Braided Headbands

My oldest loves to craft and I love watching her create and find joy & pleasure in all her crafts - everything from paper twirling, to sewing, to drawing, to baking... she's "playing" and enjoying the process of creating. We found this tutorial and Megan loved the headband. So the other day we found some colors and off she went and created this "one of kind" headband in less than an hour! She loves it and is already thinking of color combos and getting ready to make some for her friends.

Christmas week is here!!

Merry Christmas,

❄

Savoring Moments

Two things: First, I am still here. Second, I'm savoring! Do you do that? Savor? When life gets busy....too busy...I tend to shut down. The focus shifts to priorities and everything else hangs in a state of pause. My blog was paused as the children & I finished up school before the holidays, baked special Christmas treats & began soccer season. Wow, it's been busy!! Hopefully I'm back to blogging a little bit more & sharing with you some of our special Christmas moments :)

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas tree is finally up :)

Matthew is 4 months old today!!

Goodbye long shaggy hair, hello my Joshua!!

♥

Quadding in Arizona

Nothing beats quadding in the heat! OK, not too hot (gets stuffy in those helmets!)

Another LO to share - woot! woot!

I'm starting my Christmas cards now so once those are done, I hope to get scrappin' again!

2-page spread

A little close-up

I used a Karen Foster Kit for putting this together and a few embellies I had kicking around.. USING up stuff!! NO MORE HOARDING. :)

I'm having troubles with my printer right now. Bums me out. I know it's CHEAPER to get photos printed at a local print place, but I do like the convenience and smaller sizes I can get off my printer. PLUS, I'm really hoping to do a December Daily album and will need my printer for that. I shall continue to try and figure it out.

Stay tuned.... :)

12 weeks this week

Hard to believe 12 weeks have nearly passed.

We are so blessed.

♥

He is cooing, smiling, giggling, & playing... so precious.

A little at a time....

It's working! {insert big smiles here!!} I'm leaving my scrapbooking stuff out and as I wander by I catch 5 minutes here or 10 minutes there to quickly add this or that. Of course that has forced a bit of homeschooling upstairs, but I can live with that :)

Pages take me longer to do as I don't have big chunks of time, but I am so enjoying the time I am getting between the schooling, laundry, cleaning, meal preparing... well you know!

This is a page from last summer - photos aren't great, bad lighting in here, but I wanted to snap a shot before I put them in the album.

I used a SU scrapbooking kit which helped pull things together (and speed things up), a bunch of letters (as I went through ALL my stickers & rub-ons I found quite a variety!), some new chipboard from Maya Road (aren't those little trees darling?!) ... I was so pleased to get my second spread done - feels good to be on my way.

I got 100+ photos from Walmart and just went through them tonight. SO disappointed, the quality is the pitts. Total waste of $20 plus bucks. Live and learn. I think I will try out shutterfly or another online service next time. For now (as I don't want to break the roll I'm on) I'll try printing a few must haves on the computer and fishing out a few I can save from the pile (ones that we don't all look like we've been smothering ourselves with fake tanning creams!)

I need to start thinking of Christmas cards too! I have a little idea in my head, but my goal is to USE what I HAVE so we'll have to see if I can generate something with supplies I have on-hand. I know it's sort of a lost tradition - sending "real" cards in the mail. I do wonder if people realize we still have postal services and not just e-service :) But I am determined to keep those paper hugs flowing... and I love doing it!

I hope you're finding time in the business of life to create - it sure refreshes me!

♥

15 minutes here and there = SCRAPBOOK TIME!

I did. I finally did it!!

I SCRAPBOOKED!

YAHOOOOO.

Seriously felt like an eternity, but so fantastic to be back!

I have lots I want to scrapbook: our big adventure, our day-to-day and of course Matthew! So I have to step back and go through photos and just work my way back into it :)

Just ordered over a 100 photos from Walmart today so soon I'll be all set - I even ordered some new goodies online that should be arriving this week.

Bring on the inspiration!!

This was the beginning of our big adventure last year - Lincoln City! I think you can click on the image and it will enlarge. Hopefully that works.

I kept it simple. Remember it's been over a year since I had my scrappin' hat on!

Some SU rub-ons along the sides (white & green), a few elements in the way of stickers and rubons... nothing fancy, but I've started, and boy does that feel good!

♥

We're a Zoo

This was Daddy's birthday card from the kids... we are a bit zoo-like here!! Sometimes as slow as a turtle to get out the door ( or get started on math!), silly & swinging like a monkey, loud as a lion, and.... well I'm not sure how we relate to a giraffe! :)

I'm really hoping to get into my stamping nook today - it will be a first time since Matthew arrived... here's to hoping the stars all align!!!

.j.

Handwriting

I've heard from two different sources now that handwriting (cursive) is no longer going to be taught in school. Big deal you might think. No one really "writes" anymore anyway, do they? You're right, not many do. In this face-paced world, no one seems to have the time to stop and truly WRITE. Even PRINT! A message can be typed out in lightening speed, sent even faster and that memo can be scratched off your to-do list. Done. Next....

*sigh*

David's Mom sends the kids a handwritten note every month. They love it. I love it. It's written even! It's a big deal. They cherish those notes and I see them stashed away safely in a drawer or special box. I've yet to hear any of them ask to print off an email note. It doesn't hold that same treasured value.

SO....

I'm trying to teach my kids the value in a hand-written (or even simply printed!) note. All our family lives far away, so when a birthday comes along, it creates the perfect opportunity to send a note of thanks. I think it is important, and I also think there's some cherished notes tucked into Grandma & Grandpa's drawers & special boxes!

Next time you click 'New Message', stop and consider pulling out pen & paper... you just might find your note being a treasure to someone too.

☆

Coffee Time!

I ♥ coffee.

Hot coffee, cold coffee, blended coffee, mocha - ♥ ♥ ♥

So it's fitting for me to send a paper hug to a friend with coffee in its "ingredients" *wink*.

Coffee with friends usually means some laughter and great conversation....

perhaps that's why I like it so much.

I've been working on a purchase order of scrapbooking goodies and I'm hoping that it will inspire me to get downstairs and get creative. I've been so busy with homeschool, chores & new baby that crafty-time hasn't existed. I'm really finding I need that to remain sane, KWIM?

I find that when I've had scrappin' & stampin' time, I am refreshed!

Just like church gives my soul encouragement, crafty time gives me a renewed energy.

Ahhhh.... ♥ that!

So mix some coffee with some crafty time and you've pretty much got yourself a perfect kinda day!

☺

Goodbye Summer

I have to admit, we've had a beautiful fall! Seeing this card though reminds me of how much I love summer! We had just begun our adventure South a year ago -- I cannot wait to do it all over again, it was amazing. I still haven't gotten any serious stamping time (obviously simply posting on my blog has been challenging!) We've been busy with our new little monkey and enjoying all the moments. Priorities.

This image is from Whipper Snapper, rub-ons, ribbon, papers from Stampin' Up, and I colored using my Copic Markers. A quick, simple card.

Matthew is 2 months today.

♥

Hubby's birthday

A quick post today... busy week ahead, but wanted to pop in & share a card with you :)

Have a great week!!

What are you up to?

.j.

Back from the Farm....

We took some time off and went to the farm this past weekend.. what a grand time we had. The kids thought it was the greatest place. Ever. :)

So fun to watch them explore, go horseback riding, collect warm eggs under chickens, feed the sheep, run away from a goat, build a fire, check out a cabin, walk the trails, ride quads...

We're back home now, Daddy is back to work, we're back to school, and life moves back into its "regular" routine.

Out of all my baby thank-you cards, this was the one I mass produced. I made a number of originals, but as my due date was creeping closer, I went with this design and made about a dozen. So nice to have them on hand to say thanks after blessings.

I put a big batch of baby announcements in the mail! YAY. Only took me a month to get them finished up.... LOL.

A closer look:

Hope you had a good weekend!

Here's our menu for the week:

{MENU}

Spaghetti

Broccoli Quiche & Turkey Sausage

Ham

Easy Bean Soup with bread

Ham & Potato Bake

There's a few links to the recipes. What's for dinner at your house?

.j.

Up, Up & Away

September greets us with many birthdays, and I'm so thankful I decided to make cards before Matthew came so I had things ready to go! Between feedings, changing, baths, meals, cleaning, laundry and homeschooling... yeah, you can see where I'm going with this!

Some days I wonder how I am going to get it all done, and other days I just realize I'm not.... and remind myself that's OK!

My nephews have birthdays this month and because they live in different places I thought duplicating their card was "safe". HA. I typically don't make cards that are the same.... but I thought this was a cute card, and it was fun to make - so two it was.

This is a Penny Black stamp. I stamped it a few more times on white cardstock and just cut out the balloon to use and added a little doodling beside them. I think you can click on the images to enlarge them.

Here it is a little bit closer.

I also used foam tape to pop them up a bit to add a bit of dimension.

I colored using my Copic Markers (might have a few more of those on my Christmas wish list!).

Hope you're having a fantastic week. We head to Edmonton for our first road trip with Matthew as Megan has an orthodontist appointment for her braces. Should be fun... HELLO COSTCO! :)

It's getting cooler outside (down right cold the last couple of mornings!). David said the winter is a 4-letter word. HAHA. So true though. We are already missing the warm (OK, hot) breezes of Arizona and dream of being there again.... I think it's just knowing that deep freeze is on it's way and that summer has drawn to a close. Fall is beautiful though (if you can get past the fact that summer has ended) - the trees are starting to change, I can pack up the bathing suit and pull our the big, bulky sweaters! :)

I think those are still packed... guess it's time to finish unpacking....

.j.

Yesterday was soother day. I think I typically wait longer to introduce the soother and perhaps the lack of sleep collided with the need of sleep, and so out came the fresh new soother (sterilized first of course ☺). And we finally had a better night - I was blessed with a solid 3 hours of sleep. *bliss* He's so cute though, I really don't mind our mid-night visits! It's the mornings that are killing me! HA.

Coffee, real coffee now.... ahhh.... keeps me going and tastes so amazing after all those months!

I had a little crafting time the other day as I finish up our announcement cards - once I have the photos they will be IN THE MAIL! Boy did it feel good to punch paper & get a little inky! I've heard of some ladies already starting their Christmas Cards - whoa!

Matthew will be 4 weeks tomorrow already - that amazes me. Makes me snuggle him a little tighter knowing how quickly he'll grow and change.

✂

Cooling Down

Dare I even say that summer has come to an end? Feels like I'm living back on the coast with all these clouds & drizzle! Seeing as I can't remember the last time I wore shorts, and faithfully wear a hoodie & contemplate warm drinks to keep me cozy in the afternoon..... I do believe fall has arrived *sniff, sniff*

I know fall has its beauty... but I love the heat!!

☀

It seemed fitting to share this card with its autumn colors. I know you've seen this stamp set a lot, but I am amazed at how versatile it is!

I stamped the stars & cut them out to place them on the card, made the "ribbon" out of cardstock - I'm sure I got that idea from somewhere, just not sure where, the scallop border from the SU slit punch and some paper piercing at the top. All very simple, but nice to have a "thinking of you" card on hand to pop in the mail when the need arises.

I was just chatting with a friend today how writing letters seems to be so rare. *HE* agreed! I thought it was quite something to hear a man say that getting a letter in the mail shows great thoughtfulness. That someone took the time & effort required to write it down and send it in the mail. He said it was far too easy now to sit and quickly send off an email, but how treasured a letter or card is. It's something that you can reread and keep... not something you'll just delete to clean up your inbox!

So... when's the last time you took some time {and effort} and physically wrote someone a letter? Give it a try this week, you'll be amazed at how much you'll bless the receiver!

♥

Here's our menu for the next few days... a few I was able to find {and link} to the recipe online... enjoy!

{MENU}

5 Ingredient Meatballs with Chorizo Gravy

Chicken Pot Pie

Leftovers or French Toast with Bacon

Beef Wellington

Pan Fried Chicken Enchiladas with Spinach & Cheese

Sizzling Beef with Scallions & Black Bean Sauce

16 years!

Two days after bringing Matthew home from the hospital we celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary :) Thankfully I had planned ahead and made David his card before baby arrived.

I kept it simple.

An older, retired SU set, along with an Ali Edward's cling word set... a couple punched hearts with a touch of stitching....

I hope you had a fantastic long weekend and your week is drawing to a productive close. We've had a good week! We've started {home}school back up and although it takes us longer to get through the day, it's nice to be back! Now I just have to figure out how to get back into my crafting space! This whole 4-5 hours of sleep a night makes that difficult! We'll get there.

Matthew was 3 weeks yesterday and it only reminds me how quickly it all goes - trying to savor each and every moment.

♥

A Recipe & Menu Planning

Do you menu plan? Sit with your stacks of cookbooks & magazine with paper & pen and start jotting down what you will make for the next week (or two) and what groceries you will need? It's a brilliant idea really. When that hour comes upon you and we all ask the same question... "What am I going to make for dinner???" all you need to do is look at your menu and you'll know. No more frantically thawing out meat in your microwave (that never quite seems to work!), or making {another} box of Mac & Cheese - HA!

In theory this is a splendid idea, but for some reason {for me} this is difficult to do. When I do it I wonder why I don't always do it! I think it's a time thing, although I probably waste just as much time trying to figure out what to make. So I figure if I start posting my weekly menu it might help me stick to it - a little thing called accountability :)

So... here's our menu for the week, drop me a line & let me know what your crew is munching on this week....

{Menu}

Chicken with Indian Spices & Yogurt

Red Snapper with Butter Toasted Pecans

Homemade Pizza

Tuna Casserole

Veggie Cakes and Salad

Classic Beef Stew

Leftovers

I always plan a day of leftovers (preferably Sundays!). Wonderful to have at least one night off from cooking :)

OK, here's a recipe for you. I know you like photos, and when I make it again (which I will be doing soon) I will try to remember to take a photo. My Mom made this while she was here and it is SO delicious. Trust me, you will want to try this! YUM!!

BROWN RICE QUINOA PILAF

olive or canola oil 1 tbsp.

finely chopped onion 1 cup

grated carrot 1 cup

long grain brown rice 1 cup

prepared chicken broth 3 1/2 cups

quinoa, rinsed & drained 1 cup

dried cranberries 1/2 cup

Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium. Add onion & carrot.

Cook, uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until onion is

softened.

Add rice. Stir until coated. Add broth. Stir. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, without

stirring.

Add quinoa and cranberries. Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to

medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, without stirring,

until rice and quinoa are tender and broth is absorbed. Makes about

7 cups

I haven't gotten into my stamping space for awhile. At the moment it's still full of sewing stuff with all the projects the girls did with my Mom. I will have to take some photos and upload them so you can see all the great things they made. Bags, bags and more bags. FAB-U-LOUS! :) And my youngest made some things for her barbies. Too cute & tons of fun. I will need to clean it up this weekend though as we start back to school on Monday after having a few weeks off with baby Matthew.

Have a splendid long weekend!

.j.

Family

My reason for not posting these days. Our precious little boy has arrived:

Matthew David

August 18, 2010

8lbs. 2 oz.

20.5 inches long

♥

Slowly mending....

This flu has knocked us over. Being 9months pregnant AND having the flu is not something I want to do again! I'm not sure what I would have done without my Mom!!

We're slowly mending, although we still have one on the couch. Blek.

Looks like our little boy will be arriving very shortly. We have an induction planned on Thursday - I was so hoping not to be induced, but being late, and what looks to be like a very large baby, it's time!

We're so excited to meet him!

Grandma has been busy teaching the girls sewing projects and crocheting and they've been having a grand time! These are a couple cards I made - one will be for a birthday and one is for Great Grandma who is in the hospital. Hopefully it'll brighten her day.

It's hard to believe that summer is drawing to a close and the "back to school" talk has begun. Where does the time go?

OK, back to sipping the Raspberry Leaf tea - trying to get this baby to come on his own!! :)

.j.

Thank you Rub On

We've had the flu bug in our house :( Joshua is sitting up a bit more today so hopefully that is a good sign he is on the mend. He's sucking back the freezies and they're staying down so this is good news! Now we are hoping & praying no one else comes down to it. I'm feeling a bit nauseous so hopefully it's just the woos of being 9 months pregnant!

Going to continue to rest up as we prepare for this delivery!

We're also doing a bit of crochet (Grandma has arrived!!) - hope to have something to share with you soon...

Until then.... here's a very simple card. I simply took a rub on and a sentiment. :)

Can't get simpler than that!

Enjoy your sunday!

☀

Feel like a winner?

Wondering what this stack of delicious paper is all about?? WELL.... it could be yours! There's an amazing blog giveaway going on.... Check it out HERE for your chance to win!

WOOOHOOOO!!!

Good luck everyone!

.j.

More Baby Thanks.

Yesterday was my original due date. Not that I cling to a due date as I'm "always" late. Between my regular doctor, my OB and myself, we have 3 different due dates! HA. My doctor said the 12th (which has now come and gone), my OB says the 18th (we'll see) and I say the 20th... and then factor in my lateness... and we're looking around the 25th. I only hope I AM wrong!! :) My Mom arrives in the wee hours tonight so once she's here I'm hoping my body realizes all the stars have aligned and baby can join our crew! I picked up some Raspberry Leaf tea today, so I will start the drinking tomorrow - LOL.

The kids have had a full week at VBS and then school in the afternoon - I'm exhausted. Then my son started getting sick late this afternoon and I'm hoping his tummy will settle so we can all get some sleep tonight. Poor boy! Being sick is NO fun at all.

Thought I'd share another baby card with you :) Nearly done my announcements now. A few more to do and then all that will be missing is the photo and the deets! :) I'll show you those once baby has arrived & they're mailed out. WOW I still can't believe this is all happening. :)

We're all so very excited.

Hope you've had a fantastic week and your weekend is delightful!

.j.

Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup

OK, I know what you're thinking... SOUP?! Seriously Jen in the summer, SOUP?? Every so often there's a cloudy day, right? Even if there isn't, this soup is THAT good!

Enjoy.

Spring Vegetable Soup

from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Cookbook

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

2 medium onions

2 cloves of garlic

1-3/4 quarts of chicken/veggie broth ( I used 8 cups)

olive oil

1 x 15oz. can of Cannellini beans (we use red kidney beans)

2 cups cauliflower

2 cups broccoli

7 cups spinach leaves

2 large ripe tomatoes

sea salt & freshly ground pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Peel and roughly slice the carrots; slice the celery. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel and slice the garlic.
2. Put the broth in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Put a large saucepan on medium heat and add 2 TBL of olive oil. Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon. Cook for around 12 minutes, with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape, and the onion is lightly golden.
3. Meanwhile, drain your beans. Break up the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets. Roughly chop the spinach. Quarter the tomatoes, removing any stalks.
4. Add the boiling broth to the vegetables in the pan. Add your cannellini beans, cauliflower, broccoli and quartered tomatoes. Give the soup a good stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or slightly more.

To Serve Your Soup:

1. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for a further 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat. If you like your soup a little less chunky, you can take out half of it, blend it (using our favorite tool, the immersion blender) then stir it back into the pan. (If using an immersion blender, there’s no need to take out the soup for blending and returning to the pot.)
2. Season carefully with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 6 to 8

Hedgehog birthday

Well, I think I've gotten all my "main" cards done for the year. Whew! Feels good to have them completed and filed away for birthday deliveries. I still have to make some children birthday cards as there's always parties going on and it's so nice to have a stash for the kids to choose from and not be scrambling to make something.

This card is for one of my nieces. In our move I rediscovered many single stamps I had boxed up. I found as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator many of these stamps got pushed aside as I focused on my business and tried to be strictly SU. Admittedly it's nice to have the freedom to play again and so all these packaged stamps have been brought out again! :)

I went through a "hedgehog" phase many years ago. Just fell in love with their cuteness!

This is a pretty simple card. Coloring was done with Copic markers, and I added stickles to each flower (hard to tell in the photo) so they all shimmer :) What little girl doesn't like a little shimmer! I ran the paper (PTI) through my cuttlebug and because it's white on the other side I was able to sand it and reveal white bumps :) I thought that was fantastic (and something new for me!) A simple mat and bow to complete it.

The hot water tank is getting replaced today -- started leaking last week. UGH. Thankfully it was able to get replaced before baby's arrival. Tomorrow is the original DUE DATE, but I think the doctor has changed it to the 20th now. Nothing like hitting that nine month mark only to have another week and a half added to it! HA.

My Mom arrives Saturday and she said her suitcase is full of fabrics and projects... so that will keep us busily sewing until baby decides to make his entrance! I will post some of the projects we make along the way... and hopefully soon news about our little boy's arrival.

♥

Sweet Treats!

We had a great weekend with Daddy home!! I even got down to the stamp room yesterday afternoon to stamp up a dozen Baby Thanks cards to have on hand. Starting to feel like we're finally getting things organized & nearly ready for this baby to arrive. Only a couple more weeks to go (well, that's my prediction). :)

I'm trying to faithfully get out some paper hugs & blessings in these next couple weeks while I'm still able to. Even though it's been 9 years, I remember all too well the exhaustion that comes with a new little one!!

This was a little something I made for my nieces and nephews. We don't live near any family, so I knew this summer I wouldn't be able to take them out for an ice cream treat, so I thought I'd send one in the mail (well... the gift card variety! LOL)

This set, Sweet Treats, is from Stampin' Up! I thought it would work perfectly for our little surprise. The strawberry paper is from Basic Grey and the ribbon was recycled off a package I received awhile back. The red stripes reminded me of an ice cream parlor :) I added some sparkle to the cherry on top too!

YUM!

Thinking of You.

Here I think I'm faithfully updating my blog and when I sign on, I see it's nearly been a week - time is going by so quickly... before I realize it these 9 months will be all done!

♥

I was still on the theme "simplicity" with this card. No layers, and pretty simple stamping. I did stamp and cut out a couple tree tops and popped them up with stampin' dimensionals. I also punched out a heart and stitched it on with a little button. Simple, but with a couple touches *smile*. I had fun playing with this set by Stampin' Up!, Trendy Trees.

Doctor says baby could arrive any day now. I've never been early before, but I am feeling pretty uncomfortable these days.

The final stretch has arrived....

Hope you're having a great week!

I got a few paper hugs off in the mail today, what about you?

.j.

Simplicity.

Sunday.

I love Sundays. The quiet afternoons, games, walks, crafting time....

This week will be a bit busier with my in-laws visiting for a few days (they're hoping baby decides to come early) and hubby will have a few days off too (yahoooooo!)

A good week if I do say so myself.

☺

This was a quick card. I'm still working on birthday/special occasion cards for the remainder of the year as I know my arms will be full soon and I wanted to have that all in order. I'm almost there, just a couple more to go. In order to get there though I had to go with the "less is more" motto for a few. I find that concept easier for masculine cards.

I used a PTI stamp set and my go-to Stampin' Up! set "Family Phrases" for this card. I stamped and cut out the frame and 'lifted' it with stampin' dimensionals (double-sided foam tape). I stamped the sentiment and used SU's window punch to place inside, a punched star and a stitched on button...

Super simple, but I liked how it turned out.

Less is more, don't you think?

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Fresh new week starts tomorrow...

.j.

Steamy Birthday

My photo looks a little crooked. I guess with my prego belly it's harder to get down there to snap a shot - haha.

This set, Like it a Latte, is from Stampin' Up as are most of the papers. Because I no longer demo, I'm not nearly as careful about combining different company's paper. It just makes me unable to tell you exactly where it's from :)

I used vellum cardstock, stamped with StazOn black ink to make the steam. I also had fun pulling out my liquid applique for the creamy whipped cream topping. YUM.

☺

With only a few weeks to go, we've been busy getting baby clothes washed up and organized, some meals made up for the freezer, and a head start on school. I'm finding myself exhausted by the end of the day so I'm going to have to start slowing down now, and resting up for the big event :) My mom arrives in two weeks - she has planned to teach the kids sewing and has all sorts of projects organized. How fun will that be! I'll be sure to snap photos to share with you along our Sewing 101 journey :)

Enjoy your weekend.....

.j.

Blueberry Scones

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe! We've been busy "nesting" and getting our freezer filled with easy snacks & meals. Everything from muffins to loaves, to cooked hamburger (easy to through together sauces or tacos!), to meatballs... today was SCONES! YUM. I love them, and with all the fresh blueberries in the stores, this is the perfect time to pull out my favorite recipe from Martha Stewards website. Click here to view her link. Oh -- and ENJOY! ☺

BLUEBERRY SCONES

Ingredients

Makes 8

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in blueberries and zest.
3. Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
4. Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.

I took a few pics for you. It's so easy to mix up, then form it into a rectangle...

Cut into squares and then into triangles. Brush with milk or cream & sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until slightly golden. I like them light & flakey! We enjoyed them for lunch today!

Pink Trees.

Pink trees? Yes, pink trees. Maybe it's all the blue I've been working with these days, I thought I needed to play a little with some pink!

This is a stamp set from SU (I think the last one I bought from them) called Trendy Trees. I love the quirkiness of the trees which I think lends themselves perfectly to a little playfulness (like pink!)

I'm still working through my scrap bins and when I found this polka dot paper, I thought it would work great as a second color. (Better get green in there somewhere!)

The center tree is popped up using stampin' dimensionals, some sewn on buttons, a few gems on either side of the sentiment, and a scallop edge made with the slit punch.

Complete.

I'm putting my birth announcements together now in hopes to have most of the work done BEFORE baby's arrival. My son is praying baby arrives on the 29th (that'll be a couple weeks early - which I've never been!!), but my kids' birthdays are {in order} the 20th, 23rd & 26th... so he's really hoping this baby follows the pattern :) I thought if he's praying that hard that only gives me FOUR days - I'd better get busy here.

☺

I hope you have enjoyed your weekend, and you have a blessed week ahead of you.

.j.

First batch done!

I got my first batch of thank-you cards done and in the mail. That feels good! Now I just have to have a few more on hand to thank those that are coming to visit and give of their time! What a blessing it is to know my Mom is coming soon to help.

This was a quick card that I added a couple touches too. I used the border punch on each side of the design paper, stamped the little undershirt on barely banana cardstock (SU) and cut it out, then used the window punch and the heart punch. Lots of punches here! :) I have more punches than I care to admit! :)

I put a couple stitches on the side of the heart too... oh, and a couple brads down at the bottom. It was one of the cards that I seemed to add elements as I went along.

All products are Stampin' Up except for the onesie stamp (PTI) and the side punch.

Hope you're all having a marvelous week!

We're all going on a hospital tour tomorrow afternoon so that will be exciting. I haven't been to this hospital before, so just knowing where to go when that special time arrives will be reassuring for me, as well as the kids!

.j.

Elephant ♥

OK, the elephant is so cute, right? I made this card for a sweet friend of mine that has been on the pregnancy journey from me from DAY ONE! Although I do believe she will have her baby much sooner than I will (she's typically early, I'm typically late *sigh*). I am so excited for her and her new bundle! What a gift babies are!

I used assorted Basic Grey design papers for this card (even used a snippet for the elephants ear). A little rub-on above the verse and a few dew drops along the side.

Simple.

Into the envelope and off in the mailbox.... a big paper hug from me to her :)

x0x0,

.j.

Giving Thanks

I got down in my stamping nook yesterday afternoon and managed to get some

time down there again today - even though it was a school day! :) I'm trying to get all my family/relative birthday cards and occasion cards done for the year so once baby arrives I'm not scrambling (or simply too tired to get inky!). So you will have some non-baby cards to see again... although admittedly, there are more baby ones to come!

I'm still USING up scraps in my bins. I'm trying to *only* cut into a fresh piece of cardstock to form a card base, otherwise, it has to come from the scrap stash. It amazes me (A) how many scraps I have and (B) how far a scrap can go!

The base of this card is Confetti Tan, scallop edge is ?? Apricot (maybe??) and the design paper is also SU.

The stamp is from Whipper Snapper... the full stamp has a chicken sitting on top (you'll see a card with the full stamp soon), but I'm really trying to use stamps in versatile ways.

My brother & SIL sent the kids their birthday gifts and she did such a special job to wrap each one in each child's favorite color - Orange for Miss Sarah, Blue for Joshua & Purples for Megan. So when I had a lightbulb moment with these gift boxes, I thought I'd color each one in those specific colors for a personal thanks from each child. I even added their initial to the little tag on the gift!

The gifts are popped out using Stampin' Dimensionals. I've been going through loads of these -- not sure why everything has to have depth these days... funny how I go through phases! I fished around my stamp collection to find 3 different 'thank-you' sentiments as well.

Now that I've finally made some cards, I need to sit tonight, write in them, address them and get them in the mailbox!! For some reason that last step can take the longest!

I wish for you a fantastic week...

.j.

It's a party

Wow, 36 weeks today.... "only" four to go.... well, I've always been late with my babies, so perhaps 5 or so! :) Although what a GIFT to be on time!! I have the excitement of meeting this new precious gift, the fear of labor (even though it's my fourth), and so being done with being pregnant. I remember how I LOVED being pregnant before... perhaps it's this extra 10 years on me, but I'm so exhausted these days (I suspect, a huge travel home, moving, unpacking, starting our homeschool year this month could have something to do with it as well *wink*). Although feeling this little boy move around inside me.... the best! (even when he's in my ribs!)

☺

Well my baby (who is now 9!!) is off to a birthday party tomorrow and is SO excited. She has had so much fun playing with this little boy at church and a few homeschooling functions so when she got the invite she was giddy! I've been so drawn to the brown papers, so I pulled out my Kraft (SU) cardstock and one of my all-time favorite SU stamp sets (In the Stars) to make up his birthday card. I don't think I will ever tire of this stamp set - ♥

I used the set Birthday Banter to stamp the candles along the back and then stamped and cut out the stars (one is the retired SU folk star punch) and then scattered a few stamps right on top. Very simple, very quick.... but perfect for a 9 year old boy!

I'm hoping to get into my stamping nook this weekend again. I need to focus on my baby announcements! I find during the week there's no time to stamp (*gasp*) and by night my eyelids are closing all by themselves...zzzzzzzzzz........

...which they are doing as I type.

So I shall sign off - hope you've had a week with some great memories --

.j.

☀