it's almost october

& these are the cards i'm finishing up for a swap with my friends at ScrapEtc! they have to be mailed out pretty soon & once i got started, i just couldn't stop myself! i've decided to post them in their entirety, rather than just a sneaky peek, since i have 3 different fronts & 2 different card back styles (i didn't have enough of the cardstock images to make them all identical, and they were so cute, i couldn't pick just one style anyway!) supplies used: martha stewart vintage pumpkin edge/embosser; bo bunny cardstock: circles/photo corners/cut up journaling spots; black/orange cardstock, vintage orange glass glitter, words are stamped & embossed.
thanks for looking!

g's fideo soup

made this tonight. Sophia gave me basic instructions, but i winged it. it's good & tasty & it's 4 ww points per serving. anything that lets me enjoy a good heap o noodles is OK by me! makes a good 10 servings

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
12 oz cut Fideo pasta- Uncooked
12 serving wolfgang puck hearty chicken stock (any brand will work)
1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin


in a large wok (what i used)or a very deep/extra large stir fry pan, heat the oil over med-low heat. brown the cut fideo until golden brown (5-7 min) add chicken stock (more can be added if you want even thinner soup), and tomato sauce (again-add a little more sauce to color it darker if desired) heat to boiling, then lower heat, cover & simmer until noodles are tender-approx. 8 minutes. serve with whole wheat tortillas or low fat grilled cheese or a garden salad on the side! Easy-Peasy, feeds a big crowd & YUM!

Garnish with fresh avocado slices, cilantro and low-fat sour cream if desired. Enjoy!

altered notebooks

bought some notebooks the other day (fifty cents each at target)- they're the old school style composition notebooks with heavy covers! i couldn't resist altering them with fun sassafras lass papers & other goodies i had in my stash. i made one for my daughter to draw & cut/paste things in (she has fallen in love with safety scissors!) the robot one is for my good friend Zach! so fun!
other news: my eyes are healing- they're not as red & swollen, and i'm not feeling really sick anymore, but they're still a bit watery, irritated & sensitive to the light-it's been such a pain! at least i don't need to use the antibiotic drops any longer! mimi's sty is shrinking, with no sign of pink eye (yet). thank goodness. some of my in-laws return to Vegas this coming weekend for a wedding we're all attending. i don't have a thing to wear. hoping i can find something remotely cute- ugh. it reminds me that i really need to start following ww online again- i really need to commit so i can feel a little better about myself. it's just so hard for me to stick with it!
oh well- tomorrow is a new day right?! i so hope i can get some rest tonight!
^0^

Wilna's Cupcakes & Coffee class (tons of pics)

WOW is Wilna's Cupcakes & Coffee class ever a fun one! we have 10 days of projects & we made 3 in the first week! A book from a starbuck's cup, a sleeve album, and 3 canvasses (all featuring her artwork!)
Here's my album made from a starbuck's coffee sleeve. Wilna made adorable artwork for us to use- on each project-& this one is so cute & sweet! i finally have a finished little book to keep in my purse (to make something to carry with me has been on my to-do list forever!) i love it! thanks for looking! hope you're having a great weekend!
^o^

oh my eyes....my eyes!! (repeat in your best borris karlov monster voice)

i've been quite sick all week with horrible pink eye in both eyes! i can hardly stand to look at the computer- it really makes them more watery & itchy. if i try to sit too long, they get so cloudy that i can't really see at all. i took Mimi to the doctor this past monday- she has a large stye on the inside of her right top eyelid (relieved because i thought it was a chalazion for sure) and the pediatrician said, what's up with YOUR eyes too & gave us both prescription antibiotic drops. Yes-it is a total nightmare to try & give a toddler eye drops- it's practically hopeless! anyway- i'm glad it's me who got the contagious ick in both eyes, and MC got the sty. (fyi- a sty isn't contagious, it just looks scary)--doctor guessed that the ocean water we played in was pretty germ-y, and likely caused the sty. hope it all clears up soon. see- now i've been typing too long & the tears are streaming down my face...gotta run.
xo
^0^

um, where did august go? (picture heavy post)

i cannot believe it's been so long since i've posted! we just got home from our annual San Diego trip to celebrate our baby girl's birthday! can you believe she's f-o-u-r? totally blowing my mind...better not blink- it's flying by! anyway- we had tons of fun! we stayed right near Sea World again, and loved it. we had dinner with Shamu, saw our favorite dolphin show (sing the soak zone song along with me people) and of course our family favorite- a visit with the moray eels! we had a breakfast with Elmo & friends, enjoyed watching her run about in the water park area, rode some rides, played some carnival games, chased each other in the grass & just had a ball. all in all, there was lots of smiling and dancing and acting silly. we relaxed on the beach (so so good for all of us), we dug in the sand, we made a cute sand sculpture,we found some sand dollars, we got sunburned (not so fun, but we all have a nice glow now)and ate gobs of junk food (can you say fruit, soup & salad are all i can eat until i recover?!) crisco rented a wet suit & a long-board & fell in love with surfing (it was already on my list of mom/daughter things to do because i've always wanted to try it)- he also stepped on a stingray and required immediate attention & no, i'm not joking! he really stepped on one & it stabbed him in his foot! it was pretty scary because the wound was bleeding pretty heavy- like maybe it would need some stitches,and a short while later he was in excruciating pain as the venom moved up his leg! the lifeguards had him soak the injury in a very hot tub of water for about an hour, and then he had to soak it as needed in order to neutralize the toxin and kill the pain. crazy. i'm so so thankful it wasn't life-threatening and that he's healing up just fine. he was bummed that he had to stop surfing! anyway- here are photos of some of the highlights- a few are coming soon to some scrappy projects, i'm sure! so enjoy, i'm off to bed- it's super late already!
^o^


nothin' like a CA sunset!

our cute cat sand sculpture!

my loves

the beach just rocks!

water park fun!


dude, you're ridin' it!


stingray sting

kaPOW!