42, 42, forty, forty, forty, forty, forty-two!

*OK, you need to chant that title like a cheerleader*

42...What a great number!  I just came from my weigh-in and that is how many pounds I have lost so far!  Can you tell that I am just a little bit excited?  Well, I am-in case you didn't notice!

OK, on with a little artwork.  When you are ready to book your party, one of the perks of booking with me is that I will send out handmade invitations for you.  All you need to do is give me your guest list!  This is what the invites for this month look like.

If you have not booked your party yet, you better read this post.  Hostesses can earn extra freebies!  contact me right away to save a date for your party.

Happy Scrappin'

Apple Crisp Pizza recipe

Fall has arrived and it is my favorite season for many reasons:  the apples are ready, the fall colors are gorgeous, the weather is perfect, and the scrapbookers start getting serious again!

Today I have a yummy recipe for you to try out.  It is kind of a cross between apple pie and apple crisp-the best of both worlds-and even better, it is super easy to do!

Apple Crisp Pizza

Pastry for single crust pie (I even use a store-bought, pre-made pie crust)
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 apples, peeled and sliced

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 - 1/2 cup caramel apple dip or ice cream topping

Roll pastry to fit 12: pizza pan.  Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add applies and toss.  Arrange in circular pattern on crust (OK, I personally just dump them on and spread them out, but if you want it to look pretty, you can arrange them).

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately drizzle with caramel.  Enjoy!

See, I told you it was easy!

Happy Scrappin' (and baking),

Happy 10-10-10

Today is 10-10-10 - not that it means anything special, but I thought it was kinda cool!

Have you thought about booking a CTMH party?  If so, October is the perfect time to do so as Close To My Heart has an awesome special going on for the month.  You can Jump for Joy!  Every party help this month that reaches a minimum of $450 in sales (and this is easier than you think-my parties usually average at least $550), hostesses will be able to "jump" to the next level of Hostess Rewards-which means more FREE products and more items at 50% off!  And it'll be so easy to do, because October is the ideal time for guests to buy scrapbooking, cardmaking, and papercrafting supplies to preserve their memories.  It's eno9ugh to make you Jump for Joy!

Contact me today for more information or to book your home gathering or book party today!

Happy Scrappin'

Fawn-Doe-Rosa

Last Sunday we had an awesome time with 'our Grands.'  Little explanation here...little Tyler is named in memory of our son Tony (his name is Tyler Tony) and we pretty much consider him our Grandson.  Well, he has an older brother and sister (Avery and Clara).  They are our surrogate Grandkids that we will never get the chance to have otherwise.

We picked the kids up and headed to Fawn-Doe-Rosa.  What a great day and what great kids they were.  They were all so well behaved, but even so, we have forgotten how much work it is...car seats, diaper bags, strollers, keeping an eye on 3 kids...the list goes on!  While we loved every second of it, we were exhausted by the end of the day!

Here are a few pics of our day...

 Tyler was fascinated watching the ducks from the bridge.

 Monkey see-monkey  do!  Everything his older sister and brother do, Tyler has to do, too.  It was so cute!

 Avery being silly again...what else is new with him :)

 Tyler was all smiles.

 Clara holding a bunny.

 Here is all of us sitting down taking a little break.

 As you can see, we were not the only ones tuckered out!

Stay tuned as I'm sure you'll be seeing these photos on some great scrapbook pages soon!

Happy Scrappin'

Sticky Boy has arrived!

Looky here what showed up in my mailbox while I was away at work yesterday!!  Sticky Boy and his family are here!

Have you been following Close To My Heart on Facebook?  If not, you should!  They are always giving away fun stuff...and it doesn't get any better than Sticky Boy!

Read all about it here.  Also, if you haven't done so yet, click on the Sticky Boy page above to watch the video that Corporate put out about our clear acrylic stamps when they first came out.  It is pretty funny!

Stay tuned for some artwork featuring this little man...

Happy Scrappin'

Darn Deer!

Yes, dear deer!  Do you think this is a nice looking animal?

Well think again!  Thursday night on my way home from work at 11:30 pm I really didn't like these animals much!  One jumped out in front of me and landed about 1 foot in front of my hood.  That only lasted about .5 seconds until I smacked it good!  It rendered my car undriveable!  I have to say we have a great insurance company that was out right away the same day, and they are pretty good to work with.  We have to decide now whether to fix it or not.  The damages were enough that it could be totaled out!  Big decisions, as I really liked my little car!

Thankfully, I was not hurt bad (my neck and shoulders are hurting), I am a Survivor and will be OK!  There was a good Samaritan that came along behind me and stopped to see if I needed help.  Since my car was not able to be driven, I parked it and he gave me a ride home.  He happened to be from the same town as me.  What a coincidence.  I will not forget the kindness he showed me.

I guess I can always make a scrapbook page about it, huh?

Happy Scrappin'

We are getting a new live-in house guest!

Do you know this man?  I do and I love him...please, don't tell my husband...oh wait, he already knows!  His name is Sticky Boy.  I first met him in Salt Lake City, Utah when I went to my first ever Close To My Heart National Convention.  Here he is posing for a picture with me and Sheri.  How fun!

A little explanation for those of you that don't 'get it' yet.  When Close To My Heart first came out with their clear acrylic stamps, they also came out with this video for people to watch.

Corporate came out with clear acrylic stamps in the 'sticky boy' shape (I think there are 5 or 6 sizes in the family).  Whenever we are at a Corporate event, the Corporate staff (ok, David) hides Sticky Boy anyplace he sticks to.  It is kind of like playing 'Find the Button' when all these grown women are on the lookout for Sticky Boy.  If you are lucky enough to find one, you wear it proudly on your name badge for the rest of the event.  You can usually always tell when someone finds one, as the squeals of delight are heard.

Here is the one that I received at Convention this year.  While I did not 'find' him, he found me.  See, I won a prize and when they handed me the package, he was attached to the package.  I love him.  I was so proud to keep him close to my heart the rest of the week.

Now fast forward a few years and if you have been following Close To My Heart on Facebook, you would know that during the month of September they were giving away Sticky Boy stamp sets.  All you had to do is leave a comment and they randomly choose winners.  Lucky me!  I was a winner!  Sticky Boy and his family (the compete stamp set) will be coming to live with me here in Wisconsin! I am so excited and can't wait for him to get here!  (If you go and join now, I believe they are giving away stamp sets!)

I hope you are having a great day!  Happy Scrappin'