More pallet wood projects!!

I am still loving taking apart pallets and creating unique, rustic shelves and signs!! 

Be Good....quoted by my dad.  This was my dad's advice every time I left the house while in high school; he actually still tells me this!  I realize that I now say it to my kids too.  As I drop them off school I tell them I love 'em and to Be Good!  It's great and simple advice!

Smaller pallet shelf...  Simplify!  Made with free pallet wood, $1 frame that I mod podged craft paper onto with a picture of my baby stomping in mud puddles, and  a mason jar with flowers!

Above and below: Large pallet shelves...Added rustic charm to Brock and Hannah's wedding reception!!

I wanted a Love sign for my home too!  After making all the wedding ones for Brock and Hannah!  Of course, made with pallets again!

Love

Let us love one another,

for love is of God.

1 John 4:7

Love never fails.

And not made on pallets...

RULES..great for home or teachers classroom!!

Red, white, and blue

HOME SWEET HOME

I guess I am writing all this because I am reading Home Front by Kristin Hannah right now and it is about a female helicopter pilot...  It made me think about how our lives change and how that redirects our course in life. There are so many other military men and women away from their homes. This book tries to show what their life is like and how it changes them and their families.  I really recommend this book to anyone who knows someone in the military...which is just about everyone!!  It really helps us understand their lives better. 

An update on my husband.... He is still not back in the jet yet  : (  It has been almost a year and a half since he had the few days of blurry vision, which put a halt to his flying.  For awhile, he worked in Washington DC at the Guard Bureau and he currently is "Monday thru Friday Commander" at the Medical Group on base here in Portland.  He has been diagnosed with MS, but luckily he still has had no other symptoms.  Crazy that the eye that was effected has a vision of 20/15 now!  We know that there must be a reason he is going through all of this.  It has changed him in good ways too. I really think all he has gone through will make him be a better commander in his future.  He has been told by two neurosurgeons that yes, he has MS but he is fine and they have written letters stating he should have no restrictions and should fly.  So my husband has had to learn a lot about patience and harder than anything is for him to not feel that he is in control of this situation. He really has had an amazing career (not many get to be fighter pilots, but he is also a Weapons' Officer which had put in him as one of the best of the best!) so for him to not be able to talk his way into flying again is tough.  He is used to briefing/debriefing for hours about flying ...he could probably brief for 24 hours straight about why he needs to and should be able to fly again!  He misses flying so much.  It is a whole part of him that is missing.  Currently, he has had many physicals and paperwork and trips to McCord and now it is in the hands of the military, which could take months and months for them to tell him that he is 'Fit for Duty,' then he has to start the process again having the docs fill out waivers to see if they'll let him in the jet again or possibly another aircraft?  So as for now, he is working full-time in the Med Group and has applied and been accepted into Willamette Universities Professional  MBA program, which starts in the Fall.  I have left out so many details and emotions but that is the jist of it!

Always a good time to display the American flag!!   I just made this flag from free pallets.  It is a little hard to carefully pull them apart and keep the wood a good length. (and not get slivers, etc...)  I know I can just go to my favorite store, Home Depot, and buy the wood, but it is a little more rewarding for me to make things from scraps!!  And it doesn't need to be July to display the Red, White, and Blue!  Yep, this is my front door right now!

 I have always loved Americana decor even before my husband joined the military!  Now it just means even more to me! 

I don't think my husband and I had been apart a night until 5 years into our marriage....

 He was in grad school at Portland State and he met a pilot in one of his classes.  (Like I said above...crazy how the little things can change the whole course of your life!) He then applied with the Oregon National Guard and got hired..a few months later he was off to Officer training.  Over the years after that, I have gotten used to him being gone at least a week out of each month.  This last year, except for living in Washington DC for 4 months, he has actually been home a lot!  My boys and I are loving getting extra Daddy-time.  He even has time this year to coach baseball!!  

baseball player, Matthew.  He makes us laugh, he loves wearing his big brothers last-year All-Star hat...not sure if he just wants to stand out!  I think his coach just laughs at him and lets him wear it while all the others wear their black hats?!

Andrew pitching

Jake is almost 2 and already obsessed with baseball! 

Daddy and Jake walking up the driveway after taking garbages down!  Jake loves this!!

If you can't tell, I love these boys and am so proud of all of them!!

Wedding gifts & baby gifts!

Posting more signs I have been making!  It's very motivating to make fun signs when I just had a niece born last week and another niece getting married in 2 weeks!!  They inspired me to make a lot of the signs below!!  Love them!!

WEDDING GIFTS...

BABY GIFTS...

Above: My newest niece!  She is adorable!!

Baby busy board!  Lots of random things they love to play with!

Signs!

Might put some of these on etsy....

visit my site at

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AllMyGoodness

I love you to the moon and back.  Just noticed that this picture doesn't quite show the n in moon...to the moo and back?!  It does show good on the real sign!

Above and below:  Bathroom signs...great for a cabin!

Home Sweet Home...this one I made for my Aunt Debbie and cousin Kristen for their new home they just moved into...so happy for them! 

Visit my etsy site: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AllMyGoodness

Wall vase!  Ready for Spring!! 

Amish White Bread

I have tried so many bread and roll recipes...for the last 3 years this is one of the best.  It is just a little sweet....

 and hot-out-of-the-oven with  homemade jam it is delicious!

Amish White Bread

(Recipe from Allrecipes.com  5 STAR with over 2600 reviews)

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegtable oil

6 c bread flour (I usually use regular flour)

In large mixing bowl, disolve sugar in warm water; and then stir in yeast.  Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

Then mix salt and oil into the yeast.  Mix in flour one cup at a time.  Knead dough on a lightly floured surface.  Place in well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat.  Cover with a damp cloth.  Place in warm area and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour. (If you use a warming drawer, it can cut time in half...just make sure it is not too hot and starts cooking your dough!)

Punch dough down, knead for a few minutes, and divide in half.  Shape into loaves and place into two 9x5 inch bread pans.  Allow to rise 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Truffle Toffee Cheesecake

Chocolate Truffle Toffe Cheesecake

(From Best of the Best magazine)

I had the excuse to make these for a friend that just had her baby!  (For her family, I made a regular size cheesecake...I adjusted the recipe so I could make some mini cheesecakes for my family.)  Love having a good excuse to bake something yummy!  I really can't just make sweets for my family all the time...I can,

 it's just not too healthy!! :)

CRUST:

1 1/3 cups shortbread cookie crumbs

1/4 cup butter melted

1/4 cup sugar

(I didn't want to buy shortbread cookies so I made a shortbread crust.

1/2 cup butter melted, 1 1/4 cup flour, and 3 TBSP powdered sugar.)

FILLING:

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I use lowfat and it tastes great)

1/4 cup sugar

8 (1oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk chocolate English toffee bits

TOPPING:

 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup milk chocolate English toffee bits

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all crust ingredients in small bowl.  Press into bottom of ungreased 9 inch springform pan with removable bottom.  Bake 4 minutes.  For the mini-cheesecakes, I used a muffin pan and lined each circle with a little parchment paper. I put this on the bottom of the springform pan too, in case the shortbread was crumbly.  Worked great!

Beat cream cheese and sugar in bowl until creamy.  Add melted chocolate (melts fine in microwave...heat for 30 seconds and repeat again if needed.)  add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Stir in 3/4 cup toffee bits.  Spread cream cheese mixture over crust.  Continue baking about 50 minutes or until center is set.  The mini-cheesecakes baked about 30 minutes.  (If the top starts to crack..it is done.)  Cool in pan one hour.  Remove from pan and place on serving plate.

Meanwhile, place chocolate chips in bowl.  Place whipping cream in a small saucepan; bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.  Pour whipping cream over chocolate chips.  Let stand about 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.  Cool for up to an hour.  Then spread over top cheesecake and sprinkle with toffee bits.  Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy,   Holly



Ready for Spring! Pallet flower boxes!

I always love the little snow we get in Boring, OR, but it is mid-March, and I also love doing yard work and gardening!!  It snowed yesterday!  But I am still planning out my garden and the tulips/daffodils are coming up!

Above: Eating snow!!

Below: Better to just eat the snowman's face!

Mid March snow...

Above: Big brother Andrew has a great pitching arm...

Below:  Andrew's "great aim" landed right on Jacob's head...glad it wasn't his face!

Below: Happy Matthew who didn't get hit in the head with a snowball

Below:  Matthew decided to get himself with a snowball...

And after we were done playing in the snow I finished making my pallet shelf and added Summer bulbs below the Spring bulbs so hopefully I'll have a few months of flowers!

More things I made on our snow day!

Below: Using wood from a pallet...made a wall vase!  Holds the jar, with

 water and flowers, sturdy on the wall! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AllMyGoodness

 Below: Two more pallet shelves... can be used with books/magazines!

Awesome pallet....as soon as I saw it I knew the look would be perfect for my sister, Heidi! :)

                          Holly