7 on Sunday

1. I am pretty sure we have enough candy to last us the next 2 Halloween's. Holy cow did they clean up! My arm is sore from carrying the extra bucket we took for Audrey to dump her little bucket into.

My Ninja and gymnast. Dart didn't like any of the ninja costumes we found in the store so he made his own.

2. No school on Tuesday because several of our elementary schools are polling locations. Kind of wish it was tomorrow that we had no school. I will however be glad when the elections are over. SICK OF THE ADS!

3. Hoping the Rangers can turn things around and come back and win some more games in the World Series.

4. Hard to believe there are only 2 months left in this year. It has FLOWN by.

5. My brother will possibly be having heart surgery in December in Ann Arbor, MI. Very complicated surgery. Thankfully he is extremely healthy and has an EXTREMELY healthy heart, so those things could work for him.

6. Moving Soup on Sunday to a different day I think. Or maybe there will just be 2 posts on Sunday, although this week Soup on Sunday will be on Monday again. Too tired to find the recipe I wanted to use tonight.

7. Starting tomorrow I'm doing a 25 days of handmade gifts to give. Thinking I will be posting it here and on my Pink Owl Blog as well. Will be a range of gifts for those who have everything to ideas for kids to ideas for teachers and more. Might extend it to 30, but will depend on how many I can come up with.

7.1. Hard to believe there are only 2 months left in this year. Although to be honest I am ready for 2010 to be over and I know of a lot of other people are hoping 2011 is much better than 2010 has been.

Back tomorrow with Soup on Sunday, Day 1 of gifts and Make it Monday. Wow, 3 posts in one day. I really hope I get them all done.

At the Moment:

Listening-Rangers/Giants game

Eating-nothing

Drinking-water

Wearing-Mizzou shirt and jammie pants

Feeling-Pretty good

Weather-Perfect today(got a little warm sitting at baseball tryouts, but still awesome)

Wanting-a Silhouette, would make cutting letters for banners so much easier

Needing-to fill my water bottle back up, more time before Christmas

Thinking-about all the things I want to make for my Etsy Shop

Enjoying-the Rangers winning at the moment and a fairly calm weekend for a change

Wondering-what happened to my Mizzou Tigers today? They looked bad today.

Updating Make it Monday

So far I have actually crossed a few things off my list! Added a few things to it as well, but I'm happy I got some things crossed off.

Finish Audrey's Halloween skirt(just need to get the elastic in the waist, but need her to make sure it fits)-She wore it yesterday and as long as she doesn't suck in her stomach it stays on her. Will post pictures later.
Christmas card orders filled
Gift Card boxes made and in etsy shop-working on them.
Halloween mini book made and in etsy shop
Make some stuff for a giveaway on a friends blog(CAN'T WAIT!)
finish some projects that are almost done, just need small things to be DONE!-Still have some left, but I got about 3 things finished, so I'm happy with that.
A couple of banner orders that I just received YAHOO!-Got one done and have added 2 more orders.

Made a list of things I want to get done between now and the middle of November so those will be appearing on Make it Monday lists soon. I need to stop coming up with things I want to make though. Which might mean I need to stay away from Etsy because it inspires me so much. Nah, I'll just keep adding to the list. 

Gift tags

Most of the time we only use gift tags at Christmas, however these could be adapted for any event or gift giving occassion. I'm also working on another set that will be posted later today.

Designs may vary some depending on the stamp. They measure 2 3/4x 1 3/8. Might be fun for those "special" gifts. 20 tags come in the set for $8.00.

Banners

I love finding ways to recycle things, especially all those cd's that for whatever reason seem to not want to work in the computer. My favorite way to reuse those is banners. I LOVE making banners. Made one for Audrey's birthday, I didn't use cd's on hers though, but cereal boxes. Hers can now be made into a mini book of pictures from her 4th birthday.

I recently made a banner for a friends MOPS group for Thanksgiving. She has since ordered a Halloween and a Thanksgiving banner for herself. 

 I love the "Thankful" banner. Had so much fun making it and trying some new things out as well.

Loved the little monsters that came on one side of the paper I used. She wanted it cute spooky. I love how it turned out, hopefully she will too.

Make it Monday

Seem to be a day behind this week. Hoping to get caught up, but an ear infection and a cold/allergies are making it difficult.

Things I'm going to work on this week:
Finish Audrey's Halloween skirt(just need to get the elastic in the waist, but need her to make sure it fits)
Christmas card orders filled
Gift Card boxes made and in etsy shop
Halloween mini book made and in etsy shop
Make some stuff for a giveaway on a friends blog(CAN'T WAIT!)
finish some projects that are almost done, just need small things to be DONE!
A couple of banner orders that I just received YAHOO!

Monday

Nothing like a little car trouble to start off the day. Will be fixed on Wednesday, just hope it isn't crazy outrageous.

Worked on getting my crafting area cleaned up this morning so I will be productive this evening.

Working on these....

Soup on Sunday on Monday

Decided I'd use one I have memorized for today. Now if only it wasn't almost 80 degrees outside so I could make soup.

Taco Soup:
Ground beef(I use ground turkey)
Taco Seasoning packet(or you can use cumin, chili powder and red pepper to taste)
Can Corn
Black Beans, drain
Kidney Beans, drain
Chili Beans, drain
Diced tomatoes
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Corn Chips

Brown meat until done, add seasonings. In large pot add all ingredients and let simmer all day or turn up a little if you are starting it when you get home. Can easily be done in the crockpot. I usually make a double batch and honestly don't completely drain the beans. You could add a little water or stock if you want it a little thinner. This one is so easy to do.When finished add sour cream, cheese and corn chips. Enjoy

You could also add some chopped onion when you cook the meat. Nice thing about this one is you can use leftover beans, the list above is just what the recipe called for. This one is easy to mix up. Got some extra peppers in the fridge dice them up and add. We all love this one.

Coming this week

Lots of plans to work on projects this week.

Projects include....
Holiday cards
Gift tags
Gift Card boxes
Money envelopes
Holiday banners
Gift bags
General cards
Rag Quilt
Holiday Planners
and much much more.

Will post some pictures tomorrow, tonight I need sleep.

7 on Sunday

Will do Soup on Sunday on Monday(too tired now to find a soup recipe)

1. Spent Saturday night getting my disco on at my Aunt's 50th surprise party. She was surprised. She went sky diving earlier this month and figured that was all my uncle was doing for her. We had a blast, but my legs today are reminding me that dancing for 4+ hours in flip flops on a concrete floor is not the responsible thing to do.

2. Today I went to an Open House hosted by one of my best friends. She was hosting it for women who own their own business. I had a table with some of my Pink Owl Crafts and Designs. Had a lot of fun and got a few orders and best of all got my name out there a little more.

3. Speaking of surprises, Dart got a huge one yesterday. My mom was able to score Chiefs/Jaguars tickets for $25.00 through a school fundraiser at my brother's school. Dart is a HUGE Jags fan, always has been. We didn't want to just simply hand him the tickets so I made up a little puzzle he had to solve. He is a huge math freak so I did several problems that all had a letter associated with the answer and he had to solve the problems and then unscramble the letters. The puzzle read "going to the Jags tomorrow." He answered it and just sat there for a minute. Then my mom handed him the tickets and his jaw opened wide and he was speechless for a minute!! He wore his Maurice Jones-Drew jersey and one of my brother's friends had a Jags hat she didn't want so she gave it to him. He was surrounded by Chiefs fans, but didn't care. Was a little bummed that the Jags lost, but said he had the best time ever.

4. Speaking of football, MIZ-ZOU! How about that game!!! I was not in Columbia of course and a little disappointed to be missing College Game Day, but that game was amazing. Had a friend that was in downtown Columbia when the goal posts made there way to Harpo's. Such an amazing morning with 18,000 at game day, the parade and then best of all the WIN over the Number 1 team Oklahoma.

5. Lots of projects this week I want to work on for my etsy shop. More Holiday items including some Home Decor items, some general note cards and some fun items for gift giving. Also want to break out my sewing machine this week.

6. Going to catch up on Project Runway and Glee while I work this week as well. Am a bit behind on both and need to get caught up.

7. Not really sure of a 7 right now because I was up too late last night, up early this morning and spent 4+ a little hours in my car today. Ready to stay home!

Back tomorrow with Soup on Sunday and Make it Monday. I will be back a lot this week with posts!!

A quick post

I have lots of updating to do on this blog, but wanted to let you know I am featured on the Capturing CoMo Blog this week. Includes a Give Away!!!

Back later with lots and lots more, but the kids are out early today so I need to go get them first.

A quick post

Just wanted to let you know I am featured on Capturing CoMo Blog this week. Includes a give away!!!

Back with more later, gotta go get the kids from school since today is an early release day.

Soup on Sunday

I don't know about your family, but in the winter mine could eat soup or stews or chili everyday. In order to keep it different I bought a few years ago Taste of Home Heartwarming Soups. We have tried and loved many recipes from this book. I thought doing a Soup on Sunday might be fun. A new soup, stew or chili every week until the weather warms back up(however today was gorgeous here in the midwest!)

Today's soup is Easy Baked Potato Soup
3-4 medium baking potatoes, baked
5 bacon strips, diced
2 cans(10 3/4 oz each) condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
1 can(10 3/4 oz) cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
3 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp garlic powder(I never actually measure it, just put a little in my hand and add to the pot)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce(again, I don't actually measure, just slowly pour in)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup(8 oz) sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese

peel and dice baked potatoes; set aside. In soup pot or dutch oven cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 tsp drippings

add the soups, milk, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, pepper and reserved potatoes to the drippings. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sour cream; cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through(do not boil). Garnish with cheddar cheese and bacon.

I've chopped up chives to garnish with as well. This is really easy to make and aside from baking the potatoes is pretty quick to make as well. I usually plan to have baked potatoes one night and bake extras and then a couple days later make this soup, that way I don't have to wait on the potatoes.

I would love to have your favorite recipes.

7 on Sunday

Wow, last week really got away from me with so much going on, mostly baseball stuff.

1. My brother could use lots of prayers and good thoughts. He is an amazing runner and is unable to run at this time due to some passing out issues. Well the passing out issues aren't really what's keeping him from running, it's his heart. His heart itself is really healthy, but he only has 1 coronary artery. Because of this his one is enlarged and cutting off blood vessels around it, which is what causes athletes to drop dead with no apparent reason. He is going to have an MRI on Monday and then the surgeon and doctors will meet to discuss what they can do. Hopefully they will be able to do surgery, if not his running career is over. I don't even want to think about that. As much as I hate running, he loves it. All this was discovered because he was passing out while running. That was due to lack of salt and fluids, easy fixes.

2. Dart could use some good thoughts and prayers on Wednesday. He will be having his tonsils out. He has never had major issues with sore throat or anything like that, however his tonsils are HUGE!! Like almost touching huge. He has some crazy issues with snoring and deep sleep, but not good deep sleep. His tonsils have also caused some issues with acid reflux. I'm sure all will be well with him, but the thoughts are appreciated.

3. We are done with baseball. Well kind of, October 30th is tryouts for the spring team, but other than that we are done until at least January. Yes, January, we will begin practicing nice and early. We should have a pretty good team from here on out. The boys showed massive improvements from the beginning of the season. We finished off the season with a parents vs players game. We had a BLAST!

4. Mizzou is 5-0 after a 26-0 win over Colorado. Good Bye Buffaloes, enjoy the Pac 10!

5. Wednesday we were given tickets to go watch MU/Nebraska play volleyball. We had a great time. Audrey was even on the news, although I missed it. Boo! Tonight on the news they showed a clip from a video done by a group of students at MU for the volleyball team. You can see it here

6. Working on lots of projects at once. A friend asked me to make some Thanksgiving goodies for her MOPS group Silent Auction. My best friend is hosting an open house at her house in a couple of weeks for women who have their own business. There will be a couple of jewelry people there, a Tastefully Simple demonstrator, a bath and body type person and me. Very excited about this adventure.

7. Working on cutting pop out of my daily life. Did really good this last week, stuck with 1 maybe 2 a day, much better than the amount I was drinking. Hoping to keep it up, although this week will be interesting with spending Wednesday at the hospital. Going to try my best.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Will be back tomorrow with my Make it Monday list. Lots on the list for this week and the next several weeks.

7 on Sunday

So I have lots of things I want to feature on 7 on Sunday, but don't have the energy for all the links this week, so it's going to be a random 7 on Sunday.

1. I LOVE seeing all the football players, coaches, and refs in pink. Such an awesome thing for them to do for breast cancer research.

2. I have been cutting way back on pop and drinking more water. Love how I'm feeling. Although I haven't completely cut pop out, I'm working towards that. Down to about 1 or 2 a day, and some days I don't have any.

3. My aunt and cousin went skydiving today. My aunt turns 50 later this month and said this was on her bucket list so she did it! They both said they had a blast and are ready to go again. Very surprised my cousin did it. He is not the most exercisy(yes, I know this is not a word), outdoorsy type of person.

4. Excited that I have pictures being delivered tomorrow. Ordered over $30 worth of pictures and paid $10 for them. Love getting a good deal.

5. Looks like my Chiefs are going to be the only undefeated team left in the NFL! How crazy is that. Hope they are ready for the Colts next week, especially since the Colts got beat today.

6. Looking forward to a much quieter week. Only have 2 baseball games, a pre-op appointment for Dart and possibly a parents vs. boys baseball game to celebrate the end of the season.

7. Could use some good thoughts for my brother, that we get answers to some tests that were ran on him last week. 

Stampede Saturday!!

We did it! We had a very successful Stallion Stampede. I'm worn out though. This year we changed things up regarding our teacher event. Every year we have the kids bring in their change during the week leading up to the Stampede. The top 4 teachers then participate in whatever the event is. The last 3 years it has been "Kiss the Pig", although last year it was a guinea pig instead of a real pig. This year we decided we needed something new. That new was a "So You Think Your Teacher Can Race?" event. We rented 4 "trikes" and the top 4 rode around the loop. Our top 4 ended up being our Principal, Mrs. Weaver, Mrs. Blume(1st grade), Mrs. Floyd(Kindergarten), who is Audrey's teacher and Miss Hassemer(3rd grade), who is Dart's teacher and also happened to run a half marathon this morning. They were all great sports about this, even dressing up. 

Just before take off. Mrs. Weaver in the lead. I love that they all did something a bit different.

The kids LOVED the teacher race. They followed them all around the track, even giving those who needed it a bit of help.

I'm worn out tonight, but the creative ideas are churning. Now that the Stampede is over, my attention can go other places and I'm excited. I'm excited that the Holiday's are just around the corner. I also have my best friends birthday coming up and I am working on figuring out something great for her gift. She's had some issues with her house and isn't going to be able to see her nephews graduate from boot camp because of the issues, so I want to come up with something AMAZING. Oh and she is such an amazing friend. She is Dart's other mom.

I will be back tomorrow with 7 on Sunday. I have several things I want to feature, just need to decide on the theme for this week.