My Heart 2 Yours: Be Wealthy in Today's Economy!

Must-see supermarket Website! WHOLE FOODS

2012-02-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

Saving on Whole Foods: check out www.wholefoodsmarket.com! it has always been a great site for healthful, budget -friendly recipes, cooking videos, and solid nutrition. You simply click on the "health starts here" button for advice.

Now you can connect to your local store on Facebook and Twitter to access exclusive deals and in-store events!

I was at Whole Foods in Overland Park in January. There are certain staples that I only buy there! When I arrived, I discovered that they were having a ONE DAY SALE that included Udi's Gluten Free Products. The breads were on sale for $2.99 per loaf (1/2 Price!) and they were having a product demonstration where they were distributing coupons for an additional $1.00 off on Udi's products. Of course, I scooped up 10 of those coupons and bought 10 loaves of bread (freezes great) for only $1.99 per loaf!

I bought $70.00 worth of bread for only $20.00. That is a 71% savings!

For many of my readers, you are interested in saving money on wholesome, organic and gluten free foods. Not all of us need to have such stringent diets, but for those of us who invest heavily on good foods at the market, seeing extreme savings like this is a Godsend!

When you arrive at the Whole Foods store, there are fliers and coupon booklets at the entrance. DON'T BE AFRAID to purchase more than one item and use the appropriate number of coupons! It's amazing to see the savings come without collecting coupons in advance. Just let the deals unfold! :) Happy saving!

CVS Home Mailer: Heart Health Month and Diabetes

2012-02-09T08:56:00.001-08:00

Hello folks! I wanted to make you aware of a mailer that I received from CVS yesterday:

CVS: CVS has an incentive program geared towards folks with diabetes. You don't HAVE TO HAVE diabetes to sign up for the offers! I received a cool mailer with "over $100" in savings. Truly, some of the coupons are awesome! They are based on February being Heart Health Awareness Month! I will do a blog post to list all the cool coupons availalbe in this mailer! If you didn't get it this time, no worries... go sign up for the Diabetes Extra Care Advantage in their store, and I'm sure you will get the next promotional flier :)

Here are the Coupons within the flier ALL EXPIRE 3/31/12:

*$5.00 Gift Card for having a heart -to heart- with your pharmacy team. (I imagine this is to review your prescriptions, or lack thereof, and meet the pharmacist)
*$30 off One Touch Verio IQ with PatternAlert Techology
*$2 off any Coricidin HBP
*$5 off Zegerid OTC 42 ct
*$2 off ANY Dr. Scholl's product *combine with a manufacturer's coupon for better savings!
$*5 off ANY Bayer meter
*$1 off 2 boxes of Cheerios 14 oz or larger *combine with a manufacturer's coupon for better savings!
*$10 off ANY accu-chek Aviva meter
*$4 off Multi-betic diabetes multi-vitamin
*$5 off Magnivision or Foster Grant Reasing glasses of $10.00 or more
*$2 off Depend underwear 14 ct or more *combine with a manufacturer's coupon for better savings!
*2 off select pharmacy brand heart health products
*$4 any CVS/ pharmacy brand healthcare purchase of $20 or more
*$3 any photo processing purchase of $10 or more
*FREE CVS/ Pharmacy Brand TRUE test 25 ct strips when you buy the 50 ct strips

HAPPY SAVINGS!

Make sure to friend us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Couponing-Secret/136035343150409

January Deals

2012-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

Would you like to have JANUARY's deal list and secrets???? It's easy! It's affordable! For only $5.00 you can start the New Year right by saving 50% or more on your grocery and consumer goods! Simply add your email below, click the Buy Now button, and I will send you January's secrets! Happy New Year!

Buying Gift Cards at Restaurants!

2011-12-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

Seasonal Tip: If you are planning on eating at a restaurant in the next few weeks, many top name chains are offering a "bribe" for buying gift cards. For instance, if you buy $25.00 in Gift Cards to 54th Street Grill, they will give you a $5.00 card as a bonus. There might be time constraints on the freebie card, but hey... $5.00 is an extra salad or drink!

Red Robin is doing the same promotion.

***NOTE: Don't just go sit at the table, buy the gift card and expect to use it that night! Plan ahead, go get the gift card and voila! It's in your wallet for when you need it!

$20 BONUS CARD

• For each $100 in gift cards purchased below receive a $20 Bonus Card*
• For Qualified purchases between 11/1/11 – 12/31/11.
• Bonus Card valid 1/1/12 – 2/10/12

Don't worry!

2011-11-07T08:18:00.001-08:00

The same awesome projects and events will still be blogged here!!! I have just expanded. I have completely ignored my Etsy business, and that is okay! Have you seen the cost of paper crafting supplies??? Besides, I'm too busy helping friends discover how they can be wealthy in today's economy!

I am thrilled to finally have my book done. Soon, my publicist will have the website going and complete strangers will have and love my book.

I plan on doing some workshops where I teach the concepts in Month Buy Month! Couponing is great, I have saved thousands of dollars over the course of the year doing it! However, there were months on end where the coupons just sat in a pile because I didn't have time to sort them, or didn't have the strength to go shopping with them. I'm sure many busy moms and grocery shopping dads can relate! Saving money on a consistent basis does not need to be overwhelming.

So look for great articles, How To's, and deal alerts! I promise not to just "repost" other blog entries from my favorite blogs, I promise to give FRESH, informational content so you are truly learning and loving my blog!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Month Buy Month!

2011-09-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

Month Buy Month is an exciting savings guide for the curious shopper! Hundreds of secrets to saving money, and buying products at the RIGHT TIME for the RIGHT PRICE are wrapped up in this awesome 39 page workbook. Inside you will find:

A monthly DEAL LIST: Open the page to this month or next, and you will find the deals to be expected. It's nice knowing that all the tomato products are on sale during September! It's really helpful to know when to buy all your baking products or camping equipment!
Next, explore Katie's secrets for each month. Here, Katie will explore ideas on how to use the great items you buy at a steep discount. She will discuss how to organize and best utilize your school supply stash, give you hints on preparing meals using ingredients you have on hand, and even how to decorate for a party while sticking to your budget!
You will find ways to save TIME and MONEY WITHOUT clipping endless coupons and spending hours reading blogs about coupon matchups! Sure, there will be times when you can combine coupons and sales for the best deals, but Month Buy Month is geared to the shopper who wants the best deal all year round.

Be a FAN on Facebook! Hop on over to : Couponing Secret ---- CLICK HERE! and enjoy the weekly hints, tips and reminders of sales and great deals in your area!

Katie specializes in finding those hidden savings that most shoppers will overlook. She holds nothing back as she shares these fun tips and suggestions with her Fans!

As a special favor to FACEBOOK FANS: You can purchase Month Buy Month at an exciting introductory price of only $9.99 plus shipping.

Retail price of this amazing workbook is $37.00, which we KNOW is a great investment in saving time, money and learning how to buy the things you actually use at the right time!

Join us today in saving almost 75% off the cover price, and get the chance to review and critique the workbook before it goes to the public!

We can't wait to hear what YOU have to say!

Finally: Introducing Month Buy Month!

2011-09-21T22:14:00.001-07:00

Smashing the Smash Book!

2011-09-11T21:29:00.001-07:00

I love having groups over to craft at my house! Here is a photo album of all the great photos taken by Michelle Lewis with My Fancy Photo. We had fun introducing ourselves, inspirational demonstrations of uses for Smash Books, and a truly inspiring devotional letting us know the importance of journaling to clear our minds of all the day in day out garbage and allow for real personal and spiritual growth.

Comments after the party have been amazing! Of course everyone had a great time, we always do, but this time, I wanted to provide the environment for some real personal reflection.

Around the room, I decorated with inspirational thoughts. Many are from my friend, Jim Fedor, who is a Master Calligrapher for Hallmark Cards. Here is his other website!

I chose the people I wanted to invite carefully. Knowing that there are busy schedules and prior engagements, I set out to invite 35 people with the promise that if they attend, they may bring a friend. All in all we had 18 people attend. Every attendee brought a canned good to share with the food bank. When I gathered it up to go over to the local church, it took two men to carry everything into the sanctuary! What a joy that was. I was going to take a photo and post all about how much food we gathered, but I decided that was innappropriate, people gave from their hearts and they received from my heart!

In keeping with my crafting philosophy, all gifts I give, I give from My Hear To Yours.... enjoy the slide show:

Great Deal on Canned Beans! at Hyvee, Meat and Tomato Juice!

2011-09-11T20:02:00.001-07:00

A big thank you to Couponing Secret via Facebook for this deal!

DEAL ALERT! HYVEE: 3 day sale: Tomato juice 48 oz can 98 cents! Chili or Kidney Beans 15 or 15.5 oz 38 cents! 85% lean ground beef $2.38 per 1 lb roll.

Friends, these are amazing prices considering today's food price increases. This is the time to figure out how many times you plan on making chili this year and buy the meat and beans for it now!

Prices are good Sunday 9/11 through Tuesday 9/13. The bottom of the ad says: we reserve the right to limit quantities, but there are no quantities listed on the ad. IF they do limit, go price match at Walmart and get the store brand, they won't limit there. Happy Shopping!

What can you do with tomato juice besides clean up after a skunk spray??

Firstly, you might remember your grandparents drinking it with breakfast, add a little pepper and a splash of Tabasco and you have a virgin bloody Mary.

Secondly, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, store the cubes in a freezer zip lock. When you are warming up spaghetti leftovers or making vegetable soups, you can add the cubed tomato juice from your freezer!

Thirdly, Tomato juice is VERY good for those who suffer from diabetes. Additionally, it prevents clotting, so it kinda acts like an aspirin for heart health.

Fourthly, use tomato juice as a base for soups like minestrone. 1/2 can tomato juice mixed with 1 can of chicken broth would make a great soup base for many concoctions!

I challenge you to buy a can or FIVE for your long term storage and try it! You might like what you discover. I personally will be making tomato ice cubes with it. I make a lot of spaghetti, it's nice to add the juice rather than water it down.

THANK YOU TO Couponing Secret via Facebook for this great deal! Welcome to Facebook - Log In, Sign Up or Learn More

Yes, you CAN!

2011-08-01T20:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some tips on how to do home canning with out a garden!! Not all of us are Martha Stewart! Here are some ways to get veggies and save cash at the same time!

Grocery Store: watch out this month for 2 or 4 days sales where locally grown produce is on sale for 1/2 price or more! Now is the time to purchase entire flats of strawberries, tomatoes, corn, blueberries, peaches, cucumbers, and squashes. Many stores will offer you a 10% + discount for purchasing a bulk amount of a particular item. Just ask!

U Pick Farms: Did you know you can go pick your own strawberries? Is anyone else as picky as I am about fruit? You can take your time and select the most beautiful and tasty fruit in the field. Buy by the pound or the flat and get ready to can!

Be Sweet, my Peach: If your family loves peaches or any other seasonal fruit, buy a few extra pounds and explore your options. How about trying a peach jelly? Peaches can be canned in wedges immersed in sugar syrup, water, grape juice or apple juice! Imagine how great they will taste in December as you enjoy them with your oatmeal during a blizzard.

Friends and Neighbors: Whoa! Hold your cucumbers! Last year, my personal garden produced exactly ONE zucchini! This thing was so big, it was like holding an infant in my arms as I carried it to the neighbor's fence. They were grateful for it! I'm sure it fed their small family for a week. All kidding aside, if the conditions are right, you might end up receiving the spoils of a bumper crop from a friend or neighbor. Cucumbers can be peeled, sliced and added to a vinegar juice with onions. No need to heavily season them, you can do that as you eat. This will preserve the cukes for a few days and add variety to your salads. Squash can be frozen for future use. It is best to cut it into cubes, freeze it on a cookie sheet and then add all the cubes to a ziplock once frozen. These can be added to soups, stews, pot pies, spaghetti sauces and other dishes. They should keep for 6 weeks or more if sealed tightly.

Enjoy!

Check out the discussion on Couponing Secret's Facebook page!!! Go HERE!

Disclaimer!! Thanks Obama!

2011-06-30T06:07:00.001-07:00

This policy is valid from 30 June 2011

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact wecare AT couponingsecret DOT com.

This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

The owner(s) of this blog will never receive compensation in any way from this blog.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Happy Summer Everyone!

2011-06-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

I told you in my last post about Procrastination! I'm the QUEEN of procrastination! All these ideas running around in my head, but with no action behind them, they sit idle.

It's time to start making a rumble, stand up and be counted! I've been working steadfastly on my couponing project. I realized half way through that what people really need is a kick in the butt, just like me, to get out there and make things happen. So I started to break things up into bite size pieces, each one is a great project idea on its own and would made a great product. I truly believe that eventually, when everything is done... the sum of the parts will far exceed the totality of the whole.

THAT is exciting for me because as I market my knowledge, I can let people purchase at the level they are interested in. I have some friends who want to completely duplicate ME in them! That's great, as they say in the commercials for smart phones: "There's an App for that!"

Other friends just want to know how to save $60.00 a week on their grocery bill... there's a product for that as well.

I'm just over the moon with excitement and can't wait to share it with everyone.

On a personal note, it's summer... the grass keeps growing and we have no desire to cut it. Missouri is HOT and HUMID! Last weekend, I spread more grass seed, in hopes of choking out all the weeds. I have been diligent in watering, keeping it moist... but no sproutlings. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'll keep buying seed, spreading it and watering it, and maybe we will have some green before winter!

Tutoring has been very busy this summer. I am so excited to have 8 new students. Each one comes with their own abilities and disabilities. They know, by time I'm done working with them, that they can do ANYTHING they desire. Put the work in, get the results out! Life kinda works that way, doesn't it!

No garden this year... I think I shared last year about the $200 worth of organic dirt that we brought in. That was fun. Our friends came and rototilled, we planted hearty plants only to watch them all die. Out of 30 tomato plants, we reaped a grand total of 2 pint size zip locks full of cherry tomatoes! WOO HOOO! let's do that again! NOT. There were 3 reasons for our garden failure... First, you have to weed. Again, we don't even mow our lawn but once a week... WHO WEEDS? Secondly, last summer was very strange. It was too hot at night. The tomatoes demand a temperature differential between day and night. It was 95 degrees at night too. Lastly, even after we cut down all our Walnut trees, our neighbors still have them. The walnut tree sends out a poison that kills any and all tomatoes within a 25 yard radius of the tree. The neighbors have quite a few trees, there is no escaping this!

I promise you that we will be very careful about where we buy our next property. Don't panic... we aren't moving anytime soon. However, we would like to buy some land near the new Temple, and make sure that there is plenty of room to plant our own food.

Happy summer everyone, gotta run!

Procrastination and FEAR

2011-03-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Who said, there is nothing to fear but fear itself? I think they are totally wrong with their spiral thinking.

Today, I feel like I am skydiver who walks around all day on the ground still wearing the parachute in case I fall. I am a skydiver who has never been in the plane with the door open, never felt that rush, never had to leap...yet I walk around prepared as if someone will push me off terra firma and I have to depend on grasping for survival.

There are BIG plans in the works for Katie. Katie is sitting at her desk taking her last college final and the question is, "WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU KNEW YOU WILL NOT FAIL?"

I guess it's time to figure out how to take the prophylactic parachute OFF, and not use it again until I PLAN on jumping out of a plane.

I don't know where the release button is, but I know somewhere on my chest there is a toggle button that if I press it, I become free. Where is it? How will I know when the right time to drop the pack will be? What if I need to put it back on in a hurry? What does it feel like to walk around without the safety net?

Walmart's homerun!

2011-03-06T07:14:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I'm writing something on behalf of Walmart. However, they have
really stepped up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park! Kudos to
Walmart for making it easier to use coupons at your store!!

The main changes that I am excited about include:

- You can use other store's catalina coupons at Walmart. This means that if
HyVee prints you a $2.00 coupon off your next purchase, you can use it at
Walmart. If Walgreen's prints you a coupon for $1.50 off your next Advil
purchase, you can use it at Walmart. No questions asked! I LOVE THIS!!! I get
catalina deals allll over the place and it will be nice to be able to do one
stop shopping.

- If your coupon is over the amount of the product, WALMART WILL HAND YOU THE
CHANGE!!!!!!! CHA CHING! For example, if you have a coupon good for $1.00 off
J&J Floss, and the floss is .97, you will get the .03 back! Most of us were
getting that anyway, we would just put extra things in our carts to eat up the
overage. Our only problem was sweating through the checkout waiting to see if
some eagle-eyed checker noticed the coupon was for over the cost of the product.
We don't have to hide that purchase amongst 50 others so they won't notice!!!
Walk up proudly and get your 3 cents back!!!

- Up to 40 coupons per transaction without a manager's approval, but there are
dollar limits ($50) on that as well. Usually, the cranky old customer service
lady would hobble over to the register when you hit $20.00 in coupons and sit
there and scrutinize every product as if you were doing something wrong.
Hopefully, this will make it a little friendlier and less condemning.

http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx

Above is the link to their corporate policy. Print it out and keep it with your
coupons. Most Walmarts are on board right now and don't need to be argued with,
but it's good to have on hand.

cheers!
Katie

Coupon Class Handouts

2011-02-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

Please remember that most of the documents provided are proprietary in nature. Please do not use this information to sell a coupon class or promote my work as your own. Thanks!

Handout #1
Got a Few Minutes

Monthly Sales Cycle

2011-02-15T20:53:00.001-08:00

Often, I am asked how I know when to buy certain items/goods. I have compiled a great list including my monthly secrets to saving money on everyday items. Here is a sample for JULY! so get busy and go get those deals!

The entire year will be available SOON as an e-book that you can have for your very own! Would you like me to update you when it's ready? I will send you a link where you can view a sample chapter and purchase the book if you wish. Your information will NOT be sold to anyone for any reason. You will receive emails from: WeCare@MonthBuyMonth.com and/ or WeCare@CouponingSecret.com

GO HERE So I have your name and email address! See you soon!

As promised, here is July!

JULY Sales/Deals:

School Supply Deals

July 4th promos – BBQ!

BBQ Sauce
Baked beans
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayonnaise
Marinade
Hot dogs
Hamburger/ground beef
Ribs
Steaks
Buns
Paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils, etc.
Soda
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Blueberries
Fireworks

July Secrets: July is a great month for fresh blueberries! Almost every tabloid magazine will feature some red, white and blue cake that includes fresh strawberries and blueberries! July is a great month to seek out a "U-Pick" farm. Usually, the farmer will allow you to go pick berries and other fruits and charge you by the pound or by the container.
Visit farmer's markets! You might get a great deal on foods if they have a bumper crop! Shop around at the farmer's market before you buy, farmers don't often keep their sale prices the same as their competitors. If you walk an extra block, you might find the prices a few cents lower! Every penny counts when you are trying to save cash!

Go ahead and stock up on hot dogs! Freeze them in their original sealed package. When you thaw them, make sure you leave them sealed, do not defrost in the microwave, it will dry them out. The same goes for breads. If you freeze a loaf of bread, thaw it while it is still completely sealed so the moisture goes back into the bread. Otherwise, it will come out dry and crumbly.

The Day After Tomorrow!

2011-02-03T18:44:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been almost 1 year since I've blogged. I guess I didn't have anything exciting to say, and that's just fine :) I wanted to share some pictures of the ice spikes outside my window. I titled this, The Day After Tomorrow, because the climate reminds me of that movie when everything froze. We just got 1 foot of snow, driven snow this week. The entire Midwest got hit with a Blizzard. I took the time to scan old family photos and can some salsa!

So enjoy the ice spikes!

Oh yea, Follow up on the Daily Yuck post from a couple of years back: Soy Joy came out with a facebook page. They posted an ad where they were asking FB users to comment about their Soy Joy Bars. I took the opportunity to give them some SOLICITED yet HONEST feedback.. To sum it up: Yuck, your bars are gross, nearly gagged. You get the idea. I also mentioned that I blogged about how gross they were, and the Soy Joy guy responded that yes, they had read my blog! I want that job, I want to go looking for BAD YUCKY Soy Joy posts on the internet and keep track of them just in case. Anyway... they wanted to send me their new flavor, well... they mailed them to me, I opened the pouch and I have actually refused to try them. Funny thing... the Soy Joy guy said that I must have tried their OLD Flavors. Well... old or new, they are gross.

Pookie's Revenge, Part I

2010-09-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

by Allison

One morning around 10 o’clock Pookie woke up and wandered down the stairs, as he was creeping up on his food bowl when he saw that it was empty. Pookie could see the very bottom of his baby blue bowl. “Ggggrrrrr” his little tummy kept making that sound, he jumped of the little night stand (that is where they kept his food so the dogs would not get it) and he walked over to go to his cat box, to his disgust, it was filthy. There was no way that he could even walk into it. Pookie was furious he could not stand it anylonger; no little kitty should have to deal with this. It was time for the ultimate revenge, POOKIE’S REVENGE!!!!!!!!!!!
He crept ever so quietly up the stairs and in to the living room where he left presents (both kinds if you know what I mean) behind the big screen TV. After he was done he went to go hide under his mom’s bed, because that is where she kept all of her stuffed animals. Pookie hid his body behind the animals but he laid hid head by some of the other animals so he could blind in, but it was too late she had found him. The next thing that he knew was he being pulled out from under the bed. Then the most odd thing happened, instead of being mad at Pookie all she said “pookie that’s a bad kitty” and gave him a kiss in the nose. Then she let him go, he went to go found a place to take a nap. On top of Sunshine the, old yellow lab.
Sunshine or Sunny as they called her was very old and her bones hurt her so she never really got up. She would get up to go to the bathroom but nothing else; when it came to eating they would bring her food bowl to her. Sunny was really nice to Pookie. She really did not care one way or another what he did, and he liked to take naps on her, she is so soft and warm. Sunny is the best place to take a nap.
After his nap he was hungry so he went back down stairs to his food bowl. But as he rounded the corner he saw it, the big ugly rankles that covered the “it” dog named Luci, she was sleeping on the pull out couch. What was he going to do? He couldn’t be seen; ever so quietly he army crawled on the floor around the “thing” named Luci. He made it safely to his food bowl without being seen. But there was one problem there was no food in it, he jumped down to go look at his litter box, it was a………. he could not think of anything to say.
This time he went into his mom’s room and into the back of her closet, I bet you can guess what he did. If you guessed that he left presents you are 100% right! If I was a little kitty I would do the same thing, it’s just not fair! I bet you would feel the same way that Pookie does. What would you do if the same thing happened to you? You would take action and do something about it, would you not?
The next thing that happened was to very angry girls where fighting about him, his mom was in t-r-o-u-b-l-e because of not feeding him and making sure that him box was clean. She got threatened that if she did not keep up on cleaning out his box that Pookie would get taken away and would become someone else’s new kitty. Let’s just say that she never forgot to change the litter again.

In the end Pookie’s tummy was always full and he always had a nice clean box.

Pookie's Revenge, Part II

2010-09-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Pookie’s Revenge, Part II by Allison and Katie

When we first saw our hero, he was happily sleeping on Allie’s bed after leaving “presents” all over the laundry room floor. Long after the carpet was removed, the satisfaction of a lesson well taught remained. Presently, Pookie, the wonder cat, learns of a cat party just down the block. Word on the street is that a neighbor cat, Gabe, is missing his mother. She went on vacation. What a horrible thing for a kitty mamma to do. Gabe decided that it was a great time to throw a party. He and his brother, Victor, gathered treats such as Ritz Crackers, Marshmallows, and other dry kibble. Gabe managed to wrangle some extra cat nip from his Grandma Curtis who was babysitting. Little did Grandma Curtis know what was about to transpire, but she gave in, and poured extra cat nip on the floor. Victor started to rub his head all over the catnip as Gabe snipped, “Not now Victor! That’s for the party!” Victor just pouted and walked away. Gabe had a better plan in mind for the catnip.
Pookie, who lived down the block, got word from Lucy, who heard it from the twin Siameese next door that there was a party at Gabe’s house that night. Soon enough, the party time was there. Pookie sneaked out of his house with a toy mouse to serve as a hostess present. Pookie strutted down the block to Gabe’s apartment.
“Mow wow,” howled Pookie. “What a beautiful place you have here.”
“Thank you, and you are?” inquired Gabe.
“I’m Pookie, live down the street, brought you a mouse, heard your MOM was out of town, cool dude!” replied Pookie.
“Ah Ha… yeah, she went to Missouri to go see her boyfriend,” Gabe sang.
“How are you getting along without her?” I asked.
“Very easy,” Victor interrupted, “Grandma Curtis comes in a couple times a day to play and feed us, the litter box is clean, but you know how it goes… we still miss her.”
“Oh, the last time my humans made me mad (bowl empty, litter box empty), I took things into my own paws.” Pookie explained. “I left the smelliest present for her in her closet.”
Victor asked, “what happened after that?”
Pookie told the tale of how unacceptable the living conditions were at his house. Sure, he had a nice fluffy bed and a wonderful kitty mamma who gave him tons of kisses, but one day his bowl was empty. What does a cat have to do to get some food around here? Well, he continued, “I got her attention.”
Soon enough, five other animals arrived. There was a squirrel and four other cats who joined the festivities. Pookie never knew that squirrels smelled so funny. They don’t like catnip either. It’s not the right kind of weed. Pookie, Victor, Gabe and the other four cats rolled and sniffed the chunky green stuff making sure to grind it into the carpet. Soon enough everyone was just lounging around and enjoying the crackers. Gabe was still lamenting about how much he missed his mamma.
“Well,” Pookie sneered, “ she will be back soon enough and you need to take charge. You need to make sure she never leaves you for six weeks again.”
“I do have a good caretaker, she comes and…,”replied Gabe.
“BUT IT’S NOT THE SAME!” growled Pookie.
“So this is what you do is…” Pookie purred as he started to flash back to his own experience.
Meanwhile, Gabe and Victor’s mamma was on a plane, only six short hours from home. Their mamma freaked out when she saw the crumbs all over the floor. Evidence of the party was strewn all over the apartment. Grandma Curtis tried to explain that everything was wonderful while she was gone. The kitties were just fine. They slept most of the time. That night, Gabe, Victor and their momma snuggled as they slept. Everyone seemed happy and content. The next morning, momma woke up and made breakfast. She usually ate breakfast by her computer so she could check e-mail and do her computer stuff. The aroma of bacon and eggs permeated the air. Life was bliss. Suddenly, momma looked closely at her computer chair…there was a freshly made present right in the middle of her chair.
Looking back, the party had been a huge success. Thankfully for Gabe, he met Pookie, the wonder cat, who taught his momma a great lesson. Taking his advice, Gabe made sure that his momma knew exactly how he felt about her being gone so long.
To all the other kitties out there, let this be a lesson, sometimes the food bowl might be empty, your litter box dirty, and your momma might be gone; but most the time your momma is right there, the bowl is full and the box is clean. So please never leave presents behind the TV, in the closet, in the laundry room, or the computer chair. Be thankful and enjoy the kisses!

Four Years Later...

2010-08-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't blogged forever! I actually think my last blog was when I was in the hospital back in February! :( Well, I'm better now! No repercussions from that flu. I'm very grateful!

Okay, so for those of you who are interested, I wanted to let you in on a little secret of mine. I love bargains! I love free stuff! I love coupons!! Since about January, I have been a super couper! You know, those people that you see on TV that go and buy $500.00 worth of groceries and then pay only .17 out of pocket?? Well, I do that on a weekly basis.

Lately, the economy is just spiraling out of control, yet my grocery bill stays the same... next to nothing.

My Dear Hubby and I have always stocked up on groceries, paper products and other household goods. We used to fill carts at Sam's Club or Cost Co to the tune of $400. We would buy razors and TP and zip locks until our shelves were full. Well, nothing has changed other than I buy them elsewhere and get them for free or next to nothing.

So, I have been asked by many friends here in KCMO to tell them how I do it. I must warn you: it does take time, energy, money to buy papers, and gas to drive around and get the deals. I really treat this like a full time job and at one store alone I have saved over $4000.00 in the last 4 months. That is $1000 a month off my budget.

What do I do with all the food and products?? Well, I donate a ton of it... whether it be friends at church, or the Good Sheppard Methodist church food bank, or toothbrushes for Zambia... whatever i have excess of, I find a good home for it. I had an over abundance at one point and sold a little at my garage sale this summer, it was a blast, people were thrilled with their good deals.

So here is the scoop, rather than explain everything 10 times a day, I'm going to write instructions on a blog with links and details... then you can pick and choose what you would like to do and how much of it you want to do. There are hundreds of coupons sites around, so I don't want to be the source for daily or weekly deals, but i will get you pointed in the right direction!

Enquiring Minds Want To Know

2010-02-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

Nice to Meet

Okay, before you read the rest of my post, it might be important background to know that I have been in the hospital since Friday morning with gastroenteritis. Food poisoning. Joy! It's now 3 am on Sunday and I have some observations for you. My sweet husband brought my lap top, so I do not have to be completely unplugged of the world.

Here is a list of crap that needs to be in a bag before you go to the ER:
toothbrush
toothpaste
chap stick
BRUSH/COMB
conditioner
slippers
Q-tips
dental floss
list of medications
insurance card

Here is what to know BEFORE you get to the ER:

If there is a wait for you to bee seen, get a Eme-Bag and barf in the waiting room! Win!

Pooping, Peeing, and Puking (the 3 P's of the Hospital) are encouraged!

Know what your deductible/ co-pay is so that when they offer to admit you to the hospital you will be quick to smile and know that your insurance, like in my case, waived the ER copay when I was admitted. :) Win!

When the doc proposed me staying here what went through my mind.....GOOD! I don't have to DRINK all the fluids that are needed to replenish my system! Win! GOOD! I don't have to go pay $12.00 per prescription at CVS (although I'm sure I have a coupon somewhere) for 2 or 3 doses of anti nausea meds. Win!

My sweet Mark won't have to put up with me tossing and turning and being miserable! Win! Win! Win!

Here is a list of things that absolutely ROCK about the hospital:

When you can finally eat, they will bring you whatever you want, when ever you want it. Doesn't mean that it is edible, but the safe bets are: pudding, jello, apple juice and pop.
They will answer EVERY time you hit that button, even if you hit it by accident.

Here is a list of things that absolutely SUCK about the hospital:

They have shampoo, but no conditioner
you can't get more than 30minutes of sleep before one of the following will occur: full bladder, empty IV bag, check vitals, here's your food tray, are you done with your food tray? I need to take you to x-ray, would you like to take a shower? Can I listen to your lungs, Good morning, I'm your nurse today, **old phone rings*** Hey, is Kathryn Sparks there? "No, she died, we just cleaned the room and now I am here" (oh wait, I wasn't thinking fast enough to have that reply)... you get the picture
They push fluids in you until you can fill a Big Gulp cup every time you pee!!!
Even with great snacks you are still starving.
You are tired even though you "could" sleep anytime you want. Whatever
The IV machine is possessed.
The remote is attached to the wall and weighs about 5 pounds.
You have to shower with a veterinarian glove on to keep your IV port dry... you know the glove I'm talking about! MOO!!!!
The "socks"
Channel surfing involves 10 channels!

I'm sure I have more, but I'm tired again and ready for my 20 minutes of sleep!

7:30 am New excuse to interrupt my sleep.... Knock Knock...good morning, I'm just checking to see if you are wearing oxygen, looks like you are not. Close door, exit orderly.

WHAT THE F? I've had to stare at a dry erase board that has the following written on it:

Date:
RN:
CNA:
GOAL:

BP
T
yada, yada AND: O² ... What they mean is dissolved Oxygen, as in molecular oxygen,

O_{2. aren't these peeps supposed to have "some" education?}

Check out this smile!!

2010-01-15T12:10:00.001-08:00

Have you ever seen such a happy little animal??? I bought a can of yucky popcorn (not worthy of a post on its own) and we weren't willing to eat it. HOWEVER, we have several critters out back that would love to have such a wonderful snackiepoo. During our COLD COLD COLD (-13 degrees) days I put the whole can outside and waited for a while to see what would happen. We came home one day and this is what we encountered. The smile on that squirrel's face is just priceless!!
Oh, and for the record, this little critter loves the SOYJOY bars! Go figure!!

Felt Finger Puppets For Jamaica!

2010-01-15T11:48:00.000-08:00

Our service group at church is preparing activity/hygeine kits for kids in Jamaica. Every year, the Rotary Club here in Kansas City travels to Jamaica to do a Medical/ Dental mission. This is very near and dear to my heart because I want to be a Medical Missionary some day and go do cleft palate surgeries with Doctors Without Borders or through my church. Either way, it will be a wonderful thing to truly change someone's life!

But for now, as I sit studying for that MCAT, I took a break to make some coloring book packets and the most fun.... FELT FINGER PUPPETS!!! Here are some of the critters that I created last night while watching TV with my sweet hubby. I posted more photos on my facebook page.

Oh, and by the way, the egg came first!

The Daily Yuck!

2010-01-06T17:00:00.001-08:00

First, let me start off by admitting that I am very picky at what snacks I devour on a regular basis. True, if there is something worthy of eating... I'll eat it, but these SOYJOY bars are NOT what I call edible.

I went to CVS, my regular couponing haunt and got 6 boxes of these things for free. That's RIGHT! For FREE!!!!! They are about $7.49 but they were on sale for $6.00 and then you got 6 ECB's back when you purchased a box, limit 6. I thought I was so clever stocking up on these pieces of poo. I imagined a whole shelf dedicated to Soyjoy bars in my food storage room. YUCK. I was on my way to pick up Mark at work and driving rather slow due to a snow storm. I decided, hey... I'll pretend I'm stranded and try one of the bars... OMGOSH, I almost threw up! They are not good. At first, I simply licked the nasty poop like Yoda when he tried Luke's power bar. See above if you have been sleeping for the last 33 years. After that, I thought, mmmmmmYUCK. They smell like poo, they look like cardboard baked with pieces of fruit rollup in them, but taste worst than anything I have ever tried.

I recommend PASSING on these nasty things and don't waste your time collecting them, even if they are FREE!!!!!!! Just keep walking.... just keep walking... walk right past the nasty suckers!

We Made it at Katie's

2010-01-02T19:48:00.001-08:00

I love having people over to our home to play in my scrap room. It makes it all worthwhile to see them create and have fun! Here are a couple of my students and their mothers. We made paper bag albums. :) What a fun Happy New Year Project!!

Finally! a couple pictures of my art room!

2010-01-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

here are some snap shots of parts of my craft studio. I had 2 more fun days of scrappin with friends. I will post another blog about that so you can see all the awesome goodies we created. Here are some pictures of the studio!!!

Blizzard 2009 Kansas City

2009-12-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

Diet Pepsi.....check
IOU for Christmas Present for Mark....check
Laundry Caught up and House Clean....check
Car parked in Garage....check
Facebook updated!....check
Grocery Shopping done....check
Honeybaked Ham purchased....check....... Okay.... let it snow!

I guess Kansas City has not had a Blizzard since 1982. That's a long time to wait for a storm like this! Since we have no place to go and no where we have to be, I say let it snow! The most annoying part is listening to the little ice pellets hit the windows, but that won't last long. If we are in for a true blizzard, it will start to snow and not stop for hours and the winds will blow everything around and make it so we don't have to shovel the sidewalks. Let's hope for that!

I have nothing very profound to show you tonight, but I do want to let you in on a little preparedness secret. If the weather calls for dangerous conditions such as a blizzard or a tornadic storm... it's important to realize that the electricity could easily be knocked out. Here are some steps you need to take to make sure that you are prepared for the weather.

Consistently work on getting your 72 hour emergency kit assembled. Know where it is located and make sure that it has season appropriate supplies. Warm DRY clothing, hand warmers, gloves, eye protection are very important for blizzard conditions.
Do all your laundry BEFORE the storm hits. If you are without electricity, at least you have clean dry clothing, towels and extra blankets on hand. No need to stockpile 40 days worth of undies... if you have to go for a week, you will be fine.
Make sure you have extra drinking water located in a place that it will not freeze. No electricity=no pumps. Sure, most gravity systems will still allow water to get to your house, but what if the City has a boil order? Are you going to use your precious fuels to boil water for drinking? Not just for a few days you aren't. Fill those 2 liter bottles ahead of time. DO NOT USE MILK JUGS!
If you are waiting for damaging storms to arrive, take a shower and wash your hair. The very last thing you will want to do the next day without electricity is take a lukewarm bath and then start digging through your food storage to figure out what you can make out of wheat.
Have a 3 day menu planned for occasions like this. Tomorrow is Christmas at the time I write this. We already have the ham and it is fully cooked, so no need to panic, we have fodder for sandwiches for a few days if needed. Meal ideas will follow, but it needs to be things that you and your family WILL eat without thinking twice. Comfort food would be good.
Have a full tank of gas. Do not let any driver in your household return the car without a full tank of gas. Again, no electricity, no power for gas pumps... let alone a Debit Card to fill your tank.
Have tools readily available... know where they are located. Damaging storms bring lots of surprises. You might need to help a neighbor. Things to consider: chainsaw with extra fuel, snow shovels, snow blowers with fuel, traction sand stored in a water tight container, have a couple LARGE tarps to cover roof. More than likely you will not need to have a 100x100ft tarp, but a couple 20 x 20 will come in handy.
If you have room in a garage (perhaps stored above in the rafters) store 4-5 sheets of OSB board. This will help to board up shattered windows. Sure, there are plenty of storm chasing companies out there ready to patch up your house until the insurance adjuster gets there, but why suffer with a gaping hole in your bedroom?!

As usual, I have started out to make a short post, but now I have written a novel. I hope that each an everyone of you have a blessed day tomorrow. I know that Jesus is the Christ, I know that he is a Gift from God to come down, be born, teach us how to live, and then atone for OUR sins. I marvel at what a miracle his birth is. Mary must have pondered and thought about how tiny the very hands to God appeared. He, who measured the skies with those hands came to earth as a baby, born in a lowly manger.

Merry Christmas, and may you never go hungry, may you always be warm and may you always have the spirit of Christmas in your heart!!!

From My Heart 2 Yours,

Katie

Some new basics for you!

2009-12-21T22:40:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have realized that I have a gift for saving money. The weird part of this realization is that I never thought of my gift as a gift, but rather a math game. Always keeping my eye open for a bargain, I have clipped coupons, watched sales, read blog after blog about what is on sale and where and when to use double coupons, etc.

Last Friday, Mark and I went to a chocolate party at the Lewis home... their home was just cute as can be with their new Christmas lights. While the guys played Beatles Rock Band, the girls hand dipped candies in chocolate and gabbed. One theme that always comes up is "Katie's Frugality." Don't get me wrong, I love shopping, I love looking around, I love browsing, I just never thought of it as a talent. So, with no further ado, I hope to occasionally share some of my secrets and my gems of wisdom about these things. I will try to tag these items with "Katie's Frugality" so that you can easily search for them. One post you might want to look at that is already on my blog is the post about Homemade Laundry soap. I still use it, I still love it, in fact... I have a jug of Tide in my laundry room that I haven't touched. I want to just give it away and get rid of the clutter, but the pack rat in me wants to keep it for a rainy day. The homemade laundry soap lover in me says that the Tide is truly inferior and would be better used to soap up a fountain or something. Hmmm... we shall have to wait and see what happens with that jug of Tide. :)

One of my favorite blogs to read is called "Safely Gathered In." The theme of the blog is Provident Living. Self Reliance is very important to me. Mark and I are working diligently to get out of debt and live within our means. We have followed all the suggestions regarding food storage, but now we need to learn how to use all that food and rotate it as part of our normal menus. Here is a link to the HOMEMADE PIZZA post on Safely Gathered In.
You can click on the Pizza Picture above to see the photo credits and get the delicious recipe! Please leave me some comments on what you would like to read articles about. I will either impart my tidbits of wisdom or point you to the people who do it better than I. Happy reading!

Heratige Album Layouts

2009-12-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

This is the cover that I made with a few of the items provided in the kit. Layer the grey or black shape on the bottom, put the creme colored smaller shape on top. On top of that, adhere the die cut tree and the silhouette shapes. Notice that I have not centered this square... it is a little more to the left that you think it needs to be. On the right, adhere the antique lace and cover that lace with buttons, and other fun bits.

Below is the cover that I made for the sample book, it is the inspiration for the cover that is provided with the kit. I recommend that you use the sturdiest cardstock on your cover.

NOTE: ALL PAPERS WILL NEED TO BE TRIMMED TO MEASURE 6" Down by 5.75" Across. This allows room for the binding. Don't think that you will be able to punch holes in the whole album after the fact to fit the rings. Unless you have a drill press, the book will be too thick, even for the CropADile.

This is Katie's Sample book that everyone fell in love with. I used a lot of elements such as ink and distressing the edges of the papers and old buttons.

The flowers on this page are by PRIMA. I made the antiqued tags using Walnut Ink.

Please let me know if you have any questions about techniques, supplies, where to get something or how I did something. I am more than happy to share. Go ahead and post questions here on the blog so that I can answer for everyone to see. Thanks :) Katie

Bunco Bucket

2009-12-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Susie is having a Bunco Party next week and she inquired about fun alternative packaging for gift cards. So I whipped up something special for her... this is an altered paint can. This one is done in a a Christmas Theme... check out the dice (for Bunco) and the Christmas balls on top :). When she gets this can, she will put the gift card or gift inside the can and pound the lid shut...remember, it's a paint can! Attached to the fluff at the top is the paint can opener. Ther recipient opens the can to reveal the gift.

Enjoy! Hope you have a Great Bunco Night, Aunt Sue!

For other paintcans that I have altered see here and here.

We Made it at Katie's

2009-12-11T23:44:00.000-08:00

Missey, Michelle, Sephie and Michelle came over to do some scrappin. Missey and Michelle made their annual calendars. They spend HOURS AND HOURS making their own planners complete with tabs and binding. Each year, it seems they get better... better design, better ideas, better binding.

Michelle B worked on scrapbook pages of her kiddos, and guess what... she actually put together 3 pages. To me, that's amazing, because I usually spend all night discussing glue choices and paper selection and never get the project done. Here are some pictures of our fun evening. We had chili and brownines for snack!!!Woooot Woooo!

So, 2 nights in a row I hosted workshops :). What fun! The house stayed clean, the cats were well behaved and I got to enjoy time, quality time with my favorite people!

Christmas is coming, the Goose is getting Fat!

2009-12-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

And final's week is next week, and life is good!!! It is finally getting cold here, not Montana cold, but I actually have to wear socks to stay warm, so there you go. I didn't post over Thanksgiving, although I should have. I am thankful for so many things and other than having Christmas decorations all over the house that need to be put away, I am pretty happy with life. Things will be better on Tuesday night when my Organic Chemistry final is over as well.

So, my blogger friends, I must say bye for right now, I'll post soon... I promise!

Heritage album class

2009-11-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Despite the frigid temperature outside, we were able to gather at my home and make the family heratige albums. We first talked about proper care and storage of old family pictures and documents and how to preserve them. It is very important to realize that htese images are being lost forever while they are stored in basements and attics and subject to the harsh conditions therein.

After that lecture, we promptly started making our albums...we did paper bag albums, which oddly enough are not acid or lignin free. So basically, everything we talked about was just tossed away and we had some fun. The ladies brought photocopies of old pictures. Some ladies brought picures of their grandkids. One sister made an adoption book instead of the family heratige album. It was just a fun night. As usual, when ever I do an album or a paper art project night, the evening draws to a close close to midnight or even later. This night was no exception. So, I offer a big THANKS to all the daddies and husbands out there who so willingly kept the home fires burning as we scrapped. Here are some photos: Enjoy!

Frugality at its finest! Homemade Laundry Soap!

2009-11-01T14:48:00.000-08:00

How would you like to seriously save some cash, be eco-groovy, and have amazingly great smelling clean laundry with NO soap residue??? Well, this is the post for you! Here is an experiment that I tried earlier this weekend. I have been considering it for a while and did quite a bit of research about it. What spurred it on was the fact that Tide and Cheer prices were inching up close to 10.00 per jug. Even with a coupon you only save .50 or 1.00 after you buy 2 jugs of goo.

I realize that convenience has absolutely taken over our world. Everything has to be in single serving packages, redi-made, instant, microwaveable, or obtained in a 3 minute drive thru transaction. It seems like we have lost touch with the way things used to be done. About 2 years ago I posted my favorite wheat bread recipe so, now, 2 years later, let me share with you my favorite recipe for homemade laundry soap. I even have pictures of the mess and the ingredients for your viewing pleasure. I made two batches that provide enough soap for 50 or so loads depending on how stinky the clothes are. Store it in a nice air tight container. My calculations so far the laundry soap is coming in at about .10 per scoop. I have 3/4 of a box of Borax and Washing Soda left. I probably have a year supply of ingredients OR MORE!

So with no further adieu, here is the recipe:

Powdered Laundry Detergent

2 Cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated)

NOTE: 1 Bar=1Cup

1 cup Washing Soda

1 cup Borax

· Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.

Use 1-2 tablespoons per full load. The mess... I used a cutting board to cut the Fels-Naptha into chunks. I put it through our "SALAD SHOOTER" twice. The first grate, it looked like old lady toe nail clippings, but then it fell apart into wonderful little granules.

My, My... how they grow up!

2009-10-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have had the pleasure of being dear friends with a sweet young woman. I have watched her grow from a very spunky, unfocused Freshman to a beautiful, sophisticated adult. Recently, Adrianne turned 18 and she started her own business with Mary Kay Cosmetics. Even if you have your own preferred brand of cleanser and moisturizer, it is important to make sure that those products are meeting all your needs. I, have had great success with NuSkin 180 system, and more recently I have been using the Murad physician's line of products to deal with my adult acne. However, in honor of Adrianne's new business, I have decided to try the Time wise face care again. It's been 9 years since I have used Mary Kay!!! LOL. Anyway, they have a 100% money back, bottom of the bottle guarantee, so I have nothing to loose. I'm happy for her, it is a great education!

Take a moment FOR ME, will you? and go check our her website! HERE

Adrianne, I'm proud of you for learning about business!! Go get em!

Fall Bliss!

2009-10-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love crisp days! After all, I am the one who won't be happy until I'm living in an igloo in the middle of the arctic tundra... here are some beautiful pictures of our amazing tree out front of our house. No other trees on my block have changed colors...they are all green except for this beauty:

Amy Butler ALTERED ROLODEX

2009-10-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

I made this amazing Rolodex this weekend! I am offering free shipping for it through my etsy store. This wonderful item comes with a free greeting card :).

Has it been that long?!?

2009-10-04T18:27:00.001-07:00

I am so sorry to procrastinate on my blogger entries. Let me give you a "Reader's Digest Version" of my life for the past few months: I am taking Organic Chemistry and Medical Terminology. Both have been fun classes for me, but the OChem leaves NO TIME for crafting and updating my blog here. Mark and I have been getting the outside of our home ready for winter, this means mainly cleaning up all the stupid walnuts that have fallen from the trees. If it were up to me, I would chop those things down!!! They killed my tomato plants and now are leaving a sappy nut all over the ground.

Lately, I have completed a few paper art projects that I would like to share with you. All of these projects are listed in my Etsy store. I hope you will consider buying handmade for Christmas and Birthday gifts this year! It's much more fun to give and your receiver will know how much love you put into that gift.

Here are a few things : ENJOY!

Allie's Scrapbook Party

2009-08-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

One of the most wonderful benefits of being a personal tutor is that I bond very close with my students, especially kids that I meet when they are rather young and I get to watch them grow up! I love it! One of my sweetest friends is Allie. Allie came to me several years ago, below grade level in every subject and a list of learning disabilities that would make anyone just give up! She has not only learned things that were hard for her but she is going to High School in September! I am so thrilled for her.

Allie's birthday was in July, and I promised her a party. The guest list was up to her and I let her decide what her activity would be. She and her momma came to my clipboard night 3 years ago, so she knew what she wanted to do, it was easy to decide, she wanted to make altered paper bag albums. They turned out amazing!! Each party guest got to pick their own theme and papers. I was thrilled with the results, each book was just unique and beautiful.

Enjoy the pictures of Allie's special day!!!

A Fresh Start Tutoring... Now on facebook! Become a fan!

2009-08-04T22:48:00.001-07:00

A Fresh Start Tutoring on Facebook

Procrastination 101

2009-07-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been busy earning and A in my Chemistry Class. That's why I haven't posted anything. But now, this week, Thursday to be exact, I have my final. So what do I do? Study??? Moi??? No way! I got out my ATG 7o0 Adhesive gun and started work! I made a few funny cards, some thank you cards and one incredibly cool Papertrey Ink card that I still have to photograph the inside before I post. For your viewing pleasure, here are some of the finished procrastinations: If you care to contribute to my Fall Semester Tuition Fund, you may purchase these cards and others at my Etsy Store.

A Step in the Right Direction

2009-06-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

"I shoulda been a doctor"
"You know, i should have gone to med school"
"Why didn't I become a doctor?"
"Wow, you should have been a doctor."
"Yes, that's right, you should go be a doctor."

I've been saying this and hearing these things for the last 17 years. I remember being almost done with my Physics degree and saying to myself... crap, I should have been a doctor. Finally, the conversation has changed slightly. After listening to me rant for weeks about it, my friend Sallie finally put it back in my face, "Yes, that's right, you should go be a doctor." So I am.

I turned 38 last week. I feel like I'm 28. Three days ago, I started my Chemistry class. It hasn't been easy. If the quiz I took today is any indication of how well I will do in this class, then just give me the F now and I'll be on my way. However, it was a sample quiz. After all, most tests are designed to show you how much you don't know. So at least I KNOW that I have hours worth of studying to do before I get to Monday's REAL test. Then the content of the Chem 112 really starts.

Today we went to the lab to get acquainted with the room and the supplies. It took me back 15 years and I realized how much I have missed the lab. I already bought a lab coat which will be adorned with Swarovski crystals by tomorrow morning. But I think I'll be more comfy in some nice baggy scrubs.

The last time I took Chemistry, I did it because I had to. I did it because it was a requirement for my Physics Degree. This time, I'm doing it for myself. I'm doing it because I am a doctor who just hasn't finished school yet. Off I go to study, but I wanted to at least post a blog about my landmark decision. I will not rest until this is done, my soul will not be satisfied. Interesting... the more I learn about anatomy, the more I am in awe of our creator. I want to have His knowledge, I want to work on His behalf to help His children. Maybe He will guide my hands.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!
I'll post some of my paper creations soon. In the mean time, go look at my friend Michelle's Etsy store. She made some really cute bags to hold all of her weight watchers stuff. :)

BYE!

More Just Housin Around!

2009-04-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

here are a few more pictures of the house. These are from the moving day! Thanks again for everyone for your help!

Steve is installing the chandelier in the craft room :)

Holy Bat Slide Batman!

2009-03-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are in the new house, but before I share pictures and stories about that... I have to back up a few days.

Here is a picture of the "Brother of Jared" ramp. I call it that because I truly feel I was inspired to build this thing. I was even inspired as to what type of material to use and exactly how to build it. The guys ended up making a few changes including duct tape (GO MCGYVER!) and a 2x4 at the bottom to catch the boxes.

The ramp take 3 people to operate at first. Three people load the ramp and after it is loaded it takes a kid at the top to add boxes and a strong man at the bottom to hoist the boxes on to the loading dolly.

The second day of moving provided a unique event... someone tried to ride the office chair down the ramp!!! I am glad I didn't see that!!!

I also want to put out a HUGE THANK YOU! to everyone who helped. More pictures to follow!

Can I Come Too?

2009-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Here is an adorable picture of Victor in Mark's computer box. We are almost packed. The little stuff here and there is really annoying! Friday is the big day, we go to the title company on Friday and after a nice chunk of down payment cabbage, the house will be ours. We are thrilled and so thankful for the blessing!

Stress, Stress, Stress, Stress... Everywhere!

2009-02-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Well... I'm feeling it, because everyone around me is feeling it... STRESS! Mark and I are getting ready to move in to the new home. We are quite excited to have this happen, but there is a lot to do to get ready.

My eBay store is going gang busters.... lots to package up every day and send out.

I have been working out (so to speak) at the Y... today I walked a mile and rode the bike for a mile. I even tried to hurry and run over the little guy riding the other bike on the virtual race screen... but I just passed him up instead of knocking him over. If the characters would bite the dust when I run them over, I would totally ride the bike for an hour! The mile walk was not that fun, but I had my tunes with me and that makes the time go by faster. I have been trying to find a way to keep track of my laps... maybe some magnets on the pole that I can take down each time I pass, or maybe a sticky note or something that I can make a mark on. SOMETHING! Cause I get tired of holding my 3 fingers up and then my 4 fingers... and I'm relived when I get to 5 because I get to relax my hand.... but what happens if I forget HOW I was counting... for example, do I count the Lap I'm on? or the one I just finished? It's all too much Stress!

I made a promise to myself last week that I would start to purge stressful surroundings in my life. I'm trying to make way for a healthy attitude and healthy body. I can't do that if I'm surrounded by fighting, arguing and bickering...as much as I love the people who do it! Thank goodness my homelife is peaceful. It's gonna get rocky while we are getting the move done, but then.... whew... I hope it is quiet. Friends over for dinner, friends over to scrapbook and make cards.... but quiet... no drama.

A dear friend of mine told me that her job is ending soon... I'm so sorry to hear that! That just proves that you are in HELL, and I'm your HELLMATE!

A big thank you to my close friends who helped me through last week. Hugs and kisses everyone!

I'm Of fu fu to bed!

Lots of "Cat" in little places

2009-02-17T12:21:00.000-08:00

Mark and I are packing... we are getting closer and closer to moving into our new HOUSE! I guess all the stress, lots of new boxes, stuff everywhere is finally wearing on our kitties. Today, I was getting caught up with email when I looked over and noticed that Gabe was trying to sit in the same chair as his brother, Victor. This is normal, often Victor will be sleeping somewhere or in the cat tree and Gabe will come over and assert his "alpha cat" status. This time, however, Victor did not move a muscle. Gabe just settled in and spread out across the chair. A note about the chair... this is THEIR chair! It used to be in my office in Montana for my students to sit in. However, over time, the cats have adopted it and clawed it to pieces. We decided a while ago to just surrender the chair. Therefore, the cat hair and all the extra claw marks, are just part of the "patina" of this office chair.

The picture of Gabe's head was taken from the side of the chair... that way you will know that the picture of the two of them, sans Gabe's head, does not involve the removal of the actual kitty head.

Mark started packing books... now we have a convenient "CAVE OF WONDERS" on the top shelf. Those wood crates are actually Bee hives that will be finished when we get to the new house with the 3 garages! No more construction projects in the Living Room!! Can I get a Hooooray!!!

Hope you all have a great "short" week!

Introducing:

2009-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

The new addition to the Family!!! We are of course, on cloud nine! We will post more pictures when we get our own furishings and such in the home. Here's the stats:

2 story with bottom full walk out basement
3 bedrooms, 3 bath, 1 den, 1 rec room, 1 great room, 1 kitchen, 2 dining areas, 2 stair cases, 1 deck, 3 garages, 1 gigantic pantry, ?? closets (too many to count), 1 laundry room, 1 laundry SHOOT!!!! and a partrige in a pear tree! 2500 square feet not including the enormous garages...

And.... Yes, i will have a nice big Art Studio! It will be great!

Life has been crazy for us, as you can imagine... too much to do, too little time.

While I'm at it... We joined the YMCA! Last night, I walked a grand total of .20 miles. HA HA!!! Hey, it's a start! Last night we got our cards and did the tour and stuff. Tonight, I might try to double my efforts for maximum results! Hee hee!

I have some new cards that I made, I'll have to take pics and post them later, Happy February to everyone!

Facebook... what a wonderful thing

2009-01-27T22:48:00.000-08:00

My brother and I have been finding old friends on Facebook lately. It has just been a joy to reacquaint with friends and loved ones I haven't talked to in over 25 years. It's hard to believe that that much time has gone by, but it has. Sometimes you find out good news when you find someone, and other times, there is news that you would rather not know... or news that changes the way you remember life. In our digging, I have thought that putting pictures into my profile that fit the times of my life like College, High School, Childhood, ect... will help me remember more people that I want to find. This has really been a great couple of weeks. Very therapeutic, very heartwarming, I feel very loved.

It's too bad that there were a couple of people in my past that told me things about myself that were untrue... I remember specifically one kid in my dad's scout troop who called me "UGLY." Not because he "liked" me like your mom would like to tell you so you don't cry... but because this kid was hateful. He was in a few of my high school classes with me and you guessed it... the "UGLY" nickname was used in public. How horrifying. Now that I look back on these pictures, chat with people from the past, I realize that words can have such a grip on a soul. Please remind your children to choose their words carefully, be kind to one another, uplift one another instead of tearing each other down. I wish I had this thought back then.... YOUR OPINION OF ME IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS!

Happy Wednesday everyone, hope you stay warm, dry and safe... hope you are feeling loved!
Enjoy the pictures...

New Cards, New Year!

2009-01-19T21:12:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I finally found my way into my craft studio. I made some cards. Shocking! i know... Especially since I have such severe ADD that I get lost just thinking about walking into the craft room. I would be way more productive if I didn't have so much stuff. ( SHHHHHH! Dont' tell Mark that, he is convinced that I NEED every last scrap of paper!!!) But OH WELL! Here is a sampling of what I actually accomplished. If you click on the picture, it will take you to my Etsy Store where you can purchase the one of a kind card!

Hey, is anyone actually READING my blog?? leave me a comment on which of these cards (posted in this post) is your favorite. I might just have a surprise (hee hee) for some lucky person.

Gabe

2008-12-28T20:25:00.001-08:00

Gabe is the forever camera hog. I had my backdrop set up to take pictures for Ebay, and Gabe jumped in the scene to get his photo taken. What a doll!

Twas the night before Chritmas......in Independence

2008-12-26T12:10:00.000-08:00

Mark and I surprised our dear friends, Jim and Laurel with an 8 foot Santa. We have supplied them with WTLA (white trash lawn art) since they moved to their new house. Last Christmas, we found this blow up Santa at Target during their clearance sale... we have saved it and schemed for almost a year. We were hoping to be able to get it installed and inflated before we were met with Jim's shot gun LOL.

Here it is in our living room.... you know how you should never set up a tent for the first time in the dark? Well we took that advice to heart and figured out how the thing worked BEFORE we had to do this outside in the cold.

Here is their house without the Santa... all tucked in for the night.

Here is their house WITH the Santa! LOL! We had such a good time!

Ohhhhhhh Too funny!

2008-12-22T14:47:00.000-08:00

I will have these listed in my Etsy shop soon. I have neglected my little store recently, too busy working I guess. I promise to do better getting things completed and listed. These are hilllarious... the musical note paper is from an actual antique hymn book... dated 1845. CRAZY!

Enjoy....

Pastel CHA CHA! On Ebay! Take look-see, bid, bid often!

2008-12-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

You can see this beautiful bracelet here! CLICK HERE!

I have started the biding at just .99! Incredible value! You can reuse the beads for .99 if the bracelet is not good enough. LOL. Everyone ready for Christmas?? Hope so! Stay warm, stay healthy!

Picture this, Bat Man,...

2008-12-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in my closet, holding my knees to my chest, I'm wearing my special helmet that protects me from falling debris... all the time I am rocking and singing to myself happy songs to make the fear go away... the radio in the corner doesn't help.... all I can hear is ...

IT'S RAINING IN KANSAS CITY!

I mean really.... do I need to get the mop or something? Why is everyone around here so frickin scared of rain?? I've never seen anything like it before in my life. The kids got out of school yesterday 2 hours early because of "inclement weather." Today, they were dismissed 1 hour early for "dangerous weather conditions." I laughed my ass off as I watched the weather reports... the whole time, I had my blinds open in the living room and observed nothing!

So, imagine if you will... King Julian running around welcoming the freaks for Kansas City... "Hello Giant Pansies, please feel free to bask in my glow!" Meanwhile... he's trying to figure out why everyone is freaking out because of the rain and he remembers, "they're just a bunch of pansies!"

ALL HAIL, the KANSAS CITY PANSIES!

Wickedly Batty!

2008-12-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

I had the distinct pleasure of creating two clipboards for a dear friend of mine and fabulous repeat customer! The Oh Bats! Board is for a friend of hers who is a bat specialist. What a unique career. I did not take a picture of the stuff in the ribbons up top, but there are a couple of hidden bats there too! The WICKED Board is just incredible. I LOVE Wicked, so this one for me was very fun to create. The person who receives this gift will be ready to head to the Wizamania at the Emerald City in STYLE! I couldn't be happier! The letters were cut by my friend Alta, on the Wishblade I glittered them with stickles to match the perfect WICKED green to match the clipboard. The font is a secret... she looked for hours for me. I love her for that!

Happy Fall Breezy Day everyone!

2008-11-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, I see something that just sends me into hysterics I have a gift to make people laugh, but not often do I find something that sends me over the line of funny. Here is a clip of DILBERT from Nov 3rd (I think). I have always loved that pointy haired boss man.

White Trash and Disco Dancer!

2008-11-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous time at Michelle and Steve's Party! Amazing friends!!! Party was fantastic. Here are a few shots of the evening!

Twas the Night Before Friday...

2008-10-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, Twas the night that Adeline was born and all through aunt Katie's house.... not a creature was stirring.... Not even a cat.

The neighbors were nestled all snug in their beds; while visions of FIRE TRUCKS entered their heads.

And out on the lawn there arose such a LADDER.... they all sprang from their beds to see what was the matter.

After 3 hours of searching was o're... who's eyes appeared with a tiny little lion roar??

GABE ON THE DAMNED ROOF!

Two stories up, shivering with fright... Gabe sat a perched on that cold autumn night.

Scared by the ladder truck, Gabe jumped with all his luck... landed on the neighbor's porch, 2 stories up!

The moon on the breast of the cold dewy grass, left Aunt Katie's toes wet and freezing at best.

Knocking on doors, calls to good neighbors.... Aunt Katie with a blanket grabs Gabe, and Ruthie Rests from her labors!

What a day!!! Welcome Little Adeline to the world!! Thank you to KCMO Truck #12. Gabe will be sending you a case of KC Strip steaks from LC's meat co. So much for his allowance!

Happy Thursday to All and to all a good night!

The Left Lane is for......

2008-09-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Loading and Unloading of Passengers Only!

Just Kidding, well almost!

My hubby and I had the most amazing weekend. Thursday night, we left Kansas City after work to go to Nauvoo, Illinois. I was driving, it was dark, I was driving in the left lane by myself, hardly anyone else on the road. Okay, I was going 85 in a 70 zone, but not driving like a nut or anything. I got a ticket for 15 miles over the speed limit. So for the rest of the 5 hour trip plus 2 hours for getting lost, I watched traffic... I guess Missouri has a law against driving in the left lane. I always thought it was the THROUGH traffic or the FAST lane. He did not ticket me for being in the left lane, but gave me a nice lecture. Anway, for all those who care, don't drive in the left hand lane!

On a more positive note, I had a great weekend in Nauvoo, great training, amazing temple session, great tour of the town despite the rain, and a great drive back. My car got 35 miles per gallon... it almost makes up for the ticket!

Ahhhhh... Baby Emery! Luckly Little Girl

2008-09-05T07:05:00.001-07:00

Here is another set of fabulous 9 1/2" altered letters that I made for a baby shower gift. The little girl is named "Emery" and her nursery colors are chocolate brown and pink. Well, this paper from Basic Grey was just SHOUTING her name! I have introduced the lime green as well for accent. The puffy pink and brown dot ribbon is from May Arts (you gotta have this stuff by the roll, their fibers are amazing!) The Rub Ons are from Basic Grey, flowers by Prima of course, and rhinestones by Swarovski.

Thank you Ida for the order! I enjoy making all your paper wishes come true!

Time for a De-Stash Clearance Sale! Happy Labor Day!

2008-08-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

I am clearing out some of my new and not so new items in my etsy store. I'm getting ready to post nuttin but greeting cards, paper art and paper crafts of all types. I won't be listing as many supplies. However, I do want to clear out my goodies before I list the new stuff!

Here are a few things you can get for ONLY $.80... that's 80 cents folks!Just click on the picture to purchase!

This is a great woman!

2008-08-29T11:07:00.001-07:00

Regardless of how the election turns out... Sarah deserves the Nation's attention and applause for her personal and professional achievements. Having grown up in the North West, I have seen West Coast politics my whole life. There is constantly a debate on the table regarding economics vs. environmentalism. I think if you read more about Sarah Palin from sources other than Wikipedia... you will find she is an incredibly strong, spiritual, loving, kind, and trustworthy person.

I promised myself that I would not turn my blogg into a political opinion soap box, but I just couldn't contain my excitement. Truth be told, there are great people on both sides of the election, I have my personal beliefs, and you have yours, but I just wanted to shout from the rafters for Sarah and tell her how proud I am of her! Way to go!!!

Cute as a Cupcake!!

2008-08-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I love cupcakes! I had a special order for a very sweet little 1 year old's Birthday! This is a surprise! So shhhhh... don't tell!

Thanks again for the special order!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning! Evening! and Day! Now that my house smells like Heaven!

2008-08-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a completely cool product that every home needs. Here is a link to my best friend, Laurel's website with Scentsy.

Laurel just happened to receive one of these wonderful wax warmers from a friend and now we are all hooked on a good thing.

Here is her introduction:

Whew!! I have gotten frustrated with the other candles and they lose the ability to 'hold the smell', you know what I mean? Well, these Scentsy candles are fabulous!! And they look nice and are safe for those little young curious people, like I have in the home, that wants to put their little chubby fingers into EVERYTHING!!
Please feel free to contact me anytime!!

Se Habla Espanol tambien! Pues, yo creo que recuerdo como hablar en esta idioma!! No estoy practicandolo mucho....entonces llamame para que por lo menos puedo hablar con alguien!! haha

Okay, back to me. My favorite scent is: Lemon Lavender. That scent can break through even the most pungent of cat box smells... you know what I mean. I brought a bottle of the Room Spray and sprayed it one time in the office... when people walk in, they always say... OH! What smells so good?!?!?

And just when you think the warmers are going to be tiny, cute little mini warmers... you are wrong! These things are very sturdy, quite large... plugged in with NO FLAME! Basically you pick out a warmer that matches your style or your fancy and then don't worry about what color the wax is that you use... it doesn't matter. Your house, office or art studio will smell like Heaven! I promise! Click HERE to go to her website, you can order directly from the web... they pack things well for shipping including ice pack and cooler bag duirng the warm months to protect your wax bricks.

It is a Forever Thing!

2008-07-13T21:35:00.001-07:00

I thought I would share with you these simple cute elegant cards! The image is from Technique Tuesday.

I hope you all have a great week!

It's been nice and sunny lately, humidity is not so thick, it was a nice day to sit outside and watch my cat chase squirrels off the deck!

Gotta See:

2008-07-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
myheart2yours.etsy.com

The Annual Lion Cut

2008-07-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

I often post pictures of my sweet baby Gabe. Here is a picture of the DEVIL himself. I was giving him his lion cut for summer. Don't you just feel sorry for him?

Hope you are all having a great summer!

Wow! What a month

2008-06-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

I guess I should post more often! no? Actually, I have been quite busy. I'm over impressed with the weather here, so I spend a lot of time watching the storms roll in. Additionally, I have been trying to dig my way out of my craft room, I have been held captive by about 1000 rolls of ribbon and the 10,000 pieces of paper won't let me leave. Too bad I haven't gotten any projects done.

Well, anyway, here are a couple of new things, some supplies that I stocked my etsy store with:

BASIC GREY!

I LOVE RIBBON!

Nature in all Her Furries

2008-05-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a night! When I lived in California, I was in a typhoon. For those of you who don't know, that is a hurricaine that happens to be on the West Coast Pacific Ocean rathe than the Atlantic.

Anyway, last night... it was very similar. Isn't it amazing how nature can go from

THIS:

TO THIS:

My Favorite Color

2008-04-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's out! It's finally here!! I've waited all through the dreary winter to enjoy a week of my favorite color.... here is a close up of the beautiful red bud trees around the KC area. Here are a couple pictures.... I think the most stunning thing about these trees is how sparse they are and how vivid the pink shows up against the budding green trees.

Happy Spring everyone!

First Signs of Spring!

2008-03-13T20:42:00.001-07:00

Prom is here! This bucket was made for a very special young man to invite a very special young lady to Prom here in Kansas City. She doesn't know yet, so to protect the innocent (LOL) I'll not post any names.

This bucket is filled with a cool cha cha bracelet AND about 10 pounds of chocolate candies. Lots of fun size bars, Recees Eggs and all sorts of yummy chocolate!

I hope she says YES! It is such a great invitation idea. Good Luck Joseph!

What a day....

2008-03-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

you know, I've had one of those days that seem like it will never end. With out going into too much detail, lets just say this:

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some people abuse the privilege.

I wonder why life goes the way it goes... it seems like the gene pool needs a little bleach, especially today. What is it with people who want something for nothing and go about their day making everyone else move off the road because they want to take their half out of the middle.

I never started this blog to vent, I simply wanted to share some the joys of my life. So you really want to know what makes me laugh? I love limericks. Especially with sorta clean potty humor. So if you have any great limericks you would like to share.... please do! make my day....

So here is my contribution to my sanity for today:

THERE ONCE WAS A MAN FROM RANGOON

There once was a man from Rangoon
Whose farts could be heard on the moon;
When you'd least expect 'em
They'd burst from his rectum
With the force of a raging typhoon!!

Ooops! I Did It Again!

2008-02-29T05:18:00.000-08:00

As some of you know I am a professional tutor. Often throughout my travels around town to see students and help them with their studies, I meet kids who bust their booty to get their work done and they take their school work seriously. Other times, I have students who feel the need to avoid their work for a myriad of reasons.

Last night I was over at the home of one of my favorite students. He is an amazing guy who just happens to have difficulties with language and organization. For the most part, he is a good student.

On his list of 'stuff to do' is a pile of make up work from being sick. We've all had that flu... being sick is no fun. But 2 weeks later he still has a pile of work to do. While I was leaving, I was talking to his mom and it occurred to me... hmmmmm. ...... he was in such a hurry to get done tutoring that he didn't want to finish anything else, he just wanted to go to bed and he had a headache.

SO!! Upon further digging into the situation I discovered that the priority of the evening was the X BOX and large screen TV that was waiting for him in the basement.

Well, guess who has the power cord to the X BOX!!!! Oh, could that be MOI???? LOL! Let's hope he gets his act together and finishes all his work so he can have it back for the weekend! Sometimes tough love need to come from someone else besides a parent. And you should have seen the LOOK on his face of amazement as I walked away with it!!!

As Mastercard says: "Tutoring $40/ hour"
"X Box with all the cool stuff: $400.00"
"Inspiring a student to get their work done........ PRICELESS"

Everything is Just Ducky!

2008-02-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

A dear friend of mine is having her first baby (boy) in early March. Her baby shower is next Saturday and I was asked to do an altered paint can for the center piece! I got the empty paint can at Home Depot. They provide you with free paint can openers, so I grabbed a couple of those too to add to the foof on the handle. I cut the ducky freehand and inked the edges. I have a template for cutting and covering the can if anyone wants it... let me know and I'll email you instructions. Since the handle does not come off, I had to do it in 2 pieces and punch holes with my 1 inch hole punch to make a nice round place for the thingy that sicks out of the can.

I was smart enough to make a template to do this again sometime.

Next, I assembled the can cover layer by layer using basic grey papers. I tied yard after yard of ribbon to the handle and attached rubber duckies to it and baby diaper pins from K and Company.

Right above the thin baby blue ric rac, I printed with dashes and dots and wrote the words... Rubber Duckie, You're the One. around the whole can.

I think they plan on making something to stick out of the can that people can write messages on. Those messages are supposed to go in Karin's baby scrapbook. I didn't have time to make a complete scrapbook for her, so I went to Target and bought a STACK o' Diapers! and wipes and stuff like that. I always buy people like 3 or more large packs of diapers... very impressive pile at the shower ;).

I hope everyone is feeling well. The flu has been flying around here. But everyone will live!

Cheers! Katie Lyn

BTW: if anyone wants me to make a can for a special occasion, I can do that! The cost will be around $45.00 because of the large quantity of materials in this project. That also does not include postage to get it to you.

Ryan Roofing!

2008-02-13T18:02:00.001-08:00

Do you live in the Eastern Kansas or Metro KCMO area?
I have some people you need to meet!!! Here is
RYAN ROOFING SYSTEMS!

Give them a call if you have any roofing, siding, or other home improvement needs! They are reliable, have great pricing and they are A+ rated on Angie's List!

Some Funny Cards

2008-01-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

Don't these just crack you up!!
These were a special order... I'll have to list more soon for YOU to purchase!
Happy Thursday!

While the snow flies!

2008-01-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it's snowing again!

Here are some cheery things to look at!
This is part of my new charm bracelet available on etsy. Click on the picture for MORE images of this elegant bracelet!

This beautiful bracelet features the Young women's value colors! I'm thinking about giving it to my friend, Tina, she was just released as the YW Camp Director and I know she will love it! So, if you would like something similar to it, just let me know and I will make something just for you!

Thanks for looking today! I hope you all stay WARM and COZY!

This is a picture of the beautiful Bitterroot River in Hamilton MT. 2005 November

Congratulations to Cassie!

2008-01-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

Cassie is the glorious winner of my Blog Treasure Hunt! Cassie found the listing with the "Phrase that pays!" LOL!

The most serendipitous thing is that Cassie lives about 10 miles from me, she was aware of my blog from the Paper Pixies Message Boards and she has obviously been reading my blog because I have not posted to Paper Pixies for some time.

Anyway, here is a picture of Cassie with her LOOT~ She said she was so excited she was going to go roll in it! Don't we all just get giddy over paper and ribbon!!!

Congrats Cassie!
Thanks for playing and it was so nice to meet you!!

Beautiful, simply beautiful!

2008-01-14T22:48:00.001-08:00

Today has been a great day in Kansas City! The weather was nice, the sun was actually out! Tonight I came home and decided to look around on Etsy... I found the most beautiful, elegant shop! Introducing:

LES CHIC Jewelry Boutique

I am absolutely amazed at the beauty of Leslie's items. Not only are they very stylish jewelry items, but they are displayed in such a unique way. If you own one of her designs, I'm sure you are a very lucky person! The ring above is called: Pixie Pearls

Leslie Describes it perfectly:

It's like a charm bracelet for your finger!

This is an adorable petite ring that is made up of Creamy Freshwater Pearls and Sterling Silver Accents of Stacked Heishi. All wire wrapped with Sterling Silver wire.

I squeezed a lot on this ring but they move around as you do. The natural coolness of the Pearls feel nice against your finger!

Can you believe that she has it listed for only $23.00 and it comes in sizes 4,5,6,7,8, and 9.

This fabulous artist has a great blog (complete with pictures of her kitty, Fido) that is a great distraction from the busy world! I'm sure you will enjoy it. Make sure you leave her a note as you stop by!!

Her shop and blog are so tastefully done, I'm sure you will enjoy your mini vacation as you visit a wonderful destination!

This lovely wristlet is called Winter Blues! I'm sure it is guaranteed to shake away those Winter Blues!

This bracelet is made up of Labordorite Stones and Chips(gray with flashes of blue) a rectangle of Ebony Wood framed in Sterling Silver, a Wood Twist of Ebony and Small Ebony beads.

8" with a Hill Tribe Sterling Silver Hexagon Toggle

Sterling Silver Wire Guardians at each end will make for many years of wear!

Thank you Leslie for sharing your talents!

Katie Lyn

A Special Treasure Hunt Just for YOU!!

2008-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Technorati Profile
I have always wondered who sneaks a peak at my blog... I guess here is the time I get to find out.

I have hidden a special phrase in one of my Etsy Listings. You might not immediately see it, it is very well hidden. To claim your prize, you will need to:

#1. Leave a comment here at this blog that you are ready to search. (Leave a link to your blog if you have one) Also, tell me if you would rather win a huge gift bag full of scrapbooking and card making embellishments, or a handmade bracelet in your choice of colors!

#2. When you find the phrase, you need to copy the listing number that it is in and send me a message that you found it. There are two ways to send me a message... First: Etsy Convo or Second: My Space Message.

Hee Hee!! That way I get to meet you!

I promise to make it worth your search. If no one has found it by the 15th of January, I will start listing clues to find it.

If more than one person finds it, I will send a gift to the first 2 people to find it.

HAVE FUN HUNTING!

Baby Shower Ideas!

2008-01-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

Something must be in the water (but unfortunately not the water I drink) because there are so many new mommies all around me. Even two of my friends are having babies in March 08! So anyway, I ran across the most absolute adorable additions to your baby shower arsenal... Introducing:
The cutest wrap baby slippers I have ever seen! HomespunMomma left a comment for me about my Wholy Wheat article... and I got nosy and checked out her website. Oh Baby! I am just so excited about these cute little creations. I normally give some type of complete scrapbook when I attend baby showers, especially when I know the mamma really well. But these would be a fabulous alternative for anyone!

Here's a couple more pictures:

Click the picture to go to the slipper listing!

Diana also makes Blankies!! and Burp Cloths!

Her website is: http://www.dianasdarnings.com/.

She has a great Etsy store where you can purchase these booties for only $8.50, and can you believe that she has burp cloth sets for only $3.50?? You can't even get the fabric for that. According to Diana's site, her mom taught her how to sew when she was very little. Despising it at first, it has now become a very valuable skill. Thank you Diana for sharing your talents with us!

Hey, I have a cool idea to add, do you need a card or a tag to go with that present?? Check these out: Of course! These are From MY HEART 2 YOURS!

Btw, as a side note... all of my little blog features are unsolicited. I like to share my favorite things with you and keep a record for myself so I can go back and buy...So SURPRISE to the sweet people that I feature :)

Eat Wheat!

2008-01-09T21:47:00.001-08:00

My hubby and I just got finished with a major over haul of our food storage! We originally used a vacuum sealer system (Seal a Meal) to "preserve" 400 pounds of wheat, but found that the bags were too easily split and we would have to hurry and eat wheat all the time. Anyway, we finally borrowed the Dry Pack Canner from the LDS Home Storage Center and dry canned all that flippin' wheat! Now, this is not just any old wheat.... we bought nuthin' but the best: Wheat Montana!
This stuff is TASTY!

Now, you might ask... What the heck do you do with 400 pounds of dry packed, wheat? You can't build furniture out of it, and it's not comfortable to sleep on it! Well, you eat it, silly!

A good friend of mine, Janet Huff, from Montana wrote a book called Basic Essentials Cookbook. This is not just any ordinary cookbook, this is the mother of all cookbooks. It is as thick as a standard Bible. It has over 1,200 recipes that use basic ingredients to provide excellent nutrition and good food. Janet has researched pantry storage and advocates the idea of storing what you eat and eating what you store. This is very important... you don't want to throw all your wheat in the garage and forget about it! Eat it!

Have a great day!!! Katie Lyn

Details on Janet's Book:

Basic Essentials Cookbook
Would you like to improve your family's health while cutting your food budget? Would you like to cook from more natural ingredients such as whole grains? There are over 1,200 recipes to choose from in this extra thick volume. Special section, Make Your Own Groceries at Home, includes breakfast cereals, protein bars, pancakes syrups, crackers, pita bread, English muffins, tortillas, "Bisquick"-type mix, pickles, Tootsie rolls and more!

Here is a fantastic recipe for Wheat Bread:

Here is my latest bread making venture, and it is a good one. The bread turns out light and tender....even good for making sandwiches. 100% whole wheat. Cut with a serrated knife for best results in slicing this tender bread.

Ingredients

1 2/3 c. warm water
2 tsp. bottled lemon juice
3 T. vegetable oil
2 T. honey OR 2 T. sugar OR 2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
3 1/2 c. golden whole wheat flour
(this means hard white winter wheat flour)
1/3 c. vital wheat gluten
(usually found at a health food store)
1 T. dry yeast

Directions

This dough starts out rather small, thus a bread machine can be used to knead it. In bread machine: put ingredients in order given above, start dough cycle. When dough is mixed and on to kneading, touch lightly with finger....it should feel just slightly sticky. Add water a little at a time, or a bit more flour until this consistency is achieved. Allow dough to finish kneading, turn off the machine, remove dough. Put into an oiled bowl, turn to coat. Cover, let rise until doubled. Remove air bubbles by gently rolling raised dough on a greased surface, forming a long log. Cut into 2 even halves. Press each half into a greased and floured loaf pan until dough is even and flat. Cover, raise about 45 minutes, until dough is about 1 to 2 inches above rim of loaf pan. Bake at 375 about 30 minutes, or until well browned and sounds hollow when tapped on top. Cool in pans for 5 minutes; remove carefully (bread is tender) to a clean towel or rack to finish cooling completely. Store in plastic wrap or bag.

Comments

NOTE: What else could you make using this dough? 2 loaves french bread, or french rolls, or hoagie buns, or kaiser buns; or one large loaf farmer's bread.

Eureka! I found it!

2008-01-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

I finally found some fantastic soaps! I have been using a sliver of glycerin soap for long enough, I have been searching for soaps that would not dry out my skin and even possibly leave a little bit of moisture on my arms after my shower. Lately, the air has been dry here in Missouri, but I'm not complaining, I'd rather have it dry!!

Anyway, I bought some FANTASTIC cold pressed soaps from Dee's Home Goods on Etsy. I am so amazed at the quality of the goods I purchased, but even more impressed with the great bags that she uses to ship her soaps.

The little bags are about 5 x 7 and could be used as baby doll pillow cases!!

Anyway, do me a favor and check out Dee's great little store. Great products and fantastic Customer Service! You can't ask for more!

MySpace

2008-01-03T21:54:00.001-08:00

Are you on My Space??

Please send a HELLO my way.

I would love to meet other artisans who have shops on Etsy or Ebay or other online venues.

It will be fun to see your work!

Woooo Hoo Jayhawks!

2008-01-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

Congrats to the KU Jayhawks for kickin some booootay tonight at the Orange Bowl.

You must be PROUD! Woot Wooot!

The Last Sunday in 2007

2007-12-30T14:53:00.001-08:00

This really has been a fantastic year! I hope 2008 is even better. Here are a couple of my new creations. They are just begging for a wrist to call home. I have made matching earrings to go with so you will have a set.

The red and yellow cha cha below was inspired by the crazy fun Kansas City Chief's Fans!

Almost a New Year, New Obsession

2007-12-27T21:05:00.000-08:00

Okay folks. Let's just say I'm a little nuts, but being a little nuts is better than not being nuts at all. Me and my A.D.D. have finally met a suitable hobby... introducing the A.D.D. Dream....... Cha Cha Bracelets!

I can sit for hours and look at the charms on my bracelets that I wear each day. LOL! It's like eye candy.

Here are a couple that I recently finished, this does not even include the ones I made as Christmas Gifts but did not photograph.

Would you like to feed my obsession? These amazing creations can be purchased! You go it... go to my Etsy Store!

A Very Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T21:30:00.001-08:00

With love,

Victor, Gabe, Katie Lyn and Mark

Have I got a SIRIUS treat for you!!

2007-12-22T05:01:00.001-08:00

This is a fantastic picture of my personal Physical Therapist, Cheri. Cheri has worked on my poor joints and seen me through 5 surgeries on my spine so far. She is a miracle worker!

Yesterday, I was being treated after a long long week of tutor'n for finals. After sitting over a desk for 12 hours a day, my neck is usually close to falling off and my hips, I'm sure, will become detachable as well.

So as Cheri is doing this trans-tendon achy breaky massage on my quad muscle right up by my hip bone, she tells me this most amazing story of two Weimaraner puppies named Charlie and Parker.

Charlie and Parker were thrown out of a car on a bridge. Upon impact below, they suffered serious leg breaks and lived there scavenging. They were eventually rescued and were rehabilitated by several organizations, vets, and Cheri who all donated their services to save these two beautiful dogs!

I was just amazed at the whole thing! Now, after seeing Cheri in action with me and a couple of my other loved ones, I am just in awe at her ability to make people feel better mentally and physically. When a person lives with chronic pain, it takes a toll on every aspect of their life!
I speak from experience here!

Anyway, if you are anywhere near Kansas City and you have a dog in need of rehabilitation, contact Cheri through her website: www.siriustherapy.com. If you are a "people" in the Kansas City Area, Cheri can be found at Modern Physical Therapy!

She is amazing, thorough and just a wonderful person. I am grateful that she is able to spend the time with me that I need to feel better. Thank you Cheri!

Holy Ice Balls Bat Man!

2007-12-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

Kansas City MO! 12-11-2007

Everytime it Snows

2007-12-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

I could list for hours the people that I hold dear in my heart, people I miss. This song just touches my heart in the place where those people (and kitties) are kept.

Cookie Exchange and Clipoard Night

2007-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I get an idea... let's get together and eat and make something cool! I originally planned on making Christmas Cards, Gift Boxes and Gift Tags and as I was getting ready for the party, I realized... I could surprise the dickens out of my guests and we can make clipboards!!!

So, presented with over 24,000 pieces of paper to choose from... here are the highlights of the evening!

Warm Tootsies!

2007-12-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

This little piggie went to market,
This little piggie stayed home,
This little piggie had roast beef,
This little piggie had NONE,
and
This little piggie went weeee weee weee wee
all the way home to wear his new SCHOOL
SPIRIT SLIPPERS hand made by my
fantastic mom!

These slippers are custom made to fit any foot. She makes them in any color combination to suit your favorite team, school, college or even your favorite colors. I've had a pair of these slippers given to me each year since I was a baby. They are double thick, incredibly warm and are machine washable.

They can come with or without a pom pom. The pom pom can be solid color or confetti colored using both the yarn colors in the slipper.

My mom's favorite slippers to knit are the Denver Broncho's and the University of Oregon Ducks! My school colors when I was at Humboldt State were green and yellow, so I wore plenty of pairs of those.

I have started an Etsy store for her, but I have YET to list anything. I wanted to let you all know before I do her grand opening. My hopes are to have samples listed on the etsy site and start letting her take orders by the end of this week.

Now, this might be too late for this Christmas delivery, but think about the Super Bowl, Graduation, Father's Day, Mother's Day or any occasion!

For the most part, she knows shoe sizes (especially for little kids) but if you want a true custom fit, you can send in a tracing of your foot and she can make extra long slippers, extra wide, or if you are Shrek, extra wide and short!

The cute slippers shown here are 6 blocks long---- that equates to approximately 7 inches long with plenty of room for the piggies!
Prices: Baby/ Toddler Up to 4 inches long: $8.00 pair
Child Sizes Up to 7 inches long: $12.00 pair
Adult Sizes : $20.00 pair

Shipping/ Handling for up to 5 pairs: $6.00 includes USPS Priority Packaging.

Pictures as promised! What a CUTE bunch of Boys!

2007-11-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

Here's Mom! with her new glasses!

New Tiki Kitty loves her new family!

Syver with his dino that Aunt Susie and Uncle Mike got him for Christmas! Yes, we had an early Christmas! Those kinds of presents are the BEST!

Noble with his rocket! That poor rocket had an interesting trip, it did not deploy its chute or pop off the nose cone. So it went straight up and then curved a little and came straight back down. It ended up like a lawn dart about 15 feed from the launch pad!

Ethan eating black beans and rice. Grandma is pushing the spoon! YUM!

View Blog

Lisa Bearnson's Scrapook Kit/ Book #3 DO YOU HAVE IT YET?

2007-11-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

Would you like a deal on it if you don't have it yet???

Click HERE! To go to Ebay and grab it from my store inventory. I can get it to you before Christmas if you purchase and complete the transaction before Dec 5th. I only have ONE of these cool books!

My Glasses!

2007-11-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

While in Salt Lake, I took mom to Lense Crafters to get her new glasses in about an hour.

While there, I ran into about 5 people who went gaga over MY glasses that I bought at The Eye Center of Parkville. I'm sure they can help you get the frames long distance through the mail, if and I'm sure they can look up my model numbers from my file... just let them know my name.

My Eye Glasses are from ProDesign Of Denmark. My Sunglasses (red with swarovskis) are from LaFont.

One Awesome Weekend!

2007-11-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

I flew to Salt Lake City on Friday to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday! My Aunt Susie from Denver drove over with her granddaughter so my mom was completely swarmed with surprises!

We had an absolute blast! My bro picked me up at the airport and we immediately went to the new yucky Cheesecake factory in Salt Lake. Mom and Dad arrived in their van and I jumped out in front of them in the parking lot. You should have seen my mom's face! She put her hand on her chest and said...."that's katie!" She looked like she was going to faint- it was awesome!

I will post some pictures later! I got a great party favor from my nephew, Syver... THE STOMACH FLU! I was down for 24 hours! Still not feeling perfect, but I will post pics soon.

Beauty Queens and Stuff and Things

2007-11-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Miss Platte County Teen

Miss Kansas City Teen

These two beautiful young women are two of my fantastic students! Congrats to Julia and Morgan on competing in the Miss Missouri Teen USA Pageant! Rock on! I am excited to hear about the HUGE Scholarships you both won! Beauty AND Brains! You're unstoppable!

Would you like to own this layout??? This is up for grabs on EBAY! I started the bidding at just 99 cents!

How can you resist?

This is a really cool special order that I made a couple of weeks ago for a sweet Etsy customer. This is a Checkbook cover! They sell for about $9.00 on Etsy. Oh yeah, if you have an idea for a special order for a checkbook cover for a gift for yourself or someone you love or love to hate, just let me know! I'll whip one up for you!

A Cute Poem...

2007-11-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rarely ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect in it's weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

Thank you to my bro for the funny poem.