Syndee's Space

AdvoCare

2010-06-30T10:12:00.001-07:00

Well today is day 16 of my 24 day challenge with AdvoCare. I have lost 10 pounds so far and my energy level is higher than it's ever been. My husband and I feel that these products far surpass anything you can get in the health food stores. I will keep you all updated on my weight loss/inch loss. My goal is to lose at least 80 pounds. Well now 70. hee Ü If you are interested in learning more about AdvoCare products, please email me and I'll answer any questions you may have!

~Smiles Syndee Ü

Charm swap

2010-06-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the charms I have created for the charm swap over at Cindy's Crafting Corner . This has been so fun and I just can't wait to see what charms I get in return.

~Smiles Syndee Ü

Blog Candy Giveaway

2010-06-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Marie over at The Pretty Paper Boutique is giving away a wonderful kit full of Graphic45 goodies. So head over there and leave a comment!

May Happenings

2010-05-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's the end of May already. Our weather seems to think it's still February but I know that summer is around the corner somewhere!

I have been crafting my little heart out lately. I haven't taken the time to take pictures or post about most of the items I've made but I decided to share the tags I made for a blog hosted tag swap for May. It's hosted by Marie over at The Pretty Paper Boutique
Here are some pictures of my tags...

I also had the opportunity to take a class with my mom this last Saturday. We learned how to needle tat. My mother has been shuttle tatting for years and my grandmother also shuttle tatted. I've tried but just couldn't seem to get the hang of shuttle tatting. We thought maybe needle tatting would be a bit easier with the same results and we were right! I had so much fun. I did have a bit of trouble and did not finish my project in class. I came home and worked with a larger thread and was able to get the hang of it. Now I am ready to start some different projects and learn how to read various patterns. I am really excited to be able to carry on the art of tatting that has been around for centuries! Here is a picture of my completed project and one of the thread and needle.

So the end of school is only one week away and the girls are aching to do fun things. I will post pictures of our various adventures as they take place!

Our new van

2010-03-27T22:14:00.001-07:00

We got this van with the settlement money from the accident. It's a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan. We love it!

Blog Candy Giveaway

2010-03-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

Louise over at My Huckleberry Finn is giving away a Top Score Multiboard and The Enveloper board. Click on the link above and pay her blog a visit for a chance to win.

Car Accident

2010-02-06T10:50:00.001-08:00

Well, yesterday was an adventure! I was driving my 19 year old daughter to a friends house and some boys pulled out in front of us. I was probably going about 50-55 mph. Our van is pretty much totaled. The boys from the other car and us all walked away which is awesome praise God! All the airbags went off so I have some burns and bruising. I'm a little sore and so is my daughter. Here are some pictures of the van.

Blog Candy Give Away

2010-02-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

The Crafty Alley Shop Blog is giving away some great blog candy. All you have to do is sign up to follow her blog and post something about it on your exsisting blog. Here is a picture of the prizes she's giving away. Click on the link to go straight to her blog.

http://craftyalley.blogspot.com/

Baby Boy Mini Album

2010-01-30T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a video I made of a baby mini album I put together for a friend of mine. I got some of my ideas from videos I've watched on youtube and then just tweeked them and made them my own. Two of the main videos I borrowed from were @pinkaboo6691 and @scrapchick .

Our church is having a baby explosion and I have 3 more albums to make in the next couple of months. So far out of the 4 mamas, only one baby is supposed to be a girl. Having 3 girls of my own and loving the color pink, I have plenty of supplies for the girl album. For the 3 boy albums, I had to do a little shopping. I bought a couple of packages of baby embelishments, a baby scrapbook page kit and some blue paper. I had so much fun making this album that I can't wait to get started on the next one.

What I've Been Up To

2010-01-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

I will be teaching an informal card class at a friends house this next Thursday. We'll be making some Valentine's Day cards. I've been having fun getting ready for this. I had planned on maybe having 5 or 6 women there. Well, come to find out there are over 12 ladies scheduled to come! Now I'm a bit nervous! Yikes! Anyway here are pictures of my samples.

This last one is a little goodie card. I will try and take some pictures and post them next weekend.

Syndee Ü

Check this out

2010-01-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

Creative Outlet is a new very cool website with fun scrapbooking items to purchase. They are having a fabulous sale right now so I encourage you to click on the link in the side bar and check it out. Ü

New Pressure Cooker Saves the Day!

2010-01-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

Well this last Christmas brought 2 new wonderful cooking toys into my kitchen. One was a brand new Artisan style Kitchenaid stand mixer! Whhoooop!! I love it!!

The second was a new Fagor pressure cooker.

This contraption is amazing! I have always feared pressure cookers but I guess the makers have come a long way and now they are very safe to use. I have used this pressure cooker about 5 or 6 times since Christmas. I have made a beef roast in 40 minutes, I have cooked a whole chicken in 30 minutes twice (once to eat as is and another time to make chicken soup). The most amazing feat yet? A pork roast cooked in BBQ sauce, falling off the bone and ready for BBQ pork sandwiches, done in one hour.

Last Sunday this contraption came in handy and saved my dinner. I had put beef stew in my crock pot first thing in the morning so that it would be ready for dinner and company by 6pm. We went to church and then a Memorial service for a dear young friend and didn't get home until 4:30pm. When I checked the stew at 5pm, the potatoes were still hard! What?!!! My crock pot must be dying. So I put half the stew into my pressure cooker for about 6 minutes and Voila finished! Second half done 6 minutes later. The stew was good, and cooked through and through. Whew! That was a close one.

Autumn Is Definitely Here!

2009-10-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love autumn?? I do, I do, I reeeeeeeeeally do! Yesterday it was a bit chilly for my taste though. It was in the 70's here in the Mojave desert. I baked 2 loaves of yeast bread and 2 loaves of pear bread. Mmmm The house smelled wonderful. I worked on making some Thanksgiving cards. I haven't crafted for ages and can't wait to get back into it full swing.

Here are some pictures of my harvest time decorations. This new home is a bit bigger than our former and I have found it necessary to take advantage of the sale prices at Joann's fabric store in order to fill some spaces. I know, I know, it was really a drag to have to go shopping for on sale havest decorations! LOL I loved every minute of it!!!

Autumn

2009-10-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe how the time has flown by. Autumn is my absolutely favorite season. I love the color, the smells, the weather, the decorations.....all of it!! Tomorrow we are headed to apple country. A visit to Oak Glen is a must during the fall season. We will sample cider, eat apples and soak in the autumn scenes. It's nice to be home schooling again so that we can take the time to do these little side trips. Even though my girls are all teenagers now, they still love to go to Oak Glen. I will post pictures of our trip soon. Hope you enjoy the autumn mix of music I put together. Nothing like a little bit of Louis Armstrong to get ya in the autumn mood!

Wow!

2009-09-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since April! Life has been so chaotic that I just haven't had the time.

My daughter graduated from high school at the end of May. Then we had two major events at our church that we were all involved in. One was a children's outreach where we put on a circus themed show and then had free food, games and bounce houses etc. We also gave every child a free backpack full of school supplies. This was a very successful event.

Then we had a youth conference. Awesome is about the only word that I know that will describe this event. It was called Transformation and the theme was "I will not be a statistic." Very powerful stuff. Many teenagers lives were changed through this conference.

Both of those events were in July. August was when we made the final decision to move from the city where we've lived for 15 years, to a new town just a few miles away. This move was crazy. My husband had been out of work since April and ended up getting a job the week before we moved. Great that he got the job, just made the move a bit harder with him at work all day. I also spent 3 days at a women's retreat the week before we moved. Needless to say, we were throwing stuff in boxes at the same time as we were loading the moving truck. I hate to move like that but just didn't have much of a choice. We are finally settling in. I still have a lot to unpack but I can see the end is in sight.

I also made the decision to drop all of my college classes for now. I was getting really overwhelmed with all I had to do. I also had made a choice to attend a discipleship class at our church along with attending the women's Bible study. These two classes have already proven to be time consuming with the amount of homework that needs to be done for each one.

I have made the choice to homeschool my 15 year old as well. She had such a difficult transition from one high school to the other. The two schools have completely different requirements and neither would accomodate the other. We decided that homeschooling for at least this year would have to be necessary in order to make sure she is able to complete the correct classes and not be behind.

So you can see why my blogging has been non-existant for these last 5 months. I hope to post some pictures soon, but it's so late right now and my hubby is wanting me to turn the lights out. hee ;o) I'll be posting again soon.

Happy Pink Saturday!!

2009-04-18T08:44:00.001-07:00

Hi all. Sorry this is late. Here are my pictures for today. These first two are cards I made this week. and the last one is a bucket of spring sugar cookies. Mmm. I hope everyone had a blessed Easter. This week for me was relaxing. I'm on spring break and the kids are in school. Woohoo. I didn't get a lot done but that's ok, I needed a break. Next week I will be back to school and it will be time for mid-term tests, blah!! Hey if you want to be a part of Pink Saturday click the button on the right and it will take you to Bev's site with direction on how you can join next week. Take care!!

Happy Pink Saturday!!

2009-04-10T21:56:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven't been around much, but I'm back for now! If you want to join Pink Saturday, just click the link to the left and it will take you over to Bev's blog "How Sweet the Sound" . There she will explain how you can join in all the fun!

Today for my pink Saturday pictures I have some lovely Gerber daisies that I photographed while visiting Wal-mart not to long ago. Alas, I did not purchase any because for some reason, I am unable to keep them alive. :( They are my favorite flower so it is extra sad for me. So right now the multi-colored picture of Gerber daisies is currently my wallpaper on my laptop.

This picture is my first attempt at iris folding. I have always wanted to try it and I think this one turned out pretty good for my first try. I used pink paper of course because what other color is there?? LOL I hope you all have a wonderful Pink Saturday and a very Blessed Easter!!

Well, I'm back sort of...

2009-04-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have probably lost most of those who were following my blog regularly. I feel bad about that. I have been so busy with school and kids. I have also been busy making cards. I have really gotten into it lately. I will start posting some of my favorites and links to some of the sites where I got the ideas. I have been watching so many how-to videos on youtube. Wow, all the great ideas I've gotten!!!

I just added a new button to the right column. The Girlfriends club is a newer site hosted by some wonderful ladies who are becoming quite popular in the scrapbook world. Both Donna and Leah are working with Prima and have been making videos for quite sometime. I'm not sure if Johanna works for Prima or not, but she is very talented and I love her ideas. This site has some wonderful videos with great ideas. If you have time, click on the button and take a look.

Computer Troubles!

2009-02-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well, my computer decided to die again! I lost my whole hard drive back in October so I've been pretty good about backing stuff up since then. I lost about 3 years of picutures with that break down. Every now and then I remember another event that was on that hard drive and now gone forever. For instance my youngest daughter's field trip to the Ocean Institute in Dana Point California. We had such a great time and got to see dolphins. The kids actually got to disect a fish and they learned so much. We really had a great time, but I have no pictures of the event to scrapbook. :( This time my hard drive didn't go out but something got into my computer and I had to reinstall Windows thus, losing everything once again. Now I have to borrow my oldest daughter's computer to get on here, so I'll be on very little once she gets home from school. So I'll keep this blog updated as much as I can with limited internet access.

Take care all,

Syndee Ü

Pink Saturday! Happy Valentine's Day Too!

2009-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

OK well here is my entry for this week's Pink Saturday. My youngest daughter and I spent a whole morning putting these cute little Valentines together. I had all the papers cut and ready to go. She spread glue and sprinkled glitter till her heart was content. (I'm still finding glitter absolutely everywhere! hee) Then we glued it all together added a staple and a sucker. The back is stamped with a To: From: stamp. Very cute and so much fun.

If you love pink and would love to join Pink Saturday next week visit Beverly over at "How Sweet the Sound". Click on the Pink Saturday button in the right margin and the link will take you over there and explain how you too can enjoy Pink Saturdays!

I wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day full of love, hugs and kisses!

Of course the one time I try out the "post it later" type feature, I somehow forget to do the pictures. Ahh. Sorry about that. I think it's working now. ;D

Science Fair

2009-02-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

You know, every January/February I have that same sinking feeling knowing the Science Fair is coming up and my kids will be required to do some sort of project. We all know that this always ends up being a parent project for those of us with kids in grades 1st-6th grade. So this year my youngest decided it would be fun to grow sunflower seeds. We decided to try growing the seeds in polymer water crystals, sand and potting soil. My daughter did the growing and the research and I helped her put this project together. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Ü Well, that's over for another year! Whew!

Blog Candy??

2009-02-11T07:51:00.001-08:00

I'd never heard the expression before so I just had to check it out. Well it turns out it's a fun giveaway over at Crafty Coo. She's giving away a fabulous assortment of scrapbooking supplies. Head over there and enter her giveaway! I found out about this wonderful giveaway from Aihara's blog. If you have a minute head over and check out her site too. She has a list of blog candy sites to check out.

I WON!!

2009-02-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it but I actually won! I won the contest over at Sherrie's site~ Boogers, Screams, Headaches & Dreams I won a bunch of wonderful Pampered Chef stuff. Thanks so much Sherrie!!

Well, life has been real busy and it's about to get a lot more busy. I will begin the spring quarter at the local community college week after next. I will be taking Psych 101, American Sign Language Interpreting 2, and believe it or not, a PE class Blah!!! PE is a requirement for an AA degree so I guess I'll be out there with all the teeny boppers trying to keep up. Ha Ha!!

I have also become a bit more active over at Swap-bot so I hope to be doing a lot more crafty things here real soon, not to mention the album I must finish for my daughter before her graduation this May. Boy, I sure have a lot on my plate, it's making me tired just thinking about it all! Whew!

Welcome Swap-bot Friends

2009-02-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

I am a member of Swap-bot, a wonderful group of people who swap everything from postcards, to just about any craft you can imagine. They do gift swaps, stash swaps and so much more. I have joined a swap to get exposure to my blog, so for all you readers who are swap-botters, WELCOME!! For those of you who have never heard of Swap-bot, take a look, join for free, and give it a try. Happy swappin!! Ü For those of you who are my swap-bot friends, check out some of the links in my sidebar. These are some of my favorite blogs that I read regularly. Happy Blogging!!

Here are some pictures of chunky pages I have made to send in various swaps:

Happy Pink Saturday!!

2009-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well it's getting close to Valentine's day and I've just been dying to get baking heart cookies, cupcakes, etc. you name it! My pictures today are some of the cookies the girls decorated for me. I just love this time of year. Some of my favorite things are hearts and the color pink. When I walk into the stores right after Christmas, I am thrilled to see isles full of hearts, pink valentines and all sorts of wonderful eye candy, (not to mention all the real candy!!). If you want to join Pink Saturday, just click on the pink link in the sidebar to the right. That link will take you over to Bev's place "How Sweet the Sound" and she'll explain how you can get involved. Have fun!!!

Sprinkles, Mmmm

My daughter (on left) and her friend decorating cookies.

Have you seen these?? They are heart shaped Peeps! These are vanilla flavored. This is all we had left by the time we got home from the store! They were so yummy!!!

Happenings

2009-01-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't felt to well for a couple days but I'm hoping it will pass.

I was visiting all my regular blogs today and found that Sherrie over at Boogers, Screams, Headaches and Dreams is doing an awesome give away for her 200th post. So stop by there and check out her site and enter her give away! Oh ya, she says that if she gets 100 followers she'll have 2 winners rather than one! So go check it out!!

Happy Pink Saturday!!

2009-01-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

My Pink Saturday entry this week is one of my Lucille Ball Barbies. I collect Lucy memorabilia and have several of these dolls. This one is my favorites.

If you want to join Pink Saturday click on the button in the right margin and it will take you over to Bev's site "How Sweet the Sound". I hope everyone is having a terrific weekend!!!

I've Been Tagged!

2009-01-21T11:54:00.000-08:00

OK I was tagged by Sherrie and again by Kristie for the same tag game. I am supposed to list 8 random things about myself, I don’t think I can think of 16 so I’m only going to do this one time. If you have time click on their names and check out their blogs!

8 Random things about me:

1. I was married when I was 19 years old.
2. I’m still married to the same wonderful man, nearly 22 years later.
3. I collect Winnie the Pooh items and have since I was about 8 years old. (back before it was cool to collect Pooh)
4. I am currently a college student working on an associate degree.
5. We have 3 dogs, 2 cats and a California King snake (Yikes! It’s my daughters) living with us.
6. I actually think Joshua trees are beautiful. (I tend to be in the minority on that one.)
7. I’m an eBay addict.
8. For the first 10 years of my life, I lived in the Mid-West, and I miss it!

OK now it’s my turn to tag some of you. When you see that you’ve been tagged, post your random answers mentioning the blog from which you were tagged. Then leave a comment for each person you tag, letting them know they’ve been tagged. Have Fun!

1. Holly
2. Stephanie
3. Susan
4. Joy
5. MaryCathrine
6. Danielle
7. Carrie
8. Chele

Stop by their blogs and see what their answers are!

Take Care all,

Syndee Ü

Happy Pink Saturday

2009-01-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

My Pink Saturday entry is an oil burning lamp that was given to me by my mom. She in turn received it from her mom. I'm not sure how old this is but I do know that my mom says she remembers my grandmother having it for a very long time. In fact, I'm pretty sure my grandma bought it at an antique store. One memory I have of this lamp is when I was about 3 or 4 years old. I was touching things I knew I shouldn't and sure enough, the hurricane top broke. Since then it has had many different glass tops. The base has been through so many moves I am not about to count, and has never cracked or broke.

Hey if you want to join in on Pink Saturday. Click on the button to the right and it will take you to Beverly's site "How Sweet it is". Enjoy!

PS If you have a minute, head over to Kristi's site "My Crazy Life" for a neat giveaway she's having!

Grandma's Divinity Recipe

2009-01-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is my grandma's recipe for divinity

2/3 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) I use either pecans or walnuts

Beat egg whites in glass or plastic bowl until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Stir in a pot with a wooden or plastic spoon the water, corn syrup, salt and sugar. Heat over high and stir regularly. Heat until candy thermometer reads 250 degrees. When it reaches 250 degrees pour into the bowl that has the egg whites while beating with electric mixer. (It’s easier with someone helping)

Beat mixture on high until it changes from shiny to dull. This takes awhile. Just when you think it is never going to get dull, it will. ;D Your mixer may even have trouble mixing it when it gets to this stage. Add nuts right away and start spooning onto waxed paper or spread into a greased 9x13 pan. If using a pan, wait until it cools completely before cutting it into squares.

Remember if you are having a humid day or if it's raining, your divinity may not turn out. I've heard if you decrease the water on a humid or rainy day it works. I live in the desert so I have very few humid or rainy days to worry about so I've never tried this. Also, I've heard that you should never use a metal bowl or spoon but I have used my Kitchenaid mixer with a metal bowl and been successful.

Good luck and let me know how yours turns out. Ü

Hey have you checked out the $5 dinners blog yet?? If not you must! It has great recipes and tips to make cheap and healthy meals. Right now she's doing a lunch bag give away with the cutest lunchbags!! So if you want to be a part of the give away, you better get over there quick. Here's the link: http://www.5dollardinners.com/

Sweet Divinity

2009-01-12T09:17:00.001-08:00

Sunday was my mom's birthday. She loves divinity and I usually make a batch at Christmas. This year I just didn't have the time. I decided to make a batch up for her birthday instead. She loved it. My sister and I also created a website and blog for her to display her gourd art. She was very pleased. As soon as she gets some pictures posted of her gourds I'll let you all know and maybe you can stop by her blog and take a look. Ü

Pink Saturday

2009-01-10T08:02:00.001-08:00

OK I'm late again! I hate it when I forget to post the night before. Oh well. Here is my Pink Saturday picture. These two cupcakes were crocheted for me by a friend. The bigger of the two open up like a purse. I totally love these and have them displayed in my craft room.

If you want to join Pink Saturday, click on the button to the right and it will take you over to Beverly's blog "How Sweet it is" and she'll tell you how you can participate next week.

I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Some pictures of my kitchen

2009-01-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

I had mentioned that my kitchen is decorated with gingerbread and some 1940's kitchen things. I've had a few people request that I share some pictures so here they are. The bakers rack is where the majority of my gingerbread people are displayed.

One of my favorite 1940's piece is my green bread box from England. I searched high and low for it and when I found it on eBay, I snatched it up quick! It was shipped to me straight from England.

I love antique ball mason jars as well. I am very picky about size and condition. I will only buy jars that have the original zinc lid with the milk glass still attached. I have been using my mason jars as canisters for several years now. I don't recommend it if you are not one to bake. They do not keep the food fresh over long periods of time. I cook and bake a lot so the food in these jars is never there very long. Ü

This green table was given to me by a friend. I'm not sure how old it is but it seems to match OK and I love it!

Happy Pink Saturday

2009-01-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hi all. This is Lucy. She's my little Maltese. I just had her groomed and they cut her so short, I had to put her little pink camouflage jacket on her. The pink bows and pink collar made the outfit complete. **hee**

Hey if you love pink as much as I do, why not join our Pink Saturday next week? Click on the button below and it will take you to the "How Sweet it is" web site where it will explain how you can participate next week.

Happy New Year

2008-12-28T15:47:00.001-08:00

Well with the kids home for another week, I probably won't make any new posts until the new year. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!!

Christmas program

2008-12-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well, the Christmas program went really well last night. The cast was awesome! As soon as I get a copy of the program, I'll post some clips. My 14 year old performed in 5 of the dances. The whole dance team was terrific.

Here is a picture of the rest of my ornament set that my aunt and cousins made for me. I really love them! They made them using a pattern from a 1970's Woman's Day magazine.

OOops! Happy Late Pink Saturday

2008-12-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hi all. I completely forgot to post something last night, and then had the nerve to sleep in today! Here are my Pink Saturday pictures. One is an ornament that was made by my cousin. Actually there is a set of 12 of these lovely ornaments but this is the only one with pink on it. My aunt and 2 cousins spent a lot of time last year making sets of these great ornaments for my sister, mom and I. I'll post a picture of the whole set later. The second picture is a also part of a set. This is a little girl and the other figure is a little boy. I've had these little figures for many, many years.

Hey if you want to join Pink Saturdays, click on the picture below and it will take you to "How Sweet the Sound" web site and explain how you can participate next week.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-18T08:05:00.001-08:00

This is the beautiful wonderland we woke up to this morning!

The above is the ruler we stuck in the ground (see previous post pictures). **hee**

A few hours later

2008-12-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

SNOW!!!!

2008-12-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I was I awakened this morning at 5am with a call from the school district saying that school was canceled for eminant weather. I looked outside and it was clear and but wet from rain. I thought it was quite funny to cancel school for weather that wasn't even sure to come. Well, surprise!! A few hours later, sure enough, SNOW! It started at about 7am and hasn't let up yet and it's now 1pm. We haven't had snow in the high desert for about 4 years. The kids are so jazzed. Unfortunately, my hubby will be stuck on the lower side of the mountain pass. He made it to work early this morning no problem, but now the pass is closed and probably won't be open until later tomorrow. :( Luckily my mom lives down there, so he'll have some place to go. Here are a few pictures of the girls having snow day fun! Hope everyone else is having a great day. Ü

2008-12-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

I spent most of today on the phone and sitting in front of this wonderful fire. I didn't get much accomplished but that's OK, there's always tomorrow right?? LOL Ü

Happy Pink Saturday!!

2008-12-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

Here are 3 antique plates that I have hanging in my kitchen. These were also a gift from my wonderful sister.

If you want to join Pink Saturday's click on the picture below and it will take you over to the blog How Sweet It Is and all the details are there.

And the Winner is................................

2008-12-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

STEPHANIE!!! Congratulation, I picked your name out of a hat and you win the prize. Thanks for posting on my blog. Please email me with the address you would like your prize sent to!

Happy Pink Saturday!

2008-12-05T23:26:00.000-08:00

I took this picture with my phone because I couldn't locate my camera. Sorry about the poor quality! Anyway, this is just one of my baskets full of pink baubles, buttons and ribbon. I love pink everything and love to see it stored in baskets, mason jars etc. If you want to be a part of Pink Saturday, click on the link below and it will take you to the How Sweet The Sound blog where it explains all about it. Also, if you have time, see my Win a Prize post. Just make a comment and I'll be drawing a name on Monday for a free surprise package. Hope your holiday season is full of joy!

Win a Prize

2008-12-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't been posting much. It's been a hectic couple of weeks. I'm trying to get some projects done for a mini Christmas Craft Fair. I've been making gift tags, Christmas cards, scarves and today I'll be doing a bit of baking as well. If I have time I may try to put together a few mini scrapbooks. I'll post pictures when I get most of it finished. I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving and is enjoying this wonderful holiday season!

So, what's keeping you all busy?? Post a comment with your answer and Monday I'll draw a name and send the winner a surprise!

Favorite Christmas Movies

2008-11-29T11:21:00.001-08:00

Here are some of my very favorite Christmas movies. They are not in any particular order. We have quite an extensive Christmas movie collection. These are just some of the ones I love the most.

Happy Pink Saturday!

2008-11-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

Hi all, well it's Pink Saturday again. Happy Pink Saturday!! If you want to play too, click on the picture above and it will take you to the site where you can sign up for next time.

My sister gave me this wonderful set of vintage pink mixing bowls for my birthday last year. I love them! I use them everyday.

2008-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

This is my Pink Saturday contribution. My mom gave me this sweet little doll with 3 little babies when I was pregnant with my 3rd daughter. I just love this little mamma!

2008-11-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

OK this is my first time participating in Vintage Thursdays. I love this idea! I have so many vintage things that I can't wait to share. This is one of my favorite items. I bought this a couple years ago. I had been looking for it for about 6 months and then finally came across it on eBay. It is a vintage bread box from England, and yes I did get it from England (shipping cost was insane!). I love the color green and I am currently working towards having a completely 1940's vintage kitchen using predominately this color of green. So I guess this game has now been taken over by Colorado Lady.... so if you want to join click on this link or the link above to find out how.

New Phone

2008-11-20T07:26:00.000-08:00

Well, my pink razor finally died completely! I was so sad. I loved my phone. Yes it was out of date and it seemed that everyone had one, but I still will miss it. The good news is I got a new phone and it is so cool! It has a built in fm radio, mp3 player and I can put a memory card in it to save any pictures I take and then transfer them to my computer. I can also transfer songs from my computer to this phone. VERY cool! I haven't figured it all out yet but today I will spend some time reading through the book. Oh ya, it also has a walk counter. How cool is that??!!

BREAD!!! Mmmm

2008-11-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

I always make homemade bread but I use my bread machine for part of the process. It turns out perfect every time. Yesterday I decided to try making bread the old fashioned way and do it with out my machine. I was a little worried that it wouldn't turn out right. Well, it turned out great! I'm so happy to know that if my bread machine decides to die one day, I'll still be capable of making homemade bread. I plan on experimenting with this recipe a bit. I found it to be a bit sweeter than I like. Other than that, it was wonderful.

How is Your Vanilla Doing??

2008-11-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

Have you started your batch of homemade vanilla yet? If so, how's it looking? Here's a picture of mine. It's getting darker. I shake it an average of 3 times a day. I have it sitting in a spot where I see it all the time, so it helps me remember to shake it. I can't wait for it to be done so I can start baking with it!

So sad

2008-11-17T20:47:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite bloggers will be setting her blogging aside. I'm so sad about it. So if you are interested in checking out before she's done completely visit this link...Confessions of an Apron Queen.

What's For Dinner?

2008-11-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of what I made for dinner tonight.

It's Homemade Minestrone Soup . Follow the link for the recipe. I also made a loaf of white bread to go with it. It was already cut up and half gone before I got my camera to it though. Ü

Baby shower

2008-11-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here are two of the packages I wrapped for Saturday's baby shower. I made the paper flowers with baby themed tissue paper. For directions on how to make these check out this link...Leah's Scrapbook Room vBlog 38

Thank You Card

2008-11-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made this thank you card for a friend who loaned me a cap and gown for my daughters senior pictures. I made the flower using my new Sizzix Big Shot. The card itself is quite easy. Here are the measurements if you want to try it yourself.

Cut paper 4 1/4 x 11 inches

Score at these four measurements:

2 inches
3 3/4 inches
7 1/4 inches
9 inches

Then fold like in the picture. It was easy and fun to make. I am going to make another similar today for a baby shower. My friend is having twins, a boy and a girl, so I will put a pink flower on one side and a blue flower on the other. If it turns out cute, I'll post it here.

Making Homemade Vanilla

2008-11-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

How to make Homemade Vanilla Extract

750 ml bottle of vodka and 12 whole vanilla beans

Using kitchen scissors, cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise, leaving about an inch connected (not cut) at one end, as shown here.

You will need to shake this several times a day for the first few days. After that you should shake it up as often as you think about it.

I have made this vanilla before and it takes about a month. The longer you leave it the stronger the vanilla will be. This works great for Christmas gifts. You can pour it into cute little bottles and tie them with a pretty bow or raffia. Add a recipe for your favorite cookies and maybe a cookie cutter or two and this makes a wonderful little gift basket.

Desk top picture

2008-11-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

This picture is now on my computer desk top. It combines the two things I love, barns and autumn. I sure wish this was my view out my back window!

Happenings

2008-11-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished my college homework which means my weekend will be much more relaxing and hopefully full of crafting and baking! I'm aching to bake something with the 3 varieties of apples I have. I also need to frost some beautiful leaf cookies before my family decides their just fine without frosting! Ü

Tomorrow is Lindsey's last soccer game of the season. It is kind of sad. Her team didn't win a lot of games this year so they won't get to play in the play offs. She was invited to join another team and compete in this years "Turkey Shoot Tournament" so that should be fun. No pressure and lots of fun. It helps fill up the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I did it!

2008-11-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

Well I actually did it. I ordered the Sizzix Big Shot. I was all ready to order it on eBay when a thought came to me that maybe I should check Costco first. Sure enough, I got the machine, an alphabet set and a die cut frame for $99. The alphabet alone is work nearly $100! I'm so jazzed. Here is the deal if you're interested... Costco. The best part?? No shipping! Can you believe it??

FALL

2008-11-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

I just love the weather we've been having. The air smells so nice!! I'm sitting in front of a beautiful fire in my wood burning stove, thanks to my loving husband. Ü

I am aching to bake but have a few more days until I can get to that. My friend has been baking up a storm, visit her blog the link is to the right Wonderfully Sew Knit. I have several new recipes I'm dying to try and a whole mess of fall cookies in the freezer waiting to be frosted. Mmm

I am contemplating on buying a die cutting machine with my birthday money. I have been putting this off for so long. I don't want to settle on one due to price etc. I think I have decided that I want the Sizzix Big Shot. I watched it demonstrated and actually had an opportunity to use it at the Scrapbook Expo a couple of weeks ago. It can use dies from all different machines which is a big plus. I'm just having a hard time finding one. I guess I'll have to order it online. I was hoping to find it at Michael's or Joanne's so I could use a coupon. I may still wait a bit longer and see if I can find one in one of those places.

Let's Begin

2008-11-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I'm going to attempt to keep up a blog. I don't have that exciting of a life so I doubt many people will be reading this. I recently lost my hard drive and had very little of it backed up. I figured if I save some important thoughts and pictures in a blog, then that may help me if it ever happens again.

I have been working on some new scrapbooking ideas. I love learning new techniques and new ideas. Please feel free to share any ideas you may have and I may try them out and post the results here.