Merry Christmas

Loving God, we open ourselves to you this Christmas season.
As these candles are lit, light our lives with your imagination.
Show us the creative power of hope.
Teach us the peace that comes from justice.
Fill us with the kind of joy that cannot be contained, but must be shared.
Maginfy your love within us.
Prepare our hearts to be transformed by you,
that we may walk in the light of Christ.

Merry CHRISTmas Everyone!!!

Christmas Window Boxes

This is what my window boxes look like this year:



Next year I would love to have these window boxes:

image from Martha Stewart

Trees

When I was out and about the other day, I noticed all different kinds of Christmas trees. So, I had to share with you. Can you just imagine the ones below, all decked out with decorations. I would love to see how some creative person would decorate the black tree. Are you thinking about it, too?

Yes, they even sell a Charlie Brown tree!

This would be the tree I would love to have in my classroom. I just love it! Just look at those huge erasers. I'm thinking the kids wouldn't have a problem finding these.

And last, but not least. My little tree.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great weekend!

Grinch

Last year I went down south for a Christmas gathering. After, everyone left my cousins, myself, and my friend went out to a local small town bar. It was fun, we had drinks and popcorn and played some pool. As we played pool, we started talking about the Santa that was sitting at the bar and how funny it would be if he would come over and sit on my friend, Becky's lap. Well, to my surprise when he turned around he had a Grinch mask on. Kind of strange, and not to mention scary looking. Non-the-less we got him to come over and we took this picture with him. So, I have been trying to figure out how to use the pictures I took that evening.





Thank goodness I like to stalk Ellen's blog, because she created a Grinch in punch art form. I consider myself extremely lucky to have found her blog, because this is one woman that is truly blessed with a talent, and I consider myself to be truly blessed to be able to CASE her creations. LOL


So, here he is. I made up a 6 x 6 page for my punch creation book. So, friends I can say that I'm finally one step closer at getting my page done in my scrapbook. Yay! Have a good day and don't put your Grinch face on. Ha, ha, ha!

Peppermint Bark Popcorn

I believe making homemade goodies is one of the best ways to share my love for friends and family. So with the holiday season already upon us, I wanted to show you one of my favorite gifts from the kitchen, and hopefully more to come. This is a recent discovery, a friend made something very similar for me earlier in the season.


I think this might be the perfect Christmas treat because:
1. It's yummy.
2. It's e.a.s.y. So easy! And quick too.
3. Just one batch makes enough to fill up lots of goodie bags.
4. It packs well. It's dry and in small pieces, so it's perfect for filling any type of container, or throwing it in a big bowl for a party.
5. Did I mention it's yummy?

Recipe:

16-20 C popped popcorn (fresh, or about 2 bags microwave popcorn)

1 lb Almond Bark

1 6oz box candy canes, crushed. (About 1-1 1/2 C total)

2 tea. peppermint extract

3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

*one bag microwave popcorn has about 10 cups in it, so if you're air-popping, do about 20 cups.

Okay, I have to admit unwrapping the candy canes and crushing them is the most labor intensive step of this easy-peasy treat. I put my candy canes in a large zip-lock bag and have a whack with a hammer, but a heavy marble rolling pin would work.

Thanks for taking a look and who knows, maybe this will become a new tradition for you and your family.

Happy Thanksgiving

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
-Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1864

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Here Comes Santa...

Laughing all the way! Well, okay maybe he isn't but you probably are. Right? What on earth is he doing anyhow? Doing the "Robot Dance"? I'm not sure, but I'm kinda attached to him. For some reason he pulls on my heart strings. Don't ask. I don't know why. LOL

I can tell you however, that I'm crazy for punch art. Gasp! It seems that lately I just can't get enough of it. I just wish that I was the one that was bright enough to design the creations I will be showing on my blog. Yep, nope not me. I stock Ellens blog and she is the real deal. She makes me look like a baby in diapers. Good thing that I majored in Copying...um I mean Elementary Education. Of course I added my own details, so then is it really the same? I'm not sure, the verdict is still out.

Enjoy and have a great Wednesday!

November Card Class

Last night was our November Card class at JaNells. Yvonne and JaNell put together some fabulous cards for us to make. For the first card we used Stampin' Up's new stencils. Have you seen these yet? This was the first for me. I have to admit that at first I was a bit sceptical about them and then Yvonne should us this card. I feel in love with it! We used brushed gold CS for the card and the top of the ornament. I had not used this paper before, so that was a treat for me. I like!

The second card we made was all about Dasher. We used gold ink on this card. I loved the colors on this card. I also loved the the polka-dot grosgrain ribbon. I will have to add this to my ever growing wish list.

Our last card was made using the Merry Moments paper from SU. I felt like a child again, because it reminded me of wallpaper my parents had in their bedroom. It was not the same color, but the print was similar and it had the same soft texture to it. How fun to travel down memory lane. Our second technique we learned was about embossing. We first stamped our image in VersaMark and then we stamped it in Real Red Classic Ink, we finished off by adding clear Embossing Powder and then we set it using the Heat Tool. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

We received the cutest little gift. It was filled with candy corn. Yum! I love the stuff and of course I already ate mine. *)

Thanks Yvonne and JanNell! I loved all the projects. Job well done!

Free Christmas Shipping...

Did you hear? Many merchants are jumping on board to the 2009 free shipping day, December 17. Thus far, 291 merchants are signed up for the event. When you shop their site http://www.freeshippingday.com/ on December 17th, you get free shipping and it is guaranteed to arrive by Christmas Eve. Scheels, Macy's, Sears, Toys R Us, Office Max, Lego, Omaha Steaks, Nordstrom, JC Penny, Overstock.com, and American Eagle just to name a small few. This would work perfect for us procrastinators....um, I mean those really hard people to buy for. Wink *)

Happy Monday, everyone!

I Spy....

So, I went and had my eyes checked the other day. It was a good visit. My eyes are doing good. So good in fact, that I noticed something. Here is the story. You see I can go two different routes when I go to the big city. Of course I'm a lot like clock work and chose to travel the same route on an almost daily basis. So of course you would think that I would have noticed a sign that is just southeast of my house.

Here is a picture of the sign.

What a great looking sign! Right? Well, not exactly. You see for the last decade (at least) I have been spelling my little town like this: PONSFORD. Did you notice the difference? I will give you a hint in case you missed it, look at the letter "d". Yep, I have been spelling it with only one "Dd". So, for a fraction of a minute it passed through my mind that "Oh, my gosh are you freaking kidding me?" There are two "d's" in Ponsford. Blondie moment? Perhaps! I'm not sure?

I like a good mystery. Don't you? So, I go down the road perhaps 500 feet at the most and notice this sign (the correct spelling).

What the world?!?! Yep, they made a new sign and they spelled it wrong. Hahahaha! That's funny! I'm not sure when they switched the sign, but the county is coming out to fix it. How can I tell? Well, you can see their fancy black writing on the back of the sign. This was not there before.

I think that I should have won a prize for noticing this. What do you think? Too funny! I hope you have an "I spy" moment of your own and soon. Take care and until next time.

Happy Friday the 13th...

I'm not sure what rock I have been living under, but I can tell you that I had never heard of this word before: Triskaidekaphobia. Are you familiar with it? It caught my eye when it popped up on MSN. com and so of course-curious me had to look into a little farther. This is what I found out. A fear of the number 13. Gasp! I guess I don't suffer from this, but apparently some other do. For instances did you know:

• More than 80% of high-rises lack a 13th floor.


• Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13. (I will definitely pay attention next time I go to these places)


• Many airports skip the 13th gate.-Airplanes have no 13th aisle.


• Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.


• On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.


• Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue.

Interesting stuff. I have to say that I'm really glad that I don't suffer from this phobia. One less thing to cross of my list. Yay!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Veterans Day

Thanks for all that you do and thank you for our Freedoms that we enjoy today and days to come! God Bless!

Fun in the forest...

What another beautiful weekend we had in northern Minnesota. Sure has been a treat!

This weekend my nephew, Riley was over. So, we thought we would travel over to the White Earth State Forest. Not a far travel, by any means. I live only 2 miles max from my door step. Can't beat that.

White Earth State Forest is over 160,000 acres. Glaciers created the rolling hills, potholes and lakes. Much of the forest is maple, basswood, red oak, aspen, red and white pine and white spruce. So, you can just image how good it smelled going through the trails. I was surprised by the number of leaves that have started changing colors and or fallen to the ground.

Here are the guys taking a break, before we mozy on down the trail. Of course I'm not in the picture cause I'm taking it, but even my dog Dory came along to enjoy the awesome fall weather. She spends most of her time off scouting in the woods.

We had a great day and it even got better when I got home and learned the Vikings won their second game in a row. Way to go Vikes!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a great weekend.

Cleaning House...

How did I accumulate all this stuff? I need an interior intervention! The sad part is that this is only my stuff from the basement. Ugh! I will finish with my stuff and then tackle Mack’s. Of course, only if I’m still sane! LOL

It’s so easy to collect “stuff” and much harder to let it go. Despite my best intentions I seem to accumulate small piles until suddenly I have to stop everything to toss and straighten up. I wish I could make it easier on myself and discard as I go but despite my best intentions things seem to somehow accumulate.

After this house cleaning, I know that I will feel much better. I’m borrowing ideas from “Clean House” the Show. Bringing everything out and then going through all the stuff and then putting the stuff into three different piles marked: Keep, Garage Sale, and Garbage.

I just hope that my “Keep” pile is relatively small compared to the other two piles.

After having a not so fun summer, I decided to make some changes in my life. Yes, I have a long way to go, but you must start at the bottom and work your way to the top. Right?

So, my first change has been to view myself as a spiritual house that needs to be maintained and cleaned regularly. After a few dietary slips I eventually begin/an to pay a physical price, so I started working on this one awhile back, and it is working…slow but sure.

Second change, understanding that when I hold onto resentment, a hurt or a worry it takes a toll on my soul and mental health.

So, this is how I got where I am at today. We all need to keep a clean house, get rid of those cob webs and clear the air. Letting go makes room for new beginnings and frees whatever space we choose to inhabit.

What have I learned? Don’t wait too long between cleanings it’s much easier to do as you go along.

And finally…Find Something to Feel Good About Everyday!

How Does Your Garden Grow...

Great! I thought I would show you around my little place today. When I stroll around outside, these are just some of the views that I see. I just love this time of the year! Cooler temperatures, green grass, abundance of blooms, and lets not forget the smell of autumn in the air. Inhale that wonderful scent, it is like pure happiness in a single breath.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great weekend! Until next time.

Spider Webs

Early into September and you can already smell the scent of Autumn. Autumn is falling colored leaves. The smell of acidic oak leaves, and fresh cold morning airs. Autumn is also the time for cool damp mushroom growing, and for foggy mornings. Which brings us back to the main topic here-spiderwebs. The damp mornings fill the spiderwebs and spot the sluggish spiders with glistening dew drops.

Something about spiders and spider webs makes for a neat subject. Add a little morning mist or dew and they really light up. This image wasn't one that I had to travel real far to take, just went to the back yard.

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside...! You would be shocked if you thought the itsy-bitsy spider was confined to an occasional web in the field, but look what we find when the dew settles and the sun rises upon the scene. I swear there must have been at least a dozen of various shaped spiderwebs dotting the field! Who would ever have thunk that one?

Hopefully, you will get the chance to catch a glimpse of these amazing art pieces. A true masterpiece in the making. Enjoy and don't let the spiders freak you out. LOL

Everyone Needs a Home....

Awhile back at work, someone broke this bowl and I thought that it was pretty. However, I had no use for a broken bowl, or so I thought. One of my coworkers suggested that I take it home and put it in my garden and use it as a toad house. Well, that is interesting. As funny as it sounded, I liked her idea and off I went with the bowl. Several people asked me throughout the day about the bowl and each time I would tell them...well they would laugh at me.

So, I would like to show you my new neighbor. Yep, that is right toad houses really do work!

OK, so not everyone finds toads beautiful. However, a single toad can eat about 110 beetles, ants, June bugs, grasshoppers, moths and other bugs every day. That's right around 3,300 every month! Wow! Yummy!

I guess it only makes sense since toads are most active at night, so during the day they need a fairly dark, cool place to hide from the sun and predators. You will find me encouraging these bug-hungry hunters to have a nice long stay in my garden by providing this adorable affordable toad house.

I would like to suggest that you find an old bowl and place it in an area in your garden and before long you'll have a new neighbor, too.

Excuse the lull...

Whew - what a month and to think that September is creeping up on us very quickly. Excuse the blogging lull around here. I would like to say more than anything that I have been busy getting used to a new schedule around here with school starting soon.

However, that is not the case.

I can tell you though that I tried something new this week. Mack has been after me since day one of knowing him to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Well, I took the big plunge and I guess it is not so bad. I love the wind in my hair. I have a long way to go, but you have to start somewhere. So, here is a little video of my first journey out. Oh, and I have to tell you the boy was grinning from ear to ear. I think I made him a little proud. What a treat!

July Hostess Club/Technique Class

Monday nights class was all about Top Note magic. We covered three techniques, but that doesn't even put a dent in what you can do with this handy dandy little guy. We also used some of the new in colors. At first I was not sure of these colors, I thought they were so bold and bright, but after creating with them...well, all I can say is they certainly have grown on me.
We made three make-n-takes.

This card was made out of Razzleberry Lemonade DSP and then Crushed Curry and Melon Mambo CS. We colored the image from the Razzle Dazzle set with the new in color markers. Tied it up with the new Crushed Curry polka-dot ribbon.

I have been wanting to make one of these cute little purses. I just love the color on this one. We used Rich Razzleberry CS and then Patterns Designer Series Paper in Rich Razzleberry. We also used the jumbo eyelets with the crop-a-dile. Easy-peasy! How cute!!!

For the last card we took 1 inch little squares from the Razzleberry Lemonde DSP and glued them down on white CS and then ran it through using the Top Note Die. It was neat to see every one's cards, cause no two cards where alike. I just love my little quilt, I think it turned out fabulous.

We ended the night with yummy fruit pizza and three great projects. I can't wait to make some more purses, I just think they are the bomb diggety dog.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

July Church Cards

These are the cards that we made at Tuesday night card class. It had been a couple of months again since I went, so it was fun to see familiar faces and make some awesome cards. Thanks ladies for the fun and festivities. Have a terrific Tuesday!

Happy 4th of July

I accomplished my first 5k marathon today. I entered the 31st Annual Firecracker Footrace, in my hometown. Two of my good friends joined me. I mainly walked, but I did jog a little to pass a few folks. What a great feeling to get out and try something new. I hope to make this a yearly tradition and I think several other people do as well. I overheard someone say that there was at least 600 people signed up. Wow! What a great response, and better yet - money received benefits our high school track and cross country programs.

After the race I headed over to Huntersville to go tubing. We drifted down the Crow Wing River which starts at 11th Crow Wing Lake and meanders 90 miles to the Mississippi River.

Tubing is such a popular activity on this part of the river. I really enjoy my time relaxing and taking in all the scenery. The picture above shows tons of people and I'm glad to say that this only happens on/or around the fourth of July.

I had a great 4th and I hope you did as well.

Oh, The Memories....

...Come flooding back to when the Thriller Album came out, I was eight years old and it was just amazing. I can remember going over to my friend Emily's house for a party and the album played the entire time. We all were memorized with the video, and not to mention his fantastic dance moves. MTV was blaring and we tried to copy the dance moves, but we never could master the moves of this talented man.

Every performance of his was absolutely electric, and I will miss the possibility of anymore music from him. I was excited for his come back...the one that was going to change things for him and bring back memories of my youth and even make new memories.

I will never forget the first time I saw this performance. Watch and remember.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7MmEMrCRfc

Michael Jackson may be gone, but his music will always live on.

The end of May, the beginning of FUN

Wow! Can you believe that it is that time of year again? What time, are you asking? BBQ time of course, silly! I think most if not all Americans love a good BBQ. The favorites at my house are burgers, hot dogs and potatoes with onions wrapped in tin foil all grilled to perfection.



While grilling, it is always important to sing the "Oscar Myer Weiner song" Get ready lets give it a shot.

Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner

That is what I truly wish to be

cause if i were a Oscar Mayer weiner

everyone would be in love
oh everyone would be in love
everyone would be in love with me.

Now, seriously-don't you feel 100x's better. Like perhaps you can get your summer started. Okay, the unofficial start to summer. I suppose to be technical we should wait until the 21st of June, but that seems so far away. So, while waiting patiently for June to arrive-I have done a little research on hot dogs. I found out from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (it’s a little funny we have a hot dog council :) ) Americans consume over 7 billion hot dog between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Can you believe it!!! And to top it off the weekend of July 4th we consume over 15 million hot dogs. CRAZY!! So,start eating your fair share and keep the Hot Dog council in business!!!

Thanks for doing your share and I hope you all had a great weekend!

Quilt

I just had to show off my the quilt my friend Peg helped me make. My kindergarten class is studying the letter "Qq" this week, so I had them make this neat tulip block. Peg came in to show me how to put them all together to look like a quilt. I just love it! I know the kids will love it also. Thanks again Pegster! You rock!

April Card Club (Church)...

I have not been to church cards since October of last year. So, I thought I best be high-tailing it over there and see what is happening. I'm really glad that I did. We made three cards and one was already made for us. Card club has not meet since December, due to bad weather. It was like a surprise to see what we would be making.





I really enjoyed all the cards. Have a great day.