Halloween Spiders .... so good you can eat them!

2 tbsp. Peanut butter
2 tbsp. Powdered sugar
2 tbsp. Graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp. Coconut
Licorice
Raisins

Mix peanut butter, sugar and crumbs together and form a ball. Divide the ball into 2 parts to form 2 balls, 1 slightly smaller than the other.
Roll balls in coconut and place smaller ball on top of larger one.
The smaller ball will be the head and the larger one, the abdomen. Add 8 licorice legs and 8 raisin eyes.
Makes 1 scary spider.

~Razzle Dazzle Recipes

My Birthday Cards

I got some great cards for my birthday made by my stamping friends and family and just have to share them with you!  Enjoy!

This bright card is from Jackie who also works part-time at Stamper's Alley.  I just love the cupcakes with the adorable penguins!!

This card is from my NC Stampin' Up group.  There was no name on the back so I don't know who created it.  It is so sparkly.  A really great use for the SU Pun Fun set.

TThis card is from my good friend and neighbor, Judy.  She used a mini envelope to hold the prima flowers in and tied them up with a ribbon.  She also decorated the inside of the card with punched flowers with an eyelet in the center.

This is from Brenda who owns Stamper's Alley.  I just love the coordinating paper she used on the card and of course, the BLING!!

This is from Connie, one of my Stamper's Alley pals.  I love how she matted the designer paper (Memory Box, I think).  It really makes the paper stand out.

Karen sent me this one.  She is also a good friend I've made at Stamper's Alley.  I'm honored because she actually colored the flowers and pot on the card .... Karen does not like to color!!

This is from "Girlfriend" (Sharon Ridgway).  She is my sister's best friend and they call each other "girlfriend".  That really came in handy at my party since there were 3 Sharon's there!!  I love how she made the cupcake using the scallop punch and it is so sparkly (she embossed it I believe).

This is from my sister, Marianne.  I'm so proud of her!  She has just started stamping since I moved here 2 years ago.  She is doing great!  Of course, most of her cards are purple since that is her favorite color!

This is from my daughter, Ashley.  She used our favorite Sock Monkey and the set from "Cheers" that are both in the SU catalog.  This card is so bright and cheery!  I also loved what she put inside the card!!  (a voucher for dinner & a show in NEW YORK!!)  You go, girl!!

This is from my good friend and fellow stamper, Margaret.  She used the Cuttlebug and the pearls from SU's Pretties Kit (can't believe she used 4 on my card - I really rated!!). 

Monster Paws

Here's a fun treat to make for those special trick or treaters!

Recipe Ingredients:
Clear plastic gloves (available at beauty supply stores)

Candy corn

Popcorn

Yarn

Directions:
Begin with washed gloves. Stick one candy corn at the tip of each finger, pointy side up, for fingernails. Fill the glove with popcorn. Use yarn to tie a bow at the wrist.

~FamilyFun

It's finally here - the BIG 6-0

Well, this is it. Today is the BIG 6-0!! After the late hours I kept this weekend, I should definately be feeling it! But, so far, I feel the same. I got to sleep in a little bit this a.m. and while I was catching up on e-mail, etc. hubby came down with ..... a big bag of dirty laundry & said "Happy Birthday"!! No, that didn't mean he was going to DO the laundry, but that he was bringing it down for me to tackle!! He did laugh when he said it, so he realized the irony. I guess I should be thankful that I am still able to do the laundry (yeah - keep telling myself that one!) Sometimes it's hard to find that silver lining! Nothing special planned for today. I treated myself to breakfast yesterday after my yearly physical & flu shot - eggs, grits, biscuit & country ham. I saved a biscuit & country ham for today so I could feel like I was celebrating!! Now .... to see who will "nuke" it for me. (that'll be moi I'm sure!) Oh - I hear something .... Sonny is emptying the dishwasher for me and making his own oatmeal for breakfast.... another treat for my birthday!! Of course, he usually does those chores anyway!

Seriously, he is a great husband and partner. We've been married for 35 years so guess birthdays are old hat for us. He did a great job last weekend with my party (thanks to Ashley reminding him of his "to do" lists periodically). It's ok - his birthday is next week & I'll be ready!

So, I'm off to enjoy my day and the next time I post to this blog, I'll be ...... gasp, older than 60 and starting on the road to 61!!!

The Old Tire Swing

Just wanted to share my Monday Mailer with you. I mailed this one to Nikki today so it may be a sneak preview for her!

I used the Season of Friendship stamp from the current mini catalog and stamped the leaves in various colors - orange; green; rust; mustard. Then I added a "tire swing" using the large SU brad. Brings back childhood memories, don't you think?

Turning 60's not so bad if you can party all weekend!

Wowzers! What a weekend! I had the most wonderful time this weekend with all my friends and family. We started out on Thursday night when we picked Don & Sharon up at the airport (flying in from Texas). They didn't arrive until about 10:00 so we stopped off on the way home at The Brickyard in Davidson. We were so busy catching up with each other that we lost track of time and ended up at home and in bed about 2 a.m.!!

Friday, Sharon, my mom, and I went to the Tea House in Cornelius for a birthday lunch and did a little shopping and got a manicure and pedicure after that. When we arrived home around 6:00 pm, Sonny had picked up Margaret and Graham (from Texas) at the airport and had a big surprise waiting for me. My nephew, Jack (Frost - if you can believe that!!) had flown here from Texas with his girlfriend to surprise me for my birthday. I was really surprised (well, mostly - someone slipped up the night before and let the "cat out of the bag" but I wasn't 100% sure of what they had said.) Jack is the same age as my son and just a great kid. We've always been close and our families always took vacations together when the kids were younger. Since my son wasn't here for my birthday (that's another story!!), having Jack was the next best thing. I haven't seen him since his mother (my half-sister) died last Thanksgiving so it was very emotional for both of us. I had never met his girlfriend, Katrina, (easy to remember that name!) and she was very sweet and fit right in with everyone else.

My daughter, Ashley, had gotten stuck in Friday night traffic driving in from DC so we ended up meeting her in Mooresville and all 9 of us piled in our Durango (that was an interesting fit!!) and went to the Galway Hooker for dinner. Since we didn't have reservations, we had about an hour's wait, but it gave us all time to visit and catch up with each other. After a great meal - fish and chips - yum, we headed home where some of us tried to get to bed before midnight!!

Saturday, we had an early start with an 8:30 card class at Stamper's Alley. I kept telling my visitors that we would stop at a bagel shop to pick up breakfast on the way. But, no one wanted to stop - saying they weren't hungry. When we arrived at Stamper's Alley, I found out why!! Robin had prepared breakfast casserole and banana bread for me for my birthday and the best part .... Bellinis!! What a way to start the day!! So we really enjoyed our card making session although everyone didn't get all 6 of the cards done (we finished them on Sunday). After all of that, our next stop was Pomodoro's Italian Restaurant (sounds like all we did was eat and drink, doesn't it????) where the guys met us for lunch. As usual, our portions were way too much and I still have a lot of the leftovers in my fridge!!

Saturday night was my party. What fun we all had. I had college friends there, old friends, new friends, family ..... and we all had such a great time telling our stories and remembering other times we had been together. It had turned pretty cold and our plans were to have the party outside, so my sister brought her firepit and we all huddled around the fire to stay warm in our sweatshirts and jackets. Unfortunately, all the pictures I took did not turn out because it was so dark and the flames from the fire got in the way. Hopefully, someone else's pictures will be better than mine! That night, it was after 3:00 a.m. before I was in bed. (I'm really too old to keep these hours and it showed Sunday & Monday).

Sunday, Katrina got up and fixed sausage gravy and biscuits for all of us - except the ones who weren't feeling up to par enough to eat (actually, only my hubbie!) Yummmm!! It was just so nice to sit back all weekend and let others do the work. Anyone who knows me, knows that's just not my way!! In the afternoon, we drove back into Mooresville to Big Al's - our local STEELERS bar to watch the game. We had a mix of fans - Sonny, Ashley & I pulling for the Steelers and of course, all the Texans pulling for the Cowboys. (How about those losing Cowboys????) Jack was not a happy camper as you can see by this picture.

Sunday night found most of us lounging around the house and napping. We did end up getting out our slide projector and looked at some old slides of some of our vacations with Jack and my sister from back in the 80's!! And we played a trivia game that was a lot of fun (even if my team didn't win!!).

Monday, it was time for everyone to pack up and get to the airport - after Katrina fixed us another great breakfast!!. This time, we had to drive 2 cars so we could get everyone and their luggage to the airport. A great time was had by all and it is a weekend I will never forget. I was so honored to know that I have friends who think enough of me to come this far just to celebrate my milestone. It makes turning 60 not so bad!! The only thing that would have made it any better is if I could have had my son and his family here with me. Perhaps in another lifetime.

What a difference 60 years makes

This was sent to me and I think it is too good not to share.

This article came from a gentleman in his 80s (and a DEMOCRAT!) who actually lived thru those (and these) times. Whether you agree or disagree, this is a powerful statement!!!
Everyone has a different opinion on the war, and our current President. But this article probably makes sense to those who remember. Read it and give it some thought. What a difference 60 years makes!!!

'You Ain't Gonna Like Losing' Author unknown

President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq . Bush's mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not!!! Back then they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected th eir leaders, so it was the people's duty to back those leaders. Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not, or whether the war was going badly or not. And war was just as distasteful..... and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.

Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort. Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline, to soap, to butter, was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.
You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough, in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops' morale. And a bunch even enlisted. And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!!!

Back then, no newspaper would have dared to point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies. A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' by being forced to wear women's underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog.

There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and arm ed gangs roaming our streets.No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve!!It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorrah and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices. We are in great danger!! The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third, or over three hundred million Muslims, are sympathetic to the terrorists cause ... Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits. So...we either win it - or lose it - and you ain't gonna like losing!!!

Today, for many folks, America is not at war...the military is at war...................... America is at the mall!!!!!!!!!

Cool Cat

I received this great birthday card from my friend, Wanda. Isn't it cute??? This is a retired set - Cool Cat - but I've always loved it. This is a tag card & I just may use it for a bookmark.

Thanks, Wanda! You're a great friend!

Scandinavian Season

Just wanted to share this card with you that I received from my Monday Mailer partner this week. I have seen some wonderful card with this set from the Mini catty - Scandinavian Season. When I first saw it in the catalog, it didn't really do much for me, but wow, have I seen some great cards using it! Like this one -

My Lifetime Goal

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that I have been doing Weight Watchers for a while now. My goal was to reach Lifetime status (again) by my birthday next Wednesday. Well, as of last week, I DID IT!! I now only have to go once a month to weigh in. If I stay within 2 pounds of my goal weight, I don't have to pay. I weighed in last week for October because I knew with my party coming up and other things I have planned in the month, my best time to weigh less would be early in the month. Now, I just have to go weigh in BEFORE Thanksgiving!! And then again, BEFORE, Christmas - parties, goodies, baking, etc!! This is the hardest time of the year to be doing this, but if I can do it now, I should be "good to go"!!