Archive for the ‘celebrate it’ Category

Image via Tasty Kitchen

Do you like April Fool’s Day?  Or hate it?

It’s always a dangerous holiday around my mother-in-law.  She is famous for her pranks… both big and small.

Here’s a few of her classics over the years:

One year she replaced our license plate cover with a very, VERY corny cover.  My husband and I drove around for a couple of weeks before we clued in that we had the world’s dorkiest saying on our car.  It was highly amusing to all of our family and friends every time we pulled up and it was still on the car.  This joke would be really funny with sports teams.  For instance I could switch my friend (who likes BYU) license plate cover with my favorite UTES cover.

We woke up one year to pink flamingos decorating our lawn.

When my husband was a teenager, she served his favorite cream filled cupcakes… except that a few of the cupcakes had cotton balls rather than cream.  My husband claims he never ate one of the cotton ball cupcakes.  RIGHT.

She had a giant sign made for a friend who had a pool and placed it in their front lawn.  Apparently they were selling summer pool memberships that year.

Last year she made a flyer stating that my very unstylish and burly brother-in-law was starting a decorating business.  She even snuck into his “Man Cave” and placed very gawdy decorations and photographed it for the flier.  Then took the decorations away before he ever knew they were there.  He clued in when he got a few phone asking about his style and his rates.

Image via Martha Stewart Living

Do you have any great plans this April Fools Day?  My tricks are tame and consist of a forward dinner that only looks backward…  Starting with the Bakerella’s Meatloaf Cupcakes from a recipe I found on Tasty Kitchen.  For dessert, the Corn on the Cupcakes from Martha Stewart might be fun.

A few other tricks might be the classic trick bubble wrap under the toilet seat so it gives a good pop when someone sits down.

I also love the old sheet trick.  Tuck the top sheet under the mattress at the top.  Fold it in half and bring it back up to the top like normal.  When the family tries to get in bed, they will only fit halfway.

I better spend today thinking of a few other little tricks…  If you have a good one be sure to share.  With a trickster like my mother-in-law to live up to, I could use all the help I can get.

This past weekend was the Two Year Anniversary of Make it Do.

Wow.

That’s just about all I can say about it.  Wow.  I can hardly believe it’s been two whole years.  How time flies when you’re having fun!

Having an anniversary has made me feel nostalgic, because yesterday I spent way too much time reading through old posts and reminiscing.

Forgive my sappiness… but I wanted to share a few of my favorite posts:

Brer Rabbit and the Briar Patch… oh the fun memory this post brought back.  It was almost two years ago and my kids look so little….  SNIFF, SNIFF.  Stop growning.  Stop growing right now!

Another post I love is one I wrote about my grandmother Maxine Morgan.  Even though I never met her, she is a continuing inspiration in my life.  I grew up hearing stories about her and I still love to hear them.  There is something I didn’t realize at the time… and is coincidence I find so amazing.  March 18th is the day I created Make it Do.  That day also happened to be my grandmother’s birthday- March 18, 1925.  It makes me feel, even more, that she is with me on this journey.

It was also fun to go through a few of my older cooking/baking posts.  It was nice to realize I’m getting a little better at my food photography!  It made me want to go back and redo some of my recipes that I love.

Here’s a few from the first few months that you absolutely should try, even if I didn’t do such a great job making them look tempting:

Banana Bread – This was my first food post and I still think it is one of the best Make it Do foods around.  Take old black bananas and turn them into something absolutely delicious.  I’ve tried lots of different Banana Bread recipes, but this one is something special.

Chocolate Mint Brownies– This is by far my most requested recipe.  They are a little time intensive, but they are very easy.  They look so professional and the taste is out of this world.  I think I’ve made enough of these brownies to feed a small army… but I never tire of eating them… unfortunately for me.

Strawberry Salad with Spicy Pecans, Gorgonzola and Strawberry Vinaigrette– This salad has kept it’s spot as my all time favorite salad for about 3 years now.  That is an amazing run.  It has a perfect and lovely blend of flavors.  I can’t decide when I like it more, mid-winter with pomegranates instead of sliced strawberries or in the spring with sweet in-season strawberries.

A few of my favorite projects have been:

Sewing School Bags for my Girls

Mending a Patched Knee – this is sooo useful

Cozy Bed Warmers– since everyone should have one

And any project I’ve done with my kids.  They are the projects I remember and cherish.

The past two years have flown by and I’ve had days when I haven’t wanted to write or cook or sew a thing.  I’ve had days when I feel like my creativity is all dried up.

But mostly I’ve loved creating Make it Do.  Writing this blog has pushed me to grow and create in so many ways.  I’ve loved every comment and email I’ve ever received.  I’ve loved how writing this blog has shrunk the world for me.  I’ve “met” readers from India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Brazil… just to name a few countries, not to mention all over the United States.  I’ve learned SO much from tips and ideas sent to me.  Most importantly I’ve felt like I’ve made many wonderful friends.

I’ve still got a lot to learn… but I am glad I’m on this journey.  There are so many recipes and projects swimming around in my head, I can hardly wait.  I hope this coming year is better than ever.

Thank you all for stopping by and being the best part of Make it Do.