What to do with Thanksgiving leftovers?!?!?!

I have been MIA from the blogging world, but something that will change in the near future. Be watching for some new and exciting things!

Here is a great recipe for leftover turkey. We are having it for dinner tonight because K.T. has been sick and this just seemed like a perfect cure!

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Hope you enjoy!

You had me at "9"

(and the 0210 after it didn't hurt either! ) ;)

Oh yeah. Back to West Beverly. I swore up and DOWN I would not get sucked in. "I will not watch 90210, I did that in COLLEGE" (yup, I'm THAT old!) But, DF Liz sent out an email reminding all of us to watch. I, being the somewhat single girl with a boyfriend who is married to Chrysler Financial, thought "well, I could watch once and see if it's worth it."

It's SOOOOOOOOOOO worth it. Cheesy? Hell yes. Dramatic? Mmm hmm. Guilty Pleasure? Already set on my Tivo. I haven't crossed the bridge on what I will do when Biggest Loser comes back on, but like I said, a bridge yet to cross.

And so now I'm on countdown to Mexico. Coronas, here I come! I can't wait to chill and read some good books and drink some foo foo drinks! I am taking my laptop. No, I won't be checking emails. I may blog, who knows. But, vacation to me means I get to scrapbook! So, I'll take my laptop and my hard drive and I HOPE (fingers crossed!) to have completed a book by the time we get home.

So, my guess is this may be all from me this week. I need to pack and work and try to squeeze in a pedicure!

See you all when we return. Adios!

A self-imposed

Period of rest. Yup, that's right. I'm sitting here with my feet up and I'm kicked back on my bed. "Chillin' like a Villain" as my friend Shannon might say! Tomorrow is my first race day in several months. Who am I kidding, I think we're going on 18 of them. I haven't done a Tri since my mightly Half Ironman last May. And then, the call:

"Hi Terri, it's Molly"
"Hey Molly, what's up?"
"Well, since I had my SECOND KID FOUR MONTHS AGO (keep reading, you'll see why this is in all caps...) I just haven't felt like myself. I've decided I should do a Triathlon"

Well, who am I to let a friend suffer alone. NO, I will step up to the plate and join you friend.

Which brings me to today. I'm a firm believer that one should rest, hydrate, and just chill the day before a race. If for no other reason than it gives me a great excuse to not fold that load of laundry or clean the bathroom today!

So, I'm gearing up....my bag is packed, the bike is on the car, the water bottles are in the fridge. There is something just so "Type A" about Triathlons.....and I LOVE it!

Happy Saturday to all. I will post some projects I'm working on next week.

A fun, new website

Hello to my 1 or 2 fans out there! How are you all? It is almost the weekend!!!! Wahoo. Although for those of us in the "D", it's also Dream Cruise weekend. SO not a fan. But what is the saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?" That's just what we're doing. It has been an exciting week. The new Stampin' Up catalog came out this week, chock full of new ideas for my fall stamping pleasure. Even better than that, my friend Shannon welcomed a new baby girl one week ago tomorrow: Lillian Grace, who joins big sister Laura Kathleen. Lily and Laura. How stinking cute is that? (I'll post a photo when I get one!)

I learned a fun new trick this week. It's called Google Reader. Do you, like me, love to read blogs? But, there are SO many good ones out there. How do I know when they've been updated? And how in the WORLD do I keep up with them?

Enter: (insert magic music here!)

GOOGLE READER!



So, Google Reader is designed to be a little micro-manager of the blogs you read. Normally, I hate micro-managing. But in this case, it's just divine! So I log into my Google Reader each and every day to see which of my blogs have been updated. You simply click "Add Subscription" in the left column, then you copy the web address and paste. Voila. Your first blog that you track.

SOOOOOO, what does that mean for you, other than a delightfully well managed way of reading your favorite blogs? (Have you seen )

It means now you can link MY blog and you'll know when I update it!

And there is your tip of the day, dear friends.

Oh, and if you decide to venture ANYWHERE near Woodward this weekend, the grill will be grillin' and the beers will be flowin'!

MIA...

Wow, I've been gone a long time. I'm sure none of you have missed reading about my adventures. I was away at Diabetes Camp for a week, and then K.T. and I traveled down to Atlanta to visit his parents. I always enjoy going to see them because they take such good care of us all. (*most especially little Lucy!*)

Today, I have a special guest coming to visit me. Molly Schneider! I'm so excited. She'll be here in less than 30 minutes. If you want to read more about Miss Molly, head on over to her blog.
Yes, I am a remedial student in her Shoebox class, so she has to come and rescue me. I'm drowning in digital supplies. (*sigh*)

I will be visiting my friend Liz this week in Cincy. It's always good to see her, not only because she makes me laugh like no one else, but because she usually sparks my creativity. And I have not had much of that as of late. Dunno if it's the nice weather or just feeling burned out at work, but I just CAN'T get myself to stamp OR scrapbook. I did make a page this week, but I am WAAAAAAAY behind. I think Kel and I are going here this weekend to play "catch up".

It's a beautiful, sunny Sunday. We have a graduation party today and I'm so looking forward to it. Hannah was born when I was a Freshman at Albion. I can't believe she is all growed up! Hannah, love you!!!!!

So enjoy the beautiful weather, and I'll see you all soon!

Today's Post: A Recipe~

Hello All from Metro Airport.

What to do when your flight is delayed and you have internet access with nothing better to do? Why blog of course!

So, rather than show you a bunch of photos of stuff I have worked on (*kinda boring lately*!) I will share a recipe. Now, this recipe comes with a story. What doesn't with me? (wink!) My friend Molly decided to start a recipe club. So we meet once a month, and the hostess gets to choose the "theme". So, a few weeks ago we went to Molly's and the theme was "Easy Appetizers". APPETIZERS???????? My favorite! I have a gagillion appetizer recipes! Which one to choose?!?!?! My friend Carey, also invited to the recipe club, doesn't cook....at all. Using her own words, "All my DOUBLE oven has seen is the occasional DiGiorno's pizza!" Can we swap ovens Carey? Anyhow, I digress.

So, I'm feeling kinda badly for Carey, so I throw out one of my recipes for her to use. And she did. And it was FAB!!! I couldn't stop eating it. So, here it is for your viewing pleasure! Hope you enjoy!


Sassy Chicken Enchilada Dip

INGREDIENTS
3 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
2 (8 ounce) packages light cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, chopped
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, mix the shredded chicken, light cream cheese, green onions, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, garlic, and cilantro. Season with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and paprika. Cover, and chill at least 2 hours.

I would serve with tortilla chips, but you'll need a spoon or knife too because this stuff is THICK!

Now, back to the task at hand....when the hell will I ever get out of the airport?

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends who are mothers! I hope you have a wonderful day!

We are making brunch for my mother this morning. (Thank goodness the culinary goddess, aka Katie, is in town!) We're going to give oranges a whirl in my new juicer for fresh squeezed orange juice! (and champagne, of course!)

Here is a little something I am using for my table centerpiece. I think it is so cool!



Can you see how versatile this could be: baby showers, wedding showers, Mothers Day, etc? And since it's made of paper, it will always be alive, unlike regular flowers!

I'm thinking I may teach a class on this. If you're interested, please leave a comment on my blog and I can either put one together online or at my house!

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Blog Header

Happy Tuesday,

How's that for Debbie Downer? It's only Tuesday!

My lunch hour goal today was to figure out how to make a blog header. Who'd have thunk it would take a tutorial? It did. ( I was pissed!) But, I got it done I am happy to report!

It came from my new found favorite blog...

http://everydaydigitalscrapbooking.blogspot.com/

I am so loving this blog! You do NOT have to be a digital scrapbooker to use. Oh no, you don't! There are lots of tutorials for normal peeps in here too. (And when I say "normal", I mean not like said Loser typing this message!)

So, maybe it will give you a great idea for a teacher gift. Or maybe you'll enjoy learning how to make an altered clipbord. Or maybe, just maybe, you'll do a project so great that I'll post it on my blog! Send your photos my way!

Just a quick photo

I have been MIA. I'm sure most of you haven't missed me or noticed. But it is nice for me to check in here once in awhile! My Spragaround friends like to check in over here and say "hi"!

Here is just a quick post to show you a photo from my trip to Louisville. Last weekend I was in Cincy and Louisville visiting my dear friend Liz, her family, and then my sister in KY. It was SO NICE to be away, but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. I enjoyed my time immensely with Liz and Katie. And I LOVED seeing Liz's boys, Ben and Luke, who are 14 months. They are so stinkin' cute!

Thursday morning, I flew up to Traverse City and then drove to Marquette for business. I won't bore you with deets, but my flight out of Marquette was cancelled last night and I had to DRIVE home! :( So sad. Just made it in early this morning. Now, I'm chilling in my sweats with my sweet pup by my side. Sigh.

So, here's the photo of the little pups that were living behind my sister in KY. Aren't they SO cute? I wanted to bring one home, but when I heard they were part German Shepherd, I kinda freaked. (German Shepherds scare me. I mean, they're trained to KILL in the police force, so um no ah ah for me!)

See you all next week.

Who me?

I just felt this overwhelming sense of need within my own self the last few weeks. I fill my time with so much STUFF! And I think I am a pretty good "volunteer-er". But, I need something that gives back to me. In a non-selfish way. Something that when I come home, I can say, "I done good here!"

After some soul searching, I have decided to become a volunteer at:




(That is, if they take me!)

I just see these poor animals on Animal Cops, and I see this "poor, rotten" spoiled dachshund who sleeps on my pillow next to me at night (did I mention that in my next life I'm coming back as Lucy?) and I just want to help. I feel my heart being torn when I see abused animals!

So, I'll say a little prayer tonight that they accept my application!

Happy (almost) Friday!

Digi Week 3

Well, I finally got a jump start on this week's assignment. I felt like I was so behind that I would spend hours on the weekends trying to catch up! Not this week my friends. Nope, I stayed up late, got up early and got 'er dun!

Anyhow, I just love what we're learning in this class! I think this LO is amazing! (Of course, I can say that...I literally copied it step by step from our instructor!)

But I am learning things in this class that I can actually APPLY to other things. Photoshop is an amazing workhorse of a program. I just love it!

Well, here's my LO and my post for Monday. Enjoy. I hope each one of you has a super week! Be looking for blog postings of my visit to Cincy and Louisville this weekend!

OCD?

Gosh, I hope not. But if you were to see the latest organization project in the craft room, you might think so. Way back when I decided my ribbons would look better in glass jars. (See my inspiration at: http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2008/01/ribbon-jar.html)

So after finding the perfect glass jars at Ikea, I got to work. And work. And work. Wrapping each individual ribbon around a clothespin. Can you say "sore left thumb?" K.T. would just sit down there watching TV, occasionally glance in my ribbon swirling direction, and shake his head. At one point, he even suggested we get out the power drill and try winding it that way! Anyhow, I love how the finished product ended up...

Then, as this ribbon obsession is taking place, and Final Four basketball is being played in the background (foreground for the male figure, duh!) He says to me, "Terri, why are all of your pens/crayons/markers/pencils/lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) sorted by type? Wouldn't it be more visually appealing if they were sorted by color?" Oh Lord, K.T. Don't you know about my level of OCD? That's all I needed to hear. And the next thing you know, there is a flurry of activity followed by coloring tools of all shapes and sizes scattered throughout the craft room. However, I will say I LOVE the finished "project". Good idea, K.T. ;) Thanks for feeding the obsession!



Happy Friday!

(A few credits: Nichole Heady for the ribbon storage idea, my new Canon Rebel which takes AMAZING photos, my $1 Spot Target bucket obsession and K.T. for feeding the OCD within)

365 "Days in the Life of Me"

So, a few weeks back I got this amazing new camera. And I got it out of the box, got it all set up, and WHAM! I have no idea how to use the blasted thing! What's a girl to do? Read the manual? No help. It's like a foreign language to me. So, I started a "class" over at my favorite Jessica Sprague website. Now, when I say "started", by no means did I make up the content of the class. But, I am just acting as sort of a "moderator" if you will for the class that was offered at 2Peas. (www.twopeasinabucket.com)

Hence, I decided to get good use out of my camera and take a photo a day. Sounds easy enough? Good Lord, let's see how I do. I am one to go really "gung-ho" only to konk out when life steps in. But I'm determined!

Don't worry, I'm not going to post a photo a day on my blog....my life is SO not that exciting. But this is my photo from Saturday that I think turned out beautious! (totally made up "Liz-ism")

Happy Sunday!

You didn't think it would be ALL crafty, did you?

Goodness knows I love my makeup and girly stuff too! SO, here's a little "find" during my Target excursion. Wow is this stuff cool! It's concealer, mineral foundation AND blush all rolled into one little nifty package! The concealer is a nice, creamy texture. The mineral foundation seems to be just as good as Bare Escentuals, and I LOOOOOVE the color of the blush! All for $14.99! Not bad, eh?

Please share your favorite cosmetic finds in the comments section, and I'll post them...kinda like In Style's great annual finds!

Digital Kits

So, can I tell you how much fun digital scrapbooking kits are? They are SO MUCH FUN! There are lots and lots of sites with digital kits, some you pay for, and some are FREE! This is a photo of a free digital kit. Now, you're probably scratching your head thinking, "What the heck am I going to do with a digital kit, Terri? I don't even scrapbook." And/or, "I certainly don't digital scrapbook!"

Stay tuned, my friends! I am going to post a tutorial for this little goodie, along with the link so you can have it too! Gimme a few hours and I'll be back!

Free Rice?

Nothing too crafty from me this week. I have been immersed in my Digi in Deep online class with Jessica Sprague. I finally (!!!) finished my first assignment, which took me 3 days! (although I will admit, it's a really cool layout!) But now we have 3 MORE assignments, which are supposed to be completed by Monday? Yikes, I have a loooooong weekend ahead of me! One of the cool things we're working on is a quote book. I will post some photos once I complete my LO's. It is going to be cool! That Jessica, she's ingenious!

Anyhow, here is another new obsession of mine, thanks to my friend Tracey Watt....

www.freerice.com

(And, I checked on Snopes to make sure it's not a hoax. I am a skeptic. But it's true!)

So, it's this fun little vocabulary "game" where you try and figure out the meaning of a word. For each "guess" you get right, they donate grains of rice to the UN! How cool is that? It's like the SAT minus the stress!

Check it out, and I'll post some photos over the weekend. It's almost Friday. Yahoo!

Gearing Up...

For Monday! A few months ago, I entered the world of digital scrapbooking. It is such a nice change from paper! I have already bragged on this before, so I'll keep my "gushing" to a minimum. But, the two aspects of it that have been best for me are:
1) No clean up!!!! In the middle of a page? That's ok. Just hit save and come back to it later and 2) I am totally and completely caught up with my scrapbooking! I never thought I'd be able to say that! In fact, Kelly (my real BFF) asked me the other day, "Are you kinda sad you're all caught up?" and my answer was, "Yeah!" It's hard not having anything to work on. (And no, I'm not taking on your scrapbooking projects! )

But, that leads me to my next point. I got hooked on digital and my advanced, online class starts Monday. And I cannot wait! It is such a fun, talented group of women (and Gary!) that I have met through Jessica Sprague's classes. (www.jessicasprague.com) We are almost giddy with excitement to see what is in store for us over the next 4 weeks.

If you have ever contemplated going digital (or even TRYING it!) I highly recommend Jessica's classes. They are easy to follow and you can watch them over (and over and over!) until you "get it".

So that's my diatribe of the day and I've attached a LO I did encorporating one of the challenges over at Jessica's website. And today, I need to learn how to use my camera!

Happy Weekend!

Once Again...

I introduce my blog. I was just so not happy with the first two "go-arounds". The first blogger version was just bad! And my Mac version was great, but there wasn't anyplace for people to leave comments. So now, I think I have the best of both worlds!

A big "hello" to all my Spragaround friends who are starting to visit. Thanks for coming by!

Not much today. As some of you know, I lost all of my photos a few weeks back, so until I get up and running on my new camera, photos will be sparse. I am including a photo of just ONE TEENY portion of the craft room which is in sheer disarray....the ribbons. I'm trying slowly but surely to get it cleaned up. Sigh. Pass the wine.

Well, have a great Thursday. See you here tomorrow---that is if you feel like coming back!