Friday, February 29, 2008

Blender Coconut Custard Pie and BIRTHDAY request





I made this pie last night in celebration of my boss's birthday:
So, channeling my inner Becky, the recipe queen, I would like to share this super easy custard pie that you whiz together in a blender. Yes, you heard right. A blender!
Crustless Coconut Blender Pie
2 c. milk
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c. flour
6 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. coconut
Throw everything except the coconut in a blender and whiz until well blended, I'd say about 3 minutes. Stir in the coconut and blend until incorporated through about 10 seconds. Pour into greased pie plate (9.5-10 inch) and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.
Enjoy!
Now, I'd like to send all my bloggy friends a hand made Birthday card on your birthday, so if you'd like to get one from me, please say so in the comments along with your birthdate! If I don't already have your snaily, email it to me please.
Thanks!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

A couple cards and Prima Box winner!

First, I'd like to thank all the heartfelt words expressed in my last post about my dad. I really appreciate your kindness. I had you in mind when I made this card:




I made this card using the new Papertrey Ink Polka Dot Basics set found here. I used it to stamp the dotted background using the new matching inks, ribbon and cardstock at Papertrey Ink in Spring Moss. I used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the white cs, American Crafts patterned paper. The flower and sentiment is also from a Papertrey Ink set called Beautiful Blooms.


The little doggy below is a Stampin' Up! set named Ruff Day. I colored him with Copic Markers. I just LOVE playing with my Copics. The pp is Imaginesce. I love the bright, boldness of the Imaginesce line.


Now for the moment you've all been waiting for...
Shelley is the winner of the little altered gum box filled with Prima Flowers!

Congrats, Shelley!!! Send me your snaily so I can get that out to ya! (Click on the sidebar where it says View my complete profile. There you will find an email link.)


Monday, February 25, 2008

It was 5 years ago today

That a 5 month pregnant Theresa was running frantically through the airport in St. Louis trying to make the next flight out to Texas. I remember a male desk attendant hollering at me, hurry up! I wanted to say, "Look, my father is laying in a hospital bed possibly dying. Don't you think I want to get to him as quickly as possible? But for your information, I can't run any faster carrying this baby, and if I lose this baby because you tried to rush me along, wouldn't you feel bad?" I wanted to say this, but I was so winded, I couldn't afford the breath to get the words out. It wasn't his fault. He didn't know I was pregnant because I really wasn't showing then. I remember sitting on the 2 hour flight to Houston. Two flight attendants were sitting close to me, laughing and chatting about nothing. I wanted to turn to them and say, "Shut up! My Dad's dying!!", but it wasn't their fault my dad was so sick. I was jealous of them, being so happy, not facing what I was about to face. He died while I was in the air making the descent into Houston. I missed him by 30 minutes. I never even got to say goodbye.

Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer around the third week of January. I immediately fell into the stage of denial. I forced my dad to take the chemo, even though he didn't want to. But he did it for me, hoping doing so would ease the worry that laid heavy on my mind. Eric and I were right in the middle of closing the deal on our house on Ruth Lane. I had already been in Texas 2 weeks, but I had to go back to Missouri to finalize the closing and the move. I didn't know how bad Dad had gotten while I was gone. Mom never let on and Dad never complained. Not one single time did he complain. Not once. That was the kind of man he was. He was my hero, in more ways than one. You see, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. I was born to a very poor Filipino woman and a serviceman who was not man enough to step up to the responsibility of a child and a woman who loved him. My Mom and Dad had tried for years to have a child to no avail. Then a friend of a friend told my mom to come see a newborn baby that would probably end up in an orphanage. My Dad was opposed to the idea. My mom coerced him into going to see me. He took one look at me, and couldn't leave me. As the story goes, there were sugar ants crawling on me. It was a pitiful site according to my parents. From that day there was a bond that not even death could break. I didn't find out I was adopted until I was 30 years old. When I asked my Dad why he waited so long to tell me (he bawled like a baby when he told me), he said it was because he never wanted me to feel like I was anything other than his own flesh and blood. It was my Dad who was always there for me, through all that I'd been through. When I was a teen going through those awkward years, it was my Dad who sat at the foot of my bed while I was crying, consoling me, telling me how special I really was. After three failed marriages, it was my Dad who was always there to pick up the pieces, and send me on my way on this road of life again. You see, it was really hard to fill Dad's shoes. I guess he's partly to blame for my failed marriages because nobody could ever measure up to him. He was who I measured men against. Until now. I think God knew what I was about to face and sent Eric into my life, the only man who could fill Daddy's shoes, 7 months before my Dad died. My heavenly Father didn't want me to face this grief alone. Now Eric is my rock. Eric got to meet my Dad, but I wish he could've got to know him better. Eric has never had a Dad and this his one chance to finally share a father/son bond with someone, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. The hardest thing was that Daddy died knowing he'd never get to hold the grandson I was carrying at the time. He loved my older boys. He was their Tata. He'd drive all the way from League City to Lake Jackson to watch his grandsons play sports, etc. He was there for them, just like he was there for me. I could always count on him to baby sit. I worked shift work at the time for Roche Vitamins and Fine Chemicals. He would drive all the way over to pick the boys up and take them for the weekend so I could work. When I was growing up, he never missed a football game. He was there, faithfully to watch me in the band or on the dance team. I would search the stands for his face, and always, he would be there.

So, with a heavy heart, I am allowing myself to think about this amazing man today. I try not to think about him too much because the pain is still so severe. I know it's been 5 years since he's been gone. But pain is still there. The hurt is still fresh. I guess you just learn to deal with it on a day by day basis.

He died 30 minutes before I got to Texas. I never got to say goodbye. But I know deep in my heart, he knew without a doubt how much I loved him, and I know how much he loved me.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Another Paper Trey Ink project!




The other day as I was taking a piece of gum out of it's cute little box, I thought, "Hhhmmm, this little box would be so cute altered". So I did just that! I took an empty Ice Breakers gum box, covered it with the new yummy PTI paper, filled it with itty bitty Prima flowers.
I thought the sentiment, "Inspire Creativity" was perfect for a little box of Prima flowers. I stamped on the twill ribbon, "Just a little something". I used the Nestabilities ovals to mount the sentiment. I topped the box with the little Prima flowers to give a preview of what is inside the box. Finish it off with little crystal flower centers and there you have it!!

If you'd like to win this little box filled with Prima itty bitty flowers, leave a comment and I'll draw a name from all the comments!





Thursday, February 21, 2008

A Card for Lois





My sweet friend, Wilna Furstenberg is doing a huge RAK and card drive for her friend, Lois, here.
WHY?
From Wilna's blog...

I have a friend, Lois. She is 40 years old and have cancer. She is in pain and needs positive, uplifting people to remind her continually to live and that life is worth living. She has an amazing husband and four beautiful kids. The doctors are not giving her long to live, but I believe that God is the author of life. And I know you believe that too.

My heart is burdened for Lois. Can you imagine being given a death sentence by your doctors? But, there's hope in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! He is our great physician. By His stripes we are healed, and I believe in the miraculous power of His healing. Please pray for Lois and lift her up by sending a card. Wilna is trying to get 100 cards pledged.

Here is the card I created for Lois. Please join me in this plea...











I am totally hooked on Papery Trey Inks products. Their stamps, cardstock, patterned paper, inks, customer service are of the highest quality. I love this set. It's called Everyday Blessings and you can find it here.
I used a Marvy scalloped oval and plain oval punch for the outside sentiment. I stamped the cross as well as the sentiment and sprinkled it with black embossing powder to really enhance the black and make it pop, then I heat set it. I then cut out the cross by hand and placed foam on the back to lift it off the card. I used double stick foam for the scalloped sentiment as well. I enhanced the scallops with Black Diamond stickles.
The inside sentiment is stamped on a white cardstock and punched in the corner with a Stampin' Up notched corner punch. I love how the punch mimics the pointy edges of the cross.
Please make a card for Lois today.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

RAK winners

We were busy again last night doing house stuff. I got off work early, picked up the baby and headed to St.L to pick Eric up from work. We went to a flooring store to look at some flooring Eric saw on Craigslist. We bought that flooring for $2.50 or something like that a foot, which is a great deal considering we saw some hardwood flooring for $20/foot! Yikes! We picked out a natural birch wood floor. It's really pretty. We're going with a Craftsman look for the house so we picked out some cherry wood cabinets by Kraft Maid with a really pretty Autumn Blush stain. It's a pretty light red color. I hope it looks good with the birch flooring. I wanted to have contrast between the cabinets and the floor. I wanted a blonde colored wood to keep things light and airy and to contrast the red cherry cabinets. The cabinets are in a clean and simple shaker style. I think we're getting bronze fixtures for the knobs, handles and faucets. We haven't picked out our countertop yet but I think it's going to be a light colored Silestone with reddish flecks. The counter will be a blonde color to match the flooring.
We went to American to look at stoves and ended up buying a sofa instead. We got one of those sofas that has leather everywhere that touches the body, but vinyl on the back- way cheaper! It's a beautiful coffee bean dark brown color leather with 2 recliners built in. There are only 2 recliners that span the whole couch so they are extra wide and comfy. It has clean lines. It's very sumptuous. Hopefully it's neutral enough to go with everything else we've picked out. We plan to put a flat screen above the fireplace, so we looked at flat screen and got sticker shocked! LOL! This week, hopefully, fingers crossed, the drywall will go up. I will get pictures of the house (it's long overdue) once that happens so you can see the progress!

Now on to my FAVORITE part! The RAKS!!

Now everyone who commented, whether they said they wanted to win or not, got their name put in the hat. Quit trying to be a martyr and say you don't want my RAKs. I love blessing my friends! And who doesn't like the chance to win a present? So stop it already!




Here is what I came up with for the Piggy Tales preview RAK a few posts ago. I fell in love with this K&Co mini book kit. There are 143 pieces in this 4x5" book kit including transparency images, paper, chipboards. It is SO stinkin' cute!
I put 19 names in the drawing. Guess who's name I pulled out? I would have Connor do it but he's still sleeping. And the winner is.....
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drumroll please
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JOY!!!

Yippeee! Joy, you won the mini book!!


And now, for the cute Valentine stamp set...

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another drumroll please..
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BEVERLY!!!!!

Beverly, you won!! And see there, you said you never win anything!! LOL!!! You can't say that anymore!

Shoot me an email with your snaily and I'll get that out to you this week!!!

Thanks for playing

Monday, February 18, 2008

Busy, busy, busy

Hey y'all!

I've been so busy the past few days. Thursday night Eric took me out for Valentine's dinner. Friday night Ryan had a basketball game. Saturday afternoon Ryan had his last bb game but it was away and the whole day was spent on travelling there, watching it, and travelling back. Yesterday was church and directly afterwards, to St. Louis to check out kitchen cabinets and countertops. So far we have our fridge (a stainless steel french door model with ice and water thru the door), and a ss dishwasher. We still have to order our stove. We have in mind that we (I) want a 36" dual fuel (Gas burners and electric oven). We're trying to find the best deal. On a happy note, I think I doomed our washing machine. I told Eric that I wanted a new w/d set for the new set and he said no. So I said, "I hope our washing machine breaks down so I can get a new one". Do you know the power of our words? LOL! Sure enough, our 7 year old Maytag washing machine broke down and I now am the proud owner of a matching set of front loading washer and dryer by Frigidaire. LOL!!!

I will try my hardest to conclude the 2 RAKs that I have going.

I have to run Shirley to the doctor for her chemo treatment today.

Stay tuned!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day RAK and Copic Marker discussion

I have been really interested in card making lately. I have been researching the web and educating myself in the application of Copic Markers as well as watercoloring and Prisma Pencils.

Here's a Valentine card I made using my Copic markers. There are alot of links to the right of my blog under resources concerning Copic markers. Copics are alchohol based inks. You can get them at HL. Once every 3 weeks, HL will put them on sale (All artist markers) for 30%. If you want to save more money, you can get them with a 40% coupon one at a time, which is time consuming, if you ask me. The markers are pricey- $6 each. But they are an investment. What I LOVE about Copics, besides their vibrant colors and blendability (using a blender pen and blending solution) is that they are refillable and the nibs (tips) can be replaced virtually making them the last marker you will ever need to purchase! I use the sketch marker (there are different ones- original, ciao, etc.) because it has a brush nib which is perfect for coloring in images. The markers are double ended. The sketch marker has a brush tip on one end and a chisel tip on the other end.

You have to use pigment inks to stamp your main image. Dye inks will bleed when used with Copics. I used Brilliance pads in black and dried it a little with my heat gun to speed things up. Make sure your image is dry before you start coloring.



To give dimension to the balloon, I used red flock. The important thing to remember when using flock is to color in your image first with your base color, in this case, red Copic ink, so that if there are any places that don't get covered with the flock, it'll be camoflauged with the red ink. (Yes, I learned that the hard way.) Then after the ink is dry, which is very quickly since it's alcohol based and evaporates quickly, apply glue ( I used 2 way glue with a chisel tip for broader coverage) and dust on the flock. Push the flock gently into the glue so it sticks. Knock off the excess flock into a coffee filter and funnel the excess back into your container.
This monkey couple is just my most favorite pair of love birds, or should I say, love monkeys? Hee hee....
Here is what a Copic marker looks like:


In celebration of my most favorite holiday of the year, I am giving away the most adorable of all time Stampin' Up Valentine set named, "Have a Heart". This set is retired and can no longer be purchased through SU!, so it is very collectible. I couldn't bear to part with my monkey stamp, so this will have to do.
Just leave me a comment telling me why and how bad you want this stamp set. (Bribes accepted! Ha ha!) If you already have this set, please let someone else have a chance to win it.
Also, please let me know if you have any questions about Copics and I will start a separate post to address any questions you may have.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Piggy Tales Sliding Door Book

Here is the reason I"ve been MIA lately. I've been working feverishly hard on this book. Now that it's done, I hope to catch up on everyone's blogs and make some Valentine cards!


Seasons 2007

































Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Friday, February 01, 2008

Connor the Artist

Look at this dinosaur that Connor colored at Montessori. Is he his mama's boy or what? He loves colorful stuff just like his mom. I thought it was so cute and worth showing off.







Here is what we're dealing right now. We got about a foot of snow dumped on us. Connor had fun making a snow angel. We tried making a snowman, but the snow was too powdery to stick together to roll into balls. Can you believe that the snow has to be just right to build a snowman? I'm from Texas. I'm not a snow expert, but I'm learning!




I'm going to do a little give away for the post below this one, so leave a comment! I'll get that done by Sunday!

My work