It's a blog cafe kinda day!!!
Today we're in Wales!! Oh the beautiful countryside we get to visit with Marie at A year from Oak Cottage. She's taking us to a quaint little place called Llangollen! (pronounced CLANG Gock Lyn!) It's charming and relaxing and she even includes a recipe for her delicious scones. Served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
I'm excited to try it... Does anybody out there know what clotted cream is or how to make it? Inquiring Jenny's want to know!
Hurry on over to A year from Oak Cottage and have a wonderful time exploring the countryside of my ancestors (it's true! I have ancestors from Wales!)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Breakfast at Matt's
Lezlee the Bandanamom is host today at the Blog Cafe.
Lezlee and I became friends in Jr. High in a small town in SE Idaho. We had a great group of friends through Jr. High.
Lezlee is second from the left on the back row and I am on the far right in the back. That's 9th grade, baby!
Recently Lezlee and I found each other again and I have really enjoyed following her life on the world wide web. Her blog is Bandanamom. Click on it, you won't be disappointed. She is intelligent, friendly and uplifting. She is one of those people who are comfortable to be around. Her decorating skills are impeccable and her photography thoughtful.
Today she's taking us out for breakfast and a visit about where you dream of putting down some roots. Money isn't an object.... where would you like to live?
Lezlee and I became friends in Jr. High in a small town in SE Idaho. We had a great group of friends through Jr. High.
Lezlee is second from the left on the back row and I am on the far right in the back. That's 9th grade, baby!Recently Lezlee and I found each other again and I have really enjoyed following her life on the world wide web. Her blog is Bandanamom. Click on it, you won't be disappointed. She is intelligent, friendly and uplifting. She is one of those people who are comfortable to be around. Her decorating skills are impeccable and her photography thoughtful.
Today she's taking us out for breakfast and a visit about where you dream of putting down some roots. Money isn't an object.... where would you like to live?
Monday, May 10, 2010
We're hanging out at The Camp Spot with Mandi for The Blog Cafe today. I just love going out for something yummy with my friends and can't wait to see where she's taking us today. Click on over and sit a spell. You won't want to miss it!!
**If you'd like to host the Cafe one week, please email us at: theblogcafe@yahoo.com We'll get you on the list and give you a hosting date! **
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Duct Tape Scripture Bag
By Popular Demand our first Lesson this week will be theDUCT TAPE SCRIPTURE BAG
to carry adding
one inch (4cm) to
the depth and half inch (2cm) to the width and height.
Choose the color for the inside of your bag and overlap strips right onto your work surface the width and length of your books. (This will be the bottom of your bag.)
Once you have a solid piece the size you would like the bottom. You will do the same thing with the color you have chosen to be the outside.
Carefully peel up the outside layer and lay it on the table with the sticky side up.
Next, gently peel up the inside panel. Hold each side so the sheet of tape curves like a swing. 
Starting in the center begin rolling/laying them with sticky sides together. Continue slowly until they are stuck flat. Take it slowly and accept the landing point as good enough because once they have touched they are very difficult to get apart. You can trim later to make it straight. By starting in the center, you have less risk of bubbles developing between the layers.
You will do this five times according to your measurements. One for the bottom, and one for each of the four sides. The front will be the same size as the back and the two sides will be the same size.
Lay them all out as shown above.
Keeping your pieces flat you will now tape each side to the bottom edge.
Next, bring side edges together and tape going up the outside edge. You will be forming a box. After securing each corner edge on the outside, carefully do the same on the inside. This will seal the sides/corners so there won't be any sticky spots.
Be as accurate as you can but accept that you are working with duct tape and know that it is very difficult to get perfectly flat.
Just do your best and have fun with it.
Using scissors cut the top evenly across all sides and carefully add your border color to the top.
Now, 
handles. Cut tape to desired length and fold down one side lengthwise. Sticking together from the center out. Then fold up the other edge over the first. It will not be perfectly flat, but that's fine because they will go on the bag in a curve anyway.
Secure each handle on the inside of the bag with duct tape.
With handles firmly in place your bag should resemble something you would happily carry to church with scriptures, highlighters and possibly breathmints in tow.
Or make it a different size to carry whatever you wish... wherever you go.
Following are directions in case you would like to have the checkerboard look that you see in many of our pictures. Fashionista loves checkerboards and stripes!
Make a sheet of duct tape on your work surface without any overlapping pieces. 
You can see that they are exactly next to each other without overlapping.
Peel up the edge of every other strip and lay another color along this edge.
Continue this process with every other strip until the panel is a complete checkerboard. 
Lift one corner and carefully peel the panel off the table.
Lay the panel together with an inside layer and follow previous instructions for completing your bag.
If you want a lid, you will need to put you handle from side to side and make one more panel large enough to connect to the back and overlap onto the front. Add velcro if you like.
This one is miniature for coins etc. but the lid can work on any size bag.
Try this project with your family,
You'll end up with a cool bag, but even better... You can have a lot of fun with one of the greatest and most dependable products available!
DUCT TAPE
First: choose your colors. 
Some like it bright and busy while others prefer simple and elegant. 
(Elegant duct tape? Work with me here.)
Some like it bright and busy 
while others prefer simple and elegant. 
(Elegant duct tape? Work with me here.)In our fair city, Walmart has the best variety of colors. 
Measure 
the book
or books you want
Measure 
the book
to carry adding
one inch (4cm) to
the depth and half inch (2cm) to the width and height.
Choose the color for the inside of your bag and overlap strips right onto your work surface the width and length of your books. (This will be the bottom of your bag.)
Once you have a solid piece the size you would like the bottom. You will do the same thing with the color you have chosen to be the outside.
Carefully peel up the outside layer and lay it on the table with the sticky side up.
Next, gently peel up the inside panel. Hold each side so the sheet of tape curves like a swing. 
Starting in the center begin rolling/laying them with sticky sides together. Continue slowly until they are stuck flat. Take it slowly and accept the landing point as good enough because once they have touched they are very difficult to get apart. You can trim later to make it straight. By starting in the center, you have less risk of bubbles developing between the layers.
You will do this five times according to your measurements. One for the bottom, and one for each of the four sides. The front will be the same size as the back and the two sides will be the same size.
Lay them all out as shown above.Keeping your pieces flat you will now tape each side to the bottom edge.
Next, bring side edges together and tape going up the outside edge. You will be forming a box. After securing each corner edge on the outside, carefully do the same on the inside. This will seal the sides/corners so there won't be any sticky spots.
Be as accurate as you can but accept that you are working with duct tape and know that it is very difficult to get perfectly flat.Just do your best and have fun with it.
Using scissors cut the top evenly across all sides and carefully add your border color to the top.
Now, 
handles. Cut tape to desired length and fold down one side lengthwise. Sticking together from the center out. Then fold up the other edge over the first. It will not be perfectly flat, but that's fine because they will go on the bag in a curve anyway.
Secure each handle on the inside of the bag with duct tape.With handles firmly in place your bag should resemble something you would happily carry to church with scriptures, highlighters and possibly breathmints in tow.
Or make it a different size to carry whatever you wish... wherever you go.Following are directions in case you would like to have the checkerboard look that you see in many of our pictures. Fashionista loves checkerboards and stripes!
Make a sheet of duct tape on your work surface without any overlapping pieces. 
You can see that they are exactly next to each other without overlapping.Peel up the edge of every other strip and lay another color along this edge.
Continue this process with every other strip until the panel is a complete checkerboard. 
Lift one corner and carefully peel the panel off the table.
Lay the panel together with an inside layer and follow previous instructions for completing your bag.
If you want a lid, you will need to put you handle from side to side and make one more panel large enough to connect to the back and overlap onto the front. Add velcro if you like.
This one is miniature for coins etc. but the lid can work on any size bag.Try this project with your family,
You'll end up with a cool bag, but even better... You can have a lot of fun with one of the greatest and most dependable products available!DUCT TAPE
Monday, May 3, 2010
A week of How To's and The Blog Cafe
The Blog Cafe is being held at The Pink Purl today. Tracy is a new friend living in Norway. She is crafty and thoughtful. Today we're having hot chocolate and pastries and talking about how we would each spend the winnings from the lottery if they were ours. Head on over, sit a spell, and share your dreams of big money!
I have a blogging goal this week. Over the past while I've been taking pictures of things I've been doing including food I've made so that I could share them with you. This week I will be teaching how to make five things:
1. Duct Tape book bag
2. Bike Chain Bracelet
3. Emeril's Chili
4. Cinnamon Rolls
5. Duct Tape Wallet
Now, aren't you excited?
Come back tomorrow and learn a new skill to amaze your friends!
I have a blogging goal this week. Over the past while I've been taking pictures of things I've been doing including food I've made so that I could share them with you. This week I will be teaching how to make five things:
1. Duct Tape book bag
2. Bike Chain Bracelet
3. Emeril's Chili
4. Cinnamon Rolls5. Duct Tape Wallet
Now, aren't you excited?Come back tomorrow and learn a new skill to amaze your friends!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Big Day and a Guest
Today is MY BIRTHDAY!
So far it's been the best birthday ever!
Cycle Guy got up early and made lunches for the kids and then they brought gifts and cake into my room for breakfast.
Fashionista made me the coolest "business cards" My title is "Best Mom Ever" and there are flowers and cyclists on it. Perfect.
And Cycle Guy himself made yes made me a bracelet out of bike chains!!!
I'm loved!
Now, he and I are off to the city for Dim Sum, REI, and bookstores!
And...
Today is a special day for another reason.
Remember JoLyn from a year of happy and The Blog Cafe? She is my sister and I am a guest blogger at her place today. Click here to read about tulips and immodest ice cream cones.
I hope you have as great a day as I'm having!!!
Love, Jenny
So far it's been the best birthday ever!Cycle Guy got up early and made lunches for the kids and then they brought gifts and cake into my room for breakfast.
Fashionista made me the coolest "business cards" My title is "Best Mom Ever" and there are flowers and cyclists on it. Perfect.
And Cycle Guy himself made yes made me a bracelet out of bike chains!!!
I'm loved!
Now, he and I are off to the city for Dim Sum, REI, and bookstores!
And...
Today is a special day for another reason.
Remember JoLyn from a year of happy and The Blog Cafe? She is my sister and I am a guest blogger at her place today. Click here to read about tulips and immodest ice cream cones.
I hope you have as great a day as I'm having!!!Love, Jenny
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Cristiano's and The Blog Cafe
It's a great day to gather at The Blog Cafe!
If you are new to The Blog Cafe, you can find an introduction at
http://www.ayearofhappy.com/the-blog-cafe.html
It's like a group of friends old and new gathering at a favorite place for food and fun.
Originally, Cristiano's was a cozy little bistro serving incredible salads and delicious pizza. It has long been a favorite lunch spot of mine. The first time I took Cycle Guy there, he looked around wondering what I was doing to him. The term "other fish in the sea" suddenly lost all meaning as he began to drown in a sea of women. Business lunches, friends out for soup and salad, and young mom's with preschoolers in tow filled the restaurant.Things have changed, for the better. Cristiano's has doubled their space, still a cozy bistro just bigger. Even then you can expect it to be crowded. It's that good. And... there are as many men gathering now as women. We just couldn't keep our secret any longer. Oh you'll still see friends out for a chat with toddlers in tow but the male crowd is as great as the female one now. It's just that good.
Today we'll start with some of my favorite,
The deep fried cheese ravioli appetizer.
The deep fried cheese ravioli appetizer.It comes with a pesto asiago dipping sauce and chunky marinara.
And while we wait for our salad and pizza, we can visit and color. 
When you bring kids with you they automatically put paper on the table and bring you crayons, but all you have to do is ask and you can get them even without the little ones.
The salads at Cristiano's are their premier dish.
They are huge and chock full of goodness.
Look at all that cheese!
This is the Mediterranean Salad with Feta cheese and Greek dressing.
The bread sticks are chewy in the middle, with a crunchy Parmesan crust... fabulous.
This is the Caesar Salad loaded with Parmesan Cheese.
It's your choice... dressing on the side or tossed in, grilled chicken or no.
Then there's the pizza...
Real cheese, stretchy and hot, covering a thick chewy crust and whatever other toppings you choose.
When you bring kids with you they automatically put paper on the table and bring you crayons, but all you have to do is ask and you can get them even without the little ones.The salads at Cristiano's are their premier dish.
They are huge and chock full of goodness.
Look at all that cheese!This is the Mediterranean Salad with Feta cheese and Greek dressing.
The bread sticks are chewy in the middle, with a crunchy Parmesan crust... fabulous.
This is the Caesar Salad loaded with Parmesan Cheese.It's your choice... dressing on the side or tossed in, grilled chicken or no.
Then there's the pizza...
Real cheese, stretchy and hot, covering a thick chewy crust and whatever other toppings you choose.I reserved a virtual table at Cristiano's ALL day and I hope you'll come over and sit a spell.
So, let's talk about kids and adults... I think there are some things I wish kids knew about grown ups.
I spend one morning each week helping in Fashionista's 5th grade classroom. She has a fabulous teacher who has a way of getting the kids excited about education. From brains to fractions, this lady can sell it.
One day as I was correcting math papers I asked her a question I had about one of their worksheets. I wasn't sure if I should mark something wrong, it was so close to being correct. She looked it over and said, "Oh, darn it, we'll have to mark it wrong." She felt sincerely sorry that they got it wrong. The empathy and compassion I felt from her was amazing and that's when I realized that this teacher really cares about how her students do in school. I wish I had known that when I was a kid.
That got me thinking. What are some things I wish my kids understood about me? Like:
...I don't feel any different on the inside than I felt when I was younger.
...I've never been a parent before and I'm learning as I go, doing the best I can.
...I've been where they are right now, I really do have some of the answers.
...The adults in their lives care about them. We are trying to help them succeed, not waiting to see them fail.
...When they mess up we are sorry for their pain and want to help it get better. Remember when a kiss made the tears go away?
What do you wish kids knew about grown ups? Be serious or funny... I'm interested in hearing your thoughts!
And if you'd like to host the Cafe one week, please email us at:theblogcafe@yahoo.com
We'll get you on the list and give you a hosting date!
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