Mama-ism Update

It has been a while since I posted a Mama-ism. I don't know why. She comes up with gems all the time!

Today we were having devotion and prayer time together over the phone. Wait, I must pause to explain admit that any of my friends who have heard me pray know that I often end with 'bye' instead of amen. My conversations with God are personal and conversational. It isn't uncommon for me to offer the blessing at meal time and thank God for things throughout the day but forget the food. I then add a hasty, "Oh, and thank you for our meal!. Bye!"

Now back to today. Mom prayed after I did. She finished with up, and I was about to speak when I heard her call out with urgency, "Oh wait! Wait Jesus!" before adding a couple of items she had forgotten.

As if Jesus had turned to rush off at the sound of 'amen.'

Now I know where I got it.

Isn't she the most adorable mama ever?

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left, or leave me a comment. 

Sisters in St. Louis

My sister and I are celebrating our birthday month. We decided to get up early last Friday, drive to St. Louis, and go to the Gateway Arch. While Mary has been to St. Louis, I had not. It was the first time to the arch for both of us. The drive is about 5.5 hours each way. 

The first stop was at a mom and pop diner in Corning for breakfast. I have to admit that we were a little excited for a diner breakfast. We were disappointed. Everything was beige, and it tasted just as bland.

 We drove by this abandoned building, and I may or may not have made a u-turn and driven in the wrong direction to get back for this photo.

 Does anyone know what this is? There were two metal boxes on poles near the discarded building. It looks as if there may have been gas pumps between the poles at one time. Maybe the boxes held window cleaner. Any guesses?

Walking up to the arch was pretty exciting for me. The tree lined walk along the Mississippi River was delightful. The temperature was mild, and there was a slight breeze. We couldn't have asked for a better day to spend together.

 The obligatory pictures of the capital and Busch Stadium from the tiny windows at the top of the arch.

Walking away, I had to get another shot with a sunburst. 

We drove through several great neighborhoods. We were surprised to see so many abandoned and burned out buildings. I could envision many of them being renovated into fabulous flats. I could live in this beauty.

 This is a small portion of the Soulard Farmer's Market.

Remember these little boxes from THIS post? We filled more boxes and dropped them in various places on this trip too.

There was a variety of charming shops and homes in the Soulard neighborhood. We deposited a treasure box on the arm of a chair outside this adorable spot.

 The back side of The Porch shop. It's cute on all sides. The flowers on the front and side were lovely.

 The homes had so much charm and character.

We also visited Union Station mall, and the Benton Park neighborhood. Dinner was a stop in Poplar Bluff. It was an enjoyable and silly 23.5 hour trip. (I am NOT posting the video of us dancing in the car on the way home.) Also noteworthy is the fact that neither of us actually died from laughing so hard, but it was touch and go.

Now we are trying to pick a destination for our next outing. We want to stay within a 5-6 hour drive from the Little Rock area.  Any suggestions?


Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email. 

4th of July Free Printables (UPDATED)

Hello beautiful people. As a thank you for all the encouragement I've received to resume my blog, I thought I'd try my hand at simple, yet cute, Fourth of July printables.

Let's start with an invitation to your shindig. The back is blank, 

so you can add your particulars.

Fun Cupcake Toppers and 5X7 Frameables

Drink Labels

A USA Medallion Centerpiece

Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America Frameables

Quirky Preamble Placemats

Decorating Tip: Use a curtain valance and ribbons to dress a decorative table. Tie a short piece of ribbon around napkin wrapped flatware for even more charm. 

What a fun looking table, and don't miss the Instant, No Sew Apron from the previous post, made from the matching valance.

And what would the Fourth of July be without homemade apple pie? 

Find the recipe HERE. 

Now onto the free stuff! Just click on the link below the image to to go to a printable PDF.

CUPCAKE TOPPERS

PREAMBLE PLACEMAT

LARGE MEDALLION CENTER

CUPCAKE TOPPERS & DRINK LABELS

5X7 FRAMEABLES

INVITATION AND 5X7 FRAMEABLE

 Printables are for personal use only. They are not for commercial use.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen, you can "like" my page creative confetti (website)  on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the green widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Southern Salt Food Company (Food Truck) Review

(I totally jacked this picture from their Facebook page!)

Little Rock is hosting Food Truck Fridays at the corner of Capitol and Main. Unfortunately it began in April and only runs a couple of more weeks from 11:00-1:30. June 13th is the last chance to experience this mid-day fun.

There aren't many participating trucks, and they rotate from week to week. Today's offerings were two barbecue trucks (one mainstream, and one of the Asian variety), an Italian Ice cart, and a catfish/poboy truck.

My friends and I were delightfully pleased with Southern Salt Food Company's truck. It's a trailer rather than a truck, and it's quite charming. I didn't actually take a picture of the trailer today because I was too busy eating my lemon Italian ice as I stood in line for my Asian BBQ "cheese steak" sandwich. On site, the owners had taken the time to merchandise and stage the area surrounding their trailer with vintage coolers to hold cold drinks. The folksy props on the ground under the windows added to the ambiance.

The people running the food truck were genial and seemed to be enjoying themselves as well as their customers. That always enhances any experience.

But what about the food, you ask.

It was scrumptious. My Southern Salt "Cheese Steak" was hearty, but not heavy. It had a slight earthy flavor juxtaposition nicely with a savory sweetness. I wasn't sure if I could eat the entire sandwich, but I did. I was satisfied but not overly full. My friend Vicki ate the Loaded Bratwurst, and she was equally satisfied. She enjoyed the un-encased brat surrounded by the BBQ.

I am hoping to make it back to the last two Food Truck Fridays to see what other pickings there are to be had. The only negatives about today would be the deafening roar emitted by the generators of two of the trucks (not SSFC), as well as the fumes. The location is also problematic. While Capital and Main is centrally located, the corner isn't large enough to host many trucks. Then again, that would mean more generator noise and pollution.

Hopefully this trend will catch on. While Little Rock is a small city, I think it can accommodate a hearty food truck business. Even after FTF ends,  I hope to patron Southern Salt Food Company truck again in the future. Click HERE to go to their Facebook page.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then "like" my page creative confetti (website)  on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the green widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Jar o' Pumpkins

I have so much to write about. My planner has been quite full, but that isn't a complaint. I spent the last few years with an anemic calendar, so it's nice to be busy. 

One of the things I've been doing is working at a pumpkin patch on the weekends. I decided to bring home a bunch of pumpkins, including a collection of minis. I put the tiny pumpkins in a large, old jar and placed it on my table. I think it's a darling centerpiece, and one that's easily moved when needed.

Maybe I'll get around to posting pictures of the 15 other pumpkins I got. In the meantime, click HERE or on the picture below to revisit the fabric pumpkin tutorial from the archives.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then "like" my page creative confetti (website)  on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the green widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Creative Ways to Fill Summer Days

I am honored to be a guest blogger at Ponderings of an Elect Exile. Check out my POST on creative, inexpensive ways to add fun to your Summer days. While you're there, be sure to check out Jen's other fabulous posts.

More about my friend Jen from Ponderings of an Elect Exile...

A Simple Wife and Mom with an Extraordinary God!

Jennifer is a simple wife and mom with an extraordinary God! She is the blessedly spoiled wife to Billy and mom to four crazy, highly creative, sometimes cranky, but always amazing children. Their journey has been far from what they ever expected, but God has proven Himself faithful through it all.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the green widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Summer Iced Tea Party

My niece Caitie is part of a trio of best friends that have been together since baby-doll age. These three young women are extraordinary examples of fun-loving, Jesus girls. 

After spending over a decade together, they will be separating next month. Two will go to different universities, and one will join the military before heading to college. 

Caitie asked if we could have a tea party before everyone leaves. Of course it had to be an iced tea party, because who drinks hot tea in the summer in the South?

Our menu included sweet tea- regular and raspberry, zucchini and goat cheese tarts, and sugar cookies. We also served flower shaped cucumber and pink, cream cheese sandwiches, and mini, bite-sized apple & peach pies. 

DECORATING TIP: Add fresh flowers to a tea pot then stack on a plate and candle holder for a darling centerpiece. 

Mini pies stacked on plates and tea cups.

PARTY TIP: Print guest's initials on clear stickers and use as drink markers. You can also use a flower vase as a decanter, and don't forget adorable, paper straws.

Christmas ornaments were used to dress up a blah light fixture.

PARTY DECORATING TIP: Use four dollar store doilies and scrapbook paper to make medallions. I hung three in the kitchen for a festive look. Double the doilies if they are too thin.

DECORATING TIP: Dip dollar store silk flowers in water with food coloring. This will tone down the brightness of the flower. They still looked inexpensive, but these flowers were plopped in a tea pot behind a glass door as background dressing.

We had a "Miss Tea Party" pageant. Everyone was a contestant and had to answer a ridiculous interview question as if it were a real situation. 

PARTY TIP: Make pageant sashes by printing titles on clear, full-sheet stickers and adorn them with stick-on pearls and rhinestones. One page of jeweled accents decorated all six sashes and cost $1.00 at Michaels.

 PARTY TIP: Make a scepter out of a sturdy, cardboard tube from a large roll of aluminum foil. Glue finials to each end and spray paint the whole thing with silver, glitter spray. Once the scepter is dry, add a pink, acrylic drawer pull to finish the look.

I filled tiny jars with sugar scrub as a party favor for each guest. These adorable little jars were bought at a flea market for 25¢ each! 

(Sugar scrub recipe found HERE.)

PARTY TIP: Print monograms on clear stickers and put onto pails with matching tulle for party favor packaging. The pails held the homemade sugar scrub.

Of course we had to have chocolate. The bars were wrapped in paper that matched our color scheme.

We also gave each girl a wire-bound journal wrapped in tissue paper and tulle. 

PARTY TIP: Use a vintage quilt to cover a table for a gorgeous shabby chic accent. I covered the coffee table with this beautiful pink quilt.

Here are the gorgeous guests with their Miss Tea Party titles. Such fun!

While I'm not in the picture, I was voted "Miss Silly", but that's because we didn't have a "Miss Laugh So Hard You Pass Out" title.

We also had a "photo booth" set up in the bathroom. Sure it seemed like an odd choice, but the counter was perfect for holding all the props. The girls also liked having the large mirror to try out the props before they posed. The shower curtain was a perfectly plain backdrop for the photos. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon.


Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.