Cousins' Craft Night

It has been awhile since we have been able to have our Cousins' Craft Night. My sweet cousin gave birth to one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. If you have seen my pictures on my blog, I would be referring to Baby Carter (insert sigh). 

In the past we all did the same project, but this time we all did a project of our own. My cousin had purchased this huge box of corks off Ebay, so there was a really nice variety to choose from to adhere to my wooden letter. I purchased my letter "P" from Hobby Lobby and painted it black before I began. So, this is what I started with (and a hot glue gun):

This project is quick and easy. The most involved part of the project is choosing the corks you want. I started at the bottom and then worked my way up before finishing the decorative part of the letter at the top left. I then hot glued from the bottom of the curve up and around. 

This took approximately one hour. So easy and so fun, and the best part is sitting around and laughing with your cousins during the process. Add to that... going out for dinner and drinks after your finished your project puts the icing on the cake~

It may not be pretty, but it sure was yummy!

If you haven't heard of Pinterest yet, you might be living in a cave. I remember my friend, Wednesday, telling me to join and warning me that it is addicting. Well, she was right! At first I didn't get it. An online pin board? It didn't sound like something I really needed. Then I started thinking back to websites where I liked a certain photo and I wished I could find it again. That's when it hit me. I really did need the new addiction of Pinterest. For me it started with photography, and then it grew....and grew. I have found some great recipes on there as well. Which leads me to this beauty cake.

My son helped me bake this cake, and if you have ever made a dessert with a child you know that it needs to be ready ASAP. This cake has a lot of steps to it, which made it even more of an exercise of patience for Max. We rushed the cooling time a little and that probably had an impact on how this cake looks. My husband asked me what happened to it. Hee, Hee.

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate-covered-oreo-cookie-cake-90307.aspx

Now for a great laugh, compare their cake to our cake:

We did make some changes to the recipe by:

-using non fat items when available

-finely crushed Oreos thanks to my little helper

-melted icing out of a container due to the nastiness that occurred to the chocolate when melted with butter.

The Parker family would like to endorse this recipe by giving it ratings of (scale 1-10):

Ben= 10

Max= 5,000

Annie= 15,000 (she's a little competitive)

Enjoy~

Baby Carter

Thought I would share my favorite photos of sweet baby Carter!

 

 The great thing about this picture (besides his sweet smile) is that the scale belonged to the family's grocery store. 

 The tie was worn by dad at the wedding, and the blue fabric was mom's petticoat from the wedding. Love the special memories to this photo. 

What a blessing to have the opportunity to take this sweet baby's photos! So glad he is a part of our family!

I Heart Faces Challenge- Hugs & Kisses

This is my beautiful daughter, Annie, and her favorite doll, Elizabeth. There are a couple of special things about Elizabeth:

1. Nanny and Boompa gave Annie this doll.

2. She is an American Girl doll, and she is brown like my daughter

3. She lives in the closet in a doll chest most of the year b/c Annie's neurotic mother is trying to keep her hair pretty. She does get to play with her from time to time. And, I have heard the American Girl doll store has a beauty salon. So, I am working through my neuroses...almost. The first step is to admit it, right???

This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com