Wednesday, October 22, 2008

YUM!!

Today I spent the day baking, one of my other favorite things to do. While I don't bake a ton anymore..I mean, who needs the calories and temptations LOL, I totally enjoy it when I do bake! I used to have dreams of being a pastry chef and having my own bakery...maybe I still have these dreams??!! This morning I was reading through my usual list of blogs and on my friend Chris's blog I saw she had made cookies "to fill the jar for her family"! I decided that I needed to "fill the jar" for Mandi and myself (yeah, small family I know...Roger isn't home and he isn't a cookie lover either), while the recipe Chris was sharing looked and sounded very delish, I knew that it wasn't something that Mandi would be head over heels for, so I decided I'd make a batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies! Mandi loves chocolate just like I do!!

I had everything I needed, cookie supplies are staples in my pantry LOL, so after doing a bit of house cleaning, I got down to the task of cookie baking! It's cool too, cause while I was baking I had time to watch a movie I had been wanting to see...The Happening with Mark Wahlberg. Now, the movie..well, it's "eh" but Mark, well, he is total eye candy and another one on my list!! (just so ya know, last night I watched Hugh in Music and Lyrics for the millionth time...)

I'll share the recipe here, these are some seriously good cookies!!




Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C. butter, room temp.
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 C. oats (rolled or quick but NOT instant)
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I use Silpats...LOVE my Silpats).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour into the sugar mixture unitl it is just incorporated.
Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.
Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing them about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 13 mins. until golden brown at edges and light golden in the center.
Cool on a baking sheet for 1-2 mins. before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Not only are these totally delish, but the house smelled soooo good today!! Mandi walked in from school just after the final sheet came out of the oven, talk about timing huh? I asked her how the cookies were, her response was "So awesome mom!"

Didn't do anything scrappy today, that's the plan for tonight though. Been working on a kit from Carol and really having some fun with that, and I need to start pulling stuff and getting pics ready for a crop I'm doing in a couple weeks..a weekend retreat, and if you know me, you know how hard a time I have just packing for a nighttime crop!! I've got a basic idea in my head of what I want to work on, so over the next couple weeks, I plan of getting all the things together (notice I said plan LOL)...we shall see!!

Alright, time to get my girl some dinner! If you make the cookies, let me know what ya think!!

Until next time,
Blessings!

Monday, October 20, 2008

A week! Yep, it's been a week since my last post! However, life is normal (a good thing) and I don't have a ton to share. I spent last Tuesday at the cafe with my friend making curtains and it was a riot! We only managed to get one set of the two done so I will be heading back there in a couple weeks so we can finish the other set off! The rest of the week I cleaned house, I scrapped and I went to a crop on Friday night..yay!! See, nothing too exciting but a good week anyway!

Roger has had a couple schedule changes so he didn't make it home last weekend..boo...but will be here this one (keeping fingers crossed!) and as of now, we have the weekend to just hang, no big plans going on yet!

On the scrappy front, been working on scrapping some older pics and playing with them in PSE. This latest page used some pics of Mandi from 1998. Every year when she was little I took her to Marshall Field's (it's now Macy's) for "breakfast with Santa". It was always so fun! We would get to enter the store way before opening...have this yummy breakfast, and get to visit with Santa. The Santa they had was FABULOUS! He had so much "jolliness" (is that a word? LOL) and was always so fun and cute...looked the part perfectly too, that Mandi was never afraid to sit on him lap or visit with him! I sure miss those days, they went by in the blink of an eye...now, as a 15 year old I asked her if we could go sit on Santa's lap and get a picture this year (both of us..it would be a riot) and she looked at me like I had rocks for brains! LOL Oh well...

Used up some old Basic Grey holiday papers from a couple years ago (or maybe last year) and some new Teresa Collins papers I scored while in Arizona in September! Otherwise, just a simple layout...oh yeah, had fun using the Bazzill Stitches templates...I think, for me, hand stitching the layouts is the way to go...I can use the machine, but it just always looks icky to me...so, I'm saving my machine for fabric sewing and using my hand for layouts!! I also used my Nestabilites for the scalloped black circle (the December 25th embellie is a Teresa Collins too!) and some Cosmo Cricket and Thickers for the title!



Friday night I said I went to a crop...Mania at Archiver's with Amy and Tracy. It was fun and I got some stuff actually accomplished...plus...didn't spent a ton of cash either (however I did score the new BG Wassail line...yay!!)....I've decided that for me, cropping out of the house is easier if I work on mini albums and kits. I actually just had my one bag, my tools and that was it! Easy to carry into the store....and I had everything I needed. I'm working on a kit from Carol Wingert (of course, my favorite) and can't wait until it's done..it's sooooo cool! I also was enabled by Miss Amy to join a kit club! I don't normally join them (I did years ago and found that I never totally used them), but her Studio Calico kits are soooo cool that I just couldn't resist! Anyways, I am now the proud owner of a Studio Calico membership, can't wait to get my first one!!

Alright, I think that's about all for me today...need to get my rear in gear and workout (I'm posting this way early in the a.m) before I become glued to this seat LOL! I love doing my workouts, been doing them faithfully for almost 6 months now and boy do I feel great...it's so funny, I used to have to drag my arse to do them, now I am bumming if I can't...Mary told me this would happen and I didn't believe her LOL! So, off I go.....

Until next time,
Blessings!

Monday, October 13, 2008

What a great day today has been!! Actually, the entire weekend rocked! Mandi had school off on Friday as well as today so that made for a nice 4 day weekend, which meant sleeping in a little later and getting to stay up a little later too! The weather here was fabulous, sunny, warm and beautiful colors on the trees..just perfect!

So, how did I spend this wonderful weekend? I cooked, I baked, I scrapped, I hung out with my girl Mary, I watched some good horror flicks, did I mention I scrapped?? I did 3 traditional layouts, one digital layout and a card! Step back!! LOL One of the traditional layouts, the digital and the card are for the anniversary issue of S. S. Reflections online magazine, I can't wait for the November issue to go live..felt really good to contribute something to it!! The other layouts, well, they are strictly for me!!

I'll share one of the layouts I did. I used PSE to make a collage of photos...film photos that I had of Mandi from 2000. I wanted to be able to use all these photos but back then they were all printed out in 4x6 size and for the design I wanted, that wasn't going to work! I also love that I can enhance the colors in PSE, makes the pics look a bit fresher!! :) I also am using up the stash...papers that I purchased like 2 years ago!!! 7gypsies papers, gosh I love 7Gypsies!! I also took advantage of the fact that I have a 12x12 printer and printed out most of my quote directly onto the cardstock...for the remaining one word, I used my Cricut to cut it out!! I'm really pleased with this one and love that fact that I am scrapping old pics and using old stash!!



Lets see, what else...oh yeah, had a nice dinner on Saturday night with my girl Mary, and tomorrow we are hanging again..I got a sewing gig with her at a fabulous cafe, we are making curtains for the owner (Mary works at the cafe) and I can't wait...love having this new "job" for a day and, the atmosphere at the cafe just totally rocks...very vegan, very spiritual, sooo cool!

Mandi is having fun with her boyfriend! Yep, Mandi has a boyfriend. They have been dating for about 3 weeks now, he is sweet and seems really smitten with my girl (well, why wouldn't he be, but, I may be biased I know..LOL), even brought her some flowers yesterday when she wasn't feeling well! They have spent most every free moment hanging out. I have the cutest pic of them but in the interest of his privacy I cannot share it here..wouldn't be fair..but, I can tell you that he is big, like football player big, and sweet and Mandi is really happy!! It still makes me stop in my tracks to realize my baby girl is now in the dating pool!! Oy!!


So, that's about all for me..oh yeah, how could I forget this one????? I received an email today, a project that I submitted to an online magazine for publication is being picked up!!! Whoo frickin' Hoo!! I'm super excited!! My little Halloween House is going to be published in the online magazine Scrapbook News and Review! I'm over the top happy about this!! What a great way to end my fabulous weekend!!

I hope everyone who reads my little ol blog has had just as nice a weekend...I'm sorry to see it end, but the week is full of some new opportunities that I'm excited to experience, so.....

Until next time,
Blessings!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Been playing in the sCRAP room the past couple days, working on a layout using those old Halloween pictures I posted the other day! Just looking at them makes me smile....I decided that I wanted to do just a simple layout with them, but what to do was the question....

I was sitting one day eating lunch and was looking around my house and I happened to notice my little pumpkin guy that I have sitting on my coffee table. I love primitive decorations and have a few Halloween ones that I am especially fond of, then it hit me, make a primitive pumpkin! Generally I just kinda play with a layout until I "see" something I like, and, I guess that is kinda what I did here....I "saw" something I liked and decided to use it in a layout. I cut a circle of Bazzill orange cardstock, and in an attempt to grunge it up and make it darker, I distressed it with a few different Ranger Distress Inks. After applying all the ink I crinkled up the circle, applied more Distress Ink to it, distressed the edge of it using my Tonic distressing tool and ironed it flat. For the eyes and mouth, I did the same thing..applied Distress Inks and used the distress tool on the edges. After placing the eyes, nose and mouth where I wanted, I used floss to stitch around the edges, added buttons (two different ones) to the eyes and some puffy paint in black to make the grin of the mouth! The stem is made with a piece of chipboard that I colored with Distress ink. I made a couple tendrils out of green paper and tied it with some fabric I had! I adhered the pumpkin but left it open at the top so that I could slide my journaling card behind it. Bazzill Kraft cardstock and a piece of Making Memories Spellbound paper (to which I also distressed with ink) are used for the base and background. I created the title using my Cricut and the Tear Drop font (I just won on eBay..yay!!)....lastly, I took my label maker and a piece of cardstock and made a date tag!



I'm really happy with how it came out. While it was a pretty labor intensive layout, I really enjoyed all the inky fingers and time spent on it!

Now I'm on to some older pics of Roger...these are fun to be working with too...however, I can't share with you just yet...these you'll have to view in the November issue of S.S. Reflections ezine! November will celebrate the ezine's five year anniversary!! If you haven't had a chance to check out the ezine yet, you should, it's filled with tons of great inspiration and articles each month and there is something for everyone, traditional scrappers, altered arts, digital scrappers and rubber stampers!

Alright, I suppose I should get back to my projects, Mandi and I have a nice four day weekend ahead of ourselves and it is supposed to be gorgeous here in the Chicagoland area...Perfect for a day of fall picture taking...now I just need to convince the girl to let me use her as my subject! LOL

Until next time,
Blessings!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

I love Saturdays. I love that I can sleep in just a little later, I love that on Friday night I can stay up later and I love that I have another night to stay up later still!! While my favorite day of the week is Monday (love the "new" week feel), Saturday's always run a close second!

It's definitely fall weather here in Chicagoland. I love fall. I know, I've said it before, this year has been hard. I've not been wanting fall to arrive as much as I have in the past because right behind it comes winter..ugh! I so don't love winter. I hate winter. There, said it again! But, now that fall is here (a fact that I can't stop no matter how much whining I do), I am happy. I love to have the sun shining and the temps cool. I love to be able to wear a sweater with my jeans (even if it means giving up my barefoot status...only outdoors though..still a barefoot girl in the house), I love the colors, the smells and the holidays!

In honor of our upcoming festive time...Halloween...I want to share a picture with ya'll. Now, most of my life I was a girly girl...not over the top girly, but not a tomboy either. I liked girl stuff. I played with dolls, liked to wear dresses, couldn't wait to use make-up and carry a purse, but, it seems, there was also a part of me that liked the "guy" stuff. I remember wanting a set of Hot Wheels cars and a track so bad for Christmas, but alas, Santa never brought it (big sad face), I did have Matchbox cars though and a neat little case to carry and keep them in! I liked to play chase and kick the can and watch Batman. I wasn't much for getting dirty though..still don't like messy LOL!

Now, fast forward a lot of years and I am now a mom. I was so excited to have a girl, a daughter that I could dress up in pretty things, that would grow up and we would go get our hair and nails done, talk about boys, blah, blah, blah...I have the most wonderful daughter you could ask for, but, she is not a girly girl. Has no use for make-up, pink, frills, purses or the like. All of her life she has been content to wear sweats and t-shirts (now, trading those in for jeans and concert t-shirts). She wanted to play with Ninja Turtles and cars, not Barbie or dolls. I was secretly bummed over this...there flew out the window my "girl time" adventures with my daughter. It took me a lot of years to finally accept this, I have, and it's all good. As she has gotten older, the more girlie moments appear and I soak them in like sunlight! Just this past weekend she got herself all dolled up for the Homecoming dance..complete with a pair of heels AND a purse! But, I digress...sorry..so, you can imagine, having a child who likes all these things non-girly, wouldn't want to be a princess or cheerleader or Cinderella for Halloween...no, she wanted to be Batman! This was her calling for many years...and each year I would cringe at the thought of my little girl wanting to dress up like Batman! Okay, what is the point of this whole ramble of a story I'm telling you? Well, recently I have been going through stuff in my house...on a major cleaning binge..I want simple, I want less clutter, I want more organization and while on one of my cleans, I came across a photograph...it's a picture of my sister and I ready to head out for Trick or Treating. I was about 4 years old and my sister, bless her little heart, was about 2. Here I am, big sister, holding my little sisters hand, ready for a candy haul. Never mind that back in the day, we wore plastic Halloween costumes from Walgreen's or some discount type store...there were no elaborate type costumes and if there were, as little kids, they were not ones that my parents got for us. Nope, we wore those awful, hot, plastic masks that held over your face with just a little hole for eyes and nose/mouth by a string of elastic. I remember hating how they felt, but loving that I had a "cool" costume to wear! I ask you now to take a look at what I "was" that Halloween so many years ago!!!!



Damn!!! I was...BATMAN!!!!! I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree huh? LOL

so, there you have it. No wonder my little girl wanted to be Batman. I guess she was just genetically disposed to be, it was in her genes so to speak! I've learned a lot about life through my amazing girl. I've learned to accept a lot of things that I struggled with. I've learned to say "it is what it is" and really mean it, and I've learned that even girly girls like to be Batman too!

Until next time,
Blessings!

October 3, 2008

Quick post!

Got this off my friend Chris's blog. It's worth a watch! In my humble opinion, it's not about how you vote, it's that you vote...Obama, McCain...your choice...but use your choice, use your power as they say!!

Now, I know what my vote is...I know how I'll be voting....will you?




Until next time,
Blessings!