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. :)

FWF #39 - Nobody said it was going to be easy, kiddo

Hi, folks! Somehow, we're back here on a Friday, but that's okay - I needed the extra time this week. Ever have those times when you have all sorts of things going on and you make little mistakes all over the place? Well, that was me this week. So many little things to worry about and juggle... just waiting to drop a ball somewhere...

One of the foremost things on my mind is worrying about Mika. As you know, she made an elite travel ball team about four weeks ago and it's been a rough start. It's hard to "catch up" when almost everybody else has been playing at a really high level for the past two years - and you haven't (her previous team was nice, but not very good). It's been a struggle for her to take the criticism and try not to let her self-confidence take a beating - and keep trying to do her best. All we can tell her is to hang in there and hustle (the first couple of months will be the worst) and that once she gets used to things, it will get better. Her teammates are SO GOOD, though (and they've been very nice). Although most of the parents have also been surprisingly nice, I am still waiting for one or two hard-core people to come up to me and tell me that my kid sucks and should quit (remember, most of these parents want their kids to sign with a D-1 school).  I'm not sure what I would/should do, if that happens! I hope it doesn't!

However, that being said, I think she's learning some important life lessons here, especially that "if it easy, everybody could do it". Any time she starts a new job or new phase in school, this experience will be very similar. Suddenly, you have to struggle and work hard to be noticed. Sink or swim! Which will it be? It's all up to her! So, if you feel so inclined - please feel free to offer encouraging words of advice to her and I'll be sure to share with her. :)

So, Ms. Mika deserved a card for this week...keep your chin up, girl!

 I like this sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch...

And I wanted to showcase Today is a Lovely Day and Strong and Beautiful. The chippies are from Umwowstudio.

I found another great recipe for this week - Chicken Carbonara. I was limited by the ingredients available in my refridgerator, but I made it work! I omitted the bacon (and I would have anyway - I love bacon for breakfast, but not anywhere else, really) and just used ordinary parmesan, but the family LOVED it. I guess the bacon would have added some color, but maybe next time I'll add some sun-dried tomatoes. I'll definitely make this recipe again - it was very quick and easy!

Thank you for visiting! Hope you are all enjoying the so-called "fall" - we're at about 100 degrees today... almost 20 degrees above normal... whew!

And don't forget to go shopping at Unity - there are some adorable new releases! Woohoo!

FWF #38 - Depression Sucks

Hi, folks - I'm afraid the past few days haven't been very good. I was very saddened to learn on Saturday, that a very good friend of mine had attempted to commit suicide on Friday night. Her husband was able to call the paramedics in time, so she has been recovering in a hospital. She was finally up to receiving some visitors today and so tomorrow, I will go see how she is doing. I knew she suffered from depression, but was taking her medicine regularly, so this came as a shock. She has such a beautiful soul - she's really one of my favorite people in the entire world!

As usual, Unity Stamps had the perfect sentiment...(I plan to leave it in her hospital room for her to find after I leave)...

I thought this Sketch #62 by Sunday Stamps Challenge would be perfect to showcase Unity's...

Suck Without You stamp kit. I know I can't do much more for my friend, except to just be there for her - and I hope she'll be able to return home soon to her kids.

But before all this went down, I did try out two new recipes...

Red Wine and Garlic Mushrooms (scrumptious!) and...

Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes (Wow! Who knew roasted tomatoes could be so yummy?! I used mozzarella instead of parmesan - loved this recipe!).

Thanks for visiting and hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week. :)

FWF #37 - "Quick" is the word of the week

Hi, folks! Hope everyone's week has begun on a good note! Over here in SoCal, the heat is back, along with the humidity. Soccer and softball games begin this weekend, woohoo!

I didn't have much time to craft this week (having discovered what an incredible mess the girls' room was, and having to weed the backyard), but here's a tag I made (one of those shipping tags Unity includes with their "free" gifts) - colored by Sharpies. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the colors popped. :) Stamps are from Unity's Whole Wonderful World kit (love it!).

And of course I have to cook, or else everyone here would starve, so I was still able to try out a new recipe: Crock Pot Sausage and Cheese Tortellini. It was one of those days where I didn't have time to run to the grocery store, so I had to figure out what I could make - with what was in the house. I'd be the first one to admit I was a bit skeptical about putting tortellini in a slow cooker, but THIS WAS REALLY GOOD! I didn't even have the right kind of Italian sausage (I just cut up some leftover frozen hot links) and it was polished off (everybody had seconds or thirds). I am sure, however, that it was very high in calories, though. LOL!

Hope everyone has an awesome rest of the week and a fabulous weekend - thank you for visiting! :)

FWF #36 - Change is a Good Thing :)

Hi, folks! Just a quick card here, since Friends with Flair moved to Tuesdays. I'm thrilled about that, because I'm not around much on the weekends, so now I have plenty of time to visit other blogs! :)

So as I mentioned last Friday, Mika had a big softball tryout with one of the top teams in the area/state.We figured it was a long shot, but Mika hustled hard and held her own. The best part was seeing a big smile on her face, as she enjoyed being challenged for the first time in a very long time. Immediately after practice, the coach offered her a spot! We were so thrilled and proud of Mika. Her previous team was filled with nice girls, but the skill level wasn't very high and Mika wasn't being challenged (truth to be told, she was stagnating). I was also worried that her team would never see the top levels of competition.

We asked Mika what she wanted to do and without missing a beat - she answered that she was 100% sure she wanted to join the new team. This is a huge step for her - not only does she have to work much harder now (she won't be one of the stars on the team anymore) but the possibilities for her future are limitless (if she works hard). The Corona Angels are the #1 softball organization in the country - and they have the most girls signed at D-1 schools. We're excited but a rather nervous - big things could be ahead for our little girl! 

I wanted to tell her how proud I was of her efforts and maturity (in the decision-making). Hence, I thought this card was perfect for her (Marika thought it was hilarious). These stamps are from the Change is a Good Thing kit.

And in case it's still hot in your part of the country, you might want to check out this Mango Lassi recipe from Rasa Malaysia. It was DELICIOUS (and so simple and easy) - and the closest thing I've found to what they serve in the good Thai restaurants. I've actually made it twice and found that the riper the mango, the better (especially the ones that you wouldn't eat straight, so overripe is okay!).

Hope you all have a wonderful week - don't forget to go shopping at Unity! :)

FWF #35 - Today Only Happens Once

Happy Friday! I guess I won't be seeing you fine folks on Friday anymore...it just means I'll be procrastinating on another day of the week! Today was kind of a crummy day...our final guinea pig (meaning, we're never going to own another one ever again - she was our eighth one over the past 16 years) passed away, after being on the decline for several days.  On the bright side, I never have to worry about Bo possibly eating her anymore, so I can relax when he's unsupervised. Bo, however, will miss sneaking tastes of her pellet food and poop ("guinea pig chocoate", we called it).

I'm sure most of you have been checking out Unity's awesome sales...this set (Loving Today) was a newly released (last week?) and I love it!!! Inspiration sentiments are awesome - I made this "good luck" card for Mika, who has a big softball tryout this weekend. Please keep your fingers crossed for her!

Even with my mediocre coloring skills, I think this tag was really easy to color up with some Copics! Love the image!

I also thought it might be a fun way to upcycle those cute little kraft envelopes, which hold our freebies with every order.. what a great way to make someone's day special with some treats stuffed inside. :)

My new recipe for this week is Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic and Lemon Pan Sauce. This was a pretty tasty side dish (although I have to admit - one really should be careful when chatting with DaddyDude and making dinner - I think I didn't look at the recipe carefully and I suspect I added one too many tablespoons of lemon juice). I just love marinated mushrooms! They're so expensive in restaurants but pretty inexpensive to make at home. :)

Thanks for visiting and I'll be seeing you in a few days when Friends with Flair moves to Tuesdays. Woohoo! Change is good! Change is exciting! :)

FWF #34

Happy Friday! Things are finally settling down nicely here, since we are getting used to the school schedule. Don't forget to shop at Unity - all of the awesome sentiment kits are only $12! They are great for making cards, especially when you need one quickly!

Using this sketch from CAS(E) this sketch and my favorite Butterflies and Sunbeams {August 2015 Sentiment kit}, I was able to whip out a thank you card for a friend, who had kindly crocheted me two beautiful new dishcloths. Her daughter loves insects as much as I do, so I thought she would enjoy the dimensional butterflies...:) There are several fabulous sentiments for the inside - I chose "Kindness scatters beauty wherever it is shared" for the inside.

On to my new recipe for the week! It had been awhile since I'd made drumsticks for Marika, so I tried a different Baked Parmesan Chicken recipe. It was very quick easy to make (shake and bake) - I always remove the fat and skin, too, so all the flavoring can be enjoyed with minimal guilt. Marika, however, was disappointed because it wasn't "batter-y" enough for her (she likes it when I dip things in egg, before breading them). Mika, however, was absolutely delighted because she dislikes batter (weird, right? When we eat KFC, she removes all the batter!). I guess you can't make everyone happy! DaddyDude and I thought it was still pretty tasty...I dipped some of mine in sweet Thai chili sauce. Good heavens that stuff is expensive from Amazon! In California, it's easy enough to find in the Asian markets for only a few bucks.

Hope you all enjoy a wonderful and relaxing weekend! Take a cue from Bo, who is so happy the kids are back in school and he gets to go on more/longer walks...which means longer naps for him!