Paradise by phone!

My son and his wife are in Hawaii and he has been sending me pics from his phone.  Doesn't this photo just scream PARADISE... Hawaiian STYLE!!  It's all that and a grass skirt!  Oh my goodness, I am jealous!

Happy Birthday to my Cinco de Mayo Grandson!

We had our family celebration for my grandson, Jonas, who turns three next week.  Can I just say that he has made our lives so much richer since the day he was born.  I'll do a special post for him on May 5, but wanted to share these fun pics from the party we had today. (And a special thank you to my sister, Gloria, for taking some really fabulous photos!)  HUGS and LOVE to my sweet sweet grandson!

I'm a WINNER!

I simply love blogging.  Especially in the papercrafting world, as I adore the creativity involved in making something special to give to someone special.  And I've met so many wonderful people and have seen so much fabulous talent.  Case in point is Ann Schach.  She has a such delightful creative style when it comes to card crafting.  You can check out her amazing creations here:  http://www.stampinchic.com/.

Today I saw my name as the winner of her current blog candy.  And this is what I won:



WOW!  I'm doing the happy dance!!

But feast your eyes on THIS creation of Ann's (which is made with a soon to be released stamp called Sail Away) ...




I KNOW!  Isn't is LOVELY!!??!!  I struggle with masculine themed cards, but this SU stamp is definitely going to help me overcome that.


So THANK YOU so much Ann.  I do so appreciate your generosity and ADORE your blog.

Oh My Good Gravy But These Are DELICIOUS!

I found this recipe a few weeks back and sent it to my sister, Shari, and asked her to make them for our family Easter dinner.  Let me just say that they are among some of the best cupcakes I've ever had.  If you get a chance, give these sweet little cakes a try and let me know what you think.  You won't be disappointed!




Recipe can be found here:  http://realmomkitchen.com/6521/strawberry-cupcakes/

HAPPY EASTER!

Easter Coconut Lamb Cake - It's A Family Tradition

One of my favorite childhood memories was seeing a white lamb formed cake sitting on the dessert table at Easter. This was my mom's pride and joy and something us kids looked forward to every year. Except maybe the year when I watched her put it together using toothpicks to hold the head together (she didn't use enough batter in the mold and the head was a bit on the thin side and broke into pieces as she tried to frost it).  As I mentioned in a previous post, this traumatic event sent me into years of therapy (chuckle).  Here is a photo that I found when I googled lamb cake that most resembles my mom's.

But I couldn't stop with this after seeing the next several photos featuring the lamb cake mold:

For some reason, this one reminds me of Richard Simmons.

 

And this one is the spittin image of Lamb Chops from the 1950's television series.

This one rather scared me ... did they run out of frosting or were they trying for another animal image?

And this would be an albino lamb ?

Only her hairdresser knows for sure!

 

And this looks exactly like my cousin's Chiuaua!

But however you choose to decorate your lamb cake this year, I hope your Easter is a blessed one!

Shredded Chipotle Pork Tacos with Roasted Green Onions

This is what my husband, Sterling, will be making for our Easter family dinner this coming Sunday (along with a smoked turkey for sandwiches).  He has been making this recipe for several years and our family just loves it.  WARNING:  it does pack a bit of heat/spice, but that's what makes it so darn good.  You can adjust the chipolte peppers to cater to your own "heat" level.  And what is really surprising is the vinegar in this recipe.  It really gives the pork that "something" extra in flavortown and tenderness.  And we hardly ever add the green onions, as our topping of choice is always homemade salsa, so there is no need for adding onions. But if that is something you want to try (and as it is part of the original recipe), go ahead and do whatever floats your boat.

INGREDIENTS


6 cups water

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut in 2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup cider vinegar, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

3 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped and mashed with a fork

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

16 soft corn tortillas

16 green onions, trimmed

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste



PREPARATION:

Place 6 cups water in Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pork, the sliced onion, 3 tablespoons of the vinegar and salt. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover partially and simmer 1-1/2 hours. Remove pork with slotted spoon and cool slightly; reserve 1 cup cooking water. Shred pork with 2 forks and set aside.

Place a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, add oil and chopped onion and cook 3 minutes; add garlic and cook 15 seconds. Add tomato sauce, chipotles, cumin, remaining 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. shredded pork and 1 cup cooking water. Cook 1 to 2 minutes to heat thoroughly. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes to absorb flavors. Place about 1/4 cup pork mixture and a roasted green onions (recipe follows) inside a roasted corn tortilla (recipe follows).

To roast green onions:  Preheat oven to 425°F. Place green onions on a baking sheet, drizzle oil evenly over all and toss gently to coat. Arrange in a single layer and bake 10 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with salt.

To roast tortillas:  Char tortillas over burner or grill about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred.

Nifty Egg Coloring Container

I found this on the web and thought it such a clever idea for those packets of dies we all get in the egg coloring kits.  The article said to fill each cup with 3 tablespoons of water, then add the vinegar and die tablet.  They did say that there might be a slight problem of a cup overflowing depending on the size of the eggs, so you might want to test drive this idea before the kids get their fingers messy. But how fun to keep everything for dying eggs in one container!

Recipes for Easter Sunday

My grandmother ALWAYS had a plate of these homemade beauties on the Easter dinner table when I was just a youngun growing up here in the heartland.  It was something you could count on ... like paying taxes, like mercurochrome on a scratch, like mosquito bites in the summer ... a constant.  And unlike mosquito bites, it was something I really looked forward to every easter.  That and my mother's coconut cake in the shape of a lamb, which some years was held together with toothpicks so the head didn't fall off - thus the beginning of my need for therapy at a young age.  But that's another story for another time. 

If you want a really good version of this recipe, the Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) has a fabulous step by step version of it here:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/hot-cross-buns/. 

So go forth and make hot cross buns!  Your family will LOVE THEM!!

Mark's Finest Paper Blog Hop - Day Four - Garden Fairies

Welcome to the MFP April Blog Hop!  Today is the final day of my participation as a Guest Designer.  I want to thank Mark's Finest Paper for allowing me to be a part of this fun event.  I would love to do it again soon!

This month, we are releasing 4 NEW SETS!


Our New Sets are: In My Mother's Garden, Bearded Iris, Oh Boy, It's a Girl and Garden Fairies.For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

We have a NEW Blog Candy Contest! BE A GUEST DESIGNER!***

What do you need to do to qualify? Just comment on the Design Team blogs during the blog hop. The winner will be announced on the Mark’s Finest Papers blog on Saturday, April 16, 2011. ***See the MFP blog for all the contest rules and PRIZES!

Here is the list of today's hop participants:

Emily-
Karen-
Patty-
Roxie-
Vicki-
Liz:
Claudine-
Dawn-
Nicole -
Marilynn-
Peggysue-
Connie –
Emily N.-
Neva
Silvia
Patricia
Chrissy
Guest Designer, Lillian (you are here)
Mark’s Finest Papers

Again, I apologize that my cards are a bit on the dark side. For this card, I used a Martha Stewart punch on both sides of this beautiful fairy image and then backed it with a maroon paper so you could better see the latice effect.

Thank you for stopping by my blog for this week's hop.  It was truly a pleasure being a Guest Designer.  Thank you MFP for inviting me to participate.  I had so much fun!

Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop - Day Three - In My Mother's Garden

Welcome to the MFP April Blog Hop! It has been such a pleasure taking part in this month's hop as a Guest Designer. 

This month, we are releasing 4 NEW SETS!


Our New Sets are: In My Mother's Garden, Bearded Iris, Oh Boy, It's a Girl and Garden Fairies.For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

We have a NEW Blog Candy Contest! BE A GUEST DESIGNER!***

What do you need to do to qualify? Just comment on the Design Team blogs during the blog hop. The winner will be announced on the Mark’s Finest Papers blog on Saturday, April 16, 2011. ***See the MFP blog for all the contest rules and PRIZES!

Here is a list of participant's in today's hop:

Lois
Vicky
Dawn L.
Anne
Emily
Karen
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Claudine
Dawn M
Nicole
Marilynn
Geri
Lynn
Neva
Silvia
Guest Designer, Lillian  (you are here)
Mark’s Finest Papers

Once again, my lack of coloring skills had me thinking outside the box as how to best display this beautiful floral watering can image.  I really like to mix patterns and color. (NOTE: you can click on the image to get a larger view).

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today!

Craft With Abandonment ! !

Ever have this problem when using PIGMENT ink?  LOL.  LOVE this pic. Reminds me of an evening spent with my crafting buddies!

Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop - Day Two - Oh Boy, It's a Girl !

Welcome to the MFP April Blog Hop!   I want to thank MFP for inviting me to be a Guest Designer in this month's blog hop. 

This month, we are releasing 4 NEW SETS!


Our New Sets are: In My Mother's Garden, Bearded Iris, Oh Boy, It's a Girl and Garden Fairies.For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

We have a NEW Blog Candy Contest! BE A GUEST DESIGNER!***

What do you need to do to qualify? Just comment on the Design Team blogs during the blog hop. The winner will be announced on the Mark’s Finest Papers blog on Saturday, April 16, 2011. ***See the MFP blog for all the contest rules and PRIZES!

Here is the list for today's hop:

Lois
Vicky
Dawn L.
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Claudine
Dawn M.
Nicole
Marilynn
Geri
Lynn
Emily N.
Patricia
Chrissy
Guest Designer, Lillian (you are here)
Mark’s Finest Papers

This is SUCH a sweet set!  I fell in love with this little elephant.  Although it's hard to tell, I ran the image through a swiss dot embossing folder to give him a bit of texture.  Then I put him on a WOBBLE for fun! (NOTE: for a larger view, just click on the image).

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!

Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop - Day One - Bearded Iris

Good Morning and welcome to the MFP April Blog Hop! I was lucky enough to win a spot as the April Guest Designer. 

This is my VERY FIRST blog hop so please bear with me should you encounter any technical difficulties. 

This month, MFP is releasing 4 NEW SETS!


The New Sets are: In My Mother's Garden, Bearded Iris, Oh Boy, It's a Girl and Garden Fairies.For your convenience, all 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

We have a NEW Blog Candy Contest! BE A GUEST DESIGNER!***   What do you need to do to qualify? Just comment on the Design Team blogs during the blog hop. The winner will be announced on the Mark’s Finest Papers blog on Saturday, April 16, 2011. ***  See the MFP blog for all the contest rules and PRIZES!

Here is the order for today's hop:

Lois
Vicky
Dawn L.
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Emily
Karen
Patty
Roxie
Vicki
Liz
Geri
Lynn
Emily N.
Neva
Silvia
Patricia
Chrissy
Guest Designer, Lillian (you are here)
Mark’s Finest Papers

I will be the first to admit that I am coloring challenged.  I do so admire those individuals who can color and make images look so real and beautiful.  But alas, I am not one of them.  So my card creations today involve no coloring, but this is such a beautiful image that I think it can stand alone on these cards.  (NOTE: You can click on each image if you want a larger view).

I don't have the best photography training, so my cards are just a bit on the dark side. The brads on this card are holding a thin strip of vellum.

The second card I covered with a thick layer of UTEE and then "cracked" the image for a distressed look.

Thank so much for stopping by my blog today!!

April 7: National Beer Day, No Housework Day, Coffee Cake Day

Regarding Beer ... on March 23, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, allowing the "resumption of the manufacture and sale of 3.2 percent beer and light wines in the states that had already repealed their dry laws." The act went into effect on April 7, 1933.  Similar to New Year's Eve or the night before Thanksgiving, happy hour celebrating National Beer Days starts on April 6, with New Beer's Eve. Consider it a mini reenactment of the crowd of thirsty people who lined the streets on the April 6, 1933, outside of Milwaukee breweries waiting to buy their legal beer. Frost those mugs at home or designate a diver and hit the town. Remember to toast FDR.

Regarding Housework ... I don't think you'll find a Hallmark card for this holiday, but there is a BLOG HOP that I've been enjoying today.  Go here for the first link and have some fun:  http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com/
 
Regarding Coffee Cake:  okay, so here's a coffee cake recipe for you to try: 
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/amazing-pecan-coffee-cake/Detail.aspx
 
Regarding Henry ... not celebrated today, but one of my all time favorite movies that Harrison Ford made (not counting Star Wars, of course).
 
Enjoy your day!  (And don't tell my husband it's National Beer Day - he needs no encouragement!)
 

My Niece's Wedding

I finally got some photos back from my niece Misty's wedding last September.  It was a glorious event and I'm go glad Sterling and I were able to attend.  Mark and Misty are the couple that went on the year long journey last year touring the U.S. and then flying over to New Zealand, Thailand, India and several other countries before heading back home.  They went only with what they could "carry" and travel with. They are true minimalists and toured these countries with only essentials they carried in their backpacks.  Mark is a prolific writer and documented their entire journey, along with photos.  If you are interested in reading about their experiences (which were amazing to say the least), go here:  http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mistyandmark/1/1272521126/tpod.html. You will see a bar midway on the page that you can click that says "trip start" and "trip end" and if you click anywhere on the bar it will show the location map and take you to that day's entry. 

Anyway, back to this post.  Here are a few photos from their wedding, which took place on a working farm up in Minnesota (near Rochester). The first photo is of my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. LOVE the chickens following them around. Jonas had a blast chasing after them. The next three photos are of the wedding couple ... don't they just ooze romance and commitment??!!  And Misty brought her wedding dress all the way back from India.  She was such a beautiful bride!  The last photo is a family pic of those of us from Nebraska that were able to attend this wonderful celebration.

Spring Cleaning 101

Wikipedia:  Spring cleaning is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house, normally applied in climates with a cold winter.  The most common usage of spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name.

Yesterday, I woke up with more than my fair share of energy, and the sun was shining at it was going to hit 70 degrees.  So my first thought was to tackle No. 1 on my spring cleaning list.  The kitchen floor.  My mother taught me that a good thorough cleaning means to get down on your hands and knees and even take a toothbrush to get into those small crevices and grout.  So the photo below pretty much sums up what I did for 2 hours straight.  Except that I have really bad knees and so once I was down on the floor I would "scoot" around on my backside ... this alone would probably win me a spot on America's Funniest Videos.

I can blame my mother for this need to "white glove" my kitchen floor, as she LOVED to keep a spotless house. I think is how most wives in the 1950's approached housecleaning. The photo below really could have been my mother, as she was ALWAYS in a sleeveless dress and high heels ... even when cleaning.  Too much Stepford Wives for me, so you will NEVER find me in heels cleaning. Add to that the fact that I don't even OWN a pair of heels.  I was a child of the 1960's so barefeet and bell bottom jeans were more my thing.  ... just this little glimpse into my past probably gives you cause to question why you follow my blog (ROFL). But I'm glad you do. 

No. 2 on my spring cleaning list?  Windows and doors.  And my mother's formula for clean windows?  A spray bottle of water mixed with vinegar and newspaper (paper towels leave residue).  But the temps have fallen back into the 30's and 40's and rain is in the forecast, so this task will have to wait a few weeks until I can open up the windows and let the house air out properly.

April Fool's Day

Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is not totally clear. It is not like Halloween, where despite an interesting history, most people just put on Halloween costumes, get candy, and leave it at that. There really wasn't a "first April Fool's Day" that can be pinpointed on the calendar. Some believe it sort of evolved simultaneously in several cultures at the same time, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.


The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1.

However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied, or I accidentally stepped on your glasses!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!"

Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool's Day. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day. The news media even gets involved. For instance, a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day was a fairly detailed documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees.

April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-only" observance. Nobody is expected to buy gifts or to take their "significant other" out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday on which one must remain forever vigilant, for he may be the next April Fool!

Okay, this is probably more than ANYONE wanted to know about April Fool's Day.  So here's some ideas on how to have a bit of fun!

Toilet Trouble:  Put a piece of bubblewrap under the toilet seat so when your victim sits, they are surprised by a loud POP!

You Spilled What:  Find an old bottle of nail polish that you don't want anymore. Unscrew the cap and set it sideways on a piece of waxed paper, letting the contents flow out into a puddle. When it dries completely, peel it off of the paper. Now you can put it anywhere and trick someone into thinking there is spilled nail polish. Works best on something your victim cherishes or on one of their important documents!

Forgetful:  Tape magnets to the bottom of an empty coffee cup, and attach it to the top of your car. Laugh at all the people who frantically try to get your attention as you drive by.

Two Black Eyes: Put a dark substance around the eyepiece of a pair of binoculars (we recommend dark eye-shadow instead of the black shoe polish used in the classic prank of yesteryear). Hand them to your victim and point out something for them to look at in the distance. Then laugh at the dark circles around their eyes.

The Walls Have Eyes:  Buy a bunch of googly eyes from a craft store and stick them everywhere all over a person's desk.