411 Challenge

I've had a busy week so far.  Monday, I played bridge.  Yesterday I worked the Soup Kitchen in the morning, making my Chicken Spaghetti Casserole.  It was a big hit!!  But, we made way too much.  The day before they had served 148 people and I bet we hardly had 100.  We made 6 large pans of the casserole and had 2 1/2 pans left over!!  Several people came back for seconds and a few had us give them tinfoil so they could take it home and have it for dinner.  We have decided that that casserole will be the Newcomer's signature dish!  One of the gals I was working with is a big volunteer with the Red Cross and she got a call about a big apartment fire in Charlotte that had displaced about 165 people.  Sonny & I were asked to help with a shelter that they were setting up at an elementary school in Charlotte the next day ... or so I thought.  They said they needed us from 10:30 to 7 and I assumed they mean 10:30 AM to 7 PM on Wednesday.  When I got home that afternoon, Sonny had already talked with the Red Cross and was prepared to go help at the shelter at 10:30 that night!  I wasn't going to go because Linda needed me to help her the next day entering the clients in the computer.  Sonny ended up going to Charlotte and returned home at 4 AM.  He was not a happy camper!  They ended up having only ONE person in the shelter!!  I think earlier there had been 4 people but 3 of them left and didn't come back!  I talked to Linda today and asked her why keep the shelter open for one.  Why not just put him up in a hotel?  A lot of it has to do with $$ - the Red Cross is strapped for funds just like everyone else in this economy.  And of course, at the time, they thought more people would be coming but they evidently found family and friends to put them up for the night.  Of course, today, they are back and needing places to stay - probably only about 15 families and they are putting them up in hotels now.  It just doesn't make sense to me.  I'd tell those people if you don't come to the shelter, forget about a hotel!  Linda did tell me that the local hotels were calling with some great offers.  They were able to get rooms at Howard Johnson for $140 for 7 days!

Here's my recipe for the Chicken Spaghetti if you are interested:

1 large chicken

1 8 oz pkg spaghetti

2 10 oz cans cream of mushroom soup

1 med. onion, chopped

1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup olives

salt, pepper

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cook chicken until tender.  Remove, reserving broth.  Cook spaghetti al dente in reserved chicken broth; drain; reserving broth.  Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.  Combine all except cheese in large bowl.  Add small amount of broth.  Pour into lightly greased 10 x 13" pan. Top with cheese.  Bake 350 45 minutes.  

Saturday and Sunday I did a little stamping.  I decided to do a challenge from Stamping 411.  You can follow their link on the left side of my blog.  They post a sketch every Saturday and I haven't done one in a while. Here is the sketch: 

Here is the first card I did.  I used a retired SU stamp set, Summer by the Seam my oval Nesties and a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Then I decided that I didn't really follow the sketch to the "T" so I did another one that was a rectangle instead of an oval.  This card I used Crazy for cupcakes, a felt flower and the background is from a wonderful two step stamping set, Greenhouse Garden.  

Week 3 - Girls Sing on Idol

The night started out with Ellen sitting on Simon's lap ... interesting considering I just heard today that Simon might be engaged!  I was surprised Ryan didn't bring the engagement up. 

• Katie Stevens - She sang one of Kelly Clarkson's songs.  Her voice was good but she needs more stage presence.  She is only 17 years old and just needs time to get better.
• Siobahn Magness - She's singing "House of the Rising Sun" one of my favorite songs.  I look forward  to seeing what  she will bring us every week, and this week doesn’t disappoint. Love how she starts out a-capella.
• Lacy Brown singing The Story.   She has such a great look and such presence on stage. The judges loved it.  I thought it was a little boring though.
• Katelyn Epperly sang Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move"  That girl has some hair!!  I'd hate to have to wash & dry all that hair every day!!  I felt like she was too karoke with that song tonight.  She might be in trouble.
• DiDi Benami singing Rhiannon. This is more like her original audition - kind of coffee shop-ish.  The judges liked it.  Simon and Kara loved it.
• Paige Miles singing a Charlie Chaplin (???) song, Smile.   I love this song (just not her arrangement) and didn't know Chaplin wrote it!   I think she will be going home Thursday.  If not, I'lll be REALLY surprised!
• Crystal Bowersox singing another of my favorites!!  Tracey Chapman's "Gimme One Reason".  I'M A FAN!!  I can see her winning the whole thing this year.  As Simon said, "You are the one everyone else has to beat. It’s yours to lose."
• Lily Scott singing Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces"  I  like her sort of retro vibe and what she does with the songs she chooses.  I really want her to stay!  The judges like her .... except Simon (what else is new?) but hey, 3 out of 4 ain't bad!! 

This is a no brainer tonight. Katie Stevens and Paige Miles should be going home. They both have bright singing careers ahead of them, but the other contestants are in a different league. It’s like the majors vs the minors.

Book Board #2

Here's the second book board I made this weekend.  Great for a teenager, don't you think?

I'm off early in the morning to do my thing at the Soup Kitchen!  Wish me luck.

Easter Projects

So, are you going to watch the Oscars tonight?  I think that's all I've heard lately on TV - mostly Oprah, The View, Rachel Ray ....  With the addition of 10 movies up for Best Picture, it should be interesting!  I'm pulling for Sandra Bullock to win Best Actress, Jeff Bridges for Best Actor and Maggie Gyllenhaal for Supporting Actress.  As much as we go to the movies, those are the only two I've seen of all the nominated movies.  I really want to see Precious, Julie & Julia, A Single Man, Up in the Air, Invictus and Hurt Locker.  We were going to go see Hurt Locker today (it's still playing at Concord Mills) but the weather was so beautiful, we opted not to sit in a dark theatre.   We actually took a walk this afternoon around the neighborhood and saw a lot of our neighbors out enjoying the sunshine.

You can call me the Chicken Lady this weekend!  I cooked about 25 POUNDS of chicken Friday!  I am in charge of the team cooking for the local Soup Kitchen next Tuesday and we are going to make Chicken Spaghetti.  I didn't think we'd have time to cook the chicken, chop it up and put it in the casserole which has to cook for 45 minutes by the time we have to serve (11 am), so my partner and I decided to divide up the chicken and cook it at home.  That way all we have to do Tuesday is cook the spaghetti and put the casserole together on Tuesday.  My house smelled like Chicken all weekend!!  I'm having steak for dinner tonight!!

I have been busy being creative this weekend also.  I made a cute Easter frog card for my grandson.  When I finished it, I decided to do a couple of Board Books for two of my granddaughters that I had picked up at Target's Dollar Spot.  They turned out really cute and I think the girls will like them.

I'm getting good with the punches!!   I did the tree free hand in Chocolate Chip and stamped the Weathered Background over it in black.  The weeds in the background is Inspired by Nature and the dragonfly is from Unfrogetable.  I used the Sweet Treat Cup with green jelly beans for the face. 

Here's  the punches I used:

Large Oval - stomach

Small Oval - legs, face and inside of stomach

BoHo Blossom - feet

1/2" Circle - eyes

1/4" Circle - inside of eyes

Here's one of the Board Books.  This one is for Kennedy. 

I used a couple of Prima Flowers with an orange brad, inked the edges in Pumpkin Pie, and inked the "k" with Pumpkin Pie Craft ink and embossed it with Hologram Embossing Powder.

The "girlfriend" was cut from a piece of Basic Gray paper I had.

These pages have SU Felt Flowers and a rub-on (laughter) that I found in my stash.

This one has another Felt Flower, rub on (forever) and FRIENDS is cut from some DSP that I used on the cover and back of the book.

More rub-ons and ribbon.

This is the back of the book.

So, what are you making for Easter???

Published Again plus my Monday Mailer Bonnet Card

Last Saturday, Marianne and I met at "M's" to do a little shopping before we went to the movies.  She was looking for a glue gun so she could make some fabric flowers.  While she was paying for her purchase, I walked over to the magazines and was thumbing through "Stampers Sampler."  Lo and behold ... what did my wandering eyes discover but a card by "moi" on page 12!  This makes about 3 cards that I have just randomly discovered in their magazine but have not been notified.  It clearly states in the back of the magazine "if you are published .... you will receive notification via postcard."   Well .... it ain't so!!  I even sent them an e-mail last year asking why I wasn't notified of my publications so I could at least go out and buy the magazine!!  This was the Feb/March issue and it was the last one in the store.  So, here is a picture of my card:

I received the cutest Monday Mailer yesterday!  Cathy made a little bonnet on the card and, to protect it in the mail, she put a Sweet Treat Cup on top which I just took off when it arrived. 

Here is a close-up and side view of the little hat.

American Idol Results, Week 2

Well, my predictions are right on.  We are saying good bye to John Parks and Jermaine or the guys and fLacey Brown and Michelle for the girls.  No big surprise. 

Ryan introduced Danny Gokey back to the Idol stage much to my delight!  Sonny had just told me today that he had heard Danny had an album released this week.  He’s singing “My Best Days” from his album. Wow, he looks and sounds GREAT!! Love this guy!  Ellen says he was fantastic and they put him through. Ryan chats with Danny about why he went the country route and how his song is #5 on iTunes. Go Danny! Danny speaks (a mile a minute) on how the songwriter also lost his wife and how special the song is to him. Great story! He seems so excited about his music! I love his attitude. I am so happy and proud for Danny and his post-idol success! Now that was a great elimination night performance! I love it when they bring back previous Idols.

American Idol Recap - Girls Week 2

Crystal Bowersox singing "As Long As I Can See Light"   I love her and am so glad she is back!!  Evidently, there was a lot of talk about her being really sick and possibly getting disqualified.  She rocked!!
Judges:  Randy:  Truth is reality. You are the truth. You do what you do. I love that girl. That girl is hot.
Ellen:  Raw, natural talent. I am so glad you are here today. You are amazing.
Kara:  You completely recovered from last week. You come out here effortless and it is coming from your heart. Tonight you hit a new level. 
Simon:  You didn’t play the sympathy thing. You picked a great song. The vocal was incredible. This was the moment we realized we have a serious artist here.

Haeley Vaughn singing The Climb.  That smile of hers drives me crazy!!  Of course, she is only 16 so I guess i should cut her some slack.  I think she will be GONE next week. I totally agree with Simon this time. She just needs to work on it and try again next year.
Judges:  Randy:  It didn’t work for me. It was excruciating. You can sing but it was so pitchy and not like you. You had no connection with the song.  Ellen:  You’re adorable. You didn’t connect to the song and it was like you just memorized the song and you sang it. It didn’t work out. 
Kara:   You’re open on the stage, you’re always smiling but you need about a year of strengthening your instrument.  Simon:   It was a complete and utter mess.

Lacey Brown singing "Kiss Me"   I kinda like this gal and didn't think she did as bad as the judges thought.
Judges:  Randy:  I think it was a good choice but I felt like I was at karaoke. You didn’t do anything special with it.   Ellen:   You didn’t change it up but it was adorable. It was the right song.
Kara:  Last week you were losing your tone, this week you brought it back with this song but you have to step it up. You didn’t push it to where it could have gone.
Simon:  It was marginally better than last week. You are taking part in the competition and not showcasing as an artist. We aren’t going to remember it.

Katie Stevens singing "Put Your Records On"  I thought she was pretty good and will be safe this week.  She's real young too - 17 - so still needs to figure out who she is but this song was a lot younger than last week's choice.
Judges:  Randy:  There were some bright moments. You can tackle things that are a bit more difficult. Believe a little bit more that you can tackle bigger songs. 
Ellen:   You have a great voice and you sang it well. I don’t want to hear something I would hear in my dentist office.
Kara:   I am so frustrated with you. At the end of the song you started opening up. You have to be doing that the first time you open your mouth. I am still waiting for that moment with you.
Simon:  You did take notes. You need to tell us what kind of recording artist you want to be. You will stay around another week but it wasn’t a winning performance.

Didi Benami singing "Lean On Me"  No ... I didn't like her version of this song.  Poor gal - trying not to cry after the judges raked her over the coals.  Think she might be in trouble.
Judges:  Randy:   I would have not chosen a soul song like that for you. It shows your imperfections. (Ellen:   I love your voice. You have a great voice. I don’t know if that was the greatest song choice. Kara:   It wasn’t good. You were trying to do a lot of things and we lost the uniqueness but I am still a fan.
Simon:   It was all over the place. It was screeching. Bad choice of song.

Michelle Delamor singing "With Arms Wide Open"  I couldn't listen to her while trying to figure out what she had on!  Evidently, Ellen & Randy liked it .... not ME.  I didn't like her performance.
Judges:  Randy - The outfit is hot, it is dope. You didn’t do enough with it. It fell flat.
Ellen - You look fabulous. You did do a lot with the song. I forgot for a few moments that it was a rock song. There were some pitch problems. It almost worked but not quite.
Kara -  My favorite performance of yours ever. It may have not have been technically perfect but you did something different with the song and I believed it.
Simon -  I am kind of with Kara. I thought the first half was stronger then the second hat. You got 80% of it right.

Lily Scott singing "A Change Is Gonna Come"  She was great!!  One of the best tonight.  She's very comfortable on stage and knows who she is.
Judges:  Randy:  You are the most unique contestant. You do your thing. You worked it out. My favorite performance tonight. 
Ellen:   You have got “it”. I forgot we were in a singing competition. The best performance of the night by far.
Kara:   You just had your first moment in this competition. Thank god you tried out. Good job girl. 
Simon:   I thought it was good. I wasn’t crazy about it like the others.

Katelyn Epperly singing "The Scientist:  She played the piano and did a very good job.  I just prefer the more upbeat songs - this one was really slow!
Judges:  Randy - I really liked it. It was way slow but I still liked it. It was nice to hear you play the piano.
Ellen -  I like that you were playing piano. I feel kind of asleep. It was so slow. Way to slow. People can’t vote if they are asleep.
Kara -  I kind of love you. You have an incredible instrument but you are switching around. You are all over the place but you are really good. Figure out who you are real quick.
Simon -  I thought it was a smart choice of song. It made you contemporary. It was a million times better than last week.

Paige Miles singing "Walk Away"  Wow - she does have a great voice!
Judges:  Randy - I liked it. I wasn’t in love. You have this big voice. Not the best choice. I wanna hear you hit the big notes. 
Ellen:   I loved it. I thought it was fantastic. I like everything you did with it. You changed just enough to make it yours. You had fun.
Kara -  I could see you having a hit with that song. I missed the connecting with the angry song. You did have some moments.
Simon -  I agree with Randy. 2 weeks in a row you have failed to pick a good song. You are making bad decisions.

Siobhan Magnus singing Aretha's "Think"   WOW!!  I agree with Simon - she is a strange chick!!  But she can belt out the songs She's so quirky and fun - think we'll see a lot more of her.  BEST of the night!!
Judges:  Randy:  You are so bold and it was dope. You slayed it. I loved it.
Ellen -  I loved it. That was good.
Kara -  I can’t get over that note. I don’t know how you do that.
Simon -  You are such a strange person. I thought there were parts that were terrible but that note was incredible. You are talented.

My favorites:  Crystal, Siobhan, Lily

In trouble:  Haeley, Didi and  Michelle

What do you think?

Snow, Snow Go Away! Plus A Punchy Bunny

I took this picture yesterday about noon.  The snow was coming down fast and furious.  All day, we would have snow for about an hour and then nothing for a few hours, then the snow would start back up.  When I went to bed, it was just raining.  Luckily, there was nothing this morning in our yard so I was able to get out and drive today.

This is the card I made for my Monday Mailer this week:

Isn't he cute?  He was fun to make but I don't know that I will make another one!!  I found this bunny on another blog - sorry don't remember who's!!  But, thanks for the inspiration!!

Stamps- A Good Egg

Punches:  
Ears-Small Oval
Head-Heart
Nose - 1/4" circle
Eyes, Paws -Two-Step Bird  
Overalls-Slot and Small Tag
Body-Curly Label
Fence-Jewelery Tag

I used the flowers from the Sizzix Die, Little Leaves for the foilage.  The DSP for the fence is from the Hostess set, Patterns Pack III  and the cloud background is from the Good Neighbors pack in the Saleabration catalog.  I used the Scallop Trim Border punch (free from Saleabration) on the cloud paper.

American Idol Boys 3/2

The boys ended up performing tonight since one of the girls, Crystal Bowersox, was in the hospital.  Hope she will be ok - she is one of my favorites.

*Michael Lynche singing It's A Man's World (James Brown)
Judges:  Randy gave him a standing ovation.  Ellen likes all his song choices and feels like he is the one to beat tonight.  Kara said he went from being a singer to a performer.  Simon said it was like coming from a pussycat to a lion in a week.  Best for Mike!!

John Park singing Gravity by John Mayer.  
Judges:  Randy -That was your vibe but you didn’t bring anything new to it. It was flat and there was some pitch problems. Ellen - It was the right song choice. You got into it more than in rehearsal. Feel the song a tiny bit more. Kara - Way better than last week. I lack the connection with you. I don’t always believe it. You need to let loose. You are a little bit safe. Simon - I think Purple Haze may get their lead singer back this week. I struggle with the believability. In 20 minutes time we will forget that performance.

Casey James singing I Don't Want To Be by Gavin McGraw. 
Judges:  Randy:  I love you channeling like Hendrix. I don’t know if you did the best vocal but this is the type of record I would make with you.  Ellen:  You can’t go wrong with the song. I love your look and I love you sound. You need to move more on the stage. I want you to perform more.  Kara:  The cougar is a fan but tonight you took 2 steps backwards. The notes were off on the bottom and you didn’t take the song to another level. Still a fan though. Simon:  I am kind of with Kara. This week you turned into someone you would see in any bar in America. You don’t have the grit in your voice to make that work.

*Alex Lambert singing  Everybody Knows  by John Legend (very nervous) 
Judges:  Randy:  Such an improvement over last week. You found your own niche a little bit.
Ellen:  Someone took the unripe banana and put it in a paper bag. So much better than last week. You have such a great voice under that mullet! You have a unique style.  Kara:  You have an incredible recording tone. You will learn how to use it. Great improvement.  Simon:  That was a million times better than last week. You should only be nervous if you are useless and you are not.  Needs to have a killer instinct now and choose good songs.

Todrick Hall singing What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner
Judges:  Randy:  The falsetto run at the end was hot. I didn’t love this. Just sing a nice song and just sing it.
Ellen:   Sing and move. Use your strength, you're a dancer. I don’t think it was the right song. That song didn’t help you get any votes.  Kara:  We all like you. When you started moving, it got better. I don’t get it, what happened to Todrick with the unique spin.  Simon:  Todrick, move but don’t sing. This is not working out at all for you.  (Simon was a little too rude!)

*Jermaine Sellers singing What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
Judges:  Randy:  Better than last week. It was so close but so far at the same time. It just wasn’t a great performance. Another tough song to sing. You needed to pull it back more.  Ellen:  I love your style but it just didn’t work for me. You pushed too hard again.  Kara:  You are hitting some crazy notes but you are doing too much. Pull back and look for the meaning of the song. It feels forced and you're trying to show us every trick.   Simon:   We’re frustrated. You water down the songs. No one can take you seriously as an artist.  It was kind of a caberet performance.
He asked them what song he should do next week.  Simon told him he might not be there next week.

Andrew Garcia singing You Give Me Something by James Morrison
Judges:  Randy:  Honestly, that wasn’t the vibe for you. It was pitchy all over the place. I didn’t get it.
Ellen:  I thought there were a couple of little pitch problems but I liked it. I am still a huge fan and I thought you were really good. You've got to top that Paul song that you did.   Kara:  Since your Paula song, it has been straight down. You have to surprise us. You played it too safe. We need another big surprise. 
Simon:  You are lacking something. Not choosing the right song again is a problem. It was just ok and you are better than ok.

*Aaron Kelly singing "My Girl" by The Temptations
 Judges:  Randy:  I didn’t know if I was going to like this. Dude, you can really sing. That was 200%  better than last week.   Ellen:   A whole lot more confidence. You sing well but the song is a bit forgettable. You do have a great voice.  Kara:  I really liked it and I like you. You are consistent. You have control. You are doing better and better.  Simon:  I didn’t like the song. It was all over the place. You went backwards. You have to work out what kind of artist you want to be. The arrangement was too old fashioned.

*Tim Urban singing Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson
Judges:  Randy:  I didn’t get it.  It was very karaoke for me. Some pitch problems, nothing jumped out.
Ellen:  You should act. You should be on Glee. Girls would love you. If you act, you have it made.
Kara:  I liked the song choice but you didn’t make it your own. You look the part, you play the part but it’s not all there yet.  Simon:   I think that was a much improvement from last week. You picked a young song. You were more relevant than the other singers. I am impressed with your performance, your attitude and work ethic.

*Lee DeWyze singing Lips of An Angel
Judges:  Randy:  Bold Move. I liked it. I am a huge fan of yours. A couple of pitch problems but I liked it.   Ellen:  A couple of little pitch problems but it didn’t matter cause it came out as a great performance. It was great. Kara:  I thought it was a big improvement from last week. Some pitch problems still this week but I could hear you on the radio. Your look is commercial.  Simon:   Raise your shoulders. Vocally you are head and shoulders above everyone else. When you lose your nerves, get your body language down and choose the right song ... You may be the one to beat.

*I like these.  My favorites are Big Mike and Lee DeWyze.

In trouble:  Toddrick and John Park - possibly Jermaine

Stained Glass

March 1!  Maybe spring is coming soon ... although snow is predicted here tomorrow.  Sonny's Shooting Group has already canceled and we've gone to the grocery to stock up on our bread and milk!  (that's a joke)

I made a Stained Glass Card tonight ... or at least that's what it reminded me of.  I used the Lattice Sizzix Die Cut (from SU), the Top Note Die and the Butterfly Punch.  The DSP paper is from the Welcome Neighbor pack in the Saleabration catalog.  This is the final month to get a FREE stamp from Saleabration.  Don't let it pass you by.