Friday, May 31, 2013

Friday Features {No. 11}


What a week! As always, it’s been busy busy busy in our household! We moved out of our house and will close today. My eye may or may not be twitching from all of the stress… I’m excited to make a new place our own, but a little sad to leave all of the great memories behind. Margaritas tonight to celebrate big changes in our lives!

So now that it’s Friday, let’s celebrate! All of us at Huckleberry Love want to thank you for another great link party this week. There were some really great projects that I can’t wait to try out. Thank you so much for sharing.

 Each of us chose a project to feature this week. Here are our picks:

Jill's Pick:



Lydia's Pick:




Jamie's Pick:



Emily's Pick:



Karla's Pick:




Go and check out these awesome projects! And as always, be sure to share yours next week on our Much Ado About Monday link party. 
 
If you were featured, be sure to grab our button. Do it! You've earned it!
 
 
Have a great weekend!!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Heavenly Key Lime Pie {Recipe}


My mom has never really had a sweet tooth (which is funny because I have never met a dessert that I can say no to), which makes it hard to figure out what to do when it's her birthday. Somehow a birthday quiche just doesn't seem right. Luckily, my mom does have a weakness for one dessert: key lime pie. Since it's the only dessert that she loves, I have had ample practice making it for her for one occasion or another. And this recipe is the easiest, smoothest, most heavenly key lime pie recipe EVER. It is the perfect combination of tangy lime flavor and creamy texture. Plus, it's incredibly simple to make. {Especially if you cheat and use a store bought pie crust like me....shhh! Don't tell!}


With the summer heat upon us down here in Texas, I will be making this refreshing pie for more than just my mom. But I will always save her a piece. :)







Ingredients:

Filling
- 3 cups sweetened condensed milk {which is 3 14 oz. cans}
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup key lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated key lime zest {about 5 limes}
- 1 9-inch graham cracker crust {store bought or homemade}

Graham cracker crust
- 10 full sized graham crackers, reduced to crumbs {approx. 1 1/4 cups}
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 5 tablespoons melted butter


Directions:

If you are going the homemade route for the crust {look at you, overachiever!}, go ahead and mix together the graham crumbs and the sugar, then add the melted butter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan and press evenly along the bottom and the sides. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool.

If you have a store bought crust, follow the directions for prepping the crust.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for the filling.



Zest the lime and then combine with the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, and lime juice.



Mix well.



Pour into the prepared crust.



Bake for 5-8 minutes. Do not allow to brown!

Chill pie thoroughly.



Top with whipped cream and enjoy!


Once you try this delicious key lime pie, you will understand why it's such a favorite for my family. Hopefully it will become a favorite of yours as well!

 

Monday, May 27, 2013

Much Ado About Monday {No. 11}

Happy Memorial Day!!

We hope you're all enjoying this day with family and friends. My family and I are spending the weekend in the Texas Hill Country with friends. It's been great to get away from the hustle and bustle of real life and just relax. :)

Don't forget to take a moment and reflect on why we are able to kick off our summer with a three-day weekend. A moment of silence in remembrance of those soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom should be high on your list of things to do on this, our Memorial Day.

Now, onto the party! We had so many great links last week. It was hard for us to choose just five to feature. If you're interested, you can check them out here.


Now it's YOUR turn to share what you have been up to this past week! We can't wait to see whatcha got!
Now, onto the rules:

*Please follow us on GFC and Bloglovin. We would also love for you to follow us on
Pinterest and Facebook.
* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!
* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)
* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.
* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.
* You may link up to three posts a week!
* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again. :)
* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!
We hope that you find some inspiration here at Much Ado About Monday. We know that we are looking forward to checking out what you've been up to this week! :)


Feel free to grab our button:





Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday Features {No. 10}

Welcome back to another edition of our Friday Features! This past week was a crazy one as all our young huckleberries finished up their preschool classes for the year and had their end of the year programs. It's also a holiday weekend, so we are gearing up to enjoy it to the fullest. Happy {early} Memorial Day, y'all!

And now on to our picks from this week's link party! We had another fabulous party. Thanks to everyone who joined us!

Lydia's Pick:

Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken submitted by SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl


Delicious! You had me at tequila. And guacamole.

Karla's Pick:

DIY Dahlia Flower Decor submitted by The Happy Scraps


Love the color variation and the distressed look of this beautiful sign!
Jill's Pick:

Little Girl's Summer Nightgown submitted by Handmade Frenzy


Such a sweet and adorable nightgown! {I kinda want one for me, too.}

 Emily's Pick:

Hello Sunshine Door Hanger also submitted by The Happy Scraps  {girl, you are on a roll this week!}

What a perfect door hanger! It's so fun and cheerful!
Jamie's Pick:

Button Pillow Tutorial submitted by Adventures of a DIY Mom


What a colorful and fun accent for any room!



How about a round of applause for these awesome projects and all the amazing links from this past week?! Thanks to everyone who took the time to come and party with us. We are looking forward to seeing you guys next week!


Don't forget to grab a button if you were featured! Do it! You've earned it!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Homemade Garden Stones

 
My husband is a sweetheart! For Mothers Day this year, not only did he get me a beautiful necklace, but he actually planned a keepsake craft for me from the girls. I'm not sure where he found the recipe, but he had them make Footprint Stones for my garden from only flour, salt and water. Not only was it sweet that he thought of this all on his own, but I was especially touched by his effort to write the recipe down and take a bunch of pictures so that I could share it with all of you. :)

Can't Get Started Without:
~Table Salt
~White Flour
~Water
~Paint in your choice of colours

The great thing about this recipe is that it uses only what you probably already have in your pantry. How convenient is that?! It is also so simple, that your little helpers can almost make it themselves. I know my little girls were ecstatic about getting to work with daddy to make something for mommy.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 200 F.

Step 2: Gather your little helper(s) and your 3 ingredients and add them together, starting with your flour.


And then your salt.

 
And lastly your water.

 
Step 3: Stir your ingredients with a wooden spoon until they start to stiffen.

 
 
Step 4: Take your stiffened mixture and knead it into a dough.


 
Step 5: Take your dough and shape it into a flattened circle. The size of your childs foot will determine the size of your circle.


At this point, after letting me sleep in (thank you honey!!) I was woken up to help take some photos while the girls made their footprints.

Step 6: Get your kiddos together and have them step those sweet little feet into the circles you've made. Make sure to help them put some good pressure down to get a good impression.

 
Step 7: Use a toothpick or some other small pointed item and carve what you want written into the dough. In my case, my hubby wrote 'M-day '13' and each girls initial. :)


Step 8: Carefully place your formed, footprinted and carved circles onto a non-stick or greased cookie sheet.


Step 9: Place in the oven and let bake for 3 hours.

 
......Fast forward 3 hours......

Step 10: Remove baked stones from the oven and let cool.

 
Step 11: Have your little helpers choose their favourite colours and get painting!

 
Daddy is a bit of a perfectionist and offered the girls a lot of help, but if you aren't too concerned with the finished product just give them the paint brushes and let them at it! :)

 
And, you're done!!

 
Step 12: Display your beautiful, personalized stones in your garden.

 
Mine are in my walkway garden as the first things you see on the way up to my front door. :)


I love my new garden decorations! They are bright and colourful, incredibly simple and inexpensive to make, and are obviously so special, because they were made for me by my family.

The Recipe:
~1/2 c. table salt
~1/2 c. white flour
~1/4 c. water


1. Mix salt, flour and water into medium sized mixing bowl with a wooden spoon
2. Knead until dough forms
3. Form your stone
4. Make impression
5. Bake at 200 F for 3 hours.



Linking up with these great parties:
 
ThePinJunkie
For the Kids Fridays at SunScholars.com
See Vanessa Craft
Photobucket
Pinterest Power Party
KitchenFun