The passing of Time....

When did my little man get so big....where did the time go...how did he grow so fast? I'd love to stop time.....just so I can hold him a little bit longer in my arms....I already notice he is getting reluctant to hug in front of his friends and I know that it's just him growing up but I still want him to stay like he is...when he used to grin from ear to ear and come running at me with open arms. I miss those days but love seeing him grow too...I guess I can't have it all but thank the Lord every day that I get to enjoy this little man that calls me granny!

  

Happy New Year!

From Our Home to Yours....Merry Christmas!

Trust me...my photography does not do my beautiful lights any justice!  I've tried two nights now and still can't get them shot as pretty as they are...I got my love for Christmas lights from my father....I just might have to drag some of his lights out and put some up...he hasn't put any up for a few years now.

Don't forget to scroll down...I posted yesterday too...see you in a week!

Christmas Cards for 2013

Finally got these finished up yesterday and will start the addressing part this afternoon.  I have to have them in the mail or take them to mom's with me and I don't really want to drag them all down there.  So, hopefully, they will go in the mail tomorrow morning before I leave.  We are getting snow today, so I probably won't leave till noon or later to give them time to get the highways cleared. I was going to haul my mower down to Marshall to get it worked on but if the snow gets any heavier, I won't be doing that....just don't want to pull a trailer in the slick conditions.  It's bad enough that I have to drive in it!  I never gave it much of a second thought when I did it every winter but now I really dread it!

Ok....you will just have to guess which card is coming your way....I'm going to post all four that I made.  I ended up making 60 cards, 4 designs.  It made it easier to sit and assemble when I knew I only had so many of each to make....next year, I might make 10 of each design...

First up:  My favorite of the bunch!

The background was downloaded from Flicker from raidensgrammie21.  It printed out beautifully on my Neenah linen paper stock...which reminds me, I finally need to order a new box of this.  I bought this box way back in the Computer Craft forum days and I'm just now getting close to the bottom...its been so worth the price!  The nativity scene was purchased off the Sihouette Online store and was made by the extremely talent Lori Whitlock.  All I did to it was trace the star so that I could have a separate cut.  The Nativity was cut from AC black cardstock and the star was cut from Recollections, Holiday Glitzy Glitter cardstock.  Both cut fabulously on the Cameo. The Oh Holy Night is cut out of the music background paper and I added rhinestones to the 'O's'. I distressed the edges of the music background with ink and scissors and then I layered it all up on my Neenah linen cardstock.  I made 24 of these as they were the easiest to make.

Next up is a card I found on Pinterest a year ago and had wanted to duplicate.  Forgive the off tint....lighting was super bad this snowy morning!

 
It is layered on Neenah linen stock and the background is AC white that I ran though my Cuddlebug with a Darice Brickwall embossing folder.  I like how the texture on the AC cardstock really makes the brick look authentic.  Without the texture, it just looked like plain rectangles.  I purchased the Christmas tree from Silhouette, also made by Lori Whitlock. I had purchased one earlier made by Echo Park and it was a disaster!  I had to downsize it to fit my card and all it did was tear up my cutting mat....I'm learning to beware of those files!  Lori's file downsized perfectly and cut like a charm.  Because I only needed part of the tree, I erased the part that would have been behind the wall and just cut the part that shows.  I added red glitter glue and white liquid pearls for Christmas balls.  The window was made by Jennifer Wambach, another talented cut file lady.  I traced the inner dimensions onto the brick panel and cut it out before I embossed the brick. I backed the window with velum and used dimensionals to the header on the window.  The poinsettia was made by Lori too...I used red AC cardstock and gold rhinestones.  

I adhered the brick layer first, glued the tree inside the cutout and then added the window with dimensionals. Added the greenery and flower and the cards was complete....whew...it takes longer to say how I made them then it did to make!  LOL

The third card.....I received this card in the mail last week from Goody's department store.  It had a Christmas gift card inside and I liked the pretty colors...so, I 're-created' it with my Cameo.  Drew the bird and then used a Christmas ball from my files but can't come up with the creator....I made the background with blue color and snowflakes and just printed it off...then I distressed the edges with white caulk....trying to give it a snowy look but the blue ink kind of made dirty snow...LOL...cut out the bird, wing, branch, ornament, snowflakes and mistletoe and just glued it all on....I liked how it turned out and its a close runner up with my fav. 

The snowflakes have glitter added to them, the ornament is cut out of blue/white and red and then glued together and topped with Crystal Laquer to give it a shiny ornament look.  I added the white to the wing and eye with my white gel pen.  

And now, last and my least favorite...I loved this truck...really loved it and I might give it another go next year but I do not care for these dark colors.  I'm a traditional Christmas gal...love my greens and reds and this just looks blah to me.  The truck was from a scrapbook kit called A Whole Lotta Xmas by Shabby Miss Jenn and I love the kit, just don't like what I did with it...LOL...

I traced the pickup in Silhouette Studio and then did a print and cut to cut it out.  Cut and printed packages with scrapbook paper and added the pine tree so it looked like it was being hauled in the back of the truck.  Added rhinestones and glitter and liquid pearl to finish it off.  The background paper is from Pink Petticoat and that is what I don't like...its just too dark for my liking but I was running out of time and patience...so 12 people will be subject to looking at it...poor folks!  It's not that bad but definitely not my best work!

Keep your fingers crossed that mom is doing ok, so I don't feel guilty about coming home next Friday!

BTW....still haven't got shots of the house...its been too windy to take pics and now its too cold...I'm going to give it another go tonight if the wind dies down but don't hold your breath!

Phase One of the Remodel

It's been a hectic three weeks but things are really taking shape.  I've painted 10 gallons of paint and have two more to go. The living room, stereo room, bathroom, dining room, family room and two hallways have received fresh coats of paint and the great room is 3/4 done with the ceiling paint. Just have above the kitchen left to do and hope to get it done today.  It's raining cats and dogs, so no work outside and probably no walk unless it clears out later this afternoon. 

I didn't dig out any before pictures, as my picture folder is an unorganized mess and too hard to find them...LOL...but you will get to see what I've accomplished so far.

First up is the living room with new paint and beautiful, new Armstrong Luxe Vinyl plank flooring.  I have to say, I'm really liking this new floor!

Not the best image but I didn't have the best light and was in a hurry.  The color of the walls is called Wicker by Benjamin Moore and the green in the hallway is called Palm.  The flooring is called Exotic Fruitwood.  I'm debating on an area rug but can't decide if I want to go that route or just leave it open. 

And next is the most dramatic change...the bathroom.  I've always had wall paper so going to plain paint was a bit boring to me...LOL...

 

The color of the main walls is the Wicker by Benjamin Moore and the shower wall is called Tropical Bay.  I guess I should explain these colors so as to not confuse folks if they go to a Benjamin Moore store and can't find them...I actually found the color chips at Lowe's but my favorite paint is BM, so I took the samples to my BM store and they computer matched them.  I used their Ultra Spec 500 low sheen paint because it is washable but also hides my wall imperfections.  Remember, I stated that the paint was boring so I really had to add some color with my shower curtains and accessories.  But, I do like how it turned out.  I love the ceramic tile!  I purchased a new faucet and went with brushed nickel.  I had a gold polished brass one before but finding polished brass is getting harder and harder.  Lowe's had a whole aisle of faucets and not one single brass one.  So, to make things match, I purchased Brushed Nickel spray paint and gave my cabinet knobs, towel rack and toilet paper holder an up-do with spray paint and clear varnish.  It's not exactly like the faucet but close enough to match.  Those brown flowers above the tub are from the clearance Halloween/Thanksgiving section of Shopko and I picked them up for .65 cents a apiece.  I went back to get more but they were all sold out.  I want to find some dragonflies to add to them to match the shower curtain. I might have to cut some from vinyl on my Cameo! 

The space between my medicine cabinet and sink was way too boring for me and I happened upon this sticker at Wally World and liked the saying and the colors...cost me a whole warping .97 cents...I couldn't cut it out myself for that price!  I had to give my paint a week to cure and it stuck perfectly!  

And now, on to phase two...finishing the kitchen with beadboard back splash and English Walnut Vinyl Planks....but that is for another day!

Hope you enjoyed my remodeling tour!

Another Baby Gift Set

Just put on the finishing touches this morning....shower is this afternoon at 2:00 so it was none too soon...LOL....

This is the same set as the pink ones I did by following the talented Erin Lincoln's design...but we don't know the gender of the baby yet....its not due till Nov. and the parents want the surprise.  So...I tried to do it in colors and design that would be appropriate to both genders.  Unfortunately, I think it might have come out more on the boy gender side.  I have to admit...making things for girls appeals to me more than boy things.  LOL...

Anyway, this time (as opposed to the pink set), I made the bags with a liner and used sew on heat n Bond and tried my hand at appliqueing...I need to practice BIG time....just can't figure out the curves and what the best stitch to use is...but I'm sure the good folks that gets this won't care if its perfect or not....(I hope!)

All the appliques were cut from Silhouette files and cut on the Cameo...I love pulling the material off the mat to reveal the nice, sharp cut edges.

In each bag is 2 diapers, a travel size pack of Wipes, travel size lotion and hand santitizer and a couple small plastic trash bags.  I appliqued and then decorated them a bit further with ribbons and buttons.  My favorites are the giraffe and the owl...I like the color combos in them with the layers. I made 5 bags with a giraffe, an owl, a onesie, a dog and bear.

I used the same tag as the pink set but changed up the colors to green and yellow and added green scrapbook paper to the clothespin and then added some glitter.

The shoes on the card were picked up at KC from Michaels. I believe they are made by Jolee's by You...I simply fell in love with how 'real' they looked like the old shoes I used to put on Jerri Ann...even the paper has that canvas look and feel of those old shoes.  Added some rhinestones and, of course, the paper was from patterns in SS and cut out.

Have a GREAT day!

Catching up.....

Just catching up with a few of my cards and gifts...this still isn't all of them but enough for one post..LOL...

This first one is the anniversary card I made for my lovely folks, who just celebrated their 67th anniversary...my oh my...is that a long time to be with someone or what!  They set such a good example for their kids...all of them followed it but me...LOL....

All of it was cut from files from the Silhouette store and the sentiment was sketched with a white paint pen using the Silhouette.  The ribbon was colored with my markers to kind of match the pearls.  The ribbon was also folded in half as it was wider than I wanted but I didn't have any narrow. I have tons of ribbon but never seems like I have the right color or size when I need it.  I tried adding some shading to my leaves but need to practice that a lot more! 

This next card was made with my brother in mind.  He loves to go Crow hunting...why? I have no idea!

The crow was a clipart file I found on the net and traced. I used a wood grain embossing folder on the brown and then added a bit of distress ink to give it more of a wood look...buttons and twine..pretty simple but so fitting for my older brother!

Next up, an anniversary card for Greg and Kristen...this one just didn't come together like I had in mind but since I procrastinate so bad, it had to do or they wouldn't get one at all.

The birdcage was a cut file as well as the label behind it.  I used the Silhouette to 'stitch' with this time.  Just added lines and told it to print and not cut...much neater than I can do with my pen or the sewing machine for that matter...LOL...

And last, but the best in  my opinion, is a gift I made for my new great niece.  I got this idea from
Erin Lincoln.  I've had it pinned for over 2 years just waiting on someone to have a baby...LOL...since the shower was after Sadie was born, I was able to personalize it quite a bit.

This first image shows the whole ensemble.  I would like to have found a white basket but since I live in no stores, rural Missouri, I can't be too choosey!  I scoured all the stores within a 30 mile radius to find one lone brown basket.  The next image shows the card and tag a bit bigger.

Well, I was going to give credit for the dress file but can't seem to find the designer and there is no credit page in the file with the dress.  Anyway, I bought it from someone and traced it in the Silhouette program and cut it out.  You can't see it in the pic very well, but I cut the bow, trim around the neck and the cuff of the sleeves twice and added it to the front of the dress for dimension.  Then I used my markers to add shading on the dress front.  I really like how that turned out!  Cut a tag from some pattern stock I had on hand and added a circle to the hole.  Oh, forgot, I also made the hanger out of some wire I had.  All the paper is from Daisy & Company.  I added some glitter paper to the clothespin and some buttons and twine.  I made the bags on the sewing machine...yep, I can still sew!  LOL....and cut the designs out on the Silhouette and adhered them with their bonding material.  I had the no sew bonding but when I make this again, I'm going to buy the sewing kind...I want the recipient to be able to wash them.  The next image will show the individual bags.  Each bag held a diaper, wipes, hand sanitizer and a plastic bag for disposal.  Everything for a quick change.  The idea is to be able to just grab a bag when you are just running to the store or on an errand and not going to be gone long but want to have it just in case.  I believe it was quite the hit with the mom!

Well, that's all for now...need to get lots of stuff done today as my friend and I are headed to the city in the morning for a weekend at the craft show!

Enjoy!

Anniversary Card for J & R

I made this anniversary card for the kids 9th anniversary.  That doesn't seem possible to me either since it just seems like last summer I was scurrying around trying to get every thing done for their wedding.  Oh, my, I don't understand why life has to go by so fast!

Anyway this was a kit called Misty Blue Beautiful by jopked.  I took it into the Silhouette program and traced the tags and cut them out along with the butterfly.  Then I just added jute and buttons and popped them up on the background.  All the paper is from the kit as well as the brush I used for the background.  Did a bit of sewing on the edge, added some rhinestones and glitter and it was done...took Jerri Ann out for lunch and gave it to her. 

Now, lets see if the blog straightens up...if not I might need to edit out the template as it came from a PDF file and it does have a huge bunch of HTML code behind it...I should have just took it to PS and saved it as a jpg but this was so fast and easy...LOL


Enjoy!

Sweet Sixteen

Well, its done and posted....LOL....a first in my book as I've never started, finished and posted a card all in the same day!

I had a kit of papers by Katie Pertiet and just copy and pasted the preview page into my Silhouette program...this brings it right onto my page that I'm working on.  I knew I wanted to use some embossing folders, so didn't really want to do pattern fills...just wanted the colors out of Katie's kit.  I made me a color sampler and then used a card sketch from My Favorite Things.  I also bought the card sketch into the program the same way...copy/paste and then I used it as a template to make my shapes. This is the sketch I kind of used...changed it up just a bit.

And this is the kit I borrowed colors from:

and this is the card I came up with...she is a girly girl and pink really suits her. I remember taking a photo of her when she was about 2 that I was going to scrapbook a page of Pretty in Pink but never got it done. I'm off to the grocery store!

Have a Wonderful day!!

Strawberry Smoothies

These are so good....I can drink one every day!

 

Enjoy!

A busy 2 Weeks...

A little over a month ago, I gave my old television and tv cabinet to Jerri Ann....we have been working on getting rid of all the super heavy stuff in our home that we can't move by ourselves anymore...Randy got the roll top desk and Jerri Ann got the TV....both weigh in at over 200 pounds each and it was all Bill and I could do to move them when we needed to shampoo carpets or paint or any other reason.  Bill had received a gift certificate for Best Buy from his employer for his 10 year anniversary.  So, we made a purchase of the new 50 inch flat screen and then I needed something to put it on.  We had it on our coffee table till this weekend when the entertainment center got completed.

I found the dresser at our local antique store.  It was in excellent shape and just the right size for what I was wanting to do....I'd already done the shopping route and didn't find any cabinets that I liked in my price range!  Unfortunately, I didn't think about taking a before picture until I had the cabinet in a dozen pieces.

This has kept me occupied now for the past 2 weeks....the first weekend, I took it all apart and sanded everything down...then, the second weekend, Bill and I worked it over!  I wanted it to me taller and the baskets I had purchased were not going to fit into the drawer space. So, I came up with this idea...we took the top of the dresser off...it was veneer and I wanted a wood stained top and that would not happen with the veneer top.  We cut the top down to size to use as the bottom of the dresser.  The dresser had straight feet on it and we just nailed the table top to the bottom of the dresser feet.  We then purchased some 'feet' from Lowe's and added them to the bottom.  This gave me the room I needed to add the basket and it raised the dresser up by another 6 inches.  The top row of drawers is no longer drawers.  We removed the fronts from the drawers and Bill put cup hinges inside of the drawer fronts and added a shelf to the inside (where the drawer used to be)...this makes it so I can open the drawer fronts and get access to my DVD player and receiver.  Luckily, the new Direct Whole house genie system doesn't have to have line of site on the 'slave' box so I don't have to keep the receiver door open when we are watching tv. 

After sanding it all down and rebuilding it to what I wanted, I painted it with homemade caulk paint.  Oh, I REALLY like that paint!  I had some Benjamin Moore Linen White that I'd purchased last year for another small project and all I had to do was mix some plaster of Paris in it to get my caulk paint.  I'd researched a bunch of homemade recipes and would have liked to have used the Calcium Carbonate recipe but I couldn't find any of that around here.  The Plaster of Paris worked fine, I just couldn't mix much up at a time or it would get hard on me before I was finished painting. It did stay great if I placed it in the refrigerator between coats.  It dries to a nice, super hard finish...Oops...I'm getting ahead of myself ....I first added a coat of primer to the veneer top.  I know the blogs all say I don't have to sand or prime but since it was really glossy and it was going to be used as a shelf, I wasn't taking any chances.  So, after priming it, I gave the whole thing the first coat of caulk paint, then added brown paint to the spots that I wanted to distress and then gave it a second, final coat of caulk paint.  After it was good and dry, I sanded down my edges and on my brown distressed spots and then glazed it all over and wiped it down.  After that was allowed to dry for a day, I gave it all a good coat of Johnson's Paste Wax...let that dry for about 30 minutes and then buffed it to this lovely sheen....it came out beautiful!!  The top was stained with a mix of pecan and walnut stain and then I added 5 coats of poly protection.  We bought window stop to add some interest and put it under the top drawers and around the bottom edge...just what it needed to give it some detail.  Added new hinges and it was done!  I LOVE the hinges!

The bottom two images are closer to the actual color of the cabinet...the top image is a bit too yellow.
It turned out exactly how I had envisioned it and it works perfectly as a flat screen television cabinet with plenty of storage for movies and such.  It was not a cheap redo...we have almost $200.00 in it with the price of the original dresser and the hinges, wood for shelves and back, feet, trim and the wood top but anything this size that I looked at was way over 400.00 and not nearly as nice.  All in all, I'm really happy with it!

Sister's Birthday

Another card...for my older sister's birthday. 

 

This is an assortment of papers....some were pre-printed, some were digital that I just worked over a bit to match up the colors.  Everything was cut on the Sihouette and then I layered it all up and used a zig zag stitch on the sewing machine for the small border.  I hope she likes it...

Enjoy...all for tonight!

 

 

Celebrating 34 Years Together

On the 31st. of August, Bill and I celebrated 34 years!  This is the card I made for the love of my life.

The design was 'borrowed' and I thought I had the link saved but can't find it now....so, just be known...this is not my design!  I did use my paper and my cuts are my designs from Silhouette Design Studio and I did put it together and sew it on my machine...LOL...anyway, Bill loved it!  Usually, he just glances at them and puts them away but this one really caught his attention and it still sits on his dresser.  I wonder how much longer....hummm...

Enjoy!

No, not just for me Brent can have some too if he wants I don’t mind sharing.

This turned out to be pretty good but I want to play around with some other options.

I would like to have a crust on the bottom, maybe just some crushed nuts would work to give it that little extra and sugar free cherry pie filling on top.  I used a dab of sugar free blueberry jelly on the top of these to fill were it sunk in after baking. Wish that hadn't happened but I forgot to turn the timer on so I didn’t know how long they were in the oven. They probably would do it anyway. Would also like to make them without the cupcake liners. That would make them easier to serve to company.

Anyway they make a pretty good low carb evening snack and if you used low fat cream cheese you could have them on your diet.

Cream Cheese Muffins

2  8 oz. pks. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

½ cup sweetner  ( I used ¼ cup Truvia)

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

Soften cream cheese about 40 seconds in microwave. Add other ingredients. Beat with mixer till smooth. Pour into 12 muffin pans lined with cupcake liners. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Just a card I made a while back....this came as a freebie with my Cardmaking and Papercrafting magazine.  I love this magazine from the UK cause of all the freebies they attach to it. 

Anyway the paper and embellishments are from Hunkydory and the kit is Flutterbye Wishes.  It has enough paper and embellishments in it to make about a dozen cards so you just might be seeing some more of it. 

I cut the scallop border and ovals out with my Silhouette....mounted the saying onto some pink paper I had and added the pink ribbon and white stitching with a gel pen.  Rhinestones are from Want2Scrap, my favorite place to buy them as they are really cheap!  I made the envelope with my 1/4 inch template and attached the pink stripe and butterfly embellishment from the kit. 

Enjoy!

What was on our plate....

Last night we had Fiesta Fish, Baked Hash Browns au Gratin and Cheesy Garlic Biscuits finished off with Pink Champagne Salad.

We liked all of it except for the fish and it just did not appeal to either one of us.  Joanna has a Oven Fried fish recipe that we like much better. 

FIESTA FISH: * (only gave this one star as neither of us cared for it)

16 ounces white fish, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup chunky Salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1 Tablespoon Splenda Granular
1 Teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 Teaspoon JO's Chili Seasoning or any chili seasoning
1 Teaspoon lemon juice (I use real lemon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with butter-flavored cooking spray. Arrange fish pieces in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle onion over fish. In a small bowl, combine salsa, Splenda, parsley flakes, chili seasoning and lemon juice. Pour mixture evenly over fish. Bake for 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily. When serving, evenly spoon sauce mixture over fish pieces.

Serves 4- Newsletter, March 2003, page 4

126 Calories, 2g Fa, 19g Pr, 8g Ca, 518mg So, 7mg Cl, 2g Fi

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BAKED HASH BROWNS AU GRATIN: ***** (loved this!)

4 1/2 cups (15 ounces) shredded loose-packed frozen potatoes
2/3 cup Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
1 cup water
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Kraft reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (I used Sharp Cheddar)
2 Tablespoons Asiago cheese (Ann says this makes it much cheesier and she is right)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray. Arrange potatoes in prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine dry milk powder, water, lemon pepper and parsley flakes. Evenly pour milk mixture over potatoes. Bake for 45 minutes. Evenly sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top.   Sprinkle Asiago cheese over the Cheddar.  Continue baking for 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese has melted.  Place baking dish on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes. Divide into 4 servings.

Serves 4: Make a Joyful Table, Page166

166 Calories, 2gm Fat, 10gm Protein, 27gm Carbohydrate, 151mg Sodium, 221mg Calcium, 3gm Fiber

Because I added the Asiago cheese, it raised the Calorie count to 176 but so worth it!

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CHEESY GARLIC BISCUITS: **** (I only gave these 4 stars because it needs more garlic and cheese)

3/4 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Reduced Fat Baking Mix
1/3 cup Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
2 T. Splenda Granular
1/4 tsp. dried minced garlic (I think this should be at least 1/2 tsp and maybe even 1 tsp.)
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce) grated Kraft reduced-fat American Cheese (I think I'll use cheddar next time)
2 T. Kraft fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup water


Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with butter-flavored cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine baking mix, dry milk powder and Splenda.  Stir in garlic and American cheese. Add mayonnaise and water. Mix well to combine. Drop by tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheet to form 4 biscuits.  Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven. Lightly spray tops with butter-flavored cooking spray or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray.  Place baking sheet on a wire rack and let set for at least 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

Serves 4- Fresh from the Hearth, Page 200

122 Calories, 2gm Fat, 5gm Protein, 21gm Carbohydrate, 441mg Sodium, 118mg Calcium, 0gm Fiber.

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PINK CHAMPAGNE SALAD: *****  (sorry, no photo of this)

3/4 cup plain fat free yogurt (I use Fage Total 0% fat Greek yogurt)
1/3 cup Carnation nonfat dry milk powder
2 Tablespoons Splenda Granular
I teaspoon vanilla extract
I cup Cool Whip lite (I used Cool Whip Free)
2 to 3 drops red food coloring
I cup canned crushed pineapple, packed in its own juice, undrained
I (4-serving) package JELL-O sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 oz) miniature marshmallows

In a large bowl, combine yogurt and dry milk powder. Add Splenda, vanilla extract, Cool Whip Lite, and red food coloring. Mix gently to combine. Add pineapple with juice and dry pudding mix. Mix well using a wire whisk. Fold in strawberries and marshmallows. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Serves 6 (2/3 cup) -Healthy Exchanges Newsletter April 94

123 Calories, I gm Fat, 3 gm Protein. 25 gm Carbohydrate, 261 mg Sodium


Enjoy!

Healthy Zucchini Raisin Nut Bread

I bought some zucchini off the Amish this past weekend so made a couple recipes with it and I have to say, both of them were excellent!  I didn't get a photo of the cake but did get a photo of the bread.  Bill doesn't like raisins but he wolfed his slice down and asked for seconds.

Since he's gone to 12 hour days, he doesn't get home until 7:30 pm and eats too late so he has gained some of his weight back but we are hoping, once the over time is done, that he will take it back off.  He can't walk now cause its so late and then eating a meal and going to bed an hour later is taking its toll on his weight loss. I started out waiting on him to eat but decided I needed to change that or I'd be gaining too. So, I eat around 5:30 and then heat his up for him when he gets home and is taking his shower.

Anyway, wanted to share these two recipes.

Healthy Zucchini Raisin Nut Bread

3/4 cup Splenda Granular
1/4 cup reduced-calorie margarine (I used Blue Bonnet Light)
1 egg, or equivalent in egg substitute (I used the substitute)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (I buy the individual cups, usually Musselman's Natural no sugar added)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 cup shredded zucchini (I did not peel)
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with butter-flavored cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine Splenda, margarine, and egg using a wire whisk. Stir in applesauce and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix gently just to combine, using a sturdy spoon. Fold in zucchini, raisins and walnuts. Evenly spread batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 to 46 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place loaf pan on a wire rack and let set for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and continue cooling on wire rack. Cut into 8 slices.

186 Calories
6 gm Fat
4 gm Protein
29 gm Carbohydrate
325 mg Sodium
80 mg Calcium
2 gm Fiber

Chocolate Zucchini Spice Cake

2 T + 2 tsp. reduced-calorie margarine (I used Smart Balance Butter)
1 egg, or equivalent in egg substitute (I used substitute)
3/4 cup Splenda Granular
2/3 cup fat-free half & half (I used Land O Lakes)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups reduced fat biscuit baking mix (I used Heart Smart Bisquick)
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. table salt
1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9 inch cake pan with butter-flavored cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine margarine, egg, Splenda, half & half and vanilla extract. Mix well using a wire whisk. Add baking mix, cocoa powder, apple pie spice, baking powder and salt. Mix gently just to combine using a sturdy spoon. Fold in zucchini and walnuts. Evenly spread batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Cut into 8 servings.

I think this makes my servings a lot bigger than I really need and its easier for me to cut my pan into 9 servings. I've always wondered why she has you cut a square pan into such odd sizes since it cuts perfectly into 9 pieces.

167 Calories
7 gm fat
4 gm Protein
22 gm carbohydrate
396 mg Sodium
86 mg Calcium
1 gm fiber


Enjoy!!

This will be my last post tonight...need to get supper fixed and we were loaned a movie and we need to watch it tonight and return it tomorrow.

This one is all my idea...thought of it on my walk one morning.  Amanda is a avid dancer so I thought a dancer card would be just the ticket.  I got the cut file from the Silhouette store and cut it with AC cardstock.  Added the pearls for buttons and then used ribbon to fashion her skirt.  The scallop was another one I designed in the Silhouette program.  It's been too long so I'm not sure what the fonts are...I'm thinking the 'girl' is CK Ali but not real sure on that and I didn't save that information. The flowered paper is by Basic Grey and the pink is some I got free from CardMaker magazine.  Again, I used a white gel pen for stitching.

We 'finally' got rain today...came a lot harder then I would have liked but at this point, I'm not going to complain as we were in desperate need of moisture.  I hadn't mowed in over 2 weeks and my shrubs were starting to wilt.  We have chances for rain for the next 4 days so hope we get a bit more and maybe it could come softer and soak in.

Father Birthday or Father's Day Card

This card is a copy from Pink Petticoat.....I just cut the star and panel on the Silhouette and added it to Kraft stock from PapertryInk...this card fits a business size envelope.  I couldn't figure out how to add the ///\\\\ around the STAR so I just drew them with a black gel pin...LOL

Sharing my Mother's Day Card, finally!

I have so many cards to post and hope to find the time this week to get most of them posted.  I've also got 400 wedding pics to edit and I can't seem to get my butt in gear to get them done.  I've figured out that I LOVE taking pictures but HATE editing them.  I liked when I just sent the film off to the lab and they did all the work for me...ugh.....I'm sure the bride would love to have her pictures through, so I guess this week will be spent in front of the computer!

Anyway, this is the card I made for my mom for Mother's Day....I also made a bag with flowers on it to hold the digital camera I got her but it wasn't too pretty so I won't be sharing it.  I could not find the right color bag to go with my flowers and had to make do!

 

The base of the card is Kraft stock from PapertreyInk.  I cut the flowers out of AC cardstock and then added color with my markers to enhance the color a bit.  The butterfly shape is from the Silhouette Store and cut out of more AC stock. The doily is one I made in the Silhouette program after following a tutorial I found online.  I embossed the white panel and rounded the edges.  Pretty simple but pretty too!

Enjoy,

Oh, this poor neglected blog.....

I just had to share this image as I'm so very, very proud of myself. It's taken 6 months and two pair of walking shoes but I finally reached my goal...as of this morning, I'm down to 130 pounds and have lost 40 pounds. I dug out the old picture from last June 2012 and then took the new one this morning...I knew I was heavy but didn't realize how heavy till Kristen took this pic of Amanda and I at her dance recital. I think that was the straw that broke the camels back....it wasn't how I saw myself at all....even in the mirror, I thought I was smaller...but the picture proved differently and after spending time at the folks and seeing them hobble around, I decided it was time to change my life style....low fat, low sugar and exercise! The perfect combination to health and weight loss. No magic pills, no fad diet...just 6 mile walks every morning and recipes by the talented Joanna Lund....not once did I feel deprived or hungry and the best part...I could have dessert EVERY night! I now own 15 of her cookbooks and 4 years worth of newsletters! I can fix a different recipe every night for years and not go through all of them. I'll be posting some muffin and quick bread recipes in the next few days ( I hope!)



And now to the hard part.....maintaining this weight from here on out. I don't think it will be that hard since Joanna's recipes are so good and I'm not dieting anymore, I'm changing my life for the better! When we went to Amanda's dance recital this year, we stopped at the outlet mall and I bought two new pairs of walking shoes....I plan on wearing them out by the end of the year!

Life is SO good!

Chalk Board

Had to laugh on this writing on the board....we seem to still be just coming out of Winter around here.....I think we are going to by pass Spring all together....highs in the 90's next week so you are correct! Off to the mailbox and then to get that privacy fence power washed off so I can stain it tomorrow before the rains come back in on Saturday...

Summer is here! 

Outside my window

A quick snap of one of my roses. This has been the craziest springs we had another frost last night. Getting tired of covering stuff up. Hope you have a great Memorial Day week-end.

Peach Sherbet

I will sure be glad when you go back to your WW cause all the recipes I really like and want to post are carbs....LOL..

And, unfortunately, I do not have a picture of this....yep, you guessed it. I ate the evidence!  I could pull some out of the freezer but I just don't feel like snapping photos right now, the flower beds are calling out to me! The weather is awesome right now and I've spent the last 2  1/2 days outside sprucing up the place to get ready for flower planting time.  I got both the front and back decks power-washed off and the patio furniture drug out of storage.  I can't decide if I'm going to stain or not....they probably need to be stained but they still have some color left and I'm thinking they might last another season.

But, I got hungry this afternoon for something nice and cold and had some frozen peaches just beckoning at me to use them up...

This is what I made and it really hit the spot..in fact, I don't even think I'll tell Bill I made it...save the last 3 servings just for me!  LOL...

Peach Sherbet

2  1/2 cups frozen unsweetened peach slices, slightly thawed. (I used the whole bag, it was a bit over 2  1/2 cups but I couldn't see much sense in putting a half cup back in the freezer. )

2 Tbs. unsweetened orange juice

2/3 cup Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk Powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup Splenda granular (you could use plain sugar here or the Splenda blend, which is half Splenda, half real sugar)

In a blender container, combine peach slices and orange juice. Cover and process on CHOP for 15 to 20 seconds. ( My blender took a lot longer than this...I think I need a new one) Add dry milk powder, vanilla extract and Splenda.  Re-cover and process on BLEND until mixture is smooth and creamy. Serve at once or freeze for future use.

Serves 4 (1/2 cup)

Each serving equals:

96 calories, 0 gm fat, 5 gm Protein, 19 gm carbohydrate, 63 mg Sodium, 156 mg Calcium and 2 gm fiber.

Look at that calcium!  Women need lots and lots of extra calcium and by using the dry milk powder we are getting a boast of it!  Plus, the added benefit of 5 gm of protein!  I think this is a very healthy dish!  

 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Another Joanna Lund recipe....I really like the pumpkin flavor of these.  Plus, the addition of the nuts and chocolate chips puts them right up on my top 10 most loved snacks....LOL....I did change the recipe up a couple places...I use Splenda instead of Sugar Twin (when she made these recipes, Splenda hadn't been marketed in the US yet) and I also used Fage 0% Greek Yogurt instead of the Yoplait fat free.  The Fage 0% is so much thicker and taste better too.....gives the recipes just the added taste that they need.  Not that they weren't good before, just now they are even better!

I know you don't care for sweets but thought you might like these....nutritional info is below the image.

I snagged the recipe card from Design House Digital.


Each serving equals:
HE: 1 Bread, 1/2 Fat, 1/3 Vegetable, 1/4 Skim Milk, 1/4 Slider, 4 Optional Calories
172 Calories, 4 gm Fat, 6 gm Protein, 28 gm Carbohydrate, 243 mg Sodium, 116 mg Calcium, 2 gm Fiber


Enjoy....that is all for today!

Just another birthday card.

I can't even remember who I made this one for...LOL....my memory is really starting to suck, big time!

But, it was fast and quick and since I made decoration on the front of the envelope, I'm guessing it was made for my mother-in-law, since I could hand deliver it. 

This was basically just cut out using AC cardstock papers...I printed the green stems and leaves on the green cardstock and then the flowers were all done with the print and cut feature of the SSDE.  The birthday sentiment was cut with AC white cardstock but the happy was printed along with the flower stems.  I added holes to the centers of the flowers so I could stitch with embossing thread. I wanted them to look like buttons and had to print each one three times and glue together to give me the depth I was looking for.  The pearls are from Want2Scrap.  A simple but cute greeting card!

Enjoy!

The Easter Cards!

Nothing like being over a month late to post Easter cards....oh, well....

This first one is for Bella....my little Beautiful Bella....

This card was done using lots of shapes from the online store...the flowers, the rabbit and the saying all came from there and were cut out of various colors of AC cardstock except the flowers, they were cut out using print and cut in SSDE.  The grass was made by me and then cut out on the Cameo.  I used bling from Want2Scrap and the bunny tail is covered with white glitter.  I then edged all along the feet and 'butt' with a gray marker to give it a bit of depth and shadow.  I also colored the grass spikes to give it some dimension from the flat ground grass.  (I'm sure that just made a lot of sense...LOL).  Stitching was done by machine and I was trying to give it a bit of a crooked look but I can't do that any better than I can sew straight...LOL...

Next up is for my Amazingly talented Amanda! 

Again, I used the print and cut feature in SSDE...all papers from Daisy & Company by Gina Jane called baby Girl...remember how we used to love getting Hugware by Gina Jane?  The tulip is a shape I got from the online store but that is all I used shape wise this time.  I made my own Washi tape by printing on velum and then using my adhesive Xryon to add clear glue to the back of it.  I actually did this as a print and cut so I could add the pattern and the wording and then set it to cut jagged on the ends. Rounded all my edges and then adhered it in layers and sewed with my machine on the flower stem, leaves and the corners of the label.  The tulip was added in layers with pop dots to add dimension. I really liked how this turned out! 

And last....for Jumping Jack!  Too cute!!!

  

 

This is all mine....well, except for the idea.....I found this coloring book picture of this bunny driving a tractor...did a through search and came up empty on any shape for the bunny or the tractor and still wanted to do it, so.....I set down and preceded to learn the tools in SSDE....and this is the results...opps....forgot, those are not my eggs...I DID get those from the online store. I made the tractor first....its hard to see in the image, but the tire has treads...both shapes cut out and then adhered together after I chalked up the edges. Then I cut the seat, the grill, the headlights, the bucket, etc....the bunny was the hardest for me to do cause I had trouble making the body but I did it and I'm SOOOO proud!  LOL....most of his face is a print and cut...I did not want to glue all those tiny things on but I used pink chalk for his cheeks and then used gray chalk to ink around the edges of his face and body.  The helmet and ears are cut separately. I cut slits in the helmet so the ears would slide down behind it and added detailing on the brim with a black pen. Added some glitter to the eggs and rhinestones to the front of the bucket.  The grass and sky are actually printed onto the front of the card and then I cut out the Beep Beep and added it with popdots.  What do you think?
Think I could have a career in design elements if I weren't so old?  LOL...

Don't forget to scroll down, I posted yesterday too and I'm going to post again today!

Enjoy!

My Aunt's Birthday

I know, I know...I said this would be Easter cards but came across this and remembered that I hadn't posted it yet.  So...here it is...a card I made for my aunt.   She loved it!

The bicycle was a bugger to cut...I need a new blade and a new mat when I cut something this intricut and I had neither....I think I cut it at least 8 times before I came out with 2 good cuts that I could stack and glue together to make it a bit thicker.  It's been so long since I made this that I can't remember where the paper came from...just know that I scanned it in and then imported to my SSDE.  The saying is from Designer Digitals, I think by Katie Pertiet but don't quote me on that either....I really, really need to add notes to my designs!  LOL...I know the pearls are from Want2Scrap and the bicycle rims are from Teresa Collings and the little coral flowers are from my mom's craft stash.  The butterfly was a shape that I cut on the Silhouette and I just used a pen to make the stitching around the scallop shape.

Edited:  Forgot to add...the bicycle was a digital image that I imported and then traced and then I had to re-do the spokes...they looked much neater in the original trace because they were super delicate but that was the trouble I was having getting it to cut correctly...they kept tearing! So, I remove every other spoke and widened the rest out a bit and it cut easier...I know if I'd had a new mat and a new blade, it would have cut the delicate ones just fine but as usual, I was running out of time.  The bike did not have a 'basket' so I had to add that shape to put my flowers in.  

Enjoy!

Axtell-Hess Wedding

 

This is the frame.....I have about $10.00 in the whole thing.  I picked up the frame at our local thrift store coming in at $5.00.  I then went to Lowe's and bought a sample jar of paint in the cream color, sanded down the frame and gave it two coats of base cream color.  Sanded off the edges and spots I wanted the stain to show through on and then topped it all off with glazing that I swirled on and then wiped off.  The roses are made by me from burlap and felt and then I just added a few burlap leaves and some buttons and pearls...just to dress it up a bit. The mat used to be black and white but I didn't like the look so I painted it with three coats of the cream paint and then swirled glazing on the top....the little brown edging was done with my colored markers. I think it made it look a little bit like wood grain and really finished the frame off. I purchased a piece of white poster board and a piece of black. The white you can see and it is for the guest to sign around the picture and the black was used to finish off the back of the frame so it looked nicer since it will be sitting on an easel and the back will show.  I took their pictures and don't like it but its the best of the lot and has to do.  I had to remove her double chin, thin her down a bit (per her request...lol) and then had to swap heads with Jim since he was smirking in the one that she liked of her.  I worked it over a dozen times and still am not happy with it but have ran out of time.  Below is a closeup of the roses.

 

and next is the favors....I made the box to fit my candy bars in Silhouette Studio, cut them out of kraft cardstock from PaperTreyInk and then wrapped the lid with burlap.  The flowers are made with little yellow AC cardstock that I printed some vintage text on before cutting them on the cutter.  I believe the flower is by Lori Whitlock...but don't quote me on that....the leaves were printed on some paper from Recollections Habitat collection.  I needed more than I had, so scanned the paper in and printed on my printer.  I can't ever get it to match completely but it was close enough once it was cut into leaves.  I then scored the leaves to looked like there were veins and curled the flowers.  This took me the longest time as it was very time consuming.  It took most of the day to print and cut them out and then I'd work on them and watch TV.  The candy bars are wrapped in cream paper with the vintage text printed on them and then the top layer has Jim & Iola printed on each candy bar and the bottom layer has thanks for coming.  There are 6 miniature candy bars in each box with gives me the two layers. The label is printed on kraft cardstock and I used the print and cut feature to cut them out and they are tied on with some twine.  I sure hope she likes what I did, as she hasn't seen them yet.

 

That's it...I had plans to make a banner out of burlap and paint Just Married on it but I ran out of time and couldn't get the burlap around here locally and didn't have time to make a trip to the city.  My nephew is getting married in June and I just might get around and make the banner for them!  I am making invitations for that wedding and need to get started on them soon...

We need to get ready to go and the power just went off.....dang it!