Rain, rain, go away -- come again...

Wow, we have had Debbie in our area for several days now.  Downpours, very high wind gusts (up to 60 mph), flooding, you name it.  However, today is Wednesday, and I think Debbie decided we had had enough of her, so she took flight!  Yippee, finally.

I have been quite lazy these last couple of days.  I guess the weather had something to do with that.  LOL  But I did some card making, including a day with Fern, a very close friend of mine.  She came over to the house last Thursday and we concentrated on making some new cards.  She is quite talented and I will be showing you some of her designs as time goes on.  We actually used the Footloose papers and Complements (punch outs) to make these cards.  And, I believe, you will enjoy viewing them.  Everything that we used came from CTMH products.

Here are a couple of our creations.  Using Footloose Workshops on the Go Kit, G1036, it was really easy to make these.  The kit contained all the papers, card stock and the cutest stamp set imaginable.  Enjoy!  I also used a piece of our Baker's Twine, Paradise assortment, Z1702 and ink pads in Lagoon, Z2195; Creme Brulee, Z2167; Smoothie, Z2196 and Sweet Leaf, Z2153.  I also added a Outdoor Denim pearl for the fish eye. 

                                                           

                                                                                                                           

You can order any of these supplies by going to http://normsdarlin.ctmh.com and they will ship your order directly to you.  If you have any questions about any of my cards OR recipes, please e-mail me at normsdarlin@aol.com and I will try to answer your question as quickly as possible.

And now for my gluten free recipe.  I had a pot luck dinner to go to on Sunday, and I was told to bring a dessert.   So I decided to make a crock pot cake.  And here is the recipe, which I converted to a gluten free cake.  I hope you enjoy it because it was a huge hit at the dinner.

Triple Chocolate Crock pot Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix 

(in order to convert it to gluten free I used a Betty Crocker gluten free chocolate cake mix.)

1 box (3.9 oz) instant chocolate putting mix

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 pint sour cream

4 eggs

3/4 C vegetable oil

1 C water

Mix all ingredients with a mixer in a large bowl.  Pour into a greased crock pot.  Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.  I did 7 hours on low and it was perfect.  However, if you use a regular cake mix, I believe 6 hours on low would be perfect.   Let cool a while in the pot, then turn out onto a cooling rack.  You may have to use a knife or spatula around the edge of the cake to get it out.  Cool completely on the rack.

I then cut the cake into 2 layers, spread heated (to make it a little easier to spread) strawberry jam on the first layer, then sprinkled powdered sugar on the top of the cake.  

This cake is extremely moist and dense (I guess from the pudding mix) and is VERY RICH!   And you could change this out by using any flavor of cake mix you like.  Maybe yellow with orange marmalade between the layers, or white cake with blueberry preserves.  Use your imagination and have fun with it.

Well, have to go now.  It's almost time for bed and I still have a couple of things to do.  So sleep tight, and sweet dreams.

Hugs,

Lynn

                                                      

Father's Day 2012

Well, I guess since I did a Mother's Day blog, I should do a Father's Day blog, also.  Don't you think?

And since I started with my Grandma (my father's mother), I should start this one with my Grandpa.  Who, by the way I really don't remember because he was not around when I was growing up.  You see, he was a police officer and actually was killed  while on duty.  So he really was not in my life.   And I'm so sorry that I never knew him.

So the next father would be my actual father, Ralph Andrew Peters.  He played first trumpet for Sammy Kaye, so he wasn't around very much, either, because in those days the bands went from town to town for play their music.  One of the things I remember the most is that as he went from town to town he kept a very small notepad, listing his expenses day by day, such as hotel fee, food, etc.  And I still have that little notepad.  His name is on quite a few record albums, as he played background for a number of stars, such as
Peggy Lee.  And since he traveled so much, and my biological mother was not in the picture, his brother Uncle Pete and his wife, Aunt Rose, took us to raise.

So now we have Uncle Pete who became our father, so to speak.  What a wonderful man he was, and I miss him terribly.,  He was so kind and gentle and soft spoken (so much like my Art), that even a new kitten took to him even though he didn't like cats.  And Miss Kitty, our cat forever it seems, loved Uncle Pete as much as we did.  LOL  I still see him sitting in the living room trying to read the newspaper, and Miss Kitty always was on his lap.  Another thing I remember distinctly is that when I was a senior in high school, I took a lot of extra credit courses, one of them being bookkeeping.   And, as a senior who would end her days in class earlier than the other students, had to take her finals earlier, also.  Now Uncle Pete worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad as a comptroller, and he sat at the dining room table with me helping me with my bookkeeping.  I still see those evenings in my mind's eye.  He was such a great friend and teacher.

I guess the next in line would be my brother, Mike.  He was our baby brother, and just the cutest thing when he was little.  I remember him in church one Sunday (wearing a light turquoise two piece little outfit), standing in front of the altar, singing Jesus Loves Me.  And he sang it over and over and over.... until someone actually had to go up and bring him back to his seat.  And, of course, everyone just loved it.  But then he grew up, LOL, and that really cute baby brother was gone.  Eventually he married Edith, his wife of many years now, and they had two children, a boy and a girl, who are both married themselves now and have their own families.

And, I guess, the next Father in my life would be my son, James Allen.  His wife Beth is a wonderful daughter-in-law and they have a son named Joshua, who is 16.  And I want you to know that James is a fabulous father and I am so proud of him.  He moved just around the corner from me (7 minutes away) after being out of my life for 31 years.  (Now that's a different story for a different time.)  But I am so happy that we reconnected after all those years and especially since he's so close, and I can just stop by and see him whenever I want.  How wonderful.!

And that's all the fathers in my family that I can think of.  Of course, I have two son-in-laws that are fabulous fathers, also, but this is about the blood fathers in my family.,  Maybe I'll write about them sometime in the future and their names are Jim and Jack. 

So for all the Fathers in my family.  I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day yesterday!  Keep up the good work and continue raising your families with love and patience!!!

No recipe or card this week, since this blog is so long.  Have a great week, and I'll see you next weekend.

Hugs,
Lynn

Lazy Day

Well, today was a lazy day (which is not like me at all), but I had the carpet cleaned, and it was either sit in the bathroom or the spare room while the carpet dried.  So I, of course, elected to sit in the spare room.  And this was mainly because the computer is in this room.  But then again, I don't think I would have wanted to sit in the bathroom all day.  LOL

So most of the day I have been playing games on FB, which I very rarely do.  But it was fun and relaxing.  So now I decided to blog since I didn't get a chance yesterday.  Nothing exciting happened today, so I will just give you a gluten free recipe and show you another card I designed.

Gluten Free Lasagna

Pam (olive oil flavor)
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
32 oz jar pasta sauce (about 4 cups)
1 T dried Italian seasoning (divided)
1 pkg. (10 oz) no boiling - oven ready Gluten Free  rice lasagna (I use DeBoles, available at  Mother Earth)
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 egg
¼ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided


1.  Preheat oven to 350 .  Spray 13x9x2 inch baking pan with Pam.
2.  Combine ground beef, pasta sauce and 2 tsp. Italian seasoning in a bowl.  Set aside.
3.  Combine ricotta cheese, egg, 2 T Parmesan cheese and remaining Italian seasoning in another bowl.  Set aside.
4.  Place 1 C of sauce mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan.
5.  Arrange noodles in a single layer on top of sauce.  Spread noodles with 1/3 of ricotta cheese
mixture,  1/3 of mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of  of remaining sauce mixture.  Repeat 2 more times to make 3 total layers.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
6.  Bake approximately 1 hour or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden brown.
7.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

This is so good and I hope you agree with me.  Enjoy!

And now for another card.

 This card was cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection.  It was so simple and I love the shape of this card.  It was cut at 4 1/4 inches, with the Pemberly paper (X71488) cut at 3 3/4 inches.  Again, a piece of the border edge was used across the center of the card.  I then stamped the four corners with a small image and I can't remember what stamp set it comes from, but you you could use any small image.  The flower is cut from the Cricut at 2 inches, 1 3/4 inch, 1 1/2 inch and 1 inch.  An Outdoor Denim brad was used for the center of the flower.  This was so easy, even though it looks complicated.  I hope you liked this card.

Have a great evening, and sweet dreams to all of you.  See you next week.

Hugs,
Lynn

Recipes

I promised you another gluten free recipe, so here it is.  I call it salsa, but it's not  what we usually call salsa.
I make small amounts of it, so it's always fresh when I eat it.  And it's really better when fresh.  So here goes:

          4 thick slices of cucumbers, chopped
          2 thick slices of tomatoes, chopped
          2 spring onions, chopped
          a squirt of cilantro from those tubes of herbs that you get in the produce department
          a pinch of sea salt
          fresh ground pepper
          a splash of olive oil

Mix well and refrigerate for a short period of time

I serve this on top of cottage cheese and it's really scrumptious.  And the other day I just put some on my lunch plate and served it with chips.  Nice addition to a sandwich.  You could also use this as a topper on practically any meat.

I hope you like it.

And now for a greeting card "recipe" that I made:

 The butterfly was cut out on my Cricut Expressions 2 machine, using the Close To My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy Collection cartridge (Z1686).  This cartridge has 700 images on it!!!  The papers are the reverse sides of one of the sheets from the Pemberly Paper Packet (X7148B) and the strip down the middle is from one of the borders of the paper sheet.  I used rhinestones down the spine of the butterfly.  So simple and so quick to make.  You could make so many of these in such a short period of time.  Then on the inside you can stamp whatever greeting you want -- birthday, sympathy, get well, anything. 

Well, I'll see you again next Sunday.  Have a great week and stay healthy and happy.

Hugs,
Lynn

A day of both joy and sorrow

Hi everyone.  Today is an up and down day for me.  First off, when I went to church today I had to speak to the congregation about my Walk to Emmaus and what it meant to me.  So I thought I would reprint my words for you here on my blog.

"I have had some terrible events in my life.  I have had some wonderful events in my life.  But my Walk to Emmaus was the single most amazing and awesome event in my life.

I was "raised in church".  I did the same for my children.  That's the way it was done in my family.  But I never truly realized what walking with Christ really meant until now.  So at the age of 76 I will walk with Christ for the rest of my life, with God's help, of course.

I must say that when I went to the Walk, I had two terrible things weighing heavily on my heart.  And after much prayer while there, they have both been lifted and I no longer carry those with me any more.  And my heart is so much lighter now.  It's amazing when you can actually feel something like that leaving you.,  Thank you, Dear Lord, for helping me.

I have one more thing to tell you.  Most of you met my son, who I had been estranged from for 31 years.  Then 3 years ago he found one of my daughters and myself on FB.  About two years ago he and his family moved into a home practically around the corner from my home.  Although he is "just around the corner" I hardly ever see him.  I even told him that he could just have stayed where he was because we don't see each other very much.

Well, he wrote me a note in a beautiful card while I was away, and I called him and told him how much I appreciated and loved the card and note.  He then proceeded to say 'Mom, I have to tell you something.  While I was writing that note to you, I finally realized just how much I really do love you.'  Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather, because he's always said he loved me, but I certainly believe it now.  And he said he's going to speak with his wife about the fact that we should see each other at least once a week.

So the Walk even reached out to my son and healed our relationship.  Amazing.  Awesome.  And this is all the work of God.  So if you are interested in going on the Walk to Emmaus please speak with your pastor and discuss this.  You won't be sorry.  I can guarantee it!

Thank you to all of you who have supported me on this journey.  I will never forget this experience."

So that was the happy part of my day.

And now for the sad portion of it.  I lost a dear friend today from cancer.  Her name is Denise and I loved her.  She fought a hard battle, but she lost.  But then again, I guess she didn't really lose the battle, because she now is with God up in heaven.  I'm sure he has his arms wrapped around her and is making sure she is no longer in pain.  Goodbye, Denise, I'll see you in your new home sometime in the future.

I think this is enough said for today.  I'll do the gluten free recipe and greeting card tomorrow.  Sweet dreams to you all.

Hugs,
Lynn

An awesome 72 hours

Good afternoon, friends.  I am so happy to be blogging today.

I returned yesterday from my Walk to Emmaus.  This was an amazing experience for me.  I don't think I have ever been happier in my life.  Walking closer to Christ is an experience everyone should have.  My heart was so heavy about two different things, and now?  Well, my heart is light and much happier.  This truly is probably the single most important event in my life.  If you are a Christian you should definitely talk with your pastor or priest and inquire if you could possibly go on this wonderful adventure.  And there are walks for men, as well as the women.  Check it out, I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

On another subject, I am showing you a card that I made last month  (I'm not sure who designed it, but I fell in love with it).  I hope you like it, too.  I used Close To My Heart stamp set Card Word Puzzle (C1494) for the flower and stamp set For Every Occasion (D1187) for the word hello.  I also used Outdoor Denim ink for stamping the flowers, and a strip of the Outdoor Denim card stock with natural hemp (Z280) tied over it.  Then I used a small piece of Colonial White card stock stacked on top of a piece of  kraft card stock for the small card attached.   

If you are interested in any of these supplies, please contact me at normsdarlin@aol.com for ordering
I hope you enjoy seeing this card.  It's so easy and you can make a ton of them very quickly.  Also, you can vary what is stamped on the small card.

And now, it's GLUTEN FREEBIE TIME!  This recipe uses Udi's gluten free bagels and comes from flour on my face.com.

Udi's Gluten Free Bagel Chips

2 Udi's plain bagels

1/4 C olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

a pinch of dry dill weed

Carefully cut the bagels thinly.  The slices don't have to be perfect.  Variation in the thickness, shape and size is what makes bagel chips so much fun to snack on.  In a bowl or a gallon size zip-lock bag toss olive oil with the bagel slices.  Take your time and evenly coat the pieces as well as you can.  Not all of the pieces will be entirely covered with olive oil.  

Mix the spices and sprinkle into the bag.  Seal and shake to cover the bagel pieces with the spices.  The spices I used are just a starting point.  You can flavor your bagel bites with any spices you like.  You could add some ground pepper flakes or a small amount of cayenne pepper if you like things spicy.  This is one of those recipes you can change up depending on what favors you feel like having.

Spread pieces on a large baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake for 7 minutes at 400 degrees in your oven.  Remove bagel chips from the baking sheet and cool on a cooling rack.  This will keep your chips crispy.  Store in an air tight container.  This recipe is great, by the way, for using up bagels that have gone a little stale.

Cucumber and Dill Dip

4 oz. softened reduced fat cream cheese

1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped fine

1/2 tsp fresh dill, chopped fine (or dried)

Cash of salt and pepper

Peel, cut in half and seed the cucumber, scraping a teaspoon down the center to remove the seeds.  Dice into small pieces.  Chop the fresh dill finely.  (If using dried dill weed you may have to adjust the measurement.  Add 1/4 tsp to start, then add more if needed)

Add all ingredients together and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.  Overnight is best.  When ready to serve, mix well again, taste to make sure you don't need to adjust the spices.

I hope you have a Blessed Week and enjoy all I have given you today.  See you next week.

Hugs,

Lynn 

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you ladies out there.  Whether you gave birth to a child or you raised another person's child, I wish you a Happy Mother's Day.

And this blog today is to honor all of the wonderful mothers in my own family.

From my Grandma Peters, who I loved dearly, as she raised six children by herself since my Grandpa was killed in the line of duty, as a police officer.  Her name was Anna, and she was born January 6, 1872 and died at the age of 90.  She had this long dark hair which she brushed each morning and night,  and wore in a bun.  Her hair was all the way down to the back of her knees, and not a gray hair was found.  She had all her own teeth, could hear very well, but she did wear glasses, as you can see from the picture.  Some good German stock.  I miss you, Grandma.
 

And then there was Aunt Rose, sister-in-law of my father.  She and my Uncle Pete (her husband) raised my sister Nancy, my brother Mike and myself, from the time we were very little until we were out of school.  She took really good care of us, and one of the things I remember most about her is that she made all of our clothes all those years.  And I mean everything, including undies.  LOL  And what a fabulous cook she was.  I still think of all those wonderful meals she put on the table.  Thank you, Aunt Rose, for all you did for us.

Next would be my sister, Nancy, who gave birth to four children, three boys and a little girl.  I'm sorry to say her little girl did not survive at birth, but she raised three wonderful boys.  Another wonderful mother in our family!

And I guess I'm next, giving birth to three children, two girls and one boy.  I have always loved being a mother, and I hope I did a good job raising my three.

One of my daughters, Laura, has four children: two girls and two boys.  They all live in Maryland.   She was born to be a mother in my eyes.  She is a wonderful mother, and truly loves her children and would give her life for any of them.  This I know and I applaud her for it.  She is one of those mothers who doesn't get bent out of shape when something goes wrong.  Her patience is unending, and believe me, she needs all that patience at times.  LOL

My other daughter, Debra, who lives in Kansas, has raised her husband's son since he was a little boy.   Adam was Debbie's son from the time she married Jim.  Adam has grown up to be a fine man, and now has two children of his own.

Now comes my daughter-in-law, Beth, who has given birth to my wonderful grandson, Joshua, who will be turning 16 next week.  I am fortunate to have them live very close to me.  Beth is a wonderful mother and I love her for her love of my son.

And last, but not least, is my grand daughter, Amanda, who is the mother of three little ones, and another baby due in September.  She, like my daughter Laura, I believe, was meant to be a mother.  She truly reminds me of Laura in many ways, including having a lot of patience.

So, as you can see, our family has many mothers, and I salute all of them.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!!

Hugs,
Lynn