Duck Wisdom

If you haven't been watching Duck Dynasty you're missing out. This little gem airs on A&E and it's about a family who makes duck calls. Except, it's nothing about the duck calls, but the quirks and nuances of the Robertson family.''

This is a family of bearded rednecks who do all kinds of silly (and fun) things, but at the end of the day sit down for a family meal and pray.
The patriarch of the family, Phil, has turned into a Christian speaker, which is awesome. He shares he faith and is quick to credit God with all he has.
Willie is the CEO of their business. He's just as crazy as the rest of them. But I greatly admire him and his wife, Korie, because they are adoptive parents! I love seeing adoption shed in a wonderful light in real life!

But the real gem of this show is Uncle Si. His words of wisdom (words of pure craze?) have become iconic to Duck Dynasty fans! I mean, who comes up with this stuff other than Si?

"Whether you're talkin' about bees, dogs or women, Pain can come up on you QUICKLY ..."

"Hey, I'm telling you we can't fix this. You can't fix stupid."

"Work hard. Nap hard. Hey, that's what I always say, Jack."

Si is a HOOT! They all are. If you're not watching this gem, tune in! Trust me - the words of wisdom abound!

I'm Writing, but Where is My Audience?

Last night I finished my third book. Isn't that incredible? I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm pretty darn excited about it. Three books? That's quite an accomplishment.

Except, I don't have anyone to read said books. I don't even know if any of these books are any good except from a few friends who have been waiting for the past 18 months for me to finish this last one. (It seems I can't write while pregnant/with a newborn. It happened before.)

I've been shopping around and checking out publishers and literary agents. Many of them don't allow blind submissions. I have to have someone recommend me. I need an "in." But how do I get an "in" if I can't get anyone to talk to me?

Yes, I have considered self-publishing, but I would prefer to wait and really try it the hard way first. Besides, when you self-publish, you pay out a ton of money to have your book printed, but then no way to sell it. Unless Aunt Ida really does want all 500 copies of your book...you're up a creek, as they say.

So I'm looking around. I have more ideas for more novels in my head. And I will keep on writing them. And maybe, one day, you will be able to read one of these creations from the depths of my brain!

Unless - Do you know any agents or publishers you could recommend me to? Pretty please? I'll give you some ice cream...

Christmas Prep

I'm a huge Christmas fanatic. Who isn't? But now with three children and a ton of additional family to bestow gifts upon, being thrifty is key. Thrifty - not cheap!

So I've been perusing the crafter's paradise - Pinterest - for inexpensive Christmas ideas. There are several I've found that I think I'm going to try for family and friends.

I think this will be a great teacher gift - because, yes, we are suck-ups.

For friends and extended family I think this is awesome paired with a bottle of wine:

 For some of those special girls in my life, I would love to attempt this and see if it works:

And I think I'm going to make these for the kids to hang on the tree this year:

Are there any awesome Pinterest Christmas crafts I'm missing out on? Share them with me!

Hello? Are You Out there?

I am stealing this idea from Melanie and I thought it was so brilliant I had to do it myself. But it's okay, because she totally said we could steal the idea! Thanks, Melanie!

For Christmas, I want one thing - to know who YOU are. You...the one at the computer/iPad/phone.

I want to know more about you, and I want you to feel completely comfortable to reply freely!

So if you have ever enjoyed reading my blog, I would LOVE for you to come out and tell me about you, since I talk about myself all the time. It's simple. Fill out the form and post it in the comments (and steal it for your own blog!)
…. something like this:

My name is ____________________ (you can use a nickname or just your first name if you would like)
I am _________________________ (student / wife / single mom / etc )
I love to ___________ and _______________.
I am happiest when I am ________________________.
If I could do anything in the world, I would _____________. (this is my favorite question!)

I’ll go first.

Hello lovelies!! My name is Allison. I am a wife, mother, blogger, aspiring novelist. I love to write and make people smile. I am happiest when I am relaxing with family. If I could do anything in the world, I would find a home for all the orphans in the world - and have my books published!

See? It’s easy!

Your turn! Please leave you comments below and say hello!

My Pinterest Makes

Who doesn't love Pinterest? Right? It's the best site on the web these days, especially for a DIYer. Or an aspiring DIYer.

So I thought I would share my Pinterest makes with you!

Food-wise I've done a few things.

The Pinterest example

I made this sliced potato, but I did not take a picture of it. They were simple to make but did not turn out quite like I imagined. They were good, though - something of a potato chip and a baked potato love child.

This was called "Sunshine in a jar"

The Pinterest example

I made this for SB's birthday last week. It was super-easy - just color your cake batter, put into the jars and bake (put the jars in a baking dish with about 1/4" water). My 4oz jars baked about 35 minutes, then add icing and enjoy!

What I made

Also, for the icing, I used this method: 

From Pinterest

I did three colors in the bag and got this result:

My cupcakes

You put each color icing in its own bag, then put all the bags into one bag with the coupler and tip. The colors swirl, but don't mix until coming out the tip!

For clothing, you will recall I made Disney and Christmas shirts using felt made appliques and tshirts. This was my inspiration:

Pinterest

And I made these:

This is next on my list:

Pinterest

I will post it when I get it done, hopefully soon. The magnetic chores are in the center with each child's name at an end...once a chore is completed, they can move that magnet to their end and earn the money designated. I'm hoping it will help the kids learn responsibility, hard work and the value of money.

Welcome!!! Have Some Ice Cream!!

Oh, thank goodness you're here! I was having a hard time keeping the ice cream away from the kids! I saved it just for you.
In case you haven't heard, it's my SITS Feature Day!

It's like a birthday, only better because I get comments. But the double-fun is that my birthday (yep - the 3rd anniversary of my 29th birthday!) is on Christmas Day, so we can celebrate BOTH!
Two scoops for everyone!

If you're new to A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae or not, it doesn't matter, I have ICE CREAM! Just don't touch my sprinkles! I'm already short.

For those of you NOT used to my sarcasm and superfluous use of exclamation marks (!!!!), I'm Allison. I'm a Christian woman, wife and mother - both biological and adoptive. I'm an avid adoption blogger and I also strive to let other moms out there know that they are not alone in this vast world of motherhood and all the twists and turns our busy lives provide.

This is me, wild hair and all!!

And yes, that is a halo above my head! Actually, I took this pic of myself at Bloggy Boot Camp Atlanta and I had the hardest time trying to hide that darn halo. Just ask my Tribe Members - I bet they saw it!

This is my family:

 

We are made up of two crazy trombone players who met when we were 13 years old, started dating at 17, and got married at 22! We have a biological daughter, SB, and an adopted son, Mac. We also have two heaven-bound children whom I cannot wait to see one day seated at the feet of Jesus.

Now, to find out more about who *I* am, check my about me page, and please please check out My Testimony about trusting God! These both include abridged versions of our story regarding infertility, miscarriage, giving birth and fighting tooth and nail to adopt.
And if you just want to know what the best posts are, I have a tab for that, too. See The Posts You Don't Want to Miss!

Oh, you want to know why I'm A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae? Good question. You see, way back in 2006 I started a blog about my pregnancy. Then it evolved into talking about my baby and our quest to adopt through foster care. And then we went into the fight of our lives to keep our son both with us and safe, so that blog came down and this one - which is slightly more anonymous - came up. I called it "Mommy's Scoop." And from the scoop came being "A Few Sprinkles Short of a Sundae," to indicate that I don't have all the answers.

There is so much more that I want to say, but I'll stop here and let you explore! I hope you enjoy your stay and have another scoop of ice cream!


Follow @SprinklesofAlli




 

I'm on Facebook, too!

Felt Tshirt Appliques: Mickey Mouse & Reindeer

I'm pretty crafty by nature. I like to create things. So when I joined pinterest you know I was Ooh-ing and Aah-ing over all the DIY craft projects. It's like etsy without feeling like you have to buy something - you can just make it yourself.

So when I saw some adorable applique shirts I thought, "I can do that," and an idea was born. Off to Michael's Craft Store on Black Friday to get plain tshirts and a butt-load of felt. I'm assured by the good people of the internet that I could indeed do this with felt. Don't let me down, Almighty Internet.

I had two ideas in mind. Reindeer for Christmas and Mickey & Minnie for Disney World. I pulled up my Pinterest Pins and studied my ideas and set to work.

It was pretty simple, really, I just cut felt. I did 4 Mickeys - well, 2 Mickeys and 2 Minnies. I also felt ambitious and cut out names - SB, Mac, Mom & Dad. Then I couldn't believe I was making a shirt labeling myself as "Mom" and not "Allison."

Next I did my little reindeer - complete with pink heart bows for SB's reindeer. On a side note - do you now how hard it is to find matching/coordinating clothes for girl/boy sets? It's HARD. There's all kinds of things for girl/girl and even boy/boy, but girl/boy just doesn't happen (at least not for under $50). So I have to make it myself.

Then all that was left was to sew them to the shirts. I like leaving the edge exposed, the "unfinished" look is very in these days, so I'm told, and I like it, so there. That's what I did. A simple straight stitch finished the job and VIOLA!

Shirts for Christmas and Disney!

BLOGGY BOOT CAMP!!!

As you read this... (I assume you read this the second it publishes, right???) Ahem. As you read this, I am making my way toward my very first blogging conference cleverly named Bloggy Boot Camp. It's hosted by the SITS Girls (SITS = Secret's In The Sauce, however you are most likely to see "The Secret to Success is Support," but that doesn't fit the anagram).

I am so excited. I hope they like my outfit. I hope they don't notice that I didn't have time this week to recolor my hair. I hope they like ME! And I hope I learn. A lot.

I honestly have no idea what to expect from today's events. I have no idea what the "writing track" entails. I have no idea if my picky self will like what they serve for lunch.

I can tell you what I do expect - I expect everyone else to have a netbook or an ipad, and I don't have those. I'm going old school and carrying around a pad of paper and a pen. I expect to see lots of cute shoes because that's what I hear a lot about. And I expect to meet lots of people. Lots of people.

So Happy Bloggy Boot Camp Day, Atlanta! See you in a few!

Pinterest

I am trying sooo hard not to become addicted to Pinterest!

But it's so cool. It's like facebook and twitter for pictures. You get bulletin boards, and you can "pin" any picture you want up there. Crafts, food, Christmas ideas, wish lists, Disney, clothes, quotes and more!

I currently have 14 boards: "Things I think are cool," "Words," "Recipes and Foodstuffs," "Christmas," "Reading and Writing," "Adoption," "BOOK New Day Dawns," "BOOK Belle of the Night," "Craft Time," "Parenting," "All things Southern," "Photography," "Disney," & "Birthday parties."

Some of my favorite pins:

Cupcake in a jar! from http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/04/08/rainbow-cake-in-a-jar/

Awesome tattoo from http://bintheknow.wordpress.com/

Melted Crayon from http://megduerksen.typepad.com/whatever/2011/08/you-knew-i-was-going-to-make-one.html

So if you need some other form of internet to be addicted to, and you've not yet discovered Pinterest, check it out, I love it.

One Month Away!

I am so excited! Bloggy Boot Camp Atlanta is only one month away!

I have so much to do - make sure I have business cards, find a suitable wardrobe, get some notebooks to write notes down, charge up the laptop, find a suitable wardrobe, figure out who I *have* to meet, and - of course - find a suitable wardrobe. LOL. More on the wardrobe later!

Bloggy Boot Camp is a conference for women who blog where we can learn about growing our readership, looking more into the direction our blogs are going, and more.

Honestly I'm not sure exactly what to expect from it aside from two blissful nights away from anyone I know (I love my family, but who doesn't want an escape?) and a chance to network with some awesome women who's blogs I admire!

One Month! Woohoo!

When's Open Mic Night?

I fancy myself something of a comedienne. Everybody tells me I'm funny, therefore I must be. Right?

Just the other day I was chatting with someone I haven't seen in some months at church (we have a church of 2,000, so not seeing someone for months is very possible!). She commented that I had lost weight - which I have not.
So I said, "Well, if you say I have, then sure! I'll take it!" I didn't think this was particularly funny or brilliant, but this woman did.
She said that I needed to do stand-up comedy.
And since I would love to do stand-up, but there's not much opportunity in our small rural area, I replied, "I would love to! When is Wal-Mart's open mic night?"

She so did not get it. She gave me the deer in headlights look...head cocked to one side, eyes bright. "Huh?"

So I guess I'm not as funny as I might think I am - or as funny as this woman thought either.

But hey - if Wal-Mart ever does an open mic night, I'm totally there. You'll come laugh at my bad jokes, right?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

That's right, Moms... it's back to school season!

I can't wait. I've been starting at the calendar for 90 days waiting for the magical date circled proclaiming, "BACK TO SCHOOL!"

Now, my children don't start back until August 25th. But that's okay. It's close. Today is the school open house to come meet the teachers and see old friends you haven't seen all summer.

We are especially sucking up this year.

I made "Teacher's Survival Kits." I try not to be that mom, but this year I'm being an overachiever.

And what's inside these wonderful little boxes? I'm glad you asked...

If you can't tell - hand sanitizer, pens, a sharpie, thumb tacks, paper clips, post-it notes, peppermints and caramel filled Hershey's kisses.

So welcome to the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - back to school!

A Dog with A Bone

There are so many opportunities I am looking at right now. My mom says I'm like a dog with a bone - I need something to do at all times and whatever it is consumed my every fiber of being. It's true - I am constantly going from project to project and I can't stand to not have something going on. Sure, I'll take a week off here or there between projects, but then I need to jump right back in the saddle.

There are many things I'm attempting to heap onto my plate right now...some won't pan out and they'll be dropped like yesterday's orange peels, but others will and they will become my New Projects.

Have you ever been on a mission trip? I know many people who have, but I have not gone on one before, though I've always thought about it. Recently the adoption agency/attorney we went through before posted that they will be going on a mission trip to Uganda this summer. I want to go. Adopting from Uganda has been laid on my heart recently, though we can not afford it right now. But going to the orphanage to help build, paint and take care of the babies would be a privilege and maybe tide me over until we can adopt.

Writing is my passion - you know that. Writing about adoption, parenting, every day life...Pre-Children I worked as a reporter for a newspaper. Not ten minutes ago I posted my resume and samples of my work to another newspaper to become a freelance writer. Something to keep me writing, bring in a little income and get me some more published experience.

Also along with writing...I'm working very hard on a new novel. Yes, I have one done but not published. I have the sequel to that about half done and now I'm almost half-way through an entirely different story. I love it. I feel my characters like they are alive in my head (or maybe I just have multiple personality disorder). I am writing when I can and also hoping to attend my first writer's conference this spring.

Something else I feel passionately about is womens ministries - moms specifically. I love helping to lead our womens Bible study at church and lately have felt that ministering to moms is something I would like to do. Marshall and I have talked and are praying about and planning a video-based moms ministry website. I'm hoping to have more info on that soon!

So that's my plate full of bones... I'm gnawing on them all right now and we'll see what God leads me to and what He takes away! God Bless you this week!

You're a Little Flat

SB's class is doing a project based on the book "Flat Stanley."

They each made a flat self and are supposed to take their flat selves around and document what they do.

I'm going to take it one step farther. I made a Flat Mac as well and had Flat SB scaled down. I then had both laminated. Tomorrow I'll start shipping them across the country for their own little adventure.

If you would like to be included in this project - let me know! So far I have addresses from as close as down the road across to Alaska. International addresses are welcome as well! You just have to be willing to pass the Flat Kids on to the next address (thus paying for the postage) and emailing me pictures of Flat SB & Mac with your family as well a little narrative.

I'm so excited about doing this and will definitely update you all as to the Flat Kids' adventures!

Being a Tourist

I don't know how to be a tourist.

I spent my formative years growing up in Myrtle Beach, so we did our best to AVOID anything touristy. Sure, we might have ventured to a few places in May or September - back then we had a defined tourist season and there wasn't a line a mile long and the prices were lower for locals who couldn't afford the outrageous prices. But gone are those days.

(Side note joke: Why is it called "tourist season" if I can't shoot them? HAHA!)

I haven't lived in Myrtle Beach since I packed up and left for greener pastures (well, pastures in general, since there are none in Myrtle) back in 1998. So for the past 12 years I've come back to visit family and still not done anything touristy, which in general is fine by me.

But now we have the kids, and I think they might like to know there's more to do here than hanging out at Mimi's house and swimming. There's parks, water parks, animals exhibits, the aquarium, shops, etc that we never do because it costs an arm and a leg and it's swarming with Ohioans and Canadians.

Back in April, my best friend and I went to Hilton Head - just the two of us. It was soooo(oooo) nice. No kids, no husbands... but we missed them. We saw a ton of things it would have been fun to do with them (maybe not the visit to the tattoo parlor, which was my favorite part, but other things). So I think that maybe we've been gone from the beach long enough that we can finally be a tourist again.

So my wonderful mother-in-law and I sit down with the Monster Book (the coupon book where you get $1 off a $35 ticket to Medieval Times, etc) and look for things to do. Everything that looks like fun the kids are still too little for. And everything they might enjoy and be age appropriate costs $20 a person - including the kids. That's $80 for our little family to look at alligators or watch guys on horses jump around. I don't have that kind of money. Where do tourists get this kind of money?

I think I'd rather go to Disney.

The Ultimate in Book Reading

I want an iPad. Or a Kindle. Or even the Sony Reader.

I used to be an avid reader, BC (before children). I still try to read anything I can get my hands on that's not written in verse or has furry creatures on the front. It's not as often as it used to be.

It would be so nice to have one of these pieces of technology to tuck into my bag and take anywhere. Not that I can't take an actual book with me, I can. But this would mean dozens of books at my fingertips at all times. I could even put the Bible on there and take that with me and I bet I could switch translations back and forth to suit whatever I happen to be doing.

I would even be able to blog from an iPad...

See how functional one would be? I'm now accepting donations. Send ASAP.