Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! I hope Santa stuffs your stockings full to the rim

with everything you wanted!

Blizzard 2010!

Have you been dreaming of a white Christmas? If you have those of us who live in southern Minnesota we have what you want, so come and get it!

Wow I think this is the blizzard of the century!! It has finally stopped snowing but now comes the wind and the cold!

I LOVE it when this happens and I don't have to go any where! Yesterday my job told me not to come in as they were not expecting a whole lot of customers so I said "No problem, see ya all on Monday!" Thank goodness they told me that as this next photo is Davids attempt to go to work, NOT. Ha ha ha he backed out of the garage and there he sat, couldn't go forward, couldn't go backwards. He was very thankful that I was home because I got him unstuck and back into the garage.

Here's a look at our neighbor's house and just how big the snow drifts were getting. This was around 12:00 noon and the drifts were already half way up their garage.

Here's Dave showing how much snow there was in our driveway

This is looking out my patio window, kinda cool looking but now the snow
is about half way up the window!

Well now it's 10 pm and our home owners association was finally able to
get out here and start plowing us out. This is kinda hard to see but that is
Dave standing next to the pile of snow that they moved from our front door area!
They almost buried our tree in the front yard! Oh yeah, I just watched the news on
channel 11 and they said the total snowfall for Shakopee was 21.5 inches
of snow! HOLY COW that's a lot of snow!

I hope you are all snuggled warm in your beds and if you are in the path of this great storm LOOK OUT and think about what it would be like to move to Florida! LOL Guess what Dave and I are doing tomorrow, pulling out the good old atlas and looking for a southern exposure for next year!!

Lynn

3 Cards, One design

Isn't it funny how one design can make so many different images? Check out my cards, the first one was a make and take that I did at an open house 2 years ago. Everyone who came to my open house thought it was the cutest card ever. Sorry I can not for the life of me get this photo to rotate.
A couple of months ago I had "Rubber Rot", if you don't know what that is it's a term for coming up blank when you are trying to design a card. We called it Rubber Rot since back then all stamps were made out of rubber! Anyways, I was trying to come up with cards for my club to make and I came across a whole pile of the cut papers to make that card. Well I couldn't make the same card as some of my clubbers came to my open house, so I started playing with the pieces and then I came up with this card.

So now my club is done and over and I still had some of those pre-cut papers and still didn't know what to do with them. I saw a post on Splitcoast Stampers where they made a snowman using 3 circles but they had them on a gift tag. Well after seeing that I got out my big shot and my circle die and thought that snowman would be the cutest thing to add to a recipe swap that I am in but then after seeing how small my circles were I just knew that it would work great on a card and here is the final card!

Here are all the cards together. At least in this shot I have all the cards the right way so that you can see them!
So the lesson to this story is that when you have "Rubber Rot" grab a card that you already have and turn it once or twice and you will have a whole new design, and it's just that easy!

Happy Stamping!

2nd Annual Holiday Boutique Reminder

Don't forget bring your list and come to our 2nd Annual Holiday Boutique in Burnsville tomorrow! You won't want to miss this sale and if you do, you will have to wait a whole year for the next sale!

Stop in at 3204 West Park Drive, Burnsville from 4:30 until 7:30 See you there!

Ho Ho Holy Snow Santa!

Wow did we get dumped on! This storm came in fast and and dumped a TON of snow on us. It started around 2 pm Friday and by the time I left work at 4 we must have already had about 2 inches of snow. You know for as much as I HATE snow it sure is beautiful after it's all over and done with!

This is a tree in our back yard

We don't have to shovel our drive way we have an association that takes care of it but you know men, they just have to get out there and pretend that they are doing something useful! Not us women, I am tucked away in the house with my pj's on and snuggled under a blanket on the couch. Now, who is the smarter one? Hands down, ME! :-)

Here's Dave cleaning up the Drive way

Here's more photo's showing how much snow we really got

Check out my table, it must have at least 6 inches of snow on it!

So guess what I did to day? I had a jammy day! That is the BEST thing about snow storms that come right before your day off and I got lucky this time! It was cold in the house so I thought I'd turn on the oven and try a new recipe and it's a keeper! I tried a Pillsbury recipe called "Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tartlets" and this is what they look like:

Here's the recipe:

1 can Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls or 1 can Pillsbury Crescent seamless dough sheet
1/3 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c chopped cooked bacon
1 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 egg
3 Tbsp whipping cream

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
If using crescent rolls unroll dough into 1 large rectangle on work surface. Press into a 12x9 in rectangle firmly pressing seams together.
Cut dough into 12 squares. Gently press squares into 12 ungreased mini muffin cups, shaping edges to form rims 1/4 inch high. Spoon cheese evenly into cups. Top each with bacon and onion. In a small bowl, beat egg and whipping cream with wire whisk or fork until blended. Spoon slightly less than 1 Tbsp mixture into each cup.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and filling is set. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from muffin pan.

OK now here's the recipe that I used since I didn't have any bacon, Swiss cheese or whipping cream:

I used some turkey sausage links that I cooked and crumbled, I used cheddar cheese and in place of the whipping cream I used skim milk. When I rolled out my dough I used a small biscuit cutter and cut my crescent rolls into rounds. I followed the recipe the rest of the way and they turned out GREAT! I would, and will, make these again! I almost ate them all myself so make sure you make a double batch, one for you and one for your friend! ha ha ha

Lynn

2nd Annual Holiday Boutique

Do you have your list? Have you checked it twice? Do you know who has been naughty and who's been nice enough for you to buy them a gift? If you said yes to any of those questions I have just the place you need to bring your list to, it's our

2nd Annual Holiday Boutique!

My friend Liz and I are having our Annual Holiday Boutique on Wednesday, December 12th from 4:30 until 7:30 so if you are in the Burnsville area stop by and see us!

We have a TON of great gift ideas for you from Secret Santa gifts to teacher gifts and even some items for that hard to buy for person we all have on our lists.

Here's the address:

3204 West Park Drive
Burnsville, MN

So grab a friend, relative or even your significant other and stop in and start or finish your Christmas shopping with us!

See you there!

December Stamp Of The Month!

Are you a procrastinator? Do you wait for the very last minute to get things done? Well let me help you break that bad habit and start the New Year out with a resolution to plan ahead and you can with December's stamp of the month. This is a great set to tell that special someone just how much you care, not only by the great stamps that are offered in this set but the fact that you are making them a handmade card! Who wouldn't LOVE that?

This stamp set is not only for Valentine's day but how about a wedding card or an anniversary card? If you are like me, I NEVER have those cards on hand and have to scramble to get one made when such an occasion arises. Here again I can help you get a head of the game with this set.

You can see this set on the last page of the catalog and they are many ways in which you can get this set at a discount or even FREE! With every $25 you purchase in product the price goes down and you can't beat that deal! PLUS until December 31st when you purchase $20 dollars in product you will get a retired D-size stamp set for FREE too! What a great deal!

Don't delay and shop today! Click here to go to my website and check out all the great papers, stamp sets, inks and accessories we have to offer and don't forget to check out this great stamp of the month set for December!

Happy Holidays,

Lynn

Plenty for Twenty!

Close to My Heart is offering "Plenty for Twenty" in December!

From now until December 31st when you place a $20 order from my website you will be rewarded with a popular retired, D-size stamp set for free! That's a $22.95 value, plus there is no shipping and handling or tax on your free stamp set!

Click HERE to shop in your jammies and get some of your Christmas shopping done the easy way!

Thanksgiving Day Dinner Recipes

OK here are the recipes as promised! I hope you try them and enjoy them as much as we did!

Berry Sangria

750 ml bottle Sutter Home Merlot wine
2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice cocktail
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 pint strawberries, hulled
1 pint raspberries
2 small oranges, sliced

Combine wine, juice and 1/2 c sugar in a serving bowl.
In a food processor puree half of strawberries, half of raspberries and 1/2 c sugar. Mix with wine. If preparing the day ahead stop here. I strained the berries first as it makes a TON of puree.
Slice the rest of strawberries and mix with 2 Tbsp of sugar
When ready to serve add sliced strawberries and raspberries and orange slices to wine.
Pour into glasses and serve or serve in a punch bowl.

Salami Roll Ups and Pickles

Deli sliced salami
Cream Cheese
Your favorite pickles

All I did for these is cut a chunk of cream cheese and put it in the middle of the salami and rolled it up! It is super easy and if you like the Pickle roll ups with the ham, cream cheese and pickle in the middle you will LOVE the taste and ease of making these!

Marinated Olives This recipe comes from Sandra Lee

1/c cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic
1 6 oz jar large pitted ripe olives, drained
1 7 oz jar kalamata olives, drained
1 7 oz jar pimento stuffed green olives, drained

In a small sauce pan heat olive oil and red pepper over low heat for 3 minutes. Sir in Italian seasoning and rosemary, remove from heat.
In the food processor process garlic until finely minced. With processor running slowly add olive oil mixture and process 30 seconds.
In a large bowl place olives and drizzle with olive oil mixture tossing to coat.

Lynn's Traditional Lasagna

1 lb hamburger
1 Onion chopped
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 c cottage cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp oregano
3 1/2 c water
3/4 lb uncooked lasagna noodles
3/4 lb Mozzarella cheese shredded

Brown meat and onions. Cook until onion is soft. Add spices and sugar. Add tomato paste, sauce and water. bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Put 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover with a layer of uncooked noodles, layer of sauce and 1/3 of the cheeses. Repeat until all is used up. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes. I remove the foil about 1o minutes before it's done to get it a little brown. Let this sit for 10 minutes before you cut it.

Dipping Oil for Baguettes - got this from Taste Of Home

1Tbsp dried minced garlic
1 Tbsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper coarsely ground

Additional Ingredients for each batch:
1 Tbsp water
1/2 c olive oil

In a small bowl combine the first 7 ingredients and store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

To prepare dipping oil: In a small microwavable dish combine 4 tsp herb mix with water. Microwave uncovered for 15 seconds. Drain excess water. Transfer to a shallow serving plate add oil and stir. Serve with bread.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake III - I got this from Pillsbury

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (16 ounce) package chocolate fudge frosting
• 2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 or 10 inch bundt pan.
2. Cream butter or margarine in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Add eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy.
3. By hand, stir in the flour, fudge frosting, and walnuts until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 to 65 minutes. Cool in pan for 2 hours then remove and continue to cool if needed. Drizzle with icing or confectioner's sugar.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Holiday Hoopla!

One holiday down, one to go! Thanksgiving at our house was not your traditional Thanksgiving this year. Since my parents are no longer with us, especially my dad, it is a little easier as my dad was such a very picky eater and the rest of us eat almost anything, so this year I decided to go Italian! Here's what we had:

Drinks and appetizers where served at 5:00 sharp!

Homemade Berry Sangria

Salami Roll ups and Pickles

Marinated Olives

Dinner was served at 6:30. For the main course we had two Lasagnas, one of them was the traditional Lasagna and the other one was Chicken Lasagna. You can get the recipe for the Chicken Lasagna here.

Baguette's and homemade dipping oil

And for dessert, we had a tunnel of fudge cake

I am sure now your taste buds are tingling wishing you could just have a little taste of everything and if that is the case, I will post the recipes for all of our dinner and you can make all of this too! It was a truly memorable dinner and we had a great time and I am so thankful for all of them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families and remember "Gobble till ya Wobble!"

Art and Soul New Episode

Have you ever checked out Art & Soul on my website yet? If you haven't you are really missing out on great techniques and ideas on how to use our products.

I know that you all have Close To My Heart products hanging around your house and that are not being used for various reasons. Maybe those reasons include: not knowing how to use them, bought them or an idea that you saw and lost or you are just a collector of things. What ever the reason you need to check out Art & Soul and get those items out and start using them! Click HERE and check it out!

Christmas Cards

Have you started your Christmas cards yet? I haven't but I thought that I'd post some holiday cards that I got in one of my swaps. They are all very easy and I hope you like them! We sure do have some talented ladies in our Supersassy Swappers Group! Thanks for all your hard work ladies!


I hope this inspires you to get out all your stuff and start creating! I know it has for me and now you know what I'll be doing when I get home from work tonight!

Lynn

November Stamp of the Month

Well it's another new month and that means another new Stamp of the Month! This time around it's a great way to say "A Little Thanks" which by the way just happens to be the name of this great new set! Remember you can only get this great stamp set during the month of November so don't delay, order right away! ha ha ha I just love how that rhymes.


Here's a great idea for all you procrastinators out there, hurry and order this set and make up a few thank you cards to have on hand to send to those who give you all those great, and not so great, Christmas gifts! Who wouldn't LOVE to get a handmade thank you card in the mail? I would LOVE it, so if you have extras after the holidays you can always send one to me!

Have a great day!

Lynn

Happy Halloween!

Still on a Road Trip!

Well the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was disappointing to say the least! $22 per person to get in and unless you are a Jimmy Hendrix fan don't go. Dave is REALLY into music and even he was disappointed. So in the car we went and we drove down to Bloomington, Indiana and had lunch at Long Horn Steakhouse which is actually where my friend Valerie works.

Now if you know me you know my luck is never good and true to my word it wasn't that day either! Of course it was my friends day off but she was gracious enough to come in and sit with us while we had lunch! We didn't tell her we were coming because we didn't know if we would get that far or not but she sure was surprised! It was so nice to see her as it has been about 2-3 years since she left Minnesota.

Now the road trip continues and we are now in St. Louis, Missouri! Today we are going to see the Gateway Arch! I have been here several times for business but have never gotten to see the arch so that is the plan for today.

Keep checking in to see where we end up next!

Lynn

Another Vacation!

Yes it's true I am on another vacation! This time it's a road trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in Cleveland, Ohio! Our first stop is Madison, Wisconsin and a great nights rest at the Comfort Inn and Suites.

The photo is the actual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, isn't it cool? I can't wait to see it in person!

We didn't think that we were gonna get here with hurricane winds, rain and it getting so dark so fast we decided to stop. We really wanted to make it to Rockford, IL but thought it was best to get some sleep and start back out early in the morning!

Lynn

Boo!

Last weekend I went to the Como Park Zoo Boo with the Hawley clan and had a hauntingly good time! It was CRAZY there! You can not imagine all the people that showed up for this. If you ever go make sure you buy your tickets in advance! Had we not had our tickets already I think we would still be standing in line! Here are the girls in their Black Cat costumes!Here's Chris he just went along to hang with the cool people and for the food at Fat Lorenzo's! I tried and tried to get him to smile but alas the attempt was futile! LOL I came pretty close though with this photo!


They didn't have a lot of animals out just 5 or so but they were the animals that could withstand the colder temperatures. The animals we got to see were Ostriechs, Bison, Reindeer, Rams and the Polar Bear.

Katie and Meghan ended up with a pail full of treats, so all in all the night was a sucess!
After the Zoo Boo we went to Fat Lorenzo's for pizza and OMG it was really, really good! Fat Lorenzo's is just a little hole in the wall place but boy do they pack the people in and so worth the wait! If you ever get to Minneapolis you will have to check it out!

October Stamp Of The Month

It's that time again a new month, a new Stamp Of The Month! This time around it is the cutest Christmas set called "Sharing the Magic" and as always you can get this stamp set for FREE or at a incredible discount with a purchase!


You can find this cute stamp set on the second to the last page of the current catalog and the breakdown on this stamp set is as follows:

You Spend $25 You Pay $17.21
You Spend $50 You Pay $11.48
You Spend $75 You Pay $ 5.74
You Spend $100 You Pay NOTHING It's FREE!

You can order directly on my website so just click here and shop till ya drop! What are you waiting for get going Christmas is coming fast!

I'm Back Y'all!

I am back from my trip to San Antonio, Texas! I went there with my friend Liz to see her son graduate as a Med Tech from Sam Houston Army Base. Here is a picture of Matt, doesn't he look good in that uniform? I always did like a man in uniform!

Matt is stationed at Fort Sam Houston and will go on to be stationed in Washington State where he will continue his schooling to become a nurse.

While we were there we did A LOT of sightseeing! We saw the Alamo, Mission San Jose, Mission Conception, the Riverwalk, Japanese Tea Garden, The Mercado, Buckhorn Saloon and Museum and the Towers of the Americas. Wow can you believe that we saw all that in only three days? Needless to say I am pooped and will going to be really early tonight! Here are some of the sights that we saw:

The Tower of the AmericasLooking down from the observation deck all the way at the top! What a view huh?

Mission Conception

Mission San Jose

The Alamo

The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum

The Japanese Tea Gardens

The Alamo Dome

And here we all are together on our last day with Matt. It was a bitter sweet trip fun to see him but hard to drop him back off. The good thing about it is that he will be home on Wednesday to spend some time with the family before he starts his nursing school!

I hope you enjoyed a mini version of our trip, as you can tell we enjoyed it very much and I am so very glad that I went. Now I am off to bed as I am exhausted, good night!