Live Your Dream

Strawberries!!

Last week in school we were studying plants and the boys remembered picking strawberries last year and asked if we could go again. My husband had Monday off so we made about an hour drive to a local strawberry farm and had so much fun!

We actually picked about 6 gallons in an hour and a half. We kept 3 of those and gave the rest away to friends and family.

I spent most of Monday night washing berries and freezing them. We ate some with dinner and then on Tuesday I made a strawberry pie and strawberry bread. YUM!

I didn't have a graham cracker crust at home so I made my own. It was so easy!

3/4 c. flour
3 Tbsp. butter
1-2 Tbsp. powdered sugar (I used 2)

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

{strawberry pie}

3 oz. pkg. strawberry or raspberry jello (I used raspberry because my store was out of strawberry!)
1 c. sugar
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
Add 2 c. boiling water

Cook and stir until creamy (comes to a boil). Place kettle in cold water and stir until lukewarm. Fold in the strawberries or raspberries (approx. 2 pints sliced or whole). Pour into a baked pie shell. Refrigerate. Serve with a dab of whipped cream.

{strawberry bread}

I used this recipe except I made the following changes:

reduced oil to 3/4 c.
added 2 c. strawberry puree
reduced white sugar to between 1-1/4 c. and 1-1/2 c. because my berries were so ripe

Easter 2011

After celebrating happy resurrection day at church this morning, the whole fam went to my parents' house for a yummy lunch, our annual pictures, and an egg hunt. My Dad even made smoothies before we left to meet my in-laws at our house for dinner. :) It was a full day. Yesterday was an even fuller day. I am exhausted.

One more picture...you know it had to be Ella. I am in love with this girl!! It is SO fun to dress her up.

Rich Petals

I absolutely {heart} the new Paisley Petals Designer Series paper and coordinating Four Frames stamp set. The rich colors just pop!

{supplies}
Paper: Old Olive, Marina Mist, Paisley Petals DS, Whisper White
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
Stamps: Four Frames, Because I Care
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Decorative Label punch

Final Season of the Atlanta Passion Play

You might remember this post from last year about the Atlanta Passion Play. It is the final season (35 years in total) and today is the last performance...EVER. I know it will be a very emotional day for the entire cast and crew.

This is my husband playing the role of John.

This next picture is of Clark (my oldest) and his stage parent (and my good friend), Jennifer.

Can you find Clark in this picture? :)

A big thanks to my MIL for watching Alex and Ella so I can attend today's final performance.

Vintage Bluebird

I needed a couple of quick thank you notes this week and decided to open my new Nature Walk stamp set. I only managed to add the label for the bird as Ella came in my scrapbook room...now I need to find the rest of the stamps...

However, I did manage to snap a picture of my clear block. I used the lines on Stampin' Up!'s grid paper to position both the bird and the sentiment on the same block.

And there you have it. I love that this simple idea could be applied for any number of color combinations--maybe you could even make a set of notecards. :){supplies}
Paper: Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, Soft Suede
Ink: Marina Mist, So Saffron, Soft Suede
Stamps: Nature Walk, Because I Care
Accessories: sponge, Crochet Trim Victoria 5/8"

French Trim

I hope you didn't miss me last week! We had Spring Break and although we didn't take an elaborate vacation, the kids and I tried to do something fun and out of the ordinary each day. It was a good break but it is always nice to return to a schedule. :) These pictures are from last Monday's outing on a picnic.

Over the break my laptop died. Sigh. I had some My Digital Studio layouts that I had not yet printed that are GONE forever...unless I want to pay the exorbitant fee to have the Geek Squad find the files...the file structure is corrupt on my hard drive so I said goodbye to all my data (including my tax return!!) and will start fresh over the next couple of weeks.

On a happier note, my friend, Jennifer is celebrating her birthday today. She adores all things black and white so I threw together a fun card for her.

{supplies}
Paper: Very Vanilla, Newsprint DS, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black
Stamps: Chic Boutique, Wow Flowers
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, needle, thread, sticky strip, Word Window punch

MDS: Ella & Blackwater Grill

Here is another layout from last summer's trip to Jekyll Island. Seeing Ella's sleeveless top makes me long for sunshine and warmth!

Spring is Blossoming

Promotion dates: April 1-30, 2011

Promotion details:  Spring is Blossoming with Sneak Peek products from the upcoming 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. You can get these brand-new products in one of two ways:

• Spend $20* on any Stampin' Up! products and become eligible to purchase both the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper.
• Host a $350* workshop and get the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper for FREE!

*Net sales before tax and shipping

I just ordered my stamps and paper yesterday so I can't wait for them to arrive and show you some amazing projects!

Four Frames Stamp Set
W: item 123440 | $20.95
C: item 123442 | $15.95

Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper
item 122367 | $9.95

Bit O' Bling

Do you remember the Vintage Floral Headband I made a week ago? I wondered what would happen if I made the same flowers out of ribbon. I used Stampin' Up!'s 1" double-stitched ribbon in Rose Red and created a bit o' bling for my jacket.

Here is a picture of the back so you can see how I "finished" it.

Then I added an alligator clip (just because that was all I had on hand). You could easily glue on a pin--which would definitely give you more flexibility on WHERE you place the bling.

I suppose it could be ultra-versatile and one day I wear it on my jacket and the next I put it in Ella's hair. :)

MDS: Train Up a Child

Here's a layout from Ella's baby dedication (aka Parent Dedication) we did last April! :) The big empty space in the lower right-hand corner was for the invitation (also designed in MDS). I just adhered it to the printed digital copy and whalah I now have a hybrid design. I just love, love, love Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio software.