Weekend Update & More This and That

Had lots of fun this weekend at a SISters crop where I finally got started on my Dec. Journal!! Mine is about half way finished now. I did it pretty much "bare bones" and plan to embellish more each day as I add photos and do my journaling day by day in December. I used a 7 Gypsies chipboard album I already had on hand and Scenic Route's Holiday line from last year - Roxbury. I got bored working with just one paper line and the ended up purchasing some of the new Good Cheer line from October Afternoon to mix in. I was trying to work with stash that I had on hand, but I couldn't resist a little more October Afternoon -swoon!! Also using some KI Memories, Hambly of course, and probably some Jenni Bowlin, Making Memories and whatever else suits my fancy at the moment. Starting to get in the Christmas spirit, but refuse to pull out and decor or play the holiday tunes until the day after Thanksgiving.


Made some really yummy cookies to for the crop. They are called Ranger Cookies. This has to be one of my all time favorite cookie recipes. If you know me at all, you know I have a love/hate relationship with cookies - I absolutely LOVE to eat cookies, but HATE that I have no willpower and cannot stop eating them!! Anyhow, not sure where this recipe came from, maybe my old Ranger Rick Magazines I used to get as a kid. I know I have had the recipe a very long time. Here it is:

Ranger Cookies sorry no pics - they have all been eaten!!
1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks softened butter
1 c granulated sugar
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flaked coconut
1 c old fashion oats
2 c crushed corn flakes or Rice Krispies cereal
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream butter, eggs, both sugars and vanilla in separate bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed butter/egg/sugar mixture and stir. Stir in coconut, oats and cereal. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (until golden brown)on ungreased cookie sheet. Makes about 60 cookies.

And last but not least - I FINALLY finished my Halloween House!! I had to finish it. I cannot bring myself to leave a project unfinished. At least next year, it will look real cute sitting next to my Halloween Tree.

I'm Back!!

I'm back from a most excellent weekend crop retreat in Lake Geneva with some great friends and from having my knee surgery yesterday. Ready to get back to norm here!! The crop weekend was sooo much fun. I have a picture of all of us to share - having dinner and visiting before our first night of scrapbooking...(L to R standing: Tracy, Carla, me, Cathy and Cricket; seated: Pat).

That's the only pic I took. Too much serious scrapbooking going on, and lots of chat. Got four LO's done and that is pretty good for me. The first three were done with a couple Studio Calico Kits I brought and the last LO was done with some of my fav. October Afternoon papers/stamps and embellies from my own stash. Sorry - not sure why one image is sideways. I attempted to fix with no luck. ARRRGGGHHH!

Barely Broken-In

My running shoes that is. I just got a new pair because my shins starting hurting - usually a sign it's a little past the right time to get new running shoes. However, pain in my legs, my left knee primarily, kept getting worse. Long story short, after a Dr. visit Monday, to follow up with trouble I have had with my left knee in the past, I am now having surgery Tues. - just a knee scope and possibly repair of some tearing. I am not too worried about it, and should be home the same day, but I am more bummed about the fact the Doc told me I need to give up running. I've always been very careful, because I know I have bad knees/arthritis. I only run on the treadmill, am conscious of doing strength exercises the correct way, and don't do any other high impact exercising, other than running anymore (I used to be big into step aerobics - not good for the ole' knees). I've become very passionate about running - I like the way it makes me feel - free, challenged, time just for me to think, contemplate, the euphoric high it gives me. I have never sensed that with any other exercise and I have been into a lot of things - Jazzercise, aerobics, pilates, yoga, weigh lifting, spin - tried just about everything in the quest to lose weight and keep it off. Running really did do just that for me as far as the weight thing goes - better than anything else I have tried in the past.

OK, OK - enough of my whining. At least I will have more time to scrap while I recover - will need to stay off the leg for a little while. Walking is still OK, and after a recent trip with my dogs to the vet - they both need to lose some weight, so we can all enjoy some walks around the lake. Speaking of my boys - I gave them both a bath the other day. They are all clean and smelly-good. Ahhh - they look like they have no worries...Lafferty and Gulliver.

Zero is OUT!! - in case you haven't heard

Well, you probably have heard since it happened last Thursday. We did not know thought when we went to see him at the Milwaukee Zoo on Halloween Day, Friday. Zero, the polar bear, had fallen into his moat and had been hanging out down there, unharmed, for quite some time. Updates on Zero's progress were on the local news just about everyday. The kids were anxious to go see him, so since we had off school Friday, we decided to go visit Zero at the Zoo. It was all they could talk about the whole way to the Zoo, and once we arrived, we could not get to Zero's exhibit fast enough. Fortunately for Zero, but unfortunately for us, Zero was finally out of his moat and taking a rest, off exhibit, for the day. I had heard on Thurs. AM that he was still in the moat, but had not heard that zookeepers were planning to get him out with a crane that day. They made several attempts to entice Zero to get out on his own, since they knew he could climb out if he wanted to, but it wasn't happening, and I guess they felt he had been down there long enough. After seeing the moat up close, I cannot believe he stayed down there so long. Pretty small area for such a big polar bear. Well, I am glad he made it out, and we plan to get back to see him soon.

Just thought I'd share some photos from our Zoo trip and of Trey and I dressed up for our Halloween party Friday eve.

I'm a Bella

Couldn't sleep tonight and have been up surfing the net. Ran across this. If you are a Twilight series fan, it's a must to try. Can't wait for the movie!!!


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