remember.

I seriously loved working with the cuts from JustNick Studio cuts for this layout:

closeup of the title and background:

 this was one of those serendipidious layouts where all the paper, and embellishments were at my fingertips and the creative juices were flowing.  The background cut is called Scribble Circle, and the Remember is from a group of cuts called Word 3 released today!
Nicole makes the best cuts--please go check out her shop HERE.

Thanks for the visit today!

Friday funny. Kyle's Hyper Halloween

Yep, bringing Friday funnies back--I have a boy just like this--enjoy:

pinterest food find. extra crispy oven baked fries.

I have a confession--I LOVE potatoes, anyway I can get them I LOVE them!  So when I saw this--I KNEW I had to try it:

photo and recipe credit: Layers of Happiness

Seasoning Mix (DO NOT USE ALL  OF THE SEASONING FOR ONE BATCH, READ INSTRUCTIONS):

2 Tablespoons seasoned salt (next time I will use LESS about 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

For the Fries:

3 medium russet potatoes (russet are the best choice for perfect crispy fries)

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan (optional)

Combine seasoning ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut off the ends. With a very sharp knife, cut the potatoes into thin slices about 1/4 inch wide.

Add the fries to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes but they can soak for as long as overnight. (Place in the fridge if soaking more than an hour).

After the fries have soaked, drain, rinse, and lay the fries on a paper towel lined cooling rack to dry while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Blot the tops with additional paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with non-stick spray. (I happened to use my stoneware pan) Make sure the previously used bowl is dry and add the potatoes to it, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 – 1 Tablespoon of the seasoning mixture based on how much salt you prefer. Toss around to mix.

Evenly line the baking pan with the fries in a single layer. Don’t overlap or they fries won’t cook properly. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping with a spatula once or twice after 15 minutes of cooking. Remove fries from the oven and turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Return the fries to the oven until they are golden brown and the ends look a little burnt.

true story. delicious.

this boy and his food--the face of anticipation CRACKS ME UP!  Good thing I am a practice picture taker-- ;)

Sadly this place is no longer in business, BUT we did go try the fried oreos--they were interesting...that's ALL I gotta say!  This boy however thought we should also try the fried twinkies--ummm--no thank you!  This particular photo was printed from my instagram account--so I'm not sure where the lettering came from--sorry!

here is a little closeup up of the journaling:

 

Thanks for the visit today--(just for your information I used the Mix Tape kit from Scrapbook Circle for this layout.)

pinterest food find. Tartar Sauce

so I have to laugh.  When I made this recipe I actually combined two together--but mostly used this one.  The dinner really was simple but took me 3 hours--I have NO idea why....I think it was because everyone wanted me...oh, well, the food was delicious and NOW I know how to make my own Tartar Sauce! ;)

photo and food credit: Natasha's Kitchen.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup real Mayonnaise
• 1 cup finely chopped pickles
• 1 Tbsp dill (fresh or frozen), OR 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 
  
• Stir to combine.

cultural celebration.

So I'm up on the Scrapbook Circle blog with this layout:

 I challenged myself to use up the DELICIOUS gold thickers (can be found in the add on Casette--main kit is Mix Tape)  I loved that I could finally scrap this fun picture of my daughter and her friends.  (the date is wrong--I have fixed it) The kids had been practicing for weeks dancing and singing.  About 20 minutes after this picture it started to POUR down rain--it didn't seem to dampen their spirits--they smiled and danced anyway.  Just my description and this picture bring that fun day back to my mind--isn't that why we scrapbook?!

here is a closeup of the 19 letter title:

Thanks for the visit!

we are all made of stories.

That is a TRUE statement right there!  This cute little stamp is by Neat & Tangled stamps and is included in the main kit from Scrapbook Circle Mix Tape.  For this layout I also used both addons: Cassette and Playlist.

 closeups of my page:

 I was inspired by another page on Pinterest (I can't find it now!)  Anyway, I loved the idea of using different shapes and colors in the description of myself and my many stories.  They come in all shapes and sizes and various colors.  That pretty much describes me--UNIQUE!  If you want to see more creations using these awesome stamps please check out the Scrapbook Circle blog all this week!

Thanks for the visit today--hope your day is an AWESOME one!!

pinterest food find. chicken noodle soup

I made this--and I think it took longer to prepare it than it was for my family to DEVOUR it!  I served it with warm homemade rolls--guess it's the simple pleasures in life! ;)

photo and recipe credit: Picture Perfect Meals

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 4 celery stalks, small-diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and small-diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 quarts chicken stock or broth
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
• 2 cups wide egg noodles

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the chicken and noodles and simmer until the noodles are cooked, about 10 minutes more. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste and serve with a sprinkling of fresh, minced parsley, if desired.

ENJOY!!

family today.

If you haven't seen the new sketch for Scrapbook Circle is up on the blog-(remember there is a prize for one lucky winner if you participate!):

here is what I did with it:

 the title work:

I LOVE that little piece of cork--it is in the main kit Mix Tape!  Thank you SO much for the visit today!!

this is awesome.

I am so excited to show you a masculine layout I created using 3 of the fantastic cuts from JustNick Studio:

I used the All boy cut:

Arrow Set 1:

and finally the Retro Squares Background:

here's a closeup of the title work on the page:

I am really happy with the results--I think that my favorite part of using cuts is that you can resize them to what you want--which leads to limitless possibilities!

Today happens to mark the day that this boy becomes a teenager--where did my little baby go?  Time sure flies--LOVE hanging out with my kids so it must have flown when we were having fun!

Thanks SO much for the visit today!