1834...

That is the number of cookies I made for our annual Cookie Party that was last Sunday. It took me almost the full week to recover. Well, not really; I did have a lot of holiday performances and errands to attend to before today. I thought I'd pop in here to share some of the pictures of yummy delights.

This was one of the more popular plates - the chocolate mint cookies went fast (third most popular)!

Here are my favorites, brown sugar pecan cookies, and my husband's favorites, cranberry bliss bars. In the striped bowl are Irish creme delights (mmmmm, Bailey's Irish Creme!) a yummy frosted bite.

This Santa bowl houses candy cane cookies every year and puts a smile on my face each time.

Can't go wrong with oatmeal butterscotch, shortbread or gingersnaps (another favorite of mine).

These were the second most popular cookie because there were only two left after the party was over. We had to save those to give Santa tonight!

Sugar cookies are always the first to go. Maybe it is the bright colors or fun shapes but it is not for my decorating skills, that's for sure.

The full spread at the beginning of the party. Another fun gathering this year. Hopefully next year our kitchen will be bigger and more conducive to partying.

I've just gotten back into my stamping room this week after about a six week hiatus. I didn't get around to making too many holiday cards but I've stamped tags for gifts. I am looking forward to a quite January during which I can stamp and get creative again.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Recovering

After a potential set-back, my parents came to my rescue and assured me that all would be fine and I needed to "get on that plane to London!" What a truly fantastic set of parents I have. My husband and I got away for a whole week; well, he had to work for part of the time, but I had lots of time to explore the city and its outskirts. I was there during the riots, but I avoided those areas! The city is fascinating (and expensive!) and the history is a dizzying cycle of Henrys, Charles', Williams and James'. I enjoyed it all and would go back for more, if I had the opportunity.

I've been home for a week and trying to get through all the laundry and enjoy my kids before they head back to school. I was working on a photo album for our Disney World trip and have promised myself some stamping time as a reward. I hope to have some time soon!

I was Just Thinking...

how lonely the web must be without my lil' ol' blog here. I know that it isn't. And my heart just isn't into blogging these days.

Since I was dropped from the A Muse design team, I haven't had much desire to stamp. I've stamped, believe me, but it hasn't gotten me excited. Maybe it came at a time when life was keeping me too busy to notice, but there have been conscious decisions made by me to not wander into my little space when I could have done some stamping just for fun. I'm not sure why I am shunning it, either.

So, I guess I am almost ready to say goodbye to the Stamping Shac. I'm trying to give myself a little more time but there aren't too many people out there who will feel the loss of this here blog. Maybe this summer I will find time to want to stamp for fun. We'll see.

Suburban Princesses

Like many people around the world yesterday, I watched the nuptials of the royal couple, William and Catherine. I don't have the extreme passion that some do, but I have memories of being at my grandmother's house in July 1981 and waking up really early to watch a royal wedding. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see something that I knew would be lovely!

My neighbor invited some of the bus stop moms to her house to rehash the details once the kids all got on the bus. I made some tea and scone goodies for each of them. Someone remarked that they should celebrate their inner princess more often!





We had a fun time, not only talking about the wedding that morning, but our own weddings, as well. It was a truly lovely day. Simply brilliant. Cheers to you, William and Catherine!

The Magic Number

This year I made 1,632 cookies for our annual Cookie Party. We had lots of guests this year and I feel like a bad hostess because I am sure I did not get to talk to everyone. Everyone left with full bellies, big smiles and a bag of cookies, so that is good enough for me!

Now that (most of) my baking is done, I have time to stamp! I made a bunch of tags for gifts last night. I found a bunch of white cardstock scraps and made these:



These are based on a Card of the Week from the A Muse Newsletter a few weeks back. Here is a look, in case you missed it:



Then, I pulled out some extra sturdy kraft cardstock that I found in October at Angela's Happy Stamper. I made these tags:



which were based on a bag from Starbucks that had a yummy pumpkin scone in it:



Then, I had a little bit of the kraft cardstock left, so I made these:



Believe it or not, but this tag was inspired by a tag that was on a gift that Betty Haynes gave to Bob Wallace in "White Christmas." The tag is really quite different than this one, but it inspired me nonetheless!

I haven't put all of the holes and ribbons on these yet because I like to wait to see where to punch holes based on the wrapped package and ribbon placement. Guess what my next chore is? I have to do my husband's gifts tonight since he is still out of town.

tag info: all stamps, white cardstock and ribbon by A Muse Artstamps, colored pencils, Copic markers, superfine glitter, Stickles, Nestabilities dies and kraft cardstock.

Ready For Action

Well, I have been on an extended leave of absence from this here blog of mine. It is the same story as anyone else could have: kids, family and commitments have taken over my free time. Here is something I've been up to with my family:



We went to Disney World over the Halloween weekend and had a lot of fun. It was our first time there and my kids are already asking to go back. Don't know when that might be, but I think we will definitely try before the oldest is off to middle school!

I just wanted to pop in quickly to say "hi" and I am ready to get back to the inks and stamps I miss. Hope to have something to share soon!

Updating

Since I got my hair donation haircut on Saturday, I thought I'd update my picture. I know that part of my head is cut off, but my eight year old daughter took the photo and it was the best of the bunch. Hope to be back soon with something fun and stampy!

Happy Birthday

Today would have been my sister's fortieth birthday. I miss her terribly, especially on those special "family" days and I have been thinking about her all week. Last night I made her a birthday card. She'd have liked it because each monarch represents each of the five siblings in our family. I'll probably send it to her husband and girls sometime soon, but for now, I need to keep it with me.

BTW, I used the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger for this card's layout. It's a pretty good one for clean and simple stamping. Thanks for stopping by today.

card info: cloud cardstock, white cardstock, and monarch by A Muse Artstamps, Copic markers, black pen, superfine glitter by Stampendous.

Snow Update

It started snowing this morning around 9:30. It is now 11:15 pm and the snow on our front steps is already at 10.5".

It is falling at about 2" an hour, too, because in the half hour my husband and I were out shoveling another inch of snow fell. I'll be back tomorrow with another update and maybe a photo...

Promises, shmomises

Remember last week when I said I had some cards waiting to be shared? And then, I didn't post anything? Well, I had meant to get things set to post, but couldn't find the time.

You see, I was kinda, sorta busy. And not at home. Wanna guess where I was?



I will have something, soon.

Promise.

And this time, I mean it!

1,622

That was my *magic* number this year for cookies. We were able to have our annual cookie party this past Sunday, with many family and friends in attendance to help us eat. It had been scheduled for the previous weekend, but our area was under 20" of snow. Most people were not going to be able to make it out of their neighborhoods or into our neighborhood. It was a bit sad to have to wait to share all the sweet treats with everyone, but the gathering we had was still a lot of fun, albeit, loud and crazy with so many children approaching their pre-teen years (imagine the shrieking of girls every time they saw a boy and you know what happened).

Here is a look at the table, ready for guests:



And here is my youngest enjoying her first cookie (that would be the cookie with Bailey's Irish Creme in the frosting). Mmmmmm, cookies.....



I know I had nothing paper crafty to share today, but all of these cookies were handcrafted by me, so that should count for something, right? I will be back with something fun and paper-crafted for you very soon. It is my New Year's Resolution to do so! *wink*

Beautiful September

The past two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of activity for me. I had so many things I wanted to do with my kids this summer. We did get to do quite a few of those, plus one I hadn't planned. Can you tell what we did?



We went to the top of the Washington Monument. It had been years since I went, myself, and I figured my kids should go. My city-dwelling brother was good enough to pick up the tickets for us and we had a great time. This view, by the way, faces west toward the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and Virginia.

Last Saturday, we met some friends of ours out in Markham, VA to go apple picking. It was a great morning and the kids had a great time. I managed to get my husband to climb up to get the good apples for me.




While I was procuring prime cooking apples, the kids picked their own, literally filling their pockets.



I was in a hurry to freeze pies and store apples because on Sunday I was going to have a mini getaway with my husband, who was headed to NYC for a conference on Monday. My parents were generous enough to stay with our children Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning so that I could go.

I spent Monday walking around. I took in the southern part of Central Park.



This is the bench where I sat to read, near the Bow Bridge. It was a beautiful day!

In the afternoon I met up with this man.



And we walked through the West Village and had dinner. It was a nice thing to do, just some time alone, just for me. This is one of the things my sister told me I needed to do more often. I'm glad I took her advice.

I do have some cards to share, soon. Promise!

Bittersweet Day

Yesterday was the Komen Global Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. The weather was great, perfect for a walk (or run) and the scenery was great, too. We started near the Capitol and then wound through the "downtown" part of D.C., past lots of monuments and the White House. My kids were well behaved and endured the large crowds on the Metro and the National Mall very well.

Here are a couple of photos from the day:



These are my siblings with me. PJ, me, Heather and Justin.




This is our group at the finish line. We did a pretty good job trying to all stick together. My parents, unfortunately, were not able to walk with us due to my mother's untimely illness. We are hoping that we will be able to walk together next year.

Thank you to all the blog readers who supported me this year. I am touched by the generosity of stampers, especially in difficult economic times.

Time for a Shameless Plug

This in not craft related, but something very important to me. On June 6, my family and I are planning to participate in the Komen Global Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. This is the first year that I have actually participated, but I have been donating to this cause for the last 7 years. This year my parents, siblings and I decided to form a team and walk in honor of my sister, Laura, who died last October from breast cancer.

Last August, Laura had told me that she wanted to participate in one of the walks in Boston with her family. Luckily, there was one in early September and they were able to go. She had to be pushed in her wheelchair most of the way, but she managed to walk the last little bit, across the finish line. Seeing a video of her doing this was very emotional for me and it made me all the more determined to do it, too.

I know that times are tough for everyone these days, but I figured that I could just put this out there. I am looking for donations for the Komen Global Race for the Cure. I have a participant's page, and if you'd be willing to make a donation, it would be greatly appreciated.

On a crafty note, I will have more to share soon! But to tide you over, here is a card that was shared on the A Muse News blog yesterday, featuring the. Today is your last chance to get this set for free; check it out!

1588

Does this number mean anything to you? It is my magic number this year. It is the number of cookies I put away for my family's annual Cookie Party. Wanna look in my freezer? Yes, there are only cookies in there.

Here is a look at my table from last year.

Now, here is a look at my table, at the beginning of the party, from this year, as well as some close-ups of the cookies.

This was the peppermint plate. My candy canes came out GREAT this year, so I finally found the keeper recipe.

This is the peanut plate, set way back in the middle of the table for the few attendees that have a peanut allergy.

My kids helped decorate the sugar cookies this year. They showed tremendous restraint helping me by not licking fingers or sneaking the fun stuff. Instead, they just loaded down some of the cookies with a little bit of everything.

Oh my goodness, these are so good. I found this one - Super Duper Chocolate Kisses - in the 2008 Better Homes and Gardens Cookie magazine.

Some simple shortbread and one of my all-time favorites, Knock You Nakeds. These are so rich and yummy, I cut these small so that they last a little bit longer.

These are my apothecary jars that I added to the center of the table at the last minute. I adorned the necks of the jars with some of the Martha Stewart gingerbread boy felt ribbon.

Last, but not least, a look at the bag of cookies that went home with each household. Most of the bags had one of every kind of cookie that was made. We had more family and friends than ever before and I actually ran out of three (of the 31) varieties of cookies! I guess that means I need to make even MORE cookies next year!

Goodness, What a Weekend!

I am back from a quick trip to Seattle where I sat in on the A Muse Instructor's training. I really enjoyed getting to meet all of these amazing and fantastic women whom I have only communicated with electronically. It was nice to hear their voices and spend time with them. It is a completely different set of friends with whom I share a love for stamping and paper!

During a nighttime drive to our hotel, I saw the Seattle Space Needle all lit up and it was clear enough to see the moon. It made me think of the Space Needle stamp I had back home that had yet to be used. Last night I sat down to make a quick card that reminded me of my weekend in Seattle. I have to say that I was a bit tired and didn't do my best job with clearing the embossing powder off the card, so there are a few extra spots on this one :(




I didn't get to take too many photos but I just wanted to share one of my favorites from the weekend. We ate at Buca di Beppo - the WHOLE bunch of us. At the end of the meal they brought out gelato and these teeny cones. It was so good and yummy.



I will have more cards to share soon. But, for now, lots of leaves fell while I was gone and rain is coming, so I am out to work in the yard!

card info: images and notecard by A Muse, black cardstock and white embossing powder.

Get That Table Ready! Part 1

Last year, my family was together in Massachusetts for Thanksgiving at my sister's house. There was a kids table, so I made up some fun things for them. You can see the set up here. I thought I'd try out napkin rings for a more formal look this year. I think the tall pumpkin from the new SBS release is really a neat image. I stamped it on shrink plastic, colored it and punched it out in an oval shape. After shrinking, it fit perfectly on the smallest scallop oval punch. I cut a strip of cardstock, secured it with red line tape, and attached the ovals. It was really a quick to-do, so I could easily make more. I am working on a placemat idea right now, and hope to be able to share it soon.

Speaking of the SBS sets, check those out here. Look for TWO posts from Oct. 6 because you can enter to win a ***FREE*** set of stamps! All you have to do is leave a comment, but you need to do so before Wednesday. Good luck!

On a personal note, I know that many of you have been following my sister's health over the last 14 months. Sadly, she passed away on Sunday morning. I was able to be with her and her family this weekend, as well as my parents and siblings. I want to express a very heartfelt thank you to all of you who have inquired about her and have kept her in your thoughts and prayers. I may be absent from this blog some this week, but not for long. My sister said she checked in on me everyday through this blog and encouraged me to keep up the work, so I will.

Trip Pix

I realize that some of you may me checking in for something stamped, but I just wanted to share a few photos from my trip to New York this past weekend. You may recall that I took my son-to-be seven year old daughter to see "The Little Mermaid" on Broadway. We had a wonderful time despite the gray, dreary weather.



This is the marquee outside the theatre. The show was at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. It was really an amazing show to see because of the colors and constant movement, as if things were floating under water.



This was a "etched glass" decal that was on the front doors of the theater. I missed it one our way in because the doors were being held open, but my brother, who came along for the fun of it, pointed it out to me. My husband said, "Those folks at Disney don't miss a beat!"



Here is the Empire State Building on Sunday morning. The fog and mist was fairly thick most of the time we were there.



Sunday morning went to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, then walked over to Rockefeller Center to find some breakfast.




On Saturday evening, around 6 pm, we were walking back to our hotel and we saw this: a bunch of workmen on top of the Lehman Brothers building, getting ready to take down the sign. It was weird to see this happening, at dusk on a Saturday. The next morning we walked past the building and the letters were gone, as if the company had never existed.

Well, that is it for my trip photos. I promise to be back soon with something stamped for you. PLUS, I have sneak peeks of the newest release from The Saltbox Studio. This one has lots of fall and holiday stuff!

Inspiration in a Bush

Hi everyone! My family is back from our long trip up north. We were able to see lots of family and spend time relaxing and swimming and having fun. I tried to do some reading while we were away, but I also brought along some stamps so I could work on some Copic coloring.
This is a card that I started while we were gone, but I had to finish it at home because I hadn't thought about bringing brads. One day we were playing hide and seek and I hid near a rhododendron bush. While I was waiting for the seeker to find me, I spied a bird's nest on the branches deep inside the bush. I thought I'd recreate that for one of the all purpose cards that I will stamp with a sentiment later when I am ready to use it.

card info: images by The Saltbox Studio, notecard and papers by A Muse, brads by Making Memories, kraft cardstock, pop dots, Copic markers - new leaf, burnt umber, sepia, warm grays no. 2 and 4, frost blue, Tahitian blue.


Also, while I was gone, I got my hair cut. See my new look over there on the right? I had decided a long time ago to grow out my hair to donate. I wanted to donate it to a company that gives wigs to cancer patients. I found Beautiful Lengths in a magazine ad. I would encourage anyone that meets the requirements for hair donation to consider doing this. It really is a simple way to show your support to those who have cancer. I am hoping that I will be able to do this again before I go too grey to donate.

Round of tag

I forgot to play Geeta's game of tag the other day.  I've been busy with teething toddlers, so please forgive me!  The game was to share 7 random things about me, so here goes:

1. My TV is currently tuned to "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story."

2. I love the smell of Fritos, the old Band-Aids (from a tin), and a freshly mowed lawn.

3. I just heard my husband pull into the garage (Yay!  He's home from St. Louis!)

4. I have laundry I should be folding.

5. I just found out my LSS has a blog!  Check out the sidebar link for more.

6. My cousin Matthew and his wife, Melanie, just had a baby yesterday (gotta call him soon).

7. I make a mean rum cake for Christmas, too.

I have seen that there have been many people tagged of late, so, if you'd like, leave a comment with a random fact to share here.