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

♥ 12th Wedding Anniversary ♥

This past Sunday was our 12th wedding anniversary. I love being married to my best friend. I wish we could spend every second of every day with each other. He promised me this would be possible if we win the lottery :) Darn money always gets in the way.

We went out of town for a few days to celebrate. We stayed in Idaho Springs, CO which is about a 2 hour drive into the mountains. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time. We stayed at the Indian Springs Resort which has a big indoor hot springs pool that feels fabulous to soak in. It isn't too hot so me and the lil' pumpkin were able to enjoy it. We spent A LOT of time in the pool! We've been there before and we plan to go back next year for our anniversary with our little guy. We highly recommend this place: http://indianhotsprings.com// We ate lots of good food, relaxed, enjoyed our time together and took some scenic drives. One was to the top of Mt. Evans which has the highest paved road in North America. It's paved, but drops off on the sides with no guardrails. Luckily Brandon is a good driver :) The summit is 14,130 feet and it was only 33* at the top. It was a clear day and the drive was beautiful. We saw a herd of billy goats with 4 teeny-tiny babies. Soooo cute!!

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband and thanks for such a fun weekend ♥


Road up to Mt. Evans

Mama and baby billy goat - the park ranger said the baby was only a few weeks old.
Me and Brandon at the summit - it was windy, can you tell?!

Echo Lake

Waterfall and Waterwheel in Idaho Springs

23 week ultrasound in 3-D!

We had our 23 week ultrasound yesterday. Our little pumpkin looks great - he weighs 1 pound, 4oz and is breech right now. He has both arms and both legs curled up by his face. Silly guy! The technician switched the ultrasound over to 3-D and we got to see him in a whole new way. It was so neat to watch. It was hard to get a good picture of his face because all of his limbs are in the way :) He better not be camera shy when he arrives because I LOVE to take pictures and he'll have his picture taken a lot!

My belly is measuring 25cm and things are going well. I can't wait to watch my belly get bigger and bigger. This is the best experience of my life ♥

Baby legs - baby knees, baby feets and baby toes


Profile - his feet are above his forehead and you can see the shadow of his legs at the top of the picture.

Birthday Dragon

I stumbled upon the Dustin Pike blog awhile ago. He draws the cutest images and even gives away digital freebies from time to time. Most of the cards I make are for birthdays so this was a free image I grabbed immediately and knew I'd use over and over. I colored the whole thing with Copic Markers and popped up his hat and muzzle (is that what it's called on a dragon?!). I used crystal effects on the balloon to make it shiny and covered the cake with stickles. I cut the base of this card a little different than usual - I cut off about 2 inches on the right so the card opens closer to the middle. I just love this designer paper by DCWV - I'm really into stars right now :)


I'm 23 weeks pregnant now and we have our next ultrasound tomorrow! We invited my mama to come with us to experience seeing the pumpkin in action. I'll be sharing pictures on Friday :)

Stamps - Dustin Pike
Accessories - Copic Markers, Stickles, crystal effects, grosgrain ribbon, MS scallop circle punch, Nestabilities, pop-dots, 'Wish' rub-on
Paper - DCWV, SU!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's. This is a very special day for us since it's the first Father's Day since we became pregnant. It's always been a difficult day for us, but this year we have a reason to celebrate!! Brandon talks to my belly everyday and I just know he's going to be the best daddy! I'm so looking forward to our future and our changing roles as parents. I loved making this Father's Day card. The image is called 'Miracle from Above' from H & M Stamps. It was the perfect image because we are constantly amazed at our little miracle. And I have a strong feeling we'll be staring at the baby a lot ♥ On the inside I printed "Happy 1st Pre-Father, Father's Day."

We're going to the park today to celebrate Springspree - a festival that's held every summer. He hasn't gotten to go for a few years so we're excited to go. Afterwards, we're heading over to my mama's house for dinner. The weather is beautiful today so it should be a lot of fun.

Time to wake daddy :)

Stamps: Miracle from Above (H & M Stamps)

Paper: DCWV, SU!

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, oval punch, copic markers, grograin ribbon, brads, pop-dots

Ped Egg

I admit it. I am an infomercial junkie. I want everything I see - even if it looks too good to be true or sounds ridiculous. I'm usually pretty good about not buying everything I see...usually. I saw the commercial for the Ped Egg awhile ago and was intrigued by the "cheese grater for feet". I take care of my feet and get regular pedicures, but I wanted something I could use at home that would really work. I bought my Ped Egg at Bed Bath and Beyond and used a 20% off coupon - my total cost was $7 and some change. I came home and immediately tried it out. I WAS IN LOVE ♥ This product really works and it was easy and painless. My heels do not look dry or cracked and I was amazed at the amount of dead skin it removed. The design of the Egg is supposed to catch all of the shavings in the lid - I found this to be a bit faulty because you have to keep it upside down while using and that's not always easy. It does catch most of it though. I just use it over the bathtub and problem solved. I give this product 5 stars.

I also bought the Heel Tastic Foot Therapy to go with my Egg. It works pretty well even though I can't stand the smell. I do love the deodorant-style applicator though.

Other infomercial products I've bought:

Sobakowa Pillow (love)
Sham-Wow (pretty good)
Nads Hair Remover (no likey!)
Tap Light (too dim)
Tan Perfect (worked ok)
Dual-Action Cleanse (eh)
Dryer Balls (love)
Debbie Meyers Green Bags (love)
Topsy Tail (loved this when I had long hair)
Oxiclean (not impressed)
Furminator (didn't work on my kitties)

(all these products can be found here: http://www.asseenontv.com/)