More Christmas

Our tree, artificial (less stress for me!) Pre-lit, 400 clear lights, slim line, LOVE IT! (Got it on clearance for like $11 a few years ago!) Lovingly decorated by the kiddos on Christmas Eve. Most of the ornaments on it belong to them. We have them choose an ornament each year that they will take with them when they are old enough... now old enough might be like 30 or 40... I get to decide that! LOL! Seriously, old enough that they are settled and will care for them and realize what they represent, the history and memories of their childhood. I have an idea for an ornament album swirling in my brain. I have taken pictures of the ornaments most years, just have to fill in the gaps.

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When I was single and crazy I always had a HUGE live tree and it was mostly decorated with glass balls in shades of PURPLE, imagine that... a purple Christmas tree.

My kitchen table centerpiece. All Home Interiors products except for the quilted piece underneath. It is actually a wall hanging that we received as a wedding gift but it looks so good on the table that is were I use it. The candle hurricane has my *LAST* Cranberry Compote candle burning in it. I guess I will have to breakdown and try a new scent.

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The Kiddos went home today. The house is quiet and a little more of a wreck than usual, but I am okay with that. It was wonderful to have them here. It is the first time they have ever been here for Christmas Eve and that was fun. I was never a big fan of traveling on Christmas Day and really what kid wants to open their gifts and then drive over two hours and leave all their new stuff, so we always just had "our" Christmas when we wanted to between the 25th and New Years.
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Spending New Year's Eve with my cousin Amy and her girls. That means Chicken Cheese Ball! YUM!! It is a NYE tradition for us, just as much as pork and kraut! So in the morning I will "red up" the house and make my CCB and maybe some BBQ meatballs too.

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Take Care! See you in 2008!

Happy New Year!

How was your Christmas?

Ours was fun and busy!! Can you believe that on Christmas Eve morning I had only made one sweet thing? I remedied that right away and seven batches of cookies later I was able to make a cookie tray to take to my cousin Red's house that evening.

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Melanie and I made clockwise from the top.... Chocolate macaroons that the kids say look like cow patties. Red said if cow patties tasted that good he would be out picking them from the pasture. LOL! Next a double batch of Hershey Kiss Peanut Blossoms. It had to be a double batch because they were eating them as they were coming out of the oven.

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Soft ginger cookies... all I can say is YUM, so good with coffee! Thankfully no crime had to be committed to get the recipe for the cookie that was on my mind for days and days! (Hiya sis, if you are reading! WiNK!)

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Red's Ultimate M & M cookies, my nephew Mark's favorite cookie apparently. These were the first to be all gone and I got the last one! I like them because they are choc chip like, but more colorful! Next were Dark Chocolate drops with toffee bits, drizzled with white chocolate, a creation of my own.

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Aunt Janet's Raisin Puffs, delicious and soft and soooo good! We also made Rolo Pretzels with regular M & M's on top. They are super simple to make and they taste great. Sweet, salty, caramely and they should have a nut ontop, but I don't like nuts, so none on mine! The bowl in the middle has People chow in it.

Not too bad for a rush job!

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I had gifts to finish as well.... Hannah's Snowday Survival Hit... CASED the idea from MishMash. It is her cupcake kit PLUS a box of cocoa packets. I thought it was a cute idea for a snowday activity! I hope she liked it!

Next on the Christmas eve agenda at Santa's Sweatshop... Cookbooks... I had three to finish for that evening... Done... LOL! I think I even managed to match the covers to the recipients kitchen decor! Whew.... Melanie did the wrapping, I got a shower and off to Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service. Then to Red's house for presents and lots of food.

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Oh, yes, and in the middle of all this we put the tree up too... that was fun, since the kids aren't always here to do that!

More next time, take care!

Greetings in my Mailbox!

Some beautiful homemade Christmas cards from my friends! I just love going to the mailbox this time of year... it is nice to get something in the mailbox besides bills and "pre-approved" junk!

Connie, Barb, Deanna & Sharon made these!

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Santa's workshop has been busy in my house. I have eight cookbooks copied, cut, punched and ring bound. Now they need covers....Queen of the last minute here.

Tree is NOT up yet and the only sweet treat I have made is a batch of "People Chow" that I had to hide from DH or it would be gone by now. Thank heavens that tomorrow the kiddos arrive and Melanie will be a super big help with the baking, wrapping and decorating.

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I did do the AWFUL job of cleaning the ceiling fan today and I pulled the sofa out and ran the sweeper behind there. I also made a super delicious pot of beef stew. I was really hungry for it and it made the house smell soooooo gooooooood! Also nice that once it was in the pot it didn't need a lot of attention, just the occasional stir as it simmered all afternoon.

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My friend Connie has a Holiday Luncheon every year and I am ALWAYS working, but this year I got to attend! I was so much fun! The food was delish and the company was wonderful! Topping it all off was the cute little snowman earrings she made for each of us as favors. I have worn mine everyday and they make me smile and think of Connie every time they tickle my neck with their little green ribbon scarf. I wish I had a pic of them, but they are so tiny I can't get a good one! They are super cute!

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Take care, hope nobody has to go to Wal-mart that place is a ZOO I bet!

They are done! Finally!

Thought I would share with you my Christmas card design for this year. I must say that back in November on the Saturday after Thanksgiving I got started on them like a shot! I worked at them faithfully on my lunch hour at Wallywork, and then....

Other stuff came up...like Angel breakfast favors, Nugget boxes for the dinner, the Monk marathon weekend on USA network....and then I hit the biggest brick wall of them all... I couldn't find the PERFECT sentiment for the inside of the card. Crazy I tell ya! So all of this hard work rushing to get them done has inspired a few ideas in my head.

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First... the verse for the inside... an Irish Blessing... I love Irish Blessings... hope you like this one too, because I decided I like it so much that it is going to be a new Tradition for me and I am using it every year in my Christmas cards. It goes like this...

May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!

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Second, I am going with a MUCH simpler design next year! Already have something in mind, made a little sketch of it, so hopefully next year I will remember this and actually be able to remember that I made a sketch and hopefully will be able to locate it.

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Third, I also got to thinking that it would be GREAT to do "Christmas (CARDS) in July", so in the works is a cardmaking day in July... think Christmas cookies and punch, Christmas music for inspiration, some great make and takes and some stamping vendors on site, maybe a great tags & gift wrap class and of course the goal is to get started on those holiday projects. All this so that I am not nuts the week before Christmas trying to get my cards done. (And if you really know me, you know that I am the queen of last minute and will still be doing cards the week before like I always am! But, hey the summer card thing still sounds like a BLAST!)

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Now some details on the card... All cardstock is inexpensive value pack Cardstock. I like to make my Christmas cards with non-traditional colors and this year I looked at my stack of CS and saw that I had an ABUNDANCE of pastels. I have been on a use it up kick as well, so that helped. I also had 5 1/2 inch square ivory card bases cut and folded from a previous project that I used! Ink pads are CTMH (clover meadow, sunny yellow & smokey plum) and Rubber Stampede (fuchsia & royal blue.) Stamps are all Studio G ($1, WOOHOO) top two are clear stamps from Joann's and bottom two are woodblock from Michaels. Star punchie is a CM shapemaker large.

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These bad boys are going POSTAL tomorrow! WOOHOO!

(Somebody pour me a drink, and I ain't talking about hot chocolate!)

Take Care!

I am one of "Mrs. R's Kids"

Probably one of hundreds, if not thousands she touched in her lifetime. Helen Russian, known as Mrs. R to her kids (band and guard kids, drum and bugle kids, kids who toured the court house or were interested in the history of the community where they grew up, kids who were interested in government and politics.) Mrs. R was a champion of her kids. Dedicated to them with her time and life experiences. Anyone who knew her, knew this... "Good, Better, Best, Never let it rest, Til your good is better and your Better is the Best"

I pray that if you have children they get to have someone in their life like Mrs. R. She was part Drill Sargent, part Cheerleader, tough as nails and gentle as a kitten. Never stopping until the job was done and done right. Honest, sincere and always full of energy, practically tireless. That woman never sat, and I think she marched everywhere she went with her head up and her shoulders back! She could out-do and outlast all of her kids. The person that you wanted on your side, cause if she went to bat for you, she was gonna hit it out of the park! Ready to work the hardest and ready celebrate the success. Remembering your name, and making you feel important. Building your confidence and challenging you to do what you thought was impossible. Spending time with the youth of the community is probably what kept her so young for so long.

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Mrs. R has left a little of herself in all of her kids. Hopefully a legacy of doing your best, trying your hardest and being proud of your accomplishments that will be passed on to the next generation. Central City is a little sadder with her passing, but if we honor her memory by practicing what we learned from her imagine what can be done!

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I typed this through tears in my eyes. I really thought today about the people who were defining forces in my life. Of the people who were not relatives, Mrs. R ranks in the top three. I know there is a special place in Heaven for one the of God's Best, I just hope HE can keep up with her!

Pretty Poinsettias

I made this card a while ago when I was on a watercolor pencil coloring kick. The stamped image is an older one and not my own. At the moment I can't recall the company. Directions for the card can be found in the archives at the Mish Mash blog. Be sure to stop over and check her blog out. She has some fantastic ideas for advent calendar projects and exchange gifts!
There is a little pocket in the flap of this card that would hold a gift card or maybe a crisp new $100 bill. (wink!)

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Wallywork has been quite busy and I may have spoke a bit too soon about how nice people have been. The tide has turned and all I can say is...

Listen up people, it is not MY problem that YOU have WAITED until 2 weeks before CHRISTmas to get the (Insert the name of whatever it is that you are looking for here.) Maybe you should have picked it up when you decided that was the PERFECT and ONLY gift that you wanted for your (insert Mom, Dad, Kid, Mailman, Grandparent, Dogwalker, Hairdresser.)

Next year why don't you wait until CHRISTmas Eve and see how that works for ya!

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Honestly, every day when I go to work I have my Christmas Spirit... I just don't know what happens to it after I get there!

Sing a Christmas Carol and drink some cocoa!

Take Care!

Merry Christmas CD Card

This sweet BIG card was one the Becky did as a make and take for our Crafternoon Crew card club last time we met. The white shaker window part is actually a CD sleeve. Pretty darn creative use for a CD sleeve! The stamps used are from The Angel Company, and I am going to have to get me some of them! Snowflake punchies are Martha Stewart from Michaels. I believe that you can find the how-to for this one on Split Coast Stampers.

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Let me tell you how my life goes some days... take this past Saturday for instance. It really began on Wednesday when Mom and I did the grocery shopping for the Angel Breakfast at church. We stopped at the rec hall and put the groceries in the refrigerator that night. Fast forward to 7 AM Saturday. The fridge decided to stop working at some point between Wed and Sat. All the eggs and milk, etc. are ruined. So we call around and round up more eggs and milk. Breakfast is going well, except for being a little behind schedule.

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At least the kids were really into coloring the cards that I had stamped for them to make for the shut-ins and they weren't running around the building like crazed lunatics screaming like they often do. So breakfast now is ready, we eat and start to clean up. Kathy does the other really nice foam craft with them so it has some time to dry while they are listening to Kipp read the Christmas story. By the way the cocoa packet favors are a BIG hit! While the cleaning up is going on the phone rings, it is Charlie and Dan from Camp Harmony. They are having a cookie baking demo today and their cookie baker is ill and can't make it, can we help? Sure, we can help. So finish cleaning up and off we go, drop Abby at the hair salon to get her hair done for the Christmas Dance (yes, we still call it a Christmas Dance... if you want a winter dance have it in January!) Stop off at the house so I can compile a list of great websites for cookie recipes and a list of cookie storage tips.

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Out the door again and stop at the grocery store for some ingredients. Up the hill to Camp to start mixing cookies. You would think that all would go smoothly from here right? Um, yeah, OK. Charlie broke the mixer and while trying to fix it (with a hammer) he REALLY broke it. So now Dan is calling around to get us a mixer.

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In the middle of this we are unwrapping Hershey kisses and caramels and my nephew wants to help, so I tell him to wash his hands. He tells me he did wash them, and I tell him to wash them again, and he loudly informs me that he did wash them after he pooped, which caused a giggling meltdown of the adults present. By the way we have 2 hours to do this, because we have to get Abby finished for the dance and my Mom and Dad are going to her work Christmas party. So general craziness ensues while we demo and bake for a few hours.

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I also showed how to stamp on white lunch sacks and make paper toppers for zipper bags to dress up your cookies for gift giving. Pack it up and get on home. Oh, and now for my evening activity... babysit the four year old nephew who only thinks you have to wash your hands after you poop. Thankfully we did have the smarts to deprive him of his nap, so that we could both take one that evening! Pretty much a typical day in my life...LOL!

I am STUFFED!

It is a wonder I can even sit here and type! This evening was our annual Christmas dinner at Rizzo's for a group of us that have worked together at the Curse-at-me Desk for years. We always have the Italian Feast and it is ALWAYS wonderful! Wedding soup, Salad, Bread, Garlic Bread, Fried Zucchini, Sausage and Peppers, Meatballs, Rigatoni, Lasagna, Eggplant Parmesan, Baked Chicken, and Spumoni... all served family style, as much as you want.... I could go into a food induced coma! The company was as good as the food. It is nice to spend some time with the gals and just visit and laugh. Left to Right

Lynleigh, Me, Pam, Deanna, Anna, & Lynn

I made each of us a little Nugget box with four Hershey Dark Chocolate Truffle Nuggets. I have to say that figuring out the pattern was the hardest part. Once I got all the measuring and scoring done they went together in no time at all. I used paper from last year's Christmas stack (DCWV) and the snowflake tags were made with Creative Memories NEW Snowflake and Swirl punch, the large CM circle shape maker and my EK Whale of a punch circle. Ribbon is from Dollar General.

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I forgot to answer yesterday... Favorite gift I have received is a tie. Our first Christmas together Kenny got me an antique vanity and last Christmas he got me a ring with his birthstone and the kids birthstones in it. Love them both so much. Favorite gift I have given is probably Kenny, this year...I gave it early, but he is LOVING his GPS navigator.

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I am a terrible snoop when it comes to Christmas presents... my DH goes to GREAT LENGTHS to hide my presents. He has enlisted my Mother, my cousin Amy, our friends Bob and Lisa, and I am sure others to hide my gifts at their home. I can't stand not knowing... drives me nuts...so if anyone out there reading this has any idea where it is hidden or what it is... contact me... we can work something out! LOL!

Take Care!

Something Sweet from BS2!

I have been meaning to share this cute little tea bag holder card with you all for quite some time now. It was a gift from my friend Sharon (BS2) and since I have not made any of my own yet I am sharing hers with you. This is where all the cocoa packet mania in my life began. You can find tons of ideas for these cute little cards on the Splitcoast Stampers link over on the sidebar. Be careful though, very careful... as BS2 can attest... a little look can turn into 3 hours of gallery surfing in the blink of an eye!I know that everyone is busy getting ready for Christmas, at least that is what I am hoping since it has been so quiet around here lately.

If you are still reading and have an extra minute to spare... tell me

what is the BEST gift you have EVER received

and then

what is the BEST gift you have EVER given?

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Keep Warm and Take Care... Have a cup of tea and think of me!

Magical Christmas!

This is a card from the Fall Camp Crop. The Make and take from CTMH. Cute, colorful, sparkley!

Cocoa Anyone?

How about a super simple and super fast project? These little cocoa sleeves fit the bill! I have been looking at patterns and directions to make these and everything seemed a bit complicated with lots of detailed cutting, scoring, and glueing. I thought to myself, why can't it be easier? So I got out my Swiss Miss cocoa packet, a ruler to take some dimensions, some paper, my trimmer and some adhesive. Guess what? It was MUCH MORE SIMPLE!

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Take a 12x12 piece of pattern paper. Score the whole sheet at 1 1/2 inches and 6 3/4 inches. Step two is to cut the paper into strips, 4 inches each. The best part it that you have 3 sleeves per sheet and NO EXTRA SCRAPS to deal with. Use a photo split or dot of adhesive on the center section and stick your cocoa packet down. Fold up the larger bottom flap and fold down the short top flap. You can simply use some adhesive at this point or make a seal like I did with my scallop punch and some stamps. VIOLA!

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These are for my church's Angel Breakfast on Saturday morning. We have the kids for breakfast of French toast, sausage, scrambled eggs, & cereal. We read the Christmas story, and make a Christmas craft. We are also making cards for the shut-ins and nursing home members of our Church. These cocoa packets will go on the table as favors. It was super inexpensive as well, which is always a bonus. The papers are from a Christmas Stack from DCWV, patterns that I likely would not use for anything else. The cocoa packets are Swiss Miss, 30 in a box for less than $3 at Wal-mart.

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I think they would be cute to slip into a Christmas card or stocking. The pattern only works for Swiss Miss, Nestle or store brand cocoa packets that are sold 10 or 30 in a box. It would not be hard to make a similar pattern for the Land O Lakes packets that are taller and slimmer.

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How are your Christmas preparations coming along? All is well here. I have to tell you that SO FAR the general population has been pretty nice, but it is still early in the season. Three weeks to go and folks are pretty nice. Merry Christmas!

Take Care!

This is Henny Hemlock, one of the light displays at Overly's Country Christmas at the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds. We went there last evening with our neighbors Beth & Greg and their daughter Haylee, age 2. It was not very crowded and not very cold, so we had a nice visit! The lights were beautiful and we had a great time. Our only hitch was getting home.... boy was that mountain icy! Thanks to Greg's careful driving we made it home safe and sound!

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The display is HUGE! You can drive through it first, and then park and walk up in and see the displays up close. They have horse drawn carriage or sleigh ride, a train ride, a bonfire, model train display, antique toy display and Santa pictures. There are some costs involved for some of the extra activities but all of the money made at the display is donated to seventeen human service agencies in three different counties. Not a bad way to have some Christmas fun!

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One of the first things that overtakes you when you are walking in is the Christmas music, then you smell the Kettle Corn! YUMMMMM! Hot Chocolate, Sweet shop and other food is available as well as a gift shop. I got the most adorable Fireman jingle bell ornament for DH in the gift shop.

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It had the potential to be perfect.... but the one and only picture that I have of me and DH, I accidentally deleted.... I am irritated, frustrated and just plain old sad. Not a great big deal, just wanted something to show for it! Oh well, I have to be better about getting the old camera out and taking more pics!

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Hope you get to see some beautiful lights this season!

I also recommend

Lights on the Lake

Hartwood Acres

Take Care!

First Day of Deer... Holiday or not?

If you are from western PA it most certainly is a holiday. LOL! Schools are closed and my DH is actually getting "holiday" pay for Sunday and Monday. His place of business actually shuts down the first two days. It was miserable weather for the first day. DH called me, he was damp, chilly and hadn't seen a single deer. It is now Friday and still no deer. If we follow the pattern of the last several years he will shoot his deer hours before he is due back at work on the last day he is able to hunt. I sure do hope he gets one though!
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My Gram is back at the nursing home, local. Now we wait for 6 weeks and see how she heals and if the infection gets better.

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The plan for the weekend is to get some more Christmas shopping done. I hope to finish that all up so that next week I can decorate and the following week I can bake. That's the plan anyway... we will see how it goes!

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I am off to a great start on the Christmas cards, been working on them faithfully on my lunch hour and making progress quite quickly! As usual they are not your "traditional" holiday colors, but I think they are cute!

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I am working on big blog plans for January, something special for my friend Connie. I have been making some notes on ways to organize your scrapping and card making supplies and will be sharing them with you next month!

Take care!

$300 Later....

I need a nap! We were up and shopping at the crack of dawn today.... I got some pretty great deals on some things too! I was home before 10 AM and now I want a nap. Anyone else get some great deals out there this morning? I know Nicole did!

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I got DH the one thing that he REALLY wanted and I could not resist giving it to him right away. He put it to good use right away, as he and my Mom are on their way to Pittsburgh. The surgeon wants to operate on my Gram right away.

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BS1 gets the prize for the first Christmas card of the season...we got her card in the mail today! I have not even thought of a design for ours yet. Hopefully tomorrow while I am cropping at Berkey Church with my CMC Barb Shaffer I will get started on them.

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The sweet little card above is a Make & Take by CTMH rep Jamee Boozer from the St. Andrews School crop that I attended a while back. He is really sweet and his little nose sparkles!

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What is your favorite way to eat leftover turkey? Mine is kind of unusual... straight out of the fridge with ketchup on it. YUM!

Take care!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all are having a wonderful turkey filled, family filled Thanksgiving! Every 18 years or so I have to get to the kitchen and finish cooking the dinner that my Momma started.... last time it was cause she was in labor with Gabby Abby. My Uncle Les still says that meal is sitting in his stomach undigested like a brick after 18 years. Tomorrow is her birthday.

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Today I get to have a go at dinner once again. Momma got it started, and I have to finish it. She has to go get my Grandmother ready to transport to a Pittsburgh hospital. She has had many complications with her hip replacement surgery and now the doctors have decided that it needs to come out. The infection is not responding to two different broad spectrum antibiotics and no one here in Johnstown wants to touch it. The replacement has to come out and she has to wait 6 weeks or so and heal then they will try again with another one. She won't have any surgery right away because she needs to be off her blood thinning meds for a while before they can operate. She also is very bad about losing blood when she has surgery and since her first surgery they have given her eight units. The original surgery and blood loss also caused her to have a heart attack post-op. This has been pretty stressful for my Mom, who is in charge of all decisions. Please say a prayer for them today.

These are a few woven pieces I made for a make and take project a while ago but thought they would be good on today's Thanksgiving blog post. They are both cut from Sizzix red dies and woven with Fall stack papers.

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Turkey Trivia Quiz

Reynold's Kitchen Turkey Tips

A couple of Thanksgiving Links for your enjoyment!Take Care and Don't eat too much Turkey and Pumpkin Pie!

See you at Wal-mart tomorrow morning EARLY!!!!!

Thanks Card

Pattern paper is from an old Fall Stack from DCWV. Ribbon is Target $1 Spot. Stamp is Michaels $1 bin. Embossed with the Cuttlebug. Needed some thank you cards for my Camp Crop wrap up. The embossed paper did not scan very well though, the color is more like the orangey stripe on the pattern paper.

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Let's see, some things that I am thankful for right now!
* A toasty warm house!
* A good cup of coffee with Gingerbread creamer.
* Glad that it is the time of year to settle in and get crafty!
* Happy that I am FINALLY not working on Thanksgiving, so I can watch the Macy's Parade and eat turkey with the rest of the family!
* Happy that the kiddos are coming to spend Thanksgiving with us.
* Relieved to have a unique theme for my Calendar party table... June the Birthday of the Drive Inn Movie theatre in 1933.

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Tell me what you are thankful for right now!
Take Care!

Long Time No Blog!

Thank you! To all the wonderful ladies who came to the crop at Camp Harmony over the weekend! WOW! I was so amazed by our turnout and thought the day went incredibly well! Quite a collection of talented scrapbookers and cardmakers all under one roof.

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We have not had our wrap up meeting where we figure out how much we raised and go over the evals to see what we can do better next time, but I will post the results when we do. I have "crunched" the numbers and read the comments and suggestions from the evals though and want to thank you all for your wonderful comments!

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Thanks also for the suggestions for my hands. I will have to give some of them a try. As it stands now I have tried.. more regular hand lotions than you would care to hear about, Udder Cream, Eurcerin, Aquaphor, Bag Balm (stinky, but effective) and straight Vaseline.

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Take Care!

THANKS JOOP!

Just a quick post to let you all know I am still here. We got a new to us computer thanks to our friend Joop! Thanks Joop! It is WAYYYYYY faster than the old one! (Thanks Joop!) and it has more programs on it! (THANKS JOOP!)

I am busy preparing for the Camp Crop on Saturday. We have 50, yes, I said FIFTY scrapbookers registered. Please say a prayer in hopes that all goes well.

I can't believe it snowed today... I guess we are due, it is November and it is Pennsylvania. I can tell that winter is here. My poor hands dried right up and are bleeding in spots. (Gross, I know) I am up for any home remedies, cures, old wives tales, that you have for dry hands. My DH just loves it when I slather on an inch of hand cream and put socks on my hands at bedtime... it is just so darn sexy... that and my sweatpants tucked into my socks... that is to keep him from putting his cold feet on me. I know, probably waaayyyyyy to much info for you all.

Let a comment to let me know you haven't given up on me and your remedy to cure these dry hands... Hopefully I will see you on Saturday!

I am a bad bad blogger, please forgive me.

This blogging stuff is a whole lot easier when I can do it on my own computer, which I should have back tomorrow! YEAHHHH!!! (And THANKS SO MUCH JOOP!)

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The cards above are from last year, super simple to make. The leaves are stenciled with a brass stencil and pigment inks that I blended together. Gave them a little sprinkle of clear embossing powder, heat set it, and attached a ribbon. It doesn't get much easier than that. I like to make the same style card, but make it with different colors of card stock to get a different look.

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Trick or Treat is tomorrow. I may go with DH to town and hand candy out of the car while he does his Fire Police duties. We never get any trick or treaters way back here in the sticks.

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Take care!

There's No Place Like HOME!

We went to one of the best weddings I have ever been to this past weekend! I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, cried some more... Ate wonderful delicious food and cookies, danced until I thought my feet would fall off! I could go on and on about it but I sure I would get carpal tunnel typing alllll that up! I truly had a wonderful time with the family, but it is good to be HOME!

As promised, these are pictures of the guest book that I made for Joshua and Brianna. The book is a 6x6 spiral bound scrapbook made by Canson. I purchased this one at AC Moore and locally that is probably the only place you will find them. (Michaels and Pat Catans no longer sell them, not sure about JoAnn's) I used silk leaves painted with gold glitter fabric paint and ribbon to match the wedding color on the front. The cover is matted with metallic gold, red, and white. I computer printed their names in red ink on vellum on the top layer.
The inside pages are computer printed only on the front with "Our Wedding Guests" on the top, followed by lines to sign on and the bottom of the page says "Joshua & Brianna October 20, 2007." There is a silk fall leaf on the edge of each page as well, they look like they are pressed in the pages all around the edge of the book when it is closed up. The "back" each page has a 5 1/2 in square piece of card stock on it and after they get their pictures back I am going to scrapbook them into the guest book. Since all of the printed pages didn't get used up they can also be covered over with CS as well and scrapbooked.

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More about the wedding when I can post some pictures later this week.

Take care....

Hallelujah!

I got a picture to load! This is the sympathy card that I made more than a few of last week. Nothing much to report. Tonight is Homecoming and I am working the Beverages Only tent once again.

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Tomorrow we are attending my cousin Josh's wedding. I am so excited and happy for him and Brianna. I will do my best to post some pics of their guest book once we get back.

Take care!

Hello Friends!

Sorry for the big gap in blogging. It was a pretty rough week last week. We had many deaths of family and friends and I just wasn't feeling up to blogging. I hope to not have to go to a funeral home again for a very very long time. I have a picture of a sympathy card that I made many of last week, however Blogger is not cooperating with me to get it loaded up this evening. Maybe tomorrow.

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Our computer also had to make a trip to Dr. Joop for some repair work. It was also near death last week and would not boot up past the ScanDisk screen so who knows what it has come down with. Keep your fingers crossed that it can receive a technical healing! I am just hopefull that my word files can be salvaged from it, I began collecting more recipes for my cookbook and I would hate to lose them.

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There is some good news today! The crop registration is going very well and I am so thrilled about that! At last count I had 29 confirmed registrations and a total count of 39 with scrapbookers telling me they are going to come! Registrations are arriving every day! We have hashed out some of the details like the menu and we have actually booked the date for the spring event already.

YEAHHHH!!!! If you need more info about the crop please contact me at HarmonyCropInfo@aol.com and I will get more info to you.

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Take care, hopefully tomorrow I will have some pictures to post!

Just a quick Sunday afternoon note to you all. I have been enjoying this beautiful weather so much!

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I did not make a single card yesterday but I did check out many a blog for inspiration! I have lots of ideas swirling around in my head for cute little Hershey Nugget boxes, tags, gift labels, gift wrap and gift bags.... I love it when I have a bunch of ideas processing in my mind!

Drop me a line and let me know what you are working on!

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My other project in the works is a guest book for my cousin Josh & Brianna's wedding in two weeks. It is getting to be crunch time on that one... I just want it to be perfect and I think that is why I am struggling with it so much! It will be done by the end of this week though, so I can get it to to groom to get it to the bride.

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DH and I had a nice day on Friday. We drove to Altoona for his anniversary gift... a pneumatic brad nailer. Which in turn cleared several things off of his Honey-do List. I got my coffee table repaired and my kitchen shelf installed. I am still holding out though, I am going to get the Bind-it-all! Wooohoooo!

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This evening DH is just worn out. He took a bus rescue class this weekend for his fire department. They had classroom time Saturday and then they cut up a school bus at the junk yard today. Being awake so early doesn't agree with him so right now he is snoring--oops make that snoozing (& snoring) on the couch.

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We will see how I fair this week, I actually have a couple of daylight shifts, so I may need a nap!

Take Care!

Today is.....

World Card Making Day

This here sweet little card is called a reverse pocket card. You can find instructions and explanation for it in the blog Mish Mash over on the sidebar of my page. Check her archive for September 25, 2007. Her card is a lot more fancied up compared to mine. I did decide to add a piece of twine at the top though, after I took the picture of it. The stamped image is an older one, watercolored and matted on some pumpkin pie colored cardstock.
I was thinking today, while we were driving home from Altoona, how beautiful the leaves are getting on the trees. It is sometimes a pain to be a one vehicle family, but I have to admit that I almost feel spoiled when I don't have to drive. I like the luxury of sitting in the passenger seat, helping navigate and enjoying the scenery.

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Celebrate World Card Making Day! Make a card or two or three and drop them in the mail and make someone's day when they open the mailbox to find something other than junk or bills!

Take Care!

More Homemade Harvest Fun!

These are mini composition books purchased at the Dollar Tree. (4 in a package) I simply covered them with cardstock and added a colored stamped image to the front. The closure is a tiny piece of sticky back velcro. I would suggest that if you try this one, use heavy cardstock to do the covers. The comp bookcovers are only the weight of regular paper so you need the heavy cardstock to make it sturdier and more durable. Super cute, super simple and great for in your purse!

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Can I say TGIF! What a week it has been at Wallywork. We had a shouting match nearly turn to a fist fight in front of the books and magazines yesterday. Crazy people and we were sooooo stinkin' busy!

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I picked up a couple of cans of Caramel Apple Pie Filling today. I am going to attempt to recreate a cake that I had over the weekend with caramel frosting, apples and yellow cake. I will have to let you know how it turns out!

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If you are looking for something to do over the weekend it is Hooversville's Town Homecoming. Lots of activities, food and a tour of the Reform Church and on Sunday they are dedicating the new playground at the park. I can personally recommend the breakfast Saturday morning at the Lutheran church. Yummy pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee, & fruit cup for $3, can't beat that! (7 am to 10 am)

Take care and have a great day!

What can you do with a COCOA CAN?

Alter it of course!

This little can was covered with fall theme papers and stamps and ribbons. It is just the right size to fill with some sweet treats or party mix or whatever you like! I am thinking of "altering" those little peanut cans as well to make them match my holiday decor! Check out that handstamped tissue paper for inside too!

This card is my first attempt at a suspension card. The circle in the middle is an embossing punch from Around the Block. It punches and embosses the border around the word. This one says thanks. I used my "whale of a punch" circle punch to make the circle. The hole in the card is cut with a coluzzle circle template. The little circle punchie is suspended with some floss in the center of the hole. This was a pretty tool intensive card but it was fast and easy as well. People are quite impressed with the suspended punchie too! I found that it looks nice to put a contrasting color paper on the inside of the card too, so that the punchie stands out.

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Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary... we are going out to dinner and since I haven't bought DH a gift yet, I am taking him to Harbor Frieght for some more tools... isn't that the traditional 5th anniversary gift, a brad nailer for your air compressor? I always thought the gift was something like Bind-it-all, but DH insists it is tools. LOL!!!

Take care!

BS #1 Rocks!

This is BS #1. Hi Barb!

She rocks cause she showed us how to make these awesome candles at the crop this weekend. It was super easy and I love them! I mostly love that I can make different candles for each season/holiday and I can also use my stamps that I already have for a new project! I also LOVE that this is a really cute gifty idea for the holidays coming up! Can you imagine how cute they would be for a wedding or baby shower centerpieces? Or a tea party? The ideas are just bombarding my little head! This particular candle was made using a vanilla scented pillar candle from the Family Dollar store and stamps from Papertrey Ink and Stamps by Judith.

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Registrations are starting to come in for the crop. From what I can tell right now just from people telling me they are coming, we have exceeded our last attendance already!! I can't tell you how thrilled I am about that!

Thats all for today! I am beat...beginning of the month at Wallywork is rough on me!

Take Care!

Report on the Saint Andrew School Scrap the Day Away

Wow! What a fun couple of cropping days! The crop was a great time. I haven't been to a two day event for over a year, I think. I got soooooo much done and I have soooooo many pictures to share with you this week. It was a nice mix of Thanksgiving/Fall/Christmas projects that I was working on. The gals at my table were the dear gals who worked with me at CPS and friends of theirs. I had a wonderful time visiting and catching up with them. It is like we pick up right where we left off with the inside stories and jokes! Because of my gals at the table I had wonderful leg and foot refreshing spray and fun music!

As for the crop itself, wonderful job ladies! The goodie bags were nice, the make and takes were fun. Tons of doorprizes, even though I wasn't a winner. (Pout) YUMMY food and soooo much of it!
These are a couple of Criss Cross cards that I made while I was there. I find that it is easier to work on cards and little projects while I am away cropping. The pattern/instructions for this card can be found at Splitcoaststampers.com.
Sorry that the stamped image isn't appearing so great in the pictures. It is a very intricate harvest wreath with fruits and vegetables. In all honesty I loved the image but could not imagine taking the time to color it all in and it did not look so good stamped in just one flat color. It does look incredible heat embossed with copper metallic powder.

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Keep checking back... I have LOTS of project pics loaded up to share!

Tomorrow is the first of the month.... UGHHHHHH!!!

Take Care!

Update...

It has been a busy week at work and at home. I just wanted to update you on the family stuff. Gram is in a regular room, no longer in CCU. She is pretty miserable with pain.

Tyler was home the next day, bouncing off the walls. The Dr. thinks it was a febrile seizure although he did test positive for mono. He is pretty much back to his usual self, thankfully.

I have been organizing my projects to take to St. Andrews crop. Can't wait to see you all there! Stop by my table, I always have chocolate!!!!

Hopefully by Saturday evening I will have some new projects/pages to share with you all!

Take care.

Craziness, I tell ya!

How about that old saying, when it rains it pours. Today while my Mom and nephew Tyler were visiting my Gram in the hospital Tyler had a seizure. They ran some tests on him and admitted him, I guess we will know more tomorrow. So while you are saying your prayers say a few for the little guy.

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Not much scrapping going on here. I was a pretty lazy couch tater the past few days. I do have a couple of cocoa mix cans sitting on my desk that I am wanting to alter. Been giving some thought to what I am going to take to the St. Andrews crop. I can't believe I am going to have that much uninterrupted scrapping time! WOOOHHHOOOOO!!!!!!

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Also wanted to say hey a couple more self proclaimed blog-stalkers.... Hey BS #3, Leonore from Hawaii and BS #4 Nicole from right here in PA! Thanks for hanging out and reading my thoughts, confessions and dork moments.

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Speaking of dork moments.... last evening while preparing Shrimp Alfredo for my DH boy did I have a DM. I was pressing some fresh garlic into the pan for my sauce when a particularly juicy clove of garlic squirted out of the back of the garlic press and there I stood with garlic juice and bits all over my hair, face, arms and shirt. In case you weren't wise to the fact, garlic juice BURNS! I washed my face more than once and I was still feeling it. I took a shower and could still smell the garlic on me. Only me, gals, only me!

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One last bit of dorkiness and I will be done for the night. On Friday after the football game I went back to my cousin Amy's house for a little glass of wine....and that was all it took! One little glass and I could not talk straight. So let me just tell Amy and Annette that I made myself some CANPAKES for breakfast today and they were good! LOL!!!

Take Care!

For the Love of Pumpkins

That is the title of this wonderful idea book I picked up in front of the the pumpkin bins at Wallywork--yeah that is what I am going to call it! LOL! The link to the site is in the title, some of it is still under construction. If they put all of the stuff that is in the book on it then it will be a pretty great place to visit. There are sections in the book for Decor, Carving, Halloween, Games, Thanksgiving, Weddings and Events and an Appendix with pictures of different types of pumpkins and what they are used for. Oh yes, and how could I forget, throughout all of the sections there are RECIPES!!!!!

Speaking of pumpkin recipes, I made the Pumpkin Spice Frosted Snack Bars from Kraftfoods.com and they are yummy and super simple! They start with a box of spice cake mix and only have a few ingredients and are topped with cream cheese frosting.
YUM YUM YUM!!!

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Gram is stable and holding her own at the moment. She is not in great shape, but we are just waiting and praying.

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I enjoyed working the drink tent last night at the football game. It was such a beautiful warm evening and we could hear the game well and see it some of the time. The tent was well recieved by the crowd too. So many people commented how they thought it was a great idea to have a place for those who only wanted a drink and not stand in line for hot food. I must also report that although we did not win last night it was one heck of a game, a nail biter right down to the end. Congrats to Rockwood on their first win of the season, maybe my Panther's will get one soon!

Take care! (only six days til St. Andrew's Crop!)

Hip Replacement

Yesterday my Mom's mother had hip replacement surgery. It got complicated... she needed 4 units of blood. She seemed to be doing well post-op though, until her blood pressure went crashing down. They think that she may have had a slight heart attack last evening. She is stable at the moment and alert. Please just keep her and my Mom in your prayers. (Complicated family issues that would take me years of blogging to even begin to explain.)

Take care.

It feels like kindergarten!

I have been coloring my stampies with my watercolor pencils and blending them with an aqua-painter and I am quite pleased with the results! Just trying to get some things started for Autumn/Thanksgiving theme cards.

I am getting lots of response about the crop and that has made me a VERY HAPPY gal! I think we will have a pretty big crowd again this time. I am just thrilled that we are growing each time!

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I am thinking that next year at the Heritage festival I am going to sell handcrafted greeting cards as well as having a make & take table. The money raised at the festival goes to Camp Harmony and the Western PA District Church of the Brethren. The committee has been looking for new fresh ideas for booths and I think that this one may be a winner. That said, I am calling upon you, my crafty creative friends! Next time you are crafting a card consider using your scraps to make an "extra" and send it my way for the sale table.

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Work (my paying job) has been quite the chore lately. I am usually good for a while after having some time off, but not so much this time. My frustration with rude people overwhelms me at times. Is it that much trouble to not answer your phone while I am waiting on you? I don't answer my (business) phone while I am waiting on you. I wait until I have finished and then answer it, and pray the person on the other end is not going to rip my head off because they had to wait because it took me longer to wait on you because my mother taught me to NOT interrupt someone who is speaking. ARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

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Friday I am helping with the concession stand at the football game. My Mom is one of the people in charge of it. It is Senior Night and they are expecting a pretty big crowd. I am working the "auxiliary soda and chips only" tent. Kinda like the "express" lane! LOL! My Mama told them what my real job is and they apparently think I am well qualified!

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I am seeking some opinions on the following quote. I really feel strongly about it because of what I see at work (the shoplifting, fraudulent returns, etc.) I think that dishonest people think that because it is such a big company that they are not hurting anyone by their dishonest actions.

"Character is doing the right thing when no body's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught."

~JC Watts

I want Travis to have character. It should be as easy as do as I do, but geez, we live in a pretty corrupt world sometimes. I wonder if that is enough. How do we instill in the next generation character, integrity, honesty... Let me have it, tell me what you think.

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If the tone was at times heavy today, I apologize. Take care, brighter and better days ahead!

What a BUSY day!

The Heritage Festival Make and Take Table was a pretty big success and I am quite happy about that! (Thanks Deanna for sending business my way!) We made lots of cards and scrapbook pages and I gave out a bunch of registration flyers for the crop. I was up REALLY early, like 5 AM early to do some last minute things for the table so when I got home this evening I curled up on the couch with a blanket and took a two hour nap. SOOOO nice!

My paint can and goodies to fill it up from our grab bag exchange.
Our really fun, fast, and easy make and take from the Crafternoon Crew courtesy of Connie and the
Splitcoast Stampers Criss Cross Card Tutorial.

I wish I would have taken pictures of Barb's and Connie's Halloween cards. They were TOO CUTE!

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Take Care!

The Crafternoon Crew!

That is the name of our card club! LOL! Barb (BS1) thought it up and I love it! We had a great afternoon and did a really easy and incredible looking make and take. (Thanks Connie!) I also got a cool paint can to alter and had a yummy fluffy peachy dessert. (Thanks Becky!)

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If you are attending the Brethren Heritage Festival today (9/15) stop by and visit me. I will be in the lobby of Faith Hall doing make and takes and handing out info for my crop.

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I will put up some pictures the next time I post of my goodies and card from today. I have to tell you too, that I totally enjoyed the roast, carrots and potatoes today. The house smelled YUMMY when I got home and it was perfect food for the dreary evening it turned out to be.

Take Care!

TGIF!

Nothing much to report today. Glad that this week of work is done, I have had enough drama!

I am busy getting things together for my make and take table for the Brethren Heritage Festival.

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REALLY looking forward to getting together with my card club gals in the morning.

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Tomorrow I am making a beef roast, carrots and potatoes in the crock pot for dinner. I love good hearty comfort food and the little bit of chill in the air has made me want to cook a bit!

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Here is a recipe from my cousin Amy, the apple pie queen! This is soooo much easier to make than "real" apple dumplings. I sprinkle the sliced apples with a little cinna-sugar and if you like you can also sprinkle on some raisins. SUPER YUMMY!

Apple Dumpling Cake
3 pounds of apples peeled & sliced in a 9X13 pan

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp. baking powder
Mix all ingredients together & pack mixture on top of apples.

Sprinkle top with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

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Have a GREAT FRIDAY!

Take Care!

Nothing much to report today...

My DH went back to work today, they are on mandatory overtime which means he is working five twelve hour shifts in a row. I keep teasing him that he needs to find out which one of his bosses' places he is going to crash at, cause I'm not putting up with his tired cranky butt! LOL!! Seriously, I don't expect cranky, just really, really tired!

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Someone left a comment about the cookbook that I made for Brianna. I posted pictures of it a few weeks ago, check the August archives the post is called A Wedding Shower. To make the actual cookbook pages I made a template in word. It was a one half page layout (8.5 inches x 5.5 inches) with text boxes for the title, ingredients list, and preparation instructions. Each section had a table of contents. I had beverages, breakfast, breads, main dishes, sides & salads, and desserts. I made a master copy and printed it on my printer. I printed it once and then flipped the pages and printed it again so that I got two copies on one page. It took almost two ink cartridges. There were over 180 recipes in the book. I only printed on he front of the paper, thinking that Brianna can write more recipes on the blank backs of the pages.

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I then took it to my friendly Staples and had one copy made on beautiful bright white paper. They also took care of cutting the pages in half which was a great big help and time saver. I punched the pages with a two hole punch, also from my friendly Staples store. That took a lot less time than I thought it would. The cover was made with chipboard, which I covered with pattern paper, stamped and embellished. It is all put together with binder rings and mounted onto an acrylic picture frame. I punched holes into the frame with my Crop-a-dile.

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The tricky part then, was that the book was a bit top heavy, so I redneck fixed it with an embellished wooden spoon. I hot glued a bunch of BB's (yes, I said BB's, I couldn't find any nice little flat glass marbles or other pretty as well as heavy things! LOL!) to the spoon and covered them over with some cute little buttons tied a ribbon to it and attached the HEAVY spoon to the bottom of the frame. LOL!! I thought I would take that little secret to my grave, but y'all had to ask how it was made... so I had to confess! LOL!

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That should be it for today! Just a little request from me, when you leave a comment sign your name, I don't get your email address to email you privately, so I often don't know who is reading and asking questions, tell me who you are I'd like to get to know who is reading all my thoughts and confessions! LOL! Thanks for reading, commenting and brightening my day!

Take Care!

Without further delay.... I bought the following...

I have always wanted this style of paper cutter! (Crazy wish for a galwith nine fingers! LOL!) We actually found it at Harbor Freight (gasp!) for the bargain price of $12.99. It will be so handy when I am whipping out stacks of blank cards!
This handy dandy Fiskars punch is four sided and it punches fancy corners and dry embosses them at the same time! Gotta LOVE those tools that can multi-task!
These are the Perfect Pearls we used at Art Tech to make the faux hammered metal letters. I have been wanting to make more do-dads with it but needed to find the right set. Yeah! Best of all the directions on how to make them are on the back of the package!

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Thanks for your patience! I have not been getting very much done between getting taken to fire calls, laundry and working this AWFUL 11-8 shift.

Take care and have a good day!

Just a quick post to let my BSes know that I will post about my new stuff this evening! My blogging plans for last evening were interupted by a structure fire call and laundry.

Nothing much to report today.

I drove, he slept.....all the way to Altoona and back.

DH had Birthday $$$$$ to spend so we went to his most favorite store.

Harbor Freight Tools

He spent his birthday $$$$ plus and came home a happy boy.

He is now the proud owner of a drill press, some saw that he can connect to his air compressor that will cut metal. (The mere thought of cutting metal gives me goosebumps and makes my neck scrunch up... UGGGHHHH!!!)

He also got some three ball quick change hitch thing so we can tow stuff?

We also bought him new steel toe workshoes.

(at Super Shoes, not Harbor Freight)

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My reward for that exquisite torture (shoe shopping with him) was a stop at AC Moore. I picked up some new stuff!! Yeahhhhh!!!! (and that is what I will post about tomorrow... how's that for a cliffhanger?????? )

What have I been up to???

This little project above was for my friend Nancy. It is a display of newpaper articles about a hospital teddy bear ministry that her daughter was involved in creating. Of course it was the perfect place to use some tear bears!
Yesterday and today I got to spend some time with my BS2. Most of my time was spent making "stampies." Stampies are made when you BUM someone else's stamp to make a bunch of stamped images that you can later use in your own projects. Kinda like when you go to a crop and make tons of stuff with the punches and die cut machines to use later. So, about 25 sheets of cardstock and a sore wrist from allllllll that stamping later I have a great big pile of stuff to keep me busy for a long long time. I LOVE IT!

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I can't believe that tomorrow is my lastday of vacation.... at least I missed that first of the month madness at work...

Take Care

Good Day!

Got this in the mail a few days ago. Love it! You can get yours, if you go to Kraft Foods and sign up for it. It is a great FREE magazine that you get a couple of times a year with fast and easy recipes. You also get recipe emails from time to time and coupons for free products.

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I made this one this morning.

I made mine in my trusty old Bundt pan and I skipped the nuts, yuck!

Banana Sour Cream Cake

SUPER YUMMY!
REALLY MOIST!!

DELICIOUS CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!

(Can you tell I liked it? The only thing that it needs is more BANANAS!)

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Here are some other recipes from the magazine that are on my list to try! I will have to report back to you later on them!

Layered Pumpkin Loaf

Peanut Butter Striped Delight

Pumpkin Snack Bars

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I spent the day scrappin' some with my BS2 and it was so nice and relaxing! I got a commissioned project done, will post pics after it is delivered. Also prepped some materials for my Make & Take next Saturday. Finally I stamped some images for cardmaking that I can color when I have time. Not a bad day at all... this vacation is slipping away all too fast.