I've been featured!

Thank you Cheri for featuring me Valentines Decor over at its so very Cheri!

If you have never been over there, you should go check it out.

She does wonderful weekly linky parties with so much inspiration!

Scrapbook Sundays

Welcome to scrapbook Sundays!

This is my favorite day of the week.  I get to spend time with Heavenly Father, my family, my thoughts and nothing else...oh wait, scrapbooking!

I love to scrapbook.  I love to preserve memories and family history in my own style.

So today, I will post anything scrapbook related and I hope you do too!

I'll have a linky party below so you can showcase what you have been up to in the scrapping world.

I'll be honest, my craft room is still a disaster!

I just moved to a new home 2 months ago so..that's my excuse ;)

But scrapbook sundays is motivating me to get it done so I can scrap some new LOs.

Until then, i'll be showcasing some of my past LOs from a few years ago before baby #3 ;)

I have a love for purples and blacks.   You'll notice that as time goes on, I think!

<a href="http://bornagaincrafter.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd340/lyssabz/scrap.jpg" /></a>

Alright, time to grab a button & link up anything scrapbook related!

Been Featured :)

I had to write and publicly post my appreciation to Marni over at Sassy Sites!

I've been featured on her site today!

I feel like a million dollars!

So what did she feature?
This little gem:

Can you guess what those hearts are made out of?
toilet paper rolls!

Head over here to see the whole tutorial :)

can't beat free, can you?!

Anyways, head on over to Sassy Sites.  It's one of my favorite sites!

Scrumtrulescent Saturdays Party: Green Mountain Pizza

Saturdays I will share a recipe with you and you then can link up a fav recipe too!

doesn't that sound good?

so Welcome to Scrumtrulescent Saturdays!

And I would LOVE to see any yummy recipes you might have too.

So link them up at the end :)

So today, I will share with you my favorite pizza ever:

Green Mountain Pizza

don't you love the heart shaped wonder?

So I got this recipe from my good friend Jaime.  She actually invited us over when we first moved to San Antonio.  We ate this pizza and both my husband and I were in love.

Anyways, here's the recipe today.

Ingredients:

1/4 c Alfredo cause (any kind BUT Ragu)
2 chicken breast halves (8 oz) cooked and shredded (Cut chicken into cubes and then cook in 1-2 tbsp of bacon greese. )
16 oz. Pizza crust (see below)
1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
10 large fresh spinach leaves
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
4-6 green onions, sliced diagonally
2 c. grated Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread Alfredo souce evenly over pizza crust. Arrange spinach leaves over sauce. Add green onions, shredded chicken and bacon. Sprinkle Cheeses over top. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 4 huge portions. (this pizza is very filling!)

Here's the best pizza dough you will ever have!
Pizza Dough from Bobbi Johnson

4 c. flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 1/2 c. hot water

Combine yeast and water. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add yeast mixture. Knead for 10 minutes and let rise until double. Spread out on pizza pan. Add sauce and toppings. Preheat oven at 350 degrees, bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese melts.

So here's a few tips for you:

cut the bacon into 2 inch or less pieces and cook.

 Save the grease for the chicken!

 Place the chicken in the bacon grease to brown.  Set both aside for the pizza.

Now the dough...I highly recommend this instant yeast.  works like a charm every time!

 Follow directions in the recipe.  Mix yeast and hot water first.  Combine the dry ingredients then slowly combine the two.

 I use these kneading attachments.  

Don't use your normal mixing attachments.  

You need to knead the dough..duh!..say that 3 times fast!

 And what kitchen wouldn't be complete with out a "empty all drawers" attack from your 16 month old during cooking time?..oh that rascal!

 Let the dough rise for about 15 minutes.  I let that sit and then get the rest of the ingredients ready, like cut up the onions and grate the cheese.  Saves time!

Anyways, after all your efforts, you will have a delicious meal!

OHHH and I forgot some big news.

I have a HUGE surprise in store.  But in order to get things going, I need to have at least 200 followers!!

I need your help!  

Please, if you like what you see, follow me!...there's a catchy tune right there folks, eh? eh?

seriously, I would love your help in spreading the news about this blog.

And don't forget the giveaway going on right now!

<a href="http://bornagaincrafter.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd340/lyssabz/satbutton-1.jpg" /></a>

Alrighty, grab a button & link up!

Thrifty Thursdays & a giveaway.

Thrifty Thursdays will be showcasing what i've found from local thrift stores.

I am hoping I will find things weekly!  wouldn't that be fun?

The following items, I found here in town at a thrift store that only is open on Saturdays.

laundry basket - $5 

 Disney princess wand- $1

 Bucket of Dinosaurs - $4

These next items I found at Goodwill!

Children's Books, .50 each!!

Scarf - $1

Embroidory Hoop - $1

Mason Jars - .50 each

Score!

What things have you found lately at the thrift stores?

link it in the comments!

Now for the giveaway...

who wants a diaper bag?!

i'm giving it away to one of you.

It is barely used and clean.

I have no use for it!

And I am on a mission to de-junk this place.

So my loss, your gain :)

To enter, you MUST:

- follow the blog

-Spread the word, like Twitter or FB

leave 1 comment for each thing you do.  So you already have 2 chances to win.

Extras:
-participate in thrifty thursdays, leaving a link to thrifty finds on your blog :)

-blog about it.

-add my button on your blog.

-add my blog on your blog roll on the side of your blog :)

Ends March 4th @ noon.

Linked up at Giveaway Directory over at Someday Crafts

black as night...

(mighty hectate, make it right)

this kid's eyes are just phenominal. A whole new world of possibilities have opened up for me when I got the mail a few days ago. I FINALLY got my DSLR. Boy, i am in heaven. I was nervous that I wouldn't catch on. Yet, my many years of using an old school manual camera was not in vain!

Tidy-Up Tuesdays

In efforts to give my blog some direction, I am going to try something new.

I am going to organize a few days of the week for specific things.

Tuesdays will be now known as "Tidy-Up Tuesdays"

This will be where I posted tips or ideas, organization or anything that has to do with "tidying up"

So this weeks installment...

I found this shelf at Salvation Army but when I saw it, it wasn't for the wall.

what I had in mind was something for my kid's coloring stuff that ALWAYS end up all over the table and floor below...no more!

So I got to work...I ripped off that hood...lid...roof thingy.

next, I grabbed my hacksaw and took off that stick along the top..

The purpose is this:

a place for all their crayons, markers, pencils, glue, scissors etc etc... but just wait...

I found this basket at Value Village about 4 months ago and guess what fits exactly inside of that?!

It's perfect for storing other items too on the side :)

So what used to be the usual sight for my poor dresser....

is no more!  The basket fits perfectly underneath and I have a clean, organized area...and my table can be eaten on again :)

and that, my friends, is Tidy-Up Tuesdays!

What are some things you have found that have helped you tidy up around your home?

linking up above and here:
Thrifty Decor Chick's Organize it Party

twinners.

After I got my haircut, Emma was, at first, sad.

"Mom, you have a boy haircut!"

I scoffed and said, "I do not!"

"Will your hair grow long again tomorrow?"

"Nope, it'll be a while until it gets long again."

"oh man...."

And then a few days later, after another head to head battle trying to brush her hair, i told her I was going to cut it.

"oh I want to cut it like you mom!  I want a boy hair cut!"

"Ok, it's a deal.  You're getting your hair cut tomorrow!"

and so it was.

I love it and has completely eliminated our morning and nightly battles.

hourly ritual.

mom: "oh, luuuuke"

luke: mimics peekaboo

mom: "haa ha no sweetie, not boo!  What are you doing with those lids, hmm?"

luke: smiles mischievously

mom: "you can't take those out, honey.   An angry mob with pitchforks and torches will soon be here to take me to the local asylum if you don't stop this!"

 luke: "mom, I just want to be where you are...always.  and when you are in the kitchen, I get bored so I find my "toy" bins and play while you make me food."

 mom: "Oh is that what you are doing?  you little stinker.  I can't get mad at that explanation with that face, can I?"

luke: "nope.  now if you will excuse me, I will now proceed to put them all back into the bin and then empty it out again."

introductions.

seeing how this blog is fairly new, I thought introductions were in order.

I would LOVE to get to know you readers too!

Please leave me a comment, telling me about yourself :)

I was previously over at The Crafty Clique.  It originally started as a group to post tutorials of things being made at the monthly craft night over in San Antonio.  I wanted to still be apart of it when I moved to Vegas.  But it had dwindled until it was me and only me.  

So I needed a new space.  

Some of you might have picked up that after baby #3 came along, i've been struggling to find time to create.  I used to create much more than this past year.  I used to scrapbook like crazy!  and I miss it!

So I am anxiously engaged in finding that time again and scraping. 

So welcome!  Glad that you could join me in my attempts to find my crafty self again!

I stay at home with my 3 wonderfully mischevious children.

To stay afloat, I started taking some manditory "me" time.  It's been seven years now and i've just about dabbled in all sorts of crafts.  My favorites at the moment are furniture redos, sewing, scrapbooking and thrifty finds.  I try to also do the absolute cheapest route possible.

I currently reside in the NW in a rental, so my desire to remodel is on the backburner until we own a house...

I hope you enjoy what I conjure up on here! 

RAK giveaway winner.

has it been a week already?!

so thank you guys for commenting and visiting the blog, getting to know me and my creations!

The winner for this giveaway is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

18

Timestamp: 2011-02-19 03:52:45 UTC

#18 is....

Sharon :) said...

Liked you on Facebook ;)
Clownscrytoo@gmail.com
Sharon Harmon

February 13, 2011 7:31 AM 

Congrats Sharon!

I'll be getting in touch with you shortly :)

For all you new followers, there will be another giveaway soon.

And I will be presenting my new haircut, from my "Frump-be-gone kind of year" goal.

went to the library today.

I rented some books:

"Parenting with Love & Logic" by foster cline & jim fay

"The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child" by Alan Kazdin

"One year to an Organized Life" by Regina Leeds

this is my life....

bigger news,

this is the first time ever that I want to keep my hair short.

that's a big change for me since I have usually kept my hair long!

Here's a better view of it since I know you want to see it some more:

well my hair isn't all that preoccupies my time and energy.

I have been having emotional struggles these past couple of months as my children are still adjusting to this new move of ours.

Emma is struggling in preschool.

it is so hard to watch since in Pasco, she LOVED it.

she loved her teacher.  she loved her friends.

so then moving here, she has a big expectation in  her mind.

and I know it hasn't come even close.

Her new teacher is just not as "friendly" as her old one.  She is still wonderful and a great teacher.  But she just didn't get 5 year olds as much as Ms. Molly.  She kind of nit picks at the little things.  So I feel Emma gets a lot of negative attention and being told what not to do a lot.

and I can't say anything much there since I know i've had my fair share of that filling that bucket to her.

she is just plain testing our limits.

i'm exhausted.

I am sick of beating my head against a wall with her!

everything I say, she fights me...everything.

we just keep butting heads.

I don't want to do it anymore.

sigh...

some days, i'm just done.  done with it all, you know?

next is Kate.  She seems to have been improving with the night wakes, which is good.

but thank goodness to all that is holy for Kate.

She is just so content to play, watch her shows, or draw.  

She doesn't need my constant attention like my other 2 children.

Luke, oh luke.  you are just too much.

you are adorable and talking and expressing your cute little voice.

I love it.

I love that inquisitive look.

You love to read and break things.

you are curious and like to dump out millions of drawers then put things back in.

silly boy.

but, your temper is heightening.

it's very humorous to watch as you melt to the floor.

your father and i are scared we have another Emma on our hands.

so as life settles down for us here, things are getting better slowly. 

but i'm excited for warm weather so we can get OUT of this HOUSE.

happy valentines day.

i'm a sucker for compliments.

so it made my day when emma's teacher adored her valentine.

thanks ms. becky.

happy valentines to you.  

brought to you by born-again crafter, my new craft home.

last minute, I made this heart garland for my living room.

I think i'll be leaving it up all  year long.

valentine's day decor tutorial

Alrighty, i've got a super cheap, super easy, and super CUTE valentines (or anytime of the year) decor for you today....

See those adorable hearts?!

Can you believe they came from these?

 Yep.  And i'm goign to show you how to make these yourself.
So first, fold the emtpy toilet paper rolls in half, like so.

 Next, cut them into strips, however wide you will want your hearts.

Next, you are going to push one end in to the shape of a heart.

 To keep that shape, I stapled that.

 next, you will use a hole punch to each side of the heart

 see?

 then grab your fav thread and thread through each heart to make a heart strand.

then you figure out where you want them put in your home :) 
I love the look they give. 
I seriously will keep this up all year!

the best part is it was free!
keep those tubes handy!