Blogville

Now I figure with 6306 Followers you would all know about Graphics Fairy...
but did you know she also is... The Background Fairy ?
The graphics Fairy has all sorts of old (vintage) graphics that you can download from her site...
Her Clip Art Catagories are chalk full of great old time pictures.. photos... drawings... Emphemeras...etc.
It was hard to just pick a couple!!! But I wanted to lure you to her site so you could go and pick pictures you liked!
YUMMY!!
She also had pages and pages of different things to make with her graphics...
Like these eyeballs for Halloween:
Here are the eyes... and you can print them out and add them to the pictures around your house. haha very funny.
She has lots of other ideas for holidays too.
Now the Background Fairy has lots of downloads for your blog!!!
but wait there's more....
she also blogs a little on her life
she also has video tutorials
she also has a great section of helps and FAO's
She is a generous person to share her wealth of vintage pictures with the blogging world.
She's a keeper.

and...
my friend over at Just another hangup Posted a GREAT GREAT tutorial on how SHE used The Graphics Fairy's generous library!
way cool Suzanne!

Wednesday Wisdom

Friendship is like vitamins: We supplement each other's minimum daily requirements.

Author unknown

Thank you for being my friends, I truly consider each and everyone of you that read my blog my friend, and the fact that you sometimes comment is just like frosting.
mmmmm frosting!!!! THE best part of a cake, or cupcake...mmmmm ok, I'm hungry!

Alex and Aubrey

My nephew and his girlfriend visited for the weekend.
ah Alex, you were such a cute kid!!
they were shooting a video.
cool
I was their location scout!
yes, that is my new career.... location scout!

It's my Birthday

Yep, It's MY Birthday.
and since it's my day I get to dream
first of all this is what I am asking for:
Second (since we are dreaming) in my next house I would like this craft room:
ahhhh just looking at these pictures makes me happy
are you looking at these Mr. Produce.... hint-hint-hint
and Third for my Birthday, I want all the kids all 6 (and families) to go on an Alaska Family reunion vacation.
here, and fish!
It's my Birthday and I can dream.
dream dream, and I won't even get one card from any of my kids,
but I did get presents from my NEW SISTERS, whom are amazing! THANK GOODNESS

Mothers, man we're good

Mrs. G's friend (a genuinely good mother) shared a story that is one for the books. One day, she was frustrated with her son's unwillingless to work on his writing. He hated writing and put up a fight every time he had writing homework to complete. Pushed to her limit, she told him that if he didn't work on his writing, his future was bleak. Bleak! They argued until she finally yelled at him that if he didn't get his writing act together, he was going to end up homeless, homeless with a shopping cart, living under a bridge and panhandling on the street...and he wouldn't even have a sign!

Mothers! Man we're good.

Food Fun Friday-Garlic Lime Shrimp

I LOVE shrimp.
This week shrimp is on sale!
so this is what we are having for dinner, it's as easy as that!

Garlic Lime Shrimp
Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup olive oil

3 limes (or 1/4 cup lime juice)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh dill weed

salt and pepper

Marinate meat in a zip lock bag.(That way it is perfect to just throw it away when you are done...less clean up) Put olive oil, garlic, dill, salt and pepper in bag. Zest limes, then cut in half and juice them. If you don't have fresh limes, just use lime juice. Then saute over medium high heat until pink.

This is what it's all about- Travel on the Web

Yep, HE is WHAT it's ALL about!!
getting to see the little chubby baby, toes and all.
That's why we use the web a lot for travel
(notice I didn't say alot. . . but that's a blog for another time)

I'm sure you've heard of Travel zoo... but just in case you haven't

http://www.travelzoo.com/
You sign up for a weekly email about specials that they have found.
5 years ago I booked a last minute cruise to Alaska for the girls and me... SAVED so much we could actually afford this once in a lifetime vacation!
For quick trips to CA to see Kieri in San Diego... Virgin Airlines 89 each way to San Diego... and 59 to SFO wowie zowie.
Certainly worth the 60 seconds a week to flip through their email.
ALSO on their web site http://www.travelzoo.com/ they have lists of MORE vacation trips etc.



For our next vacation I relied on http://www.carrentals.com/ to get us a GREAT deal in Kona,HI.
I've been checking it since April.. and in June I found great rates. This is definitely something you have to check often..but it is worth the effort when you are saving $400-$600 for renting a car for a week.

My best deal(s) are on priceline.com (oops forgot to get their picture) With the boys in Seattle, sometimes we have extra long trips and don't want to come all the way home, so I will log onto priceline and NAME YOUR PRICE and pick the Seattle Airport and only offer $45 or $50.00 for a 4star hotel (Hilton, Doubletree, Hyatt) nice, only beware you will have to pay their $16 or up for a nightly parking fee!!

Here's to hoping that trips to see your loved ones can be thrifty.

Wednesday Wisdom

The happiest people don't have the best of everything... They just make the best of everything they have.

Zippers Galore- a tutorial for yet another flower

I love zippers, and have collected quite a mass over the last couple of years. I saw a zipper flower on a shoe and thought they would be pretty easy to make.
Use the metal zippers for a bigger contrast in colors!
Use a roller cutter to quickly cut through the teeth. SOOOOoo much easier than scissors!
You'll want to open your zipper, and cut to separate the two sides.
measure out oh lets say between 3&4 inch pieces for your petals. cut 5 of them.
cut a dot out of sturdy paper for your base
dab a bit of glue on one of the edges of your 'petals" and bring together the edges to form a petal.
dab glue on your base and position your 5 petals.
The inner circle: cut off a bit of the width of your zipper.(so it will roll better). Also dab a bit of glue on the end and turn over.
starting with that little glued end, roll the zipper in a coil. It is a little easier to roll with the teeth on the table.
glue the end to hold it all together. dab a bit of glue in the center of the petals and position your coil on top. You can always add a sparkle jewel to the middle!
and THENNNNNNNNNNNNNN
go crazy and make a whole bunch!
Here's the one I wore today:
In non related events::
I won a really fun CD from Kami over at no biggie.net (here)
she has a very interesting blog, all the things I like, a new piece music each week (local Provo talent too), family life, recipes, crafts... oh man she has it all!

THANKS KAMI I am one hip mama listening to "the beib's" and Usher, and Alicia Keys and John Mayer, and Cinematic Orchestra and the killers and Astrid Gilberto.......

I think the name Astrid is in the same category as Drusilla.

Successful Super Saturday Shared with Sisters

Super Saturday was Super.
Everyone who came had a great time.
class #1 was making LDS Temple etched plates.
It was the most popular class.. and all the plates looked great!
Class #2 had a couple of cards to make and really cute gingerbread bag of treats to make, (the bag not the treat)!!
Class #3 was about chalk board candle/candy holders. And learning about all the things you could make into chalk boards. A couple of gals even left class to go next door to the recycle place to look for more cabinet door's to make into chalk boards!!
Class #4 was making hot/cold rice/wheat therapy bags (for the microwave or freezer... hence the hot cold reference).
Class #5 Tile Coasters, with vinyl lettering.
all in all a great day and YUMMMY pot luck treats and recipes to share!!!
It was fun and I am sore.
Next stop... a Holiday Dinner planned for November: The Spice of Life Theme~ better start early on this one~!

Something to make you smile

ok at least I hope this makes you smile...
When I first saw this video, I was trying to name the movies... the song...the people... and it just tumbled into such enjoyment that I forgot the little game I was playing and just started enjoying the talent.

today, I hope you can have something to smile about.

mmm... Ballroom Dancing(one of my all time favorites-Billy Elliott-Gene Kelley-Dirty Dancing-Footloose-Fame- Emmenim.. (WHO KNEW???)-Phantom-Mary Poppins-7 Brides for 7 Brothers-Perfect-Jo Lo-Greggory Hines-Zorro- and on and on and on

GO ON YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO SMILE

Food Fun Friday-Chocolate Cream Cheesse Cupcakes

Am I the ONLY one who has never made: Blackbottom Cupcakes!
well I've made them now!!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Makes 24 Cupcakes
one package Devils Food Cake Mix (plus ingredients)
1 8oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 C chocolate chips

Prepare chocolate cake mix according to the directions on the box. Line cupcake pan with cupcake papers. Fill each cupcake paper 2/3 full with batter. Set pans aside.
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and pinch of salt and beat until mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.

add one heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture to each of the unbaked cupcakes.

Bake at 350* for 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. Eat warm or cold.

Yummy yummy yummy and easy to make.

When cooled you can frost, although that REALLY makes them rich. They are fine without frosting.

enjoy