another year older

{photo & cupcake courtesy of my super talented friend, Mer}

My 36th year of life is off to a great start. I was seriously spoiled from sun up to sun down. I was showered with yummy treats(see above cupcake...that was mine), flowers, texts, cards, emails, gift cards, homemade treasures,Facebook messages, photos in my inbox, and gifts. I have been blessed with a wonderful family and some pretty amazing friends. Thank you!
One of the best surprises was the birthday card/love note that I received via snail mail from John. He knows just how much I love happy mail. He timed it just right and it arrived in the mailbox on my birthday. I loved that!

Thank you for making me feel over the top, special!
I am anxious and excited to see what my 36th year of life will bring me.

tis the season

for pumpkin patches, that is! We have been twice...so far! One of our favorite yearly, Fall traditions is to hit Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland. We pulled the boys out of school a little bit early and headed out there. When we arrived, the last of the field trip groups were leaving. It was perfect.

We enjoyed the Fall colors.





We enjoyed the tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch.
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We enjoyed picking the perfect pumpkins.





We enjoyed yummy sweets.


We enjoyed the hay bounce(well okay,the boys did).


We enjoyed feeding the goats. They loved the cones. They would snatch them right out of the boys hands.


But most of all, we enjoyed each other.




It was a perfect October afternoon.

Halloween countdown

I saw this Halloween countdown calendar over on the Jillibean Soup blog. I knew the boys would love it. I headed down to my favorite local scrapbook store,Green Tangerines to gather all the supplies I needed. The next step was to find the perfect frame. It only took me two tries at our local Goodwill stores. $5.00 later, and I was out of there with my perfect frame. A stop at Home Depot for black spray paint and I was on my way home.









Only 17 more days until Halloween!

I have been in the mood to craft. I love Fall. It just screams all things comfy, cozy and Halloween. It makes me want to stay inside and hunker down. The weather is driving me crazy. One day it is nice and cool & I am sure Fall is here to stay. Then BAM,the heat is back. I guess when you have AC, it can feel like Fall all year long :-).


Early last week, I found these perfect white pumpkins. They are not too small(like those tiny orange ones) and not too large...they are just right. With a circle foam stamp, black paint,a circle punch, Modge Podge and some ribbon, this is what I created.



















Since this photo was taken, I have painted about 8 more of these fun pumpkins. I have them on a table in our entry way!

I didn't stop there. I saw a darling Halloween countdown frame that I knew I had to make. The hardest part was finding the perfect frame. After two Goodwill runs, I was successful! I will share that little project with you tomorrow!

Happy Crafting!

clownin' around

I love picking this little boy up from preschool. It is always a treat to see what they have done during their time with Miss Christi and Miss Kirsten. Today they came out dressed like little clowns. They all looked adaorable.

Quick Scones and Buttermilk syrup

I have had several requests for this recipe and thought it might be a good one to share on the blog. My Mom has been making these scones for years. It is a Christmas morning tradition. I started making a batch of scones yesterday morning before General Conference started. Tanner woke up and said "It smells like Grandma Sandy's house on Christmas morning". They are every ones favorite. My Mom received this yummy recipe from our talented friend, Marilynn Stringham.

QUICK SCONES
Large batch - Serves 16
3 yeast cakes
4 cups warm water
4 T. sugar
Let stand 5 minutes, then add:
1 T. salt
3 T. oil
8-9 cups flour
Mix to a bread dough. Let stand for 30 minutes. Roll out and cut into pieces. Let sit for 5 minutes before frying in deep oil. Use electric fry pan at about 30 degrees. They should be a light golden brown on each side.

BUTTERMILK SCONE SYRUP
2 cups of sugar
2 cubes of butter
1 cup buttermilk
2t. white Karo
1 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, except vanilla. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes(use large pan). Remove from heat and add vanilla. This amount will be enough for the full recipe of scones. This is also great on waffles, pancakes or carrot cake.

This is a horrible photo(trying to do too many things at once) but I wanted you to be able to see the shape of the dough when placed in the hot oil.

*Raimi's tips* If you don't have time to make the dough. Bel Air/Raley's sells loaves(3 to a pkg.) of Bridgeford dough in the freezer section. Place frozen dough in your fridge overnight. It will defrost and rise slightly. Slice pieces of dough about 1/2 inch think. Gently stretch and place in oil.

I don't have an electric fry pan. I use a fry pan on the stove.

General Conference was wonderful. It was so nice to have the whole family in one place. Some of us even stayed in our jammies...we just soaked in the lazy morning. The boys enjoyed Conference BINGO and their packets filled with word searches and other fun activities to do while while watching conference.

General Conference is a weekend that happens twice a year for the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. Once in April and then again in October. It is a time that we are able to hear from our Prophet and other General Authorities from our church. They give us counsel and direction. It is a weekend filled with outstanding talks/messages and beautiful music. I am so thankful for a modern day prophet and his counsel.


And who doesn't love Skittles? This is what the boys used for BINGO markers this year.

Not one...but TWO!!!

Kit of the Weeks, that is! I have been busy creating new KOTW's for Green Tangerines.

First up, Summer Moments. I used the new Echo Park pattern papers, Thickers, Maya Road ribbon, and some Bazzill. Each kit comes with all the product to create this two page layout. Notice the little happy sun and fluffy clouds...all hand cut for each kit by yours truly :-).




Up next, Back to School




New BoBunny(pattern paper & stamped images), American Crafts Thickers, and Bazzill(cardstock and brads).
If you are interested in these kits, you can call Green Tangerines at 916-771-8010. I am so happy they are back in business.