How to Make a London Fog

I'm not a big spender when it comes to going out for coffee.  I think Starbucks is okay (it has employed all of my grown kids at one time or another), and I enjoy grabbing a hot drink there occasionally.  I don't normally order anything but a grande Pikes Place with room for lots of cream.  The price is okay and it's not loaded with sugar like so many of their 'fancy' drinks.  But, I have to admit...the other day when I was in the city, wandering aimlessly around Chapters, waiting for a call from my husband to say his surgery had gone well....I broke down and bought something other than my 'usual'.  I just didn't feel like coffee, so decided on tea. I asked if they made London Fogs, and was told yes, but they called them Earl Grey Lattes. Perfect! I forked over the almost 5 bucks and got my drink. It was wonderful! But 5 bucks!! That's crazy!

Fun Free Fonts!

I love free fonts!  I am always on the lookout for a new cool font style to add to my collection. You never know when you will need a crazy, curvy, blocky, swirly font for a project.  I've added these 8 to my growing collection this week and thought I'd share them with you.  To download the font, simply click on the font name below.  It will take you to the font website.  Click on the download button, which will download it to your computer. For installing fonts and learning about Font Book on you Mac computer, go here.  If you use a Windows computer, this link will help you install the fonts.

Banana Split Pie

I've been making this recipe for years. The first time I made it was for a party for our birthing class.  That was for my first baby, Morgan, who is now almost 29!  After we had all had our babies, we got together for a picnic/party in a park on Mother's Day.  We were all first time parents.  It was so fun to see each other's babies and share our birth stories. And the dessert was a hit!
The original recipe called for a cookie crumb crust, for which I have always substituted a graham crumb crust.  And for the first time ever, I bought a ready made crust!  It's just Zac and I at the Little Shack, and I am busy doing all kinds of projects while we are here.  My kitchen is an official disaster zone as I finish up painting and then rearranging things.  So, I decided it was worth the cheat!  You can make it with a ready made crust (which makes it super fast and easy to make) or just follow the directions on a box of graham wafer crumbs to make one from scratch.

Painted Mason Jar(s)

*Note the babies breath trying to blow out of the jar!

Soooo....today I am supposed to be finishing up painting a wall in the Little Shack.  And I will...really!  But I got a little sidetracked this morning. Just a little.  I've been wanting to try painting a few Mason jars, and seen as how I had a paint brush in my hand and paint in the colour I wanted them to be, I figured- What the heck!  I'll just try one. So, here is my 'one'. I just had to share 'cause I think it looks so cool!  I'll reward myself when I actually finish painting the wall with doing some more.  Stay tuned!

A Valentines Day Banner

It's been a busy week for us here at the Little Shack. My husband is currently in the hospital recovering from an operation and we have been dealing with a ton of snow.  Plus, I am getting some painting done while we are here.  But, I have been wanting to make a banner for some time and decided to give it a go this week regardless!

Love Endures-free printable

                                                                Click here to Print 

Valentines Day is a little more than a month off.  I couldn't believe how quickly the chocolate hearts and candy kisses appeared in the stores after Christmas!  I'm pretty sure it was the day after. Anyone else think so too?
It's fun to celebrate holidays and gather with family and friends.  And I think any excuse to do so is a good one.  Valentines Day is all about LOVE.  Showing love to our sweetheart, our kids, our folks.  I remember being a kid in school making our Valentine envelopes to hang around the classroom for our friends to place cards in. I remember, as one Valentines Day drew near, noticing that someone had put one of the huge cards that came in the books of kid's Valentines cards we would get for our classmates, into my envelope! I was so excited, but of course, couldn't look to see who it was from until our class party. When the day arrived, I was devastated. The card was gone from my envelope. I never knew where it went or who it had been from. Funny how things like that stay in your memory. I couldn't tell you what grade it was or who my teacher had been. But I remember that card and the feeling of disappointment and confusion.

Happy NewYear !!  We at the Little Shack wish you and yours a very happy year filled with blessings.

After a wonderful Christmas with family all around and a quiet New Years Eve, we are on our way back to the Little Shack for a couple of weeks while Trev undergoes surgery on the 8th and then recuperates in hospital for a few days. We are enroute on the ferry to the mainland as I type.  Looking forward to some snow and wood heat.  Not looking forward to getting from the car up to the Shack though. Lots of snow has fallen since we were last there.  Great for sledding and snowshoeing, not so fun to shovel.
I'm throwing around the idea of doing some painting while we are at home. Might or might to happen. We'll see.
The four legged members of the family will enjoy the respite from the RV.  Oliver, our very fat and fluffy cat, will like being able to go outside and hunt, while Angel, our timid little kitty, will be happy to sit on the windowsill and bird watch.  Zoey and Freddie will love being back home and free of leashes.  They have loved our daily walks though and I know I will be missing them too.  Just for a couple of weeks though and then we head back to Vancouver Island and move to a new RV park in Comox.  Zac will be starting at a private school at the end of January. It will be his first experience 'going' to school. Lots of things happening in this new year!
I've been thinking about New Year Resolutions and wether I should make any.  There are the ones where we plan to get healthy, lose weight, exercise more.  All of which I 'plan' to do. But, I think as far as a New Year Resolution goes, I want to try to be more organized and declutter my life.  Down sizing and getting rid of the excess 'stuff'. How about you? Do you have any New Year Resolutions?
Happy New Year to all!

Easy and Delicious Lemon Bars

Tonight the RV park we are currently living in is having a potluck Christmas Dinner!  The management is providing the turkey ('cause who can roast a turkey in an RV??), the stuffing and the gravy.  We RVers will provide the rest.  There are about 10 rigs of various sizes and styles in the park here at the moment. There are also a few cabins which people stay full-time in, so we should be a nice sized group tonight!
When I went to sign up for my share, most of the usual Christmas dinner side dishes were already covered. But, a green salad was still available, so I put our name down for that, and a dessert. You can never have enough desserts!

Personalized Printables - A Fun and Easy Gift to Make!

This year for Christmas my family challenged each other to give homemade gifts as much as possible. Some of us have more time to do the creating and others needed quick diy gift ideas.  I'm excited to see what everyone has come up with. I myself am knitting surprises for my 2 older daughters, crocheting for my 6 year old granddaughter, and if I have time, I'm hoping to do some 'gifts in a jar' types as well.  I enjoyed making the Winter Printable and Nativity Printable earlier this fall and had the idea to do personalized ones for my grandkids.  PicMonkey makes this so fun and really a snap to do.

Homemade Skor Bars -Super Easy!

Many years ago, while having dinner at some friends, I was shown how to make these absolutely delicious and super easy treats!  They only require 4 ingredients and are very quick to make. Our hostess whipped them up after dinner for dessert.  Since then, my family has made them many, many times, and they are always a hit and disappear quickly.

All you need to make a batch of these is...

(printable recipe)

30 (+ or -) saltine crackers (salted)
1 cup of butter or margarine
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of chocolate chips

You will need a cookie sheet, 13 x 9 inch with sides, and a small pot.
Preheat your oven to 350F.