Andrew loves his new PJ's from Uncle Rod and Aunt Chelsea!

Brent's Home Brewing - Batch #2 - Hoppy Ha-Ha

Above is the second batch which we named Hoppy Ha-Ha. Andrew used to call our Weimaraner Havana, Ha-Ha....so we thought this would make an excellent name for a beer :)

Gymnastics Meet in Corvallis - PINK OUT

PJ bottom's for Valentine's Day

Made some PJ bottom's for Andrew and his cousin Bryce for Valentine's Day...so cute!

After tearing apart the living room...someone was exhausted!

Dadda showing Andrew how to shoot

So adorable when he actually sleeps!

Always Card

Wish I had chocolate embossing powder because I think the words would have been better in chocolate rather than pink.

Stamps: Always Stamp Set
Ink: Real Red Classic Ink, Tangerine Tango Classic Ink, Chocolate Chip Marker
Paper: Very Vanilla
Accessories: Versamark, pink embossing Powder, white embossing Powder, heat tool, ribbon, sponge, dimensional dots
Most materials Stampin' Up!

Black and White Ever After Cards

Had fun playing with this card...each one is just slightly different. It feels so good to be making cards again....still can't believe it's been 2 years :)



Stamps: Ever After Stamp Set, French Script Background Stamp
Ink: Basic Black Classic Ink Pad
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: Versamark, Black embossing Powder, heat tool, half pearls/rhinestones, ribbon, sponge, dimensional dots
Most materials Stampin' Up!

Elegant Eggplant Always Cards

This is the first card I've made in 2 years...Yep that's right...I haven't touched my card making supplies since before Andrew was born!

Stamps: Always Stamp Set, French Script Background Stamp
Ink: Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink Pad
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Almost Amethyst, Rose Red, Kraft, Very Vanilla
Accessories: versamark, gold embossing powder, heat tool, sponge, dimensional dots
Most materials Stampin' Up!

Brent's Home Brewing - Batch #1 - Roth IPA

I got Brent a Home Brewing Kit for Christmas. According to him, "Laura has no idea the can of worms she has opened." He has already compiled a huge list of beers he wants to make.
Above is the first batch done fermenting, bottled, and labeled :) We named it "ROTH IPA" since it's the first batch coming from "Roth Family Brewery". Here's the label I came up with for him:

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Pumpkin Pie Dip

15 oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
6 oz Greek yogurt
8 oz cool whip

Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well. Mix in yogurt. Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat. Serve with apple slices or graham crackers.

Source: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Marinara Sauce

Baked Zucchini Sticks

5 medium zucchini sliced into sticks
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup bread crumbs
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan & Romano cheese blend
olive oil cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb mixture and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake for about 22 minutes, until golden brown.


Quick Marinara Sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper

In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.

Artichoke Dip

Artichoke Dip

14 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan & Romano cheese blend
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons bread crumbs
olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 400. Coarsely chop the artichoke hearts. Combine artichokes, yogurt, mayonnaise, cheeses, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and top with breadcrumbs. Lightly spray the crumbs with olive oil then bake at 400 for about 22 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Pomegranate Scones

Pomegranate Scones

1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 cup pomegranate arils
cooking spray
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine flours, baking powder, salt, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use 2 knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in fresh pomegranates. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist. (dough will be sticky)
3. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into an 8-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 10 wedges (do not cut all the way through). Brush cream over dough and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 10

Andrew's OCD?

Badly Behaving Galaxies

We took Andrew to the Mt Hood Planetarium again for their monthly star show/presentation. It was great! And only $2 per person! Unfortunately, this time Andrew did NOT fall asleep...he talked the entire time! LOL

M&M Cookies

Oh how Andrew loves his M&M's. I wanted to make these since Halloween because we had a ton of M&M's left over...finally I pulled them out and got set to make up some cookies. Andrew saw the M&M's and went crazy, "M's! M's! M's!" And now that he has had a handful of M's and 1 cookie, he is buzzing around the living room...hope he'll still go down for his nap at 1:30pm :)

Red's Ultimate M&M's Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups M&M's (set 1/2 cup aside for topping if you want them to be pretty, otherwise just put it all in now-since these are just for Andrew, I threw them all in)
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; blend into butter/sugar mixture.
4. Stir in 1 cup of the M&M's and nuts, if desired.
5. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Using the extra M&M's, put a few onto each of the dough mounds.
6. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 4-5 dozen.
Source: M&M's website