smile (05)

i delight in the magic of my five year old!
for homework this week, we spent some crafty time & made masks out of paper plates. we used some paint & glimmer mist, a sharpie marker, a pair of scissors, tape and string- so easy & fun! it got even better when we started playing with them! this tiger's either very silly or very hungry- i think i'd better hide!
{BIG HUGS}
-g
^o^

a day in the life (prompt04)

yesterday was another busy day for us- school, cranium kids, errands, dinner, homework, bath & more. while dd was at school, i picked up 'Aliens in the Attic' on dvd, wrapped it and made a cute note tag- she loved her special surprise when we got home! the hubs has been working long hours so she's been kind of bummed. anyway- in my usual rush to try & get dinner on the table, i opened up the cabinets to see what i might fix & happened upon my old recipe book. i pulled it down and one of my Mom's recipes fell out! i smiled as i picked it up & re-read one of my childhood favorites that my Mom lovingly typed up-'broccoli for gab'. the paper is so worn & torn from heavy use over the years, and i could clearly hear her voice in my mind as i read over the directions. i checked the fridge & was happy to find that i had everything i needed to make it for dinner. it turned out great and was such a nice memory & celebration of my Mom too. it's such an old comfort food for me- just what the hectic day & my nerves needed. the upcoming holidays are the time when i miss my parents the most. although we enjoyed this dish at holiday meals, we had it often, all year round. here's the recipe to share. my hubs loves it & he doesn't even like broccoli ;)
i hope you enjoy it too!
{{BIG HUGS}}
-g
^o^
click to enlarge & then control+click to 'save as' to your computer:



Credits:
gift note tag made with My Favorite Things Snow Bunny stamp set, colored pencils, momento black ink.
digital recipe card file is part of House of 3- Recipe card printable kit ($3.00)
rounded corner frame on top photo by House of 3 too.

a few cool places for inspo (prompt03)

thought i'd share a short list of just a few fun & crafty places online!

Suzi Blu's Les Petit Academy i took the first Petit Dolls class and i've been hooked ever since. Suzi is an amazing artist & teacher and it makes my heart happy when i can register for her online classes- come & give something new a try- her classes & workshops are affordable and good for the soul! You will create something incredible and will LOVE your results. if you can't swing a class, you can check out & subscribe to her awesome video posts on Suzibluetube-she's got lots of art journaling technique & tips & more! Oh and her blog is A Lovely Dream ;)

My Favorite Things has become one of my most favorite manufacturers for cool, new stamps. They have a big DT that is over the top incredible- you have to check out their gallery on Splitcoast- but be warned you may have to start something crafty almost immediately!! If you're not a Splitcoast member- it's free to sign up-they have incredible tutorials and galleries <3

a daily must-read/stop on the net for me is the Hero Arts blog--go feast on the eye candy right now!

Artchix studio has tons of cool crafty goodies from jewelry/charm making supplies to awesome collage sheets! they have a great gallery and tutorials too! Altered art heaven!

for scrappy kits- you have to check out Noel Mignon- her kits are jam packed with all the latest & greatest products and then some! these kits are a serious value for the money and not a single one has ever disappointed. Online forum, online challenges- amazing DT- you need to check it all out!

i can't wait to see all the different kind of 'lists' my fellow Blogging for Scrapbookers (see sidebar too) classmates have posted!

i'm thrilled tomorrow is Friday as it means only one more day & then i'll get a chance to catch up around the house & have a bit of down (crafty?!) time. YAY!
night all! see you soon!
{{BIG HUGS}}
g
^o^

the letter (prompt-02)

digital brush for rounded corners by house of 3

i got a letter the other day from my doctor reminding me that they have not yet received the results of my screening mammogram, and that if i hadn't done so already, to please schedule one. my eyes froze as several lines leaped from the page before me "...please understand that we cannot be responsible for missing a diagnosis of breast cancer..." i'm still getting chills. i need to have this test done of course, and i've just been putting it off. i am afraid. i have been through a heck of a lot of major medical stuff, and i dread even the possibility of having to deal with more anytime soon, so my mind starts running away with crazy ideas. i get so worked up & anxious, and i can't even start considering thoughts of the 'C" word or i'll just freak. i didn't used to be such a worry-wort. i'm hoping my family will go with me so i won't feel as alone or so terrified, and hopefully it really won't be such a big deal. but first, i have to pick up the phone. ...to be continued...

blogging for scrapbookers-01

i'm joining in a day or so behind in Shimelle's latest online class Blogging for Scrapbookers- it's not to late if you'd like to jump in with us! over the next three weeks, Shimelle will be sending out prompts. i like that it can be as simple or involved as time will allow- especially as we enter into the holiday season. some days will just be a quick blog update, others a little more involved with photos/more in-depth writing to go along with a post, and some days will be an all-out crazy post of memories/inspo & photos PLUS a scrapbooking/crafty project to accompany it! i'm really hoping to blog more often and improve my story-telling/writing skills a bit! i'm also looking for a boost of fun topics to write about! sometimes i find starting a new post very intimidating so i'm also looking forward to the blogging confidence boost! best of all-there are hundreds of classmate blogs to follow along with and be inspired by throughout the class & beyond- i LOVE that!! so come on & play with me!!
{{BIG HUGS}}
-g
^o^

more to share

here's some pics from our Halloween festivities! hope you all got a chance to relax and enjoy some sweets today! we went to an over the top birthday party this afternoon (at a local ranch complete with pony rides!) and are now trying to settle into our 'normal' routine tonight for back to school tomorrow morning (wish us luck-between the sugar, the time change and all the parties we're way off our'normal routine' around here- LOL!!) i've also thrown my back out somethin' fierce & am going to take some pain meds to knock myself out (& pray it's better in the morning!) be back soon!
{{BIG HUGS}}
-g
^o^

our Halloween started with a trip to a bird preserve for a presentation of 'Birds with a Spooky Reputation'- ravens, crows, owl and vultures.. oh my! we were hoping to see some of these spooky birds up close but we only got to meet them via a great lecture, photos, exhibits & recorded sounds. We did however get to spy some ducks & egrets thru the viewers & take a nice walk around the ponds!



next up was our carving of the jack-o-lantern (& roasting the seeds of course!)


here it is lit up on the porch- so cool!

tried to take a shot of the outside of our house but had the wrong lens

we put webs in every corner of our living room last week- spooky fun!

then we all got dressed up & headed out to meet friends for trick-or-treating!






we enjoyed spaghetti and 'eyeballs' for dinner-they were tasty!

with some leftover scraps & rubs from my noel mignon kit, Mimi helped me make a bookmark & decorate a small pumpkin scented candle!
pumpkin bucket stamp from Trick or Treat with Who's That Girl stamp set by My Favorite Things



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