Visiting The Front Yard!

The flowers in the front yard are really going crazy right now! So, I took my camera out to capture some of the pretties!

First, meet "George" (yes, we named the tree George! LOL!) He is our Walmart special tree.

One day, while Mr. Mister and I were wandering around, aimlessly, in Walmart, (come on! admit it! you wander aimlessly in Walmart too!) we discovered that all of the trees were on clearance. We spotted this poor, pathetic, half dead tree, and decided to adopt him. We ended up paying around $5.00 dollars for him! You can't BEAT that! And he is doing GREAT! Well, except that he is looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa right now, because we cannot seem to get a stake to hold him upright. They keep pulling up out of the ground or breaking, when all the dratted wind blows through.

The second picture is of the red bowling ball I made a couple of years ago. I LOVE how it shines in the sun. I need to make another one because the bowling ball has cracked and some of the pebbles/marbles have started to fall off. I am also planning to make a white one for the moon garden (which is still in it's beginning stages.)



The lilies are GORGEOUS right now, and really putting on a show!



The red lilies are everyone's favorite!





There is also salvia, miniature bleeding hearts, and gayfeather.


The columbine is almost done blooming, but it still brings a smile to my face.



Just LOOK at the Echinacea! (Purple Cone Flowers) Even the bees are giving them some LOVE!



There is nothing better than "Flower Power" and "Bee Love" LOL!

I hope that your garden is bringing you as much joy as mine is to me!

Yellow Watermelon?

Today, Mr. Mister and I went to the commissary. While we were there Mr. Mister picked up a watermelon. We came home, he started cutting the watermelon, and then I heard him say, "what the he??" we both stopped, looked at it, and said in unison "A YELLOW WATERMELON?"

I have NEVER in my 40+ years heard of, or seen a yellow watermelon. So, I immediately hopped on the computer to look it up. Apparently, there are all kinds of yellow watermelons out there! (Who KNEW?) LOL!
Here's a picture of ours!



For anyone out there who has never tried a yellow watermelon, they are DELICIOUS! (Well, at least this one was! LOL) I told Mr. Mister that we need to order seeds so we can plant our own!

Coupons!

WOW! I have "dabbled" with clipping coupons to save at the grocery store, but after reading this article I am ready to get SERIOUS about using them. It is AMAZING that this lady only spends around $10.00 a week to feed her family of five!

So, of course I started searching the internet for more information on using coupons and came across The Coupon Mom's website, which has a whole system to help you get started. I have been reading and absorbing all of it like a sponge! I also visited Hot Coupon World and spent quite a bit of time wandering around and reading all of the ideas and tips. There is a lot of GREAT information out there, and I am sure I will keep finding more, because I go to one site, then click on a link to another, and then another! LOL!

I just LOVE bloggers! Every blog you visit is like finding a hidden treasure! I found the coupon article on a blog called For Cheap Sake while looking through the Menu Plan Monday links on the Organized Junkie website. (Thanks to Rhonda over at Christmas Notebook for putting the information up on her blog!) See! Blog hopping can help you save money, plan your menu for the week, get organized, and make you think about Christmas in JUNE! LOL!

A Little Of This And That!

Hey everyone!

Not much going on right now! (Except, that it's RAINING again!) I have been busy doing the "Flylady" thing! This week, I scrubbed the front of my kitchen cabinets, washed the curtains in the kitchen, dining room, and living room, and did other things that haven't been done in a while. I really need to tackle the area on top of my cabinets! I am NOT looking forward to THAT! Why? Because, I have all kinds of stuff up there that needs to be cleaned! Things like, artificial plants, glass baubles, antique beaters, a doll my mother made, a clown that Mr. Mister's parents bought me in Las Vegas (almost 20 years ago) a gold bell that Mr. Mister brought back from Korea, and even a fairy house teapot!



The above pictures only show a "portion" of the area above my cabinets! NOW do you understand why I am not looking forward to it? ROFL!

I've also been looking for new recipes to try. Brat Girl and I have been craving potato soup in a bread bowl. (YEAH, I know it's HOT outside! LOL! But, all food that has been cooked is HOT when you eat it! Soup is no different! LOL) So, I went looking at All Recipes and found these!



Baked Potato Soup I

Submitted by: Sherry Haupt Photo by: Rebecca
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 920 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings

"This soup incorporates pre-baked cubes of potato with onion, crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese and sour cream in a milk soup base which has been thickened with a roux."

INGREDIENTS:
12 slices bacon
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com



Italian Bread Bowls

Submitted by: Kerri Skrudland Photo by: Docswife
Rated: 4 out of 5 by 144 members Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 2 Hours 15 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

"These cute little bread bowls are a great way to serve soup in the wintertime. I usually serve a hearty potato soup when I have the time to bake them. They freeze for up to 1 month, if desired."

INGREDIENTS:
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
7. To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com

YUM! I'll be adding these to the menu! I cannot wait to try them! If you read the reviews, other people have made suggestions on how to change things, or make them even better, so I may play with the soup a bit. We'll see!

Army Wives - 2nd Season!

I'm SO EXCITED! The second season of Army Wives starts tonight! Anybody else out there addicted like me?

3X3 Card Set!

These were made for the Technique Lover's Challenge (TLC171) posted on Split Coast Stampers. The challenge was to create several 3X3 cards, matching envelopes, and a cute box to store them in.

It took me a while to complete this set, but I LOVE how it turned out.



Unfortunately, I read another post stating that these cannot be mailed through the U.S. Postal System. I guess they are too small? Hmmmmmmm!

EEK! Run For Cover!

This is what we are dealing with right now! The tornado sirens keep going off! This is the first wave of the storms. There is a second wave heading our way right now.



We will be spending a lot of time in the basement today!

Nothing To Show You!

I have nothing to show you today! I had great intentions with this challenge! I expected to get something done today! But, I spent most of the day cleaning! It was one of those cleaning binges where one thing leads to another, and then another. At one point I was washing down all the doors in the hallway.

The thing about that kind of cleaning, is that it's the little things that most people won't even notice! Like cleaning out the drawer with five phone books, twenty take out menus, and two hundred expired coupons! Or pulling the centerpiece off the dining room table so that you can clean the dust off the top of all the candles.

Finally, I drug myself up to my studio and "tried" to come up with something. I even made "part" of a card. But, I just wasn't "feeling" it, so I decided that I wasn't going to force it.

Tomorrow is another day! And maybe I will complete two projects! We shall see!

Travel Journal!

This is what I have been working on today! It's far from being done. I am thinking that the cover still needs something in the upper left corner. I just haven't figured out what to put there yet. I also want to tie LOTS of matching ribbons on the binding. So, you will probably being seeing more of this project as I go along!





I actually bought the paper for this over a year ago. It's the Motifica line from Basic Grey, and I absolutely fell in LOVE with it. Once I saw it, I knew it was the perfect paper for my travel journal, and I have been picturing it in my head ever since. I knew that I wanted it to look "old." I wanted it to feel like it had traveled the world, and had held many stories and treasures within it's pages.

The album is made from 6" X 9" envelopes, that were cut down. Each end has an opening so that I can slide a journaling tag, tourist pamphlets, ticket stubs, or anything else I collect from the trip that I am on.

I used my Bind-it-All to bind the book together. And as you can see, I have dipped into the alcohol inks again for the word "TRAVEL" The pretty flower is from Petaloo. They have the COOLEST flowers!

I am making it so that it can be used over and over again, so there probably will not be pictures on the pages from a specific trip. I am thinking of putting travel quotes on the pages instead. But, since it's still a work in progress, that may all change!

I will be laying in bed tonight, thinking about this album, at 11:30! ROFL!

Today's Creation!

Today's inspiration is from Beate's blog. Every weekend she posts a sketch challenge for a card. (WSC-50) Here is the sketch for this week.



And here is my card based off that sketch.

Corner Bookmarks!

I decided that I wanted to challenge myself to create something EVERY day, for a week. So, I have been up in my studio, playing.

SEE!





These are corner bookmarks, and they are made by cutting the corners off of "junk mail" envelopes. (I see you eyeballing that never ending pile of credit card offers on your counter! LOL!) I played with my alcohol inks (on a piece of foil tape) for the one that says "Ric." Of course, I HAD to use Stickles on them! The bookmark with the "K" on it didn't show up well on the book page, so I put it on the cover of the book to make it stand out better. (I'm not sure if I like the pink flower with the "K" on it. Why? Well, because it's a not a rose, and it's a different color than the other flowers. YES! I'm anal! So, it just might be coming off the bookmark!) LOL!

Isn't this a great idea. I'm thinking "stocking stuffers" for the book lover in your family! (HEY! It's never too early to start thinking about all those presents you have to make/buy! LOL!)

Anyone else wanna play? Inspiration for this project was found here!

I also made a card! It gave me the chance to play with several of my new toys. I used alcohol inks on the bird, which is a new Sizzix Bigz die called Bird/Lovebird. I embossed the black shiny paper with the Swiss Dot Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. And I used some black flock by Doodlebug on the wing of my colorful little LOVIE! The alcohol inks are pretty vibrant, so I had fun coming up with things to match! (WARNING! You may need your sunglasses to look at this one! ROFL!)



That's it! All my craftiness has left the building! LOL!