Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Playroom Painted!

So I have to say that it is sure a good feeling to be DONE with this project. Because of health issues, I wanted to make sure I didn't zoom through it in a week. I finished this project in 2 months doing a little every day.
With a new little one on the way, old paint and a need to organize, I acted on an inpired little boy's room and the darling paint job that his parents did for him.

I took two matching pillows with different designs and pulled the color scheme. You can see one of those pillows by the bookshelf.

I picked out 3 colors to start with and then bought a color or two a week along the way making sure they went well with the pillows and with each other. I found paint on sale that matched (in the "Ooops" section) and found some good colors at Walmart where the paint is less expensive.

The far wall with the window is all chalkboard paint purchased at HomeDepot. There are 16 colors to choose from! It rolled on great. I made sure that Kathryn didn't know about being able to write on the walls until at least 3 days later so that the paint really set.

I ordered magnet powder that you mix in with primer and painted under the green, orange and pink on the right side of the room. I made sure that I let that set and applied 2 coats. It's a little grainy. Then I applied 2 coats of paint on top. The magnets need to be strong magnets to work consistently. We have done this before and the kids love it. As you can see, Kathryn has already displayed letters and pictures she loves.

In the dress up corner, I took my cupons to Hobby Lobby and bought some cute pegs and painted them in all of the colors of the room. The mirrror was free from someone's discards from few years back. I already had the rug which I think I got about 4 years ago. The rocking chair was one that I bought 2 years ago from a carpetner in Madison County.

The ceiling is a flat paint and everything else is satain paint. I was able to buy in quarts which made two full squares of color. Fo r some of the colors, that was all that I needed.

Fun project. Big project. So happy with the outcome!






























Shave Party for High School State Swim Meet





























Thursday, March 3, 2011

Baked Alaska


Well now this is a fun little tidbit. When I was in Jr. High School my Mom had me enrolled in Summer School for some fun classes along with some of my siblings. One of those classes was a cooking class. I still STILL have all of the recipes from that class. I know crazy. BUT I have used a couple of them over the years. One of them is the Baked Alaska.
Michael really loves this one and asked that I make it for him for a special dinner he was going to make for his girlfriend. Just for fun, I agreed and it was just yummy, as usual.
Thanks Ms. Wilson for a)putting up with our class and b) for teaching some really good recipes!

And here is the recipe:


Baked Alaska- Thanks to Huntington Jr. High School Summer School Cooking

one layer chocolate cake
1 qt your favorite ice cream (we like mint choc chip)
6 egg whites (at room temperature)
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cups powdered sugar


Place layer cake on cookie sheet or piece of foil. Freeze.
Line a bowl that is the same size or a little smaller than the size of the layer of cake. Line the bowl with plastic wrap. Place softened ice cream in a bowl on top of the plastic wrap and put back into freezer.
Now work on the meringue topping.
Add cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat until foamy. Add sugar two tablespoons at a time and beat until stiff and shiny.
Time to assemble.
Take the cake and ice cream out of the freezer. Take the ice cream and lay it flat side on top of the cake (looks like a dome). Then spread the meringue covering all of the cake, ice cream, and any edges. You don't want any openings anywhere so that the oven can't get in to the ice cream while baking.
Bake for 3-5 minutes at 500 degrees until golden tan.
Best if served immediately. Can be frozen and served/saved for later.

A couple weeks ago Michael had the High School Regionals Swim Meet at EKU. Even with feeling sick he finished in the top 6 in both the Backstroke and in the 50 free as well as both of the relays he was in. The Tates Creek Boys took 2nd overall at Regionals. Good job Michael!