Remember...

Today is Memorial Day, a day we remember those past and present who have served our country. My brother is currently serving in the United States Navy and is out on deployment.
I wanted to post today with a special thanks to him.

This is my sister and I with Chris on the day of his Boot Camp Graduation.

This is my brother Chris waiving goodbye to my parents before his deployment.
Thank you to those who have served, are serving, and especially to those who have given their lives.
A friend posted on facebook today the following quote:

A Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman is someone
who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to
the United States of America for an amount up to, and including,
their life. That is an honor, and there are way too many people in
this country today who no longer understand that fact

I hope everyone remembered to take a moment today and thank those who have provided us the ability to celebrate this day.

Back From Cowboy Country....

I'm back in Minneapolis after spending much of last week in the Dallas TX area. Time catch up on my 365....

May 18 2010

I'm a big GNR fan, so upon arriving at the Hard Rock Cafe Dallas, I spotted this autographed copy of Rolling Stone with Slash on the cover!! You can imagine how excited I was!

May 19 2010

This is my Minneapolis co-worker Linda, my Denver co-worker Sheila, and myself having a couple of drinks at The Quarter Bar in Addison Texas. We spent a long day in meetings and rewarded ourselves with some Bud Light.

May 20 2010

Linda, Tammy (my co-worker from Indianapolis) and I decided that after 2 days of meetings, we needed an extra night to explore and party in Dallas. We met up with some Transnorm employees, with whom I do a lot of business. Holly and Jason were awesome dinner dates!! We laughed so much, we became that table. You know, the loud one that everyone hates, but is secretly jealous of because they are having so much fun? Yep, that was us at The Iron Cactus.
Thanks for a great night Holly and Jason!!

May 21 2010

For our extra night, we moved The Magnolia Hotel in downtown Dallas. A gentleman we met, who we called "FDIC" (he worked for FDIC) mentioned how awesome the detail was on the elevators. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

May 22 2010

On Saturday I was back in Minneapolis attending Kelly's graduation party. She just graduated from Nursing school. Here she is holding her niece Liza. It seems kids start partying younger and younger these days!! (Don't worry, the bottle was empty. Liza decided to make it her toy.)

May 23 2010

This is a shot from the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. My sister invited me to go along with her on Sunday. I managed to make a random impulse buy of new sheets for my bed. They were these amazing cotton sheets for $35! Who could pass up a deal that good? I might go back in the next couple of weeks for more!

May 24 2010

This is Sookie in the vet's office waiting for a booster shot. Doesn't she look excited? She was very brave getting a shot and a heartworm test. Awwww!

Playing Catch Up...

Wow! I didn't realize how far behind I was on posting my 365 pics! Sit back and relax, this is going to be a long post!

May 8 2010

This is Caesar's new toy, a Kong. Whoever invented this is a genius! He is teething right now, so its great! Fill it with peanut butter and treats, freeze, and he is entertained (and mouth soothed) for hours!

May 9 2010

Here is a sneak peak at a project I'm working on.....updates to come soon!

May 10 2010

Bruegger's Herby Turkey Sandwich on a Sundried Tomato bagel. YUM.

May 11 2010

This is about 1/3 of the containers of Royal Icing I have on hand for cookie decorating. If you haven't yet, check out my baking blog here.

May 12 2010

Salsa that came with the nachos I ordered at Old Chicago. It tasted like Windex. Literally. Gross.

May 13 2010

I randomly caught a rainbow over my house! Now if only I could find Cheer Bear! (PS. dont mind the tragic landscaping......

May 14 2010

This is the giant van load of plants my mom brought me to landscape my yard. Thanks Mom and Gary!!

May 15 2010

Sneak peek at the landscape projects....we still have a long way to go!

May 16 2010

My super hot shoes! I treated myself to these for my trip to Dallas.

May 17 2010

Random Frank Sinatra on the side of a garage in Robbinsdale.

Are your eyes about to fall out of your sockets?! I know, I need to keep up with these pictures so the posts aren't so long! Hope you enjoyed the pics anyway!

Mother's Day Rose

It has been quite some time since I have been able to do any paper crafting! My two dogs keep me pretty busy and make it hard to escape into my craft room. I did make some time though to create this simple card for my mom. She came to visit this weekend and we had a "Belated Mother's Day Breakfast" along with my sister. Here is the card I made...

I learned this great technique for making ribbon roses (tutorial to come soon!) I loved how they turned out with shimmer ombre style ribbon!

I've also been working on re-doing my bathroom. I had stacks of left over paint chips, so I used some of those to create the leaves on the ribbons. Cute eh? I think I'm going to try to incorporate some of these paint chips in more of my projects!

When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Bunny...

May 3 2010

The driver of this van officially wins my D-Bag Of The Week Award! He almost ran into me while changing lanes and almost caused at least 4 other accidents during rush hour. Why you ask? Oh, because he was on his cell phone the entire time. I got a pretty good look at him, as he narrowly missed cars, crossing 3 lanes of traffic to exit Hwy 100. Now, fast forward about an hour. I'm in Robbinsdale at this Greek Cafe that I've never been to before. David and I are enjoying dinner, and a guy walks in. I recognized him. I look outside....Definitive Aquarium van parked next to our car!!! What are the odds?! I thought about giving him his D-bag Award right then and there....a good punch in the face!!
Note to Definitive Aquarium: You should enforce a no cell phones while driving policy, and you should remove the black out light covers from the brake lights so people can actually see when you are braking or turning.

May 4 2010

Oh Mello Yellow. How long it's been since I have enjoyed you. You were very refreshing. By the way, I'm loving the retro look.

May 5 2010

This is a photo of some of our managers out grilling for our Employee Appreciation Cookout. From the left: My boss: Bob, His boss: Mick, Supervisor Mike, Supervisor Wayne, Operations Manager Rich, Delta Manager Fred, and Napa Manager Scott. We had an awesome lunch of HUGE hamburgers and delicious brats.

May 6 2010

I told my dogs that they could be whatever they wanted to be when they grow up. (No really, I just said this to them the other night). It appears Caesar wants to be a bunny.

May 7 2010

Today is rainy and a generally crappy day for me. While wallowing in self pity, I realized that the poinsettia some awesome co-workers gave me a Christmas, is starting to bloom again. Yay!

Cinco De Mayo...Ole!

Happy Cinco De Mayo! I have a lot to celebrate today. My friend Deb, over at Sparkling Scrapbooks has posted a special project featuring my beloved Sookie! Deb is a designer for the Paris Hilton Scrapbooking line. I know, you're thinking, Paris Hilton? Scrapbooking? Really? But don't judge just yet! The line is actually pretty cool. Its great for teens and sassy ladies a like. I love her Pet's Beauty Shop line. Even if Paris isn't your thing, check out Deb's work, she is amazing!
In addition to that, I'm feeling a lot of love today over at my baking blog, Fairytale Frosting. Today my Mustache Cookies were featured on A Crafter At Sea. Joanne is a spectacular crafter as well. Check out her handmade items! You are going to love her upcycling!

With all that love, and that it is in fact Cinco De Mayo, I celebrated with one of my favorite meals: tacos, homemade guacamole and jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins. Sound delicious?! Read on! I am sharing MY guacamole recipe and how to make jalapeno cheddar cornbread muffins. Its so easy you'll have Cinco De Mayo Dinner every week!
Guacamole Step One:

Gather your ingredients. Onion, 2 ripe avocados, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 tomato, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Step 2:

Peel and mash your avocados.

Step 3:

Dice your onion (about 1/4), tomato (about 1/2), and jalapeno pepper (whole). Toss in. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4:

Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Step 5:

Add a dash of hot sauce.

Step 6:

Mix well and enjoy!!

Now onto the Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins...
I'm a simple girl. I enjoy cooking, but for a meal like this, who wants things to be complicated right? So, gather your supplies...

Cornbread muffin mix (makes 6 muffins), Sharp cheddar (or whatever your favorite shredded cheese is), 1 egg, 1 jalapeno pepper, milk, and butter.

Step 2:

Finely chop your pepper, then mix up all ingredients.

Step 3:

Pour into greased muffin tin, and bake at 400 for 16-18 minutes.

Step 4:

Cool and enjoy! I love cornbread, but this cheesy spicy version gives it just the right amount of kick! See, wasn't that easy? Start your own fiesta tonight!

Stop Stealing My Cupcakes!

April 29 2010

I love playing with the macro setting on my camera! This is a nice close up of the bells I hung by my back door. I'm trying to get the dogs to use them to tell me they need to go out. Its not going too well. Caesar did use them on this day though. One step at a time.

April 30 2010

Do you remember my photo of that boring old peg board? You can see it here. This is the transformation! Ignore the mess in my baking pantry, just focus on how beautifully organized all of my cookie cutters are!

May 1 2010

Yep, using my macro again. This time on an unsuspecting little Caterpillar. So furry looking!

May 2 2010

This is a photo of my laptop, showing a website with my cupcakes on it! Now don't get too excited. This bakery in North Carolina, stole my photo (see original here.) and is claiming these cupcakes as their own work! A woman on Cake Central sent me a message alerting me that my photo was being used by this bakery. I was able to obtain the offender's user name on Cake Central and I sent her an email. I am still waiting for an explanation. I am flattered that she enjoyed my cupcakes, however she should have used the photo to inspire her own work. Not claim my work as hers! Boy, the nerve of some people!
That's my latest of the 365!