Huckleberry Finn: A No-Bake Birthday Cake

". . . They kept this picture over the head of the bed in her room, and every time her birthday come they hung flowers on it. Other times it was hid with a little curtain."  

Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn Chapter 17

My food pyramid looks different than most.  Where most pyramids are satisfied with grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy, MY pyramid has at least two additional tiers---

one for Junior Mints, 

and one for cake.

(I would have made a separate tier for pumpkin pie, but I consider that part of the vegetable group.)

I am a fan of any cake, but especially ones that look like this or taste like this.  Unfortunately, I am fresh out of eggs, butter, and fondant.  Luckily, there is another cake option that doesn't require eggs or butter and can be suited to anyone's food pyramid.

I assembled this "cake" for my friend's birthday.  

(Her food pyramid obviously includes Diet Coke and Almond Joy tiers.)

Here's how to do it . . .

Directions

1. Cut the top off of a 2 liter soda bottle so that you have a uniform cylinder.
2. Place your bottle bottom-up on a tray or platter, etc.
3. Line the bottom of the bottle with soda cans and put some tape on the backs of the cans so they wouldn't shift.
4. Place tape on the back of miniature candy bars and then line the top of the soda bottle with them.  They should sit nicely on top of your soda cans.
5. Wrap your "tiers" with ribbon and secure with tape.
6. Poke a small hole in the top of the soda bottle (which will be the bottom of the soda bottle now that it is upside down) for a candle.
7. Secure your candle in the hole and "garnish" with ribbon curls to cover up any visible soda bottle.  

There you have a No-Bake Birthday Cake that you can make in less than 10 minutes.  

And if there is anything I like better than eating cake, it is saving time . . .so I can eat more cake.

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Huckleberry Finn: Perfect Pulled Pork Sandwiches

"I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens—there ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right—and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time."

Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn Chapter 18 

My baby is learning his animal sounds, but according to him, everything growls---including ducks, bunnies, and goldfish.  We've tried to explain that the growl is only for lions, tigers and bears (oh my!), but the point doesn't seem to be sticking, as evidenced by his gutteral growl at a passing butterfly this week.

Animal awareness has always been a tricky subject around here--and not just the part about learning how to "moo" or "baa" or "oink."

I remember having to explain to my oldest son where his hamburger had come from.

"The meat in your hamburger comes from cows," I explained as cheerfully as possible, as though the slaughterhouse were just a lesser-known corner of Frontier Land at a Disney park. 

My son thought for a moment and then looked at me with horrified green eyes that were beginning to fill with tears.

"You mean we kill cows and EAT them?"

For the first time in my life, I wished I were a card-carrying member of PETA so I could assure my son that even though SOME people killed cows and ate them, WE didn't.  We weren't that cruel.

But I couldn't.  I think it had something to do with obvious flaw in logic considering all the In-'N'-Out wrappers on the car floor.

So I did the next best thing.  I lied.

"Yes, honey.  We eat animals for their meat . . . But ONLY the mean ones."

Reason # 37, 801 why I am on heaven's "wait list".

What I WON'T lie about to you is that these pulled pork sandwiches are my absolute favorite.  Not only are they a breeze to make, but they are the perfect mouth-watering blend of sweet and savory "can-I-have-another-one?" yumminess.

Pair these with your favorite BBQ sauce and you have a sure hit.  Just be sure to use "Mean Pork" in your recipe, and not the "NICE" kind. 

My son will sleep better knowing you did . . .

Perfect Pulled Pork Sandwiches

3-4 pound boneless pork sirloin  

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Worcestershire sauce 

2 tablespoons dried onions (or 1 tablespoon onion powder)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

Place everything in a crock pot and cook on high for 5 hours.  

Pull apart with a fork and serve on rolls.

Garnish with BBQ sauce.

 

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A Midsummer Night's Dream: Little Fierce Art

“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”

-William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

When I read this quote, it just made me giggle because I have a little one whose temperament fits this statement all too well.  I knew immediately that I needed it to be posted somewhere in my house to honor both her and the Bard of Avon before we bid him farewell.

I printed it out on paper and framed it...

and it just looked a little blah.

And I wanted her to be a part of it, so...

I printed it on vellum,

and printed a picture of her (Straight out of the printer on copier paper & I bumped up the contrast on that pic so it would show through the vellum a bit more.)

and framed them together. (I actually put the glass between the vellum and the picture because I liked it looking a bit more foggy, but if you want the picture more crisp, just put the vellum and paper right on top of each other.)

And now we know which kid it's referring to.

This is a fun way to display pics with any kind of quote, and assuming you have some vellum on hand, it is totally free! And if not, vellum won't break the bank. Also, it takes roughly five minutes to make :) Best of luck!

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A Midsummer Night's Dream: Reading Nooks

LYSANDER:  Reason becomes the marshal to my will
And leads me to your eyes, where I o'erlook
Love's stories written in love's richest book.

Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II Scene 2

With a blog name like "Be Book Bound," it should come as no surprise that Miriam and I like to read.  I started reading on my mother's lap with a "Dick and Jane" book---not classic literature by any means, but I remember liking Jane's hair, and that was good enough for me.  Miriam probably started reading in the womb, because she's smart like that.

It has been decades since those first books, and I still haven't been able to get my hair to look as good as Jane's.  But I keep reading, in spite of it all.  I have 11 books on my nightstand right now that are all partially finished.  The problem is, when I climb in bed and choose a book from the stack, I feel like I'm choosing between children.  

It can't be done.  

(That is, unless you have a child like mine, today, who bit another toddler at church only minutes after taking off his shoes and darting out of our church pew toward freedom.  

Then it's not so hard to choose.)  

So, as any good mother would, I divide my time equally amongst my darlings.  (Although, I must say, I'm loving a certain book right now over the others, but I don't dare let on . . . :)

The only thing that could make me love books any more would be to have a nook of my own to read them in.  In the spirit of midsummer dreaming, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite and most magical "book nook" finds . . .

 Any good reading nook needs lovely light to read by, whether spilling from sunny windows or sparkling chandeliers, or both . . .

{via Downsize My Space}

{via Southern Living}

{via Apartment Therapy}

I love nooks that use conventional space in unconventional ways, like the hollow beneath the stairs . . .

{via Knotting Hill Interiors}

 a bedroom closet . . .

{via Pretty Handy Girl}

 a great room alcove . . .

{via Be Nonsensical}

 or the hall cupboard.

{via Thrifty Decor Chick}

Soft fabrics and cozy pillows are a must . . .

{via A Little Chippy}

{via House Beautiful}

 

{via Home-Designing}

Regardless of the space you use, it should inspire the imagination and the spirit . . .

{via Desire to Inspire}

{via Pinterest}

{via Aris Whittier}

Which nook did you like best?  

Better yet, what are YOU currently reading?  We'd love to hear what's in your book stack!

Many magical reads in magical nooks to you all . . .

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A Midsummer Night's Dream: Fairy Tutu Dress

The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve:
Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time. 

-William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 5 Scene 1

I love these sweet little tutu dresses. I love how ethereal and fairy-like they are. Most of all, I love how they can make you forget that that you're on your 20th repeat of "Stay away from the water. Come back here. COME BACK. I am counting to three..." Now, if you are looking to make one of these, chances are that you have some experience with these little fairies I speak of, and you know exactly how this whole scenario goes, so...

...On to the Tutu dress!

These were SO easy to make! And I even took the difficult route by using the tulle that comes on a bolt instead of those cute little spools you can buy at the craft store. But this is how I did it:

Measure your munchkin from armpit to floor, and double that length. Cut 10 yards of bolt tulle into strips that are 8 inches wide by that measurement you just got. My little one's doubled measurement happened to thankfully be the with of the bolt fabric, so I just had to cut it into strips. No extra cutting necessary.
*If you are using the tulle that comes on a spool, your yardage is going to be anywhere from 100-400 yards depending on how full you want it and how tall your little lady is. 100 being about right for a toddler. Think along the lines of 100 yards per year of life*

For this Tutu Dress, I used 5 yards ivory and 5 yards of mint tulle.

Now take white elastic banding and measure around your munchkin's torso right at their armpits. Cut the band an inch or two smaller than that measurement, and sew one end to the other. You will have a big circle now.

(Reserve 2 strips of tulle) Take 2 strips of your tulle just layered together (I put one layer of each color together), and fold them in half, making an arch in the center. Put the center arch behind the elastic, and then pull the tails over the elastic, through the arch, and tighten. (Not too tight- get em all on there before you tighten really well, that way you can be sure they are evenly spaced)

Now if you'd like to cover the elastic that is still peeking out, take a ribbon, and tack it at one spot on the elastic. Then wrap it over the adjacent knot, and back up, over the adjacent knot, and back up, etc., etc. until you get all the way around, and tie a bow. (See here if that confuses you) Save the rest of your ribbon to cinch the empire waistline once the dress is on your little sprite.

Now put the dress on that little lady, cinch that waistline, and take your reserved pieces of tulle- put them on top of one another. Wrap them from the back of the right shoulder to the front of the right shoulder (Threading them under the elastic band- these are your arm straps) over the back of the neck to the front of the left shoulder, and to the back of the left shoulder. Then tie in the back and you have arm straps and a little halter. You could opt to sew these into place, but I am lazy and this works great. So there :)

Now jump for joy! You did it!

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A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Baby's Dream Nook

Sing in our sweet lullaby;
 Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby:
Never harm,
Nor spell nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby. 

- William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2 Scene2

I need to make a disclaimer here: My child will not be sleeping in this crib exactly as you see it in the pictures below. The berry vine would quickly become a snack,  and the chandelier, being that low, would become a swing. Also, the twinkle lights will probably never get turned on because I have a bizarre fear of fire, and she sleeps in the dark. But when the chandelier is raised and the vine is removed, or hung on the wall or some such thing, this is going to still be a perfect little place to dream.

We have this strange little nook that fits a crib perfectly, so I added some curtains,

hung a chandelier

and some twinkle lights, followed by a sheer layer of gauzy fabric...

I hung a sleeping angel to be near my own little angel

made a champagne colored damask bumper 

(It's totally not complete yet, BTW- just check out the back side of the crib!)

and a ruffled bed skirt.

And a midsummer night's dream needed some foliage, so I added the berry garland

and a touch of the forest on the tie-backs.

And there you have it: a new sweet place to dream.

May you have many lovely dreams on these midsummer nights.

 

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A Midsummer Night's Dream: Vintage Toiletry Bottle Labels

OBERON:  Fetch me that flower; the herb I shew'd thee once:
The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid
Will make or man or woman madly dote
Upon the next live creature that it sees. . . .

Having once this juice,
I'll watch Titania when she is asleep,
And drop the liquor of it in her eyes.
The next thing then she waking looks upon,
Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull,
On meddling monkey, or on busy ape,
She shall pursue it with the soul of love . . .

Sleep deprivation has all sorts of consequences.  There are the obvious ones, like fatigue, fuzzy thinking, and not remembering dentist appointments.  But then there are the more embarrassing ones, like smearing hair pomade on your face in the morning because your moisturizer jar looks EXACTLY like the pomade jar.

(Or at least it does if you squint your eyes when you have been up with a baby at least twice in the night.)

And if that isn't enough, sleep deprivation may just throw you a double whammy by not affording you the braincells to realize that the goo on your face is not moisturizer, but "Surf Hair Gum Paste," until your face starts to harden like a Renaissance statue and you frantically consider the possibility that mothers everywhere might have been right all those years when they said, "Don't make a face like that or your face might stay that way."

Not that this has ever happened to me, of course. 

So for those of you that struggle to find your footing in the wee hours of the morning, and who may need a little something to look forward to as the sun rises (besides an eyewash to remove searing hair product from your corneas), Miriam and I have created the following array of toiletries.

 

Every woman deserves a little magic in the morning.  All the better if that little bit of magic is perfectly vintage and feminine.

Here's how to do it.

First, collect an assortment of fun bottles IN VARIOUS SHAPES AND SIZES so you don't have a repeat of the incident mentioned above.  I found these for about a dollar each at a furniture/decor store.

Next, take a roll of contact paper and cut it to the size of an 8.5x11 piece of printer paper. 

Place your contact paper in a laser jet printer and print off your desired labels onto your paper.  

(all frames courtesy of The Graphics Fairy)

Cut your labels to size and then stick them on your bottles.

And all of a sudden, your morning ritual becomes a little more indulgent, a little more refined, and lots more enjoyable.  

Oh the difference a pretty label can make . . .

Boring bubble bath becomes "Bath Tincture" . . .

Moisturizer becomes "Creme de Visage" . . .

Everyday bath salts become a "Salted Water Potion" . . .

Lame Listerine becomes a "Mint Herbed Tonic for Breath" . . .

and the mandatory multivitamin becomes a "Vitamin Restorative".

 

Someday I hope to add a "nap potion" or a "slenderizing serum" to the array.  

Until then, I'll just be content that none of these magically feminine bottles could ever be confused with hair pomade.

Many magical mornings to you all!

Here are the image files, should you choose to make your own :)

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