High Hopes Release is Coming!

That's right...it's time for another fun release over at High Hopes!!  This release will get you in the mood for the upcoming warmer weather...along with some fantastic Party designs...and more!

The sneak peeks will begin next Tuesday April 5th with their next challenge.

There will be more peeks on Wednesday, April 6th.

Then there will be a Blog Hop and release on Thursday, April 7th.

Do you want some of the new stamps?

Then help spread the news about their blog hop and release on Thursday, April 7th.

The contest ends 8pm EST on Saturday, April 9th!!

Go here to get started:  http://highhopesstamps.blogspot.com/2011/03/get-ready-for-new-release.html
 
HAVE FUN!
 
 

A Touch of Spring

My daughter-in-law, Chrysty, creates some really beautiful wreaths.  Here's her latest creation.  Love these spring colors!

Time With Us by Kim Giveaway Event

I just found a fabulous new blog.  Her name is Kim and she has such a sweet creative style.  AND she has a fabulous giveaway going on here:  http://kimarnold.typepad.com/time_with_us/2011/03/giveaway.html. Be sure and tell her I sent you!  And good luck!

"C" is for Cookie

A coworker of mine is having a birthday this weekend, and I bring in treats for him every year. But this year I asked him what his favorite cookie was ... and his response was ... My favorite flavor of cookie is cookie.  I am especially fond of cookies.  I cannot overemphasize that.  Just to be clear, cookie monster was a piker compared to me.

Then I found this adorable photo and couldn't resist a quick post.  But to make it worth your while, I am also posting my personal favorite cookie recipe.  Try it sometime!

CRISPY OATMEAL COOKIES

1 c. shortening

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

2 eggs

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. Rice Krispies

2 c. oatmeal

1 c. coconut

Cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs. Sift in flour, salt, soda and baking powder. Add vanilla, Rice Krispies, oatmeal and coconut. Drop with teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees.  WARNING:  These are HIGHLY addictive!!

Legendary Actress Elizabeth Taylor

We've lost one of America's most endearing and enduring actresses today.   My favorite memories of her have to be her early movies, especially National Velvet.  She was a natural beauty and a silver screen legend.

 

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

My sister just sent me this collage of photos of my grandniece, Avlyn.

Isn't she just the CUTEST thing ever??!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here’s to you and yours and to mine and ours. And if mine and ours ever come across to you and yours, I hope you and yours will do as much for mine and ours as mine and ours have done for you and yours! –Irish toast

Rhubarb Dump Cake

It's that time of year - RHUBARB season!  YUM!  I remember as a kid we had these stalks growing in the back yard and we would break off pieces of this TART plant and laugh as we all made sour faces. 

I have several "dump" cake recipes and this is one of the easiest ways to enjoy rhubarb in  my opinion.  Give it a try and see what you think!

What You Need
1 lb. fresh rhubarb, chopped (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 cup water 1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Make It

HEAT oven to 350ºF.


PLACE rhubarb in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with sugar and dry gelatin mix.

BEAT cake mix, water and butter with whisk until well blended. Pour over rhubarb; spread to completely cover rhubarb.

BAKE 45 min. or golden brown. Serve warm topped with COOL WHIP.

ENJOY!!!

Cinnamon - Never "Optional"

The Pioneer Woman has a recipe for Snickerdoodle Muffins on her blog this morning.  My son's FAVORITE ingredient is Cinnamon.  Whenever he sees a recipe where cinnamon is "optional" his favorite comeback line is Cinnamon is NEVER optional!! And my son's FAVORITE cookies are snickerdoodles, although my daughter would argue that it's HER favorite cookie (to which my son would argue that he's older so the original idea is his) ... anyway, for sure I will definitely be making these little gems for her to try at our next "dinner at Mom's" night.

RECIPE can be found here:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/2011/03/step-by-step-snickerdoodle-muffins/  ENJOY!!!

Spring Forward

There are several posts I came across today that were butterfly inspired, so I sat down and created this spring card to celebrate Daylight Savings today.  I do so love having more sunshine later into the evening rather than coming home in the dark. So Happy Spring everyone and go out and enjoy some sunshine!

Hero Arts Layered Stamp Backgrounds Tutorial

Hop on over to the Hero Arts blog today as there is an amazing video tutorial on how to layer stamped backgrounds - easy peasy and what GORGEOUS results.  Go here:  http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/

Happy Birthday to Me !!

Yesterday was my birthday.  I want to thank my fabulous friends and family for all of the birthday wishes, emails, ecards and handmade cards, cake, lunches, dinners, presents ... well, you get the idea.  It just makes my heart happy to have so many special people in my life that made my birthday even more special by remembering me.

And another shout out to all of those who have joined my blog recently.  It amazes me how many of you find my blog worth your time and worthy enough to come back and visit.  Thank you and I'll give it my best to keep you entertained. 

National Pancake Day - Got Syrup?

Although my kids might argue that I'm one pancake short of a full stack, I still contend that pancakes are one of my TOP TEN favorite things to enjoy for dinner.  I'm not a morning person, and much prefer to enjoy my pancakes late at night, slathered in butter and syrup.  And I insist on adding blueberries to my pancakes, just to make it a healthier choice.  But be warned - the blueberries have to be FRESH and INSIDE the pancakes. NOT added on top in some sort of suspicious fruit compote mixture you will find in some restaurants.  What's your favorite way to eat pancakes?  Do you make them yourself or go out to a special breakfast place.  I think the best pancake I ever had was at the Aunt Jemima restaurant YEARS ago at Walt Disney World in Anaheim, California.  Although it might be that the memories of that pancake are interlaced with memories of meeting Mickey Mouse, but it was still a VERY good pancake.  My second choice would have to be the pancakes at Cracker Barrel - and then of course Village Inn makes a darn good light and fluffy version that demands equal billing.  The only thing that completes this meal is a large glass of ice cold milk.  I cannot eat anything with syrup without having milk ... think it stems from some sort of childhood event, but that's another story for another time.  So please pass me the Log Cabin syrup and have a sweet evening!

We will miss you, Jess!

A very dear friend of our passed away last week, and we attended his wake and funeral services this past weekend.  Jess (the lovely man on the right of this photo) was SUCH a sweet and funloving man.  We met Jess and Donna (as well as our good friends Pete and Anne also shown in this photo) MANY years ago when we were part of a group that formed at a new area casino, Harveys. We all be came fast friends and our friendships from the initial meeting have lasted nearly 20 years. Jess and Sterling were especially close, as they loved to talk about Jess' two tours in the Marines in the 1950's, and Sterling's tour in the Army in Vietnam in the 1960's.  At the wake, Donna was presented with an American flag and the local VFW was represented and played taps, which brought tears to everyone's eyes.  After the funeral, we gathered at the local VFW and shared tears and smiles and stories of our dear friend, who LOVED to tell jokes and make us all smile.  Jess will be missed, but we were so lucky to have known him and blessed to have him in our lives.

BLOG AWARD

I received the stylish blogger award from Kacee @ http://youhadmeatscrap.blogspot.com/.  Thank you so much Kacee!  I've had this blog less than a year and already I've had the pleasure of meeting so many lovely ladies who are as passionate about papercrafting as I am.  My husband would argue that where I use the word "passionate" he would use the word "obsessive/compulsive", but pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

When you receive this award you are suppose to:

#1 - thank and link back to the person who awarded it to you (which I've done in the first paragraph) 

#2 - share 8 things about yourself (see below)

#3 - pay it forward to bloggers that you have recently discovered

             Janine at:  http://2bkrafty.blogspot.com/2011/02/little-more-sharing.html

             Laura at: http://akissonthechic.typepad.com/laura_mccollough_scrapboo/

             Alaine at:  http://alainereading.blogspot.com/2011/02/scrapbook-camp.html

#4 - contact those bloggers and tell them about their awards.

8 things about me...

#1. My first car was a blue Ford Pinto - you know the model that they recalled due to a possible exploding gas tank.

 

#2. The two biggest blessings in my life are my kids, Laura and Mark.

#3. After kissing several frogs and marrying and divorcing one toad, I finally found my prince charming!

 #4.  The SWEETEST little guy to ever enter my life (my grandson, Jonas) 

#5.  I've had so many wonderful dogs and cats come and go in my lifetime, but our current three cats , Boink, Bailey and Fluff provide Sterling and I with daily doses of laughter with their antics.

#6.  Sterling and I love to travel, and we've been to Oregon (fell IN LOVE with this state), Idaho (briefly on our way to Portland and a stop in Boise for a wedding years ago), Utah (where Sterling was born and raised and where his side of the family still reside), California (been to Disneyland several times and San Deigo is so very lovely), South Dakota (have you ever been to Wall Drug?), Wyoming (on our way to and from Salt Lake City, Colorado (where my son and daughter-in-law now reside and where my daughter and son-in-law were married - Estes Park), Arizona (where lived for several years when the kids were young and where I met Sterling), Texas (all my ex's live here - okay so I only have one ex but I had that song running through my brain), Oklahoma (lived in Tulsa once), Kansas (Auntie 'Em), Missouri (we've made the 3 hour drive to and from just for lunch on occasion), Iowa (they have the BEST seafood restaurant for not having ANY oceans nearby), Minnesota (it's all about the MALL), Florida (where we go for cruises), New York and the Hamptons (thanks to my fabulous cousin, Jeff) and several cruises to the Caribbean and Mexico.  I would dearly love to visit Vermont in the fall and try a fresh Maine lobster (or 2 or 3) someday!

#7.  I can type 125+ words per minute (and learned on a manual typewriter).

#8.  I am a hopeless romantic at heart. (And I even named my daughter after seeing this movie ... although she will be the FIRST to tell you that I spelled it wrong - I blame it on physical and mental exhaustion after giving birth to her - NATURAL childbirth).

There you have just a FEW weird facts about moi ... bet you are REALLY confused now. (grin)

Lolcats - if you need an excuse to laugh out loud !!

This pic just had me smiling out loud for some reason ... and I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with my family members.  LOL   This website is one of my DAILY go to pages as their photos ALWAYS lift my spirits!

Go here to enjoy:    http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Son-in-Law!

Okay, so he may be my only son-in-law, but he's still one of my favorite people.  My daughter, Laura, brought him into our family and we've been blessed ever since.  Jeremy is the kind of person that would stop what he's doing to help out a complete stranger in need.  He is also so extremely patient and kind with every member of our sometimes, okay often times, dysfunctional family.  He is a hands on dad and such a great role model for Jonas, a loving husband to Laura, and in short just a pure pleasure to be around and spend time with.

Jeremy - have a fabulous birthday today and know that we love you!

Happy Birthday, Mom !!!

I love this pic of my mom when she was just a wee lass.  She turned 82 yesterday ... or at least we think she did.  When she was born she was very sick and they didn't think she was going to make it so they never issued her a birth certificate. To this day we really aren't sure what year she was born, but have made more of an educated guess and we always try to give her the benefit of the doubt (grin).  She was the text book mom of the 50's.  Back when t.v. dinners were introduced, and tupperware parties were all the rage, and moms wore high heels and dresses while cleaning house - well, at least mine did. Mom LOVED wearing heels, even though she was already 5'11" tall.  Mom also enjoyed housecleaning.  It was never surprising to come home from school and find that she had rearranged one of the rooms in the house or painted an entire room a different color.  She loves to paint and as recently as last fall repainted my 7 year old niece's bedroom a different color - I swear she has more energy than the Energizer Bunny!  I am hoping that I got some of those energy genes and will be as active and spry as she is in her golden years! 

So happy birthday, mom - I LOVE YOU!

Welcome Baby

Here's a second entry for the Denami card challenge - I actually found a Denami stamp in my stash to incorporate with some itty bitty baby buttons.

A Happy Hello

Denami is having a BUTTON card challenge.  Here's my entry.  If you want to see this challenge, go here:  http://denami.blogspot.com/

Sunday Sampler

The sun is shining and it's a few degrees OVER 50 - doesn't get much better than that.  I've been in my craft room enjoying the sunshine streaming through the double windows and trying out some new stamps I recently acquired.  Here's a sample of my morning creations.

 It's hard to see the "shine" on the butterfly wings from the photograph, but they really turned out beautiful.

I Never Met a Banana Bread I Didn't Like

Ree Drummond's Tasty Kitchen blog is one of my daily "go to" websites for new recipes to drool over.  Today's feature recipe really caught my eye as I adore banana bread and am always looking for a way to improve it.  Streusel topping - now why didn't I think of that??!! 

Go here for the recipe:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/

Let me know if you make it and what you think!

From ZERO to 40 in four days

While my car SEEMED to be as cold as this photo depicts this morning, there was no evidence of freezer burn on the dashboard.  It was -8 degrees on my way to work, and right now we are at the "high" for the day which is ZERO degrees.  But we should be able to break out the shorts and suntan lotion by the weekend, when the highs will be in the mid 40's.  Though as cold as it has been, it has still been a milder winter compared to last year when we had the same 3+ feet of snow on the ground from mid December until mid APRIL.  So I'll add an extra scarf and mittens and smile in the face of frigidity (is that even a word?). 

You've Got the Cutest Little Baby Face!

I just had to share this A-DOR-A-BLE pic of my grand niece, Avlyn.  Not sure why she's scrunching up her face - could be her reaction to her Grandma Gloria's cooking dinner (ROLF).  Just kidding, sis!  HA!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I may not even know what teams are playing, but I do love the commercials and football grub that go along with Superbowl Sunday.  Over the years we've had MANY a party surrounding this event.  This year we're just having the kids over for some fabulous sliders (see recipe in previous post) and I found a recipe for empanadas that I'm also going to try out on our unsuspecting family. (grin) My grandson Jonas will be happy just to bury his head in a bag of cheese puffs - he LOVES those airy cheesy treats.  Of course, he prefers to 'dip' them in some ranch dressing - he is the prince of dipping sauces, which he proudly gets from me - just ask anyone in the family and they will tell you that I LOVE dipping sauces!  It took my grown kids YEARS to ween me away from putting tarter sauce on salmon - and when they aren't looking I still sometimes reach for the sauce - I blame my mother and all those years of fish sticks and tarter sauce when I was growing up.  But back to the game ... are any of you attending or hosting a superbowl event tonight? If you have any "go to" recipes for events like this, I would love to hear about them! 

John Deere Grandson!

Green Acres Theme Song

Green Acres is the place for me
Farm livin' is the life for me
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside

New York is where I'd rather stay
I get allergic smelling hay
I just adore a penthouse view
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue

...The chores
...The stores
...Fresh air
...Times Square

You are my wife
Good bye, city life
Green Acres we are there!!

We're in the Red !!!

The weather service issued a blizzard watch for Tuesday and Wednesday. Forecasters said snowfall totals could reach up to 2 feet in some areas.  Heavy snowfall combined with high winds could create whiteout conditions, particularly on Tuesday night into Wednesday, making driving extremely dangerous in some areas. Snow drifts of 5 feet to 10 feet are possible.  "Conditions will rapidly deteriorate from north to south across the region Tuesday afternoon with travel likely becoming virtually impossible at times Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning," the weather service warned, adding that snow will be so heavy at times Tuesday night that plows will not be able to keep up. Once the storm has moved through, bitterly cold temperatures are expected to grip much of the region.

This isn't going to be very much fun ... hoping to get home tonight without any incident and then will bunker down and ride this out ... be safe everyone!

Crafty Weekend

I met with my papercrafting buddies out at Archiver's yesterday for an afternoon/evening of scrapping.  Here's one of the cards I threw together  I have an old book that I like to tear pages out of for backgrounds, and my friend Marcia started actually reading excerpts from the page on this card which had us all in fits of giggles ... I think I should make it a point to read the pages before using them ... I'm just saying ... LOL.

It's a bitter cold day here in Omaha and they are calling for 6 inches of snow starting tomorrow night into Tuesday.  I am SO not looking forward to yet another hazardous drive to and from work on snowpacked streets - just makes me want to reconsider why I live in Nebraska.  The older I get, the longer it takes me to get warm in these frigid temps ... add to that the fact that I'm getting older and I worry about slipping on the ice and breaking something as well.  I now understand why people retire to warmer climates!  But I have many more years until I can retire, so I'll just go and turn on the fireplace and grab a good book and a hot cup of tea and enjoy a day of R&R inside where it's cozy. 

PW Sliders - oh my but they're good !!

All of you who know me well, are aware of my love for The Pioneer Woman's recipes (and her blog site in general).  I have been visiting her blog since before she became famous ... before her cookbook, before her harlequin romance novel depicting how she met her husband, Marlboro Man, AND before her appearance on the food network and a thanksgiving throwdown with Bobby Flay.  She is SUCH a positive and upbeat personality and will make you laugh inspite of any sour mood you might be in.  So go give her blog a once over in by chance you've been living on Pluto the past few years and haven't yet heard of her.

With Super Bowl on the horizon, here's one of the recipes that would will definitely find on our table.  SLIDERS! (Recipe can be found here:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/08/mushroom-and-swiss-sliders-with-spicy-fry-sauce/].   And you MUST make the fry sauce that goes with this recipe.  It reminds Sterling of his favorite burger place in Utah growing up as a kid - no place else will you hear the term "fry sauce".  And if you want to try PW's onion string recipe, we'll I sure won't stop you - it's WONDERFUL and DELICIOUS!!

ENJOY!!!

Superbowl Sunday (Feb. 6)

In our house, we've ALWAYS had a Superbowl Sunday party, although that passed couple of years it's only been Sterling and I and the kids, but we've had as many as 80+ people over to watch the commercials ... I mean the game (grin).  I love trying new appetizer recipes and this year I think this Meatball Poppers recipe is the winner.  Although my son just sent me a recipe for homemade runzas that looks like a possible contender.

You can go here to print out the recipe for meatball poppers: 

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/printrecipe?RecipeId=4a71e6da-7889-47ee-85cf-4f0ba328b78a

So do you and your family do anything special for Super Bowl?  Let me know what your favorite appetizer recipes are as I love trying all things new and yummy!

Is It Spring Yet?

As my papercrafting buddies know, I'm not one to "color" much with my stamps - just not something I've done a lot of nor am I very good at - I don't even one ONE Copic.  But this little guy had me grabbing some old markers I have in my stash to play with.  I just adore this little stamp I recently acquired and am having such fun with it.  I do have a bit of "white" space, but didn't want to add anything else so as not to take away from the image itself.  What would you do to improve this card?

We got another 6 inches of snow last night ... and it's only 2 degrees outside right now .... bbrr!! 

WINTER WREATH

Vicki over at This Art Makes Me Happy recently posted about some fun outdoor projects for winter.  Is this not THE MOST novel idea you've ever seen?  She used some greenery and cranberry colored flowers, covered with water in a BUNDT PAN to mold - tied with some ribbon and voila - instant wreath.  I just LOVE this idea!  And with the temps here in Nebraska in the single digits right now, what a perfect craft project!  So go and give this a try and then send me pictures of your ice creations!

 

 

To see Vicki's post go here:  http://vickichrisman.blogspot.com/2011/01/snowy-day-filled-with-projects.html)

Salmon Patties

I've been making salmon patties for my family for MANY years.  It's something quick and easy and you don't need any fancy ingredients. My version is the way my mom used to make them for us as kids.  One can of salmon (drained with bones removed), one cup crushed saltines (or you can use breadcrumbs as well), 2 eggs, 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (which I will sweat in a fry pan with a bit of oil until they are translucent), and then some Old Bay Seasoning (1 tsp.), and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some spicey mustard (1 tbsp) for a kick. And if you have some green peppers on hand, mince about 1/2 cup and add to the mixture as well. You can also add a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, or for a twist, fresh cilantro or other favorite herb to give it a new flavor twist.  Then just combine everything with your hands and shape into small patties.  Brown in olive oil until both sides are crisp.  My kids like a white sauce with peas over the top, which is simply 2 Tablespoons of butter and flour in a kettle cooking just for a few minutes and then adding 1-1/2 cups of milk (more or less depending on how thick you like your sauce) and stirring until thickened, and then just toss in a can of peas (drained).  Any leftovers make GREAT "salmon burgers" the next day.  So next time you want something QUICK and delicious, give this simple recipe a try.

Thomas the Train

My grandson ADORES Thomas the Train and they had a train expo at the Qwest Center this past weekend. Jonas is wearing the red shirt.  At dinner Jonas told me all about going to see Thomas the Train, but that Percy wasn't there (evidently Percy is one of the MANY other train characters in the Thomas the Train line). He and his parents spent a couple of hours going through all the train exhibits.  Jonas was in choo choo heaven!

Happy Birthday Luckie!

My brother-in-law, Luckie, turned 60 this past weekend and I just wanted to dedicate a post to him to celebrate this special day.  Luckie is a fabulous professional photographer, so usually he is the one behind the camera. But this pic of him and my sister, Gloria, taken a few years ago at a friend's home, really captures his lighthearted spirit.  He LOVES to tell a good joke, share a funny story, and is one of the most positive people I know.  He's a "my glass is half full" kind of guy.  He drops whatever he is doing at the drop of a hat if someone calls and asks for his help.  His love of family is infectious and makes me proud to know him and have him in our family. Happy Birthday, Luckie - we love you!

SSD Sktech #58 (snow day card #4)

Here's my take on this sketch from Skipping Stones Design (you can find them here:  http://skippingstonesdesign.com/

Snow Day Card #3

Queen Kat Designs has a monthly card challenge and here's my entry based on their sketch.  I don't have any of their stamps yet, as this is a new company that I just recently found. But you can check out their designs and stamps here:  http://qkd.blogspot.com/

Snow Day Card #2

I just discovered a new blog here:  http://woodwareusa-clearstamps.blogspot.com/.  They have a challenge going on where you have to use a heart in your card creation.  Here I've freehand cut a heart and then used some papers and ribbon from the Bo Bunny CRUSH paper line - isn't that lace beautiful?!!  Then just added the bling and stamped on the corner of the heart and voila.

Snow Day Card #1

Well, here's the first card of the day ... funny how sometimes I sit down with an idea and what I end up with is totally different.  I pulled out two pieces of paper that went together and it just evolved into this little card.  The stamp is Tim Holtz as well as the tissue ribbon at the bottom.  The papers are just some I've had in my stash for a while, and the sentiment is from Papertrey.



Oh, the weather outside is frightful ...

Every year I save a few vacation days just for days like this!  When the radio went off this morning and I was listening to all the school/business closings, and all the numerous accidents and road closings, I decided it was a good day NOT to venture out into the treacherous weather.  When you get to be my age you come to realize that when your day's pay isn't enough to cover your auto deductible and chances are very good that someone will be sliding into you, best to make an executive decision to stay home and out of harm's way.  Here's a pic of what it looks like from our front porch. While we only have about 5 inches so far, it is supposed to continue snowing all day and we'll end up with about 10 inches before the storm subsides.  So ... I plan on spending the day in my craft room to see what I can come up with.  I also put a roast in the crockpot for dinner so that'll be filling up the house with some fabulous aromas as well.

Door Wreath

My daughter-in-law, Chrysty, makes the MOST beautiful wreaths.  Here's her latest creation!

Time to Book It Danno !!

Okay, since my own original ideas are few and far between, when I happen upon something original and ADORABLE, I like to share.  Take a look at this idea using paper mache books and clock parts by Hobby Lobby. 

I found this fabulous project on the Jillibean Soup blog here: 

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/01/proje.html






How cute would this be using kitchen papers for a kitchen clock, or masculine/sports papers as a special gift for your favorite guy's "man cave", or baby papers for that one of a kind baby gift?  RUN THIS THIS and let me know what you would do with this project idea!