Wishing You All A Very.....

Oh, and do me a favor...don't make resolutions this year. Resolutions are simply goals and goals are so easy to let lapse or fail on. If there's something you REALLY want in your life, make a commitment to yourself and quit doing it just on the first night of the year. *LOL*

I hope that 2011 brings all of you nothing but good health, truckloads of happiness, and lasting prosperity!

12 Days of Christmas Goodies

HURRY! There's still time to enter today on ALL TWELVE days. Good luck!

Christmas Candy Treat

Christmas candy going on right now over at Funky Junk Sisters. I don't have any pix to share, but believe me when I say you will NOT be disappointed! Head on over & leave 'em some love! Good luck!!

Good grief!

Never thought I was going to make it back here. Just wanted to pop in for a sec to say (1) if you have a blog, I've been trying to keep up with you & (2) if you're waiting for something fantastically creative from me, it'll be just a little bit longer, so please be patient. The end of November was very difficult with my littlest one being sick, Thanksgiving, then ME losing my voice & having a sinus infection for the last 10 days. *sigh* Gotta love the "sneezin' season!"

I'll see you again soon!

Blog Candy

Who doesn't like candy? This offering is the fabric kind - 3 styles, 1 meter of each of the prettiest blue, khaki, cream color combo that I've ever seen. Has a GREAT vintage feel to it.

Head over to French Larkspur to find out more about it. Winner will be drawn 25Nov & announced 29Nov - good luck!

While Supplies Last!

Bargains like these don't normally happen all at once, so take advantage of as many as you can & save yourself some big $$ while building your crafting stash!

*E-mail me for the code list if interested. We carry 36 colors in the Palette Inks (normal cost of refill -$3.95) & 41 colors in the VersaMagic ink line (refills are normally $5.50). This is a FANTASTIC cost savings to you & you won't need to worry about running out of your favorite colors in the middle of a project!!

Offers currently available only inside the US. Shipping fees & your local tax rates are not included in these prices, please contact me for details.

Great Deals

Mmmmmmm!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

• 1 pkg Spice Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (1/2 of 15oz can)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour your cake pan.
2. Combine cake mix, eggs, water and pumpkin in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in nuts. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.
4. Ice with cream cheese frosting or simply sprinkle lightly with confectioner's sugar.

As you can see, I topped mine with a whipped cream cheese frosting. It is DELISH! Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Digi Scrappin'

Hey there! Hope y'all are having a good day today. It's rainy, cool, & windy here this morning, and it's making me crave things I really shouldn't have. Like the pumpkin spice cake that I'm running to Wally World to get the ingredients for just as soon as I'm done writing up this post! :-P

Yesterday, I had a chance to do something that I never do...digi scrap. I collect kits, but normally I print background papers off and use them in my card making, or I'll use them to make sig tags and word art. I've never had the urge to scrap a page.

This past Saturday, though, Middle Child marched in the Veteran's Parade with his JROTC battalion & the colors of this kit, just screamed "Make the page, woman!" *LOL* And here it is:

That's my boy on the back side of the unfurled flag, with the smile because he realized that Mom spotted him! *LOL* Saturday was the first day I've been able to see him in his uniform. He's so handsome! He was just promoted to Private from Cadet, too, so we're VERY proud of him.

This shot is from the same parade & it's our High School bagpipe, drum, & fife corps. I just LOVE the sound of bagpipes!
Finally, I used a picture from this summer, when Eldest Child busted his Chocolate skateboard deck doing a tre flip, for this clean n simple layout.
The pretty color scheme would lend itself to wedding pages, baby shower invites, French themed vacation pages or cards...it's just a great kit. It will be available for purchase 26November2010 at Kristine's Place and she was sweet enough to name it...."NORA"! {thanks Wench!}
Now I'm off to buy my cake fixin's and while it's baking, I may have to make something else with this GORGEOUS digi scrap kit. Thanks again, Kristine, for naming it after lil ole me!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Win this bike!

How COOL is this?!? I found this on another blog & decided to join the linking competition. Winner's name will be drawn 17November. If you have a blog & want a cool (and HANDY) grown-up bike, go enter this contest. I just did!

TGIF!

And I mean that, too! *LOL* Had a little drama yesterday behind the scenes at Rancho de Rosebrock that I am SO GLAD is over and done. Hopefully from now on my phone will only ring for TAC business or my children!

Of course, Cordell was sweet enough to point out that apparently it affected my creativity levels because of the attitude in today's word art! *ROFL* My offering: three different phrases, each in three different font styles. If you can use any (or all) of these, then please do. If you DO use them, please e-mail me pictures of your project or a link to your blog.

Remember to give credit (thank you).

{To save, right click & open in new tab or window, then right click again & save to your file}

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Veteran's Day

Everywhere I've gone this morning, I've heard or read the words "Happy Veteran's Day!" "Happy?" Really? I thought that today was a day of remembrance, a day of somber reflection, a day for saying 'thank you' to those brave souls that served our Country and to our Allies, who fought alongside...but is it or should it be considered 'happy?'

I don't know how to answer that. I understand the PRIDE behind the words and I feel them, as well, so I know why some folks say it. But I've seen so many broken and damaged souls and bodies come home from wars and have a hard time wrapping my lips around the happy part. The things they've seen, the friends they watched die, the strangers they watched die, the ugliness that is war. The memories. The nightmares.

These men and women left their families, their jobs, their lives behind to protect us. To protect freedoms that we take for granted every day. Like me writing in this blog or on my FaceBook page. I can say whatever I like, whatever I'm feeling, what I'm thinking, sometimes what I probably shouldn't say, whenever the mood strikes me, because they fought for that. I can protect my family with my firearm skills because they fought for that. I can pray, anywhere, anytime, to any deity I choose, because they fought for that. They bled for that. Some died for that. Happy? For my freedoms, yes. For my right to pursue happiness as protected by American soldiers defending our Constitution. But I'm not sure I'm happy that they HAD to.

These people are doctors, lawyers, firemen, pipe layers, drillers, professional athletes, farmers, truck drivers, bikers, bankers, store owners, CEOs of corporations, auto mechanics, secretaries, nurses, and teachers. Some have limited education (like my grandfather who never made it past the 2nd grade). Some have PhDs, but they all had one thing in common....the call to serve. To defend what we've been given and make sure that it was never taken away....from those on the outside AND from those working within. They don't do it for the money, they don't do it for the thanks, they don't do it because they can. They do it because it's the right thing to do.

For that, I'm grateful & I will never forget them.

Happy Halloween

Halloween in Utah happened yesterday....wonder how many other states do that? If you're taking your little ones trick-or-treating tonight, be safe & have fun! We didn't get out last night - it was too cold and rainy. Just stayed in and had a SpookFest...popcorn, chocolates scrounged out of Mom's she-cave stash {mental note to self: move choccie stash again so the sneakly lil boogers don't find it!}, and scary movies...*sigh* well, as scary as an 8yr old can handle, which translates to Transformers, Harry Potter, & Doctor Who. I didn't mind too much. I'm not a slasher flick kinda gal. I get off on a good psychological thriller or ghost story more than blood n guts.

It's cold, windy, & rainy here again today. I'm pondering...avoiding the washing machine at all costs (sick to death of doing laundry) and FOOD. I woke up ravenous today. I can't decide between a crockpot full of my buffalo chili with homemade cornbread muffins or a mega batch of buffalo shepherd's pie with a crunchy green salad. Decisions, decisions.....

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

My last Halloween treats for the year

Here are some more Halloween freebies that I just finished stirring up...hope they're tasty enough for ya! (right click, choose open in new tab or window, right click again & save to file)

And now for a little giggle...I just love Tim Hawkins (Christian comedian). This is from his new DVD "Insanitized." He reminds me so much of my kids...must be the ADHD thing they all have in common! Enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Images used are from The Graphics Fairy (thank you, Karen!)

Fonts used: A Charmed Font, Alice in Wonderland, Rebuffed

I've linked this to

Blog candy

Do you love pillows? I mean LOVE them? I do...I've always looked at pillows as an "affordable extravagance." All shapes, all sizes, colors, textures...they're versatile & great for layering or finishing a look. I REALLY love pillows covered in vintage fabrics. Kristine over at The Painted Hive is having a giveaway. She has this gorgeous grain sack with pretty charcoal stripes for a grown-up treat. Giveaway is on the 31st.

Click HERE to enter & good luck! While you're there, have a look around...you might enjoy her blog enough to become a follower...I did.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!