Strange storm clouds

I live in Colorado. It rarely rains here. Sometimes it gets cloudy and looks like it will rain, but then the sun comes out and the clouds blow away. It's all a big tease. Yesterday was no different. I was outside and it started sprinkling and then POURING rain. We got a good soaking for more than an hour. It was very exciting. Watching the news last night they said this was a storm of 'great proportions' - which I guess meant because we got more than a few drops. There were flash flood warnings all over and a tornado warning to the East. There was even reports of a car floating down a main street. We got some more light rain off and on throughout the night. Wonderful sleeping weather with the windows open :)

This morning I woke up to strange storm clouds over the mountains. There was a big white cloud bank at the foothills and a big dark cloud hanging above. Between the 2 was beautiful blue sky and the tops of the mountain peaks were barely visible. Hope everyone has a great day whether it's cloudy or sunny, rainy or dry.

Birthday Monkey and Posole Soup

I love monkeys - they make me smile. I found this digital freebie on Dustin Pike's blog http://dustinpike.blogspot.com/ and had to have it. His images have such a cute personality. I colored the monkey and vines with Copic markers, added some brown grosgrain ribbon and cuttlebugged the bottom layer.

I made Posole Soup for dinner the other night and it was YUMMY!!! I love mexican food and I love soup. I've had Posole at restaurants, but I've never made it at home. I think the recipe came from a Family Circle magazine. I altered the recipe slightly since I don't eat meat - changes are in parenthesis. It was a slow cooker recipe, but I cooked it on the stove and it worked out fine.

Chicken Posole
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into 1-inch pieces (I used Quorn Chick'n Tenders)
2 cans (15 ounce each) white hominy, drained and rinsed
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
2 large chicken flavored bouillon cubes (I used vegetarian chicken broth powder)
4 cups water
1 can (14.5 ounce) petite cut diced tomatoes with jalapenos, drained
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Lime slices
*I also added a small can of roasted green chilies, drained

Combine all ingredients except lime slices and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 5 hours. Serve in bowls with lime on the side.

(I sauteed the garlic and onion in a big pot until soft and then added the rest of the ingredients and simmered, covered, for about 15 minutes. The lime juice really added a nice tang.)

Stamps: Dustin Pike digital image, Hero Arts message
Accessories: Grosgrain ribbon, cuttlebug, Copic Markers
Paper: SU! Handsome hunter, chocolate chip, white

Fella and his Bella

My cousin got married over the weekend and I needed to make him a card. I didn't go to the wedding as it was in California. I found this Bella image that someone had sent me. It's called 'Fella and his Bella'. The Bella looks like the bride (especially the hair!) so I used it even though it's technically not a "wedding image". Close enough, right? The card matches their wedding colors - hunter green, lime green and chocolate brown. I made the card mostly white and just added a touch of the colors so it didn't look too gaudy.

I'm now 26 weeks pregnant and things are starting to change! I've had a very smooth pregnancy so far but these past 2 weeks have been a challenge. I injured my lower back several years ago and the pain has come back a few times since then. It's a sharp, shooting pain that feels like I'm being electrocuted and it HURTS! It's not just a backache, it's much more. This pain came back 2 weeks ago and I was miserable. I've been getting a monthly prenatal massage and the therapist thinks it might be sciatica although the pain doesn't shoot down my leg, it goes up my back. I finally went to the dr. and they recommended Vicodin and muscle relaxers and offered to give me a referral to physical therapy. I'm too scared to take the Vicodin, but I've been taking the muscle relaxers and Tylenol and it's helped a little. I hate taking anything while I'm pregnant, but I'm miserable without anything. Some days I'll start to feel better and then the pain comes back. I've been putting moist heat on it several times a day and that feels pretty good. I think I may just have to wait this out. Another symptom that's shown up recently is both of my hands are numb and tingly all the time. It's worse in the mornings when I wake up. I've read that this is caused by pregnancy and is called carpel tunnel syndrome. The swelling in the body causes the nerves in the hands to be pinched and go numb. Never heard of that before! Other than those 2 minor setbacks, I'm loving being pregnant and everything is going well :)

Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Fella and his Bella'
Accessories: Ribbon, Cuttlebug, brads, SU word window punch, nestabilities, Copic markers
Paper: SU green galore, handsome hunter, chocolate chip, white

My belly is growing!!

This picture was taken at 24 weeks.

We've been taking a picture of my belly every 4 weeks since I was 16 weeks. I'm now 25 weeks along and I'm amazed at how much bigger I'm getting! I don't really feel any different, but the picture sure shows how much I'm growing. I'm trying to wear the same outfit in each picture so it shows my progress - so far, the button still buttons on the pants, but they are getting tighter! :)

I've started feeling the lil' pumpkin kicking. It's the best experience and I'm loving it. 2 more weeks until our next ultrasound. 102 days until my due date - LOL!!!

Our Gift

I saw this Willow Tree statue at a Hallmark store and thought it would be the perfect anniversary gift for my hubby. We were going out of town for the weekend, but I wanted to get him a little something to open on Sunday morning. This figurine is called 'Our Gift' and it's my first Willow Tree. I love how they are both holding the baby and each other. Our baby is definitely a gift that we have been wanting for a long time.

I also made him this card. It's pretty simple - the 2 birds and heart are a rub-on (I LOVE RUB-ONS!). I cut out the main image with my nestabilities die, added a mat and a few brads and stamped the message.

Stamps: $1 stamp from Michael's (Kolette Hall)

Accessories: Rub-on from Luxe, Nestabilities die, brads

Paper: SU! Real Red, white