Unpacked!

well, at least my scrappy stuff is! I feel more settled now. :o) I had my own craft room in our last house but this house only has 3 bedrooms (and the girls won't share, I tried - lol) so we are improvising. Our living room is large so have a "corner" behind the sofa. I set up my desk and a few bookshelves. It is completely unsightly but I am "at home" now. I hesitated because I like to have our house always ready for company (even though we rarely get any, lol) but I figured, this is my home and I want to use it!! I'll take pics of my "corner" when I get a little more settled. Now I am looking forward to using all of my wonderful scrappy things again! I have a long list of projects I need to get done before Christmas so the pressure's on! But I have to budget my time (*SIGH*) because finals are coming up and I am determined to end with a 4.0 GPA this semester! So I will have to find a way to do both (hmmm, and kids and PTA and church and Christmas - eek!). LOL - wish me luck!!

baked out...

We are heading up to Jared's grandparents tonight to spend the Holiday with ALL of his family. Our contribution was desert. LOTS and LOTS of desert! I made the lemon ginger bundt that I posted instructions to on Saturday. I also made a loaf of banana bread (for breakfasts), a batch of fudge and two "triple chocolate pumpkin pies". I say two because I followed the directions exactly and ended up with two pies! She (Martha) must have a HUGE pie pan!! Or maybe it says it yields two?? I'll have to check on that.... lol. Two late now (pun intended)!

I hope you all have a very, very Happy Thanksgiving. God has been so amazing this past year and my family has lots to be thank full for. In the midst of yummy turkey, delicious pies and laughter with friends and family.... remember to take time to thank our Lord for all of the good things in our lives. God truly is good.

91.6% ???

The semester is coming to a close (just a few days of classes left) and I am fighting hard to hold onto my 4.0 for the semester. I am taking 4 classes and currently have an A in each of them. I am so proud and so scared! I am worried that I am going to mess something up and loose it!! Then I had this test last Tuesday in my Entrepreneurial Experience class (which I totally enjoy) and it was HORRIBLE! I felt like I was staring at questions written in Japanese!! I was stunned - when did we study this?? I left class totally bummed that I was unprepared and bombed the test.

Today (an excruciating 6 days later!) I checked my grade online and I got an A! I am shocked. A 91.6% - seriously!! And Wichita State does not yet do the +/- grading so it is a solid A. WHOO HOO!!! I have NO idea how I did that well other than to say - Praise Jesus! Literally. I read the first few questions and stopped to pray that he would help me remember things I didn't think I knew (does that makes sense??) and HE DID! Yay! So my precious 4.0 is still within reach!! I'll let you know how the semester ends (classes end around the 18th but I have no idea when final grades will be out). :o) YAY! I am so psyched!!

Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake

Have you read the "Everyday Foods Magazine" by Martha? I have been receiving it for a while and I love it. Most of the recipes are a bit ridiculous or are sea food (which we don't eat) but there are always a few gems that we keep going back to. One such recipe is for a Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake (March 2008, p 120). I am going to be making this (twice) for Thanksgiving. I made it for my mom's Birthday and it was a huge hit. Because I love this recipe so much - I thought I would share it!! Here ya go, I hope you take a chance to make it!

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a standard 12-cup bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, lemon zest,

ginger, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar

on medium-high until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition;

mix in lemon juice.
With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in three parts

and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture;

mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).

Spoon batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a rubber spatula.

Firmly tap pan on a work surface to level batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean,

55 to 60 minutes (if cake browns too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil).

Let cake cool in pan 30 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

(To store, wrap cake in plastic, and keep at room temperature, up to 3 days.)

Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

YUM!! If you would like to check it out on her site, click HERE. Let me know if you try it!

Gobble Gobble!

I saw a card like this on a forum and I thought it was so cute that I decided to make one of my own. This is for my 6 year old cousin in Alaska - he is adorable!! Here it is:

* Challenge #1 *

Well.... scrap about it! has posted their first challenge!!
Click HERE to go straight to the challenge post!



Can't wait to see what you create!

moved in...

We are all moved in!!! Well, technically. :o) Our stuff is here but there's still plenty left to unpack (like my scrappy stuff!). Jared got wi-fi hooked up for me tonight so I am happy. I am eager to get scrapping, though. I'll take pics when I get something done. TTYS!

Moving....

I probably won't be around much for the next couple of weeks and I definately won't have much time (if any) for scrapping.

Since moving to Wichita in early August we have been staying with my husband's family. Now that things are starting to settle down and Jared has found a really great job, it's time to move into our own place!!



Um, that's not it. LOL. We wish (well, as long as someone else was paying for it!!). But we are moving into a really nice place where the girls will each get their own room and they will have a large backyard to play in. We also get a master bath which we are REALLY excited about.

We still have our house for sale in Yakima (PLEASE, keep that in your prayers. God has a plan for it but I honestly am lost as to what it could be at this point) and we will be renting the new place in Mulvane, Ks. We are VERY excited to be able to unpack for the first time in almost 4 months! And I am sure his parents will be grateful for a bit of quiet. :o) Mulvane is small so we are still within 8 or so minutes of his parents so the girls will get to see Nana and Papa often.

I am also registering for my classes for next semester. I was hoping to get my classes at an extension campus that is closer to home but it looks like I will be on the main campus again. Ah well, it is what it is. Just a longer commute. I'll let you know when I figure out what classes I am taking. I meet with my advisor on Thursday so I'll know more then.

TTYS!! From our new place! Whooo Hooo!

Happy Birthday, Handsome!

My WONDERFUL husband, Jared, is turning 30!!
Happy Birthday Good Lookin'!



Jared and I have been married for almost 7 years (Dec 29th!) and I can honestly say that I love him even more now. He is AMAZING. The BEST hubby, ever! I hope his birthday is FAB. Love you, babe. :o)

cutest stamps EVER!

How cute are these stamps???

Look at the porcupines drinking cocoa! And the roley poley Polar Bear! And the moose with leg warmers! And the owl with ear muffs! Seriously, the custest stamp set ever. And would you believe they cost less than $3?? Gotta love craft stuff at WalMart.
The polar bear stamp, to give you an idea of size, is about 1.25" tall - perfect for cards or just as an accent on a LO. How cute would a winter scene along the bottom of a LO be?? I am so excited to get started (ha ha, as if you couldn't tell)- I am going to make a card right now! Be Back Soon...

Ok, I'm back and I made a super fast but fun card. It took like 15 minutes (I only had a little bit of time bc I have to take Kayla to Preschool soon). I think it turned out cute. I am getting better at the watercolor thing (on the porcupines). Here it is:

New Challenge Blog

There's a new Challenge Blog to check out! Well.... Scrap about it! Is a blog designed to help you scrap about... yourself! It is a journal type of scrapping. Check it out and read Adrienne's great description!



Also, Thank you Adrienne for adding me as a Design Team member, I am looking forward to getting started on the first challenge!!

Brrr! Card

I was talking to my mom on the phone last night and she said that my Aunt is having a rough time. So I wanted to make her something to hopefully put a smile on her face, even if just for a bit. She lives in Alaska so I thought i would use my imaginisce paper and new K&Co snowflakes to make her a wintery card. I like the way it turned out. My photographs never turn out as nice as I wish, however. I think that taking pics of my projects definately looses the detail and depth. But, as I don't have a way to magically create an image to share, here is the card using my plain ol' point and shoot camera:

"Autumn Memories" Mini Album

A few weeks ago I ordered a kit from Bella Scrapbooking (you can link to them in my side bar)for $5 and I finally put it together. I assembled mine a little differently than hers but I think it turned out SO cute. I really love it. I had taken a lot of pics of picking out pumpkins at a grocery store and this was a cute way to display them together.

The album measures 4"x6" and holds 6 photos and 2 large journaling pages. The binding is new for me, though. Hopefully you can tell from some of the pictures but there is a piece of cardstock folded "accordian style" then the pages are adhered in between. The ribbon crossing over the top (and secured with eyelets) are the actual binding of the book. I really liked using this technique, even if it was a bit tricky to get it all lined up. Well, with no further ado, here it is:











Doesn't it just make you crave apple cider and a cozy blanket? The fall is my favorite time of year...

Emily and Kayla

Here are a couple of really great pics of my girls that i took at "camp" this last weekend:

Emily (age 6):




and Kayla (age 4):




I think they turned out really cute but I wish they were more clear. I just bought my camera last year and I am already wanting a new one! Anyway, these are my beautiful girls hamming it up for the camera. :o)

MAXED OUT!

We started a new series in church today that is really interesting. It is about $$$!! Not about giving it to the church (like some might be thinking) but about how to use/spend/save it wisely. It is a 4 part series and I am going to do a brief re-cap each week here on my scrappy blog. :o) He teaches in a very informal way and we have a "fill in the blank" sheet to follow along with so I am going to follow that same format here.



1. Debt causes people to get MAXED OUT!
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7)
Maxed out is not refering to racking up credit card bills to their limits but that when we are overwhelmed by debt we get stressed "to the max". That it starts to become the forefront of our lives and it starts to take over. When we become debtors we become bondaged to those debts and that we do not truly live free.

2. Why should the Church talk about money?
* 2/3 of all parables are about money or possessions.
* 1 out of every 10 scriptures from Jesus are about money.
God understands that money is an important part of our lives. Without it we would not have shelter, food, clothes or basic needs. But He also understands, and warns us against, money becoming more than just a way to provide our basic needs. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago He understood. And He still understands and through scripture He tries to give us some answers.

3. Money is a heart issue.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
(Luke 12:34)
We tie our worth into our wealth. That if we just had a little more ____ or a new ____ then we might be happy. But we have piles of stuff in our homes, outrageous payments on things like cars, credit cards, "toys" and we still aren't happy. We try to use money to bandage the needs of our heart. God is calling for more. He is calling for us to heal those heart issues with more substantial things than cash and stuff.

4. Vision should drive your lifestyle.
"Where there is no vision, the people parish" (Proverbs 29:18)
How you use your money should be driven by your goals, not your wants. If your goal is to own a home, or to have children, or to save for college (for you or your kids) or prepare for retirement then that is what should shape your budget. That should be your vision, your goal, your driving force. Not the instant gratification or "retail therapy" on a bad day. If you have a vision, God will help get you there. "Where God leads, God provides" and "If He calls you to it, He will lead you through it"

5. Good debt is based on love.
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another..." (Romans 13:8)
This is not a "oooh, that purse is so cute, I just love it! so that means I can buy it, right??" thing. This is saying that the only thing we should owe anyone is our friendship, our love, our hearts. That we should invest in people, not stuff.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!
"the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty" (Proverbs 21:5)
You gotta have a plan or you'll never get out of debt and settled with money issues. Period.

Homework for the week:
* What is God's vision for your life? How will you use your $ to help you fulfill that vision? Is He calling you to spend more time volunteering but you can't afford to cut back your hours? Is He calling you back to school? To adopt a child? To help out a friend? Think about what He is wanting for your life right now and for the future. Is debt or bad spending holding you back?

* Pizza Problem: You only have so much money. Your paycheck comes in and it gets divided up between bills, groceries, gas, etc etc etc. When all is said and done, how much of that is left? Or is all that you are left with the oily cheese strings at the bottom of the box? Where does your money go now?

That's a recap of this week. Sorry if that was long. Hope it helps someone out there. If you want to find out more about my church or our pastor, check out http://www.aviatorchurch.com/. Next week's series part is titled "Acting your Wage". See you then!

Officially Published!

I am officially published! You can link to my project on scrapbooking.com by clicking:

http://scrapbooking.com/article/72156

Yay! I'm too exhausted to post more now - but I am VERY excited!!!