Wearing my Tiara

Day 6 - It's the Little Things

2010-12-06T19:55:00.000-05:00

Except that today, my little thing is a really BIG thing! My littlest man and his WHOLE SCHOOL went to see the Nutcracker today:

It was quite the undertaking! Nine hundred students as well as teachers and parent volunteers boarded 19 buses!!! Unfortunately (at least for me) the performance was quite disappointing. It was shortened quite a bit (for the students' benefit, I'm sure) and a lot of the best parts were left out. On a happy note...we finally have SNOW!!!!

And here it is added to my layout:

Have a GREAT day!

Day 5 - The View From Here

2010-12-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

Our photo assignment today was to capture our view. I was REALLY hoping for snow so I could take a pic of my view with the snow falling...but no such luck.

Here's my pic (if you look really close, you can see some Christmas lights):

And here it is added to my Daily December Layout:

Have a GREAT day!

Day 4 - Just a little peace and quiet

2010-12-04T23:11:00.002-05:00

Our assignment today was to photograph something that brought us peace at this crazy time of year...for me...that's baking.

Have a GREAT day everyone!

Day 3 - All You Need is Love

2010-12-03T20:50:00.000-05:00

Our theme for today is "All you need is love". Many people chose hearts as their image. I chose this:

My Caroline and I had a silly misunderstanding today and we're pretty sure it's because we were BOTH PMS'ing at the SAME TIME! We probably should have written down on a calendar that somehow our cycles have now synced, but I guess it never occurred to us. YIKES!!!

Anyway...feelings were hurt, tears were shed and she bought me some flowers. We both agreed to just pretend like today never happened...good plan!!!

Here's my updated layout:

Have a GREAT day everyone!

Day 2 - Reframe the Holidays

2010-12-02T20:20:00.001-05:00

Our assignment for today was to "Reframe the Holidays". Some of the photos in the gallery are GORGEOUS! Lots of photos of the outside through window "frames"...there is even one pic of two little boys holding a frame above their heads - SUPER cute!

I decided to change the image in my Stampin' UP! "frame"...the Simply Adorned Jewelry I wear every day.

Here's my day 2:

I can't wait to see this whole page filled out!

Photo a Day

2010-12-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

Each year, for a few years now, I've started off in January with this wonderful intention of capturing a photo a day.

Each year, for a few years now, I never seem to QUITE make it all the way to the end of the year...OK, I never even GET close, but who's keeping track?

This year, I thought I'd try something new and start in December. To that end, I've jumped on board with Big Picture Classes and took a class entitled "Picture the Holidays".

This will be a digital scrapping kind of thing because that way, I don't have to mess around with taking out paper every day and I can just keep it all in one place - YAY!! And, to make my life infinitely easier, I'm using a pre-made template designed by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals and you can find it here.

So...here's day 1:

This is a pic of the pyjamas that I bought for my "sister" Caroline and I. My mom started this tradition when my sister Wendy and I were little and we've both continued it with our families. This year, I decided to include my Caroline in the tradition as well. We call each other "sister", but we are only sisters of the heart. We are BFF's and I love her just as much as I do my own sister. We are so much alike, we were destined to be friends!

Why don't you join me and start your own December to remember? Slow down and enjoy the season!

On a scale of 1 to Ottawa...this is worse!!!

2010-11-26T13:44:00.003-05:00

Does anyone even read this anymore? Since I switched to my card making blog, I hardly ever post here anymore...it's not that I don't have anything to say...it's just that most of what I DO have to say relates to card making!

However...this has NOTHING to do with card making, so I thought I might as well post it here...as I type...with one eye swelled SHUT!

So yes...on a scale of 1 to Ottawa, this is much, MUCH worse!

Let's go back about 19 years...

The summer before I was married, I was working for a company that decided to implement a Point of Sale system in their stores. If you haven't been around long, I know it's hard to believe that there was a world before scanners and automated everything, but trust me...it existed.

Anyway...I spent the summer travelling and planning our wedding on weekends...that's a WHOLE OTHER STORY for another day...

While I was travelling (and living out of a suitcase - UGH!) I ate out A LOT! One evening, one of the ladies that worked in the store I was training on the new system invited me for dinner. I thought this was just FABULOUS as I wouldn't have to eat another restaurant meal all by myself.

I didn't know it at the time, but she had cats. I'm allergic to cats...VERY allergic to cats...as in get me an inhaler before I have an asthma attack allergic...yeah...not fun.

So, I went to dinner and we chatted and I had a great time with her family...until my eyes started to itch...and my nose started to get stuffed...and my breathing became laboured. And that's when I discovered she had cats. Well...I got the heck outta there in a hurry, went back to my hotel and took some meds. Of course, by then it was TOO LATE!!!

The fluid had started to build up in my eyes and by the next morning (despite the meds!) they were pretty much swollen shut. I had to wear sunglasses for three days straight, around the clock so I wouldn't scare little old ladies and small children. It was THAT bad!

Flash forward to last night...I was out with some girlfriends and had the same reaction. However, there were no cats to be seen. There was a dog, but I've been with this dog before, had him lick my face and snuggled with him...the whole nine yards. And besides, he's a shit-zhu. The friend that owns him is EXTREMELY allergic to both cats and dogs. This dog LIVES with her and she has NO problems. So...it wasn't the dog.

So...by the time I left the party, I had to drive with the one eye almost closed - goodbye depth perception - and just barely made it home, driving MUCH more slowly than I should have been on the highway. In hindsight, I should have taken a side road, but I wasn't exactly thinking clearly.

By this morning (having taken both allergy meds and ibuprofen to help bring down the swelling), I'm working with a left eye that is just barely able to open to about a 1/4". This is NOT COOL!!! I have a class to teach (card making, of course) to some young ladies on Sunday and can't do it looking like this! My hope is to be able to postpone the class...or at the VERY least that the swelling goes down enough for me to be able to function at least with a pair of shades.

So yes...on a scale of 1 to Ottawa? This is much, MUCH WORSE!!

POTD - Over the weekend...

2010-01-18T09:37:00.004-05:00

On Friday, I made bread:

This is the recipe I've been using since I got my Cuisinart Stand Mixer from Santa in 2008. I don't know how I ever lived without it! I almost NEVER buy bread anymore, because it's SO much more fun to make it myself...and at least I know what's in it! Six ingredients... that's it...have you EVER read the ingredients list on store bought bread? And you wonder why it keeps so long? UGH!!!

Anyway, the recipe:

1 pkg. dry active yeast (if you buy in bulk like I do, that's 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. sugar
1 2/3 cup very warm water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
5 c. flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast with sugar and water
Add vegetable oil
Add all the flour
Set mixer to "2" for 4 minutes and then "3" for another 4 minutes
Remove to oiled bowl, cover and let rise till doubled (about an hour)
Punch down and form into two loaves
Transfer to greased loaf pans, cover and let rise till doubled (about an hour)
Bake at 375F for about 25 minutes
Remove from pans and tap bottom of loaf - if it sounds hollow, it's done.

The best part is, the Cuisinart does all the work - no kneading!!!

This time around, I snuck in 1 cup of whole wheat flour. If you're going to do this, DON'T buy bread flour. You should look for whole wheat pastry flour as the texture is much smoother.

One loaf was gone the day it was made...yep! It's THAT good!

On Saturday, I made this card:
Just before Christmas, a friend of mine gave birth (7 weeks early) to an ADORABLE little boy! He's still in NICU due to a few setbacks, so I sent her this card to let her know I was thinking about her family.

On Sunday, this was dinner:
This is SUPER simple to make and EVERYONE loves it...well, except for middle DS, who doesn't like stuff with sauce on it, so he gets the sausage and the pasta separately.

I removed the sausage from the casings and browned it up. While that was happening, I cooked the pasta and made a garlic cream sauce (basically a white sauce with some garlic and Frank's Red Hot for a little kick).

Dinner was ready in less than 1/2 an hour...gotta love when that happens!!!

Thanks for visiting! Have a GREAT day!

POTD - CRASH!

2010-01-14T19:50:00.000-05:00

So...this is how my day started out:
Stupid people in over priced cars should pay more attention to the world around them!

And, thankfully, this is how it ended:
Thank goodness for good friends who take the stress away! Diana, Karen, Eilis, Michelle and I had a blast at Diana's! She is an AWESOME hostess...and after only visiting a couple of times, we are right at home in her kitchen, helping ourselves to whatever we need to get the job done. YOU ROCK Diana!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

POTD - Banana Bread

2010-01-13T17:34:00.000-05:00

This is a HUGE favourite in our house...I swear the kids let the bananas turn brown just so I can make it!

I've been making it for YEARS and I use my mom's recipe. I'm not quite sure where she got it (probably from HER mom), but I do know that it's been around for a while!

Would you like the recipe? Of course you would!

Banana Bread

1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup banana

Cream together butter and sugar. Add banana and then eggs one at a time and blend well.
Combine dry ingredients and add to banana mixture.
Pour into greased loaf pan and let stand 20 minutes.
Bake in a 350F oven for 50 - 55 minutes.

Now, trust me on this, do NOT skimp on the bananas! I usually use at least 3 bananas (I never measure) but 4 is best. If you end up with 6 bananas, just double the recipe and make 2 loaves...it freezes beautifully...that's assuming it makes it to the freezer!

ENJOY!

POTD - Mmmmm...Pasta with Pesto

2010-01-12T13:21:00.001-05:00

Here's today's lunch - YUM!!!
I should have saved some basil to garnish the pasta, but I used it all in the pesto - LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

POTD - Pesto

2010-01-11T12:21:00.002-05:00

Can you say YUM??? I was SO thrilled to get fresh Basil in my box of organic goodness from Plan B last week and I knew EXACTLY what to do with it! Make pesto of course!!!

I'm sure there are LOTS of people out there who think making pesto is a difficult undertaking, but it really isn't. There are very few ingredients and it whips up in seconds using your food processor. True...pine nuts can be a little expensive, but they are SO worth it!

Here's the recipe I used:

2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil (depending on how creamy you like it)

Put the first four ingredients into a food processor and pulse to blend.

Start food processor and slowly add oil through feed tube to make a nice paste.
And that's it...you're done. Easy peasy! Now...go make yourself some nice fresh pesto to enjoy on some pasta - YUM!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

POTD - Sound of Music

2010-01-10T10:50:00.004-05:00

Have I mentioned how absolutely amazing my hubby is? I'm sure you've heard...

He's the guy that gets the Christmas gift right EVERY SINGLE YEAR without so much as asking me...he always knows just what to get.

Christmas 2009 was no exception! This year, he got me tickets to this:
And I was just thrilled! This has to be one of my all time favourite movies - EVER!!! We had a fabulous time! The little girl who played Gretl (our cast was different from the one in the poster) was just so darn cute that I wanted to scoop her up and take her home!

This movie/stage show brings back SO many fun memories...when I was in Grade 5, we performed this song:

and I can't remember for the life of me what it was we were doing - LOL! I can't remember if it was a talent show, a special performance for parents or what...I know we had a blast doing it and it's still one of my favourite songs! I was humming it all the way home from the play!

So...once again, my hubby goes above and beyond and gets me the PERFECT Christmas gift...did I mention that this was the last day of the play in Toronto? Yep...PERFECT!

POTD - Hanging out at the ROM

2010-01-09T11:21:00.002-05:00

As a Sick Kids Ambassador Family, we get invited to quite a few events. This year, for Family Day, in conjunction with Conundrum Adventures, the Sick Kids Foundation will be hosting a sort of cross between a scavenger hunt and the Amazing Race in Toronto's underground PATH.

Today, at the ROM, we took part in sort of a trial run, on a much smaller scale, obviously. We were divided into teams (our family was one team) and had to solve the clues and puzzles that were given to us at the start of the race. We won!!!!

Here's a pic of us taken by the Conundrum host:
We had SO much fun!!!

Here's a little write up taken directly from the Sick Kids Foundation website:

Toronto’s underground walkway, the PATH, will bustle with excitement this Family Day (February 15) for the inaugural Family Day Race for SickKids. Teams of families and friends will explore sections of the 27-kilometre PATH as they race to solve puzzles and brainteasers.

Groups of four to six people will receive a map to navigate through the underground walkway. They will decipher clues and fill in the blanks of a Family Day story related to The Hospital for Sick Children. They will compete to get the most points within a two-hour period by trying to solve as many puzzles as possible, all while raising money for SickKids Foundation.

To truly make this experience about family fun, the Foundation called upon some current and past patients of the Hospital, known as SickKids patient ambassadors, to help create all of the storybook answers for the puzzles.

These patient ambassadors and their families gathered at the Royal Ontario Museum this past weekend to test out some of the brainteasers and to brainstorm creative clues for the Family Day Race. Teams will use their clues during the official Race on Family Day.

The Family Day Race for SickKids is the first signature event of its kind for SickKids Foundation. The event will begin and end at The Design Exchange at 234 Bay Street. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the Race will take place from 10 a.m. to noon with a ceremony for the top-prized teams and individuals to follow.

Register today for this special event. Grab a few of your family members, colleagues or friends, sign up on the Family Day Race for SickKids website, and begin fundraising for your team!

Get started now!

And here are some of the pics that I snapped:

My Honey

Colin

Jonathan

Thanks for stopping by!!!

POTD - A new knife

2010-01-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

Oh how I have been wanting one of these!!! Pioneer Woman uses it, Rachael Ray uses it, Bobby Flay uses it, Mario Batalli uses it...and now I use it too!!! I just love, love, LOVE it!!!

Every year, because my parents live quite a distance from us, they send us some Christmas money. This is what I bought with mine:
Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

POTD - Some Cooking Trivia, a recipe and a picture

2010-01-07T10:34:00.005-05:00

A little piece of trivia...did you know that most recipes that call for eggs and milk will assume that you will be using large eggs and whole milk?

A recipe:

Lemon Loaf:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Grated lemon peel from one lemon

Glaze:
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup sugar

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until creamy
Blend in milk
In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and lemon peel
Pour into liquid and stir to moisten
Pour into greased 9 X 5 inch loaf pan (I used 4 X 8 and it's fine)
Bake in 350F oven for 50 to 55 minutes
Cool in pan for 5 minutes
Remove to rack and while still hot, with a toothpick poke holes all over the top of the loaf and spoon glaze evenly over top.
ENJOY!!!

And now, the POTD:
See that slice there? I'm going to enjoy it with a hot cup of tea!

Thanks for stopping by!

POTD - Tins for Friends

2010-01-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

These little Altoid tins are the most fun things to alter - EVER! You can put SO many cute little things in them. These have little tiny thank you cards in them, but you can use them for so many other things...band-aids, mini sewing kit...you name it! These will be going to my friend Teresa for the swap she's hosting!

POTD - My Favourite Place to Be

2010-01-05T18:59:00.000-05:00

Don't get me wrong, I love my family and I really do love spending time with them, but this place is my haven, where I can go to get away and escape reality...even for just a little while. And besides, my Caroline is here when I'm here. What more could I want?

POTD - Sleeping Beauty

2010-01-04T14:35:00.005-05:00

Today was the first day back to school after the Christmas break (can you hear the silence?) and Lauren's first day back since she had open heart surgery on December 15th. As expected, she was pretty tired when she came home.

She came in the door, dropped her bag and her coat, told me (briefly) about her day and went straight to the couch for a nap! You'll have to forgive the blurriness of the photo...I had to shoot without the flash as I didn't want it to wake her up.

Hope everyone is having a GREAT day! Thanks for stopping by!

Embarking on the POTD once more...

2010-01-03T18:08:00.003-05:00

Here we go! I'm going to give the Photo a Day challenge another shot this year. Last year I made it to April and completely fizzled out. Not that I stopped taking pictures (hello, scrapbooker!), but I certainly didn't take one a day. I'm sure I took more than 365, but that's not the point, is it?

So far:
Apple Crisp made for my honey. It was DELICIOUS! You can find the recipe here: Mom's Apple Crisp.

This is pouty face:
I think the game he was playing on the computer froze on him before he got a chance to save. We need a new video card. He'll get over it!

And today, LONG after I should have been in bed:
My most wonderful husband drove all over town yesterday and ended up at a Best Buy about 10 km away to find the LAST one to be found just about anywhere in town (I know...we looked far and wide before DD got too tired to hang around the mall anymore).

He brought it home and we tried it out after dinner. I LOVE IT!!! There are SO many activities on it, so you can't really get bored. You could do something different every day for two months because there are over 60 different activities on it. It's FABULOUS!!!

And since 2010 is THE decade, it's going to be my get fit tool. The little Wii board (on the screen) keeps you motivated and congratulates you for all your hard work. Anyway...enough about the Wii Fit Plus...time for dinner!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shamrock Rolls

2009-12-31T07:53:00.001-05:00

Ooooh! These are SO good...and so soft...and so chewy...and so moist! You're going to want to make them right now!!!

Here's how to do it:

Ingredients:
1 pkg. dry active yeast (that's 2 1/4 tsp. if you buy in bulk like I do)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup hot mashed potatoes
1/4 shortening (I used Tenderflake Lard)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk, scalded
1 egg
4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

Soften yeast in warm water. Combine potatoes, shortening (lard), sugar, salt and hot milk. Cool to lukewarm.
Add softened yeast and egg. Stir in 2 cups of the flour; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour or enough to make a soft dough. Turn out and knead on lightly floured surface till smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.
Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double in size, about 1 hour. Punch down. Shape in ball. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
To shape rolls, roll balls to about 1 inch in size and place 3 in each greased muffin tin. Let rise about 1 hour, again till double in size.
Bake at 400 F about 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 2 dozen rolls.

If you have a stand mixer, here's what I do:

Soften yeast in warm water in bowl of stand mixer. Add cooled potato mixture and egg.
Add all 4 cups of flour and set mixer with dough hook to "2" (Cuisinart) and set timer for 8 minutes. At about the 4-minute mark, turn dial to "3". Watch the dough. If it doesn't come away from the sides/bottom add more flour. I usually end up adding another cup for 5 cups total.
Remove from mixer bowl and transfer to well greased bowl.
Continue as above.

ENJOY!!! We're going to have some tonight with our traditional New Years appetizers.

The batch above was made for Christmas...I'll make a fresh batch today.

You have GOT to try this!!!

2009-12-03T12:17:00.002-05:00

Enjoy the laugh...courtesy of my dad who sent me the link.

WARNING!!!! DO NOT WATCH WITH CHILDREN!

http://santa.sympatico.ca/watch/8a99d45230feb8538577068e7b087a07

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-02T16:11:00.003-05:00

What's your favourite type of Christmas cookie? Can you pick a favourite? Or do you just like them all?

If I had to pick one, I'd have to say mine is shortbread. Fortunately, that encompasses an awful LOT of cookies (lucky me!). There's your standard shortbread, brown sugar shortbread, chocolate shortbread, chocolate chip shortbread...and the list goes on!

Since the holidays are upon us, I've been baking...in spades! The kids and the hubby are happy (and possibly fat!) people! This has been the week for shortbread...later this week I'm going to make gingerbread cookies (oh! I got the cutest, tiniest gingerbread man!) and peanut butter chocolate chip from my friend Karin's recipe.

Over the weekend, I went to visit my friend Diana (where I also saw Teresa and met Michelle). This is just one of the sweet plates that I brought:
Needless to say, there was happiness all around!!!

The basic recipe for shortbread is this:

1/2 lb. butter
1/2 cup icing (or confectioners) sugar
2 cups flour

There is no baking powder or any other ingredients. And PLEASE! (I'm beggin' ya here) do NOT think you can use margarine in this recipe. This is a Christmas cookie and MUST have butter in it!

Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add the flour one cup at a time and blend it in. Roll the cookie dough into a logs about 2 inches around and 8 inches long. Wrap in waxed paper and chill in the fridge until firm. When you're ready to bake them, remove them from the fridge while you preheat the oven to 300F. Slice the cookies about 1/4" thick and bake until the bottoms are just barely golden.

Remove to wire rack to cool completely. These keep well on the counter of if you are in the mood for baking in the middle of summer, they freeze very well.

Enjoy!

Holiday Happenings

2009-11-24T06:58:00.000-05:00

What are your plans for the holidays? They're just around the corner you know!

If you're in the US, you should be ready for Thanksgiving which is in just a couple of days! If you're in Canada, you've got a bit a of a break because Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone...it's not much of a break mind you, because Christmas is just a mere 31 days away!

What would you like your Christmas holiday to be like this year? Is it always chaotic and do you wish for peace? Is it always peaceful and quiet and you'd like to have a bit more noise about you this year?

This year, we are going for a peaceful holiday. DD will have either just had or be soon heading in for open heart surgery and I think a little peace would be a good thing...either before all the excitement of surgery or as some much needed downtime after surgery.

To that end, we're not going anywhere. My parents are in Nova Scotia and the idea of a plane ride (and all those horrible germs in an enclosed space) is not at all appealing. My parents understand of course...they know we can't compromise our daughter's health. Scott's parents are just and hour down the road, so it's not that much of a hike, but it's my thinking that once you have children of your own, you shouldn't have to stress about which house you'll be at or which side of the family you'll be visiting. Christmas should be about those that are most important to you...and while your extended family is certainly VERY important, your first priority should be your immediate family - the people you live with every day.

This year, I'd like to start a few new traditions. The kids are already talking about watching Scrooge on Christmas Eve and I think that's a GREAT idea. We'll add that to the list. I'd like to make Christmas cookies in the week leading up to Christmas. The kids will be off a whole week before Christmas day and what better way to spend the week than making some goodness that everyone can enjoy. I don't know how many cookies will make it to Christmas day, but that isn't the point. The point is, we'll be doing it as a family...and if the cookies are all eaten by Christmas day, then we'll just make more!

I want to continue some old traditions too...when my sister and I were younger, my mom always bought us matching PJ's for Christmas. Our children don't get matching PJ's, but everyone gets a new pair of PJ's. They are wrapped and are the one gift we ALL (even me) get to open on Christmas Eve. Everyone wears new PJ's to bed. I make sure they have at least SOME matching colours in them because the scrapbooker in me wants to make my life easier come scrapbooking time in January!

I want to take more pictures! Last year, we went to Disney World and the year before that Christmas was a less than festive event. I want more pictures! I want to photograph favourite ornaments (not just mine) and record the reasons WHY they are favourites.

For the past few years, Santa has been bringing "bags" instead of filling stockings. Why? I can't find the darn stockings! So this year, I'm buying new ones! If I can, I'll have them personalized with names too! Our family is complete, so I don't need to worry about not being able to find a matching stocking for a baby that might be coming later. This is the year!

I want to make more gifts this year...and not at the last minute either! I seem to have these great ideas every year and then never follow through on them. This year I want to start early and make gifts for the kids teachers and my friends. It's hard to make gifts for the kids because they want the latest and greatest toys...not that they will get everything they see on TV, but they certainly aren't the type to appreciate hand made gifts. I most definitely do NOT want to go overboard. We've bought some gifts already and that is going a long way to not going over budget and breaking the bank in the month of December.

This year, organization will be my friend...I'll start early and avoid all that last minute stress. This is especially important if DD will be in the hospital prior to the actual holiday. The good thing is that she is crafty like me...so while she is recovering we can make gifts together!

That's it for me...what's on tap for you?

So...I guess it's been a while, huh???

2009-11-23T14:31:00.004-05:00

The last time I posted was over the summer...lots and LOTS has been going on since then!

We enjoyed a trip to the Mall of America (and even me who doesn't like malls all that much had a GREAT time!). The summer was busy and the kids started school! Lauren is in Grade 10, Colin is in Grade 5 and Jonathan is in Grade 1. All three kids in school full day...can you hear the silence???

In August, I met some new friends:
We met online in my fave stamping forum and then realized that we all lived within about an hour's drive of one another and decided to get together in real life! How fun is that? Lucky for me, I'm right in the middle, so we always meet in Mississauga - BONUS!!!

Teresa makes the most AMAZING jam (I've had two jars) and Karen makes natural bath and body products (divine!!!). Diana is super mom! She has four kids and two of them are just 11 months apart!

Scott and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary and I made him this card:
The cutest thing that happened on that day though, was this:
Jonathan likes to sleep on the couch sometimes, and on this morning, I came out and found his big brother cuddled up with him. Now, like brothers do, they fight and argue - A LOT! So, this photo is really special to me! I'm not sure if the boys think it's so special, but I have it now, so it's too late! LOL!

Nobody wanted their picture taken on the first day of school...so I don't have any of those to share.

Caroline (my Stampin' UP! friend AND BFF) and I were super busy throughout all of September and October as we had 3 major events planned over a 6 week period - note to self: don't do that again!

And here were are coming up to the end of November with Christmas a mere 32 days away! Are you ready?

Thanks for stopping by!

I've been cooking again!

2009-07-16T21:34:00.003-04:00

This week in the organic veggie box, I got two small heads of Bok Choy. I had NO idea what to do with it, so once I figured out that it WAS Bok Choy (thanks Stacy!), I went searching on Recipe Zaar for something yummy! I found this recipe, but of course, had to add more goodies to it!

I started off with garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and ginger in some olive oil. I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I used ground. I recommed fresh for sure. They flavour would have been VERY different.

Unfortunately, the garlic got a touch more cooked than I like it, but it wasn't bitter, so it was OK.

Then I added some mushroom and zucchini:

which weren't in the recipe, but I have an abundance of zucchini right now, so why not?

After that cooked for a bit, I added the Bok Choy and some spinach for good measure, because really, a little extra iron never hurt anyone!

I covered the whole thing with a lid and let the Bok Choy and spinach wilt. That took about 5 minutes and I ended up with this:

Yes, I KNOW that I still haven't purchased any good plates for photographs, though my daughter did suggest that I get one white plate and one white bowl solely for photographing food!

I added some bacon bits (REAL bacon bits), because EVERYTHING is better with bacon and salt & pepper and it was just perfect!

You should try it out too...let me know what you think!

A Birthday Update - a little late!

2009-06-22T17:01:00.003-04:00

To celebrate my birthday this year, I was lucky enough to travel to Montreal, along with my family, to visit my sister.

We weren't there for very long, but had a GREAT time! My sister and I enjoyed cooking together (and having a little drink while we were at it - LOL!) We made a Thai curry chicken dish that was just DIVINE!

She even made me a Black Forest Cake (from SCRATCH!!!), but you'll have to wait for that picture!!!

I think I'll put in my request now for next year...

Deliciousness In a Bowl

2009-05-29T15:51:00.004-04:00

You're gonna love this! This is by far the best salad I have EVER had!

I don't have an actual recipe for it, because I found it online and can't remember where...

Anyway, into the salad goes chopped broccoli, red pepper, celery, green garlic (looks like green onion, but tastes like garlic - if you haven't had it, you are SERIOUSLY missing out!), sunflower seed and dried cranberries. The dressing is about 2 tbsp. light mayonnaise, 1 tsp. white sugar and 1 tsp. white vinegar for a small salad. You will need to adjust quantities if you are going to make it for a crowd.

Try it tonight! You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for stopping by!

It is a difficult week for CHD families

2009-05-21T07:32:00.003-04:00

This has been a difficult week for CHD families. I cannot put words to the heartbreak so many of us are feeling as two angels have been given perfect hearts and have been called home to God.

The following words were posted on Ethin's care page, in memory of Ethan and while they may be difficult to read, somehow they bring comfort.

He Only Takes The Best

God watched you as you suffered, and knew you had your share.
He gently closed your weary eyes and took you in his care.

Your memory is our keepsake, with that we will never part.
God has you in his keeping, we have you in our hearts.

Nothing could be more beautiful than the memories we have of you.
To us you were someone special. God must have thought so too.

All our lives we shall miss you, as the years come and go,
but in our hearts you will live forever. Because we love you so.

God saw you were getting tired, and a cure was not to be.
So he put his arms around you and whispered "Come with me"

With tearful eyes we watched you suffer and fade away.
Although we loved you dearly, you were not meant to stay.

A golden heart stopped beating, hard- working hands to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best!

Please hold your little ones a little longer today and kiss them one more time.

Much Love to you All~

Christyne

My little Change Crusader!

2009-05-08T09:20:00.004-04:00

Last week, on April 30th, was the Sick Kids radiothon.

The Sunday before the Radiothon, Jonathan's picture was in the newspaper (used in the advertising). His teacher saw his picture and last Tuesday Jonathan was asked to make an announcement to his entire school. I couldn't pass up this photo op:

He proudly told everyone that his picture is in lots of Sick Kids advertising and that he is even on You Tube - he is!!!

I warn you, the first part of the video is VERY sad. Jonathan appears on his Sick Kids post card near the end at about the 1:26 mark.

This week, he's been going around to each class room and reports that his change crusader bag is getting VERY heavy! I am so very proud of my little hero!

If you have children, or know someone who does, please consider giving to the Hospital for Sick Children because you never know when you might need their resources. Even a little change helps a lot.

Have a great day!

It's been a while...

2009-04-27T08:37:00.002-04:00

...but this one is DEFINITELY worth seeing!

Enjoy!

Who's that girl???

2009-02-23T16:54:00.003-05:00

Some of my best friends are friends that I have never met. We look out for each other, we worry when we haven't heard from each other in a while and we think about each other often.

One of my friends, Stephanie, went through a difficult time a little while ago with her little boy. Her little boy has a cardiac condition like Jonathan.

I asked her for her address and I'm going to send her this card to let her know I'm thinking about her:

I hope she likes it!

Thanks for stopping by!

On tonights menu...

2009-02-18T21:21:00.000-05:00

...Chicken Legs! Just like the chicken wings from Super Bowl Sunday, these were baked in the same manner using much the same spices.

I used salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I baked them at 350F for about 30 minutes or so (sorry didn't use a timer) and then basted them with barbecue sauce and baked them for about another 20 minutes.

I didn't have much of the President's Choice extra spicy BBQ sauce, so I had to wing it - ketchup, honey, spices, Frank's hot sauce and a touch of molasses made it a pretty close competitor to the PC BBQ sauce - go me!!!

Try it out!

Yeah...I know..."Christyne! If you're going to keep photographing food you need to get some NEW PLATES!!!"

Thanks for stopping by!

Mojo Monday - Dreams du Jour

2009-02-16T20:15:00.000-05:00

I loved today's Mojo Monday sketch, so I got right to work...well, as soon as I got my butt outta bed - this cold is kicking me in the butt!

At least creating made me feel a bit better!

Here's my card for today's Mojo Monday:

I used a Very Vanilla card base of 4 1/4 X 5 1/2. The next layer was Riding Hood Red cut to 4 X 5 1/4 and the next is Candy Lane DSP cut to 3 3/4 X 5.

The main image was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla and coloured using blender pens and SU! markers.

The butterfly was stamped in Riding Hood Red on Very Vanilla and mounted on Chocolate Chip.

What do you think?

Recipe:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip
DSP: Candy Lane
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Markers, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'! And Thanks for stopping by!

Onion Soup

2009-02-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

I just LOVE onion soup! DH loves it too, so I decided to make it for tonight's Valentines dinner. We had steak too, but I didn't take any pictures of that - LOL!

I found the recipe here and it's WAY yummy, though it could definitely have done with some more salt and pepper. I didn't have any white wine on hand, so that didn't go in, though next time I'll definitely add it...or maybe some red. I think it would have had more depth with the wine added to it.

Anyway, I did the saute the onion thing (though it's really more like sweating if you follow the true definition of "saute" which means "to jump", but I digress). Then I tried to put them in the oven, but after about 25 minutes, the molded plastic on my pot lid and handles started to smell funny, so I took the pot out of the oven. I SO need a cast iron dutch oven!!!

Onion soup takes a LONG time to make, but it is SO worth it. Scott and I really enjoyed it and I can see making it again - YUMMY! That gruyere cheese will cost you a pretty penny though, so be warned!

The finished product:
Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by!

Tiramisu

2009-02-13T04:42:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Valentines Day. Are you ready? Did you get all your cards and goodies made? Good for you!

Today, we're making tiramisu. It has to chill for a long time, so I figure that I might as well get it done today in anticipation of the fancy dinner I have planned for tomorrow night.

This is the first time I've ever made tiramisu and while at first it seemed a little daunting, turns out it's really not that hard to make!

I found the recipe here.

First thing you need to do is soak the lady fingers in a mixture of strong coffee/Kahlua. Seriously, anything that starts out with Kahlua, CAN'T possibly be bad!!!

After the first layer of biscuits is in the pan, you add a layer of the marscapone cheese which has been mixed with eggs and sugar.

Then another layer of biscuits and another layer of the cheese mixture. Finally shaved chocolate. I used unsweetened chocolate because I figured this was going to be already sweet enough.

To note:

The recipe said it would make a 9 X 13 pan. I don't have that size pan, so I thought I would make two 8 X 8 square pans and take one to our good friends (also the boys' godparents) as a treat. I don't know if I spread the cheese mixture too thick, but I only had enough for one 8 X 8 pan.
The recipe also said to just roll the lady fingers in the coffee/Kahlua mixture so they wouldn't get too soggy. Turns out that they didn't get soggy enough, so next time I'll be soaking them a little longer!
I bought WAY too many lady fingers. Based on the amount of tiramisu that the recipe should have yielded, I bought 6 packages. I used 1 3/4. Anyone want some giant lady fingers???

Thanks for stopping by!

Me and my little man!

2009-02-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

Sorry...no food today! Jonathan's class did a little Valentine's presentation that the parents were invited to attend. Following the presentation we went around the classroom and did various crafts. We had a GREAT time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Potato Rolls - Light, Fluffy, DELICIOUS!!!

2009-02-10T18:03:00.000-05:00

These were AWESOME!!!

You can find the recipe here

I can count on one hand the number of days that I haven't used my stand mixer since Santa brought it to me for Christmas. Love Santa and LOVE my stand mixer!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Maple Soy Glazed Salmon

2009-02-09T19:53:00.000-05:00

Another easy one, but SOOOO good!

The recipe called for reduced-sodium soy sauce, but I didn't have any on hand...just the regular stuff. I found it too salty, so if I make it again, I'll definitely be getting the reduced-sodium version.

To make the glaze, combine 2 tbsp. maple syrup (the real stuff!), 2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. crushed red chili peppers.

Pour over salmon and bake till done. I wrap mine in tin foil to bake, covers the whole pan and makes for easy clean up - WOOHOO!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roast Chicken

2009-02-08T23:46:00.000-05:00

This one is easy peasy!

Rub chicken with about 2 tsp. of butter, sprinkle with sage and Presidents Choice Montreal Style Chicken Spice Blend. Stuff cavity with a quartered onion and roast till done - about 1 1/2 hours for a 4-lb chicken.

Enjoy and Thanks for stopping by!

Cinnamon Buns - YUM!!!

2009-02-07T13:40:00.000-05:00

These were a HUGE hit!

You can find the recipe here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chinese Noodle Soup (serves 8 child portions)

2009-02-06T13:37:00.001-05:00

This is a recipe from Jonathan's cooking class. He takes them at Loblaws Glen Erin Market and they are great! I'll be sad when he goes to grade 1 next year because it will mean the end of cooking school. Anybody want to rent me a kid so I can keep going???

2 cups thin egg noodles
3 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil (we didn't use this and it didn't seem to matter)
2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp. cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2/3 c. chopped cooked ham

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Once boiling add 1 tbsp. salt.

2. Add noodles to boiling water and stir to separate. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook until noodles are tender. Remove from heat and drain. Immediately rinse with cold water until noodles are cold.

3. Divide noodles equally among bowls.

4. Bring the broth to a boil over medium heat. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and water mixture. Bring back to the boil, then remove from heat.

5. Add the beaten egg, pouring slowly and stirring rapidly in one direction for about one minute.

6. Pour the hot broth over the noodles.

7. Garnish with chopped ham and green onions. Serve.

Thanks for stopping by!

Quiche

2009-02-05T21:45:00.005-05:00

Today's dinner was Quiche! Scott used to be the quiche maker, but I've pretty much taken over that duty...

So, into my quiche goes: bacon, ham, green onions, cheese, eggs, milk, salt, pepper and the secret ingredient: curry powder.

First thing you need to do is make your pie crust. First things first, DO NOT buy a pre-made pie crust. For the price of a package of pre-made crusts, you could probably get at least a 1/2 dozen pie shells! Second, forget that stuff that comes in the blue tub. Go out and buy yourself some REAL LARD!!! And make sure it's Tenderflake. Don't scoff and turn your nose up on me. Trust me on this one. Pure lard makes the best pie crust you've ever had. And whatever you do, follow the directions on the box. Go ahead and make the whole batch, it freezes really well.

Once you've made the pie crust, go ahead and chill it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. When you're ready, dust your counter top (or where ever you're rolling ) and roll out your crust, it should be about 1/4" thick and big enough to fit your pie plate with a little bit of overlap. You need the overlap because as it bakes, it shrinks a bit.

Once it's rolled out, fold it in four and let it rest for a few minutes. Then, transfer it to your pie plate. The folding in four thing makes it easier to get into the right spot on your plate - aim to have the corner in the middle. Then prick it all over with a fork (or, you could be Alton Brown and "prodigiously perforate"). If you have one of those fancy things that allow you to sandwich the crust between the pie plate and said fancy tool, go ahead and use it. I need to buy one!

Let the crust bake for about 15-20 minutes at 375 F. Keep an eye on it. If it starts to puff up, stick a fork in it.

While it's baking, go ahead and brown your bacon, chop your ham and chop your green onions.

My MIL bought me this cast iron pan...best thing since sliced bread!

Once the bacon is nicely browned, drain the fat off by scooping it out of the pan onto a paper towel lined aluminum pie plate.

Add the works to the now cooked pie crust. I put the bacon in first.

Then the ham:

Then the green onions:

Then, grate up about 1 1/2 cups of Monterrey Jack Cheese (this is our fave for quiche) and spread it out over the top of the other ingredients.

Keep in mind I use a deep dish pie plate, so this next part might seem excessive. I beat 5 extra large eggs and then add skim milk (most recipes say to add whole milk or cream...ummm...yeah...no.) Probably about enough to make 2 1/2 to 3 cups of liquid. Into the liquid goes my spices: salt, pepper, curry powder. I think on one or two occasions, I've added Frank's hot sauce, but it was in the back of the cupboard and I was feeling lazy. Don't hate me.

Pour the liquid into the pie shell until it reaches the top. If your pie crust is uneven (mine ALWAYS is!) and some seeps over the edge into the pie plate, don't stress, it's O.K.

I place my pie plate on a baking sheet (just in case) and bake it at 350 F to 375F (my oven is weird - had to buy a thermometer to put in it) for about an hour. Check the middle of the pie after about 50 minutes. If the middle is still liquid, put it back in, if not, it's ready. Same goes for the hour mark. If it's still liquid, put it back in the oven. You don't want to be eating raw eggs.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Half Scratch Spaghetti Sauce

2009-02-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

I'm calling it "half scratch" because it's not ENTIRELY made from scratch. I cheat by using canned tomato sauce (Hunts) because it makes life easier...besides, it tastes REALLY good!

So...you'll need:

Ground Beef (I use lean)
Hunts Pasta Sauce (your favourite kind)
Onions
Peppers (your favourite colour)
Garlic
Seasoning

For every pound of ground beef I'm using, I use one can of Hunts pasta sauce. I've tried it with Bravo and it's pretty nasty. Hunts is my fave, but you could also use Primo. Just stay away from the Bravo.

I usually make a big batch because it freezes really well. So, I use four pounds of ground beef, four cans of sauce, 2 large onions (3 if they're small), 2 peppers (usually a red and a green) and about 1/2 dozen cloves of garlic.

Brown your meat in a LARGE stock pot (especially if you're making as much as I do) as this makes a LOT and you'll need the space - trust me!

While the meat is browning, I chop up my veggies and grate my garlic right into the meat - if you don't have a microplane, go buy one - it will change your life!

Once all the meat is browned and your veggies/garlic are in the mix, add your seasonings. I usually add Italian seasoning which is a mix of basil and oregano, plus some parsley. I use dried, it's just easier...

Then, add your cans of sauce (remember, one can for each pound of beef) and then just let it simmer on the lowest temperature all day. Yes, really all day. I usually have my sauce on a simmer around 9 a.m. and dinner is at 5 p.m. Stir it throughout the day, skimming off any fat as necessary.

Cook up your pasta at dinner (doesn't have to be spaghetti - can be your fave pasta) and top with a generous amount of sauce. Add parmesan cheese if you like - fresh is AWESOME if you've got it on hand.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Two Picture Day

2009-02-03T13:36:00.005-05:00

I decided on protein for breakfast this morning and this is what I made:

Scrambled eggs with some left over Pico de Gallo and a small side of guacamole - YUM! Next time I think I'll try it an omelet and slice the avocado.

On another note, it seems that little stinker Whiarton Willie must have been right and we are indeed getting another 6 weeks of winter. This is what greeted me outside my window this morning:

My friend Karin said she heard the weather man say we were supposed to get about 1 to 3 centimeters. Clearly he needs to go back to weather school, because there was AT LEAST that much on the ground when I took the pic and it's STILL falling 5 hours later!

I'm hoping my friend Kim really did see that robin the other day and that this is just some cruel joke!

Hope you're enjoying the weather wherever you are! Thanks for stopping by!

SuperBowl Revisted

2009-02-02T13:02:00.004-05:00

O.K., so my team won - WOOHOO!!! Not that I follow football all that much, but hey - they were closest to the Canadian border, so I figured I should root for them. It was a close call though, lemme tell ya!

I made chicken wings yesterday...nothing spectacular, just your standard chicken wings. I split them myself (go me!) and just put salt, pepper and Montreal chicken spice on them before roasting them up. About 15 minutes before they were to come out, I added some President's Choice Extra Spicy BBQ sauce to them. They turned out pretty good.

There were leftovers, so Jonathan ate this for lunch today:
On another note, the one kid that didn't get the flu shot is home with the flu...FIGURES!

Thanks for stopping by!

Super Bowl Chili

2009-02-01T20:02:00.005-05:00

As I was posting about the cilantro last night, I thought that maybe my POTD for February should be all about food. What do you think??

Today is SuperBowl Sunday. We only watch one football game per year and this is it. We do it right and eat all kinds of SuperBowl food. You know...chicken wings, chili, chips and salsa and the like. Yesterday's "recipe" was the salsa that i make. I don't only make it on SuperBowl Sunday, it's also a staple in our house but mostly over the summer when I can get fresh veggies. This year I got smart and bought a basketful of jalapenos when they were in season. I chopped them up and flash froze them so I could use them throughout the winter.

Anyway...this is supposed to be about the SuperBowl chili I made, so here you go:

SuperBowl Chili

2 lb. stewing beef
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1 red or green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
19 oz. can diced tomatoes
1-2 tbsp. pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or 1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
19 oz. can red kidney beans

Trim any fat of meat and cut into chunks, if necessary. In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Brown meat in batches and transfer to slow cooker. Add a little more oil to skillet and saute onion, pepper and garlic until lightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and pureed chipotle peppers. Bring to a simmer. Pour sauce over beef in slow cooker. Stir well, cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until meat is tender. If adding beans, add one hour before end of cooking.

Recipe courtesy of Barb Holland as seen in the Metro, a free daily Toronto newspaper.

O.K., now here's what I did:

Brown the beef:
I used ground beef instead of the stewing beef because the last time I used stewing beef to make chili, Scott wasn't really impressed. He didn't like the texture all that much.

Then I did the veggies:
I didn't have any cumin, so I didn't use that, I substituted dried coriander instead. I also couldn't find the pureed chipotle peppers, so I substituted some of my frozen jalapenos and threw in some some crushed chili flakes for good measure.

I added it all to the crock pot and let it hang out for the day. About an hour before the SuperBowl started I added the kidney beans. Scott could only find 14 oz. cans, so we went with that.

This is what it looked like just before I scooped it out into bowls:
And this is what it looked like just before serving:
At least that's what mine looked like...Scott is not a big fan of sour cream and shredded cheese on his chili. Jonathan had sour cream and shredded cheese on his chili too and he REALLY liked it!

Enjoy the rest of your evening and thanks for stopping by!

25 Random Things...

2009-02-01T15:31:00.001-05:00

This has been going around Facebook for the past couple of weeks, but in case you're not on there, here it is:

1. I was born and raised in Montreal.

2. I can speak French and English fluently and don't have an accent in either language. That means if I'm speaking French, there is no way that you could tell that I was raised in an English family.

3. I went to two different high schools. I chose to switch because the second one's motto was "Dedicated to the encouragement of Excellence". I know, weird.

4. I went to university in Montreal. When I was there, I paid just $500 for each of my first two years tuition. My last year cost me $1000 tuition because the government lifted the tuition freeze imposed in 1969. Quebec is STILL the cheapest place in the country to attend university.

5. I went to university because I could and majored in Spanish. I had visions of being the Canadian ambassador to Spain - HA! I got what I really wanted though...to be a wife and a mom.

6. I moved to Mississauga the day after I wrote my last university exam.

7. I've never lived alone. I went from my parent's house to live with DH.

8. I lived in sin for 4 months before I got married.

9. I have a tattoo that I got because my girlfriend had one and I was jealous. Some guy named Pluto did it for me. I'm pretty sure he was a Hell's Angel, but he did a great job. I want another one.

10. I've always wanted three children...yes, always - got 'em!

11. I've been in all the provinces except for Saskatchewan and Manitoba. My favourites are by far the ones on the East Coast. I haven't seen any of the territories.

12. My DH proposed to me over a clean car...remind me to tell you the story.

13. DH and I were married by Banns, not by license.

14. I spent the entire summer before my wedding traveling for the company where I was working in order to train people on a new cash register system. I had to plan the wedding exclusively on weekends.

15. I postponed my honeymoon for two weeks in order to open the flagship store in Montreal for said company, because I was the only at head office that was trained on the new system and could speak French.

16. DH and I honeymooned in Disney World and I have been hooked ever since.

17. DH and I got new wedding bands for our 10th anniversary. They have Mickey heads on them (see # 16)

18. DH and I have two children with congenital heart conditions (I HATE the word "defect"). It's NOT genetic.

19. I have more online friends than IRL friends. I'm cool with that because they're all AWESOME!

20. I met most of my scrapping buddies online before I met them IRL - how cool is that???

21. The week after 9/11 I flew to Sault Ste. Marie. All my friends thought I was nuts, but I figured it was the safest time to fly.

22. DH and I still celebrate the anniversary of the day we started dating - Feb. 28th, 1986. It works out perfectly as it is almost 6 months to the day of our wedding anniversary. It's kinda cool to have an anniversary twice a year. We always go to the Keg.

23. I have enough SB paper to scrapbook every single photo I have printed (not ones still on computer) and not run out - SCARY!

24. I took 500 pics of DD before she turned 2 - YIKES!

25. My youngest DS had three open heart surgeries before he was 5. He's not done.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fresh Cilantro makes ALL the difference!

2009-01-31T20:22:00.003-05:00

So I've been making this Pico de Gallo for a little while now. When I started making it, I could never find fresh cilantro, so I used dried. It tasted pretty good.

There's a company called Garden Fresh Gourmet that makes the most amazing salsa you've ever tasted. It's made with fresh ingredients and you can only find it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

The last time I bought it (last summer), I scrutinized the ingredients and decided that there was a pretty good chance I could make it myself using Pioneer Woman's Pico de Gallo recipe as the base.

DH has been out shopping for Super Bowl fixings (it's the only football game we watch all year, and we do it right), so I could make a new chili recipe he found in one of the daily newspapers he reads and make chicken wings too. I asked him while he was out to try and hunt down some fresh cilantro, since that's what Ree used in her Pico de Gallo recipe. He found some - YAY!!!

When he got home, I already had the Pico de Gallo in the food processor to turn it into salsa. When I was done with that, I chopped up the cilantro and added it to the mix.

OH. MY. GOSH. What a difference!!! This is by far the best batch I have EVER made! I'll never make it with dried herbs again.

I finally figured out what all those chefs I watch on the Food Network are raving about...now if I could figure out a way to get an herb garden going in our apartment, I'd be set!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh...and P.S. If you've been looking for that photo a day, I've been doing pretty good. I think I got all but 2 days in January. They're all sitting in my Facebook account...so if you have Facebook, you'll have to search for me (Christyne Richardson) and send me a friend request to see the pics. In February, I'm going to try and post them here as well as Facebook.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T18:31:00.003-05:00

If you've been reading for a while then you know that 2008 held its share of challenges.

2009 is starting out on a much better note, as evidenced by this:

Yeah, we got Rock Band 2 for Christmas and the kids (including the big one playing guitar) are loving it!

One of my goals for this year is a photo a day. I'm off to a great start - LOL!

Hope everyone had a Rockin' New Year's Eve!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gypsy Chicks Challenge

2008-12-07T14:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday a few of the Gypsy Chicks got together to scrap the day away! Brigit played with ink, Steph made cards, Joyce worked on a mini book and I stamped and coloured my version of this year's Christmas card.

Brigit brought us copies of Scrapbook and Cards Today and in there we found a "one challenge". Use one piece of cardstock, one piece of patterned paper, one brad, one tag, one label, one word title, one rub on, one picture, one stamp, one button, one 3-D embellishment. I cheated a little and used two extra brads because my label looked naked without them. I'm giving myself a pass though because I am just about 100% certain that I am the first one to finish the challenge!

Here's the first page of what will be my Santa Claus Parade (2004) album:

Yes, the stamped tree is a little crooked, but I'm letting go of my perfectionism and just going with it!!!

What do you think???

Time for a little blog candy!!!

2008-12-03T16:52:00.002-05:00

Have you heard of BzzAgent? You should check it out! It's a word of mouth campaign company.

You sign up, they ask you to do a campaign, and you get free product to try, coupons, etc...

I joined recently and was asked to take part in a campaign about Fruits and Passion. I got some product to try out and some gift cards to give away.

I had a BLAST shopping with my gift card (some SERIOUSLY yummy stuff in that store!) and now I want to give some away.

RULES:

You MUST live in Canada
Go to the Fruits and Passions website and tell me what your fave fragrance/set is this holiday season
Post here and tell me what it is, then post to your blog and tell YOUR friends your fave fragrance/set and mention my blog candy on your blog
Link me to your blog so I can check it out!

That's it! Go see what YUMMINESS you can find at Fruits and Passion.

Thanks for stopping by!

What have you done???

2008-11-10T23:21:00.006-05:00

I saw this on Barb's blog and thought it would be fun to do here and challenge those who come here to do the same.

How many have you done? I bolded the ones that I've done

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (well, not all the way to the top)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (if Scrapbooking counts)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (does my parents garden count?)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when youʼre not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (does the Venetian in Vegas count?)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (both)
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangeloʼs David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (from a plane counts, right?)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someoneʼs life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

So... what have you done? I think I need to get out more...

Thanks for stopping by!

It's November, right?

2008-11-05T16:11:00.003-05:00

Because to see this picture you sure wouldn't know it!

Jonathan headed out to the park for a little bit this afternoon...and yes, he's just wearing a t-shirt...no sweater. And yes, it is indeed November the 5th, I checked the calendar.

Scott and Lauren aren't home yet, so I have yet to hear how their day went.

Colin, on the other hand, is home and thrilled beyond reason with the "UV crime kit" that he got from scholastic books with some of his birthday money.

I'll be back later with a "work report".

Thanks for stopping by!

Take Your Kids to Work Day

2008-11-05T11:25:00.003-05:00

Today, across the province of Ontario, is "Take Your Kids to Work" day. So...Lauren (in proper business attire) went to work with her dad.

She will be learning all about pilots and airplanes...and if she's REALLY lucky, she'll get to go on the flight simulator.

The kids asked if I ever went on a "Take your kids to work" day with my Dad...and you know...I honestly don't remember. I remember once or twice going to work with my dad, but not sure if it was a specific day like we have here in Ontario. I remember going to work with Dad was a blast because there were so many cool things to play with! Dad is/was a graphic artist and worked in the print industry, so there were always easels and colouring pencils and lettraset - WOOHOO!!! Maybe that's where my love for rub-ons started...hmmm...

I sent her with the point and shoot camera (digi) because while I offered the DSLR it was causing me heart palpitations this morning, so I had to rescind it. Hopefully, she will remember to take pics though I'm not sure how good they will be since the P&S was acting up and was the reason for purchasing the DSLR.

I'll let you all know how it went!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cards are moving

2008-11-03T16:58:00.001-05:00

On the advice of many people who LOVE my work, I'm trying something new...I'm going to try and turn this card making thing into a small business.

I won't be joining Stampin' Up (because I tried that with Creative Memories and in one word "DISASTER") but I will be selling the cards that I make with the wonderful Stampin' Up sets I own and will continue to purchase.

To check out my new card blog, just click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Haunting

2008-11-01T11:47:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was Halloween.

So, just before it got dark, we headed out. We live in a high rise condominium complex (4 buildings) and while the kids can't trick or treat throughout the buildings (how cool would THAT be?), they can go into the lobbies of each of the buildings and trick or treat there. That started off the evening on a good note as the folks handing out candy were VERY generous!

After doing the buildings, we headed across the street to the townhouses. A fair number of them were dark, so there wasn't much to be had there. I did find this cool light strand and took a picture though.

After that, we did the houses on the next couple of streets and the boys got quite the haul. I got a picture of this graveyard that looked pretty cool. It's a little blurry 'cause I was shooting in night mode (for effect) and didn't want the flash to ruin it all - no flash = slower shutter speed = slightly blurry.

Hope all your little ones had a GREAT time trick or treating and that you enjoyed imposing the candy tax. WHAT??? You don't impose a candy tax? Haven't you heard? Candy taxes are in the parents charter of rights. "They who take the little goblins out for Halloween are by law permitted to impose a candy tax".

Thanks for stopping by!

The cutest mini book - EVAH!!!

2008-10-31T17:46:00.003-04:00

I've this mini book pattern for what seems like AGES, but I've recently re-discovered it. I think I got it from Two Peas in a Bucket a few years ago, but it's been a while...so who knows. I do know that if you want your mini book to be all the same colour (pages and cover) that you can actually make it from one sheet of cardstock!

This one is made from Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette and Chocolate Chip. I stamped the snowflake (from Snow Swirled) in Chocolate Chip on Pink Pirouette and then sponged the edges, first with Pink Pirouette then with Chocolate Chip. I ticket punched the corners and matted it on a piece of Chocolate Chip, added brads and adhered it to the front of the mini book. To further embellish the front cover, I added some paper piercing using the template from the mat pack.

I tied it closed with a ribbon (white organza) and also punched a hole along the spine near the top and added a second piece of ribbon to allow the book to be hung on the tree like an ornament.

I'll be selling them, along with MANY other goodies, at the Hospital for Sick Children fund raiser that I'll be doing with Caroline on Dec. 1st.

STAMPS: Snow Swirled
CARDSTOCK: Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red
INK: Chocolate Chip
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Brads, Paper Piercer

Either later today or early tomorrow, I have the coolest thing to show you!!! Won't you come back and check it out???

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You Gift Set

2008-10-30T10:53:00.002-04:00

I so enjoyed making the gift set for Colin's teacher, that I decided to make another!

I used some Imaginisce DP again and paired it with Purely Pomegranate (can you tell that I get REALLY attached to my favourite in Colours?) I love using a full sheet of DP to make an entire set of cards...seems so easy and there are rarely any scraps to deal with - PERFECT!

For this one I used a recipe that I found in the "Joy of Card Making" magazine and added the sentiment at the bottom.

The DP was cut and flipped to make the design on the front of the card. Each of the pieces was sponged with Purely Pomegranate ink before being adhered to the card face.

The Oh So Lovely image was stamped in Purely Pomegranate on Whisper White and was punched out using the 1 3/8" circle punch. It was matted on a scalloped circle that was cut from Purely Pomegranate using Quickutz nested shapes and my Quickutz Revolution.

I tied white sheer ribbon around the top of the card before adhering the image using dimensionals. The sentiment was cut and sponged before adhering it to the bottom of the card. (Note to self: Get word window punch!)

I constructed the box and added a piece of Imaginisce DP to the top. I tied it up with the same sheer ribbon used on the cards.

STAMPS: Oh So Lovely, Stem Silhouettes
PAPER: Imaginisce DP
INK: Purely Pomegranate
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Gift Tags/Enclosures

2008-10-30T10:15:00.005-04:00

I was having fun making little 3 X 3 note cards earlier this month and had some DP from Imaginisce that I was looking to use, so I came up with these:

They're 3 X 3 gift enclosures/gift tags (if you use them without the envy).

I stamped the image in Purely Pomegranate (Thanks Caroline for discovering that extra pack - I LOVE that colour!) on Whisper White and punched it out with the small tag punch. The image was matted on a tag punched from Purely Pomegranate with the larger tag punch. I stapled a piece of Regal Rose ribbon to the top of the tag and adhered it to the card face using dimensionals.

The DP was cut to 2 3/4" X 2 3/4" and sponged in Purely Pomegranate before being adhered to the card face.

STAMPS: Tags So Much
DP: Imaginisce
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate
INK: Purely Pomegranate
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Staples, Dimensionals

I made custom envies too, go along with the set of 4. I'll be selling them at the Sick Kids fundraiser on Dec. 1st, along with all the other fun goodies I've been making.

I need to make some more gift tags, because they were a HUGE hit last week at the hospital when we were there for check ups and tests. I'm going to use some brighter colours this time though (from last years Stampin' Up Simply Scrappin' Christmas Kit) as I had such fun playing with those yesterday (that post will be up in a couple days!)

That's it for now! Check back later on for some more good stuff! Thanks for stopping by!

I am, most assuredly, "THAT" Mom

2008-10-28T09:23:00.005-04:00

You know..."THAT" mom. The one that can't let a holiday go by (major or minor) without doing SOMETHING.

Case in point? Halloween. The kids at school always exchange treats. I decided that just regular treats weren't enough...and also decided that not only would the kids at school get treats, but that I would make treats for the friends at cooking school and the friends at the bus stop...

So...Ninety (yes, 90) individually wrapped Hershey nuggets, 45 die cut ghosts, 45 die cut skulls, 30 bag toppers and 15 hand stamped boxes later, he has Halloween treats...in SPADES!

STAMPS:

Haunting Halloween (stars on sides of boxes)
Hero Arts (Witchy Bird on top of boxes)
Tags So Much (Bag Toppers)

Ink:

Staz-On, Basic Grey (Stampin' Up)

Paper:

Ghostly Greetings DP (to wrap chocolates)
Whisper White and Tangerine Tango (Bag toppers)

Accessories:

Ribbon

Tomorrow I'll do some more going backwards, but I REALLY wanted to post these today...I'm almost caught up with the rest of the month though...so not too much more going back.

Thanks for stopping by!

Colin's Birthday Party

2008-10-27T10:46:00.004-04:00

Colin turned 10 this year. How did that happen? If you figure it out, could you let me know? Oh...and do it QUICK because Lauren is about to turn 14 and I am TOTALLY clueless where that came from - YIKES!

He wanted to have a swimming party, so that's what we did. We headed out to our community pool and enjoyed a swim for about an hour and a half. Just before the swim ended, Scott went out to get pizza to feed the masses.

The boys enjoyed pizza, drinks and chips before having birthday cake.

Ahhh...the cake...(bad mommy moment coming up). There are always lots of cake on display at the grocery stores and I was under the mistaken impression that you could actually BUY the display cakes. Turns out I was wrong - OOPS! So Scott went out in the morning to buy a cake and had to buy a pre-made cake...with roses on it - YIKES!

The plan was to take the roses off before we served the cake, but we weren't quite sure how to go about that, so we left them on. Turns out the roses were a HUGE hit and the boys were thrilled to each get one for that added sugar boost - UGH!

I carved a 10 into the cake with the knife and it was a big hit!

After cake came presents...then, as a favour to the parents of the boys, I had them play tag and run around for about 15 minutes before they were picked up...of course, I did send them home with goodies bags that were full of sugar - LOL!

Colin asked his friends how they would "rate" his party on a scale of 1 to 10 and they all said "10", so I guess everyone had a great time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scott's Birthday - October 16th

2008-10-27T10:25:00.003-04:00

October 16th was Scott's birthday.

I decided to get creative with his birthday goodies...

So, I bought Pop Shoppe Pop (12 bottles), because that's the pop he used to drink as a teenager, back when there actually WAS a Pop Shoppe in Montreal. Did you know that Pop Shoppe is a Canadian company and that they have been around since 1969?

We had a BLAST reading all the "funnies" on the sides of the bottle, like "I know you are but what am I?" and "My dad is bigger than your dad!". Things we used to say on the playground as kids - HYSTERICAL!

I made him a box of Hershey Nuggets and spelled out "I love you" with rubber stamps (now he doesn't want to eat them - LOL!)

They boys bought him his two favourite chocolate bars (Coffee Crisp and Wunderbar) and I bought him an almond croissant. I also bought him a new umbrella (he needed a new one), some bottle caps candy (another flashback) and baked him a giant chocolate chip cookie.

For dinner we had Chicken Carbonara - one of his favourite dinners.

We capped off the night with a "Sing Star" party by his choice...and a good time was had by all!

Here's a pic of all his goodies! Don't mind the mess on the rest of the table...I was busy creating!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-10-25T11:55:00.005-04:00

I told you that I had to keep going backwards to finally get forward...

So, we went to Scott's parents for Thanksgiving Sunday. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the fall scenery on the way there was STUNNING!

This one is SOOC (Straight Out of Camera). The only thing I did was convert the depth (it was shot RAW) and resize for web.

ISO 400, 1/2000, f/5.0. 18-55 @ 18.0 mm

While we were there, we had a Blue Jay come visit. The Blue Jay is friendly with Scott's parents as they feed him peanuts on a daily basis, so he came pretty close. I used the zoom lens too. I did some editing on this one, so it's not SOOC.

ISO 400, 1/1600, f/5.6, 75-300 @ 130 mm

Hope you're all having a WONDERFUL weekend! I'm heading out to a friends house to do some card making, so I'll be having fun!!!

On December 1st, my friend Caroline and I will be at the Hospital for Sick Children (555 University Avenue, Toronto) where we'll have a table and we'll be selling cards, etc...if you're around you should come by and say hi!

Thanks for stopping by!

You have to go back to move forward...

2008-10-22T09:55:00.003-04:00

...and that's what I'm going to do to catch you up on my crazy month!

On October the 9th, Colin and Jonathan's school had open house. That's where we get to meet the teachers. I had already met Jonathan's teacher (they usually keep the same teacher for Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten), so I only had to go in for Colin's teacher.

Miss Hall is just delightful! She's young and full of energy and I can see why Colin likes her. Plus, she likes to chat, so she and I are going to get along GREAT! LOL!

The day after the open house, I sat down to make her a little gift set to thank her for the meeting and to let her know that I looked forward to working with her this year.

My intentions were also a little selfish as I figured if word got around the school then people would know I made these wonderful creations and I could then sell some at the school. My intentions were not ENTIRELY selfish as I donate the profits from selling the cards to the Hospital for Sick Children...so I figured it would be a win-win all the way around.

It's now the 22nd and I STILL haven't delivered the cards, but I'll be doing that today. It's never too late to send a thank you note...right???

Here's the set I made:

The small note is the thank you note that I tucked under the ribbon on the front of the box. I put it into a lined envelope that I learned how to make from Jami who posts on SCS. They are SO cute and SO easy to make!

There are 6 cards inside the box, all the same as the one in the picture. I made the box to fit the cards, by adding 1 1/2" to each side of the card, scoring and folding...if I had more time right now, I'd show you exactly how, but that's out...so will have to wait till there are more hours in the day - LOL!

The stamp on the mini card and the box are Stampin' Up and the stamp I used for the actual cards inside the box is from Penny Black.

I sponged Marigold Morning (and all the other pieces) in Pumpkin Pie (think I had Thanksgiving on the brain? LOL!) and assembled the cards. Ribbon was tied around the card, the sentiment was ticket punched and mounted on Marigold Morning. Brads were added before it was attached to the card using dimensionals.

I'll be back later with some more updates...for now, I'm off to the school to pick up Jonathan and head downtown to shoot some video of him for upcoming Sick Kids TV specials.

Thanks for stopping by!

Has it been that long???

2008-10-20T22:13:00.000-04:00

YIKES! It's late now...so it will have to wait till tomorrow when I can take some pics in natural light...I've been busy creating - WOOHOO!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekend Sketch Challenge Pizza Box

2008-10-10T11:02:00.004-04:00

The weekend is my favourite part of the week. Not only because I get to sleep in (as much as you can when you have children clamouring for breakfast) but because Beate posts her weekend sketch challenge! I don't always get a chance to play (there are NEVER enough hours in the day) but when I can, it's always fun and this weekend is no exception.

I was going to try to do two challenges at once and combine Beate's WSC61 with LSC189 over at SplitCoast Stampers, but my Quickutz Scalloped Circle was calling my name and it doesn't qualify for LSC189 which is "Rock, Paper, Scissors".

On Monday, the Technique Lovers Challenge was mini boxes (like the ones I made here) and I had so much fun making them for Colin's party invitations, that I had to make another one.

I stamped the cut and scored pizza box using my snowflake stamps (one is from Holiday Tag Time and I'm not sure where the other one is from as I bought it on eBay quite a while ago) and my Versamark stamp pad and then put the box together.

The snowman image was stamped on Whisper White in Buckaroo Blue, coloured with Prismacolour Pencils and mounted on Buckaroo Blue and again on Whisper White. The smaller circle was stamped with snowflakes and mounted on a piece of scalloped Whisper White. I cut the small circle off the corners of the box and then mounted the main image on dimensionals. The ribbon was tied around the box and slid it just under the main image.

STAMPS: Holiday Tag Time, other unknown set
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Buckaroo Blue
INK: Buckaroo Blue, Versamark
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Prismacolour Pencils

Hope all my Canadian friends have an AMAZING Thanksgiving Weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Queen for a Day

2008-10-09T18:44:00.003-04:00

Today, the challenge over at SCS is to use a monogram on a card. I only have one...and yeah...it's a "Q". I know, I know...

This is how it happened. About 2 years ago, when Hero Arts came out with their alphabet line, some of the girls that I scrapbook with decided to buy parts of the alphabet and share them. Somehow, I ended up with "Q". It's an O.K. set...kinda cute...

This is the card I came up with:

I'm going to use it for DD's birthday for next month.

I stamped all the elements in black Versafine and then coloured in the "Q" using my Buckaroo Blue re-inker and my water pen. I added glitter to the crown, but you can't really see it in the pic.

I punched the right hand edge of the card with my threading water punch and mounted a small piece of white cardstock to the inside of the card.

STAMPS: Hero Arts
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Buckaroo Blue
INK: Buckaroo Blue, Versafine Black
ACCESSORIES: Glitter

Thanks for stopping by!

Sahara Sand Trees for all Seasons

2008-10-08T17:56:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was too busy for me to be able to play. Jonathan had cooking school, we made our monthly trek to Costco and we had to stop at the drugstore to pick up test strips for Jonathan's finger pokes.

By the time we got home, it was all I could do to get dinner on the table before 6 p.m.!

Dinner is running a little late today because I just HAD to do the sketch challenge over at SCS. I knew I wanted to do a fall card when I saw this one in the gallery, but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with mine. I was inspired by Beate Johns who must have gone through a "three" phase in her early stamping career, because as I cruised HER gallery from way back when I saw LOTS of multiples of three. As a side note, if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Beate's work, you should REALLY check out her blog and her gallery over at SCS. She is one TALENTED lady!

I knew I had some of the striped paper like the one in the card above, but it turned out that it wasn't fall themed, it was spring themed. Clearly THAT wasn't going to work, because I had my heart set on a fall themed card. So, I looked through my stash of paper and came across a "Simply Scrappin" kit that turned out to be PERFECT!

First I cut Sahara Sand to 8" X 9", scored and folded it in half to make a 4" X 9" card base. I then cut a piece of the DP to 3 3/4" X 8 3/4" and a second piece of DP to 3" X 8". The piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock was cut to 2 1/4" X 7 1/4". All pieces were sponged with Chocolate Chip Classic Ink.

Each of the three images were stamped on 2" square pieces of Whisper White. At first I just sponged the outside edge of each of the three main images, but then I saw a "spot light" in my head and punched out a 1 3/8" circle using my circle punch. The circle was placed over the three image and I sponged Chocolate Chip around the circle mask leaving the middle of the image white. Not one to leave well enough alone (LOL!) I decided to ticket punch the corners of the cardstock and further darken the outside edges with more Chocolate Chip Ink. To further my "fall" theme, I coloured the leaves on the tree (and a few on the ground) as well as the tree trunk with my Prismacolour pencils.

The images were mounted on the piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock and brads were added to accent the corners. I pierced the end of the of the cardstock, added a ribbon and mounted the entire piece on dimensionals for a finishing touch. I was inspired by THIS card to add the photo corners on the two pieces of DP.

CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand
DSP: From a Simply Scrappin' Kit
INK: Chocolate Chip
STAMPS: A Tree for all Seasons
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Brads

Hope you were inspired to create something beautiful today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pizza Box Birthday Invites

2008-10-06T19:10:00.004-04:00

So, I popped over to SCS this morning after the previous incredibly L-O-N-G post in order to find out what the Technique Lovers Challenge (TLC) was for today.

Pizza Boxes? What? That's not a technique...order a pizza...get a box. No problem, right?

WRONG!

Turns out we were supposed to make our OWN pizza boxes out of cardstock. OH! Now, I get it.

So, I look in the gallery and start seeing all these TOTALLY adorable boxes. Then I call Scott to discuss details for Colin's birthday party on Oct. 18th.

After I hang up, I look at more boxes and get a lightbulb moment...pizza...boxes...YES! A pizza box party invitation! So I call Scott back and get WAY over excited about this idea that I have to go out and buy those disgusting gummy pizza things and include those IN the pizza box!

I picked up Jonathan from the bus and we hit the dollar store (no luck) and then the mall (SCORE!) in search of the aforementioned disgusting gummy pizzas.

We came back home and then I made these:

I constructed the pizza boxes and adhered the orange DSP to the lid. I printed the "It's a party and you're invited" on the computer on Whisper White and then trimmed that to 3 1/2" square. DS helped me by sponging on Old Olive around the white square. I stamped on the Haunted House (clear acrylic stamp by Imaginisce) and coloured it in with markers and coloured pencils.

I stamped the "EEK!" spider and punched it out with the small tag punch and DS sponged on some Old Olive again. Then, it was mounted on a piece of black cardstock that I punched with the large tag punch.

I punched a hole through the tag and attached the ribbon. The tag was mounted on dimensionals.

STAMPS: Imaginisce and another SU set that I can't remember the name of
CARDSTOCK: Bazzill/Chatterbox Dark Olive, Whisper White
INK: Old Olive, Black Versafine
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Markers, Colouring pencils

And so now DS has his party invitations and I had a blast making them with him - WOOT!

Thanks for stopping by!

Of Generosity and Tee Grabs

2008-10-06T09:07:00.012-04:00

This:

is Adriano Belli. He plays Defensive Tackle for the Toronto Argonauts...and he can sing! He sang the national anthem at the Argos game we attended on Friday night. We played the BC Lions...and we lost...but that doesn't matter.

Adriano gives back to the community by hosting kids from the Hospital for Sick Children in his suite. After the game, he has been known to take the boys on tours of the Argos locker room (no girls allowed). We weren't in the suite this time, but we did get to hit the field...at least Jonathan did!

At the end of August, Jonathan was invited to do the "tee grab" after the opening kick off the game. Unfortunately, things did not go in our favour, there was an "incident" and his five minutes of fame were not to be. So, when Caroline from the Sick Kids Foundation called last week and invited us to go again, we were thrilled.

We made sure we were at the SkyDome in PLENTY of time and got to enjoy some "on field" time before the game started. Jonathan practiced his football stance (with his brother Colin standing by):

These:

are the Argos Cheerleaders...or more precisely their butts. I was a cheerleader once...I am SO not anymore. Guess who took THAT shot???

This:

is Mike Vanderjagt. He's the one who initiated the "tee grab" idea. Thanks to him, Jonathan (and other kids on various home game days) was able to participate in the game.

We listened to Adriano sing the national anthem:

and after the kick off, Jonathan got to run out onto the field with the equipment manager and grab the tee. He did a GREAT job! Even Penny from the Foundation said she had never seen anyone run SO fast!

On his way back to the sideline, Jonathan even had time to give the equipment manager a "high five".

Check out this smile:

After Jonathan was done his job, we were escorted to our seats where we got to enjoy the rest of the game.

The last time we attended a game, it wasn't much to watch as the Alouettes pretty much wiped up the field with our Argos and beat us 32-14. This game against the Lions was quite a bit more interesting to watch. Besides...I'm really a closet BC Lions fan...but don't tell anyone!

After the game, we again went down to field level, where Adriano came out and signed autographs for the kids. Colin had one of his Sick Kids shirts signed and Adriano also drew and arrow up towards his face and wrote "STUD" on his shirt - which pleased Colin to no end.

Which brings me to this:

It's definitely one of my more simple cards, but because it's going to Adriano, I didn't want it to be all frilly and girly like.

I stamped the sentiment and the main image on Very Vanilla sponged with Cranberry Crisp. They main image and sentiment were then mounted on pieces of Buckaroo Blue before being adhered to the card front. The main image was mounted on dimensionals.

STAMPS: Sketch an Event, Many Thanks
CARDSTOCK: Very Vanilla, Buckaroo Blue, Cranberry Crisp
INK: Cranberry Crisp

Thanks for stopping by!

Update on the Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-03T16:30:00.003-04:00

Michael was thrilled and he remembered that I would have them for him today (SO sweet!) and all the other kids loved them too and wanted to eat them right away but were all told they had to wait till after lunch.

I found out from Michael's mom (her name is Suzie, BTW) that Toopi and Binoo were going to be at Sherway Gardens today (nearby mall), so Jonathan and I headed out for that as soon as I picked him up from the bus stop.

When we got to Sherway Gardens, we were walking to the food court and who should we spy but MARKUS! HOW COOL and what a NICE surprise!

We enjoyed the show and Jonathan got to hang out with Olivia and Michael which was nice. I didn't have my camera, so no pics...but as Scott pointed out, "Don't you have enough pictures of Markus?"

Ummm...yeah...I guess I do - LOL!

We're off to the Argos football game...we're playing the BC Lions, so we'll probably lose.

Thanks for stopping by!

YUM YUM Chocolate Chip Cookie Treats

2008-10-03T10:39:00.003-04:00

There's a little guy at the bus stop who's name is Michael. He is the most ADORABLE thing on two legs (after my own children, of course) and ALWAYS brings sunshine to my day. I think he's about 2 1/2 or 3, but he talks like he's 5. Such a big vocabulary for such a little boy.

While I am waiting for Jonathan, he waits with his mom to pick up his sister Olivia...and we chat.

The other day, he was telling me about his weekend and I was telling him about mine and about the new cookbook I bought at Word on the Street. I told him that I would be making chocolate chip cookies this week and asked him (while trying to look at his mom at the same time) if he would like some. He was VERY enthusiastic (and mom nodded yes).

On Wednesday, I made chocolate chip cookies. You can find the recipe here at the Pioneer Woman. They are REALLY yummy...though a bit crispy for my taste. Side note: If anyone has a yummy CHEWY chocolate chip cookie recipe, PLEASE send it my way...I've been searching for YEARS!

Yesterday, I made some bag toppers to go on the bags that hold the cookies. The finished packaging looks like this:

I'm going to deliver the cookies to Jonathan's friends today when I pick him up at the bus stop. Of course, I couldn't just make a package for Michael, because I didn't want the other kids to feel left out. So, there's a package for Michael, Olivia, Marco, Jonathan (of course), Michael and Olivia's mom (don't know her name) and Zarita (the boys' godmother).

I stamped the "YUM YUM" in Chocolate Chip (how appropriate - LOL!) on Very Vanilla and punched it out with the small tag punch. I then punched out a piece of Chocolate Chip with the large tag punch and mounted the Very Vanilla tag to it.

The bag topper is a 4 1/4" piece of Buckaroo Blue folded in half to which I added a 4 " X 1 7/8" piece of Winter DSP from the Four Seasons Paper Pack.

I punched a whole through the matted tag set and threaded a piece of "faux" Chocolate Chip ribbon (I say "faux" because the ribbon is from a different source than Stampin' Up, but it matches almost perfectly) through it and then tied it around the folded bag topper.

The chocolate chip cookies were added to the bag and the topper was stapled with two blue staples...and voilà! Treats!

STAMPS: I'll have to check...I don't remember - LOL!
CARDSTOCK: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Buckaroo Blue
DSP: Winter from the Four Seasons Pack
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Staples, Bags

Thanks for stopping by!

SIGH That's better!

2008-10-02T19:09:00.003-04:00

So this morning, Scott asks me, "Are you going out today honey?" He added "honey" on there, so I KNOW he wants me to do something for him. I tell him, "Yes, I have to go out...I'm going out to the big WalMart (we just got a Super WalMart nearby) to get some cheese. Do you need me to do something for you?"

"Yes, so and so is going on maternity leave and we collected money for a gift card. Can you go to Babies R Us and pick one up?"

"There's $55 here. Should I get a $50 gift card and charge you $5 for making a card?" (only half joking)

"No, we already have a card." (me: insulted!)

So...off I go to run my errands with little man in tow. We hit the library, Babies R Us and the Big WalMart.

Then I had to come home and do SOMETHING. I just couldn't deal with this whole "store bought card" thing. So I came up with this:

I made a gift card holder as well as 6 thank you cards and matching envies that mom can use once the baby is born.

I used the "Sketch an Event" stamp set for the rattle image. It was stamped on Very Vanilla in Buckaroo Blue (I know it looks darker than that in the pic). I then sponged around the Very Vanilla Circles in Buckaroo Blue and mounted them on a circle of Buckaroo Blue.

The gift card holder is a piece of 4 1/4" X 7" of Buckaroo Blue folded to hold the gift card. I used pieces of the Four Seasons DSP to accent the gift card holder.

The envies were custom made to fit the 3" X 3" cards.

STAMPS: Sketch an Event
CARDSTOCK: Very Vanilla and Buckaroo Blue
DSP: Four Seasons
INK: Buckaroo Blue
ACCESSORIES: Cream Coloured Twill

Thanks for stopping by!

Battling a NASTY cold - UGH!

2008-10-02T11:26:00.002-04:00

So...it started on Sunday with a bit of a tickle in my throat. I gargled with salt water. Problem solved, right? NOT!

On Monday it started...congestion - ICK! By Tuesday, I was having to take drugs for it (Tylenol cold day AND night) and had entered what I call the "shoot me now" stage of the cold. Not good.

Yesterday was a fairly good day...the congestion had left my head and I could actually function. But then yesterday afternoon, the whole thing went "upper respiratory".

So now, I'm coughing and hacking my way through the day...it's nuts! Not like I have time to be sick for heaven's sake!

On another note, Jonathan was asked to go to the "tee grab" at the Argo's game tomorrow night. We had an opportunity near the end of August, but unfortunately there was an "incident" (read: I dropped Jonathan on his head when I tripped while carrying him) and he wasn't able to go on to the field. So, we're trying again this Friday.

On a creative note, Saturday is world card making day, so I hope to have LOTS of goodies to share with you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Word...

2008-09-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

...on the street that is!

We had a GREAT time today!

We headed out just before 10 a.m., which was a good thing, because as we approached downtown, we began to see traffic...lots and LOTS of traffic...and blocked exits...ALL the ones we could have taken to reach our destination.

So...here's what we did...

We had to go ALL THE WAY to the end of the Gardiner, turned left on Carlaw and then left on Eastern again. Eastern became Front Street at which point we followed it along to Yonge and turned right. We had to go up Yonge quite a way before we found a spot where we could actually CROSS Bay Street. Lo and behold, our chance appeared (coincidentally) at Elm. We turned on Elm so we could park at the Hospital for Sick Children. On Sundays the parking is CHEAP ($6.50) and all the money goes to research at the hospital...so it's a win-win situation. (edit: the money from the parking goes to research at the hospital every day...not just Sunday - OOPS!)

It took us about an hour and a quarter to get downtown...it didn't even take me that long when we went down for Jonathan's photo shoot on Thursday and we were driving in rush hour traffic - YIKES!

So, we parked the car and headed out of the hospital...all the while giving Lauren's friend Heather the equivalent of a "tour" as she had never been there before.

We walked up University Ave. from the hospital to Queen's Park, pointing out all the hospitals that were there: Mount Sinai (where Jonathan was born), Toronto General (where Lauren and Jonathan will go once they are 18) and Princess Margaret. We also pointed out where I went for my bi-weekly appointments with the high risk OB's near Mount Sinai. Scott remembered pushing me along the under ground tunnels between Mount Sinai and Sick Kids...there are a LOT of memories in downtown Toronto!

We all just love going to Word on the Street! Scott and I like to people watch and see which bargains there are to be had...the kids are all about trying to see how much money they can get us to spend.

The boys (Scott included) got some graphic novels, Lauren got herself some chick magazines and a book on Pirates and I got a new cookbook - WOOHOO! Heather picked up a couple of books too.

Just before we were done for the day, Scott and Colin stopped in one last time at a booth where Colin wanted a Star Wars Clone Wars graphic novel and Scott looked at some other things too.

As Scott was browsing, I snapped this:

I just LOVE that they all like to read!

Then we headed back towards the hospital. We wanted to get some coffee (Starbucks) and found one with a patio outside of Toronto General Hospital. So, we all enjoyed some drinks and snacks and on our way back to the car, I spied this:

and had to snap a pic!

Hope you all had a stellar day! Thanks for stopping by!

Did I tell you about Sing Star???

2008-09-27T20:52:00.000-04:00

It's a game for the PS3 system that we have. The kids LOVE it! It's like a karaoke machine that plays on your TV - kinda cool!

The disc comes with songs on it and then you can go to the Sing Store and buy more. Scott and I quite like Billy Joel, so we bought some of those to play. Funny enough, the kids have really taken to his songs too. That's good, because if I have to listen to "Mr. Brightside" one more time...things might not be so "bright" - UGH!

One of Jonathan's favourite songs is "Uptown Girl". And this:

is Jonathan's "Uptown Girl".

Heather is Lauren's best friend/non-biological sister. If one of the girls isn't at the others house, then something is wrong.

Heather came to sleep over today as we are going to Word on the Street tomorrow. Jonathan was VERY excited to be seeing his "Uptown Girl" - so stinkin' cute!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh So Lovely Thank You

2008-09-27T16:31:00.002-04:00

YIKES! Can't believe I haven't posted a thing since Wednesday...how bad is THAT???

On Thursday over at SCS, the challenge is "Ways to Use It". I love this challenge, because more often than not, it sends me into my stash of goodies and I use up stuff I forgot I had (too much stuff maybe???).

This week the challenge was to use charms. I decided that a belt buckle counted and went to work with that...at which point DD reminded me that I used to put buckles on EVERYTHING at one point in my scrapbooking journey. She's right! People would ask me, "This needs something...but I don't quite know what." My answer was almost ALWAYS, "It needs a buckle!"

So, armed with my buckles, my "Oh So Lovely" and "Stem Silhouettes" sets, I set to work.

The base card is a Creative Cafe card from a set. The next layer is a 5" X 3 3/4" pieces of sponged and ticket punched Soft Sky cardstock. On top of that is a piece of Soft Sky DSP and Whisper White cardstock on which I stamped my main image. Both pieces were, of course, sponged and ticket punched.

I threaded the white ribbon with the buckle and used glue dots to adhere it and wrap it around the white cardstock.

The sentiment at the bottom (as well as one stamped inside) was stamped using the sentiment stamps from the "Stem Silhouettes" set coloured with a teal marker.

STAMPS: Oh So Lovely, Stem Silhouettes
CARDSTOCK: Soft Sky, Whisper White
DSP: Soft Sky
INK: Soft Sky
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Buckle

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry and Bright

2008-09-24T15:00:00.007-04:00

First, a funny story (out of the mouths of babes)

Yesterday was Tuesday...Jonathan had cooking school...he takes cooking lessons at Loblaws, which means that we inevitably do some grocery shopping after class. I don't mind that...it works out, since the Loblaws that was near our house is now a "SUPERSTORE" and they don't carry the specials as Loblaws does - kind of annoying. But I digress...

Jonathan uses the flushable wipes when he goes to the bathroom. Over the weekend, he ran out, so we needed more of those. Over the weekend, I also ran out of baby wipes. No...we don't have any babies in the house, but I use baby wipes to clean my stamps when I'm done using them.

Before Jonathan was potty train (not long before) we had been to Costco to buy a MEGA box of wipes...I JUST used the last of them and he's been trained since just after he turned 3 years old. Yep! The box was THAT big!

All that to say that I needed more baby wipes...we're in the wipe aisle picking his flushable wipes and I say, "Oh wait! Mommy needs some wipes so I can stamp. I ran out and I need them because I WANT to stamp." Jonathan says (without missing a beat), "NO Mommy! You NEED to stamp!" I stopped the cart to give him a hug and a kiss right there! How much do I love that kid? SO CUTE!

So...today I stamped - WOOHOO!!! I missed it yesterday...

On Monday, our challenge was to create a book mark...but not just a regular rectangular bookmark...we were to create that would fit over the corner of a page. I started it, but didn't finish it.

Today, our challenge was a sketch. I LOVE the sketch challenges, because they always give you a great jumping off point...especially if your MOJO has left you hanging the day before - UGH!

I decided to incorporate my bookmark in with the card, so that you could give the card and a small "gift" at the same time.

This is what I came up with:

I think it would make a great Christmas card for someone who is an avid reader.

STAMPS: Merry and Bright
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Buckaroo Blue
PAPER: Four Seasons DSP
INK: Buckaroo Blue
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon

The base of the 5 X 7 card is Buckaroo Blue (in Colour '07) which I sponged in the same ink colour. The next layer is a 4 3/4" X 6 3/4" piece of Whisper White also sponged in Buckaroo Blue. The next three layers are 4" X 4" pieces of cardstock and DSP all sponged in Buckaroo Blue.

The images were stamped in Buckaroo Blue on Whisper White and then mounted on Buckaroo Blue mats.

The bookmark is tucked behind the piece of Whisper White so the whole card will fit in a 5 1/4" X 7 1/4" envelope.

My next goal is to work on yesterday's colour combination challenge...sort of...'cause I don't have the EXACT colours...

Thanks for stopping by!

It's busy around here!

2008-09-23T09:33:00.003-04:00

I started working on my bookmark yesterday and it's about 1/2 constructed - LOL!

I wanted to attach it to a card so that there would be a small "gift" with the card, but that is only 1/2 way done too - UGH!

Since I already had out my Buckaroo Blue and Four Seasons DSP out, I decided to use that...so far so good...just not done!

In other news, the school routine seems to be really sinking in, which is GOOD! I've even got Colin making his bed every day without having to bug him...too much. Jonathan springs out of bed in the morning and makes his bed before he even leaves the room.

So far, there hasn't been any rushing around in the morning...the kids know they have to be ready to walk out the door with teeth brushed, dressed to shoes, lunch made and back packs ready before they can have any electronic privileges. That seems to be working out well too!

That's about it for now...life is good...though a little hectic sometimes, but definitely GOOD!

I need to get some chores done and then just MAY have time to stamp a bit before it's time to pick Jonathan up at the bus stop and head off to cooking school. Hoping to have something to share with you later.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ready to Fly!

2008-09-22T08:56:00.006-04:00

No...we're not going anywhere (POUT!)...I just made this card yesterday and decided that "Ready to Fly" was a good title for it.

Every Sunday at SCS, the challenge is "Featured Stamper". The challenge hostess picks a stamper and we get to go into her gallery, check out all her cool stuff and then pick a card to CASE (that's Copy and Steal Everything). The rules state that you have to change at least two things about the card. Our Featured Stamper this week is Shannon. I had SO much fun looking at her gallery!

Here's what I came up with:

I changed the main image and used a second image instead of an embellishment. I also used different DSP and different coloured cardstock. I REALLY liked the layout of the card, so I kept that...and can even see me making more with this same layout - SUPER easy!

The images were stamped on Whisper White and then cut out using my coluzzle. The mats for the images were also cut using my coluzzle. The small camera image was popped up on dimensionals. The card base is 4 3/4" square. The next layer is 4 1/2" square and the top layer of DSP is 4 1/4" square cut and then one piece was flipped - gotta love double sided DSP! Inside, I stamped "Are we There Yet?" I think this card would be just perfect for someone going away (especially in winter since I used the winter DSP from the four seasons pack).

I sponged all the elements with Buckaroo Blue...just 'cause I could...I've been on a sponging kick lately - LOL!

I have some 5" square envies, so the card which is 4 3/4" square will fit nicely in those.

STAMPS: Travel Time
DSP: Four Seasons
Cardstock: Whisper White, Buckaroo Blue
Ink: Buckaroo Blue

Today's Challenge is try a new technique and we're making a different kind of bookmark. Can't wait to play with that...but first, there are chores to do!

Hope you have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Crisp Happy Holidays

2008-09-21T17:58:00.003-04:00

I was looking for a project today (one I knew I had somewhere on my computer) and ended up over at Andrea Walford's blog and came across a neat little project for some Christmas tags.

I spent the afternoon creating and made 5 sets - WOOHOO! They'll make great gifts!

First I stamped the images on Whisper White cardstock then punched them out with my 1 3/8" punch. I then stamped off the "to and from" so it wouldn't be so strong and stamped it on top of the image. Then I used my Quickutz Revolution to cut out the mat for the image from Cranberry Crisp.

The package is a small cello bag stuck to True Thyme and topped with a scalloped piece of Cranberry Crisp and the "Happy Holidays" sentiment.

All the items were lined with a gold leaf pen.

Later on I hope to participate in the Featured Stamper challenge over at SCS. I have my sketch ready to go...so it'll probably be an "after the kids go to bed" project.

Hope everyone had a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Chocolate Sky Thank You

2008-09-20T15:52:00.003-04:00

This one was done for the Inspiration Challenge and also for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. I took my inspiration from the colours in the "Mondo Dishes" photos.

Stamps: Oh So Lovely
Cardstock: Whisper White, Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

More stamping goodies!

2008-09-20T12:25:00.006-04:00

I was having so much fun stamping yesterday, that I just kept going! Till after 11 p.m. - YIKES!

Then DH and I played Sing Star for a bit and since it was after midnight, I checked out the inspiration piece for today's Inspiration Challenge over at SCS.

So yesterday's challenge was the Limited Supply Challenge. You have to make a card using only the supplies the challenger decides upon. Yesterday's challenge was called "White Out" and we were meant to make a SIMPLE card using white as the main colour. Very Vanilla was an option too.

Well, I made Frankie, but when I re-read the instructions, I realized that I shouldn't have used orange to colour his shirt (we were only allowed ONE extra colour other than white and black or another neutral) and that I shouldn't have used green to sponge the white cardstock.

So...I went back to the drawing board after making the card that I did for Scott and came up with these:

The card base is 4 X 4 Very Vanilla, the next layer is 3 1/2 X 3 1/2 Chocolate Chip and the top layer is 3 X 3 ticket punched piece of Purely Pomegranate. The image is stamped in Purely Pomegranate on a 2 X 2 ticket punched piece of Very Vanilla. There is a sentiment inside that says, "from the bottom of my heart".

Stamps: A Light Heart
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Brads

I made this using the Free Standing Pop Up tutorial that I used yesterday to make the pop up card for Scott.

The panel on the front of the pop up is a 1/2" piece of Very Vanilla stamped in Purely Pomegranate and matted on the same, then attached to the Chocolate Chip base.

The pop up part is the same Very Vanilla stamped with Purely Pomegranate and matted on the same and then matted again on Chocolate Chip.

I added an eyelet and ribbon at the top.

Stamps: A Light Heart
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Eyelet, Ribbon

Then, since I was on a roll and still enjoying using white, I made some of these:

They didn't qualify for the challenge (because of the yellow and red), but I had fun making them! The size of this card is 3 X 6 - a fun little size!

I stamped the main image on a piece of 2 1/4 X 5 1/4 piece of ticket punched Whisper White cardstock and then coloured in the star and balls on the tree using my Ident-a-Pen from American Crafts. The white was mounted on a piece of 2 1/2 X 5 1/2 piece of ticket punched Wild Wasabi before being mounted on the card face.

Stamps: Sidekick Sayings
Cardstock: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Ribbon, Markers

I'm off to play a game of Dora the Explorer Candy Land with Jonathan, then I'm going to attempt the Inspiration Challenge which I'll like use with Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge and kill two birds with one stone.

Hope you have a great day/weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Purely Rose Love You

2008-09-19T18:12:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure how long this stamping bug will last, but while it's here, I'm going to go with it!

I made this for DH, so while it's pink, I tried to keep it somewhat masculine by not over embellishing. He's crazy busy at work right now, so I know he won't see this before I get home.

I used colouring pencils and Gamsol to colour in Mr. Elephant and used my Tombo markers to colour in the flower hearts and grass. The image was stamped on Whisper White and was then mounted on Purely Pomegranate and the card base is also made from the same cardstock The ribbon tab and ribbon around the base is Regal Rose.

Stamps: Happy Heart Day
Cardstock: Whisper White and Purely Pomegranate
Ink: Going Grey
Technique: Free Standing Pop Up Card

Thanks for stopping by!

Jonathan's Journey Part II

2008-09-19T12:40:00.001-04:00

At about 5:30 p.m., we were in Dr. Hornberger’s office getting the diagnosis. I thought my heart would break. She told us Jonathan had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome – a very serious heart condition where the left ventricle doesn't develop properly. We were given four options. The first was to terminate the pregnancy – something that we never even considered. The second was compassionate care – Jonathan would be born and made comfortable, but nothing would be done. The doctors would just make sure that he wasn't in any pain until he passed away. That thought just broke our hearts. Our third option was a three stage surgery – the first to be completed only days after Jonathan was born, the second when he was about 6 months old and the third at some point after second birthday. The final option was heart transplant. Because of the small number of infant hearts available, this option was not recommended.

We chose to go with the three stage surgery. Dr. Hornberger explained what would be done with each surgery and we were confident that Jonathan would be just fine (at least Scott was, I was just VERY worried!)

We were told that Jonathan would be delivered at Mount Sinai hospital so that he could be transferred to HSC (right across the street) shortly after he were born.

I began bi-weekly treks downtown to Mount Sinai for ultrasounds (I got to see Jonathan often!) and check ups with a pair of new obstetricians. Dr. Ryan and Dr. Seaward were very patient with me and answered all of my questions

Just before Christmas, Jonathan gave us a bit of a scare, and I thought for sure he would come early. We headed down to Mount Sinai so I could get checked out. They hooked me up to some monitors so they could check on Jonathan. It turns out that he just wanted to make sure we were paying attention and was letting us know that I needed to take a bit of a break and slow down.

Scott and I met with pediatricians, neonatologists and lots of other important people to ensure that Jonathan would be safe when he was born. We were told that we might not be able to see him right after his birth, because he might need to be ventilated in order to help him breathe.

After visiting the Special Pregnancy Clinic at Mount Sinai for four months, we found out when Jonathan's cardiologist would be on call and scheduled his birth for January 21^st, 2003. I waited for a call from Dr. Seaward's nurse Christine and she said Jonathan would be born around 1 p.m. on that date.

"Frightening Frankie"

2008-09-19T11:23:00.003-04:00

So I found these images from the Stampin' Up "Best Friends" collection that I stamped LAST YEAR while I was visiting with Crystal as I was sorting through some supplies last night (can you say "too much stuff"?) and decided to play around with my buddy "Frankie" since we're coming up on Halloween.

I was cackling to myself (yes, SERIOUSLY) as I was colouring him in, because I was having so much fun and he was just so darn cute!

I'll take Frankie to the hospital when we go for appointments at the end of October. I sell cards to the nurses and doctors at the Hospital for Sick Children and then donate the proceeds to the Sick Kids Foundation. It's one of the ways that I give back to the hospital.

Stamps: Best Friends (main image), Michael's $1 bin (sentiment)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Bazzill/Chatterbox Dark Black
Accessories: Ribbon and Ric Rac
Punches: Ticket Corner Punch

I promise to have more of Jonathan's Journey up soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamping Mojo is BACK!

2008-09-18T18:30:00.003-04:00

I've been doing quite a bit of stamping lately and it's been WONDERFUL!

I did the challenge over at SplitCoast Stampers today which was to use a silhouette stamp. I also used the faux embossing technique which was another challenge.

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi and Whisper White
Stamps: Penny Black Image and Warmest Regards Sentiment
Ink: White Staz-On and Wild Wasabi
From my Stash: Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Wild Wasabi Christmas

2008-09-18T12:42:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was the Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoast Stampers. The sketch was GREAT for using up all those leftover scraps of paper - WOOHOO!

I already had some stamps out for the "Leaving on a Jet Plane" gift card holder that I made, but they didn't really fit with the size of the image panel, so I needed something different. I spied my 6 X 6 DSP pack and KNEW I had scraps in that, so off I went with it. When I saw the Rose Red, I decided to pair it with Wild Wasabi and use a Christmas stamp.

I really liked how it turned out!

Cardstock: Whisper White and Wild Wasabi
DSP: Rose Red
Ink: Rose Red and Wild Wasabi
Stamp Set: Season of Joy

Thanks for stopping by!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2008-09-17T11:22:00.005-04:00

Jonathan and Colin's godmother is going over seas to visit her mom in Portugal.

As some of you may have gathered, I spend quite a bit of time in airports and I KNOW there is nothing more annoying than having to fish around for change to buy a coffee or a muffin. And it becomes even more annoying if your flight is delayed for whatever reason.

So, as a little pick me up for her (because she has done SO MUCH for us), I bought her a Starbucks Card and made her a little card holder in which to put it.

On the inside flap (the part that folds up to hold the card) I stamped "Are we there yet?"

I'm just rediscovering this set (Travel Time), so may have to play with it a little later on.

Cardstock: Bazzill (Chatterbox coordinate) and Whisper White
DSP: From a Simply Scrappin' Kit (I think birthday but can't remember for sure)
Ink: Old Olive
Ribbon: From my stash

I'll let you know what she thinks when I come back from picking up Jonathan at the bus...and I'll share some more of Jonathan's story too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jonathan's Story

2008-09-16T17:17:00.003-04:00

It all started with a routine ultrasound on Sept. 12th, 2002. I was just past 18 weeks along and went for my ultrasound before hopping on a plane to Nova Scotia to help celebrate my uncle's retirement/birthday. I had a GREAT time while I was there.

On Monday, Sept. 16th, I got a call from my obstetrician while I was downstairs at the bus stop picking up Colin after school. By the time I got back upstairs, the office was closed.

On Tuesday morning, after dropping Colin off at the bus stop, I came back upstairs to call the OB office and before I had a chance to pick up the phone, they called me. I was told that the technician who did my ultrasound had been unable to get a clear picture of all four chambers and that I had an appointment at Sick Kids the following afternoon.

The first thought through my head was, "Not again." Jonathan's big sister Lauren has a heart condition too and we were told that the odds of having another child with a heart condition were pretty slim and that IF we did, it would likely be another girl. Right.

Nothing at Sick Kids moves as fast as we got our appointment unless it's serious, so I already knew we were in for a ride.

Scott and I arrived at the hospital for our 2:45 p.m. appt. on Sept. 18th. There were other fetal echos ahead of us so we weren't seen until almost 4 p.m. Having seen my fair share of echos with Lauren, I knew as soon as the technician made the first the pass over the heart that something was VERY wrong. Our fears were confirmed when the echo was done and we met with the cardiologist...

If Mom cries it has more impact, right?

2008-09-15T16:16:00.012-04:00

Not that I planned it that way, but that's the way it went down.

Check out these two pictures:

Can you see something
missing here? What the heck happened?

True, I didn't write a speech...I was asked to tell Jonathan's story. And seriously, how many times have I done that? I didn't need a "speech", I know the story off by heart. The thing is, you would think after telling it hundreds of times, that I should be able to get through it without totally breaking down.

Apparently, that is not the case.

I got as far as, "Jonathan was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which means that his left ventricle wasn't developed. We found out when I was 19 weeks pregnant. I thank God every day for Sick Kids because just a few hours after he was born..."

I tried to keep going...couldn't do it. It's a good thing Scott was able to join us because he got pushed in front of the microphone to finish telling Jonathan's story. And he wasn't ready for it either because I was supposed to be doing all the talking!

I saw these things, these globes, in the airport when I took the kids to Nova Scotia before Scott and I went to Las Vegas at the end of July. The kids were the first ones to notice the Childrens Miracle Network logo at the base. I read what was written on the globe and we figured out that all the money collected would be donated to the Childrens Miracle Network to be used locally by childrens hospitals - in this case, the Hospital for Sick Children.

When Caroline called from the Sick Kids Foundation last week to ask if we would be interested in attending this event as the Sick Kids Family, I had to say yes. The Hospital for Sick Children has given us SO MUCH in the past almost 14 years since we became parents that every opportunity we have to give back is a blessing. We don't have thousands of dollars to donate so we donate our time and our stories.

Stories of the families we meet, stories of the friends we've made, stories of the amazing doctors and nurses who save lives on a daily basis. Today we gave back.

If you have children, granchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends who have children...if you work with children, see children in your neighbourhood, see children at your church...I can tell you with 100% certainty that your life WILL be affected at some point by a childrens hospital. It may not be today, tomorrow or even next week or next year, but it will happen.

And because of that, these hospitals need all the help they can get in doing research that will save lives. Did you know that it was a doctor at the hospital for Sick Children who discovered that a young child could receive a heart from someone with a different blood type because their immune system was so immature that it would be less likely to reject the heart?

Sick Kids is pioneering new medicine, new research and working towards cures every day. But they can't do it without our help.

So if you're flying somewhere, remember that "EVERY BIT COUNTS" and deposit your change into the coin globes at Terminal 1 in Toronto. When it's Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen, go have that Blizzard (the calories won't count). Keep on giving because they can't do it without us!

Tomorrow, I'll share Jonathan's story. Before I go, I'll leave you with this picture:

That's a cheque for over $5000 dollars. That amount was collected in just a few short weeks when there were only 6 globes at the airport. There are now 10 globes. Imagine the possibilities!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Sunflower

2008-09-14T20:50:00.006-04:00

Back in May (or was it June? - I thought there was blog entry...but maybe not, oh well!), Jonathan planted a few sunflower seeds at Cooking School. We cooked something first, then because it was a spring theme, we planted sunflowers.

Only one of the little seeds grew, so it was a good thing we planted three in that little styrofoam cup. When the seed started to grow, it looked kinda pathetic (poor little thing) and started to bend over as it grew taller. I tried to straighten it out one day and and broke the stem (OOPS!) but the little plant wanted to live! So, we took it to Grandma and Poppa's house, and Poppa planted it in the garden and put some sticks next to the stem to help it stand up straight and see if it would grow bigger.

Lo and behold, it did!

And now, not only is it taller than Jonathan, it's even taller than Scott! How cool is that??? The head hasn't opened yet, so we didn't get to see the pretty sunflower colour. Scott's dad said that when it does, he'll take a pic for us to see. I can't wait!

Just to give you another idea of how big the plant is, here is Jonathan's little hand against one of the leaves:

While we were in Brantford, we celebrated MIL's birthday and I raided her cookbook collection for some new stuff to mess around with...so stay tuned for some possible baking posts this week.

As for tomorrow, Jonathan and I are off to the airport as Air Canada, the GTAA and Sick Kids launch a fund raising initiative. There should be lots of pics of that, so I can't wait!

My flip switch today was again our trip to Santa Monica...yes, I know I have a fixation problem - LOL!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Don't make these...really, don't.

2008-09-12T14:43:00.007-04:00

See these?

Don't make 'em! I found them here at Better Homes and Gardens. I was looking for Scrapbooking and Paper Crafting ideas and got lured into the food and recipes section by the shiny, shiny pictures. Shiny, shiny pictures that kept saying, "click me, click me", so I had to...and then this recipe popped up and said, "You know you want to...c'mon...just go into the kitchen and bake me. It won't take long. See, just look up at the top of the page. See that? Prep time is only 15 minutes. You'll be tasting them in just over a 1/2 hour." So I had to. But you don't...and really...you shouldn't. Because they're evil...and I'm sure they'll go right to your hips...or your thighs...or your behind...or wherever it is you tend to store muffins and such.

However, if you feel that you simply MUST enjoy the deliciousness, here is the recipe. Just don't call me when you need to buy a bigger pair of jeans.

French Breakfast Muffins

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, the 1/2 c. sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
In another bowl beat egg slightly; stir in milk and the 1/3 c. melted butter or margarine. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened (the batter may be lumpy). Lightly grease muffin cups. Fill the cups about 2/3 full with batter. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are golden.
Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl combine the 1/4 c. sugar with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Immediately dip tops of hot muffins in the melted butter or margarine and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Make Ahead Tip:

Bake muffins as directed. Cool completely. Place muffins in freezer container or bags and freeze for up to one month. To reheat, wrap frozen muffins in heavy foil. Heat in a 300 degree F over for 15 to 18 minutes.

Oh! And in case you're checking for a flip switch today, I've chosen the many trips we've taken to Disney World because how could you not just seriously be happy there!!! And yesterday, my flip switch was the trip DH and I took to Santa Monica in 2000. All I need to do is close my eyes and I am there.

Thanks for stopping by!

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

2008-09-11T09:23:00.003-04:00

Have you heard that Alan Jackson song? If not, YouTube it. It's pretty powerful.

So, where were you when the world stopped turning?

I remember my upstairs neighbour calling me to tell me to turn on the TV. And then I watched, in horror, for HOURS as the whole thing unfolded.

I remember calling my DH and telling him and then having him telling me that it had to be a small plane that had flown of course because there must have been something wrong with the pilot. He was SURE there was no way anyone would deliberately fly into the WTC. Then the second plane hit...

I remember watching (because you just couldn't stop) as another plane hit the pentagon and while still a fourth crashed into the ground.

I remember sitting with my mouth hanging open as the WTC towers collapsed.

I remember not realizing that I was crying and somehow being unable to stop.

I remember the quiet eeriness outside in the days following as there were NO planes flying overhead.

I remember...and I will NEVER forget.

Bad people SUCK!

2008-09-10T14:17:00.002-04:00

Someone hacked into my PayPal account DAMN IT!!!!

Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to call PayPal right away as well as my bank. PayPal is looking in to the fraudulent charges and will of course get rid of them. When they're done that I can get the bank to reverse the NSF charges that were placed against my account.

Be vigilant!

Thanks for stopping by!

Law of Attracttion - 1; Cranky Teenaged Daughter - 0

2008-09-10T09:34:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Scott and I had appointments at two different places at the same time. He was a bit early for his, I was a little late for mine, but it all worked out.

We left DD in charge (something we do on a regular basis as she is old enough to handle the responsibility for a couple of hours) and off we went.

Yesterday, I was having a fabulous day - positive energy, happy thoughts, got lots done, the whole nine yards. DD - not so much. She was cranky because there are some kids in her academic math class that should really be in applied math, it was hot...a whole number things. She was just all around miserable.

Colin was having a GREAT day (coming off making cookies with mom) as he was chosen to be a bus patroller for his school. Today he goes for training at the Peel Childrens Safety Village.

So...back to yesterday. Scott and I are in the car on our way to our appointments and not 5 minutes into the drive (I kid you not!), Lauren is on the phone because Colin is freaking out that he can't call Scott if he sees a song he wants to buy in the Sing Store for the PS3 (we got Sing Star last week, but that's a whole other post).

Colin is cranky because he's feeding off Lauren's bossy/cranky mood, which makes Lauren more cranky and so it goes. YIKES!

When I was home and in my good/up mood, Colin was fine. Happy mom, happy kids and so on...except for Lauren who categorically REFUSED to have any kind of positive thought in her head. I even suggested one:

"You're upset because you can't learn in math class because there are kids there who should be in another class. Instead of thinking all the time about how much it sucks that these kids are there, why don't you start thinking that you would really like an environment in which you can learn."

Nope...she was having NONE OF IT! The teacher is supposed to be talking to the board in the next few days to see about moving the kids that are having trouble out of academic math into applied math. If Lauren starts and keeps thinking positive thoughts, I believe that it is more likely to happen (like attracts like). But if she keeps thinking that it sucks, she's just going to get more of the same - a sucky situation.

I've ALREADY seen the effects of the Law of Attraction in my behaviour and in those around me, so I KNOW it's true and that it works...but in her stubborn teenage ways, she refuses to pay attention.

Oh well...I'm just going to keep staying positive and not let her crankiness/negativity affect me...that'll teach her - LOL!

Oh! And if you're wondering what my flip switch is for today, it's the wonderful rainbow DH and I saw on our way home after our appointments yesterday. Too bad I didn't have the camera.

Thanks for stopping by!

I am someone who...

2008-09-09T20:57:00.002-04:00

This was our assignment over the weekend...sorry for the delay in posting the finished product!

Not much else to report on today...

Thanks for stopping by!

As predicted...

2008-09-08T21:02:00.001-04:00

...today's assignment was pretty much a bust because I had such trouble with yesterday's dump list.

On a happy note, my flip switch today was the kick butt dinner I made last night and I had a GREAT day!

I took some me time and walked to the library to drop off some books and then down to the grocery store to pick up dinner (salmon). Not sure if that qualifies as "me time" or not, but it felt great to go out for a walk!

After dinner (which was DELISH once again!), the boys and I made sugar cookies. Quite yummy! We used a recipe that Colin got a from a cooking summer camp class he took this year. We were in need of a different cookie as yesterday we made peanut butter cookies and Colin can't eat those. I think he was feeling left out.

On another happy note...there was NO shouting today. I'm proud of me...especially since having the kids in my kitchen while I'm cooking usually drives me NUTS. Tonight though...we had a GREAT time.

Now, I'm off to play Sing Star with Scott. I'm being serenaded as we speak. I think I need to download some Billy Joel.

Thanks for stopping by!

Flip Switch # 3

2008-09-07T20:45:00.000-04:00

Today's flip switch is the flowers that Scott brings home for "just because". They always make me happy when I get them and even make me happy just thinking of them!

Today our assignment was to write out a "dump list". It's a list that acknowledges that unpleasant things have happened in our lives, but that now it's time for us to let them go...

I had a little trouble with this one. I know what I need to let go but that dang "mama guilt" isn't letting me. So...for right now, the list is pretty short so I need to work on that. Our instructor said that if need be, we should let it sit for a bit. I'm O.K. with that...at least for a few days, then the perfectionist in me will want to get it done so I can keep up with the course. Without the dump list, tomorrow's exercise is going to be near impossible, so that will have to wait too...

I need to get around to scanning my "I am someone who..." layout so I can post it.

Maybe tomorrow...I'm such a procrastinator!

Thanks for stopping by!