Vacation 2 - Part 1 (West Virginia)

We stopped at Beckley Coal Mine and did a tour there underground. Something I think everyone should do atleast once in their life to understand what all the coal miners had to go through in order to make a living!

The tour guide doing a demonstration.


Looking back at an area we just went through on the rail cart.


The next day we went to Oak Hill to do a full day of river rafting with a company called River Expeditions. It was sooooooooo much fun!! The only downfall is that I have zero pictures from that day because they charged WAY TOO MUCH for them so I declined..I mean 45 dollars for either a video or a CD of pictures and 65 bucks if you want both...RIDICULOUS!! So here is a picture of the river we went down called New River...we rafted the lower part and went under the gorgeous New River Bridge! I don't know if we specifically rafted this part but it was the only picture I got of that river. Next time I'm taking a waterproof camera so I can have my own pictures of the rafting trip!


Day three we headed to Lewisburg for an all day spelunking trip with Lost World Caverns. Yes, most people think I'm crazy for doing this! It was supposed to be 4 hours in the cave but plan on 6 hours including gearing up and a cookout afterwards (which is included in the VERY REASONABLE price along with a CD of pics). Well, we had someone on the trip that shouldn't have signed up (not fit at all and it does take strength, afraid of heights and claustrophobic...not a good combo for this activity!) so the trip took an extra two hours...but hey I was excited because I got all that extra time in the cave at no extra cost! :) If you have never been spelunking before I highly recommend this company because they are very cautious on safety and Steve (the main tour guide and part owner) has so much patience and a very calming nature about him! Plus if you get in there and can't fit through some of the tiny holes (like my hubby..he got stuck twice..LOL!) they have alternate routes that you can do. Some caves are not like that at all....actually with this one you don't even have to try any of the holes which is what that one girl did...she basically just sat in an area with another guide while the rest of us went in the tiny tunnels/holes and we caught up with her later. Needless to say this was by far my favorite part of the entire trip! I had never been spelunking before and thought I could of ended up scared once getting in there but heck no...I was all about the adventure! My body paid for it though as I had several bruises and scrapes...looked like I had been beaten the next day when I put on shorts and a short sleeve shirt! LOL! My arms ached for about 4 days too especially after using them all the day before with rafting and then all the next day for 6 hours squeezing my way through a cave! For me it was completely worth it! :P

Here is a "before" picture.


Making my way through the cave...lots of tall climbs/slopes!


The first hole called "The Drain"...I actually made a joke to everyone that I bet we were going down that hole first. I really didn't think we would...I just thought it was a random hole that went nowhere...to my surprise it was the first hole we went down!! LOL!


Hubby is stuck...the guide had to go in the tunnel below him and give him a knee to boost off of so he could get back out. Before that I was in the tunnel and could see hubby dangling his legs...I couldn't help but laugh! LOL! Thank goodness he isn't the nervous/panicky type or he would of probably been really mad at me for making fun of him...he is very good at staying calm!


This one is called "The Birth Canal" and hubby was supposed to be the first one out but again...stuck!


So I was the first kid born on this trip...made it all the way through and it was a toughie!


Here we are at the end of the trip...soaking wet and mega muddy! But very happy! :)

Vacation 1 - Gatlinburg

Here are a few pics from the vacation I took with my mom and sister to Gatlinburg, Tenn. during Mother's Day weekend.

An example of some yummy food we ate! This is shrimp and bacon flatbread we had at a wonderful place called bullfish where they specialize in steak and fish!


A fruit platter at the old mill restaurant which was our last breakfast out...this was just the beginning of that meal as we all had pancakes, biscuits/gravy, waffles, ham, sausage, eggs, etc.! Oh yeah...we rolled outta that restaurant! LOL!



Finally some good ole southern frog legs! Wish more restaurants had these to eat! This was at a fun restaurant called Dick's Last Resort...you gotta have a somewhat twisted/crude since of humor for this place! :P


The three amigos in front of the Old Mill area ready to tackle some shopping!


See the tram WAY UP in those trees?? Yep, that was our ride up Ober Mountain....so much fun!!


This was the "non-goofy" pic as we all tried on some sort of animal hide after this and had our pictures taken! This was at Cade's Cove where you can drive around and see wildlife and some old historic areas.


The gorgeous Smoky Mountains!!


A random waterfall on our drive to Cades Cove...so beautiful!!


Hope you enjoyed these pics!

Unstampabelles Design Team Call!

We are looking for someone that enjoys paper crafting without using stamps (rubber or digi). This is a really fun design team to strengthen your papercrafting skills! For more information please click HERE!

I'm Back and Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie!

Hi all! I got back from vacation last week and I'm slowly catching up. Hubby and I had a wonderful time and I want to thank those of you that wished us a happy anniversary and a safe trip! :)

Since I wasn't able to post a recipe the past few weeks I thought I would give you one heck of a decadent dessert recipe and I do mean this one is a doozy!!!



Yes, this is an oreo with a chocolate chip cookie bottom and a brownie top....talk about heaven!!! Click HERE for the recipe!

*I did make a few changes....I was lazy and instead of making the cookie dough I just used a roll of the refrigerated choc. chip cookie dough. I used regular oreos not double stuffed and omitted the hot fudge.

Enjoy!!

Unstampabelles Challenge #12

This is an auto-post as I am still away on vacation...hopefully not burned to a crisp by this time! :P

Time for our twelfth challenge over at Unstampabelles and for this month we want to see any paper creation with RIBBON! You have until June 29th to get your entries in and the new challenge will start on July 2nd!
*Just remember......NO STAMPS at all! No rubber, digi, sentiments, etc.!

Our sponsor for this month is HUGGIESCRAFTS!
* Please visit the Unstampabelle blog for more information on the prize!

Now for my DT project to get you started!


I used some scrap ribbon to make a Christmas tree, then added some sparkly dots to represent snowflakes, used real wood veneer as the tree base, and for the finishing touch added a star to the top of the tree! The sentiment is just handwritten in gold.

Vacation....AGAIN!

I know ... I know... I'm such a slacker! LOL! I was going to post pics from my trip to Gatlinburg over Mother's Day but after I got back I was completely slammed at work. Then I had to spend all of this week planning/preparing to go on my next vacation (listen to me whine right...I hear all those tiny violins!) :P Hubby and I are getting ready to head out to Virginia to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary! After we get back and things settle down I will post a few pics from both trips! Be back in a few weeks!

-Stacie :)

Girl With Wreath

I had this cute image from Nicecrane Designs laying on my desk and thought it was time to get another Christmas card done...I usually wait til the last minute and my goal is to NOT do that this year! I embossed the background with my Cuttlebug, added some scrap ribbons to the bottom, colored the little girl and wreath up with my Copics and added a plastic Merry Christmas sentiment.

You can find this image available in the Nicecrane Designs store by clicking HERE!

Sweet Potato Hummus

First off I need to state that I am completely ADDICTED to hummus! My fav was Sabra brand spinach artichoke hummus...Mmmmmmm! When it is in the house I pretty much eat it everyday! After getting my new high powered blender I thought about making my own...that away I know exactly what is in my food, how fresh it was, and could customize it however I liked. Let's just say I was not disappointed...I have tried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), black beans and now sweet potato! This one is by far the most work but it also tastes and looks more "upscale". You could make a more basic one although this particular recipe really adds a nice zing! I wasn't sure about the ingredient combination but I'm so glad I tried it....this is now my FAVORITE hummus!!! And it is healthy for you to boot! I love eating hummus with Stacy's "naked" pita chips...they are THE BEST!! I'm going to try making my own in the future so we will see how that goes!

Click HERE for this gourmet hummus recipe!

Enjoy! :)

No Pudge Brownie

For those of you on diets but still want a delicious treat I have found a recipe clone for "No Pudge Brownies". I have seen these in the store and was able to try some a lady gave me one time but they are expensive! So when I found this recipe I had to give it a try! They are DELICIOUS!! Yes, I went all out and had mine with ice cream and caramel sauce but they really are good on their own! Plus if you decide not to eat the entire pan of these brownies you can freeze them individually for later!

Click HERE for the recipe!

Enjoy! :)

I'm Back!!

Hey everyone! I'm back from vacation! My mom, sis and I went to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area and it was a wonderful time! I will try and share a few pics with you later this week! For now I have some crafty goodness to show you! This is a redo of an Easter basket I gave out. I originally didn't put an image on it which you can see HERE, but after doing a few boy ones up for my nephews and using images I didn't want the girl to feel left out. So I used a darling stamp sent to me by my best bud Annmaree...thanks dear! :)
It is called "Sheep For Ewe" by Wild Rose Stamps. Adorable right?

out of town

Wanted to let you all know that I am out of town until late Sunday. Going on a Mother's Day vacation with my mom and sister! Be back with some crafty stuff to show you next week!

Smart Pig!

I thought this was such a funny image with the pig in glasses and playing scrabble!
You can find this image at Nicecrane Designs by clicking HERE!

Challenges:
Send A Smile 4 Kids - buttons, ribbon or flowers (I chose flowers)

Maple Bacon Breakfast Roll!

Everything tastes better with bacon!!
Click HERE for this quick and easy recipe that only uses 5 ingredients!!

Enjoy! :)

Unstampabelles Challenge #11

Time for our eleventh challenge over at Unstampabelles and for this month we want to see MOVING PARTS! The bonus technique for this month is TO USE A BRAD OR SPLIT PIN! You have until June 1st to get your entries in and the new challenge will start on June 4th.
*Just remember......NO STAMPS at all! No rubber, digi, sentiments, etc.!

Our sponsor for this month is


CRAFT MAD

This is the fantastic prize on offer for this month!



Now for my DT project to get you started!

I did a suspension card and you can find a tutorial HERE!



The above is a "before" picture without a sentiment. The below images are after I had used a stamp for the sentiment. Just remember to enter your card into the challenge BEFORE stamping a sentiment! I could of used a sticker or cut letters out but I truly forgot before finishing this card....my brain is scattered these days! :P Hope to see you join in this fun challenge!




Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes
Creative Craft - Anything Goes
Delightful Sketches - Mother's Day
Mishelflo's Challenge - Celebration
Paper Sundaes - Mother's Day
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Mother's Day/Feminine Plus Ribbon

Pork Chops With Apple and Thyme

This is a wonderful recipe for pork chops...the flavors of apple and thyme really work beautifully together! Click HERE for the recipe!

* I served mine up with some balsamic/olive oil grilled bell peppers and portabello mushrooms!

Enjoy! :)

Happy Birthday Boy!

Image is from InStyle Stamps

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
Crafty Sentiments - For A Child
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes
Kaboodle Doodle - Emboss It
Penny's Challenge - Happy Birthday
Send A Smile 4 Kids - For The Boys
Shopping Our Stash - Starts With A "B" (Boy, Blue)
Simon Says - Anything Goes
SSDS - Birthday

Vegan PB Banana Bread Cake

For those of you that like to play with blenders here is a recipe for you!
* Note that she had a hard time using a Blendtec blender...I have the same blender and it worked perfectly. You just have to put the ingredients in the right order for it to work...but I'm sure those of you with a high speed blender know this already! :P

This was very gooey and so moist and delicious! Click HERE for the recipe!

I did change a few things to the recipe...I kept the oats whole instead of making them into flour, I used whole wheat flour instead of almond, and only 1/2 cup pb instead of the recommended 1 cup. I did use a 9x13 baking dish and it only needed 30 minutes (to be extra gooey) in my oven so be sure to watch it!

Enjoy! :)

Anniversary Card For In-Laws

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Spring/Summer colors
C.R.A.F.T - Anniversary
Crazy 4 Challenges - Add black cardstock
Delicious Doodles - Loads of layers

Anniversary Card For Friends

* If anyone knows who this image is by please let me know so I can give credit to the designer! *

Challenges:
C.R.A.F.T - Anniversary
Crafty Sentiments - Use a digi
Lollipop Crafts - Spring Fling (flowers)
Top Tip Tuesday - Spotty Dotty

40th Gag Birthday Gifts!

Here are some pictures I keep forgetting to post. My sister turned the big 40 last year and being the sweet sister that I am I decided to make her some gag gifts! LOL!
Hopefully you can read the labels (all images are freebies online) as they are pretty funny...if you need to make them larger please click on the pictures! Enjoy a good laugh for the day! :)
** The "pills" are M&M's and jelly beans! **









Challenges:
Stampalot - Birthday
The Lollipop Ladies - Gummy Bears (Figured all the colors fit the theme!)
Penny's Challenge - Anything But A Card