Happy Easter and Weekend Wrap Up

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!  We definitely DID!  Yesterday afternoon we got together with friends and had a very delicious meal!  Every year I am responsible for making this dessert called Cherry-Berries on a Cloud.   I only make this once a year for Easter because it is quite involved.  Once I get to eat a bite of it, I remember why I am asked to make this every.single.year.  It is so good that it is worth all the fuss to make it!  I promise!

Here is the recipe.  It is from Betty Crocker.  Only thing I do differently (because I am lazy) is I use a whole 8oz package of cream cheese vs. the 6oz the recipe calls for.   It is a recipe that I start making on Saturday morning for an Easter supper!

In addition to making this fabulous dessert and some other side dishes to bring to the dinner I was also busy working on my front porch area...

Friday I started laying pavers to solve my nothing-grows-here-so-my-kids-are-always-digging-up-my-front-yard problem.

It took me a while to dig the area up, a good 5-7 inches deep.  And my kids were off school so you know I got *so* much help!  They did think they were helping.  The rest of my Friday looked like this: a trip to the hardware store, a quick dinner, baseball practice, then I totally forgot that I volunteered to work the nursery at church (it worked out that no kids came...but still!  I was so embarrassed.), more paver work, quick shower, and then off to the grocery store at 9pm to do the shopping for Easter and the week.  My back is still aching from shoveling the heavy mud.  I got one side laid out and I still have to cut the pavers for the other side.

Earlier on Friday I went to yoga, finished up a little sewing...

I have been working on a few sewing projects for my daughter, Stella.  This one is a cute skort.  I will be putting a tutorial together for you real soon.  I made a couple different skorts last week!

Saturday I did our taxes all.day.long.  Except for the parts where I made that fabulous dessert!  Our taxes aren't hard to do.  I do them every year.  But our paperwork was a mess and I had a lot to update in our accounts before I could make much progress.  Do you do your own taxes?  Am I the only one??

Oh, then of course I had to get ready for Easter morning!  Putting candy and little toys in baskets because the kids love this on Sunday morning!

The rest of Sunday was church, finishing up food, and snapping some pictures of the kids in the backyard.  I totally wish I knew how to edit these to look awesome!

Things we didn't get done and are on my to-do list this week:  fix leaking toilet, fix leaking gutter, finish pavers, finish and file the taxes, get oil changed in van and alignment fixed, cleaning, & drop off recycling.  Not sure what I will get done with three baseball games this week for Nicholas and a gymnastics lesson for Stella.

The kids don't have school today so I am not sure what we will get into!  I really want to see if the new library is open.  Or maybe we will hang out here and they can help me split pavers!

Pinterest and Blogging- ideas to be better at both

First, a short while back I read this post at Living Locurto and this one at Stitched Simplicity.

Really got me thinking...

Next, I discovered, after looking at my blog stats, that there were some "pins" linked to my blog with images I had used (and CLEARLY and PROPERLY sourced) from another blog.  That's when I KNEW it was time that I rethink this Pinterest thing.  Like this post, for instance.

Don't get me wrong.  I {heart} Pinterest in so many ways!  I really do.  I am not ditching Pinterest.

I have devised a "new" way to pin.  I thought I would share it with you.

Here's my new way to pin images in Pinterest:
1.  Pin from the original source.  As a courtesy, I do this.  But Pinterest does maintain the original source on repins, too.  It takes two more seconds to go to the source site.  I have the Pin It Bookmarklet installed in my web browser toolbar which makes it very easy to do this.
2.  I type the blog's name in the description of the pin.  Such as, "Awesome craft ideas from Someone Else's Awesome Blog".  A couple examples here and here and here.

Here's how I source images on my blog:

1.  Text explanation and/or reference.  Such as "Source:  Someone Else's Awesome Blog" or "I saw this awesome craft at Someone Else's Awesome Blog"

2.  Links to their blog.  Where I have typed the blog's name, I hyper-link to that blog.  

3.  Link the image.  In Blogger it is easy to link the image to a website.  I always make sure that the image links to their blog.  (vs. to my Pinterest boards or the generic Picasa Web Album that you get with Blogger)

4.  I will be more inclined to use another person's image if it is watermarked.  I will most likely opt for a text link only unless I can't avoid it.  In that case, I will ask that the image be pinned from it's original source.

Another step I am making a better effort with is watermarking my images.  If I even think it has the potential of being pinned, I am watermarking it.  

Now I *just* started doing this.  And I won't always be 100%.  But I am certainly trying my hardest to be Pinterest friendly with my blog.

I just *never* want to give the appearance that I am being careless with crediting images on my blog, pinning awesome ideas, or intentionally using someone else's awesome photo to gain pins/repins/page hits.  Because I am not.

And let me be honest here- a good portion of my blog's traffic comes from Pinterest.  Love that!  So please, pin away!  But I feel my stomach sink when I see that an image has been pinned in which I clearly stated was not mine.  I start worrying that the other blogger is going to be mad or think "why should she get traffic from my picture? I should be getting the traffic!"  And she would be right.  I am just trying to do

By the way, if you should decide you don't want any of your images pinned, you can add this code that Pinterest has provided.

I hope this is helpful or gets you thinking...
                    Have you tried any new ways to pin or credit photos on your blog?  I'd love to know.  I'm trying to stay "friendly" on both fronts- Pinterest and Blogging : )



Linking here:
~ Today's Creative ~ Mommy by Day Crafter by Night ~ Jillify It ~

Sunshine Award for moi!

What a nice surprise to get the Sunshine Award from Randee at Randee's Organized Chaos.  I just love that girl!  I learned that she lives a few hours away from me.  I will be checking on her throughout tornado season!!

This is the award:

And now, as a recipient of this delightful award, I have a few rules to follow:

• Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog. See above.
• Answer 10 questions about yourself. See below.
• Nominate 10-12 other fabulous bloggers. See my list below.
• Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated. So happy to share the love!
• Share the love and link the person who nominated you.

1.  Favorite color?.....Blue
2.  Favorite animal?.....probably a dog
3.  Favorite number?.....4
4.  Favorite non-alcoholic drink?.....sweet tea
5.  Prefer Facebook or Twitter?.....neither really, but I don't do Twitter (yet)
6.  My passion?.....Honestly don't know what my "passion" is.  I have a LOT of interests.  Too many, I'm sure.  Perhaps I have a passion for learning new things.
7.  Prefer giving or getting presents?.....Oh, giving them!  (and I swear am not just saying that so you think I am super sweet!)  Especially if I make the gift!  I love shopping for gifts, too.  I try really hard to choose a thoughtful gift.
8.  Favorite pattern?.....Quatrefoil, at the moment.
9.  Favorite day of the week?.....FRIDAY, Friday, friday!
10.  Favorite flower?.....Fabric flowers : )

I wanted to highlight some "newer" (That term is all relative, I suppose.) blogs that I have run across in the recent weeks and months and are now in my "gotta read" list.  I like to check in with these gals as often as I can and see all they are up to.  Thought I would share my new reads with you and share this Sunshine Award with them today!

Momma to Binks and Bubble
A Crafty Bee
Goings On at the Glens
Mishshell
Glitter and Grunge
A Contented, Common Life
Oh Craft!
Among Other Things...
Dotted Line Crafts
Sew Easy Being Green

{Printable} Kids Thank You Notes

Well the party is over.  The presents are being played with.  Cake is looong gone.  Now we "write" thank you cards.

I wasn't sure how many of the blanks my daughter would fill in but she actually enjoyed writing her letters and hand wrote all of them!  We broke it up over three days tackling a few at a each time.  I wanted to mail them out by two weeks after her party. (Isn't that the etiquette?)

So cute!  It says:  Dear (blank)  Thank you for the (blank).  I love it because (blank). From (blank).

I just helped her spell the words that she wanted to put in the blanks.

Her "blanks" were pretty cute.

Click these images for your own printable KIDS THANK YOU CARDS:

I made one with boyish colors for you, too!

                                                                                      

If you have trouble downloading these let me know.

Linking here:

~ Sew Much Ado ~ Ginger Snap Crafts ~Somewhat Simple ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ A Creative Princess ~ Momnivore’s Dilemma ~ Yesterday on Tuesday ~ Saved by Love Creations ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The 36^th Avenue ~ A Glimpse Inside ~ Between U and Me ~ Train to Crazy ~ Skip to My Lou ~ Mad in Crafts ~ C.R.A.F.T. ~ Making the World Cuter ~ The Girl Creative ~ Keeping it Simple ~ Sew Chatty ~ Sew Can Do ~ Gunny Sack ~

Sea World and San Antonio {Spring Break 2012}

We went to Sea World in San Antonio, TX!!

And I must share...this was the trip of DEALS!

It was a lot of fun!  We all really enjoyed the shows.  And no, we didn't sit in any of the "soak zone" seats!  It was such a great trip to take with the kids at their ages.  We rented a double stroller for the day and it was the best $18 decision we made all day.  We got a DEAL on the admission to the park (as in free...military members can get free admission one day per year!) so I figured I could splurge on the stroller.

After Sea World, we changed hotels and stayed on the San Antonio Riverwalk.  I don't know if the kids enjoyed it as much as I did.  It is really a good thing my husband and I have been to San Antonio tons of times before because the kids were mostly interested in the hotel pool!  We didn't even take them inside the Alamo.   Just a picture out front is all we could manage.

Have you been to San Antonio?  You know the little boat tour that goes up and down the river?  We hyped it up to the kids and took them on it the first afternoon we were there.  I don't think they appreciated it as much as we did though.

Since the fall, my husband has been traveling so much for work that he is already a "gold" member at Marriott hotels...I was so surprised to learn that he earned us an upgraded room, free breakfasts, free wi-fi, and free appetizers-in-the-evenings-that-we-totally-made-into-our-dinner.  So that was the DEAL with the hotel on the river.

The night before we left home, I saw a Groupon for a double decker bus tour around the city and snatched that DEAL right up!  We took that on Friday morning.

We were able to hop on and off to see some sights and there was even free bottled water on the buses.

While we were in San Antonio there was a DEAL on Urban Dealights (similar to Groupon) for a restaurant on the Riverwalk!   I made sure we ate lunch there for half price.

OH and I almost forgot this DEAL:  I checked with the Denny's near our hotel at SeaWorld and kids eat free on Tuesdays!  Found out about this here - a website that has lists of places where kids eat free!

Now we are back home to a leaking toilet, a yard full of weeds, piles of laundry, and an empty fridge.  It will probably take me all week to get back into a routine here!