April Swap Card

Still getting caught up after a busy spring, but Keri and I actually exchanged these cards back at the beginning of May. So we are all caught up and I even have my May card ready to go for the end of the month.

Keri did not one but TWO sweet baby cards. I can't remember what line of stamps she used but she coloured them with Prisma pencils and hung them on a clothesline with the most adorable mini clothespins. And now I have one ready for a boy OR a girl...

I used an MFT Cat set that I've used before but I wanted to use a peek a boo die set that I hadn't used before. I actually cut off the doors as I wanted to directly showcase the cats....

I thought about it after I was done and realized I used dog bones as my background paper but I don't think its TOO noticeable. Here are the products that I used....

And there you have it. All caught up. Off to do some yardwork. The Sun is finally shining after days of gloom and rain so it will be nice to get outside for a bit.

Lemon Loaf

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe to use for the Crop. It's a family favourite and so easy to make. Once you remember to put the water in, that is. I add some lemon zest to give it extra zip. The glaze on top is what "makes" the cake.

Lemon Loaf

1 Lemon cake mix
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup oil
1 pkg Jello instant lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup water

Glaze
1/2 cup white sugar
2 - 3 Tbsp lemon juice

Beat eggs. Add rest. Beat all 10 min
Bake at 350F for 45 min
Makes 2 loaves

Immediately after removing from oven, add glaze.

March Swap Card

Am I really this far behind?  I still haven't posted our Swap card for March so here it is..
I made a fairly basic card using the cute doggie and heart from Sunny Studios Pet Sympathy set...

I think I was trying to follow a sketch. I think the card is too large for the image but it's cute enough for many occasions..

Keri used the cute I'm SO Hoppy set from Stampin' Up to make this sweet card...

Don't you love the googly eyes?

What have I been up to?

The Blog has been quiet. April was an extremely busy month. Here's hoping it slows down a bit. Here's a glimpse of a few things that I've been up to..

Everyone thinks that I just kick back and put my feet up after the fundraiser. There are actually quite a few things that need to be done including sorting through everything, packing it up again in an orderly manner, making note of what is needed and sending out thank yous to all the corporate donors.

I spent a lovely few days away with my peeps and actually worked on some layouts for my 10 year old Disney album designed by my talented friend Liz.

I got to see a whole bunch of these cuties at a Fire Station in Guelph learning how to interact with the sounds and figures that might occur during an emergency situation.

I helped out with gifts for ADS Grad. 16 families received their furry angels this past year and while I wasn't able to attend in person, I was happy to help out behind the scenes.

My golf course wasn't quite open but I was able to get ready for my Ladies league by attending Orientation and a chipping clinic (much needed)

Finally some R and R time, also much needed. Now it's a fresh month. Time to get outside(if it ever warms up) and catch up on all those items that have been on the back burner.

Loonies for Lindor Fundraiser 2019

What a crazy few weeks it has been getting ready for the Fundraiser on April 6th. I feel like it has consumed my every waking moment, so much to get done. I couldn't have done it without a great support team of friends and family. Many, many hours went into making this a record breaking year with a donation of over $7000 to Autism Dog Services. Here are a few highlights of the day....

This year the theme was lemons

All set up ready to go

Morning snack

All homemade treats...lemon loaf, raisin bran muffins, lemon poppyseed muffins, chocolate chip muffins.

Perfect napkins for the theme

Every participant got a beautiful layout or 2 cards

Beautiful table numbers

An amazing array of raffle prizes, over 107!

$150 Gift basket from Lindt

We have our own hashtag'

Thanking our incredible volunteers and donors!

Layered Lemon was a huge hit!

We were so busy I never got any pictures of the food or the ice cream treats or the $5 grab or other sales or pictures of anybody actually scrapbooking.  It was crazy!

And that's a wrap for another year! Time to recover and get some other stuff accomplished.

Cheesecake Squares

I made these squares with St. Patrick's Day in mind. You can change the colour of the M and M's to suit the occasion. These are delicious squares. Very quick and easy to make with a limited number of ingredients. I got the original recipe from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook. It's one that I've held onto since there are so many great recipes in it.

Cheesecake Squares

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts( I omitted these)

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup M and M's

Beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add flour. Reserve 1/2 cup of crumbs for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into 8x8 pan. Bake at 350F for 10 min.

Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla mixing at medium speed with electric mixer. Add egg. Mix well. Layer 1/2 cup candy over cooked crust. Top with cream cheese mixture. Combine remaining candy and crumbs and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 20 additional minutes.  Cool.

Confessions

I always enjoy reading other people's confessions so I thought I would do a post of my own.

1. I love the Public Library. I can't believe such a great resource is free to all and I always have a bunch of books on hold. Unfortunately they always seem to come in at the same time and it results in a pile like this... (some of the books are from my personal TBR collection)

2. Leading me to my second confession. Instead of reading in my spare time, I have watched every episode of Bondi Rescue on Netflix.  Abs and accents. Enough said.

3. Bath and Body Works soaps are my guilty pleasure. I got a little carried away at the last sale and I have 16 stockpiled as well as one in all 3 bathrooms and kitchen. (Merry Cookie is my favourite winter fragrance)

4.  When I buy something new, I don't use it right away. Not sure why. Basically I think I don't like change or I'm afraid it won't work out. Case in point. My new Pickle ball paddle. Still in the wrapping even though I've played several times with a borrowed paddle.

5. I have a hard time completing projects or at least throwing away projects I no longer have an interest in. I always think I will get back to them..

6. I knit almost everyday. Usually just dishcloths because they are easy and I don't have to think about a pattern.  I find it very relaxing.

So there you have it. My confessions.