Monday, September 27, 2010

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.


Tuesday, September 21, 2010

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
Easy Bean Soup with bread
There's a few links to the recipes. What's for dinner at your house?
.j.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

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.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

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.

Friday, September 10, 2010

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
Leftovers or French Toast with Bacon
Pan Fried Chicken Enchiladas with Spinach & Cheese

Thursday, September 09, 2010

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.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

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.