Award!

Isn't this such a pretty award?! I would like to send a special thanks to Linda over at Payne Holler Cards for awarding this to me! HUGS!

Here are 10 questions that I need to answer:

Q1) Name your favorite color? Blue
Q2) Name your favorite song? Uh....I don't have one.
Q3) Name your favorite dessert? Too many to list!! LOL!
Q4) What annoys you at the moment? That is a loaded question...but I will just say the economy and leave it at that.
Q5) Your favorite pet? I couldn't choose between the two so I will say my chinchilla Akina and my choc. lab Willie!
Q6) Black or White? Interesting question...not sure what this is referring too but since I am building a house I am thinking of furniture, decorations and stuff and I choose white hands down. In my current house we have alot of black and it is a pain to keep clean....dust just clings to it!
Q7) Your biggest fear? Failure
Q8) Best Feature? Smile
Q9) Everyday attitude? I'm not going to lie....it truly depends on the day!
Q10) What is perfection? Anything that I am completely happy with
Q11) Guilty Pleasure? DESSERTS!!! I have a serious sweet tooth!
Q12) When you're upset you? Usually vent to my best pal (Annmaree) or hubby
I always feel better when I talk and get it out of my system! :)

I am sending this award to the following people:

Becky
Merry
Annmaree
Michelle
Corry
Olga
Curt
Dawn
Lorraine
Leigh

WINNER!!!!

I want to send a huge thank you to those that wished me a Happy Birthday/Blogaversary! I truly appreciated all the comments! I was thrilled at how many of you entered my candy draw and also answered some of my questions! Plus I gained a few new followers...hope you are all here to stay too! THANK YOU AGAIN! :)

It took me awhile but I finally got through all the comments and verified all the entries for a total of 56! Hubby isn't here to draw from the lucky camo hat so I wrote them in order on a piece of paper and now I am getting ready to hit the button on random.org! Are you ready? Drumroll................................... and the winner is....................

True Random Number Generator

Min:
Max:
Result:
50
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

#50 on my list is Mallika from India!!! She just happens to be a new follower too! Congrats Mallika! You have until Wed. Sept. 14th to contact me.

If the winner doesn't contact me by that date I will pick a new winner on Sept. 15th.

Thank you all for playing and don't worry if you didn't win this time because there will be more mini drawings in the future....as you know I do love my guessing games!! HEHE!

Tomato Freezer Jam!

Do you have a bunch of tomatoes in your garden? Try making some tomato jam and you do not have to "can" these you can simply put them in the freezer! :) I made two kinds...one with yellow pear tomatoes and the other with candy cherry isis. Delish! This stuff tastes great on biscuits, rolls, etc. but I also found out it is wonderful on pork!!





Tomato Jam in A Flash

This recipe makes 4 or 5 pints of yellow tomato jam which can be processed in glass jars or frozen and kept for several months in the freezer. Red tomato jam is also good, but yellow tomatoes are less acidic and offer a different flavor.

INGREDIENTS

•2 - 3 Pounds of yellow tomatoes
•1 Whole lemon, washed and sliced thin
•1 Tbsp white vinegar
•2 tsp ginger
•1 stick of stick cinnamon
•4 Cups granulated sugar
•1 Cup spring water


INSTRUCTIONS

•Wash the yellow tomatoes, but do not peel.
•In a large saucepan, place all ingredients together over medium high heat.
•Bring the pan to the boil and reduce heat to medium low.
•Simmer the jam for 2 hours, or until thickened.
•Remove pan from heat and take out the cinnamon stick and discard.
•Pour into canning or jelly jars and seal with lids and rings.
•Process the jars in a hot water bath for 20 minutes OR put them in the freezer!

You can also click HERE for the recipe!

Enjoy!

My Blogaversary/Birthday Candy!!!

*Candy now closed...winner will be announced soon*

Last month I celebrated my 2 year blogaversary and today I'm celebrating my 30th birthday! By the time your reading this I will be on my way to Lexington, Kentucky with my hubby for a little getaway!

As promised not long ago I have some super yummy and calorie free blog candy for my followers! I truly appreciate all the love you leave for me on my little ole blog...it warms my heart when I read your wonderful comments! So a big THANK YOU goes out to all of you! :)

Updated picture 8-30-11


How can you get your paws on the goodies??
The only mandatory thing you have to do is be one of my followers and leave me a comment! That is it...easy peasy right?

OPTIONAL but it will give you an extra entry for each one that you do (just make sure you leave a separate comment for each one!)
1. Spread the word either in a post or on your sidebar OR BOTH :) (you may use the candy picture).
2. Tell me what you like most about my blog.
3. Tell me if there is something you would like for me to change or if there is something you would like to see me post in the future.
4. When was your most favorite birthday and what made it so special?

You have until the end of the day on September 5th (Indiana Eastern Time) to leave your comments!
Good luck!!

Unstampabelles Challenge #3

Time for our third challenge over at Unstampabelles and for this month we want to see ANIMALS! We are also going to offer you an extra entry for the prize if you do the technique and for this month we want you to try out "dry embossing"! You have until September 30th to get your entries in and the new challenge will start on October 3rd. Remember you must have an ANIMAL on your project and "dry embossing" is optional but it will get you an extra entry!
Just remember......NO STAMPS at all! No rubber, digi, sentiments, etc.!

Our sponsor for this month is Cathy from Cathy's Creative Corner! She has kindly donated the following prize package!



Now for my DT card to get you started!


I used a polar bear chipboard piece out of a Basic Grey set called "obscure" and painted it with a Ranger acrylic paint dabber in "snow cap". Used some paper I got from my pal Annmaree along with some ribbon from my stash that I stuck on with my Tim Holtz tiny attacher. Drew on a little face with my Copic multiliner and added some Viva Decor pearls to the corners. Isn't that polar bear so adorable?

Your turn! I sure hope to see more of you over at Unstampabelles this month!

I am entering my card into the following challenges:
Charisma Cardz - Anything Goes
Delicious Doodles - Fresh New Start (new chipboard)
Penny's Challenge - Inspiration Photo
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes

Martha Stewart Punch Storage!

I wanted to show you my new Martha Stewart punch storage! Before I had them in these cups from IKEA but decided to buy a few of the really long metal bars from IKEA and store them on the wall and I LOVE IT! It is much easier to see what I have and grab what I want! :) Unfortunately my other punches (EK Success, Fiskars) do not work on this metal bar....does anyone have any other suggestions? I don't have that many so they are now resting in those cups but I would still like a better way to store them!

BEFORE


AFTER



* By the way you still have a few days to enter my candy drawing...it is a sticky at the top of my blog! * :)

One week left to enter my candy....NEW PICTURE!

I have updated the picture to include everything I am giving away in my Blogaversary/Birthday candy! You still have one week left and if you fancy a chance at winning go to my original post HERE!

Candy includes the following:
7 Gypsies book cover (you just punches holes and add a metal ring or ribbon to make a mini album!)
K&CO paper (6 sheets that fit the 7 Gypsies book and another 6 sheets sized for cards)
Sizzix sizzlit (frame) - Use it to emboss by hand, run through a Cuttlebug OR perfect for painting/misting!
Tim Holtz filmstrip - 1 foot
Butterfly ribbon roll
Martha Stewart - Vellum punch outs in an envelope
Making Memories - Combo stylus and paper piercer
Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo
Mini Glossy Accents
Distress Stickles - Rock Candy
Glue Dots - 4 sheets
Cuttlebug embossing folder - Distressed Stripes
Assorted Studio 112 stickers, chipboard, vellum quotes (Distributed by K&Co.)
Filmstrip rubber stamp from Rubberstamp Ave. (already mounted on cling foam)
Mini roses
Assorted Tim Holtz metal embellishments

WHEW! How is that for a prize? Hope to see a bunch more people enter....good luck!

Mini Meatloaves!

I'm always looking for new recipes to make for my dad and hubby so they have something easy to reheat for lunch while building the house. I found this great mini meatloaf recipe on my pal Becky's blog! Click HERE for the recipe! This was my first time ever making meatloaf and it was super easy and cooked up fast! The guys really enjoyed them and hubby said it was the best meatloaf he has had and I can make them again anytime! :)

Enjoy!

What We Bought.....

Some of you had some good guesses on what we bought. Even though it was an antique store they still sell newer items...some are even brand new. I'm not sure how old the item is we bought but it definately isn't vintage as it is in great condition! Here is that item that we HAD to buy!! An All American 941 Pressure Canner! :)



This thing is HUGE! The jar in front is a pint to give you a reference. It has two racks so you can have three tiers of jars....it holds 19 quart jars!! This brand is the best of the best here in the USA and retail you pay a pretty penny of 450 dollars!! Yep, you read that right....450 DOLLARS!! We only paid 70 bucks for this bad boy! I was so excited...it felt like an episode of American Pickers! LOL! So next year "WE" (hubby wants to can also!) will probably be canning anything and everything we can get our hands on! LOL!

Thank You! (Long post about our trip)

Thank you for the birthday wishes! Hubby and I are back from Kentucky and we had a splendid time! We went to a chocolate factory where we watched them make different candies like chocolate covered bourbon cherries (and we got lots of free samples)....YUM! Also bought some himalayan sea salt chips covered in chocolate....sweet and salty (a deadly combo)! HEHE! Then we went to a brewery....I gotta say I am not a beer drinker at all nor do I care for bourbon BUT Kentucky has this bourbon ale that is FANTASTIC!! We had 3 free BIG samples at the end of the tour and she gave me an extra for my birthday! Needless to say we walked outta there with a couple of growlers to go! I went to get a one hour professional massage and also got a free hand paraffin dip for my special day! The perks of having a birthday right?! Then we went to this amazing restaurant where I stuffed myself silly and then was offered a FREE dessert....who can turn down dessert? So I got this HUGE chocolate chip cookie with ice cream and caramel sauce! I'm pretty sure I gained 10 pounds in just a few short days! LOL! The next day we went to pick up a bourbon barrel for our new house....we are converting it into a bathroom vanity and it smells soooooooooooo good! Hubby thinks he will have me drinking bourbon soon since now I like it in beer, chocolate and I really like the smell but I am not crazy about the burn so I think I will stick to the wussy side of bourbon! Went to a winery but there was nothing too grand so we didn't buy anything. Plus all the wines seemed to be more expensive than what we are used to getting AND you gotta pay for samples which we usually don't do where I'm from either! Went to a distillery .... gosh I'm starting to sound like a lush aren't I?? I really don't drink that much...just felt like touring some different places! Anyways, the distillery grounds were gorgeous and the process of making bourbon is very unique! They gave us free labels....and of course at the end we got 3 free samples to drink AND bourbon chocolate! I can't believe how generous everyone was giving away free samples at all these places! I took some sips but gave the rest to hubby....that stuff is just too strong for me! On our way home we stopped at Bardstown where we ate at this cool tavern that was built in the late 1700's! See our trip wasn't all about booze....we actually got a taste of history! :) On our way out of town we passed this antique store....I had wanted to stop at one the entire trip but hadn't been able to so we turned around and all I had was 15 minutes before they closed. Well, as soon as I walked in there was this wonderful thing I HAD to buy.....stay tuned and I will be posting a picture soon! Any guesses on what I bought? I'll give you a hint....it is food related!

Pie and Winner!!

Did you have fun guessing what kind of pie this is? I really enjoyed reading what everyone thought!

The pie I have in the picture below is a concord grape pie!



Click HERE for the recipe! If you plan on making this pie it is worth reading the comments to customize a little more to your own tastes.

Now for the winner!! I put all the names into hubby's camo hat and had him draw out one and the winner is.......drumroll please.......................................

.............MICHELLE H.!!! Congrats! I will be sending you a little something in the mail! :)

Enjoy!

Diaper Cake!

I'm back to show you the diaper cake I made that matches the card earlier for the baby shower today! This was so fun to make and much easier than I had thought it would be. It was a little tricky holding the diapers all by myself but I managed. I looked up a few tutorials and then added my own twist to them. For the center I used two small travel sized baby powder bottles on top of each other instead of the normal paper towel cardboard or bottle. The base is usually made out of cardboard or plastic trays but I came up with the idea of using a 12 inch pizza pan! It worked perfect and made carrying the cake a breeze because it was so sturdy! The little rubber duck on top has a hole in the bottom so I used a small coffee stirrer in it and just poked it in between a rolled up diaper in the middle. I also had the idea to fold up the washcloths and pin them like diapers and just for something different I fanned the one that had ducks all over it!
Needless to say this was a big hit at the shower amongst all those women!





Challenges:
Creative Craft - Anything but a card
Phindy's Place - Something new
Sir Stampalot - Whatever you fancy

Baby Ducks!

I just got back from a baby shower and this is the card I made for my hubby's cousin. Didn't realize the ribbon was a little slanted until later but oh well ... it still turned out cute! :)

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes
Fab N' Funky - A Stitch In Time
Phindy's Place - Something New
Shopping Our Stash - Weakest Link (ribbon)
The Pink Elephant - Stitching
Woodware USA - Sketch (flipped)

Tasty Tuesday Guessing Game!!!

Alrighty....it is time for another one of my super fun guessing games! HEHE! Do you all have your thinking caps on? If not, you better go grab them because this week is a whopper! What kind of pie did I make in the picture below? All you have to do is leave a guess (you don't have to be right) for a chance to win a little surprise RAK from my stash! :) Good luck!



Blog Candy Alert!! ** Last month was my 2 year blogaversary AND I am celebrating my birthday (THE BIG 30!!) next Monday the 22nd so all my followers better keep an eye on this blog because I am gonna have some super yummy candy to giveaway!! **

Now lets see those guesses on that pie!
-Stacie :)

Hey Dude!

First off I want to thank those of you that took time to leave baby shower gift suggestions....I love all of the ideas! I chose to go with the diaper cake! I bought all the items last night and hope I can find time to pull it all together in time! :)

As promised I have a card for you this week.....nothing like waiting til the end of the week right?! I am such a procrastinator! LOL!


Stamp is from InStyle Stamps

I made this card and sent it to this great place called Send A Smile 4 Kids! For more information on donating cards click HERE!

Challenges:
Crafty Catz - Emboss It
Cute Card Thursday - CAS
Send A Smile 4 Kids - Anything Goes (as long as it is for kids)
Shopping Our Stash - Dogs, Digis or Denim (denim colored pants)
Stampin' For The Weekend - Spot and Dots
Top Tip Tuesday - Straight Edges
Totally Gorjuss - Round and round (round designs on DP)

Baby Shower Gift Ideas???? Please help!

I have a baby shower to attend next weekend for hubby's cousin. I have no clue what to make for her....she is very creative and artsy so I want to make something special. She also likes vintage. Does anyone have any cute ideas for baby shower gifts? Oh and she does not know the gender of the baby so I can't go all boy or girl for a theme!

I appreciate any ideas you can give me!

Persimmon Drop Cookies!

If anyone has frozen persimmon pulp in their freezer like I do give these cookies a try...you won't be disappointed!!

Click HERE for the recipe!

My version: NO NUTMEG and more cinnamon! As for the raisins or chocolate....of course I did chocolate but I used the white and I think that was a good choice!

IF you don't have persimmon my guess is you could try with pumpkin and it would probably work too...anyone ever tried that as a substitute before?

I'm off to IKEA!

Random Pics!

I don't have a card or anything I created for you today but I do have some random pictures to share!

Warning: VERY PHOTO HEAVY POST!!

I have been meaning to show this to my blogging pal Annmaree for months because we both love Spongebob! I finally found the picture and thought I would share with everyone! This was a cake my nephew got from his parents on his birthday back in February....he turned 19! HEHE!



My blogging pal Becky talked about these Orange Cream Slushies from Sonic. I don't have one of those near where I live but when mom and I were out driving to get some fresh peaches at an orchard I ran across a Sonic and even though I had just eaten lunch I had to get one of these to see what the big deal was about....now I know! YUM!! :)


Don't ya just love the retro cup?! So cool and shiny!


This is where I had just eaten lunch prior to having my ice cream treat at Sonic! A lighthouse restaurant literally on a boat! I didn't expect too much as the menu was very small and the place was too. How good can the food be on a boat right? Let me tell you this was THE BEST reuben I had ever had!!!! I am very picky on my meat and the corned beef was heavenly!! :)


Wanted to show off the lanterns we just put up next to our garage door...I HEART them soooooooooo much!!!


Here is a close-up! Pretty snazzy huh? They were on clearance being discontinued at the store and they only had two left....talk about lucky!!



Pretty sure this should go in the Guiness Book of World Records....luckily I took a snapshot before shoving it down my throat! LOL! Is this not the biggest blackberry ever?!



Also growing some huge melons this year! LMAO! I'm sure some of you will get a good chuckle out of that! :P Anyways, at the family reunion last weekend one of hubby's uncles told me an easy way to figure out if cantaloupe were ripe and since then I have successfully picked three of them! Before I would either pick too green or over-ripe and rotten so I am very happy to know how to pick these now! I go by color and smell....I can't seem to master the knocking method that some people do!



Doesn't that look delicious...especially on a hot summer day?!



Still with me? Great! Only one picture left!

A few weeks ago I went to a WOW (Women of the Woods) program. It is at a local fish and game club....you do not have to be a member and it is completely FREE! I went to the first one they had two years ago and loved it so much I decided to go back! The purpose of this is to teach women stuff like gun safety and how to shoot, fishing, canning and preserving, tree identification, outdoor cooking, etc. They also provide breakfast and lunch....free booklets and brochures....AND give away door prizes! Many other facilities have something like this but charge 50 to over a hundred dollars! So I feel lucky to have found this one for free and all the instructors are so helpful and patient! Anyways, this year I won a brand new pink fishing pole! SO EXCITING as I LOVE to go fishing!! I usually catch bluegill but the other night I went with hubby and my dad and I caught my first bass! WOOT WOOT! It was too little so I had to throw it back. It has to be 14 inches or more to keep but mine was only around 10 inches...even though it wasn't big enough to keep I was still happy to have caught one! :) Next time I'm going for the monster! :P



Well I hope everyone has enjoyed my random pictures and I will be back next week with some craftiness!

Hugs!
-Stacie

Reuben Time!

Today I have for you Reuben Eggrolls! The best part about eggrolls is you can make a bunch and freeze some for later which makes a quick meal! And I bake mine instead of deep frying which is even healthier! If you want to freeze some after baking let them cool,roll in foil and place in a freezer bag. Then when your ready to eat just reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes! Voila!

Click HERE for the recipe!

* This recipe tells you to deep fry them but if you want to bake them instead just line them on your cookie sheet, spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 425 degrees til golden and crispy...about 15 minutes depending on your oven. Sometimes I even turn mine halfway...I don't think that is necessary I just have a habit of doing that with most things I can flip! LOL! *



Here is one opened up so you can see the inside. I smothered it with my homemade thousand island dressing which I usually don't do cause I am not a fan of that dressing but my MIL's dad was a chef and I have his recipe....so good! He also has a bleu cheese one that is AMAZING! But I won't be sharing those just in case someone in the family decides to make millions off of the recipe! LOL! :P


What if you run out of eggroll wrappers and still have filling left? Just scramble it up with some eggs! I also added fresh mushrooms and spinach....season to taste with salt/pepper (sometimes I add garlic) and it makes a yummy lunch! :)



ENJOY!!

Wheels and a challenge rule change....

Time for our second challenge over at Unstampabelles and for this month we want to see WHEELS! We are also going to offer you an extra entry for the prize if you do the technique and for this month we want you to try out SPIRELLI! You have until September 3rd to get your entries in and the new challenge will start on September 5th. Remember you must have wheels on your project and spirelli is optional but it will get you an extra entry!

RULE CHANGE: We were allowing stamped sentiments but since our primary focus is on papercrafting techniques and not using stamps we decided to change this rule to NO STAMPS at all! No rubber, digi, sentiments, etc.!

Our sponsor for this month is Kelly from Kel's Kaszazz Kaleidoscope! She is offering up the wonderful goodies you see in the picture below!


Here is my card to get you started!

* Please click on the image to see the swiss dot embossing on the top two panels...I couldn't use my light box and this was the best photo I could get without it. *

I used the spirelli technique on the center green scalloped piece. If you need a tutorial on this technique click HERE! I had this great baby carriage 3D sticker for my wheels! Used some ribbon in my stash and added another 3D sticker for the sentiment along with two heart rub-ons.

Go ahead and give NO STAMPING a try! You have an entire month so I hope to see some of you over at Unstampabelles!

Challenges:
Allsorts - Free and Easy
Card Patterns - Sketch
Phindy's Place - Delightful Diecuts