unfinished business.

Well, to say I've got a lot of unfinished projects to accomplish is an enormous understatement. On top of my daily activities regarding being a momma and a student, I have crafts and projects started all over the place. And one particular project has gone without my attention for over two years. Two years. When my family and I lived in rural upstate New York, there were very few things to do to occupy time while it snowed for half of the year. :) So, we noticed there was a local quilt store and my mom, sister and I decided to sign up for a class. One class became two, became three, and before I knew it, I was a quilter! I was hooked. Never having been much of a sewing gal, I really took to quilting and LOVED it. Then, I discovered paper piecing, which is the most fun ever. (There really wasn't much to do in this small little town, hehe!!) I started this gorgeous paper pieced star quilt probably about three years ago and it was an ongoing class where we would make two stars each month. (Or was it each week?? The lapse in time is screwing with my memory!) Anyways, the patterns were provided but the fabric and design of the quilt was up to us individually. I decided on a purple and red color palette and I have always been so pleased with the results! So when I found all the stars sitting in a bottom drawer, buried deep underneath more projects, I was so excited to get started again.

The finished quilt will have 24 stars and believe it or not, I already have enough fabric to put borders and backing on. I've got 15 blocks completed, so only ten more to go! I have everything ready, and I am making it my goal to get the rest of the blocks done within the next few months. Let's see if re-starting an old hobby will hook me as quickly as it did before. I will keep you posted on my progress as a born-again quilter!! :)

(And did you notice Andrew's cute little toes, running all over my quilt blocks??? The tempting, laid out stars were too much for him to stay away from- he was dancing all over them haha!!)

PS. Sign up for my swap, I would love you have lots of you join us for some snowflakes and sparkles!!! :)

right on the money!

Oh, Pick-Up-Stix fortune cookie,

you know me too well.

;)

Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is going to see "Nights in Rodanthe" this weekend! I've been waiting months to see this movie. Does it get any sexier than Richard Gere???? Yeah, I didn't think so. :) xo!

autumn tablesetting!

My gorgeous momma, Heidi at Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly, is hosting an Autumn Tablesetting "party" today! I set a beautiful little tablesetting in the dining room earlier and I had so much fun doing it- one placesetting is so easy and carefree compared to setting up for a whole party! And it so got me in the "fall decorating" mode as well... now I've got to toss out my orange fall flowers everywhere haha!!

Go pop into my mom's blog to see a list of everyone who is participating in this fun little event today, and take a peek at everyone's fall recipes as well- I definitely will be!! :) Thanks for hosting this, Mom!!!

I used simple, everyday pieces to complete this cute look!
The flowers are from last year when I raided the WalMart floral aisle- super cheap and they are still in perfect condition! I drug them out of the garage and they look amazing still!
I covered a regular gift tag in gold glitter and then wrote "Eat, Drink & Enjoy" on it.. so glam and cute! :)
I found this white candlestick (actually I have a pair of them!) at Target on clearance a while back and I just love them. They hold a large pillar candle, but since I couldn't find any today, I used three little votives instead and love the look!! :)
And my super-yummy autumn recipe is from, who else?! Martha Stewart!! Don't you just want to jump into that bowl of mashed potatoes???? Oh I do. :)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 large heads garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 pounds all-purpose Maine potatoes, peeled and quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tops 1/4-inch off garlic heads, and discard. Coat heads with olive oil, and wrap heads in aluminum foil. Bake until tender and golden, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand until cool enough to handle. Carefully peel garlic cloves; set aside.
Place potatoes in a large stockpot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain in a colander, and pass through a potato ricer or food mill over a large bowl.
Heat butter and cream in a saucepan until butter has melted and cream is hot. Pour over riced potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir well to combine. Gently stir in the roasted garlic cloves; serve.

Thank you for hosting a fun little "autumn" day, Mom!! I can't wait to visit everyone else's pages and get some fun inspiration!!! :) xo!

PS. If you haven't already, sign up for my Christmas swap!!! :)

friday faves!

I first have to apologize to all my lovely blogger friends.. I have been such a crap-o blogger this week!! I don't know what happened to me, but I am going to stop slacking on my poor little blog. :) OK... Now onto some of my fantastic finds this week....

Ribbon!! Ribbon!! Ribbon!!! And not just any ribbon.... it's Martha Stewart ribbon, for 99 cents, eek!! Which of course makes so much of a difference in my life since I am borderline obsessed with Ms. Stewart. :) My mom and I were watching one of her shows that we had taped the other evening, and Martha announced that all her crafting supplies at Michael's were going to be 30% off for the week! Ummmmmm, we were at Michael's bright and early the next morning, obviously. In addition to finding 99 cent ribbon (the really, really cute ones!!!!), all of the MS stuff was on sale, in addition to like, EVERYTHING else in the store. Omg, I freaked out and we went hog-wild buying crafting supplies. Ohhhh it was great. And Andrew, my little crafter-in-training and sticker aficionado, was so super happy to find out that the stickers were two for the price of one! He bought a bunch and has been happily sticker-ing for the past few days. Oh the joy that Michaels' can bring to me and my family. *sigh*! ;)

Another sale, another freak out for me. Flannel, on sale for $2.79 a yard at JoAnn's yesterday! AH, and the good JoAnn's that we drive half hour to get to has soooo many cute flannel prints. I bought an owl print that was too cute to pass up! Andrew flipped at a lizard print, a Wall-E flannel, among many others, and we bought him yard upon yard to make raggedy quilts. My sewing machine and I have a date this weekend. It's going to get serious. :)

And one more fantastic and fabulous foot find for the week. Yes, I am one of the weirdos in the bright colored Crocs. That's me. I've got the bright green ones. And the blue. And I really want a few more pairs.....And I know most people think they are freaky and ugly and ridiculous, but me and my feet have to disagree. They are amazing, cute, and best of all, keep me completely comfortable while I stand for three hours straight, dissecting human beings. Nurses wear them, and since I will one day be a nurse as well, I will get used to them now and I will love them. :) Yay for Crocs, don't hate them until you have experienced their wonderfulness!!! Go buy a pair! :)

OK, that's it for the fantastic Friday finds this week... go sign up for my swap now, it is going to be ridiculously FUN! :) xo!

**Snowflakes and Sparkles** Christmas Swap 2008!!

Join me in a fun, sparkly and "snow-kissed"

Christmas swap this holiday season!!!

I love participating in swaps of all kinds, and have decided to host my very first swap! The theme is "Snowflakes and Sparkles," which will set a tone for some sparkly, glittery, snowy, and shiny holiday goodies! I want to preface this by making sure that if you sign up, PLEASE follow through with your assigned partner, chat between each other, really get a feel for the person's personal style, and try your hardest to prepare a swap box that you would be thrilled to receive yourself!! I really want all of the participants to be super happy with their boxes, so let's make this first swap at Mommy Holly super FABULOUS!! :) I know all of you will make this such a great experience, and I am thanking you all in advance!

Let's get to the rules....

Leave a comment on this blog only, letting me know you would like to participate in the swap. Then email me immediately at hollyndevlin@gmail.com , sending in the following form completely filled out so that I have your information.

Name:

Mailing Address:

Email Address:

Blog Address:

Would you be willing to swap with an international partner?:

Personal holiday style (vintage, modern, traditional, country, primitive, glam, funky etc!):

Favorite holiday colors:

Favorite holiday foods, candy, snacks:

Any dislikes (ie. santas, country, certain styles, anything haha, etc):

Anything else about yourself, your family, your life, etc, that would be helpful to your partner:

After you email me the filled out form, I will email you back a confirmation, letting you know that I have you down for the swap. Make sure you receive an email back from me.. if you don't receive a confirmation within a day or two, email me again so that I don't miss anyone who wants to be involved! I will leave the swap open to sign up for until October 24th, and then I will assign partners that weekend. The boxes should be sent by November 28th, so that everyone can enjoy their holiday goodies!!!

As for the contents of your swap box, I am leaving that entirely up to you!! You can buy things, make things, glitter things, glam things, etc!! Just make a fabulous swap box, full of holiday sparkle!! (Examples: ornaments, stockings, holiday decor, holiday goodies, yummy candles, Christmas books, etc!!) Get creative!! After your partner receives the questionnaire with all your information, it will probably help you make up the swap box!! The only stipulation is that something has to involve glitter, snowflakes, sparkles, snow-kisses, etc!!! Let's make this swap SPARKLE! I can't wait to get started and I hope lots of you decide to join me for this fun and crazy swap!!!

PS. Feel free to use this graphic and add it as a button to your blogs, or post about the swap!! Spread the word so we get lots of fun participants!! It is always so much fun to meet new bloggers, and what a fun way to get to know everyone!! Let's spread the "Snowflakes and Sparkles" holiday cheer!!!! xo!

fantastic finds friday! (& a winner!!)

I keep wanting to post about things I have found lately that I love! So I am going to start a weekly post about "Fantastic Finds" each Friday that I will share with you!! Yay, fun!!! :)

My first fantastic find for the week are these adorable "lunch box pebbles" from one of my favorite Etsy shops, Little Bit Funky. Even though Andrew isn't in school yet, I think the idea of these is just the cutest thing... leave a little "message" in your child's lunchbox so they can find it later in the day and think of you... ah, so sweet! Crystal of Little Bit Funky has made all different ones, and I just love them- I think you could use them for a million different things too, even if it is just to set on your desk! Anyways, fantastic and fabulous find!! Go peek at her shop- so cute!
Another amazing little find... these $3.50 tank tops from Forever 21! I am not sure how they can sell them for so cheap, but I am sooo not complaining- I got this same tank top in quite a few colors and LOVE them. Just remember to hang dry! :)
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a big part of our life at the moment. After seeing the movie during the summer, Andrew immediately went to Target and found the "ninja" aisle, which we have to visit each time we go there! I love them because they are like "Barbies" for boys.. they have their little accessories and their cars and outfits, and they keep Andrew entertained for hours. (Granted, the accessories are guns and knives, rather than shoes and purses, but I'll look past that haha!) So if you have a son, these are quite the find! :)

And my last fantastic find for the week is my new favorite snack- Luna bars! Oh my gosh, yum. I take these to school with me so I can get through the day without being hungry, and they are soooo good. I will admit, I bought them at first because they were on sale and way cheaper than Odwalla bars, which I usually buy. But they are WAY better, and designed for women! And best of all, they are vegan, no animal by-products, woo! :)

So I hope you loved my fanstastic finds of the week, and I will post more next Friday!! NOW, onto the winner to my little Halloween card giveaway....

Andrew was my helper this morning, and more than happy to help!
Oh yeah, and Barbie wanted to help as well. ;)
The winner is.... Justine!!

Yay, Justine is my new blog-friend and she is so super sweet. Glad you won, girlie! :) Email me your address (hollyndevlin [at] gmail dot com) and I will send off your goodies!!!

And PS. I am adding new things into my shop today, so go take a peek!!!

the autumn i miss... (& a giveaway!)

I miss driving through New York as the leaves were turning a deep, crisp color. I miss the bite in the air as I would walk to my car in the morning on the way to work. I miss seeing my breath in the air, then smiling when I realized it was only September. I miss the smell of the cold air, the long drives through seemingly endless country roads, and I miss passing over this bridge (above!) on my way home. The bridge would take you into the tiny village of Owego, which was fifteen minutes from our home in Newark Valley, New York. The Susquehanna River ran parallel to my drive home and it was always so gorgeous to look across the water and see the reflection of the autumn leaves and nothing else. It felt like we lived in the middle of nowhere sometimes, and I guess in a way we did. It is this time of year when I miss New York the most, when California is hot and sunny with no relief of autumn in sight... the same time that New York is in full swing, utilizing it's four magnificent seasons perfectly. It has been over two years since we lived there, and I would still move back there in a heartbeat.

And to combat my wistful mood of missing my old home, I am having a Halloween giveaway haha! :)

The winner will receive two of my new Halloween cards from my etsy shop!!

To be eligible, leave me a comment on this blog, letting me know your favorite Halloween candy!! I personally am looking forward to a Reese's pumpkin myself hehe! (yummmm!) I will pick the winner on Friday, with a little help from Andrew! Good luck, and I hope everyone is enjoying the week! xo!

the obsession continues...

TWILIGHT is seriously ruling my life. After reading all four books in the series, I am now halfway through the first one... again. :) Also, I found out that a million etsy sellers make Twilight stuff, ahhhh!!!! So of course, my obsession is overtaking my daily life. :)

I found this amazing and perfect necklace and told my sister and my friend Nikole about it- I have successfully made them both Twilight-crazy, just like myself! So of course, we all had to have a matching necklace! Nikole was super-sweet, ordered them all for us, and I have been wearing it nonstop for two days straight.... it is SOOOO cute.

And in more Twilight-related news from my life, the three of us crazy "fanpires" decided to make Twilight pillows the other night!!! Nikole brought iron-on letters and we dug through bins of fabric in our sewing room, and got crafty!!
Me and my gorgeous pillow, isn't it cute?! :)



Nikole cutting out stars for her Twilight pillowcase!!!

My sister Mallory and her finished pillow!

Here is a closer look at the pillow I made for my zebra couch in my bedroom- and any of you Twilight fans.... notice the crystal heart on the pillow, just like the one Edward gave Bella for her bracelet??? ;) (Thanks Nikole hehe!!!!!)

And Nikole, already snuggling with her finished pillow haha!!!! I think it is safe to say that the three of us are in wayyyyy too deep with these books. But I LOVE it. :)

we will always remember <3

September 11th, 2001

A day that changed our country

and it's people

forever.

"Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger."

-George W. Bush

"War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing."

-George W. Bush, Speech at National Cathedral, September 14, 2001

fall recipe!

This fall, I really want to incorporate some new recipes into my life. I want to bake a bunch, learn to make pumpkin pie, and I want Andrew to join in on the fun as well. He is such a good helper in the kitchen and he is always asking me if we can bake cookies! So I thought I would scout some yummy recipes that I want to try this season and share them with you! I am on Martha Stewart's website all the time getting inspiration for one thing or another, and her fall harvest recipes look a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I have tried some Martha recipes and while they are sometimes a little more involved than I would prefer, they are usually well worth it. I will be posting more of them as the days go by, but here is the first one that caught my eye... Pumpkin Swirl Brownies! Um, yum.

Also, my friend over at Raising Allikaye had a fun idea to share our favorite fall recipes with each other. Wonderful idea, and I hope some of you also get to try this new recipe!! :)

Ingredients
Makes 16
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

ew.

I heard that Britney Spears was going to open the Video Music Awards on MTV tonite, so I most definitely wanted to tune in. Having been an enormous Britney fan for years, (recent poor behavior excluded!), I wanted to make sure I saw her performance. Or better yet, her opening "speech"???!! I was under the impression she was going to sing and perform, but NO! OK, first disappointment of the evening. Secondly, another MAJOR reason I was watching the VMA's was to see the cast of Twilight, who were literally on screen for about 10 seconds and you could barely see them. Boo! And third, my biggest disappointment of the night, this jerk in the picture below. EW! (And no, I am NOT talking about Britney!!!!!)

This guy with the fly-away hair is some stupid comedian or something???? I really don't know what his deal is, I guess I'm too "old" to get all this popular VMA stuff anymore.... anyways! This guy was the host of the show and in his first few moments on stage, decided to make a MUSIC VIDEO AWARD show into a freaking political pep rally for the Democrats!!! Now correct me if I have something wrong, but when did the VMA's turn into Obama's personal campaign show???

I am sure most of you can recognize that I am a Republican, and proud to be one. No, I don't agree with Republicans across the board, but for the majority, they stand for what I believe in. So I don't appreciate tuning into an entertainment show, only to be accused of standing behind a "retarded cowboy" President who "isn't trusted with a pair of scissors". And yes, he used that exact phrase. And he also insinuated that if you don't vote for Obama, you are "racist"!!!!! WHAT?! I am anything BUT, and am so offended by this creep-o man that is "entertaining" the youth of America. Russell Brand (that's his name, I just googled him!) was also making fun of Sarah Palin's daughter, calling her pregnancy a "publicity stunt"! And then he closed his speech with this quote: "To new music, a new President, and a brand new America! And you people deserve it after eight years of Bush." YO RUSSELL, you are BRITISH, keep your opinions about the American presidency to yourself, buddy. All I have to say is EW. Makes me disgusted.

boo! a sneak peek!

I am involved with lots of swaps lately, and am crafting away, trying to get everything done in between classes and time with litle Andrew!! I have everything planned out and Halloween crafting is underway... I am DYING to post my progress so far, but I really don't want to ruin the surprise for any of my partners that might pop in to the blog. So here is a bit of a "sneak peek"! Once it is all sent, I will post more photos.. I can't wait! BOO! :)

mail me a *pink* letter!

What a lot we lost

when we stopped writing letters.

You can't reread a phone call.

-Liz Carpenter

I am back to Beverly's Pink Saturday after a few weeks taking a break! School has started and has already consumed a lot of my time, but I thought I would squeeze in one Pink Saturday post while my homework wasn't toooo intense. I had collected a bunch of beautiful pink photos I wanted to share, so I hope you all enjoy them!

And now go write a letter to someone special, it will make their day! ;)

if you give a mouse a candy corn....!

.... he flips out,

due to a sugar high!!

Andrew is so darn sensitive to sugar, so imagine my surprise when the sugar reared it's crazy face once again! Andrew found a bag of candy corn I was going to add in to my Halloween swap boxes and was begging for a piece. One piece turned into many, and all of a sudden, I walked into my bedroom and found Andrew all "snuggled" up on the bed, thrashing the covers around and growling like a dog! And to think my bed was nicely made a few moments before....... :)

Oh the joys of being a mom haha!

goodbye summer <3

I think summer has reached it's end here in my little world. Although we live in Southern California and the heat is entirely inescapable during September, I still feel as if a new leaf has been turned and we are headed toward the routine and structure of autumn. As fall hits, I am bombarded with a feeling of being immediately overwhelmed with schoolwork... having to be somewhere at a certain time, making to-do lists that involve other things than "swimming and relaxing!" My summer has been a lovely one, with lots of carefree days to divulge myself in, but fall brings about a new sense of responsibility that is, I must admit, hard to get used to at this particular moment in time. :) So I reluctantly say "good-bye" to summer as school starts once again and my new schedule adjusts itself to my life. Now I am simply waiting for the chilly days to arrive to make autumn seem "real"!! :)

PS. Anyone catch Project Runway tonite?? Kenley looking adorable, as usual! :) I am loving Leanne these past few weeks, she is making amazing dresses, isn't she?! And the Republican Convention?????!!!! Let me say, Sarah Palin is my new hero! She is really sticking it to all the Democrats!!! (I guess you all now know my political stance??? haha!)

tonite, I'll be in front of the TV.

My two favorite shows

are back on with new episodes

tonite!!!

GOSSIP GIRL.

ONE TREE HILL.

I know where I'll be tonite after Andrew goes to bed....

...glued to the TV! WOO! :)

PS. Plus, the new 90210 starts tomorrow night. This week just can't get any better! (Except for the riduculous amount of anatomy reading I've got piling up... eek! Must go read!)