Lulu Card

I'm good at starting things but I can't say I'm the best at finishing. Here's a look at my scrapping table.

 

My goal for the next couple weeks is to pull out and actually "complete" a lot of my half-finished projects starting with these Lulu cards that I have coloured, cut out and just need to be assembled and have a sentiment added. Here's the prototype. Love the bunny slippers. I guess now I can say I have completed ONE card. Baby steps!

Beautiful Georgian Bay

 

Just back from a wonderful camping vacation on beautiful Georgian Bay, near Tobermory. The weather was great and the water was COLD! It was great spending time with family at Cyprus Lake where we have made it a tradition to spend time together every summer.
This year, we finally checked out Singing Sands which is a beautiful beach on Dorcas Bay. You can walk out a far distance before it gets deep. It is sandy bottomed, clean and MUCH warmer then Georgian Bay.

I have been able to ramp up my reading and have completed 4 more books. Of course, after reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, I had to read Seabiscuit and I was not disappointed. It was another fabulous non-fiction story which was also made into a movie. I couldn't put it down.

I will be adding to my Books Read list.... Rescue by Anita Shreve, East of the Mountains by David Guterman and The Island by Elin Hilderbrand. All very different genres but decent novels all around.
It has been fun having a little more time to read this summer. I hope I can keep it going.

Pudding Cookies

I really have to figure out how to put a recipe sidebar on the blog. I have posted pudding cookies before (I think) but these ones don't have any peanut butter in them and they're delish.

Pudding cookies
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 oz) vanilla pudding (instant, 102 grams)
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups add in's ( chocolate chips, M and M's, butterscotch chips etc)

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, Add pudding, then dry mixture and add in's.
Bake at 350 for 8 to 12 minutes. I thought I would flatten then out a bit next time so they cook a little more evenly. They hold their shape nicely and stay fresh and moist for several days.
Enjoy!

Whippersnapper Boy Card

Although House Mouse stamps are my first love, I have recently discovered Whippersnapper designs and I love their images also. They are relatively fast and easy to colour and they cover a lot of themes. I don't believe in labouring over cards forever; when an 8 year old boy is going to take one look and toss it on the ground and reach for the latest X-box release. So here's my latest card.... Hoppy Birthday!

Unbroken

If you look at my book list of novels that I've read this year, you might think I have a thing for dragons or Young Adult books. Actually, I LOVE to read and I love to read a wide variety of genres. I just find it a lot harder to concentrate and find the time to pursue this hobby when there are so many other things to do. That's why I put it on my 12 in 12 list. I really wanted to go back to this enjoyable past-time. So to celebrate reaching my milestone of 12 books in 2012 so early in the year, I want to highlight my favourite one and probably one of the best non-fiction books that I have ever read.

This book was good on so many levels. It was well-written, it was interesting and unbelievably uplifting to know that people can rise above the most profoundly difficult circumstances. What a story!

 I'll keep the re-cap brief.  Louis Zamperini was a rebellious teenager who discovered a love of running and ended up participating in the Olympics in Berlin in 1936. He was poised to be the first person to break the 4 minute mile when Japan bombed Pearl Harbour. Thus begins his remarkable odyssey of will to survive unspeakable events including being shot down and drifting in a raft for many days and ending up as a Japanese POW. Even though some of the material is graphic in nature, you will want to keep turning the page to find out how this incredible and true story plays out.

Oatmeal Toffee Bars

Fortunately, I get invited to several vacation properties over the summer holidays. Taking a good array of baking is one sure way of getting invited back. I thought I would try this new recipe out on my golf foursome first and they loved them so much, that I had to immediately pass the recipe along.
They are easy and fast to make and hold up well for travel. I hope you get a chance to make them for some of your pals over the summer.

Oatmeal Toffee Bars

1 cup butter, soft

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

¾ cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup Skor bits

Preheat oven to 375 F

Beat together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well.

Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix. Gently stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips and Skor bits. Press into greased 10 x 15 baking pan. Bake for 20 min.