Archive for April, 2012
Monday’s Meal: Baby food!
Hi! Cammi again! When I had my first child and it was time to start the dreaded baby food stage, I scoffed at the mom’s who made baby food. Or maybe I even judged them. I’m sure I thought to myself that it would be nice if I was able to stay home with my baby, and then I’d have time to do things like make her baby food. So I ended up buying baby food. Jars and jars of it! When baby #2 came around, I happened to be laid of off work when he started baby food. Since we were strapped for cash, I decided to try it out. I pulled out my dusty blender (I washed it first!) and searched for recipes online. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Surely it wasn’t that easy to make baby food. Wrong! It was that easy! And cheap! I ended up paying $.03 a serving compared to $.50 pre-made. And I was using fresh food, no processed stuff! And it only took 10 minutes from fresh produce on my counter, to baby food in the freezer. I berated myself for being such a snob over it one baby ago.
Now I’m on my 4th kid, and we’re entering the baby food stage again. I haven’t fed my kids baby food from a jar since my first. Woot! Not that I think there’s anything wrong with jarred baby food. I’m just a thrifty spender, and love saving money!
So…how to make this baby food you ask? It’s simple! I’m going to give you a recipe for carrots, but you can substitute the carrots for lots of other types of produce and cook similarly. Please remember to consult your pediatrician before introducing solids to your little one!
Carrot Baby Food
Using a bag of baby carrots, boil in 1 cup of water until tender. Usually 5-8 minutes. Put in food processor and blend until pureed. Add breast milk, formula, or the water the carrots were boiled in to make a thinner consistency. Add puree to ice cube trays and place in freezer. Once frozen you can move to ziploc bags. I typically will put 4 in a bag.
Here’s a great website with all sorts of baby food. There are introductory baby foods, and then older baby foods. There’s so much you can do!
Here’s a pic of my little one enjoying unsure about her first taste of baby food.
Silly Sunday ~ Dieting
Hello Digi-World! Christie here today to add a little silly to your Sunday. As Summer is fast approaching I have noticed I gain some weight back and it is time to get it in gear. Sometimes a girl just wants a cupcake and not to worry about weight gain…sigh. But reality is you have to watch what you eat more the older you get and I am not getting any younger. So I found a few jokes on Facebook that I thought I would share.
Happy Sunday!
Let’s do some spotlighting!
Good morning bloggers! It’s Kara again, your every Saturday delight..LOL..okay I just couldn’t help myself on that one. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Our CT member’s have been busy getting them layout’s out and promoting our designers.
This is my favorite layout by CT Heidi, I love what she did with the background papers, and here photos are always nice and big! Heidi used Vintage Tea Party by Sugar Moon Designs.
Next up Shanna created this awesome layout using a collb kit In My Pocket by Missy’s Bits Designs and Barbara Ryan
Great job ladies, these are some great layouts!
Now check this ad out!
Sugar Moon is hosting the download a day at 3scrapateers, so be sure to stop by May 1st-31st to get the download a day, you won’t want to miss it!
Friday Finds Free Card template
Happy Friday, Dawn here with this weeks Friday Finds. This week My Memories freebie is a Flower Card Tutorial.
Using Sugar Moon’s Designs Vintage Tea Party kit I made this Flower Card.
Flower Card Tutorial
Using MyMemories Software to Customize your Flower Card
- Download template file and install it into your software
- Using MyMemories Suite, choose Create Album From Designer Template and find your project- to use other kits as backgrounds you will open the zipped file you downloaded. There is a blank flower embellishment in this kit.
- Now you can print and enjoy the provided template, or customize it with your own papers and embellishments.
TIP:
You can right-click on the white guide and lock it in place to keep it from moving while you are working. Make sure this is the top layer of your project before printing.
Instead of adding the paper as a background paper, you can add it as an embellishment so that you can move the paper around. This is especially useful when using papers with stripes or circles, so you can decide which part of the paper you want to use.
Once it is added as an embellishment, you can now select the paper and move it into the position you want it.
Flower Card Tutorial
How to Assemble your Flower Card
1. Print your file on cardstock.
2. Take your card template page and fold at all fold lines. A bone folder helps make the creases nie and crisp to help your finished card to look nicer. There should be 9 folds and then cut out.
3. Turn your card over so that the printed side is down and pinch the sides of each petal together until all 6 petals are standing straight up.
4. Gently push all the petals in one direction until they lay flat. Now you have your Flower card.
Remember, Missy’s Bits and SugarMoon Designs both have stores at MyMemories and if you would like to purchase the MyMemories software we have a link you can click here on our blog and purchase this great software and use our Share the Memories code to save $10 plus get your $10 in free products from MyMemories when you purchase.
Enter either of these codes when you check out:
Sugar Moon’s Code is STMMMS42122
Missy’s Bits code is STMMMS92444
And here are some free jpeg flower templates made for you with a few of Missy’s Bits kits and Sugarmoon Designs kits! I hope you enjoy them very much
Tags: Flower Card Tutorial, My Memories, Sugar Mo
Thursday Tutorial: Creating a Blog Header
Hi, there, all you readers in digital scrapbooking land! Today is Thursday, and you know what that means: Melissa T. is here to share another Thursday Tutorial with you. Since we all live in the digital world now with digital cameras, digital scrapbooking supplies, and digital software for all of our scrapbooking needs, I would like to discuss making blog headers. I bet almost everyone of you either have a blog, read a blog (as you are doing now) or even have a blog of your own. I know that I have two just by myself! But how many of you have custom headers that you made for your own blog? I surely don’t (right now). Plus, with Blogger and WordPress both being free to use, I can see no reason why you wouldn’t want to make your own blog just to show off all of your own digital creations. And after today’s tutorial, you can add “Creating a Blog Header” to your list of digital skills.
Below you will find basic instructions on how to create a blog header in MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software. If you don’t already have it, I strongly suggest buying it since it is so user-friendly. Just look to the right hand side of the page to find a coupon code for $10 off the software.
Directions for Creating your own Blog Header:
1. Open the MyMemories Suite Software on your PC or Mac, and choose “Create a New Album.”
2. Choose the “Custom Size” tab in the middle of your screen. You may set your size by inches or by pixels.
A Blogger header is approximately 1000 x 300 pixels, while a WordPress header is 904 x 160 pixels.
3. Add whatever content you want to represent you and your blog including papers, pictures, text, or embellishments.
Remember that it is YOUR blog, so choose a style that represents you and your theme of blog.
4. When finished, click on “Share Album” in the far right column and select “Export.” In the Export Wizard, make sure
that the image size is the size you chose for your header and click “Finish.”
5. Now, all you have to do is load it into your blog site.
For more detailed instructions, Lisa J. from MyMemories has created a very useful PDF and video that will elaborate how to create and upload your own blog header.
I have created a sample blog header for you using a “In My Pocket” by Missy’s Bits. You may find this collaboration at
at www.mymemories.com
Remember to make a memory today (and keep a camera on hand), then blog about it!.
Tags: Blog Header, blogging, digital scrapbooking, memories, missy's bits, MyMemories, mymemories suite software
Wacky Wednesday: Speed Scrap
Hii, Amber here. We have just completed Aprils Speed Scrap over on Missy’s Facebook Page. I just love hosting Speed Scraps, also keep your eyes out for them each month! We will go back and forth between Missy’s and Sugarmoon Designs Facebook page.
Once you have completed your layouts make sure to upload them at Divine Digitals Gallery and post the link in a comment here with the link and your email address so we can send your prize! :) For everyone who posts their link here by Midnight April 27th will get a $3 coupon to Missy’s Divine Digital Store which you can find HERE
I used her kit Spring Par-tea for my layout today and for the Speed Scrap instructions page
Tuesday Treasure Freebie
Hi! Shanna here for you Tuesday Treasure. I have to share with you that I am so excited that my layout I made with Missy’s Bits “Skylar’s Dream” kit was spotlighted here on Saturday as well as featured in the With Love Studio’s newsletter last week. So excited I decided I should just make it into a quick page for all of you. But first let me just brag a little. Missy’s Skylar’s Dream kit was a requested kit I had requested her to make to match my niece’s baby bedding set when I was planning my sister-in-law’s baby shower this past October. I never dreamed she’d make it into a full size kit and name it after my precious baby niece Skylar. Let me share with you first the hybrid project {decoupage wooden letters} I was making that made this full size kit happen.
Ok now on to the good stuff…..Here is the preview for the Skylar’s Dream kit you can pick it up at With Love Studio in Missy’s shop
Here is the layout I made with it that was featured…and yes this is a picture of my precious niece Skylar and her Mommy!
And finally here is your freebie QP so you can make something beautiful from this layout {click image to download}
Tags: missy's bits, Quickpage, Skylar's Dream, With Love Studio
Monday’s meal: Creamy pork chops
Hi everyone! Cammi here with another Monday’s Meal. I am from the south, and I love gravy and cream sauces. I’ll try a cream sauce on everything! A few years ago, I found a recipe for creamy pork chops. It was absolutely delicious! I’ve made it countless times, and it’s always a hit for dinner parties. I’ve tweaked it so many times from the original, so the recipe I’m posting is my own. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Creamy Pork Chops
- 6 Pork Chops
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 Cup White Wine
- 1 Package Mushrooms
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Greek Seasoning
- Stick of butter
- 6 Slices Swiss Cheese
In oven pre-heated to 350 bake pork chops until cooked. (15-20 minutes usually does it). While pork chops are baking, saute garlic and mushrooms with half a stick of butter in large frying pan. Remove from frying pan. Add remaining half stick of butter, Dijon Mustard, and flour, and stir till pasty. Add cream and wine and stir until thickened. Add greek seasoning. (This is the part where I will tweak to my tastes. Add more wine, more mustard, more seasonings etc to taste how I like it. I love lots of sauce, so I will usually add more cream and flour as well, depending on how many people I’m serving).
Once pork chops are finished baking, drain the grease from them, then top with mushrooms then pour the sauce on top of the mushroom covered pork chops. Add slices of swiss cheese to the tops of the pork chops, and place back in the oven. Set the oven to broil on high, and broil about 5 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.
I like to serve with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli or asparagus. Yum!!
I also want to let you know about our monthly Speed Scrap being held on Missy’s Bits Designs Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/missysbits
Silly Sunday ~ Mario Brothers
Happy Silly Sunday Everyone! Christie here with your post for today. I have 2 little boys at home that have became addicted to Mario Brothers. All I hear all day is, “Can we play Mario?”. So I found some cute comics about Mario Brothers on Pinterest for you all today. Oh and I want you all to picture my 6 year old hoping around the den like a kangaroo while we play, even if it isn’t his turn. I laugh the entire time, he is just too cute.
Tags: comics, funny, jokes, Mario Brothers, silly
Happy Saturday!
Good morning bloggers, Kara here. Can you believe April is almost over already? I don’t know about you, but this year is already going by fast! A lot has happened this week over at Scrapping artistry. Our wonderful CT’s and Blog member’s have been working hard making some great layouts. Here are a few that have caught my eye.
By Shanna
By Christie
By Marilyn
Wonderful job ladies, as always we love your work!
Did you get our newsletter? Did you see that MyMemories was FEATURED on the Mother’s Day Special for Lifetime Television’s Morning show, *The Balancing Act*!! It was so exciting! If you didn’t catch the program, you can watch it HERE. And while you are there- be sure to take advantage of the FREE photobook promotion! You can download a free trial of the My Memories Suite software to get your book created. We know you are going to love the software as much as we do! When you decide that you cant live without it be sure to use one of our coupon codes to save $10 on your software! Sugar Moon’s Code is STMMMS42122 and Missy’s Bits code is STMMMS92444.
Missy has a new release at With Love Studios for 20% off. They are commercial use, with no credit required!
You can find these All Grungy Brushes HERE. Okay be sure to keep your eye out this coming week for new recipes, tutorial’s and much more here on our blog. Have a great day!
