Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to you.  I did my part yesterday to beautify my little portion of the earth.  Aren't these flowers beautiful?  Dahlias and Gerber Daisies (Ashley's favorites!) for Breast Cancer (from Lowe's).  I planted them today in a pot .... just hope they get enough sun!

Sonny and I started out the day visiting with our lawyer to get our wills and medical releases up to NC law.  All our important documents were made out about 10 years ago when we wee Texas residents.  Friends had told us that NC might not accept the documents from another state.  You might want to check on your important papers also if you have moved to another state.  Also, do you have your papers in a fire-proof box and do your loved ones know where they are?  Important things to know!

Then we went to the movies to see State of Play.  It was really good.  Russell Crow, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirar are in it.  Crowe stepped into the role after Brad Pitt dropped out.  Crowe played a very interesting character in this role as a scruffy hero in a newspaper movie that is acutely aware of the crisis affecting newspapers.  There are a lot of surprises in the film and it is a good thriller.  I recommend it.

Next was a stop at Lowe's to pick up bird seed and a few plants.  Sonny has a tendency to over-trim my trees and plants when given the chance.  Last year, he chopped down 3 rhododendrons on the side of the house.  They were a little lot over-grown, but really only needed a good trimming.  Anyway, they are gone with no greenery showing up this spring.  They were covering up the ugly air conditioners so now, I have to come up with another plan.  Our yard gets very little sun because of all the trees around us and we don't want to give up that precious shade!  (especially after living in Texas.)  But, trying to find plants that don't need sun is a little tricky.  Here's what I planted today.

The two shrubs are called a Leprechaun Shrub.  I planted the Nandina in the middle a few days ago - dug it up from the front yard.

To the side, I am going to try a Hosta garden.  Here are two I planted today.

In the back yard, I planted a hosta and Bleeding Heart last year and they are coming up nicely.  So, I added a couple more plants to them today.  Now, I want to find some nice sized rocks and outline their area so Sonny doesn't mow them down!

This is a close-up of the Bleeding Heart ... and my azaleas blooming.  

Idol - Minus 2

Disco Night continues as Paula choreographed the Final Seven in a disco number. I thought it was pretty good ... even though I think they were lip-syncing.

First one to be called - Lil Rounds makes the walk to the far side of the stage (as predicted by moi.) Wow - no surprise, but they didn't make her suffer. They gave her the bad news right away. When she sang her final song, Paula told her she should have sang like that last night. Simon told her he was going to miss her family screaming in the audience!

A medley of old timey Disco singers -

Freda Payne singing Band of Gold. I think she's got to be at least 60 years old if not older! As Sonny said, she's been "rode hard and put up wet." (one of his favorite sayings!) Did you see her belly flopping around?

Thelma Houston singing Don't Leave Me This Way. She didn't need to be poured into that dress - oh my!!

KC - of KC & The Sunshine Band singing Get Down Tonight - Getting old is hell, ain't it? When I lived in Texas, he was on my plane once when I was flying from San Antonio to Dallas. It was a Southwest Airlines flight - about the cheapest you can fly!!

Idol was scraping the bottom of the barrel for those singers!

Back to the results - Kris is called up and he's SAFE! Adam's next and he's SAFE. Next is Danny and he's SAFE. You know, I could have written all that before hearing Ryan announce it.

Now, we have Anoop - he's in the bottom 3.

Allison and Matt are the two left - Allison is in the bottom and Matt is safe. Wow!!

David Archuletta sings next while Allison and Anoop sweat it out. I like his song - he's matured a lot it seems. His voice sounded a little raspy.

OK, back to the results - the second person going home is Anoop ... as I predicted

Final 7 on American Idol - Again!

Tonight is Disco Night. Who picks these themes?

• Lil Rounds - I'm Every Woman by Shaka Khan - sounded a little screamy to me. Paula said she was on vocal rest yesterday so she did good to come out and sing a song like that. None of the judges gave her any encouragement. Simon said this was her final night and I agree. Lil Rounds disagreed with the judges. She's also the first of the night to perform which is another strike against her. Think her time is up and it's time.


• Kris Allen - She Works Hard for the Money by Donna Summer - sure is a different arrangement for a Donna Summer song. Kara loved it as did Paula. Simon didn't understand what Paula was saying but that's OK - he loved Kris' arrangement. Randy thinks he is ready for the big time. I liked it - another great performance for Kris!!


• Danny Gokey - September by Earth, Wind & Fire- He is my favorite! He did great - just incredible! The judges agreed with me. Simon's a little on the fence about it.


• Allison - Hot Stuff - an appropriate song for her. I can’t imagine being 16 and being so confident. The judges are giving her accolades. It was just an OK performance to me. I'm not as "in love" with her as the judges are.
  
• Adam - If I Can't Have You - Wow, does he look different tonight in a suit! He re-invents his look every week. He was great! I really liked his slow version of this song. Randy thinks he is ready to make a record. Kara thinks it was his best. Paul was crying and thinks he is brilliant. Simon thought he would probably do Donna Summer but thought he was outstanding. Folks, he may be the next American Idol!


• Matt Giraud - Staying Alive - Paula's on her feet! This is the Matt we were hoping for the last couple of weeks. I agree with Kara that it wasn’t brilliant, but it was solid. Randy wasn't in love with the song but thinks he can really sing. Paula thought this was a strike for him - not a gutter ball ... whatever that means! Simon was real and of course, didn't like it. I called that one. Simon thought it was a desperate performance - not good vocals, not original ....


• Anoop - Love Don't Come Easy - This was not one of my favorites. Kara thought it was one of his best performances. Paula likes his look tonight - the "growth" on his face and his pink sweater vest! Simon of course completely disagrees with the other judges. I agree with Simon this time.

Randy said this is the most talented Final 7 they've ever had and I agree whole-heartily. I think Kris could be the dark horse in this competition. I don't know that he will end up winning but he'll be like Chris Daughtery and do better as a non-winner and be a recording star. We will definitely hear his name and his songs on the radio.


I think if your name isn’t Kris, Danny or Adam you could potentially be in danger tomorrow night. The others were good, but tonight, they weren’t nearly as original or strong. So here are my picks for going home this week: Anoop and Lil Rounds

Whoooo's Special?

I made this card tonight for a special little girl.  Have you heard of Wright Flight?  It’s a program that was offered at my granddaughter's school this year (in Tucson) and she was fortunate to be one of the limited number of students to be accepted into the program.  She attended the after-school program twice a month all year and was rewarded on Saturday with Fly Day.  She got to be co-pilot of a small airplane for a forty minute flight around town.  Isn't that pretty cool? 

Weight Watcher Delights

Try these yummy Weight Watchers recipes!!

Frozen Fruit Salad
Makes 24 servings -2 points per serving

1 can sugar free, lite cherry pie mix
1 can fat free condnsed Eagle brand milk
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 medium fat free cool whip
Mix all together and freeze. Cut into 2" squares.

Angel Food Cupcakes - Crushed Pineapple
Makes 24 large muffins or 30 smaller ones 1 pt. per muffin

Use 1 box fat free angel food cake mix
Use 1 tall can crushed pineapple w/ juice
DON'T OVER STIR MIX*USE METAL SPOON AND GLASS BOWL
Try baking btwn 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. (Make sure done in middle)
Can also use in 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cut into 24 squares (2" size).
Can use 1 can of sugar-lite cherry pie filling instead of pineapple.

Final Swap Cards

I went to a Pampered Chef party today - my first would you believe!  I was pretty good and only ordered about $10 worth of product!  Believe me, there was more I wanted but since I haven't cooked a meal in a week and a half, I couldn't justify paying $70 for a stoneware casserole dish!  Explain that one to hubby!  So, my plan is to have my own party this summer and earn me some free stuff! 

The weather was yucky today, but yesterday was just beautiful.  Who knows.  Spring is just playing tricks on us, I think.

So, here are the last of the swap cards for you.  Hope you have enjoyed them and are getting some ideas of your own for cards.  Don't forget to CLICK on the cards to see all the details!

This cute baby card is by Jenn Diercks.  She used Wagon Full of Fun, Sweet Little Sentiments and Goody Goody Gumdrops stamps.  She did a great job coloring the duck (used her aquapainter).  The DSP is from Good Morning Sunshine.

This card was done by Mary Rindal using Sense of Time.  I love how she threaded the wide Twill Tape ribbon through the Jumbo Eyelet!  And she used a small piece of Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon to tie around the twill tape.   It's hard to tell, but the tag is Sahara Sand Textured cardstock and is just gorgeous!  I just love how she crimped just a portion of the Not Quite Navy cardstock.  I think this is one of my favorites!

Michael's coupon

Here's a link to a Michael's coupon for this week! Now, go spend some $$$!!

More Occasion Mini Swap Cards

Hope you're enjoying this beautiful spring weather!  We went out on the lake today on a friend's boat.  We haven't put our boat in the water yet this season, but I have a feeling it'll be going in soon!

I've got a few more cards to share with you from Jami's swap.

The Kraft one is by Stacy White.  She used Parisian Breeze DSP with the stamp set Very Versatile.  The ribbon is Kraft Taffeta ribbon and is so pretty with the Baja Blue.

The Saffron card is by Yvette Patko and uses Soft Summer stamp.  The DSP is Walk in the Park.  Don't you love the Corduroy button?

This card is by Crystal Spencer.  She always does really great cards!  You should see how many layers she used - I counted 6 layers on the left!  The stamp set is A Rose is a Rose from the big catty and the Oval All stamp from the mini.  She stamped the rose on the White Shimmer paper and it is so pretty.

This is another card by Yvette Patko using Just Beachy stamp.  Isn't it cute?  She also used Walk in the Park DSP and the Scallop Square Punch. 

Cuttlebug Challenge & Giveaway

More Swap Cards

I've got a few more swap cards to share with you today. 

Both of these cards uses Great Friends stamp set - a really nice stamp!  The green card is by Rachel Sztonyk.  She used Walk In the Park DSP and glittered the Eggplant butterfly.

The blue card is by Stacy White and also uses Walk In the Park DSP.  Don't you love these colors?

The Fathers Day card is by Leann Yoho and uses And Many Mower stamp with To The Nines DSP.  The man is water-colored and she used the Big Shot Circles along with the Circle Scissor Plus.

The Owl Card is by Trish DeFoggi and uses Forest Friends and Pocket Silhouettes..  She used Walk In the Park DSP.  She punches 1" pink circles to get the scallops.

Both of these cards are 4 1/4" square.

I went to the Great Impressions Stamp of the Month class last night at Stamper's Alley.  It was the first time I had seen my friend (and the teacher), Robin since her surgery.  She was looking good!  A great big shout-out to Robin!!  (Have a good weekend, Robin!)