Birthday things from my sister

My sister made me a wonderful Sister's scrapbook wall hanging for my birthday.  This is the sister who told me 3 years ago that she wasn't going to get involved with card making and scrapbooking when I moved here.  Well, needless to say, she has and she is doing great!  She has come a long way with her skills.  The cards she made for me and Sonny for our birthdays are just great!  What do you think??

                                                                      

This is my wall hanging!

Halloween Facts and Superstitions

Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country's second largest commercial holiday.
The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

Superstition ~ In 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who found it.

Superstition ~ In Scotland, fortune-tellers recommended that an eligible young woman name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes rather than popping or exploding, the story went, represented the girl's future husband. (In some versions of this legend, confusingly, the opposite was true: The nut that burned away symbolized a love that would not last.)

Superstition ~ Another tale had it that if a young woman ate a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night, she would dream about her future husband. Young women tossed apple-peels over their shoulders, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands' initials; tried to learn about their futures by peering at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water; and stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands' faces.
Resource: ~~ History.com - The Real Story of Halloween

Beautiful Fall Colors

I think Fall may be my favorite time of the year.  The colors are changing quickly here in North Carolina and they are just beautiful.  I want to drive up to the mountains to see the colors there.  I'm sure they are spectacular!!  We went out on the lake today with a group to view the fall foilage and enjoy snacks with friends via a "raft-up."  Here are a few of the beautiful colors we saw: (click on the pictures to see the full view!)

CARROT FINGER FOOD

 Ingredients

* vegetable dip
* 4 long carrots
* 1 medium carrot
* softened cream cheese
* sliced-almond
* baby carrots

Instructions

1. To prepare them, just fill a serving bowl with your favorite
vegetable dip. Wash and peel 4 long carrots for fingers
and 1 medium carrot for a thumb.

2. With a paring knife (a parent's job), cut a flat, shallow notch
in the tip of each carrot. Then use a dab of dip or softened
cream cheese to glue a sliced-almond fingernail atop each notch.

3. Stick the fingers in the dip, as shown, and serve with
plenty of peeled baby carrots for dipping.

Resource: ~~ Disney Family Fun Halloween Recipes

My Digital Studio Card

I worked on getting my certification for My Digital Studio today.  Stampin' Up has provided us with "webinairs" to watch.  There is one for making an album, making a card, making a calendar and doing multi-media projects.  The webinairs are about an hour each and are really quite helpful.  So, I learned a lot tonight!  Then we have to take a quiz on each of them.  Whew!  I feel like I'm back in school!!  Anyway, here is the card I designed that I am sending in to Stampin Up.

inside of card

Can't wait to receive it back and sending it to SU for printing!

Drinking your Calories

BEVERAGE CALCULATOR – Calories Per Fluid Ounce

As you can see below when you drink your calories they can really add up!

♦ 125 Creme de Menthe
♦ 100 Coffee Liqueurs
♦  85  100 Proof Liqueurs
♦  60  Manhattan, Martini
♦  40  Nonalcoholic Eggnog, Table Wines
♦  30  Ice Cream Shake, Sherry
♦  25  Champagne, Dry White Wine, Frozen Yogurt Shakes
♦ 20  Whole Milk, Fruit Juices (Cranberry, Grape, Prune), Fruit Smoothies
♦ 17   Fruit Punch
♦ 15  2% Low Fat Milk, Fruit Juices (Apple, Grapefruit, Orange), Orange Sodas, Lemonade, Orange Breakfast Drinks
♦ 12  Regular Colas, 1% Low Fat Milk, Beer
♦ 10  Skim Milk & Buttermilk (made with skim milk), Flavored Coffees, Sweetened Tea, Coffee w/cream & sugar, Lite Beer
♦    0  Water, Sparkling Waters w/o added sugar, Club Soda, Perrier, Diet Sodas, Unsweetened Tea & Coffee

Resource: ~~Dr. Jo's Dining Lean by Joanne V. Lichten, RD, PhD

Did You Know?

• Cashews are not sold in their shells because the oil that surrounds the shell is highly irritating to the skin, and peeling the nuts by hand can cause blisters.
• Unlike vinyl records, a CD begins playing near the center and spirals outward toward the edge.
• A cockroach has two brains. [I say, "who cares?" to this one!]
• Ronald McDonald is considered the second most recognizable character in the world, after Santa Claus, and ahead of Mickey Mouse.

Resource: ~~Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Stuff by David Hoffman

Birthday Cards

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a beautiful day here in NC!!  Sonny took me out to breakfast and then filled my car up with gas!!  I had a good day just playing and doing what made me happy ... like NO laundry, NO house cleaning, etc!  We had a Red Cross meeting at 6:30 and after it was over, we went to Chilli's for dinner.  I just love their chips and salsa and had been wanting some for a long time.  My family is coming over Saturday night to celebrate my birthday, Sonny's birthday (10/30), my nephew's birthday (10/16), and my brother in law's birthday (11/1).  Lots of birthdays this time of year!  And we got a call yesterday from our good friends who live in Texas and they are coming for a visit tomorrow.  Margaret's birthday is October 1 so guess we'll be celebrating her birthday too!

The card Sonny gave me had the most beautiful verse, I just have to share it.  We always tease him that he doesn't really read cards all the way through but I know he read this one before he bought it! 

Once there was this guy; A nice guy, really.
And he met this girl.  An incredible girl - truly amazing.
So naturally the guy falls head over heels in love with her,
and pretty soon they're picking out china patterns and rings
and there's a weding and the starry-eyed couple rides off into what will surely be a rosy future.

(open card)
Okay, so now some time has passed and the guy is living in that future.
He's still married to this girl, but now their life includes a lot of stuff -
appliances and bills and loads of laundry and home repair projects.
But between all the to-dos and have-tos, there are these moments
when the guy stops for a minute and looks around him.

(open card)
He looks at his wife, who is still truly amazing,
he looks at their life together, all the ways and different directions it's grown,
he looks at all the responsibilities he's got, and he thinks to himself, so, this is my life.

And then he thinks,
I am one helluva lucky guy.

And then I got a great one from my daughter although it killed her to have to buy a card.  Her stamping supplies are in storage still so she wasn't able to make me a card.  But she found a great one that says it all about our relationship!

Happy Birthday to my go-everywhere, do-everything, tell-each-other-anything ...
couldn't-be-a-better, always-and-forever friend to the end.

I got some beautiful cards from my friends and family and I want to share the stamped ones with you.

From Margaret

from my upline, Carol

from Judy Nelson

from my NCSU Demo group (made by Pat Wilkinson)

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!! 

Here are a few more of my beach pictures made with My Digital Studio. 

..

Beach pictures

Well, I'm back from the Reunion.  It was fun and on Saturday night there were actually a couple of people I had run around with there.  It was good to see Jeanne & Carl.  I used to candy stripe with Jeannie and they both went to the same college that I did.  I actually went out with Carl a couple of times in college.  That was before he and Jeannie got together and got married.  They have been married for 41 years!  Wow!  It was amazing how many couples from our high school class married each other ... and are still together.

The Shag dance (a lot like the Jitterbug) is the state dance of South Carolina.  (see the video HERE)  Couples who have danced together a long time and do the shag are just magical to watch.  There was a couple at our reunion who we all enjoyed watching dance - Sheila and Ham McGarity!  Sheila was a cheerleader in my class and Ham graduated a year before we did.  They are actually in the Shag Hall of Fame!  Yes, there really is such a thing.  There are shag clubs all over North and South Carolina and they dance and teach others to do the shag.  I grew up doing my own version of the Beach Shag.  When we moved back to NC, I enrolled Sonny and I in shag classes while he had gone back to Washington to finish the closing on our house.  Well, he was not thrilled about taking the classes, but he did .... grudgingly!  I have tried to get him to take some more refresher classes but with no luck!  In fact, he told me this weekend that he had been afraid that when he died he would go to hell .... well, now he is afraid when he dies, he will have to listen to beach music for the rest of his life! 

Here are few of the pictures from our trip.  I loaded them into a scrapbook with My Digital Studio today.  You can click on the pictures to see a larger version - you just need to click on the back arrow to get back to my blog.

DEAL OF THE WEEK #3

Don't miss this week's Deals Of The Week!

•  Circle Designer Brads  -  Regular Price: $5.95 Special Price: $3.99 
• 1/2" Library Clips  -  Regular Price: $6.95 Special Price: $3.99 
• Basic Jumbo Grommets  -  Regular Price: $6.95 Special Price: $4.49 
• Mini Library Clips  -  Regular Price: $12.95 Special Price: $8.99 

These products can all be seen on page 179 of Stampin' Up!'s current Idea Book & Catalog. These specials are good only through October 26th at 9:50 am (MT) that's 11:50 am (ET).   Let me know if you are interested in placing an order!

Reunion time at the beach

Well, we're in North Myrtle Beach, aka OD (Ocean Drive).  OD was THE beach for us to go to back in the 60's and 70's.  To prove it, there are about 4 high school reunions going on here this weekend .... 3 from Charlotte and one from Rock Hill, SC.  Our group (South Meck) have been meeting here for the past 5 years.  It's just an informal get-together of several classes, but my class ('66) is the organizer so we are the best represented. I feel like I'm in high school again .... not a period in my life I would like to repeat!  I was pretty shy in high school and transferred to South in the 11th grade - after cliques were already formed, if you know what I mean.  And that's what it feels like here now.  They've been meeting for 5 years and have their cliques formed.  You know, the jocks and the cheerleaders!  I have to say though that the guys are a lot more friendlier than the girls.  But, the girls have held up better than the guys!!  There have been 3-4 guys that have really been friendly and inviting to Sonny and myself.  The funniest thing is that there is one guy here who transferred out of South after 10th grade (before I even arrived).  The only reason I knew him was he and my best friend were going out at the time.  Well, when I told him Thursday night she was my best friend (and the only person I have kept in touch with from HS), that is all he has talked about for 3 days!  To hear him talk, she is and was the love of his life.  I sure feel sorry for his wife.  So far, no one that I ran around with is here.  I am hoping tonight a few of them will show up. 

Sonny and I have already scoped out a Pittsburgh bar to watch the football game tomorrow so we are set for some football! 

We have been eating some wonderful seafood.  We drove to Calabash (NC) last night and had some delicious flounder and shrimp.  I'm hoping I can convince him to go back tonight.  Last night I had fried flounder ... tonight I would like some broiled!  The NC line is only about 10 minutes away so it is not a long drive and Calabash is the Seafood Capital of this area!!  It is wall to wall seafood restaurants.

It has been cold and rainy the whole time we have been here until today!  The sun came out and as long as you are in the sun, it is nice and warm.  There is a bit of a breeze blowing that is a cold wind, but all in all, it is nice.  We took a long walk this morning on the beach and Sonny is sitting out on our balcony now reading.  Our room overlooks the ocean and we have left the sliding glass door open at night and sleep to the sound of the waves!  What a life!!

Deal of the Week #2

Check out this week's deals!  If you want to order one of these great buys, contact me by next Sunday.

FLOWER BURST EMBOSSLIT DIE

RETAIL PRICE $11.95  -  SALE PRICE  - $5.99

THREE TIER CAKE POP UP DIE

REGULAR PRICE - $39.96 - SALE PRICE  - $25.49

PERFECT SETTING BIGZ  DIE (from mini catalog)

REGULAR PRICE - $42.95 - SALE PRICE - $25.99

I'm heading to my high school class reunion this weekend so you might not be hearing from me until Monday!  This will be the first reunion I have ever attended so it should be interesting!  I have only kept in touch with one gal from high school and she is not attending, so I'm not sure I'll recognize anyone!  For the past 5 years, a group from my high school - South Mecklenburg in Charlotte - (mostly from my graduating year) have gathered at Ocean Drive Beach for a reunion/get-together.  I just found out about it this year and thought this would be a good chance to give it a try.  Being at the beach, if we don't have anything in common with any of these people, Sonny and I can do our own thing!  Other than the price of the hotel, we only have to pay $10/person for a deejay.  Hopefully, it will be fun.  I was trying to let my hair color grow out (and see just how much gray I really have!) but decided last week, this was not the time to do that!  So, I asked my hairdresser to put a few blonde streaks in to blend in with the gray and brown!!  Hopefully I will look younger than some of the pictures I've seen of people from reunions.  Surprisingly, the girls seem to have held up better than the guys!! 

Digital Studio scrapbook page

I had to take my Mom to the doctor today.  But, when I got home, I had a little more time to play with My Digital Studio.  I made this scrapbook page from a picture my daughter in law recently posted on her blog.  They just returned from a Disney vacation and cruse.  This is a picture of the two youngest kids on the beach.   I thought it was priceless!

This is rather basic because I'm still learning but I did get the picture resized, added photo corners and a stamp in the bottom corner!

My Digital Studio Project

I got My Digital Studio yesterday, but just opened it today and played around for a bit.  I have a lot of learning to do!!  But, here is a card I made while playing with it!

Weight Watcher Recipes

Here are a few recipes my Weight Watcher leader shared with us. 

Apple-Carrot Slaw

Makes 6 servings (2/3 cup)
POINTS® value per serving: 2

1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp apple-cider vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 medium head red cabbage, shredded
2 cups shredded carrots
2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into matchstick strips
1/3 cup golden raisins

Stir the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar together in a large bowl until
well mixed. Stir in the cabbage, carrots, apples, and raisins. Let stand 15
minutes before serving. Serve at once or cover with plastic wrap and
refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cookbook Comfort Classics©2009, Weight
Watchers International Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Bacon-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each)
POINTS® value per serving: 3

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 Tbsp fat-free milk
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar
2 slices center-cut bacon, crisp cooked and coarsely crumbled
1 scallion, finely chopped

1.Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover by 3
inches; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until fork-tender, 20–25
minutes. Drain and return to the saucepan.
2.Add the sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper; mash with a potato masher
until the potatoes become creamy. Stir in the cheddar, bacon, and scallion.

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cookbook Comfort Classics©2009, Weight
Watchers International Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Rosemary-Mustard Crusted Beef Roast
Makes 8 servings (3 slices each)
POINTS® value per serving: 4
2 Tbsp seasoned dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (2-pound) boneless eye-round roast, trimmed

1.Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a small roasting pan with nonstick spray.
2.Combine the bread crumbs, mustard, rosemary, oil, salt, and pepper in a
small bowl. Rub the mixture over the top and sides of the beef. Place in the
pan and roast, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the
center of the roast registers 145°F for medium-rare, about 1 hour. Transfer
to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Cut the roast into 24 slices.

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cookbook Comfort Classics©2009, Weight
Watchers International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Steelers - then and now

THEN:

AND NOW

Monday Mailer and good news to share

I want to share the Monday Mailer I mailed last week.  Our theme this month is to make a card using the Big Shot (or Cuttlebug) in your card.  I used my new Lattice die. 

It's hard to tell, but the Autumn DSP from the mini catalog is in the background.  The bird is from Wings of Friendship.

Hope you enjoy it!

I have good news also.  After much praying, my daughter got TWO offers this weekend on her DC condo.  The first offer came in on Friday and was ridiculously low.  These people have been looking at her condo since July!  If they've seen it once, they've seen it about a dozen times.  She's probably lowered the price a couple of times while they were looking.  Guess they thought they could get a bargain if they waited long enough.  On Saturday, her realtor called and said there was another couple coming to look again with plans to draw up a contract.  The contract was sent to her today and it was much better!!  And .... they want to close earlier - Nov. 6 with no inspection!  She is going out tomorrow in San Antonio with her realtor there and looking for a house there.  Even though we looked at over 60 houses in June, most of the ones she liked are now gone.  But, at least she knows the areas she wants to look.  I just hate I'm not there to help her pick out her very first house.  But, I know she'll do fine!  Her criteria is a great kitchen and backyard for entertaining.  And of course, plenty of room for her parents to visit!!

My Steelers won today but had me scared again in the 4th quarter!  Final Steelers 28 Lions 20

We had dinner tonight at my sister's house.  Luckily, the Panthers won so she was happy!!

Trivia Answers

1. According to ExtremeChocolate.com's annual Halloween candy survey, Candy Corn was the most popular Halloween candy in 2004. In previous years, Snickers had held the #1 spot.
2. According to superstition, if you stare into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, you will see your future spouse.
3. 
   The first Jack-o-Lanterns were made in Ireland out of hollowed-out turnips. A piece of coal was inserted into the hollow and the "lantern" was meant to guide the way of poor old Jack who wasn't welcome in Heaven but was also barred from entering Hell for tricking the devil. According to legend, the devil gave this crude lamp to Jack so that he could walk the earth forever in limbo. When the Irish brought this tradition to America, they apparently decided that pumpkins were much easier to carve than turnips, and the modern-day Jack-o-Lantern was born!
4. 
   Although there are many theories on the origin and history of Halloween, it is generally accepted that Halloween dates back to an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, or the Celtic New Year. It was believed that the spirits of everyone who had died during the year would return on the eve of Samhain to seek living bodies to possess for the following year. The Celts would dress in ghoulish costumes and hold noisy revels in an attempt to frighten away these spirits. Food and drink was also offered to pacify the dead. There are many tales of unfortunate souls being burned at the stake because they were perceived to have been possessed by one of the returning spirits. Around the turn of the first century AD, Romans abandoned this custom of human sacrifice in favor of the burning of effigies.
   
5. According to the National Retail Federation's Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, the most popular Halloween costume in 2004 was Spiderman, with 2.15 million children dressing as their favorite superhero. Other popular costumes included princesses (1.8 million children), witches (1.3 million) and vampires (899,000).
   
6. The world's record for biggest pumpkin is currently held by a gigantic gourd weighing a whopping 1,385 pounds!
   
7. According to legend, a unibrow, tattoos, hairy palms, and a long middle finger are all signs of a werewolf.
   
8. The average American consumed 24 pounds of candy in 2002! It is believed that a large portion is consumed by kids on and during the days immediately following Halloween.
   
9. None of the "witches" put to death in the Salem Witch trials were burned at the stake. All those executed were hanged but one, Giles Cory, who was pressed to death. Several others died in prison, including Sarah Osborne, Roger Toothaker, Lyndia Dustin, and Ann Foster.
   
10. Samhainophobia refers to an abnormal and persistent fear of Halloween. This time of year may also stir up other phobias such as the fear of: cats (ailurophobia), witches (wiccaphobia), ghosts (phasmophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), the dark (nyctophobia), and cemetaries (coimetrophobia).
    
    
    
    
    So .... how many did you get correct?  Probably more than me!!  Leave me a comment and let me know.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Halloween Trivia

Here's some trivia for you.  Answers will appear here in the next few days.  See how many you can guess.

1) What was the most popular Halloween candy in 2004?

Choose Your Answer: A: Snickers, B: Candy Corn, C: M&Ms, D: Tootsie Rolls

2) According to superstition, if you stare into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, what will you see?

Choose Your Answer: A: Bloody Mary, B: Your Future Spouse, C: Your Death, D: Dead Ancestors

3) The first Jack-o-Lanterns were made out of what?

Choose Your Answer: A: Watermelons, B: Coconuts, C: Turnips, D: Pumpkins

4) Halloween is generally considered to have evolved from what ancient festival?

Choose Your Answer: A: Lammas, B: Beltane, C: Samhain, D: Ostara

5) What was the most popular Halloween costume in 2004?

Choose Your Answer: A: Spiderman, B: Witch, C: Vampire, D: George W. Bush

6) How much does the world's biggest pumpkin weigh?

Choose Your Answer: A: 245 pounds, B: 485 pounds, C: 685 pounds, D: 1,385 pounds

7) According to legend, a unibrow, tattoos, and a long middle finger are all signs of what Halloween creature?

Choose Your Answer: A: a werewolf, B: a vampire, C: a witch, D: a golem

8) How many pounds of candy did the average American consume in 2002?

Choose Your Answer: A: 6 pounds, B: 12 pounds, C: 24 pounds, D: 48 pounds

9) How many "witches" were burned at the stake in the Salem Witch Trials?

Choose Your Answer: A: Twelve, B: Twenty, C: Thirty-three, D: None

10) What phobia do you suffer from if you have an intense fear of Halloween?

Choose Your Answer: A: Phasmophobia, B: Samhainophobia, C: Wiccaphobia, D: Halloweenophobia

Mojo Monday Sketch

I haven't done a challenge in a while, so I decided to do one real quick tonight.  Here's my card for the Mojo Monday Challenge.  If you want to participate, just click on the box on the left and read all about it!

I used Taken With Teal cardstock along with DSP, Holiday Lounge.  I stamped the snowflakes in white on the Teal card from Serene Snowflakes (found in the Holiday Mini catalog).  The two rectangles are the DSP and I stamped (and embossed in white) one snowflake on each of them.  The sentiment is from DRS Designs.

Hope you like it!!

Monday Mailer - last one for September

We went to a Comedy Club tonight at the Galway Hooker, an Irish restaurant/bar in Cornelius.  The comedien was soooo funny!!  It is good for the soul to just laugh out loud once in a while and we definitely did tonight!  The comedian was Craig Shoemaker.  He was named Comedian of the Year by the American Comedy Awards on ABC and his half-hour Comedy Central special was voted by viewers as one of the network’s “Top 20” stand-up specials of all time.  He was also on The View last year (one of my favorite shows!)  Additionally, he has had his own nationally syndicated radio show, which after only ten months on the air, won the prestigious Communicator Award “Crystal” prize. Two of Craig’s stand-up comedy routines made it to the Top 10 list on XM Radio, with “Playing Army” ranking #1. His “Lovemaster” routine was voted Most Popular Comedy on XM Radio’s Big Schtick Awards and he did his Lovemaster skit tonight .... really, really funny!!    Anyway, he was great and we had a good time with our friends.  They gave me the Award for the Year for suggesting we go tonight.

I realized today that I did not share my last Monday Mailer of September.  I really liked this card and need to share!!

I used the birds from the Big Shot dies, Birds and Blooms.  Isn't it cute???  Just "go-jus" as Jan Tink would say!

Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Here's a yummy potato recipe my Weight Watcher leader shared with the group:  Bon Appetite!!

Bacon-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each)

POINTS® value per serving: 3

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 Tbsp fat-free milk
1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar

2 slices center-cut bacon, crisp cooked and coarsely crumbled

1 scallion, finely chopped

1.Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover by 3

inches; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until fork-tender, 20–25

minutes. Drain and return to the saucepan.

2.Add the sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper; mash with a potato masher

until the potatoes become creamy. Stir in the cheddar, bacon, and scallion.


Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cookbook Comfort Classics©2009, Weight
Watchers International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Here are the final swap cards to share with you.  Hope you have enjoyed them and got some inspiration.  I know I have!

Recipe:  by Michelle Fischer (SDiegoGal on SCS)

Stamp:  Serene Snowflake

CS:  Basic Grey, Black, Vanilla, Apricot Appeal; Sage Shadow; Nouveau Riche DSP

Acc:  Black Grosgrain ribbon; distressing tool; paper piercer

Recipe:  by Lorien Clark (vz5dzh)

CS:  Pendant Park

Ink:  Old Olive; Choc Chip

CS:  Choc Chip; Vanilla; Old Olive

Acc:  Old Olive 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon; Texture Cuts Wood Sheets; Background I Texturz Plates

I'm headed in to town to cheer on my Steelers although sad to say, I'm not too optimistic!

Sheetload of Cards

I subscribe to SheetLoad of Cards.  Every month, I receive in my in-box a free monthly e-zine (you know, like an on-line magazine) with sketches and card ideas.  They have a different sponsor each month and this month, it is DRS Stamps.  I love their stamps and their affordability!  Each month they encourage us to submit cards to them using the sketch in the e-zine.  So, this time, I decided to take them up on the challenge and actually made TWO cards!  Here they are:

I love this DRS stamp!  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

Isn't he the cutest??

So, check out Sheetload - they are offering free shipping for their featured sponsor this month!!

Candy

Here's a beautiful blog candy up for grabs!  Check it out!

Deal of the Week, Digital Studio and movies to see!!

Back again this year ..... During the month of October, Stampin' Up! will offer several discounted products as "Deals of the Week." No limits and no minimum purchase required.

Trio Flower Punch - $10.99
5 Flower Punch - $10.99
My Way Punch - $11.99

The Digital Studio is now available for purchase.  Watch a video HERE.  I have seen lots of cool things made with this software package.  It is not just for scrapbooking!  I don't have it yet so I can't give you any first hand knowledge.  BUT .... it is on my birthday want list.  My birthday is coming up in 3 weeks and I have already mentioned it to Sonny.  (Although I think it might have fallen on deaf ears ..... Ashley .... hope you are reading this!!)

I accompanied Sonny to the doctor's office today for that wonderful colonoscopy.  The procedure itself is not bad - you're out and don't feel anything.  If they could just come up with a better solution to the "prep work."  But, when you consider it's a test for colon cancer, I guess it's all worth it.  The doc did find a polyp and it was sent off for evaluation.  Unfortunately, that puts him on the "short list" and he'll have to do it again in 5 years!!  Maybe they'll come up with something better by then!

After the procedure, we enjoyed a good breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then headed to the movies.  Our choice today was The Informant with Matt Damon.  Uhhh ... not so good, in my opinion!!  I was falling asleep in the first hour so I got up and wandered around the theatre trying to find another film more to my liking!!  I found the Jennifer Anniston movie Love Happens.  I really enjoyed it!  Yep, it was a chick flick but I like chick flicks!!  Another thing I loved about the movie was all the great views of Seattle!  As you know, we moved to NC from there 3 years ago.  It is one beautiful place!  Anyway, I would recommend the movie although it is not getting good reviews. 

more swaps

I have a few more swap cards to share with you.

Recipe:  by Rachel Sztonyk

Stamps:  Hello Again & Sprinkles

Ink:  Choc Chip; Orchid Opulence, Old Olive, Razzleberry, Versamark

CS:  WW; Kraft; Old Olive; Textured Razzleberry; Choc Chip

Acc:  1" & 1/2" circle punches; Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Razzleberry ribbon, white gel pen; oval punches; Crafters Tool Kit

Recipe:  by Tandra Boyer (Inkalicious on SCS)

Stamp:  Graveyard Gala; Frightful Fence jumbo wheel

CS:  Basic Grey; Black; Brushed Silver; WW; Nouvequ Chic DSP

Acc:  Sage Shadow marker; Color Spritzer; Top Note die; black 5/8" grosgrain ribbon; silver brads

no recipe included with this one

Fall has arrived to NC!!  The weather today was perfect!  We were able to turn off the A/C and sleep with our windows open last night.  It was great. 

Blog Candy

 Here's a new blog for you to check out.  She's trying to generate traffic & is giving away Blog Candy!  Check it out HERE.

Red Cross can help

I've had a busy couple of days!  Yesterday I played bridge and afterwards, stopped by my Mom's house for a visit.  We only live about 20-30 minutes away but I'm really bad about not stopping by to visit more often.  After being away from family for 30+ years, it's just been hard to adjust to having family so close.  I have to stop and think every so often how I'd feel if the shoe was on the other foot and it was my daughter not stopping by to visit me!! 

Last night after dinner, Sonny and I were just settling in to catch up on some tv shows we'd taped and had just finished scooping our ice cream in our bowls when we got a call from the Red Cross DAT (disaster) team leader.  We are volunteers for the DAT team and have been for almost a year but have never been called to a disaster.  Every few months, we have the DAT bag for the week and are "on call" but the pager has never gone off.  We figured it really didn't work!!  The gal who had the bag this week knew we had never gone out so when she got the call, she called us to assist her ... plus the house fire was in Troutman which is not too far from us.  By the time we got there (about 11 pm) there were about 5-6 firetrucks and numerous other vehicles.  The fire had been put out but the double-wide trailer was demolished.  The poor lady who lived alone luckily was not at home when the fire started.  She is 56 years old and has a lot of health issues.  Poor thing was just so upset.  The worst part was she had no insurance!!  How can people do that??  She had lived there for 22 years and everything she owned is now gone.  Every few minutes she'd cry out about something that had perished .... from her church clothes, her hats, her 27 wigs, a whole library of old books and the paperwork she had started to get her GED.  She told us she was always the one who helped her family out when they needed something.  She said she used to pay into the United Way when she worked and never dreamed one of those types of services would one day be assisting her.  The Red Cross can't do as much as it once could due to the recession but we were able to give her a debit card with money on it for food, clothing and three days in a motel.  We told her when she found an apartment or somewhere to live, we would pay her first month's rent also. 

All day today I have thought about this poor lady and gone back and forth from feeling sorry to other thoughts.  And here are my reasons.  Last night while talking to the client, she told me she had just pawned her jewelry so she could buy a VCR/DVD combo and hadn't even watched it once .... on her flat screen TV that she bought this year.  She said she had a 72" TV that she had bought in 2007.  She had muscle/nerve damage to her arm and told me she has gone to therapy a few times for it and was supposed to go more often, but it was too expensive - they want $50 for therapy!  Hello???  You can afford the tv, DVD, etc. but not do the things the dr advises to make you feel better.   I know everyone has the right to spend their money the way they see fit (even our government!!) but I just have to shake my head.  My friend at Red Cross told me the client called today with many questions regarding more assistance and wanted to know if the Red Cross would pay a downpayment on a new trailer to put on her lot!!  

The Red Cross is a great organization and is there to help in times of need.  If you like to help people, I urge you to consider volunteering with the Red Cross.  They provide all the training you need so you will be ready to respond to disasters, work at blood drives, deliver messages to US Service personnel, re-connect families that have been displaced.  My husband drives a Red Cross van each week taking people in our community to doctor appointment, dialysis, etc.


Here are some Red Cross facts for you:

Volunteers constitute 96 percent of the total work force to carry on their humanitarian work:


Every year the Red Cross responds to more than 70,000 disasters—including approximately 150 home fires every day.


About 11 million Americans turn to them to learn first aid, CPR, swimming, and other health and safety skills. Last year, more than 158,000 people volunteered to teach those courses.


Half the nation's blood supply— six million pints annually—is collected by more than 155,000 Red Cross volunteers .


Among their emergency services for the men and women of the armed forces is the delivery of urgent family messages—around the clock and around the globe.


More than 30,900 volunteers serve as chairs, members of boards of directors, or on advisory boards for local Red Cross units - chapters, Blood Services regions, and military stations.


As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Red Cross reconnects more than 8,000 families separated by conflicts and disasters around the world through international tracking services and Red Cross messages.

Tonight my sisters, mom and Sonny and I went to downtown Charlotte to the Levine Museum of the South for a program about Hurricane Hugo.  Hugo hit the Charlotte area 20 years ago.  I didn't live here at the time, but my family all lived in Charlotte and still have nightmares about that storm.  Hugo ranked as the eleventh most intense hurricane at time of landfall to strike U.S. this century and is rated as the second costliest hurricane with over $7 billion in damages. Hugo's storm surge was the highest ever recorded on the East Coast. It was estimated at 20 feet just north of Charleston. Hugo's 150 mile wide swath destroyed about one billion board feet of timber and resulted in major damage hundreds of miles inland. The total number of deaths associated with Hurricane Hugo is 82.  The exhibit was sponsored by the Red Cross which I didn't know until shortly before we went tonight.  It was a very interesting exhibit.  I thought it would have been much larger, but they did a good job with what they did have.

Tomorrow will be a little more slow paced!  I'll be hiding away to eat my meals though!  Sonny is scheduled for a routine colonosophy on Thursday so tomorrow will be a liquid diet for him.

More Swaps

Thanks for the kind comments some of you have sent me regarding the garage sale!  I don't normally "do" garage sales and guess that is why!!

Someone out there is NOT pulling for my Steelers!  Can't believe we lost that game today in the last 2 minutes!  GRRRRR  Guess we won't be going back to the Super Bowl this year.

Here are a few more of the swap cards I received.

Recipe:  by Mary Rindal

Stamp:  Friends Rock

CS:  Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, WW

Ink:  Black; Melon; Curry

Acc:  Iridescent Ice EP, Melon Mambo ribbon; paper piercer

Recipe: by Crystal Spencer (caspen1973)

Stamp: Season of Friendship

CS:  Celery; Bermuda Bay; WW; Close to Cocoa

Ink:  Same as above + Old Olive

Acc:  Bermuda Bay ribbon; white gel pen; designer brads; Backgrounds I Texture plates

Recipe:  by Lorien Clark

Stamp:  Razzle Dazzle

Ink:  Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo; Black StazOn

CS:  Crushed Curry; Melon Mambo; BB, WW

Acc:  Crushed Curry ribbon; white gel pen; scallop edge punch, iridescent ice EP

Recipe:  by Michelle Fischer (SDiegoGal)

Stamps:  Dasher, Christmas Punch

CS:  Dusty Durango; Crushed Curry; Soft Suede; White Glossy

Ink:  Dusty Durango

Acc:  Dusty Durango DSP; punches, brads, soft suede ribbon; Dazzling Diamonds

Gargage Sales and Christmas Cards

Lately I have felt like I was back in Washington state!  It has been rainy for over a week now!  Today's garage sale was a bust!!  Luckily, I didn't have that much to sell - just a box load of books and the rubber stamps.  I really didn't figure stamps were going to be a big garage sale item, but thought I'd give it a shot.  I was right!  I set up about 7:30 in the parking lot of our clubhouse in the misty rain.  I sat in the car and read a book and waited, and waited and waited ....  I had 3 people stop by in 3 hours!!  One person bought $10 worth of books.  Sonny came up about 10:30 to bring me the key to the clubhouse bathroom and we waited around for another half hour.  Then I called it quits!!  All the stuff is still in my car - that's another job for tomorrow!  After taking a quick "cat nap" at home, I ran into town and had lunch.  Then I headed over to the stamp store for the final "Christmas Card Make & Takes."  Every Saturday, we've done Christmas cards at the stamp store in Mooresville.  Here are a few of the ones I made:

This one was the one I demo-ed:

Chick Fil A .... Hungry Girl Style

The gal who started the Hungry Gal website with low cal recipes was on Rachel Ray one day last week.  She made a chicken sandwich that I tried last week.  It was really good, so I want to share it with you!

Crispy Chicken Sandwich
1/3 C Fiber One bran cereal (original)

dash each - salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion powder (or more to taste)

1/4 C fat-free liquid egg substitute (egg beaters, etc) NOTE - I used an egg as I didn't have substitute

3 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast

1 T fat-free mayo

1 small hamburger bun

2 slices tomato

2 hamburger dill pickle chips (or more!!)

1 leaf lettuce

Preheat oven 375 degrees.

Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency.  Season crumbs with as much salt, pepper, onion powder & garlic powder as you like & mix well.  Place crumbs in a small dish & egg substitute in another.

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with a dash each of salt & pepper.  Then, coat chicken on both sides - first with egg substitute & then with seasoned crumbs.

Place chicken on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.  Top chicken with a light mist of non-stick spray.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Flip chicken over & add another light mist o fnon-stick spray.  Cook for add'l 10-12 minutes until chicken is fully cooked & coating looks crispy.

Add condiments, as desired.

YUM!!