Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I have spent the last day of 2009 in a lazy sort of haze...
I watched a Hitchcock marathon on TCM and made Maddie a darling pair of boots that I have been planning in my head ever since the weather sarted to get colder...



I only got a front view so far, not the best picture :(
After the boots, I decided to do another project I had been planning since about October. This one was for Riley:


I love the way this shirt turned out! So many "flowers" = ruffly goodness! Poor little EJ got the shaft again...no projects for him yet!

Then we watched The Blues Brothers, Animal House and finally a Rocky marathon...

Yo Adrian....I DID IT!!!!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

A Few Homemade Goodies for Christmas





Snuggies for the girls...



Snuggies for the boys...



A sweet little tutu-shirt for a sweet little princess named Genevieve...



A tutu-shirt for a friend of my cousin Jessie.

I made a few other gifts for Christmas this year, but didn't take pictures! What was I thinking?!

JOY

Here I sit 1 week later, still singing...

 

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! 

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Maddie's New Tutu

I made the cutest little tutu for Maddie the other night! It was so easy...almost no sew! The only part I had to sew was the elastic band!









It was so cute on! I am going to make another with different colors!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Little Mave Bloomer GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I adore these!!!

Little Mave Bloomer GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Ruffle Bums

I Love Ruffly Little Bums...






So cute...










Social Darling Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

I love this dress!!!!

Social Darling Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Hoodie

I found an easy project idea that I wanted to try out. I went on a little trip to the dollar store and this is what I bought:


A knit scarf, a printed onesie and a fleece pullover: $3.

(I had the zipper on hand!)




Maddie wore the hoodie the other day and it was too cute!

Cute accessories for Halloween and then some...

For a darling Halloween accessory for my little cupcake  pumpkin this year, I decided on legwarmers. I started with these:



Then I clipped out the toes and heels and hand stitched the openings.




And this is how they turned out...




I had to throw in the ruffle-butt onesie I put together...Double cute!


Layla Grayce Blanket Set GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The cutest blankets:

Layla Grayce Blanket Set GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Monday, November 9, 2009

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/11/handmade-dress-patterns-guest-giveaway.html

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/11/handmade-dress-patterns-guest-giveaway.html

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

I love this GORGEOUS dress!


Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!: "Technorati"

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Cookie Cups

Ice Cream Cookie Cups...


I may have to make these this weekend! I picked this up at a blog I started reading


I found this recipe on Family Fun's website. I made these last weekend and they were a big hit. We all LOVED them. These are delicious and easy to make. I will definitely be making these again. Here is the recipe. I got 6-7 cookie cups out of this recipe.

1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. To make the cookie cups, beat together the shortening, butter, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, baking powder, and flour, then gradually stir them into the batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flat disk, and wrap it in plastic. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

4. Heat the oven to 375°. Turn two 12-cup muffin tins bottom side up and cover 10 of the cup bottoms with squares of aluminum foil (use every other cup so there's some space between them). Grease the foil with shortening and set it aside.

5. Unwrap 1 disk of dough, place it between 2 sheets of waxed paper, and roll it out to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 4-inch circles of dough and place each one over a cup bottom, smoothing out any cracks. Repeat with the other disk, rerolling and reusing any scraps.

6. Bake the cookie cups for 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and cookies together from the muffin pan. Peel off the foil and let the cups cool completely on a rack. Just before serving, fill each cookie cup with a scoop of ice cream. Makes 10.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

More Baby Shoes...

I loved the shoes so much I used a scrap of Cardinals fleece and made a pair for my 2 year old and a pair for my baby! They are kind of like slippers...good for chilly days like today  :)



 
As soon as EJ saw these on Maddie he showed me his foot and said "Shoes Please", so I made him a pair too!




 

Too bad I ran out of fleece before I could make a pair for me...

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Baby Shoes

I found the most darling pattern online here to make baby shoes...they are too cute! I made a pair today, and after looking through the groups pictures I am already planning the next pair!


Brown Bottom Bag

Here is a bag I made for Riley from a pair of brown corduroys from last year that she has outgrown. The bow was made from a scrap of lace from my scrap bag...



 
I just love to recycle! :)

Apple Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

Apple-Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

* 3-4 cups Gala apples, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped,
sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1/4 cup shortening
* 1-1/4 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 eggs
* 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
* 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; grease foil. Set aside. Layer apples into the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the 1/4 cup butter and the shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Carefully spread batter (it will be thick) over apples in pan.

3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

4. Carefully invert onto a large serving platter; remove foil. Spoon any apple mixture remaining on the foil onto cake. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.


** To make 3/4 cup sour milk, place 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 3/4 cup total liquid; stir. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Terrible Twos...

My son has learned a new skill...how to scale the side of his crib and escape the confines of his bed...I suppose it was only a matter of time and just maybe it's time to consider a big boy bed...:(



Magic Hanky

When I was pregnant with my first baby my sister and my mom threw me a baby shower and my Aunt Val made me the most delightfully sweet gift! It was called a Magic Hanky. It was a sweet little bonnet with a poem attached and I decided that I wanted to have one for each of my 3 babies so I set out to find instructions to make this treasured gift...I did not, however, find what I was looking for. I was a little disappointed. It then came to me that since I am crafty by nature I should be able to figure it out! I took out the bonnet and poem and tried to use it as a pattern...and this is what I came up with...


Dishtowel Aprons






Here are a few pictures of the dishtowel drawstring aprons I made for my daughter Riley's birthday party. I added a pocket divided into 3 parts for storing the goodies! They were so easy and they turned out too cute! I bought a few dishtowels from the dollar store and cut the top "armholes" out and made a casing for the string. I used coordinating biased tape for the strings. I let the girls decorate their aprons with fabric markers to finish them off!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Easy Apple Crisp

I wanted to use the rest of my apples from the farmer's market and I had already made a few different variations of cakes and muffins, so I wanted to try something different. This was so easy and soooo good!


EASY APPLE CRISP

1 c. sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 peeled and sliced large apples
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. butter
Combine 1/2 c. sugar, lemon juice, water and cinnamon in bottom of small baking pan. Slice in apples. Blend remaining 1/2 c. sugar, flour, salt and butter until crumbly. Spread over apples and pat smooth.Bake at 375°F. for 40-50 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is browned. Serve hot with ice cream.

My Little 2nd Grader...

I am very happy with this year's school picture! Maybe the threat of re-takes did the trick...




A New Little Baby...


This year our family was blessed with yet another September birth. On the 25th, we welcomed little Genevieve Rose to our clan. She is such a sweetie pie! Since I have been feeling particularly crafty lately I made a "flower" basket for my sister in honor of the occasion... and it turned out pretty cute! The "roses" are made from baby washcloths, and I filled the basket with bath supplies. As I carried it through the hospital on my way to visit her and her new bundle of pink joy, a lady stopped me and asked me if I had bought it in the hospital gift shop. As high priced as the gifts in that shop were I could have made my own bundle selling these...only my bundle would be green!

:)

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

September



Time for another birthday...our little princess Riley will be 8! She is having an all-girls party this year to celebrate with her friends and then a family dinner/party to celebrate with us. Did I mention she wants to go to Chuck E. Cheese's on her actual birthday? How did she talk her way into 3 birthday parties this year?!

2nd grade is off to a good start, and this year Riley is taking violin lessons at school. I can't wait for the debut (they have 2 concerts sometime during the school year)! Brownies starts tomorrow, so we are way too busy around here!

The kids are very excited and counting down the days until their new cousin arrives! T-minus 2 weeks and counting...

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Time for an update.....

Time has been flying by in the DesRoche house...Riley is starting 2nd grade next Monday! What can I say, another summer vacation bites the dust, and looking back we have had a pretty fun time this year!
EJ is currently in the "terrible two's" and I am just wondering how long this will last?! He has really come along way this summer too. He has speech therapy every week and occupational therapy every other week. What a difference I can see in my little guy! He is definitely using more words and he has learned to use a few signs that we have taught him.
Maddie is 7 months old already! She is babbling like crazy and rolling all over the place! She is almost ready to make the plunge and start crawling...any day now...




Friday, February 6, 2009

Our family was blessed again on January 12, 2009 with the birth of our beautiful baby girl Madison. She is already 4 weeks old and doing very well! She is a welcome addition to our wonderful family and we have been very busy these days thanking God for our beautiful brood!