FWF #52 - Time for 2016 Resolutions...?

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was very simple and quiet - just the way we like 'em! We celebrate with just our immediate family and manage to avoid most unpleasant family drama. Unfortunately, since both kids had a tournament during Thanksgiving weekend, we never got around to putting up our tree. Instead, we just put up a little one (no assembly required) and stacked the presents around it. It worked and on the bright side, we have very little clean-up. :) The dog didn't even try to rip the legs off the Santa door hangers, even though I could tell he was tempted!

 

For my last FWF card (I don't know if Unity's having another one before the end of the year), I made a thank you card for Marika's friend and mom, for taking her to see "Peter Pan" at the famous Pantages theater in Pasadena (it's on my wish list to go there one day). The ticket was originally destined for another friend, but she got sick and Marika got lucky - she had a blast and enjoyed recognizing various actors from Disney TV. They even got to sit next to the family of Sabrina Carpenter - how cool is that?

So I used this very versatile sketch from Freshly Made Sketches (#217)...

And used two stamps from two different Unity monthly sentiment kits - the embossed snowflakes (and inside sentiment "a blizzard of thanks" - not shown) are from Like a Snowflake (December 2014) and the banner and "Thank You" sentiment are from Basically Said (June 2014).

 

My final recipe for 2015 is Cheesy Ham Breakfast Casserole, which I made on Christmas morning - it was pretty tasty and a nice treat for Christmas morning. Next year, I will prepare everything (except for addition of the liquid eggs) the night before. Unfortunately, I did not wake up as early as I had hoped, since I was still frantically finishing up a mini-album for DaddyDude the night before.

 

And now, as the year winds down, it's time to consider my resolutions for 2016. Have you made yours...?

FWF #51 - Finally, It's Winter Break!

It's difficult to believe that the end of the year is almost upon us - time to start thinking about resolutions for 2016! But first - are you ready for Christmas...? I am so relieved that both kids are finally done with school for awhile. Marika has already begun her break from soccer and Mika has only one more softball practice tomorrow...I am definitely looking forward to a more relaxed schedule.

For this week, I chose sketch #259 from My Favorite Things...

And it all came together pretty quickly - with the awesome Unity sentiment (Be Merry and Have Joy) and some fabulous MME Christmas paper...

For my recipe of the week, I decided it was time to try another fish recipe. My family likes fish, but we usually eat salmon - I wanted to dress up some tilapia and found this recipe that worked really well with it - The Very Best Fish Recipe Ever. Marika thought it was too cheesy (*gasp* Is there such a thing?!) but the rest of us thought it was quite yummy - and very quick to make.

Hope you all have a wonderfully Merry Christmas! Be well!

FWF #50 - Good week for hardware!

More than a week has passed since the terrorist attack in San Bernardino (the next town over) and despite the community being a little on edge, I have been pleasantly surprised by the unity within. Everything still seems extremely surreal - but life continues to go on...

And as Christmas approaches, it was time to make cards for some teachers/coaches...

This cute sketch is (apparently) an old one from The Paper Players...the pin I used didn't track it back to the original post, but at least I have a picture!

And here's my take on it, using Santas, Stockings, Candy Canes, Etc (from the Wit & Wisdom line at Unity). I just love this style of stamp so much, I had to use it with another sketch...

I thought this sketch from Freshly Made Sketches lended itself nicely to use with this stamp...

So fun! I love this stamp!

 

And on to food - this week's new recipe was Honey Cashew Chicken from RasaMalaysia - scrumptious! You really cannot go wrong with any of her recipes!

 

Speaking of good things...it was nice to have some positives after a tragic week. Mika's team won their second tournament in a row (American Athletics Toys for Tots Tournament - a wonder toy drive hosted by the U.S. Marines for underprivileged children) - and it was against some of the top teams in the country. One strong competitor from Texas had to fly home early (but I'm sure they'll play each other again at the PGF National Championships next July) and so, it came down to playing Power Surge-Bachtell, a powerhouse of softball out of San Diego. The Corona Angels Red team did it, beating them 4-3. It was a tough game!

 

Mika didn't get to play at all the first day (Saturday's pool play), but she did get to play in all four bracket play games on Sunday. The regular second baseman (who is AMAZING, by the way - you take one look at her and you can totally see her on ESPN later, playing for a big Div 1 school), wasn't feeling very well so Mika actually got to start and play the entire game of the semi-finals. She did pretty well, considering how much pressure there is (screwing up isn't tolerated at this level!) - every time the ball came near her, I thought I was going to throw up from nervousness!

However, I have faith she will continue to get better, as she earns more play time. Mika was on the field playing, when the championship game ended, though - yay!!! Mika's day began at 7:30 am that day and didn't end until about 8:30 pm but I gotta tell you - it was TOTALLY worth it. :) Yes, she's still working to earn her stripes, but you can only learn to be the best if you play with the best!

 

 

And in other news... Mika finally had her last running meet of the year - whew! I don't know why, but several of the top runners weren't there, so Mika ended up doing really REALLY well - she actually placed sixth and the top ten runners got medals. Woohoo! I am proud of her for never quitting and trying to push herself to do better each meet. She's never going to win a race, but that's okay!

Now that being said - I am so ready for school winter break...and a little rest from all the running around... :)

FWF #49 - Never Think "Never"

This week has been incredibly surreal - most of you know that there was a mass shooting this past Wednesday. It struck a little too close to home, as San Bernardino is the next city over (and the location was only about 15 minutes away from our house) and the residence of the suspects is just across town. We've always thought this was a pleasant little town in the suburbs and that NOTHING terrible would ever happen here. We didn't know anyone who lost their lives but are so sad for those that did.

Apparently, anything is possible - anywhere. Don't take anything in life for granted!
-----
Changing the subject here... I have no idea what happened to this week's Friends with Flair, but I'm going to post my creation for this week anyway.

I'm always touched when friends bring back souvenirs for my little girls. So, I made a thank you card for Mika and Marika to send to their friends.

I loved this Freshly Made Sketch #215.

 

 

 I thought it would be PERFECT for the Unity Stamp Kit - Kindness Matters. 

 

My new recipe for this week was Roasted Jalapeno Poppers by Rachel Ray. I had made some a few weeks ago but didn't like the breaded part - so I was pleased to find this one. OMG - these were WONDERFUL!!! And so easy! A real winner!

And finally...I'd like to end this post on a happy note. We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving together but then had to part ways on Friday - Marika and I went down to San Diego for a soccer tournament while DaddyDude drove Mika to Las Vegas for a softball tournament (they returned back home, Monday morning at 3 am!). Marika's soccer team didn't advance but Mika's softball team took first place at the 12A Winter Classic in Vegas. Woohoo!



It's the first time Mika has ever been on a team that won a tournament and as I've mentioned before, she earned a spot in September on one of the top fast-pitch teams in SoCal. Mika didn't get to start any games, but did well when she did get to go in.

 

Here's our girl with her four coaches - they've been pretty encouraging and supportive of her, and we're looking forward to having Mika work her way up. I think it's a good life lesson for her to EARN her way - not to be afraid of hard work and seeing that it will pay off. Maybe not immediately, but eventually.

Everything is a work in progress, as every top-level team works towards winning the National PGF Championship in July 2016. That's the brass ring, baby!

FWF #48 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And so...another Black Friday approaches. It's pretty overwhelming how many email offers come flying into our inboxes, isn't it? Remember when life used to be slower...? We didn't get mail service on Saturdays and stores were NEVER open on Sundays. Remember...? Or, am I just showing my age...? LOL!

We have a soccer tournament this weekend (Mika is heading out to Vegas with her dad for a softball tourney out there). It has, however, been a very peaceful Thanksgiving and for that, I am very grateful. :)

Marika's teammate had a birthday party last Sunday so I looked for a sketch that could feature a giant soccer ball...

My card was very CAS, so I am not going to link it up with Sunday Stamps, but it worked well enough to showcase two different Unity kits...

 

The front sentiment came from Birthday Jubilee (July 2013 Sentiment Kit) and I used a huge sentiment from Here's My Thought (August 2013 Sentiment Kit). Her friend was delighted to get a soccer card. :)

 

And while the kids were at the party (it was at a location about 30 minutes from our house), I dashed out to the local Asian grocery store there to grab some dumplings - and stopped by the produce area to oooh and aaah over the vegetables. I saw some long beans (see below) and immediately wanted to eat some.  

 

I don't know what it is with these things, they intrigue me! I am constantly looking for recipes on how to cook them up. Yum yum... and it's pretty hard to feel guilty about eating vegetables...LOL!

 

Spicy, dry, sautéed long beans - pretty tasty! I didn't add the optional hoisin sauce at the end but next time I will (the flavoring was good, but there are certain times I like it heavier).

Hope everybody has a safe and fun weekend - if you're braving the crowds this weekend, GOOD LUCK! And be safe!

FWF #47 - Already!

Can you believe it? It's already week #47 for FWF and woot woot! It's time for Unity Stamp Company's famous Brown Thursday sale! Time to go shopping!

This week, it was time to make Mika's second thank you card for our other neighbor...my eye was caught by this CAS design of Freshly Made Sketch #213... (after all, it was supposed to be masculine in nature)...

I ended up using stamps from two different kits - Kindness Matters (I never get tired of this awesome stamp!) and Thanks Above and Beyond (April 2015 Sentiment Kit). 

We found a new great recipe this week - but not gourmet by any means! When I met DaddyDude in college, he was still making Hamburger Helper. As a male that cooked, he was still light years ahead of most of his friends! When I saw this quick recipe for "Homemade Hamburger Helper" (and I love one-pot recipes!), I thought it might be appealing to the kids...and I was right! Not only was it easy/quick to prepare after a soccer practice, but it was just the right amount for a family of four (no leftovers!). It will certainly be added to a regular rotation of favorites...and DaddyDude didn't find it "too stroganoffish" (the kids LOVE beef stroganoff - but he does not). Win-win for everyone!

FWF #46 - When the chips are down, you can count on good friends!

This past week was much better - thank you, everyone, for sending good vibes my way!

Fundraising is one of the more difficult issues when your kids do club sports, but it's even harder when the team decides to hold a poker night - and the event is an hour away from your house - and you don't really know anyone who plays poker! So, when we were told we had to try and get five people to come, I was very worried. But, two of our neighbors were kind enough to help out. One is actually going to come (he always does VERY WELL in Vegas) and the other was willing to sponsor two players (he's so appreciative because DaddyDude dispenses free professional advice). Whew! And we were so touched by their generosity! DaddyDude will be our fourth contribution - and really, he's just handing our money over because he has no clue how to play poker!

So, I thought it would be nice if Mika wrote a thank you note to these kind neighbors. I've finished one so far...

This sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch (#148) looked like an interesting way to combine a few Unity stamps.

I used the sentiment from Everything Wonderful (June 2013 Sentiment Kit), the frame from Everything More, and Kindness Matters.

My new recipe for this week was Easy Garlic Alfredo Tortellini - delicious! There's something about Italian sausage that makes everything taste so yummy!

FWF #45 - Finally Feeling Like Fall is Here

It finally feels like fall out here in southern California - we finally got rain and temperatures actually dipped below 50. Woohoo! Bo agreed to pose while I took a shot of our neighborhood street - love the poofy clouds, you can almost feel the cool crisp air!

I'm finally feeling more relaxed, having survived last week - Bo tangling with an opposum (and getting covered by fleas as a result) AND having some crook steal our credit card (topped off by our bank NOT catching the fraudalent activity and allowing a $1500 charge to happen...and lying to us about Fedex'ing our replacement card...and sending it snail mail instead).

But all is well that ends well - Bo (and the oppossum) is fine and our new cards arrived yesterday. I was so bummed to have missed Unity's last sale, but hope everybody else was able to score some great goodies!

One of Mika's favorite middle school friends is having a birthday party later this week, so I was really happy we could buy stuff at Amazon again - her friend is into making friendship bracelets, so it was fun to shop for gifts. :) Today, I made a card for her, using this lovely sketch from Viva La Verve.

I used stamps from three Sentiment Kits - Everything Comes Full Turn (September 2015), and Butterflies & Sunbeams (August 2015) and Everything Wonderful (June 213). I added one more butterfly than the sketch, but only because I *love* insects and didn't think it was possible to have too any butterflies on a card! LOL!

And as for my recipe of the week...I developed a strong craving to make Baked Jalapeno Poppers after talking to another parent on Marika's soccer team about them. Mmmmmm...these were pretty good, but I had a hard time getting the breading to stick - so next time, I would probably skip that step. Also, I totally forgot to make the dip. BUT, they were pretty tasty without it - and the jalapenos weren't spicy at all, after the insides had been stripped away. 

 Thanks for visiting! Hope everyone is enjoying their fall weather!

FWF #44 - Owl We Need is Each Other

This is going to be a super quick post, it's been a busy week and it's not over yet! Yikes!

Unity has been coming out with so many cute stamps, it's hard to keep up! Once I saw this sketch (from Sweet Sunday Sketches) on pinterest, I knew it was time to showcase an owl kit!

 

 

I chose Going to be Owl Right.. who doesn't love an owl with big eyes???

 

And for my recipe of the week... this was a quick and easy pasta side dish called Creamy Garlic shells (obviously, I didn't use shells because once again, I used whatever was in my pantry!). My only mistake was to double the recipe - it got boring as a leftover but was a nice side dish for the main meal. Apparently, I need to buy some parsley flakes or something, too, because it looked a little boring!

 

Hope you all have a wonderful week and Happy Halloween!

FWF #43 - Simple = Nice (one layer cards)

Hello! This week, I was inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #209 - I love CAS cards and it doesn't get any simpler than one layer, right?

Unity recently released some new stamps, featuring "Lulu", an adorable little girl... :)

I just love Lulu, from the Aw Shucks, Lulu kit.

I don't know why I can't find this stamp anymore at Unity, but it was called "Lulu Misses You" - she's so cute! I figured these cards would be great for a spontaneous "I love you" card for either of my girls...

I thought I would try something different this week, so I found a recipe of spinach artichoke dip. I'm always on the look out for new dishes to bring for potluck parties! This recipe was quite tasty and definitely tasted better with bread (than with tortilla chips). I would definitely make it again, except next time I would cut the spinach up (I used it straight from the package). This blogger also has a slow cooker version, for anyone who is interested...

Thanks for visiting!

FWF #42 - And Did You Know...?

Hello! I know it just turned into fall and yet... there is a significant amount of Christmas stuff in the stores already. Did you know there are only 71 more days until Christmas?

I decided to play with one of the more recent sentiment kits today, since Mika and her father are traveling down to San Diego this weekend for a big softball tournament (83 teams!) - I wanted her to have a couple of encouragement cards to open while she was done there. Mika may not get much playing time on Sunday (where once the team loses, you're out of the tournament) but it will be a great learning experience for her. We'll see how it goes! Marika and I will be spending the weekend together, so I expect it will be very quiet, though filled with soccer games. :)

I found a couple of sketches and made two cards using Everything Comes Full Turn {September 2015 Sentiment Kit}. I just absolutely LOVE the Unity sets where they provide a shaped image and you can stamp a variety of different sentiments within.

 

The first sketch is from a new blog I found, called Just Add Ink Challenge Blog.

I just used some MME cardstock and layered sequins with pearls for this one...

The second sketch is from Freshly Made Sketches 205.

And I know this looks Halloween-y, but it's actually just my camera - the cardstock is navy blue but the patterned cardstock is really a light yellow-orange. Oh, well!

Speaking of yellow-orange things, we made "breakfast for dinner" this week and I tried a new recipe called Home Fries At Home. 

 

It's a very simple recipe, but had lots of flavor - amazing how sometimes just a few key spices can have a lot of pep. Gotta love paprika! 

Thanks for visiting, hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :)

And they're off! FWF #41

I love it when a sketch comes along, that is incredibly versatile and fun - from CAS(E) this Sketch!

Of course, everybody has butterflies, but not everybody loves softball! I recently purchased You're a Hit from Unity and had been waiting for the right sketch...

 

This was my first attempt at trying to mask a stamp (the sentiment is stacked) and trying to fit it onto a small size. I didn't want to cut the stamp...but I might succumb one day...

 

Speaking of softball, Mika is feeling more comfortable with the team. She got the opportunity to play some second base last weekend. The uniforms are brand-new and I was thrilled to see how much they *pop* in pictures! 

 

And it's nice to see her maturing in other ways as well. The local middle schools had their first running meet yesterday in the 99-degree heat. I was pleased to see Mika running well (she shaved 19" off from last year) - she started her final "kick" earlier than I had advised (but she maintained!) and passed three others coming in the final stretch. Such good effort! She's not out to win (she's not a runner by any means, but it is good conditioning for softball) but she wants to do well - 13th place out of 31 girls (that finished). Not too shabby, Softball Girl! :)

And speaking of hot weather...it's over 100 degrees today, but on Monday, it was pouring rain and it was very cool (70's?). Time to make some soup! I found this VERY TASTY Copy Cat Panera Bread Potato Soup recipe - I highly recommend it! The little one loved it, but it was a little spicy for her (she ate some, panted, drank some ice water, ate some more - it was delicious torture for her!). I added some canned clams for extra protein.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Thank you for visiting! Don't forget to check out Unity's Mystery Discount sale - you won't be sorry!

FWF #40 - Gettin' Batty

Hi, folks! I cannot believe it's almost October - where did the summer go? Well, it's almost time to begin thinking about Halloween...and since things have been so crazy over here, I wanted to use a particular stamp by Unity...I used the sketch #206 from Freshly Made Sketches...

And A Little Batty, along with an upcycled kraft bag from Unity...I thought I could make some of these for the neighbor's grandchildren for Halloween (I colored some with Prismacolor colored pencils and didn't like how they looked - the cut-outs were much better!).

This week's recipe was Italian Sausage and Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce - another winner! The family loved it! I did double the recipe (well, everything except the heavy cream, since I didn't have enough - but I used the drained juice from the tomatoes instead).

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Thank you for visiting!

P.S. A big thank you to everyone who left encouraging words for my daughter - she seems to have turned a corner, and seems a little more confident. :)