The joys of summer....

Happy Friday!! This is going to be a quick post, as I am battling quite a headache right now. I get a lot of headaches....for many different reasons....& it's hard to know what med to take for which headache. I took aspirin this morning, but it's not helping. And I don't want to mix meds, so I'll have to just suck it up for the rest of the day & try something else tomorrow!!



For today's card I used Swinging Shannon from High Hopes' new release. I colored her with Prismas & gamsol, paper pieced her shirt (after very much disliking my coloring of it), cut her out & hung her from the Branch. I added a Pam Bassett ribbon blossom (which could have been better but I didn't have it in me to futz too much with it) & 3 pearls down the side. The papers are SU's Pink Pirouette (my first time using this!), Basic Black & Basic Grey Eva. I didn't do the inside yet....I will do that when I'm feeling better....but here's a close up of Shannon....isn't she sweet??



Well I'm off to lie down before the kiddos get home....sure seems like I'm feeling yucky a lot lately....I think I need a good dose of summer myself!!!

Have a great weekend!!

Recipe Thursday

Hello everyone!! Wow, is it miserable here today!! I had to work & drove home in the POURING rain! At least it's not snow.....yet. My thermometer reads about 33 degrees so it could turn to snow/ice any minute. There is, in fact, an ice advisory to the north of us....it could get really dangerous out there!!

Well I don't have a card today....still wading through all that new rubber from High Hopes...but I do have another easy peasy recipe!! And it's a good one......banana bread!!!! Mmmmm......

BANANA BREAD

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 medium bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter & sugar. Add the eggs & vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda & salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream & bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10-15 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.


I love this recipe because you can mix everything by hand, no need to drag out the mixer!! A few tips:

**You can substitute yogurt for the sour cream. The first time I made this I didn't have any sour cream, so I used vanilla yogurt......just as yummy!!!

**I use my Pampered Chef loaf pan. It bakes more evenly, & you don't get those yucky crispy corners. That means I get to skip the greasing part. I know not everyone has one of these pans.....but I gotta tell you Pampered Chef stoneware is the BEST!!

**I'm sure you know this, but the riper the bananas, the more flavor. Did you know you can freeze bananas right in their peel? Yep, when mine start to get too brown, I just throw them in the freezer, peel & all!!

** Speaking of the freezer, this bread freezes wonderfully. I love to make mini loaves with this recipe (yep, I have that PC stone, too, lol!) & store some in the freezer. Just wrap it real well in foil & a freezer bag

**Sometimes I like to add milk chocolate chips to the batter to make it Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.....of course that makes it more of a dessert than a snack, lol.....but I score more points with my kids when I do this. In fact, that's what I did this time around......



Now doesn't that look yummy??

Let me know if you try this recipe.....I always love to hear feedback!!!!

We have a Cub Scout meeting tonight....& I'm working a few hours tomorrow....but I do hope to have another new release card for you soon, so stay tuned!!!!

High Hopes Heaven!!!!

Didja hear my screams yesterday???? Around 2:00 CST??? I got my new High Hopes rubber!!!! Oh, I cried tears of joy!! What an overwhelming, beautiful pile of rubber!! I won't even tell you how long it took me to decide what to play with first!!!!


Well, *finally* I decided on this cutie.....Summer's Sweetness....I think this is my first official "summer" card of 2009!! I've been so hooked on snowmen & winter cards.....all it took was a few pieces of new rubber to snap me out of that!! I colored her with Prismas & gamsol....the papers are Bazzill Bling Red Carpet & Basic Grey Eva...added some Primas, some pearls, some ribbon & a charm....& that was good. She is quite the star all by herself!



Here's a picture of the inside. I used the Watermelon Border and the One In A Melon saying. If you would like to see ALL the new releases, you can click HERE. You might want to grab a snack & a beverage, because you're gonna be there a while!!!


Someone asked me the other day if I'm still selling my cards on Ebay. Nope. I did until Christmas time, & then things went kind of south. The sellers & the buyers were suddenly arguing, buyers were requesting sellers to block a certain other buyer.....it got quite nasty. So I decided to take a break & open an Etsy shop. Unfortunately, I haven't really had the time to stock is as I wanted to. I really wanted to have 40-50 cards in there, & I think I have 10, lol. So.....if you see any cards you like posted here on my blog & would like to purchase one, please e-mail me ....the link is on my sidebar. Who knows when I'll get around to listing again.....so don't be shy...if you're interested, just let me know :)

I hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday.....hard to believe there are just a few more days of February.....I know it's a short month & all, but it went SUPER fast!!! One month closer to summer!!!!

Baby dragon

Good Monday evening everyone!! I hope you all had a good one. I was not very productive today.....how come on days I don't work, I *plan* to get a lot done, but it just doesn't happen?? I did manage a trip to the bank & to Michael's, where I bought my first *new* EK Success punch! Used my 40% off coupon, of course, so that makes it even better!! They are so cute.....so many to choose from....with a nice little lock so it stores flat. I just love it....I got "Dotted Wave"...but I can see already that I will need many more!!

Anyway, on to my card! I wanted to play along this week with the Friday Sketchers crew. They have a really fun sketch so if you are like me & are layout-challenged....pop on over for a great sketch!!



I used Baby Dragon from High Hopes for my card. I made baby a girl....I gave her a sparkly pink pacifier & a pink bow :) I know absolutely nobody who is having a baby, so I'm not sure what I will do with it, but I do like how it turned out. I used my Copic markers to color it....I think my coloring & shading is improving a wee bit. The flower is a combo punched flower (biggest one)/Primas. The sentiment is from SU's Riveting (wow, I can't remember the last time I used a SU stamp!). I used Martha's branch punch for the foliage. Added some ribbon & a heart charm, some Dew Drops, & a Sizzlit swirl. The dark green paper is Bazzill Bling Emerald City & the patterned papers are from the DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Girl stack. *AND* I did some stitching....I had been getting frustrated with my crooked stitching & walked away from it for awhile. Decided it was time to try again & hey...I actually did pretty well!! Maybe because I had lines to follow....lol....Yes, I do know that's what the guide is for!!



Somebody asked me why I stopped taking pictures of my insides. Frankly, I didn't know if you were interested in my insides, lol! If you're not, skip the pic. If you are....here it is....like many others I carried the sketch through to the inside so I could use the other half of the papers. I used *another* ...very old....SU set. The baby pins are from Tag Alongs....one of the very first sets I purchased. I knew I'd use it eventually, lol!!!!



Thanks so much for visiting....I hope you all have a wonderful last week of February!!!!

High Hopes Challenge #19, & my blogger group's first challenge!

Good Sunday morning to you all!! It sure is white here in SE Wisconsin.....we got quite a storm yesterday. Not sure of the official amount, but it's safe to say I can no longer see the grass I could see just 2 days ago!!

Today's High Hopes challenge is to use sponging on your card!! Simple Simon, right??

For this challenge, I chose to use the adorable Kissy Face Frog and Mushroom Two. I stamped the mushroom, then masked it so I could sponge the sky with Night of Navy. Instead of coloring the grass, I decided to also sponge that with Old Olive. I stamped the frog, colored it with Prismas & cut it out so it could be sitting on the shroom. I added Crystal Effects to its lips.....of course you can't see it in the picture, but suffice it to say that froggy used wayyyy too much lip gloss!! The papers are Old Olive, Night of Navy, & Basic Grey Boxer. The flowers are all punched from Boxer papers, & I tried to fold them up for a 3D effect but I don't know if I accomplished what I was looking to do. Looks a little weird to me. Anyway, I finished it off with some navy ribbon & a heart charm. Be sure to check the High Hopes blog to see what the other Divas came up with, & if you want to join in, link your project to THIS POST's comments & you will be entered into a drawing to win some goodies!!



I recently joined a great blogger group on SCS. We all *love* to make cards & projects using "cute" images.....that is what brought us together....so we named ourselves Creatively Cute. I have a link to all my CC buddies blogs on my sidebar>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We decided we were going to start posting challenges. This is for us as well as anyone else who wants to join in!! Our first challenge is to post a card that is about you. It's kind of a "getting to know you" challenge. I decided this card fits the bill perfectly. I used High Hopes images, & since I've been designing for them for a couple of years now, I think it's safe to say they are definitely my favorite images!! I used my Prismacolor pencils & gamsol, which is my very favorite way to color. I used Basic Grey papers, which are my very favorite designer papers (as you could guess, if you are a regular visitor to my blog or gallery!! I think I own every BG 6x6 pad that exists!!). I love to layer embellishments such as flowers & leaves.....either store bought or hand made.....& I also love charms!!! I fell in love with charms after seeing so many wonderful ways my blogging friend Bev used them. She clued me into the best place to buy them, & I am now the proud owner of way-too-many charms!!!!!

So there you have it......all the things I love all on one card.....my very first CCB challenge card. If you would like to participate, just add CCB01 to your creation & upload it to the SCS gallery. That way, we can see them all in one place!! This challenge is going on through March 5th.

I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday, & that you find some inking time!!!!!

Recipe Thursday

I don't have a card to show you today, but wanted to keep my posting streak going (lol) so I am sharing another recipe with you!! I'm all about simple, & when I find recipes that are super easy & TASTY I love to share them. This one has been around in my family for a while, but I just dug it out to share with a friend so I thought I would post it here. All 4 of us LOVE it, & it's easy to make, so why not try it for your family??

PEPPERED SALISBURY STEAK

1 can (15 oz) beef gravy, divided
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP shortening
1 cup sliced onion
1 medium pepper, any color, cut into strips
1 TBSP soy or Worcestershire sauce

Mix thoroughly 1/4 cup of the gravy, beef, bread crumbs, egg & salt. Shape into 6 oval patties. In skillet, brown patties in shortening; pour off fat. Add remaining ingredients. Cover; cook over low heat 20 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Makes 6 servings.


VOILA!! Easy peasy dinner!! I usually serve it with pasta, but sometimes I make rice or mashed potatoes to serve with it. I used to make a Salisbury Steak with cream of mushroom soup, which is also good, but since I started making this one, it's the winner in our family. Let me know if you try it!!

Well, I'm off to get ready for work. I hope you all have a great day, & find some time to do something fun!!!

Spoon Full of Sugar challenge 39

Wow.....new posts 3 days in a row!! That *never* happens!! I must be feeling energetic :)

We never did get that huge snowstorm they predicted, & while that's a relief I know winter is not over for us. While everyone else is making spring & Easter cards, I seem to be stuck on winter cards!!



I was checking out the Spoon Full of Sugar blog yesterday & decided I wanted to play. I always look at it, but I never participate. And like I've mentioned before, I *love* sketch challenges!! Half the work is already done!! I hadn't had a chance to ink up this cutie that I got from my friend Inge, so I decided this was the perfect image to use. I have a gorgeous pad of paper from K&Company that I hadn't broken into yet, so I decided to use one of those. All the papers are 2 sided, so I used 1 side for the background, & the other side for the panel behind the image. I also decided after I colored her, that it was just too bright. So I used white Fun Flock on the "furry" parts of her coat & hat. That muted it a bit, & now I'm happy :) The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Limitless Labels.....LOTS of use out of that set!! I added a snowflake covered with Diamond Dust (yes, Anna has moved on to other cute little projects & embellishments, but just like winter images, I seem to still be stuck on her snowflakes) & some snowflake bling in various spots.



You should really hop on over to the Spoon Full of Sugar blog to check out the sketch, & maybe play along!! They have a great prize up for grabs!!

Well, tomorrow I work & Friday my kids have a half day of school, so the posting probably stops here, at least for a few days. I'm still waiting for that new High Hopes rubber, & when it appears in my mailbox I'm pretty sure that wherever you are, you will be able to hear my screams of delight!!

Have a great Wednesday!!

My Copic attempt

Good Tuesday morning, everyone!! I'm feeling a bit better today. Got a little more sleep last night than Sunday night (did I mention I was up at 2:30 am Monday morning? Ugh!!) so I think that helped. I'm on my third load of laundry, my second cup of coffee, & I managed to finish a card that I had started last night.


I am very Copic-challenged. While I admire everyone's work done with these fabulous markers, I really can't get the hang of them. But....I thought while I was giving watercoloring a try, why not break out the Copics? So I did....& this is the result. While it's still not fantastic, it's probably better than my last few attempts. At least this one didn't end up in the circular file.

I stamped High Hopes' Fairy Princess onto Papertrey white with Memento ink. I've heard this is the best ink/paper combo, so I thought maybe it would help me in my quest to master these markers. I finally broke into my Basic Grey Bittersweet pad, & added some Bazzill Bling Red Carpet for the matting. I used last week's Friday Sketchers sketch for the layout. Added lots of bling with various Stickles & glitter, a bit of Saffron/Close to Cocoa background, then sprayed the whole image with Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist. I finished it off with some Primas & Dew Drops. Looking at the card now, I wish I had stitched my edges. I always think of something to do AFTER it's all put together.....

Thanks so much for visiting....now back to my laundry & I'd better run a few errands! We are in for lots & lots of snow tonight, so I think tomorrow will also be a stay-at-home day. Which is fine ....being sick has put me way behind in my domestic duties!!!!

High Hopes Challenge #18 ~ am I late??

Of course I'm late, I've been sick the last 3 days! I started this card way back on Thursday, & just could NOT get it finished in time for yesterday's High Hopes challenge, which is to make an Easter card. If you don't have any Easter stamps, then you can just make a spring card!!


Since I don't have my NEW rubber from High Hopes yet, I used one from their recent release called "Three Pane Easter". Apparently with the new release yesterday came some glitches with the older stamps, so I will update this post with a link to this stamp when it's available. I stamped the image onto watercolor paper & attempted yet again to watercolor using my ink pads & reinkers. Not TOO bad, but I still can't get my watercoloring to look as good as everyone else's! Papers are SU's Bordering Blue & MM's Chloe's Closet. There's a lot about this card I don't like. It just didn't turn out as I had it in my head, but since my head has been clogged the last few days I guess I can use that as my excuse. I used SCS's sketch challenge #200 for the layout & the "happy Easter" is from Papertrey's Limitless Labels.

Well I'd love to stay & chat but I really need to lie down ~~ finishing this card & photographing it, & writing this post was more than I bargained for, lol!! Hopefully I'll be back to feeling 100% soon, & hopefully that would be around the same time I get those new stamps!! Have a great day!!

High Hopes Hullaballoo

Hi all!! Just a quick post to let you all know that we have a High Hopes Hullaballoo going on RIGHT NOW!! We have a new release coming out this weekend......MANY many new stamps.....so fun.....many of the divas have sneak peeks on their blogs so go check them out! The links are on my sidebar. Sadly, I have not received my new stamps yet, so I have no peekies....hopefully they will come soon, I just canNOT wait to play!! The new images will go live Saturday night/Sunday morning so keep an eye on the High Hopes website!! You do NOT want to miss this release!!

I wish I could say I will positively have a card to show you for the Sunday challenge....but alas....I came home from a basketball game with my older son, & my younger son was really ill. We've all had sore throats all week.......but it seems to have gotten worse for him while I was gone. I gave him some medicine.....& he threw it up!! He *just* threw up the medicine, so hopefully he's not getting the stomach thing too. And I hope it's not strep. Maybe just too much Valentine's Day celebration. Love this time of year......sigh....

So anyway, I *hope* my son is feeling better tomorrow & I *hope* to have a card for the challenge. That's why it's called High Hopes, right?? Have a great night!

AND THE WINNER IS........

Here are your random numbers:

130

Timestamp: 2009-02-11 22:59:18 UTC

Comment #130 belongs to.......Tracy!!!!! Here's Tracy's wonderful comment.....

"congratulations on your 21,000 hits thats amazing I adore your blog you have some fantastic creations on there I am now a followere I found you blog and someone elses blog as you do.
Anyway I would love the chance to win your yummy candy my favourite candy treat is raspberry ruffles yummy chocolate on the outside with a pink coconut on the inside only down side is they make them in the smallest bars lol can't get enough of them.
off to post a link on my blog now
hugs Tracy x"

I bet you're really glad you found my blog now, lol!!!! Please email me (link is on my sidebar) with your address so I can get your goodies out to you ASAP!!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who commented.....over 200 comments, wow! Word gets around when blog candy is involved, lol!! I'm going to try to do blog candy more often.....so stay tuned!!!!!

Blog candy!!

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED......I WILL BE DRAWING A NAME USING RANDOM.ORG IN JUST A FEW HOURS :)


Well, I finally got my blog candy together!! I've been working hard at organizing all of my High Hopes rubber, & came across some extras from the Sea Life release last year. I meant to post this candy sooner, but I really wanted to include a card made with the stamps the winner will receive. Sickness has bogged me down this week....I was nauseous for a few days (although, knock on wood, it wasn't the nasty stomach bug going around, which I seem to get every year. Must have been an itty bitty bug that doesn't knock you completely out, just makes you queasy for a few days) & yesterday & today my 6 year old was sick. But here it is......my blog candy celebrating 20,000 hits. Well, now it's 21,000 hits, lol!!!



The candy includes:

**4 High Hopes stamps....Sweet Anabela, Starla Starfish, Stanley Sea Snail, & Clammy & Pearl

** A Fashion District pad, 32 yummy 5"x7" sheets from Me & My Big Ideas

**A Martha Stewart doily lace border punch

**2 sheets of vellum flower stickers from EK Success

**6 silver heart charms & 6 silver butterfly charms

**A variety of Prima flowers

**2 spools of Martha Stewart ribbon, 5 yards each. Actually, it's her craft seam binding. I use it all the time & love it!! The colors you will receive are Mountain Lake & Camelia Pink

**the card shown, using all the stamps you will receive if you win!!!!



So what am I going to make you do??Well, since Valentine's Day is coming up, I would love to hear what your favorite candy is!!!! Mine has always been Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Not the minis ~ those are no good ~~ nope, they have to be full size. What's even better are the shapes....the Xmas trees, the eggs, the pumpkins...I don't know if they put more peanut butter in those or what, but they just taste yummier!!!

OK, I just remembered that for my last blog candy, before Xmas, I asked you to name your favorite Xmas cookie. Favorite cookie, favorite candy....that really tells you something about me, doesn't it?? Yep, I could subsist on cookies & candy if I had my way!!!

So......you have one week to enter. I will keep this posted at the top until next week Wednesday the 11th. You have until noon CST to enter, & I will pick a winner that night. I would love it if you would spread the word on your blog....but it's not a requirement. However, I really do need to know about that candy :)

Good luck!!

***EDITED TO ADD yes, this is open to everyone!! I will ship anywhere, even the North Pole :)

A sketch & an RAK

Good morning!! It's Wednesday & that means Sketch Challenge day on Splitcoast!!! Today's sketch is perfect for an image I had colored last night.

I bought this Penny Black stamp, Green Friends, at the same rummage sale I bought THIS STAMP. What a deal!! Clearly there is supposed to be a sentiment to go with it, since one frog's mouth is open, clearly talking, & other has such a look on his face. I'll have to be on the lookout for a saying that would go with this!! Anyway, I colored the froggie friends with my Prismas & gamsol, & added Crystal Effects & Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the water. Believe it or not, I used something other than Basic Grey ~~ the designer paper on this card is from Cloud 9 Design & it's called Baby Boy Stripe (I also have Baby Girl Stripe, lol). The blue in the background is the reverse side of the stripes. The other papers are from the DCWV fall stack. The flowers are a combo of Primas & punches, & the leaves are of course punched with the Martha Stewart branch punch. This card turned out quite heavy, as I kept adding more & more layers, lol! Blue & green is one of my favorite combos so I added as much as I could :)



I also wanted to share a card with you that I received the other day from my friend Cris. Cris & I actually met on Splitcoast a couple of years ago & have become good friends IRL. She was with me at the infamous rummage sale where I scored all these wonderful Penny Black stamps :) Anyhow, she's been uber busy making Valentines.....how cute is this Whipper Snapper kitty??


The picture doesn't show it, but she did quite a few layers on the cat....she did an extra layer of whole cat...lol...then a 3rd layer with just his nose & paws. It is sooooo cute...thanks so much, Cris!! Sadly, she doesn't have a gallery nor blog, but hopefully someday soon.....she's too talented NOT to show off her work!!

You still have about 3 hours to enter my blog candy above........it will close at noon today, & I will pick a winner sometime tonight. Thank you so much to everyone who has already visited & entered.....I have LOVED reading about your favorite candies....especially those from overseas, because I haven't heard of many of them!! We may need to do a candy swap :)

***Edited to add Deana told me she got this stamp, & along with the stamp she got the saying "Glad to see you made it through another year without croaking!" Bahahhahahahaaaa ....that is GREAT......now I'll *have* to have that stamp, of course!! Thanks, Deana!!

Some bubbles, & your chance to be a Diva!!

Happy Monday, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!! It's cloudy & dreary & damp out today, but it's also 40 degrees so I don't care!! Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50's!! Woohoo!!!

I've had this image sitting on my desk for a week. I could NOT decide how to color it. I could make the bird red, like a cardinal, or blue, like a bluebird. It was a tough decision, lol, but in the end I decided to make him plain ole brown like a robin.......one of the first signs of spring!!



The name of the stamp is Burt's Bath & he's one of the many recent releases from High Hopes. I decided to use my Basic Grey Ambrosia pad, & colored the image accordingly with my Prismas & gamsol. I made the bubbles nice & glittery with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter, added a few Primas & some Dew Drops. I couldn't decide on a layout, so I went to SCS & looked through their sketch challenges. I chose SC199 ~~ it worked well with all the papers I had picked out. I'm glad I finally got this done, as it's been staring at me for a few days now, taunting me, challenging me to come up with SOMETHING. In the end, I think it turned out quite okay :)


And now for a Diva announcement.......

If you love High Hopes as much as I do....have you ever thought of becoming a Guest Diva?? We are looking for a couple stampers to become guest designers for our next term, which runs from April through June. The dt is the best....the stamps are the best....the owner is the best...what more could you ask for??? Hop on over to the High Hopes blog to find out how you can apply!! Good luck!!

Challenge 17 ~ a sketch!

It's another Sunday already ~~ wow, does the time go fast ~~ & that means it's time for another High Hopes challenge! This week, the fabulous Katharina has provided a sketch for us to follow. I *heart* Katharina's sketches!! She has a whole slew of them on her blog....& when I need a layout it's one of the first places I go!!


For my card I used Posing Bunny. I love this bunny, & only recently acquired her. I used Prismas & gamsol to color her, & added some Liquid Applique to her tail & her front. I actually flipped the sketch, but now looking at it, I'm not sure why I did that, lol! This image would have worked the way Katharina has it, but I guess I was in a flippy mood. The rose paper in the background is Bazzill Bling, & the patterned papers are Basic Grey Eva. Oddly enough, I don't have any Happy Easter sentiments from High Hopes, so I used one from Hero Arts. I added the half pearls after I had taken a picture of the card ~ those darn corners looked too nekkid. Since everything was already glued down, I decided pearls were the easiest to add.

Here is the sketch if you'd like to join us this week!!



And if you do join in, be sure to leave a link to your card in the comments of THIS POST. You will be entered to win some High Hopes goodness :)

Have a fabulous Sunday!!

Quick chicken dinner...

Hello everyone, & happy Saturday!! When I started this blog, my intent was to post simple & tasty recipes every so often, just to take a break from the usual stamping.....& because I know so many of you like meals that are yummy, but don't take hours to make. I have posted a few during the course of blogging, but I'd like to do it more often. I wish I could say I will post one every Saturday, but I'm not that organized. So.....I will post them when the idea pops into my head!!

Today is my son's last day of basketball, & we need to run some errands after, so I will be making one of my favorite simple dinners tonight. My son isn't crazy about chicken, but he does like this meal a lot!


15 MINUTE CHICKEN & RICE DINNER

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup, + 1 can of water
salt & pepper
2 cups Minute Rice, uncooked

Heat oil in nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts (I like to cut the breasts into cube, they end up more tender than when I cook the breasts whole), cover. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from skillet, pour off grease. Add soup, water, salt & pepper, & bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Top with chicken, cover. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings

**Increase oil to 2 tbsp if using regular skillet


I also like to cook bacon, crumble it & mix it in. Sometimes, if I feel like the bacon won't clog my arteries quickly enough, I add shredded cheese to the top & leave the cover on until it's melted.


So that is our dinner tonight.....if I've helped just one person figure out what's for dinner tonight, I will be happy :)

I will see you all tomorrow with my card for the High Hopes Sunday challenge!! Have a great day!

Double challenge

Hello all.....I'm in a bit of a rush because today is an early day...the kids get out at 1:00 & I have a conference with a teacher. I bought this Penny Black stamp last week at a rummage sale at my LSS.....I've always loved this snowman & I sure can't beat what I paid for him!!



I had every intention of trying to use my Copics, since there isn't much coloring & I really need practice. But I have no Copic NEAR burgundy, which was my main color!! So....Prismas & gamsol it was, lol!! This is for yesterday's SCS sketch challenge, & today's WT challenge, to layer embellishments. Not a problem for me, I love layers, whether it's cardstock or embellishments!! The papers are from the DCWV Christmas stack from last year ~~ I just love that polka dot paper. I added some piercing & some brads, ran the olive layer through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder, then went to work on my layered embellishements. I punched the big flower out of vellum, something I really need to use more of. The bigger snowflake is punched from the same DCWV green as my layers, & the small snowflake is Cranberry Crisp. I added a brad & some glitter, & hung a snowflake charm from the whole kaboodle.





Well I hate to rush off but I will probably be late as it is....I *hate* being late. See what blogging has done to me???

Don't forget to enter my blog candy above!! You have until next Wednesday at noon CST. Thanks for visiting!!

A lacy challenge

Good Sunday morning & Happy February!! Who else is happy to wave goodbye to January?? Oh, & it's Superbowl Sunday.....another exciting element to the day! And to round it out, today is High Hopes challenge day!! Challenge #16...... to use lace on your card. Hmmm.....it's come to my attention that I have NO lace....none....nada....so I asked permission to just use my lace punch, & I got the ok!!!



For my card I used Lilly the Spring Fairy.....because BOY am I anxious for spring. Wayyyy too much white in my backyard right now!! I colored her with Prismas & gamsol, & added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to her wings. I thought the Basic Grey Sultry pad was perfect....very springy. I know, I said I was trying to use paper OTHER than Basic Grey.....but my fingers just walk towards my stash each time, what can I say? I used my Nesties to make the ovals & rectangle, use the Martha Stewart lace border punch on both the Pink Passion layer & the Basic Grey layer.....& added 3 Dew Drops to the 2 corners. There ya go....a lacy card!! Be sure to check out the High Hopes blog to see what the other Divas created....nothing less than spectacular, as usual!!



You may not have noticed, because it's so itty bitty.....but my counter made the leap past 20,000 recently. I'm so excited & so grateful to all my readers! I am putting together some blog candy to celebrate......it's taking me a bit.....I may be celebrating 21,000 hits instead, but that's ok :) Stay tuned for more info, & thank you to all of you who visit!! Hope you have a fantastic first day of February!!!

EDITED TO ADD: I think I need a new camera. I'm having a tough time getting clear pictures. I retook the picture this morning, so this picture is different than the one on the High Hopes blog. My camera really doesn't seem to like pinks or reds.....or purples...lol. Maybe I just need to take a photography class!!