I was featured on Utah Deal Diva for my Adopt a Puppy Party!

Guess what? I was featured today on The Utah Deal Diva blog for my daughter's Adopt a Puppy Party. You need to check out her site. You know me, I love a deal and use coupons so I am a follower of her blog. Thanks for the flattering and kind words Jessica.

My glitter toes!

I love to get mani and pedi's every summer. I haven't been to the day spa this summer but that hasn't stopped me from some fun at home pedicures. I feel naked with out my toes painted. Know what I mean? So, I gave myself a new twist this week. I added glitter nail polish to my toes. Wahh laaa glitter toes. I posted this because my mom is in town and said you should put this idea on your blog....so here ya go. My version of salon glitter toes for less.

Our farmer's market success!!

Well, we did it last weekend. We sold EVERYTHING we brought to the farmer's market last Saturday. We were pleasantly surprised. My husband and I didn't sleep well in anticipation of missing our alarm clock. We sprang out of bed at 6:30 a.m. and showered and were out the door at 7 a.m. We said a prayer in the truck for God's will to be done in selling our produce and that others would benefit from it. Then we drove nervously down the road with our truck full of organic and pesticide-free fruits and veggies.

We set up and were ready to sell by 8 a.m. (that's our tent above) It was slow from 8-8:3o a.m. then it picked up. It was a nice morning in the high 70's. It got hoppin' by about 9-9:30 a.m. Folks were asking lots of questions on the unique items we grew. It was fun to interact with strangers, use my selling skills, and explain the yummy organic and heirloom seeds we grew. A few friends came down to support us and that was fun to see familiar faces. We sold out of everything by 10:45 a.m. Then we packed up and went home. It's funny I thought to myself....this sure beats selling stuff at a garage sale in our driveway. We made about $300 after our expenses. WOW!

So guess what we'll be back for week 2 tomorrow at the farmer's market. I post this information not to brag....but to inspire anyone with a money making dream. If you have an idea and it's medium risk GO FOR IT! We are really happy we turned a hobby into a money making opportunity.

I hope this week we have the same success. I believe farming is a risk but it can pay off too. But I'll think positive and see what happens on week 2. Plus, I always love some extra fun money in the family budget. I am always looking and wishing we can go on a trip! I hope my hubby reads this....A CRUISE please!!!!!

Fun for the the kids while you get something done outside.

Do you need to get some outdoor weeding done this weekend? Well then....Get out the paint supplies and have the kids make shapes with water on the driveway. This entertained my kiddos while I weeded the front yard yesterday. I had to share. Have a nice weekend.

Recycling and reusing egg cartons

4 ways to use egg cartons!

1- My kids LOVE to paint so I have been using egg cartons (instead of paper plates) for the paint cups. The egg cartons can be used again and again. The paint dries but you can add fresh paint over it. It is sure easier to clean up and and less waste!

2- Ya'll know I love growing seeds indoors in our grow light system. I am thinking I might save some egg cartons over the winter and grow some seeds in them this spring.

3- Egg cartons make great counting and sorting game cups. They are perfect for bead counting etc.

4- When they get broken and old I will throw them in the garden compost pile. What a great "brown" addition to your compost. Till them in the soil and wahhlaa more compost.

Thanks to The suburban jungle for the picture and ideas!

Flower hair bows

My daughter's love to have their hair done. So for school this year (and for friend gifts) we made white, hot pink, reddish maroon, and light pink flower hair bows.The supplies!

$4.00 flower bunches- I bought 4 bunches of flowers for $1.00 each from the dollar store with about 6-9 flowers in a bunch.
$ 0.00 Glue sticks & gun (I already had them)
$3-4.00 A pack of jewels for center of flowers- Purchased from Michael's-Use a coupon for 40% off one regular priced item
$0.00 old jeweled earrings from Grandma
$5.39 box of Alligator hair clips- Purchased from Sally Beauty supply (Walmart & Target don't sell them)

I had some old earrings & fake pearl necklaces from my husband's grandma who passed away a few years back. We removed the clip on earring part and used them as the flower center. This white jeweled one is my favorite. They are easy to make. We removed the stem part of the flower and glued the petals to the alligator clip (sometimes twice). TIP- Make sure the glue doesn't' ooze onto the underside of the clip and get stuck.

We made 28 flower clips for about $13.39 during nap time! My daughters were thrilled and want to give one to every girl cousin and girl neighbor for their birthdays. We had a great time making them. They are easy and cute too.

A little about me..from back in the day.

Have you read my About me post found HERE?

My mother was my main influence to my career choice of being an Interior Designer. She encouraged me in my teens to use my artistic ability in new ways and to just GO FOR IT. While I was vacationing at her house this summer I was remind of one of my teenage design projects. So, I took a picture for you to see. We redid my bedroom in an ivy theme. Stencils were in and so was dark green. Check it out! So mid 1990's huh? We were a mother/daughter team and I learned how to paint, strip furniture, sand, and stencil. I also learned patience with stenciling, it wasn't easy to get even. I look forward to many of these types of decor projects with my girls as they grow. If you have teens or tweens what have you done with them lately to encourage their creativity? Please share both girl and boy ideas.

A mothering thought for ALL mothers

I came across this thought on The Lazy Organizer's blog. It hit home to me on the importance of being THERE (home) to raise my kids. Recently, I have been presented with a job offer to work part time designing homes. When I read this quote I felt it spoke to me personally. My kids need me and I NEED them. So my time to design will have to wait till later. I thought I would share this with you today in case you are facing some similar decisions. Keep up the good mothering everyone.

Quote: "Home is where the heart is. Home is where we learn to work and get along. Home is where we are nourished physically, mentally and spiritually."

"The germ of the oak is nourished and protected by the substance of the acorn until it is strong enough to draw its food directly from the earth, and to withstand the tempest and the scorching sun.

When the mother shades the windows of the nursery, she but unconsciously imitates the Creator of her child, who through the institution of home has shut from his feeble and nascent mind the flashing colors of the too brilliant world."

Our Home, The Key to a Nobler Life by C. E. Sargent A. M.

Our garden August 2009...now we are selling some of our produce at a Farmer's Market!

Our organic garden in late May.

Our garden on August 19th, 2009 from the same vantage point as the May photo. Our yummy bi-color sweet corn blocks the full view. A view from the other direction showing our exotic melon patch. We grew all our melons from seed. See my post HERE about the different varieties of melons.

I am very happy on how our garden turned out this year. This is our 4th year growing a garden in this backyard. I give all the credit to my husband. He is the one with the green thumb. I am the preserver, canner, & gardening cooking diva. Yes, that is a self proclaimed domestic title. :0)

We are in full harvesting mode. We are beginning to sell our organic produce at a local farmer's market TOMORROW Saturday, August 22nd. If you are interested in purchasing some of our produce send me an e-mail to designingmotherhood (at) hotmail (dot) com for a list of items and prices (it will change weekly). Here's sneak peek of what we are selling.

We have lots of yummy exotic melons like this called Thai melons. Can you believe the yellow and green inside color? You have to try it.

Utah Blackberries
Sweet green peppers
carrots, beets, Lebanese squash, tomatoes & MORE!!! The list of yummy produce will increase as we enter late August and September.

I am a Tip Junkie! Are you?

I want to give a shout out to one of my favorite sites. http://www.tipjunkie.com If you are in a dark hole and haven't been there you have to click on over there. I am inspired by many things I see on there. It screams Mommy creativity!!! Laurie has a real passion for blogging and "promoting creative women through their ideas and products."

Here's a link that I am interested for Back to school traditions!OUR school starts MONDAY!

Staci's note: This weekend I want to pump the kids up in preparation for school starting on Monday. We'll be getting out our glue gun, iron, and sewing needle for a backpack makeover (see the link above for an example). I love the idea and "blinging" up my daughters back pack. I have some hot pink flowers and possible iron on decals in mind. I'll post the before and after picture ideas when we are done.

Have a great weekend and first day of school! I bet a lot of you have started already. You can still do this project this weekend with me. Are you a Tip Junkie too?

A fun basement!

I was visiting my family in GA this summer and we went to their friends house. Their basement was a party basement and included a: pool table, sports/TV watching area filled with memorabilia galore, a work out room, and a home theater room with a movie screen, and what really caught my eye was the.....

Stage with a Theater curtain-Literally. You really can't see the curtain very well, sorry about the dark photo. Wouldn't your kids love a stage in your basement?

An ABC baby shower

An ABC baby shower for a surprise 5th baby! When you have given all your baby things away and now you are surprised with the news of your 5th baby you need everything from A-Z. This is my sister's baby shower given by her girlfriends in Georgia. It was a fun theme. All the guests were assigned a letter of the alphabet for their gift in their invitation. I wish I had a picture of the invitation, they were cute. Her friends did a wonderful job and thought of all the details. Here's the highlights. It's a BOY!

The baby shower sign in area by the front door. It's a baby calendar. You can write a note to mom and baby on the day of your choice. I wrote on my birthday. I wrote on a random note to the baby to snuggle his mommy for me because I miss my sister. We live 2000 miles from each other. Boo hoo.The ABC food table

Table decorations were: clear vases with colorful gumballs, ABC letter on stick and flowers, blocks for the center piece, and a few small stuffed animalsI liked these edible gumball centerpieces. You can use the glass containers for lots of other occasions too.They served lots of great food including yummy ABC cupcakes with letters and sprinkles on them.They also served Alphabet cereal in paper cups on a cupcake tier type holder.

A friendly copyright reminder!!

Hello again,

I feel the need to comment on my blog copyright. This blog is my effort to share and inspire other mothers to be creative, have fun, cook, and enjoy the journey of mothering and designing our lives. I do this as a hobby and don't get paid for this mommy outlet. I would appreciate your blogging respect by not publishing my pictures or text WITHOUT my permission.

But please feel free to copy any of my ideas in your home. I am speaking in general here and not at one person: It's NOT cool to copy and paste my wording, pictures, or ideas and claim them as your own with out my permission. In the blogging world we need to give credit to the person who came up with the idea, photo, verbiage, etc.

If you are inspired by my ideas and want to publish them on your blog simply e-mail me at designingmotherhood(at)hotmail(dot)com and ask my permission. It's a compliment so send me an e-mail.

But again, please DON'T copy my photos or text without my permission. It's unethical. Thanks for letting me take care of that item of business. Now on to more fun blogging. Staci

My search for healthy, yummy, edible, school lunch box ideas

I have begun my online recipe search for school lunch box ideas. I receive e-mails on my children's development from www.babycenter.com and they had some interesting lunch box ideas. It helped me to get the ball rolling. I want to know what you pack for your kids that is healthy, tasty, and fun for lunch boxes. Please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail. Thanks a bunch! Staci

Here's one I found that caught my eye!
Veggie Wrap Roll-ups With Cream Cheese from www.babycenter.com
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Sandwich wraps now come in a variety of flavors and colors -- we like to use whole wheat, roasted red pepper, or spinach wraps.

Ingredients

2 sandwich wraps or flour tortillas
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1 tomato, very finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, very finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into very thin slices

Preparations

Place each wrap on a plate and spread the entire surface of each with cream cheese. Place the tomato, cucumber, and pepper evenly over the cream cheese. Roll each wrap up from one end, and cut roll-ups into four or five pieces to reveal the spiral pattern inside. (Makes 2 servings)

Variations

You can also add grated carrot, shredded lettuce, or chopped red onion to the roll-ups. If you prefer, use low-fat or nonfat cream cheese.

A Question!

Amanda wrote and asked, "Do you ever want to try growing something new in your garden? I ask because every spring I always want to try something new, but sometimes I need some inspiration! Two years ago I grew tomatillos, but this year we moved and I barely got a garden in. So... I am trying to decide for next year."

Stacy's answer: Yes, we have been growing a garden for 4 years in this house. Each year we add something new. Here's the new stuff we grew from seed in our basement. I starred** the new items.
Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, **pineapple heirloom tomatoes,** brandy wine tomatoes, whopper tomatoes, sugary tomatoes, zucchini, crookneck, **Lebanese squash, many many watermelon varieties, **tiger melon,** golden thai melon, **collective farm woman melon (Russian variety), **Charantias melon (French melon), **Prescott fond blanc (French Melon), bell peppers, **huckleberries, cantaloupe, spinach, lettuce, eggplant, Hungarian wax hot peppers, cucumbers.

Here's a picture of our new Thai Melon. Isn't it a pretty melon?

We grew other new stuff (but not from seed) including: Gooseberries, Goliath strawberries, asparagus, blueberries, honey berries, kiwi (yes I wrote that), dewberries, and 5 varieties of grapes.

We purchase from various seed catalogs including:
www.rareseeds.com
www.eburgess.com
www.gurney.com
www.parkseed.com

My husband and I's gardening philosophy is GROW what you'll eat and share (or preserve/can)! Start small then you will see if you like the new items. Order some seed catalogs and have fun dreaming of what can grow in your gardening zone. Thanks for the question!

Ariel Mermaid Cake

An end of summer Ariel 5th birthday party cake. It was a pool party!
My creative mom made this cake for my niece. Check out the crumbled graham cracker on top for sand, sea shells, flounder, and Swedish fish in the sea.

My first blog reader question!

Woo hoo I have my first blog reader question!
This is from Vicki:
"Have you heard about the local food co-ops here in Utah?" "Do you know if they are good?"

Staci's reply:
Why yes, I have heard of them! One of my blog followers, Norah is actively involved in CSA's and I have learned a lot from her blog. Check out her personal blog posts and pictures on this topic:

Norah's Recipes

Thanks Norah for the picture of one of your co-op purchases.

Another site full of information:

http://www.eastfarms.net/about.htm

I personally don't have a first hand experience with the co-ops because we grow a big garden ourselves. I hear great things from my 3 friends who are participating this year. The pictures from Norah's blog look really yummy and the price is about $16.5oish for two weeks. I feel it's important to support local farmers and this is a great program. So on that note why not head out to your local farmer's market this weekend and BUY LOCAL. Thanks for the question Vicki.

Tootin' my own stay at home mom horn.

We all know that I am a stay at home mom. In my opinion, it's the hardest job in the world with many benefits and challenges a like. I knew I wouldn't get an official pay check, per say. I don't receive a cost of living raise, no official promotions (I'll be a grandma some day though), no paid time off, or pats on the backs from coworkers for a job well done.

So, I sometimes I gather my daughters around my stay at home mommy work accomplishments. It ranges from a nicely mopped kitchen floor, a spotlessly clean kitchen stove top, an organized garage, an organized closet, and they clap for me. I also make my kiddos thank me and kiss me on the cheek for dinner each night. I want them to be grateful for what I do as a stay at home mom for our family. I believe I am teaching them gratitude for the little daily things. Plus, they are happy to pass out praise so it's a win WIN situation.
My proud clean stove top!

So here's me tootin' my own horn here on my blog. Way to go ME! If you feel inclined clap for me now and then click onto the next blog. Trust me it's been great stay at home mom therapy with this exercise of gratitude with my kids. ;0) Staci

My husband and I canned white beets from our garden during nap time last Saturday. I also have been making zucchini bread and freezing it.

My husband and I made plum jam, canned plums, and froze some blackberries after the kids went to bed till midnight one night this week. The blackberries are in a bag in back of the picture).

I made apricot jam with my mother in law and a friend. Yum!

Be inspired, toot your own personal horn today and teach the kids a valuable lesson...Be grateful for daily stuff mom does for us. It is worth recognition and praise.

Ask Staci a question!

Hi,

I wanted to write a personal message today. Thanks again for following my blog, I love to share ideas, insights, good deals, and fun times. So, thanks to my whoppin' 17 public blog followers and a shout out to my shy followers too. I am glad you stop by my blog.

Ok, so I wanted to throw something out there. Do you have a fun, funny, or random question for me? Well, go ahead send me an email to designingmotherhood(at)hotmail(dot)com

A design question about a room in your house?

A gardening question?

Maybe a random parenting question?

How about a organization question?

What's my favorite dessert?

Whatever! I absolutely LOVE answering questions (I really do, I do this all day with my kids, I am not being sarcastic).

I enjoy actually helping real breathing people in any way I can. After all, that is why I do this blog. So know you aren't bugging me and I read every comment and e-mail. No question is silly and I think if you're asking it, somebody else already has thought to ask it too. Go ahead try ask me! Thanks again for reading. I hope you have been inspired by something and keep coming back for more. Staci ;0)

An abundance of cucumbers!!!

Marinated Cucumbers
From Diana Rattray,Your Guide to Southern U.S. Cuisine.

Cucumbers with a marinade of vinegar, water, dill, sugar, and seasoning.

INGREDIENTS:
4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons chopped dill
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper

PREPARATION:
Combine sliced cucumber with all other ingredients; cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
Marinated cucumbers recipe serves 4 to 6.

Zucchini and Crookneck on the grill!

I came across this recipe from a recipe card at Walmart in their produce section.

Grilled squash with garlic-oregano dressing
This is yummy hot off the grill!
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Serves 4
4 Medium yellow squash, sliced
Note: if the zucchini and squash are too small they will fall in the grill.
3 medium zucchini, sliced
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. pepper, divided
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. capers (optional) I omit this
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1. Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush yellow squash and zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
2. For garlic-oregano dressing, combine red wine vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, capers (if desired), oregano, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

3. Grill on a grill rack coated with nonstick grill cooking spray over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until tender. Drizzle dressing over squash and serve immediately. YUM!

Blustery day fun-Fly a kite in your backyard.

Don't let the wind and clouds get you down this summer! Get out your kite (or buy one) and enjoy a blustery day in the backyard as a family. My kids loved this adventure. Do you see the princess kite way up in the clouds?

A home show grading from Staci

The mantel arrangement is interesting and harmonious in balance. Not a wow factor. They lost a mark for the floating sash on the mantel?! Grade: B+ from Staci

The black tall bureau is a nice statement piece and decorated OK. What's up with the lonely tall candle on the right side of the bureau? Grade: A- from Staci

What grade do you give?

Ah how "perdy" a master bath window treatment.

Here's a simple draped sheer window treatment for a large eyebrow window in that master bathroom. Yes, it's a grand treatment in a grand house. But, the concept can be used in a smaller house with some neat hardware purchased on a budget. Use this as an inspiration in your home. Oh and it's critical to keep the overall scale in mind.

I have the urge to PURGE so I am taking a week off from blogging.

Hello readers. I, Staci herby declare a personal week off from blogging and e-mailing. I am going to work on my personal pack rat tendencies (NOT SHOWN-this is the organized basement area of my basement). I am too embarrassed to show the other area.I am actually looking forward to this adventure. Don't miss me too much, I'll be back. This is our goal by next summer!A finished basement work out room! Note to self: GO FOR IT, PURGE and Organize!!

Can you relate? Do you wig out that you have too much stuff and clean, organize, and purge like a bandit sometimes? I do...and so I am off off to get started.