Chapter 2013, page 7 of 365

Today is a sentence day. I am tired. Many blessings on you, my friends, and good night.

Chapter 2013, page 6 of 365

and so today was Church and choir....I just love singing in the choir...I enjoy the music and the ministry and how good it makes me feel, thank you God for allowing me to praise you with song...had hot dogs for lunch...I LOVE hot dogs on the grill, just this side of incinerated!!!!!   then it was time for laundry....Trav put together a door to separate the kitchen from the rest of the house, on hinges, with a hook and eye closure...why? you ask?  well it seems that Annie must have been kept on a tile or linoleum floor before we got her and she learned to use that as her pottie.....and we do NOT appreciate that little trait at all....we did have a temporary blockade but it was killing us to step over it all the time, so until we get her trained....we have a door.

She also seems to have an issue with separation anxiety....she gets very upset is she knows Trav is home and he leaves the house or the room.....we will be working on that too. 

Time for another trip to the park too, we need to get some folks to come by and help us with her socialization.....we will work on that lol 

puppies are a LOT of work!!!!

Blessings on everyone, talk to you tomorrow  :^)

Chapter 2013, page 5 of 365

Ok, I am back....first I just want to say how much I enjoyed myself this afternoon with my friends....awesome folk....Gail, Rosie, Clay and V....loved the time we spent talking, laughing, joking and eat.  Thank you all!!!!

Now, I need to post some cards for a challenge over at Lindas Blog - Studio L3 - for Tim Holtz birthday, using any techniques and as many as we want out of his books The Compendium of Curiosity, vol 1 and 2, which can be found here and here....

Althea...do not read any further as it will spoil your surprise....come back on the day we see you!!!!!!


Since Althea and Tim share the same birth date I thought I would make a pair of cards that were almost the same, so I used all the same elements on both, and just changed them up a little, like their names and the wording inside is slightly different.












just in case you cannot see the wording, it says this on both cards

do you know just how lucky you are to share a birthday with my sister?

and on her card I prefaced it with

so I asked him

and that about does it for tonight!  bye bye

Materials used:

Tim Holtz products:

Distress inks....vintage photo, black soot, antique linen, tea dye, faded jeans
Distress stains...vintage photo, tea dye, fired brick
adage tickets
numerals
Grungeboard...harlequin alphas, plain elements
tiny brads and pins

Fastenaer slots
Heidi Swapp stamp

Chapter 2013, page 4 of 365

Ok ok, I know, I missed a day...but I'll put it in here as page four anyways and write another later today.

You gotta understand tate the hardest part of writing on a blog every single day isn't the writing part, it's the remembering part, hence this late post. 

Does anybody have any good ideas on how to house break a six month old puppy that was kept in a crate most of her life?  She goes outside but doesn't seem to grasp the concept that she should go outside ALL THE TIME!!!!!  

Ok, that's it for now...be back later with page 5

Chapter 2013, page 3 of 365

Hello everybody....how's it going today?  Things around here are about normal for an animal occupied zone.  Annie is still trying to get Sage and Sage is still trying to totally frustrate Annie.  Growling and jumping and getting smacked are going to seem like an average day to that dog!

I am sitting here swimming in an absolutely heavenly aroma, wafting out of our kitchen, and am almost drooling!!!  But I have to wait, it has to cool, the directions say for TWO HOURS!!!!!


NOT

nope, no way, uh uh, not gonna happen....as soon as I judge that there is the slightest chance that I can devour it without needing burn ointment in my mouth, those pies are going to be ATTACKED!!!!  Yep, you heard me right, pies....made Trav a pumpkin pie the way He likes and made me one the way I like!  Hmm, better remind him to go take a picture for facebook....make Dave drool too!!!!!

Chapter 2013, Page 2 of 365

Wow, I'm impressed with me!  I remembered to come here today...lol  it's ok, you don't have to laugh, I know it's funny cuz I know ME.

Today was the first day back to work after being out sick, on vacation and the Holiday closure at UF...rough day....got tired really fast and couldn't concentrate on what I was doing for very long....tomorrow will be better!

I wish that I could take a video with my eye and post it here - that new puppy, Annie, is a master at clowning.  I don't think she sees it that way, but she is hilarious!!!  Take tonight for instance, she decided she didn't like Travs phone talking out loud, so she tried to bury it in the blankets....kept nosing the blankets around it then looking to see if it was still making noise, when it was, away she went again.  And then when I was trying to straighten the blankets back out she started flipping around the bed like a Tasmanian devil dog!!!  she kinda jumps in a circle but staying in place, then bounces a bit in one direction or the other and flips again - absolutely crazy!!!  short lived but very action packed!!!!  some day I'll get it on video and then YOU can laugh hard enough to p yourself too!!!!!!

Well that's it for today....thank You Lord for giving to me, Your great salvation so rich and free!!!!!

Chapter 2013, page 1 of 365

This is a new thing I thought I would try inspired by a pic on facebook that simply said "Chapter 2013, page 1 of 365", I loved the concept so....everyday I will write something, anything...a word, a sentence, a paragraph, a whole page or a story or something...and at the end of the year we can read it on NY Eve as a book of the year  lol    so.....


Let's start this off:


Happy New Year!!!! And it is! 
Crock pot running full blast with the pork and sauerkraut for our traditional New Year's day dinner....Trav and I are feeling better (good thing too, since we have to go back to work tomorrow) Annie girl is starting to get the idea about the doggie door and all seems right with our world.

Trav and I were reflecting on the year 2012 last night and although there were a few things that I wouldn't say were great, over all, the year was a happy one...we had a lot of changes at both our jobs, Trav's promotion (that he worked SO hard for) learning new things and making new friends as well as joining the church and gaining a whole new family.  The choir has been good for me, as it is a reminder of the miracle that God gave me, the ability to sing, as well as being fun. 

We are, by far, happier than we have ever been and it is an escalating condition it seems....the more we work at it the happier we are, with our lives, our faith and our relationship, Thank You God!

Finally, entering another challenge!

Well, here I am again, with another card to share. Simon says stamps is hosting a "just add a pearl" challenge and I have just the card for it.

This card was made using (shhh) walmart cardstock and an off brand die set. Nothing fancy but I think it looks pretty kewl. Hope you like it too.

Here is the website.

Simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/2012/10/challenge-just-add-pearl.HTML

One more Animal Story....

This is a story that is best told in person, but I am going to attempt to convey the humor of this potentially fatal encounter….let’s start at the beginning…

Tuesday evening, at approximately 11:30, I finally emerged from my craft room to see Rosie (black and white short haired domestic cat) attacking the rug in the kitchen.  Being the conscientious cat mom that I am, I immediately went to investigate.  I shooed her away, and flipped the rug up…and what do you think I found?  Yep, a wild critter, a two and a half foot long coral snake was stretched out on my kitchen floor…and he was NOT a happy camper.  My very first thought was, crap, did he bite the cats (two years ago on Christmas day my 18 year old Lover Boy died from a coral snake bite)?  My second thought was, crap, I have to do something! 

I am not afraid of snakes, have even kept them as pets in the past, and Trav and I have been known to relocate snakes for others as well.  Sometimes they are venomous, and sometimes we are just trying to save their lives.  But I have always had the time to think thru a plan of action and have always had Trav there to help me. 

This time, however, Trav was asleep, with his CPAP on and couldn’t hear me calling him out to help me.  And this time I had to keep both of our cats (Rosie and her sister, a fluffy grey tabby named Sage) away from the snake while trying to do something…have you ever heard the phrase “Herding cats”?  It’ NOT easy, let me assure you!!  After about 10 minutes of pushing cats away while simultaneously keeping a keen eye on the snake, they finally took the hint and plopped down on the kitchen floor to observe the rest of the circus, but ever ready to pounce should I give them the tiniest opportunity.

You know those kitchen tongs that look kinda like scissors?  You use them to bar b q…well, I grabbed a pair of those (the shorter one no less) and a small box that had a lid.  Then I stood there a second and just stared at that snake, wishing it would just disappear so I could relax.  Nope, it was not gonna co-operate on that wish.  So, what’s my plan?  I don’t want to try to pin his head the way I would with a larger snake, too much of a chance to get bit, that leaves the tail…take a deep breath and remember, once you start you CANNOT hesitate!!! You must follow thru or you Will get snake bit. 

And then I spring into action…swooping down and, in one smooth motion, snap that snake up off the floor by the tail with my tongs!!!!  I AM AWESOME!!! 

I take another deep breath to calm back down, occasionally I gently shake [shake] the snake hanging from the tongs to make him straighten back out (he is trying to curl up [shake] and get that THING off it’s tail so it can escape) as I figure out how to maneuver him [shake] into the box.  I give one final little shake [shake] and then quickly lower him into the box head first and slap the lid down on the tongs.  Taking my time now, I carefully remove the tongs and secure the box.

WOW, I DID IT!!!  Now I start to shake.  I go get my snake book to make absolutely sure that this is a coral snake and not a milk or a king snake.  No doubt, it’s a very dangerous reptile, and I have him in a little box in my kitchen sink….The freaking out is about to start!!  I go in and wake Trav (with difficulty as he is Sound asleep) so he can help me decide what to do next AND give me a hug and let me melt down in safety. 

He comes out and opens the box just a little and with a flashlight he peeks inside to make sure of my identification.  I was right (of course), so he asks if I am ok, I say I am, “are the cats ok?” as far as I can tell they are grand, full of rebellious energy and mischief (keeping in mind that it can take UP TO 18 hours for the effects of a coral snake bite to present, but pretty sure that the cats would show signs sooner due to their size). 

Now, what to do with the uninvited guest.  It’s close to midnight and we usually get up around 4:30 and get ready for work, so the thought of getting dressed and taking a long ride to a safe location to release him is just not going to make it…we agree that he is secure in the box and we can take him when we leave for work in the morning.  It takes a while to calm down (after crying on Travs shoulder and bemoaning the fact that we might lose our cats and him soothing me) so it’s close to one when I finally crawl into bed.  Yes, I checked on him before I went and the box was tightly closed and all was well.  Good night.

Yawn!!! 

Oh hey. 

Morning. 

Man I don’t do mornings well.  Gotta make my coffee and get my lunch made first thing….into the kitchen, get the stuff out for lunch…turn to the sink to rinse the coffee cup.  Pick up the box and think, “That’s pretty light”  give it a bit of a shake from side to side – nothing happens…WHAT????  Shake it again – same result!!!!!! Crap Crap Crap!!!!  The snake has escaped!!!!  In my house!!! With my fids!!!! (fur kids).  “TRAV”!!!!

First PUT ON SHOES!  Second start searching.  Third realize that this is an almost overwhelming task.  Then call in….clear the back room…exile the animals (not an easy task, that back room accumulates stuff faster than any place else). 

We are what some people call pack rats…we have a very hard time throwing away ANYTHING that may Someday be of use.  Not hoarders, mind, we do throw out trash.  But what this means to this story is that it could take literally weeks to get through all the ‘stuff’ in our house.  And when you contemplate that task using kitchen tongs to avoid getting bitten…it’s mind boggeling!

But we are determined and so we get started. 

Ten hours later, after a few breaks, we give up.  There is only so much a person can do without emptying out the entire house.  .  We pray.  We have to go to church tonight, I am singing a solo type thing for the Music Fest with the kids and Trav is doing the sound….we Have to go.  So we do.  We ask our fellow church members to pray too, we need those prayers right now.  They do, as they are reacting in various ways to the story we tell them.  No we are not moving out of our house.  No we are not burning it down.  Yes we are going to go home tonight and sleep there.  Yes we are going to go to work tomorrow.  Yes we are worried, mostly for the fids, but what else can we do?  Exactly.

We go home, love on the fids, watch a little TV, go to bed.  All the while keeping our eyes open and being ready for anything.   Nothing – sigh

Is it morning again?  Sigh, Ok, get up, get ready, go to work.  Worry all day about the fids….dread going home for fear of what we will find. 

What do we find when we get home?  Tug (jack Russell/spitz mix) is running around the yard and Rosie comes out to greet us.  Where is Sage?!?  Nowhere to be seen.  Ok, Put the stuff down and find her.  First walk thru the house…Wait, there she is…sitting on the kitchen floor staring at the crack under the bedroom door.  Is it the snake?  Does she see/smell/hear it? 

Quick!!!! Grab the tongs, shoo the cats away and search the bedroom again….45 minutes later – no snake.   Sigh

Change out of our work clothes, Trav into ratty jeans and a t shirt and me into my funky jammies (with shoes), go make dinner.  Sit on the couch and watch TV while we eat.  After a bit Trav pauses the show and wanders into the kitchen – for what I don’t know – but that’s ok, he’s allowed.  After a minute he calls my name.  “What”? says I.  “Lori, come here” says Trav.  “Why”? says me.  “COME HERE”!  says Trav.  Ok, ok…I’m coming.  “What’s up”? I ask.  He points to the corner of the kitchen as he continues to attempt to herd cats.  (why does this sound so familiar?) 

And there, in the corner of the cabinets, by the sink, is our little friend, the coral snake.  Doing his very best to dig an escape hole into the baseboard. 

Ok, whats the plan?  Um…. oh, don’t have any.  MAKE ONE _ QUICK!!!

Grab the tongs and with no hesitation or time to think about how dumb this might be, grab that sucker by the tail…AGAIN!!!!

YIPPEE!!! Caught him!!!  [shake] Um, Trav? [shake] What are we going to put him in?  [shake]When we were searching, we pretty much threw away all containers that we could so there were fewer places for him to hide.  [shake]  Is there a tote in the house? [shake] How bout emptying a food container? [shake]Duh!  I know!  Get a trash bag!  [shake] One of the smaller kitchen ones, open it and set it in the sink.  [shake] I put him in the bag and we hold it closed with the tongs and secure it with a twist tie.

Sigh of relief from both of us….we got him.  Now, what are we going to do with him?  Well, we are not going to kill him, that’s not our style.  So – lets hop in the car and take him out into the wilderness and let him go.  Oh man, I need to be careful holding him in that bag, he could conceivably bite me right thru it.  Riding in a car with that in front of me is not a pleasant thought.  Trav carries him out and plops the bag down in the bed of the truck.  [forehead slap] we own a TRUCK!!!  Ok, off we go…we go many miles into the wilds and find a nice looking spot and release our new friend into a life of nature. 

Now we are waiting to make sure the cats are ok…we are not sure yet, but think they are. 

{now, just image me telling story with me pantomiming that [shake] every other word….easy there, don’t die laughing!!!}

(after word…just so you don’ t worry, all the fids are fine and dandy….and the night after we released that snake back into the wild I watched a MOUSE being deviled by Rosie….when she saw me, she sat down and started bathing so the mouse ran away, straight into MY CRAFT ROOM!!!!  Sigh, life in the woods with fids is never dull)

Food Again (WARNING!! Longggg post)

If you have ever read my blog, then you are aware of just how much we like our food. We love to cook new stuff and try out new recipes and then share them...usually on FaceBook. And THAT is the main reason for this post tonight. I promised someone on FB that I would post about a recipe (or two) that we made this week.

The first is Bacon Wrapped Baby Potatoes

Now, we first had these at our family Christmas Dinner at our niece Becca's house - and they were GOOD. So we decided to make them to take with us to a bonfire a friend was having on New Year's Eve. Let me just say, we didn't bring any home. We simply served regular sour cream with them, nothing else.

here is the addy for where we got the actual recipe...
http://mylastbite.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/bacon-wrapped-baby-potatoes/

and the recipe follows:

Bacon Wrapped Baby Potatoes

I recently found a recipe for bacon-wrapped baby potatoes on Tastespotting and was sort of dumbfounded because I hadn’t made them before. I’ve wrapped bacon around breadsticks, hot dogs, scallops, beef, chicken, salmon, shrimp, jalapeños, cipollini onions, cherry tomatoes, dates, pineapple, prunes, figs, asparagus and even wrapped bacon around slices of fried SPAM. I know… pork on pork (Oink) !

When I clicked on the link to the recipe, I realized it was incomplete but decided to try them anyway. How difficult could it be?

Well it was EASY and FUN. I brought the ingredients to my sister’s house last night and the kids did all the work! We made two batches so there was plenty leftover for breakfast. The kids (who all cook) were discussing the best way to use the bacon-wrapped potatoes in the morning. Maybe cut them into chunks and scramble with some egg whites. Or smash them in a frying pan with a couple of eggs on top then add some cheese and broil everything. How about slicing them with some herbs for a simple side of hash browns?

The Recipe:

4 lbs. of baby potatoes, washed & patted dry

1 pack of regular bacon (not thick)

Toothpicks. Soak in water first to prevent burning.

Pre-heat the oven to 375F.

Depending on the size of the potato, cut and wrap the bacon around the potatoes and secure with a toothpick.

Place potatoes in a baking dish and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender and bacon is cooked to your liking.

Remove and drain on paper towels before serving.

-----------------------------------------------

Now the second recipe I am sharing tonight is a direct result of Storm Roberts, from the radio station KTK, posting a picture...the item looked SO good that I had to find it and try it. Trav posted a picture, but it really didn't do it justice.

here is the addy for the Bacon and Egg Cupcakes:

http://thegorge.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/bacon-and-egg-cupcakes/

bacon and egg cupcakes

July 22, 2011

Although not technically a cupcake in the traditional sense, these bacon wrapped eggs from Recipe Cards are a cute and impressive addition to any brunch spread – not to mention a total breeze to make using minimal ingredients and taking less than 20 minutes to whip together!

So many wonderful recipes are written to make enormous batches, leaving a lot of lonely leftovers. These fantastic little “cupcakes” are made individually so you only have to make exactly how many you want right now; for your family, your breakfast-for-dinner party, or just you.

Bacon and Egg Cupcakes Ingredients

• eggs (one per cupcake)
• bacon (approximately 1 1/2 strips per cupcake)
• cheese (shredded or crumbled – use your favorite, mine is cheddar jack)
• chopped herbs (thyme, chives, rosemary, dill – anything you like, I like basil)
• salt and pepper (pinches each, per cupcake)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook bacon until browned, but not crispy.

In a greased muffin tin, line a muffin cup with a full strip of bacon. In this “cupcake” the bacon acts as the liner – holding the delicious goods all together with no need to peel off and discard, just eat it right up!

Tear about half a strip of bacon into little bits and fill the bottom of the muffin tin.

Crack an egg into each tasty bacon cup.

Season with salt and pepper. While you’re at it, take a moment to appreciate the song styling of Salt-N-Pepa.

Fill each cup with cheese and sprinkle with herbs.

Cook for 10-15 minutes (mine were good around the 12 minute mark).

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a minute or two. Two of these self-contained breakfast vessels make for one sturdy serving.

Serve with sliced tomato, fresh fruit, home fries, Bloody Marys and you’ve got another delightful reason to get out of bed on a Sunday!

It actually took a few minutes longer for ours as we used extra large eggs, but otherwise this is an excellent recipe. And they are Delish!!!!

Thanks for your patience with this very long post, and I hope I will be back sooner than later.

Happy new year to you all!

Cirque Du Soleil_Dralion

I am SO excited!!! I just got an email telling me that I won two tickets to

Cirque Du Soleil_Dralion

So Trav and I will be busy one night soon! YYIIPPEEEE!!!!!!

This is one of those shows that I would want to go see even if it meant going without craft supplies for a couple of weeks. (lol) And I entered a radio contest and my name was chosen...YYEEEHAAAWWW!!!

Can you tell I'm happy? Gonna go pick those babys up next week, just to make sure they are in my hot little hand in plenty of time. WOOT WOOT!!!

I hope I get to see some of you there too.

I WON!!

Hi Everybody, I'm BACK!!!!

now, you all know how much I love crafting - at home or at shows or even at a family members house (only ever did two crops - didn't work out for me, kept trying to teach instead of scrapbook), well a few of us have decided to change it up a bit and are now getting together at a friends house for Art Night. So far we are trying our hands at oil painting ala Bob Ross. Not doing so bad overall. Who knows what this might blossom into? I'll let you know as it evolves and try to post pictures as they are created. Tonight is Art Night, so there should be Something to add tomorrow. See ya then

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #35

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #35

This is the last of the CCC and we are sure going to miss them. I know that Linda has more fun stuff up her sleeve, but it can't be the same...or can it?

Anyhoo, this is a card I made for the CCC#35....Design Details for Studio L3, presided over by the Awesome Linda!!! These challenges have come straight from the mighty Tim Holtz new book, A Compendium of Curiosities (which you can get here) and I must say these have been fun. I never did take part in a challenge prior to these and I am SO glad I did!!!! I am also going to enter this one at All Things Tim and at Simon Says Stamp and Show (which I didn't know until just now when I went to see what their challenge was this week - metal, works for me)


So, here we have the Back of my front lol (I almost always do a 'front' that is a quarter inch smaller than the card, that way I can have items which would otherwise show on the inside of the card, like brads and stitching.) I just wanted you to see how kewl it looks, nothing like the front, but I think it's neat.


Then here is the overall finished card



And then there are a couple of the design elements....I am almost ashamed to say that pretty much, the DI in Spiced Marmalade and Peeled Paint are about all the Tim stuff I used! Oh wait!!! I used alcohol inks on the letters!!!! Whew, I feel better now! lol

Here we have a bingo piece from a very old childs game.
This is showing the details of the letters, which started out bright shiney silver and i applied various shades of alcohol inks to obtain that look.
Here you can see the stitching which is done with a holiday thread with real metal in it...
This is a piece of ribbon from my stash, started out pink, but then it got a dose of Antique Photo and a spritz of water
Here you can see one of my 'smashed' brads
a few more smashed brads

and that's it, my last CCC card. sad I think, but now I'm looking forward to what else Linda has in store for us. See you next week!!!!

Studio L3
Tim Holtz
Simon Says Stamp and Show
All Things Tim

Compendium of Curiosities Challenges #34

(no I do not know why it will not turn correctly, sorry)



Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #34
Dimensional Collage Fragments

Wow, again at the last minute...I'm not usually this scattered, but lately? just wow.

anyways, the challenge is from Linda at Studio L3 and she has hosted this for a very long time now, obviously, we ARE on #34! The book these techniques come from is "Compendium of Curiosities" by Tim Holtz and you can buy your very own copy here.

This is a very simple card, using a fragment, some odds and ends from my craft table and a failed attempt at an enamel techniqe from an earlier challenge. My colors are spiced marmalade and antique photo. And that's about it. hope you like it






Studio L3
All Things Tim
Tim Holtz