Last night I was dead tired. After a nice hot cup of cocoa, I fell asleep reading a book in our recliner. I woke up some time after 10pm and made my way to bed. It’s not my ideal way to spend the evening, but I feel great this morning! I am working on Sock Monkeys today, and my buddy Timmy is helping me out. He is very supportive and encouraging with his sweet Christmas smile!
I just picked up new pairs of Red Heel Socks in different colors. I have pink, yellow, green, light blue, and of course, traditional brown. Now it is time to turn socks into friends! They will be in the giggleFritz Shop soon.
I am waiting on admittance to the St. Ann’s Holiday Gift Fair in Stoughton, WI Nov 12-13. I will post an announcement if/when I am accepted. This is such an exciting time of year!
Today is my birthday! I am not working on ANYTHING today, just enjoying another sweet birthday. I started off the day by sleeping in until 6:10 am (that’s a big deal!). My husband made our breakfast this morning and we took our daughter to the playground. The weather is perfect today, a wonderful beginning of fall. Later, we are getting burritos. They are yummy, our daughter eats them, and I don’t have to do any dishes! I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY!
Welcome September, and the start of the “ber” season: SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovermBER, DecemBER!!!! This is my favorite time of the whole year and I am ready to get to work.
I didn’t go to Coffee Break Fest in Stoughton, WI on August 20th. That day it just HAD to rain on and off all day. Months before Coffee Break Fest I prayed that we would not have the hot, humid, awful weather we suffered through in 2015. Two weeks before the festival the forecast said it would storm that day. I thought the forecast had plenty of time to change, the weathermen are rarely correct. Throughout those two weeks they were adamant it would storm. The night before the festival the radar confirmed what they were saying was true: it was going to STORM! I thought for a long time about going in the rain or sitting it out this year. I pulled out of the craft fair because I knew my equipment wasn’t sufficient for storms, many of my things would be ruined. I was so disappointed. But, it did rain. And now, I am moving on.
So, what’s new? Last Saturday I stopped in at The Bees Knees in West Bend, a store that sells vintage and handmade products. I inquired about renting space, but they were full. No problem. (What a beautiful store!) I will see if anyone else has a permanent space. I am looking for one or two more craft fairs to finish off this year. I am also planning ahead for next year.
I am off to work on more books and sock monkeys. Have a wonderful first day of the “ber” season!
It is that wonderful time of year again, when Stoughton Coffee Break Fest is fast approaching. I am excited to announce that once again the giggleFritz and Co. booth will be in the Arts and Crafts Fair. This is a great festival with a coffee brew off between local Wisconsin coffee brewers, a 5k run, car show, arts and crafts fair and more! Did I mention you get to sample the coffee? For a small fee (something like $5) you get a coffee break mug to keep and take home. Use the mug to sample the coffee brewers’ coffee in the competition. After sampling the coffee, cast your vote for the best brewed coffee. There is something for everyone!
So, stop by the giggleFritz and Co. booth, say, “Hi”, and check out all of the lovely new things I’ve been making. I can’t wait to see you there!
Have a blessed Memorial Day, Everyone! Take a moment today to think about the sacrifices that have been made by brave men and women and their families. We truly are, “The land of the free, because of the brave.” God bless our servicemen, servicewomen, and the USA!
How is your Memorial Day weekend going so far? My family and I are enjoying this beautiful stretch of weather we have been having. Some rain and thunderstorms have made it all a little more exciting, but right now it is just GORGEOUS!
It is great to have the sounds, smells, and sights of summer back again. Yesterday (Saturday), we went to my sister and brother-in-law’s cookout. They live near a lake and while we were outside we could hear the hum of the motor boats, smell the freshly mowed grass, burgers were sizzling on the grill, and the surrounding landscape was vibrant with new foliage. It’s been a great start to the summer, so far.
We didn’t show up empty-handed to the cookout. I made two dishes: Deluxe Macaroni Salad and Dirt Cake. They were absolutely delicious and we even had some leftover for today. Now I don’t have to fuss over dinner! Below are the recipes.
Deluxe Macaroni Salad from Freistadt Cookbook
Deluxe Macaroni Salad
8 oz. macaroni, boiled and drained
½ lb. ham, diced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
10 oz. frozen peas
4 hard-boiled eggs, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/3 cup radishes, sliced
¼ cup green onion, chopped very fine
2/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup pickle relish
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill.
Dirt Cake
Dirt Cake
32 oz. Oreo Cookies (1 pkg. + 1 row)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz.)
3 ½ cups milk
12 oz. whipped topping
Gummy worms, clean flower pot, etc. for decoration (optional)
In a blender, grind Oreo cookies and set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix vanilla pudding and milk with a wisk. Fold in the whipped topping. Fold in the cream cheese mixture.
In a flower pot or other large container, place some of the whipped topping mixture on the bottom. Add some of the cookies and continue alternating cream mixture and cookies in layers.
Refrigerate for 24 hours and garnish with gummy worms or other decorations.
I served each dish in 13 in x 9 in Pyrex pans because I transported them in a carrying case with lids and ice packs. The macaroni salad fit perfectly, but I had extra dirt cake that I left behind for us later. Printable versions of these recipes are below.
Hello, Everyone! Please welcome the newest member of the Socktopus family! He is available in the giggleFritz and Co. Etsy store as of now.
I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderfully busy time of year as much as I am! (Seriously, folks, when my head hits the pillow at night, I am out! 😉 )
Normally, I would start off by saying some cliché thing about how I haven’t written anything in so long and I can’t believe it’s the last day of October. Well, I CAN believe it. I have been downright Busy lately and I am even enjoying it! Tomorrow is a big day too, but after I get through it I will try to write some more then. Until then, Happy Halloween, Everyone! 🙂
Here it is: My Easter Peep Cake! Sweet, very simple, inspired by others on Pinterest. I baked a banana cake from scratch, which tasted ok. I made the cake part about a week early to save some time for other food prep the day before Easter. I pulled out the frozen cake layers from the freezer the day before Easter to thaw. Homemade cream cheese frosting was whipped up three days before Easter, and the cake was frosted Easter morning. I used nearly two boxes of green bunny Peeps and three Cadbury milk chocolate mini eggs for a little decoration.
There really is a difference between a homemade and a box mix cake. My homemade cake was a much denser cake and I think that effected the flavor as well. You can use a box mix and a can of frosting if you wish. I went with the homemade cake because I felt like making something with bananas for my husband. Anyway, I like Peeps and I enjoyed making this cake.
Tomorrow, I am attending a spring craft fair, Spring Fair to Remember in West Bend, WI. I have had a booth at these shows a few times. I am excited to see both what and who is new and how the seasoned craft fair vendors are doing. I always keep an eye out for both crafting ideas and booth set up and display ideas as well. I am not planning on participating in a craft fair anytime soon, but it never hurts to have a few ideas handy for later.
