Guest Posting at Naptime Crafters!

Hi everyone!  Have you missed me?  Did you even notice I was gone? :)
I thought I would be back to normal this week, but with the kids out of school and my husband off work, it hasn't played out that way.  I hope you'll stick with me as I get organized for the new year.  You're going to see some changes coming....

For today, there will be no Three Things Thursday.  Instead, come check out my post over at Naptime Crafters, where I'm sharing my Winter Bucket List and Clipboard.  I'd love it if you dropped by and left a comment!

Have a wonderful week-

Cinnamon Applesauce Quick Bread

So, I not-so-smart(ly)-in-hindsight made the decision to take my family to Disneyland this week.  I know we'll have a blast, but going on a trip the week before Christmas (and not getting back until Christmas Eve!) means all my baking, shopping, wrapping, gift-giving, packing, shipping, etc. had to be done by today.  It's not.  And still here I am on the computer when I have work to do!

I'm going to be gone all week, so I'm giving myself a Christmas present and taking some time off.  I'll be back next Monday as usual.  But, I can't leave my blog with nothing on it, so I'm posting a quick, delicious recipe for you.

I found this recipe for Applesauce Cinnamon Quick Bread at Lemon Drop, and it is delicious!  These make a great gift for friends or neighbors.  I made mini-loaves for all the workers in our Primary (children's Sunday School).  It was easy, and my house smelled delicious as they were baking.  Here it is:

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe, Cinnamon Applesauce Bread, McCormick

WHAT YOU NEED

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup chunky applesauce
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
SPRAY a large loaf pan with baking spray (preferably the kind with added flour)
IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 4 ingredients
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together remaining ingredients
FOLD WET INGREDIENTS into dry ingredients blending just until combined
POUR into loaf pan and smooth top
FEEL FREE to sprinkle with some turbinado sugar now if you like
BAKE 55-60 MINUTES or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
(For mini loaves, I baked eight at a time for about 30 minutes, and it was perfect!)


I will be linking up to some parties- if I can!  Join in with me- click here to see the list!


Enjoy- and Merry Christmas!

Ribbon Christmas Tree Shirt

Hi everyone- I'm guest posting over at Crafting and Creativity today, sharing one of my favorite Christmas projects from the past.  I'd love it if you clicked over to check it out:

Three Things Thursday- Christmas Edition

Welcome to Three Thing Thursday- where I get to share with YOU some projects from the blog-o-sphere that have inspired me.

Here are just three of the many projects that caught my eye this week:

1.  This Gift-Wrapped Gallery from Mom on Timeout is such a creative way to make a room look extra festive!  I love that she took something she already had (her family pictures) and dressed them up to make a huge impact in the room.

2.  This DIY Vinyl Peppermint Plate  from Burton Avenue is so cute!  It would be great to display or to use with some treats for your neighbors!

3.  I don't have enough decor that is Christ-centered.  It's amazingly hard to find, except for nativity scenes and the like.  So, I really love this Tabletop Manger from The Happy Scraps- it's the perfect way to help your family remember the reason for the season.

Thanks, as always, for the inspiration, ladies!  Feel free to grab a featured button.





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Scrappin' Wednesday- One Year Old!

Welcome to Scrappin' Wednesday, where I get to share a glimpse of our family life through my digital scrapbooking pages.

This week, I am sharing a layout that I put together to celebrate my youngest son's first birthday!  We don't have much family in the area, so we kept his first birthday small and simple.  I took the opportunity to try my first-ever fondant cake, and I think it turned out pretty cute!  I also made him a little shirt for the day, and we got him a fun activity board/walk-behind to play with.  We enjoyed our special day together!

Here's my layout:

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you're having a great week-

Neighbor Gift? "Joy" Ornaments

Happy Monday, everyone!  I'm starting to feel the "Christmas Crunch".  Anyone else?  It's probably because we are heading to The Happiest Place on Earth next week, and won't be back until just before Christmas!  I have to do all my baking, shopping, mailing, gift-giving, etc. by the end of the week!  Yikes!

In case you're searching for a simple gift to make for neighbors, friends, or even a class, I have an idea for you.  This year, my friends and I made these simple "Joy" ornaments for the children at church.

They're simple to make.  We used 2x2 blocks (which I buy in bulk from www.craftparts.com).  We painted them, Mod Podged some paper scraps on the front, and finished with Joy in vinyl letters.  You could easily use letter stickers or even a Sharpie to do something similar if you don't have access to vinyl.

To hang them, I drilled tiny holes in the top, then screwed in eye hooks from the hardware store.  A length of ribbon makes a great hanger.  We finished by writing our name and the year on the back.

We made them with all different colors and papers.  I'm really happy with how they turned out.  Pair these with some cookies or treats and you've got a great gift!  I'm giving these Oreo Truffles to my neighbors and my daughter's teachers.  Mmmm.......

What are you giving your neighbors this year?

Thanks for stopping by.  By the way- I'm thisclose to 600 followers.  I'd love to meet that goal by the end of the year.  So, if you're new here or just a lurker, I'd love it if you officially followed my blog!  There just might be something in it for you! :)

I'm linking up these ornaments to some of my favorite parties:  I'd love to "see" you there too!

A New Winner- and some Gift Ideas

Well, I never heard from the winner of my giveaway, so that means I get to choose a new one.  If I hadn't said it before- PLEASE link your email to your profile, or leave a way to get in touch with you--especially if you enter giveaways!

The new winner is Jennifer!  I'll send you an email, but I need to hear back within 48 hours!

Now, on to today's post.

I just wanted to remind you of some great gift ideas- from handmade stores that I trust!

First, The Cherry on Top sells the sweetest bows, crayon totes, and other accessories for the girls in your life.

Funny Rabbit sells patterns for amazing bags that would be great for cosmetics, and more.

Bonita Bellita sells beautiful hair accessories for you, your sister, your girl friends.....

Thrifty Seeker.com has great deals every day from handmade shops and more.  Right now this beautiful necklace is on sale!

What woman wouldn't love a sweet, flattering dress?  Shabby Apple sells fun, modern, and modest dresses.  A gift certificate for their shop might be the perfect gift!

And finally, if you didn't win my giveaway, but would still love My Memories Suite, you can buy it for $10 off, plus $10 to spend in the store.  This offer is good anytime.  Just use code STMMMS33532.

Three Things Thursday- Holiday Inspiration

Welcome to Three Things Thursday- where I get to share with YOU some great projects that have inspired ME this week.

There are so many wonderful Christmas projects out there.  I am awed by the talent I find as I peruse "old" favorite blogs, and discover new ones each week.  Here are three projects that caught my eye this week:

1.  This Christmas Frame from PaperVine is gorgeous!  I could see many variations on this with all the cute collage frames out there.

2.  These Kiss-Stuffed Oreos from Something Swanky sound amazing!  They are simple to make and would make adorable gifts!  I make Oreo Truffles every year, but I might just have to buy an extra bag of Oreos to make these.

3.  This Starlight Mint Frame from The Turquoise Piano is so adorable- and a great way to show off that Christmas Printable you need to frame.



Thanks for the inspiration, ladies.  Feel free to grab a featured button if you like:





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Have a wonderful weekend!

Scrappin' Wednesday- and My Memories Suite Winner!

Welcome to Scrappin' Wednesday- where I get to share glimpses of my family life with you through digital scrapbooking.  But first.....


I'm sure those of you who entered my giveaway are really dying to know who won.  Sorry it's taken me a few extra days to announce the winner.  It's been a little crazy around here.


So, without further ado, the winner of the My Memories Suite Giveaway is entry #19:


Kimmie!  


Kimmie, you don't have an email linked up to your profile, so please email me within 48 hours to claim your prize, or another winner will be chosen.  My email can be found under the "Contact" tab in my header.


If you didn't win, remember, you can get $10 off your purchase of the My Memories Suite v3 software, including a $10 coupon for the My Memories Store.  Nice.  The coupon code is STMMMS33532.  This coupon code is good from today through....forever!  It might make a great gift for the scrapbooker in your life!  Go here to purchase, and use the code at checkout!


Now, on to today's layout.  My son started T-ball last October.  He was about 3 1/2 at the time.  We get an early start on baseball here in AZ.  He had such a great time playing, and it was so fun to see him and his friends out there.  If you've never seen a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds attempt to play tball, you are missing out on some great comedy!  


Here's the layout I created to commemorate his first T-ball game:

Thanks for stopping by!

2012 Primary Theme Printable- Choose the Right

I've been a Primary president for over three years.  The Primary is the children's organization at my church- kind of the children's Sunday School.  I LOVE it.  I would gladly do it for three more years.

Unfortunately, my time is ending, and I'll be asked to do another job in my church, and let someone else have the amazing opportunity of working with the children and their families each week.

Every year, Primary has a theme that we focus on throughout the year.  Next year's theme is "Choose the Right".  I love this theme- it's so simple, so basic, and yet so important.

We always display the theme on a front table in our Primary room.  Before I knew my time in the Primary would be ending, I created a poster to use for the theme.  It has both the theme for the year and the scripture.
I don't know if they'll still use it- but this is the display we would have at our front table.

On a side note- I absolutely LOVE this picture of President Monson, the prophet and leader of our church.  We made these fun blocks as part of a craft night at our church.  I love seeing his smiling face each day.

So- back to the printable.  If you'd like to have one for your Primary, or just to display for your own family somewhere, you can right-click on the image below and save it to your computer.  It is intended as an 8x10, but you could print a smaller one too.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll be linking this up at some of my favorite parties.  I hope you'll come check them out!

Three Things Thursday

Don't forget to enter my Memories Suite Giveaway!  Entries are low, so you've

got a GREAT chance at winning!  It's a great gift for the digi-scrapper or photographer

in your life.  Click here to enter!

Welcome to Three Things Thursday- where I can share with you some things that have inspired me this week.  As I'm sure you can guess, Christmas is on most every crafter's mind these days.  There are so many amazing home decor projects out there that I almost feel overwhelmed!  I've got to choose a few to do, and then just smile and be happy at the rest.

Here are three Christmas projects that inspired me this week:

1.  What a great way to use those mini ornaments from the dollar store (Target's dollar spot?).  The House of Bledsoe put together this Mini-ornament Garland that I love!

2.  There are a lot of advent calendars out there, but many are prohibitively expensive (at least for my cheap-o budget).  If you want a thrifty version, too, check out this Matchbox Advent Calendar from Alderberry Hill

.
3.  Texas Cottage shows us how to make these no-mess Glitter Christmas Ornaments.  They're gorgeous, and it sounds so easy to do!

Thanks for the inspiration, ladies!  Feel free to grab a featured button if you like!






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Scrappin' Wednesday- 11 months

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for My Memories Suite! 

You have until Friday night- go here to enter!

Welcome to Scrappin' Wednesday, where I get to show you a glimpse of our family life through my digital scrapbook pages.  This week's page was created on the new version of My Memories Suite, v3.  This is the same software you have the chance to enter!  I really enjoy using it- it's so easy and user-friendly.

This week, I'm sharing a layout I created with my son's 11-month pictures.  At this age, he didn't much like sitting still for a photo.  Instead, he liked to chew on his toys, practice standing on the couch, play hide and seek with Mommy, and even cry a little.  His first year had lots of grumpy crying!  (Am I a terrible mother for taking pictures of him at his grumpiest? )  

Here's our 11-month old:  

Thanks for stopping by!

Gifts Given and Received

Well, last week sure was a doozy.  I had a great, quiet Thanksgiving with my family, who were pretty much all sick.  How about you?  I really enjoyed the time off from driving kids to school, dance, and everywhere else.  Being sick sometimes makes you stop and just be- which we often forget to do in our busy, busy lives.

Before I go on with my post, I've decided, due to sickness and Thanksgiving, to extend my My Memories Suite giveaway until the end of this week.  I'll announce the winner next Monday.  Go here for more details, and to enter!

Well, we can OFFICIALLY move on to Christmas now!  I'm really feeling Christmas-y because I have both given and received my first Christmas gifts!  I participated in the Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange.  It's been fun getting to know a fellow crafter.  I had my friend Lindzie from My Creative Place, and I decided after our emails to send her some things to help her get ready for Christmas.

She told me her colors are blue, silver, and black, so not your traditional Christmas colors.  I found some pretty papers that I thought would complement her color scheme, and painted some Noel blocks for her.

I was making myself one of eighteen25's Christmas Planners, so I doubled up and made one for Lindzie too.  I love that thing- I've used it a lot already!

Finally, I included a few baby washcloths for the baby boy she is having around Christmas time!  Wow, as if the holidays aren't busy enough!  I can't imagine having a baby right then!

Shortly after I sent my gifts off, I received Lindzie's gifts in return.  She sent me a fabulous Christmas wall hanging, which is displayed in my kitchen.

She also gave me some great ornaments for my tree.  The "E" is for my last name.

She also sent me a mini-canvas that says Let it Snow- it is so cute!  My pictures of it seem to have mysteriously disappeared, though..... I'll have to take some more once my camera battery recharges :(
She was so cute to include some funny recipe cards and a notepad, too.

Thanks so much, Lindzie!  If you missed it this time- stay tuned- Linda at CA does these twice a year, and are always a huge hit!  You can sign up next time.

I am sharing this over at the Handmade Gift Exchange linky party and at these other fun linky parties.  Come on and party with me!