Hello Winter

This picture evokes so much emotion in me, I can't tell you! I LOVE IT! Makes me sigh and reach for a cup of warm joe! Tis the season and the first snowfall....

xoxo

Love, Rock and Whimsy

Dreams of adventure, in photo story form

How do you create a life full of Love, Rock and Whimsy? You fill it with things you love. With things that spark your creativity. With things that make you feel a little bit like a rock-star. And with the beautiful, magic little things in life that bring you bliss.

Of course, cramming those things in when you also need to eat, sleep, earn a living and all those other little things can be tricky. Actually, finding time the time for those things at all can completely fall by the wayside, if you let life start spinning past you.
That’s why, today, I’m posting a photo story of some of the interesting, adventurous, fun and frivolous things I’d love to add to my life to make it sparkle…

Learn photography. Whether that means taking a weekend class, an online course, or devouring a bunch of books from the library. And putting it into practice! Start snapping!

Dedicate time to writing. Journaling, blogging, and finally starting that novel or book. Writing is a huge part of who I am, and I need to really start embracing it.

Read more. I say I’m going to do this every year, but I pretty much always let it slip, aside from the odd fits and bursts. No-one ever became an amazing writer without reading a bunch of amazing books.

Create a nest to-die-for. Seriously, your space has such an impact on your life - so I’m psyched to create a space that really nurtures my spirit and brings me joy. This might even involve exploring that interior design course I’ve always thought about taking…

Get in touch with my inner French-girl. I’ve always wanted to confirm rumours that my grandfather’s ancestry has French roots, so maybe a little research is in order. I’d also love to learn the language. And embrace a more ‘French’ approach to life and confidence. They’re so… how do you say… chic.

Roller Derby, baby! I’m not going to lie. Although the idea of roller derby is amazing and exciting to me - the thought of actually going out there and doing it scares the bejesus out of me. Which is probably the perfect reason to actually do it.  

Take a dance class.  I think what attracts me to hip hop is the sense of fun and confidence you’d get from mastering (or at least trying) them. Until then I shall stick to Zumba!           

Learn guitar. I’ve always loved music (I was totally a trumpet bandgeek at high school), and what could possibly be more rockstar than playing amazing riffs on a hot pink guitar? Step one… find out what a riff is…

Create. That’s right. I love it, and I keep meaning to make time for it, but sometimes the simple act of creating something just for the fun of it doesn’t make the top of my priority list. That’s about to change though, whether it’s in the form of writing, painting, baking, or styling. Creativity begets more creativity. It’s as simple as that.

Inject a little more rockabilly into my personal style. I adore rockabilly style, but never feel brave enough to rock it. Maybe if I start with some cute cardigans, a little leopard-print here, a dangerously high heel there…

Take a cooking class. Think Liberty Lakes Hottest Home Baker meets Julia Child. I could even cook my way through a recipe book, like that film, Julie & Julia. Fun!

Travel. Road trips and plane trips and train rides, oh my! I want to start seeing the world, as well as my own backyard, and there’s no time like to present to start turning those dreams and what-ifs into realities and making that happen. Oh, and I want to look uber-fabulous while I’m doing it too…

Be beautifully tattooed.
             
So there you have it! All my dreams and desires for a more interesting and adventurous and amazingly fabulous life, in photo-story form. I’ll be keeping you up to date on how things progress. First things first though - looks like I have a little research to undertake this week!

Sweet Potato Casserole..."Dont tell mom, but this is the best I've ever had."

With the holidays being right around the corner I decided to let you in on my little secret...

THE BEST TASTING Sweet Potato CASSEROLE EVER!
Serves 8

3 cups sweet potato (mashed) 1 cup sugar 14 cup evaporated milk 2 beaten eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup butter (cubed)

1 cup coconut 1 cup nuts (chopped) ...We have family with nut allergies so I do it without 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup softened butter 1/2 cup flour

1	Preheat oven to 300º.
2	Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Boil until tender, then mash.
3	Add next 6 ingredients and mix with an electric mixer. Pour into greased 8x8 baking dish.
4	Mix topping ingredients and crumble on top of potato mixture.
5	Bake 30 minutes.

Everyone at Thanksgiving said "Keep THAT recipe"  "Don't tell my mom, but this is the best I've ever had". Truly, it's wonderful. I make it  a day ahead, (well actually my husband does!) then just take it out of the fridge and bake it about 5 minutes longer.

It's delicious!


Oh and one more thing...

I used to hate kid's tables when I was a kid.
I wanted to be with the grown ups, I mean that's where the good conversations where and also the good food.
I always think you should serve the kids the same as you serve the adults. Don't do the pizza and hot dog thing, give them real food.Anyway, I came across this kid's table for Country Living.
You just cover the surface with kraft paper and set out little pots of crayon to tic-tac-toe.
Stamp  paper for place cards and use a marker to make place settings.
And the best thing is the cleanup after, just throw away the tablecloth.
Have a fab weekend darlings.

xoxo

She's BACK!

Alright, it's been WAY too long! I'm sorry and really truly hope not everyone has given up on this Sugar Fairy! Life has been hectic, and exciting and I can't complain one bit! Weddings, birthday parties and a fabulous anniversary celebration have occupied my last couple months! Okay enough excuses here it is.....

 Greyson's "little man" party

It was such a fun party to see come together! It was all of Greyson's favorite things! Cookies, marshmallows, fruit, pj and j and popcorn OH MY!

Instead of goody bags full of randomness everyone took home a bag from the marshmallow bar! And remember the bow tie tutorial? Yes we tested it out, and all of the "little men" wore home a darling bow tie and the "little ladies" got a rosette! There was a photo booth, bean bag toss and baseball throw! Greyson was in heaven!

We couldn't have asked for better summer weather! It was a gorgeous September day and he was a very lucky "little man" to have so many people come celebrate with him!

and Martha....aka me, well I couldn't have pulled this off without the help of Harper and Mother Mary! I love them to the moon!