February Duel

Well, it's that time yet again and I'm so happy!!! This is one my most favorite things I look forward to each month, is getting the kit in the mail and seeing what I can make of all the goodies. :)

Our lovely hostess this month is Carol (momcgw on SCS)and she sent us the most beautiful image! It's a Mo Manning image and along with the image sent oh so many lovely papers for us to choose from.

There were so many goodies in that envie that I made two cards because I just could not pass up the beautiful MS Doily Carol sent too! I just HAD to make a card using that along with the ribbon rosettes.

Check out the pics and I hope you like them too!

Here is my second card:

Rosie Valentine

As many of you know my son Malcolm is in the Navy and was stationed overseas right out of A-School. Sasebo, Japan is 7,042 miles from where I live in San Antonio, Texas. It's still hard to fathom the distance and while I get to talk to him quite often since they've been in port for awhile, I miss him something awful. We definitely had our ups and downs through the years but for the most part he was an excellent kid and I knew I was going to miss him, but honestly I didn't know it was going to be THIS much.

His leaving was super hard on my family as all 4 of my kids are VERY close, from the littlest to the biggest. He still calls me sometimes and says "Mom, I really wanna come home" and that breaks my heart because I want him to come home too! Even knowing he is doing a GREAT thing, I think we all want to keep our kiddos close. I know it's super hard for him because he's never been away from home for very long or very far.

Anyways, gettin' long winded here... Malcolm was so so so sad to leave behind his dog. She's a boxer and her name is Rosie. She's already going on 5 and will be getting up there for a Boxer by the the time he gets home. So I made him this valentine from her. :) Tomorrow I'm going to ink up her paw so she can "sign" it for him.

 

First Duel of 2012!!!

Yayy!!! Time for another duel! This month's hostess for the Divas is Miss Joan. I just loved this kit with endless possibilities to create some fabulous cards using Lockhart images. I just knew what I wanted to do when I saw the veggies on hangers. I actually made two cards and still have plenty supplies left to make a couple more. I used SU's new In Color Pool Party for my base and everything else I used was in Miss Joan's kit.

The bonus challenge this month was to post what we initially thought when we heard the title was Small Things. I immediately thought keys and hearts and boy was I surprised!  :) I


So, now on to the pics!! Here they are!!!

Dueling Divas-November

Its that time again!!! I do love dueling it out with the Dazzlers!
This months kit was sent by Kelly (MiamiKel4), and she sent the best hodge podge hot mess of a of a kit ever!!! So many mismatched items for us to pick and choose from, it was SO hard to decide what to actually use!

So here is what I came up with. I know you said the Gingerbread Man and striped twine was your favorite Kel so I was sure to use both! I took apart the strands of the twine for the Gingerbread Man's embellies.

The last part of our challenge this month was to post a pic of ourselves wearing  "What Not To Wear."  Unfortunately, over the years I have lost a great many of my pictures and of course any I had of my younger days burned when my Mom's house caught fire a few years ago. So, I'm sad I can't play along with this part of the challenge.

October Duel

Hello All,
  Here we are again, not only is it time to duel but it's also the end of round 2! Wow, the time has flown by!!
This month's hostesses are Tami for the Divas (my team) and Darlene for the Dazzlers. Tami sent the cutest kit with all kinds of goodies for us to use. Our image is from Stampin' Up's - Sweet Season, various yummy DSP's, Ribbon from American Crafts, Embroidery Floss, Sticko Tiles, a leaf brad by Recollections, and gems by Darice. As always I had a hard time trying to decide what to use for my card. So many choices! lol

  Anyways, here is what  I came up with. I am looking forward to Round 3 of dueling!

 

Tami also requested that we share our favorite fall recipe. I have alot of favorites, but I think my most favoritest is Squash Soup. My Mom has made it for us for years now so it's a signal that fall is here!

Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 6 cups (about 2 large squash) seeded 2-inch wide chunks butternut squash
• Melted butter, for brushing
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 4 ounces heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is nice and soft.
Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

School Is Cool

It's that time again! Time for the Divas to duel with the Dazzlers. April and I were hostesses this month and we decided on the School Is Cool theme. Now that the kids are back in school and things are settling down, I'm so glad for some peace and quiet!

So I decided to use images from Recollections. I felt they fit the theme perfectly, not to mention I just LOVED the backpack image along with the pencil. I sent along several quotes pertaining to school and education that were computer generated and several different ribbons, buttons and brads.

Along with the kit I asked that we all share a school memory. I was one of those kids that school just wasn't for me. I was good at some subjects and totally inept in others and it always seemed like the hard subjects that I wasn't so good at overshadowed the ones I was good at. Needless to say I made it to the 11th grade and couldn't stand it anymore so I quit. As an adult out in the real world I now see what a fatal mistake that was and even with a GED feel that some doors remain closed to me in the working world. With those realizations it has helped me as a parent to push my children to excel in school and to never ever quit or give up when it comes to their education.

Ok, so here's my card for this month!

Dueling Divas Round 13

It's that time again!!! Let the duel begin! I will be on my trip when it's time to post, so yayy for blog scheduling! lol I am going to Chicago to see my son graduate Navy Basic Training and then on our way home we are detouring home through Iowa so we can visit with my big brother for a few days.

Anyways, now for the duel! This months kit was sent by Judy... my oh my... I could not decide what to use (this is a usual thing I know)! Judy sent us so many goodies to choose from. I just love the DSP by American Crafts Margarita collection. So many buttons, ribbons and brads, along with flower buds....my goodness, it was a delightful smorgasbord of supplies.

Our challenge this month is to share our favorite way to cool off in these "dog days" of summer. I have to admit, I am not into the heat and my favorite way is to stay inside in the a/c! lol