Happy New Year to all my wonderful friends & family!

Unfortunately, I am spending the New Year sick in bed. I took the day off work yesterday to do something fun with my kids, & I was bedridden all day :( I'm starting to feel a wee bit better, & since I slept the last 40 hours, I'm hoping to be able to stay awake until midnight so I can ring in the new year with my babies!

Hope you all have a fun & SAFE New Year!!




GO BADGERS!!!!!!

2010 favorites

Many bloggers are posting their top 10 favorites for 2010. I thought I'd get in that game, since I haven't had time to make anything new. My husband is off of work this week (not to mention still car-less) & since we kind of share space --I usually avoid my craft area when he's home, lol. I don't share well!





















I did not pick one for each month, as I think everyone else is doing. Heck, I'm lucky I made 10 cards this whole year! LOL --this was definitely the year that got away from me. I hope to be more organized in the coming year, but I think that has been my resolution for the last 20 years, & you can see where it's gotten me!!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, & for all the wonderful comments. They all bring a smile to my face :)

Merry Christmas to all!!

I hope you all have a safe & FUN Christmas!! My wonderful mother is hosting today AND tomorrow so all I have to do is sat back, relax......& EAT!!!!! Thanks mom :)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!

Rolo pretzel rings

Well only a few days till Xmas ----I didn't send out one single card, I didn't make one single gift (which I usually do for teachers & had this year intended to do so for co-workers), & hardly made any cookies. The only ones I made were Spritz & Rolo pretzel rings:



These are so easy (I'm all about easy) & sooooo good. You just add Rolos to the center of the round pretzels, melt them in the oven for a few minutes & add an M&M to each.



Aren't they pretty? If you like chocolate covered pretzels --you must try these!!



I also tried a new recipe that my friend Holly passed along to me, Cream Cheese Mints. I can't stand mint so I wasn't able to try them, but my son said the recipe is a keeper!! I hope they're good, I handed some out at work LOL



This one is just cream cheese, butter (well I added butter but she doesn't --I guess either way works), peppermint flavor, powdered sugar & food color. Mash 'em with a fork & put 'em in the fridge for a few hours.

So I have a bit of bad news ---my husband totaled his car last night. Yes he's fine ----but I'm not happy with him at all :( I realize it was an *accident* but it happened when he went ice fishing & I really think it could have been avoided. Luckily he is done with work for the rest of the year but he will need to find a car quickly because we cannot share one. We work different shifts, but my kids have too many things going on during the week for me to not have a car. We don't have a lot of money so it's not as easy as just going & buying one, we will really have to search for something we can afford. This is really not what we needed right before Christmas! So what very little Christmas spirit I had has been severely dampened!!

But.....my grandma is still with us.....after a few weeks in the hospital after Thanksgiving we weren't sure she was going to be with us for the holidays. I have a job (thankfully, since all these big expenses keep coming up!!) that I really love & my kids are healthy & happy ---& they are going to be over the moon when they open up their gifts from grandma this year (I don't know who reads my blog so I will share after Xmas what they got!!). So all in all, I'm pretty lucky :)

I hope you all have a safe & healthy holiday!!! Thank you so much for your friendship & support throughout the year :)

Find the *real* animal......

If you don't like cats....you might wanna skip this post :)



I walked right by this little scenario today, & didn't even notice him at first.....




Can't see me.....




Elwood is 15 yrs old & still acts like a kitten sometimes. He usually lays under the tree....on the *floor*.....but this is the first time he's climbed up on the box we put the tree on. You know that scene in "ET" where he hides in the stuffed animals? Elwood must have watched that movie while I was at work! Can you see his paws wrapped around the stuffed bear?





Awwww....busted!!




I have to admit it's a good spot.....all those fluffy plush animals, right in the sun!!




Hmmm....wonder how tall this tree is......

I still have shopping to do & cookies to bake. My MIL came for a visit today so I didn't do anything I was supposed to. Instead, we all went out to lunch & played the Wii!! Sometimes, ya just gotta take a break from it all!!

Have a great week!!

Winter Wishes

I know I sound like a broken record ---but seriously, I started this card a week ago!! I am probably the slowest card maker on the planet!! I can never just sit down, stamp an image, color it, & make a card out of it all in one sitting. I have ADD --ok I've never been diagnosed but I just cannot concentrate on what I am doing, I am soooo easily distracted! And the interruptions ---well I have kids, need I say more??




I got this adorable Henry Mouse with Hot Chocolate stamp last year from 7 Kids College Fund. I had to have him! I think he's the only Henry stamp I have but I love him & there are many more than I must have! I stamped the image onto Cryogen White Shimmer paper --love this stuff, so glimmery & it works well with Primas AND Copics. I chose Prismas, & added lots of glitter in various forms. There's Diamond Dust covering the "ground", Sugar Sparkle Fluff on his hat, & I used a glitter pen on the hot chocolate steam. The papers are Basic Grey Jovial, which I won in Tammi's blog candy (She sent me a HUGE array of goodies! Thanks again, Tammi!) & that is so funny because I'd just been to my LSS JUST to buy this paper & they didn't have it :( So I was going to buy it online when HOORAY I found out I won it!!

The icicle border is punched out of the same Cryogen White Shimmer paper the image is stamped on, the sentiment is from a Michael's clear set, the snowflakes, circles & label are all Nestabilities.....I added some Martha leaves behind the snowflake, it reminds me of the new Whimsy snowflake die that I can't have right now (perhaps Santa will bring me one for Xmas!!).....& the snowflake charm is from my Etsy shop.




*****edited to add close up ---finally got a bright semi-sunshiny day!! Hopefully you can see the sparkle & glimmer, that IS the funnest part of the card, after all!!


Well I'm only about half done with my Christmas shopping. Have I mentioned I don't like Christmas? To me, it's a pain in the rear. A lot of my family is gone now so the holidays are hard. And my kids are at the ages where it's really hard to find stuff --- they just want all the technological stuff which we all know does not come cheap!!

I'm hoping to sneak in another card or two before Christmas (I can hear you laughing) --Tammi sent me so many great images in my goodie package! I hope your holiday shopping & plans & preparations are coming along better than mine!! Thanks for taking the time to visit!!

2 weeks away??

Yes, as someone pointed out to me today, Christmas is 2 weeks away. I still have so much to do & very little spare time to do it. Have I mentioned how much I love JANUARY?! Yes I'm a Scrooge & am happy when it's all OVER!!!

I haven't had time to create anything new this week ----so I thought I would share a few Christmas cards I did last year. I see a lot of bloggers sharing their favorite 5 or 10 cards from the whole year --I thought I'd share my favorites from the holiday season. Oh let's face it, I probably only MADE 5 cards last Christmas, lol!!!

So here they are.......







Now this should inspire me to get going on some NEW cards, right? I do have a card half done, I just don't seem to be able to finish it. Today we are off to basketball, then grocery shopping, & I *need* to make Christmas cookies this weekend, I haven't made ANY. Hopefully I'll find a strand of spare time in there to finish it. I hope you all have a great weekend, & get done whatever is on your "to-do" list!!

Chocolate PB Bugles

OK, I am in H-E-A-V-E-N......

Raise your hands......how many of you have had THESE...........





Peanut Butter filled, chocolate dipped Bugles!!!! YUMMMMMMMMMMM......it's amazing that something so EASY to make can be SOOOOO good!! My husband came back from his hunting trip up north with a bag of these from his aunt......oh how I'm loving her right now LOL!!!

My grandma always made these every year.....& they are just so good. Just stuff 'em with peanut butter, dip the ends in chocolate & VOILA -----one of the yummiest treats you will EVER have!!!!

In fact, I'll have one just for you right now..........mmmmm.....

Just had to share (just the picture.....I'm not sharing the actual Bugles with anyone.....shhhhh....)