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Ryan's Grandma Mary spends her winters in Florida. She recently sent a huge box of oranges back here to Southern Illinois for us. After we finished our freshly squeezed orange juice at breakfast I cut up the oranges and boiled them on the stove with some cinnamon and nutmeg. It smelled soooo wonderful!Why is it that when we lose weight it has to come from our bra size first?! Seriously!
As a preface, I am only speaking for myself and do not expect anyone else to agree nor am I trying to persuade others. I am simply stating my views. Since this is my blog you have a choice whether to read it or not.
I can safely say that in my 28 years of life, today might be the most moving & hopeful day I have witnessed as an American (September 11th is a close second). I come from a working class family where everyone had to work everyday to pay bills. By no means did I ever go without, I always had what I needed/wanted. The presidents that have been apointed in my lifetime I couldn't relate with, nor could my parents. I think of them as untouchable. Men that came from mostly wealthy backgrounds, those who wanted to do well as a president, but simply couldn't know what it was like to live like the other half of America's population.
Today that other half celebrates because they are being represented in this political party. I celebrate today for my family, my hometown that is suffering from economic failure, my friends that are of other nationalites other than my own, my aunt, her lifepartner, and close friends whose rights will be fought for this presidential term, for countries whose hope might be restored in America, for those that are of other religous beliefs than my own, for those who have had to choose between paying the eletric bill or their medication, for those who do not have affordable healthcare, and for anyone else who felt under represented in our goverment. Being a social worker reminds me that not everyone is born on the same playing field. Some have it easier than others and some do not bother to work to their fullest potential. But today is an example to all, no more excuses, you can do just about anything here. I am so proud of my new president and his family. Today is a new day for America. I'm so proud to have witnessed it.
I ran across this artist while visiting one of my favorite blogs M.Writes . She was hosting a giveaway for one of the artists pictures. After I sent in my comment for the drawing I visited her website on Etsy . I love the whimsical feeling of all of her work. The first one reminds me of my friend Shelly. Paris in love. The 2 below would go perfect in my living room. That's a hint for my Valentine! Check out her Etsy site. There are some really beautiful portraits that I know you'll love! 
I was looking through some martha archives and found "cupcakes through the year". I posted a few of my favorites. My favorite cupcake from 4 years back in the bottom left picture, the bird's nest. I love that one. Also the Sand and Sharks is cute too! Very appropriate for my parents that are leaving for Florida very soon! Jerks. FYI, it's 14 degrees here. Time to make some cupcakes to warm this house up!
The vegetables and the wonderful sauce
This picture is to show the perfect crust!
I love Valentines Day. Love.... It....! So being it one month and 5 days prior to this grand holiday I thought I had better start preparing for the festivites. I made cupcakes with my new cupcake pans. I had cherry chip cake mix and plain white whipped frosting. I cannot "leave well enough alone". I had to not only throw the frosting in my kitchen aid for about 5 mins. but also add some more flavoring. I thought that lemon flavoring would be fantastic with cherry cupcakes. Sort of like cherry lemonade, I thought. Geez...... the frosting ended up more like a paint texture and running all over the place. The cupcakes although tasting really good, were sweaty. Sweaty like they had been stored in a plastic bag for 2 months. Oh well, like I said, one month and 5 days until Valentines day to prepare. If you are on of the "lucky" ones to receive one of my baking treats, just smile and nod please! Valentines cupcakes weren't enough to complete my pre-party so I made a Valentines mobile, featured in the last picture. It would make my 2nd grade teacher proud. I'm keeping it up until I travel to Hancocks to get some felt for my "real" mobile that I have invisioned in my crazy mind! 
On the reverse side is the recipe for the recipient
This is a picture of my sister's scrub. She put orange zest in hers. It smelt amazing!
Here is the coconut oil (found in the organic section). It comes in a paste form. Put in in a bowl of hot water and it will change back to oil form.
Recipe
1 cup of sugar/salt
1/2 cup of coconut oil
Essential oil of your choice
Freshly sqeezed citrus juice
Instructions
Scrub your feet, give as a treat, rinse and repeat!
The scene is set for a crazy cat party!
This is the catnip that Martha grew in her garden!
These cats are obviously under the influence of catnip. No cat in their right state of mind would sit there that long especially with gold sparkle hats on. I'm surprised that Martha would allow her cats on her "servery" and take pictures of it! Although, I sound quite annoyed by her ridiculous ideas, I'm probably just jealous I didn't think of the idea first! Foiled again Martha! Foiled again!
I found this fantastic pattern on one of my favorite craft websites. http://www.spoolsewing.com I have seen these little birds featured everywhere on the web including my potterybarn kids magazines. I even saw a Christmas tree flocked with these and it was adorable! These would be cute in a little girl's room. The pattern is so simple and I will include it at the bottom of this post. I say it's simple. Watch my birds turn out like the dang sock cat I made back in July! They might look like they have been stricken with the bird flu. We'll see!! Starting on these cute feathered friends tomorrow. Good Luck if you try out the pattern too! Let me know how they turn out!
I always hear, "Be sure to eat your beans on New Years for good luck". Why? I googled it and I found this. I myself haven't eaten any beans as of yet, but the day is not over! But the donuts (read below) might be in my future, for good luck of course.
"Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune. Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day. "
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