Re-Run

You have seen this card before, but it was just perfect for Practical Scrappers cards this week! Transparency on a card - be sure to check out the other designer's examples!! As long as you are there, check out the Blog Hop. Lots of goodies being given away and lot of fun ideas!

My Days in the Kitchen

I have been spending time in the kitchen the past few days. I so enjoy altering recipes and doing my own thing with them. I have learned a few fun things while I've been hanging out and I thought I'd share. Be patient with me - some of these are pretty silly!

• We (meaning just me) don't like tofu. We (meaning both of us) were picking up a few groceries and the tofu curiosity got the best of me. I picked up a package, and I've been thinking on it for a week or so. So I tried making some at lunch today as a test run. Oh, I really don't like it. Now I have to tell you that I've always kept my mouth closed when it comes to food. I wanted Shane to grow up with "fair and balanced" taste buds. You know, if a Mom says "yuck" chances are the kids will think it before he/she even tastes it. Thus Shane grew up with lots of different great ideas about food, and I didn't have to make a lot of mac & cheese and hot dogs or a separate meal every day! But I deter from the....tofu...gelatin-like-wiggly-really-yucky tofu. I guess you know by now that I've saved Jerry from having to try this!! ( I truly apologize to anyone that likes this bean-curdy wet food. No - I admire you!)
• I was making Karen P's wonderful Cherry Bars (again). I didn't have the extra margarine/butter for the recipe, so at that moment I was very thankful for lessons I learned as a little girl. "Substitute because the store is far away (and probably closed), so you'd better learn what can work." Both my Grandma Matvey and my Mom lived with this theory. And we did live out in the country. There was a small store with short hours, but otherwise groceries were 30-45 minutes away. So to make a long story short, I needed to find a substitute . I pulled out my yummy homemade applesauce, and added that instead of the butter/margarine. Perfect! Jerry feels very spoiled. Thanks for the recipe, Karen! It's become one of our favorites!
• One sauce will work for many recipes. Do you know creamed tuna and peas on toast? Well, that white sauce works for country fried steak, bicuits and gravy, and I used it this evening to make a cauliflower casserole. I topped the casserole with a little bit of asiago cheese and fried onion. Again, Jerry feels very spoiled.

Cooking and baking is just something that is in my blood - much like it's in my mother's and four sisters. I called my mother to say hello this morning, and she told me the house smelled good because there was a pot roast in the oven. I learned to make a good pot roast from her. My oldest sister Linda is really good at making things healthy. I've learned how to alter recipes from her - not because I've asked much, but because I've listened. Patti, one of my younger sisters is adventerous in the kitchen, and I love watching all the things she tries. She loves Rachel Ray - isn't that fun that Rachel Ray has taught all of us so much? The first time I tried Snickers Salad is because my youngest sister Julie made it. Ooh, my family is hooked on that salad! And you should have seen the Italian spread my sister Shelley made at Christmas last year. It was a ton of work I am sure, and boy was it good!!

I know that a part of the way to my hubsy's heart is through his tummy. After all, the very first thing I ever made for him was caramel brownies. And he hasn't left me since! ;)

If you head over to Practical Scrappers this week, you are going to find some wonderful examples of working with transparencies. The designers have done a wonderful job of showing how to use these fun elements!

In the first layout, I've actually used two transparencies in a different way. I wanted to highlight my cute little grand-nephew while he was sitting with Santa. So I put a 4x6 transparency over his wonder-filled little face. I cut the pretty edges off of another one and used it for mats under the whole picture.


In the next layout, I've used pictures of my from my little years. I mounted the photos on cardstock and the 12x12 transparency went over the cardstock. The flowers and ribbon are on top of the transparency.

Now dig out those transparenices and see what you can come up with!!

You Color My World

I just had to let you know just that. You color my world!

I made this card sometime back, and it's one that I pull out of the box and look at often. That beautiful Emporium paper (CTMH) along with Priceless Love stamp set and embellishments, makes this card a keeper. I am having trouble using this one, so I think I'd better make a few more!!!

I hope you are having a good weekend. I had a scrapbooking garage sale this morning, and there was a wonderful turn out. It was nice to see so many friends and chat the morning away! And even more, it was great to meet so many new scrapbooking friends!

Stop and Smell the Roses...

This is a card I made some time ago. I look at it every now and again to remind me to do just that - stop and smell the roses.

Shane and his friend Ashley were here last night for dinner. I so love spending time with these two! They always have lots of stories to make us laugh. What a great dinner!

I am getting ready right now for a scrapbooking and stamping garage sale at my house on Saturday. Let's face it. My craft room could use some simplifying, and so I thought I'd share the good deals with others. I've been pulling new things out that I didn't even remember I had!

My box for Operation Write Home is going out with Thanksgiving and Christmas cards. What a wonderful place to send cards!!

After my garage sale, I'm taking a little time to stop and smell the roses. To tell you the truth, dear friends, I haven't been feeling all that well. It's getting a little harder to accomplish things without being exhausted afterwards. I would assume it's all the medicine I am on. I'm having a lot of other side effects as well, so I'm trying to get through them. This is the last medicine for me - having tried everything else - so I guess I need to do what I must to get through this. The troubling part for me is that I've been working with it for over 2 months now, and the side effects and seizures should have been gone. This is just one more more hill to climb, one more time in my life that I need to rely on my faith and wait to see all the marvelous things God can do.

So I'll be back, but I just need a little time to rest and try to get all this in balance. Keep watching my blog to see when I put that new out that new artwork!

Treasures from Close To My Heart

Oh my goodness! I just received the September stamp of the month from CTMH. It is so pretty! That beautiful big "puff" was just calling out to be embossed. I used Dazzle Versamark to emboss the white powder, so that is why you will see some sparkle. Be sure you get this set before the month is over. You won't regret it! I love the sentiments that come on this set. Let me tell you what CTMH products I used:

• Sweet Home Level 2 paper (gorgeous on both sides!)
• Treasure stamp set
• Dazzle Versamark
• White Embossing Powder
• Indian Corn Blue and Olive ink
• Hearfelt Whimsy Die-Cuts
• Craft Buttons and Waxy Flax
• Sparkles
• Connections Club Adhesive Pearls
• Random ribbon from here and there

Fact or Urban Legend?

All rightie. You are looking at an egg balancing on my kitchen cupboard. It stayed that way for quite a while. That is until Jerry knocked it over!

They say it's an urban legend that this will happen on the autumnal equinox. But here it is - as plain as the day I tried it as an science experiment when I was homeschooling Shane in 5th grade. I could go on with a full Science lesson about this, but suffice to say the gravitional pull is such that an egg can stand on it's end. This will work on the vernal equinox in the spring, too.

There is no tape on the egg. There is nothing holding it up - well except for the gravity part. It's just a very fun experiment to try on those two days of the year. And now my homeschooling science days really are done!! LOL!!

How Do Use That Felt?

Over at Practical Scrappers, we are having a challenge using felt. There are so many cute felt ideas out there, and you can also purchase a lot of different felt shapes. It is not necessarily imperative that you use a whole sheet of felt or even a bunch of pieces. I think it's so much fun just to add elements here and there. My first example is a 2-page layout where I've added a felt bird and dragonfly. In my 3x3 card, I added a felt vine under the flower. Just enough. All product is from Close To My Heart.

Try them sometime, and be sure to go to Practical Scrappers to see the other fine examples!!

Oh, the Joy of the Lake!

Jerry and I snuck away for the weekend and went up to Nisswa, MN. What a beautiful weekend we had! It was in the 80's and that is very unusual for this time of the year in MN. We stayed at a beautiful place right on the Paul Bunyan trail, so we did lots of walking. There were fall festivals in Nisswa and Pequot Lakes, so we took in those surrounding communites. Naturally, I have a favorite coffee shop up there, so we visited again. There was a great BBQ rib contest which Jerry just loved!

The lodge we stayed in had bikes (for free!) so we took a really great ride on the trail. With the weather so warm, we spent a good deal of time walking in the water and sitting on the edge with our feet in. There's not much better than these types of days!

I purposefully take a lot of pictures of Jerry on the lake. I know that my husband would like to retire there one day. If he told me that we were moving tomorrow in order to spend the rest of our lives on the lake, I'd pack pretty fast! We love the air by the lake. I don't know if I've ever told you, but I am just not a city girl. Where we live now if the furthest we can live away from Jerry's work, and we are blessed with a beautiful backyard with woods on half of our lot. However, there is still the "air" of city, much traffic, a little too much noise, and there are no trails. Isn't that funny?! I think I am getting quite finicky as I get older!!

Anyway, I do hope you take the time to get away with the one you love. Explore a new place (or an old place) and really enjoy the view. Take time to breathe, set your problems behind, and bask in what God has so richly blessed us with. You will be thankful you did!

Falling for Fall

I spent some time outside today with the furry kids. What a beautiful day here in MN! I had to snap some pictures of my sweetheart pets. Chanel started out rocky with us, but she has become one of the gentlest, most playful dogs I know. Do you know that she will jump up in your lap and lay her head on your shoulder? Now how could you refuse love like that? I am so glad that Shane brought her home to us and that she was rescued at the carnival!

As I type, Miss Sassy is waling all over my desk and looking for all the attention she can get. She just had her warm milk, so she's ready for a nap. Yes, I do spoil her and give her warm milk! When I was growing up on my Grandma & Grandpa's farm, all the kitties got fresh warm milk from the cows and they loved it!
















Do you have Sedum plant in your garden? If you don't, look for one at the nursery. Just when everything is coming to an end, here's the beautiful Autumn Joy Sedum bringing it's color to the garden. Lovely!


Well, I've got a beef roast with fresh potatoes and carrots in the oven, so I'm quite certain Jerry will be a very happy man when he gets home today!

Now I'm off to enjoy the weather for the day!
Let today be your best day!

Apple Time!

Jerry and I went to the Farmer's Market last night. Oh, it's apple time!! Both of us LOVE apples, and we especially like the ones that are freshly picked. There's nothing like a good honeycrisp! I wanted to share a recipe with you that I have already tried and really like. It's from Gooseberry Patch, and it will surely get your house smelling like fall!

Spiced Applesauce

(This recipe is from their new cookbook, Autumn with Family and Friends)

8 Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled and cubed

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. water

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker; stir to mix. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high setting for 3 to 4 hours. When done, stir with a wooden spoon. Gently crush applesauce against side of slow cooker to desired consistency. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

I'll tell you what I've done to the recipe differently. (I don't know if I've followed a recipe to the "t"!) I used Honey Crisp apples because they are our favorite. They are like "apple gold" but this is the only time we can get fresh ones at such a reasonable price. I also don't peel my apples. There are precious antioxidants in that peel and they are rich in phytonutrients. My pumpkin pie spice is always a mounding teaspoon. Those are such rich flavors - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. From now through the winter, I add this spice to many things. (It's going on my squash for dinner rather than heavy maple syrup...)

Enjoy the recipe and let me know if you try it! I'd love to hear what you think!