Soup of the Day!

I saw this on Pinterest this morning and just had to share my giggles with you!

On my way to Denver after work today to see my son and daughter-in-law!  SO very excited.  It's been since Christmas since I've seen them and I miss them EVERY SINGLE DAY! 

So I'll be "off the blog" until later next week.  Everyone stay cool and enjoy these hot summer days!

Happy Birthday to my Son!

My son turns 39 today.  How can that be?  When does a child become the same age as his parents?  It doesn't seem possible that I have a child who is such a well adjusted adult.  Heck, I'm not even a well adjusted adult yet (grin).  Anyway, Happy Birthday, son!  Love you more than snickerdoodles!

Here's a pic of Mark and his sister, Laura, when he was 18 I believe.  They both had SUCH beautiful hair!



You Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith (channeling WHAM)

I have a very dear friend who is devoutly spiritual and I wanted to make her a religious themed gift card set for her birthday next week that she can use for any occasion.  Here's a few of my creations.

Hope she likes them.  

I don't usually share my political or religious views on this blog, but figure since I am focusing on faith today, I would share a bit about my thoughts on the subject.  Do I believe in God.  Yes.   Do I pray and give thanks for the amazing gift of life - every single day.  Do I go to church.  No.  I've been a member and baptised in several different religions over the years ... Lutheran, Catholic, Mormon, Born Again Christian, just to name a few.  And what I've found is that there is no one organized religion that I can embrace, but rather there are several elements from each that I encompass in my day to day life.    Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and staying "cool".  We're having a VERY hot and humid summer here in the heartland. 

Week Three of Color Challenge - Green

Here's my creation for Week Three of the Big Picture Class I've been taking.  Green was the perfect color to scrapbook some of the holiday pics I had for Jonas' scrapbook.  Click on photo for larger picture.

Love this Sweet Idea!

I'm heading to Denver next week to visit my son and daughter-in-law (counting the days!).  While there, I've asked Chrysty to help me make this DARLING little bracelet.  She is SO crafty and used to make the most fabulous jewelry, so hoping she still has the tools we need ... that, and the hand strength to help me press the wire rings, as my arthritis won't allow me to do much piece work like this.  If we get one made, I'll post a pic for you when I get back.  I'm thinking I could even add some itty bitty stamped images with stayzon on some of the buttons.  What do you think?

What a Novel Idea (pun intended)

Definitely another one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments.  Printing out images directly onto note paper, book paper, newsprint, children's books, dictionairy pages, sheet music or almost ANY material that will feed through your printer ... and if you are fluent in digital images, etc. (which I am not) this is probably even more exciting for you!






I saw this idea here:  http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2011/03/book-art.html

Guys ... Pay Attention!

It's a Bird ... NO ... it's a PLANE!

I am IN LOVE with Pinterest.  Here's a darling little project that I'm going to do with my grandson.













To Make It:


Paint one spring-style clothespin, two craft sticks, and one mini craft stick in your child's (or grandchild - wink) favorite colors. Once dry, glue a craft stick on top and bottom of the clothespin as wings, and the mini craft stick as the tail. Cut a triangle from crafts foam and glue it upright atop the mini craft stick. Once dry, glue strong magnets on the bottom of the clothespin.  Use them on fridge to hang your child's fabulous artwork!

We're Having A Heat Wave!

It's July in Nebraska and one never knows what Mother Nature has in store for us.  It's been quite a year already with unseasonable cold temps last winter, unusually high rain falls this spring, major flooding and now off the charts heat and humidity.  Yesterday driving home the car's outside temp reading said 104 degrees.  Egaads ... am I back in Phoenix?  The heat index was almost 120 degrees.  Unbelieveable. And there is no break in sight until early next week when the temps will drop back into the high 80's, which is normal for late July.  And the bug population is exploding!  I think I actually saw a mosquito waterskiing in a puddle this morning!  And they are now saying that the flood waters won't be receding anytime soon, and that we can expect standing water until DECEMBER!  At that point the water will freeze and we can host the winter olympics for ice skaters!  So how's the weather in your town and what are you doing to stay COOL this summer?

Why Didn't I Think Of That??!!

I found this photo on Pinterest and thought it was the MOST ingenious idea I've seen in a long time.  Seriously, I can just picture the child looking on the kitchen counter at some spaghetti and hot dogs and sticking the pasta pieces into the hotdogs thinking they are tinker toys or the like.  And then mom, wanting to be frugile, throws everything into a boiling pot of water.  INGENIOUS!  And I can already hear the giggles from around the dinner table when I put a plate of pasta and franks in front of my family!

 

Everything Tastes Better on a Stick!

My son and I have this running joke that you could put almost anything on a stick, and people would eat it. 

One of the original foods (and a personal favorite) on a stick would be the corn dog!  Everytime I have one of these it takes me back to my childhood and the county fairs we used to go to.  Corn dogs, funnel cakes and ferris wheels ... yep!




And here's a novel way to eat pizza ...






I found Bakeralla.com several years ago when she was a guest on The Pioneer Woman's ranch ... cake pops are now all the rage, but I've made them for several years now.








And here's one that you and your kids can have fun making to gobble up at Thanksgiving!








As if poptarts are a fast food already, let's put them on a stick!!








Here's a healthy alternative on a stick!








But now I think I've seen everything ... announcing Beer on a Stick!





Let me know what YOUR favorite food on a stick is!

Drawer Hangers

Have you discovered pinterest yet?  I'm completely new to this concept but am quickly getting drawn to all the fabulous boards available for inspiration.  From decorating to recipes to crafts to art ... so much eye candy that it's almost overwhelming.  I came across this unique wall decor idea using decorative knobs as hangers and I just had to share.  So inexpensive, yet such a novel wall treatment that's both useful and artful at the same time.  I'm thinking you could go smaller and use this same idea for hanging jewelry!

Mustard Chicken Sunday

And all these years I thought french-fried onions were only for green bean casseroles.  Who knew?  Here is a quick and tasty chicken recipe that we had for dinner last night.  THREE ingredients.  TRULY!  And fabulous results.  Even without covering the dish, the chicken was SO moist!  Try it sometime soon - you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients



4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts


1 cup prepared mustard


1 large can French-fried onions


Directions


1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).


2.Place mustard in a shallow dish or bowl; place onions in a second shallow dish or bowl. Dredge chicken in mustard to coat both sides, then dredge in onions. Place coated chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.


3.Bake at 375 degrees F for 60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Color Me Creative - Orange

I'm taking my first online class from Big Picture Classes which you can find out more about here:

http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/selfpaced.php

This week's theme is about the color orange!  They give us a sketch to follow for a layout and then encourage us to take the chosen color and create.  Here's a card I did with some remnant papers I found in my stash.  My goal is to use up the papers I have collected (and there are MANY) before buying anymore. Which means I could probably hold up in my craft room for several years and not run out of paper.  Glue maybe, but never paper. 

And here's my take on the sketch challenge.  They encouraged journaling down the left side, so I wrote about my FAVORITE topic, my 3-year old grandson, Jonas.  I'm SO behind on his scrapbooks so I'm using this class to get some inspiration and get 'er done!

Unfortunately, in both cases, my camera didn't really pick up the deep hues of some of these papers, but you get the general idea.  Maybe my next hobby will be to learn to take better photos! 

Vodka ... It's not just for breakfast anymore!

Vodka as a household cleaner?? 

          ABSOLUT-ELY






Who needs separate chrome-cleaner, glass-cleaner, and porcelain-cleaner when a trip to the liquor cabinet can tackle all three materials at once? Dampen a cloth with vodka, rub, back in the shine.  "Honest, Officer, I was just polishing my car with it!"




Add Vodka to fresh cut flowers!




If you’re going to have fresh-cut flowers working hard to brighten up your decor, show some hospitality and give them a little drink. Several drops of vodka and a large pinch of sugar added to the water in your flower vase, changed daily, stunts ethylene production and will extend the vitality of bouquet.


NOTE:  If you find your husband with a flower in his mouth, he's either wanting to tango with you OR he's been into the flower vase again!





And on a final note ... it's also very good in orange juice!!






To see more uses for vodka and other GREEN ideas, go to this website:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/14-surprising-uses-for-vodka.html

Bird is the Word!

Today is listed as National Fried Chicken Day ... yet another bizarre food holiday ... probably created by the Colonel himself to promote sales.  Fried chicken has been around for hundreds of years originally brought over to the U.S. by Scottish immigrants, and then later perfected by those southern cooks!

Here's my Fried Chicken Recipe:

If you have time and want to bother, you can take your chicken pieces and cover them with buttermilk and let stand overnight.  This is optional, but does seem to help keep the chicken moist.


You will need ...

3 eggs
1 cup hot red pepper sauce
2 cup self-rising flour
2 1/2 lb chicken, cut into pieces
2-3 teaspoon seasoned salt (Lawry's)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
2 tsp. pountry seasoning (or just some crushed sage will do in a pinch)

Heat oil (peanut oil works best but any grease will do) to 350 degrees F in a deep pot.  Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil.

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange (about 1 cup). Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the seasoned flour.  (NOTE: if you prefer a thicker coating, you can "double dip").  Place the chicken in the preheated oil and fry the chicken until brown and crisp.  Dark meat takes longer than white meat. Approximate cooking time is 13 to 14 minutes for dark meat and 8 to 10 minutes for white meat. Meat juices should run clear when pierced with fork.

Serve with homemade cream gravy and a batch of 7-up biscuits!

Cream Gravy

3 tablespoons drippings from frying chicken
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

Pour all drippings from skillet into a small bowl; measure and return 3 tablespoons to the skillet and place over medium heat. Stir in flour until well blended, scraping up brown bits from bottom of skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbly. Gradually add milk and cream; boil until thickened and creamy, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7-Up Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter

Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.
Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown.


Question ... Why did the chicken cross the road?


PLATO: For the greater good.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross roads.
KARL MARX: It was a historical inevitability.
CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.
HIPPOCRATES: Because of an excess of phlegm in its pancreas.
ANDERSEN CONSULTING: Deregulation of the chicken's side of the road was threatening its dominant market position. The chicken was faced with significant challenges to create and develop the competencies required for the newly competitive market. Andersen Consulting ,in a partnering relationship with the client, helped the chicken by rethinking its physical distribution strategy and implementation processes. Using the Poultry Integration Model (PIM), Andersen helped the chicken use its skills, methodologies, knowledge, capital and experiences to align the chicken's people, processes and technology in support of its overall strategy within a Program Management framework. Andersen Consulting convened a diverse cross-spectrum of road analysts and best chickens along with Anderson consultants with deep skills in the transportation industry to engage in a two-day itinerary of meetings in order to leverage their personal knowledge capital, both tacit and explicit, and to enable them to synergize with each other in order to achieve the implicit goals of delivering and successfully architecting and implementing an enterprise-wide value framework across the continuum of poultry cross-median processes. The meeting was held in a park-like setting enabling and creating an impactful environment which was strategically based, industry-focused, and built upon a consistent, clear, and unified market message and aligned with the chicken's mission, vision, and core values. This was conducive towards the creation of a total business integration solution. Andersen Consulting helped the chicken change to become more successful.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.
MOSES: And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the chicken, ``Thou shalt cross the road.'' And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing.
FOX MULDER: You saw it cross the road with your own eyes. How many more chickens have to cross the road before you believe it?
RICHARD M. NIXON: The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road.
MACHIAVELLI: The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Who cares why? The end of crossing the road justifies whatever motive there was.
JERRY SEINFELD: Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place, anyway?
FREUD: The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.
BILL GATES: Our soon-to-be-released Chicken '98 will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.
OLIVER STONE: The question is not, ``Why did the chicken cross the road?'' Rather, it is, ``Who was crossing the road at the sametime, whom we overlooked in our haste to observe the chicken crossing?''
DARWIN: Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads.
EINSTEIN: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road moved beneath the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.
BUDDHA: Asking this question denies your own chicken nature.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON: The chicken did not cross the road... it transcended it.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: It was an instinctive maneuver, the chicken obviously didn't see the road until he had already started to cross.
COLONEL SANDERS: I missed one?
PHYSICIST: Because the chicken's momentum had a positive component towards the other side of the road.
QUANTUM PHYSICIST: Because you measured its momentum too precisely.
MATHEMATICIAN: Because of the intermediate values theorem.
ALGEBRAIC GEOMETRIST: Well, consider a faithfully flat etale coherent sheaf...
C PROGRAMMER: cross_road() was called from get_other_side()
C++ PROGRAMMER: chicken->CrossRoad() was called from chicken->GetOtherSide()
OMAR KHAYYÁM:
MARKETING DIVISION OF MICROSOFT CORPORATION: Where does your chicken want to go today?
MARVIN: The other side is just as dull as this one. Don't talk to me about chickens.
ARTHUR DENT: Why did the chicken cross the road? 42? No, that doesn't make sense.

HAMLET:


To cross, or not to cross, that is the question: -
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind, to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous side;
Or to take arms against a road of troubles,
And by crossing end them?

Winnerday!

And the winner of my first blogversary "craft" giveaway is ... (drumroll) ....



        Elizabeth said  ...  June 23, 2011 1:48 PM

Happy Anniversary Lillian! I have so enjoyed following your blog! I love the tidbits on life, the recipes, and the wonderful craft projects:) Please enter me in the crafter's hat:) http://visionsofpaper.blogspot.com/



Congratulations, Elizabeth.  Please email me with your mailing information at lchild@mcgrathnorth.com and I will get your package in the mail to you.


And now for the "card" hat drawing.  Since there were only TWO individuals who were interested in the card prize, I am giving BOTH of them a packet of 6 handmade cards.  Those two individuals are:

                Lauri Chilton and Bethann !

Ladies, if you would also drop me an email I will get your cards in the mail to you as well.

And again a HUGE thank you to everyone for following my blog and leaving me such lovely comments.  I appreciate each and every one of them!

Have a happy and save July 4th!

Enjoy the Moment

I've been holding on to some fabulous Webster's Pages and October Afternoon papers and embellishments. They work well together, don't you think?  I also used a small sheet of coredinations white wash and ran it through the cuttlebug with the large circles and then sanded so there is some great texture to the card.  The sentiment is one from Papertrey that I've had for several years.  There stamps give off the most "crisp" inking that I've ever worked with.  The lace and pearls are Stampin Up, and the flower is Webster's Pages. The clock image is cut from a sheet of Webster's Pages as well.