Woohoo!!!

Due to a little delay in mailing out the Sale A Bration and Occasions Mini's, Stamin' Up! has posted links to the catalogs on the customer portion of their website! I thought I'd share those links with you here, too!

Occasions Mini 2010 Mini Catalog Jan 5th - April 30th

Sale A Bration Catalog 2010 Jan 5th - March 31st

Enjoy everyone!

Incredible!

Morning all! You may or may not know that I facilitate a Bible study on Tuesday nights at my church. I've been doing it for about 2 years now. The women who attend the study are amazing and I love them all dearly. Last night I received a quilt from a couple of the ladies in the group who I know to be amazing quilters (they are a part of the church's quilting group, too)...you can see several views of it below. Isn't it just incredible! I'm not sure if they know or not but the verse that goes around the inner blue portion is my favorite verse...Jeremiah 29:11. Take a gander at the other pictures...beautiful, huh....I am SO blessed!

'Tis The Season

Morning everyone! I'm so glad you all liked my recipe share yesterday. I think I'll go ahead and share something each week. Can't guarantee that it will be low cal but I will try and make it something that I've cooked at least once.

Just another quick layout from a kit that I purchased. I didn't put the tree together quite correctly as it should be higher up on the right page but...such is life. I can still get my photos on there just fine and I have some fun ideas for photos already! Interestingly enough you'll be seeing that fabulous bracket paper again as it is included in another layout kit that I have waiting for me to use it.

So, there you have it...my super quick post today. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll see ya soon!

What's For Dinner Tonight?

I don't know if you guys are anything like me but I gain weight VERY easily and at this time of the year I find I have to cut back on my calorie intake. I'm a Weight Watchers kind of gal. I have had and continue to have great results following their programs so that is always what I return to. With that in mind I present you with one of my favorite Weight Watchers recipes...Slow Cooker Lasagna. I usually put this in the crock pot after lunch and it is set to go by dinner. My entire family loves this! Serve it with a salad or some raw veggies and you are all set to go! I hope you will enjoy this! (If you guys express an interest I'll make this a weekly feature.)

Slow Cooker Lasagna

POINTS® Value: 8
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 360 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

No need to cook the noodles first or stay home while it bakes. Just let it sit a few minutes before serving so it can firm up a bit.

Ingredients
1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 small onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions
* Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
* Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
* Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
* Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
* In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

Notes
* To boost your vegetable intake, add a can of zucchini in tomato sauce to the meat mixture. You can also add 2 cups of sliced shiitake mushrooms to the beef mixture.

Better Late Than Never?

So...today is Utah Diva's Sketch Challenge day and honestly...I didn't have anything done ahead of time so I decided to work on a card today. Obviously, from the card, I'm not very inspired but...when you make a card for your DH it doesn't have to be perfect as they love anything we make, right?

Anyway, you can clearly see the sketch in this card and really I think that squirrel is adorable and the play on words...love it! I used a little bit of the Thoroughly Modern paper and our Animal Crackers set for the squirrel and sentiment then added some leaves with the Leaf Lines sets.

My DH hit it right on the head for my Christmas gifts again this year so I thought, maybe, he at least deserved a card of thanks. I had to take my favorite gift in to get sized...Todd got me a three diamond ring for Christmas...I LOVE it...it is beautiful! When I get it back I'll take a photo to show you all!

Anyway, go check the sketch HERE and then make your own card...it is a great sketch!

Have a great rest of your Saturday! I have a Dove Chocolate party tomorrow that I'm excited for so I'll see you on Monday (I hope!)

Joy to the World...Our Lord Is Born!!!

Chocolate Gingerbread Men Lollipops

Morning friends! It is Christmas Eve Day...what a fun day for kids and adults alike. I really hope that you are happy with all you got done for the big day tomorrow. Remember, it isn't about the presents or what you'll be eating...it is about remembering our Savior's birth. Maybe take some time to read the Christmas story in the Bible tonight or tomorrow to stay Christ centered.

Well, you wanted to see them and so here they are. Please don't laugh at my decorating skills! I'm sure I could have done better if I had the right tools but I didn't think far enough ahead to make sure I had what I needed. Anyway, these gingerbread men are dark chocolate and the frosting is just a cookie frosting which worked much better than the gel frosting. I just placed them in a cellophane bag and tied it with a ribbon to make them a little more festive. We'll head out to our local emergency dispatch center to take them these lollipops along with some gingerbread chocolate chip cookies. Unlike law enforcement, dispatchers aren't allowed to leave and go home throughout the day so we like to be sure to take them something special to snack on.

Whatever your plans I hope you have a wonderful day today. Enjoy your family and friends and remember Jesus is the one who can make up truly happy...not our spouse, kids, or the gifts under the tree.

Snowy Serenade

Morning friends! So, we are only a day and a wake up from Christmas...are ya all set? I think we are good to go and at this point...if not, such is life! I would like to run to the store to pick up a different type of frosting for the gingerbread men lollipops as the gel type didn't work very well BUT it is so busy at the store that if I can't get Todd to go with me I won't do it. I do hope to share a picture of those very soon though!

Remember when you said you wanted to see projects whether or not I could link you up? Well, today is an example of that. I went to the Creating Keepsakes Convention back in Oct?, Nov?...can't remember which month for sure (Jen?) but I picked up some wonderful scrapbook page kits (and in fact became a member of their club) and this is one of them. I think it is called Snowy Serenade...isn't that paper just lovely? The sparkle is SO much fun! I could never, in a million years come up with something like this so I feel like it is worth my investment to be part of this club. I have another of these layouts to show you later this week as well. Okay, maybe more than one or two...we'll see. Currently I'm working on a Disney page or two as I need to get my photos scrapbooked before I forget everything about the trip!

Anyway, I hope you will have a fantastic day today!

Dove Chocolate Discoveries Meets Stampin' Up!

Good morning everyone! I hope you had a super fantastic weekend! We got a lot accomplished Christmas wise...gifts are wrapped, stockings are stuffed (but they aren't out yet...don't worry!)...are you getting the idea my boys are older? Plus, we don't "do" Santa at our house. We do a fun scavenger hunt for their "big" gift instead...which I need to plan out today.

I will also need to be making another one of the little gifts you see here today. I gave one of these to each of Kyler's teachers as well as to the support staff at the school (small school). I will be making another of these for the lovely young lady that will be attending the nursery at my church on Christmas Eve as our paid child care worker isn't available that evening. I just think if she is nice enough to do that for me then she deserves some chocolate in a cute bag! I used a couple of the ornament stamps from Delightful Decorations for this bag (glassine bag...you can find them lots of places) and inside I placed a chocolate covered pretzel and a chocolate covered graham cracker both from Dove Chocolate Discoveries. To the bag I make today though I think I will add some milk and dark chocolate coins as well. I just used a lovely length of ribbon around the pretzel and called it good. It's a fun little presentation I think.

So, with that I'm off to stamp my bag so I can have one thing checked off my list early this morning!

OH, I forgot to tell you...I got my chocolate tempering unit from Dove Chocolate Discoveries the other day and I'm SO excited to make some chocolate lollipops. I will definitely show them to you when I'm done!

Okay, now...have a wonderful day!

UDI Sketch Saturday

Good Saturday morning everyone! How are you all doing on your Christmas shopping? I think we are all done...yay!

Today is Saturday so it is Utah Diva Sketch Challenge day...woohoo! When I looked at today's sketch I was stuck for a little while. Slowly, I decided on different aspects of the card and then it all fell together. I love it when that happens!

Anyway, today I've used the For All You Do set again (you can see more cards I've made with this set see HERE and HERE) along with the Cottage Wall patterned paper. It was fun to use the Polka Dotted Razzleberry grosgrain ribbon in this card...I haven't used it in SO long! I used a 1/2 dimensional on the inside of each of the butterfly wings so in real life the butterfly looks like it is about to fly off the card...oh, and the glitter on the edges of the wings and body make it really pop out, too.

I hope that you will take a look at what the other members of the sketch team have done with the sketch. You can find the links to the blogs right HERE on the UDI blog. I hope you will participate with us!

Yesterday was Kyler's last day of school until the new year and it was only a 1/2 day so we let him have a friend to stay overnight. We rented Night at the Museum 2 for the boys but Kyler's friend didn't want to watch it so we (the older kids...tee hee) had fun watching it instead. Today is sure to be a more laid back and I just can't wait...I think I may have to take some naps and such, too...woohoo!

Anyway, I hope you have a super Saturday and I'll see you next week sometime!

Three Clovers Designs Challenge

Good morning all! Today is Three Clovers Designs Challenge day and I'm excited to share that our challenge for today was to make an ornament. We give our boys ornaments every year that, when they move out, they can take with them for their own Christmas tree. This year it was a bit of a struggle as I couldn't find what I wanted. Todd, however, did find something for two of our boys but I was still in a conundrum of what to do for the third...until this challenge.

My favorite Thomas Kinkade stamp website had a tutorial to make these ornaments some time ago but I never got around to making one until now. They are way easy and in real life this thing shimmers and shines like you would not believe as each side (5) has glittered edges and I added glitter pen to the tree and White House on the printed side. If you know my kiddos at all you probably already know which one of my boys this is for. I'm pretty safe in posting this as I don't believe he reads my blog at all.

I hope you will head over to Kerry's blog HERE to check out what the other Challenge members have created and then jump right in and participate. I can't wait to see what you create!

Dove Chocolate Discoveries

So, you all know that I've mentioned my new Dove Chocolate Discoveries business a couple of times so I thought I'd introduce you to what it is all about.

DCD is an incredible tasting party experience. We Chcolatiers (yep, that is what we are called...I even have an apron that says...Hot Chocolatier...fun!) come to your house and introduce you to all things Dove Chocolate. In my case I demonstrate how to make our fantastic Mousse and Martini's. We taste things such as Truffle Fudge Brownies, Cinnamon Dusted Chocolate Covered Almonds, and Chai Tea Mix just to name a few.

Why did I decide to become a Chocolatier to begin with because really...I already am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator (among many other things that I do)? Well, honestly it was because of the business opportunity. I called the home office and found out that there are less than 100 Chocolatiers in the state that I live in...now that is ground floor opportunity right there! That and I LOVE CHOCOLATE (Dove has always been one of my favorites!)...what could be a better combination? DCD is a new company having been in business about two year. Let me tell you...it is amazing the growth that they've had. They support their Chocolatiers with wonderful specials, printed materials, and a great home office! The parties are so much fun...for me and for the guests that I can hardly believe I'm making money at this (and I am making money!)!

If you'd like more information I'm happy to talk with you about the business opportunity, (I've been a Chocolatier less than two month and already have a downline!) having your own tasting party, or placing an individual order. You can see my website HERE and HERE are the fliers about the three different business kits that DCD offers to new Chocolatiers. I'm happy to put you on my newsletter list too if you'd like.

Have a SWEET Wednesday!

For All You Do 2

Happy Tuesday! Thanks for stopping back by everyone! I so appreciate you guys stopping by and leaving encouragement! By the way...I did make that card I was worried about AND I think it looks great...go figure! I'll show it to you very soon...I gotta make sure that the recipient receives it first.

Today I thought I'd show you the other two For All You Do items I made...one a card (on the left) and the other a calendar. I'm SO mad at myself though as the calendar is crooked on the page...ugh! I hope the receiver won't mind! I used the same colors and papers as yesterday.

Today we are off to a near by town to pick up the ham that we won at the Care Net auction back in October. When we called to check on it we found out that the ham will be 20 pounds! Isn't that wonderful? I can't wait to bake it up on Christmas! I'm SURE we'll have leftovers for scalloped potatoes and ham and maybe even some soup...woohoo! I'm thinking maybe we'll pick up some steaks and stuff too so I'm sure it will be a fun stop in our day!

I hope you have a great day too!

For All You Do

Morning stampers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I had hoped to get a little more done but...such is life. I've decided I've done what I can and I'm just not going to stress anymore. Bwahahaha! Did anyone else start laughing at me?

I did do some stamping this weekend though. I had bought a couple of Andrea Walford's class planners when she had them half price and thought that I would use one of them as a guide for today's cards. This set is For All You Do and it makes such a sweet set with it's Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry and Cottage Wall papers. I find these cards to be a breath of fresh air right now with all of the wintery/Christmas colors. Ahhh...

I have a special Christmas card that I want to make for a little friend of mine that I'm hesitating on as I think it will be a bit difficult for me. Why am I telling you this? Well, I'm hoping if I put it out there you guys will ask me if I got it done and if you can see it...you know, hold me to making it. Thanks ahead for your help!

**In answer to Debby's question in the comments...I'm hesitating because the card will be difficult to make. It requires some free hand drawing that I am NOT good at!**

Well, I guess that is it for now. I hope you make your Monday a wonderful one! See you soon!

UDI Sketch Saturday

Good morning! Today is Utah Diva's Sketch day on my blog. This week's sketch is pretty universal so I hope you'll check it out HERE!

I used the SU! set called Animal Crackers along with the Tall Tales designer series paper. Oh, we had a challenge this week which is to watercolor. Water coloring is not something that I'm very good at but it is called a challenge isn't it? For my water coloring I used a blender pen and stamp pads with the ink smooshed on the lid of the pad. I used confetti white paper but the correct paper to use for this project would have been the water color paper...I'm sure my coloring would have been much better! *wink, wink*

I have to say that my favorite element of this card is the corduroy button (in chocolate chip) with the linen thread bow...I just think that gives it so much cute!

So, today I'm off to give this card to a mom-to-be this afternoon at her baby shower. So fun!

Have a super day all and don't forget about the new SU! specials that you can see HERE.

Christmas Punch Box

Morning everyone! I'm back with another post today...I know can you believe it?

Today, I'm showing you a gift that I made for a friend of ours for her birthday. At first I was thinking that the tag box would be perfect as who doesn't need tags right now? Then I thought that maybe a Christmas gift wouldn't be appropriate for her birthday so she got this box and a gift certificate to a local bookstore. She LOVED them both!

All the tags are made with the Hostess set called Christmas Punch. Obviously the idea is to use lots of different punches with this set but the thing that I didn't realize is that it makes the tags quick and easy...love it! The ease is great but I also love the variety of tags. Tags for kiddos, tags for friends, a tag for everyone. I know that sounds silly but I LOVE things that are useful!

I hope you like this idea! Oh, I forgot to tell you yesterday that I have had to put comment moderation on my blog. I've been getting one or two spam comments a day so I thought to protect everyone I'd go to moderating the comments. I don't like comment verification though so I didn't go that way. Anyway, now you know!

So...I'll be back tomorrow with my Utah Diva Sketch card so...I'll see ya soon!

Have a wonderful Friday! Oh, SU! has done it again with another wonderful sale! You can see all about it HERE!!

12 Days of Holiday Sales

Hi all! You must check out the wonderful 12 Days of Holiday Sales that Stampin' Up! is having!

Things to Remember:

• The sale begins Friday, December 11, 2009, 12:01 AM (MT), and ends Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 11:50 PM (MT).

• Items must be ordered by December 15, 2009, in order to arrive in time for Christmas.

• Discounts range between 15-25 percent.

• All items on sale will be posted on the first day of the promotion and can be purchased for all 12 days.

• There are no quantity limits.

• There are no qualifiers to receive the discount.

• For online orders, discounts will be reflected in the "regular price"; "catalog price" will show the non-discounted price.

Product Offering:

Item	Page #	Description	Regular Price	Discounted Price
114515	195	Flower Burst Embosslits die	$11.95	$8.96
114516	195	Cherry Blossom Embosslits die	$11.95	$8.96
115957	195	Thanks Embosslits die	$11.95	$8.96
114513	195	Sweetest Stem Embosslits die	$11.95	$8.96
115952	195	Hi Embosslits die	$11.95	$8.96
115951	197	Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlits die	$74.95	$59.96
113446	197	Build a Flower #2 Set Sizzlits 4-Pack die	$19.95	$16.96
114509	197	Big Bold Cupcakes Sizzlits 4-Pack die	$21.95	$18.66
113448	197	Hearts Set Sizzlits 4-Pack die	$19.95	$16.96
113457	198	Tulipe Bigz die	$21.95	$16.46
115954	198	Two Tags Bigz die	$21.95	$18.66
114524	199	Fringed Flower Bigz die	$19.95	$15.96
114523	199	Decorative Accents Bigz die	$19.95	$15.96
114534	199	Flower Bigz Clear die	$19.95	$15.96
113473	199	5-Point 3D Star Bigz die	$19.95	$16.96
113472	199	Circle 3D Ornament Bigz die	$19.95	$16.96
113470	199	Flower Layers w/Leaf Bigz die	$19.95	$16.96
113465	199	Bird w/Leaves and Flower Bigz die	$19.95	$16.96
115961	200	Perfect Setting Bigz XL die	$42.95	$32.21
113483	200	Pennant Bigz XL die	$39.95	$29.96
113484	200	Baskets & Blooms Bigz XL die	$39.95	$31.96
116760	201	Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die	$39.95	$29.96
116759	201	Pop-Up 3D Ball Bigz XL die	$39.95	$29.96
114890	201	Matchbox Bigz XL die	$42.95	$36.51
113458	202	Flower Layers Originals die	$15.95	$13.56
114336	158	Kraft Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$10.36
114334	158	Dark Gray Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$10.36
114337	158	Chocolate Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$10.36
114335	158	White Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$10.36
118797	n/a	So Saffron Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118798	n/a	Rose Red Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118799	n/a	Taken With Teal Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118800	n/a	Pretty In Pink Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118801	n/a	Bashful Blue Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118802	n/a	Real Red Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118803	n/a	Old Olive Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118804	n/a	Black Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118805	n/a	Night of Navy Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118806	n/a	Certainly Celery Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118807	n/a	Tempting Turquoise Décor Elements Sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118808	n/a	Clear Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118809	n/a	Pumpkin Pie Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118810	n/a	Pixie Pink Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118812	n/a	Sahara Sand Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118813	n/a	Gable Green Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118814	n/a	Basic Gray Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$12.95	$9.71
118815	n/a	Chalkboard Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$14.95	$11.21

I LOVE a good sale and this is definitely a good sale! Let me know if you have any questions!

I'm baaack!

Good morning everyone! I'm so thrilled to be back posting a card for you guys! The most exciting part is that I'll be posting tomorrow AND Saturday, too! I've been so busy with my new Dove Chocolate Discoveries business (and I'm not just saying that!) that I have been too tired to stamp. Well, that and the fact that I had quite a head cold for the last week or so. I couldn't even keep my head down long enough to stamp without it pounding but I'm feeling much better now!

That said when I saw this week's challenge for Three Clovers Designs I knew I had to play along. I sure hope this card looks the way I wanted it to (but I think I may have spaced the trees to far apart...yeah, I definitely should have had them down just a little...such is life). Anyway, this week's challenge is to use blue, silver, and white. Uh, that sounds like a wintery combination to me so I had to pull out my Lovely As A Tree set. I used Shimmery White cardstock then stamped my trees in Night of Navy THEN I sponged frost white ink (from SU!) on the wet Night of Navy ink to get the almost gray-ish looking trees on the bottom...it is SO shimmery in real life! The rest is pretty self explanatory but the sentiment is a rub-on...I always forget to use those so I pulled them out yesterday. So pull out your blue, silver, and white papers and get to work! Don't forget to link them up to Kerry's blog...the link it up a little in this paragraph.

On another note...my middle son, Jon, went last weekend to enlist in the Army. We are totally behind his decision and are incredibly proud of him! He will go in July to Basic Training and then onto his AIT. I hope you will add him now to your daily prayer list. I know I want Jesus' wisdom just soaking into Jon right now!

Now, I bet you think that I have forgotten about the drawing I was having last week, huh? Well, I haven't!! The winner is...

Stacy said...

YES, YES, YES!!! I love to see all of your projects regardless of the manufacturer. Keep creating!

What is fun about Stacy winning is that she lives right in town with me and is a member of my stamp club...that doesn't happen very often! Congrats girl!

Alright, I have a full day in front of me so I must scoot but I hope you have a super day!

Sets Retiring

The following sets will be retired as of January 4th. Get 'em now if you'd like them!

Item Number Stamp Set
113407 Back Woods
114492 Beautiful Baby
114486 Birthday Wish
113200 Branch Out
114496 Celebrations
113732 Central Park
113206 Classic Sketches
113226 Classy & Fabulous
114498 Flowers in Silhouette
113405 Font of You
113216 For the Bride
114494 Forever
109425 Friend by Definition
114488 Fun Flowers
113716 Garden Greetings
114490 Glad Friends
111580 Grand Soiree
113242 Hit the Road
113710 Lexicon of Leaves
113236 Man's Best Friend
114423 Ocean Commotion
113728 Playful Petals
109276 Polka Dot
111544 Putt Putt
113240 Quilt Quips
113754 Really Retro
113403 Sip by Sip
113726 Sweet Stems
113250 That's Funny
113688 Wonderful Watercolors
114028 Para la novia
114032 Acuarelas Maravillosa

I'll be back either later today or tomorrow with something to show you!

3 Clovers Designs Challenge

Morning! I wanted to get this posted real quick for Kerry's 3 Clover's Designs challenge. This week it was to make a non-card item and honestly, I've had this done for some time. I have made several of these for teacher gifts.

These notepad folders are made with the Thoroughly Modern folders in the Stampin' Up! catalog. Just a little cutting, scoring, and folding and you'll be all set. Then I added some ribbon and a tag with their initial. I really like them!

I don't have time to bore you with my commentary today so I'll just leave you with a reminder to vote in my poll (right side of my blog) and comment on THIS post for a chance to win some blog candy.

Have a super day everyone!