SUNNY SIDE UP SUNDAY!

EGG ELEMENT

download

I've noticed a few more folks coming on board, so I will let you know right away that the links to my elements expire in about a weeks time. If you're visiting for the first time and see something in the archives you might like, just email me lalalime@hotmail.com and I will send you the element of your choice. Also, if you find the wording in my blog too small, then on your internet browser toolbar (top) simply choose VIEW, TEXT SIZE and then LARGER or LARGEST. I like the uncluttered look of smaller typing and this way we will both be happy, no?

I've had a MOST INTERESTING SUNDAY, but I will share it with you tomorrow, for now...

This egg element is especially made for my friend Valerie, from Quebec, who has taken up my 'MAKE DO WITH WHAT YOU HAVE' not-to-grocery-shop challenge I've got going on. If you're not familiar with it you better get back in the archives a week ago to come up to speed. Valerie has been labouring thru the challenge...and has found her problem has been a lack of eggs. Well, here's your egg Sweetie, ha ha! Really, in a pinch, you may substitute a tablespoon or two of (real) mayonnaise for an egg in some cases. I would love to hear your substitutes! The following is from an email I recieved from Valerie, and a recipe as well.

About the "refraining from grocery shopping' challenge" : I actually had to count my EGGS. I had 9 of them. Yep! Gabrielle asked me to make her some crêpes this morning. Needed 3 of them. I new I had to bake some brownies for my visitors today. 2 more eggs. And I had use 4 yesterday for my 2 loafs of banana bread.

That means that I have no more EGGS for the rest og the week because my challenge started yesterday!

Friday menu - We has grilled sausages and carrots in foil and some sort of potato pancakes last night.
Saturday morning - crêpes and yogurt
Saturday lunch - Vegetable soup, cheese and bread - chocolate cookies
Saturday dinner (having my Aunt and cousins with us) - Green salad, spaghetti, bread, brownies, probably some red wine.

Will see out it goes from there. Will have to deal with the EGG thing!

VALERIE'S CREPES

(1 cup)250 mL of flour Five Roses

(1 cup)250 mL of milk

Dash of real orange juice

10 mL baking powder

Pinch of salt

Fresh nutmeg

Bit of real vanilla

3 eggs

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt . In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. Pour the liquid mix in the dry mixture.

UM....CAN'T THINK OF A TITLE TODAY!

KNOTTY FROG ELEMENT

download

You must be asking - whats with the KNOTTY? I actually don't know. It's never been fully explained to me so I think I either don't need to know or its better I don't or...this happens more as I get older, I was told and don't quite remember. Nevertheless, this element is for you, you 'lil naughty fwog.

We had a lovely time at our friend Italia's last night. We dropped in to her place with a huge pizza I baked. This is probably the first time in history that we are taking food to her, its usually reversed. Italia and John just came back from six months in Hawaii - woo hoo for them, hey?

So, a few of you have been trying the 'refraining from grocery shopping' challenge that I put out last week - and it is very interesting to hear about your adventures. Please keep me posted! The following is a pic of my loverly friend Janice and her 'make do' Salad recipe, created out of what she only had on hand, to share with a friend on a picnic on Thursday!

JAN'S MAKE DO GREEK SALAD

Tri Colored Noodles

Grilled Chicken Breast

Diced Fresh Tomato

Diced Fresh Cuke

Kraft Signature Collection Greek Salad Dressing

Gently toss all ingredients together. This version is mild enough for children, but if you are feeding adults you may want to spark it a bit with green onions and spices!

I would love to publish your 'make do' recipes here too!

TTYL

for non-scrappers this means talk to ya latah!

BACK TO BUY-LOW!

SIMPLE WHITE SHELL ELEMENT

download

I want to make sure I mention something before I start blogging todays 'stuff'. You may notice that when you use my elements they have no drop shadow applied. You can choose to apply a drop shadow if you desire one. My friend Sonya Johnston who is a scrapbook designer advised me it is better to create my elements without the drop shadow so the person who uses them can decide if and how they want their shadow to look. And I agree - sometimes I think I like the idea of an outer glow than a drop shadow. If any of you know Sonya from chatting at Scrapbook-bytes then I will tell you it is her birthday on Monday - so be sure to send her a greeting!

I also would like to thank all of you who looked at the Desert Center website yesterday, and if you signed the guestbook I thank you a billion times more. Miles was so encouraged seeing more entries. Thank you sweet Gina for your entire blog entry devoted to this - I know where my friends and family are there when I need 'em. It makes me think of the following scripture about how working together makes life easier!

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

I cannot believe this balloon is still floating. If you follow my blog, you will remember this was the very balloon I got for Miles Big Valentine Surprize! Every day I get up thinking it will be sagging off of the wall, but not yet! I will keep you posted!

I spent almost the entirety of yesterday cleaning out a long-neglected cupboard in our office. I purged it of all contents, first thing so I had absolutely no choice in the matter. I chatted to Gina the entire day (imagine tech these days, Gina in Multnohmah, Ore and Me in Osoyoos, BC cleaning together via the web) and she encouraged me to show her the 'before' and 'after' - doesn't this mean we are 'special' friends now...who else cares enough and won't make you shy about the before. To me this is how God loves us...he knows the before and loves us into the after. She celebrated right along with me as I managed to get it cleaned 5 minutes before Miles came home from school.

I was falling asleep in my seat as Miles taught the homeschool students and myself a program called SketchUp which is now FREE as it was bought by GOOGLE. If you know anyone at all in the least inclined architecturally its a must download item. You are even ablel to create your own homes and then export them to Google Earth and put them anywhere on the globe. Whew.

We made it thru an entire week of not shopping with the exception of supper last night on the fly which Miles bought me. I could not say no without being ridiculous, so I caved. You can't fault a girl for not being able to say no to the most handsome husband on earth. It has been a very powerful and interesting week and our pocket book is bulkier thanks to our restraint. It makes me greatful for what we do have. I am doing it again this week, but it will be different in that I am buying today with the entire week in mind. I am very excited that Valerie from Quebec is going to try not shopping for this week too. Who else is up for this challenge - lets talk.

Have a wonderful day!

WEDNESDAY WAS WACKED -THURSDAY'S OK

DESERT PASTEL KIT

visit HERE to download

( link found on first page under FREE STUFF )

In all the confusion yesterday I completely forgot to blog the most important news of all! The site that my dear husband has been working on since September celebrated it's official public launch yesterday - www.desert.org

I am so very proud of him for his unique creation, he has poured his soul into this project and I hope you can appreciate all of the wonderful features he's included. All of the music you hear during your visit was composed and recorded by him using his keyboard which plugs into his usb port and using software which allows him to be virtually any instrument he desires. It would mean a great deal to him if you would leave an entry in the guestbook on the site! Feedback is much appreciated!

I am happy to be able to say that I contributed the Children's Coloring Page, some of the photography and my proudest achievement, the Desert Pastel Kit. I hope you all download it and enjoy it. I would love to see your layouts!

So, you are probably wondering how on earth I could have forgotten to blog this major piece of news. The answer to this is that it was chaotic yesterday (which is most likely why I'm blogging this at 4 a.m. - can't sleep thinking about everything! ) I believe I mentioned there was a Pot Luck at the Learning Center yesterday. I was all ready to drive there - food prepared, laptop packed up as I thought I might stay at the school for the afternoon. When I started the van, the moment I put it into gear, the heat gauge began blinking red and the needle skyrocketed up to the top. Yowza! I only tried twice, fearing becoming a Barbeque ( pun on my name - brothers call me this for a nickname to this day) I called my Prince Charming at school and we begin the all too familiar process of calling the mechanic etc. The cap on this story is he travels with the van as it is towed 100+ km to our mechanic and returns home in a courtesy car after his school day. Sigh

On the upside, I have created two new layouts. I am writing some scrapbooking tutorials for Miles to use at school, so I am making my own templates to demonstrate how they are used, and for the students to use as a sample. Who knows, I may just offer them here for download in the future. These are two layouts I've used my personal templates on!

GABRIELLE DRESSES LOUIS IN HER JEWELLERY

hopefully he won't get a complex!

JULIETTE

my friend Valerie's littlest Girl!

Last, but not least, I want to share a little something I have been up to this week. I challenged myself to not shop for groceries for an entire week. The last shopping we did was on Friday the 22nd. Since then I've had to 'make do' with what was in our fridge and cupboards. I did not make this decision until after we so its not as if I over-shopped in anticipation. I had no milk and only one egg in the fridge. We do have a freezer full of ... well, thats what I'm discovering through this experiment. On Monday I even created my very own frozen eggless cheesecake recipe (5 star rated by my sweetie!) It truly is amazing what you can do without and what you can substitute when you have to. It has been a very good excersize and I challenge you all to try this for one week yourselves! The week will be up on Friday and I know we will be fine tomorrow. I do admit that I would have bought more fresh veg and fruit had I thought about it ahead of time. Another factor that helped was the Pot Luck - I loaded up on the fresh stuff.

One last note - we had Alicia, a student at the school, her daughter Olivia is 4 yrs old and very precocious and she entertained us with the sweetest story she had heard about a town which hosted a Pot Luck and the purpose of the Pot Luck was to bring everyone together to think up a name for the town. Everybody brought sausages, so the town was named Sausages. So, Olivia wanted to know what the purpose of our Pot Luck was. Kids, hey?

Have a wonderful day!

A WAKEUP CALL

CRABBY ELEMENT

download

Well, I'M not crabby, but I sure know someone who may be today!

A young lady came by the Learning Center last night, along with her husband, to pick up a student. I arrived just shortly after she did. I had been to visit friends and when I parked at the school I was sure to put the club on the steering wheel (second nature to me at this point) but I must admit I was tempted to put a cover over my computer (in a backpack) while I just 'nipped' in to get Miles...as I was putting the cover over the backpack, by conscience was nudged to take it in, take it in, and I listened to that little voice. I was very glad I did only 5 minutes later.

The young lady chatted with Miles and I for a few minutes and then left. She returned almost immediately, her face as white as chalk. She had not locked her vehicle, parked directly across from the center and someone had stolen her laptop! Now, this lady is a professional photographer and she had just done a wedding and the entire wedding was on the computer. All her personal information was on this computer. She did not have a backup. I cannot imagine what devastation has been created for her about this.

I just called her this morning and she is still very much distraught. I've offered to call the local media to put out an appeal for the theives to return the computer ... or at least the information on the computer. She's thinking about this option.

I urge you today...if you are getting out of your car - hide your valuables, put your club on and lock your doors.

A PICTURE PERFECT DAY

SEAHORSE ELEMENT

download

It is one BEAUTIFUL day outside! I won't journal today as Janice comes today and we are planning a field trip out of doors to take pictures all day! Hope you all have a good day!

Song of Solomon 2:12

Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

A GREAT MONDAY TO BE ALIVE

SILVER PAISLEY ELEMENT
download

OUR SWEET NIECES

Papers: MCO Vintage RagTag

Template: Melissa Renfro MRE_SSTemplates

Fonts: Ang Hand Tall Dark and Handsome Allegro

It is already very warm here this morning - makes me long to be outside today, but that is just not possible. Monday is my 'clean-up' day and if I don't attack it now I will push the entire week out-of-sink (pun!) I really enjoyed making this latest layout - the picture Miles took made it a very simple one to do, and I also really enjoyed using Melissa's Templates. This is the first time (blush) that I've actually used one even tho Melissa gave them to me several months ago. What a powerful tool. Miles was so impressed that he has asked me to compose a scrapbooking tutorial for his students! I was dreaming different templates in my head last night!

There has been a good wind the past few days and it made the bleeding heart plant out our front window spread out and flatten (did not get a cage on it early in it's growth) so I had to improvise. I used a technique that my Gramma used often. I took a pair of old nylons and cut it into one long strip (about 12 feet long) by cutting down the middle of the legs from the waist, which made the hose twice as long as they would be originally. I then made a loop in one end and (with help from my Prince Charming) threaded the hose-rope back on itself and then wound it up and around the plant several times. This allows for the plant to move a bit with the stretchy-ness of the nylon.

You may notice that the download link to my elements expires after a week - if you would still like any of the ones that are gone, email me at

lalalime@hotmail.com and I will send it to you! (yes, Valerie, I got your message about the tulip - I will put it in the mail today)

Have a wonderful day!

SUNNY, SUNNY SUNDAY

GOLD STARS ELEMENT

download

It's a beautiful, sunny, clear day here - I hope you are all enjoying a sunny day too! We had a wonderful service at our Church this morning, the message was "Come and Dine" - if this tweaks your interest you may read the sermon in its entirety at the website (click on the word Church) and look for the SWORD AND TROWEL.

The day was SO nice, that Miles and I got some deli-food and enjoyed the sunshine down at Hayne's Provincial Park. Now he's buried back in his computer as he prepares some new paintings to be printed on our wide format printer - on canvas.

Powered by Qumana

A YARD SALING SATURDAY

Poor, Ever Patient Uncle Miles!

GLITTER HEART ELEMENT

download

My sweet husband surprised me this morning by taking me out to yard - sales. Miles and I have read the book The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. He advises us that we all have different ways we interpret love and if we tune into which of the five (and there may be mixtures of some) then we can better love and serve our spouses. the five languages are the following:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Receiving Gifts
3. Quality Time
4. Acts of Service
5. Physical Touch

See, Miles knows that one of my Love Languages is very much #4, acts of service...so, though he has pressing deadlines and pressures today, he woke me and sacrificed his time to take me 'out on the town' - to do what I love best. I would highly recommend this book to you...it makes perfect sense.

I accomplished so much yesterday! I cleaned out three more kitchen cupboard and our office (sans closet), baked a delectable dinner of Thai Chicken Breasts, Peanut Butter Cookies and created a scrapbook layout. It was a very satisfying feeling at the end of the day.

I hope your Saturday is a day you will appeal to your beloved's Love Language!

FINALLY, ITS FRIDAY!

WAITING FOR THE TRAIN

my latest ArtRage Painting!

SHINY CORNERS

download

Good Friday to you!

It has been quite the week! I've even managed to clean out several kitchen cupboards between all the whirl of continuous activity in the household. I've created a painting in ArtRage and kept up my blog. Now thats satisfying.

I helped Miles teach some homeschooling children last night - a special project which took place at the Learning Center in Oliver (I hope you get a chance to check out the website - another creation of Miles') We taught the kids ArtRage - parents LOVE the idea of a free program, no mess, no fuss. The kids did absolutely great! It was interesting setting up 18 computers with all the Wacom tablets and drivers...Thank Goodness for our friend Melanie Olsen who came and gave us a hand - you really saved our bacon girl!

Have a wonderful day! I hope the following scripture will inspire you today:

PSALM 118:24

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

CREPES ALISON'S WAY

TULIP ELEMENT

download

CREPES FOR MILES

I'm not so excited at this very moment. I had typed this entire entry in, along with the photos, and lost everything! 'course that has never happened to you...such is the dangers of computer use everywhere. I know, save save save! Anyways, this is not going to defeat me...and the upside? Its much easier typing it the second time because I know what I want to say now.

The crepes turned out beautifully. I rolled them with a filling of turkey, rice, green peppers, tomatoe and cucumbers, seasoned with freshly squeezed lime juice, ground sea salt and hand ground black pepper and tons of basil. We had a fast but nice lunch and then visited the local thrift store. Ali found a practically new Samsonite suitcase, nice looking even, for a whole $4! Whadda deal. I look forward to our time each week.

Miles got a rerun of the crepes - well, lets call it re-vamped version, it sounds so much nicer. I topped his with extra filling and melted cheddar and mozza.

Gina Girl, this tulip ele is for you...when will I see you online again, you're out of doors? I miss you! You all go on over to Gina's blog and see the georgeous pics she took at the tulip farm recently!

GREAT CREPERS (BAD PUN, GOOD FOOD!)

OUR ADOPTED ITALIAN MAMA AT HER COOKING SHOW

my newest toy - an electric crepe maker!

my first crepe batter - basil and sundried tomatoe!

A COOKIE ELEMENT FOR YOU - SINCE I'VE MADE YOU HUNGRY

download

I really should be cleaning out the rest of my kitchen cupboards. Or doing laundry. Or making up a new ArtRage lesson for my sweet husband - but today finds me making crepes. Mom gave us this little beauty over the Easter Holiday. I must confess we put a bug in her ear a long while ago, hoping she might come across one at a yard sale. Mom bought this brand new for us.

We were first introduced to this type of crepe maker through our friend Italia Grasso who has the Lake Osoyoos Guesthouse B and B here in Osoyoos. Italia is our adopted Italian Mama, and she along with her entertaining husband John are very dear to us. Italia is a fervent and passionate cook and has hosted cooking shows at a local store. Italia has even developed a way of using the crepes as pasta noodles by simply slicing the crepes into strips and tossing them with whatever topping you would normally use. This type of pasta is way healthy for you, and you can freeze it or keep it in the fridge for quite a while. If you add some color to your batter (e.g. sundried tomatoes for red, pesto for green) then you come out with a very colourful healthy dish.

My friend Alison will be coming for lunch...I will let you know how my very first batch turns out. I will be stuffing my crepes with a rice and turkey filling. In the meantime, I will return to the cupboards, lesson etc, while you have a great day!

EASING BACK AFTER EASTER

IGUANA ELEMENT

download

We had a very nice Easter weekend! We left home in the late afternoon on Thursday and spent the very first night camped at the Stemwinder Provincial Park, about a one hour drive from home. Miles had marinated thick T-bone steaks and he set about grilling them shortly after we arrived. While he was cooking we heard a single gunshot - that was a little unsettling! There was an RV two doors over and the owner dropped over and said hello, a Grandpa-type, so we were comforted that we were not all alone there. Miles steaks were fabulous and we enjoyed a quiet evening. In the morning we pulled up stakes (no, not steaks! ) and stopped next door to the park at Doug's Homestead where Miles bought some of their fabulous beef jerky. Promise us that if you drive highway 97 you will treat yourself there - its second to none.

We had to take a drive past the old hotel in Princeton, well, what is left of it after it was razed by a fire recently. Having seen this as an icon since forever, it is strange to see a pile of smoldering rubble in it's place.

Topping the hills above Princeton we began to see some snow. There was an accident we alllmooost got a picture of - a jeep hanging over a dropoff on a sharp corner, being held in place by only the back wheels! Can't imagine how the driver got out of that one without tipping it. We took lunch at Manning Park Lodge (the pictures in the slideshow are all from this trip - thats Miles with the bear statue at the Lodge) Now...perhaps I just have too high of expectations, but the food at the Lodge was totally overpriced (9 bucks for a plain ol' burger - frozen patty, frozen fries) the food plain and the menu very limited with only 9 items, five being burgers. The atmosphere was very plain. The service was ok. In my thinking, this is our National Pride...Miles and I thought up a completely innovative menu without even trying...like Beaver Pat Patty hamburgers (and use real meat) and for dessert Moose Do's in a Snowdrift (chocolate almonds in vanilla ice cream) and tons of other ideas...perhaps someone could suggest us?

Mom had food waiting for us when we arrived - don't tell her we barely had time to digest our mangy Manning burgers! She had prepared a big helping of her wonderful stuffed pork chops as she knows they are a favorite of Miles. I swear she bakes for a month prior to a visit. Her love is expressed in cookies, tarts, roasts and somehow her love hangs on us for a while after we get home, if you know what I mean. Our sister Michelle and our nieces Rachel and Karly were there from Surrey and Karly immediately claimed Miles to wrestle and play with. Rachel showed off her splendid volcano that she and Grampa built for a school project. As you can see, they used Miles to create the newest in hairstyles - a lego - rasta updo!

On Saturday morning I was chauffered all over Abbotsford with Mom and Michelle and two of the other women from Mom's complex as we took in yardsales. Its so luxurious to be driven from place to place and not have to worry about the traffic. We all managed to find some treasures! In the afternoon Miles and I drove into Vancouver and enjoyed a visit with our Aunt Rose and Uncle Bob. They laid out a veritable feast for us - a bit of this and a bit of that! Our favorite was the smoked salmon with capers and cream cheese sandwhiches made with a specialty dark bread they purchase at Cobb's Bakery near Vine in Vancouver! Delish! Before we left Aunt and Uncle pointed us to Meinhardt's Fine Foods, a store they assured us was a 'must see'! They were absolutely correct, and we did see it indeed. Though we controlled ourselves ( a very difficult task I assure you!) we did take some pictures which you can see in the slideshow. We ended up bringing home a single package of Tarragon, passing over the Dried Black Olive Tapenaude for a future visit.

We went for good workout on Sunday morning and a swim at the center in Abbotsford. We knew Mom would be stuffing a turkey and we would be stuffing the turkey into ourselves. She again made a special effort for Miles with homemade Yorkshire Puddings!

Mom and Dad also gave us two sweet gifts - a set of 8 exotic whole salts and an electric crepe maker. I will show you more on that later when we make our first batch.

We came home laden with Mom and Dads generosity, stopping in at Hope to chat with Aunt Jane and Uncle Colin. Aunt Jane is the one to thank for allowing me to take pictures in her garden. Her flowers attract folks all summer long and she sells fresh cut bouquets too. I am green with envy at her green thumb.

This sums up our trip. I hope you have enjoyed coming along.

TAKING AN EASTER BREAK

JESUS LOVES YOU ELEMENT

download

SPRING BLOSSOMS IN OSOYOOS

RISEN ELEMENT

download

I'm going to take a break this weekend - just rest in reflection of what Easter REALLY signifies. It will be a time of rest and connection with family. I hope you can use these elements on your scrapbook layouts...the Jesus Loves You element is dedicated to my sweet friend Gina, who keeps me encouraged and amused with her blog, which you can find here - she makes a great read every day!

Enjoy your family this weekend and take time to consider what HE did for you, that HE chose to hang for your sins. It gives Easter an entire different slant than cute bunnies, but one we should all keep forefront in our minds and hearts.

Philippians 2:8

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself and became obedient to death

— even death on a cross!

THIS DAY DEDICATED TO A SPECIAL COUPLE!

click to see larger

Card created using the Youthful Kit by Khristie S.
(except the stitches which were created by moi!)

Today's entry is dedicated to our Aunt Rose and Uncle Bob. These are two special people in our lives, who have always been there for us. If you've ever dreamed up what family you could hand-pick, they would be the ones to be your favorite Aunt and Uncle. We always try to visit when we are in town and they always lavish us with love (and food and great conversation!) They have travelled throughout their lives and have a wealth of experiences and adventures to share with us. Being this way inclined ourselves, we feed off of their knowledge! Most of all, they have an especial place carved out in our lives and we are happy to have this opportunity to pay them homage. We love you to bits!

SCREW ELEMENT

download

Just a little something I created!

GOT TODAY 'TAGGED'!

click for a larger view

METAL RIMMED TAG

download

Until this morning, this tag was simply the leather and parchment parts. I built the other parts in my head last night as I was falling asleep, because it was niggling at the back of my brain. When I showed it to my friend Gina last night, I knew it was cooooming along...but it needed something to 'finish' it. After playing with several styles this one fit just right.

Yesterday was special in that Miles and I were able to help out a young couple through a secondary source. I'm not able to elaborate on this, but want to encourage you all to be bold if you think you have a way to better the life of someone who could use a helping hand. I'm constantly surprized by people's generosity and willingness to get on board in the instance they can make a difference in people's lives. Sometimes we allow our own hesitancy ( I know there's a better word for this) to block a good work to be done. When you feel uncertain ask yourself if its because of yourself or the thing to be done. If you can move past your self, often great things can be accomplished. I know how much it has meant to Miles and I in the past, all the people who have made a difference to our lives, and it is such a joy to do the same for someone else. Truly, to me, this is what makes the world go round.

Acts 20:35

In everything I did,

I showed you that by this kind of hard work

we must help the weak,

remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:

'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

HIPPETTY HOPPITY, EASTERS ON ITS WAY!

CLICK TO SEE LARGER

download

Being as Easter is creeping (hopping) up on us, I thought I would be pro-active and deliver the Easter freebie BEFORE you start making layouts.

My friend Rose came over this a.m. and we had a good visit and all the while she created her beautiful shimmery Christmas Angel ornaments - now why did I miss THAT photo op? While we yapped I did three loads of laundry and baked a mass of buns with 1/2 a JOHNSONVILLE CHEDDAR SMOKIES inside. Wow! This is one great way to dress up a roll! I may have to bake all over again in two days as the buns seem to be walking off of their own accord....

I'm at school with Miles this afternoon, working on the scrapbook kit for the Desert Center and helping tutor students with Artrage. Hope you all are having a nice afternoon!

THANK YOU ANNETTE

I will be posting another freebie later today, but just want to take a brief moment out of my busy morning to say "THANK YOU, ANNETTE!"

I do not know you, but you leave a comment every time you download something from my blog. It makes me smile every time.

YOU WERE WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE!

CLICK TO VIEW LARGER

download

I am having so much fun creating things and it makes me feel very powerful! If I feel this special about making little scrapbook elements, just imagine how God must feel at having created you!

Psalm 139:12-14

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

THE DESERT AND A DESSERT (yummy freebie element)

Desert Center, Osoyoos BC

click to view larger!

CREAMY CREAMSICLE ELEMENT

download

My Sweet invited me to join him yesterday, out at the Desert Center. He is creating a series of 'Desert Alive' short videos for the website he is building. The official launch of the website is arriving in the near future and I will keep you all posted! We've also included several other features for the website, which have employed some of the skills I am building.

The Desert Center appears - just that, deserted - upon arrival. Miles, Joanne (the biologist) and Roger (Video Wizard) set out to film some of the newest happenings along the boardwalk, and I chose the opposite direction. To my naked eye it appeared simply an endless, empty stretch out into the shrubbery. I decided that if I were to find some life 'out there' I should remove my shoes so they would not clomp and vibrate the wildlife away. I sneaked along silently, keeping alert to anything picture worthy. I was pleasantly surprised to find little signs of life along the way, and other fascinating items to photograph. I have assembled a tiny taste for you (above) and I also saved you from some not so pretty stuff, such as the coyote scat (poo!) which was an interesting mass of fur and bones and cherry pits. Your imagination will just have to do for that image. Among the visual treasures I saw was a big old black beetle that burrowed in a hole, vole chewed Antelope Brush and of course, the real treasure to my eye - my handsome actor/husband Miles.

Hope you had a good Saturday!

TGIF - I mean REALLY thank the LORD its FRIDAY...or whatever day it happens to be!

Spring has arrived in Osoyoos!

Sunny Heart Frame

download

Everything is bursting up out there!

I've had my nose in here so much lately that its like going to another country when I get outside. Everything bloomed while I was blogging to you. I will compose a spring collage to show you tomorrow. It was t-shirt and shorts weather here yesterday! And that leads me to the next item of news - I found a terrific, brand new pair of beach shorts in racy red yesterday at our local thrift, and a beautiful black, contoured right to my curves (thats supposing you believe I have any, lol!) I just know that someone who's seen me said "hmmm....looks like she could use a to-die-for-suit and put it into the thrift exactly before I arrived there with the precise amount of money, no? This along with a pair of grey GAP jeans for Janice's little boy and an ivory handled butter knife which I have purchased to make a scrapbook layout remembering my Gramma. Gramma used to have a set, and we were always told to never submerse the handles in water or they would yellow.

Enjoy the Frame and enjoy your day! I am off to the desert center with Miles, an impromtu date of sorts!

OUR DAUGHTER'S STORE

click to view bigger

download

I hope you enjoy this charm I made. Its sort of a freeform project and I would love to see what you can do with it!

We all know that the internet is a very powerful tool. We know a blog can reach further than we can imagine, and I have an experiment I would like to try. Our daughter Dezrae and her boyfriend Adrian just opened a cool new clothing store in the mall in Nanaimo, BC this past weekend. If you live in Nanaimo, or know someone who does, would you send them in to say hello and welcome to Nanaimo, please? It would be a huge surprise to them and a neat thing to do. After all, I keep trying to convince them that a blog for their store would be useful and a lot of fun, no?

Have a wonderful day!

THANK YOU, GOD, FOR ANOTHER AWESOME DAY!

Zach at the yard sale!

pretty pink flower

download

pretty pink ribbon

download

I hope you like these elements I created. I had fun creating the fuzzy edge on the ribbon. I've shown it close up s you can see the detail!

I had a wonderful time with Janice yesterday at the BIG yardsale downtown. We arrived in the lunch hour, by then its getting to be pretty slim pickings. I understand that the time to arrive is right at 8:30 a.m. when they first open! We had a good poke around and Janice found some nice things. Me - well, I was compelled to buy a toy for Zach - after all, it kept him amused for the entire time we were there...he just plunked himself down on the ground and got right to it. It is not the toy he has in his hand, it is the one right behind him on the left side of the picture.

I tried my hand at making a new recipe, knowing that Zach and his brother James like cheese - guess thats dear to my heart as my younger brother George used to love cheese too (he passed away several years ago) So I created my own version of breadsticks with cheddar rolled into the middle and mozza ontop. I guess the picture inspired my friend Sonya, across the miles to California, as she ended up making bread too! Wow - the thought warmed me up! :)

One last thing I need to share with you...and especially I hope our daugther Melanie is reading this - a blog site you have to visit, for a chuckle. This site is about putting stuff on cats (I know this is probably a bad thing to show you Melanie, like telling a kid NOT do something, giving you ideas...) Go on over to stuff on my cat

Melanie, we just know we are gonna be seeing pics of Winstie on there...

A SWEET FRIEND

click to view larger

download here

http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=311AMX46TUOO13CXW5PIJTUE3Z

I painted this Pansy in Art Rage! You know how in those gardening magazines there are flowers named after people? I've always thought that was a neat thing to have dedicated to you - a living thing. I tossed the idea around in my head a bit and realized that what plant you name after a person should embody the qualities and virtues of what they are all about. I'm naming this Pansy Sonya because she is sweet, bright, friendly, warm, hopeful and helpful. She's the ray of sunshine after a long, long winter. Sonya is one of the very first persons I met at SBB. I think it was Tandis (we ALL KNOW TANDIS!) who asked Sonya if I could go on her Hello, with some question or another, and next thing, here are Sonya and I. I think I have talked to her every single day, except the days when Miles and I are away. I've come to know her and love her as a close friend. We've celebrated our highs and lows together. She is a rock to me! Sonya, this quote is for you:

There are persons so radiant, so genial, so kind, so pleasure-bearing, that you instinctively feel in their presence that they do you good, whose coming into a room (even a chat room or HELLO room) is like the bringing of a lamp there. HENRY WARD BEECHER

Thank you for making my days bright Sonya!

SAFARI KIT ADD - ON

click on pin to see it larger

Someone posted a comment that you may use my Safari kit for a zoo trip, so I thought I would add at least one more element pin! You may download it at the following link:

http://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=28YVN9OQ9CO7U3QQ6CDHNCDK3Q

Won't be taking up a huge amount of space here this morning as its my chore day on monday and I will be tackling a 'mountain' of laundry, the 'plains' of burbur carpet, the 'far recesses' of some closets and the 'jungle' of my tiny garden. Catch you all later!

WE GOTTA WAY!

click on images to see them larger

First of all - Happy Happy Birthday to our brother Dave! Though you celebrate your day on April 1st, you are nobody's fool.

Usually by April we have been camping several times, but this year has been one hectic week after another without a break. After having to forego our Spring Break getaway, I pounced on this opportunity when Miles breathed the the suggestion we might manage a night away locally this weekend. I knew for 'pretty sure' by Wednesday night and Thursday was spent in serious preparation of our van. On that evening our house looked like a disaster area while our 'home on wheels' was pristine and packed to the roof with goodies. We even brought goodies from our new Buy Low Store in town, which had its Grand Opening that day too! The new store could have been plopped down here from the largest of cities - such as it is with a state of the art building and bakery and deli and...well, you get the picture. No more having to drive to Penticton or Kelowna for exotic foods and ingredients.

Friday morning dawned rainy, cloudy, wet. I looked out at the towels dripping on the clothesline and firmed my resolve further. I took care of all the last minute preperations. Miles had a meeting to attend and then we were finally off. We had no problems crossing the border and soon were enjoying the scenery along the road to Palmer Lake, as it winds its way along the Similkameen River. The hills are greening up and the weather began to break as we headed east, past hoodoos and old mine sites. We were pleasantly surprised at Palmer Lake, to find we were the only campers there and the sites had all undergone a sprucing up.

We unpacked our bikes and took a bikeride to the lake's end. We spent some time in the fresh air and Miles cracked that huge rock open. He was a bit tired out after that. (well it is April 1st!) We even indulged in an afternoon nap. Dinner was something our tastebuds had been anticipating for quite some time - fire grilled steak! We sat at the fire till it died down, listening to the quietude of this special place. There are only about 20 houses along the lake, no stores of any kind. Birds foraging, Owls hooting, the water lapping at the pebbled shore...these are the sounds of Palmer Lake.

We did watch King Kong too...(us both, hey Gina? 'cept I don't know how you could have fallen asleep in this movie!!!) and when it was over we were amazed to find it was 2 a.m.

We dropped into an open house for our friend Val today, who passed from cancer - that was difficult.

Hope you all have a good weekend!