Swiss Meringue Buttercream...wha?!?!?

I loathe canned frosting.

LOATHE.

It tastes like shortening, and makes me want to lose my lunch.

Typically, my go to buttercream recipe is from Sweetopolita.

{Read all about it here...tips, recipe, etc.}

I cannot say enough good things about this recipe. 

It is THE BEST buttercream...EVER!

It goes on so smooth that I have often been asked if it's fondant. 

Best part it tastes so, so, so, so, so good.

BUT...

{did you know a 'but' was coming?}

it isn't the quickest frosting to whip up, and there are several steps including egg whites on the stove top.  The recipe also yields a TON, and I often times forget I have some in the freezer. 

So, today I made donuts {we're crazy obsessed now, thanks to THIS}, and wanted to slather them in Swiss Meringue Buttercream, but didn't have the energy to make it. 

On a wing and a prayer, I decided to make the Almost-Homemade Vanilla Buttercream by Karen Tack featured in this month's issue of Better Homes & Gardens. 

OMG!

It is a pretty strong contender for the real thing considering it's sort of a cheat, using marshmallow creme instead of egg whites and sugar. 

It's quick, it's easy, it's good. 

I mean, why wouldn't it be?  It has 3 sticks of butter in it.

Almost-Homemade Vanilla Buttercream
{via Better Homes & Gardens}

1 1/2 cups {3 sticks} unsalted butter
1 16 oz. jar marshmallow creme*
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In large mixing bowl beat butter with mixer on medium until light and fluffy.  Add marshmallow creme and beat until smooth, scraping sides.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy (if too stiff, soften in microwave no more than 10 seconds; beat until smooth).  Use to frost cake.  Or store, refrigerated, up to three days or freeze up to a month.  Bring to room temperature before frosting cake. 
Makes 3 cups.
*If only 13 oz. jars are available in your area, add 3 oz. (3/4 cup) additional marshmallow creme. 
For a sweet & salty contrast, add 1/4 tsp. of salt.
You, my friends, are very, very welcome.

Mad Music Monday...

This week I chose M83.

They are coming to The Pageant in St.Louis this May, and I'm hoping my cousin and I are going to go.  (Michelle: if you're reading this...HINT, HINT!)

They are just really, really good.

It's lock yourself in the bathroom for 10 minutes, and breathe kind of music. 

I do that.

Do you?

If not, you should.

I highly recommend it.

In fact, you could do it after you read this post, and play the 2 You Tube vids I posted.

That would be nice.

You'll like it.

I promise.

The 10 minute break, and the tunes.

Ear buds might help. 

Just sayin'.

Time.

So, I obviously cannot post everyday, but I'm hoping to post every few days.  I think that sounds pretty reasonable. 

It's a matter of time.  And time isn't usually very friendly.  Especially to me.

I don't know what has happened in the last 6 months or so, but I have significantly less of it.

I look at my little nuggets and can't believe how big they are, how independent they are, and how much they know. 

Certainly, Rosie was just spending her days happily nursing and snuggling the away, while Betsy got in-home therapy almost everyday, and the boys were boisterously wrestling on the floor or jumping off the couch...oh wait, the boys still do that.

Anyway, enough of that nostalgic stuff.

Even though, time robs us of so much, it also allows for friendships to blossom, wounds to heal, knowledge to be gained.

I have met many people through my blog.  Over time.

None has come to mean as much to me as Crystal. 

I never would have thought that of all the people I 'knew' from blog land, that she would be the dear friend to me that she is today.  Over time our spunky debates turned into quite a camaraderie. 

And, in time...I will see her in real life. 

How's that for time being on my side?

 

Mad Music Monday...

So, I used to do 'Hump Day Ear Candy' on Wednesday, but because things seem to be new around here, AND because my corpus callosum hurts on Mondays...I thought I would move Wednesday's post to Monday leaving Wednesday open for things I would normally post on Monday.  {Is anyone else thinking about the teacher in 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'?}

So, after thinking long and hard about what band to post today, I have decided to share 'The Velvet Underground'.

Certainly, this band isn't new to most people...quite the opposite actually, but I love them so. 

For me...it's Sunday Funday music.  True rock-n-roll written and performed by real rock-n-roll musicians.  {And, yes...the kind of band that was all sex, drugs, & the music, managed by Andy Warhol for goodness sake. It was the 60s-70s, people...c'mon.}

So, sit on your patio with a cold beverage with the sun setting low, and enjoy this music for what it is. 

Magic.

Stay tuned this week for nonsense, scandal, travel plans, and plenty of shout outs!

PS I'm not entirely sure what a corpus callosum is or does, but I know it's in your brain, and I know that my brain hurts on Mondays.  Plus, it sounds super official.

Do it. Now.

Since I haven't blogged in ages, I have lots of things to share with you that are happening or have happened at the House of Grebe. 

A quick share would be the stenciled entry. 

I have always loved Orla Kiely's multi-stem wallpaper, but haven't ever had the chops to buck up and buy it.  It really isn't all that pricey for wallpaper, but I was afraid Big Daddy might have a few choice words for me if I asked him to wallpaper on top of the myriad of other things he has been doing around here.  So...

I decided to try and stencil the design. 

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a pack of uncut stencil paper.  I think it was about $4 for 3 sheets.  I also picked up a new exacto knife so that the blade was extra sharp. 

Next, I blew up the multi stem design in Photoshop and printed it.  Then, I just traced it onto the stencil sheet.  Finally, I cut out the design with the exacto knife.  I did leave the top and bottom edges of the design uncut so that I could use those as a guide to line up the pattern as I moved along.  Does that make any sense?

Because there were so many colors involved, and the fact that walls are not perfectly straight but I wanted to make sure the design looked level, it was a slow moving process.

Off and on, it took me about 2 days to finish.  When the stenciling itself was complete, I had to touch up around the door frames, and ceiling.  Then to give it a more worn finish, I lightly sanded over all the walls. 

I am super pleased, and it gives the entry a little space definition from the rest of the space since we have such an open concept floor plan.  My sister says it looks like a circus, which secretly makes me quite pleased.  I mean, c'mon...the circus is super fun, AND you can buy loads of cotton candy there.

Anywho, if you've ever thought about stenciling, but couldn't find a design you liked, this is a pretty easy, albeit time consuming project. 

The only advice I have is that make sure your stencil brush or sponge is almost COMPLETELY devoid of paint before you start the stencil process.  Otherwise, the paint will bleed under the stencil and onto the walls for a very unpleasant effect.  LESS IS MORE.  I never thought I'd say that, but in this particular case it's very true. 

**Please ignore the shoe basket as we are a 'no shoe' household.

It is always overflowing because no one puts their shoes in their closet.  Don't get me started.**



Let me know if you have any questions about this project.

Or the circus.

I would be happy to discuss either.

Lifted up.

I have convinced myself, as of late, that no one really reads this, and thus have silently slunk away. 

If you couldn't tell. 

But, lately, I've been inspired to keep up with my old friend, the blog.

Mostly because of a group of lovely people on Instagram. 

I have found a niche of lovely people that have become more than just a community of like minded 'techie-nerds', but more like an interweb family.

Oh, if only we could all fly to the same place and spend a day in the sun together...

Now wouldn't that be lovely?

Life has been more than distracting lately.  I am having a hard time keeping up with 'older' kids and all of their sports and school commitments.  Which is ironic considering we limit activities, sports, and clubs to one thing a season/semester.  We have approached a time when seasons overlap for several weeks, and games and practices have become to numerous to talk about.

Is it wrong that I would be perfectly content if they wanted to stay home and read books?  Ha!

Which is strange since I was VERY active in my adolescence both athletically and academically, and Big Daddy played numerous sports and continued with football in college.  I like to refer to my mom style as vintage parenting rather than lazy parenting.  That's seems fair.  The whole 'keep it simple, stupid' phrase is constantly resonating in my head every time I'm approached with a new sign up sheet. 

Alas, it makes them happy to play, and participate, and learn.  They get fantastic grades, and are good kids.  I don't get to decide everything for them, even though I wished I could. 

Life is fast, and I can only slow down so much.  We must be doing something right if I hear them say CONSTANTLY that their friends get video games whenever they want, have cell phones, TVs in their rooms, etc.  The pace here is slower than outside of these walls, but certainly not as slow as when we were kids. 

Which all I can say, although not eloquently, is that is dumb. 

What's the rush?  Time robs us of so much already, why do we push it along? 

So, after all that rambling...I can safely say {disregard all the times I've said it before}, that I'm back. 

And this time, something feels different when I say it. 

Really.

The last birthday party...for awhile.

I'm all birthday'd out.  BUT...
my youngest, Rosie, is turning 5 in March. 

I cannot believe it. 

After much ado, she's decided on a county fair theme.

I've made it as far as the birthday outfit {which Crystal made}, and the invites which I did in Photoshop. 

That's it. 

Let's hope the invite provides some much needed decor/menu inspiration. 

Oh, and the fonts are all from Dafont.com, the clip art is from Just Something I Made, and the tickets were a dollar store find. 

Any ideas...

I have pies, jam, pickles, kettle corn, hot dogs, funnel cakes, chocolate cake, sack race, blue ribbons, blue grass music.  A petting zoo is out of the question, but I may dress the pups up as a cow and a pig.

HELP!

I'm too depressed about my baby turning 5 that I can't get creative.  The invites may be the best thing about the party. 

And, I can't have that, now, can I? 

Still keepin' on.

Okay, so I am still here. 

Barely.

And I've become a crazy coupon lady.

Barely.

With a little help from a friend {Crystal}, I am starting to see the light.

She is the kind of coupon girl I can respect and admire.  No shelf clearing, no binders of coupons {as in more than 1}, no hours upon hours spent researching until your eyeballs bleed, no driving to 29 different stores. 

My first coupon excursion yielded 3 jumbo packs of GoodNights, 2 Right Gaurd deodorants, 2 Axe body washes, 1 Glade scented oil candle with 3 candles, and 1 bottle of Zarbee's children's cough syrup for $38. 

Anyone who buys those darned GoodNights knows what a score that is.  It's almost like paying for the diapers and getting the rest free.  All at one store.  All products we use.  Nothing we didn't need. 

I mean you could argue I didn't need a candle, but my boys and dogs stink sometimes. 

Here's the breakdown:

• joined CVS rewards program which is super easy and free
• printed 2/$2 coupons, and 1/$1.50 coupon for the GoodNights
• printed 1/$1 coupon for the Glade
• printed 1/$2 coupon when you buy 2 Right Gaurd deodorants
• GoodNights were marked down at CVS to $9
• Right Gaurd yielded $2 CVS rewards when you bought 2
• Zarbee's was $6 with $6 in CVS rewards {basically, free}
• Axe body was was marked down to $2 or something fantastic {wish I still had my receipt}
• bought everything but 1 pack of GoodNight
• after the first transaction I had $8 in CVS rewards so I went back in and bought another pack of GoodNights for FREE after my rewards and a coupon

That's it. 

It took about 10 minutes.

Now, I'm mad at myself that I HAD to go the store yesterday, and forgot my coupons.  I felt like I wasn't using free money.  Who doesn't like free money?

I will be documenting my journey more, and hopefully my savings increase. 

So, if you want to play along, and become a non-threatening, not crazy, not shelf clearing, AWESOME coupon lady...I think this may be the place for you. 

I will also sharing any helpful hints that Crystal passes on to me. 

So, this could be fun...or not.  If you get all tingly when you see your final bill, then it will be fun.  If you have tons of money, and don't need to save any, then this could be the pits.  Either way, it could be entertaining.

I also will be having a really cool giveaway coming up from Novica.  If you aren't familiar, you should check them out.  They have some really beautiful stuff!  So, stay tuned!

**POST EDIT**
One binder is okay.  I am too familiar with the need to stay organized, but I have seen woman with THREE!  Is that really necessary?  Are there even that many coupons in the world to fill 3 2+ inch thick binders.  I think not.

I am going out on a limb here and saying that with 3 binders, you are probably buying things you don't really use/need.  Is that fair?