Cottage & Family:
food

The other day I was tea staining a bunch of old lace and linens and decided to save the dryer sheets to try and make some roses with them ~ I was thinking about Barbara Jean at Treasures from the Heart's tutorial on tea bag roses ~

They came out really sweet and are super easy ~

Mine came out the perfect color just by sticking them in the dryer with my wet tea stained linens and lace ~

First you tri fold the dryer sheet lengthwise ~

Then you start to roll and put a dab of hot glue being careful to not burn your fingers ~

Keep on rolling ~

Then when you are done you take a needle and thread and sew through the bottom and then wrap the thread around the base tightly to hold it all together ~ sew through the base again and tie a knot ~

Fluff them out until they look good to you ~

This one I dyed pink with some food coloring ~

Yesterday we spent the day at Animal Kingdom in our tie dye shirts that we made over the summer and posted a while back ~ We looked like such dorks but it was really easy to find each other ~ It was alot of fun seeing the animals on the Safari ride but Expedition Everest was our favorite ~

Here we are even being bigger dorks with our It's a Bug's Life 3-D glasses ~ they are pretty darn cute ~

It rained like crazy in the afternoon at Animal Kingdom ~ of course it was the one day we didn't bring our ponchos ~

This is from the front, my daughter, niece and her fiance ~

Today we went to Epcot and tasted foods from around the world at their wine and cheese festival ~ it was great today because the crowds were super light and there wasn't any rain ~ My favorite country to visit was Italy and Paris but they were all fun ~

Our girls in Italy at Epcot ~

The second half of our California vacation was visiting our family on the central coast ~

My parents live in the home that my grandpa and grandma lived in for a few years ~ They live up on a hill that overlooks 2 towns and it is gorgeous ~ there is something about having an amazing view from your home that is wonderful to a girl living in Texas ~ they also have deer in their yard that I love to see but my parents aren't overly thrilled with them since they tend to try and eat all of their pretty flowers ~

These are hollyhocks that my grandma planted years ago and every year they bloom ~

The area they live in is known for its wineries and olives ~ we didn't go wine tasting this time but we did go to some olive tasting rooms and they were so yummy ! We also went to some of my favorite antique stores and some fun thrift stores ~

Before we left I got to go through my grandma's buttons ~ I remember when I was a little girl loving to see her jars of color coordinated buttons ~ She even took the time with some to thread the like buttons together on a single strand of thread ~ I can't imagine taking the time to do that ~~ it is so neat ~
The jars that she used were old baby food jars and peanut butter jars with the prices of 49 cents still on them ~

Vacation is over for now and it is good to be home ~

Talk to you soon !! I am off to add goodies to my website and catch up ~

Meet Me at the MMP Retreat!

Make Mine Pink presents the first annual Make Mine Pink "Getting Down to Business" retreat in historic Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia on September 19-20, 2008. Join the Women of MMP, who are always willing to welcome, mentor and help build a circle of friendship.

This is an energized opportunity to network, and gain or enhance business knowledge in a fun and inspiring way~ plus we will have lots of fun, great food, great friends, great information! Casual dress required… stuffiness and worries must be left at home! Make an investment in your business today.

I can’t wait ~ won’t you join me?

Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg Lodge
310 S. England Street
Williamsburg, VA 23185
1-800-HISTORY (447-8679)

September 19-20, 2008

~ Steph and her sister, Kristin ~

Wow !!! What a fun day full of mixed emotions ! We took our daughter to college today and helped her move into her dorm room ~ it was so much fun to be met with all of the upper classmen ready to help unload the car and alot of smiling faces ~ The dorms are small but we made it homey for her and then she was off for an awesome few days that they call SWAT ~ it is full of fun, music, food and meeting new friends ~ she is only 40 minutes from home so I am actually hanging in there okay with both girls being out of the house within 2 months ~

~Steph and her roommate ~

This is as we were driving away and she was walking to their first SWAT event ~ she is in the blue shirt ~