Gift For Matthew

About last night's American Idol.

I am loving the actual SINGING this year -- but am wondering BIGTIME about the styling. Did you see those horrible puffy shorts poor Lauren had to wear? I was so embarrassed for her -- I was still trying to recover when PIA came out on the stage wearing a strapless, pedal-pusher jumpsuit made out of a chicken feed muslin...

GIRLS -- ARE YOU LETTING THE BOYS PICK YOUR OUTFITS??

What else could explain this obvious lapse in fashion judgement??!!

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My cousin Kim, who you've met many times, has two children. Carrie and Matthew.
Matt is in the National Guard -- and he's back in Iraq. This is his second tour over there, and one of the big differences is how Matt is able to stay in touch via Facebook and telephone calls -- using his laptop and Magic Jack. Don't ask me how the Magic Jack works -- but it is amazing...

For Matt's 30th birthday coming up -- Kim sent several packages. One of the things Matt asked for was golf balls. Several years ago, we had some kids living in the neighborhood who liked to drive balls into our hay field. It made John crazy -- and he would spend hours picking up those balls...

So, now, John has a purpose...he washed a 5 gallon bucket of balls...and lined them up on the table...

At the end of the day, there were 14 dozen golf balls...

Kim was packing up some of those USPS Flat Rate Priority boxes to create a party....there will be golf balls, and some mini-Christmas lights, grill seasoning...well, you get the idea.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW. When you hit these balls off into the desert -- try to visualize an Iowa hay field...

Talk about your BAD Karma...

Ina Garten -- the Barefoot Contessa -- turned down a little boy from the "Make a Wish" Foundation.

She turned him down twice. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I just cannot get over it....

First of all -- I love to cook and I am a HUGE fan of the FOOD channel. It is my "go to" network. I watch all the shows. Next Network Star, 30 Minute Meals, Paula Dean...you name the show, and I've watched it. Many times.

So you can imagine my surprise and DISAPPOINTMENT when I read about Ina Garten saying "NO" to Enzo Pereda, the 6 year old leukemia patient who was a big fan. She turned his request down twice.

I predict Ina Garten is done. Finished. I believe the FOOD Network is about to fill her time slot with Emeril reruns. Because like the vast legions of former-Barefoot-Contessa fans -- from now on, I'd watch Happy Days reruns before I'd tune into her show...

Apparently, these "celebrity chefs" think of themselves as the new DIVAS. They are rich and famous and the "I'm better than you" attitude comes with the territory. Ina Garten thought she was all that.

But if you thought you were invincible, Ina -- think again. Nobody is.

I've got two words for you....Tiger Woods.

Peanut Butter Frosting

When Ross was a student at Western Illinois University -- on his 21st birthday, I drove 4 hours to deliver a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Even though he told me not to do it. Even though I knew he would be working. Even though I completely understood he wasn't going to take a five minute break to say hello to his mother. I drove the cake to Macomb, dropped it off with his house-mates, then got back in my car and drove home.

I did it because one day, I was hoping it would be something Ross would "remember".

And the truth is -- God only knows what a kid is going to remember...so you've got to keep trying different things, hoping for the best...

Anyway -- this is the cake John made for me -- on my birthday -- the first year we were married....

And I've made it for HIM -- and for our boys -- for every birthday they've ever had...

Sometimes the boys are home for their birthdays -- of course it is a JOY for me to make the Farro family birthday cake. But, if they're not coming home -- I make it my mission to have somebody at THAT END of their lives make the cake. Of course, Emily is in charge of Elliott and Lillian getting the cake...

Last year, Ross was surprised when his friends, Shawn & Melissa, were the ones who made the chocolate cake and peanut butter icing!!

When Melissa called to get the 'secret" recipe -- she was delighted when I told her it's a Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake Mix...lol...

But it is the frosting that makes it SPECIAL. Here it is:

1. Cook 1 cup of milk with 6 TBL of flour until it's very thick. It will be a big glob....At this point, I put it in a shallow dish, cover it with plastic and stick it in the freezer to COOL COMPLETELY.

2. With electric mixer -- beat until smooth:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1 cup of sugar

3. Scrape the flour glob into the butter/sugar bowl and continue to beat. (it will seem grainy at first). Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla at the last minute.

PERFECTION. THIS FROSTING IS SO GOOD -- you could eat it on a saltine cracker.

Here's the funny thing. I don't think I knew for a long time that the peanut butter icing would become "THE" Farro Family birthday tradition. That's the thing about traditions....maybe you never know when you're starting one...

Day #1 Expo Outfit (by: Deborah)

Like other speakers and vendors who attend the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington -- I plan a different outfit for EVERY SINGLE DAY. With the help of my embroidering sister, Deborah, that is...

On Day One -- this was my outfit. Deb embroidered the show logo on the bottom front of the jacket.



And I LOVE the pants I wore! Do you remember when I blogged about them? I bought a pair of pants at the Goodwill store just because it had this great embroidery on the bottom of the legs.

The right leg is way different than the left leg. The hardest part of this re-styling project was finding a BIG ENOUGH PAIR OF PANTS THAT MATCHED...lol... Then, I had to cut the fancy legs off and reattach them to my plain pair of pants...

Yes, you're right. Deborah also embroidered the show logo on the butt-cheek of my black linen J.Jill jacket.

I enjoyed wearing my newly restyled jacket and pants (despite the velcro butt in this pic)...but I don't have a photo of me on Day One of the show. (although -- I have another 1200 pictures coming my way). So, I had my book clubber take a picture at last week's breakfast ...

GREAT JOB, DEBORAH...you are the BEST.

Shower Curtain REDO

Boy -- time flies! When I started writing this blog, one of the first DIY projects I blogged about was the tile repair job in our bathroom. Water had seeped in behind the tile, and John had to repair the wall, put in new cement backerboard, etc. My cousin Linda and I bought boxes of leftover tiles from the local "Restore" place.


The new tile wall came out GREAT -- and I modified a shower curtain from Target to look a little "custom".
Mostly, I just added two tan strips of fabric -- to match the odd tile we had to use...
Well - it turned out great!

However -- recently -- the bottom of the shower curtain was left inside the tub and the trapped moisture caused the dreaded MILDEW. Even with my magical laundry powers -- there was an unsightly stain...

Hey -- I STILL LOVE IT. So, I decided it was worth a repair job. I simply cut out the mildewed white fabric (right above the blue t-shirt fabric)...and created a NEW STRIP of fabric...

Which I created by cutting up the unstained parts, and adding some plain blue t0 pick up on the random blue tile theme...

Then, I cut the blue t-shirt fabric to create the fringe...



I added a little zebra stripe at each corner. JUST BECAUSE I COULD...

y'know what?? It took me longer to BLOG about it than it took me to actually DO IT....

Yep. I can sew.

My Birthday Week

This is my favorite birthday picture. Emily is taking the picture -- and the look on Lillian's face says, "let's get this over with". Which is EXACTLY how I feel about my birthday nowadays...lol..

My best birthday gift? Do you see what it is? From Emily....


OH MY GOD...zebra striped duct tape!! IT'S ABOUT TIME...


The weather on my birthday is always a crap shoot. If March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion...or vice versa.... But, THIS YEAR, the weather is nice enough for Lillian to take her first after-the-long-winter walk with Grandpa...down to see the chickens. Sophie, too...
Yes, these are my people...thanks to them, I had the PERFECT birthday...

Lillian got up at 6:30 so that she and I could spend a couple of wonderful quiet hours together...and then I had breakfast with my clubbers while we visited Linda in the hospital...Ross called, many of my friends sent cards or called, thanks to Facebook, I got birthday wishes from all over the country....after E&E left to go back to Wisconsin, John & I went in for an early supper at the Red Lobster.

YEP. No cooking, no cleaning, no dishes....IT WAS THE PERFECT DAY...

New York City Hankering...

This is me and Ann Sagawa -- looking into the mirror in the beautiful DECO lobby of the Edison Hotel in New York City...
This is a random shot of me -- STANDING IN FRONT OF MACY'S. Right on the corner of 34th & Broadway. I believe this is one of the places you MUST VISIT when you're in New York City because then, every Thanksgiving, for the rest of your natural life, you can watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and say, 'I was there"...


The Niles restaurant -- inside the Affina hotel -- does a beautiful presentation with their butter. Can you see the little parchment paper lid? With the restaurant logo? One of the very best things about New York City is the AMAZING BREAD...
On this day, our personal guide, Ryliss Bod, was taking us to the Fashion Institute...YOU COULD GO ON THIS TOUR WITH RYLISS....I'll be posting more information next week...

I love this picture of how they park cars in Manhattan. You will pay hundreds of dollars to park your car in a garage -- and the terms are you must give them a week's notice to "get your car"....

Oh, yeah, Marion. I'M READY TO GO BACK....I hear there are some wonderful new Broadway shows. Although, it'll be hard not to just buy a ticket for Memphis!!