Keely!!!

I need your email addy! Send me an email through my blog and I'll send you the soup recipe!! :D

Happy New Year!

indulgence!

In keeping with my picture a day of something that makes me smile or that I'm thankful for, here is today's!



I love Dr. Pepper! Can I just say that again, and louder this time, I LOVE DR. PEPPER!!!! It is seriously, next to chocolate, one of my guiltiest pleasures. I, however, rarely give in to my love for this tasty beverage because, well, lets be honest, it's loaded with calories, caffeine, and sugar..it just does not do a body good, and before you say to me "well Cricket, just drink diet, it tastes the same.." I will say, with every fiber of my being, a very loud and aggressive "HECK NO, IT DOES NOT TASTE THE SAME!!!" LOL! If I can't enjoy the fully loaded version of my favorite beverage, then I don't want it at all!!!

This morning, I decided after ignoring the one, lonely little bottle of said soda delightfulness in my fridge, that I would take today as my day to indulge and pour myself a nice big glass of Dr. Pepper! It was divine! In fact, I might have just heard some angels sing!! I certainly wanted to as I took my very first sip! It's so sad, and yet so fabulous that something so small and insignificant in the world as a soda, can made a person so totally happy! Yes, this morning I walked around with a big smile, savoring this glass of Dr. Pepper and thanking the soda god's above for their creation!

So, what is it that you would like to indulge in today? What is your guilty pleasure? Allow yourself to give in to them on occasion, life's to short not to enjoy!

Until next time,
blessings!

Smiles and other things that make me happy...

For awhile now (and believe me, it's taken a while to get here) I have tried to focus on the things that make me happy, the blessings that I have and all the many reasons I should be thankful and grateful for and in my life. Having a strong faith in my God has helped me enormously in this effort and I find that every day it gets easier and easier (kind of like a habit) to be in a more positive and thankful state of being. For this alone I am extremely thankful! LOL!

This month of November, I have been posting on Facebook, a daily thankful. Something each day that I am thankful for. Whether it's big or small, just the act of thinking about what I am thankful for that day sets me in a good mood (okay, so maybe it's a bit selfish as well, but selfish in the best possible way, right? LOL). My intention is to then, at the end of the month, collect all the posts I've made and turn them into a book for myself. This way, I will have a keepsake, a reminder of some of the the different blessings I have in my life so that when I am feeling a bit down or weary, I can flip through this book and lift my spirits up!

Then, the day before Thanksgiving I read about something so cool that I knew immediately I had to participate! The Brave Girls Club posted on their blog about a challenge they were doing, a words of kindness challenge. In this challenge they are asking that you print out or write out on small bits of paper, different messages of kindness, you know like "you are amazing" or "take care of yourself, you are worth the effort", things of that nature and then you are to hand them out to random strangers or individuals you encounter or see! Now, it might sound kind of scary and awkward to actually walk up to another person, someone you do not know at all, and hand them some words of kindness or encouragement, but I tell you this for a fact, if you do, you will not only feel really good about yourself, but, and this is my experience, the person will be so receptive, maybe a bit confused as it doesn't seem to be in our societies nature at this place in time (sad as that is) for another person to lift up the spirits of another just for the heck of it, but you will be warmly received, you will have made them smile, you will have done something good and that in itself is worth it's weight in gold!

I have started my campaign to give words of kindness to people. I hand wrote on little post it papers, some kind words, added a smiley face and the phrase "my words of kindess for you today" and have begun handing them out. The first was to our waitress at lunch. After I paid the bill, I slipped my little paper into the receipt folder and left it on the table. Now, I wasn't there to see her reaction to opening it up and reading it's message but I just know, I made someone feel good!

Wednesday night I went out with friends for a few pre-holiday cocktails and as I ordered my drink, I handed the bartender (a young girl who was very busy with what felt like hundreds of people shouting out for drinks) my credit card and a little slip of paper with kind words..I watched as she headed to the cash register to process my payment, stopped, read the paper and then turned to me with the biggest smile and mouthed the words "thank you" to me...I just nodded my head and smiled back. When she returned to me with my card, she said "this drinks on me!" Wow!!!! I think this will be a moment I'll not soon forget.

Today, as I paid for my latte at Starbucks, I told the cashier that I wanted to pay for the drink of young girl (okay early 20's but that's young to me now! LOL) behind me. I handed my card, and said just ring it up when she orders...I walked a bit away and could hear Linda, the cashier (yes I worked at this Starbucks for awhile so they are my friends) say to the gal after she ordered, "the person in front of you paid for your drink" the girl was so taken aback...I heard her ask "who was it" to which Linda must have pointed me out, the girl came up to me and said "did you do that on purpose?" like nobody had ever done something like that before! I said "yes, happy holidays" and she smiled wide, said thank you! As I got my drink and turned to leave she thanked me again...yep, selfishly, that made me feel so good it will stay with me all day long! I do know, as it's happened to me before, that random acts of kindness will and can change a person, can lift a soul up if only for a moment, it creates happiness and smiles and positive thoughts. That is how I am trying to live these days. To help those I can, to try and bring a smile here and there and to, above all, be thankful for the things each day that I have. Life is so short, you never know when your time to leave this earth will come and I just want to make sure that when I do leave this life, I will have, just maybe, made someone feel good and smile!

To add to my intentions of recognizing my blessings, I am trying to take a picture a day of something, anything that makes me smile. I had been on the search for years for an antique typewriter (the wanna be writer in me loves old typewriters)! One day, while walking through the antique mall with my girl, and just as we were about to leave, she looked down and saw this baby!! It sits proudly on my end table and each time I see it, I smile! Here's my picture for today....



As I leave this post, I just want to say how thankful I am for all my friends and family who do visit my little blog, who leave me nice comments and words of encouragement. Thank you for being in my life!

Until next time,
blessings!

How I love blogs!

I absolutely LOVE blogs! I have files and files of different blogs I like to visit..some in the scrapbooking world, some in the sewing world, some in the cooking world, some in the faith world...you get the idea...anyway, when I am feeling particularly bored or verklempt, the one thing that always seems to make me feel better is to surf my favorite blogs! I am always looking for more, fun and inspiring blogs to add to my list and that is just what happened to me yesterday morning!

I was on my favorite scrappy site, Scrapfreak, when I clicked on a post and saw a link to a blog. Looked interesting enough, even if the original post was geared toward someone else to take a peek at this blog, I clicked on over and OH MY GRAVY!! What fabulousness I found there! Smashed Peas and Carrots is the name of this blog, how stinkin' cute is that to begin with...well, Maggie, the gal who writes this blog, she has the most amazing stuff there..all kinds of crafty goodness as well as some over the top, yummy sounding recipes! I immediately was hooked, bookmarked her blog into my file and knew that I was going to be baking soon...her recipe for Cinnamon Chip Bread sounded too good to pass up. I had to run to 4 markets to find the cinnamon chips but by golly I found them...after lunch yesterday I set about making some Cinnamon Chip Bread of my own!

Let me just say, I've always been a wee bit scared to make yeast breads from scratch, I'm always afraid I'll kill the yeast, or not use it correctly and the bread will come out all yeasty and icky, but this recipe is so easy to make and I can say, with 100% assuredness, that if you try it, you will love it! Super easy to make!

After taking them out of the oven yesterday and letting them cool, I sliced off a smidge to taste test. Now, I'm someone who watches every stinkin' thing that I put into my mouth and I know that this isn't a low-cal kinda treat, so I just tasted it...one bit from a slice and I was hooked!!! It was soooo yummy!! I told Mandi that her breakfast was going to be the bomb diggity! This morning, she gobbled up that toasted slice of cinnamon yumminess like it was going out of style! LOL!

For once, I decided to forego the watching of said calories and indulge myself as well! Here is what I had for breakfast this morning too! Doesn't it just look to darn inviting?!



after toasting and brewing a second cup of coffee (something I rarely do in the morning), I enjoyed!!



I swear, I could have had a few more slices this morning but I will be good...well, maybe! LOL! I'm off, finished off all my house cleaning chores and the laundry is done...I'm heading out for a run to Starbucks (too bad they don't have the awesome cinnamon chip bread to snack on...sucks to be them!) and get my nails polished (said cleaning has destroyed my pretty manicure!)..if you make this bread, let me know what you think...you will find the recipe on her blog!! and a special thanks to Chickie, thanks for posting a link and letting me discover a great new blog to add to my list of loves!

Until next time,
blessings!

Maple Pecan Tea

Doesn't that just sound yummy!! Well, it is! LOL! I was in World Market today grabbing a bottle of wine for the weekend and saw a table with canisters of "The Republic of Tea's" new, limited edition tea, Maple Pecan. I knew I had to buy it...even if I didn't like it (which, how could that seriously be?) I knew Mandi would (she is a huge tea drinker)! I just brewed myself a cup and it is seriously delish!

So, here I sit, sipping my tea, trying not to freak out since I seem to have toasted myself a bit in the tanning bed this afternoon (I know, I know it's unhealthy...you needn't tell me so..LOL) and I decided that I needed to post another one of the pictures I took the other day.

This picture is of this wonderfully curious little road. Each time I come upon this road (it sits at a stop sign and you either go left or right, not down this cute road) I wonder who lives at the end...I never see anyone driving on it, or walking on it...just gates closed letting you know "DO NOT ENTER"!!

I had to stand in the center of the road, a road that cars fly down at speeds of 55mph or more but I got the shot. Again, I don't claim to have an "eye" for photography, but I do like the looks of this road and have always wanted to capture it on my camera.

I tweaked it's curves and hue/saturation, then played around again with a couple actions...whatcha think?

Straight out of camera:

After tweaking the colors and curves:

Using the Action Soft and Faded (courtesy of Totally Rad Actions):

Simple Edge Burn:

And my favorite of them all, Rusty Cage!!:


I honestly like all of actions used today but there is something about the Rusty Cage that just has me hooked! Of course you can't go wrong with an edge burn or vignetting, looks that I always adore!

So, there ya have it, I have a couple more pics to edit (listen to me..sounding all professional and stuff..I mean play with!!) and I'll share those soon. Tonight it's off to dinner at a friends and I need to get myself ready...hope that this dang tanning bed burn goes away fast!

Until next time,
Blessings!

70 degrees??

In Chicago, in November?? Say what!!! Yep, that is exactly what I am saying! We have been blessed to be enjoying some really beautiful weather here these past few days. Temps in the high 60's to low 70's with tons of sunshine and blue skies (although today it's a bit more cloudy out there but who's complaining...not me!). These last few days (I'm sure) of wonderful weather have put me into such a good mood! I've been inspired to be more active and have found a little bit of the creativity I seemed to have lost awhile back! Ah, life is good! In a perfect world, or rather, my perfect world, I would have temps like this year round..well, one season of hot temps and then the rest of the year could be like this! I've even been able to wear my flip flops again for a couple days..sure will miss that when winter shows her very unwelcome face here in Illinois!

There have been a few things around my area that everytime I drive past them (and I'm talking years worth of driving past) I've wanted to photograph. Not that I'm a great photographer or anything, more of a snap shot kind of girl, but I try. I have always been to afraid to pull my car off to the side of the road and snap away. Well, no more. This past year I've learned that in order to enjoy my life more fully, I needed to embrace whatever it is that scares me, to take it on in the face and beat it. Now, it might seem silly to you that someone would be afraid or embarrassed or whatever to simply pull off the road and get out of a car to snap a picture, but I always felt weird about doing it. Today I faced that fear! Being that the weather was so nice, my house is clean, the laundry is done and I had nothing pressing on my schedule, I decided today would be the day I took those pictures. If for nothing else, to prove that it isn't any big deal to do it! I have to say, it was a success! I even, if you can believe, stood in the middle of one road (where traffic flies at 55 mph) to get a picture (of course no one was heading down the road at the time..LOL). After it was all said and done, I hit Starbucks, enjoyed my latte and came home to load them onto the computer and see what I got!

Here is just one. I'll be playing with the others and posting as I go. This is the cutest, dang little General Store! It totally reminds me of days gone by...horses pulling wagons, penny candies and gingham...I know..sappy! I'm not too sure what it really is now, it is located at the end of a road in a historical area close to my home. I have, on occasion, seen doors open and people inside but I'm not all together sure it's actually a General Store...might just be a museum of sorts. Anyway, be prepared for the pictures...I took one...and then I played in Photoshop (another of my goals, to learn PS better!). I'll start with the photo directly out of camera:

See, like I said, just a basic snap shot. Colors not terrific, looks crooked, stuff like stop lights and wires that I didn't like..so, I fixed it:

then I decided to have some fun with actions. I love actions! I love how I can take a picture and totally change it's look with just the click of a button! All of the actions I used with the exception of one are from Totally Rad Actions. Which one do you like best???

Action = Faded (least favorite of mine I think)...

Action = Old Skool (kinda fun!)...
Action = Rusty Cage (really like this one!)...

Action = Vintage (I love old photos!)...
Action = Vintage + Blur (love this!)...

For me, it's a cross between Rusty Cage and Vintage + Blur..and, what surprises me even more??? that I didn't do a black and white one! I mean, most of my pics I turn into black and white..just love that look so much..another day I guess!

So, that is how I spent my day, thoroughly enjoyed it and that makes me happy, I mean, life should be enjoyed right? and I am trying harder not to forget that! Thanks for looking if you made it this far!

Until next time,
Blessings!

Yumm...

So, yesterday I was checking out Facebook, like I always do, and my girl La had posted a link to a bunch of really yummy sounding recipes made with Butternut Squash. Now, La and I are kindred spirits, I mean, we both have a serious addiction to eating squash! LOL! I seriously eat squash about 4 times a week...all different kinds, I love them all. When I saw these recipes I just knew that I was going to have to make the one for Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup! Of course, as luck would have it, the Butternut Squash I had on my counter was not going to be big enough, so off to the store I went to get myself another squash and some shallots (something I don't normally have in my possession either), so that I could make this soup for dinner. It was super easy to make and can I just tell you, when I was roasting the squash and shallots, the house smelled divine! Best news of all...only 112 calories a serving or for those of you following Weight Watchers, 2 points!! SCORE!! :)

I have to admit, I haven't done much cooking lately, just haven't felt the mojo to do it, and being a vegetarian (and my girl is not), makes it a bit more difficult to cook these days...not that I can't make stuff for myself, but the idea of fixing two dinners or lunches or what have you can seem a bit stressing at times...and, nope, the girl would not even taste my soup...sucks to be her I guess! LOL!! But, after making this soup yesterday, and doing a bit of baking lately, I am feeling a bit more inspired to play in the kitchen. I suppose with the coming of winter and cold temps, being outside isn't an option so staying in, baking, cooking or playing in my sCRAP room is what I will spend time doing. Not bad...not bad at all!

So, what will be my culinary adventure tonight you ask? NOTHING!! all the dang roads leading to the grocery store in town are under construction and for some reason, today, the traffic build up is insane!! and to top it off, the local grocery store decided, in all it's infinite wisdom, to re-surface their parking lot...I drove in, not a space to be found, drove out and said..looks like take out tonight!! Oh well....

Until next time,
Blessings!

Finally...

created something! I had been working on this Halloween box for awhile, originally I had joined a swap and this was to be one of my items, however, life got in my way and I had to pull out of the swap...boo! That so called life also made it difficult for me to finish this little box, but today...while staying home instead of my usual running around, I got a burst of energy and finished it!

It will hold 4 coasters (still working on those..so I guess I'm not technically done yet..sheesh!)....

Used My Mind's Eye papers from last year (love, love, love them!), a cute little "skelly" head that I found at our local scrap store, some bling around the bottom, velvet ribbon, a cute-ass bat pin and a Martha Stewart skull embellie. I painted and distressed the wooden box, adhered my papers, mod-podged it in a matte finish and added the ribbons and bling...the quote on the inside I found on the web!

Course, it's less than a week to Halloween, so I'm super late in this project but next year it will get it's use!





Watching horror movies (what else right?) and playing with paper...life is good! Oh and my bedroom and bathroom are being painted...finally after, um, 10 flippin' years! I have all new bedding and bath accessories to go up as soon as it's done...I can't wait! Okay, off to finish the coasters....

Until next time,
Blessings!

it's pathetic really....

I can't do it! I hate that word, can't but it just seems like I can't keep this dang little blog going!! Maybe it's my life, nothing really exciting to talk about, no creative energy of late, kiddo is doing well...life is just rolling along and therefore, pretty darn boring! I mean, who really wants to read about my ho-hum days??? Um...(raises hand)...not even me! LOL!

I suppose I should be grateful that life isn't giving me fits and for the most part I'm a pretty happy and healthy girl right now, I mean, isn't that how life is supposed to be? There are a few things I could dish on, but I'm waiting....just a bit longer to let ya'll in on those, so for now, I got nothing, nada!!

Haven't even taken a serious picture lately! Pretty much missed all the fall colors and leaves, of course, the girl would rather wear pink than sit for pictures and, well, Ozzi....I have a jillion of the little dude (not that one more isn't always fun)...

So, there it is...a small and somewhat meaningless update, just for the sake of keeping this blog thing going...is anyone still reading it at this point??

Until next time....

Blessings,

Wanna play??

Look what I'm doing again this year!! Seriously, so much cool fun, you should absolutely join us! Head over to Christine's blog for all the details.



I can't wait to get started on my items...I have tons of ideas swirling around my head, just need to decide what to do...fun!!!

As for me and my, yet again, bad blogging this summer, it's just been a busy and fun one. Haven't spent too much time creating anything but more just enjoying the beautiful weather and my garden! My tomatoes did amazing this year, such a bumper crop of them that I seriously am eating two a day it seems...yum! Got a few peppers (only planted 3 plants) and they were delish, some awesome basil that made the best pesto and of course my zucchini....gotta love my zucchini (think next year I'll have to plant even more as I only did 3 plants this year).

The girl started school and I now have a Junior! Holy Schnikes, when did that happen? LOL..but, so far so good, she is loving her schedule and her teachers....whew!

Alright, just a quick post...sorry, no other pics to share today...off to get ready and hit the Renaissance Faire with my girl...last weekend we can do it, bummer...I always hate when it shuts down for another year, it's just such a fun time. Have a great day, enjoy these last few days of August...

Until next time,
Blessings!

Thanks Christine!

Christine...thanks for suggesting a B&W on the doorway picture! All I did was use an action called Brooklyn B&W from Totally Rad Actions...like how it looks! Going to play around with some other B&W actions etc..see what I come up with but this was quick and fun!



Until Next Time,
Blessings!

playing around...

yeah...well...I'm not even gonna try to apologize for being a bad blogger...doesn't matter...way I see it, I'll blog when I have something to say, when I have time and when I'm in the mood. Hopefully, ya'll who are still coming to this sad little blog of mine will still drop by occasionally and see if I've been up to anything or have anything to share. It's just that life is taking me in a different direction right now and with summer vacation on top of it, I just haven't had the time to be blogging or doing much of anything creative.

I did, however, hook up with a fabulous photographer awhile back. I was at an art fair in Evanston and wandered into her booth. She has the most amazing stuff...lots of things that I wish I was taking pictures of. I started to talk with her as I was purchasing one of her prints and found out that she was fairly local and willing to give me some one on one lessons with my camera! Today I had the chance to finally get a lesson and am I ever inspired. I still have no idea what I'm doing, LOL, but I do have to say that with her instruction, I have a better understanding of the functions of my camera and how to use them. Now it's a matter of putting into practice what I'm learning and playing!

I didn't have much time today to take pictures but did happen upon a few places that I thought would make some cool shots. I took these shots in aperture priority and just played around with different f-stops. I have to admit, I'm not sure what I'm seeing in the differences of them, need Sarah (the teacher) to look at them and give me her professional advice on the differences and what she thinks is the best of the shots I took..but to my untrained eye, I picked these. After puttering a bit in Photoshop (Sarah also showed me a few tricks in tweaking shots) and adding some fun actions from Totally Rad Actions...these are the pics I ended up with. Now be kind!! I did this all in just a few minutes, kinda just playing for fun...not sure any of these are really good, or that I edited them well..or heck, for that matter even, took the originals well..LOL...but I enjoyed just playing around and seeing what all the different settings can do!

This barn has been one I've wanted to shoot for some time now...I was always to hesitant to pull off the side of the road and just stand there taking the pictures of it, but today, after my new found inspiration, I gave in to my hesitation and pulled off the road and shot it!! Here is the before picture: (straight out of my camera in RAW)



and here is what I did with tweaking the color balance, the levels, the brightness/contrast and adjusting the tone etc..then adding a fun action called Acid Washed:



This next picture is this sad, dilapidated little building by my house...I have this thing for the broken, dirty, grunged up looking buildings...again, took a bunch of shots with different f-stops...not paying much attention to anything else...lighting or composition or any of that jazz, just trying to learn one thing at a time...then I played around with it in Photoshop and added an action called Grunge Rock.

Before, straight out of camera in RAW:


and after adding the tweaks and action. This one is really severe...not sure I like it all that much, think I want to soften it just a bit but this is kinda interesting...


In any event, I am really wanting to learn my camera so that I can pursue my interest in fine art and landscape photography. I know in time I'll hook into all the technical stuff, heck even Sarah said she does a bit of tweaking because the outdoor lighting might not always be conducive to the picture she is wanting and I totally get that...I mean, Mother Nature has a way of doing what she wants whether we like it or not, right? I would just like to be able to get most of the picture correctly shot so that unless I am wanting to add some fun textures and actions, I don't have to do a ton of post camera processing...

I have lots of other stuff I will share soon...got a busy weekend ahead of me that I am looking forward to. Think I'll head into my room right now though, throw a dvd in and call it a night...dream of f-stops and white balance and shutter speeds!!

Until next time,
Blessings!

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and
whose hope the LORD is." Jeremiah 17:7

Back to the Land of Blog!

I bet you'd given up on me right? I mean...it's been months since I've posted...life...that is all I'm saying...life (insert big sigh here)..but I am back and ready to start sharing with the world again! Thanks for checking in on me, and for being loyal in my absence (I'm probably speaking to nobody at this point but just in case...thanks you!!)

Sooo many things happening in my world and at this point in my day, I am too darn tired to go into the list, but, I will share in bits and pieces as I try to keep up with the blog.

I planted my garden again this year (well, actually my girlfriend Mary did all the hard work), and it is really growing like crazy! We have been having rain and heat and I guess it all makes for a very happy garden! I have two beds this year, one has zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers in it...like 3 of each plant and I have TONS of flowers started for the zucchini and squash..I am gonna have it coming out of my ears..but that is so totally okay with me..I'll freeze it, share some with my mom and friends and of course indulge myself in it. The other bed has 4 tomato plants, a red bell pepper plant, a banana pepper plant, my beloved basil, and some dill. Over to the side we have peppermint and lemon balm growing...totally looking rad!

I was able to harvest my first basil yesterday evening! This morning I got up early, washed and dried the leaves and decided that tonight I was going to be enjoying some freshly made pesto sauce. Of course the trips I wound up taking to the grocery store to get just some parmesan and pine nuts was crazy...first time I totally got other stuff, and on the way home realized I had forgotten those two essential items. Round two, Mandi and I head out to another grocery store located right by our Starbucks..of course, stop at Starbucks, get home and realize that I actually don't have anymore garlic cloves (thought I did, failed to check before I went), so back I go for a third visit to the first store! I finally get home and set out to make my pesto...who knew how stinkin' easy it would be..I mean, I had a feeling...just 5 ingredients you blend up in a processor, but still..in minutes the kitchen was smelling heavenly and my pesto was done. Just look at these beautiful basil leaves I collected last night!!


that was just about 4 cups of leaves and it made a nice lot of pesto. I am going to freeze the rest of it in ice cube trays and then I will be able to enjoy it for months to come...not to mention I will most likely have many more pickings off the basil plants!!

So dinner was delish...Mandi kept telling me how good it was...I did a whole wheat pasta (of course, no white pasta for this girl), tossed with the pesto (which I am now going to be calling the "Amazing Cricket Pesto Sauce"), then I grilled some chicken for the girl to add to her dish, sprinkled it with some freshly grated parmesan, a little side salad and viola!! It was pretty darn tasty and my tummy is feeling very happy right now!

I think I kinda like this garden thing! :)

The other part of my day was this morning, I met Nancy for a nice brunch at the cutest little tea place in my town. Very frou-frou and girly and yum! I had an egg white veggie omelet and some fabulous iced tea...it was so nice to catch up with Nancy, haven't seen her in ages! Of course she brought her iPad and now I am seriously on the move for one! I'm thinking in about a month I might be the proud owner...so stinkin' way cool I can't even say! Also stopped at the AT&T store and found out I AM eligible for the iPhone 4...yep, can you say WANT!!! I'm thinking though, might just rather have the iPad instead..I mean...I could do both but that might be a bit over the top...LOL!! Plus, my iPhone is fine, I mean, what am I going to video and who am I skype-ing with??

Laundry is done...dishes are running, it's a beautiful night out...very quiet right now except for the birdies that hang out in my evergreen tree and sing to me (love that sound...bestest sound evah) and I think I'll pop in a dvd and chillax for a bit...

Until next time,
Blessings!

"Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed,
for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee and I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10

apparently.....

I like to dance on stage! I'm just sayin'.....





and my friends cheer me on...




and guys come up on stage to join me....



and my friends come up to join me...







and then you do a shot....



and before you know it, you've had one of the best nights of your life...yeah, that's what good times are made of!!

Until next time,
Blessings!

New Orleans Baby!!! (picture heavy post!)

Oh yeah, had a GREAT time in New Orleans! I have to admit, it was a bit sketchy there on Friday, it rained like nobody's business all day long and that pretty much stunk, but by Friday evening, it was all good and the rain was gone for the rest of my stay!

Started out Thursday morning bright and early for the airport. Our flight was good and we landed safely in Louisiana! After checking into the hotel we headed right out to Felix's for some oysters! Nope, I did not eat any oysters, just couldn't do it...I opted for a shrimp cocktail (yes, I know I'm a vegetarian but I will eat some seafood if the occasion calls for it...)and an ice tea...wasn't ready to start on the beer yet..LOL..and it was yummy! After having our "lunch" we (Cathy, Joe and myself), started walking..Bourbon Street, Royal Street..it was awesome! Royal street has more art galleries and boutiques, Bourbon Street, well, it could aptly be named Sin City..LOL, cause it's all about the bars and "gentlemen's clubs"...I tell ya, I'm not a prude but sheesh...actually seeing some of these young gals standing in doorways with a thong and bra on, trying to lure guys inside had my mouth hanging open a couple times! (and nope, didn't take any pics of them....it's sad really, to see those young girls in that situation, like it's all they think they are worthy of or something...) anyway, after awhile, we met up with Angie and it was time to get into a bar and have a 3-fer! That's 3 beers (or whatever) for the price of 1!! Now, I'm not a huge beer drinker, I'd much rather have a nice glass of Cabernet but there was no way I could have had 3 glasses and it was only mid afternoon at best...come on, I'd be asleep rather quickly..so I had one beer. Here is a couple of pics of us: (I don't have a ton on my camera...Cathy and Angie took a ton and I'm waiting on them)...

Angie and Me!


Cathy and Joe!


Cathy and Me!


after finishing our beers we headed out to walk again...more shopping, more visiting of bars and just seeing all the cool musicians and bands etc..that will hang out in the street and play!

This guy just stood in the street! He was so cool to look at...never moved an inch!


This band was pretty funky! sounded more like cajun folksy music and the gal singing had some wicked tat's all over her..including her face!



Of course I had to try on a Mardi Gras mask too!! They are everywhere in the shops!!

I did purchase a very beautiful one, at a more high end gallery and the artist, who only makes one of each mask, signed it for me...it's gorgeous!!! I can't wait to share it with you, unfortunately, it's being shipped (no way I wanted to try and take that home on the airplane) so pics of it will have to wait!

I have so many more pics and memories to share, like my tour of the oldest cemetery, and the tomb of the most well-known Voodoo Queen, Marie Leveau, and of course more memories of nights spent on Bourbon Street but I'll save those for another post! I've added music from the weekend, Kid Rock, to my player we listened to this and I found myself up on stage dancing to it..oh my heck!! Maybe, just maybe Cathy or Angie will have a pic of that for me to share soon! LOL!

Until next time,
Blessings!

Just a quick check-in this morning! I have a million things I need to get done between today and tomorrow so that I will be ready to leave bright and early Thursday morning for New Orleans!!! Yes!!! I am heading to New Orleans for a long weekend!! I can't wait! I have wanted to visit there forever!! My girl Cathy celebrates her birthday there every year and asked me to come along for the party this year! I am so thrilled! I can't wait to see all the beautiful and historic architecture, eat some good 'ol cajun food, and just relax and enjoy Bourbon Street! I have yet to put a dang thing into my suitcase so that is the plan for today and tomorrow, along with some simple house cleaning (so that mom doesn't have to live here in a sty for the weekend), as well as run to the post office, grocery store, bank etc..oh yeah, treating myself to a pedicure tomorrow afternoon too!

I will be back on Sunday and hopefully have lots to share next week with pictures and tales of life in the Big Easy!!

In the meantime, my Aunt Lynn sent me this link yesterday, and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with ya'll here! Sit back and listen to this gal rap something worth listening too, I promise, you won't be sorry!! Remember, you need to pause my music player on the sidebar first!!!

Until next time,
Blessings!

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
-- Romans 10:9-10

some things...

that I've been up too these past couple weeks! Yep, in the midst of all the daily things I need to do, I have found some creative energy! In fact, I have so much creative energy these past couple weeks that I don't have enough time to do all the fun things that I want! When it rains it pours I guess, right? For weeks or months I'll be so blah about doing anything creative, wonder where the heck my mojo ran off to and why, and nothing in my space gets used...no paper is played with, my sewing machine sits collecting dust, the knitting needles look at me from across the room, begging to be held but nope! Then, a burst of energy hits and I want to do it all!! I'm enjoying the feeling while it is here because gosh knows when it will fly the coop again! Maybe it's the arrival of spring that has me all jazzed up and feeling groovy, who knows, but I'll take it! So, the knitting needles once again are being held...making a yummy scarf out of some absolutely delish handspun, hand-dyed yarn that I purchased way the heck back in September when I went to the Renegade Craft Fair with Nan! I had started it way back then as well, but didn't like how it was hanging off the needles so I put it aside, kinda forgot about it for quite some time...I decided a couple weeks back to head out to a cute yarn shop and the owners were fab! They switched out my needles for something a bit larger, in fact, I've never worked with needles this large (size 15) and I feel kinda all thumbs at times, hee hee, but it really made a difference. They were also kind enough to use their fancy yarn winding machine to ball up my yarn! Here is what it looks like at the moment!



I'm excited that next fall, when our cool weather returns, I'll have a new scarf to wrap myself up in! Next on my creative flow was baking! I love to bake! I had dreams years back of being a pastry chef...alas, in another life. However, as much as I love to bake, I don't love to eat it all! Well, let me rephrase that, I'd love to eat it all but my waistline would not be happy, so therefore, I don't often bake anymore, that is until the urge gets soooo bad that I cave and make some yummies! I opted for a delicious sounding recipe that I saw posted on one of the hundreds of blogs (well not literally hundreds but you get the idea...I'm a blog junkie)that I frequent, for coconut cookies! Now, I LOVE, seriously LOVE coconut!! I could eat it every day, in fact, when Roger and I were in Hawaii years back, I did! LOL! I made these cookies and they are the bomb!! Totally scrumptious, and really easy to make too! I have been very good as well, allowing myself one cookie after dinner each night (although I literally could have gobbled up the entire batch the first day!).



As for my sewing machine...it hasn't been dusted off just yet, however the rotary cutter has been getting a workout on some awesome new fabrics and a project is in the works! I had intended this past weekend to work on it, but kept getting sidetracked, in fact, today I wanted to fire up the machine but dang house cleaning, dusting to be exact, took it's place! I am determined though that by the end of the weekend, said sewing project will be well under way if not finished!

Lastly, but not least(ly)..hee hee, is paper playtime! Yep, found some inspiration to make some cards this weekend. I had not used sketches much before but since my girl Cathy suggested I give them a try, I've been hooked! This first card used a sketch from a cute site I hooked on called Inspirational Card Sketches. I really like how using a sketch took all the stress of coming up with an idea out of the process and allowed me to just play! Products used are: Pink Paislee Patterned papers, Nestabilities dies, stamp from Our Daily Bread, Bazzill cardstock.



This next card I lifted from a gal whose blog I adore! Amy Sheffer has such talent! I really love her work and she totally inspires me, even if all I do is lift her design! LOL! I just really like her style, the loads of layering and her usage of pretty embellies always makes me go "oooh aahhh". While she doesn't post an actual sketch for her cards per se, just seeing how they are designed and then working with that to make a card is cool! Products used for this card were: October Afternoon patterned papers, Nestabilites dies, Whipper Snapper stamps, unknown cardstock (I think it was way back from a Club Scrap kit!), I made my own seam binding from fabric and used it for the bow, and Copic markers to color the image.



I am slowly getting over the notion that everything I create has to be my own original design, it's just way to stressful and takes all the enjoyment out of playing with my toys! I like being able to use someone else's idea but with the papers, ink and embellishments I want! While I still want to create with my own original designs (but really, is there anything left out there that is original anymore?? Seriously, I'm asking..just sayin'), it's nice to have sketches and others to do that for me once in awhile!

whew...long post, lots to catch up on, right? anyway, thought for half a second I'd power up the sewing machine tonight but as I look at the time, it's less than an hour until LOST is on! Man, I am gonna be so bummed when it's over, I've really dug this show! Gotta go get myself hunkered down and ready for tonight's mind twist! I'll be back again, with some more stuff to share soon...I still have one project left I haven't shared and, of course, the infamous sewing project!

Until next time,
Blessings!

In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
-- Ephesians 1:7

Faith.....

I've always considered myself a faithful follower of Christ. I've always loved my Lord. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins to save me, and that in Him, I have everlasting life and will one day be joined with Him in heaven. Even as a small child, my faith was very strong. In fact, my faith was HUGE. There is a story told in a scrapbook that my grandmother made for me and it defines clearly, just how much I loved Jesus at that time. I couldn't have been but 5 years old or so, I had gone over to a neighbor's house and knocked on the back door. When the lady of the house opened her door I asked if her son could come out to play. Her answer to me was that he was not home right now, that she was all alone. My innocent, yet faith filled response to her was "you are never alone, Jesus is always with you." There it is, a story that takes my breath away each time I read it in my scrapbook or think about it. " You are never alone, Jesus is always with you."

Why am I telling you all this story? Because many of you don't know this about me. I'm saddened to say that I kept my faith hidden for a long time, only showing bits and pieces of it here and there, somehow afraid. There have been many times in my life when I've strayed from my faith. I've behaved badly. I didn't hold Jesus first in my life or in my heart. I allowed my faith to be put aside, and for that I am ashamed. It hurts me to know I did this, and I've asked God for His forgiveness. I know that I am forgiven.

I have been working on my faith a lot. I've always taken time out daily for prayer, for quiet time with my God, but for a while now I've been focused on developing a much deeper relationship with Him. I don't speak often of it, and that is one area that I am focused on changing. I want to Shout to the Lord. I want all of my friends and family to know just how deeply I love Jesus. Jesus deserves to have me singing his praises out loud and it makes me feel not only good, but great! While I suffer at times, the fact that He is always with me, always there to protect and guide me, gives me great comfort and helps me make it through those moments in life. Without Him, I wonder how I would live?

I've been called a "Jesus Freak" many times in my life, even by those whom I thought I was closest to, those that I thought loved me dearly. I take it now as a compliment to who I am, not an insult. When I am called that, I say "Thank you!! Thank you!!" how wonderful it is that I am that filled with His spirit that it shows! That phrase, "Jesus Freak" will never bother me again!

Each morning as I shower I listen on my iPod to my inspirational playlist...lots of really uplifting, energizing, rockin' good tunes that have me singing and dancing as I put on my makeup or dry my hair. One of my favorites for years now has been Darlene Zschech's "Shout to the Lord". This song does AMAZING things for my spirit. I literally stop and listen, singing along with her at the top of my voice, hands waving high above my head...seriously, this song just totally makes my body do these things...LOL! I know, Ozzi stands in the doorway looking at me like I've lost my mind and most likely wanting me to stop since I can't seem to carry a tune in a bucket! :) But, each morning, there I am again, and the smile it puts on my face is larger than large! I'd like to share it here with you. I tried to YouTube an actual video of her singing it but the few I found were poor quality, instead I'll share the song in a video of beautiful images and scripture passages. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do...

**note: you'll need to pause my music player over on the sidebar in order to listen to this!



I feel really good saying all of this out loud right now. I believe it to be an important step for me, not only in the reaffirmation of my faith but so that my friends and family know just how I feel, what I believe and how I intend to live my life. Will I fail sometimes? I'm sure of it. Will He be there beside me through it all? I'm sure of it! Thank you Jesus for loving me!!!

Blessings,

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in
the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
-- Galatians 2:20

playing catchup!

It's been over a week since I last posted and I have a few things I can share with you today..yay! It's been a really normal couple weeks here, just hanging out, waiting on spring to arrive (the weather seem to be on the upswing here in Chicago), and enjoying a bit of creative energy that I've had. I've been playing around in the sCRAP space the past few days and really enjoying that! Seems like it's a bit of ebb and flow with me most of the time...some weeks I'm all about the paper and glue, other weeks I am only in here to play on the computer and admire all the lovelies I see on blogs and message boards. My gal Cathy has been key in getting my butt back into scrappy goodness and we even had time to hang out this past weekend and hit a scrap store together!

How Mandi and I spent Saturday night a couple weeks ago!



Yep, ordered a pizza and watched our new dvd, New Moon! I'm really mindful of what I put into my body, but I have to tell you, that veggie pizza was ding dang awesome! I totally indulged myself and ate almost my half of that thing...ugh...but, it was worth it, time spent with my girl! I won't be having any pizza for a while now...and, did my 20 miles last week to work it off!! LOL!!

as for my scrappy creative endeavors, I have been working on cards and tags! Bought some of the new Tim Holtz Alterations dies and am loving them! Made the cool flower out of grungepaper for my tag...also used his mini filmstrip ribbon (love that stuff too...so stinkin' cute!), some 7Gypsies stamps, Unity stamps, Distress Inks, misc. ribbon and rub-ons...not sure what I'll do with my tag, but it looks cute sitting in my space!



This card uses his heart/wings die. I used some chipboard for the swirly part of the heart, added some pink glitter..and chipboard for the wings...the backing of the heart is made from BG fabric..love that it cuts like butter with these dies! Some MME patterned papers, Melissa Francis patterned papers, Prima florals, Doodlebug rub-ons and miscellaneous chipboard letters, black glitter, ribbon and stick pin..



Lastly, this is a card I made yesterday in fact. I used a sketch from the "Sassy Lil' Sketches" blog. Some Cosmo Cricket papers I had laying around, Bazzill cardstock, Prima florals, ribbon made into a bow using my handy dandy Bow Easy tool, a few little pearl embellies and viola! I hadn't really used sketches before but heck, it makes the thought process so much less painful, and when your brain just isn't being creative, it works like a charm! Be sure to check out their blog, they do sketches for both layouts and cards and their DT members really rock them!



Note: I did not stamp the sentiment on the card, it was cut out from the Cosmo Cricket papers...it's meant to look sorta dimensional..I say this because when I first took the pic, it looked all wonky and blurry, but it's just the way they designed and printed it! LOL!

So, that's about it for me...got ya caught up on my life here. We are officially on Spring Break this week and I am loving it! It's nice to not have any schedules that have to be met...the girl and I can stay up late, sleep in late, hang out and have fun. Roger is due home tomorrow and looking forward to being here when the girl is off school so we can do a few fun things together! I have everything pretty much set for Easter this coming weekend...basket is filled, reservations for brunch are made, attendance at Good Friday service has been planned...just need to decide if we want to color eggs or not this year. I do have to dig out my dvd's of "The Passion of The Christ" and "Jesus of Nazareth" as they are standard watches for me during this week...moving, inspiring, heart wrenching but always a welcome reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season!

Until next time,
Blessings!

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- Romans 6:23