Sunset at Clinton Lake

I finally managed ( after several failed attempts) to get some sunset photos. Nick drove me to the dam at Clinton Lake where I managed to get a few shots of the setting sun over the lake.

Then we drove round into the park and found these fellows completely unfazed by our presence!!!

The park was quite pretty too although it was getting dark and a little cold.

When we were driving there we were following this guy who had hay bales on a trailer but they were not tied on properly and the hay was coming off in great clumps and going all over the road !!! :-)

Thanksgiving 2012

This year  I was very thankful -

Firstly for the opportunity to spend some time with my 3 lovely boys in Kansas

secondly that my mum was a good cook and passed on her cooking skills :) (with only one minor mishap when I let the milk for the bread sauce boil over!!)

Before!!

And after!!

and thirdly that we are all working and can enjoy a good quality of life in warm homes and with plenty to eat.  Millions of people in the world are not that lucky :(

The finished dinner ! :)

Very yummy it was too - nom, nom, nom !

Annual trip to US

Well it's that time of year again! I am visiting Kansas!

This is where James and Will are renting at the moment - nice quiet neighbourhood but walking distance to Walmart ( not that anyone does walk it!!)

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Dinner at the American Restaurant - Wednesday 21/11/12

Scallop w/pork belly and fried rice

Rib eye steak w/ pumpkin, apple and onion

crispy duck

My name was on the top of the menu!!

On Wednesday Will and Taryn took us all to the American Restaurant in Kansas City. Taryn works there on Fridays and Saturdays so we got some special treatment and everyone knew her - we even got to look in the kitchen. Sadly the Executive chef, Debbie Gold, is on holiday in Israel so we did not get to meet her but we did meet the sous chef and the general manager. The food was amazing and the view pretty awesome too - they even turned on the Xmas lights for a while to check them ready for Friday's big 'switch on'!!

We ordered 5 courses but then we were sent some 'extras' courtesy of the chefs - known as 'Amuse-bouches' or tasters. There was a salmon rillettes, tilefish, a lovely sweet cider with cranberry crumble and petite fours. So, all in all we had 9 courses !!!! (and it's Thanksgiving tomorrow !!)

My menu choices were - Stone crab w/avacado, sesame, lime and wasabi
                           Torchon of Hudson Valley foie Gras
                           Scallop w/ pork belly, fried rice and cucumber
                           Crispy duck w/ plum, beet, cocoa beans and candy cap mushroon sauce
and of course  Snickerdoodle cake - which came with a topping of  'bubbles' !!!!! :)

The wine list is an iPad put on the table - Oh! my!

View from the restaurant window

Happy diners!!

I would have smiled if I'd known when he was taking the photo!!!

The interior was pretty cool too :)

and this gorgeous floral display was by the entrance - stunning :)

Creative Craft World Scrap Map Challenge

The Creative Craft World Scrap Map Challenge for March is this sketch

And this is my page

This is James, Will and Nick doing their Charlie's Angels pose!!!

Pop over to the Creative Craft World blog to check out their design team's awesome projects and have a go at the challenges :)

10 things I loved about the Bijoux Belles Retreat

1. Meeting some of the Bijoux Belles for the first time F2F even though I have talked to them all online for nearly a year
2. Spending 6 1/2 days non-stop scrapbooking  :)
3. The gorgeous 'quirkyness' of Dartmouth House, where we stayed
4. Making a Tim Holtz style configuration box from scratch (class by Linda Ellbourne)
5. Loads of yummy homemade cakes
6. Pancakes with homemade lemon ice cream for breakfast on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday!!)
7. Salt, lemon and lime time ( a glass of wine!)
8. A cream tea for breakfast on Friday morning just before the long drive home :(
9. Pretty Olney town
10. Did I mention meeting my fab friends and having an absolutely fab time? LOL

Roll on March 2013 for the Bijoux Belles Retreat No 4 :)

Scrapbook page - So You!

I've just finished a page today. I haven't had much time to scrap recently with starting the new job but I did complete this one today!

James, Will and Nick walking down Massachusetts St (known locally as Mass St !! :-D) just after we had been for cupckes.


There is a spinner to show how I am feeling today!
And hidden journalling behind the photo which reads -
             James, Will and Nick on Mass St.
             Every time I want to take a photo they walk away. 
             They make me so proud when I am with them. They
             make me laugh all the time. They make my life happy and it makes
             me sad whe I have to leave them!
             Of course I love them to bits too xxx

The red on the background was printed with large bubble 'bubble wrap' - it doesn't show up very well in the photo :(

CCW February Scrapmap Challenge - Guest Designer

This is the LO I created for the Creative Craft World February scrapmap challenge. 

In December 2011 I was lucky enough to win the scrapmap challenge and part of my prize was a guest design team spot for February. The other part of the prize was one of Creative Craft World's lovely kits.

Sorry about the rubbish photo - I took it too late for daylight! Hence the reflection of me in the bottom right pic!!! 


Journalling reads "When I bought tickets to go up the Empire State Building I decided to purchase an Express Pass for myself and James. We loved jumping the queues and being treated by royalty. Definitely worth the extra!!"

This is the Feb sketch

To see all the other design team projects check out their blog here

Creative Craft World Scrap Map Challenge - January 2012

Here is the page I made for this month's Scrap map challenge on the Creative Craft World challenge blog

On my visit to Lawrence, Kansas in November the boys showed me a new shop - The Cupcake Construction Company - so after a late lunch one day we went for cupcakes. You choose your base (vanilla, red velvet or chocolate), then choose a filling (which they add with a syringe!) then your topping (lots to choose from) and finaly your sprinkles and voila you have created your very own cupcake without having to bake a thing :)

The top picture shows the cupcakes in the window (theirs!) and the bottom photo OURS!  Very yummy!

I wanted to use the business card I picked up in the shop so I made this tag

Isn't it gorgeous !!

I got the idea for using glitter and heart confetti (punchies) from Lisa Truesdell aka Gluestick Girl on her blog here  -
http://gluestickgirl.typepad.com/moments/2011/12/december-daily-2011-days-5-7-christmas-lists.html

2011 Xmas Cards

These are a few of the Christmas cards I made for 2011.

I love this this tree stamp :)

I got quite a few compliments on the cards this year. They are in a different league to last years', but then last year was the first time I had ever attempted any sort of papercraft. I have progressed a lot in 12 months :)

All Grown up

This is my scrapbook page completed for the UKScrappers weekly challenge, Jan Wk 1.

The challenge was to use old stash, circles and doodling.

I used large bubble wrap and distress inks to get the backgrond effect. Then I added black circles on top with a plastic milk bottle top! And the edge of an old credit card to get the straight lines.

This is one of my favourite photos of Nick, taken when he was visiting for Christmas.