Utah Diva's Sketch Challenge

Happy Saturday morning! Guess what today is?! Today is Utah Diva's International Sketch Challenge day! I have been thinking about the card that I wanted to make with this sketch and this isn't it exactly but it sure is close AND....I LOVE it!

I used several really fun and coordinating products for this card. From the new I {Heart} Hearts stamp set to the I {Love} Love wheel to the Scalloped Trim Border, it all matches so well! Wondering where that center heart u stamp is from? It is from the stamp set You & Moi that you can also get as a SAB FREE set! Oh, and see the dotted background on the white? Yep, it is a new embossing folder for the Big Shot called Polka Dots (original, huh? LOL). I do believe I'll be using this card for one of my boys' Valentine's card. You can purchase them all HERE.

Soooo...hop on over HERE to see the sketch and play along with it!

And now, I'm excited because Todd and I are going on a date tonight...YAY!! I don't know what we will be doing but I know we'll have dinner after. I'm excited!

I hope you all have a SUPER wonderful Saturday! Take time to enjoy the blessings in your life today!

Three Clovers Designs Challenge

Happy Thursday everyone! How has your week gone? I'm so thrilled that it is finally Thursday...I've been thinking it is Thursday all week...LOL!

Today is Three Clovers Designs Challenge day and today we were challenged to make something with more than one stamp...and that doesn't include the sentiment. Here I have a Valentine's Day card made with the stamp set I {Heart} Hearts and uses four of the different hearts in the set. I'm loving the Scallop Trim Border punch in the SAB catalog. I'm using it on a lot of stuff and I think it looks so neat!

Anyway, you need to check out what all the challenge team members did, too. You can see the challenge and the other cards HERE!

May you see all of the wonderful blessings Jesus has laid out before you today!

ECS

Morning friends! It has been forever since I've posted a card for you guys.

One of Kyler's school's Parent Association leadership asked me to make some thank you cards for them so it has taken me forever to make them but this is what I came up with. Our school colors are purple and gold and our mascot is the eagle.

I used Photoshop to make the eagle almost like a watermark then printed several of them out. I used Baroque Motif for the swirl on the background and popped up each layer of the ECS medallion. I just layered a piece of whisper white card stock on the inside for an easy writing area as well. Then I thought to myself...she asked me for thank you's and I made a general card so I really need to see if she wants a thank you sentiment on the inside as well.

I've been asked to make some "we have a new address" postcards for a friend so I'll be working on those making prototypes over the next couple of days AND with Valentine's Day rapidly approaching I need to get to work on making stuff for Todd and the boys. Lots of stuff to do!

Kyler is headed back to school today after a weekend and Monday of coughing...he has bronchitis just like Jon did a couple of weeks ago. So far this morning he sounds better but he's only been up about 20 minutes so we'll see. He's only going for a half day though as all that coughing sure can wear ya out. This is definitely one of the nice things of a small Christian school...we have lots of flexibility.

Anyway, enjoy your day ladies! I hope you see God's love wherever you look today!

What's For Dinner Tonight?

Last week I made this yummy baked chicken for dinner and it was a HUGE hit...everyone loved it so I had to share! I'd love to hear if you'd try it and like it too!

BAKED CHICKEN
POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Use fresh herbs and lemon juice to give plain baked chicken fantastic flavor. This combination of flavors also works well with turkey cutlets or white fish fillets.
Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz halves
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 tsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
2 tsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/2 medium lemon(s), quartered (for garnish)
Instructions

* Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a small, shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.
* Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to prepared pan and drizzle with oil; sprinkle with lemon juice, rosemary and parsley. Pour broth around chicken to coat bottom of pan.
* Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with fresh lemon and serve. Yields 1 chicken breast half per serving.

And as a side dish we had these Au Gratin Potatoes and they were delish!!! They did not, however, take as long as the recipe says so be sure you check on them well before they are supposed to be done!

Au Gratin Potatoes

POINTS® Value: 3 Servings: 8 Preparation Time: 20 min Cooking Time: 90 min Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	1 Tbsp butter
	1 medium onion(s), thinly sliced
	2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
	2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
	2 pound(s) Yukon Gold potato(es), thinly sliced
	1 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
	1 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 2-quart covered baking dish with cooking spray.
  
  
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour; add milk slowly, stirring. Add potatoes and stir to mix. Bring to a boil. Stir in 3/4 cup of cheese, salt and pepper.
  
  
• Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and level out surface. Bake for 1 hour, uncovered. Cover and bake until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes more.
  
  
• Change oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes. Broil 6 inches from the heating element until the cheese is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.

Sorry about the really bad editing on this post...it is a bit hard to copy and paste from the WW Website.

SU! and Haitian Relief

On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, leaving in its wake devastation so overwhelming that the Haitian people and their leaders can only look for help from the outside to cope. As a Stampin' Up! customer, you can help make a difference in the lives of those who continue to suffer from the effects of this earthquake by purchasing the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set. See the flier HERE.

From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set you sell will be donated to the American Red Cross' Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Product Name	Item #	Price
I {Heart} Hearts - clear-mount (block D recommended)	118571	$18.95
I {Heart} Hearts - wood-mount	117010	$26.95

In the past, when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers, when a tsunami struck Indonesia, when a hurricane destroyed New Orleans, and when wildfires ravaged Australia, Stampin' Up! demonstrators and customers have stepped forward and showed their commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. This time is no different.

So, ladies...if you have considered this set for yourself or as a gift now is the time to purchase it! You can go to my website (link to it on the right) or just e-mail/call me!

What's For Dinner Tonight?

Welcome to this week's What's For Dinner Tonight? post. I have not made this one yet but I will be making it this week. I'll probably add some Turkey Kielbasa and some veggies to round out the meal. Sounds good, huh?

If you get the chance to try this come back here and let me know what you think, k? Oh, and a little note. I looked it up to see what I could substitute for Bleu Cheese and it said Gorgonzola would work. I'm going to try that.

Have a wonderful Monday all!

Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 9
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 48 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Here’s a stick-to-your-ribs version of macaroni and cheese that uses four different cheeses for maximum flavor. It’s a hearty serving—well worth the indulgence.

Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste (for cooking pasta)
12 oz uncooked macaroni
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cup(s) 1% low-fat milk
2 cup(s) onion(s), finely chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
2 piece(s) bay leaf
1/4 cup(s) blue cheese, crumbled
5 oz cheddar or colby cheese, shredded (extra-sharp suggested)
3 oz low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
3/4 tsp table salt, to taste
2 oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated (Parmigiano Reggiano suggested)
Instructions

* Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.

* Cook macaroni in salted water as directed on package; set aside.

* Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly add flour, stirring constantly; cook for about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to thoroughly incorporate flour mixture. Stir in onion, paprika and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently; remove from heat.

* Combine blue cheese with about two-thirds of both types of cheddar cheese in saucepan and season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in macaroni. Pour half of macaroni mixture into prepared casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar cheeses. Pour in remaining macaroni mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for about 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into 9 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Utah Diva's Sketch Challenge

Good morning friends! Welcome to Utah Diva's International sketch challenge day! Today's sketch was very...plain. I wasn't sure what to do with it until I saw a card that is similar to this one.

I had fun making this five minutes card...really, it only took five minutes...isn't that wonderful? I used the wonderful new pattern paper pack from SU! called Sweet Pea as well as the Cheers to you! stamp set. I think my favorite SU! color is Rose Red so I pulled that out of the patterned paper for the base of the card added Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon and then stamped the margarita and sentiment on one of the Love Notes that are in the Occasions Mini, sponged the side with Rose Red and tahdah...a cutie card! I think this is going into my birthday card pile!

So...wanna make your own card with the sketch? Alrighty, go HERE to check it out. Don't forget to check out the rest of the sketch challenge team's samples...I'm sure they are wonderful!


Now, I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I'll see you on Monday with another What's For Dinner Tonight? recipe!

Baby, it's cold outside!

Morning guys! Welcome to Three Clovers Designs Challenge Thursday! This weeks theme is (as you can tell from the post title) Baby, it's cold outside!

Now...I wish I could take credit for this card but I can't, not really. I changed a few things up but it is mostly CASEd from a card on Stampin' Addicts. The sets I used are Winter Post and Lovely As A Tree.

I also made this card for my stamp club's swap...our theme was winter as well. Kinda nice how that worked out!

Wanna play along? Okay, just make a winter themed card and link it up to Kerry's blog HERE! Tomorrow I will be able to show you a couple more of the cards and then Saturday is UDI Sketch Challenge day...woohoo!

Have a great day all!

Messages for Mom

Morning all! Just a quick post for ya today! I made this card last week and just keep forgetting to share it with you!

The flowers are from a set out of the new Occasions Mini called Messages for Mom. Well, I didn't use any of the messages just the sweet flower that comes with it. Just so you know...this didn't come out how I expect AT ALL but I like it anyway!

It is real simple but if you want to know details just e-mail me. Tonight is stamp club so I'll get to show you our projects soon, and I need to work on some thank you's that Kyler's school asked me for. I'd like to have those done by Friday as well. Busy, busy!

I hope you have a most wonderful day!

What's for Dinner Tonight?

Happy Monday morning all! Welcome to another What's For Dinner Tonight? recipe day. This recipe is something my my entire family loves and I am making this week so I thought I'd share. No, it is not the "best for you" recipe but if you use lean ground beef and be careful which spaghetti sauce you choose I bet you could be okay with it!

About the picture...your soup will not have this much spaghetti...it will be more soup like...I just wanted you to get an idea of what this will look like...remember...more soupy less spaghetti-y.

Bon Appetit! (Speaking of that have you seen the movie Julie and Julia? I LOVED it!!)

Spaghetti Lover’s Soup
Resource: Better Homes Italian Magazine 2004

1 lb ground meat
½ c chopped onions
1 small green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ½ c water (I used chicken broth)
2 14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes
1 13 – 15 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I used Bertolli Olive and Garlic)
1 T sugar
½ dried Italian seasoning
½ salt
¼ pepper
2 oz dried spaghetti broken into half

1. In large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook meat, onion, pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic over medium heat until vegetables are tender and meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.
2. Add water, un-drained tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt and black and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Add broken spaghetti and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 12 – 15 minutes or until spaghetti is tender.
3. Top with your favorite Italian cheese and serve with bread sticks.

Servings: 6

Tote-ally Tess

Good morning all! I've had this card made for days and I end up posting it late...frustrating!

Late or not...I'm glad you are here for the Utah Diva's Sketch Challenge! I went in a completely different direction with this card then I thought I would but...I think it worked out just fine because I think this is really cute!

Anyway, I used the new to the Occasions Mini set called Tote-ally Tess along with Thoroughly Modern papers for this card. I think the combination of the two is perfect as she looks so modern. She is definitely ready to leave for a birthday lunch with her friend!

You can see the sketch HERE. It looks like, since I'm posting late, that I didn't make it on the list over there but I hope you'll take the time to check out what the other sketch team members made!

Have a wonderful Saturday all!

3 Clovers Designs Challenge

Hi All! Welcome to Three Clovers Design Challenge Thursday! Today, Kerry, asked us to make something that represented our resolutions for the year. Now, I don't make resolutions...I set goals. So...this card represents one of my goals for this year...ready?

My goal for this year is to not only make birthday cards but to actually send them out. I get e-mail reminders of my family's and close friend's upcoming birthdays and often just ignore them (there are one or two other issues in play here but those are mine and I'll not share them). So...this year...when I get a birthday notice I'm going to be certain to send a card and if I don't have one made I'll make it within 2 days of the notice to be sure it gets there on time. This is also a lazy issue for me...not sure why though as cards only make people happy or bring comfort so seriously...why would I not send them?

I've used the brand new Sweet Pea papers and Sweet Pea Stitched Felt from the new Occasions Mini. The colors and style are completely me! Love them!

So...I hope you'll hop on over to Three Clover's Designs to check out the challenge! If you participate please make sure you link up your card for all to see (on Kerry's blog or here if you'd like)!

What's for Dinner Tonight?

I'm not sure that I'm actually making this for dinner tonight but I thought I'd share another favorite recipe with ya. If you can't tell...I love Italian Food and this Weight Watchers recipe makes it so I can have it...love that! Enjoy!

POINTS® Value: 5 Servings: 8 Preparation Time: 20 min Cooking Time: 50 min Level of Difficulty: Moderate Ingredients: 12 oz uncooked ziti 2 tsp olive oil 2 medium garlic clove(s), minced 1/3 pound(s) raw lean ground beef 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp dried rosemary 1/2 tsp table salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes 1 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded Instructions Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat. Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Happy 2010

I'm just wondering...who else is completely amazed that is is 2010? For many reason (that I won't go into here) I can hardly believe that I have made it to 2010 with all my faculties intact (and yes, some people will argue with that!). All I can honestly say is...God is good...all the time! No matter what it looks like to us, HE is deflecting the big things and helping up through everything else. Now, what is up for us in 2010? Well...

Plans for the coming year:
* Jon graduates high school is June! We hope to have a wonderful turn out of long distance family as we did for Scott's graduation for Jon's graduation and party. We love to show everyone our home and surrounding area. You are all invited!
* Jon leaves for Basic Training. While we have six months to get used to the fact that he'll be gone from the house, I think I'll have a bit of a broken heart when he leaves. As with all my boys...I love that boy with more than I thought possible and will miss him terribly!
*Sometime in November we will go to Jon's Basic/AIT graduation in Georgia. Hopefully, we'll be able to take a little side trip at the same time.
*Scott should graduation from CWU this year as well. What does that mean? My household will go from five people to three. That brings tears to my eyes.

Goals for the next year:
*Grow my Dove Chocolate Discoveries business to where it pays some of the bills.
*Send a birthday card to each person whose birthday comes up on my e-mail reminder list. That may be simple but there are some issues attached to this so, in reality, it will be more difficult than it sounds.
*Be committed to spending time in prayer and Bible study every day this year.
*Get my scrapbooks in shape.

My dreams include:
*Getting my boys' rooms all set up...one a crafting room, the other a sitting room/guest room.
*Plant a tree/some plants in the back yard.

So, I thank my blogging friend, Cristina, for the idea of having a post like this. If you care to share with us all what your plans, goals, and dreams are for the coming year please link your post back here...I'd love to support you in that!

I have a Dove Chocolate Discoveries party tonight so I'll be busy today but I'll see you soon!

I {Heart} Hearts

Hey, there everyone! I'm actually on time today for the Utah Diva's International sketch challenge...go me!

So, today's sketch is a pretty simple, square sketch but I didn't want to use squares so I decided to play a little with the shapes of the main images. It is exciting for me to show you this card (and the one on Thursday) as today I'm using a set, paper, and accessories from the Occasions Mini Catalog!

The very fun stamped hearts are from the new set called I {Heart} Hearts and this set I got clear mounted! That is right...if you haven't heard yet Stampin' Up! is making their new stamps in your choice of wood mounted or stamps ready for clear mounting (not clear stamps)! Not only does purchasing your sets ready for clear mounting less expensive but it also makes for more efficient stamping, I think. There is less mounting time, less to store, and more time to stamp...yay!

The new accessories that I've used are...a new Emobsslits die called Scalloped Heart of Hearts...it is the very vanilla heart on the card (the other hearts are from the I{Heart} Hearts set). Isn't it just lovely?! The little heart that says love was punched out with the new Small Heart punch and it is just adorable! Also, from the Occasions Mini is the patterned paper called Sending Love as well as Chocolate Chip and Real Red 5/8" Satin Ribbon.

Now, I know after that card you are dying to see everything that the Occasions mini has for you so head on over to my right side bar and click on the photo of the catalog (the one with the bird) and check it out for yourself!

I hope you'll check out the sketch HERE and participate when you have time this week