Get Your Glitz On!

Taking this month's challenge over at the Glitz blog. Made this card based on their sketch. Included lots of Glitz products that came in my Little Black Dress kits. This will be Richard's Father's Day card.

Friday Fill-ins

Yes--I know it's Saturday, but I wrote these yesterday!

1. Family relationships are so weird sometimes.

2. “Life is full of ups and downs. The trick is to enjoy the ups and have courage during the downs.”

3. Trust your instincts.

4. Things usually work out for the best. Trite, but true in my experience.

5. Parents worry about their kids even when the kids become grownups.

6. It’s hard to take back what was said.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a cocktail (do I say that every Friday?), tomorrow my plans include the Hawks’ game and Sunday, I want to Skype with Claire in Australia!

Girly Cards

Seems like there have been a lot of birthdays in the last couple of weeks. I made these cards using the January Stamp of the Month from Close to My Heart. Most of them also use a new paper pack called Wings -- except for Erica's which is basic black & white.

For Amy and Ellen

For Samantha



For Gretchen



For Erica





 Happy Birthday, Ladies!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Up is not my favorite direction. I'm plagued by a fear of heights.

2. The flu is going around.  Daniel had a fever last week.

3. Coats and scarves, mittens and boots: are neatly organized in the coat closet. One of my projects while we were snowed in!
4. I can't remember the last time I had a nice back rub.

5. I'm thinking about whether or not I should drive up to North Carolina this weekend.

6. I hope my dad will be OK after falling and breaking his hip this week.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my third glass of wine, tomorrow my plans include the NW youth group Mystery Dinner Theater and Sunday, I want to do what needs to be done.

11 Books to Read in 2011

Last year I challenged myself to read a classic every month. If you read my previous post about discipline, it won't surprise you to know that I didn't completely succeed. I did read a handful, though, and enjoyed them. This year I thought I'd make a list of the classics I'd like to read and post it here for accountability. I'm not sure they all qualify as true classics. Some are favorites from childhood, a few I want to refresh in my memory and a couple are to fill the "holes" in my reading history.


11 Books to Read in 2011

The Yearling--Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Rascal--Sterling North

Caddie Woodlawn--Carol Ryrie Brink

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn--Betty Smith

Madame Bovary--Gustave Flaubert

Anna Karenina--Leo Tolstoy

Sense and Sensibility--Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights--Emily Bronte

West with the Night--Beryl Markham

Out of Africa--Isak Dinesen

1984--George Orwell

One little word: Discipline

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”
 ~ Lao-tzu

One little word: a look ahead to 2011

I've never really liked New Year's resolutions. But Ali Edwards' one little word concept appeals to me. Choose one word to invite into your life and see where it leads you.

Choosing my word this year hasn't been easy. There are two that jumped to the forefront and they are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Discipline.
Spontaneity.

To choose the first and live with it successfully for a year might lead to feeling satisfied and accomplished.
For years I've thought I lacked discipline. I start all kinds of things that never get finished. I sign up for online classes with a burst of enthusiasm which dwindles as the days pass. I start tracking my Weight Watchers points on Monday and let it slide by week's end. I know I need to add a couple of days of cardio to my exercise regime but it never happens. I haven't been able to sustain a daily spiritual practice. I can't even take my vitamins every morning for longer than a week or two!

To choose the second would probably be more fun! How many times have I said or thought, "Let's.........." or "Why don't I........." only to talk myself out of it? Why not just let go and be joyful and childlike?

I can't decide. I've got about 24 hours to make up my mind.

One little word: A look back at 2010

The one little word I chose for the year was "fearless". My intention was to be more open to new experiences, to not allow myself to be restricted by fear. There were no dramatic mountaintop moments, but I did try some new things (acupuncture, for one) and say "yes" more than once when asked to do something out of my comfort zone. While I didn't keep myself laser-focused on my word, I never completely lost sight of it either. In fact, the universe dropped it right at my feet this summer when we were visiting the New Museum in New York City. There was an installation by Rivane Neuenschwander called "I Wish, You Wish." Hundred of ribbons printed with the wishes of previous gallery visitors were hanging from the walls. We were invited to randomly select a ribbon and then replace it with a new wish written on a strip of paper. The blue ribbon I pulled from the wall read, " I wish my fears would not limit my actions."

Halloween Workshop

It's time to start thinking about my favorite holiday --Halloween! I have a workshop scheduled Thursday, October 7 and Sunday, October 9. We'll make everything you see in the photo using CTMH's new Halloween paper pack called "Hooligans" and "Thriller", our September Stamp of the Month. Let me know right away if you're interested in joining us. The fee is only $20.

This card features a cool "cracked glass" technique that is hard to see in the photo. I stole the design from another CTMH consultant, who describes the technique in detail on her blog, so go there to check it out if you're curious.

 

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Life is sweet.


2. The key is to just keep going.

3. My last text message (or IM) ended in these three words: of school going?

4. The last prepared freezer dinner is what I'm thinking about for dinner sometime soon.

5. On the 1st day of August I placed an order for new CTMH products . I’m excited to play with the Halloween kit, Hooligans.

6. Our kittens, Mose and Finn, are extremely lively and energetic in the morning.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cocktails---again, tomorrow my plans include laying carpet squares in the RE building and picking Claire up from the airport and Sunday, I want to enjoy having Claire home!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. I'm going someplace cooler if the temperatures don’t get out of the 90s soon.

2. I’ve never really had a sense of adventure and daring.

3. Perhaps today you can make it a point to smile while you are driving.

4. I wish I had a true adventurer’s spirit.

5. Compassion is the key to joy.

6. I always try to be polite no matter how difficult.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cocktails, tomorrow my plans include poring over the new Close to My Heart catalog and Sunday, I want to buy a big piece of white laminate at Lowe’s (if their saw is fixed) for the display unit in my workshop.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I like to eat and drink when following the
Weight Watchers program:

1. CranBran Vitamuffin Tops - 1 point


2. Beck's Ultra Premium Light Beer - 1 point

3. Unsweetened Iced Tea - 0 points -- counts toward water intake

4. Celery Sticks and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese - 1 point

5. WW Chocolate Pretzel Blast mini bars - 1 point -- but it's hard to eat just one

6. Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins - 1 point

7. Gardenburger, Original Flavor - 1 point

8. Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt - 2 points

9. Trader Joe's 9 Whole Grain Crunch Cereal - 1 point for 1/2 cup -- good on top of yogurt

10. Lean Cuisine Pepperoni French Bread Pizza - 6 points -- high points, but a safe way to get your pizza fix. Add mushrooms and peppers.

11. Diet tonic and lime - 0 points -- not counting the vodka, of course!

12. Kashi TLC Cherry Dark Chocolate granola bar - 2 points

13. Skinny Cow Brownie Fudge single serve ice cream cups - I don't have one of these in the freezer right now, so I'm not sure about the points. But, they are delicious and because you have built-in portion control, it's a great treat.

Let's Play Catch-Up

Here are two of the things that have been keeping me busy lately:

Mose and Finn

We've also been to Santa Barbara, Chicago (no photos!) and New York.

I haven't been doing much scrapbooking, but I took two great classes with Donna Downey at EMI Scrapbooking in Cumming last weekend.

I'm also learning mixed media techniques from an online class with Claudine Hellmuth.

 

That's it! We're up-to-date!

Inspired!

Last week I spent about 36 hours in Concord, North Carolina being inpsired by some of the most creative women I have ever met in my life!

Gretchen and I attended Donna Downey's Inspired Artist Workshop and crammed as much as we possibly could in the little time we had. We both had to be back home on Friday, so we couldn't stay for the main event, but we took full advantage of the mini-workshops being offered on Thursday. And, we shopped until we dropped! We are already planning our return next year!

Here we are with Donna in her little on-site shop that was loaded with canvas and fabric embellishments. Gretchen went wild for the iron-ons and I invested in a journal -- along with a few other things!

Each of the mini-workshops I took was taught by a very talented artist. I made a travel journal out of an old book. A tiny little album with a skeleton key spine (Jenni Bowlin's class--I was excited to meet her). A distressed storage tin. Fun fabric flowers (I think Margie was my favorite teacher!). A miniature canvas with bits of emphemera. The mini canvas collage might be my favorite project. I haven't finished mine yet, but here's a photo of one made by our teacher, Lisa Super.

This event definitely lived up to its name!

Open House Make & Take

Drop in to my Open House this Friday to pick up your free copy of the Summer Idea Book. While you're here, you can make one of these cards to take home with you. It would be a sweet Mother's Day greeting. You'll also enjoy a special chocolate-cherry treat!

Both cards were adapted from a pattern in Wishes, our cardmaking how-to book. The price of Wishes has been reduced from $29.95 to $21.95! It's a great value!!

If you're signed up to crop Friday night, you'll receive a little kit to make your favorite of these two cards.

We'll have homemade pizza for dinner and the chocolate-cherry treat for dessert. Make a $20 purchase from the new Idea Book and you'll crop for free!

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you.

Kiss Me..............

I'm Italian! There might be some Irish floating around in my bloodlines, but somebody will probably pinch me today for not wearing green!

I have two friends who were born on St. Patrick's Day so I made a card like this for each of them:

All supplies are from Close to My Heart. The printed paper is from the Animal Cookies pack. The stamp is So Lucky. I bought it to use for Valentine's Day, but obviously it was made for this! I popped up the clover leaves with foam dots. I pressed a brad down into the center which really gives it a lot of dimension but is hard to see in the photo.

I wish Selma and John a very happy birthday and a happy St. Paddy's Day to the rest of you!


May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,

May good luck pursue you each morning and night.


~Irish Blessing

A Favorite Soup Recipe

I've been making Chicken Tortellini Soup for about 10 years. The recipe is adapted from one I found in Taste of Home's Quick Cooking mazagine. Don't be afraid to adjust it to your taste. This is probably what we'll have for dinner at my Friday night crop this week. Everybody loves it! I hope you will, too! Don't forget to visit the Recipe Carnival again this week for more great food ideas.

Chicken Tortellini Soup


8 cups chicken broth

1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, plain or Italian

1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Salt and pepper to taste

Baby carrots, cooked separately (I buy a small bag of the mini baby carrots and steam them)

Cheese tortellini, cooked separately (I use a bag of frozen tortellini)

2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken (I cook the chicken in the crockpot the day before I make the soup)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the broth, tomatoes, spinach, salt & pepper. Slowly bring to a simmer. Add the cooked carrots, tortellini and chicken and cook until everything is heated through. Add the Parmesan cheese to the pot just before servings or let each person add it to their bowl.

Makes about 8 servings.

Recipe Carnival

I love to read recipes! A new cookbook is just as good as a novel as far as I'm concerned. And, after more than 30 years of cooking for my family, I've gotten pretty good at being able to pick a winner.

I am participating in a recipe carnival should be a great source of winning recipes. What is a carnival you may ask? Is there cotton candy? A blog carnival is a collection of links about a certain subject that is published regularly. In this case, every Tuesday there will be a new post with links to recipes as well as shopping and food preparation tips. Just click on this link and enjoy. I hear Christy's brownies are not to be missed!
And, maybe someone will even share a recipe for homemade cotton candy!

Got Soup?

During the winter I like to serve soup for dinner at my crops. Here's one of my favorites:

Hearty Corn Chowder
(published in The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
16 servings
This quick-cooking soup is served every year at Marist School's Holiday Traditions festival.
 
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter or margarine

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

2/3 cup finely chopped onion

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 (11-ounce) cans kernel corn with red and green peppers

5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated skim milk

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add carrots, celery and onion and sauté until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the flour; slowly add the water, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Stir in salt, celery salt, paprika, pepper and corn. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Gradually stir in cheese until it is all melted. Stir in evaporated milk. Add sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. If desired, garnish each bowl with a sprinkling of parsley.

Note: the last time I made this I added a chopped red bell pepper. I also reduced the amount of cheese by 1 cup and it was still yummy!

Got Mojo?

I guess I wore myself out with all that blogging in February! I got back on track by challenging myself to make a couple of cards using both the Mojo Monday sketch and the color challenge on 365 cards.

I used my sewing machine on a card for the very first time -- something I thought I would never do! But, I found a cute, little mini Janome for a very good price on Overstock.com and couldn't resist. The felt embellishment was already stitched. I added the zigzag. The crumpled flower from an earlier post found a home here. I would never have thought to use red on that card, but I like the way it pops!