Cake Pops ( Maybe....)

So my oldest daughter and I decided we wanted to try our hand in making cake pops. We where sitting there with this fun book thinking " how hard could this be?"
So the next day we went shopping for all the supplies it called for and came home to prepare. We followed the instructions step by step, measuring the right amount ( which for those of you who know me I never measure) putting the sticks in how the book instructed, etc...

So by this point they are looking good and we had no problems. Well it came time to cover them with the frosting! 
We read how to prep the frosting so it would work on the pops, and did as the book instructed. BUT every time we would pick one up and dip it in the frosting, the cake ball would fall off the stick!!! It was the funniest thing ever. Here we are thinking this was going to be super easy, that will be the last time I assume. 

After about 15 minutes of laughing and trying to get the balls to stay on the stick. I finally decided to mess  around with one that was already a goner, to see if I could jimmy rig the ball and frosting to make it stay LOL  after a couple times, I was able to FINALLY get those dang balls to stay. 

 Since this is my first post after being gone so long, I thought I would share a cute project I did with my girls. 
I am defiantly going to attack the cake pop balls again soon!! I need to show them who is BOSS :)  

See you soon,
Cassi

And as always please feel free to comment and share your stories, or tricks. I love to read what everybody has to say :) 

HONORED

I am so excited right now!! As many of you know I am a Pinterest freak. The reason behind this is because I draw so much of my own ideas and inspirations, from the other posts. It may be the color of a post, the shape, the object or even the subject. Well being a Pinterest freak paid off, because I was recognized by the blog and the master mind behind the blog +Michele McDonald from +The Scrap Shoppe  for having a great Pinterest site. I  was elated to see that My Newfangledness grab button up on The Scrap Shoppe blog page, along with some of my boards and pins and topping it all off, was the very kind things Michele wrote about my Pinterest page. 

I feel overcome with joy right now, that I have the chance to turn my dreams and passions into a reality. I look forward to keep growing, learning and inspiring others. :) Much Love!! 

Cassi

http://www.thescrapshoppeblog.com/   here is the link that you can follow to see some of my stuff as well as being able to check out Michele's blog :)

The story of my Dad

I feel so very lucky to have such great men in my life. But there is one man today that I want to talk about, and share a story with everybody. 

When I was 4 years old my father died in a tragic plan accident, leaving behind myself ( the oldest, my sister+Cara Jones who was around 2, and my brother +Rob Charlesworth who was 5 months old) and of course my mother. It was a struggle and a hard time for all. My daddy Allen ( as I call him) was a very loved and very likable person, to all. But us three kids did not get to experience that man unfortunately. I know there will be a day I will get to know my daddy Allen. But because of this tragedy, I was blessed to have another great man brought into my life.  

A few years after the death of my daddy Allen, my mom meet this amazing man, Timothy Hoby Gall aka Hoby ( he likes going by his middle name). You may ask why he is so amazing to me? and here is why. My Dad ( Hoby) fell in love with my mother and despite the fact that she had already been married and had three kids. This 30 year old bachelor, who had never been married, did not have any kids. Loved my mom so much that he took us all on, with open arms.
My dad and I have always had our ups and downs, like most kids and their parents. But he never gave up and never stopped trying to be the best dad.

I actually think it grew on him, because my parents added two more to the family. My brother Tyler ( he is the one on the left, Rob is the one on the right). And...

 My sister +Rylie Gall ( she is on the left, and my sister Cara is on the right). These two and the other two  have brought joy to my life and I could never imagine my life without them.

This amazing man raised me, he taught me many life lessons, he developed memories for me that I will always cherish. Some of those include, letting us stay up and in line for the midnight showing of Jurassic Park, waking us older kids up at 1 a.m. because he reached bowser on Mario brothers and he wanted us to be able to watch and celebrate with him after he won. Driving me to my friends house and the "I Like Big Butts" song came on, and he turns the radio way up and sings along. Pulling up in his Cadillac he just purchased and had us get in, and we went to an empty lot and did donuts in the car. Convincing my mom that I was old enough at 13 to watch "Braveheart" with them, because it had educational value to it :) the list could go on.

But with all of this fun and silly stuff, he also taught us to be responsible, not to judge others, to be respectful. The one thing he taught me that I will forever be grateful for is to just be honest. That I could make the choice to lie and get in huge trouble when the truth came out, or to just be honest and pay the consequences and get in less trouble. I always called him the human lie detector :) but it is a trait that he possesses, that I value and have carried it over into my little family.
Some people say a parent will always love their child no matter what happens, through good and bad. Well I can say that not only is that true for myself. But myself and my siblings who are not his flesh and blood have been able to experience that deep and loving bond, with my dad. In my eyes he is not a step-father to me, he is my father. I love and cherish him as much as I love and cherish my daddy Allen. He is my hero and a great example that good things can happen in someones life, when there feels like there is no hope.  

My Dad and My oldest Daughter Kamryn 

My Dad and Grandpa Ayers with my little one Anndi ( who is a Grandpa's girl) 

                                  My Mom and Dad with my Middle daughter Hadley after her baptism.



                           I love you Dad! and look forward to making many more memories. HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!


Cassi

Picking A New Winner!!

Well as I stated in a Facebook post, I have not been able to get a hold of the lucky person who won the FREE  +Spartan Race  code. So as promised I am going to enter everyone in again and draw another name. I am posting this post on the My Newfangledness blog and the other social networking sites tonight. I am going to give anybody that wants their name entered into the raffle, tonight and tomorrow to get back in the action. I will then have the results posted by either Monday evening of 6/17 or the morning of Tuesday 6/18. 

Again this code is good for ANY Spartan Race that the winner chooses. Plus don't forget I have a link to share with all that area interested that can get you 15% off any Spartan Race of your choice as well. Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity and please feel free to share with any family and friends.  

I will be posting this same thing on Facebook and Twitter. I had a great response on Facebook because of this giveaway, but only the people that left the comments on the blog got entered. So I would like to give them the chance to do that as well. Please make sure I have a link to your blog, Facebook page, email or whatever. So that if you are the lucky winner, you will not miss out :)

Thanks Again,

Cassi 

The Best Birthday Party!!!

 

This was Anndi's 5th birthday party. But I came across the pictures and thought it would be fun to share. Anndi loves to color and paint. So she had decided she wanted an art birthday party. I had seen a similar idea on Pinterest, that I ended up doing for her birthday. 
I bought all of the canvases, aprons and paint from +Hobby Lobby , and then found the fun painter pallets at +Walmart  for super cheap.

 I cleared out the kitchen, then just leaned the canvases along the walls, so that each child could pick one. Once they where settled at there canvas, I took a variety of the paint I had  bought ( which was washable) and put it in their paint pallets. Since it was not a very big party, I bought aprons for each child. Once the paint was handed out and the paint brushes, the fun part started. 

After the kids where done painting I placed a name tag in the front of their paintings and then left them to dry. During that time we opened presents and did cake and ice cream. Then before I new it, the parents started to show up. All the kids got to take their paintings home, along with their apron. 

The kids had a blast! Mom was thrilled because not only was the clean up super easy, the supplies,cost way less than other birthday parties my kids have had. 

Cassi 

T-Shirt Make Over

I got this fun blue T-shirt from one of my all time favorite store, +Dollar Tree . I decided to spice it up some so that is what I did :) The instructions are pretty simple, if you have questions or would like to know more about what I did, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you.

For this T-shirt make over the supplies I used where:

1. T-shirt ( mine came from +Dollar Tree , but any t-shirt will work) 

2. My sewing machine

3. Elastic thread and a matching color thread

4. Basic sewing supplies

- I started out by laying the shirt flat, on the cutting table. From there I decided where I wanted the shirring to go, and marked it out with a ruler, to make sure I stayed on track :) I only did two rows of shirring, but that is a personal preference. 

- Took the t-shirt to my machine, where I had set it up so I could add the shirring. I made my two rows and tied off the elastic. Then steamed the elastic part under the iron to help give it that shrinking effect.  

*If you have never shirred before, I am working on getting a live tutorial of some of the techniques I use, so it can be used as a guide. 

- Once I had that done. I marked where I wanted to cut off some of the sleeve. Then chopped that excess off, turned the edge of the sleeve about 1/2 inch in, to make the hem. On this shirt I decided I wanted to do a  little fun detail. So I used an off thread, that did not match and instead of doing a regular straight stitch or using a cover stitch/Twin needle. I set my machine to zig-zag and hemmed it that way. 

- I left the neck as is, because I had ordered awhile back ago from +GroopDealz Megan this fun bow tie necklace. But I have not worn it yet, because I felt it needed to be worn with a higher neckline. So this was the perfect time! 

I hope you find the t-shirt make over as cute as I do. Again please leave comments if you have questions or just want to comment :) 

Thanks,

Cassi 

The Spartan Free Race Code Winner is...

hdawgy!! Congratulations and thank you for showing your support to My Newfangledness  and also to the +Spartan Race  and the inspirations they set for people.

Not only have they offered to sponsor this giveaway of the free race code. But they have given me a link to share, that will give 15% off any Spartan Race. Anybody that is interested, just start following the My Newfangledness blog and leave a comment under the most recent post that you are following and an email that I can send you the link :) Spread the word as well to friends and family about My Newfangledness blog and my blog URL  http://mynewfangledness.blogspot.com  so they can check it out and if they follow same applies to them and the race code.


This giveaway would have never happened if it was not for Dan Krueger from the +Spartan Race who trusted me to help spread the word about these amazing races. Please click on the Spartan Race link that I have added in this post, and explore their site. These are not only races, but they are very inspiring.
I know that My Newfangledness leans more on the DIY/Craft side. But there is one big goal I have and that is to inspire others, in anyway. Spartan inspires me and my family, and I wanted to share that with everybody out there. I am very honored that they asked me to help spread the word for them, and would do it again in a heart beat. This quote in the picture says it all, and reminds me that in this world of blogging and shooting to have my own business. That if I do not prepare myself for the ups and downs of how to make it all work, then I will fail. 

My husband and three girls will be running again in another race in Utah. So in a month or so, I hope to share their experience with everybody, but to also share stories of the others. 


Cassi  

What is Reebok Spartan Race?

Earlier this year my husband had the opportunity to be apart of the Arizona Spartan Sprint. He was so jazzed up and excited to run in this race and I could not figure out why. So I got on the computer and went to +YouTube  and Google searched this +Spartan Race. As I went through some of the pictures and videos that had been posted, I sat there and was amazed at how inspiring this race is. +Spartan Race is not just a "race," they challenge you with different obstacles.  These could include anything from crawling under wire, jumping through fire, climbing walls, or having a chance to fend off a gladiator to cross the finish  line. I was unable to attend my husbands race, but received this text a few hours later. 


 

After getting this picture I was beyond excited to hear about the race and the different obstacles. He got home and told me all the different challenges and how much fun he had. But I will always remember the one thing he was most touched by. The fact that the +Spartan Race was not just any race. He said the race was almost designed and molded to encourage men,women, and children, that you if you set your mind to accomplish something, you can do it. There were the athletic people, people that were there just to have fun, people running as a team for a cause, and people just trying to take on a new challenge.

I was very honored to receive an e-mail from one of the +Spartan Race media team members, asking if "My Newfangledness" would like to take part in helping spread the word of the upcoming races. They are sponsoring a "My Newfangledness" giveaway for hitting a 100 "Likes" on Facebook, by offering a race code that will allow the winner the opportunity to enter any Spartan race for free. This is a great opportunity to try something new, and to be inspired by this company like I am. 

There are many links on my blog and I will also be adding links on Facebook, Twitter Etc. that will take you to the +Spartan Race  site, so you will be able to read more about their goals, check out the race calendar, etc... 

As far as the giveaway, to enter just join the My Newfangledness site ( The box off to the left), leave a comment under this post letting me know you joined and are following the site, and the best way to get a hold of you if you are the WINNER!! and don't forget to spread the word :)

Good Luck, I am looking forward to giving this code away and hope you all share the same excitement. A very big Thank You to +Spartan Race for offering to sponsor the "My Newfangledness" giveaway. 

Cassi

P.S. Entries start today and will be accepted until 9:00 p.m. ( Arizona Time) on Saturday June 1st.

The Prayers Continue

Not just one tragedy in Phoenix, but two.
In a well known movie "end of watch" officer Brian Taylor (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) quotes to his fellow officer and best friend Mike Zavala (played by Michael Pena) "you feel like a hero?" Officer Zavala then replied after being asked a second time the same question,  "No".

My point of adding this in my post, is because I ask my husband the same thing. I ask his fellow officers and our friends in the Fire department,  the same thing. The response I always receive is the same as officer Zavala "no".
These men and women do not go out on the job searching to become a hero. They go out to serve the communities they work in.
Even though they do not see their actions as heroic, I do.  My love and prayers go out to the families of those involved last night.

Cassi
Mormon 9:13
"Yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound."

THE THIN BLUE LINE

Many people in this world are not fan's of any Police Officer. Like everyone in this world, we all have our own opinions. Some may call me bias and I am 9 times out of 10. I hate when a marked car or motor cop get behind me because I know what they are doing as they follow you for awhile and either pull you over or not.
But like everyone in this world,  they are human beings as well. They have families, friends etc. They have jobs to help support those in their life. Yes, did they choose a profession that is dangerous and puts them in situations that most would never want to be in. But every day the men and women of any Pd, go out on their shift to protect and service the communities, they will put themselves in harms way or even sacrafice their life, because of that oth they took.
Ask yourself the next time you get angry with an officer " who is going to come help me when somebody breaks into my home? Who is going to be there first when a fatal accident happens? Who takes the people off the streets that hurts us or cause harm to those around us?"
My heart goes out today, along with my prayers.

Cassi

Desert Harbor Choir Concert

This is the reason I did not post the other night. My sweet 11 year old had her very first choir solo and she did amazing, along with the rest of the group. Kamryn is deaf in her left ear, due to the fact that she had bacterial meningitis when she was 11 months old. 
She is a fighter! she never lets her hearing loss hold her back form anything she has her heart set on. She inspires me, in the fact that she goes after what she wants.
 I am a very proud mother and have three amazing daughters who make me smile everyday. I hope you watch and enjoy :) 

Tell next time,

Cassi 


p.s. she is the first solo, in the green shirt :) 

Every Intention

Well I had a blog post I wanted to share today and didn't get around to fixing the pictures. Taking care of a sick kid, my oldest has her first choir solo tonight, ans my youngest is all over the place. LOL

Stay in touch this week though because I have a line up of posts. From two of my family favorite chicken recipes, a couple refashioned t-shirts and some fun ideas on turning old CD's into a home decor and even a dress up :) 

Tell Tomorrow,
Cassi 

Happy Mothers Day

I don't know about all mom's, But I had a great day. There is something about homemade gifts from your kids that make any other gift to shame.
Not only did I get tickets to my dream concert (New kids on the block, Boys II men & 98 degrees tickets ) but my darling girls spoiled me with homemade clip boards, a special song & breakfast in bed.

I am so lucky to have my family but my extended family as well.
I also want to announce that My Newfangledness Facebook page has hit over a 100 Likes!!! So in honor for this special event,  I am putting together an awesome giveaway. Stay tuned for details.

Tell next time,
Cassi

TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFTS

I know many teachers, and when I ask them how they feel at the end of the day, the #1 answer is " I want to cry". So I wanted to give them something that would make them smile and follow those feelings. 

Super simple project.

Supplies:

1. some kind of jar with the amount you need. ( these spice containers are from +Dollar Tree  ) 
2. Some kind of Tags and ribbon to tie them with
3. A box or a cute way to hold your project ( the tags and boxes I used are from +PickYourPlum ) 
4. Candy 

Opt. Supplies:
1. Dish Soap
2. Vinegar
3. Tub/sink ( somewhere you can put the jars in hot water) 


Steps I took:

1. Filled my kitchen sink with warm/hot water and added the dish soap and a little white vinegar. Then added the jars into the mix. I let the jars sit in the water for around 20 min. before I pulled them out.

2. Once I pulled them out, those stickers would just fall off or where very easy to remove. Then I ran them through the wash ( just because I did add vinegar to the water) 

3. As the jars where cleaning I prepared the tags with the sayings I wanted on them.

4. By this time the jars where done in the dishwasher. I took them out dried them some if needed, then began to fill each jar with the different candies.   

5. Once that was done, I just added the lids and tied the tags around the jars, but them in the boxes. 

6. ALL DONE!! 


These where a big hit at my girls school. Mom loved it the most though because, it didn't cost a fortune ( all together I think I spent around $35 for 18 jars) and they where cute and simple. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Tell next time,

Cassi 

Fun shelf idea

Fun shelf idea, a photo by My Newfangledness on Flickr.

It is crazy how time flies right by! My little Roo (my baby & last child) is just getting to big too fast and I will admit that I am sad.

It is crazy how time flies right by! My little Roo (my baby & last child) is just getting to big too fast and I will admit that I am sad., a photo by My Newfangledness on Flickr.

Focuse on a more Positive Life

Chapter 1: Be Optimistic for Happier Life : Realizing your self-worth has nothing to do with checking your bank balance, it is about you, the person you are in life.

Broken Promise with an announcement

Here it is 12:37 a.m. in Arizona and I never got around to posting my come back post for Monday. So to make up for it I am going to announce now that My Newfangledness will now only be a personal blog and network, to share everything I love in life. I decided awhile ago since all three of my girls will be in school full time come August, that it was mom's time to follow her dreams and passions. 

I have been working and putting together an actual LLC business. I have been advised by the lawyer that is helping me, not to reveal the name or too many details tell more of the legal stuff is in place. It has been a very hard decision to narrow down where I want to start with the new business, because I do love so many things. But after a long talk with my husband, and praying to my father in heaven. I am going in the direction of my love for decorating and up-cycling  fun, funky,vintage, retro, modern and shabby decor, furniture, and other fun finds, to create (for now) an online boutique. The big picture goal is to incorporate my other loves for fashion, styling, sewing and other crafts in at some point as well.

I want this new business to inspire peoples creativity. I also want to make it so that my price points are lower  and still produce great pieces. I plan on having tutorials, freebies, giveaways, networking links etc.  I live to have fun and that is what I want people to get out of it. I refuse to give up My Newfangledness so there will be links for that, along with another link/blog that I have been inspired to create and share. 

I am shooting to launch by the end of the summer and I will keep posting details as things move along. So be sure to check the My Newfangledness blog and Facebook page for updates and spread the word.

And in about 10 hours I will have Tuesday's post up for you :) 

Cassi

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you. All is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence." 

- Pope John Paul II  

Sewing Went Wrong!!

Well I just had to blog about my fun adventure last night, instead of what I was going to post :) 

I have three girls and they like to be a little snooty to each other sometimes. Well yesterday afternoon was one of those times.
I was sitting peacefully at my sewing machine working on some curtains, when they decided that it was going to be a snooty day. My oldest daughter walks in where I was and was telling me what her younger sister was doing ( that she felt was not right). So as I keep sewing ( because I wanted these curtains done, I know everyone has those feelings) I started to talk to her about leaving her sister alone and going into another room, when all of a sudden I notice my left pointer finger is under my sewing machine needle and it was piercing my skin. I pulled my finger back ( but of course it was too late) and the machine needle snapped and broke. I saw a little piece fly out so I figured as my finger was bleeding that it just punctured it. I went into the kitchen and got the bleeding to stop, and that is when I realized that piece I saw flying was not the whole piece that broke off. Here is where the rest was:

Yes! I had some of my needle in my finger! The tip of the needle had just barely broke through the skin. In a state of shock I had my oldest daughter call my husband ( who thinks he is the jack of all trades, but I still love him) to see what he thought I should do, he asked me to send a picture so I did and then he said he would call back. While I was awaiting his call, I called my PCP and he told me to go to the ER. I didn't want to go and pay the copay, so instead I let me husband ( who is home now) and his friend, play McGuyver on and me to see if they could pull it out. Very Bad Idea!! they pulled it out to this point:

That is when I started to feel a little sick to my stomach and wanting to pass out because they could not get a good enough grip on it to pull it out fast. So I endured about 45 min. of these two manly men telling me to stick it out, while they tugged away. I finally looked about my husband and said "stop now, I am going to the ER". We went they did x-rays to make sure it was not in the bone, then they injected my finger with lytacane ( which did not feel good either) after about 15-20 min when my finger was nice and numb and fat, the P.A. came in and pulled it out real fast at that was it. 

                           
                                                                     Fat Finger

The Needle on top is a regular machine needle, and the one on bottom is the one that broke. The whole top part of that needle was in side my finger :)



So Ladies and Gentleman, the moral of this story is Don't talk & Sew and don't let someone play McGuyver on you :) 


Tell Next Time,

Cassi  

Filing Cabinet Make-over

I wanted to get rid of this filing cabinet when we moved into this house, but my husband was being stubborn about it. So we came to an agreement that we would keep it, only if I could spray paint it to look fun :)

                                        BEFORE

                                                   AFTER

Steps

 1. I used 2 colors of spray paint, but if you would rather have it one color, go for it! When you are getting your colored spray paint, it is important that you get a sealer or finishing spray paint as well, this will be sprayed on after you put the color on.( As a side note my filing cabinet took a whole can of the green plus a little extra of another can. So keep that in mind when you are shopping).

2.I pulled out the drawers and wiped it all down. I new that I was going to coat each piece in those two colors, so I did not bother taping anything off.

3. The fun step! Spray away giving each area of the body and drawers even coats, to help prevent dripping. Once you have sprayed everywhere you want and feel that the color coat is even. Then this is where the sealer comes in. I forgot to mention that the sealer is in the same kind of can as spray paint. Shake it up and then spray over the top of the painted surface. Let it dry and you are done :)

I love spray paint because it can help a craft or project in many different ways. Something super simple as my filing cabinet all the way to spray painting a bigger item. My personal preference to shop for spray paint is  Lowe's, I have found their prices are the lowest and the big plus is that if you add yourself to their system, it will remember what colors you bought as well as anything else you buy. To find the store near you go to their web page www.lowes.com

As always I love to here what you have to say, so please leave a comment on this post or any posts.

Tell Next Time,

Cassi