The Tetmeyer's: October 2012

Wardrobe Wednesday - Leggings, Boots and a Cardi - Oh My!!

In honor of Fall coming to Iowa, I'm bringing you my go-to and absolute favorite ensemble. I present to you the "legging, boot and cardi" look. Perfect for running errands, meeting your girly friends for brunch or whatever tickles your fancy. You can't go wrong with this look in my book: it's cute and casual.

I want to add this printed top was custom made for me while in China.

I wear boots and leggings, maybe twice a week. :)

Along with Wardrobe Wednesday, it is Halloween. I picked up my friends girls from school to do their makeup and get them dressed for Trick or Treat time.

Below is what happens when all 4 of them are at my house. They have an entire basket of toys, fun toys at that. They choose my shoes ;) and this is how they put them away.

If I didn't think it was hilarious to see a 2, 4, 6, and 7 year old tripping and falling over a shoe 3 times to big, they might get in trouble...

My little lady bug

My brother and the clan all dressed up

Morgan and her dad

Addison and her dad

The girls and their mom

DIY Seasonal Candy Jars

I love having different candy jars around the house and these are a very cute and versatile. They used for any season or occasion. Use a different color of ribbon, same colors of candy, etc

Here is what you will need...

3 Candle Sticks, preferably different sized, I have all similar sized

3 Jars, preferably different sized, found at Walmart

6 jar bases, found at Micheals

3 handle nobs, found at Micheals

Candy

Ribbon

Hot Glue

Scissors

While I was so excited to get started here, I neglected to take photos until they were complete. So here they are...

Paint the Candlesticks, bases, and knobs with your choice of color. You may have to use several coats...

Once the painted pieces are dry, glue the knobs to one set of the bases. Then glue the knob and base to the top of the candy jar lid...

Glue the jar and other pieces to the candlesticks, then to the last jar base. I used a jar base on the bottom because they seemed wobbly.

Fill with candy !!! I am going to hand out candy in these this year :)

This is such a clever idea, thanks McKi.

Tetmeyer's First Halloween

The Tetmeyer's First Halloween :)

This has been a huge year for us...here are a few of our highlights

First time flying for Mackenzie (Boston)
Dale and Mackenzie got married
Dale flew out of the country (work trip to Germany)
We spent 2 weeks in China
Mackenzie officially hit her weight loss goal of 82 pounds

Has this been an amazing year for you? Share your highlights!

While Halloween is not my favorite holiday, I still like to dress up the front porch for the 5 Trick or Treaters we get :)

A Menu 2 Happiness, a Yellow Mum and Small Pumpkin will sure warm up a corner.

I just love this old bench.

I painted some leaves gold and glued them to white pumpkins.

M <3's D

Happy and Safe Trick or Treating!!!

High 5 for Friday

This week I have decided to link up with Lauren. Haven't heard of this?...click here

1. Party Planning has always been a joy of mine. I love gathering old and new friends together. A good friend of mine (Ally from Sweet & Savory) and I have organized our first Freezer Swap. Check out Ally's blog here.Have not heard of it? Here is what you do....Each person brings enough supplies/ingredients to make 3 dishes (x) amount of attendees. Example: 5 girls are in attendance. One of your dishes you plan to make is lasagna. That means you will need to bring enough to make 6 pans of lasagna (or 5 if you don’t count yourself). That allows for each person to take a pan home. Your 3 meals can be either a main entrée, a side dish, dessert or snack.

That's all I am sharing on that more to come after the event and it should be a blast.

2. Jimmy Johns...ahh Jimmy Johns...I have had Jimmy Johns 3 times this week! My husband IM's me at work yesterday and says, "How many times have you had Jimmy Johns this week?" me, "2, oh and the time I met Ally, so 3" All you can do is LOL at my obsession. They deliver to work so on the cold rainy days I don't even have to leave! It is wonderfully convienient.

3. Shopping Saturdays :D - the plan is for some girls to head out on a one day shopping trip, it is Friday and we still don't know where we are going, what time, or any other details. It should be a great day of laughs with the girls!

4. My DVR, I love letting the episodes pile up in the DVR and just going home after work one night and watching them ALL at once! I do have a hard time waiting and letting them pile up but man once you do it is like a big firework show! :)

5. My husband, I know I have stated this before but all I can say is I am lucky to have him! <3

I hope you all have a great weekend! HAPPY FRIDAY!

DIY Fall Table

Do you love to decorate? I LOVE to decorate!

Over the last three years I have accumluated a lot of household decorations. This year there really was no need to purchase anything...but I did. :)

I went to Walmart and purchased the plates and the items to make a chalkboard. (DIY Tutorial Coming SOON)

I have a Brown Leaf charger, orange childrens plate, topped with a small decorative plate. The placemats were also Walmart. This is a very tasteful look.

I propped the Isabel Bloom Pumpkin up on a glass cake pedestal and layed the random leaves, garland and small pumpkins around it.

Don't forget to light a candle on the table, your husband may get the hint for a romantic dinner with half the work already done. HINT, HINT! :)

In all of the images you have probably seen the chalkboard. I made it.

Wardrobe Wednesday

Fall is my favorite season as I love to layer clothes. I love to hid the parts of me that need not be seen!! :)

I wanted to get back to posting an outfit a week, so here I am. Sharing with you what I wore on this fine Wednesday in October.

It is October 24th in Iowa and the temperature outside is 81 degrees! Beautiful.

A girl from work and I decided to order in Jimmy Johns and head to the park to sit and enjoy the nice sunlight.

Leaves falling, runners ruffle leaves, ducks quacking to visitors with bread, the warm sunlight along with a nice breeze, PERFECT! Wednesday truly was the Perfect Fall Day, minus having to return to work in 60 minutes!!

Burgundy Jacket - CATO Fashions
Green Scarf - Target
White Lace Cami - Target
Khaki Skirt - Dick's Sporting Goods
Brown Boots - Younkers

Fall Pumpkin Cupcakes

Life is crazy this time of year, I have been doing a lot of DIY Projects, spending lots of time with my husband, all while keeping up with my normal rush of everyday life.

I had a hankering for something fall, something with a little sweet topped some more sweet. I hope you all can make just the right something for your fall cravings.

Cupcake Supplies:

4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2½ cups packed light-brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1½ cups canned pumpkin

Frosting Supplies:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions for Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until just combined. Add pumpkin; beat until just combined. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers. To finish, use an offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a decorated tip to top the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Directions for Frosting:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, ½ cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is low in fat and sodium AND it is a crockpot meal! What more could you want?

This was a night of decorating 5 cake orders so we decided to have a crockpot dinner. It worked out perfect! The prep time was 15 minutes, I had it in on my lunch our and came home to a yummy scent permiating through the house.

You will need the following materials

3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

14 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning

6 oz. can tomato paste

1 cup chicken broth

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 Tbsp. water

Preparation:

Place all ingredients except cornstarch and water in 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. If you want a thicker sauce, combine cornstarch and water in small bowl and mix well. Stir into crockpot; cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes until thickened. Serve with hot cooked pasta, if desired. 6 servings

How Do You Blog? - featuring my Father's 'Cookin'

'How Do You Blog??' this was my father's response to me starting a blog. While with most things my parents are 'with the times'...there are some things that they are just plain OUT of the loop.

As a family we are embarking on a healthier lifestyle which involves cooking more at home, this comes with my father's 'cooking' - LOOK OUT!!! :)

So, today while at work I get this picture!!

My father says, 'I am making my own blog.' First of all these words just crack me up because every time I take a picture of something he will say, 'you bloggin' that?'

So here is how he blogs...

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwich...see him for the instructions, it's a family secret HA!!!!

And for supper...A salad :)

On a more serious note...Diabetes runs very high in our family, I will start featuring more

'Diabetes Friendly Recipes', stay tuned!!

5 Guilty Pleasures

Don't feel guilty about the things that make you happy! For those who know me and those that don't, here is your chance to get to know me a little more.

Besides posting about my life, cakes and food I sometimes leave out the simple things that make 'me' me.

Twizzlers, definitely my weakness. You know that feeling you get when you know you are eating something you will regret later? I had that feeling when I ate a whole bag of Twizzlers on my way home from Walmart...only about 8 miles - my only reaction, 'Oops' and....Peanut M&M's are a killer too.

Scrapbooking, why is this a GUILTY pleasure? Because in return, I have to listen to my husband say 'you bought MORE embellishments' ? and I am horrible about spending time on myself, so when I do take time to scrapbook, I then feel guilty that I should have been doing something else.

Diet Mt. Dew, lately I have to have one at 9:30 in the AM. I should be drinking water but my thoughts are as long as I am drinking something with fizz I am staying away from food :)

Sunday Funday, wake up at 8am...maybe 9 :) crawl out to watch some dvr recordings, clean, laundry, make a crockpot meal, change the scentsy, reorganize a drawer or two; or the whole kitchen...and when recordings are done...I will turn on the radio...LOUD...and sing while cleaning! Yeap I do that! :) I am that girl that the neighborhood probably hears and says oh man that women is crazy!! Once again, because I am spending time on myself this is a guilt.

Decorating my house, I love to do new things with my decorations, rearrange and come up with new ideas. Christmas is by far my favorite time of the year. Since being in our house...3 years. I have had a different color scheme every year, and I am very excited about this years!!! Again, why a guilt? Because my husband gets annoyed that he has to assist putting up, taking down and the purchase in this 'hobby' of mine ;)

What is one of your guilty pleasures? Manicure, pedicure, massages, driving aimlessly with the windows down and the radio blaring!???

Talk soon!

A Perfect Fall Day

What is the perfect day? Having a weekday to sleep in the warm blankets, watching DVR recodings while outside it is cold, fall scent burning in scentsy pot, sweats and sweatshirt, not cooking supper and no plans at all.

This is the ideal day for me!! So maybe I should ask my boss, huh? wink wink....she might be reading!!!

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 butter
1/2 oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
3 cups flour
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
1/2 bag butterscotch chips

Cream together first 4 ingredients
Add eggs and beat until fluffy
Add dry ingredients as well as vanilla and almond extract.
Mix in chips.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes on stoneware

I could not stand it, I ate one burning hot and it was delicous!! Melt in your mouth fantastic!

Yields about 36

DIY Decorated Shadow Box

This is a really cool project for any time of the year. I made a couple for some family members for Christmas, see pictures below.

The one below is just a cheap shadow box from Hobby Lobby, piece of card stock, some embellishment stickers and some ribbon

Take the back off of the shadow box, cut the piece of paper to fit as the back ground. Place the saying you wish on the front. Tie the ribbon around the box.

Helpful Hint: Use wired ribbon for the rigidity.

The one below is from Pinterest but I made one just like it at Christmas!!

Making Piece with Wine in Knits

Following making 20 batches of frosting for two wedding cakes, a bridal shower and a child birthday I was ready to get cozy. I hit the couch with my new book, Making Piece and a glass of Moscato and all while in my cupcake knit sweats.

I just recently have started reading as a hobby and I can't believe how much I am enjoying it, if you have any books you recommend; please message me!!

I have the sound of Monday Night Football in the background, smell of sweet white wine, comfy knit cupcake pants and the good company of a book.

I hope you find the time this week to get cozy in your knits ;)

Friday Day 14 - Shanghai, China and United States

We got up at 5 am to have cereal and shower before our 14 hour flight back home. We missed home but had the time of our lives!!

We stop in Tokyo for 6 hours, finding the airport sucked! We had $30 and sat in the WiFi lounge for 5 hours! woooo hooooo :) we just wanted to COME HOME!

We got to the Quad Cities at about 8 pm to find Walt, Guilia, Rick, my mom and dad. They were all so happy to see us as were we!!!

AHH home sweet home!

Thank you for following our trip, I hope you continue to follow.

Love, Mackenzie and Dale

Thursday Day 13 - Shanghai, China

Happy Birthday to me!! :)

We headed to the Market today to purchase gifts to bring home. I had a great afternoon. My brother in law also surprisingly took the day off to spend with us!

The market is called Kejiguan Underground Market. You can purchase purses, backpacks, suitcases, chopsticks tea, magnets, clothes, etc. Most of which are name brand but FAKE.

We missed pictures this day as well, it was rainy and didn't want to get the camera wet. We went on a late night boat cruise.

We come home tomorrow and I am not ready to say goodbye to the family!!

Wednesday Day 12 - Shanghai, China

After returning from Beijing, we had to pick up the custom clothes we had made at the Fabric Market. Upon arriving we learn that they didn't have our clothes done yet, since they were promised to be complete on Tuesday; we requested they be delivered that night! Ha, I didn't think it would work but it did. They arrived about 10 pm that night by the owner!! :)

I had 9 pieces made for $200 American Dollars! I was sooo excited! Dale had a custom Hawaian linen shirt made for my cousins Jamaican Wedding :)

We decided to have an adult night for my birthday on Thursday, so we celebrated my birthday with the kids on Wednesday before bed.

They made me cupcakes! :)