Tasty Almond Butter & An Invitation

One of the things I most enjoy about spending time with friends over the summer break is thinking about what to bring as a "hostess" gift.  I love coming up with little ways to show my friends just how much they mean to me.  The last time I was invited over to a friend's for dinner I brought some homemade pesto fancied up in a little squatty mason jar.  This time I decided to go a little simpler. 

[Changing the subject for just a minute]: Did I ever mention that my husband and I bought ourselves a combined gift this past Christmas? Well, it was the first time I'd ever bought something from a paid commercial, but I was so impressed with this little guy we decided to splurge and buy it. 

Here's a picture of the Healthmaster:

It is similar to a Vitamix (and I've wanted one of those for a l-o-n-g time) in that it will juice and blend with ease and quickness.  We love to make homemade smoothies with it using only fresh and/or frozen fruit, veggies, a little juice and skim milk. And, the reason for telling you all that is....it also makes the most delicious peanut butter and almond butter.

So, for this last get together I knew I wanted to whip up a few batches of homemade almond butter to give out.  It is so yummy and good for you!

I bought two bags of roasted and salted organic almonds from Whole Foods and blended them with three tablespoons of Canola oil. That's it! I poured an equal amount into four containers and fancied them up using a computer-printed label which I attached to a scalloped die cut.

And, because it made four of these 6 oz. containers I was able to keep some for myself which we are enjoying this week for breakfast. (The little house image in the center of the label is a clear rubber stamp from the dollar bin at Michael's.)

I also wanted to invite you back for an "Open House" of sorts. I've been thinking for a long time about giving a tour of my house and some of its thrifted contents. I love seeing my stuff in all its "glory" and remembering back to the time when I purchased each item for just a small amount of money.  I have a mixture of items, some coming from garage sales, thrift stores, hand-me-downs, and even the trash.  I plan to go room-by-room and give you guys the VIP tour. (Because you are all VIPs in my book.)  I'll start off with my kitchen and we'll see where I go from there.  I hope you enjoy it!  Let me know what you think...good or bad. 

Early Birthday

My birthday is this week and we are celebrating early....not my idea, but my husband's....have I mentioned lately how good he is to me? I checked his e-mail this morning and this is what I found:

We always make "family" decisions at our house when it comes to the BIG purchases. And, I've had my eye on one of these since they came out. Today we are driving to the Apple store to pick one up! I can't wait!  I knew I was subbing all those long hard hours for something. :)

Reached My Goal

One of the goals I set for myself when I turned 40 (last June) was to have a piece of my "work" published.  I wasn't going to be too picky about where, but I did have a few publications in mind.

Well, last week, to my surprise...I literally fell off my chair.....I received an e-mail from Alisha Gordon, Creative Editor at CARDS magazine.  She was asking for permission to publish one of my cards for the October, 2010 issue!!! Yahoo!!  I am thrilled beyond belief to have one of my teeny tiny cards in a major publication such as CARDS.  I just wanted to share the good news! (Isn't that the cutest badge above?...it's from the Girl Scout collection.)

Thanks Lulu!

This morning, as I was going through my blog roll call, one of which is Laura Craigie's, I found out that I won a gift certificate to YourScrapbookStash....yahoo!!
It's always so exciting checking back and seeing your name as a winner! I can't wait to pick out something fun to play with! Thanks Laura and thanks YourScrapbookStash!

Blog Winner

Hi guys! I'm still here....I've been busy and working on "home things" for a while.....I have sent some "creative" things out....but didn't take any pictures....sorry. :(

Anyways, I hope to be back to posting today [and tomorrow, and the next day.....] with some Valentine projects that are in the works. Oh - and we've also had some computer problems, which we temporarily solved this morning. I'm eyeing the new HP all-in-one touch computer, but we have some comparison shopping to do.

I've been enjoying the anniversary celebration going on all this week at Papertrey Ink and you know that I've entered every contest for the chance to win some amazing stuff....so far, no luck, but....I did find out this morning that I won a cute little mini-album from Creative Cafe.
I love the Creative Cafe products and can't wait to see this baby up close! I'll share pictures when it comes in. I made a similar album at the CHA show in Orlando and it turned out really cute!

Take care and I promise to be back soon!

Good Start to a Great Week

I'm back with some exciting news!! I peeked over at the Paper Crafts blog this morning and saw my name listed with two other gals as winners of this amazing prize....
I can't wait to get my hands on this juicy piece of yumminess....I even checked out the shipping for it last week when the blogs were promoting it. Now, I can't believe it will be arriving in my mailbox for FREE!! Yippee! What a great way to start the week!

"One Pretty Thing" Feature

I was so excited this morning to see that Rachel over at "One Pretty Thing" featured my Safari Snack Bouquet in her Crafty Food Roundup. Here's a shot at what you can find....

(click image to see it larger)

If you don't already visit her site twice a day (like I do) be sure to check it out this morning...her site is definitely one of the most inspiring out there. She features tons and tons of creatively genius people contributing ideas and tutorials to fill your head with some wondrous possibilities! This is my third feature and I'm thrilled to be a part of this crafty group!!!

They Called, I Answered

I've been few and far between lately on the blog, but here's what I've been working on, along with subbing here and there:
Just in case you missed the announcement and you are a Jillibean fan like I am, you still have some time....the deadline for submitting your work is tomorrow at midnight. Nothing like working while the clock ticks away, but sometimes that's when we do our best stuff!!! I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch on this one because there are so so many talented gals out there....but I just thought I would give it a shot. Wish me luck!

Jillibean Goodies

Have you guys checked out the Jillibean Soup blog? What a neat place to hang out...here's the link. A while back I entered a daily giveaway and WON some really cool corrugated alphabets...I can't wait to use them.

But, the really exciting news is, when they sent my package of alphabets I was also given a bunch of other goodies....clear stamps, ribbon, felt embellishments, die cut journalling tags and...
all of this DOUBLE-SIDED paper!!! It's so hard to choose which side I like best....but what a great problem to have! I couldn't believe how generous they were!

They are also having a sketch challenge/contest right now that's open until September 14th....and you can win a $25 gift certificate!!! I'm planning to get something put together in the next few days. Be sure to give it a try!

My room's been published!

Well, not "my room" but my friend, Katie's room. Here she is at the CHA show in Orlando - I thought this was a great picture of her making a card at the Splitcoaststampers booth.
While at the CHA show, she won at Ottlite from the Ottlite booth. She contacted the people at Ottlite to say "Thanks" for the awesome light and along with her thank you she also sent a picture of her amazing craft space....isn't it pretty?

You may remember it from this post. Well, yesterday she visited the Ottlite blog and found out they published a picture of her room along with a short article about her. I just thought I would spread the news around and let ya'll get to know her a bit. She's so sweet and has a heart of gold. She's definitely one of those friends 'til the end.

Glitter Winner!

I peeked over at the Cards blog today and found out I won a glitter package from Doodlebug Designs! What a great way to start the day!
Happy Tuesday to you!

I can't believe I won!!!

Hey guys! I just took a peep over at Elizabeth Kartchner's blog (CK Scrapbooker of the year) and found out I won a blog makeover!! I am so excited! Anyone who knows me knows that I am not that computer savvy....and I want to be....so I am thrilled that she's given me the opportunity to spice up my little blog. I can't wait to share my new "look" with you guys. Stay in touch!