hi sweeties. hope you are all good. I am fat and happy still,lol

I made this yummy dinner...it was so easy and quick and no one would stop eating!!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds beef cube steak
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
minced garlic, pepper, salt, lipton onion soup mix
2 cubes beef bouillon, dissolved in 2 cup water
1 bag of frozen chopped potatoes
baby carrots (steamed till almost done)



DIRECTIONS
Cut cube steaks into pieces about 1/2 inch in size. put flour, pepper and salt in ziplock bag and shake. Add meat and shake shake shake. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium high heat. Add garlic to oil in pan...wait a min. add meat and sprinkle with onion soup mix; saute till lightly browned. Add more butter if needed.
Stir in 1 1/2 c of the beef bouillon, potatoes,salt, and black pepper. Cover, turn heat down to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Add carrots and remainder of bullion. It will thicken as it cooks. Add more water if it gets too thick.

serve with salad.

this is also my most requested desert evaaaaaaaa!

INGREDIENTS
1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
3tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 half package yellow and one half cocunut cake mix
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, white sugar and milk. Stir in spices. Pour into pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin filling. Sprinkle walnuts over the cake mix. Drizzle melted butter over all.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool.

I made these layouts for a paper bag album I am making. I used Merry Memories kit and Christmas Cheer kit by Bren Boone at scrapbook graphics.










I used my templates available at Scrapdish

Here is a freebie template I made you. Was going to just give you the elements...but wanted to put them in a template for you at the last minute. Everything made by me.

Click here to download

and just for you sweeties....a 40% off coupon for my store TBBloggirls

hugs and happy scrapping.
xoxoxoxo
tracy

~*~*~*~*~*~Happy Turkey Day all! *~*~*~*~*~

I have been busy running around but still got these up for you!

Buy these great 6x6 Xmas album templates as a package or individual sets (commercial version abailable too) up at SCRAPDISH!!

click pics to see larger image




I also have set 10 done...8.5x11 and 12x12 versions both available as well as commercial versions.




And here is a coupon code for 38% off any order in my store. you can use until
the 25th of November!! TBGivingThanks


Check back often the next few weeks...lots of freebies coming...not just templates ;)

eat a lot, laugh a lot and take lots of pics.
xoxo
tracy

Happy Saturday ya'll. Hope it is a good one for you. It is cold and dreery here today. Brrrrrrr. Brandon is Scuba Diving today. I am hanging with the buds. Waffles graced the breakfast table. Lots of building with tinker toys etc took place after. Now the boys are coloring some velvet color posters I bought them...man they love those things. And I love the dollar tree. Every time I go there I stock up.

Speaking of fun finds...I went to our Big Lots the other day. They had some great scrapbooking goodies. I got some flowers and ribbon reallllly cheap. And these adorable accordian albums...the 6x6 were 3.00 and the 4x4 were 2.00. This person is selling them on Ebay for 7.50 plus 5.50 shipping. Talk about profit,lol. I also picked up some itty bitty albums for 1.00. looks kind of like a matchbook album but larger.

I am also working on some altered goodies..but you have to wait to see, hehehehe.
Though I am having trouble with one. I want to sew some lunch bags...and my machine won't do it. I have seen others get it to work...but is no go for me. I have adjusted the tension, made the stitches bigger...just won't work. Any thoughts?

I worked even more at the school this week. copied my big ole hiney off. getting crafts ready for next weeks fun time. we have so many fun things...turkeys, hats, feathers oh my! I am done there for a bit, lol.

Is anyone looking for some Christmas Kits right now? Bren has some gorgeous ones out at Scrapbook Graphics...Check these out:





Kim Hill released an adorable hanukkah kit at ACOT and CG essentials. as well as some fab alphas and cool stitched sequin swirls. woot.



Rachel Young went crazy and has these gorgeous papers for only 1.00 today at FPD.


and Kathi (lauraskathi) is Givinggggg away this freakin awesome Michael kit for a dollar too! Today. Run to FPD and snag them both! (If you click here...you can see lots of their stuff plus the others for a dollar)


I am also in LOVE with everything Amy Wolff has been making at the Lily Pad.
she is rockin!






ok...that is enough enabling,lol.

I have had some ask me if my older templates will be available at scrapdish! the answer is of course my pretties. and all the square I have had will be made into rectangle. I also have a few brag book templates, card templates, a through-the-year celebration template set, a paper bag template set etc all coming out in the next month or so..perfect for presents. And hint hint...I will be having a SALE! We are swithching servers right now, so all will be better and faster! I will let you know when it happens.

A couple layouts I made recently.



Have another goodie for you...a square template. Here is the layout I made with it (I used the awesome 2nd bday kit from Elemental Scraps. man is that thing packed full of goodness!!!) the preview doesn't come close to showing you all inside.

Here is the preview.


click here to download.

with this one...not going to give you a list of do nots. instead take this as a challenge. I would love you to scrap some special memory with it. I scrapped the first thanksgiving we had with out my gran and with out uncle bob (they both passed away in October of last year). We all got together and had a nice dinner.

ok kids...going to go play a memory game with the boys...they are sitting here staring at me,lol!

hugs and love chicklets!

Hi cutie bugs! how is everyone and everything in scrapland??? I think someone is messing with me and changed the date of my last post! It has NOTTTTT been that long! No way. no wayyyyy. wowowowowo. I knew it was a while, but not that long.

All I can say is I have been dealing with life. Some good, some great and some bad. Been very busy with Chase's class. Working with Hayden. Worrying about my MIL.

I cannot POSSIBLY fill you in on all of it without going on and on all day and night, so will recap.

What I have learned since I have been gone.

1. The older I get, the less I like housework. Now...don't get me wrong...I never LOVED it. When I was single and had lots of time...I would be known to keep a really clean cute house. And actually spent time deep cleaning on a regular basis.
Now...yuck. So many other things I have to or would rather do. And now that I have 4 of us (sometimes 5 when my mom is here) to clean up after...it just plain STINKS! and having two little boys and one big boy...bathrooms are my all time WORST chore.
I am sick of laundry, laminate floors (which you constantly have to wash) and tile grout!

2. There are not enough hours in the day! Just not. By the time Chase gets home from school (we walk in the door about 3p) and he eats his snack and talks about his day with me...we have to do homework, cook dinner while they play (or go to sport practice or boyscouts), bath, talk/read bed. I MiSSSSSSSSSS my little guy! A lot! And there just isn't enough time for me to get everything done that I want to. I have this huge list of things I need to do, people I need to contact, etc. Siggghhhh. INstead of crossing things off with speed...I just keep adding more and more,lol.

3. Marriage is hard work. Especially when you are both tired, stressed, and dealing with the young ens. They take time and effort to make them good. You can easily fall into a rut. NOt take care of each other. Put it off.

4. I have a hard time saying no. I want to do it all. Be there for everyone. Make everyone happy. Be useful, liked and needed. But, once again...we fall back to number 2. I do NOT have enough hours. I must find a seminar that teaches me to say no and to limit myself to what I volunteer to do.

5. I need to take better care of myself. I StILL haven't gotten it together with the weightloss thing. I stopped Nutrisystem because I kept "cheating" and didn't want to waste the food, so it is still sitting there waiting for me to feel strong enough to do it. Man I am struggling there! How can a person who used to be so fit and work so hard at being healthy get to this point? I am 40+ overweight (would be "ok" if I lost 40). And I hate it. I miss feeling fit, energetic, good in my own skin. I am not sleeping good. I am embarrassed by how I look. You would think I would be quick to act on it. but noooooo. def psycholgical.

6. I will probably never stop my iron shots. they think I could need them the rest of my life. they still have no idea why my body can't make and/or absorb iron through my digestive system. I have gone through tons and tons of tests. bottom line...cannot find out why. iron shots weekly help. in 6 more months they think I can go to monthly shots. strange stuff. we also found out that Hayden has low iron. (my 3yr old)

7. When people say they miss chatting with me and I tell them I am usually up for the day at 3a pst...so between 3a and 7a. we can chat on computer....I usually get dead silence and quick change of subject. hahahah ;) hopefully this will change soon. I am one tired momma,lol.

soooo...that is a bit of stuff in my head.

I have been scrapping quite a bit. Not going to put all the new layouts up here...but if you want to take a peek...here is my gallery I did quick a lot of my CTs...but still had a lot of quest CT spots coming up so do that. I am working with my buddy Bren still and a couple others. I also quit selling at SDK. Not cause I was unhappy there. I love those girlies. I just didn't have 100 percent to give there. Couldn't play in the forums like I should, keep up with the monthly mega kit etc. Just wasn't pulling my weight.

But I had people still wanting to buy my templates. Missed having my scrapping money to buy great goodies...so I joined my old friends over at Scrapdish recently. I can handle their site a bit easier. No forums and just have to do 1/2 of the mega kit contributions so I can handle it better. BTW...they are having a store wide sale right now...very cool stuff over there. fun gals.

here is what is in the store now...more to come



so...I will leave it at this for now...I promise to stay on top of this now...I kept thinking...I want to blog...but didn't want to just say hi and leave and knew it would be hard to sum it all up...so I kept putting it off,l ol. Another look into my psyche...if it is too daunting...I just say...ehhhhh will do it later, lol.

tomorrow I will show off some pictures of the kiddos!

how bout a little treaty treat for ya?!?!

Here is the layout I made with it...using all Rachel young goodies from funky playground designs.



here is the template.

Sorry...no longer available.

leave me a virtual hug if you would. no sharing, selling, claiming, direct linking to download. No using it as kleenex. No crumpling it and throwing at kid to get their attention since you lost your voice. No giving it as a tip at The Burger Hut. No wrapping your burger in it at said Burger Hut. No using it as floor mats.

wanting to know how to make your pic pop out of the frame (also called Out of Bounds technique)? here are some links I looked at...hope they help!

swish-db (very cool)

dphotojournal's tutoril

biorusts

to find one for your program type Out of Bounds tutorial for (name of your program here)

want another freebie? go here and leave me a hug and download! xoxox

I also have some wants and haves.

I am looking for some turbo jam dvds. would like to buy or trade (templates or clothes or kids clothes or books etc).

I have dreamweaver mx 2004 edu version (never used-honest) and dreamweaver 4 for windows and macintosh book and Sams teach yourself dreamweaver that I will sell

I am also looking at starting a book swap. All my friends here read the exact ones I have since we are in a book club together, lol. if interested, sign in here and we will get together and work out details. I read murder/mystery, book club favorites (right now have several to get out) etc.

if intersted in any of the above things I just stated for want/have contact me at tmblankenship at gmail dot com.
xoxox
hugs and happy scrapping
good luck, hugs and happy scrapping.