Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Boys and their toys

My step-dad {Rod} has an extensive collection of toys from his childhood.
We'll call them vintage toys, ok?
While they all hold sentimental value,
some have a significant monetary value at this point too.


Among his treasures are some really cool model cars that he keeps high on a shelf, out of the reach of little hands. My three-year old nephew {Stone} managed to figure out a way to get Papa's blue car off the shelf during a recent visit, and here's how that ended up:


Presley {Stone's 7-year-old big sister} was tugging aggressively on the very stuck little car, trying desperately to dislodge it before Papa came home.

Aunt Deb: "Pres! Be careful! We don't want to damage Papa's car!"
Presley: "Or Stone's!"

Ah...perspective...

{Neither Presley or I were able to free Stone's little car, and had to wait for Papa's help.}

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A Poem and a Prize

{turtle blog giveaway}
~ ~

While I was working on this little turtle, a childhood melody kept coming to mind...


I had a little turtle,
I named him Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim.


He drank up all the water,
He ate a bar of soap,
And now he's sick in bed
With the bubbles in his throat.


And then I added:
I made this little turtle,
And now she needs a home.
Leave a comment on this blog post,
And she could be your own.

{Pattern found here.}
~ ~

Contest rules small print: {read it super fast like the radio announcer guy}

1) Contest ends one week from today {Tuesday, March 6th}. Winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 7th;
2) Leave a comment for one entry;
3) Like "PaperTurtle" on Facebook for an additional entry - leave an extra comment so you're entered again;
4) Mention this contest on your own blog for another entry - leave an extra comment so you're entered again;
5) Family members are not eligible to win {sorry, Mom and Carrie}; and
6) Blogger spam people are not eligible to win either - you are annoying!!!

Good luck, friends!

Edit: Contest is now closed. Thanks for your interest.

Monday, February 27, 2012

My sunny weekend.

Good Monday morning to you, dear friends.
I can only hope that your weekend was as happy as mine.
Wanna' see?

Even $4 worth of flowers can really brighten up our kitchen table. And even though I'm unemployed, I still feel the need to splurge on fresh flowers now and then.

And speaking of flowers, Doug and I supported our local nursery department and got some plants for the backyard {more on that at a later date}.

We found some succulents on sale and I made a little dish garden - just love how it turned out!

Whiskers was close at hand {as usual} and not the best crocheting partner. He's calm...seems completely nonchalant...and all of a sudden GRABS the yarn. ~sigh~

I suppose we can say that I know how to crochet now {sorry, Val...}. I'll show the completed project later this week. :o)

We had Doug's dad over for breakfast Sunday morning and this is what's left of the biscuits and gravy I made. I meant to take a picture during the process but had too many things going on at once {sausage, biscuits, gravy, scrambled eggs, strawberries}.

My dear FIL showed up for breakfast with a couple of pairs of pants that needed mending, and another little bit of my MIL's crafting supplies. PJ has been gone for over three years now, and her crafting stash just keeps on giving. Going through her {well organized} ribbon collection, I was struck by how much I miss her.
{Local SIL's and nieces, don't buy any ribbon! If you need some, come see me first!}

Yesterday we did some work in our backyard {and by "we" I mean mostly Doug...}. This is a photo of Doug enjoying a cold beer at the end of a busy day of work. Seriously? I've never known anyone who works as hard as Doug - he's amazing. I can't wait to show you the before and after photos of our backyard space! A few more weeks...

And lastly, I had so much fun receiving email RSVP's for the virtual potluck I'm hosting next month. I had to laugh at my simple self each time I received an email from a blog friend saying they were coming to the party. I had to pinch myself and remind me that it's a pretend party... ~sigh~ Everyone is invited, and you can see my invitation here.

This week? Well, I met with a recruiter last week who suggested that I re-write my resumé so I'll be working on that. I have an art project bouncing around that I need to get out of my head and out through my fingers so I can get some sleep at night. And I'm starting back to physical therapy for my shoulder {oh joy}. Spring has sprung in Arizona and all I want is to be outside...

How was your weekend?
What's happening in your world this week?

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Grandpa and Candy

Carrie and I recently attended a writing workshop {lead by this lovely lady and this one} and it was held at a sweet candy store called Smeeks in downtown Phoenix {you should go there because it is awesome!!!}. There were 10 of us seated around a square table that had been scattered with candy - the perfect setting for some sweet creative flow.

To get things going, our facilitators asked us to quickly jot down five candy-related memories. It didn't take me long to do so, and I was surprised at the memories and emotions that simple exercise conjured up.

Next, we were told to choose one of those memories and write a story about it. We were given 10 minutes, and here's what I came up with:

{my grandfather's coffee cup ~ a treasured possession}

"My memories of my grandfather aren't all that pleasant. He rarely spoke to us when we came to visit, and when he did speak it was usually a gruff command. My mom would make excuses for her father, saying he didn't feel well or that his back hurt. As a child I never really understood why that would cause him to be so grumpy all the time. I figured he was the luckiest man in the world to live with my sweet grandmother, and that alone should make him happy.

During our visits we basically steered clear of Grandpa. Occasionally I'd muster up the courage to offer to refill his coffee cup and he'd always take me up on that.

At the end of every visit at my grandparent's house, we began our good-bye ritual. My siblings and I approached Grandpa, one at a time, exchanging a good-bye hug for a quarter and a roll of Lifesavers. Every. Time.

He was always smiling then, maybe because we were leaving, but I like to think it was because giving us candy brought him joy."

Can you think of five candy-related memories?
Which one would you share if asked to write a story
and read it out loud to a group of candy-eating women?

Saturday, February 25, 2012

I'm having a party, and you're invited!

{Don't worry, Doug, you don't have to do yard work for this one!}

Please join me for a
Potluck Recipe Exchange / Blog Hop
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time: 5:00 a.m. Arizona time
{you can convert your time here}
Please bring one of the following:
1)  drink or appetizer
2)  soup or salad
3)  main or side dish
4)  dessert
RSVP via email: paperturtle{at}cox{dot}net

Here's how it will work: I'd like for you think of your favorite party drink or food. Give me your go-to recipe when you're invited somewhere and get to bring whatever you want. When you RSVP for the party, tell me what you'll be bringing {just tell me the category, not the specific item}. The blog hop will be organized in the order of categories shown above {so if you sign up for a drink or appetizer, you'll be one of the first in line, desserts will be at the end...}.

Your party post on March 24th should include the following:

1) A photo of your dish, along with the recipe - I plan to share a photo and recipe - not photographs of the making of the dish, but you can certainly show the prep work too.
2) A photo of yourself welcoming us to your home {kind of like if you were throwing a party} - No need to dress up or be all fancy - unless you want to. It's your blog and your leg of the party, so you decide.

So, go ahead and RSVP if you're in...and remember to tell me what {category} you'll be bringing to the party. I'll send an email out the week before and let everyone know the order of blog posts and who you'll be linking to.

Sound like a plan?
Let me know if you have any questions.
:o)

Friday, February 24, 2012

Just a quote for Friday

{because when my mom saw my grandma's bird, she wanted one too}

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart,
and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

~ author unknown

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Lemon Tea Bread

I was going to do the whole "when life gives you lemons..." cliché but that's not the case.
All things considered, my life is pretty peachy these days.
♦ ♦ ♦

Life did give me lemons on sale at the grocery store the other day, so I bought a bag of them and whipped up a loaf of lemon tea bread - my grandma's recipe that my mom wrote down for me a few years ago and I've never made until now.


We have a whole bunch of citrus trees around these parts, and I'd been hoping that someone with a lemon tree would bestow enough fruit on us so I could whip up a batch of limoncello like Beverly did last year, but alas, I'm left to the store bought version {although, now that I think of it, they were cheap enough I probably could have sprung for it...}.


But I digress. If you want a light and yummy lemon bread recipe, I have just the one for you. I'm not telling Doug that it's called "tea bread" because it might sound a little bit girly, but oh did the house smell good when he came home from work that day!


Lemon Tea Bread
1 c. sugar
1 T. lemon extract
1/3 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
1 T. grated lemon rind
3/4 c. chopped nuts {optional...}
Glaze:
juice from one large lemon
1/3 c. sugar
{find a measurement converter here}

Beat together 1 cup of sugar, extract and butter. Add eggs and beat well.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture, alternating adding milk, mixing well after each addition. Fold in grated lemon rind and nuts.

For glaze, mix juice from one lemon with 1/3 cup sugar and set aside.

Bake tea bread in greased 4x8" loaf pan at 350° for 45-55 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and drizzle with glaze mixture. Cool in pan. Remove from pan and let stand 24 hours before cutting. {We didn't make it 24 hours before cutting. Who made that part up anyway? Although, it actually did get better with time.}

My notes: I didn't have lemon extract on hand, so I added two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and decreased the milk by one tablespoon. I also added about a 1/2 tablespoon more of the grated lemon rind than the recipe called for. Delicious!!!
♦ ♦ ♦

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Crocheting with Grandma

♦ ♦ ♦

I had the good fortune of spending some time with my sweet grandma while I was in California last month. She made lunch for me, we drank coffee together, and she gave me a lesson in crocheting.


I've dabbled with crochet in the past, taught myself how to crochet a granny square by watching YouTube videos {Seriously? You can learn how to do anything on YouTube!}, and feel like I have the basics down.

{LOVE this photo of Grandma's hands with mine taken by my step-dad, Rod.}

What I really wanted to know from Grandma is how to do the stitch she uses for the countless afghans she's made for pretty much every member of our family. Someday I'll make one myself, now that I know the secret. ;o)


I loved spending time with her, and I know she enjoyed my company too. I found this free pattern for a funky little bird and stitched it up to send to her as a token of my appreciation for the crochet lessons.

I do think she's going to like this little birdie.

And I'm posting this today because my grandma is having surgery and I'd
love for you to keep her in your thoughts. It's a standard procedure,
but Grandma is 91 so it makes it a bit more tricky.
Her name is Gertrude,
and she's just the sweetest grandma ever.
Skip To My Lou

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

52 Donuts - #7 and #8 - vanilla and chocolate chip

Margaret and Cheri: Don't look.
All others: Proceed with caution.

Continuing my quest to reach that lofty 52 Donuts goal, this past weekend I tried a recipe that was sent to me by my blog friend, Fiona. These donuts were YUMmy!!!


The first couple of batches I baked in my donut maker were just the batter as the recipe was written and even without the frosting on top, the cake was really tastey. I decided to stretch the batter and go for donut #8 by stirring in some mini chocolate chips and BINGO. We have a winner:


Yum. Yum. Yum.
And with a glass of milk? Oh! Mama!


The recipe is simple and I'll share it here. I did the unthinkable and measured my vanilla extract over the mixing bowl - slipped and got a little more than the one teaspoon called for in the recipe, but that was just fine.
Vanilla Donuts
In a bowl, mix together:
2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
Then add:
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. vegetable oil*

I baked these in the donut maker for 3 minutes, cooled then dipped in frosting...sprinkles on top. For my frosting I just take a heaping spoonful of canned cake frosting, microwave it for a few seconds until it's melty and then dip away.

* Fiona's recipe actually called for shortening, but I used vegetable oil instead.
* This recipe must be a standard in the UK because it was also sent to me by my blog friend Jemma with the only difference being instead of shortening, hers calls for olive oil. I plan to try her recipe in the future as well.

PS: Yes, Mom, I will make donuts when you come to visit!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Weekend at our house...

Good Monday morning, friends!

If you follow me on Instagram {user name: paperturtle} I might need to apologize for the excessive posting this past weekend. It wasn't all that action packed, I just took {and posted} a bunch of Instagrams. Here are a few from the past couple of days...

Carrie was out of town visiting my mom and we kept her dog, Marcus at our house.
I love coming home and seeing him waiting by the back door. Sweet little pup.

Chicken avacado tacos. Yum!

Spoiled kitty. Doug always lets her dip into the milk that's left in the bottom
of his glass when he's done. And lately, whenever Doug has a glass of milk,
Fancy Jane sits and watches him like a hawk until he's done - waiting for her turn.

I made some orange and raisin bran mini-muffins Saturday morning.

Grrrr. Mr. Brat Cat himself, looking all cute and innocent behind the bouquet of
flowers that used to have baby's breath mixed in. What a mess {the table and the cat}!

Crocheted this little birdie to send to my grandma {more about that later this week}.

While Marcus stayed at our house, Carrie's cat, Kirby, stayed home by himself
{cats can do that, you know...}. Carrie insisted that I make a trip to her house on
Saturday afternoon to check on him.

I don't regularly read the Sunday comics, but I loved this bit of Garfield.

Donuts #7 and #8...coming up later this week too...

Sad puppy dog, waiting for his girl C to come home. Marcus does well
for the first day or two, but by Sunday afternoon he was ready to go home.

Doug is painting a house for some friends of ours who can't move in until he's
done painting, so he worked both days this weekend. I felt a little guilty being so
leisurely on Sunday afternoon. {I haven't subscribed to this magazine for a few years
now and it keeps coming in the mail?!?!? They even magically knew my new address  as it
automatically started arriving here shortly after we moved. Not complaining, just sayin'...}

We picked Carrie up from the airport last night and drove her straight to the ball field.
A couple of months ago, Carrie announced that she'd joined a softball team. I tried
to act normal, but the expression on my face couldn't cover up the fact that I was very
surprised as she'd never played baseball before...ever. Fast forward to now after a few
team practices and time at the batting cages with Doug, and she's a real go-getter. See
that green ball whirling toward her? She hit it! {Yay Carrie!!!}

And there you have it - my weekend recap full of calories and pets and sunshine.
How was your weekend?


Sunday, February 19, 2012

Everybody's doing it...

...textures in PhotoShop.

Ok, ok, so not everybody, but lately I've been intrigued by the pretty finishes on photos here and there. I came across a link to this website, signed up for the e-newsletter, and got myself some free textures. After watching the {free} video lesson, I was off and running {it's super easy}. I can see how this could be addictive, and I think it may even change the way I approach photography at times.

How about you?
Have you dabbled with textures?
Any related websites you'd care to share?

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Rosie and Carmen for Dolly Donations

Like it or not, I have time on my hands. {read: unemployed}
And hurt shoulder or not, I'm determined to craft/sew/keep my hands busy.
So when my dear friend, Sian told me about this worthy cause,
I decided to make a couple of dolls to donate.
♦ ♦ ♦

Meet Rosie and her good friend, Carmen.


I got the free pattern here and figured while I was cutting the pieces for one doll, I might as well do two. The pattern was easy to follow, and the toughest part {for me} was drawing and painting the faces. I scrutinized them, drew the eyes three times before I settled, and finally left well enough alone. Later when I came back around to them, I actually liked the way they looked. {I could have used your help on this one, Rinda!}


I loved working on these dolls, though I probably won't be making another doll any time soon {just not my bag, baby}.


The thing I did like about working on these dolls was knowing they were going to a good cause, thinking about the little girls who would receive them, and imagining the joy they might bring.


I hope that receiving these dolls will help their recipients understand that there is kindness in a world that may seem cruel in their immediate vicinity.


And I hope that someday they will reach out and create something that will bring a bit of joy to someone they don't know.


Have you ever made a rag doll?
Or something else that you've donated to a worthy cause?
Any other worthy causes you can tell me about while I still have time on my hands?

PS: These dollies are going to Brazil.

Linking to Skip to my Lou - Made by You Monday

Friday, February 17, 2012

Just a Quote for Friday

{my mom's stack of happy mail from Team Teal}

“We cannot ALL do great things,
but we can all do small things with great love."

~ Mother Teresa
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