...{...I Love Friday Nights...}...

Oh my goodness!  Write it down in the history books - I made a scrapbook layout!  No kidding - I haven't done a layout in probably 4 or 5 years.  It felt sooo good creatively to get in there and just play around!  I'm so excited now to get some more pics printed and do lots and lots more pages...

journaling says - i ALWAYS look forward to friday nights! spending the evening together...relaxing...unwinding...pefect ending to my week.

...{...Happy Birthday Daddy...}...

Today is my Daddy's birthday...67 years old today!  Sharing his birthday card I made for him (he enjoys sailing) and a few pics of him over the years (that were on my computer)...

parents' wedding day- Sterling Heights, MI - feb 20, 1982

my grandparent's house - Warren, MI - summer 1983

Port Huron, MI - August 1983

Cheddars - Fort Smith, AR - May 2010

Father's Day 2010

...{...Yummy Soup for a Cold Day...}...

Good afternoon!  Thought I'd take a few moments to get caught up on some blogging.  First - a soup that I made last week.  It was pretty chilly here and this soup was the perfect remedy!

Of course, I tweaked the recipe from the original - but that's what cooking is really all about.  Here's the recipe to the best of my memory :-)

Chicken and Shrimp Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
• 3 cans chicken broth
• 2 med. zucchini - diced
• 1 tbs minced pickled garlic
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes - or more to taste
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 1 can corn
• 1 can black beans - rinsed
• 1 red onion - diced
• 1 lg. can diced tomatoes
• 1 bag frozen raw shrimp - (pre-cooked in skillet)
• 3 cups cooked chicken - diced
• olive oil
• salt & pepper - to taste

Garnish
• tortilla chips
• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• avocado - diced
• lime wedges
• jalapenos
• cilantro

Using a 6-7qt pot, heat up enough olive oil to cook your onions and zucchini. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and zucchini. Cook until onions are slightly transparent and zucchini slightly browned. Add chicken broth, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, corn, beans, can of tomatoes, cooked shrimp and chicken. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Serve w/ garnishes and enjoy!

...adapted from the Woman's Day Eating Light publication...

ps...Do you have a favorite soup recipe?

...{...Christmas Gifts - GIft Books...}...

Today I thought I'd share some Gift Books that I made for some friends for this past Christmas.  I had seen several of these styles and thought they would be a great idea.  A while back myself and some of my closest friends exchanged emails listing some of our favorite things.  These are SOOO handy during the Christmas season, Birthdays and just any time I'd like to pick up a gift for a friend.  But we were always trying to recall the name of the email and I thought, surely there has to be an easier way.

The first section of the book has an envelope to store receipts.  Next section is a group of sheets I designed - one side you list the person's name, birthday, anniversary and their favorite things which are divided into sections.  On the other side of that sheet you can list gifts you have given them along with the prices for up to 5 years (I know I struggle a lot with trying to remember what gifts I've given friends).  Then there is a divider tab followed by blank sheets of paper to record notes.

I created 4 of these for my friends.  Of course I wanted one and had all the pieces laid out, but have just been so busy that I haven't gotten around to working on mine.  I think they really liked them and were pleased...maybe a bit too well.  When I asked about them they said they liked them so much they just wanted to display them and not use them :-)

ps...I didn't get a picture w/ the 4th book due to that friend missing our Christmas party.

...{...Birthday Necklace and Card...}...

Well.  Seems I'm not getting off to a very good start in 2011 for blogging!  It's already been a busy year around here.  But hopefully I will have some down time this weekend and I can get caught up on a few things.

How is 2011 going along for you so far?  Any new and exciting news?  What are you most looking forward to this year?  I'm hoping to make crafting a regular priority.  I never realized until recently just how much I LOVE it!

So today I'd like to share a project that I worked on Monday (while snowed in) and then wrapped up Tuesday night.  A dear friend of mine had a birthday last week.  But I wasn't going to see her until tonight, thus giving me some extra time to work on this project.  I knew right away that I wanted to make a necklace for her.  She, like me, loves jewelry.  But, I've never made any before.  I had invested in some starter pieces a while back along w/ a pliers/tweezers kit.  And I watched a few YouTube videos and Podcasts. 

So this is what I ended up w/...

And of course, what would a present be w/o a birthday card!  She loves flamingos...

ps...she said she liked it :-)

...{...Christmas Cards - 2010...}...

Oh my goodness.  I feel so bad that I've been so neglectful of my blog!  Trust me, I have lots of things to post.  I've just been enjoying some free time during the Holidays!  But now it's a new year and I'm excited to start some new projects!

Tonight I have a post full of all my Christmas cards I made for this past Christmas.  I read someone's post recently that they create a few Christmas cards every month so it's not such a rush at the end.  This sounds like a great idea and something I'm going to try this year I think.  I made all these cards over two evenings, but it was ALL evening and going into the early hours of the morning.  And since I was in such a rush, I don't have the materials list.  But if you want to know about a certain paper, stamp, etc, just leave a post below and I'll be glad to let you know!

ps.  I had these caprese turnovers tonight and oh were they yummy!  I added prosciutto to mine.  You should give them a try!