Pencils Out: Decorating Style Quiz

I came across this quiz on a lovely blog. Sproost offers a design quiz that helps you determine what decorating styles you like, then it shows you room examples of things that fit your style.

I never would have pegged myself as a "Classic, Traditional Country and Mountain Lodge" gal all wrapped into one! When I first saw "country" I was appalled, but quickly felt better (and bad that I passed judgement on the word country) after reading the description for Traditional Country:

"You love spaces that feel casual and lived in. Furniture is practical and comfortable, and yet at the same time its very stylish. The best part of country style is how much it highlights collection and found objects. Antiques here, garage sale finds there and Aunt Milly's hand-me-downs throughout. Unique items that used to serve very practical purposes are now on display, and their history seems to permeate the home. Each space in the home seems to invite friends and family to come in and stay a while. There is a true sense of home felt throughout."

Yes, yes, and yes! I think that's me. Take the quiz and let me know what you come up with. I'm going to ask Himself to take the quiz too to see how we match up (or not!). Here is the rest of my style as described by my quiz results:

Mountain Lodge
"You love nature! And really, how could you not? The more exposed wood (be it in log form or paneling) the better. And having natural stone in your home is a must! Especially at the fireplace, but stone top tables work too. If you could clad all the furniture in wood and stone you would, but splinters aren't fun and stone is cold! So when you need a place to sit (or recline in!), it should be comfortable and warm. Bigger is better when it comes to your favorite chair for watching TV or reading the newspaper. Leather is great (go natural!), but soft fabrics in warm tones also suit you well."

Classic
"What's old is new again! The beauty of Classic style is how well it takes all of the beautiful forms, colors and textures of the past and reinvents them in a way that feels both fresh and inspired. The style itself is a mix of European influences and French, English and Italian antiques and replicas are often used together. Furniture is well proportioned and comfortable and the rooms give off an air of sophistication and grace. Oil paintings depicting still-life or nature scenes and emphasizing symmetry of pairs helps maintain the traditional nature of the room. Windows are often covered with opulent fabric shades and/or drapery. Traditional rooms give off an air of history that seems to say "I was here long before you, and will remain long after you've gone." And yet, even with this level of sophistication, the rooms are soft and inviting."

Rainbow Cake!

Update 4: The post that will never end! Here are pictures of what the cake looked like inside:

Update 3: Sorry I didn't finish this post yesterday. We had to get to the party! The cake turned out well. Here are the ingredients I used:

Can you tell where the batter got out of line? (Bad red, bad!)

It made for a lovely dirty dishes display if there every was one.

Tips for next time: I stirred the frosting mix by hand. It might have spread easier if I had whipped it with the mixer.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera to my parents' house, so I don't have a shot of what the inside looks like, the whole reason the cake is cool! I'm really sorry - I'm such a bad blogger! It looks awesome inside, I promise. Next time I'm going to use a regular recipe and not the "diet" version. The cake was too dense for my taste, but it didn't stop me from eating a big chunk! Bottom line: this is such a fun cake and a guarantee smile booster on a cloudy day

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Update 2: So far, so good. I didn't use as much food coloring as The Onomicon did, so a few of the colors may come out a bit more pastel. I had to bake the cakes almost an extra 30 minutes, so I'm a little concerned about how the bottoms of the cakes will turn out. I checked them every 5 minutes using a toothpick in the center after the initial 29 minutes. As she mentioned in her blog, the density of the soda-cake method will need longer a longer baking time. I just was not expecting that long!
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Update 1: I'm attempting to make this super fun Rainbow Cake from The Omnomicon which was featured on One Pretty Thing. It's for Mom and Grandma's birthday celebration later today, so wish me luck. I'll update the results later. Happy Sunday!

Heart Day

In honor of sleepy bunny rabbits and a sweet day for all: video

Photo weekend: Killing Him softly

Thanks to Sue for getting us rolling on the theme. Thanks to Steph and Scott for the inspiration!

I have a guest blogger for today's story. His pen name: Lob Cockray.

Killing Him softly by Lob Cockray

As a pre-pubescent teen, Jesus got in an argument with three boys in His class regarding His ability to take a life of an animal by one silent gas-pass. After much prodding by the boys, Jesus lifted His left cheek, winked His right eye and smiled while a pig and a cow dropped dead outside His classroom window.

The boys were amazed. Their classmate Jesus just killed two animals with a flatulent.

Like the high majority of Jesus' acts, there was an alterior motive. Jesus was very hungry.

That day, Jesus took the pig and the cow home to the manger and invented His soon-to-be favorite dish: a beef-filled, cheese-covered, bacon-wrapped, tubular-shaped pork meal.

Unlike His earthly children, Jesus didnt't have to worry about poor-eating decisions. He could eat whatever he wanted. And he did.

For the next ten years, Jesus ate this 3,500-calorie meal every day -- sometimes taking seconds and thirds. He laughed at His mortal friends who were unable to do the same and still sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Here's where the story begins to read familiar to modern-day history classes. The population turned on Him. They formed an anti-Jesus group. They developed a death plan and carried it out.

One early Spring day, Jesus was killed. All for a hot dog.

The best hot dog ever. Even the Heavens couldn't replicate it.

How was this known? Jesus came back three days later. First meal? Hot dog. Filled with chili and cheese and covered with Thick-striped bacon.

Follow Jesus' steps with these simple directions:

• Chapter 1. Cook chili by following directions on 99 cent chili powder package
• Chapter 2. Cut an XL hot dog like a surgeon. Don't cut completely through it -- mortal sin.
• Chapter 3. Fill hot dog with chili and cheddar cheese (shredded)
• Chapter 4. Wrap hot dog with thick-striped bacon (4 to 5 pieces minimum)
• Chapter 5. Stick 4 to 8 toothpicks through hot dog
• Chapter 6: Cook on grill for 20 to 30 minutes rolling it on every side until bacon is very crisp
• Chapter 7: Serve on bun. Consider putting additional chili and cheese on top. Maybe even catsup or yellow mustard.
• Chapter 8: Eat it.
• Chapter 9. Repeat 24 hours later for ten years.