Something to Check Out.....

In my blog wanderings, I somehow stumbled across The Dating Divas website and I was hooked.  They had some REALLY awesome ideas on fun things you can do to keep your marriage interesting and fun and playful.  My printer has had a real workout this afternoon while I printed out a bunch of stuff that I want to try.  My husband and I are coming up on our 10 year anniversary on May 17th and I am so thankful that our relationship has developed to where it is but the reality of life is that you can lose focus if you aren't careful.  There isn't anything "wrong" with our marriage but sometimes I am not as grateful as I should be or I don't tell him how much I appreciate him.  I don't think either of us would complain about our marriage but there is really no reason why we can't make it more fun, or more exciting or more interesting.  There is just no real down side to MORE!  So anyway, the link to their site is HERE.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I have so far!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

I hate the crowds and chaos on Valentine's Day so my husband and I went out to dinner last night instead.  We went to MY favorite restaurant, Joe's Crab Shack.

I had the Clasic Steam Pot and he tried the Third Coast Platter...

And then he gave me these beautiful roses.....

I bought him the new SKYFALL DVD and Good Will Hunting. 

We will exchange cards tonight and I will also give him the coupon book I made him....

We also bought my daughter the new edition of Avatar with all the "nerdy" extras!  She will be so thrilled!!  Oh and I bought her a mini heart shaped cheesecake!!!

All in all, a SPECTACULAR celebration of love!!!

 

I can't help myself....

When we adopted two kittens last May, I had no idea that less than a year later, I would be madly in love with Dante.  He was cute and adorable and so exactly the opposite of the cat I would normally be attracted to but I saw his little face and I was lost.  I had no idea that over the next few months, he would make me laugh until I actually cried (!) and that I would fall in love with this bundle of fluff!

Here are two pictures of Dante when he was "stuck" in a plastic bag over the weekend.

Then last night he climbed up beside me and begged to be petted....Here is his cute face:

Finally, I held him in my arms like a baby and rubbed his belly until he was ready to get down.  Here he is lying in my arms, looking adorable! 

Dante is fairly independent and only requires humans for their skills with the can opener.  I am always surprised when he wants to be cuddled and loved on but I can never resist!

Craft Bomb Challenge

My friend, Cris, and I were talking about not being able to craft more often and she threw down a Craft Bomb Challenge.  Go into your craft room for one hour and make something.  This particular challenge was ABAC (Anything but a Card!) and you had to use only supplies on hand.  Of course, my night was super busy and I didn't get home until after 8pm but I still made an effort to get into my craft room and create SOMETHING.  I ended up making a bookmark...I used a digi from Saturated Canary (because I LOVE her digis!) along with a journaling card as the base, some fiber and some tattered angel spray.  All in all, I loved the result.  Oh....and I used glossy accents to make her glasses!  You can't see it very well in the picture but it was a cute touch.  When I took it to work to show Cris, it was promptly confiscated so I will have to make another one for myself! 

As a footnote...my friend made an entire album!  Yes, an entire album.  Of course, she also went over the time limit but still.....an entire album!  When she puts up her youtube video, I will link to it so you can see!  Crafty Beeyotch!

Second footnote: Saturated Canary is currently offering a discount code on her blog.  20% off means you can buy more digis!!!  You can find her blog HERE!

Christmas Card I made for a swap

I made this card for a swap I am in and I just loved the result.  The image is a digi from Mo Manning called Winter Fairy Talva and you can buy her here.  I have had her for a while but finally got down to coloring her for this swap.  Since I had to make 8 cards, this was probably not the right digi to choose since they took a while to color and cut out but everyone really seemed to love her!  The sentiment is from Create with TLC and I honestly can't remember where the little tickets came from.  (If you know, I am happy to give them credit!)

Valentine's Day Cards

I made a card for my Godaughter and her sister for Valentine's Day....

Amigurumi Project

I have a friend who crochets and knits...neither of which do I have a talent for but yesterday, she mentioned crocheting an Amigurumi ground hog for her daughter for Ground Hog Day.  I'm thinking to myself that surely I could also create these small wonders so today I googled for a free beginner's pattern.  I found this website which offers quite a few free patterns:


http://craftyiscool.blogspot.com/2012/12/doctor-who-collection-completion.html?showComment=1358440574018#c4099287745392633621

But when I went to her current entry, I was BLOWN AWAY by this set of Dr. Who dolls that she created along with their TARDIS.  I have never watched Dr. Who but I must tell you that seeing these remarkable dolls made me wish I was receiving them.  So much talent!  You should definitely pay her blog a visit!

Happy 2013!

So a new year has started and I am really struggling to get back into a routine.  I feel like my brain is still on holiday!   

I am trying to challenge myself to eat ALL of the food out of my freezer and pantry since I seem to have become something of a food hoarder!  And this challenge will also help with the second part of my New Year's goal which is to eat out less! 

I am also trying to discard some of the "stuff" I have accumulated over the years and give us some space.  We just have so much STUFF. 

To help keep myself a little organized, I created a notebook to hold all of my Home Improvement project information.  So when I find something I like in a magazine or a paint card or even just an idea I can write down....everything will be in one place.  I am currently hoping to do some work in four (yes, FOUR) areas in our house and none of them are really small projects.  I want to replace the floor in my kitchen, I want to replace the carpet and furniture in the living room, I want to redo our bedroom and I want to redo my office/guest room.  Now I just have to figure out where the money is coming from and exactly what I want for each project!  Wish me luck!!

Kimber

Happy Birthday To ME!!!

My friend, Beverly, made me a birthday crown!  It is PURPLE and sparkly and awesome!!  Everyone should have a BIRTHDAY CROWN!!!!

Digital Stamp Addiction

I am really bad about purchasing digital stamps because they are cheaper than rubber or cling stamps.  There is also an INSTANT gratification factor that just can't be beat!  Here are a few of my favorite sites:

Saturated Canary: This site is relatively new to my madness but I love her images.  Krista draws girls with tons of layers in the clothing and usually a lot of long flowing hair to color...and she definitely has a sense of humor!  (Check out her Fifty Shades inspired digi!)  I am so addicted to her images...I wish I had more disposable income and then I would own ALL of them!  http://saturated-canary.myshopify.com/

Tiddly Inks: I have been buying from here for a while...and I have the digis to prove it!  (wink, wink)  Christy draws the most adorable images and they are so much fun to color.  Lots of talent and fun can be found here...   http://www.tiddlyinks.com/categories/Digital-Stamps/Victorian-Gothic%7B47%7DSteampunk/

Dilly Beans: A relative newcomer to my addiction but a very talented lady!  Check out all of her awesome digital stamps here:  http://sillydillybeans.blogspot.com/ or her creations in her Etsy shop here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/mycreativebliss?ref=em

and if you are not familiar with Paulette at Create with TLC, I highly recommend that you go for a visit.  She offers some of the best sentiments around and TONS of Freebies!  I cannot tell you how many great sentiments, papers and images she has shared.  She also has a store where you can buy her great stuff and the prices are very reasonable.  Definitely stop by for a visit. http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/tlc4lo

These are just the first few.....I will share more soon!

Thanksgiving Card

So, I made this Thanksgiving card for a swap I am in.....I absolutely LOVE House Mouse so I couldn't resist this little guy!

My fabulous Bat Nails!

So, I stopped getting acrylic nails about 5 years ago.  There were a number of reasons but mostly because I like to do papercrafts and it is not conducive to a pretty nail job!  So I decided to forgo the nails and focus on my crafting.  But every once in a while, I see someone with really cute nails and I am so jealous.  Last week I was shopping and found some adorable Halloween nails for less than $3.  I bought two packs and scurried home.  Last night I finally got around to trying them out and I love, love, love them.  They are just glued onto my real nails and they probably won't lst long but I have already received a bunch of compliments and today is just Day 1!  So, ignore the cuticles (because they are a mess!) and take a look at my fabulous bat nails!

Broccoli Madness

When we moved to Colorado Springs in 2007, I was saddened to discover that there was not a Souplantation here.  Then we discovered that there was one in Denver (about an hour North) but never seem to make it up there.  I found the recipe on their blog for the Joan's Broccoli Madness salad (http://blog.souplantation.com/a-guest-favorite-joans-broccoli-madness/ ) and I finally tried it yesterday.  It was DELICIOUS!  I was so thrilled and I thought I would share the recipe here:

Serves 6-8.


1 bunch uncooked broccoli*
½ cup crumbled cooked bacon
½ cup cashews
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup chopped red onions

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl.
In a second bowl, beat dressing ingredients together gently until smooth.
Toss the salad with the dressing approximately 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve on chilled salad dishes.

*The broccoli is a loose guideline: often people have to make it a few times before they get it just the way they like it.

Danger Will Robinson....Danger!

So today is Day ONE of quitting smoking.  I am using a program sponsored through Cigna and will be on the nicotine patch for the next 8 weeks.  This morning I find that, while I do not have a craving for nicotine, I am not sure what to do with my hands.  They really want to hold a cigarette.  I have warning signs posted at my desk to let people know that I just quit smoking.



Hopefully this will prepare everyone in case I turn into a crazy psycho witch....or maybe not!  Anyway, I am hoping that it will not be too difficult to quit.  We shall see.

New Family Members

Please welcome our newest family members.....Dante and Kenzi.

Twitter Account

I have finally set up a Twitter account.  I am not exactly sure why....just some odd compulsion this morning but it is done.  I'm fairly sure this is one of the Signs of the Apocalypse!

What Are We Saving Time For?

So Sunday was the beginning of Daylight Savings Time and as usual, I am exhausted two days in.  No matter what the clock says, my body KNOWS what time it really is!   I usually hit the bed at 10pm and am asleep by 10:30 (if not earlier!)  Last night when 10pm rolled around, I was working around the house and ended up watching Lost Girl with my daughter.  I finally headed to bed at 11pm (with my body knowing full well that it was only 10pm!)  Unfortunately, when the alarm went of at 5:30am, my body ALSO knew that is was only 4:30am and I had another hour to sleep.  I am not really sure that I understand why we do this anymore.  It takes so long to adjust to the time change and everyone is cranky (or maybe just me!)  My vote is to end DST and move on.  Just leave the clock where it is and let me keep that extra hour of sleep. 

SMILE.....It's FRIDAY!!!

What's Better than AWESOME?

Today I told someone they were awesome and he said that his wife was used to awesome so now she was expecting stupendous.  Stupendous does not ring the same bell in my head as awesome although the online dictionary tells me that Awesome is "very impressive" while stupendous is "extremely impressive."  In my search for something better than awesome, I found this post from last year and it made me laugh (out loud even!)  So I wanted to share:

can_we_please_stop_calling_everything_awesome

Apparently awesome is being overused! 

March for Babies

We have a lot of charity events where I work but the one I support with my whole heart is the March of Dimes.  Their mission is to help every baby be born healthy.  Fourteen years ago, my son was born prematurely and he didn't live much past his birth.  I was heartbroken that Alexander would not be coming home with us and it was the end of my hopes of having more children.  My wish would be that no family ever has to go through the heartbreak of losing a child because they were premature. 

This April, I will once again be participating in the March for Babies.  I am hoping to raise $200 for this event.  If you are interested in helping me reach my goal, here is a link to donate:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/KimberlyMonaghan

Every dollar helps....no amount is too small!