Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Fall Trail Mix

In case you are already shopping the Halloween aisle this weekend, pick up some candy corn and salted peanuts. Mix them up and enjoy! The combination tastes like the inside of a Snicker's bar. I've also heard adding Reese's Pieces to the mix is good!

This is an easy snack for football watching parties, hosting events like Bunco night in the fall, or to pack in your lunches.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

DIY: Desktop Blotter

I am participating in DIY Tuesday on A Soft Place to Land- what fun projects are out there!
I have made a couple of these depending upon my office or home decor and I just love them! They bring color to your desktop, showcase your style, and give you a great surface for a snack, your drink or your mouse!
Use them on your kitchen table for snack time, in the playroom for art time, or anywhere you need an easy to wipe surface.They are super simple- here are the directions

Pick 2 pieces of WRAPPING PAPER that you like.

Cut them to the size that will nicely cover your area.

Glue or tape papers together back to back.

Take them to Kinko's and have them laminated.

Enjoy!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Green Chile Cornbread

Is cornbread a Southern thing? If so, I can never live in the North.
This cold weather made me want beans and cornbread for dinner. And, Southern Living knows a good cornbread. Now, I know a good cornbread and thought you should too.
Southern Living's Green Chile Cornbread
2 7.5 oz. boxes of cornbread mix (like Jiffy)
1 8.5 oz. can cream style corn
1 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Mix all ingredients together, stirring until just moist (I HATE that word and wish I could find a substitute to keep my blog moist free!). Pour batter into a lightly greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm with a little butter.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Bathroom Decal

I ordered the missing piece for my daughter's bathroom this week and it arrived over the weekend. I decided to go with a wall decal instead of a piece of artwork since it is above the towel rack and may be rubbed by a towel on occasion.I found this piece on Etsy and just loved that it was bathroom appropriate, child appropriate and whimsical! There are so many customizable wall decals online. They are reasonably priced, easy to apply and remove, and a fun alternative.
Here are a few of my favorites:

I have given this one as a wedding gift.

This pair is in my bathroom sitting on the counter top.

I want this one, but have no place to put it.

This is the online shop of my new toothbrush art.

This site has a whole series of decals for your refrigerator. Great for keeping you on your diet.


Saturday, October 10, 2009

A Perfect Fall Day

My family and I drove about an hour from our home Saturday morning to visit Sweet Berry Farm in Marble Falls, Texas. We had beautiful fall weather in the high 50's with a cool breeze and just enough sunlight. Sweet Berry Farm had so much to offer young families willing to make the drive.
There were multiple spots to stop and take a picture. There were a couple of trucks like this, wheel barrows, wagons, tractors, scarecrows, and so much more. I took over 100 pictures of my daughter in under an hour. She sat in grass, flowers, hay, pumpkins, gourds.In the distance you can see the hay ride loading up. They also have a petting zoo and a corn maze on the property. The grass was beautifully green and the tress so lush for this time of year.
Another section of the farm featured pumpkin painting. They provided small pumpkins as well as water colors, picnic tables and drying racks. They also had a small grill for lunchtime treats and a small store selling jam, pumpkin butter, and homemade ice cream and coffee.

Today we started a family tradition and I can't wait to visit Sweet Berry Farms again next year. It just doesn't feel like fall until I see the pumpkins on display.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Halloween Card Giveaway

Your Little Birdie is doing a giveaway- her very first one! You see, this blog is fun and I see my little ticker getting bigger and bigger, but my follower count is staying small. I want that number to grow so that I have more chickadees in the nest!
I have created 3 digital cards for Halloween. You can print these at your local store as a 4x6 image and mail them to family and friends, or you can post them on Halloween day on your own blog to wish your readers a super spooky day.
Here are the rules-
1. Become a follower on Your Little Birdie by joining the Chickadee Club. The link is on the left. If you are already a follower, you have already completed step #1 and I love you for it! Proceed to step #2.
2. Email annajenk@yahoo.com telling me the following:
- your follower name/icon
- your favorite Halloween card from the names below
- include a picture and your name for the card
Easy as can be! You'll be an official chickadee and have a Halloween card in your inbox ready to go in just a few days! I'll email it right back to you for you to print, post on your blog, or email to friends and family at the end of the month.
Here are your options:
BOO
PRETTY AS A PUMPKIN

SMELL MY FEET

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Whimsy Bathroom Upgrades

My daughter shares her bathroom with our overnight guests(we also have a powder room). The bathroom is anchored by her bedroom, the guest bedroom and my craft room in the front of the house. When we bought our house we were not yet pregnant, so we tried to keep it neutral and not too kid-like. I used a solid butter yellow shower curtain and green towels and rugs with a couple of bumblebee accessories. Now that we have a beautiful little girl, I wanted to have a little more fun in there and add PINK to the mix!

I purchased a few items at Round Top and then went on the hunt for a mirror. I found this one at Walmart and it met all of my criteria- huge, thick detailed frame, cheap and wood making it paintable! Sunday morning my daughter and I picked it up at Walmart and bought the brightest pink paint in a gloss finish that they sold! It took 5 coats and 2 days to dry, but we have a new bathroom complete with a HOT PINK mirror! I could not love it more!

I added this hot pink bench from Round Top and fun bathroom accessories. The cupcake picture holder is from Target's Valentine's Day line a few years ago. The silver pail filled with washcloths was shower decor when I was pregnant and the colored bowls I recently purchased from a HS band fundraiser. They are plastic bowls that look like cupcake liners. I love cupcakes! They are the perfect size for holding her little toiletries.
I also hung my birdhouse chandelier from Round Top in the bathroom. My daughter loves to stare at it. She also loves to grab at it, but that is another story.

The large green tin flower fit perfectly above the toilet paper and matches the green towels. I am still looking for something to go above the green towel. I am thinking I want a wall decal in pink fun letters with a bathroom song, quote, saying, etc.
I decided I had too much green and added hot pink rugs for just $12 from Walmart!
The green stool is a bench during bathtime for us, it will become her potty when we reach that point, and a stool for teethbrushing later. I am happy to have it out since it matches so well!
Inside the tub is a green frog toy holder from Boon and her giant pink rubber ducky bathtub. If the shower curtain happens to be left open, it all still looks cute!
To spruce up her shower curtain, I wanted to monogram it with her name, but that was out of budget, so I opted for lots of fun ribbons tied to the shower rings. This is super easy to do, very inexpensive, and fun! I spent less than $15 on the ribbon (watch for a Hobby Lobby sale) and cut it varying lengths from 8-18". Have fun with it!
I am awaiting 2 more pink items for the bathroom counter and ordered them online since I could not find what I wanted in the stores. How cute is the patent leather (totally washable) soap dispenser and toothbrush holder?
I can't wait to add these to the room!
I hope you enjoyed my daughter's new bathroom and are inspired to try something fun in your own bathroom!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Jewel Kade Jewelry

Have you heard of Jewel Kade Jewelry? It is sold through jewelry parties and they have some CUTE pieces! I know they are just getting started, so you could get in high on the downline with this one!
I bought these cute pieces from a former co-worker who lives in Michigan. She said her calendar for these parties is crazy! You can see why!
I bought the Halloween piece from the fall calendar and the ferris wheel. Something about a ferris wheel just makes everyone smile!
These charms are like 2-in-1 since the back side is just as cute! The necklaces they sell are so unique! Look at this one- large chain-like links with a crystal ball and a large clasp in the front. It has an additional clasp just for hanging your pendant from. So, these necklaces are highly interchangeable since you could hang both any charm with the setup.

Look online and find a "stylist" near you before you see the Evite in your inbox inviting you to someone else's party! I promise, you'll love their stuff.

Note, I am not a stylist nor am I paid to say anything nice about Jewel Kade. Just a happy customer.



Monday, October 5, 2009

World Famous Tortilla Soup

I love soup season and am always looking for new and easy recipes. Soup is so good for you- most are low in fat and contain a good source of meat, veggies and cheese!A few weeks ago, I had Tortilla Soup from the Marriott Rivercenter and they proclaim it to be World Famous. It was really really good. They shared the recipe with me and it is really really easy which is just as important in my book. Here is the recipe for you!

1 Large Diced White Onion ( I used frozen chopped onion)
3 large diced tomatoes (you could use canned easily)
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups picante sauce (I used Pace and my husband thought I had used my Dad's homemade salsa)
3 chicken breasts (I used 2 cans of chicken)
Salt, Pepper and Cumin to Taste
Cilantro, Cheese and Tortilla Chips as you wish

In a large pot, mix the following: chicken broth, tomato, onion, picante, salt, pepper and cumin. Summer for 10-15 minutes. Cook chicken breasts and set chop up. Or, just open your canned chicken :) Add to soup and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Place in bowls and add cilantro, chips and cheese to taste. You could easily add avocado or sour cream to soup as well. It tastes like it has simmered all day!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Great Finds in Round Top

Round Top is a small town about an hour east of Austin that becomes a shopping haven twice a year. I have been 3 different times and always leave with some new treasures. This trip was no exception- my girlfriend Alison and I found these goodies and more in just 2 hours. The rain came and we left!
For the life of me I can't think of what these are called.... I bought a long piece of wood that holds small votive candles. What is that called?
Anyway, it is about 3 feet long and holds 12 votive candles. I just loved the colors. It has red, orange, and yellow layered and peeled on it! I placed in on my bar above the kitchen sink. I'll likely move it to my long dining room table after the fall garland is moved.I also bought this small pink stool. I am adding some color to my daughter's bathroom and think hot pink is the perfect addition to the butter yellow and apple green in there. She is too small to stand on this, but I think it'll be cute on the cabinet with hand towels stacked on it and her little bowls of Q-tips and cotton bowls underneath. I'll be sure to share once her bathroom remodel is completed in the next few days.
This was my favorite find- it is a wire birdhouse wrapped in cute fabric with chandelier crystals, ribbon and birds. It would make a great mobile! I think I'll hang it in her room or her bathroom in a place that will draw some interest from her little eyes. The first salesperson offered it to me for $2 off the listed price and the second person told me the price was $4 off the listed price. Too funny! (Yes, I got to pay the lower price. She scored the sale!)

I also bought this bright colored tin flower for the bathroom remodel.
This was Alison's great find- a pair of shutters for her daughter's garden-decor nursery to hang inside on the outside of her windows. So cute! It was also already the perfect colors for her.
If you are interested in visiting Round Top, the sales happen the first weekend in April and October. See you there in April!