Strawberries!

Alright, I've been chatting about the Chattanooga move with MG a little bit here and there and we hit a snag this morning... When I told her that she's going to get a new bedroom her face dropped, she held up her little hands and said "but mom, I can't move my bedroom. It's too heavy!". Okay, now what?!
Next try... "Mommy and daddy are getting a new bedroom also and what kind of new bedroom would you like?". Here's the exact response - "A strawberry bedroom, with a strawberry blankie and, hey mom, we could sew it!" And that's why you find me piled high in fabric again even though I should be painting walls and packing clothes. MG designed the quilt (see photo of drawing) and picked out all the reds and pinks (cause "then it's like strawberries & strawberry milk). We had a grand time cutting, pinning and stitching. We even had a well planned intermission for some pink milk. And that's when I realized that the house would get done, the junk would get packed and that a moment with MG was way happier than anything that should have or could have checked off the list. Finished strawberry quilt pics to come...

- HAPPY WEEKEND -

Font Fridays - Featuring Colors

Every week as Friday approaches I start to get antsy about Font Fridays and it seems as though every week something comes up and I miss it. Then I go through the whole "does it count to post a font on Saturday even though it's meant to be on Fridays thing?". Yeah, I'm starting to loose it over here!
Anyway, I've wanted to feature this for a while... especially since it involves fonts and color. Ah, be still my heart. Basically there are several fonts that convert text into blocks of color. So "A" will be pink, "B" blue, etc. The result is sentences of "words" that, instead of being readable, become stunning color-coded thoughts. My dad's blog has a great explanation of the thinking and science behind the concept. Check it out, you may think about how you react to colors a little differently if you do. It's really cool stuff!

Oh and one more goodie... Wilton Foundry is officially Twittering. Trust me it's a happy thing!

- CLEVER COLOR FONTS MAKE ME HAPPY-

South African Fudge Recipe

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, so when my mom made fudge the other day I decided it's time to share another good ol' South African treat. Wish I could say I actually made the fudge in the pic, but alas I can't. I did manage to eat all of it though!
Now for the non-South-Africans (or those not married to one) I need to explain a little about this fudge - it's not "fudge" like American fudge. It's a bit harder and sweeter thanks to the blissful yumminess of condensed milk. So good!
Anyway, here's my granny's recipe. It's an oldie, but goodie and reminds me of sitting on the kitchen counter in our beach house in Little Brak. Ahh good times!

Ingredients:
4 cups of sugar
1 can of condensed milk
2 ounces butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
Pinch of salt
7/8 cup of milk
Put all ingredients into a pot (except condensed milk). Boil 5 minutes from boiling point. Take off stovetop and add condensed milk. Put back on heat and boil for 10-15 minutes until it reaches "soft ball" stage (234-240 degrees). Test at 10 minutes. Put aside for 10 minutes, then beat and pour into a greased pan. Allow to set, cut in squares, enjoy!
- SWEET HAPPY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES -

Happy Jet-Setting

If you haven't heard, JetBlue has an amazing deal called the "All-You-Can-Jet" pass available until August 21st. Basically you can travel anywhere you like, as often as you like, from September 8th till October 8th. For only $599! Please oh please let someone I know do this!! And if you do, please share the happiness with me. I'd love to know where you went and what you saw.

-HAPPY AFFORDABLE JET-SETTING-

Finding Myself & Lost Ideas

Recently I took a personality test and let me tell you it was pretty nerve-wracking! It really forces you to be honest about who you think you are, who you hope you are and who you actually are. Hopefully it's a healthy mix of the three, but let's just say I mustered up a serious complex waiting for the results. Anyway, I'm officially an "Idealist Champion" and it's scary how dead-on the analysis was. On the positive, I like to create things and think big. Unfortunately, I don't always follow through on finishing those ideas. Duh. Did they notice my piles of fabric and bazillion paint chips or did someone tip them off??

So in classic form, I found this nightie on Monday while digging through one of our numerous piles of craziness. It was supposed to be a prototype for a "sleep tightie-nightie" pattern that was going to be part of my kids pajama line... 2 years ago! And truthfully I completely forgot about the whole idea until I found this. Maybe I'll revive the idea once we've settled again, but for now MG has something fun to wear to bed. Hopefully it'll make for happy, sweet dreams!

PS - I highly recommend taking the test if you haven't yet. It's very revealing & super entertaining (especially if you make other people take it too!).

Having the Happy Blues

McB is about to wake up (in fact his little feet are kicking already), so I have to keep this short...
We've had a blue invasion the past couple of days. It all started innocently with my "Big Daddy" hydrangeas finally blooming. Then we took a time out from the house nuttiness to visit the Maritime Aquarium with Auntie Meg and cousin Ivy. Or should I say, they were brave enough to join us! It was lots of fun and the South African penguins were adorable, but I now realize that 2 parents are definitely best for grand outings (especially when there's potting training involved!). Um yeah. And finally, MG took blue to a whole new level with the world's most insanely colored lollipop. Seriously, I probably shouldn't admit to her eating it, but she had a blast and I figured life is way too short to not experience the joy of a blue tongue.
Oo, little McB is up and so is my time...

- MY HAPPY BLUE HEAVEN -

My New Favorite Word is...

SHEETROCK!! Sorry for the quick post, but thought I'd share the joy of having walls with you all. I know it's basic, but trust me, it's thrilling! Since we're trying to list our house for sale by the end of the month, the renovations are in high gear. There's lots of progress - insulation is in, sheetrock's going up and taping is almost finished. It's a little bittersweet, but as I told a friend "it's going to be a really, really great house, just not ours". So if you know of anyone that's looking, we'd really appreciate the word going out! I'll post more info in a bit and the MLS listing as soon as I have it. Happy day to you!
PS - did I mention that the laundry is going to be upstairs? Yeah, that's going to be a toughy to leave behind!