Wordless Wednesday: Junior Prom

Another Pinterest Project Completed!

People warned me when I created an account on Pinterest that it can be extremely addicting... and they were right.  The difference, though, between spending an hour on Pinterest and wasting an hour on Facebook or Twitter is that I generally leave my computer with some sort of useful information.

Case in point:

Last week I was perusing and saw this fantastic, yet seemingly super-easy idea for up-cycling candles.  It was the kind of thing that left me saying "why didn't I think of that?"  So yesterday I decided to try it.

Gather candles and liquify.

Pour liquified candle into a clean jar with a new wick.

Eleven old candles became four "new" candles (and lots of pretty, clean jars)!

Enjoying one of my new candles!

Two of the old candles either didn't smell or didn't have enough left to make a good layer, so I just melted them down and dumped them out.

Another great thing about doing this is having all of the jars cleaned out and ready to use for something else!  I think a few of them will find a new home holding embellishments in my craft room.

Thanks to Kara at Happy-Go-Lucky for posting the instructions on her blog!

Happy pinning!

Random Thoughts

I'm sitting in the cafeteria at St. Elizabeth's Hospital waiting for Hannah to be finished with her Speech and OT appointments, and I thought I'd visit my blog and attempt to do a little writing.  It's always a struggle, but here goes...

We are about 99% moved and settled into our new home.  There are just a few "what in the world am I going to put that" boxes left, so I'm feeling pretty good.  It usually takes months to get to this point.

Hannah started at a new school after the Christmas break, and she has transitioned beautifully.  This school has an autism program and, though they're still trying to figure out her placement, I'm very encouraged by what I've seen thus far.  We have an IEP meeting scheduled for later in the month and I'm hoping by then everyone feels good about the decisions that are being made right now.

Hannah on Christmas morning.

Aaron didn't have a great nine weeks, but did great on his semester exams.  He continues to improve on the guitar and I think he enjoys being part of the Praise Band at church.  He is also still working (very part-time) at McDonalds.  He tried out for the part of Raul in the high school's upcoming production of "The Phantom of the Opera", and was disappointed when he didn't get it.  He did get a minor role though, and I think he's realizing that even the smaller parts are still a lot of work.

Aaron on his 17th birthday.

Joshua is doing well in school, in spite of a few mishaps toward the end of this nine weeks (missing assignments).  He has been spending a lot of time with his girlfriend and her family... they are constantly on the go!  A couple of highlights... they went to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Fox Theater in December, and the Globetrotters when they were in St. Louis last month.

Joshua on his 13th birthday.

Phillip is anxious to start his new job at the A6.  He enjoyed the IG, but all the traveling takes it's toll.

I've been editing audio and uploading podcasts for our church.  I find it very interesting, though I've been distracted lately and haven't found a good day/time to sit down and get the work done consistently each week.  I also signed up with Creative Memories (again) a couple weeks ago.  I missed my CM family more than words can say, so I just couldn't stay away any longer.  Technically, I'm still active with Lindt... let's just leave it at that, for now.  I've found myself several "crafty" things to do on Pinterest lately... in fact, I might be layering candles this afternoon.

Time for Hannah to be done... good-bye for now.

Feeling Crafty

I've been browsing Pintrest the past few days, looking for ideas for a make-n-take for a scrapbooking event that I'm participating in on Saturday, and I saw this cute Valentine's Day idea.  It was super-easy, and allowed me to recycle some things I had lying around.

First, I took four wooden blocks out of Hannah's room.  These aren't just ordinary blocks to me... they were hand-made for Aaron when he was about two (I think) by my mother-in-law's father, who passed away a few years ago.  The kids really haven't played with them in quite a while, but I just can't get rid of them... call me sentimental.

Next, I went digging through a box of photos and found several from my wedding that didn't "make it" into the wedding album.  Some were taken from too far away, or the color wasn't perfect, and some were just duplicates.

Then I went through my scrapbooking supplies and found some paper and alphabet stickers (of course, you could cut letters with a Cricut, but I have a ton of sticker letters so that's what I decided to use), grabbed my Square Maker and Mod Podge and got to work.

Ready, set, go!

I inked the edges of the blocks with black Chalking Ink.

Adhered the paper and photos to the blocks with Mod Podge.

Applied a layer of Mod Podge over the top of each side of the blocks.

The finished project!

That's all there is to it!  Thanks to Stories by Me for sharing this great idea!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Mullins family!

As we sit here and ponder of the events of the past year, we can honestly say that God has blessed us in so many ways.  On December 16, 2011, we will officially become home owners!  We will be packing and moving as most of you are reading this letter.  We have discussed buying a house in the past, but it never came to fruition because it was not God’s timing.  Once again, we prayed about the possibility and God opened all the doors.  We are hoping to be completely moved in by the 23^rd so we can spend Christmas in the new house.  

Phillip has had a really busy year.  His job as the lead communications inspector with Air Mobility Command (AMC) Inspector General Inspection team has kept him on the road A LOT!  He has been TDY 19 times this year.  In March, he found out that he made SMSgt and sewed on his new stripe on the 1^st of November!  However, with the new stripe comes a new job that he will be starting in Jan/Feb time frame.  He will be moving back to the AMC Headquarters communications section and will be working as the superintendent of the new technology branch.  It will be a job unlike any other that he has had in his career.  He looks forward to the new challenge and increased responsibilities.    
 
Patty has enjoyed being more involved at church this year with the Praise Team, Social Media, and Podcast ministries.  She still enjoys scrapbooking when she has a chance, but gave up her Creative Memories business in May after 12½ years.  She was blessed to be able to attend the first-ever Lindt Chocolate R.S.V.P. National Convention in New Hampshire in July, and in November she celebrated her first anniversary as an Independent Consultant.

Aaron is 16 and is a junior in high school.  He is taking a break from sports this year, and spending more time on his music.  He plays guitar with the Praise Band at our church, and he is actively involved in the church youth group.  He is now a licensed driver, which definitely has its perks!  In addition, he started working at McDonald’s part-time in September.  And just this week, he will be receiving his class ring that he WON!  “Like a boss!”  (Yes, everyone has the opportunity to edit their own paragraph.)

Joshua, who prefers to be called Josh, will be 13 this weekend and is in the 7th grade.  He grew at least 2 inches over the summer, and is quickly catching up with his Mom… in fact, it’s difficult to tell which one of them is taller right now. He’s quite proud of his new-improved and much deeper voice, and the fact that he needs to shave his mustache a couple times a week (except when he’s trying to grow it out)... he’s all but lost the “little boy” look.  He also started attending church youth group this year and is really enjoying hanging out with the older teens.  Also, Josh has discovered girls.  He is “going steady” with a girl for the first time in his short life.

Hannah turned 10 in August and she is currently in 4th grade.  She has been making steady progress with Speech, OT, and ABA therapy, but it was becoming increasingly obvious over the last year that her current classroom situation was not meeting her needs.  So, after much prayer and careful consideration, we have decided to move her to a different school after Christmas because they have a very good autism program.  Over the summer she was finally given a permanent spot at the Bridge the Divide horse riding therapy program.  She also learned to tie her shoes, and her math skills have greatly improved this year… she learned to subtract while we were at Grandpa and Granna’s house for Thanksgiving!  She loves to play with her Lalaloopsy dolls, and still watches “Signing Time!” virtually everyday.

We hope that you’ve had a wonderful year, and pray God’s blessings for you and your family in 2012! 

Love,

Phillip, Patty, Aaron, Joshua & Hannah

Gather the Ghouls

Wouldn't these be fun at your Halloween party?

Halloween Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
*4.6oz Lindt Bittersweet Dark Chocolate
*1 cup plus ½ Tbsp. butter, softened
*1/3 cup powdered sugar
*Pinch of salt
*6 eggs, separated
*3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
*3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour, sifted
*Favorite frosting and spooky decorations
*Lindor Truffles

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake holders in tin. Melt chocolate using a double boiler. Cream the butter, powdered sugar and salt. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the butter mixture. Add the melted chocolate. Whip the egg whites, gradually adding the sugar and beating until stiff. Carefully fold 1/3 of the egg whites and sifted flour. Pour batter into the cupcake tins and bake approximately 20 minutes. When cupcakes are cooled, decorate with sweet and spooky frosting and decorations (including your favorite flavor Lindor Truffle, of course!).

YIELD: 18-24 cupcakes.

Halloween wrapped Lindor Truffles and Spooky Ghosts

No one wants to be the family with the bad Halloween reputation... you know, the ones that hand out apples (or nothing at all). With goodies like our Halloween Lindor Truffles and Spooky Ghosts, you can be the "Best House on the Block." Order today for FREE Shipping on orders $100 and up. Or get a half-price item when you book a party or catalog show (with no minimum sales requirements), and earn FREE chocolate based on your sales! But first, tell me... what's the WORST treat you ever got on Halloween?

Visit my website to browse at catalog or contact meat patty.mullins@charter.net to place an order.

Wordless Wednesday... almost

Sorry, I couldn't choose just one!

Aaron's first day of work was Saturday... "I'm lovin' it!"

Look what came yesterday!