Logan Wolfram

Enjoying Life for Dessert

Fashion Week: Falling for Layers…

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Today my friend Becca, owner of the wildly stylish and affordable boutique, Style by Becca, in Greenville, SC’s Pendleton Street Arts District, is here to share some tips for layering.  This girl is the freaking Queen of the Layer.  I’m not kidding you.  She dominates the layering scene with such fabulosity it makes you want to be even one of her layering minions.  She is awesome to give tips on how to do it and I feel like I’m beginning to get out of my little style-stifled box and try some new things with layering since Becca began advising me.  EVERY SINGLE TIME I’ve used some of Becca’s tips on layering my clothing, I’ve gotten compliments from random strangers on my outfit that day.  Like the day at Starbucks when this amazingly beautiful exotic and fashionable girl told me my outfit was “amazing”…yep…nod to Becca…all the way!
So Becca and I had this idea to take a plain old outfit that everyone would have and show all the ways you can change it up with just adding a few different layers.  Take it away Becca!…

Thoughts about Layering…

Grab your favorite Grey T shirt and Jeans and let’s get layering!!!

<—-Option 1 (and my personal favorite)
Skinny Denim & Grey T shirt
Add a vintage inspired lace slip under T shirt and a
slouchy sweater over it… (there’s that Poncho inspired top Kelley told us about yesterday!)
Add your favorite tall boots, scarf & hat, and even a belt
and voila a cozy and cute outfit for Fall
Option 2 —->
Skinny Denim and Grey T shirt
Layer a crochet skirt over your jeans
and pair with your favorite flats or boots
add something fabulous around your neck
(scarf or necklace) – I think a cute shrunken blazer
in a dark blue would look pretty with this.
<—-Option 3
Skinny Denim and same grey T shirt
Add your favorite Belt and Scarf
a perfect run to the grocery store or anywhere look
A long Cardi would even look pretty over this!
All pieces in the above photos can be found
at Style by Becca
Another fun outfit I wear and love.. —->
Skinny denim and a light grey T shirt
layered with my vintage slip and another
grey shirt on top. For my accessories I am wearing a
leather cuff in a soft yellow and a pottery necklace by Crave Studios.
This outfit shows how you can mix
texture and come up with something fun.

Image Credit: Steven Alan		 <—- I think this is an adorable idea of what to do
with your summer dresses…
Add a long sleeve button down shirt
(if you’re daring make it a shirt with polka dots or stripes)
Add some opaque tights…Why do I love this look?
Because it is a fun way to wear your summer dresses
all year long! I love the different textures.
Only thing left to do is add your favorite knit hat…

 

Just remember as you layer, mix & match textures and patterns and most of all have fun!!!

xo

Rebecca Gordon Pike
Owner/Stylist
Style by Becca
1279 Pendleton Street
864.421.5180

Thanks Becca for the tips!  Do ya’ll not feel totally inspired now that you’ve even seen how different the same seemingly boring outfit can look just by adding a few layers and accessories?  Hello…gray long sleeve tshirt and skinny jeans…plain old same old….til you add all your “Voila!”  Do it…seriously….go up in your closet now and pull out your plain old outfit and get to work making it fab!  See if you can create at least 3 different looks just by changing up a few layers!  It’s fun…I promise.  You’ll get in there doing it and feel inspired.  And I tell you what too…that whole vintage slip thing…Um…yes thanks!  I thought it was odd at first, but then I bought a lacy looking longer cami from Becca’s store and I’ve been rocking it in layers ever since! I totally want another one now! Have fun…and get layering!

And by the way…even if you’re not local, but you’ve seen something on here that you like, give Becca a call…that girl knows how to send some goods in the mail too!

Fashion Week: Fall Fashion Must Haves…

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Finally friends, I’m emerging from the sickness funk that has hovered over my house for over a week!  And I’m so excited to share with you some tips this week from a few real-life stylists to help you (and me) be rocking some great style this fall! ( Just fyi…I’ve been having major technical difficulties with the formatting of this post, so bear with me on this one too! For some reason, this stupid program won’t let me have spacing between paragraphs tonight….awful!)
Kelley Smith has a fantastic eye for creating a high end look without the insane high end pricetag.  Granted, if you want to drop some bank, Kelley knows exactly where to steer you in that case too…but for this week, I asked Kelley to help us all figure out how to look hot this fall and still manage to feed our families…with food…not amazing clothes.
Kelley is not just an amazing stylist and personal shopper, but she’ll even come to your house, go through your closet, and tell you what to pitch and to keep.  She’ll help you re-style what you have and even advise you in picking out a few new pieces that can add some instant updating to a wardrobe you’ve grown bored with.  Sometimes we just need another eye to help us see ourselves, and our closets…and that’s just part of Kelley’s specialty! So…if you live in Greenville, SC…and your wardrobe needs some love and a fresh set of super stylish eyes….check her out.  She’s rad!
So…without further ado…I give you Kelley Smith with some tips about Must Haves for this fall!
“I believe that a great pair (or multiple pairs) of boots are essential for the Fall/Winter. Not only for warmth but just because they can be so stylish and chic, and the right pair can go with so many things. My personal favorites are these Frye knock-offs. They are genuine leather and are only $60 as opposed to the “real deal” Fryes which are $278. I wear mine so often that I’m quite sure my friends get sick of seeing them but perfect strangers stop me and compliment me on my Fryes…of course, I love to fess up and tell them “Thanks but they’re from Target!”

Target Mossimo Katherine Boot

Frye Harness Boot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Target Merona Cognac Boot

 

If you are looking for some taller boots, may I suggest these on the left from (once again) Target. The UPS man just delivered the cognac and the brown to my doorstep, and I believe the cognac are keepers! They were SO comfy, the lining is really soft, and the color is perfect! And, at $70, they won’t break the bank!

Eric Michael Montana Boot

Now, if breaking the bank is what you’re going for, take a look at this Eric Michael “Montana” Boot. I found them in a local boutique the other day in a medium brown but they were almost $200. A friend alerted me to the Target ones which, minus the buckles are VERY similar. Needless to say, I am THRILLED to have found them for the lesser price!  Just keep in mind that you can often find the same look for less money.  It doesn’t have to be expensive to deliver the same overall aesthetic.

Another big trend you should be aware of this fall is the Poncho. I’m sure many of you are cringing as images of a big, fluffy blanket with a hole for your head to fit through comes to mind. There are so many types of ponchos out there but once you see the one that’s perfect for you, you won’t know how you lived without one!

Free People "Popcorn Diamond" Poncho

If you tend to be cold-natured, I’d recommend something cozy like this lovely pumpkin colored Free People Poncho to the left.

Chaudry "Nomad" Poncho

And, for those readers who are a little on the petite side, I would suggest something more like this Chaudry Nomad Poncho (on the right.) It’s a good bit shorter and less overwhelming for small frames.

Maybe you’re not ready to jump all the way into a poncho, but think you might like to just ease into the trend.  If that’s you, then this Loft 3/4 Sleeve poncho-inspired top would be great.  It also comes in an oatmeal color which I actually prefer.

Loft 3/4 Sleeve Poncho

Of course, no wardrobe would be complete without a great pair of jeans.  Even though I love to wear skinny jeans and leggings with my boots, I am SUPER excited that flared and wide legged denim is in this season!  By the way…you do need a good pair of skinny jeans also if you want to be rocking some tall boots this fall.  But for right now, let’s talk other great jeans…

Citizens of Humanity Hutton Wide-Leg

I have these Citizens of Humanity jeans in a different wash and not only are they super soft and comfy, but they are also ultra slimming and leg-lengthening.

IT Jeans High Rise Flare

Another brand that I have recently discovered is called IT JEANS. I love these because of the flare and the higher rise–great for concealing the muffin top without being “mom jeans.”  This company actually took the time to consider the rear pocket placement when raising the waistline! GENIUS!

And finally, I think that the easiest, most fun, and least expensive way to participate in a trend is to spice up your purses and jewelry. I could go on and on about jewelry so I will spare you a few minutes and tell you that my favorite places to jewelry shop (other than local Greenville,SC jewelry artists Crave Studio and Lily Pottery) are Style by Becca, Target, and any major department stores’ fashion jewelry counters.
My biggest advice though about trends is to not wear too many at one time, and to not spend a lot of money on them. After all a trend is just that…a trend!”
Thanks to Kelley for stopping by today!  She has a few more tips for us later this week! And Becca herself, from Style by Becca will also be sharing some killer tips this week on accessories and the art of layering!
And in case you found yourself drooling over the Lily Pottery jewelry she mentioned there towards the end, then mark your calender for Tuesday, Nov 29th from 6-9pm because I’ll be hosting a show at my home where you can come buy her amazing jewelry!  Plan to pick up some Christmas gifts or do a little self-shopping, wish-listing, fun with friends…and of course some wine and other tasties!

Plumage…

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Oh Happy Day!  My husband is finally home from pheasant hunting in South Dakota!

I’m always glad to see him after he’s been gone of course, but after 5 days of sickness in our house without him around to help out…man, am I glad to have him back.  Of course, Little Bit’s fever broke this afternoon and I’m definitely on the mend as well, now that Daddy is finally home.  Shoulda known it’d happen like that!

Before my Hubs left, I put in a request of something I wanted him to bring back for me from the trip.  I wanted some feathers.

First off, pheasants are absolutely gor-ge-mous.  How one singular bird can have such a fabulous array of plumage is an amazing testimony to the creativity of God.  Seriously…look at this bird.

South Dakota Pheasant (Image Source)

Stunning.

And no…I don’t feel bad that my husband was shooting them.  We will eat them…and he has fun hunting them.  That’s a good enough reason for me.

But why I wanted the feathers has more to do with these….

Image Source

Don’t you know I’m going to make some earrings out of them?!  Maybe not like the pair above that are long enough to get caught up in your freaking seat belt …but you get the idea.  Feathers are everywhere, and I for one am stoked that I just got a big fat bag of some of the prettiest ones on the planet for free.  (I guess to say “free” is sort of an exaggeration since the Hubs did spend the dough to go in the first place…but still, it’s a great souvenir for me!)

I haven’t really jumped on the feather-locks-in-the-hair bandwagon…and probably won’t since I’m not 13, but 33, but I have been eyeing some of these super fab earrings out there lately.  So in honor of the Fashion Week I had intended to have this week, but am postponing til next week….I figured I’d share this fluffy trend that has caught my eye!

And since for a few years, I had a business making jewelry, I started making a couple of pairs of earrings already.  I have yet to finish them, but when I do, I’ll show you what I did and probably even give away a pair!  Fun, Fun!

Glad to have my Hubs back, and glad to feel good enough to write again too!  I missed you all!

Happy hump day!  Glad I’m over the hump (of sickness for sure!)

Oh good grief…now that I’ve just written this, I’ve been researching all over the internet trying to figure out how to properly clean these dang feathers to use.  Last thing I want is to get some nasty mites crawling up in my head from my earring if I didn’t clean the feathers properly.  Anyone out there have advice about how to properly do this?  Anyone…Anyone…Bueller?!

Hillbillies, Haute Couture, and Halloween….a few random thoughts.

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Sorry for a few days of silence.  We went to the mountains again.  It was gorgemous!

Sigh…

The leaves were changing and will probably be in peak color mode this week.  We had a great time with friends playing, hiking, and roasting marshmallows.  Same simple pleasures as the last time…different friends this time…chocked full of laughs and memories and general awesomeness again for sure.  There’s just something about a little cabin in the middle of nowhere that sets ones’ soul free.  I love it.  I could maybe make a good hillbilly.  Seriously…but I’d still like to keep all of my crucial teeth.

So, I have a few things on my mind that are all over the place that I want to tell you.  Bear with me as I share a couple of things that have absolutely nothing to do with one another…other than the fact they are all swirling around in my brain.

First is that coming up next week I have serious awesomeness planned.  I have some guest posters coming over to Life for Dessert to share about fall fashion.  And don’t think this is a Vogue magazine, haute couture, ridiculously expensive, or such high fashion that it seems weird, untouchable kind of style stuff either.  I have some super talented stylists (as in people who make a living helping other people look amazing) who will be guest posting about things like finding a few great essentials for your fall wardrobe, how to mix-up your current clothing and give it all some new life, accessorizing to take even a seemingly bland outfit from day to night, and we even have a professional make-up artist who’s going to share tips about make-up application and product recommendations as well.  I’ll tell you more about each of these awesome people next week! I’m super excited, so please make sure to come back lots and tell your friends.  We’ll have some fun giveaways to go along with it all too, so get pumped, it’s going to be fun!

Also, before anyone starts wondering, there’s something I probably should go ahead and get out there.  If you’re looking for great Halloween crafts, foods, or party ideas, you’re just not gonna find them here.  I don’t celebrate Halloween.

Gasp!

I realize this is one of those things that some people get super jazzed about participating in, or they get pissed because they think I’m being judgemental about it, but over the last few years it has become our personal conviction that Halloween is not something that our family will participate in.  I don’t take issue with other people celebrating it, but it is my PERSONAL opinion that it is a holiday that delights in and propagates the promotion of evil… and quite frankly, that’s just not my bag.  If it was all just happy faced inner lit pumpkins and candy, I wouldn’t have anything to take issue with, but it’s not.  Everywhere I go there are witches, and death, and bloody, scary things being peddled in the name of something fun, and I’m just not of the opinion that there’s anything about evil that is worth celebrating.  Sure you can do Halloween and avoid those things yourself, but you can’t go into any store that doesn’t have a mix of it all, and with this particular thing, I’m just not taking the good with the bad…I’m not taking any of it.  Call me a party pooper if you want, or a holy roller, or whatever you like…I don’t really care, I just thought you should know I don’t participate.  And if you really want another good reason that I don’t celebrate it and something that will potentially slow you from chastising me for it, just know that I lost a baby on Halloween 3 years ago too.  You’re not gonna change my mind about this one, so no use trying.  I just thought I should be frank to let you all know… in case you were wondering why I was a slacker in regards to crafts, and decorations, and whatnot.

I do want you to know that aside from Halloween though, I love everything else about fall, and I will be sharing some fun fall crafts, yummy fall recipes, and a few decoration ideas as well now that we’re really getting into the season.  I’m not a massive seasonal decorator anytime besides Christmas, but I do love a good fall recipe or craft, and I like to add a few things indoors to bring about the amazingness of all that’s going on outside too.  Mostly though in the fall, I just want to be outside enjoying it all. Every. Single. Day.

I attempted to do that today…get outside and enjoy the fall weather that is.  I thought I’d walk Tid Bit to school this morning in the crisp autumn air.  It looked a bit overcast, so I checked the weather on my phone and then felt comforted by the assurance that rain wasn’t expected until tomorrow.  Apparently, the News and Weather app on my phone needs some tweaking, because halfway to school it started sprinkling.  I knew if we turned around we’d be really late, so we persevered….Tid Bit, and my littlest guy, and myself.  I dropped Tid Bit off and basically jogged most of the way home to keep the baby from being wet.  Oh well….lesson learned.  Check a radar map next time!

Also, I’m sort of curious…is there anything in particular that any of you are curious to hear me write about?  A topic to look into, a thing you wonder about me, a question you think I might be able to help you find an answer to?  I don’t know…not that I think I’m any sort of expert by any stretch, but I’m just curious…anything you want to talk about or know?  Ready, set….GO!

 

Touchdown….Oreo!

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There are so many things I love about fall that it’s hard to condense it all down, but one thing I love for sure is football.  My Hubs is a Texas Longhorns fan, and thus I have become one as well.  My kids love football and play pretty much every day…some form of it anyhow since they are 5 and not quite 2.  When Tid Bit turned 4, we had a football birthday party.  The Hubs ran drills and the kids and the dads had a game.  Mostly though as my Hubs said, it was more like “trying to herd cats.”  You get the idea though…we love us some pigskin around here.

SO when I found these football shaped Oreos the other day…AND they were on sale buy on get one free, I obviously stocked up. (Random aside here, but since my Tid Bit is allergic to dairy, I thought I’d let you know that America’s favorite chocolate and cream cookie doesn’t contain a stitch of dairy.  Yep…it’s true.  A whole bunch of cocoa, sugar, and lard.  Doesn’t that make you want to run out and eat a whole bag?!)

I thought I’d make the snack feel a little more special, so I set out to prettify it for when Tid Bit got home from school.  I put some soymilk into a mason jar, used one of my favorite striped paper straws, found a cute green napkin, and laid out a couple of cookies.  Easy Peasy.  That tiny bit of extra effort though scored a huge touchdown with my fellas!

Football Oreo SnackTouchdown Oreo!

S’mores Anyone?

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Pictures really do speak more than 1000 words sometimes.  So, I thought I’d share a few from our weekend away with friends to my family’s mountain cabin.

It’s one of my most favorite places in the world…that cabin.  In the middle of nowhere, through a gorge, over a mountain, down a dirt road, and tucked into a little piece of heaven that holds memories for me since before the time I even remember having memories.  Memories with extended family, memories in college with friends, Thanksgivings, long weekends, hiking, camping, snuggling in front of the fire with slippers and hot chocolate, playing cards and games, twirling my own children in the field, being one of the children twirled in the field myself…so many years…so many good memories.  Next time we go I’ll find a picture of me from when I was a kid there and post it for you to see.   It’s just one of those places on this earth that is worth every little second of the time it takes to get there (which is only about 2 1/2 hours for us.)  Twenty-four hours there can refresh my soul so much it’s crazy.  And we love to take friends with us…because seriously, who couldn’t use a little dose of soul refreshment?!

My favorite view from the cabin! (this pic was from last year)

It was a gorgeous weekend, but when we go back in a few weeks it will be the peak of the fall leaves changing and it’s absolutely breathtaking then.  Not that the view isn’t stunning every season…it’s just magnificent with all the fall color!  Not to worry, I’ll take more pictures then too!

How sweet it is!  There’s just something about being outside and enjoying God’s amazing creation around you that makes you feel new again!  And to have good friends (and some seriously good food this weekend too)…just makes for times worth taking note of for sure!  Sometimes I wonder if I could swing it out there in the middle of nowhere all the time…so peaceful and so pure.

S’mores anyone?!

 

Life’s too short not to have….

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Friends…amidst endless piles of laundry yesterday I found myself at a real crossroads.

I have been saving for a few months now to re-do my laundry room.  It’s a great space that needs some reworking, but has great potential for wall to ceiling storage that would make a huge difference in the way my kitchen and laundry room function.  I only have a tiny pantry now and so pantry items are crammed in several different cabinets…because you all know how much I love to cook and thus, I keep a well-stocked pantry.  Which translates to… “it’s a freaking disaster and stuff falls out every time I open one of the said cabinets, because there’s just not ample space.”  So… I drew up a plan, found some cabinets that will fit the space perfectly and will make all the difference in the world.  I’ll take pictures soon to show you what I’m dealing with currently, and I’ll try to see if I can somehow show you a plan of my plan as well.  It’d be great to have a place to store extra pantry items neatly, as well as having a more organized craft cabinet, a place to store things like the vacuum cleaner, broom, and mops, and some of the entertaining things I keep around should we ever decide to have an impromptu gathering (which we do on occasion.)  And the best part is that it’ll just be lovely cabinets…wall to wall, and floor to ceiling….it’ll look….CLEAN!

So I’ve been saving to make this happen for awhile now.  And when I just had my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I got some money as a gift.  So I tucked that birthday money away for my laundry room.  I know….SNORE!

But lately, as I told you yesterday, with the fall weather blowing kisses at me in the much cooler breezes…I’ve been giddy about boot weather.  I LOVE boots.  And I’ve been eyeing the brand I told you about yesterday for a long time….Old Gringo.

And yesterdayy…here’s the crossroads I found myself standing in… do I buy the boots and save longer for the laundry room, or do I keep saving so I’ll eventually get the laundry room sooner?  It IS birthday money…that’s the fun kind that you can do about anything that you want with it.

A friend of mine from highschool said to me yesterday, “BOOTS!!!  Treat yourself.  You must get out of the Sysiphean rut of laundry!”

And don’t you know I had to look up what “sysiphean” meant?!  Apparently if I ever learned that one in school, it clearly didn’t stick.  One definition of “sysiphean” that I found said, “such that it can never be completed.”   Apparently in Greek Mythology, Sysiphus was a greek who was punished by the gods to spend eternity rolling a rock up a hill.  Isn’t that the way that laundry feels most of the time?!

And with that, I decided that I’m going to buy the boots.  Perhaps a prettier room would help with my sisyphean task, and most certainly it will be nice when it happens….but I think I’m going to go with the here and RIGHT now of the boots.  And when I feel like Sysiphus doing my laundry every day…I’ll at least be doing it with a pair of awesomeness on my feet.  A wise woman recently said to me, “Life is too short not to have bad-ass boots.”  I’m pretty sure she’s right.

So,  Hello frivolity and complete impracticality…I know it’s been a long time since we’ve hung out, but I’d really like to welcome you back to hang around for a day anyways while I do something fun instead of practical.  I’m really much more comfortable with that anyways..the fun-ness that is.  Now all I have to do is choose which pair to buy.

What do you all think?  Help me pick!!!  I have three choices and I think it’ll be fun to take a poll!  All of them are about the same fat wad of impractically spent birthday cash, so I’m just curious which ones you’d stop someone in a store to compliment them on!  I’m sure I just can’t seem to decide!  I think I might be leaning towards one, but can’t make up my mind!  Help me out?  Leave a comment below and tell me which one you’d pick in a moment of sheer frivolity?!

So what shall it be ya’ll?  Boot A, the Bonnie boot….Boot B, the Monarcha boot….or Boot C, the Golondrina boot?

Bonnie Boot Toe

Bonnie Boot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monarcha Boots

Monarcha Toe

Golondrita Toe

Golondrita Boots

A Crucial Tooth…

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Yesterday my baby (19 months) was running down the driveway and took a spill.  He started crying pretty hard…the kind where there’s a pause before the scream so you know it really hurt.  And then when I picked him up, his poor sweet mouth was gushing blood….gushing.

I’m not new to little boys getting busted lips and bleeding, but I’d by lying to say that it doesn’t freak me out to see my baby’s mouth gushing blood.  Especially when upon inspection, I notice that his front tooth is chipped…majorly.  I’ve done a great service to the entire practice of dentistry and drawn a very professional looking picture for you all to see what happened.  The chipped off part is highlighted in red.

We were lucky to get in to see the pediatric dentist this afternoon (which was especially awesome since the incident happened at about 12:45.)  The more chipped tooth is obvious as you can see.  It also turns out that both of his front teeth are loose (which the dentist assures me will rectify itself in a couple of days because they aren’t severely loose.)  So, one tooth is definitely chipped but is probably going to be fine.   The dentist said that the worst case scenario, because of the trauma of the bump, the tooth could turn gray.   (Which my vanity will not be having ya’ll…and should it happen, we’ll be fixing it to look white.  I don’t care if it is a baby tooth, it’s his MOUTH people!  The poor child already had people talking ugly about him having crossed eyes. We didn’t just pay to have the eyes fixed just to move on to the mouth!)

The other tooth though is a different story. It is what the dentist called a complex fracture because it is probably 1/4 of the tooth and due to the way it broke, it exposed the root within the tooth. He said that our 2 options (neither being ideal) is to extract the tooth (which I don’t want to do on a 19 month old who will then have the next 6 years of his life without a crucial front tooth) or to do a baby root canal and crown which I at this time have scheduled for Friday morning at 7:45.

It ain’t cheap people!  What the heck?!  Who, that hasn’t completed dental school, even knew that a 1-year-old could have a root canal on a tooth he hasn’t even had for a full year?!  And the part that really gets me fired up about the whole thing is that our insurance doesn’t cover sedation because they don’t “deem it necessary for the procedure.”  Sometimes I really want to get a giant sign to hold in the air that says….

Sorry if you’re offended.  That’s what I really think sometimes.  I’m not perfect and I really do wonder what on earth people are thinking sometimes…in a super emphasized way.  You get the point.

Seriously though.  Who in their right mind thinks that a 1-year-old could have a procedure like a ROOT CANAL done without being sedated?!  Are you kidding me?  I can’t get the kid to sit still for 5 minutes of Bob the Builder, so I’m pretty sure a root canal in a dental chair isn’t going to be the thing that brings about calm and peace for him to just lie perfectly still and hold his mouth open?!  Needless to say, our awesome pediatric dentist typed up a note for me to dispute the insurance company on it and even added a hand written part in case the insurance company needs to call for further explanation.  I’ll be making that phone call to our healthcare provider in the morning.  So annoying!  That denied portion of the procedure costs HALF of the total amount.  As if the situation of a 1-year-old having a root canal isn’t bad enough on its own?!

Ok…calming down now.  Promise.

Here’s the good news.  And I’m gonna stop worrying about all of this now too because I’ve got a promise that I don’t need to worry…

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?  And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?… So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matt 6: 25-27. 34

And yes…I did just post a sort of crass sign and quote scripture in the same post.  And while I don’t think that Jesus probably ever said “WTF”, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t spewing butterflies when he overturned the tables of the tax collectors in the temple.  It’s ok to be mad sometimes…just maintaining perspective is the key I guess.  Besides, I promised you all I’d always be me…so there you have it.  Me….un-cut…honest…and still trusting in the One who loves me even when I get raging mad or overly worried.

** I’m adding this little ditty here after I spoke with the insurance company this morning.  They have agreed to pay a portion of the sedation that falls within the parameters of our plan.  It’s not all, but it is about 70%…better than nothing.

Jello Aquariums and Hot Dog Noodlers

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Once in a while, I get hit upside the head with an inspiration that gets me going on a roll to want to try a couple of new things. That happened to me yesterday when I was looking around on Pinterest.

Pinterest is one of my most favorite ways to veg and to be inspired these days. In fact, I like it so much that I honestly have to ration my time on it. In case you don’t know Pinterest…it’s an amazing way to basically keep virtual bulletin boards of ideas you like, pictures that inspire, recipes you’d like to try, décor you want, and anything else really (plus, it links to the original source of the picture you pin as well.) It is also another avenue of social networking so you can see what other people you know are pinning and interested in as well. It’s awesome. But you have to be invited to do it…so if you’re interested, email me at Logan dot Wolfram at gmail dot com, and I’ll send you an invitation. It’s so much fun.

Anyhow, I saw the cutest thing on Pinterest the other night and it was one of those “I am absolutely going to buy the stuff to make those TOMORROW!” Then I saw another thing, and before I knew it, my day was definitely going to have some kid crafty foodie goodness going on.

Check out these Jello Aquariums…so stinking cute!

First order of business today was to make the jello aquariums since they’d need to set up in the fridge. To do these you’ll need:

  • Jello Mixchief Soda Jello
  • Some soda (I used a clear raspberry fizzy water so I could color the water as I wanted.)
  • Swedish Fish
  • Jelly Beans
  • ½ pint mason jars

 

I wanted to make about a dozen of these to last a few days, so I actually used 3 packages of the Mixchief soda jello, and 1 package of berry blue jello.  I followed the instructions on the boxes and then mixed them together (the mixchief with the regular jello) and poured the liquid into the mason jars to set up in the fridge. I got 11 full jars out of the 4 boxes. (Next time I think I’d just use blue food coloring to make the “water” though because I think that the regular jello reduced the fizz factor of the soda jello.)

Now, here’s a tip. When you make these, you really should assemble them exactly when you want to serve them. I made one for my kiddo to eat and then one to take pictures of for you. After a couple of hours the Swedish fish in the middle looked bloated and gross, and the jelly beans in the bottom look mushy and slimy from being in the jello. So… to look cute and fresh, I stored all the prepared jello in the jars (in the fridge) for later assembly.

 

To assemble this tasty little aquarium, put a few jelly beans in the bottom of a clean jar (you could probably also use blueberries or something else round to imitate aquarium rocks.) Slide a knife around the edge of a full jar of jello to loosen it and pour it on top of the jelly beans in the fresh container. Then cut a slit in the top of the jello and shove your Swedish fish down in there to swim around. I’m thinking this would be ridiculously adorable in a fishbowl for a party to feed more people too. My son had an absolute fit over it. Loved it! I’m sending him one to school for snack tomorrow. It made him feel awesome. It’s the little things you know.

I, for one, think jelly beans and Swedish fish in jello sounds kinda nasty, but a 5 year old who also likes things like gummy bears and fruity pebbles and Nerds on ice cream will think this is fantastic. Trust me.

After I put the jello in the fridge to set, I got things ready to make our lunch…which incidentally also looks nasty to me, but my kids again thought it was pretty much the bee’s knees. They loved making it and both gobbled it up. I have to say, these things look hilarious to me. I don’t know why, but they do.

Before Cooking

After Cooking

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make these weird hot dog noodlers, cut a hot dog into a few slices. Shove dry spaghetti into the hot dog section…however many you want. I think we stayed between about 5-7 noodles per slice. Drop the not dog noodlers (yes…I made up that name…hot dog noodlers) into boiling water and cook for as long as your noodle package tells you to cook them. I used regular spaghetti noodles and it took about 11 minutes. Drain them as you normally would and add whatever your kids like on top. I dumped some Classico tomato and basil marinara on ours to achieve a massive kid-friendly food home-run.

I’ll say, I’m not a person who makes “kid food” and “adult food” too differently. I expect my kids to eat whatever I’m cooking, but when it comes to lunches, we have been known to have a little fun…and this was definitely fun. Not to mention ridiculously easy, and my kids thought it was sort of like doing a craft which of course scored even higher in the cool factor category.

 

 

I think that both of these treats will be making future appearances around here. I could hardly wait to share the fun with you all too!

AND, don’t think I forgot…The winner of the “Enjoy Your Life for Dessert” favorite things gift package goes to….

entry #32 Kelly Jowers

who said: “Enjoying my life for dessert this summer has included spending at least one day a week in PJs all day with my girls…sometimes you just need days with no real agenda!”  Ain’t that the truth Kelly!?!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and to all of you for participating and making my “new” blog debut giveaway week such fun. I’m seriously considering compiling all of the answers from this giveaway in particular into one massive post. I honestly LOVED reading through these comments about how you each enjoy your life for dessert. I appreciate you all sharing, and it was so refreshing to hear new ideas of how to enjoy life and to be reminded of just how many blessings we each have in our lives. So, thanks ya’ll! I loved reading every single comment…truly. Makes me wish I had that many comments all the time! (hint hint! 🙂 )

Hope you all have a fantastic Labor Day weekend friends!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway

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Once in awhile, in the midst of pursuing doing something that you love… and persevering through the parts that you hate of doing the thing that you love, you find something that can entirely eliminate the parts that you hate from the thing that you love…and that…well, that is just pure love leftover.

I found something like that.  And no…it’s not a robot that cleans my house in order to help make it a home (but that would be great.)  What I found is called Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I’ve talked about it before HERE and HERE.

I LOVE refinishing furniture.  And because in my real life job I hold the title of ” Chief Executive Mommy” and thereby don’t have loads of extra free time on my hands, I hated…I mean hated having to spend extra time stripping, or sanding, and priming furniture before transforming it into something amazing.  In the whole grand scheme of time spent refinishing a piece, easily 50% or more of my time was being spent on the prepping part instead of the prettying part.  And I really like the prettying part the best.

Then, I read about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on Miss Mustard Seed’s blog.  Now there is a lady who can absolutely dominate a piece of sad looking furniture with amazingness!  If you don’t know about her…well, you should.  And while I’m talking about people I know of who can dominate sad furniture with amazingness, also check out Barb Blair at Knack Studios.  Her amazingness was featured in Southern Living and Garden & Gun magazines recently…plus, she’s a local gal in addition to being an artistic furniture dominator.

What I wanted to tell you though is that I also LOVE Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  And just a couple of weeks ago, I made a new friend in town, Jennie Gainey of Jennie Leigh Design, who has just become an Annie Sloan Stockist. (You can’t just buy this amazing paint anywhere…people have to be trained and approved stockists!)  But I can drive to get it now instead of having to order it…and that’s pretty exciting for me!

Part of the greatness of this paint is that woodwork NEEDS NO PRIMING, and NO PREPARATION as it will stick to almost everything… old waxed pine, melamine and varnished wood included. It is an Eco-friendly water based paint and you can even wash your brushes out in water when you’re done.

The other greatness of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is how amazing it looks finished.  You can use the paint without sealing it, but Annie Sloan makes waxes that honestly give an almost velvety patina to the finished product.  Both the waxes and paint are very user-friendly, it distresses like a dream (can be done by lightly rubbing with a sanding sponge,) and comes in a gorgeous array of colors that can make a statement as they come, or mixed together.

I painted this piece in a combination of Annie Sloan Old White and Paris Grey and I absolutely adore the way it turned out. Still needs a piece of glass in the front, but you get the idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could show you more pieces I’ve done now, but that’d rob me of the suspense of future posts, and really, by this point in the week-o-celebratory-giveaways you’re likely curious to find out exactly what I’m giving away.

So without further ado, and certainly not without massive thanks to Jennie Leigh Design, one of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint’s newest full stockists, for sponsoring this giveaway, we give you….1 qt of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (in any color you choose,) and 1 Annie Sloan wax (your choice of clear or dark wax.)

So here’s how to enter (this giveaway is open to US residents only. I’m sorry to my far away peeps…I do love you though):

Mandatory Entry: Go to the Jennie Leigh Design website, browse around, and choose the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint color and wax you’d hope to win.  Come back here to Life for Dessert and leave a comment letting us know your paint and wax color choices, as well as what you plan to paint?!

  • For extra entries leave separate comments detailing each action:  You can earn 1 extra entry for each action taken, for a total of SIX extra entries…1) Follow Life for Dessert on Google Friend Connect, 2) Like Jennie Leigh Design on Facebook, 3) Like Life for Dessert on Facebook, 4) Subscribe to receive the Life For Dessert feed (it’s in the sidebar on the top right), 5) Share this link on your own Facebook wall, 6) Tweet this link to all of your followers.

Ok friends.  Happy entering!  This giveaway will end exactly one week from the time stamp of this entry post which will be next Wednesday, August 31 at 6am.  Don’t forget to come back tomorrow too…I’m not done celebrating my new site yet!  More fun giving away to come!!!! (You still have time to enter both the Gussy Sews Giveaway from Monday, and the Red Letter Words Giveaway from yesterday too!)