an update and a layout

Today is the start of day 8 for me on an elemental liquid diet to try and pull myself out of this flare without steroids or starting the even harsher drugs. Some days I feel like just starting the harsher drugs, but then I remind myself that this is just a short time and God will give me the strength to do this. I drink these shakes all day long that are completely predigested so that my intestines don't have to do any work and have a chance to heal. They don't taste like a yummy milkshake, but so far I have been able to get them down. I'm supposed to do this for 2-6 weeks and then start to add one food per day back into my diet. We'll see . . .

I've got some awesome friends who are bringing meals for my husband and kids so that I can rest and don't have to be around food too much. Such a blessing! My husband is incredibly supportive. Over the last year he has even stopped buying cookies and cream ice cream so that I am not tempted--my tastebuds love it, but my stomach doesn't. He buys strawberry ice cream instead which does not tempt me too much. The other night I came downstairs after they were done eating dinner (I try to stay upstairs while they are eating since being around the smell and sight of food is torcher) and this is what I found:

I first spotted an ice cream lid and then I saw two little heads pop up as they were quietly eating bites of ice cream behind the kitchen counter. They didn't want mommy to see and feel bad. The camera happened to be sitting nearby and I snapped these shots. Too cute.

I'll leave you with a layout from the February kit.

I previously posted about our Decade Dance that took place over Christmas. Here are all the pictures I finally put together in a layout.

Have a great weekend!

february kit and our growing family

Thought I'd share a quick card  I made with the February kit. (Kits are now shipping!)

In other news, Seth is continuing to grow. He is 7 months now. He is starting to eat a few Cheerios by himself now that he has two teeth. Here is his monthly teddy bear picture.

And last, but certainly not least, here are our bunnies at one week old. They are growing fast . . . like rabbits! No names yet, we are waiting to see "what" they are.

Have a great day!

quiche

This is another experimental recipe. I threw a little of this and a little of that in a casserole dish and it turned out great! Here is the recipe:

9 eggs

1/3 c. Salsa Verde from Trader Joe's (it's their green salsa in a jar--yum!)
4 oz can mild green chilies
1/3 c. plain yogurt (I used my homeade kind)
1/3 c. gluten free flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
5 strips crisp bacon, break apart into small pieces

1/4 c. sundried tomatoes (oil packed)

2 c. monterey jack cheese

In a large bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients well. Set aside. Spray an 8x8 dish with olive oil. Put bacon, sundried tomatoes and 1 cup of the cheese across the bottom. Pour egg mixture on top. Spread remaining 1 c. of cheese on the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Hope you like it!

Happy Monday!

new green tangerines kit of the month!

Want a sneak peak? The February kit is set to release on Monday, the 22nd. Below are the sneak peaks they sent out to their kit club subscribers. I was on the Design Team all of last year, and this year I'll be helping in the "picking all the goodies" process (as well as on the Design Team). I'll also be designing all of the month-in-review layouts which are an add-on option. Super fun! We will start holding some blog fun over at the Kit Club blog starting soon!

This is what you'll get!

My kiddos! That is real wood that comes in the kit--I inked it. I hand stitched on the leaf pattern next to the journaling. I love the patterned papers in this months kit!

Just a peak at the month-in-review add-on. It's a 2-pager.

I'll have more February kit inspiration coming soon!

half and half meatloaf

This is one of my experimental recipes . . . I think I have it just how I like it. It is half ground turkey and half ground beef. It's a compromise meatloaf. My husband loves anything with red meat and tells me he can't stand ground turkey. I try to avoid red meat because it sometimes upsets my stomach if I have too much. A few weeks ago I tried adding both meats to see if he could tell . . . I'm so sneaky. He ate it up quickly and thanked me for not making ground turkey meatloaf again (which I had made in the past). After he was mostly finished, I told him it was half and half. He was surprised. Now we have found something that suits us both! And here is the recipe:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. ground beef (I use the organic kind from Costco)
1 c. plain yogurt (I use my homeade kind)
1.5 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dried sage leaves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground mustard (dry)
.5 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1.5 c. gluten free oatmeal
1 small red onion, chopped
.75 c. ketchup
.25 c. honey

Mix it all together well and bake at 350 degees for 1 hour or 15 minutes more if you like it crisp on top.
This makes a double batch. I have two meatloaf pans. I put one unbaked in the freezer and have a meal ready to go for another time!

*I've also added 1 cup of shredded zucchini in the past when I've had it on hand. Your kids will never know something healthy is in there!

p.s. I'll be back soon with a scrapbooking post. Have a good day!

my valentine and need advice

I think I've gushed about my husband here on the blog once or twice before . . . I just have to share this card that he made me for Valentine's Day. He came up with this idea all by himself--so creative!! (These are crummy pictures, but I was too tired to go downstairs to take them outside.)

It's a matchbook. He made the perfectly straight black line with a sharpie and a ruler. He used all my heart punches and scraps for the matches. And let's not forget the staple--that is key!

He's a man of few words . . . but what he does write is always good!

Normally I wouldn't blog about this, but I am getting pretty desperate for help. I have been in a flare of my Crohn's disease for a little over a month and am getting worse by the day. (God gave me a little reprieve for about 4 hours on Friday night and my husband and I went out on a date for Valentine's Day. We had a great time! Within five minutes of being home I got sick again.) I've been on the steroid Entocort for 17 days now and it doesn't seem to be working. (I refused Prednisone this time.) I'm wondering if anyone out there in blogland has a good naturalpathic doctor they would recommend that deals with digestive diseases? Anywhere in the Sacramento to San Francisco area. I am willing to drive. I've only had this disease for a little under three years and am still trying to figure out what is going to work for me long term. I do not want to start the stronger drugs (with multiple side effects) as my doctor is suggesting. Anyway, I'm not complaining, I know God is not going to give me more than I can handle. Just need some help if anyone has any experience in this area. Feel free to leave a comment or email me privately.

The only perks to being sick are that I am losing my baby weight and am having extra time to scrapbook since I am not leaving the house much!

Have a good day!

we have bunnies!

Remember this post? I recapped how our house in suburbia has become a farm (chickens & rabbits). I talked about how my husband was searching for a female rabbit so that he could breed bunnies. Well, he found one and we now have 3 bunnies. They are one day old in these pictures.

They are quite jumpy and move around a lot--I didn't expect this at one day old.

We brought them inside for a few minutes and put them under a heat lamp. The girls gently touched the bunnies.

The delight on their faces is so worth it! I am not a huge fan of pets (I'm allergic), but since these are outside pets and my husband takes care of all the dirty work, I don't mind. The giggles that came out of these girls were priceless!

valentine idea

Looking for a last minute Valentine idea? I made this last year . . . and my husband loved it! At the end of this post you will find a list of ideas you can write on the "coupons" you enclose inside.

I picked up this clear "paint bucket," the pint size, at Beverly's. You can find them at most craft stores. The paper and thickers are from American Crafts. The little letters are from Making Memories.

I tied a bunch of ribbons to the handle. Some are from American Crafts, the others were random ribbons I had on hand and haven't a clue where I picked them up.

More American Crafts goodies on the lid.

I hand cut hearts out of patterned paper that had a solid colored backside. You could use a heart punch as well. The hearts need to be big enough for a small message. I folded them and mixed them in with confetti and Hershey's kisses.

Now for the kicker . . . you have to actually let your husband redeem these coupons at a time of his choosing!

Coupon Suggestions

*A free back rub/foot rub/neck rub, etc…

*A night on the town to a place of your choice
*One candlelight dinner for two
*One full day without me on the computer
*One day to sleep in as late as you want
*Get out of the doghouse free – must be physically presented for redemption
(note to the giver: this coupon requires the complete forgiveness of a minor to midsize foul)
*Free night on the town – you get to get out of the house, I'll stay home with the kids
*One hour of my time – without interruptions
*Remote control coupon – coupon entitles bearer to two hours of hassle-free television watching
*Breakfast in bed
*Romantic dinner – at home; you may choose the menu! Dessert optional...(wink, wink)
*Good for a batch of cookies
*At home Movie & Cuddle time – your choice of movie
*Free chore release – This coupon redeemable for ONE free night with no chores, redeemable at any time
*Good for a day alone – with JUST me or without me
*Good for three wishes. Coupon-giver will satisfy any wish you have (wishes must be legal, affordable, and possible to perform)

I'm sure you can think of other ideas on your own! Have a great Valentine's Day!!

black bean dip

I made this yummy dip for some girlfriends recently and they were all asking for the recipe . . . so, here it is. I've adapted it a bit from a recipe I received years ago from a mentor mom at our church where we used to live. Enjoy!

3/4 c. Casa Sanchez Salsa (Any fresh, red salsa will do, but this is my favorite!)

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (I use Trader Joe's as it has no added sugar)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. fresh cilantro (it must be fresh, this is the key!)

Dump it all in your food processor and blend away! Let it chill for 8 hours or more--this makes all the flavors blend together. I dip veggie/flaxseed chips (also from TJ's) or baby carrots in the dip. Makes for a very healthy snack!

december kit day 3

Here is a card made with the December kit. I love to use up my scraps!

I am meeting the girls for our monthly scrap night this weekend! Can't wait! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

december kit day 2

I love these pictures of my girls! They make me laugh so much. Every now and then I long for a little peace and quiet and the ability to be able to pick up and spontaneously go out to lunch with a girlfriend . . . but then I imagine my life before kids. It was kind of boring. Maybe boring isn't the right word. My husband and I had a ton of fun before we had kids . . . I just can't imagine my life without these little munchkins.

I used my handy white pen for some faux stitching at the top and around the circles. A very simple and quick layout.

It's fun to break out my colored journaling markers once in awhile. Makes me feel like I am back in Jr.High when I took notes this way. Back in the day I had one of those pens with 6 different colors in one pen and you would click to get a new color. Know what I am talking about? They were quite the rage.

Have a great day!

december kit day one

This week I'll be sharing my December kit projects. As usual, there was plenty to play with! It felt good to get my Christmas scrapping done.

This was a quick layout to throw together. Lots of blocks and a simple "bow" on one of them to add some interest.

I outlined the thickers to make them pop a little bit more. The little red alphas are from October Afternoon--love them!!

Enjoy your day!