Crop and Stick

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

Going for a walk...

2011-07-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

There is a bike path that I have driven past many times and wondered where it went. Today, I fed my little girlies breakfast and we got out the bikes and the stroller and drug Lisa and baby along with us. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

We walked about 1 1/2 miles (girls complaining all the way about WHY we were doing this and how tired they were and how hot it was...you know the drill) before we even found the beginning of the path. Once we did however, the little ladies seemed to be rejuevenated and took off on their own down the paved path along a raging river! It was shady (and therefore a little cooler, thank goodness) and wove its way along back yards that line the river banks. It turned out to be a beautiful walk/ride that they are determined to take their father back to maybe tonight.

We finally decided to head back home. I'm not sure how far we went but we were gone for 2+ hours. I had to have a nap this afternoon! It also reminded me of a quaint little tune "Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked and walked and walked and walked....and walked". Next time, I think we will drive to the trail head and just enjoy the bike path as it was intended!

Healthy Eating and Recipes

2011-06-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently started a cooking blog for healthier eating options. I have tried several of her recipes and LOVE them Here is the link to Emilee's blog. Check it out today! Try the Carribean Jerk Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans. It is one of my absolute favorites. I have made it twice. Fair warning though: it is quite spicy and I had to scale way back on the Carribean Spice (even half of the amount called for was too spicy for my kids!). Her lettuce wraps are to die for too. And....I'm off to the kitchen. All this talking about food is making me hungry! Happy eating!

Tin Foil Dinner Cooking Tips

2011-06-19T08:57:00.001-07:00

Tin Foil Dinners are a fun and delicious way to cook when camping and after doing a lot of research on the internet, I learned a few things:

Tin Foil Dinner Cooking Tips:

* Use heavy duty foil. That way you don't have to worry about your packet ripping open before it is finished cooking. I like to double layer mine, even with heavy duty foil

*Use cooking spray (like Pam) on the foil before you put the food in. It helps your food to not stick to the packet.

*Add a little fat to the packet-oil or butter. Really adds to the flavor. Toss raw veggies (like potato slices) in a little oil to help them not stick together and brown.

*Place meat on the bottom, as it takes the longest to cook. You can add some high-moisture vegetables like onion or tomato to the meat to keep the meat from drying out and add some more flavor. Mix slices of onion right into your meat.

*Be sure to use a thin slice of raw meat (like hamburger) to ensure doneness and not having to cook it too long. Ham slices and stew meat are a nice change too.

*You can use canned vegetables if you want to speed up your cook time. Just beware: they can sometimes be a little overcooked and tend to be mushier than fresh, raw veggies.

*Onion soup mix is a great flavor additive!

*Don't be afraid to experiment. Sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, etc. are wonderful cooked this way!

Cake Batter Truffles

2011-06-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

My cute daughter, Stacy, made these the other day and brought some over. We made awfully quick work of them! They are pretty yummy and taste just like cake batter, which is always a favorite of the kids! She got the recipe from Landee on her blog where she gives credit to two other sources. Give them a try! They are yummy. (Just for your information, I made the cookie batter truffles from Landee's blog but we all preferred these!)

Cake Batter Truffles

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 yellow cake mix

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

about 1/4 cup milk

hand mix:

2 T. sprinkles

white dipping chocolate

Beat together sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients, adding milk in slowly until you reach desired dough-like consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll into balls and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet and chill for at least 15 minutes.

Melt dipping chocolate and dip batter balls in. Put back on wax paper and top with more sprinkles if desired. Keep refrigerated. Makes approx. 30 truffles.

Keeping Hydrated

2011-06-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have always heard that drinking plenty of water is essential to good health and especially weight loss. I don't mind drinking water.....I just know that I don't EVER get as much as I should. The teacher of the pump class that I attend says that you should drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day. I have good intentions....sometimes I even start the day out doing pretty well, but I get busy and simply forget. Well, no more! I just read about a fantastic idea, and just had to share.

Set your timer for 1 hour. Each time the timer goes off, you drink an 8 oz. glass of water. Not too hard, right? The only problem for me so far is remembering why the timer is buzzing!! That old age and memory thing~!! I am hoping this will be the beginning of a beautiful habit for me. Good timing, too with summer (supposedly) coming any day and needing to keep hydrated in the hot summer sun. Here's to hydrating and re-hydrating!

New Grandbaby Camryn

2011-06-14T15:03:00.001-07:00

Camryn Alexis Melvin was born on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. She weighs 7 lbs. 8.3 oz. and is very cute! Momma Lisa and baby are doing well!

I was there for the birth and it was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced! What a miracle new life is. She is perfect in every way and is such a sweet little thing. She has a very husky, deep voice and is not afraid to let us know what she wants. Welcome little one!

Ribbon Flowers

2011-06-13T07:38:00.001-07:00

Ok-disclaimer....these pictures are terrible! My camera is having issues. Thank goodness I bought the extended warranty. But for today....just try to imagine!!

The other day, I was wandering through a local craft store looking for a fun idea for an embellishment. There were the cutest ribbon flowers there and I decided it was a great idea to use up some ribbon scraps. My camera has been having issues, so these are terrible photos-but these flowers are pretty cute!

You will need:

4 pieces of ribbon (approx. 4 1/2 inches long-depending on size of flowers desired-I used 2 different coordinating ribbons)
1 7 mm brad (or button, etc. for center of flower)
small hole punch
adhesive-either the 714 or some glue dots

1. On the wrong side of each piece of the ribbon, put a length of glue or glue dot

2. Fold each ribbon into a circle, overlapping slightly and adhere (right sides out)

3. Using more adhesive, and making sure seams are hidden, make an X with 2 ribbon circles.

4. Repeat with other 2 pieces of ribbon.
5. WIth one more bit of adhesive, put 2 ribbon X's together, forming a flower.
6. With small hole punch, punch through all layers of ribbon and secure with 7 mm brad (making the center of the flower).

New Pink Glider

2010-10-12T22:01:00.001-07:00

Look at these fun little critters!! I am so excited. Now THIS is a scrapbooking tool. What a fun color. For each tape glider that 3M sells, they are donating $1.20 to the "Susan G. Komen Search for the Cure Foundation" for breast cancer research. This glider is essentially the same as the ATG 714 (the red one) and uses the same 1/4 " tape. 2 free rolls of acid free ATG 908 gold are included in every box. Great price too at $29.95. Get yours today!!

Back to School

2010-08-26T16:34:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of Lisa and Rory home for the weekend....it just happened to be Lisa's birthday weekend. School starts for them both in St. George at Dixie State on August 23rd.

All of the other kids are all officially back to school as of yesterday, August 25th. This little cutie (granddaughter Marisa) starts into kindergarten this year! Fun times!!

Another One Leaves the Nest

2010-06-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

This is our beautiful daughter Lisa who left for greener pastures this past Saturday. She has moved to St. George where she will work for the summer and start college in the fall. I had a hard time saying good-bye to her. I am excited for her to begin this new phase of life, but feeling very melancholy about the whole situation. Maybe because she was my baby for so long....maybe because after having 4 older siblings preceed her in moving out, I realize what it really means when a child moves away from home (and how it is never the same again)...and maybe just because in the past few months especially, we have become very close and I am going to miss my little buddy. Good luck Lisa...we all miss you terribly! Love you!

Grandkids are the Greatest

2010-05-20T21:11:00.001-07:00

Look at these darling babies!! Oh, being a grandma is the greatest thing ever! Dylan, Marisa and Cambria.

Sisters' Weekend and 2nd 5K Race

2010-05-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have the most adorable husband in the world! He just kept the kids for me for 3 whole days, while I went off to play with some of my favorite people...my little sisters. We have been holing up in a hotel room (not too far away from home!) for the past couple of days. We attended our church's "Women's Conference" at BYU where we went to classes on how to be less critical, how to evaluate our lives and re-set our priorities, how to have more meaningful prayers, improve our marriages and be better parents. I have been going every spring for the past 5 years and I come home re-charged and motivated to improve my life! Wish me luck!! I could use some improvement!

Wednesday was my sister Nancy's birthday and so we celebrated with dinner and a movie. Thursday night we attended a concert, Friday we ate out again (seems to be a favorite past time) and hung out in the hot tub. We also ATE and ATE and ATE....stuff like BYU's famous mint brownies with walnuts, and chocolate covered cinnamon bears (my favorite!).

This morning, however, there was no junk food in sight! We got up at 6:30 AM to get ready to run in the Provo City Half Marathon and 5K. It was so cold! About 41 degrees...and part way (I'm guessing about 3/4 of a mile into the 5K) it began to rain/snow/hail on us. When we got to the finish line we were soaking wet and pretty chilly. Magelby's had a french toast breakfast that they provided for all the runners and as we stood in the park, in the rain and the cold, waiting for the results to be announced....it started to snow/rain a little bit harder.

This was a first race for 2 of my sisters and 1 in particular was excited to find out her time and to see if she may have placed in her age group. Some of us (ok, mostly me) didn't really care to hang out in the rain to find out how I had done (there were hundreds of people who ran the 5K and what are the odds???)...and just wanted to head back to the hotel and that delicious hot tub. Since she wasn't ready to leave for the hotel without knowing the results...we decided to wait it out in the car where at least we could get out of the rain/snow and turn a heater on. About half an hour later, she came back to the car with a big smile and a medal around her neck!! She won 3rd place in her age group. Wahoo!

End of story? NO! She had a medal in her pocket for me! I also placed 3rd in my age group! I guess I don't deserve the medal, for not sticking it out in the rain to claim it...but it made being cold ALMOST worth it. And ultimately after about an hour in the hot tub, our body temperatures returned to normal and we feel like real people again! Maybe next time we ought to try a 10K!

THEY HAVE BEEN SHIPPED!!

2010-03-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Got an email from 3M today.....they have finally shipped our order! ATG 714's will be here on Friday! If you have placed an order, you will be served first come, first served! Should be a busy weekend!!! Thanks for your patience.

Julie

Earthquake in Chile and Missionaries

2010-03-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my neice Alyssa who is serving a mission in Bruin, Chile which is close to Santiago. This is her description of what they experienced that morning:

"The earthquake hit pretty hard, but we didn't have nearly as much damage as surrounding cities... The morning it happened (about 3 am our time) we ran out of the house (if you can call if running, it was almost impossible) to the open ground in front and huddled together until the earthquake passed. Luckily nothing happened. We didn't have water or electricity for a while, but the sisters we live with took care of us and gave us candles, and we have a large reserve of water (mission rules). We had a hard time going back to sleep. We keep having tremors and we wake up every time a car passes by because it sounds like another tremor coming.

In areas where the earthquake hit the hardest, people are robbing the stores, and because of that the police are guarding ours pretty heavily. It took us an hour to get out of the lines."

After the earthquake there last week, they were told to "store as much" as they could. When their mission president came by to check on them and they showed him their supply he laughed at them and took a picture for them to send home with their weekly letters. Very obedient girls!

They still have water and electricity and things are beginning to get back to normal there. Although, they have had several tremors throughout the week and she said that they are being told to stay inside, only going out with permission and to appointments that were previously set. They are also to dress in "preparation day" clothes (which means pants and tennis shoes instead of the normal dresses). They are going to be taking supplies and food to nearby places where there is more loss and damage.

Because of the magnitude of the earthquake, the earth's axis has actually shifted....making the days shorter. Interesting food for thought.

3M Backorder Update

2010-02-19T10:45:00.001-08:00

3M is saying that applicators should ship out 3/10. Keep your fingers crossed. George (our buddy at 3M) said they are having trouble getting one of the components of the "guns" --thus the nationwide backorder! Will keep you posted.

Julie

3M Backorder

2010-02-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

I am so frustrated I could scream!! I went to place our regular monthly order from 3M only to find out that 2 of our 3 top selling items are back-ordered. We pulled some strings and called in some favors and got 30 of the 714 applicators shipped to us. They arrived today....I have coincidentally 30 orders to get out by tomorrow morning.

Then it looks like it may be like pulling teeth to get the rest of our order before March! We are bugging everyone we know how to bug to see if it will help and have several 3M employees working on our behalf to try to find some for us....helps to have connections, I guess. We'll keep you posted. Keep your fingers crossed. ;)

My First 5K-November 21, 2009

2010-01-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

At a service project a couple of months ago, a friend and I started talking about running. She told me how she had run a couple of 5k's and was thinking about training for a half marathon. I expressed a little interest in doing a race myself (5k) and she asked if I wanted to join her that very weekend in a high school swim team fund raiser 1m/5k race. I told her to let me know details and I would decide. That was on Wednesday.

On Friday evening, I still had not heard from her and the race was Saturday morning, so I assumed she had decided not to race. I got up on Saturday morning and did my normal routine which consisted of strength training for about 45 minutes, followed by running on the treadmill for about 15 minutes.

I had just come upstairs from working out when the phone rang. It was her. She said she had tried to reach me a day or two previous, then had seen the weather report and figured it would be too yucky to want to participate. So she gave up on the idea. When she woke up on Saturday morning, the weather looked ok and she decided to go for it.

I told her about my just finishing working out...to which she replied that it was great to follow strength training with some cardio and it would be good for me!!!! So, like a fool, I consented!

It was interesting. I finished in 33:17 minutes (which I didn't think was horrible, especially considering my workout an hour before!), and came in 5th in my age group and only 1 minute (almost exactly) behind my friend. I wonder how I would do without exhausting myself first!

Trip to Disney World and Cruise to W. Carribean

2010-01-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

This December was my parents 50th wedding anniversary! So we talked them into taking a two week vacation with us and my sister Sue and her hubby. We stayed in a condo in Florida and did the whole Disney World thing for a week, then left for a week long cruise to the Western Carribean. It was sooooooo much fun! I love cruising. I am ready to go again!

Bathroom Remodel

2009-11-05T20:46:00.000-08:00

What a nightmare! We decided to re-do our Master Bathroom and also our Main Bathroom. These pictures are my impatience waiting for someone to come and do some demolition. I finally took a hammer and went at the tile. It was a lot of hard work, but it got the ball rolling!!

We have had extra floor supports put in (they were on 24 inch centers!!! now they are 12), new plywood subfloor, rebuilt the shower/tub area, refinished the cabinets, had the walls re-textured and painted. Tomorrow the marble company comes for the final measure and next week the tile guy will be here. Saturday I have someone coming to measure for new blinds. Then we replace the toilet and the cabinets and hang a new mirror and voila! Time to move on to the Main bath.... :( Can't wait to be done though!

Family Biggest LOSE-ORR Contest and Newspaper Article

2009-10-14T19:25:00.001-07:00

This is an article done recently about my brother-in-law and his amazing weight loss story (well my entire family's weight loss saga). It's unbelievable!!! Check it out! Way to go Stephen!

Not your typical Vegas Wedding

2009-09-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Not exactly what you first think of when you hear Vegas wedding...but last weekend, my DH and I went to Las Vegas to see the daughter of some very dear friends get married. Hard to believe these kids grow up soooo fast. She was a beautiful bride! Congrats Rachel and Paul!

We are in business once again

2009-09-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our wonderful and dedicated site manager (who has spent HOURS rebuilding our website), we are up and running again! Please let us know if you encounter any issues while on our website as once in a while we run into a little glitch!! Thanks for your patience and continued support!

Julie

WEBSITE ISSUES

2009-08-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

I have heard from several of you who are almost as frustrated as we are that our website is down. We have been working frantically to get things up and running again, but to no avail. We have been down about a week.

At this point, you can contact me via email at Julie@CropandStick.com to place an order through email. We are still trying to figure out what to do. We can give you prices and shipping quotes and call you for your payment information when you are ready to do so. Thanks for your patience with us.

Apparently Microsoft Windows recently did an update that messed up our storefront software. We are NOT!!!! getting very good support from them and Gina's husband has been working feverishly to try to bypass the problem. Will keep you posted. Hopefully soon we will have good news!

My Girls!

2009-07-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

With 3 hair stylists in the family it is not surprising that this is how the girls spent the 4th...not sure where Katie was!

4th of July

2009-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Dad is doing dishes.....Here is what the other men in my life did on the 4th of July!! :)

Neighbors House Fire

2009-07-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd of July, our good friends and neighbors lost their home to a fire. Luckily, nobody was home at the time of the fire. In twenty minutes it was gone.

This is the back of the house. Our thoughts and prayers and best wishes are with them as they go through the next few months of rebuilding their lives.

St. George Trip and Tuacahn

2009-06-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be able to travel south with 3 of my sisters and my parents to St. George, Utah to attend the play "Footloose" at an outdoor ampitheatre recently. We had a great time. It was nice to be somewhere a little warmer than 60 degrees for a day or two. We even spent a lazy afternoon by the pool one day! Our good husbands took care of the house and kids for 4 whole days! It was heavenly! I guess I owe you, dear! Left to right: Susan, Kellie, Nancy and me. Just look at the red rock backdrop! It is so beautiful there. Mom and Dad! I'm not sure they knew what they were in for when they agreed to go on a trip with their wild and crazy daughters. Dad thought we were going to see "Any Which Way but Loose"you know, the movie with Clint Eastwood and the ape! I'm not sure they knew what "Footloose" was before this!

This is a picture of all of us standing in front of the St. George, Utah temple..

Studio 5 Card Group

2009-06-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

I have posted several times about my monthly card group meetings...but this one was a little bit unusual. We did all the same things we normally do-eat, talk, laugh, exchange cards-the only difference was, this time we did it on camera! It will air in July (the 13 or 15 I think). Our group member and in-house paper crafting guru and celebrity (Sue Neal-third from the right on the top row) has a monthly segment she does on Studio Five about paper crafting, and "they" decided it would be a fun idea to talk about (and show) some of what our group does. It will be interesting to see what they end up actually putting on tv. This group has been meeting every month for 12 years! Isn't that crazy?? I think there are only 6 or 7 of the original members of the group (from 12 years ago), but it is incredible that it has been going that long, don't you think? No end in sight, either! It is a great creative outlet and social event all rolled into one.

Banana Pudding Weight Watcher Style

2009-06-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a family party/picnic to which I volunteered to make dessert. You know, if you make it you will have something "safe" to eat. This was delicious and pretty lowcal! Everyone loved it.

Banana Pudding
2 pkgs. sugar free pudding (make as directed on box reducing milk to 1 3/4 cups)
1 8 oz. container fat free cool whip
1 cup light sour cream (optional)
5-6 bananas
box vanilla wafers

Mix pudding as per directions reducing milk as above. Gently fold in cool whip and sour cream. Layer in 9x13 pan: wafers, bananas, pudding mixture, wafers, bananas, pudding mixture. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Running with Ducks?

2009-06-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

I have recently taken up jogging around my neighborhood for exercise. I started walking, but moved to jogging quickly when I realized my heart rate was only slightly elevated at the pace I walk!

About 2 weeks ago, on a beautiful spring morning I was jogging down a neighborhood street when I saw 2 ducks enter the street not too far ahead of me. I decided that if I continued at the pace I was jogging and they continued at the pace they were waddling, they would be across the street and out of my way before I reached them. Well, I don't know if you have been around ducks before or not, but as I approached they started to serpentine back and forth.....like ducks do, and not to continue on in their straight course across the street. I slowed to a walk, because they were a little unpredictable, but kept on going figuring they would continue on their merry way after I passed. Not so! They fell into step with me, the male occasionally getting under foot. I tripped on him once or twice. I turned around and stomped my foot at them, trying to scare them away (you know like you do to a cat or dog that is pestering you!) but they kept coming. I tried to run away from them, but they flapped their wings to sort of fly/walk to keep up with me!

It was about this time I noticed a lady standing on the sidewalk watching all of this, a little further on (with an amused look on her face, I might add!). I threw my arms up and shrugged my shoulders at her, to which she responded, "They're not your ducks? I thought maybe you were taking them for a walk!"

As my little entourage got closer to her, the dog she was walking became interested in my walking partners and began to bark at them, which luckily scared them off a little ways. However, the street I was on was a DEAD END. As I was contemplating how to handle the return trip without picking up unwanted company again, she suggested that I cross the park and continue on another street totally unconnected....which I did.

I'm not sure I'll jog on the same route again, but it made for an interesting morning!

Card Group Buddies For Life!

2009-05-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing group of ladies (3 are missing) that I have the privilege of rubbing shoulders with each month. We meet for lunch and swap homemade cards and great conversation. Our good friend, Dana...3rd from the left...will be leaving soon on a 3 year mission assignment, so this was sort of a "farewell" luncheon. We will sure miss you Dana, but we'll pick up right where we left off when you return! Best of luck on your "excellent adventures".

MRI

2009-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

I had an MRI on Monday and they determined that I have a bulging and torn disc....which basically means no more heavy, repetitive lifting at Costco. Don't know if or what they will have me do now. That still remains to be seen.

The good news is, the back can heal. The bad news is that it could take months/years for it to fully heal, and I still have osteo-arthritis which will always be a slight issue. Man, I hate getting old!

Old Age and Over-Worked Back Issues

2009-04-15T14:41:00.001-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, on my lovely day off, I bent over to tie my shoes and something slipped in my back. It has happened before (several times). I always rest and in a day or two I am feeling much better. Well, I ended up going to the Chiropractor (twice), the doctor, the hospital (for x-rays, nothing serious), and finally a physical therapist. The x-rays show Osteo-arthritis and a possible herniated disk. I have been told to take it easy on my exercise (which is frustrating to say the least, when I am in the middle of a weight reduction battle!! 17 lbs. and counting) and I have been placed on FMLA from work.

I was able to move about fairly normally after 4 or 5 days, but am not allowed to lift more than 5-10 lbs. and "no bending, stooping or pulling" which basically means everything! And definitely not stocking shelves at COSTCO! There isn't anything there that only weighs 5-10 lbs.

I went back in to the doctor today, for some more paperwork for Costco and now he wants to do an MRI. They asked if I was claustrophobic....which I am. Not looking forward to that test....but what I am looking forward to is a more specific diagnosis, or prognosis. How long is this going to take? Will I be able to return to work and exercise the way I want to? Am I going to have pain for the rest of my life? Hopefully not!! I think probably attitude is at least 50% of the battle, right? Now if the stress-/frustration-/angry- EATING would stop, I'd be ok!! :)

Mini Fruit Pizzas

2009-03-17T13:17:00.001-07:00

I hosted my book group today at my house. While I was looking through recipes looking for a treat to make (that also was lowfat, low cal....still doing Weight Watchers!!), I came across this great idea!!

Mini Fruit Pizzas

Pillsbury sugar cookie dough in the roll
fat free cool whip
weight watchers yogurt, fruit flavored-any
strawberries
kiwi
bananas
mandarin oranges
grapes, etc.

Slice the cookies 1/4" thick and bake. Let cool.

Mix the cool whip and the yogurt together. Spread on cookie and top with assorted fruit! Very tasty! The kids would love to make their own little fruit pizzas, don't you think?

SALE ON ATG 714

2009-03-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

We have decided to run a sale on our most popular product, the ATG 714 from 3M (Scotch). For a limited time these babies will be only $39.95 and include a free roll of our favorite adhesive, ATG 987 1/4"x60 yd. If you've been waiting to get one, the time is now! This is our lowest price and we are lower than anyone around! Check it out! http://www.cropandstick.com/

Baked Zucchini Sticks

2009-03-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

Baked Zucchini Sticks

Servings: 3 servings • Total Time: 25 minutes • Points: 1.33 ww points (sauce extra pts)

3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks
1 large egg white
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
cooking spray
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt
fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.In a small bowl, beat egg whites with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping

DUMP CHICKEN

2009-03-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

I found a website that has a bunch of "dump chicken" recipes that sound easy and yummy. Here is the one I decided to try for dinner tonight!

Spicy Sweet Glazed "DUMP" Chicken

2 tsp. minced garlic
2/3 cup apricot preserves
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
1 1/2 lbs. chicken pieces (can be frozen)

Put in ziplock bag and freeze. For immediate cooking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients into a large baking dish, turn chicken to coat. Bake until chicken juices run clear (45-60 min. for chicken pieces, or 20-30 min. for chicken breasts).

To cook from frozen: thaw overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Empty the contents of bag into large baking dish and bake until juices run clear (45-60 for pieces and 20-30 for chicken breasts).

I doubled the recipe, but NOT the tabasco. I think my kids might not love it that hot. I tasted the sauce and it reminds me of buffalo wing sauce. You could taste the tabasco, but it was not overpowering.

Nutrition information: 277 calories; 12 g total fat; 16 g protein; 28 g carbohydrate; 70 mg cholesterol; 1145 mg sodium.

*Note: I made mine with 0 pt. jam (no sugar) and pulled the skin off the chicken pieces. WW points=thigh 3 pts., drumstick 1 pt.

Macey's Shopping List

2009-02-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

I found the coolest trick today. I was looking online for Macey's grocery store ad. When you click on this weeks circular, it gives you the option to click on an item and add it to your shopping list. Then after you have looked at the whole circular, you can look at your shopping list, add items and print! How cool is that? Check it out.

Update on "30 day Shred" by Jillian Michaels

2009-02-20T09:42:00.001-08:00

Ok, I just wanted to let you know that I have been doing this exercise video now for 3 weeks now...several times a week. Sometimes I do it twice a day (it's only a 20 minute workout) and sometimes I do 2 levels of the workout in one session (for a total of about 40 minutes). I really like it. It's tough! I have been using 5 lb. hand weights (which isn't very much, you know) but with these exercises IT IS ENOUGH and sometimes TOO MUCH!!

I like the 3,2,1 system of 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio and 1 minute of abs repeated 3x for 1 session with a warm up and cool down. I think it keeps your heart rate up enough to burn extra calories the entire workout.

I like that there are 3 levels. I think I would be bored with just one. Each level has different exercises and increases in difficulty. If I do 2 levels of workouts, I just skip the cool down from the first session and the warm up of the second and go right on with the circuits. I also have used cardio from one of the easier levels for part of level 3 because I don't like the "rock star" jumps....they bother my knees. I figure cardio is cardio.

I love that it is only 20 minutes. It's easy to work into a busy day. Sometimes I do it in the afternoon before I make dinner. Keeps me from snacking a lot too, as afternoons are my "eat everything in sight" time of day.

I have lost a total of 8 lbs. so far (although I joined weight watchers 2 weeks ago, so the dvd can't take all the credit) but I sure think it has helped.

I'm a Grandma times 3!

2009-02-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Cambria Serenity was born this afternoon at 1:02. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 oz. and is 20 inches long. She has dark hair and is BEAUTIFUL! Mom and baby are doing well...and I have the other 2 grandkids at my house. Can you say "party"? I got to hold her just a couple of hours ago. There is nothing quite like it! Fresh and tiny and sweet. Congrats, Michelle!

March Freezer Dinner

2009-02-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

BACON-WRAPPED CHICKEN

Ready in 1 hour or less

Ingredients:
12 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 cartons (8 oz each) whipped cream cheese with onion and chives
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste
12 bacon strips

Flatten chicken to ½ inch thickness. Spread 3 tablespoons cream cheese over each. Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt; roll up. Wrap each with a bacon strip. Place, seam side down, in a greased pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp.Freeze these uncooked.

ATG 50 and tape

2009-02-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

We recently came across some message boards where they were posting about this cheaper version of the ATG 714. Just for the record, it is not made by 3M. I'm still not sure who makes it. It is called the ATG 50. There were people who were really excited about it, because the cost is less and the tape was also. So, we thought...we'd better get one and try it out. We purchased one, plus some of the tape. Next we enlisted 2 "experts" to use it and write a review for us. Here is what they have to say.

The first review is from Sue Neal, a PC Pro:

Thanks for sending me the ‘other’ ATG to try out. I have to say my first impression was good. It seemed a little smaller and less wieldy than the Scotch ATG. I was also surprised by the quality of the housing, it’s strong and smooth and actually feels pretty good in my hand. The handle and trigger were fine for me and didn’t seem any harder than the Scotch ATG. I’m afraid that’s where the good ends for me.

As I started to use it I was having a hard time tracking it’s placement position as I adhered. I compared it to my Scotch and realized the tape was riding about mid-way on the roller. That is why I couldn’t track it very well. My Scotch rides right at the LH edge and I can see easily where I’m placing tape down. I opened the casing to see if I could adjust that. It seemed like I could lift the tape, but there really wasn’t really anyway to keep it there, so it kept slipping down.

In the process of trying to lift the tape up, the tape broke. It was at this point I noticed the tape was also riding back on itself. In other words, instead of feeling onto the ‘spent’ reel, it was coming back around the tape roll. Either way, I had to re-insert it. There were no visual instructions on just how to do this (the Scotch does have those instructions embossed right into the gun and it’s amazing to me, after all these years of using it, I still double check myself…showing my age!). I assumed it was filled the same way, but wow, the whole thing ‘exploded’ on me! Literally! Parts just starting popping off! Good opportunity to check out the mechanics of it though…there is a spring that is screwed down, but I’m not entirely sure why it’s there.

Lastly, I’m not really thrilled with the quality of the actual adhesive. It seemed thinner than the scotch and definitely didn’t rub-off like the scotch. I absolutely LOVE that about Scotch. It’s just a lifesaver for me. I also noticed the tape didn’t ‘cut’ off as sharply as the Scotch. There were left-over pieces I had to kind-of fold over the end. I didn’t love that.

It’s hard to give this gun an overall rating, as I’m not sure, again, if it was loaded properly. But if I took that out of the equation I would give it a B-, as it’s definitely better than the little adhesive rollers and I suppose you could adjust to where the tape rides and the poor cut-off. I would give the Scotch an A. I’ve used this gun for years now (and you know how much I use it) and have never (isn’t that amazing!) had one problem with it.

This second review is from a friend of mine, Terri Bateman who is a mechanical engineer:

So, after using the tape gun last week, I would say that I like it, especially for the price. (The ATG 50 is around $25). It does have a couple of issues, but I feel that they are minor.

The main issue with it is that the tape seems to move around back and forth a lot on the roller, making it hard to predict exactly where the tape will be on my paper. But, because the roller is only about 3/4" wide, I know the tape will go onto my paper somewhere within that 3/4" range. Therefore, for me, the tape placement issue is not really a big one, because most of the time I'm not taping anything really narrow and so I don't have to be all that accurate. If I do tape something narrow, I usually use the Tombow tape gun, because I can put the tape EXACTLY where I want it. (plus, I don't have a narrow 3m gun anyway :-) (She has the ATG 700.)

My second issue is not with the gun, but the tape itself. I do not love this tape, so it would be interesting to use this gun with 3m's tape. This tape seems to stretch out and not break where I want it to. After I roll the tape onto my paper and then let go of the trigger, sometimes the tape stretches way out and doesn't break until it is hanging way off the edge of the paper. This is annoying, but not a deal breaker. I could live with this tape, I just like 3M's better. 3M's tape also stretches out and does not always break where I want it to, it just doesn't seem to be nearly as bad.

Exercise....who me?

2009-01-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

For as long as I can remember (which at my age isn't too far back...) I have gone to the gym to work out almost daily. I love it! I know, that's weird, but I do. You'd think I'd be really thin. Ah, well.

Anyways, since my Costco "career" started (I start work at either 4 or 5 a.m.) I haven't been going very regularly. It went from almost daily at 6:00 a.m., to two or three times a week after work or evenings or on days off, to hmmm..... not since October!! So, with the new year and all-recommitting to my old exercise routine has been on my mind. Or at least, trying to maintain SOME kind of exercise routine.

I saw an info-mercial on Turbo Jam (which apparently is like a dance party in your living room! :p). There was so much hype and freebies and "if you call in the next 18 minutes..." that I couldn't even tell how much it was going to cost. Then I saw Jillian Michaels on the Ellen show. You know the tough coach from tv's "The Biggest Loser". I have been researching her dvd's. They are rated fairly high. People seem to like them. She's tough, but effective...so they say. So I took the plunge. I spent that whopping $9.00 at Walmart for the dvd "Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred"! Here is a link to a video clip of the workout at Amazon. I would be interested to hear if anyone has tried it. I watched it (literally...I laid on my bed and watched her workout. That's how motivated I am!) She looks pretty buff, and it looks a lot like some of the things I did when I went to the gym and took some pump classes, so at least I think I should enjoy it. We'll see. I'll update you if anything of note comes from it. First, I guess I need to do more than lay in bed and watch it! Wish me luck!

Some People Have ALL the Talent!

2009-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Just look at this darling job chart! I found it while blog-stalking!! It's called Crafty Chicks and she even gives a link to download a template. She uses real pictures of her kids stuff on the chart. Clever, right? Now if I can just figure out how to scrapbook digitally enough to figure out how to use her template!!! Go check out her blog. Great ideas.

Cutest Valentines Treat Ever!

2009-01-26T16:57:00.000-08:00

I just happened across this darling idea from Family Fun. All you need is a box of conversation hearts, 2 reeses pb cups and this printout! Talk about cute. Don't tell...I'm making them for my kids for Valentines Day!

My childhood summer vacation retreat

2009-01-24T10:51:00.001-08:00

I just learned that a historic building in my summer vacation town burned down last Tuesday. This is a picture of the National Park where it was located. We have a family cabin there and go every summer. Pretty dramatic pictures of the burning structure, eh?

It makes me sad. When I walk around town to exercise (and I mean literally walk around the outside of the town) this was on the pathway by the lake that is about halfway. I wonder if they will be allowed to rebuild. It was built in 1911. Here is a link to the newspaper story about it.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

2009-01-24T08:57:00.001-08:00

Ok, I found this yummy and easy recipe for Mini Cinnamon Rolls made from Crescent Rolls. (Maceys had these on sale last week 11 for $10 and I stocked up.) Give it a try.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

1 pkg. Crescent Rolls

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

raisins (optional)

glaze:

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 Tbsp. milk (or apple juice)

Unroll crescent rolls into rectangles. 2 rolls pressed together to form rectangle. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up from short end. Cut into 5 slices. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Put glaze on while still hot.

Another Cuttlebug Valentine Card (pocket card)

2009-01-24T08:36:00.001-08:00

I missed card group last month, so this is my make-up card. I used the cuttlebug again with the paisley embossing folder that Matt and Kelli gave me with it. The pull-out says "Just for You".

January Card Group

2009-01-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here are the cute cards from our card group on Thursday night. Looks like the main theme for the night was valentines day!

By the way, if you have never had this fruit dip, you should really try it...delicious!

Fruit Dip

1-6 oz carton fruit flavored yogurt (I used 2-4 oz. strawberry)
1/2-1 container of coolwhip topping (8 oz.)
4 oz. softened cream cheese (optional)

Fold together and serve with cut up fruit: berries, oranges, pears, apples, etc.

Valentines Card Make and Take

2009-01-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

This was my make and take for our card group on Thursday night. I got a cuttlebug for Christmas from my son and his cute wife, Kelli (thanks, guys!!), so I had to use it for cards. It came with 4 dies that are like "stamps". I used the new scalloped edge punch from SU to scallop the front of the card and a pop up glue dot for the 3D effect. Brads are from bright flowers set (5 mm) on our website http://www.cropandstick.com/ .

New Camera

2009-01-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't posted lately. Besides being crazy busy with Christmas, etc. I got a new camera and don't know how to get pictures from my camera to my blog!! I guess that better be my project for this week, eh? Then off we go again...

Frozen Potato Wedges

2009-01-05T17:51:00.001-08:00

These were great! They cooked from frozen in about 1/2 hour. They were crispy and yummy and just right! Yahoo. I also did twice baked potatoes and froze them. They are dinner tonight! No more rotten potatoes in the basement waiting for me to decide to cook them....cook, freeze, eat whenever we want. Now, that's what I'm talking about :p

Jauary Freezer Meal Recipes

2008-12-31T07:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, I admit it. I am trying potatoes in the freezer for the first time. But I found a link where a woman describes how she does all kinds of potatoes for the freezer and I am giving it a shot. These are the best oven fries I have ever eaten, I will let you know how they do in the freezer! After all, wouldn't it be wonderful to pull out precooked fries (homemade and yummy) to go with a meal, or maybe even Roasted Red Potatoes?? I will let you know! This is my mom's made from scratch Sloppy Joe recipe too...love the curry! Enjoy.

Sloppy Joes
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Mix and brown. Drain off grease (if necessary) and add 1 T. flour.

Add:
2 cups ketchup
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Simmer on low heat for 2 hours. The longer you simmer, the thicker it will be.

From freezer: defrost overnight and warm on stove. (Add a little water, if needed.) Serve on hamburger buns.

Oven Fries (wedges)
6 unpeeled, medium sized potatoes cut into 6-8 lengthwise wedges
Canola Oil (just enough to coat potatoes)
Spices:
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. sugar

Wash potatoes and leave skins on. Slice into eighths, lengthwise. Put oil, potato wedges and spices in gallon sized Ziploc bag and toss until evenly coated (or stir together in large bowl). I add a little sugar to the spices to help brown and crisp the wedges. Place on non-stick baking sheets or baking sheets sprayed with non-stick spray; bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. (These will only be partially cooked.) Place on brown paper bags or paper towels to cool. Place on clean cookie sheets and freeze solid. Place in labeled freezer bags and return to the freezer.

To cook from frozen: DO NOT DEFROST!! Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, turning halfway through. Cooking time will depend on the size of the fries or wedges. The oven fries can also be finished in a deep-fryer.

It Came Upon a Midnight....Wet!

2008-12-09T16:30:00.001-08:00

Last night we were sound asleep (about 12:30 a.m.) when our 17 year old daughter, Lisa woke us up a little panicked! Apparently she had started the washer and the "float" that controls when the water shuts off has apparently quit working. (Who can blame it, really? 10 years of slave labor and abuse with at least a load or two a day...) Luckily she hadn't started it and just gone to bed or who knows what damage we may have had! She put a load in and went to get ready for bed. I don't know how long it had been running (for a little while at least!) but after she washed her face, then shut off the water she could still hear water running. So she went to investigate, discovered a mess, shut things down and came to get us!

There was a good inch of water all over the laundry room, kitchen and entry tile floor and it had seeped down the walls into the basement. In the storage room directly below the laundry room there was at least 2 inches of water. It was dripping and leaking and running all over the place. So we spent the next 2 1/2 hours sucking up all the water with the shop vac, and sopping up the carpet with towels and our carpet cleaner, and catching drips in buckets and wiping down very wet things.

Today we had a flood recovery service come and start cleaning things up. They have all sorts of fans and de-humidifiers running. They had to rip up the carpet just outside of the storage room door and it is toast....so new carpet, I guess. They had to cut holes in walls to dry the sheet rock out and what a mess we are in. Hopefully the adjuster can come tomorrow and get things going.

The good news is I'm getting my tile cleaned! And who cries about getting new carpet? I just have a huge mess to deal with for a few days.

Fun Find!

2008-12-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

Just look at these cute receipt/gift card/coupon holders I found while surfing today! She sews them! Too cute. Check it out, it's called Swankadot.

Might be able to find stuff in my purse if I had one of these!

Hey, thanks, PBS!!

2008-11-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

We were driving in the car with several of our kids (I think we were on the way to Grandma's funeral). Our son, Matt was riding in the back seat with the little girls. He started to laugh! I asked him what was so funny and instead of answering me, he proceeded to ask Kelsey (our 5 year old) where she had heard that word. "Word Girl." came the answer. I guess I have PBS to thank for educating my baby! Apparently it was "sweltering" in the back seat! We could all use a couple more words like "sweltering" in our vocabularies! I think I will start watching "Word Girl" myself.

Thoughts on Ear Piercing and Parenting...

2008-11-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

My girls have all gotten their ears pierced for their 8th birthday. Katie just turned 8 and couldn't wait for the big event! Kelsey will be 6 in February and really wanted her ears pierced, too. So, being the worn-out mother that I am, I figured "what the heck" and I let them BOTH get their ears pierced. You know, kind of a 2 for 1 deal....1 trip to the mall, 1-6 week stint of applying ear solution and twisting earrings. I guess am just getting old and tired! Well, you should have heard some of my other girls complain about it (who, of course, all had to wait until they were 8 for the blessed event...you would have thought I had just committed some major injustice!). Well, all I have to say is....."Get used to it, girls!" I am old, I am tired and if it's the easy thing to do I will probably do it again! ;)

I am finding that I say yes more easily and more often...which benefits all of them! I am still trying to be a diligent parent, but some of my hard and fast rules have become soft and slow!! Hopefully it is not only because I am old and tired, but because I have learned a little something about parenting that I didn't know before and discovering not everything I thought in the beginning of my life as a parent was accurate!! good or true. Here's to always trying to improve and hoping to someday get it right!

Happy 19th Lauren!

2008-11-25T11:20:00.001-08:00

Last week we had yet another birthday!! Lauren turned 19 on Thursday. Happy Birthday, cutie! I am so proud of her. She just graduated from Evans School of Cosmetology yesterday, too! She has been plugging away now for just over a year. She gets up and gets herself off every morning, no complaints, no sleeping in, she just gets up and gets it done! She is a hard working gal, too. She has been working part-time for most of the time that she has been in school....and they love her, because she really knows how to work! She is a beautiful, fun loving, tender-hearted sweetheart and we are so happy to have her be a part of our family! Love you Lauren! Hope you had a good day. Good luck with the exams in the next couple of weeks. (Just when I thought we were finished with birthdays until after Christmas, I learned that Lauren's boyfriend, Chris (pictured above) has a birthday on Dec. 11.....I told him he couldn't marry Lauren as we already have too many pre-Christmas birthdays.) :)

More Hallowe'en Pictures

2008-11-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

This is my son Matt ("V" from V for Vendetta) and his wife, Kelli (ladybug!).

Left to right, Michelle, Matt, me, Stacy, Marisa, Dylan, Katie and Kelsey. Five of my seven kids, and two grandkids in this picture!

My sweet DIL, Kelli posted these pictures on her blog! Had to show you how cute my little family is! We went to their house before we went trick or treating and took these.

Ben's Birthday!

2008-11-17T11:22:00.001-08:00

My son-in-law, Ben, had a birthday on Thursday! Happy Birthday, Ben! He has been a part of our family now for almost a year and is a great son! We love him! He is kind of quiet (which might not be the case if we weren't all so boisterous!!) and contemplative. He is very bright and handsome and kind! The two youngest girls LOVE him and pester him to death...and he is very good to them. He is the big brother who never grew up! He loves to play with them and jump on the trampoline with them, and spin them upside down...and they love it. Hope you had a good one Ben!!

Grandma Sally's funeral

2008-11-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

My grandma Sally, aka Clara, passed away last Tuesday morning and was buried on Saturday, November 15. She married my grandpa, Howard Oliver in 1980, and has been the only grandma Oliver most of my siblings and I have known. Our grandma passed away in 1970 when I was a young girl.

Sally always had the energy of someone half her age and she was always up for an adventure. I remember her loading us into the car and hauling us around shopping all day, or for a quick trip across the border to do a little Mexican shopping, or site seeing all over the place. We would get worn out, she was still raring to go! She loved getting in her car and driving...anywhere. No place was too far, it was just a little jaunt for her.

She was very generous and forgiving and genuinely concerned for every one's well-being. She joined our family almost 30 years ago and from the very beginning has made me feel like I really belonged to her. I never felt like I was a step-grandchild. I just always knew that she loved me. She accepted and loved us all just like we were her own. I'm going to miss her.

Katie Bug's Birthday

2008-11-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

Aaaah! Missed a birthday posting. November 7th was Kaitlyn's 8th birthday. She is getting soooo big! Smart, fun, sassy, usually silly, busy, busy, busy...and she looks a lot like the jack-o-lantern she carved for Halloween too! She is missing a whole lotta teeth! Look carefully and you will see them....or NOT see them, I mean!

Freezer Meals

2008-11-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

OK, so as if I need one more "group" to be a part of....book group, card group lunch, card group make and take.....LOL. Anyway, I am now part of a freezer meal group! Once a month (or every 6 weeks, I think) you meet and swap (just like card group only with food!) homemade frozen dinners. I just made mine today! Of course, since I had my old energy-hog freezer hauled away about a year ago, I had to purchase a new freezer first! But it was delivered on Monday and is up and running and beautiful! I made crock pot ham and potato casserole x 20. There are 10 people in our group and all but 1 of us want half meals (which means they get 2 of whatever meal I make and the full meal gets 1 double sized one). It was crazy trying to figure out how many pounds of ham=30 cups! But it turned out perfect! And the really wild thing is that in the past two weeks, everything that I needed for my recipe just happened to be on sale at one store or another! Here's the recipe in case you want to try it!

Crock Pot Ham and Potato Casserole

1 1/2 cups ham, cooked and cubed

2 cups cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 bag frozen hash brown potatoes (32 oz.)

Mix ham, 1 cup of cheese, pepper, salt, evaporated milk and cream of chicken soup together with frozen hash browns. Place in greased 3 1/2-5 qt. crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. 1/2 an hour before done, sprinkle last cup of cheese on top.

Yearbook Yourself

2008-11-05T18:49:00.001-08:00

Oh, my gosh....how funny. Some of these could be out of my real yearbook! Like the first picture is supposed to be 1984....I looked just like that!!! Too much fun! Of course, some of these were from before I was even born! The site is called Yearbook Yourself....check it out!

I've been tagged!

2008-11-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

Susette Fisher tagged me...and I guess I am supposed to name 6 quirky things about myself! I don't think I'm quirky at all...LOL!

1. I have never slept very well...sort of an insomniac. I had trouble falling asleep and sometimes would wake up in the middle of the night.....until this job at Costco (where I start work at either 4 a.m. or 5 a.m.). Now, I have NO TROUBLE falling asleep, and nothing wakes me during the night, but if I wake up at all.....I very rarely am able to fall back asleep. I might as well get up and get something done!

2. I have never found a food that I didn't like....except maybe some bad sushi at a chinese buffet!

3. I LOVE to exercise. I mean it, I really LOVE it. And not just afterwards, you know, when you are proud of yourself for doing it. I mean before, during and after.....I LOVE IT! If I had no other responsibilities, I think I would exercise several hours every day!

4. I sing all the time. I bet you didn't realize there is a song for EVERY subject. Sometimes things that people say will remind me of a line in a song and I can't help myself, I belt it right out! Maybe not at that exact moment, I don't usually like to sing for an audience (unless it's my family....they are so used to me singing I'm not embarrassed any more). Too bad I don't have a better singing voice!

5. I am kind of a perfectionist....but only selectively! I like things neat and tidy (I organize my spices alphabetically in my kitchen cupboard, sort my stamp sets by size of box, socks by color, you get the picture) but I can go a week without mopping my kitchen and not have it bother me...? Hmmm.

6. I can't stay awake in a vehicle while it's moving....especially on trips longer than about 15 minutes! Even if I'm driving! Aaaah!

So there you have it, I'm really not quirky at all! I tag you! Gina, Ginay, Dana, Deena, Stacy, Kelli, Susan and Janelle.

Twilight Movie Tickets

2008-11-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

I just found out about this site from a friend of mine (thanks, Susette!). It is called Gracious Rain and she is running a contest where you send her your favorite soup recipes and she enters your name into a drawing for 2 Twilight tickets at the Jordan Commons in SLC. Just thought I would pass along the news. Give it a try! http://www.graciousrain.com/ Can't wait for this movie!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T12:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from the Melvin household! Can't wait for tomorrow night. I really do love Halloween. Carving jack-o-lanterns, dressing up, haunted houses and lots of candy (especially chocolate!)!! What could be better? Speaking of haunted houses, check out this incredible show of spookiness from our neighbors the Price's. This is from 2 years ago, and every year he adds more, believe it or not! Pretty cool!

What a Handsome Group

2008-10-30T12:39:00.001-07:00

This is a family photo taken with the Melvin crew that was at Grandma Vickii's house this summer. Todd's sister, Lorii was the only sibling missing, but lots of grandkids were MIA. Not a bad looking group though, eh? (We are Canadian after all!) Back row, left to right: Michael, Mitch, Laura, Todd, Julie, Lisa. Front row, left to right, Danny, Megan, Aimee, Grandma Vickii, Kelsey and Katie. I don't remember the dog's name (he belongs to a neighbor), but I'm sure my girls would.

We Now Carry Cricut Cartridges!

2008-10-27T12:49:00.001-07:00

Crop and Stick now carries Provo Craft Cricut Cartridges and other supplies! Check it out here. Isn't this Hello Kitty set adorable? It should be here any day now!! I got one of the Cricut machines for Mother's Day last year....so much fun! My daughter in law, Kelli has even cut her own vinyl lettering on it! How cool is that?

Just Can't Thank You Enough

2008-10-23T08:09:00.001-07:00

Card group time again. This time we went to the new Olive Garden in town...yum! I had the Ravioli de Portabella which was FANTASTIC. Can you tell, I'm all about the food? Oh, yeah. The cards were FANTASTIC too! Such talent and creativity. It's so fun to see how someone else puts something together. My card uses the new scallop square punch from Stampin' Up and the stamp set that is made to go with it, can't remember what it's called. I picked a ribbon and based my card off of those colors....voila!

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

2008-10-21T15:39:00.001-07:00

Another Birthday! This time it is my eldest, Candace Michelle's birthday. 26 years old and cute as ever! This is her with my two grand-kids, Dylan and Marisa and Katie (my 7 year old) at Lava Hot Springs, earlier this spring.

I remember becoming a mother for the first time, it was overwhelming to say the least. I remember feeling so awe struck that this little person was totally reliant on me for all of her basic wants and needs. All I ever wanted to do was to get married and raise a family, but I don't think I realized completely the awesome responsibility this was.

Michelle has always been such a beautiful girl. Blonde curly hair and big blue eyes! She is very talented and creative and loves to do a lot of the same things that I do. She is a dedicated mother, she loves to lift weights and work out (and is pretty tough!), she enjoys reading and scrapbooking and shopping. I love her so much and wish they lived a little closer to us (they are about an hour and a half away in Ogden, Utah). She is a good friend and very reliable and responsible person. Love you, Michelley! Hope it was a good day.

The House FIre that Wasn't

2008-10-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Last evening we were at Albertson's doing a little grocery shopping, when my cell phone rang. It was my friend, Gina, calling with a message from a neighbor who had just driven by my house and seen "tremendous amounts of smoke pouring out of my house".

This is what I'm picturing. (This picture is not of my house, by the way!! Just in case you were worried!)

My dh, Todd, overheard me and immediately picked up his cell phone to dial 911. We left our grocery cart where it stood and RAN for the car, both of us on cell phones, dragging kids as we went. I called a neighbor across the street. Her teenage son answered. I asked him to look out his window to confirm "smoke" pouring from my home. Not that he could see. Hmmm....would you please go to our back yard and see if you see anything. He obliged me, but again, nothing that he could see. I (only slightly panicking) gave him my garage code and asked him to enter my home to see if he could see or SMELL anything unusual. Again, same answer. We are still racing towards home.

We pull up (emergency vehicles preceeding us! They are FAST!). No smoke. We enter the home. Can't smell anything. Hubby goes to the basement and I head upstairs. Nothing. We go to the backyard. No evidence of anything out of the ordinary. The fire chief is following us around curiously. None of us can find "tremendous amounts of smoke pouring out" of the house or any evidence that it was at any point. By this time, curious neighbors and passers-by are stopping to see what is going on.

We get word from a neighbor that a block south of us they were having a barbecue and the grill caught on fire. I guess that might be described as "tremendous amounts of smoke pouring out". Just not out of my yard, and certainly not my house. But, I guess, better safe than sorry. Never did get my groceries though!

Scarecrow Festival

2008-10-17T12:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, was the beginning of UEA vacation for all the kids in Utah. It was also the first day of an annual event that we have at Thanksgiving Point called the Scarecrow Festival. It is a fundraiser for a non-profit organization called the West Ridge Academy. We had a great time in the Junior Haunted House (my 5 year old waited outside for us as it was "too scary"), and playing on a wide array of inflatable slides. Then we decorated and launched paper rockets. They really FLEW and Katie (7 year old) was convinced that her's flew the highest of everybody's. We rode in a "train", played all kinds of kiddie games, won prizes and candy, and even got to see some Irish Dancing from a local performing dance group. There was a Country Craft Store and pumpkin stand (where we picked out a couple of pumpkins to take home). It runs through Monday, Oct. 20 and if you are interested in more information visit West Ridge Academy.
Left to right: Gina Bagley, Katie Melvin, Cassie Bagley, Ginay and Jake Thurston, Calea Bagley, me, Kelsey Melvin, Lauren Williams (?). Front row: Korden, Jade and Kallin Bagley.

Happy Birthday, Kelli!

2008-10-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

These next two months are non-stop birthdays for our family! Happy Birthday, Kelli! Kelli is my one and only daughter-in-law and WE LOVE HER!! She is so sweet, and kind, and thoughtful, and cute, and funny, and talented, and creative....and I could go on and on and on. I am so glad to have her be part of our family, she is one of my girls! Matt and Kelli are also celebrating their 2nd anniversary this month-Congratulations, you two! Kelli manages/works at Seven Salon here in American Fork and does a terrific job as a stylist. She is in my card group and makes darling cards. She is an immaculate housekeeper, a great substitute mom for my little gals, a good friend to me and her sis-in-laws, and just a lot of fun all the way around! Love you, Kelli!

Happy Birthday, Todd!

2008-10-16T13:27:00.001-07:00

It was my man Todd's 48th birthday yesterday! Happy Birthday, honey. We have been married for 26 years and I love him more every day. He is my best friend and I can't imagine life without him. He is a very intelligent, can do anything, and does! He works hard and long hours and hardly ever complains (I do enough for both of us!). He is a perfectionist in all he does. He's a great father, sweetheart, friend and grandpa. He has a great sense of humor and makes everyone around him laugh.....often. He helps out around the house, or maybe it's me helping him around the house, who can tell these days??? He makes me feel safe and secure and although he makes me crazy sometimes with his "attention to detail", I am so grateful to have him in my life. Here's to at least 48 more!! Love you to pieces.

House Hunting and the Nervy Realtor!

2008-10-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

My one and only son, Matt and his sweetie Kelli have been house hunting for a little while now. I went with them the other night and talk about fun! I LOVE looking at houses, but it almost made me want to move....ok, maybe not....but at least remodel or something. It's great to have kids so you can live vicariously through them and not have to experience things AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN......Did I mention that I hate moving! I just love new houses! Well, not necessarily NEW houses, but houses that are new to me! It's so fun to see decorating ideas and color combos.

So, get this! It's 8:45 pm, we are at the last house for the evening. We pull up and there is no porch light on, just a light in a room upstairs that we can only assume is the bedroom. The home belongs to a single guy, and the realtor (my good friend and partner, Gina) informs us that she doesn't have a set appointment time, she had just told them we would come that evening. We ring the bell. No answer. We knock loudly. No answer. She starts looking around for a lockbox. Using the cell phone for a flashlight, she opens the door. She calls "HELLO! WE ARE HERE TO LOOK AT YOUR HOUSE!" Still no answer. I am a little panicked at this point, thinking he is up there in bed asleep or in the shower! Still, we proceed to look around the main floor and Gina decides to go up to the bedroom to find out once and for all if someone is actually home. She knocks (loudly) on the bedroom door, "Hello...."

She comes back down the stairs and says, "Well, the bed is turned down, but I don't see anyone." I want to crawl in a hole!! We skip the master bedroom, but continue to look through the house, moving to the second floor. Kids bedrooms....empty....but he is a single father with shared custody, so the kids could be with mom. Finally we brave the master bedroom....

Bed turned down, lamps on, shoes beside the bed, still don't see anyone....The master bath.....dirty shorts on the floor (how embarrassing!) but nobody home! Thank goodness!! My heart can stop pounding out of my chest now. And thus ended the stressful viewing of the last home of the evening. Kicker is...they want to make an offer. It WAS a great house!!

Monkey Bread

2008-10-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Cooler weather makes me want to bake. We had these yummy pull apart cinnamon buns last Sunday morning....I can't get enough of them-and they are soooo easy!! Enjoy.

Monkey Bread

4 tubes refrigerator biscuits
1 1/3 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup butter

Cut each biscuit into 3 pieces. Mix together 2/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon in a bowl and roll each biscuit piece in the mixture. Grease a 12 cup bundt pan. Drop the biscuit pieces into the pan.

In a small saucepan, stir together the remaining sugar, butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat until boiling. Pour over the biscuit pieces and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. When done, turn the monkey bread onto a plate and serve warm.

For variety: can add chopped pecan or walnut pieces or raisins.

October already!

2008-10-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Todd, my DH and I went on a little 2 day get-away. We left our kids home in the capable hands of older siblings who have married and moved on! When we came home, we were greeted by a houseful of Halloween decorations. From a witch hanging on the front door with her black cat nearby to little wooden "BOO" blocks on the entertainment center. I can not believe it is fall already, and almost Halloween. It seems like school just let out for summer. Before you know it, snow will be falling (it has already on the mountain tops near us!!) and it will be--dare I say it?--Christmas!!! Where did the summer go?

Actually, fall is one of my favorite seasons. Crisp, cool air and crunchy leaves, a fire in the firplace, baking goodies! It just seems to be gone too quickly and, after about 3 days of winter, I'm done!! I love living in Utah with 4 distinct seasons, I just wish winter didn't seem like the longest one. Don't get me wrong, I love the snow...when I am inside and it is outside and I have NOWHERE to go! Just curl up with a blanket and a good book in front of the fire. Looking for a good one (book) by the way, if anyone has any good suggestions!

Only Cook 3x a Week?

2008-09-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who gave me a great idea for simplifying a week of meal planning and cooking. It may not work for everyone (I'm skeptical, but I'm going to try it!), but it sure sounds good!

She told me she only cooks 3 times a week! Sound too good to be true? Here's the plan. You cook a big meal on Sunday and eat leftovers on Monday. Cook again, another big meal (2nd time) on Tuesday--saving the leftovers for Thursday. Cook 3rd meal on Wednesday (again, enough for leftovers-are you getting the picture?) and eat them on Friday. Saturday: EAT OUT!! (or order pizza or whatever take-out).

Sunday-cook
Monday-Sunday's leftovers
Tuesday-cook
Wednesday-cook
Thursday-Tuesday's leftovers
Friday-Wednesday's leftovers
Saturday-eat out!

Now, this would probably work better if my husband liked leftovers!! But like I said, I'm going to give it a try. This could free up more time for making cards! :)

Halloween Card and Other Card Group

2008-09-27T15:10:00.001-07:00

Ok, crazy I know! But I am in two card groups that meet monthly. They even happen to fall on the same week. But it is so much fun, I can't help myself. I mean, really, look at all the cute cards I am collecting!! This is from the evening "make and take" card group.

This is a Halloween card I made for the group. I used the technique of masking for the jack-o-lanterns. This is where you stamp an image. Then you stamp the same image on a sticky note, cut it out, and use it to "mask" the first image when you stamp the second (different) image to make it look like it is behind your main image. Worked for the faces as well. The inside of the card says "you make me smile"! Stamp set is from Stampin' Up.

Card Group

2008-09-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures I said I would post from our latest card group at Harley's!

What a cute group of ladies, don't you think!! They are most definitely some of my FAVORITE people (and what a collection of talent)!

World Card Making Day

2008-09-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Did you know that on Saturday, October 4, 2008 it is World Card Making Day! It is a time to celebrate handmade greeting cards, creativity and the bonds that paper crafting brings to those of us who do it! We are a unique group, you know! We have our own language (CASE, TFS, crop, acid free, mount, embellishments, etc.), we love to teach others what we know (especially what we have learned recently that is so COOL!), we are perfectionistic to a degree (keep on tweeking that scrapbook page or card until it is just right/has the right amount of embellishments or BLING)! So take the day off, get together with a few of your favorite crafty people and make cards to your hearts content!

This card made using Autumn Leaves "Winter Wonders" by Amy Grendell.

Card Group and Harley Davidson-what a combo!

2008-09-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

It is my favorite time of the month again!! Card group time-12 of us meet at a local restaurant for lunch and a card swap. The cards are actually just an excuse to get together-it is a nice BONUS! We have such a great time. Today we ate at a new place called Marley's Gourmet Sliders in Lindon, Utah at the new Harley Davidson shop/restaurant. The food was so good. You choose your meat: beef burger, chicken, turkey or coney dog. Then you choose your toppings like cheese, grilled onions, avacado, bacon, cranberries, mushrooms, etc. I had 2 sliders (they are small burgers/sandwiches). One was beef with cheese, onions and spicy buffalo sauce. The other was turkey with avacado, cranberry sauce, tomatoes, lettuce and red onion. It came with a drink and fries for about $10. Everything was yummy! It is definitely a repeat! Will definitely have to take my DH as he is a burger fanatic. Will post pics of cards later!

Fun with words

2008-09-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

Check out this site wordle.net that I just found. It allows you to enter a bunch of random or related words and make a fun word "cloud". You can then choose to print. I am going to have to play with this! I'll let you see if I come up with anything exciting. I'm thinking of printing it on a page that has a background print and using it for making cards....or as background paper for a scrapbook layout, or cover of a mini album (like the one I made with bind it all) in August (see August 6 blog). The designs are NOT copyrighted and you can go ahead and use them to make up T-shirts, scrapbooking transparencies, etc.

ATG

2008-09-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

We have been selling ATG products since April 2008 on our website. I know that prices on everything from toilet paper to applesauce are going up (I work at Costco and have seen huge increases on food products) I guess mostly because of the cost of gasoline. But since we began selling ATG Adhesive Applicators and ATG tape refills, 3M has raised their prices TWICE! The first time, we just ate the cost because we were brand new and trying to compete with some of the big boys out there. The second time, we just couldn't, we had to raise our prices too. Luckily, so did our competitors...but, ouch! Twice in 4 months seems a little much, doesn't it? Good thing it is such a good product or we would have to kiss it good-bye! Gotta have that ATG 714! Just had to gripe a little. It doesn't change anything, but it makes me feel better to complain about it! :p

Smoothies for an after-school snack

2008-09-08T14:50:00.001-07:00

Anyone with kids in school is familiar with the first words out of their mouths following a gruelling :) day in class....."What is there to eat? I'm starving!" This is one of my favorite afterschool snacks (and let's face it, midnight snacks, midmorning snacks, etc.). Whenever I have fruit that needs to be eaten....I pop it in the freezer, then add it to a smoothie next time the mood hits! I don't feel like I'm throwing away perfectly good food and my kids get a little more fruit in their diets than they would otherwise (not to mention calcium).

Fruit Smoothies

1- 6 oz. container of yogurt (any fruit flavor) or 1 cup

1 packet of crystal light (for individual drink bottles) the orange is really good, so is the pink lemonade

4-6 ice cubes

1 cup strawberries (frozen or not)

1 banana (preferably frozen)

1 cup milk

1 cup water

Mix up in blender and enjoy. Can add more ice depending on thickness desired and whether or not fruit was frozen. I have also added other fruit (today it was honeydew melon!).

Ikea is a haven for scrapbooking organization!

2008-09-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so over the long weekend (Labor Day) I decided that it was way beyond time to clean out and organize my office. Scrapbooking room is next. I did some googling because I remembered seeing the coolest bookcase that someone had used from IKEA to organize their scrapbooking supplies in. Well, I found it along with a lot of other very useful items. Here is the picture of the Expedit bookcase that I was looking for. The cubes are 13x13x15. Perfect for 12x12 storage, big totes, magazine file folders, and a multitude of other things. It comes in black-brown, white and birch. I love it! So, off I set with my list in hand to IKEA. I spent a good couple of hours there...by myself. It was grand! On my way out of the store, however, I found another bookcase in the center aisle that was the same design, only slightly smaller...only 3 cubes x 3 cubes instead of 4 x 4. I asked one of the employees about it and he told me it was a special purchase only available in birch, and that when they were gone....they were gone. I got two! They were $49 instead of the $159 that I was going to pay for the Expedit one. I saved so much money, I had to buy lots more stuff! Here are some things you may want to check out for your organizational needs. Lekman boxes fit expedit cube perfectly.

Burken jars for embellishments.

Motorp boxes (meant for dvd's) to keep stamp sets in.

Samla (1 gallon size) to keep envelopes nice and dust-free.

Antonius Unit with a work top is just the right size for a paper cutter. They have several desk top organizers to use for every day items like stamp cleaner, ruler, punches, scissors, etc.

Stripa shelving-for almost anything you could think of. Bygel rail system for hanging punches on (this is a favorite of mine!!!).

This is called a benno cd tower which can be used for stamp set storage.

First day of Kindergarten for my last!

2008-08-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Kind of a bitter-sweet day today! My baby started her first day of kindergarten.....I have such mixed feelings from ecstatic about having some time to myself (although Kindergarten in our district is only 1/2 day) to sad about never getting to do this whole process again! She was so excited! Isn't she a sweetie!? The little guy is Gina's youngest, Korden Bagley.

Our vacation to Waterton, Alberta, Canada

2008-08-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

Our big family vacation this year was up to our family cabin in Waterton Lakes, Alberta. This is Todd with our cute little granddaughter Marisa up at Bertha Falls. We all hiked up there one morning, I think it was about 3 miles round trip. It was so beautiful!
This is our favorite place to throw rocks in at Waterton Lake. It is glacier fed and is very cold, so there is not a lot of swimming going on there!! We wade a little, but your feet freeze in seconds, so mostly we just throw rocks ! Cousin Ryan, Katie and Dylan (my handsome grandson!).

My sister and brother-in-law brought a couple of kayaks this year. The kids had a lot of fun with them. This is Lisa, Kelsey and Becca Brook at Cameron Lake. The day before, Lisa got dumped into the bay at Waterton Lake (luckily not too terribly deep, but VERY, VERY cold!!).

Home Grown Tomatoes

2008-08-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Anyone else out there have tomatoes going on like crazy! I love salads and BLT's, but you can only have them so many times a week!! Here are a couple of my favorite recipes for using your home grown tomatoes!!

Fresh Homemade Salsa

4 cups of fresh, peeled and chopped tomatoes

1 T. vinegar

1 T. oil

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 chopped green pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

jalapeno to taste, chopped teeny

Mix and refrigerate to let flavors mix for at least 1 hour before enjoying!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 cups chicken, diced

1/2 onion, chopped

olive oil

2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Cook spaghetti noodles. In large frying pan, saute onion and chicken in olive oil until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in chopped tomatoes with pan still over heat, just to warm through (not to cook!). Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with Ranch Dressing and Cajun Seasoning. Very yummy and low fat, too!

La Vie

2008-08-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Consider yourself tagged! Just copy the list below and bold all of the ones you have done! Have fun-can't wait to see more about you!

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (actually rode bikes across and back again)
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name...when I got married
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (miniature golf!)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight (just went a little low...)
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera.
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Tin foil Dinners and Bear Lake

2008-08-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is over and it's back to school! I can't believe how fast this summer went. Besides our trip to Canada, we just got back from Bear Lake, Utah from our annual family camping trip. We had a great time! The weather was pretty good-could have used another 5 degrees higher temp. but it was perfect at night. We kayaked and swam and got sunburned had Bear Lake Raspberry Milk Shakes!! If you can't tell from my previous blogs, I'm all about the food!!

We did tinfoil dinners the first night and they were awesome! I par-boiled some baby red potatoes and put them in with a thin hamburger patty (sprinkled with au jus mix powder and onion soup mix), broccoli and onion and thinly sliced carrots. I added just a drop of oil and a little water for the au jus mix. The best thing I learned though, is to spray the tin foil with cooking spray (like Pam). NO STICKING!! I would love some other ideas for tin foil dinners, if you have them...just leave a post! Thanks in advance!

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Ranch Salad Dressing

2008-08-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

I blogged about a recipe for Cafe Rio Sweet Pork last month, but had misplaced the recipe for the dressing....I found it! Ta-da! So here goes. Enjoy!!

4-5 Tomatillos
1 pkg. Ranch Buttermilk dressing mix (@2 1/2 Tbs.)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4-1/2 cup milk mixed with 1 tsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. crushed cayenne pepper
1/2-1 bunch fresh cilantro

Add all ingredients except cilantro ito blender and blend until smooth. Add cilantro and blend slightly so you don't pulverize it. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Family Dinner at Buca's

2008-08-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

I am the oldest of 9 children and on Saturday night, 8 of us (plus spouses, for a total of 14 1/2 if you count the baby!) went to a restaurant in SLC called Buca di Beppo for Italian Food. Here are some pics! We laughed our silly heads off. The food was good, the company was GREAT, the service so-so....How do you like the bust of the pope in the center of the table? The walls were covered with pictures of popes and nuns. The room was just beig enough for that table and chairs. The ceiling had some kind of acoustic qualities as you could hear the person directly across from you as clear as a bell. It was pretty cool! Thanks to Janelle for these great pictures!! I guess we will be doing a lot of these as it is to become a monthly tradition! It's a nice thing when you can have such a good time with family, eh?

Hmmm...comparing adhesives again! ATG wins!

2008-08-06T00:08:00.001-07:00

I found this comparison about Scotch 3M ATG applicators and ATG refills on a forum today.....thought it was a pretty good argument for buying one!!

"My favorite tape runner was the red one by 3L, at $5.99 each. By the time I bought just 8 tape runners (easily done within a 2 month time frame TOPS), I could have purchased an ATG. And refills for my ATG are $5.99 at my LSS and lasts at least 4 times longer. So here's the break down:

1--ATG dispenser= about $45 (with S&H)= about 8 disposable/nonrefillable tape runners

2--3L Tape runner =$5.99 for 28 feet=21 cents a foot

3--ATG refill= $5.99 for 36 yards=108 feet=6 cents a foot

Roughly speaking"

Pretty convincing, isn't it?

Create Mini Albums With Bind-it-all

2008-08-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

I have been on vacation for the past 10 glorious days!! So I have been a little lax in my blogging...
This is a wedding album we (Gina, Ginay, Stacy, Michelle and I) made for my Canadian brother-in-law Danny and his new wife Laura who were married on December 31, 2007. We just got back from a vacation to Alberta, Canada via Kalispell, Montana where we spent a few days with them at the mother-in-laws place! We used the Zutter BIND-IT-ALL 8x8 chipboard covers and pages and bound it together with the nifty Bind it all tool itself. I must admit it was way too fun! The front was a double sided sheet of patterned paper that we antiqued using distress inks by Tim Holtz Old Paper ink pad. The name plate is a cricut program (I'm thinking we need to add these to our inventory!).

And look how cute (and creative) some of the pages turned out. The red corners were white photo corners that we inked to match. See Gina's tutorial on Fun with Photo Corners . The corner stamp is from Heidi Swapp and is called Love Corners.This page was created using a stamp from an Autumn Leaves Set called Romance of Spring. We added a little glitter to the center of the flower dot above the "i" in beautiful. The three diamonds are really square brads. I love how the partial binding looks (just 10 holes centered on the pages and covers instead of all the way from top to bottom).The album was finished at approximately 2:00 a.m. the morning my family and I left for the great white North! I think it was worth staying up late to finish it though! Thanks to everyone who helped! This is us at Bertha Falls in Waterton, Alberta. You can't see us very well, but what beautiful scenery!!

MAKE YOUR OWN PATTERNED PAPER

2008-07-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a page of patterned paper that I made out of white cardstock, Tangerine, Wisteria, and Chestnut Roan Clearsnap Chalk Box Inks, and a stamp set from Autumn Leaves called Spring by Sande Krieger. The Tangerine ink is linked to the Orange Crush Bazzill Cardstock on our site as a matchability set, so I pulled some of the cardstock and created this card. You will never have to worry about finding just the right patterned paper again....you just make it yourself!

Card is antiqued by using Antique Linen Distress Ink by Tim Holtz and the butterfly is from Romance of Spring Stamp Set, also by Sande Krieger.

This is so cool!

2008-07-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

My next door neighbor and good friend, Terri Bateman just returned from a trip to Africa where she went as an engineer/advisor for a group of BYU students who designed and developed a coconut press that will help poor East African women to be able to improve their way of living, by making coconut oil faster and easier, thus making more money. Here is a link to the article in the Daily Herald about it. Way to go, Terri!

MATCHABILITY

2008-07-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

We have something on our website that we call "Matchability". That means simply that we have taken the guess work out of matching up items that you purchase from our site. We stamped all of the ink pads, both Clearsnap Chalk box and the Distress Ink by Tim Holtz, from Ranger. Then we took Bazzill Cardstock samples and matched them to the color of the ink. Next, we took all of our brads, ribbons, buttons, and other embellishments and found colors in the packages that match the paper and ink. When you click on any of those items, a flower icon pops up that is a link to other matching items. You can totally coordinate your scrapbook page using this system. Cardstock, ink and embellishments that you know are going to match, makes scrapbooking or card making that much easier!Have you ever made your own matching paper out of white cardstock, an ink pad or two, and a stamp set? Very fun, easy and guarantees a patterned paper that matches your solid color Bazzill. I love making my own matching patterned paper.