Cake Pops

My first attempt at Strawberry Cake Balls

I never claimed to be Martha Stewart, but I do enjoy cooking delicious cakes for my family.  I found a recipe for cake pops and cake balls on one of my favorite cooking blogs called Bakerella. Of course my attempt at cake balls did not come out as beautiful as hers, but they were delicious.

These tasty little bites of cake are great with afternoon coffee or tea.  Check out the recipe atBakerella.  Very easy and simple to make. Enjoy!

Out of the Loop!

day 459: oy vay!
Originally uploaded by snowdeal

I haven't posted any blogs for a while because I have been in bed with the flu - despite the fact that I had a flu shot!! HELLO!!!! Oh, well, I hope to be up and blogging again soon. Miss hearing from everyone.

It's All About the Brush

Recycled Candle Holder

Search Amazon.com for mac makeup brushes

I found a creative way (or at least I thought it was creative) to store my Mac make-up brushes.  When I apply makeup in the mornings before work, the last thing I want to do is get up from my vanity, dig through my handbag -a.k.a. The Black Hole, Bottomless Pit - to look for my makeup bag.   I found a decorative tea-light holder that was no longer being used for that purpose and decided it would be a great way to have my brushes handy. 

This very simple solution helps to keep my brushes clean and displayed beautifully on my bathroom vanity.

Flower Power

This is a gorgeous combination of colors.

I had big plans today to shop for the perfect flowers for hanging baskets on the patio. I stopped by a nursery at Lowe's to look at some of their selections.  Unfortunately Spring's spring weather had other plans.  We are experiencing lots of rain, wind and chill.  So, I geuss I'll watch episodes of Project Runway and Models of the Runway that I have been storing up on my DVR.   Can't believe my Spring Break is over already.

Can't wait until the 3-tier Italian Fountain is installed on Wednesday.  I am very excited and can hardly wait.

3-tier Italian Water Fountain

Fine Wine

I love to entertain at my home, so I always make sure to have a variety of wines on hand for last minute guest or quick dinners with friends.

Wine in a bottle is a living thing. The effects of time cause gradual changes in its flavors. Variation in temperature is its enemy, so proper storage is a fundamental product need. Some basic principles in storage will go far to enhance your enjoyment of wine. Once you have purchased wine, whether it's a few bottles or several cases, you need to address the issue of storage.
Keep the bottles stored so that:

•the bottle is on its side so the cork stays moist
•the wines are at the lowest stable temperature possible
•the location is free of vibration
•the location is not a storage area for other items that have a strong odor
Refrain from placing your rack on top of the refrigerator. Your refrigerator is hot, close to the light and vibrates from the refrigerator compressor.

Frame It!

There are many ways to decorate the interior of your home, none the least of which is with picture frames. Picture frames have the unique ability to personalize a house in more ways than one. You can share with friends, family and visitors your memories and cherished moments. You don't have to spend a fortune to decorate your home using picture frames. In fact cheap picture frames or discount picture frames look just as classy and elegant as expensive ones.

There are several steps you can follow to ensure your decorating goes well. Here are a few tips for saving time and decorating efficiently:


First inventory all the photographs and memorabilia you have. Separate groups of photos and memento's into categories. Some ideas include vacation shots, weddings, birthdays, children etc.

Survey your home. Take some time out to decide what walls and areas of the home you would like to display your pictures in. Stairwells are a popular choice for displaying photographs. You can also use wall space in the living room, dining room and bedrooms. Hallways are also a great area for displaying pictures and frames, as are foyers.

Decide the style frames you want in each area of the house. Try to match the style of the frame to the theme of the photograph and then to the decor of the room.

I love accent pieces in my home. I especially appreciate medium sized statuettes in various spaces around the house. This time I decided to bring a little bit of outdoors indoors. At the entrance of my subdivision there is a large statue of a horse. This statue pays tribute to one of the many horses that resided at the stables, where my home is now built. My home is built on a former horse ranch, one of the biggest in Spring. So, I thought it would be appropriate to have at least on piece in my home that represents the land on which I live.

Choosing the right accent piece, whether it is a coffee table, lamp or statuette will not only help you design your room, but lighten it, darken it or accent what you already have.

 

Happy Accenting!!

Oil Paintings

While living in Madrid, Spain, my sister collected many pieces of beautiful oil paintings.  There was one in particular that I especially loved.  After years of admiring this piece, she finally gave it to me!  I have always been intrigued by the depth of the colors and lightness in this painting.  I never knew the name of the painting, so I named it - "The Two Sisters". 

If you want to enhance the beauty of your home with oil paintings there are basically two important things to keep in mind.  First, never hang an oil painting in direct sunlight.  This can cause your painting to fade or possibly crack.  Temperature is also an issue.  The ideal temperature for an oil painting is 65-75 degrees.  Oil paintings make a nice dramatic effect and can enhance the decor of your home.

In My Own Backyard

One of the best parts of the end of the day is driving home to a neighborhood that I find to be peaceful and relaxing.  The day that we first saw this neighborhood I knew this was the place that I wanted to call home.  The tall pine trees, the lakes, the horse stables and the walking trails could not be beat.  I am so proud to call this place home and I'm happy that we have a place that our children and grand-children love to come home and visit.

My daughter and I stopped at the stables to visit with the horses before going home.  I don't think I could have chosen a more perfect environment for my children to grow up.

The horses love Kelli.  Animals are drawn to her. 

There is no place like home.

Creating the Perfect Garden

When Chris and I purchased our home we decided that not only would it be a great place to live, it would become a vacation spot for us as well. About a year ago I put in a Flagstone patio in our backyard and purchased really beautiful patio furniture. We love relaxing on the patio in the mornings with a cup of coffee and later having a drink around the fire pit. The one thing I knew we were missing was a water feature. At first I wanted a jacuzzi, but after being presented with the cost and the work - we both decided that it was much more than what we wanted to deal with. The sound of water can be very relaxing, so the next best thing was to look for a water fountain. Water fountains can add so much beauty to a yard. My youngest daughter, Kelli, and I went on a hunt for the perfect water feature. We also saw some pretty awesome statues as well.

Dorothy said it best, "....there's no place like home." Recently when given an option to either stay in a trendy hotel or drive back to my home, I thought, why would I want to stay in a hotel. There is not a hotel in Texas that would compare to my home. With this thought in mind, I had another realization, I am always wanting to travel, yet there is so much, right here in my home state of Texas that I have yet to discover. This spring break, I hope to make a lot of discoveries about Texas and share them with fellow bloggers. My blogs will be about home design - no one does it like a Texas builder, food, fashion and places to see and things to do in Texas.