Recipe: Christmas Fudge

This is the recipe that my mom used to make her Christmas Fudge. It was one of my favorite recipes.  Now it is also one of my daughter, Dani's favorite holiday sweets. 

We tried a couple different fudge recipes this year, but went with the old favorite.  It's still our family's favorite. 

Recipe: Inside-Out Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my 2011 goals is to make a cookbook for each of my children filled w/ our favorite family recipes.  While there isn't a lot of them, I thought I better get started on the book. 

It is REALLY foggy in Wisconsin today so this New Year's Eve will be spent at home.  What better way to spend it than at home playing w/ My Digital Studio.  :)



Dani's Graduation Invites

The last day of 2010. Where did it go?  This year was supposed to pass slowly, but somehow has gone quicker than any other year I can remember.

Dani is a high school senior this year and her mom definitely isn't ready for her to graduate and leave home. I know that I spend a lot of time talking about Evan and Riley Kate on my blog. They are more social where Dani is very independent.  This year she's taking a couple independent classes on top of her regular high school class load. That means hours of studying every night, but she is doing very well in her studies.  I'm pretty sure that she will be her class valedictorian or salutatorian.  She has worked hard.  On top of studies, she works a part-time job on Saturdays and has chores here at home.  She has grown up to be such an amazing young lady.  She really makes her mom proud.  

She has been accepted into the college of her choice and has known since she was just little that she wanted to be a veterinarian.  That's 8 years of college!  Maybe I can get her to agree to commute and live at home. (Plus I really don't want to take care of all her critters!)

I started her graduation invites today.  It made this mom teary--okay maybe I cried just a little.  I can see graduation preparations  will be MUCH rougher on the mom than her. 

School Colors--Black, Orange and White

Card Recipe:

Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Basic Black

DSP: Neutrals Stack

Accessories: Paper Cutter, Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet, Big Shot, Round Tab Punch, MDS (insert)

Thank you, Grandma Hawkinson! ♥

Riley Kate loves to bake. She has become the head baker at our house. If there is a party or an event that requires bake goods, she is my 'go to girl'.

Grandma Hawkinson also knows how much she loves to bake. Grandma made this adorable apron for Christmas. Isn't it cute?!

Today I needed some cookies for Santa and for us to enjoy this weekend. Riley Kate made me some peanut butter kiss cookies and some inside out chocolate chip cookies.

Thank you also to Dani who unwrapped all the kisses for the cookies and put them on the cookies! :)

Ho. Ho? No. NO!

Ho. Ho. Ho?!

No. No. NO!

Evan has had enough. I think he is officially protesting all the hustle and bustle of Christmas. It has been a long holiday season for the little guy and he's ready for things to get back to 'normal'. (psst...his mom is ready too!)

I'm waiting for Santa tonight and ready to spend Christmas Day with my family and the afternoon playing board games w/ them and a few friends.

I wish all my followers and readers, a wonderful Christmas!

I hope you made it on Santa's 'Nice List'. ♥

Merry Christmas!

Birthday Turtle

Yes, I will admit it. I have been a stamp addict for a long time. Not only making cards, but also collecting rubber stamps. I have a LARGE collection of non-SU! stamps--literally several hundred single stamps. I don't know if there's a 1000 of them in my drawers, but I'm guessing if I wouldn't have sold some over the years, I would be in the 1000's easily. There's just something about rubber and wood that makes this girl grin. :)

Sometimes my lonely non-SU! stamps need to be taken out and inked up. I thought this little turtle needed to be stamped. He really is adorable all decked out in SU! colors--Marina Mist and Cherry Cobbler are my new favorite colors along w/ Daffodil Delight and Old Olive.

Special Gift Card

My husband, Terry wanted to give his dad a special gift this year. He loves to hear all the stories his dad tells about the ol' days when his dad was growing up. He went on a search to find aerial pictures of the farm that my father-in-law grew up on. We found a company online that sells vintage photos. Confirming we had the right place from an aerial view of a Wisconsin farm from the 60's without help from Terry's dad was a little more difficult. Finally, we got it ordered. We are so excited to see Stan's reaction when the photo arrives. However, tomorrow is our family Christmas and the photo is due to arrived next Tuesday so I thought--gift card! :) That's what we stampers due. When life gives us a challenge, we stamp.

The outside of the gift card holder. I wanted to keep it simple...



I love the deer from the Winter post set. He's great for masculine projects.



The gift card...



All together and ready to be tied up....




Thank you, Kimberley Morris for the reindeer poop idea--LOVE IT! I made a couple little reindeer for the little kids in our family. :)

Hawkinson Christmas-2010

I'm a little behind this year. Time has just gotten away from me and I have 20 Christmas cards to finish today, along w/ baking, wrapping, a couple sewing projects and delivering FFA fruit. It's pretty obvious I'm not going to get my to do list finished. I decided that my bestest online friends are going to get a MDS Christmas card from the Hawkinson's this year. There's so many people that touch my life that I have never met and I want them
to know while I'm behind this year that they haven't been forgotten. ♥

Evan was a good boy this morning and struck a pose for me in front of the tree. Thank you, Evan.

Next year....I'm starting Christmas in July. After I recover from Dani's graduation. LOL

Simple Christmas

I would like to thank Lee Conrey for the bow maker that I won on her blog. I absolutely love it. Although, I do need some practice. :)
This is a simple card that is a spin off of one of Lee's cards.
It is very simple, but I think it's perfect to send for the holidays. Card Recipe:
Stamps: Four the Holidays
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Real Red
Ink: Real Red pad and marker
Accessories: Real Red Satin Ribbon, Big Shot and Petals a Plenty Embossing folder

Many Faces of Elmo

I am really behind, but I got Evan's thank you cards finished this weekend. His birthday party was November 13th. I don't know what happened to the last month!

I made little Elmo cards and am sending them out in clear envelopes. I thought maybe his cute little face might cheer a few postal workers on his way to his final destination. :)

Airmail

I'm so glad that today is not Christmas Eve! Santa would definitely need Rudolph to guide his sleigh and some heavy duty duct tape to keep him on board. Wisconsin is a winter wonderland today. We got about 3-4 inches of snow yesterday. (We were lucky just a few miles north of here they had a foot of snow!) Now I don't mind the snow, but we have 30-40 mph wind. It's beautiful out here in the country where we live. I planned ahead so we don't have to go out and can just enjoy the day at home.

I made a quick My Digital Studio card. I had no idea these stamps were included in MDS. I was so excited when I happened on them.

Cat toys?

The tree is up! Evan has been absolutely amazing. He has never touched the tree once. He stops as he passes and admires, but so far hasn't taken any of the ornaments off.
Now the cats on the other hand are living up to their names. Felony and Misdemeanor have been chewing wrapping paper and eating curling ribbon. They have their favorite ornaments to play w/ too. I am so glad I made these paper strip ornaments, they have been pulled down and batted around, but so far are holding up. I think I am going to make a bunch more for the tree next year. They are so pretty....

My Little Hopper

Christmas time--it's the most wonderfully BUSY time of the year. Today, my 'to do list' includes baking cookies and making Christmas cards. I decided that I would take a little time out from all the hub-bub this morning and open up My Digital Studio. It's such a nice way to start the day. Plus I still have plenty of time to make my Christmas Cards, right?! EEEEK!~


This particular page was made using the sketch challenge from SUDSOL. (yep, I finally took the plunge and became a full fledged member!) I'm having such a great time looking through their gallery and participating in their challenges. I wonder why I didn't do join years ago. :)

Here's Evan again. I think he's outgrowing his favorite place--my stove drawer. I swear I can watch him grow right now just looking at him. All of a sudden, he is a big boy. Where did my baby go? ♥

Blue, White and Silver Christmas Postcard

Last year, I bought the Winter Post stamp set. I used it for one card. I was determined to use it for this weeks challenge over at LateNightStampers. Challenge 99 is to make a card using blue, white and silver. I must admit, I haven't used silver in a LONG time. I bet it's been a couple years. I had forgotten how pretty it is.

I stamped the Postcard image w/ Encore silver and I embossed it w/ clear embossing powder. It made the words 'pop'.

Notice I made my quilt background using all the different bashful blue dsp in the subtles stack (the stacks are must haves).

No card is complete w/o a little bling. I may have gone a little overboard w/ my bling, but I love the sparkle! :)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Winter Post

Cardstock: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Brushed Silver

Ink: Bashful Blue, Encore Silver

DSP: Subtles Stack--Bashful Blue

Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Northern Frost, 1 1/4 square punch, whisper white satin ribbon, rhinestones, glue stick, embossing powder, heat gun, glue dot