Just a reminder to change your blog subscriptions to my new blog home at

http://bunchofscrap.blogspot.com

There is a link on the right sidebar to subscribe to that blog… If you don’t switch over by Friday… I am going to switch you myself

Don’t forget to enter my Giveaway on the the new blog by Thursday night! I will draw a name with the random number generator on Friday (7/18).

~Em

To celebrate my 100th post I am doing a giveaway for this bucket

BUT…wait, there is more! I am also throwing in some surprises of my most favorite things… If you have read my Favorites on Fridays posts, you’ll get a clue… what else will be in the box with that pot will be a surprise for the winner!

NOW - Here are the rules and “a little surprise” that my title suggest:

Surprise! - I have a new home! - A new BLOGLAND home -

Rule 1. You MUST go to my NEW blog located at http://bunchofscrap.blogspot.com and leave a comment there! There is a special 101st post waiting for you The message there will explain it all… any comments left here will not count toward the giveaway.

Rule 2. I don’t want to lose any of you! So change your links, bookmarks and subscription to my new address!

Now go over THERE and check out my new site!

~Em

We had this for dinner last night at my dad’s house… It was awesome! So I made it tonight with our backyard tomatoes. My step mom got the recipe from Martha Stewart Living…

2 cans (19 oz each) white beans drained and rinsed

1/2 pound small Roma tomatoes cut into 1 in. pieces. (we used grape tomatoes cut in half)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves torn into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tsp. coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil (EVOO for you Rachel Ray fans)

3 small cloves of garlic minced.

Combine beans, tomatoes, basil, and salt in a bowl, and season with pepper. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and add garlic, cook till aroma comes out, don’t brown the garlic. Pour over bean mixture and gently toss. Let stand 30 minutes for flavors to meld. Salad can be covered and kept at room temp up to 4 hours.  Serves 4 (it serves WAY more than 4)

This is a warm salad, don’t chill it - although it might taste better the next day (I’ll let you know!)

* Tomorrow is my 100th post!

~Em

Folks, I couldnt have thought up a more blunt title than that. I am currenty taking History 17a which is “US history from its colonial beginning through the Civil War and Reconstruction”.

I need HELP! Is anyone a History major or knowledgeable enough to help me get through this class? I am reading, studying, praying and yet I don’t think I am going to make it through this class! My brain must have some mental block for history - it’s the only subject I ever had to take in summer school in high school. I think all the terms are confusing me… the puritans, rebels, French and British, the confederates, the Indians, monarchies, bourgeoisie… ahh they all blend together when it comes time to take a quiz. Ask me to answer a question about Benjamin Franklin or Anne Hutchinson and I am golden but throw all these people, places and events on a test and I am done for! I think my saving grace might come in a critical book review, I am (arguably) good at writing!

Seriously though, if there are any local tutors or friends willing to help me with this class I will be eternally grateful to you and will consider you the only reason I graduate - seriously, I am that doomed!

Man, I thought I was retarded in math, well I am currently taking math AND this history class and I want to make out with my math book right now - I heart Algebra! If you can’t offer your brain, PLEASE throw up some prayers for me!

~Em

We watched “The Eye” last night and I kept myself busy by ripping and knotting another garland. I made this one for my bedroom.

I have this Waverly Vintage Rose print on my bed

and I had some scraps of that from making matching shams and added my favorite toile and crisp green color.

It was a good distraction from the bad movie.

~Em

I made this swag to go over Tate’s bed using fabric scraps I had, old faded swim trunks and ribbon.

My daughter would kill me if she saw that I put a photo of her picking sand out of her butt online for the world to see… BUT (ha ha) she won’t have internet access until she is at least 33 so I got some time, and she doesn’t mind the photo in her room …yet

Here is a close up, the only purchased items were the pink polkadot ribbon in the swag and the ribbon it’s all tied onto (less than $3.00 for both spools)

The scraps of fabric all came from the leftovers of this bedspread… Jenny and I made it a few years ago (yes, I actually SEWED!)

Now, if you want to make yourself a rag swag garland… go over to Jen’s blog cause I was lazy and didn’t take step by step pictures and she did… Oh, and guess what… my lovely friend is even doing a giveaway for one of these garlands… that post is here - you have until tomorrow to leave her a comment… And one more thing… Jen and I got the original idea from the Nester.

~Em

For those keeping track, this is post #95! Only 5 to go for my big surprise!

For this Friday I’d like to show you another one of my favorite things…

Ball Fringe!

I love this stuff! I want more, in all colors and I want to hot glue it to everything in the house! I even want my car to look like the taxi off Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!

This is a lamp I covered in fabric (like a cheese cloth or muslin) and glued ball fringe to the edge.

Here is the Christmas card holder I made a couple years ago. The frame is from the thrift store, the green is wrapped around a piece of cardboard and the toile pockets & fringe are just glued on. I keep it up all year.

This would be heaven

This pillow is adorable

(I found this pillow here)

Well, yeah… I like ball fringe… or dingle balls… or pom poms… or whatever YOU call them!

~Em

While I didn’t have my camera for a week, I realized that I have some pretty nice photos on my computer already. It’s fun to go back in time and look at how much the kids have grown. This is poor Luke after he smashed his face on the tile floor at the babysitters…

and him now… still got luscious lips, but whoa not like the ginormous swollen beauties from before and all his real teeth!

Tate as Dorothy the Dinosaur when we went to the Wiggles concert a million years ago…

and now as a soccer star…

Wow, time sure does fly! Tomorrow’s post will contain real, new, never before seen photos… maybe

~Em

so is Aaron… and I really do love him more than the camera

Here is one of his photos from Alaska, tomorrow I will be back up and posting my own shots!

Don’t you wish you lived there?

I do, no neighbors and cooold weather… it was 109 degrees today here - gross!

~Em

1. My hands smell like teriyaki and it’s kinda disturbing me.

2. I cleaned my belly button with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol because I just thought “I wonder if adults clean out their belly buttons like we do to babies?” It is sparkly and disinfected now

3. Oh I do have a photo, here is Craig, Alaska at 10pm

I guess the sunset is around 11pm and sunrise is at 4am… wow that sucks

~Em