Thursday, April 7, 2011

Evening Inspiration

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It's a calm and gentle evening here
in the Pacific Northwest.
A nice ending to a beautiful day.
The birds are singing their songs.
I wonder where the cayote lies.
Sometimes he beds in the brush near the apple tree.
Maggie is taking in all of the evening news
on the island as she sniffs the air.
The sun gently warms my toes as it too takes to bed.

I sip a cup of warm tea and think about
a design for this week's Get Sketchy Challenge.
Something with aqua blue - the color of the sky to the north.
Something with a bird like the one singing in the tree.
Something for Easter perhaps.




An Easter treasure from The Graphics Fairy.
Isn't she wonderful?!

Pull some lace from my sewing basket ...
And some felt and a button too ...
A piece of paper from my scrap binder ...
Need something round  - a doily - yes that will do nicely ...
Clip Clip ... Snip Snip ...
A little glue here and here and there ...


Taa Daa ....

May the glory and the promise of this joyous time of year

Bring peace and happiness to you

and those you hold most dear,

And may Christ, Our Risen Saviour,

always be there by your side

To bless you most abundantly

and be your loving guide.



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Linking Up To: Razamataz - Outdoor Photo Challenge   and

     monogram



Monday, April 4, 2011

Sending More Love

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The Graphics Fairy
I just love the Graphics Fairy! 

Every day she leaves little vintage treasures

for you and me to find.

Here are a couple of pretties that I found

in her treasure chest.

I used them to create little notes for

my Send Love Today assignment.


Spring is in the air ...


I added a little bit of feathery yarn from my
stash to enhance the features of the bird's nest.
Sending My Prayers was graphically added to the image
using Powerpoint.  Image found here.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song.

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Linking Up To: 

The Graphics Fairy 
Tidy Mom

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Make It Monday Challenge

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Taking a break from Spring Cleaning fun ...

This week's Papertrey Ink Make It Monday Challenge was
to make a card using the ink blending technique.


Background Paper: Papertrey Ink Royal Velvet Cardstock and
Egg Hunt Patterned Paper
Ink Blending: Papertrey Ink Vintage Duo Ink


Similar card using different color scheme.



A sweet pair -  one for my Send Love Today assignment and
one for Operation Write Home.

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4/7/11 Update:   Linking up to Totally Hues Challenge #5

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A Heartbreaking Story

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An appalling and heartbreaking story.

A family and a child who need your prayer.


On the other side of the world {in Russia} there is a little boy....



His name is Kirill.

Kirill was found by his mommy and daddy on an adoption list. They worked feverishly to get all his paperwork in so they could bring him home. And during that time of working to bring Kirill home they found that Kirill is the first child from his region in Russia EVER to be adopted with Down Syndrome.

A birth mother keeping her child with DS is unheard of in this area of the world. Adoptions of children with DS just don't happen in this region, these children are literally hidden away from society in orphanages and mental institutions. As it turns out Kirill would be a pioneer. If Kirill's adoption was approved, it would pave the way for other children with special needs to be adopted from this region as well.

And so just two weeks ago, Kirill's mom and dad were there in Russia headed to court to fulfill the necessary steps to bring Kirill home...


and they were loving on Kirill.... and after enduring five agonizing hours of difficult questioning before the judge...with strong statements on their behalf from two doctors, two social workers and the Minister of Children's Services fighting on their and Kirill's behalf...and prepared for the court's stamp of approval, the Judge gave her ruling:


"Your application to adopt is rejected"

The Judges reasoning:

Kirill is "not socially adaptable" due to his "medical condition" and he is better off in an institution than in a home with a family. The Judge did state several times that Greg and Tesney were a good family, that they met all the criteria to adopt a child, but that she would not approve our adoption because Kirill has Down Syndrome. She told them that they could adopt another child, because legally our application had no problems according to Russian adoption law. She said she would approve their adoption for a 'typical' child, but not this child.

The ONLY reason? Because Kirill has Down Syndrome.


Here's where we come in...
Linny over at A Place Called Simplicity has organized a day of prayer and fasting for Kirill.  Click here for more details. 




May Our Lord bless little Kirill with a loving family with warm hugs and understanding.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Love Much

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This week's Papertrey Ink Design Challenge is to make a project
using at least one Papertrey product of some kind
 and add color with markers or colored pencils
to non-neutral colored cardstock.



Papertrey Ink Stamp Set: Little Bitty Bird
Image colored with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.
Heart accented with Stickles.
Background layers machine-stitched for added detail.

The sentiment says it all - Love Much.
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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Cheap Eats: Chicken Cacciatore

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Take these awesome and nutritious ingredients ...

Brown the chicken parts in a little olive oil ...

Throw all ingredients (except polenta) in a slow cooker
for several hours ... 

Serve over polenta and Enjoy!

Slow-Cooked Chicken Cacciatore Recipe  (also available here)

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 pounds chicken parts, skin removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, crushed
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 package polenta

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on all sides.

2 .Stir the garlic, Italian seasoning, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, pepper and 1 cup broth in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or 4 to 5 hours on HIGH or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the cooker, cover and keep warm.

4.Stir the cornstarch and remaining broth in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture in the cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 10 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Serve with the chicken and polenta.



For dessert, I made blueberry mini bundt cakes.  I started a recipe from Sunset magazine (December 2010) and made a few substitutions since I didn't have any cranberries on hand.  Here is my version. 


There's always room for dessert!




Mini Bundts Recipe
(Modified from this Sunset Magazine recipe)

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
Cooking-oil spray
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean pod
Blueberry Preserves


1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat mini Bundt pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat butter, 3 oz. cream cheese, and 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down sides; add eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium until blended, scraping down bowl as needed.

3. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to batter and beat on low speed just until blended.

4. Fill each Bundt cup with batter about 3/4 full.

5. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in thickest part comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes from pan, using a small spatula if necessary to loosen them. Trim cake edges if you like.

6. Spoon blueberry jam into center hole of each bundt cake.

7. Beat remaining 2 oz. cream cheese in a bowl with a mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar. Slit vanilla bean pod lengthwise and gently scrape out seeds with a small spoon into cream cheese mixture. Add 5 tsp. water and beat until smooth and creamy. Drizzle over slightly warm cakes.  Top with a small dollop of blueberry preserves.



Everything was a big hit.  All of the chicken was gone leaving enough sauce leftover for pasta later in the week.  My dad ate three bundt cakes for dessert!!  Must've been tasty. 
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3/28/11 Update:  Linking up to Todays Creative Blog and





Friday, March 25, 2011

March Madness in Seattle

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This is what March Madness looks like in Seattle!

Wild King Salmon from Alaska baked on a cedar plank
with roasted vegetables
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

During the month of March, thirty of Seattle's finest restaurants
host March Madness menus  -  3-course dinners for a mere $30.
This includes selections for appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
Many of the restaurants also offer lunch for $15.
Read more about it here.

To celebrate our wedding anniversary, my parents
treated us to a sunset dinner at Six Seven located
in the luxurious Edgewater Hotel.



The Edgewater Hotel famously hosted the Beatles in 1964
when the photo on the left was taken of them
fishing from their suite! 
You can read more about the Beatles visit here.

What a fabulous dinner we had!
My belly was hurting from all the goodness!




I hope you are able to one day visit Seattle and enjoy some tasty delights at the Edgewater Hotel!
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