Another Baking Attempt....and Some Pictures

My DS was around again to help me make Oreo Cheesecake. I dumped some Oreos into the blender and gave DS specific instructions.

Ready....

Set.....
Go!!!!

DS jumped up & down and made like he was shaking inside the blender hence the blurred image. I was laughing awfully hard and tried to keep my hands as steady as possible while I took these shots.

Oh and I took some pictures of these lovely flowers outside.... Just makes me wants to sing...
You are my sunshine...
My only sunshine...
You make me happy....

Now back to my cheesecake...

We Made These Today.....

For this brand new year, I told myself I'd spend more time in the kitchen. Aside from scrapbooking blogs, I also regularly visit food blogs and have been inspired by all the baking & cooking these talented people have been doing. I've actually been baking since I was a child. Learned mostly by reading recipe books and watching & helping my mom & aunt bake. There are a few tested recipes I've kept for years and going over them sure brought back good memories.

Today, I tried a peanut butter cookie recipe I found at smittenkitchen.com. We always have chocolate chip oatmeal cookies at home so I decided to try out this one. My youngest DS was my able assistant and made the whole process even more enjoyable. His job was to roll the cookies into small balls & put chocolate chips on top. And his reward for all the hard work? Of course, he got to lick the bowl and spatula!

The verdict? I found them quite delicious, DD & youngest DS gave the thumbs up & eldest DS found them just "ok" because he says he didn't like peanut butter in his cookies (lol)! Try it! Of course, I had to take pictures of these lovelies.

Mix and Match

Another promise I made myself is to use up (really!!) my stash. I got to thinking that I should try to squeeze in as much products from different manufacturers in a layout as I can without making it too cluttered. So far, am doing it and I hope I'll stick to it.

For this Xmas layout, I used "old" papers from the Scenic Route Rockland Collection together with Teresa Collins' 'Tis the Season line. I also used Maya Road journaling cards and thickers for the title.

This next one I was esp. happy with. I finally (!) used my Rhonna Farrer French Twist paper & chipboard journaling panels (I still have too much!), mixed it with papers from Collage Press & Scenic Route Sonoma Collection. I also used another favorite of mine: Cosmo Cricket's Blackboard Fleuriste.

Happy New Year!

I am just amazed at the endless stream of parties and the non-stop eating that we did over the holidays! Oh, I wonder how much pounds I've gained again? Hah! But truly, this last Christmas was truly a good one!!! DH especially enjoyed the almost 2 week holiday. He said that this is the longest that he's been on a holiday for a very, very long time.

Happily, I was able to make a few layouts and a mini to mark this "most joyous season of all". I tried to mix "old" and new releases from Rusty Pickle, Scenic Route, Sandylion and Teresa Collins. Made me feel good to go through my stash (again!...lol!).

For the mini, I tried to capture all the significant events during the month of December which included my DS' confirmation, the parties, and of course Xmas Day itself. Thanks for the idea, Ali Edwards!

The next LO I completed in about 10 minutes. I was staring at the pictures when the idea for the title came to me. ha-ha...Precious little rascals! Putting on the alphabet stickers was the hardest part for me. My journaling reads: "Sige...If you don't behave (or do as you're told), you won't get any gifts from Santa" And so goes the mild threat I make to get the kids to toe the line. Most of the time it works but once in a while, I get a blank stare and a snicker.

Of course I had to make an LO for my DS! I really, really love the precious expression I captured on my DS' face! Truly, Christmas is for children. And finally, this is one of the Christmas layouts I made for Lasting Impression. I used Rusty Pickles Snowflakes & Mittens line which was truly yummy! Materials are available at Lasting Impression. Please check out it out here.

Greetings to All

May we accept Christ in our homes & our hearts. A blessed Christmas to everyone!!

I Love Black

.......Chipboards, that is.

I've just added Cosmo Cricket's Blackboard to my all-time favorite scrap items. I just discovered this at my favorite LSS, Lasting Impression, and I must say that for P250 per pack, it's a real deal! The pack contains 4 (yes, 4!) sheets of beautifully designed patterns & figures to suit your layout. The instruction says that you can distress, paint, spray, color as you wish, add stickers or do whatever else your "craft-y" heart desires. Me? I'm busy with the mad Xmas rush (or just plain lazy - lol!) so I just used it as is. Boy, I'm mighty pleased with the results.

Here are 2 layouts I made, including my latest for Lasting Impression, using the Fleuriste Blackboard. Guess I'll have to make a lot more!

All materials available at Lasting Impression. Please check out their store for details. Happy (Mad) Xmas Rush to all!

I've Been So Busy Lately

.... that I've neglected this blog. It's an annual mad dash for me to the finish line every December. Party season officially started and I cringe at the thought of gaining unnecessary pounds from all the eating I'll be doing. Arrgghh!!!

Just would like to show you what I made as gifts for Christmas. I got this super neat idea from the very talented and super nice April Lim. The only thing I bought are the 3x5 unlined index cards that I used as pages & the wires for binding. Good thing that I was able to go through my existing stash, scraps and all to complete the assembly. Best of all, I used my favorite Bind-it-All! I thoroughly enjoyed making all of it!

Have to go now.... Need to make at least 10 more.

Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy

Here's my latest DT work for Lasting Impression. My DS wanted to ride a white horse with a pink mane in Baguio so we went to Camp John Hay to check out the riding trail. No pink horse there so we just settled for a less flamboyant but sturdy & handsome brown one. It was a big horse with beautiful shiny dark brown mane. DH & DS got on it and off they went for a 30 minute ride.

When they were done, DS couldn't hide his excitement and chattered happily about the ride. He amused us as he tried imitating the snorting & neighing sound of the horse. We all broke into laughter when he started complaining about how bad the horse smelled and how his butt hurt. Despite all these, he said he'd love to ride again.

All materials are available at Lasting Impression. Please check out their site for further information regarding the layout.

"Tis the Season

.... for all sorts of viruses, that is.

Youngest DS was hospitalized last week due to a viral infection. DS suddenly suffered diarrhea and when it didn't get get better after a day I quickly hauled him for a check-up. At the hospital, he was given medicine which he promptly threw up. Better safe than sorry so we agreed to have him confined. The diagnosis? Severe gastroenteritis which the doctors (and nurses) claim to be specially common during the months of October to December. We stayed 3 nights & 4 days and I must say that DS was absolutely bored. He was actually feeling better on the Day 2 but we wanted to be on the safe side. On the Day 3, DS was already shouting, singing and playing with his dextrose stand just to occupy himself. Thank God he was cleared for release on Day 4!

Good thing too because I was able to catch Lasting Impression's 2nd aniversary celebration last November 15. The very nice & talented April Lim taught a class on how to make a calendar. I do appreciate all the many great (and practical) techniques shared by April. My favorite was how to use double-sided tape! You can use it to put glitter on chipboard, tie down a ruffled lace without sewing for that so in look, make a flower, etc. I can't wait to try it all out. Aside from that, I was able to snag a few of Lasting Impression's new stuff. Yummy, yummy!.

Here's DS celebrating his favorite holiday of all.... Halloween. Every year, he eagerly awaits it. He looks forward to it even more than Christmas. I used Teresa Collins' Spooktacular line and Scrapworks Shimmer Shapes which I got for a huge discount at the store. Wink!

Tagged by Nina

One of the best scrappers whose works I truly, truly, truly admire tagged me! Nina makes absolutely gorgeous ATC cards, minis and layouts that knocks my scrapper's socks (if ever there are) off!

The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up!

Random Things:
1. I get regular monthly debilitating migraines which starts off with a tiny speck of white aura in my eye then explodes into a light show in my brain. Eeeewww!
2. I've been driving since I was 18.
3. I've never seen a ghost but am deathly afraid of one.
4. I love the smell of basil!
5. I had a 22 inch waistline when I was in college.
6. I love taking long, quiet walks.

Consider yourself tagged too!