Mommy's Little Helper

... thanks to a glitch in my little guy's pre-school calenda,r I totally missed having gifts ready for his teachers by his last day before the holiday break ... I had the gifts designed & ready to go but not officially put together. At first I was in a panic considering rushing to get them there on time ... then I decided to give them as a "New Year's" gift instead.  I made a paper bag album for my friend Tonya that I posted earlier this month & since I enjoyed making them so much I decided to make some more ... Christmas theme this time ... & the perfect "late" gift ... Christmas will be over ... pictures will have been taken & developed & just waiting for a paper bag scrapbook album to put them in!!

This is again a basic paper bag album seen at about.com ... I used my faithful big red Sizzix machine for the die cuts ...

What's for dinner ...

Many years ago I had something similar to this at a Pampered Chef party ... I've long since lost the recipe. There are several variations online at google search ... this is mine ...


Crescent Ring


2 very generous cups finely chopped turkey or chicken
   (I used turkey leftover from Christmas dinner)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup (you can substitute either for cream of mushroom)
1 very generous cup chopped broccoli (I use frozen chopped broccoli) uncooked
1/4 very generous cup of real bacon bits (can use real bacon chopped)
2 very generous cups shredded cheddar cheese 
1 small onion chopped
salt & pepper to taste
2 packages of refrigerated crescent rolls


Step 1 - mix all ingredients except crescent rolls in medium mixing bowl

Step 2 - arrange crescent rolls in ring on large pizza stone - put pointed corner pointing out - leave hole in center - press rolls firmly together - your ring will look like the a sun

Step 3 -spoon mixture into ring - be generous heap it up!!

Step 4 - fold points of crescent rolls over mixture & press against ring

Step 5 - bake in preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes or until crescent rolls are golden brown (3 rolls in center were saved out for my picky eater! See previous posts!! )

Step 6 - eat & enjoy!! Yum! Yum!!

Merry Christmas presents!!!

Oh how I love Santa Mom!! She never lets me down when I give her a list - she checks it twice & always gives me the absolute best gifts ever!!! ... this year I called her on "black Friday" - super excited - grandly announcing that a Cricut cartridge that I - really - really - really - wanted was on SALE!! Super sale!!! The Ultimate Creative Series was on sale for $39.99 down from $99!! ... you can not begin to imagine my surprise - no actually SHOCK - when she said "no, I already have your gift." I couldn't believe it!! I had not even given her my list yet & Santa Mom has never denied me! She insisted that I was going to be surprised - that I would really want it - & that I would not believe she got it for me .... & there was no way I would return it! ... hum ... now I really am not one for surprises! They make me sweat! They make me anxious! ... honestly, they make my stomach want to toss my lunch!!  .... so I tried to put it out of my mind & not think about it ... & with two little monsters running about it was not hard to forget ... 


On Christmas Eve our tree was lost in a huge pile of gifts ... literally!! ... & I have to say Santa Mom was right!!! No list needed & while I love my "Bug" my gift was way way better than any Cricut cartridge !!!

Christmas craft 1-2-3 or rather 5 - 6 -7

Well, I can post pictures now that the gifts have been opened ... Christmas craft #5 vinyl wall art made for my sister using my Gypsy ...

My favorite of all the crafts I made this year ... # 6 Santa exploding box! These little boxes are so easy to make once you get the hang of it! & super fun to embellish! Hiding inside the box is craft #7 ...  a clear glass ornament I decorated for my niece Sophia's 1st Christmas ... the glass ornaments are even easier to embellish & decorate!

Ah! & alas ... I forgot to take pictures of craft #8!! ... so stay tuned!

On a roll!

Totally on a roll here!! ... I can't show pictures of craft #3 because the recipient sometimes "lurks" on my blog & I would not want to give the surprise away ... so those pictures will come after Christmas! (it's a totally obvious gift - just like Tonya's - with her name right on it!!)


Craft #4 is almost as addicting as the T.P. album!! It's even faster! & Easier too! I "scraplifited" this idea from followingthepapertrail ... love her ideas!! She has a great tutorial on how to make this little envelope page. Yes! just one standard #10 legal envelope - or if you prefer use the return envelopes that come in junk mail & bills - like I did! I love the whole up-cycle concept! ... this little page is headed off to sunny Florida to my kid's honorary Great-Grandma Mary Liz! I wish she was here in Ohio so I could give it to her in person! 

This little envelope page falls under the category "what do you give someone who has everything?" ... or in the case of Mary Liz ... "what do you give someone who is 101 years old?". I am only calling it a page for now - but as the new year progresses I will be adding more pages to it from birthdays to holidays & everything in between & soon it will be a little mini album! (stay tuned for more pictures over the coming months!!)

More Christmas Crafting!!

... many many months ago (11 give or take!) someone posted on Facebook about a craft exchange - the object was for 5 people to sign up & you were to make them a craft by the end of the year ... it's only December 20 & I have 1 done!! YEAH! I'm ahead of the game! 


My dear friend Tonya will celebrate her birthday just a few short weeks after Christmas & since I know I will not be headed to NYC to celebrate with her - I thought a birthday craft was a perfect idea!


This is my 1st ever paper bag mini album. You can do a google search & literally find hundreds of different tutorial videos with just as many variations! I used the basic directions I found at about.com & this is the results. Of coarse now that it's made there are at least a dozen different things I would do - well, just that - different ... so stay tuned for more paper bag albums in the future! 


This was made with standard brown lunch bags you can find at the grocery store - scrap paper found in my vast supply of scraps bag - & my Sizzix dies. Oh! I forgot how much I love my Sizzix dies!! My big red Sizzix machine & I have been friends for about 10 years now & I am ashamed to admit that he has frequently sat neglected since my Cricut Bug has come along ... but since the Bug remains dead (power cord out!) ... so 4 more Christmas crafts to complete & 4 more craft exchange projects to complete ... so off to scrapping we go!!

=) yes!! I painted the toenails!! Everything else if simple & basic giving my friend lots of room to add pictures & journaling! Can't wait to hear what she thinks about it!  

Christmas Craft Time!

Normally, I am not the type to procrastinate & wait until the last minute to get Christmas presents made ... but this year ... well, ... maybe it's the 60 degree weather & lack of snow ... but I just seem to be lacking in my usual Christmas cheer! As usual I have visions of all these grand ideas I want to create bouncing around in my head so I sat down with my Gypsy in hand & started design ... very excited & proud to see my visions start coming to life!


Then the real moment came! I plugged my G into my Cricut & hit the power button ... nothing! humf ... check all cords to ensure they are plugged in ... yep ... hit power button ... NOTHING! BAH HUMBUG! ... & to make matters worse after 45 minutes on hold with Provo Craft ... turns out they do not make replacement parts! So here I sit with my dead bug & my visions of Christmas craft genius floating away in the rainy day flood! ... did I say BAH HUMBUG!!??


Of coarse like all ideas that get stuck in my head ... they started keeping me awake desperate to make it to reality wrapped in pretty paper & sitting under someone's Christmas tree ... 


Now anyone who has seen my vast supply of scrapbook goodies knows that even Hobby Lobby can not compete with everything I have ... I feel like I am being disloyal to my faithful Bug companion ... but it's time to get creative without out the aid of my electronic wonders!


... it's been so long since I have looked through my Sizzix dies I completely forgot how extensive my Christmas selection is ... as it turns out this was so much easier than I thought it would be ... 

gift 1 complete ... amazing what you can do with up-cycled toilet paper rolls & a pile of paper scraps!! Simple. Sweet. Just like the friend it is going to!!

Dull Boring Ol' Blog Layout World!

Oh the land of blogger ... I wish my mind could wrap itself around you! ... the writing part - no problem! I got lots of ideas bouncing around in my head! ... the time to write them - well, now that's the problem there!


I am a blog lurker ... in other words I never show my face & "follow" I just sneak in & out ... read recipes - even make a few too! & I love lurking on scrapbook blogs seeing all the awesome things others are designing! But most of all I like just looking at the over all blog layout. All the custom headers & buttons ... the hyperlinks ... the history ... & that's where I get all dazed & confused!! Very C~O~N~F~U~S~S~E~D!! I have watched  youtube how to's ... I've read directional how to blogs ... & still I sit here in dull layout blogville! Now I am not computer illiterate. I can get myself around a keyboard. I can follow directions! At least I thought I could! I have a creative mind by nature - often laying at wake at night with visions of scrapbook layouts & mini albums running through my mind ... so it's frustrating for me to be stuck in dull boring ol' blog layout world when what I really want is to figure out how to make my blog layout come alive with all the ideas that keep my awake at night!


Wonder if they have a blogs for dummies book out there? ... hum ... now there's a thought ... off to Amazon.com I go!

My Picky Eater!

My 2 year old son gives picky eaters a new name!! Most kids will at the very least eat mac & cheese - a peanut butter sandwich - toast  - cereal ... NOPE! Not my picky eater! He eats raw carrots! Radishes! Kohlrabi! Pickles! Black Olives! Broccoli !! Corn! Olive Garden Salad!! I know I should not complain he is after all a very healthy eater & generally a very healthy little guy!  But it does make it challenging when dinner time rolls around! & he is also a junk food junkie too! Jones chips, pretzels, cookies, popcorn ... smarties ... skittles ...

He's what I call a grazer ... does not sit to eat but rather munches all day - randomly going to the fridg to help himself! Two days ago, however, we had a breakthrough!! I recently purchased him a place mat with Disney's Cars on the front. He loved it instantly! After explaining to him that it goes on the counter (where we eat) he promptly put it to use & ate TWO BOWLS OF CEREAL!!  & yesterday, he ate for the 1st time a PB sandwich for breakfast on a whole wheat bun!! & ate an entire McDonald's Happy Meal 4 piece nuggets for dinner!! YES! I know not good food! But you have to understand that my son does not eat meat. PERIOD! Peanut butter was an exciting deal for me because all I could think was YEAH! Protein!! (Oh & technically he only ate 3 nuggets sharing #4 with is not-so-picky-eater baby sister!!)

 Eating his very favorite steamed broccoli!!

I'm still here!

At least a 1/2 dozen times a day I think of things I want to type in my blog ... BUT at least 2,010 times I get called off to do something else instead ... Maggie Jo took a nose dive out of the high chair - Camden took a nose dive over his Tonka truck oh & lets not forget Joe needs something typed up & sold on craigslist.com!!


... but I've finally made it over here to my blog! FINALLY it's almost "mommy time" - Camden on my lap - wiggling - making it very difficult to type! I've so many things I want to share but obviously my time is going to be short ... so I will share something that really made me smile today!!


I've always used coupons! Always looked for deals! Years ago some even called me the coupon queen! I've fallen away for a few years. My excuse it simple - coupons were hard to come by because I do not receive the newspaper ... but like many others out there I have been motivated by TLC's new show Extreme Couponing.  I've only caught a couple episodes & let me be quick to say I think these people border on hoarders!! I honestly think it's foolish to own obscene stockpiles of food!! Yes, we are in an economic recession ... & yes, I do stock up on good deals!! But I don't let my good deals take over my home or make it my full time job! I am a mommy first. A mommy second!! A mommy 24/7!! ... my trips to the store are small in comparison to the show's extremers & my time is limited to how quickly my 2 year old gets bored ... actually in comparison to the show you could say my shopping trips are EXTREMELY SMALL!


So motivated by the show - I have found a newspaper recycle bin that allows me 3 - yes, only THREE - coupon inserts. I don't dumpster dive for more! I don't beg neighbors to save them. I don't advertise on craigslist asking ... I take my 3 inserts compare them with store flyers from only 3 - yes THREE stores - Walmart, Walgreens & Kroger's ... oh & yes, I'm guilty of "like"ing a few facebook pages that share deals & I've jumped at the chance to sign up for freebies in the mail ... but I buy only what I know we will use & what we need! or what I can give to family ... & yes, if it's FREE & we don't need it I donate it to the local women's shelter ... 


So with all that said - I want to share today's "haul".  I save money all time using my coupons but this is the first time I walked away with my stomach jumping ... my bill was $32.08 ... I paid $5.20 ... & I also got a $5 rewards to spend on my next trip so TECHNICALLY this "haul" cost me a whopping .20 cents!! My absolute best shopping trip by far!! & with some goodies for the diaper bag as a bonus ... we've got Grandpop's Father's Day present!! ... & since I have 2 more coupon inserts left ... I might just do it all again tomorrow for Daddy!! & now with the kids asleep & Joe snoring I'm off for my real mommy time to watch my FREE Redbox rental!

Help! I'm stuck & I can't get out!

I love my digital camera! I got it just before Camden was born. I have more SD cards than I can count & all of them have pictures on them!! 2G & 4G SD cards ... most of them FULL!! We are talking T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D-S of pictures here! From the birth of my son in January 2009 to the birth of my daughter August 2010 to ... well, this afternoon & pretty much everything in between!!  I've been to Walmart & Walgreens & I've had my images put from SD card to photo disk. Not once. Not twice. Not even three times. I've done it so many times I can't count yet the pictures remain on my SD card waiting patiently  to be printed & become the center piece of some grand scrapbook page that took me hours to design & assemble!

I admit I'm afraid to "erase" these precious images of my children documenting every small detail of their lives from my SD cards! & yes, I have them on CD! & yes, I have them saved in online photo albums at walmart.com  - wallgreens.com ... & even snapfish.com & a couple other places I've found to host online albums for free.

So, as I prepare for an upcoming blog hop I've decided to embrace my fears! I WILL PRINT pictures for a layout! I WILL have the entire SD card put on CD (again!) & I WILL (after coming home with said CD in hand - inserting it in computer - & confirming all my precious memories are safely there) **deep breath**  I WILL delete the images from the SD card & reuse it instead of rushing out to buy a new one!  Yes, that's what I'm going to do!

I lied

...it's true I lied! Here I was so proud of the blanket I made my niece claiming it was my 1st non-paper project with my Cricut & then my sister posts pictures on her Facebook & there it was - MY LIE! In my excitement I completely forgot that I had did an etching project for one of my sister's Christmas presents! & there is - MY TRUTH! My first non-paper project with my Cricut was actually done with etching cream & not HeatBond! But just like working with fabric the etching cream was so much easier than I expected it to be!! My first design has room for improvement but imperfections are what makes life perfect!

Where does time go?

Where does time go? My little boy turned 2! My baby girl is 6 months! & my niece is just a few weeks from her debut! We've been very busy around here crafting! Oh how little hands love my cricut & gypsy! I don't know if it's the noise of the cricut or the buttons! Camden has learned how to use my Creative Memories personal trimmer & takes great pride in cutting my scraps in to small little pieces! My best scrapbook buddies are just moments away from their own designs!

Anyway, here is one of the projects I made for my sister's baby shower! It was my first out of the box non-paper craft with the Cricut. I am very pleased with the finished product & she absolutely loves it!  No-sew blankets are so easy to make & I was surprised at how easy making the fabric patch with my cricut really was too! Unlike me my sister is NOT a pink, lace, ruffles, frilly kind of gal & she kept requested everything "purple".  With her daddy in his own band my niece is destine to be a little rocker & I purchased the Princess Rocks cartridge just to make things for her!! ... more pictures & projects to come!

Mommy Time!!

I sure wish I could get every day to work out like this!!  Both my babies taking a nap at the same time!! It's Monday so Daddy works late. The combination of these things finds me having real quality "Mommy Time" for the first time in a long time! I've got laundry in the washer & dryer & I am actually working on a project I hope to soon have in my esty shop!  I will  share pictures when it is done! ... & I'm sure that won't be today!! haha!!


Don't want to waste these precious few moments to myself so I'm off to enjoy!!

Change

I cannot take credit for these words but I found them inspiring & wanted to share:


"Standing at the end of one year and the beginning of another I've been doing some thinking: did I change in ways I wanted to change this part year? Did I accomplish what I set out to accomplish? Or do I find myself much the same as I was twelve months ago? I wish the answers were simply yes, yes, and no, but it's not quite so simple. The Bible says "Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun" (2 Cor 5:17, NLT). As a follower of Jesus, why do I struggle at times to experience 'newness', i.e., positive change and growth?  A book I recently read posed some great questions. If God is the source of life, why do I work so hard to secure my life instead of simply receiving from him? If God controls everything, why do I try to control things instead of yielding to His control? If God is the Judge of good and evil, why do I make my own judgments instead of honoring His? If God sets the rules of life, why do I make my own rules instead of obeying His? Looking back, the times I've struggled to grow were the times I was avoiding questions like these. But, with these truths in mind, this new year can be different...in a good way. How about you, how is your new year shaping up?" Pastor Andy Vallace Heartland Alliance Church

Zombie Land

I am not a good sleeper. My children are not good sleepers.  I have dark circles under my eyes to prove it!! I have always been a light sleeper - the smallest noise can wake me! The combination of these two things leaves me dazed feeling like I am walking around in zombie land! 


The worst started when I was 5 months pg with Camden. I would wake in cold sweats at night worried sick - that because I had not felt him move - something was wrong. If I was not worrying about his lack of nighttime movement - I worried about fires, tornadoes, nuclear war ... anything & everything that could harm my precious cargo! I did not sleep - I worried. Things only got worse when he was born. I was a nervous wreck that my son would fall victim to SIDS & having had a previous experience with SIDS my fears were overwhelming! Because Joe worked nights it was easy to cater to my fears by putting Camden in bed beside me - where I could drift in & out of sleep all night listening to him breath or if necessary lay my hand right on him so I could feel him breath. So yes, while Camden is now almost 2 & sleeps in his own bed, it is my fault he wakes in the middle of the night more times than not just wanting to touch me while he drifts back to sleep. 


I had not deliberately set out to be a co-sleeper with my child so when I got pregnant with Maggie I was determined things would be different! She WOULD sleep in her bassinet or crib! She WOULD NOT sleep with me! She WOULD NOT die of SIDS! I spent my pregnancy worrying my way through sleepless nights & working with Camden to get him sleeping in his big boy bed. By the time Maggie's scheduled arrival date was here we had big boy bed success!  & when we brought 5 day Maggie home she took right to her bassinet & slept peacefully through the night - every night - from day one! I of coarse spent my nights in & out of sleep checking my children to make sure they were still breathing & worrying the usual worries but content that they were in their own beds & my restless sleeping was back to normal.


I don't know what went wrong that disrupted our peaceful nights! It seemed to happen suddenly without warning! At almost 4 months old Maggie started waking at night - not once - not twice - but sometimes 5, 6, 7 or more times!! & of coarse having inherited his mother's light sleeper problem Camden was soon up with us!


& so desperate for a few minutes of sleep we are back to co-sleeping. I've tried everything from setting up a bedtime routine complete with lavender baths & story time to supplementing in a formula bottle with cereal. I have researched the internet - where experts insist babies DO NOT FIGHT sleep it is a behavior issues... sure would like to invite an expert to my house for a night or two who could explain that to my daughter! 

A place to be me

Being a mommy rocks!! I live on Sesame Street & take daily trips on the Dinosaur Train to World World! I get to play ball, speed around a race car track, & sing silly songs all day long! The downside is I have not slept through the night since I was 5 months pregnant with my son - we are talking October 2008 here!! Going to the bathroom alone is a thing of the past & speaking of things of the past I can't remember the last time I had a hot steamy bubble bath, dressed in pretty clothes for a night on the town or enjoyed sitting down for a hot meal (I usually stand at the counter)! But the rewards are plenty! I get to wear comfy pants, don't have to waste time on make up & hair styles because my kiddy fan club loves me just the way I am! I get paid daily with slobbery dimple faced grins & these to die for bear hugs!  

I've been reading other people's scrapbook blogs for years.  I am a lurker I've never registered as a follower. Guess now I might have to change that!  I've thought about blogging several times but simply have not taken the time to get started ... but then on facebook, I discovered that my favorite cousin-in-law Barb started a blog & I decided it's a New Year & perhaps it's time for me to start putting my ramblings out there in the vast worldwide web too!  So here I am!

I can guarantee there will be far more talks about toddlerhood, stinky diapers, teething & slobbery dimple faced grins than scrapbooking but this is my mommy time a place for me to be me & share it with you!