INDULGENCE!

Ok, thought I would share a sinful recipe for the holidays...this is a favorite in our house...and everyone requests it!

I only make it at the holidays because it is so horribly delicious and addicting (and fattening!, but shhh, let's not say that one aloud!)

I am off to make some...and will revise this and post a photo, tonight!

Toffee-Top Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes plus baking time
Servings: 36 bars

What You'll Need
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) cocoa powder
1/4 tsp (1 mL) baking soda
3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, softened
1 pkg (250 mL) cream cheese, softened
1 can (300 mL)Regular or Low Fat Eagle Brand®
2 eggs1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1 pkg (225 g) toffee bits*, divided

What's Next
1. Combine flour, powdered sugar, cocoa and baking soda, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press into bottom of parchment paper-lined 13x9-inch (3.5 L) baking pan. Bake in preheated 350°F (180°C) oven 15 minutes.

2. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add Eagle Brand, eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in 2/3 cup (150 mL) toffee bits. Pour mixture over hot crust.

3. Bake 25 minutes or until set and edges just begin to brown.

4. Remove from oven. cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle remaining toffee bits evenly over top. Cool completely. Chill 4 hours. Cut into bars.

Adverbs Adverbs and more Adverbs!

I am working on a LO for a challenge...using an adverb. What fun! I have found so many fun ideas for titles...thanks to this website http://www.esldesk.com/vocabulary/adverbs.htm

Check it out!

Holiday Cards...

There was a call out on the Fiskateers message board to send in holiday cards. Here is the one I created for the occassion...

FRONT

INSIDE

BACK

Since I did not have any Fiskars family papers (Cloud 9 or Heidi Grace), I opted to use a variety of Fiskars tools to create the card. For this, I used my ultra shape express with diamond and circle templates. It was such a breeze...and so much fun!

4 More Holiday Ornament Cards

I have already begun working on a few other ideas for similar cards for each of the season...and as I complete them, I will be sharing those here as well!

Happy Friday!

Quilts & More

My absolute favorite quilting magazine is Better Homes & Gardens Quilts and More. I just picked up the Winter 2007 edition...ohh, I wanna go sew!! :D They have some of the cutest projects and great gift ideas. I think I am going to make my daughter a kitche apron...heck, I could probably make my 8-year-old son one too, since he is a budding chef, as well! From totes, to stockings to snowflakes (and we all know that I just LOVE snowflakes almost as much as I love cherries!)...so many great ideas!

Well, I am off to make lunch for the kiddies...and break out my sewing machine!

Sigh...!

12:12 make a wish!

Another day disappears!

Where did it go? I swear it was here just a minute ago! I can't believe the day is over. I still have so much to do...things I must, things I want to...blah!

I missed finishing Sketch #1 and the Local Flavor LOs for the Fiskars online crop. Deadling was today. oops! I kinda forgot - thought I had til tomorrow...I was being more responsible by doing school instead of scrapping! ;)

Tomorrow - today - is another day! I really want to finish at least the sketch 1 lo...I think I am on to something with it - finally! I have to finish my English essay...post my journal...do my response paper...

But all that will just have to wait...cause right now, I'm off to bed...

Garden Girl...My Rules - Fiskars Tools

When I saw this kit at Paper Zone, I couldn't resist! It is SEI Doodley Doo Girl. It is just so cute! It came with an assortment of double sided papers (I hated not being able to use both sides at the same time!), as well as card stock stickers/tags/frames, card stock sticker letters (2 styles - LOVE THESE THINGS!!!) and a sheet of velvet paper (I haven't had the heart to cut into this one yet!) The cardstock is DCWV...two tones of green, two tones of a dusty purple/mauve.

Close up of the embellishment details...flowers held on by silver brads.

For journalling, I hand cut leaves (with my trusty Fiskars scissors) and wrote different adjectives to describe my daughter.

Two Pages Together.

Left Page.

Right Page.

I love scallops...so to make the frame, I used my Fiskars USE and scallop template. It is so easy, and pretty darn quick once you get the hang of it. I love it! I use it all the time...and don't know how I ever lived without it!

Thanks for looking!

This is Halloween - This is Halloween!

Noel Mignon Challenge for the past couple weeks has been Halloween...and since I always love a good challenge, I dug through the boxes and boxes of photos and actually found some Halloween pics (and finally scrapped them!) Of course, Halloween is my FAVORITE time of year, so just adding them to the regular album was not good enough, plus for some Halloweens I only have 1 or 2 (not so good) pics...so I decided to create an album just for our Halloween adventures. I am calling it "This is Halloween -This is Halloween" after the Nightmare Before Christmas song. When I get around to a front page, I will add the lyrics. I know Aoife will appreciate that because she runs around the house singing that song all the time - like mother, like daughter!

So, I am off to a pretty good start...

Halloween 1997. Spider-Man costume (which was more of an every day jogging suit cause the kid loved Spider-Man so much - another genetic trait ;)) made by yours truly...heck, my leopard fur pants, vest and ears were made by me, too!

Next...VAMPRINCESS! Another Carlee outfit...crushed velvet bodice, lace trim neck and sleeves, spiderweb netting overskirt and black satin underskirt...she was adorable!
And finally...
Anne Boleyn, Back from the Dead :) And another dress made by Carlee...30 or so spiral and/or spring steel bones in the bodice. At least 6 yards of fabric in the skirt alone. I loved making this dress...too bad I only got to wear it for one day - but at least I got to wear it to school and out at night...so it was a full day! :)

I still have some photos left to scrap: Pippi Longstocking and a baby bear; Johnny Knoxville, a dead murderer and a lady bug; a bumble bee, Vaati and Zant (Zelda characters). Oh, and I guess I will have to "redawn" my Sally costume from last year since I don't think I got any photos of me - that's what happens when you are the family photog!

Until next time...

Sketch #2

This is my take on Fiskateers Round-Up Sketch #2.

These are the first photos I have printed off on my HP Photo Printer...not too shabby! :)

Heidi Grace Rub-Ons from the Harvest Row Collection to accent the top of the page. DCVW Card Stock and pumpkin patterned paper. Making Memories pumpkin brads (so glad I finally got to use them...they are so cute!)

Thanks for looking!

Round-Up Round 1

So it has begun!!! The Fiskateers Online Round-Up is officially underway! WOO HOOO!

If you are not part of the fun, you gotta check it out. It is already in full swing and there is a delicious recipe thread that makes my mouth water just reading it! :) hehe

I have my stack of photos...And so the fun begins!!!

BBL with updates!

This, that and the other...

So, the Halloween Ceilidh was a bust - the hall messed up, so everything got messed up. *SIGH* but I couldn't let all the fun I had planned for the kids go to waste, so I invited some people, and a bunch of kids over to the house. Of course, this was only with a few short hours notice, so I had to clean my "office" (read: dining room/living room) in order to "entertain." Woah! What! Yeah, it was a mad rush, but I did it...so I guess I am now officially ready for the Fiskateers On-line crop that starts on Nov 1st! :) woo hoooooo!

I am getting some photos printed today (Vegas pics from K&Ms wedding)...not that I need any more pics to scrap, but since that experience is fresh in my mind, I would to get it on paper right away. I have a few pages of notes and ideas...I can't wait to create!

I have a midterm paper due tomorrow, and then another due on next Monday. I have a test this week, too! So, I had guess I had better get a move on or all my scrap ideas will be put on hold even longer!

1 week til Round-Up!

OhHhHhHhh!

1 week til the start of the Fiskars (online) Round-Up! I can't wait!!! I am trying to get all my "work" and "school" done so I have a few free days to craft my life away! I had fun at my first online crop with Fiskars in Sept...and then again in Oct...they just rock! So much fun! So much inspiration! So many awesome ideas floatin about!

Be there, or be square!

the {W}RIGHT men

I have had this photo of my eldest son, father and grandfather for years...probably about 8. It has followed me around, never getting put into the stacks of other photos, but rather, always mixed in with my note books or papers. The poor photo has been shuffled here and there, just begging for some attention - an envelope to keep it safe, or a frame to show it off...well, I finally did one step better and scrapped it! :)

It sat matted for some time, and it was not until I got a little push with a "finish those projects" challenge, that I actually completed a layout for this baby. I am so glad I did! I absolutely LOVE how it turned out and I can't wait to show it off! I emailed it to my dad this morning :)

Solid cardstock is DCVW. Patterned paper and embellishments (minus black ribbon) are all Heidi Grace from the Maple Crest Ct. line. It is a great line, I was just not sure where to go with all the goodies...chipboard, cardstock stickers, rub-ons, flowers...finally, something spoke to me and they all came together! I antiqued all the edges, used white pen for part of the title, and did some of my own doodles to accent the rub-ons used. The background is orange, although it looks like it has a pink hue to it in the photo. The colors are all very soft...and I just love it (did I say that already?)

Thanks for looking!!!

Scrap Challenge

If you scrap, and even if you don't scrap, you need to check out Scrapitivity. It is a new scrapbooking challenge site that just started - today! The first challenge is to scrap about something everyday, and the sample give is a page from a magazine. The second sample is a mini book based on fashion pictures from mags - THE LIGHT JUST WENT ON! It is wayyy toooo cool! I have so many pictures torn from magazines...so many samples of cool clothes (especially corsets) that deserve to be shared, shown, and displayed. I am so gonna scraplift that idea!!!

So, although I cannot scrap about the everyday right now (I have to complete 2 school assignments), I will definitely be participating in this challenge...a scrapper can never have too many challenges ;)

From whence the baby came...

So, Sterling, my 8 year old, and I have had the conversation of where babies come from...well, actually, he had the conversation, I just listened. He told me that babies are "pooped out." I laughed, and made the joke of that is why he can be such a little...well, anyway, the kids are wating Surfs Up...and Sterling just came running in here (the other room) saying "I knew it! I knew it!" Mom, baffled looking, curiously asks, "Know what?" Sterling replies, "I knew that babies were pooped out! Tank just said that his mom just pooped him out and put him on the board...I knew babies were pooped out! I WAS right!!!"

Kids say the darnest things....and how am I supposed to compete with that?! ;)

a ME book Idea

I just went back and looked at the whole 3 posts in my blog - lol - Something funny would make a great about me book. I wanted to remember that thought, and since I rarely remember unless I write myself a note, I figured I had better write myself a note - NOTE WRITTEN - here it is! :)

Sewing Today...must not scrapbook - must not scrap!

Next week this time I will be preparing for a wedding...well, actually, I will probably be sitting in a hotel room, just rolling out of bed or something...but next week tonight, I will be at a wedding! And here I type, instead of sewing...which I really should be doing since I am making the bride's outfit! The skirt is done...the jacket will take an hour...the corset is cut out. I need to sew, but I cannot find all my nifty sewing gadgets. That is what I get for having a dining table office - everything in totes, hidden in the garage until I need it. I wish I had someone to work that was a central location...oh well, one day!

I have a few scrap LOs planned...well, at least the papers picked out, and I so want to get working on them, but I need to be sewing, so I am trying not to look at them - or think about them. I figured if I talked about them that would satisfy the craving - for the moment.

Craving satisified - until.....who knows!

Well, the day has begun, so I gotta get going...and sewing!

Let's start with something funny...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Follie Windstar

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Vanilla Bean Scotchie

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
C Mur

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Black Platypus

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Louise Victoria

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Mur Ca

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put "The")
Blue the Paralyzer

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Stanley Thomas

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy)
Peach Truffle

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names )
Joan Mitchell

It's Official...

It's Official....I'm a blogger!!!