Thanksgiving leftovers!

We were so blessed to have our family fill our home on Thanksgiving! We had the 20 pound turkey spreading delicious smells through the house by 9:00 in the morning, and it just got better from there. The sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy just added to the layers of heavenly smells pouring through the house by the time we were ready to eat. Roxanne, her darling boys and husband and my mom and dad were able to join us. It was an absolutely delightful day spent catching up with each other and watching the kids play!

It has been a wonderful and relaxing weekend as well! Kim and I spent Saturday visiting the two Heartland shops. Kim did a make-n-take that was adorable and had all the shoppers ooohing and aaahing! After that we had a chance to sit down and scrap with Roxanne and Julie for a few hours, so fun!!!

How was your holiday weekend?

B-

The Drama of the Nonfat Dry Milk...

Not to be confused
with the
"Stories of the
Sweetened
Condensed Milk"

or
"Tales of the
Evaporated
Milk".
(I will save those for another telling...)
No this little ditty is of the same genre, mystery, but this one is a serial (not to be confused as a cereal!) because it is continued every year on Thanksgiving day.

The treasured recipe for delicious dinner rolls is found in its special book, the ingredients carefully prepared and measured. And just as the yeast is being prepared to start its journey to bring life to the rolls that are integral to every family get together, it is discovered that one critical ingredient has yet to be found and measured...

That elusive nonfat dry milk! Where does it go to hide? We all know that no one will actually make it into a glass of milk to drink, and no other recipe we prepare uses it. Yet every Thanksgiving when it is time to prepare this favorite roll recipe, the nonfat dry milk is no where to be found. And every year an emergency trip to the market has to be made in spite of all those long lists and other trips previously made. How lucky we are this year to finally have a teen age son who was willing to run out and acquire this essential item with enthusiasm (and the reward of one bottle of Dr. Pepper). Quite honestly when I noticed and then mentioned to Dave that we would have to make that special trip, we both sighed heavily and rolled our eyes, "not again" was the thought that we both shared. How many times does this scenario have to be played before we can figure out how to prepare for this event completely? That my friends is the mystery, I am hoping that the telling of this drama will place it more completely in my conscience so that it does not have to bear repeating, but unfortunately, I know myself a little too well. Alas, it is my belief that we will yet again have an installment in this unfortunate series, and that it will be just as amusing as this year's episode was.

In spite of all that transpired, the rolls were delicious, and the homemade blackberry jam was thrilled to have such a spectacular ride into the gullets of my guests.

;)

B-

Oh my goodness!!!

Such a week since getting home, so much to catch up on!

We have been very busy with work at Cornish Heritage Farms too, loads of amazing art coming down the road, it just keeps getting better!

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of this project, but it is from the Thomas Kinkade Christmas pack! This paper is so pretty, and it makes cardmmaking a snap. This card was inspired by my wishing for it to snow more very soon. It has been unseasonably warm for the last couple of weeks, and I am ready for winter!!!

I loved hearing what you all have for your holiday meals! Dave and I have finalized our menu, and I am hungry already thinking about it.

Cheese and cracker plate
Fresh veggie plate
Fresh turkey
Spring Mix salad with gorgonzola cheese, comice pears and toasted pecans with vinagrette
Fresh green bean casserole
Broccoli
Whipped maple syrup yams with cinnamon and pecans
Mashed potatoes
Homemade rolls
Blackberry/apple jam
Homemade Apple pie

I have been doing a bunch of prep for Thanksgiving so there is less to do on that day. I am so happy when I get to cook for everyone, so fun!!! I have a fresh twenty pound turkey in the fridge, I have made the blackberry/apple jam, the yams are boiled and will be whipped with maple syrup, sourcream and cinnamon, the pecans were toasted with maple syrup, garlic powder and cracked black pepper for my yummy salad, and my list for finishing the shopping tomorrow is made and will be done early so that I don't have to deal with last minute crowds!

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you can eat yourselves silly as well!

B-

Good times in Vancouver

Thanks Christina for a great time!!!
A few of the pictures from our outing at Granville Island, a gorgeous Vancouver day!

Cool November morning

It is a beautiful morning here today! Much needed moisture has arrived and the mountains are covered, while the benches and valleys received a cool, cleansing few days of down pour.

With the rain comes the mud, and the doggy boys are on limited license when it comes to getting play time in the back yard. This weather gives me more creative juice, and I am trying my best to make little projects here and there. I really love my job doing as the Marketing Director for Cornish Heritage Farms, but it has decreased my creative time substantially!

I am so excited though because we have products coming out that are so amazing! Tomorrow we are having another Saturday Evening Post release that is going to be a classic.
I just need a few more minutes in every day, LOL! (who doesn't?)

I am getting the laundry finished up and organizing the things that I need to get into my bag for my trip tomorrow. I can't wait to get to Vancouver!
A little get away is going to do me a lot of good, and I hope to get home next week renewed and ready to take it all back on again!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and the menu is already in negotiations with the family members that will be attending! What are your favorite must have dishes?

See you in a few days, and don't have too much fun without me!

B-

Classic

I finally got to spend some time in my craft room last night, so very happy! I was able to make a card using one of the stamps that is releasing tomorrow...

GM 1955 classic Corvette!

I used some of the Rummage Bin sets to give it more of a collaged look, it gave it some depth and interest! I stamped on CHF "Scrapblock" paper with Tsukineko ultrafine in black and matted on black Prism Cardstock. The fun stripe is by SEI.

This was a fun card to make, and one that I know my Dad will love! (even with a bow, LOL!)

I am trying to get all my little duckies in a row so that getting on my way to Vancouver will be a piece of cake! So excited!

B-

I got to use my camera today, for reals!

Forgive me for sharing so many of the pics from today, but these kids are SOOOOOOOOOOOO cute!!!!

They were so well behaved, and we had so much fun taking their pictures! We even had a little snowball throwing for good measure!

I have so much to learn when I am behind the lens, but at least I know my way around photoshop!These brushes are by Sande Krieger and can be found at 2 peas in the digital scrapbooking section, here is a link for those of you who would like:

Joyeux Noel

I could follow these two around for days and not get enough of them, my spoon isn't big enough!

Thanks to Jill for inviting me over and sharing her sweeties!

B-

A little digi play this evening!

I played in the digi challenge at 2 Peas last week, they were RAKing a few of the participants who shared their work, and I received one of the gift cards. WOOT!

So I splurged it all on one little kit that Rhonna did called "a camping we will go".

I did a little re-color on a few of the elements and used elements from a couple of pcLayers kits to complete the look that I was going for, very fun!

The colors of fall are always so rich, it is just so inspiring for me!

Hope you are finding your creative groove too!

B-

Yay, a snow day!

So fun to wake up this morning to a snow storm!

It is so beautiful!!!!



There was about 3 inches on the ground at about 6:00 am, and it kept accumulating through most of the day! By the time the storm had finished in the mid-afternoon, there was over 8 inches of freshies!!!


Doesn't that look comfortable?

;)


I love how much fun the boy-zois
had running and chasing through all of it, so cute!!!

It is so fun having a better camera to take pics too, it is so much faster! I can actually catch the boys in action, impossible before!

By tomorrow, it will be mostly melted, but for today it is a wonderful blanket of fresh white fun!

B-

A new Method Playground post

This challenge is one that came from me. I love to play with my paper, maybe that much is apparent by now, LOL! So this challenge came from my penchant to put pleats into my paper and use it as an embellishment on my page somehow. I have had a few projects published with this technique too, and I hope that it gains in popularity! It is a terrific way to get texture, to create matching "ribbon" like elements that match your other papers without the expense of real ribbon and just plain old cool looking!

Go check it out and play if you have some time!

In other not so interesting news, we are having a very typical fall Monday with no drama and a storm front moving in. Usually that gets me excited for the coming winter, but my knee has been extra grumpy the last few months, so it means that I either need to go to the gym or the orthopede. Gym seems like the better place to start, LOL! Couldn't be too much tennis that is getting the darn thing so worked up, could it? ;)

I gave up my running because of the impact, but couldn't give up the tennis. Got to stay sane somehow! (what else can you hit hard that comes back for more?)

Speaking of hitting hard, I got pounded in the kidney this morning...

Really glad that I got my back to it before it got me in gut, that would have hurt even more! There will be one nice big bruise there for the next week! :0) Badge of honor! (or stupidity, not sure which yet)

So snow will be flying here tomorrow, very exciting! Voting will be interesting, have to get out and get it done early. Carpool in the afternoon will be even more so, the first few storms are hard because people forget how to deal.

Just a little over a week until I head to Canda too! Got to start getting ready for my good times there! Woot!

And then Thanksgiving is here!

Getting a little ahead of myself here, just need to take it one day at a time...

;)

B-

Pumpkin bars!

Happy November first all!

A few of you have been angling for the pumpkin bar recipe that I have been devouring all month! Dave makes these for us, and the recipe came from one of the local tv stations (can't remember which one). A great dessert to serve to a crowd, and they also stay nice for a few days if you aren't going to eat them all at once. Yummy with a cup of tea, coffee or cocoa for a light snack ;)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients:

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups of sugar

1 cup of Canola oil

1 27 ounce can of pumpkin

Combine in a separate bowl the dry ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

slowly combine dry ingredients into the wet mix.

Grease large pan with cooking spray. Pour into pan and gently spread, bake for about 25 minutes. Check center with toothpick for doneness.

Let cool and then frost with cream chees icing.

Cream cheese icing:

1 8 ounce pack of cream cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup of butter at room temperature

2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

B-