A stay-at-home weekend...

and we're looking forward to having time to catch up on some things that have been pushed aside for awhile. Some are chores [like cleaning house,] and some meaningful [catching up with my Bible Study- Beth Moore's 'To Live is Christ - the life of Paul,'] some are fun [catching up with my Jessica Sprague Photoshop on-line class,] and some may be a little cool [working on the boat and garden...] But it is so nice to have some cooler fall-like weather! We had a wonderful get-a-way last weekend when we went over to Helen, Georgia. A fun little town where we enjoyed God's awesome creation, meeting on-line friends irl, and eating some delicious German food!
And having some time just be silly and have fun.....
[This photo is us in the window of someones van with our lovely Aussie hats that we got for 3 bucks each.]

While traveling out /town this week for work I watched a Rachel Ray show on red cabbage and hot potato salad with brats and actually made it for us last night - a thirty minute meal - yummy. Not quite authentic German, but it's definitely a do-again!

This week we've spent some time planning up-coming kits and reviewing the Design Team entries. Just like last year - WE LOVE THEM ALL! But we have to make some decisions. Praying God will lead us to just the right choices.

And I wanted to share a canvas I've created from the December kit - this is a definite scrap-lift of a layout from the Book of Me by Autumn Leaves - love this. I'll probably re-do the photo now that I'm learning how to edit a little more with photo shop:

Fifteen hour work days

that include almost eight hours of travel are getting harder and harder to recover from... so today I started my day [a little later than usual] with this:a morning glory muffin and the largest dark coffee of the day from The Coffee Tree down the street from our house. And I waited until I got into the office to take the very first bite [notice The Von Braun Center and Embassy Suites out my window.] So yummy and delicious and just a great start to a very slow starting day...

These muffins are much like the ones I make at home on occasion so I wanted to share the recipe for those who'd like to try it themselves [I've substituted applesauce for part of the oil and they were still very good]:

Morning Glory Muffins

2 large sized eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped apple
1/2 cup raisins

If you like softer raisins, place them in a saucepan and bring to a boil, drain and cool. Prepare the carrots and apple by cleaning and peeling, then chop into a medium dice, and finely grate. If you like, you can grate the apple too. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Have ready sprayed or greased jumbo or regular muffin tins.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine. Stir in the flour, leavening and spice. Fold in the walnuts, coconut, carrots, apple and raisins. Spoon into greased muffin tins, fill them almost full, a little more than the usual 3/4 full, and sprinkle the top with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Place in the center of the oven, close the door, and turn the temperature down to 350. Don't peek for 15-17 minutes so the oven stays nice and hot. They are done when the tops are fully browned and firm to the touch. If you poke with a toothpick, it should come clean.

Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then remove. If they give you any trouble, run a knife around the edges to help to loosen them. Cool on a rack and enjoy when fresh!! They are best fresh made, but it's a great item to individually wrap and freeze. Enjoy!

Scrapbook Musings...

I’ve come to see [once again] that there’s a ton of scrapbook info out there that I really know nothing about! – Products! Design Teams! Instructional Books and Guides! Celebrities! Contests! Forums! [Full of good faithful women!] Now, I’ve never really believed I knew it all – although I have had thoughts that I was somewhat knowledgeable… but as of this month I’ve officially lost that illusion – there is so much info available – out there – [websites- books- forums- magazines- groups- stores- ETC!] that I now know I will never be able to pursue it all! So just today I’ve asked myself – do I really want to? And the cold hard truth is --- No.

• No, I do not want to sit in front of a computer for hours at a time following threads of conversation that does not concern me...
• No, I do not want to have my pages reflect the scrapbook style de jour;
• No, I do not want to read every available scrapbook magazine or special edition;
• No, I do not want to take the time to search out each and every scrapbook ‘celebrity’ and know everything there is to know about them;
• No, I do not want to search and search for the new and trendiest products and always try to have my pages be ‘ahead’ of the game;
• No, I do not want to attend every crop available;
• No, I do not want to take the time to submit layout after layout to every magazine, contest, or design call;
• No, I do not want to know everything about every store in my region;
• No I do not want to join every forum / group out there that is full of knowledgeable scrappers – both non-believers and believers;
• No, I don’t want to take the time to read every post on every site –no matter how great it is;

Well, maybe I do… and I think it’s wonderful for those who have the time to pursue all of the above [I learn so much from the things they share!] but I’ve come to see that even if scrapbooking was my full-time job there would still not be enough time to even learn about all of the little nuggets of information out there, and there is no way that I will ever have the time to know it all. I sooo enjoy this craft – hobby – therapy – art and I’ve come to see [once again] that I need to reign myself in and set parameters and let the Lord lead me…

• Yes, I want to be a part of select communities that uplift each other, share together, and grow in scrapbook information and in the Lord;
• Yes, I want my layouts to be timeless and classic with a little whimsy thrown in for fun;
• Yes, I want to take the time to stay ‘in touch’ with a few select celebrities whose style or philosophy I admire;
• Yes, I want to read the magazines [books, etc.] that best reflect my ‘style’ and the direction I want my scrapbook layouts to go;
• Yes, I want to take classes, try new ideas, and have some knowledge of what’s ‘on trend’ so as to not be totally ignorant –lol;
• Yes, I want to attend those select crops where I can relax, work on my pages without scrutiny, and enjoy being with friends;
• Yes, I want to focus on a couple of design entries each month – not every single one, and trust the Lord to guide me;
• Yes, I want to become more familiar with my local scrapbook community and take the opportunities given to share with others how to put their faith on their pages; and
• Yes, I want to be a part [as in participate daily] of a few active groups where the members take the time to know each other and give support in many areas of our lives….but most importantly –
• Yes, I want to LIVE LIFE and be a part of the things that the Lord leads me to do.

And to quote Ali E – it’s okay…so there we have it – I’ll be unsubscribing to some groups and changing directions in my own life so that I can enjoy creating art once again. I don’t mean to imply that any of the above ‘Nos’ are wrong – they just aren’t for me – right now – during this time in my life. There are so many great ways to pursue this hobby, so many wonderful groups full of women with excellent ideas, and so many new ways to go with things, but I’m making the conscious decision that I do not have the time to be a part of everything and I’m not going to be on the fringe…

I’m staying with the direction I’ve taken during these past few months during my parents’ illnesses – scrapbooking just for me, as the Lord leads, – not for others’ expectations. I’ve loved this. But in preparing for a recent convention I’ve been sucked back into the whole mad scrapbook world again…so as of today I’m saying: not again, not now.

I look forward to sharing with those in my life in a more intimate way as we grow together...

I wanted to share photos of everything I created with the November Kit. This was really fun!



I actually created 7 cards in addition to everything else shown [just didn't photograph all of them.] Think these are cute -

And I love this hanging art - the base was a gift from my secret sister . I painted itbrown, used papers from the Nov. kit, and ribbon, metal slides, buttons, and flowers [I painted them green to match] from my stash. The big brown button is from the sewing section at Wal-Mart. The back is taped down and secured with packaging tape - lol. LOVE THIS!!! Thanks again secret sis!!!!

More photos from my little photo shoot with Matt and Susie



These layout photos were taken at Simply Southern this weekend, so may be a little shiney due to the protective covering. - I'll post more later ---

October already...

so hard to believe - it's fall already and my life is slowing down and I might actually get some in-depth cleaning done this month! But first! It's time for Simply Southern Scrapbook Convention - one of my favorite shows! I was honored to be a part of the pr for things:

Not a great scan of this weekly insert to our local newspaper, but a fun cover none-the-less. The complete story is on the link above. It was fun to do, but I have to be honest, at first I thought they would be photographing my layouts and projects for the convention. Then when I realized that I would be in the photo [I think the 'wear something bright' was the first clue] I thought I would be sitting at a table cropping away...but the photographer was great and I was in and out in about 30 minutes - so really fun all together. Here are some behind-the- scenes shots I couldn't share before now:
Been working hard to get ready for this and I still LOVE the shelves Craig made to hold everything in our little vendor area! Love my classes and think they will be fun and can't wait to visit and shop around with all the other vendors. One of the things I wanted to showcase in our booth was how much you could do with just one kit - and with the November Kit [remember I love it!] I've completed 5 layouts, 7 cards, a hanging Thanksgiving decoration, and a 10x10 canvas. I'll share photos after the weekend! Have a great one!