Mindless Ramblings of Michele

Have you heard? There's gold in them chickens!

2012-02-04T23:05:00.005-06:00

Yes corny, but oh so true. I use chicken stock in many of the dishes I make and I think it just makes things taste better. BUT oh my goodness so expensive! I happen to take a cooking class at my local gym in which they talked about how to break down your own chicken and how to make your own chicken stock. Which I promptly did, just to prove I could, but I honestly struggled with getting it just right.

After a bunch of searching and trying things I found that this is what worked for me:

In my crockpot I put:

1 whole chicken
onion, roughly chopped (whatever you have on hand)
carrots, roughly chopped (whatever you have on hand)
celery sticks, roughly chopped (whatever you have on hand)
parsley (if I have fresh I do one or two stems but if I don't I put enough dry in the palm of my hand until it gets to nickel size)

(if I happen to have mushrooms hanging out in the fridge they go in too)

I add salt & pepper too but I really don't know how much... I just go with my gut (if I had to guess I would say about a 1/4 teaspoon of each)

Cooking time... well I generally do this after the kids go to bed so I start it around 8:30pm and then I let it cook until about 5pm the following day. I pull out the chicken (or as much as I can without it all falling apart on me). I take a large bowl or stock pot and put a strainer on top of it... the very important thing is to line the strainer with cheese cloth. Then I pour the liquid into the strainer.

Now comes the fun part... storing the stock! The best method I have found is to let the liquid cool slightly and put it in freezer bags. A word of caution... Sandwich bags are not a good substitute unless you let your stock cool down a whole lot. I like to lay the bags flat when I freeze them... mainly because the first time I did this I put them in the side door and when they froze they sort of molded themselves to the space and it wasn't easy getting them out... let's just say it involved a blow dryer and a whole lot of swearing (in my head of course).

OK so now I have all this chicken too. We typically just shred it and put it in a container to use during the week in enchiladas, mix it with pesto and pasta, salads... etc. Again, I have to say I do not like chicken BUT it is a huge time saver during the week most of the time AND it keeps me from going through the drive thru!

Bacon & Leek Risotto

2012-02-04T22:14:00.004-06:00

My hubby loves to make risotto and we love eating risotto! He made this wonderful risotto with some tweaks... for the original Bacon & Leek Risotto click on the link. The photo on the left is also of the original... it went so fast in our house that I didn't even get a chance to take a picture!

His version is below:

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup Abborio Rice

4 strips of bacon, cut up into small pieces & cooked

1 leek, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green or red bell pepper, diced (or use smaller peppers and use a variety of colors)

3 1/2 cups chicken stock, hot (don't try to make risotto with cold chicken stock)

1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 TBLS butter

1 TBLS olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Cut the top and bottom of the leek off. One tip we got from the recipe was to slice the leek in half lengthwise and then slice them, so as they cook they fall apart easier.

Fry the bacon pieces. As they cook add in the leeks, garlic and peppers. DRAIN... DRAIN!

In another pan, add olive oil & rice, let it cook for a minute on medium heat. Turn the heat down to low and add half of the chicken stock, cook until absorbed. Add the remainder of the stock over the next 15 - 20 minutes. Stop adding liquid when the rice is soft but has a bit of bite to it.

Add in the leek mixture, stir all of the ingredients together. Cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add in butter & Parmesan cheese, cover and let sit for 3 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

AMAZING: Cracker & Cheese Chicken

2011-12-14T11:59:00.007-06:00

Alright, I'll admit it... chicken is not my favorite food! Which is kind of a problem in our house because everyone else really likes chicken! I don't know why, how or when this happened to me, I just know I don't particularly care for chicken. I'll eat it but I'm not happy about it!

In my quest to figure out how to stop eating out so much (mainly because it is expensive but also because my waistline grew a little too much), I've been looking at "Freezer Meals", now I must say these women that do this are way amazing! The thought of making 52 meals all at once terrified me, so I decided to just do a few at a time and see how it goes. Anyway, I've got to get back to this amazing chicken! Since my family does like chicken so much I've been looking for a good recipe to freeze. I ran across this blog "What's Cookin, Chicago" and they had this mouth watering looking picture of a meal I was sure would please my family. Imagine my disgust when I realized it was chicken! I still "pinned" it and decided to try it for dinner last night.

Seriously, the best most yummy chicken I've had, like, EVER! It smelled so good I forgot to take pictures of it last night when it came out of the oven so you get a snapshot of my lunch! Yes, I had two pieces left for lunch but only because I told the girls that they couldn't have anymore!
OK, OK, OK... I know you've been waiting for it so here is the recipe (which I've tweaked just a little bit).

Cracker & Cheese Chicken
Ingredients for Breading
32 buttery crackers (I used Ritz), crushed
8oz Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2 stalks scallions, diced (I actually just cut mine with a pair of kitchen scissors)
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of coarse salt (I use Kosher Salt)
Pinch of pepper

Ingredients for Wet
4 TBLs Butter, melted (YES BUTTER - Just do it!)

Chicken Prep
4 chicken breasts (about 6oz a piece), flattened
When I have to "pound out chicken" I put a piece of saran wrap on the counter place the chicken on it and then fold it over... this way I don't end up with chicken splattered all over me!

Directions
Dip the chicken in the butter, coat it with the breading, pushing down slightly to get the breading to adhere. Don't worry if it seems like it falls off we'll take care of that in the end!

You can choose to line a baking sheet with foil however, I just put this directly in a baking dish.

When you are done, press the remain breading on top of each of the chicken breasts and drizzle the remaining butter over the chicken.

Bake all of this @ 350 for 20-25 minutes. Note that if you do not flatten your chicken breasts you will need to cook it longer and it will cause your chicken to be dry. I know some people think that pounding out the chicken is optional... trust me it isn't... Just DO IT!

Daisy

2010-01-06T17:13:00.002-06:00

Well I'm taking the plunge... I'm going to be a troop mom. I'm so excited and overwhelmed all at the same time. I am finding some great stuff online and I'm feeling very good about my decision to do this. I'm thankful that I have two other troop moms to help me though... it is a TON of rewarding work!

Still Brown Baggin It

2009-08-14T21:50:00.002-05:00

I must say I am ultra proud of myself! I took my lunch every day this week and I saved some money! YIPPEE! I also only bought one pop this week at $1.59. Not too bad!

So now I'm thinking what else can I do to save some money. Well there are three things we go through like mad in our house... Milk, Eggs and bread.... don't ask me why because I really don't know, what I mean is, yes we eat them but we seem to eat ALOT of them...

So what can I do about the milk? Hmmm not too much, the kids need it to help them have strong healthy bones and I cook with it alot so I don't think there is much I can do about that part of it except try and find a cheaper source...

OK so eggs... what can I do about the eggs? Well again, we eat them and we cook with them, sometimes though, I use an egg substitute. I happen to work for a company that makes that type of product so I can get it at a discount (otherwise I couldn't afford to buy that week after week). But the catch is that even with my discount a 14 egg count of egg substitute is still $1.40. So not too much I can do about that...

Bread... hmmm yep I can do something about that... I have to say I love Rotella Bread and I'm one of those people who do pay $2.00+ for a loaf of bread.

Before you ask, no I cannot buy the expensive bread for myself and then cheap bread for the kids because the kids... well they won't eat the cheap bread either!

The Bakery is actually really close to our house and I drive by it occassionally... and I happen to see a sign that said Retail Store... well I always assumed that they had a retail store because not every store sells Rotella Bread and I assumed that the pricing was just as high at their retail store as it is in a chain store. RIGHT and WRONG... one day I decided that I wanted to stop and take a look around... I was right in that they do have fresh frozen bread at regular retail prices but they also have over run and day old bread at huge discounts.

Now usually we go through 3 - 4 loaves of bread in a week. That is $6 - $8 a week. Now keep in mind that this is just for regular ole sandwich bread... yes we eat that much of it!

But if I go to the Bread Store I can get 4 loaves of bread, 2 packages of hamburger buns, 2 packages of hot dog buns, ciabata bread, dinner rolls and pizza dough for $7.40. So I figured out that when I buy all of this at the store I spend around $25 a week on that... so for a month I spend $100 and in a year $1,200. But if I go to the bread store... I only spend about $355 a year.... hmmm the bread store it is!

I'm starting to see where all my money goes... and it isn't because we don't make enough... it's because we don't spend it wisely! We need to spend it wisely!

Where does all my money go?

2009-08-10T21:33:00.003-05:00

Ok can I just say I'm tired of feeling like I'm broke all of the time... we both make good money but there never seems to be enough... I'm seriously thinking I must be spending my money on things that are bleeding me dry...

So one thing I decided to take a look at was how much money I spend on lunch each week. So here is what I did... I tracked how much money I spend on lunch each day. What I found was that I spend $8 a day on lunch... $40 a week... $160 a month... $1920 a year... WOW. I could definately use that on new floors in my kitchen or a new refrigerator or maybe a new washer and dryer! Hmmm, so that got me thinking... what can I do to reduce the amount of money I'm spending on lunch...

Here is what I came up with:

Leftovers are my friend. I've already spent money to make it a meal... why not get one more meal out of it and pocket $8
If I don't quite have enough leftovers to make it a whole lunch then I'll still save it and add a little something more to my lunch like an apple or a bigger handful of grapes or something along those lines again... I get to pocket my $8.
If there aren't any leftovers, then yeah I could do a sandwich but in our house more times than not that lunch meat goes to waste... we just don't eat it quick enough... so I look to the frozen food case and see what is on sale. Now sometimes the thing that is on sale... well tastes... a little less than scrumptious... so I try to make sure I pack some chives, or some type of spice that will give the food a little flavor.

Yes all of this costs money but think of this... If I take leftovers just 50% of the time and then frozen entrees (remember on sale the most expensive @ $2) the rest... here is how the math works out...

That is $5 a week... $20 a month... $240 a year... that is a HUGE difference!

Another thing that I thought of is gee... I bet I'm spending a TON of money on pop as well. So here is the math on that... I pay $1.59 for a 32oz cup of pop... usually I drink two of those a day aside from the one I get at lunch time... now that is an additional $3.18 a day... $15.90 a week... $63.60 a month... $763.20 a year... hmmm not as much of an expense as lunch every day but still... so my solution... buy a 12 pack of pop for $4.99 a week... $19.96 a month... $239.52 a year... again not a huge savings but still a savings!

Another thing to think of is that if I substituted just one drink a day with water instead of soda... I could cut all my soda expense in half!

So now my challenge is one... to stick with it and two keep thinking of other ways to cut back costs!

Wonderful Wedding Weekend

2009-06-07T22:01:00.002-05:00

Kendra and Brian got married this weekend! It was a beautiful ceremony and I enjoyed my family very much. The above picture was taken in our front yard before we left for the pre-ceremony dinner.

10 Questions to Ask Your Mom NOW

2009-05-28T20:40:00.002-05:00

So I was reading the May issue of REAL SIMPLE Magazine and I came across this wonderful article called 10 Questions to Ask Your Mom Now I started reading it and I realized that I wanted to know my mom's answers to the questions. I would certainly like to ask her in person, however, she lives in Colorado and I really don't think I could wait until I see her again to know the answers. So I emailed her the questions, of course I'm not going to share her answers with anyone because they are really wonderfully soul searching kind of questions. To me her answers will be part of her soul that she has chosen to share with me.

I'm sharing the questions/article with all of you because I wish each of you to have the same insight to your mother and maybe a better understanding of where they are coming from.

Also in this issue is an article titled What's the greatest gift your mother ever gave you? Why not share with your mom what the greatest gift she ever gave you is...

Yes, I'm feeling little tender hearted today. Enjoy.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-24T19:11:00.016-05:00

Today we spent a wonderful day with our friends the Schwartzkopf's. We even took Griffin with us and we all had a wonderful time. Mark and Janelle set up the pool for the kids and they had a great time splashing in the water and getting all wet.

My two girls always make me smile. While running from the back of the yard to jump into the pool Piper is carefree and happy, Paige has a some what serious look going on... just like her daddy when she is really focused on something her tongue comes out of her mouth!

Tyler on the other had chose to take a much safer route when jumping in the pool... he opted for not one, not two, but three floatation rings. It was quite comical watching him get the rings on himself and then trying to keep them all from falling down.

Hudson and Madison played in the water as well but just didn't seem to want to run and jump in but they sure had fun getting all wet and of course being all stinkin' cute while they were at it.

Soon the fun in the water started to wind down and the kids started getting all dried off and I couldn't help but snap a picture of Hudson giving Janelle an evil little look. I can only imagine what he was thinking! All I know is that it was just the cutest thing ever! I think I'm really going to enjoy scrappin' this one!

Next it was time for Hide N Seek and Madison found the perfect quiet spot to hide... right under the deck stairs! It was perfect cover as the stairs are surrounded by plants and if you aren't looking all that close you wouldn't have seen her hiding under there. It was all I could do to get my camera out and snap a quick picture before Paige came looking for her... otherwise I would have blown her cover for sure! I'm quite positive that she would not have been happy with me if that had happened!

Now I would be in really big trouble if I didn't post some pics of our little Griffin. He did really well over at Mark and Janelle's! He didn't mind the kids running around and screaming so I was thankful for that. He did however find some fun with an empty A&W Cream Soda bottle. I think when I scrap this one the title will be I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Cream Soda!

Welcome to Our Family

2009-05-10T17:34:00.001-05:00

Please welcome Griffin to our family! Griffin is a Shiba Inu!

Lazy Saturday

2009-04-25T15:48:00.002-05:00

Well today is just a lazy day at our house. With the weather getting super nice and then cold again my sinuses are giving me a ton of trouble. I SOOOO enjoy these types of headaches! Yes, I am being sarcastic. So I've taken some sinus medication... and hopefully it will kick in and I'll start to feel better very soon. My plan for the evening is to get some scrapping done and work on some projects. Wish me luck!

Park Play

2009-04-23T22:19:00.004-05:00

Along our walking path we came across this beautiful tree... and my kids are such little hams!

YIPPEE Spring is here!

2009-04-15T01:17:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful that spring is here... and I know spring is here because Spring Volleyball started yesterday. Our team, The True E! Volleyball Story, won all three of our games... and here is the amazing part... aside from my husband... I didn't know anyone! We quickly settled into a routine got to know one another and just enjoyed the game... It was a TON of fun!

Today my niece and her two girls came over to go for a walk. My daughters were SO excited!!! We started out at our house and walked three blocks to the walking path... of course we had to stop at the park on the way! After about 10 minutes the girls were ready to walk down the trail to the next park! So we fast paced it to the next park. The girls played and then we walked three more blocks back to our house... It was SO beautiful out today. Once we got home the girls headed out to the backyard to play and after a little talking I made dinner for the kids.

Once my niece and her girls left, I got my girls ready for bed and much to my surprise they were out... like a light...

Week 5 Sketch

2009-03-15T17:12:00.005-05:00

So I'm a bit behind on the whole 52 weeks.... 52 sketches... today I actually completed my first one...

Feeling a Little Creative

2009-03-12T21:34:00.003-05:00

So today I decided to spread out my scrapbook stuff on my bed and do a little scrappin'. Not the ideal place to scrapbook but I really did need to be in bed just in case I fell asleep. I was able to get one two page layout and a single page layout completed.

Recovery

2009-03-10T11:28:00.003-05:00

Well, I had my surgery yesterday and the gall bladder is removed. I was in considerable pain yesterday and slept most of the day. It is now 11:30 am and I am just waking up. I don't know how long I am going to stay up but hubby is taking good care of me.

Thank you mom for calling and checking on me last night... I'm glad you are feeling better too!

I must thank Kathy for calling and checking on me not to mention the box of goodies she sent home with me on Saturday. The kids and dad are thouroughly enjoying the banana bread, brownies and cake! I appreciate you thinking of me and them.

I also must thank Janelle for picking up my kids and taking care of them last night. The flowers are beautiful! I appreciate all you do for me.

Thank you for all who posted well wishes for me... know that it makes me smile that you all love me so!

Hugs,
Michele

Monday is the day

2009-03-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I am going in for surgery. I am having my gall bladder removed. Prayers and thoughts are welcomed.

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to post tomorrow.

Doctors Listen Up

2009-03-03T21:09:00.002-06:00

I must rant!

Today I had an appointment with a surgeon for a consult.

I arrived 15 minutes early because I figured that there was some paperwork to fill out. I was right. I paid my co-pay and filled out my paperwork. Then his staff informs me that he is running late and they expect him to arrive in 20 minutes.

An hour after my scheduled appointment he still had not arrived. Meanwhile other people who had appointments with him arrived, checked in and was told the same thing I was told. He is running late and will be here in about 20 minutes.

So I went up to the reception desk and asked how much longer it would be... the response was... "we thought he would be here by now". So I polietly requested my co-pay to be returned, which it was... and then the receptionist asked if I wanted to reschedule. I couldn't help it... I laughed and said no.

Now I understand that Dr's sometimes get stuck in surgery. I would have accepted that he was stuck in surgery... that is a lot different than he is running late. Running late to me means that he doesn't care enough to be on time. Now I don't know about anyone else, but I want a surgeon that cares!

I called my family Dr who sent me to this surgeon. I let him know that I was not happy and I did not want to go to any Dr in that office and wanted a different surgeon. So they did finally get me to another surgeon.

I don't understand why Dr.'s think their time is more important than mine. SO FRUSTRATING!

52 Weeks.... 52 Sketches

2009-03-01T15:14:00.003-06:00

I just came across this site and I thought it was worth sharing with everyone. It is 52 weeks... 52 sketches... the idea is to use the sketch that is posted each week to create a layout. I'm all for new ides!

http://52sketches52weeks.ning.com/

Very Cute Idea

2009-03-01T13:08:00.002-06:00

I came across this link in an email for Memory Makers magazine. You know it makes perfect sense but somehow I would have never have thought of it on my own!

CREATIVE CRAYOLA BOX
http://www.memorymakersmagazine.com/masters/2009/02/18/Creative+Crayon+Boxes.aspx

Need some inspiration?

2009-02-14T17:38:00.003-06:00

One thing I struggle with is finding inspiration but I have a few place I go to when I find I am in a rut:

Sketches - PageMaps is my favorite but Becky Higgins is also a great sketcher!
Scrapbook Magazines - Scraplifting another's layout can sometimes spark your creative mind. You see something you like but then you change it up a bit to make it your own.
Advertisements - Yeah I mean it sometimes an advertisement will spark something in my creative imagination...
Art - You can find inspiration every where.

All of these items below were in some way shape or form inspired by one of the four point above:

I scraplifted this one.

This one came from a piece of art
This one came from a sketch

This one came from an advertisement

Water Anyone???

2009-01-25T17:26:00.003-06:00

This afternoon my daughter brought me one of her wooden toys that goes to her doll house. It is a little patio table complete with an umbrella. It had been broken and needed to be glued back together. So I told her to go and put it on my work table in my craft room. She came back upstairs just as excited as could be... "Mom there is water on the floor" So yeah my first question was "What do you mean?" She just looked at me with this confused look like "Geeze mom are you stupid... how much more clear do you need me to be?"

So I head downstairs while she goes and tells her father... yep water on the carpet, water on the concrete and water on my craft room floor... poor wood laminate... it is toast. There is visable standing water not just a little puddle but all over the floor. My poor husband... comes running downstairs... We start emptying out the storage room the where the majority of the water is. While I'm going through stuff and doing damage control, my husband is frantically trying to find the source of the water... He couldn't find it. No water on the ceiling... walls, pipes... nothing just on the floor... but the water doesn't stink like sewer water so we are just not sure where the water is coming from. Clean up continues and hubby decides to sent me out to run a couple of errands with the kids.

One reason could be that there were bags sitting on the floor in my craft room. Like the bag from the funeral home for my dad. My paper bag that I carrry to crops. All of it is ruined... I just think he wanted me out of the house so he could deal with it instead of me... he is thoughtful... By the time I got home he had is all cleaned up and he helped me go through all of it. Of course I'm bawling because my dad's obituaries are ruined. All my paper, some pictures of my dad... I just can't even begin to express how upsetting that is...

Is it too early for me to want 2009 to be over with?

Kidney Stone

2009-01-23T21:18:00.002-06:00

Uhm ok, I just want a quiet year... and how do I decide to start my new year... yep with a kidney stone. I can honestly say I hope I never experience that type of pain ever again! Hmmm I think I may do some scrapbooking therapy this weekend! Yep... always looking for an excuse!

Make The Grade Book by Tricia Morris CRAFT TV WEEKLY

2009-01-17T21:54:00.005-06:00

Technique Junkies rejoice. Finally a great tutorial on how to bind a book! This is a great tutorial and be sure to download the design guide from http://www.flipdrive.com/fileops.php?download=SBL099_MakeTheGradeBook.pdf

The Scrapbook Lounge

2009-01-05T16:34:00.003-06:00

OH I am so sad. I love the weekly webisodes on TVWeekly.com

Sadly, the webisodes will no longer be produced. I am so glad that I found the show and the yahoo group connected to the show. It has been a great learning experience for me and a valuable resource.

I guess I'll just have to go and drown my sorrow in my craft room!

I will miss the shows very much!

Reflections

2008-12-24T10:05:00.003-06:00

Well it is almost the end of 2008. Tomorrow is Christmas and I am finding it hard to really get into the holiday spirit. It is difficult for me to really feel the spirit of Christmas this year. So I thought if I listed out all the major events in my life the year it would give me some perspective on the whole thing and maybe I could get into the spirit of Christmas.

In January, my Uncle was murdered. This in the end caused huge issues in my family. People fighting and lashing out at one another, it was and continues to be just awful.

Also my girlfriends and I planned a great scrapbooking retreat weekend. Which should have been a nice way for me to relax and unwind... not so, it turned into being a really stressful weekend and I ended up going home a day earlier. The end result is that two of my really close friends had a very strained relationship for a really long time. Again... awful.

In February, my dad seemed to be struggling with some health issues but he kept telling all of us he was fine. It turned out the he had congestive heart failure and he was pretty much drowning on the inside. Luckliy the doctor figured it out in time and he was able to get rid of the fluid.

In March, I turned 37...

April and May were pretty calm.

In June, my oldest turned 7, we went on a trip to South Dakota and missed one of the worst storms that Omaha has ever seen and when we returned home we had a lot of downed branches and minor damage to one of the gutters on the front of the house.

In July, my youngest turned 4, we had mini tornado touch down in our backyard and rip one of the neighbors trees out of the ground and into our yard destroying the back fence, it was a mess for WEEKS back there.

In August, my baby brother got married so a trip to Colorado was on the agenda. It was nice to see my mom and step-dad along with my baby brother and his new wife. Although the stress of finding a dress and getting it altered was excrutiatingly painful. I'm a plus size gal and I don't really care to have my upper body exposed but every dress I looked at seemed to be strapless, spaghetti straps or very revealing. YUCK... who wants to see that!

In September & October things seemed to be going well.

In November, my dad had a sudden heart attack at work and died. For those of you that have had a parent pass you know my pain. For those of you who haven't I cannot even begin to describe the pain you go through. For me I haven't been able to really grieve because one of my siblings finds in necessary to yell and scream at me every chance he gets. It isn't pleasant and it isn't an easy thing to deal with. In addition to that he has been the most vocal about what he deserves period. Which I cannot for the life of me even begin to understand.

So most of December has been spent dealing with my dad's affairs and trying to get it all done and over with, I really just want it to be done. I'm ready for 2008 to be over with and I hope and pray that 2009 will be better. It doesn't even have to be spectacular.... just calm and quiet would be nice.

Thanks for reading, I'm usually not an overly negative person and I know things could always be worse. I am thankful for what I have, I'm finding it hard though to appreciate anything at this point.

Hugs,
Michele

One Week Until...

2008-11-20T12:08:00.003-06:00

THANKSGIVING!

This year we will be hosting our family Thanksgiving dinner. While I am excited, I'm nervous too. Last time we had Thanksgiving at our house it was CROWDED... We've got a new house now but our family is also larger so I am hoping that we've covered our bases and I have enough things to keep the kiddies busy!

Now normally I won't allow my MIL's oyster stuffing anywhere near the turkey but my FIL had some surgery last year and we didn't have a big family dinner. He love's the stuffing and he especially likes it when it is cooked in the bird, so... since he can actually eat solid food this year I am throwing my disguist out the window and stuffing the bird with oyster dressing. My DH is extatic as well. Truth be told the only two people who eat it is my FIL and my DH. Go figure.

The other item on the menu that has never made sense to me is baked beans. My MIL won't give me the recipe or even tell me how she makes hers so she is making them and bringing them over... Growing up we never had baked beans for any of the winter holidays but I am told it is a southern tradition... Which I don't get because none of us are from the south! Anyway they are out of this world rock star yummy so I'm looking forward to it.

I haven't gotten any of my projects done so I am sad about that but I'm hoping that over this long holiday weekend I'll get back into the swing of it and get stuff done! I'm also sad that I missed an online crop at Paper Popscicles...

OK and this week I've discovered Facebook... well I've always known it was there but I finally created an account and have slowly started adding friends. It is kind of fun and a great way to stay in touch with people.

Well I better get back to work... happy creating!

IT'S HALLOWEEN MOMMY

2008-10-31T16:53:00.003-05:00

We got up this morning and my youngest informed me that it was Halloween and that we would be goin trick or treating this evening. Gotta love the little ones. We will be heading out with the kids but when we get home I'm getting to work... I've spent far too much time away from my scraps this month! Happy Creating.

Stuff I got done this weekend

2008-10-08T17:24:00.005-05:00

Sadly I was unable to get logged on to Busy Bee this weekend so I spent all weekend at Lovebug participating in their Scrap Your Stash Online Crop. I sure got a lot done and I had a great time everyone was so friendly plus I learned a few new techniques and can you believe I had no idea what Thickers were! I'm still not sure that I know what they are but I get that they are pieces of foam with adhesive.... Anyway here are a few layouts that I completed and a card holder.

My Weekend Plans

2008-10-03T16:40:00.001-05:00

I will be participating in two online crops this weekend. One at LoveBug.com and the other at Busy Bee . Come on over and check them out!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-09-28T20:02:00.003-05:00

Kind of running behind today... so I don't have much to say!

Here is our menu for next week!

Monday - Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Fruit
Tuesday - Italian Slow Cooker Chicken, Broccoli, Fruit
Wednesday - Chicken Orzo Florentine, Salad
Thursday - BBQ Ranch Chicken & Bacon Wrap, Fruit
Friday - Sesame Chicken, Rice

Falling Sky

2008-09-27T23:13:00.003-05:00

I don't normally scrap photos that I don't take but while we were on Vacation this storm came through Omaha and it was a pretty powerful storm. We were lucky to still have our six trees in our yard after it was all said and done. We came home 3 days later and there were still trees blocking roads and branches all over the place. Anyway someone sent me these photos and I thought that they were absolutely beautiful. I scrapped these for a challenge at ScrapMuse. The challenge was to create a layout with falling somewhere in the title.

Family Fun On Vacation

2008-09-27T23:11:00.003-05:00

I've been enjoying myself over at ScrapMuse's online crop today and here is a layout that I completed for a challenge. The challenge was to Scrap your favorite thing about fall using fall colors.

Unexpected Beauty

2008-09-27T23:05:00.004-05:00

Here is another layout from vacation and this is actually on the way to Custer, SD. We came up over this hill and there was this massive lake with green hillsides all around it. It was the most unexpected thing!

Girls Will Be Girls

2008-09-27T23:00:00.002-05:00

September Sketch Challenge at Paper Popsicles... I really like the way this turned out it was a simple sketch but it had so many possibilities. To make the flower I used a transparency and the cricuit machine. From there I added liquid applique around the side of the flower knowing that when I heated it up it would crinkle the edges of the flower and cause it to curl. Once it completely dried I dusted the liquid applique with some chalk and added the button.

A New Sketch

2008-09-24T18:37:00.002-05:00

Please post a link in the comments if you use the sketch, I'd love to see what you've created!

40% Off Clearance Items

2008-09-21T18:29:00.004-05:00

Even though Paper Popsicles regularly has items 35% less than retail, right now you can get an extra 40% of Clearance items.

The Great Pumpkin Search

2008-09-21T18:17:00.000-05:00

I just thought this looked like fun!

The Great Pumpkin Search Registration
If you are interested in participating in the Fall 2008 Online Shop Hop: The Great Pumpkin Search where you will search for a hidden pumpkin on participating stores' websites...for a chance to win prizes, please submit your email address that you will use during the shop hop, along with your contact information below.
There is no cost to participate and no minimum purchase required.
The Shop Hop is scheduled for October 15 - November 16th, 2008.

Menu Plan Monday - Family Favorites Edition

2008-09-21T11:41:00.004-05:00

We have many family favorites or what I call go to meals. They are simple and delicious and the kids can help make them. This week we are going to have Pizza Bread. I honestly don't know where this recipe came from but as a child we would make this every time my Uncle Harold came to visit.

Sadly, my Uncle is no longer with us but everytime we make this it so special to know that I'm giving my kids what my Uncle gave to us, time together learning and creating!

Pizza Bread

6 Hoagies cut in half

1lb hamburger - cooked and drained

1 can pizza sauce (the size depends on how much sauce you like)

2 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded

The above is the base of the pizza you could swap out the hamburger for sausage, pepperoni or your favorite meat topping. In addition, you could add other things like mushrooms, onions, olives, etc.

Lay the Hoagies out on the cooking sheet. Top with pizza sauce. Sprinkle the meat topping over the bread and then add the rest of your toppings. Top it off with cheese. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes.

This Weeks Menu

Monday - Monterey BBQ Chicken, In a Flash Beans & Strawberry Shortcake

Tuesday - Pizza Pork Chops, Orzo w/Parmesan & Basil, Broccoli & Strawberry Shortcake

Wednesday - Bronzed Chicken, Salami Pasta Salad & Applesauce

Thursday - Chicken Nuggets, Leftover Salami Pasta Salad & Applesauce

Friday - Pizza Bread, Salad & Grapes

Saturday - Tacos, Salad & Grapes

Sunday - Traditional Spaghetti Dinner with the Family

Martha Stewart Blogs???

2008-09-20T17:20:00.001-05:00

No joke check it out!

Martha's Blog

One of those days...

2008-09-20T17:06:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days?

Well lately, I've had a string of those days...

It started with my youngest child restarting the microwave with a bag of popcorn in it (yeah big stinky mess) and has culminated today with the Alternator going out in my van!

Yep... now all I can do is just laugh about it because if I don't I'm bound to start crying and not stop for days!

SO after dinner this evening I plan on emursing myself in my scrapbook room and not coming out! That ought to relieve some stress!

The Beckoning of Lovely

2008-09-16T20:52:00.002-05:00

While reading Katz Blog today she had a wonderful link to this amazing project. Check it out!

Altered Journal

2008-09-14T19:22:00.002-05:00

Di Hickman's tutorial on this altered journal was so simple I don't know what I thought it would take me forever to do it. I'm glad I dove in and got it done!

CK Random Challenge 1

2008-09-14T16:24:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I posted about the CK Random Challenge Generator. While I was at the site I created three challenges for myself. This is the first one I have completed... well sort of...

I ended up using the sketch and that was about it. This layout is from a recent trip we took to South Dakota. This was such a beautiful site in person and I remember feeling in awe when we drove up over that hill and saw it, the pictures really don't do it justice mainly because we were in a moving vehicle and no place to pull over. I decided to us a rust red background and accent it with yellow and blue patterened paper simply to get the pictures to POP.

Menu Plan Monday - Sept 15th

2008-09-13T17:33:00.006-05:00

Yes it is only Sept 13th but I do menus on Saturday because that is when I shop!

Monday - Pulled Beef BBQ Sandwiches & Pasta Salad

Pulled Beef BBQ Sandwiches

I use beef ribs, usually about 3lbs. Put them in the crock pot along
with some beef broth and cook them all day.
Get home pull the ribs out and shred the meat with a fork.
Transfer the shredded meat to a baking dish pour your favorite BBQ sauce on
and bake for 30 minutes

Pasta Salad - As a busy mom... I cheat a little and use Suddenly Salad, everyone likes it so why re-invent the wheel!

Tuesday - Roast, Mashed Potatoes, fruit and veggies

Roast - Pretty basic - crockpot, cream of mushroom, beef stock and a whole day of cooking
Mashed Potatoes - Instant
Fruit & Veggies - Whatever we have on hand most likely - Pineapple and Peas

Wednesday - Pork Chops, applesauce & veggie (no special recipes here just basic cooking)

Thursday - My Extra special Tuna Salad Bagel Sandwiches - Left Over Veggies and Fruit

Friday - Sesame Chicken, Brown Rice & Lentils

Saturday - Take Out because the Kitchen will be closed

Sunday - Our traditional Family dinner is Spaghetti... so no matter who's house we go to on family night we will be having spaghetti!

Inspiration Anyone

2008-09-13T16:18:00.001-05:00

I thought this was a cool challenge - The challenge is to essentially pick your top 5 songs that represent something in your life, invoke emotion, or remind you of someone/something significant.

Things of Interest

2008-09-13T14:29:00.004-05:00

I spend a lot of time surfing the net, reading articles and genereally looking for inspiration.

Well here is a list of things I found today that I found to be inspiring:

Have you checked out the Random Challenge Generator at CK?

Do you have friends that tell you they don't have time to scrapbook? I know I do, some people just don't get it... anyway I found this site called smilebox You put your pictures in and whoala done!

I found this one to be a great post about using fake flowers instead of purchasing the $$$ scrapbooking type!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2008-09-13T10:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, was our 10-year wedding anniversary. We took the kids to some friends house to play while we spent a nice quiet evening at home by ourselves. DH and I made dinner together, watched some TV and just snuggled. It was a good thing! When we went to go pick the kids up they had made a cake and frosted it for us, it was so sweet! It was a good night!

I've Completed a Sketch

2008-09-11T19:57:00.007-05:00

I should probably start by saying that typically I sketch my layouts by hand. I've long since been a fan of Becky Fleck and I just keep thinking... I wonder how she does that... Well, I've been playing with a bunch of different software this evening and I'm thinking I need to do some more research but I was so excited I decided to make do with what I have and forge ahead. Here is my sketch!

If you decide to use it please post a link in the comments so I can come and check it out.

Who Wants Goodies?

2008-09-11T16:31:00.004-05:00

Scraps of Life has a little giveaway going on... simply post a comment on her blog and you are entered! Yeah!

Seriously I like this blog, it has two of my favorite things sketches and recipes! Click on the title and it will take you right to the blog... or check out my favorite links, I'm adding it there too because she has some good recipes... I'm eyeballing the peanut butter popcorn at the moment! YUMMY!

Catching Up

2008-09-11T13:56:00.001-05:00

Well today I'm just doing some catchup and getting organized. I'm working on my sketching style and finding a program that works for me to create sketches in. Once I get that figured out I'll be posting my final sketches right here on my blog... so if you don't see one today check back!

It's Been How Long???

2008-09-10T22:24:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe that it has been over a year since my last post!

There has been a lot going on and it seems like it has been that long since I've seriously done any scrapbooking or creating of any kind. So I've decided to search the web for some inspiration and get back to it.

You know how sometimes you see things and you wonder...hmmm I wonder what that is all about and then you somehow stumble on it one day and think... Geeze Luis... I'm such a dork!

Well that happened to me tonight. In August I bought an Ipod Nano and I'm happy to say that I am addicted to PODCASTS! I honestly thought I would only use it for music but I've discovered a whole new world!!!

So I'm out there searching for downloadable content to play on my ipod and I stumble across a whole bunch of sites that have RSS feeds. Now at work I have Office 2007 so I'm able to add feeds to Outlook but at home I don't so I was copy and pasting all of these links ino an email to send them to myself out work so I could subscribe to all of them tomorrow.

Then I noticed on one of the pages that the feeds button in my IE tool bar was orange... never noticed that before... so I thought hmmm what the heck I'll click on it... Then I realized that there was a subscribe button... so of course I click on that... then my favorites menu pops open and low and behold there is a RSS Feeds tab that I never notice.... Right about now all sorts of light bulbs start going off in my head... *ding, ding, ding... we have a winner* so I spent most of the evening going through all of my bookmarks and checking for feeds... which is how I ended up here again!

So I'm super pumped and I believe it is time for me to clean up my scraproom and get reacquainted with all my tools and create something!

Will this Day EVER end?

2007-04-17T18:29:00.000-05:00

It has seriously been a rough day. My youngest is really sick and I feel like we have been running all day. We were supposed to have a nice relaxing night at The Amazing Pizza Machine but DD just doesn't feel good at all. Everytime she sits down she falls asleep. Now the older one just doesn't understand why we can go here and there but hopefully bedtime will come soon so she can stop whinning! I'm hoping to get a little scrappin in this evening. I've been sort of organizing my crop space this afternoon... I am way behind on my School of Scrap assignments so I hope to put a dent in those as well!

I feel like I haven't created anything for a very long time!

April Is HERE

2007-04-02T20:28:00.000-05:00

Oh my another month is starting!!!

The kids are on Spring Break this week! So I took Thursday off to hang out and have some fun but I have some goals for the day for myself!

It's supposed to be cold out so we will have lots of indoor activities!

Here is my list:
Make Easter Egg Cake
Decorate Easter Egg Cake
Make a Special Dinner for My Husband (with the kids help)
Make a Special Desert for MY Husband (with the kids help)
Scrapbooking (while the kids are taking a nap)

If I get all that done I might think about doing a little cleaning!

OMG... it is almost the end of the month

2007-03-26T20:09:00.000-05:00

I need to get moving on my School of Scrap assignments... I have seriously been slacking off this month... no particular reason just that we have been really busy!

I am seriously going to have to find some ME time!

Of course I am going to have to clean off my scrap table before I can get to it!!!! Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2007-03-17T23:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, today is my birthday! I am now 36 years young... YAHOO!

Last night I had a workshop but the bummer was I wasn't feeling all that great, my ears seem to be bothering me but I think it is because it has been so windy. But my buddies were so cool they made me cookies and brownies and even had little candles in the dish! So cute. I was hoping Miss Janelle would have her baby today. That would be cool but ah well!

Today was totally cool! I got a new Minivan today well new to me, DH said no way could I get a brand spankin new vehicle. I found this 2002 Town & Country Minivan and we went and bought it today. Happy Birthday to ME!

Then it was off to do some shopping and spend my birthday money! I had a great day... well the kids were naughty but honestly it didn't bother me!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

2007-03-11T18:58:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite layouts. TFL!

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

2007-03-07T18:30:00.000-06:00

Wow work the last two days has been crazy. I am so glad that we are all going scrapbooking on Friday. Oh I can't wait... maybe I'll get some class assignments done. Tonight is grown-up night in our house, this means the kids go to bed and the adults get to do what they want. This consists of my husband playing a game on line with all of his friends and I get to settle down at my scrapping table and work on my stuff! YAHOO...

Does anyone else have emotional children? I tell you my five year old can cry for no reason and make one up as she goes along... WOW... Today's little tirade is because one of her friends had gymnastics this evening and she now thinks she has to be in gymnastics... When we asked her three months ago if she wanted to try gymnastics she flat out said no... but NOW she wants in... when I explained to her that you have to register and pay fees and it is too late because they are too far in to the classes she just pitched a fit... crying, screaming the whole nine yards... It was a fun ride home from daycare. Then when we got home she wouldn't unbuckle herself and get out of the car. I decided that we would have sandwiches for dinner because she can prepare that... so out in the kitchen we go and she just starts complaining and whinning... ARGH... So now dh is giving them baths on off to bed they are going to go!

SO... yeah I get to scrapbook! At least I have something to look forward to a girl has to have that!

Monday, March 5, 2007

2007-03-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

What a day... work was crazy! With all the snow and not going to work on Friday we were very busy today... A lot of meetings and not much work getting done. Plus, I had to go to my dad's tonight and discuss his funeral arrangements. He's not sick or anything he just all the sudden decided that he wanted to get it arranged... Ah well... rough day and I'm going to bed!

Sunday, March 4, 2007 - Mid-afternoon post

2007-03-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

ARGH today is cleaning day... YUCK! DH stubbed his toe yesterday and we think it might be broken... so he is helping but really taking it easier today than he normally would. It looks pretty gross... it is all black and blue and yucky looking. He can't even put pressure on his foot. So I don't have hopes of finishing up early and escaping to my scrapbook room... not today anyway... Ah well I better jump on over to The School of Scrap and check out whats going on there before I get back to chores!

Sunday, March 4, 2007

2007-03-04T00:34:00.000-06:00

Hey things are looking up around here! I've been busy, I added a picture of myself and a links section and I finally figured out that silly little add elements button... well at least I think I did!

I really should be in bed... because tomorrow the kids will be up bright and early I'm sure but I got to playing this evening and couldn't help myself.

Here are a few things I have been working on the past couple of days:

Journaling Reads: When you spend the day at the Pumpkin Patch you have to spend some time on the John Deere Tractor! Paige absolutely thought that it was a thrill to ride in the bucket of the tractor. Daddy was a trooper and tooker her on it time after time. While waiting for our turn I caught her palying with the pumpkin that was on the bench that we were sitting on. At times it is difficult to get her to smile but when she does oh it is simply irresistible!

This page was inspired by an advertisement in the School of Scraps Marketing Class... I love that class!

PAGE DIRECTIONS:For the title I started by stamping John Deere in white cardstock. For John I used CTMH Sunflower Stamp Pad and then used a stipple brushed with CTMH Barn Red and dabbed on the stamp before I stamped it. For Deere I used CTMH New England Ivy and a stipple brush with CTMH Barn red. The Alpha stamp set I used was CTMH Botique. The Playing Around on the was stamped with CTMH Garden Green and Alpha stamp set CTMH Sketchy Caps. Next I ripped the Card Stock at about 4 inches and inked it with CTMH Garden Green. For the patterened paper I used American Crafts SixthAvenue line the papers are coney island, East Village & Gramercy Park. Each strip is 2" in size. Since it is double sided I used the solid color side of the East Village paper. I laid them down at varying angles. Each pictuer is matted on plan white cardstock, ripped at the bottom and inked all over with CTMH's Garden Green stamp pad. Next I used Aunt Lydia's yarn and wrapped the bottom of the pictures three times. The color I used was Linen. I used a scrap of the East Village for the notes attached to each picture. The font is Courier New. The captions read 1.) Get Ready, 2.) Check out the scenery, 3. Get Silly, 4. Be Cute. On the second page I used baby blue Mode yarn by Coats & Clark, CTMH Designer Chocolate Ribbon, more Aunt Lydia's yarn, and a baby blue element ribbon. Once I had those staggered I put down the flower and adhered it with a large brad. I repeated the 2" strips of PP. The picture is matted on white cardstock, torn at the bottom and inked with CTMH Garden Green. The Journal block is on the East Village paper with a white cardstock matte, torn on all sides and inked again with CTMH Garden Green.

Yes I know it seems like a lot but it really only took me about 30 minutes to pull it all together. And yes I know that I left out the N in around... thanks Kathy... someday I'll have to fix that.

And I made a few of cards for Correspondence Class:

Saturday, March 3rd

2007-03-03T18:40:00.000-06:00

Ok so today the kids are at a birthday party that they didn't want to leave... so I took a little escape and came home to relax... So while I was reading through posts at The School of Scrap I found this blog place and thought... hmm why not... so world, welcome to my blog spot!