A Rather Romantic Hat

In the classic novel Anne of Green Gables a funny and embarrassing event occurs and the line "I suppose it is a rather romantic way to perish, for a mouse" is spoken. I thought of that line the day we saw the lower falls of Yellowstone's grand canyon.

There sat the hat, dejected.

A cheap seven dollar Walmart hat.

 Not unique,

not fine,

not particularly appealing.

 Destined to be bought on sale by a Walmart shopper (not always the classiest crowd) and inevitably to be stepped on in the bottom of a closet, 

forgotten,

 until eventually the hat would be thrown away or given to DI where it would sit for years on a shelf and never be re-purchased. 

But not this hat.

This hat was bought, not by an average shopper wanting a gardening hat, but bought last minuet (by someone who makes every hat look worthy of Audrey Hepburn) as a hat to keep the sun off on hikes in the great National park of Yellowstone.

That's right, I bought this hat especially for our trip.

I could sense right away that this hat in the middle of the stack (because it had never been tried on before) was a rather romantic hat,

 and that totality a style I can handle.

The hat sat in a car for hours before it was worn outside, and then,

 oh the beauty this hat saw.

 For the first time the hat felt hope for a life that didn't end on the shelves of thrift stores or garbage cans.

The rather romantic hat felt a deep connection with the wild and rugged beauty of the National park,

 No mere playground could compete.

 The hat knew that for the rest of its hat life

 it would wistfully look back on these days at the national park as defining and freeing.

Hat began to form a plan.

Hat sat gracefully on the head of it classy owner through many sights,

 until at last at one fateful stop;

 it happened.

The hats fake straw heart lept with joy

 as in the windy rainy afternoon it overlooked the lower falls of Yellowstone canyon.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

Empowering.

With a graceful leap so quick it could not be stopped,

the hat lept into the wind and storm 

and with wings of golden (fake) straw

flew over the cliff edge

tumbling poetically down to the frothy river below.

Hat rode down the river,

 to lakes and valleys

 of the beautiful and exciting

 Yellowstone National Park.

I suppose it was the most romantic thing any hat could do. 

As I said I could sense from the beginning that this was a rather romantic hat.

                                                                   the end

The makeover of a chair

I got this chair about 10 months ago from Savers. I kept it in the garage for a few months waiting to finish it before I finally just used it as the office chair. Unfortunately the seat cushion was uncomfortable so I moved it to my sons room where I would not have to worry about it.

Finally yesterday I got moving and refinished it.

I layered a few paint colors mixed with plaster and distressed it.*

I used 80 grit sand paper and then went over everything with fine 220 for a smooth finish.

The fabric was left over from some other projects.

I love how light it looks finished. Its the perfect place to read bedtime stories, which is one of my favorite things to do with my kids. 

The bedtime story last night was The Cloud Spinner.  (A very cute story)

*Note- I used sample size paints that where about 3/4 full and then mixed in about a teaspoon (a little less) of the plaster it helped the consistency of the paint so that the finish would not be so latex-like. This is not the "proper" way to do this but it was incredibly cost effective and I had no problems with the finish. I normally sand before I paint wood but because I was going for a really distressed look anyways I did not worry about sanding this chair. I did cover the top with a clear wax to protect the finish. 

Idaho Falls Temple

Let me apologize for saying I would finish and then taking a break- I got into my "redecorate everything right now" mindset.
None of the pictures have been photo-shopped (just so you are aware)
 The last things we did on our trip where in Idaho falls  Rexburg and The St. Anthony Sand Dunes.
In Idaho falls we had a great time with Mitchell's Parents. We went to Red Robbin (a  Hill family favorite) and the Candy Cottage. Jon loves sweets I think he enjoyed taking the kids there. Mitchell and I went Window shopping at one point and then in the Evening we went to the Idaho falls Temple Visitors Center. For more information about LDS temples click here.
We had a wonderful experience with our kids there it was wonderful to teach them more about the Savior and watch them learn. A sister missionary gave us a short tour and she had the kids touch the prints int he hands and feet of the Christs Statue, we talked to the kids about how much Jesus loves us.
It was truly special.

TV show Nonsense

You know TV shows?

I wont wait for your response I will just assume you do know of them.

Well I am not your typical TV viewer. I am quirky in the ways I do thing.

For example do you remember friends? )Everyone seems to) –Get this I have never watched one single episode.

Wait there’s more… Reality shows? Don’t watch them, I have seen a few episodes of “so you think you can dance” but not on TV more like seeing a few routines off of you tube.

Don’t even ask about those hospital shows. Not interested.

I do have a few shows that I do watch though…. But not in a “normal way”

I hope you all recall (and surly you do)  “the office” yes that show was big when I was in high school and mostly college (people would have “the office parties” –I went to BYUI (an LDS university)-they have nice clean party’s at those places) the “peer pressure” to watch the office was great. However the excitement everyone else had for the show did not encourage my participation, it might have even fueled my –I am so not going to watch that show-attitude.

But life is a funny thing. I was so cocky about my lack of TV show watching –ness.

The office ran from 2005-2013 (I had to google that because I honestly didn’t know)

I didn’t watch any of it until every single season became available on netflicks- and then for a reason I have quite forgotten- I watched them all. (over a good few month period) mostly while I folded laundry during naptime.

Yup. After everyone else was done and moved on I finally decided I liked the show and watched the whole thing.

So a few years ago I heard about a British show-a period drama called (you guessed it) Downton Abbey.

Sounded like my type of show I am after all a lover of classic British literature and period shows in general.

But I did not watch the show-or feel intense interest in it-after all-it was a TV show, and a drama at that.

My sweet husband has suggested several times that I try watching it-its on amazon prime- so last night I did.

That was a dumb idea, 3 hours later I realize its eleven thirty and I didn’t even fold my laundry while I watched. I was hooked and wanting to watch another episode right then.  

You are guessing where this is headed right?

Nope you’re wrong.

Sorry (I could not resist) See the problem was that I sat up and felt annoyed- I don’t  want to feel like I have to watch to find out such and such because all of the plots and sub plots are ridiculous. So I got up this morning and wasted my time reading spoilers finding out what happens in the next seasons (up to season 5 which I can only presume is going on now) and its all out of my system. To tell you the truth I am quite relived it seems like an incredibly annoying show to be really into-all of the stupid plot turns and sordid junk.

I think I am just the Seinfeld type- I love that show-its about nothing.

Other shows I Like that are “current” are:

Psych –except not now the year long break and the so-so last season lost our interest –but we own the first 6 seasons

The big Bang Theory- Got the first 4 season for Christmas-watched them all-Tried watching each week, again lost interest.’

That’s all folks

Mommy-ing

Being a mom is the hardest and most rewarding job I have ever had.

there are days though, when it strikes me a comical. You see this (stay at home mommy-ing) was what I always wanted to do when I grew up.

So it’s funny that I have days that are so frustrating, where I feel so unhappy with my accomplishments I guess what I pictured it in my head was a little bit of a fantasy. The fantasy included a perfectly clean decorated house and perfectly clean dressed children and perfectly prepared meals. (And of course I would look perfect too)

I (maybe you but not me) will not have my house perfectly clean with dinner on the table every night. I have plenty of messy house and frozen food dinner days.

It’s okay though. When I give my kids a goodnight hug and talk to them it’s clear to me that the person who cares the most about all those to do lists is me. As long as I am trying my best and looking my kids in the eyes and saying “I love you” my family is pretty darn satisfied with what I do. So I should be too after all being a mom is about the kids ;)

Skipping rocks

In order to get a really great skip, you must find the right rock.

The best ones are smooth and flat and round.

There is a subtle art to rock skipping.

My boys finding the right skipping rock

I know what you’re thinking now, you’re thinking. Wait isn’t this a little family blog? We are supposed to be talking about cute crafts, and kids and cooking. So I will just tell you to hold your horses for a min ( that part is coming).

(here is that part)

Making memories with our kids is like skipping rocks. We send out in a direction traveling the long distance; but , and here is the key part. Only occasionally does the rock skid down and smack the water. Its like life really, we don’t usually remember the whole journey just certain moments.

My point-I don’t really have one, I just think it’s important to make as many memories with our families as we can (logically the increased frequency  would improve the chance of one of those memories actually being remembered. )

We went to the nearby Lake for FHE (Family Home Evening) again, we go there a lot. I just love getting out and away.

Also yesterday I began painting some dark shelves. I am painting them white and I will probably hang them up today. I love simple refinish fixes!

Weekend wonders

Yesterday was my grandpa's birthday! To celebrate we took a trip to the park. Always fun times. Its wonderful to see my children play with their cousins and second cousins and make memories similar to the wonderful memories I have of family gatherings.
Those are the types of memories that make me feel positive about life!

 I am so grateful for having a family!

 ________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday I went yard sale-ing with a good friend of mine. I had five bucks in my wallet and on the 5^th stop I found a large side table lamp for …. You got it $5. Pretty sweet deal, I could not resist.

My Pinterest board is full of pictures of lamps and they usually look like this:http://www.potterybarn.com/products/warren-pulley-metal-task-table-lamp/ or This:http://www.potterybarn.com/products/glendale-pulley-task-table-lamp/?pkey=e%7Clamps%7C113%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C11&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-%3Fcm_sp%3DMyRecs-_-LeftNav-_-Search%7CLamps

But for 5 dollars it will certainly work as a temporary fix. Eventually I hope to be able to carry out my design plan. It is really a creative and artistic thing to decorate a room, a well-appointed room is art (to me at least). I so love to make a beautiful and comfortable home that works perfectly for our family.

So without further ado here is the 5 dollar lamp.

 -coming soon an incredibly exciting (or unexciting) lamp shade recycle/update!

Pillows, Pillows and More pillows.

Pillows, Pillows and more pillows!
Throw pillows. Changing up décor with the coming of summer! There are a thousand tutorials of how to make them and there is a good reason they are easy and inexpensive!
Finding good home décor fabric is not hard but it can be unpleasant-in that home décor fabrics are often more $$$ per yard.
There are a few ways I like to combat that (meaning the $$$ unpleasantness) and one of them of course is buying just enough to make a great throw pillow.
Seeing the pottery barn catalogs with shower curtains trimmed with pompoms got me thinking, because you see my kiddos LOVE pompoms, they are like the coolest toy ever! So I knew I had to use them in my décor and going with the logic seen above I decided a throw pillow was the perfect way to add that to my living rooms décor.
Step 1: Find a fabric you like-wash it-dry it-iron it.
I make all my pillows envelope style for two reasons: 1- I hate putting in zippers, and 2-the envelope style does not require zippers and is therefore less expensive (and faster).
Step 2: cut fabric.
Because the trim will go on the outside and we want a nice seam to follow, do not just cut one big rectangle, and cut three separate sizes. One square (the front) and two pieces to overlap in the back making an envelope.
Step 3: Now make a double hem on the two back pieces and iron in place before sewing. Then sew the hems. (you only have to trim the one side on each piece that will be left at the opening.)
Step 4: Next place all of the pieces right sides together and pin in place.
Sew together.
Step 5: Turn pillow inside out-we are almost finished. AT this point you really could be done but we aren’t yet. Because we want to use our trim! Now iron the outside of the pillow so that all the seams are crisp.

Step 6: Beginning in a corner place trim over edge of pillow and sew.
Now we just get to feel excited about having such a playful pillow on your couch!

Shower Curtain = pillow.

So the goal was to have a pillow close to this in appearance.

But there was a problem with that, its pathetic I won’t pretend it’s not, but I hate making button holes! I know pathetic! But it was the truth, enter shower curtain.

Shower curtains come with pre-made button holes. (They are actually the little holes for the shower curtain rod hooks, but let’s not fuss about that) so my problems were solved.

For these pillows I used a Ross store shower curtain that I got a few years ago. All shower curtain fabrics are different the one I found is very comfy fabric, I think in general they are pretty nice but sometimes the fabric can be rough or thin a wash in the machine and dryer can help soften them up.

So for this pillow I did use one big strip and then you just fold it (right sides together) and sew up the sides. 

Then I turned the pillow right side out and sewed on my buttons. The hardest part was going to Walmart to buy buttons-don't do that ladies unless you have to the selection was-to say the least- disappointing.

I also started making a lumbar pillow. but it is not yet finished.

So Basically yesterday was pillow making day.

Summer reading-go to your local library!

So those of you who know me can attest to this- I am an avid reader. Every Wednesday my kids and I head to the library and I pick up my holds and grab a stack of home decorating books while I am at it. I let my kids fill a big bag full of whatever books they want and we read those books until next week when we return them and get more. My good friend Holly who lives down the street from me is a book reviewer (the link to her blog is here) so I get plenty of good reading material from her as well. 

In case you are squinting trying to read the spines-from left to right- a Chinese LDS hymnbook, A Year Down Yonder (Richard Peck), Inspired You (Miss Mustard Seed), The trial of Mary Lou (Ron Carter) The Nesting Place (Myquilyn Smith, and My Dear Sisters (Gordon B Hinckley)

When I was at the Library this week I saw the summer program advertisements getting set up (school is almost over), I got excited! Last summer I made a halfhearted but decent effort to participate in the programs for adults and I ended up winning some small prizes like a free car wash- can’t sneeze at that! 

Also did you know that reading is incredibly beneficial? No really it is! Go here for a long list of articles about the benefits of reading! Did you know that the CDC report says "In 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that children watch no more than 1 to 2 hours of "quality programming" per day," If you have kids at home this summer those 1-2 hours will go by very quickly which is just one more reason to get them involved in reading!

 So today I have a challenge for you (I heard that moaning!) Go to your local library- or the website for your local library, and see what programs they have in your area! Most libraries have programs for all different ages including children and teens. It can be a really great way to stay motivated to learn over the summer vacation! I set a personal goal to participate on my own and with my kids in the summer reading programs too!

It might be just what you need to help you look forward to a productive and relaxing summer (because reading can be relaxing)! 
*Too see some of my favorite books click here to go to my amazon read and loved wishlist page. It is a list of books that I find myself rereading the most often-as well as some of my kids favorites most of them are books I have in my own home for keeps!

Color and dishes

Remember yesterday when I mentioned my mismatched colorful clearance isle dishes?

Here they are! (Well three of them-the rest are tucked into the cabinets).

I love the color that a few patterned dishes add to space. Like flowers after winter it’s so exciting and stimulating.  

Aren’t kids wonderful?! I get to be with mine all day-and a lot of the times I am up with them at night too. Somehow the moments of shear exhaustion at 2 am become the most precious memories.

Its those memories that standout in my mind like colored dishes in a (mostly) white kitchen.

(I know, I know,  I wrapped those two topics together pretty smoothly didn’t I?)

Happy Wednesday world.

Eat in Diner

I have always thought that phrase would be funny to hang in a kitchen. So I finally made a sign for myself. I just painted over a different sign I already had.

I painted the whole sign and then traced out letter by letter the phrase and filled it in with paint.

I used frog tape to help with the border I did around the edge.

When I was about finished I decided to free hand a few details to the border for fun.

Let the paint dry completely.

Sand gently and apply the stain taking off  as much as you can. You could also use a dark wax for this part.

Once the sign has dried it is ready to hang.

Did I ever talk about my dining area? I really like to collect colorful dishes even as I have my off white obsession. . My dishes are off white except my mismatched collection. I have a rule with colorful printed salad plates, I never by matching salad plates; it’s kind of a game I have. In the end they all coordinate because I choose pattern and solid colors. I usually only buy one at a time- the game is really about finding one salad plate I like in the Clarence section.  There is something about the mis-matched-ness of all the plates that says to me-yep I am fun and colorful! 

Layers of Jello

Have you ever had a big day that seemed to form in layers? That's how mothers day was, I felt like it was not one day but 3. The part of that day before church, the time at church and the evening after church. All good layers but a distinctly different flavor.
Well... hers me moving on.
Was your mothers day good? I hope so! We had a great day, the highlight was really the 2 Skype calls we had from my brother who is on a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and my sister who is also serving a mission for the LDS Church..
To learn about the Mormon missionarys follow the link here. Or go to www.mormon.org.
It was so exciting to see and talk to both of them over Skype I am so grateful for the modern inventions that make that type of communication possible!
I made sure we got a picture together just like we did last year.

 Also I made these adorable flowers for my mommy for a mothers day gift. The real gift I will give her (at her request) is for me to help her clean and organize her garage and craft things. I wanted to bring her something sweet for mothers day like I did as a child so I made her some paper flowers in yellow because that is her favorite color. I want to mention here that My Hunkcules*  made me a crafty gift for mothers day but I think it will get a post all its own another day.

The other big highlight was my dads layered jello. When I was young every fast Sunday ( In the LDS Church that is the first Sunday of each month) we would sit back and enjoy a tasty Sunday dinner, the kids really only helped with one aspect of dinner and that was the layered jellos cups, We would each pick a flavor and help stir it and  (best of all) add ice to help it chill faster, and remove the ice and suck the jello off of the ice. Yes as a child that was the BEST treat ever. So in case you have never tried this simple and easy desert for yourself or with your children I highly recommend it. There are "quick set" directions on the back of the jello box basically you make one layer at a time adding them on top of one another while they are firming.

* Hunkcules- what i sometimes call my husband from the disney Hercules "Hercules honey you mean hunkcules"

This weekend is Mothers Day

...Take a moment to reflect on your mother.
I wanted to share this video about mothers with all of you today.

Have a great mom day

The masterpiece.

The masterpiece.

Do you remember that show?  Probably not, it was an old VHS movie that my mom had when I was young. It was one of those seminary movies (seminary is an LDS class for youth often taken in the morning) . It was about a dying girl who said she would not live longer then the winter struck leafy vine outside her window. And the elderly artist upstairs saw the night the leaf died and fell, wanting the girl to wake up in the morning and see her vine and leaf still there; He went out into the winter night and painted a leaf onto the wall, it was so lifelike that the girl  (who spent her entire day looking out the window at that vine) could not tell that it was just a painting. She was so excited that the leaf withstood the winter and felt that she could too. The painter saved her life- I always cry at the end because it’s so sweet; and then cry some more because (of course) the elderly painter died (probably from age and exposure-you know standing on a ladder at night in the winter to paint). I know now that you are all crying with me over such a touching story beautiful summarized (I know:) Lets focus on the good moral of the story.
There are two:
Ready? Well one moral is of course that we can all bless the lives of others. Its also about the preciousness of life.Selfless service, and about how we can use our God given talents to bless those around us.
It got me thinking.

I thought about the beautiful influence art can have.

*Sigh* -I think we should all pause right here and picture a great work of art

… Go ahead….. Think of something….. or if you cant come up with anything  just google The Last Supper by Divinci or something……Got it?   Okay  great.  I Hope that gave you an uplifting moment.

My kids and I painted this morning and I am sure that the art they made is a masterpiece –at least to me, their mother.

Happy Friday-before-Mother’s Day to everyone.

*Note: To learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Often we are called Mormons-Click here to go to our information website where there are Frequently asked questions and information about our beliefs. You can also go to our church website here.

www.lds.org

www.mormon.org

Another side note this show is NOT on youtube. 

Trifle

Trifle Recipe

One cake (baked)

2 Cups whipping cream

2 tsp Vanilla

2-3 Tbs sugar

1 package of vanilla pudding

Berries of choice-I used strawberries

Prepare cake mix. Bake. Cool completely once the cake is cool cut into small squares.

Get out the chilled whipping cream. Mix with electric mixer whisk on high for about a min. * different mixers will take different times, with my kitchen aid it takes less than a min. When the cream is thick and forms stiff peaks add sugar a tablespoon at a time continue to keep mixer on medium-high and add the vanilla. When the cream is whipped and stiff (careful not to make butter) its done.

Next the pudding or “custard” layer prepare pudding according to box directions (I think that the cook and serve has a better flavor but use what you like)* I have made homemade custard for this in the past and I really did not notice a taste difference that was worth the work (because it is work) but if you want to make your own just google a recipe and be prepared with cream and eggs.

Take your berries and wash them, bigger berries like strawberries will need sliced into bit sized pieces. Let them rest and start to get juicy (I sometimes mix my berries with a little jam to add more flavor if I am running low on berries)

Starting with the cake squares layer the bottom of the trifle dish then layer the strawberries and cream and pudding you should be able to make several layers and top with whipped cream and berries. Chill and enjoy.

The good,the good, the bad, and the ugly.

So the other day a found out some good and bad and good news. The bad news is that  some very good friends of ours are moving, the good news is that they are moving because she got a really good job. The other good news was that they had a vintage couch they wanted to give me.

Last week she texted me some pictures and after thinking it over and talking we decided No the sofa-love seat was not for us. We Wanted a chaise lounge for the living room and the love seat would be too deep for the window in the master. 

*Excuse my poor drawing I drew this  quickly so you could see what we had in mind originally.

 The weekend came and we went to RC Willy just to scout out some fun thins and relax. By the end of the day I was having a pity party about the house. I decided to call my friend and see if I could just go over to her place and take a look at the love seat (even though I had already rejected their offer) She had not found anyone else to take it and was very willing to have me come see it. Yep when I saw it in person and sat on it I made up my mind. We took it home that evening.

You know how I feel about classic traditional furnishings-they never go out of style and they are beautiful.

Let’s just say that we got very lucky-or blessed.  It is vintage and very well made it was her parents and they had had it reupholstered years ago and then given to her when she got married. It is very nice. And although I do see why it needs reupholstered again I washed all of the cushion covers  and soon I will rent an upholstery cleaner and use that on all my furnishings. I will keep the sofa love seat as it is for now because it is really a great color for my living room and my kids will ruin the fabric eventually so I might as well start where I am at.  Thank you dear friend you know who you are! It is perfect for our house and very comfy.

 Here you see that my boys are hard at work breaking it in.

So that was the good the good and the bad but what about the ugly?

Well its gone! This afternoon I finally finished painting the hallways! Good bye mauve paint color hello linen white!

So this picture looks not too bad but trust me- when the sun was setting this hall was PINK. Not the good kind either.

Ah doesn't that look brighter?!

* The color is linen white by bher.

Green smoothies

Because green smoothies became so popular and widespread so quickly I think of them as a craze. They are healthy and the kind with spinach tastes so good that I really can’t make jokes about the green smoothie’s thing because I eat them all the time because they are just plain good and good for you!

Almost every magazine has a recipe or formula outlining how to make them. Here is what has been my “recipe” more like guideline: Whatever sweet fruit (sometimes veggies) you have on hand, some Greek yogurt, yogurt, or milk. Some ice cubes and spinach (I know Kale is better but I have toddlers and the next to no taste of spinach works best with them.) then blend it all together adding extra fruit or a dash of lemon to gain extra tang.

I make these all the time with my kids and the most basic that I have made many times for them is just some ice,milk and spinach and a banana. It is absolutely simple and I always have those things on hand.

So if you want to make green smoothies without paying the high prices for blueberries and auci berries, going out of your way to find Kale and out of season mangos try just the simple spinach and bananas.

To tell the truth it tastes exactly like a banana milkshake it just looks green.

For those of you who don’t normally buy spinach-and that’s fine honey not all of us do- here are some other great ways to use spinach in your cooking that are easy and nutritious.

Salad (of course)

Pasta (just let it steam in with your sauce its delicious)

Calzones

Wraps and sandwiches.

Because of its mild flavor it is really easy to add into any dish and the best part is that its nutritious. Cooking it as well as eating it raw can help you reap the full benefits since spinach is one of the rare veggies that has more bioavailability when cooked (that just means that more /different nutrients found in spinach can be processed by your body when it is cooked.

Chocolate covered strawberries

 Yum

All I’m gonna say.

Okay I will say one other thing. With these things just make sure to work out the next day because you will probably eat more of them then you want sticking to your waistline… but that’s a good thing because you where gonna work out anyways right? That’s what I thought ;)

 Best recipe ever: Strawberries(washed and dried) Chocolate. Melt the chocolate according to directions. Dip berries. Set on wax paper until the chocolate is hard.
*Be careful not to use super cheap chocolate chips -sometimes they don't melt the same or taste as luxurious. (which is the whole point girly!) I like to buy the "good stuff".

He Is Risen

He Is Risen

I made this very easy craft last week before we left so that we would have a sign to hang up to remind us that chocolate eggs and woven Easter baskets are not what this season is all about.

Here is a very short video

Please watch it and feel free to let some tears fall as you do.

Ham Gravy for Easter, and a Bunny

We celebrated our Easter dinner with a simple but sweet table set up. Some candles and striped napkins were the stars. The Ham gravy was amazing (as was the ham) and I hope we can all agree that there is nothing so savory as fluffy mashed potatoes with ham gravy on them.

The simplest of Ham Gravy’s:

The drippings of a baked ham –get the drippings before you put the sweet sugar, mustard or honey glaze on the ham. That way it is just a pure ham taste.

Cornstarch mixed with cold water.

Bring dripping’s to a boil.

While stirring constantly, drizzle the cornstarch and COLD water mixture into the boiling drippings until the gravy is the desired consistency.

Enjoy with mashed potatoes-although we all know it’s good enough to eat  plain.

*Taste the drippings to make sure they are not too salty (it is highly unlikely that you will ever need to add salt to ham drippings)

The bunny who you can see in this picture (deepest apology's for the poor lighting) is named Peter and is our official family bunny. I had a  bunny who looked just like him when I was a girl, and he was named peter, because of the peter rabbit story's don't-ya- know. I am pretty sure we ate him when he grew up.

We wont eat this peter rabbit- because he is made plastic-I mean the kids might try to eat him, but I don't think they will have much luck. He is pretty sturdy for a little guy. 

The end.

I hope you are all pulling out your old copies of "The Velveteen Rabbit" and the "Tale of Peter Rabbit" and just to be thorough "The tale of Benjamin Bunny" because I know I have to when I get that itch or the book worm part of my brain pokes me for a few days out of revenge for being ignored. I start to worry that someday no one will remember those books, and that would be tragic. Lets face it classics are classics.

Have an Awesome Monday everyone.