11/10/2011

Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

So I wanted to share a new recipe that I tired this summer that I thought came out pretty good but the family wasn’t too keen on it so I doubt it will be made again in our house.
But who knows it may become your family’s new favorite so here is a link to the recipe Kraft Recipes
The first thing I did was gather all of the ingredients together
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then I sliced up the green bell pepper the way the recipe called for. I am not a big bell pepper fan but I tried to follow the recipe since it was the first time I was make it.
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Then it was time to mix the Minute Rice with the taco seasoning.
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Then I got the foil out to make the packets to bake everything.  It’s best to use the non-stick foil instead of coating it with Pam.
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Now it is time to put the layers together starting with the rice, then the chicken, a few sliced bell peppers, a couple tablespoons of salsa
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and top it off with some Mexican blend cheese.
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On a cookie sheet fold up the sides  of the foil and make sure the foil is sealed good.
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Pop it into the oven and bake. 
Now for the finished dish.
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Add a green salad and you have a great summer dinner. 
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Hope you and your family enjoy this easy recipe.
Thanks for stopping by…
C

10/31/2011

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

I thought I would share some of the pictures from our recent Annual Pumpkin Dinner!! We always have a lot fun and I start planning months in advance and start making the goodie bags for everyone.  I try to make something new and fun every year.  This year I found some cute little orange baskets at Joann’s and thought they would be prefect for this year’s dinner.  They turned out a little harder to make then I thought they would be cause I had to actually sew the faces on because I couldn’t get them to stay no matter what glue I used.
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I used my Cricut to cut out the leaf and then embossed it using my Cuttlebug.  I used green pipe cleaners for the stems and wrapped them around the handle.  And everyone got a bag of their favorite candies.
Here is the table setting for the night.  Still love the pumpkin soup tureen that I got last year.  This year I bought new black and orange dishes for the night.  And added gummy eyeballs to everyone’s bowl as a trick!!!
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After a fun night of pumpkin carving, we finished the night with these yummy cream puffs that I can’t take any of the credit for.  One of our “kids” made them for us – and always Jeff did a great job!!  They were as yummy as they look!
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And here is the finished product from the night.
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Hope everyone gets lots of treats today!!!  Have a great Halloween.
Thanks for stopping by…
C

10/26/2011

Easy to make Card

So one day in Joann's I found a package of some really cute K&Co Company pockets with a tag inside.  There were 8 of them in package and on sale for 40% off so of course I had to pick them up.  They were all flowers and I thought they would make adorable cards. 

So here is one of the cards that I made as a "Thank You" card to my sister for a great weekend we had with them in June.  I used a couple different color cardstock, some lace and embossed it with my cuttlebug.


The inside of the card is where I used the tag that came out of the pocket on the front.  I just added a stamped "Thank you" and voila I had a nice card that took no time at all to make.  And I still have 7 more of these tags to use on other cards which makes me very happy!


Thanks for stopping by...
C


10/20/2011

The love of an old dog

So I have a good friend that right now is going through the tough time of making that awful decision to let an old friend go.
One day I came across this sticker and know that I had to use to make something for her.  I had these little easels that I had bought a while ago at Michael’s and thought it would make a perfect little gift for her. 
I painted the background a light brown and added some paper ribbon that I had, a couple of cute dog buttons and added the saying. 
I thought it came out pretty cute and so did she.
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Sorry the picture isn’t that great but it is the only one that I have.
Thanks for stopping by…
C

10/18/2011

Things to know about me!

Since I haven’t posted in a while I thought do something fun and tell you a little about me. I thought this list was cute when I read it on another blog and decided to copy it and use it here.  So here we go…
A. Age: 46
B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore that you hate: Making the bed – what a waste of time.

D. Dogs: 2 Fur babies – Maggie May & Wyatt Earp

E. Essential start to your day: Email and the internet

F. Favorite color: Purple

G. Gold or Silver: Gold

H. Height: 5’8”

I. Instruments you play: Piano but not very well

J. Job title: Rebate & Federal Grant Manager

K. Kids: 2 + 2 future son in laws

L. Live: California

M. Mother’s name: Letha

N. Nicknames: Pooh Bear, Chris

O. Overnight hospital stays: Both kids, Hysterectomy, Staff infection, gall bladder removal

P. Pet peeves: That people like Michael Vick get to make millions of dollars after the disgusting things he did.

Q. Quote from a movie: Hmmm I don’t think I really have one.

R. Right or left handed: Right

S.Siblings: 3

T. Time you wake up: Around 6:15 am but not by choice

U. Underwear: Of course – never leave home without them Smile

V. Vegetable you hate: PEAS

W. What makes you run late: the internet most of the time

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth,neck, wrist & shoulder

Y. Yummy food that you make: Triple chocolate torte

Z. Zoo animal: Monkeys

So I hope that you had fun reading about me and hope that you stop by again soon to see the other fun things I have to post.
Thanks for stopping by…
C

6/17/2011

KFC and why you should go there

Yeah I know what your thinking, why would I want to go to Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The foods not good for you and it doesn’t taste that great – although I will admit for some strange reason I love the mashed potatoes and gravy.
But I Red heart KFC and their mashed potatoes and gravy for a whole other reason lately.  These…

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Aren’t those the cutest containers and I love they are recyclable.  But what I really love about them is that they solved a storage problem for me.
You know how you always have little odds and ends floating around that you never have any place to store them?  Well for me these containers fill that spot.

I have 8 of them and need just one more to fill this drawer.

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Then I plan on labeling each one with a color for all those odds and ends that I have.  I may even line the tops with colored paper so that at a glance I know which container to grab.

I just love this idea and we’ve only had to eat at KFC twice to get all of these containers. Smile

How do you store your odds and ends?  I think I really like this by color thing.

Happy Friday!!!
Thanks for stopping by…
C

6/13/2011

My Tabletop Scrapbook

So the other day I was in Michael’s and found this cute little table top frame….

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And thought wouldn’t that make the cutest scrapbook page for on my desk at work.
Then I found these really cute stickers at Joann’s

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And so far this is as far as I got…

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And then I kinda hit a brick wall with what else I want to do with it.  So it’s sitting on my scrap table waiting for me to finish it.  Ugh !!!

Does this happen to you? 

Thanks for stopping by…
C

6/10/2011

Going back in time…

So when my girls were in High School I started scrapbooks for both of them of their High School Days and I did pretty good saving every award, newspaper clipping and dance ticket they brought home.
But around the time that Mandy was a Sr. and Kendall was a Jr. life got hectic and they graduated without their scrapbooks being finished.  And it’s always bothered me that I hadn’t finished these albums.
Recently it was brought home to me why it’s so important that I finish those scrapbooks for my girls. Steve’ grandmother passed away recently and one of the things that he received was a scrapbook album of his life that his grandmother did for him.  It started with wedding pictures of his folks and his mom’s baby shower pictures and all the rest of Steve’s life. 
The best part of this album was all of the journaling and I mean all of the journaling is done in her handwriting.
I could just feel the love and pride that she had in her grandson as I was looking through this album.
Someday I want my girls to sit down and look through these albums and feel all of the love and pride that their Dad and I had in their High school accomplishments just as I felt it looking through Steve’s scrapbook.  Which by the way was all Creative Memories when the first started.
So my goal is get to these albums done before their weddings.
Here a couple of layouts that I’ve gotten done so far.
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So 2 down and lots more to go but I will get them done. Smile

Thanks for stopping by…
C

6/08/2011

Strawberry cupcakes

So one day when the hubby was gone for the day I came across a recipe for Strawberry cupcakes.  Now I love fresh strawberries and strawberry flavored cake and thought this would be a fun recipe to try.  And I decided to make them mini cupcakes – cause then I could eat more then 1 and not feel guilty Smile
And I just happened to have some cream cheese frosting in the pantry along with some cute mini cupcake papers in pink with polka dots.
I had a good time decorating the cupcakes and they came out really cute once I was done with them. 
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Aren’t the wrappers cute!!  99 cent at Michael’s for a package of 50.
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As for the recipe I was a little disappointed with the flavor.  I was hoping for more strawberry flavor and it just wasn’t there.  Next time I think I will put a little bit of strawberry flavoring in it to see if that will help.
I think the next time I make mini cupcakes they are going to be lemon with a lemon filling.  I’ll let you know how they come out.
Thanks for stopping by…
C

6/07/2011

Pie Night

So every Wednesday night is date night for Hubby and I.  We try to do something fun every Wednesday even if it’s just going for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  I am sure that this sounds silly to people when they find out that we’ve been married almost 27 years and we don’t have kids at home anymore.  But this night makes sure that we don’t get caught up in the daily grind and forget the reason we got married in the first place.
So one Wednesday night we had a couple of errands to run downtown (yes even errands can be romantic) and decided that we would have our date night at the Chocolate fondue place downtown.  But what we didn’t know is that Wednesday is the only day they are closed all week. Sad smile
But across the street I saw a sign for Pie Co. so we walked over and caught them just as they were closing.  But the owner was nice enough to let us in.
The pie was heavenly and truly homemade from the pie crust to the filling.  I had Chocolate cream and hubby had the Pink Lady apple pie.  And the place is so cute so of course I had to scrap it.
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Here are some close up of the embellishments that I made with the From the Kitchen cricut cartridge.
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And I love how this apron came out
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And the recipe card made a great place to put the journaling.
I really like this cartridge.  It has lots of fun stuff on it. And would be perfect to use in a recipe book as a gift.
This was a fun date night because we discovered something new in our little hometown.  And believe we’ve been back since for some more yummy pie!
Thanks for stopping by…
C

6/06/2011

I am baaacccckkk!! Or where I’ve been the last 6 months.

Wow, I can’t believe that it’s been 6 months since I’ve been here to post anything.
Things have been busy around our house, with lots going on like:

A hubby turning 50
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My sweet Maggie having major surgery that didn’t go as planned at all.
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And both Daughters getting engaged and getting married in the same year!! (the wedding are 4 months apart)
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Now I know what you all thinking – awww that poor woman, 2 weddings in 1 year.
But here is what I think about it.
1.  I am thrilled to be planning their weddings and it’s even more fun doing 2 at once (think double the cake tasting)
2.  We are getting 2 great son in laws – love them both and are so happy they are going to be part of the family
3.  The only thing that could make me happier is the day that one of the girls tells me I am going to be a Grandmother (hint hint girls).
So stay tuned cause I will be sharing all of the wedding preparations plus some other fun projects that I’ve done.
Thanks for stopping by…
C

1/06/2011

Puppy Cuteness

Just sharing some puppy cuteness today.  Here is my Magpie - isn't she a cutie!!



Thanks for stopping by...
C


1/05/2011

A New Purse to start the New Year

So I am a collector of purses – not expensive purses but ones that you find at Kohl’s or JCPenney. And when I say collector I am mean at one time I had 20 different purses in my closet and use to come home every couple of weeks with a new one. But I am finally at a place in my life where I am ready to commit to one purse (Can you hear my hubby jumping up and down for joy??)

So I called my oldest daughter who is a collector of Coach purses and asked her to go with me out to the Coach outlet store cause I was ready to commit to a purse.

So out we went to the Coach outlet and I did find one that I liked very much and met my list of requirements in a purse.  But I gulped when I figured out this purse was going to cost me $175.  And that was after a 20% discount coupon.

So after much debating I decided to look around at some of the other stores in the outlet mall before making a final decision.

So we looked at Saks 5th Ave and then headed over to Nine West.  And when I walked in I found the purse that I was looking for.  It met all of my requirements and the price was right…$49.99 plus another 30% off.  I think that I will be happy with this purse for a long time to come…

So introducing Big Red

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Isn’t she gorgeous???

And to make it even better I have been looking for a pair of black boots for the winter and they had exactly what I was looking for. On sale no less for $29.99 so I bought them in brown too.  So a new purse and 2 pairs of boots for way less then 1 purse at Coach.

What a successful shopping trip.

Thanks for stopping by…
C

1/04/2011

Jazzing things up…

With a new year comes a new date book for my purse.  I happened to be in Target the other day and found this one. 

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Now I love the inside of it but the outside is boring (sorry I don’t have a pic of it) so I decided to try adding some ribbon to the outside to dress it up a bit.

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But still rather boring and then I had the great idea of adding vinyl to it using my cricut.  So I grabbed some of the Cotton white vinyl and Black vinyl that I had and my brand new Stamping Solutions cartridge and came up with this.

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Still boring so I decided to add some more vinyl.
Here is my new improved date book for 2011.

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Love it so much better then the old boring plain cover.  Plus now I have a one of a kind datebook.
And the other nice thing is if I get bored with my cover during the year, the vinyl comes off pretty easy and I can add new designs.

Thanks for stopping by…
C