A Play House for Our Daughter

Recently, I shared a post with many charming playhouse pictures.  We'd wanted to build our youngest a playhouse for her birthday, but I was skeptical that we could complete it in time.  Well, hubs had the weekend off this past week so we set to work.  Here are pics of our progress.

Hubs started out with the frame for the floor.

Yours truly secured the floor.  Hey, I love power tools. ;)

Teeny Tiny was pretty skeptical, too, up to this point, but came around right about the time there was a floor for her to climb up on.  She still wasn't a fan of the noise from the tools and took off running anytime one sounded.

At this point, Husby has been working on the roof and I'm slapping on some primer before the roof goes on.

Big Sissy paid me a visit once some shade was established.

Lattice board went up for walls.  For our South Texas heat, we opted for something that would let a lot of breeze through.

Lattice was trimmed for the "porch" of the project which will set in about two feet.  We will show distinction between the porch and playhouse with curtains dividing the spaces.  I've still got to work on that as well as paint on Bebe's requested colors, "pink and purple and blue."  I haven't exactly figured out where color will go and quite like the "white house," but will figure it all out this coming weekend, just in time for her party.  Pictures of a finished and decorated project to follow. 

Until then, have a wonderful week.

The Whaley House in San Diego

As promised, I wanted to post about the Whaley House, claimed as "one of the most haunted houses in America."

Prior to the house being built, the lot was used as an area to conduct hangings.  Mr. Whaley didn't care a thing about that because he bought the lot and built the Whaley House, anyway.  It was used for many different purposes throughout the years, and it didn't always look like this, but it is a beautiful structure used for house tours, now.

Of course, I loved the "haint blue" on the front porch.

The grounds around the house were beautiful, green and flowering and shaded by massive, old trees, none of which would have been there back in the house's hay day.  Other period buildings have been brought in for preservation from around the area.  It adds an old-timey quality to the space even though it's not entirely authentic.

Here is an adult sized sippy-cup.  I kid, but was tickled because I'd never heard of moustache cups.  Apparently the bridge across the top of the cup was to protect men's moustaches, common trend of the period, from getting doused in the beverage.  This cup was part of the Whaley's china set.  I'll be on the lookout for this type of cup when I visit antique stores from now on.

This is a picture of the dining room.  Since there was no electric lighting, at that time, the wall paper served a purpose beyond looking decorative on the walls.  The gold inlay reflects the candlelight so that it appears more lit up than it actually is.  Pretty clever.

It was in this space that my oldest daughter felt a tingling sensation in her fingers and hand.  She said the feeling was reminiscent of the prickly feeling you get when your hand falls asleep, but it dissipated as quickly as it set on only lasting for about thirty seconds.  She said it was as if someone was gripping her hand.  There are reports of the ghost of a two-year old relative of the Whaley's that passed away at the house after discovering and consuming some toxic substance.  Could be she had a little visitor.

 

Although I didn't experience anything in the house, I did come home with this eerie picture.  This is a picture of one of the bedrooms in the Whaley House.  Do you notice the slight outline of a woman to the left of the bed?

 

Pretty creepy, huh?  Unfortunately I can debunk any ghastly apparitions appearing in this photo.  See, the rooms have plexi-glass over each entry way so you can't actually enter them.  Here, I caught the reflection of a fellow tour-taker in the plexi-glass.  I turned around to see who was behind me just to be sure because the face appeared in my preview on my camera, too.  Still, it's fun photo to fool my friends with. ; )

 

Despite my lack of "ghostly" encounters, I love touring old homes so it was a win for me.  I'd recommend visiting the Whaley House if you're in Old Town, San Diego.  It was affordable and a lot of fun.

 

Our First Family Vacation

We recently took our first family trip with our youngest.  We were reluctant to put a toddler on a plane, not wanting to be "those parents" whose kiddo had melt downs on the plane or at the airport.  Flying is stressful enough as it is, I get it. Flight delays, cancelations, crowds, and those that just plain have a fear of flying all add to a tension riddled environment.  Thankfully, both girls behaved wonderfully.  Teeny Tiny was so excited to fly that I think everyone sitting near her was tickled to hear her expressions of joy as we took off and landed.  We had an I-Pad for entertainment when she got bored.  Big Sissy napped mostly which was good because we had three packed days of sight-seeing beautiful San Diego, California.

Our first stop was the San Diego Zoo. 

 There were just too many great shots of animals to share.  We had a blast.

Next stop was Sea World in San Diego.  I was reluctant to go seeing as how we have one two hours away from where we live, but I'm glad we did.  It was a great visit and I think the girls' favorite part of the trip.

Here, Teeny Tiny is in Daddy's lap and just a tad distracted by the whale that slid up behind her.

We were in awe of all the sea life...

and Seasame Street friends,

even though we got a little bashful when it came time to make introductions. ;)

Old Town was a neat area to visit and everywhere we looked were beautiful plants

We visited the infamously haunted Whaley House, too.  I'll share pictures of that house tour in another post.  It was a gripping experience. (hint, hint)

 

Until then, I hope you're having a great week and finding ways to enjoy your loved ones.

 

 

 

I Was Born a Ramblin' Man

 

Well, woman.  Folks, I am a ramblin' fool, apparently, when it comes to interviews.  Today was my third interview, not with the same school mind you, and I feel like a goon.  I ramble.  A lot.  My inner voice is saying, "Get to the point, already!" 

It's nerves, I guess, but I wish I could get this under wraps because I know it's hampering me.  The trouble is, I have great responses in mind, they just fly out the window instead of my mouth when it comes time to answer.


 Gahhhhhhh!  I really want this job.  Send a hope and a prayer to this fool.

Muah,

The Kitchen Witch

Play House

Is this not the sweetest little playhouse you've ever seen?  We were heading home from my mom's when this sunny little club house caught my eye.  The darling hubs pulled over to give it some inspection and announced, "I can build that." 

Bebe's birthday is less than a month away so we shall see....

In the mean time, here are some other casitas that have caught my eye on the web.  I'm keen on teepees, too.

This purple doored beauty was spied on Pinterest


This sweet green number came from Betty Crafter.  I especially love the inside shots of her daughter's cottage. She's decorated it in the most lovely way.


And how cute is this?  I love the buttery yellow and mint door from Restyled Home.  There are some great inspiration ideas for how to build a sink and stove area, too.

On the other hand, there are great teepee options.  Here's a no-sew version from The Handmade Home.  We can handle no-sew, right?!  Sure we can! ;)

Whichever way we go, I hope to spend hours watching Bebe havin' a ball in her space.

Happy Sunday, y'all.  I'm off to try my hand at homemade Poptarts with puff pastry.

The Kitchen Witch

Corona Cupcakes

 

 

We made these cupcakes for Super Bowl and I'm thinking of recreating them for an upcoming Cinco de Mayo gathering.  You may substitute the Corona for Blue Moon beer and use orange juice and zest rather than lime.

 

Ingredients

 

1 box of Yellow Cake mix

1/2 cup Corona beer
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
1 (8 oz) pkg. Cream Cheese
1 cup Confectioners Sugar

Zest of one Lime

Juice of 1 Lime

Directions

Combine cake mix, beer, oil, and eggs in a mixer.  Pour into greased cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes or until done.  My oven is a little off and it always takes longer to bake things in it.

 

While the cupcakes are baking, mix softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and juice until well incorporated.  Add zest at the end and stir just until mixed in. 

 

Frost cooled cupcakes with cream cheese icing and garnish with zest. 

Pop Tarts from Scratch and Life on the Side

I found the idea to make my own Pop Tarts from Pinterest.  Quick & East Recipes shared the recipe for Strawberry Nutella Poptarts and I'm so glad they did.  I think I'll try making these with puff pastry the next time we try them since I'm not a huge fan of pie crust, but the girls were thrilled with them so it's definitely worth doing again.

We've made a few trips recently, one for my Grandma's funeral and the other for Easter.  It's been a sad time for us, but it was nice to visit with family and friends of the family.

Here we are at the cemetery.  This place is so remote, the last time a person was buried there was in 2006.  The cemetery is small and the oldest marker dates back to the 1830's .  It was neat to walk through and read the dates, imagining people over one hundred years ago traveling afoot or by horse and buggy to this same spot to mourn for their loved ones.

 

Here's my Mom's rooster, Chief.  He is beautiful and newly a father to seventeen chicks.

Momma (I think this is Margie) really won't let us get near enough to get a good picture.  She really is a good momma bird.

For Easter, we had a little Duck Dynasty inspired fun and went all out Camo.  For the men, this just meant they didn't have to change into Easter dress since camouflage is staple attire.

Camo or not, the kids had fun

with confetti eggs or cascarones as we call 'em,

and piñatas.  There's more candy than we know what to do with.

I hope you had a nice Easter holiday and are ready for warmer days.  They're coming.