Christmas Day

The kids were so spoiled for Christmas.  Santa gave Laurana a Barbie house & Liam a tricycle and a Thomas the Train playhut w/ tunnel.  I made them felt food, got them toy dishes (including a frying pan, rolling pin, and whisk). I made Laurana a red & white tutu, which she loves!  They got too many things to mention & really like everything they got.   I got some cookie sheets, round cake pans, a very nice blender, glue dots, and truffles.  Scott got 3 pr. of jeans, an electric toothbrush, and gift cards to Quiznos & Game Stop.  The kids got many more things than I mentioned.  We make sure to read about Jesus' birth to the kids all throughout the Christmas season, as well.  We want to make sure they understand it is not all about Santa & the gifts they can get.  I didn't get any good pics of Scott's family - they always hid from the camera & no good pics of my mom, step dad, brother or grandpa.  The kids were always in the way, or they were helping the kids get something out of a box.  I will see all of my family again today.  Hoping for better pics.  At least, I got video of them.

My Tiny Dancer

Laurana is the one in all pink.    Isn't she adorable?  I just melt seeing her wear the tutu I made for her. 

Liam's Grover Birthday Party

You know how hard it is to get a good picture of a 2 yr. old at his birthday party?  I had a few family members over in our house - all crammed into the living room.  My husband was catching up with his step brother in the kitchen, while I was trying to get pics & help him unwrap.  He unwraps one gifts & just wants to play with it, instead of move on to the next present.   He absolutely loves Grover, so I ordered the hat you see him wearing off of etsy & I got him the Sesame Street play house w/ a Grover & Oscar in addition to Elmo & Big Bird that came with it. He got Elmo books (including a potty book), a Chuck the Talking Truck, a Colts outfit, a tractor w/ cute little animals & a farmer, and money.  He had a blast & would not be still for a single picture.   I made this cake to look like Grover.  He loved it & it was cheaper than buying one from the bakery. 

Gingerbread Houses

We made gingerbread houses w/ marshmallow trees, marshmallow snowmen, candies, graham crackers, & icing.  Scott's & Laurana's held up better than mine & Liam's.  They had more icing & the roof had a long overhang.  Liam was delighted when I told him he could knock it down & eat some of it!

My First Muffin Tin Meal

This is my first muffin tin meal that I blogged about.  Took me out of hiatus!

Muffin Tin Monday - on Wednesday for us!

Stop by this blog to see more Muffin Tin Monday ideas!

The theme this week was Christmas, so I had to do The Night Before Christmas.  My kids really like doing this,

so we will have to continue this!  They squeal w/ delight when I tell them we are doing a muffin tin meal.

Today's meal had the following.
Cottage cheese to resemble the snow
a stocking (piece of buttered bread that I cut into shape sans a cookie cutter)
a reindeer made of a pear half, raisins for eyes, pretzels for antlers, and a dried cranberry for the nose
cherries for Santa's nose & cheeks
marshmallows for Santa's white beard
carrots for the reindeer to eat
rolled up chicken lunch meat for logs in the fireplace
Not pictured is jello for Santa's belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.

I read the book while I prepared it.  They didn't want to wait on the jello to set up to start eating.

Both kids ate on the meat first!  I figured they'd go straight for the marshmallows!

I am going to do another muffin tin meal this weekend to talk about Jesus.  I thought that would be harder to come up with food ideas, based on what I had in my kitchen.

Merry Christmas!  Jesus is the reason for this season!!

Menu Plan Monday

Week starting 10/19:
I am now on a diet, so my menus listed will be for the family.  I will cook up extra chicken for myself to eat, since I can only eat beef twice per week.  I have lost about 10 lbs. in a week (at time I prepared this post in advance).   My husband is off work 3 days per week, so I include lunch & dinner for those days.  The other day's lunches are usually leftovers or PB sandwiches for kids and a salad w/ chicken for me.

Mon.-  Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

Tues. -  Turkey Meatloaf

Wed. - Lamb
Thurs. - pizza

Fri. -  Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: meatballs

Sat. -  Lunch:  Family Gathering - taking something I can have and probably a cake or something (have a cake mix  DH doesn't like, so I need to get rid of it).
Dinner: Might go to a fall party, so not sure

Sunday- Lunch: CP BBQ chicken sandwiches, mashed potatoes, broccoli
Dinner: grilled cheese sandwiches

Sour Cream Containers

I made these sour cream containers for party favors for my friend's daughter's baby shower.  I love this display stand.  I seemed a little small for a standard small cake, but I think it is meant to use for a cake. 
These favors are super easy to make.  I used scraps for the stamped "thank you" and the scalloped circles and I only needed two pieces of patterned paper for 18 favors.

Look at that face!  He is so adorable and loving his hat I bought for only $1.

The kids are sharing a little rocking chair and watching a cartoon together.  I love this pic!  Taken about a month ago.

Homeschool Ideas

I found some cute homeschool ideas.  I need to get busy with my daugther, since she will be in kindergarten in under a year.  I do hope to homeschool and don't really know how to do it all.  I'm glad that I have found some blogs with ideas that I can at least use now.  I think I will start a little preschool session for her (and maybe my son will learn a little bit, too).  Check out Homeschool Creations and  Confessions of a Homeschooler.  They both have wonderful ideas.  I poked around on a few more that I found from these two.  I love the alphabet crafts - like turning a felt or construction paper "D" into a dinosaur.  Very cute!

Tiny Dancers

I didn't look blurry on my camera or my uploaded pics to my computer.  However, it looks blurry here.  This is of my sweet Laurana w/ her ballet friend, Lilly.  Aren't they so cute?

Blogging for Dummies

My blog needs help.  I know I don't post often enough, but the fact that I have one follower, could be why.  I feel that one two are reading this.  Maybe more are looking, but I haven't even had a comment since April.  I know I'm guilty of looking and not commenting, sometimes, too.  I tried a cute template and got it on my blog, then I went to my friend's blog and she just changed hers in the last 24 hrs. to the same template!  So, I finally figured out how to get it off, picked a new one, and it won't let me add it.  Did I disable that somehow?   Also, I have no idea how to shrink my width.  My text in my posts are going all the way to the right side and the text in my title is all the way to the left.   Dana, or those that look but don't let me know, please help! 

Thanks

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - BBQ ribs
au gratin potatoes
broccoli
Hawaiian dinner rolls

Tuesday - Crockpot Pizza
peas

Wednesday - Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast using Homemade Gourmet
carrots
green beans
Hawaiian dinner rolls

Thursday - Taco Pie
spanish rice
green beans

*Put turkey in fridge, since ours takes awile to let it start thawing. Seriously, my fridge freezes things like lettuce & a pitcher full of water.

Friday - Homemade Ravioli w/ Beef & Spinach Filling
crescent roll

Saturday - going to eat at Octoberfest

Sunday - turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans

I know it is a lot of green beans, but both kids will eat them w/o fussing!

Close to My Heart VS. Stampin’ Up’s Color Comparison

I see this asked so frequently all over the place. I thought I would post the information that I have on it. I have checked. There are a few that are not EXACT matches but for the most part, they would be the same. Hope this helps someone with the confusion of Close to My Heart’s colors and Stampin’ Up’s Colors. Being a CTMH consultant, it’s done from our color palettes.

Spring – Harmony
Amethyst ———Lavender Lace
Baby Pink ——–Pretty in Pink / Blush Blossom
Heavenly Blue —Bliss Blue / Soft Sky
Key Lime ———Gable Green
Sunkiss Yellow —Barely Banana
Taffy ————–Apricot Appeal / So Saffron

Spring – Blossom
Breeze ————-Tempting Turquoise
Kiwi ?
Lilac Mist ———-Almost Amethyst
Orchid Bouquet —Pixie Pink
Pink Carnation —Rose Romance
Spring Iris ——–Lovely Lilac / Bordering Blue

Summer –———Carnival
Clover Meadow —Green Galore
Holiday Red ——-Real Red
Hydrangea ——–Lovely Lilac
Orange ————Only Orange
Star Spangled Blue – Brilliant Blue
Sunny Yellow —–Yo Yo Yellow

Summer – Celebration
Bubblegum ——–Positively Pink
Citrus Leaf ——–Gable Green
Dutch Blue ——–Ballet Blue
Ocean ————-Tempting Turquoise / Taken with Teal
Topiary ————Garden Green
Watermelon ——-Pink Passion

Autumn – Harvest
Autumn Terracotta – Really Rust
Barn Red ————Ruby Red
New England Ivy — Always Artichoke
Outdoor Denim —–Not Quite Navy / Night of Navy
Pansy Purple ——–Eggplant Envy
Sunflower ———–Summer Sun

Autumn – Garden
Garden Green ——Mellow Moss
Goldrush ————More Mustard
Hollyhock ———–Rose Romance
Indian Corn Blue —Ballet Blue
Olive —————-Old Olive
Vineyard Berry —–Purely Pomegranate

Winter – Classic
Buttercup ———–Barely Banana
Cranberry ———-Rose Red
Garnet ————–Bravo Burgundy
Moonstruck ———Brilliant blue
Ponderosa Pine —-Forest Foliage / Handsome Hunter
Smokey Plum ——Perfect plum

Winter – Cozy
Blush —————-Pretty in pink / Regal Rose
Crystal Blue ——–Brocade blue / Bashful Blue
Honey—————-Summer Sun
Sweet Leaf ———-Gable green / Certainly Celery
Twilight—————Blue Bayou
Petal——————Pale Plum

Basic – Antique
Bamboo ————–River Rock
Black —————–Basic black
Desert Sand ———Creamy Caramel
Gray Flannel ———Sahara Sand
Grey Wool ———–Going grey / Basic Gray
White Daisy ———-Whisper White

Basic – Timeless
Brown Bag - ?
Chocolate————-Close to Cocoa
Cocoa —————-Chocolate chip
Colonial White ——-Very Vanilla
Parchment ———–Barely Banana
Vanilla Cream ——-Very Vanilla

Adorable 9x9 page

Sorry for the scan of the page. I didn't know where the cord was to my camera when I did this page. This is using all CTMH items.
"Adorable" is from Daydream My Stickease, cardstock from Daydream package
Whimsy Felt - photo corners, flowers, vine, hearts, etc.
White Daisy cardstock

This page is working w/ what I had, since I'm so new to CTMH and didn't have many products yet. This is of Laurana when she was a fresh from the hospital. Her 0-3 onesie was so big on her!

Close to My Heart Sept. Special & Retiring List

In Celebration of National Stamping Month....in September we are giving you 3 ways to get a FREE Everyday Celebration card kit for making 16 beautiful cards! • Purchase a minimum of $60 in stamp sets** (includes A, B, C, D, and E-size) between August 18–September 30 (CC1006C) • Host a Home Gathering with minimum sales of $400 between September 1–30 • Sign up as a new Consultant between September 1–30 You can also buy as many card kits as you’d like for $39.95 per kit...email me for a flyer and more details.....





Retiring List

Close To My Heart retires products annually and the new list for the products retiring at the end of 2009 has been released. The good thing is this means that Corporate CTMH is making room for NEW STUFF! So be sure to check the list carefully and start moving on your wish list items!
The following items are available while supplies last until they are retired on December 31, 2009.

Z1190 Barn Red 12 x 12 Linen Album
Z1180 Amethyst 12 x 12 Linen Album
Z1181 Heavenly Blue 12 x 12 Linen Album
Z1185 New England Ivy 12 x 12 Linen Album
Z1186 Baby Pink 12 x 12 Linen Album
Z1187 Indian Corn Blue 12 x 12 Linen Album
Z1189 Bamboo 12 x 12 Linen Album
Z1174 Amethyst 9 x 9 Linen Album
Z1175 Indian Corn Blue 9 x 9 Linen Album
Z1176 Cranberry 9 x 9 Linen Album
Z1177 Garden Green 9 x 9 Linen Album
Z1178 Outdoor Denim 9 x 9 Linen Album
Z1202 Hollyhock 9 x 9 Linen Album
Z1168 Amethyst 6 x 6 Linen Album
Z1169 Indian Corn Blue 6 x 6 Linen Album
Z1170 Cranberry 6 x 6 Linen Album
Z1171 Garden Green 6 x 6 Linen Album
Z1172 Outdoor Denim 6 x 6 Linen Album
Z1203 Hollyhock 6 x 6 Linen Album
z1133 White Daisy Ricrac
x287 Square Metal-Rimmed Tags
Z825 Clear Inspirations Friendship Dangles
Z1083 Amethyst Waxy Flax
Z1084 Olive Waxy Flax
z820 Window Charms Squares
z817 Just Blooms Autumn Daisy
z818 Just Blooms Sunflower
Z1304 Just Blooms Autumn Leaves
z4128 Foundry Frames
z4129 Foundry Plates
z1010 Colored Staples
1757 Eyelet Kit
z330 Eyelet Setterz331 Eyelet Mat
z336 Exchangeable Head/hole punch
z135 Baby Pink Eyelets
Z136 Heavenly Blue Eyelets
Z149 Garden Green Eyelets
Z150 Autumn Terracotta Eyelets
Z151 Outdoor Denim Eyelets
Z153 Indian Corn Blue Eyelets
Z157 Cranberry Eyelets
Z159 Buttercup Eyelets
Z165 New England Ivy Eyelets
Z168 White Daisy Eyelets
Z169 Black Eyelets
Z171 Pewter Eyelets
Z179 Chocolate Eyelets
Z182 Bamboo Eyelets
Z1051 Bitty Brads
Z1137 Spring Harmony Brads
Z1110 Spring Blossom Brads
Z1111 Summer Carnival Brads
Z1112 Autumn Harvest Brads
Z1113 Winter Cozy Brads
Z1040 Antiqued Copper Brads
Z1107 Black Brads
Z1108 Chocolate Brads
Z1106 Colonial White Brads
Z1109 Cranberry Brads
Z1758 Gold Brads
Z1759 Silver Brads
Z199 Pewter Brads
Z1105 White Daisy Brads
Z295 Bigger Brads Spring Harmony
Z296 Bigger Brads Summer Carnival
Z297 Bigger Brads Autumn Harvest
Z298 Bigger Brads Winter Classic
Z299 Bigger Brads Basic
Z292 Photo Clips
Z1037 Mini-Medley Shades of Chocolate
Z1043 Dimensional Elements Bookplates
Z1017 My Creations Circle Album
z1012 Braggin’ Tags
Z1199 Life Delights Memory Showcase
Z9071 Magic Moments Scrapbook Kit
1394 Vellum Paper 12 x 12x1400 Stickstock Twill
x1401 Stickstock Linen
x277 Cello Envelopes 5 x 5 1/2
x278 Cello Envelopes 6 1/4 x 6 1/4
x301 Weekly Calendarz920 Earth Coloring Pencils
Z921 Primary Coloring Pencils
Z922 Pastel Coloring Pencils
4206 My Legacy Writer Pen Set– Color
Z1049 Photo Marker
1762 Write ‘n Rub Pen
z268 3-D Foam Squares
z261 Double Scrubber
z533 Cutting Knife
z309 Sculpting Foam
z657 Vineyard Berry Embossing Powder
z1293 Delta Paintz
1295 Paint Brushes
Z368 Cutting Mat
Z369 Swivel Knife Coluzzle
Z370 Refill Blades Coluzzle
Z374 Oval Coluzzle
Z500 File Folder Coluzzle
Z375 Tags Coluzzle
Z371 Circle Coluzzle
Z1144 Big Circle Coluzzle
1776 Long Reach Punch 1/8″
1777 Long Reach Punch 1/4″
1012 Eyelet organizer
1505 Memorabilia Pockets
1011 1″ posts & screws
Z4126 1/2″ posts & screws
z4201 Shoulder Tote
z4202 Rolling Carryall
Z1134 Holiday Fabric Tags
z400 Sassy Strands White Daisy
z401 Sassy Strands Autumn Harvest
z402 Sassy Strands Winter Classic 92 91
z463 Sassy Strands Spring Harmony
z464 Sassy Strands Summer Carnival
z465 Sassy Strands Winter Cozy
z466 Sassy Strands Autumn Garden
z468 Sassy Strands Summer Celebration
X7045A Vintage Travel
X7045B Vintage Travel
X7045C Vintage Travel
X7079A Rough ‘N’ Tumble
X7079B Rough ‘N’ Tumble
X7079C Rough ‘N’ Tumble
X7080A Route 66
X7080B Route 66
X7080C Route 66
X7082A Expedition
X7082B Expedition
X7082C Expedition
X7083A Let’s Get Together
X7083B Let’s Get Together
X7083C Let’s Get Together
X7084A Floral Tapestry
X7084B Floral Tapestry
X7084C Floral Tapestry
X7085A Everlasting
X7085B Everlasting
X7085C Everlasting
X7086A Caprice
X7086B Caprice
X7086C Caprice
X7088A Free Spirit
X7088B Free Spirit
X7088C Free Spirit
X7087A Enchanted
X7087B Enchanted
X7087C Enchanted
X7089A Life Delights
X7089B Life Delights
X7089C Life Delights
X7093A Sweet Pea
X7093B Sweet Pea
X7093C Sweet Pea
X7094A Paper Garden
X7094B Paper Garden
X7094C Paper Garden
X7099A Whoops-A-Daisy
X7099B Whoops-A-Daisy
X7099C Whoops-A-Daisy
X8608 My Originals Groovy Blossoms Card Kit
X8611 My Originals Pretty Purses Card Kit
X8615 My Originals From the Heart Card Kit
X8617 My Originals Holiday Wishes Card Kit
X8620 My Originals Merry & Bright Card Kit
X8524 Simply Snapshots Rough ‘N’ Tumble Album Pages
X8525 Simply Snapshots Let’s Get Together Album Pages
X8527 Simply Snapshots Free Spirit Album Pages
X8529 Simply Snapshots Silhouette Album Pages
X8530 Simply Snapshots Sweet Pea Album Pages
X8531 Simply Snapshots Boom-Di-Ada Album Pages
X8532 Simply Snapshots Perfect Day Album Pages
A1083 WHIMSY NUMBERS
A1090 SUMMER’S WAVE
A1094 MAKE MY DAY
A1097 NO GREATER LOVE
A1100 Boo-tiful
B1210 FLUTTER
B1213 LITTLE ANGEL
B1256 ALFRESCO
B1265 WONDERFUL CHARMS
B1270 BELOVED BLOSSOMS
B1271 SUMMER PICNIC
B1274 CELEBRATION BLOCKS
B1276 DINO ROAR
B1279 LIFE IS A PARTY
B1280 BEST OF TIMES
B1281 HALLOW SCREAM
B1282 SENSATIONAL SEALS
B1283 LITTLE SPOOKS
B1299 SPRING EQUINOX
B1300 LUCKY YOU
B1301 SOFTBALL
B1303 GOLDEN YEARS
B1304 GYMNASTICS
B1310 Volleyball
B1312 Make A Wish
B1317 Shalom
C1190 Believe Lowercase
C1191 CALENDAR
C1205 WHIMSY CAPS
C1206 WHIMSY LOWERCASE
C1247 SIMPLE BLOSSOMS
C1256 LITTLE BOYS
C1259 BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
C1263 CHARM UPPERCASE
C1265 CHARM LOWERCASE & NUMBERS
C1267 EASTER EXCITEMENT
C1268 VALENTINE EXCHANGE
C1269 FABRIC FINISHES
C1270 PURE LOVE
C1271 TREASURES OF THE HEART
C1273 AHOY MATEY
C1274 NATURE WALK
C1275 SAFARI
C1276 ADVENTURE
C1279 ROUGHIN’ IT
C1280 OUT WEST
C1281 CARD COMMENTARY
C1283 DANCING DREAMS
C1284 WILD THING
C1285 VICTORIAN SNOW FLAKE
C1286 GOODNESS OF LIFE
C1287 CELEBRATE LIFE
C1289 WARM MEMORIES
C1290 MEMORY LABELS
C1294 SWEET TREATS
C1295 WINTER PLAY
C1296 COLOR MY WORLD
C1298 PARTY INVITATION
C1301 THING OF BEAUTY
C1302 BOUTIQUE NUMBERS
C1303 PLACEMENT GUIDE
C1306 Genuine Country
C1309 Decorative Dainties
C1312 United We Stand
C1314 Tool Time
C1319 Laughter
C1320 Just Arrived
C1321 Solos Punctuation
C1325 Wonderful Holiday
C1327 Snowflake Kisses
C1329 Homeward Bound
C1330 Winter Fun
C1331 Santa’s Flight
C1332 Merry Wishes
C1334 The Season Defined
C1335 Ring in the New Year
D1063 SWEET TALK
D1082 MADE BY ME
D1083 Believe Caps
D1085 HAPPY EASTER
D1110 GIVE THANKS
D1131 RITZY RIBBON
D1139 SMALL PLEASURES
D1141 SO SWEET SEASONS
D1151 OFF ROAD
D1154 LOVE IN BLOOM
D1160 FRIENDSHIP FLOWERS
D1164 THE GOOD LIFE
D1167 Halloween Parade
D1168 SCHOOL ZONE
D1169 BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
D1178 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
D1181 AUTUMN SPLENDOR
D1182 IT’S A PARTY
D1183 ADORABLE
D1184 FLYIN’ HIGH
D1186 RUSTIC FLOWERS
D1189 FLORAL DELIGHTS
D1192 NOW AND FOREVER
D1193 VINTAGE VALENTINES
D1199 COME UNTO ME
D1205 NEW HORIZONS
D1209 LOVE FLOURISHES
D1210 MOMENTS
D1213 HUNTING
D1215 GAME NIGHT
D1216 FINISH LINE
D1218 SUMMERTIME
D1220 TYPEWRITER KEYS
D1223 FAIR BLOSSOMS
D1228 CHILLIN’
D1229 FABULOUS FALL
D1230 CELEBRATION FEAST
D1231 LOVELY BUCKLES
D1232 NATURE’S VEIN
D1233 POWER PLAY
D1234 TAKE FLIGHT
D1235 TICKET FOR ALL SEASONS
D1236 NURSERY BASH
D1238 A BIRTHDAY WISH
D1240 DOODLE ART
D1241 WINTER WONDER
D1246 SWEET LOVE
D1253 FRIENDSHIP’S FLIGHT
D1256 ALL STAR
D1264 ANGEL WHISPERS
D1268 JANUARY WORD PUZZLE
D1269 FEBRUARY WORD PUZZLE
D1270 MARCH WORD PUZZLE
D1271 APRIL WORD PUZZLE
D1272 SLUMBER PARTY
D1273 TEE TIME
D1274 BELIEVE IN ME
D1277 Touchdown
D1278 Best Shot
D1279 Shootin’ Hoops
D1282 He Said, She Said
D1287 May Word Puzzle
D1288 June Word Puzzle
D1289 July Word Puzzle
D1290 August Word Puzzle
D1291 Celebrate Canada
D1295 Vintage Canada
D1310 September Word Puzzle
D1311 October Word Puzzle
D1312 November Word Puzzle
D1313 December Word Puzzle
D1314 Friendship Patch
D1318 Uniquely You
D1321 Festivities
D1323 Happy Christmas
D1325 Argyle Background
D1328 Post Marked
E1001 Essential Alphabet
E1003 BOUTIQUE ALPHABET
E1004 COBBLESTONE ALPHABET
E1007 HOMESTEAD ALPHABET

We recently had a fun Sunday afternoon out with my friend and her daughters. It was so fun to be out with just the girls. We went to Stream Cliff Farms. It is a lovely little farm that you can walk around in a lovely flower garden, buy plants, buy from a couple gift shops, and eat in a lovely little restaurant. I think the best part of the garden was all the photo opportunities. My daughter's favorite part had to be the little pink house she could play in. She prepared tea in the kitchen and sat outside to enjoy her tea.

At the restaurant, I even took pictures of the food! It was so perfectly presented. Now, if I can just figure out how to put the pics where I want them in my blog post. ;)

Stampin' UP Stamps For Sale

I recently joined Close to My Heart, so I am ready to get rid of a bunch of Stampin' UP stamp sets. I will post before I get prices, so if there is something you see that interests you, let me know. All prices are before shipping. I will charge actual shipping cost only. All sets are mounted and used, unless otherwise noted.

Contact me by email: shaykarena@yahoo.com I get email on my phone, so I check it several times per day. Thanks for looking. Please spread the word to friends and help me get these sold.

All Around Alphabet Numbers $ 11
All Around Alphabet Upper and Lowercase 25
All I Have Seen 7
Alphabits 6
Best Blossoms 11
Bitty Blossoms (Background Stamp) 13
Bold & Basic Greetings 6
Burst Into Bloom 7
Carte Postale 25
Checkerboard (Background Stamp) 11
Close to Nature 8
Cute Converse 8
Delight in Life 14
Doodle That 7
Do the Hula 22
Easy Elegance 9
Fanciful Favorites - Two Step Stampin' 9
Fine Frames 11
Fine Lace (Background Stamp) 13
Friendship Blooms (not sure this was used, maybe one time) 13
Geometric (Background Stamp) 14
Happiest of Holidays 13
Happy Winter 8
In the Loop Alphabet (half are mounted) 19
Little Hellos 8
Just Mooved (vintage - one stamp w/ cow and place to fill in your new address) 8
Little Layers 6
Little Layers II 6
Little Layers Plus 6
Little Shapes 7
Love Ya Bunches 9
Mini Mates 13
Miracle of Spring 20
A New Little Someone 23
Noteworthy 10
Paint Prints w/ Painted Garden (free w/ purchase!) 10
Perfect Ending 9
Petal Prints - Two Step Stampin' 16
Definitely Decorative Pines 23
Reverse Prints 11
Short Order Alphabet 30
Simple Seasons 9
Small Script 7
So Very 9
Sweet Shapes 14
Swell News 15
Tag-Alongs 13
Teeny Tinies 5
Timeworn Trim 12
Very Punny 13
Welcome, Little One 19

Everyday Celebrations (this was the stamp buffet that you choose 4 of 8 stamps - includes outline flower, lamb, trio of flowers, and saying "Your baby is a dream come true! Happiness to all of you!" $11


Good Things Simply Sent Card Kit - only has stamps in case inside pretty brown box w/ instruction flyer, three stampin' spots in Old Olive, More Mustard, and Real Red $10

Three Thoughts Simply Sent Card Kit - only has stamps in case inside pretty brown box w/ flyer, Purely Pomegranate stampin' spot, and about 15 small flower cardstock stickers $10

Large Background Stamp "Word by Word" - my sister gave this to me, since she didn't want it anymore. She cut the block into small blocks to have each word separate. Some of the words include " giggle, sweet, merry, kindness, bliss, delight, grin, happiness, laugh friendship, heartfelt" I will sell this one for $5 due to her separating the words.

I will give a discount if three or more stamp sets are purchased. I also have some wheels to list, Hodgepodge Hardware (3/4 full still in tin), etc. I may even add some unopened packages of 8 1/2 x 11 In Color cardstock from previous years). Thanks for looking! Share this info w/ your friends, too, please.

Creating Keepsakes Convention

I didn't know I was going until the night before, but I took my DD with me, since no one else was available. She was sooooooo good! She took her "scrapbooking purse" as she calls it - her little miniature tool bag that is pink. She doesn't scrapbook yet, but it is perfect for holding crayons and such. Because she was so cute w/ her little "Daddy's Little Princess" shirt and her bag, she got some free goodies. I decided to try a club where I got 5 free 2 page layout kits. It was free trial and I will get a shipment once per month. Since they thought she was so adorable, she got to pick out another page kit! Another booth gave her a package of buttons, which she put into her little scrapbooking purse. Another booth gave her a diecut. She even got a piece of chipboard that was cut from the Cricut machine at another booth. I bought her a little snippet of ribbon that she put in there, too. Oh, and she collected a business card from the booths and put them in that little bag. She had a blast being with just me all day. I enjoyed shopping with my girl, too!

Your favorite, TNT, CROCKPOT recipies? - Splitcoaststampers

Your favorite, TNT, CROCKPOT recipies? - Splitcoaststampers: "Crockpot Triple Chocolate Mess Cake

1 pckg chocolate cake mix
1 pint sour cream
1 small packg instant chocolate pudding
1 small bag chocolate chips
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup water

Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients. Pour into crockpot.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Serve in a bowl with ice cream"


This sounds so good. I thought I might try it, but it might be torture to wait that long for a cake to be ready.

What a difference a day makes...

I am on the internet at home, now. YAY!!!! Now, all is right in the world! I am loving how quickly it loads pages. We had to go with a new internet service provider in this area. I haven't even taken a picture of the house yet, but I will soon and then I'll post it on here. The kids are enjoying having their own bedrooms, but spend plenty of time in each others room playing together or looking at books. I am still trying to find a home for everything (gained a bedroom and bathroom, but lost some storage - basement, garage, coat and linen closets) and have been giving things away. I gave away a ton of baby items to my pregnant sister and friend, I also am giving away some maternity clothes to the Crisis Pregnancy Center that my pregnant friend manages. I have also Freecycled several items!

Very soon, I will put my Home Management Binder on here - well, I will start with a picture of it, but the insides aren't ready for public viewing yet. I have been able to scrapbook some this year even with moving and all. My friend has a scrapbook night once a month at her house. I try not to take a lot with me and always regret not packing more, so I am going to make up my own scrapbook kits and put them in 2 gallon zipper bags that I purchased at Aldi. WM might have them now, but they didn't when I hunted everywhere for bags large enough to hold 12x12 papers.

Liam got a couple vaccinations yesterday and doesn't even seem phased by it. He slept right afterwards, but it was nap time anyways. He is such a little monkey and climbed on Laurana's toddler bed today. I couldn't catch him fast enough. Luckily, he hit the carpet, but he fell backwards and hit his head. That boy seems to fall a lot! He took off walking all over the house once we moved. Having carpet everywhere you're supposed to and not where you shouldn't helps. (The house we just moved out of had carpet in the kitchen, dining room, and bathroom! EWW!! The kids room had carpet, too). We hated the carpet in all the rooms except the kids room wasn't so bad. The new renters are going to rip it all out and refinish the hardwood floors. I just didn't feel like improving someone else's house. Well, I will have to chat with my virtual friends later this evening (I hope), since today is grocery day. I have to double check my menu and grocery list and shower. Oh, and for now, I can't be on the computer all night because I hooked the computer into Laurana's room. We have to buy a wireless router so I can be mobile with the computer.

I am going to have a Homemade Gourmet Open House the beginning of April. Those that order $50 or more will be entered in a drawing for $15 in free product! Go to Homemade Gourmet to see what you would like to order - please order directly through me, so I can turn one big order in at once. We have a lot of really great new products and all are backed with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You can email me at shaykarena@yahoo.com or call me at 812-498-3561 with your orders. I prefer to take just cash, checks, or money orders right now. I do not earn as much money when I take cc. Thanks!

Moved but not settled in yet

We are moved and I'm waiting on the phone company to fix the exterior phone line, so I can be on the internet at home. They are taking their sweet time now. I am at the library just to let you know that I am still going to keep up with my blog.
We are enjoying the new house and still have a mountain of boxes to unpack. It is hard to find a place for everything since we no longer have a garage or basement. The kids don't have to share a room now and we have a 2nd bathroom, so we sacrificed some things to get some other things we needed. I can't stay long because Liam is walking everywhere and even though a laptop is mobile, it isn't mobile enough to chase him all over the library. Well, he is getting away again, so I will be on SCS again to chat with all my friends very soon. You can email me, since I get that on my phone. shaykarena@yahoo.com I miss chatting w/ all my virtual friends.

Menu Plan Monday...Late Again and Moving This Week

My Menu plan won't be much this week, since we are moving Thurs., Fri., Sat., and Sun. I also had a mystery shop for dinner on Mon. Some of the meals might be boring, but hey, we are moving and we won't go hungry. Friday will be our busiest moving day, since it's not supposed to rain. check out orgjunkie.com for great menus and organizing ideas.

lunches:
Mon. - leftover cheeseburger pie, fruit
Tues. - turkey sandwiches, fruit
Wed. - leftover fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes (all leftovers from Tues.)
Thurs. - chicken salad sandwiches (cooked chicken in Crock Pot already), grapes or bananas, veggie sticks
Fri. - turkey sandwiches, veggies and dip
Sat. - chicken salad sandwiches, fruit, veggies
Sun. - turkey pot pie (from freezer meal I made)

dinners:
Mon. - mystery shop dinner out
Tues. - HG Asian Pork Chops (from previous menu that didn't get made) for DH while kids had McD's and I ate fried chicken at MOPS.
Wed. - Sausage, Pepperoni, and Veggie Pizza (going to use premade crust and make my own. making an extra for the freezer)
Thurs. - turkey tetrazzini (from freezer) I can just pop it into the oven when it is almost time to eat dinner and add some yeast rolls to it.
Fri.- hamburger dip (cooked ground beef, cream of mushroom, Velveeta, salsa) served w/ tortilla chips - going to have a crockpot of this at both houses, so we can eat when we are hungry no matter where we are
Sat. - Subway
Sun. - meatloaf (from freezer), mashed potatoes, peas

Sunday Roast Chicken

Sorry I forgot to post this recipe. The Grandmother's Sunday Roast Mix is very versatile. You can make an onion dip, use it on pot roast, chicken, pork chops, in many different dishes. It is one of our top sellers and comes in an individual mix or as a pantry staple w/ a container, scoop, label and a larger mix. Most mixes are equal to at least 6 mixes. I would have to check on this one, but I think it may be more than that. I am offering a special to get this pantry staple for $20 + shipping if you order by the end of the month. Orders have to go through me instead of my website to get the discounted price.

You can look at my website for many different uses for this mix as well. www.homemadegourmet.com/ShaySpeer

Here is the Sunday Roast Chicken Recipe:

6 chicken breasts

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)

4 scoops (4 T) of Grandmother's Sunday Roast Mix

Put all ingredients in a freezer bag, seal, label, smoosh to get seasoning mixed throughout. Freeze. Thaw just enough to dump into crockpot. **Please do not put that bag into the microwave or you will get cancer-causing agents in your food.** Thaw a bit in the fridge.

Just dump it in, turn crock pot on low. Cook 6 hours. It is a forgivable recipe and can cook longer if you work away from home all day. It is great served w/ green beans and Mom's Smashed Potatoes. If you prefer to bake or grill it out, ask me how to do that, because you can do it any of the three ways. So, if you want to try HG, please email me (or call) shaykarena@yahoo.com I now get email on my new phone, so I can get in touch w/ you quickly.

Little Lincoln

We started going to the library for a preschool craft on Wednesdays. This is the first project Laurana got to make. The library provided a kit for free. The beard is just a fun foam beard that we glued black pom poms to. The hat is three pieces of fun foam. There is elastic to hold the hat and beard on her. The library bought a premade kit, but it would be pretty simple to make one yourself if you can find foam large enough for the tall hat. She loves it and wants to wear it almost nonstop. I hope you enjoy.

Menu Plan Monday...A Little Late

Please check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for many other great menus and organizing tips.

I know I am late, but I am actually sticking to my plan this week. I am relying heavily on Homemade Gourmet and on my trusty crock pot (CP by each that used the Crock Pot) to pull me through while we pack and move. We aren't doing all the moving this week, but we are making several trips. {We have a trailer we can pull behind our Chevy Tracker. It is amazing what we can haul in that. In one load, we got two adult-sized bikes, 3 lawn mowers, a weed eater, a park bench, and a rototiller on it.}
So, anyways, back to my menu. We save leftovers for lunch the following day, if we have any. I also try to do COST cooking - that is Cook Once, Serve Twice. I will do more COST in the future. That is where you make extra of something and change it up to make a new meal a couple days later. It saves a lot of time and effort in the kitchen and leftovers are not just the same old meal again.

Monday: Homemade Gourmet Garlic Basil Italian Sausage and Peppers, (CP) green beans, cheddar broccoli rice, applesauce

Tuesday: Homemade Gourmet Skillet Fried Rice (used ground turkey), carrots, chocolate chip cookies for dessert

Wednesday: German Pork Chops (CP), applesauce, Apple Cheddar Walnut Bread, peas

Thursday: Homemade Gourmet Sunday Roast Chicken (CP) (should be on HG website, but I will put it below), green beans, Easy & Elegant Twice Baked Potatoes

Friday: Homemade Gourmet Cheeseburger Mushroom Pie (using HG Taco Soup Mix seasoned ground beef that I cooked and froze), baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, peaches

Saturday: Asian Pork Tenderloin (CP), rice, mixed vegetables

Sunday: Lunch - Turkey Tetrazzini (CP) (from freezer, using leftovers from a turkey baked), dinner rolls, green beans

Dinner - Garlic Lemon Tilapia, carrots, oven baked fries

* For Breakfast: We will probably have bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits on Sat. morning. The remaining days will have a simple breakfast of some of the following: oatmeal, banana, yogurt, cereal, milk, fruit smoothie, or juice.

*Lunches: leftovers, lunchmeat or PB&J sanwiches w/ fruit and milk.

Fruits of My Labor

I have been a bit busy the last few days enjoying the fruits of my labor (and my husband's), since we got our tax refund. He works, but I labored these two beautiful children that are great tax deductions. I bought a new camera, cell phone, clothes, and took the kids to Build-A-Bear for their first time. It felt so good to buy things I needed ( and wanted) and the kids had so much fun at the bear store. Laurana got a dog w/ a Cinderella dress that perfectly matches her Halloween costume. Pics soon to follow w/ them dressed alike. Liam got a cowboy dog. His hat is being shipped from an online purchase, since the store was out of them. I also got a ballet costume for her dog for a later gift. I love my new phone and camera! I am so excited to get some new things.
My son was sick and w/ us shopping so much, I didn't cook as much as planned last week, so I had to carry over most of my menu. I will have a great menu posted on Mon., though, so stayed tuned. He is all better, but the doctor wasn't sure if he had pneumonia, so we even had to get a chest x-ray done last week.

Menu Plan Monday

Be sure to go to Orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas and get organizing tips. She does giveaways and links up to other giveaways all the time, too.

This is my menu for Feb. 1 - Feb. 7

Mon. - Homemade Gourmet Homemade In a Hurry Chicken Fajitas (done in a micro-steamer

bag)

Tues. - Homemade Gourmet Garlic Basil Chicken on Spaghetti, HG Three Cheese Garlic Biscuits

Wed. - Meatball Subs (make extra meatballs to freeze for later), veggie,

Thurs. - Chicken and Veggie Stew in Crockpot (using leftover veggies and chicken that I froze)

Fri. - Chili

Sat. - Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls

* I bought two turkeys during Thanksgiving and Christmas time that were .79/lb. I

couldn't pass up that price for meat.

Sun. - Turkey & Stuffing Casserole (using leftover turkey) *recipe from 30 Day Gourmet

Snow Angel

I shared this with some of my friends last year when I did this page. This picture was a happy accident of Laurana. She just wouldn't be still for a pic. Once Scott got the picture, we were impressed we got such a great picture. I just had to get a 5x7 for my page. On this page, I used silver cord, embossed w/ glitter on some stamped snowflakes, added Cuttlebug embossed silver paper, a Word Window punch for a little added detail to the corner of the picture, some snowflake brads. This page was so much fun to put together. I just love it and hope you enjoy it, too.

Homemade Gourmet Special - Last Chance

I am ordering the Homemade Gourmet tomorrow. If you want to get a Pantry Staple of Spiced Dip Mix or Basic Cheesecake Mix, you have to do it now. They will not have them in this size again, since they were only available this month.

There are a lot of recipes for both mixes in the Key to the Kitchen recipe search engine on the Homemade Gourmet website.

Snow Fun

These photos are from yesterday in our back yard. Hubby wasn't able to go to work, so he got to stay home and play. After he cooked a nice brunch (we slept in), we went out sledding, making snowballs, and snow angels. Hubby didn't tell me he couldn't see their eyes for the photo. Their hats are a little big. LOL The snow wasn't able to be packed enough to roll into a snowman, unfortunately. We had a layer of ice in the middle of all the snow. We saved a snowball in the freezer. I am going to pull it out in the heat of summer and let the kids feel it and play with it. They will think it is so fun to have a snowball in the summer! We had a lot of fun!

Menu Plan

I admit it, I decided I like the giveaway for the menu plan posters on orgjunkie.com, so I decided to post my menu for this week.

Mon. - Homemade Gourmet Taco Soup Mix seasoned ground turkey for taco salad, Silky Avocado Dip (also using Taco Soup Mix), tortilla chips

Tues. - Smoked Sausage, bell pepper, onions, green beans, oven roasted potatoes

Wed. - Orange BBQ Chicken, carrots (save some chicken to freeze for a BBQ chicken pizza next week) Dessert - Homemade Gourmet Chocolate Chip Pie

Thurs. - waffles (use a pancake mix), cheesy eggs, turkey breakfast sausage links

Fri. - Homemade Sausage, Pepperoni, & Veggie Pizza (cheat a little and use a premade crust)

Sat. - Homemade Gourmet Enchilada Chicken, Spanish rice

Sun. - chicken and dumplings in crockpot

Go to http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for about 500 different menu plans just this week. Organizing Junkie has so many useful tips. You're going to love her site.

Children's Museum

This page is of pics of Laurana playing in a fun Curious George area and a TV area w/ Pebbles and Bam-Bam. She had so much fun at the museum. I used SU Kraft, SU Marigold Morning, and patterned paper from a stack of paper I got at Hobby Lobby (forgot the maker). I also used alien brads, a space ship brad, square brads, and a swirl clip. The letters were cut with my friend's Cricut.

Christmas Day at Our House

This was made from a kit I got from the crop I went to at Archiver's in Nov. I don't know who made any of the items, except the stamps were Close to My Heart and not in the kit. Sadly, my camera batteries weren't charged and ready for the big day, so I had to get pics of DH later.

Believe

Laurana practically tackled Santa. She ran right up to him and sat on his lap. She was so excited to tell him what she wanted. So, I snapped a photo of her telling him her wishes. Liam was just looking at him and wondering who was holding him. I snapped before he cried.

I used Martha Stewart alpha stamps and the "wishes" was from an SU stamp, gold cord, very vanilla cardstock, black cardstock, patterned paper (from Hobby Lobby, but forget the maker).

Super Girl

This was at the Indianapolis Children's Museum. They had an area that children could dress up as Super Man, Super Girl, or Spider Man. DD got in a taxi that Spiderman was "driving". She loved being able to dress up for the picture. I tried to free hand the Super Man symbol, but I just couldn't get it. So, I googled Super Man clip art and found the symbol. I printed it out, then traced it, cut it out of cardstock. Even though tracing sounds simple enough, it was tedious, because I wanted the symbol to be in cardstock. I mimicked the design on the taxi w/ the black gingham ribbon and tied knots in it every so often to add interest. I love this page and I hope you enjoy it, too.

Mom & Me

This was taken at Liam's birthday party. This is my mom and me. My friend Tracy saw us sharing my chaise lounge and asked if she could take our pic w/ my camera. I'm so glad she did this, because I didn't have any pics of just me and mom for a long time, possibly since my wedding day!

Pantry Staple Special

Homemade Gourmet has a special through 1/31 on two pantry staples. They will not be available in pantry staple sizes after that date, so hurry and get these two: Basic Cheesecake (there are nearly 60 recipes using this mix on the website) or Spiced Dip Mix. Both are $16 each and include a mix equal to 6 individual mixes and a container with a label. For the Spiced Dip mix, you can make a chicken or pork dish w/ just one scoop of it and some apple juice. You can add it to Cool Whip to put on top of Texas Cobbler or Apple Crisp. Cheesecake doesn't have to be a cheesecake. You can make a cheesecake ball to dip graham cracker sticks into it. You can do a layered dessert with it, too. You can make any flavor of cheesecake w/ just a couple ingredients added to the basic mix.

To order, call me, email me at: shaykarena@yahoo.com or
go to my website: www.homemadegourmet.com/ShaySpeer or call me at 812-498-3561


You can also go to the recipe section on the website called Key to the Kitchen for recipe ideas for these. All Homemade Gourmet items come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so don't be afraid to try it.

HELP!!

Why, oh why is my blog labelling all entries a 3 month photo shoot? I didn't do that. What do I do to get rid of it? When I go into an entry and look at the labels, it doesn't have that listed, but when I look at my blog, it is there.

Paper Christmas Trees

I just love these trees. I just took strips of double sided patterned paper (I used Basic Grey from the Figgy Pudding Collection) and attached them w/ straight pins to a styrofoam tree. On the larger tree, I folded the paper in half, but didn't crease it. On the smaller tree, I curled the paper strips up w/ a bone folder. I used a wide grosgrain ribbon for the topper. I was going to make gifts for people from these, but I never got around to it. I was actually pregnant w/ my 1 yr. old when I made these. I got instructions from http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/

Don't ask me where I found the info on there, because I don't remember.

I'm Back!!

I know I have been away from my blog for a long time. I really did not intend to take this long of a break from my blog, but life got crazy. My gall bladder surgery was successful. My hubby had a vasectomy in Dec. My dear grandma passed away Dec. 4. My baby boy turned 1 yr. old! Mom fell down the stairs. These are just a few of the busy life moments that took place.

Here is a pic of Liam stuffing his face w/ his birthday cake.