Funky, Punky, and Plump

Okay, that post title makes me giggle.  Titling posts is even harder for me than writing them but you'll see how I came to that one in just a bit. :) First, the baby part.  I was asked to design the invitations for a Halloween baby shower!  (Okay, I offered when I heard about it but they took me up on the offer so that's almost the same! *grin*)  The theme of the shower is Boo Crew so I took inspiration from the invite that they found where they loved the wording of but not the design... Image source ...and designed something that fits with the Boo Crew theme without outright copying it. :) They also found this idea (which I am totally stealing if a miracle baby ever happens): Image source So, of course, I made theirs to match the invite: :) Now for the balls.  LOL With my tummy issue, any time I eat anything with chocolate in it, my tummy hurts.  A lot.  Thankfully, I am not one of those girls that HAS to have chocolate eve...

Yep... still cooking and still eating.  :) My tummy issue is frustrating sometimes because even just a few bites of anything processed makes it *hurt* like a mofo and it's hard to eat foods that anyone else makes.  As an example, we had a small potluck at work in our department last week with a BBQ theme so I brought 2 things: pulled chicken with my homemade BBQ sauce and loaded baked potato salad (recipe to follow).  I've made those both more than once before so knew those would okay for me to eat.  One of my coworkers brought homemade macaroni & cheese so I also had a few bites of that, thinking it'd be "safe".  Within a half hour of eating, my stomach was killing me.  I asked her how she made it and it turned out that at least two of the ingredients were processed/refined. (*sigh*) But, on the other side of the coin, I am still loving the heck out of cooking delicious real food for Hubbyman and I, even if it is a bit more work.  I'm still ...

I have been feeling incredibly guilty for the past few months because, in my mind, I haven't made any sewing products or painting or drawing or crafts or anything.  But then I popped by the beloved Stacey's blog and saw this image which she found on Etsy : Etsy shop  Then I realized I *AM* making stuff and being creative.  It's just in the kitchen. :)  I rarely follow a recipe exactly as is because I've been cooking long enough and know my taste buds well enough to know what I might need to change.  Or, in those few times I do follow something exactly as is, I make notes as to how I will change it the next time I make it. And, let me tell you, I am obsessed with (or is it addicted to?) making new recipes right now.  I'm still horrible about taking pics but I did manage to get a couple over the weekend. :) On Friday, after we went grocery shopping, I made a warm spinach salad with bacon dressing and homemade "Shake-n-Bake" chicken.  The coat...

Well, my food obsession certainly lives on and I feel so much better for it!  Even though this new way of eating hasn't been by choice (I mean, who *choses* to feel sick?), it's been a fun food adventure and cooking rediscovery.  I'm even down 25 pounds which is still a surprising but nice side effect. :) Grocery shopping has gotten easier and goes more quickly again now that I am not reading every blasted label and know what I can get that is chemical-free.  Our grocery budget has gone up, of course, since I am cooking 5-6 nights a week now instead of 2-3 but we are saving more because we are not eating out as often.  But I am also cooking smarter as well, making meals that are large enough for leftovers for lunch as well as another meal later in the week. I have made so many wonderful things but I always forget to stop and take a picture when it's done because I am just so excited to eat it.  I remembered today, though! :) I am downright addicted to ma...

Last night, I made homemade pizza from scratch... from the crust on up. The only thing I used that was purchased and used as-is was the turkey pepperoni.  Okay, I didn't make the cheese (yet) but I did grate it!  LOL  Freshly grated mozzarella is so much nicer than the preshredded stuff...I had no idea what a difference it would actually make!  (I do have more to say about preshredded cheese but I will keep that to myself. :)  If you are really curious, just do a search on Google about preshredded cheese.) Here are my 'zas: For both, I made yeast-free pizza crust.  It was a little bitter but I've since figured out that it was because my flour is old.  The one on the left has my homemade pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni and cheese.  The one on the right has homemade BBQ sauce, leftover roasted chicken from Sunday, onions, and cheese. Here are the recipes I used for the sauces and crust: Sashi's Pizza Sauce Ingredients 12 garli...

Hubbyman and I decided to take one of our random roadtrip this weekend.  As I was searching for a name within a decent driving distance, Farragut, TN jumped out at me and made me giggle.  I kept saying "Farragoot ees verra guud" (is very good).  It amused me, at least. :) I have been having issues with food over the past month and a half or so* so I knew our usual tradition of fast food and snack food was just not going to be an option.  So I made us breakfast for the road as well as a picnic lunch and a few snacks.  A bit more work but definitely worth it in the long run!  We ended up just short of our destination because it took a lot longer than we expected to get there taking the back roads.  But we were still gone for almost 12 hours and had a really nice time spending the day together, driving around, talking, and looking at scenery.  Here are a few pics from our day: Breakfast on the road: toasted English muffin, Canadian ...

She has returned and has slapped me upside the head.  She is finally letting me work on an idea I've had for a while now but is forcing me to do it digitally which is both an added frustration and bonus. :)  You see, I have some rather Luddite tendencies in that I much prefer old ways of doing things, like writing actual letters, drawing with a real pen on real paper, and making my lists in a notebook in my purse, that sort of thing.  For this particular project, though, digital is the better way to go and I am very happy with the results so far. I'm keeping what I am up to a secret for now, though. :) I'm just mean like that. ;) In the meantime, did you know I have a fascination with old-fashioned TV dinners?  Not to eat.  Yuck.  No.  But the visual of an old-time TV dinner in an aluminum tray.  I can't explain why but they always make me squee with delight.  :) This is an ATC I made a while back in honor of my unfounde...

I decided I really needed a vacation yesterday so I took a quick trip around the world and got some nice locals to snap pictures of me here and there.  I decided if I was going to go on a trip, I would go in style so I took off in a stretch limo.*  It had a bed covered with kittens for napping between stops, a full stocked bacon bar, and the entire Murder, She Wrote series in the DVD player.  I was set! pic source My first stop was to check out the nightlife in New York City.  Times Square was amazing and I met the nicest man who demanded all my money.  I offered him bacon instead and he was happy enough to take this pic for me. pic source I then skedaddled over to San Francisco to see if the sisters from Charmed were home but they must have been out fighting demons.  I even looked for them at one of their favorite hangouts. pic source From there I bounced down to Brazil and met a wonderful group of kids.  Their teache...