A couple of sweet young families we know have recently welcomed baby boys.
It’s been a fun opportunity for me to splash around my prussian and cerulean blue watercolor paint.
I saw this adorable sentiment used when searching for ideas, and thought it was such a cute play on words.
These are going in the MAIL today to Baby Dean and Baby Wesley’s families. Welcome to the world little ones!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Hang on…
or fly free?
Either way –
You can weather the storm!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Mom finally baked some cookies the other day!
It’s been weeks!
She said we had plenty of them over the holidays and needed a break.
But my brother and my Dad and I kept looking around for some and commenting about no cookies being around, so Mom broke down and made some.
YIPPEE SKIPPEE!
This is how I sit with my Dad when “we” are eating cookies. Mom calls this my look of “anticipation.” (and I have no clue what that double chin thing going on is there in this very unflattering photo! Oh Mom!!)
My Dad is very nice and almost always shares…. not as much as I’d like…. but even a crumb is worth waiting for!
Have you had my Mom’s cookies?! Though I must say, I’d wait just the same for a stale cracker, but that’s besides the point…
It is very important that I do not take my eyes off of Dad’s mouth OR the cookie, so I watch very attentively. It requires a “very particular set of skills” that I have honed. When I do this, he remembers I am there and remembers to share.
Anyway – not only are we happy, but Mom also shared some of these cookies with a couple of my best friends: Cliff the mailman and Mike the UPS man. They both stopped by to visit me the day she baked them, so they got to take some with them after our visit too. They are both so nice and always share cookies with me, so I guess it is only fair – right?! At least that is what Mom says.
And if I am smart enough to know which side my bread is buttered on, I better agree!
Woofs & Wags from your buddy,
Charlie
Time to join The Paper Players and play along in the color challenge Claire put out this week for all our crafting, painting, stamping friends.
I couldn’t resist participating with the fun colors this super sweet lady chose: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, and Real Red! Oooo Laaa Laa!
I wanted to do something different and had bought some fun new stuff while shopping this past weekend with Hubby at Tuesday Morning before our movie date to see “The Revenant.” (Did YOU see it yet?!) I bought the corrugated papercraft cardstock paper and the Tim Holtz Alpha Parts Punch Out letters. Combined that with some fun flowers sweet Eileen at My Creative Resolution gifted me with that just happened to exactly match “Melon Mambo,” embellished with one of my fave new dies – the pine branches from Gina Marie Designs, die cut some paper with my favorite stitched rectangle dies, added a pearl, and Voila – my Mixed Media Hug card!
It’s a bit of a quirky card, and I’m still trying to decide if I like it, but I’m guessing there will come an occasion or a person who it will end up being just right for at just the right time one of these days, so I’ll be holding onto this “hug” until then.
I sure miss being on the design team with the amazing creative Paper Players team, but it’s great to still play along!
Oh – and check out the amazing new guest designers! WOWZA! They have so much creativity to share!
Happy Friday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Are you ready for a party in your mouth?
Looking for a versatile recipe that can be a main course, a sandwich, serve a crowd, be made into a great nacho platter?
Look no further!
I present:
Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
ENJOY! (We sure did)
Ingredients:
Place all in crockpot and cook on High for 6 hours. Remove pork and shred with fork. Place back in juices and let set at least a half hour. Even better the next day when the juices and meat all mix and mingle even more!
Serve on Hard Rolls, over mashed or fried potatoes, with rice, in a tortilla wrap with your favorite fillings or over tortilla chips with queso and shredded cheese and pickled jalapenos for the most amazing Pulled Pork Nachos!
Wouldn’t you be the hit of the party serving these nachos for the Super Bowl or a Playoff party this weekend?
Want to see a little closer?!
This recipe might be fun to try with beef or chicken too.
Have some fun in the kitchen. Creativity is everywhere!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*Inspired by The Pioneer Woman’s recipe.
For a few moments
yesterday afternoon
in my little corner of the world,
the backyard
became a great big snow globe.
And I thought to myself….
“What a wonderful world!”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Painting, drawing, creating….
Cooking, baking, feeding….
Eating, exercising, relaxing..
Reading, writing, rhyming…
Exploring, photographing, dreaming….
Celebrating, experiencing, observing…
Singing, laughing, talking…
Watching, crying, listening..
Loving, sharing, growing…
Working, playing, enjoying time with family and friends…
It isn’t that hard!
Do More of What Makes YOU Happy!
#CherishTheMoments
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Slippery Rock Creek, Western PA – November 27, 2015
“Don’t wait for
extraordinary
opportunities,
seize common
occasions,
and make them
great.”
-Orison Swett Marden
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS If you look closely, you will find my hubby in this photo. This was a beautiful spot we stopped at that he wanted to share with me on our way back from Thanksgiving in Conneaut Lake, PA.
Cherish the Moments!
So this is pretty out of character for this cookie-baking, haluski and halupki making – lover of all comfort foods – but it IS the new year –
and we ALL seem to go off on little kicks….
Well, my son, Nick has been making healthy breakfast smoothies lately, so we bought him a Super Food Smoothie cookbook to go with his new Ninja for Christmas, and we’ve been discussing super foods.
We decided to try some new things like Goji Berries and Chia Seeds, and Cacao Nibs and Maqui Berry Powder.
I’m not really big on drinking my breakfast.
I like something I can sink my teeth into.
So I found and tweaked a recipe for these healthy, tasty, energy bars that make a great breakfast or mid-morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up snack.
I love all the ingredients in them – almonds and walnuts and sunflower seeds with a bit of sweetness from the cacao and goji berries and dates.
Who says healthy and good for you can’t be tasty and comforting!?
Give them a try. Throw them in a ziploc in the freezer and grab when on the go! Let me know what you think about them if you try. And keep in mind, this recipe can be tweaked and improvised in many ways. Change up the nuts or berries. Use local honey instead of agave, whole wheat or coconut flour, raisins instead of dates. The possibilities are endless. Just like the taste!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grind walnuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds in a food processor or Ninja or blender. Add the dates and pulse, making sure not to pulverize, but leaving some texture.
Pour into a mixing bowl, and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
Spread into an 8×8 baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes.
Cut into squares, and serve. Freeze in Ziploc bag to maintain freshness and have on hand for snacks on the go.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Break of Dawn 1/7/16 – Mars, PA Crescent Moon & North Star
Morning has broken,
like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken,
like the first bird.
Praise for the singing,
Praise for the morning,
Praise for them springing
fresh from the world!
Happy Saturday Morning!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 