piece.  I'm actually pretty good at it now.

Chuckle

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (I use 2 tsp!)
  • salt (dash)
  • oil (to coat pan)
Place skillet on medium heat on stovetop, coat pan with oil. Mix all other ingredients and pour into heated skillet and let cook until edges start to look solid, (think of an extra-large pancake here) and then loosen edges and (attempt to) flip the entire "chuckle." Cook on that side until golden brown, (about 5 minutes), then cut into cubes. Cook cubes for another 5 minutes or so until all chuckles are golden brown. Serve with sprinkled cinnamon and syrup or cinnamon and applesauce. Serves: 2 adults and 1 seven year old nicely!


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another Cocoa Daisy sneak...

9.27.2011
First Day of 2nd Grade Mini-Book

To say I have been inspired by this kit is an understatement.  I adore it to pieces!  Here is a sneak of a mini book that I created using the Cocoa Daisy October kit, Farmer's Market and some of the add-ons (which you MUST get this month!). I can't wait for reveal day later this week!
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apple cake

9.26.2011
Apple Cake

Yesterday I tried out a new recipe for an apple cake and it turned out delicious. It's actually better the second day in my opinion, (I had a bit for breakfast) and it's super moist.

Apple Cake

Apple Cake

Apple Cake

6 apples, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan with butter. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

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a new smile for the weekend...

9.24.2011
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This one wasn't even wiggly beforehand and she lost it during math class (hurray!) which meant a trip down to the nurse to get a little pink box to put it in.

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october sneaks for Cocoa Daisy!

9.19.2011
October Sneak Peek!

I know that I say that I love every kit from Cocoa Daisy...every month, and I do. This kit however I am in complete awe of! My favorite season is Fall and this kit celebrates that very fact. I just adore it to pieces and that's probably why I had to start creating with it as soon as it arrived on my doorstep! I can't wait to share the reveal with you later this month, until then...keep your eyes open on the message board for some more sneaks!

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hello Monday, i'm happy to see you...

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Taking care of things here around the house today. Just had to share this comical little mug of Leo!

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Indian Corn Fall Wreath

9.18.2011
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I had a little time to work on some craft projects today and I had envisioned creating a really cool wreath using Indian Corn...and while it didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped (I ended up not having enough corn and didn't have all the same length of pieces and the colors were a bit off in some places), I still kinda like it. It's imperfect and a little crazy but I like it.

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Things I would do differently if making this again...I would buy more corn, I would purchase a wire wreath frame instead of a twig one, and I would fine some wide, natural looking raffia to add to the wreath when finished.

first visit to Dunkin Donuts!

9.13.2011
Dunkin' Donuts!

We took Zoey to Dunkin Donuts for the first time last weekend while we were traveling.  Her eyes got pretty big when she all the different kinds of donuts she could choose from.  She of course ended up getting a frosted pink one with sprinkles.  :)

Dunkin' Donuts!

Dunkin' Donuts!

It's probably a good thing that we don't have one of these around here where we live...
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and it was a beautiful day...

9.09.2011
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We celebrated my grandmother's life the past couple of days and it was truly a beautiful event. It was so good to see family that I haven't seen in years and I couldn't help but think that I was going to see grandma rounding the corner with some directions for someone to get out more cookies or move some tables and get out more chairs. It reminded me of a passage from Matthew 18:20, For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. I know that she was there watching over us and smiling down on us from heaven...she was probably chuckling a time or two as well due to the stories that were being shared.

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She was buried with her husband in Jug Prairie Cemetary which overlooks beautiful, rolling farmland where she lived when raising her children in Brooklyn, Wisconsin.  She had sixteen grandchildren, eight step-grandchildren, twenty-five great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.  I'm pretty certain that she made us all at least one of her handmade quilts.  I am proud to have seven...three are baby quilts and the other four are full sized.  One is made from all the flannel scraps that were left over from the nightgowns that she made me every year when growing up.  It is the warmest blanket that we own and the one that we all fight over to snuggle up with in the winter months.

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My Aunt Sharon shared some words from grandma with us and then some of her own.  I'm pretty sure I got the gift of loving the written word from her...she is an amazing and thoughtful writer.  At the funeral the pastor read words from my blog that I wrote previously about my grandmother.  That made my heart so happy and is a gift to me and will be always.

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My Uncle Bill and cousin Scotty and my cousin Natasha sang Amazing Grace.

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I will tell you this, being with these amazing and wonderful people, that are mine, made my heart swell with pride. I love that I am from this family. I love that we do things the way that we do. I love that everything is done matter of fact, and with a little sweat and with nothing short of all of our love. It's how my grandmother was in how she lived her life and what has been passed down from generation to generation now. We know how to work hard and we know how to play hard, and are expected to do both.

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Below is my cousin Nick and we are proud to call Bobby Bullet part of our family too.

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And my cousin Scotty...it's no secret that he's my favorite, he's the rock and roller of the family.  We all love him to pieces and it was so awesome that he flew down to be with us.

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My family is so talented!  At one point my little sister got up and sang a song too but of course I didn't have my camera then.

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I am so blessed for getting to have the relationship that I did with my grandmother while she was here in this earthly world. I traveled with her to the Alamo, and visited family in Florida with her. I spent time in the summers with her at the farm and rode horses and picked apples. We had private jokes...like the time that we were shopping and went into a store that unknown to her had a wall that was a mirror and she looked up and exclaimed (to her reflection in the mirror) "Oh, you have my pin!" We NEVER let her forget that one! Just saying that phrase would make me laugh so hard I would almost pee my pants and would make her just roll her eyes in disgust and say, "Oh Jenny, be quiet!" :) I loved this woman so much and because of her, I know how it is that I want to live my life and what kind of woman I want to aspire to be.

What a beautiful gift.

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