Sea Of Cats Art Page

Good Morning dear readers,  I was trying to do a page for Halloween of just cats.  So here's my page. I gesso'd it with white gesso and then dipped the cat stamp in pink acrylic paint and rubber stamped the page.  After drying, I put another layer of gesso over the cats and proceeded to paint them.  The black cat was done using a black paint marker it almost obscured his eyes until scratched some of the paint away.  I did some cats in orange acrylic paint unfortunately some of the ink ran a little so I switched to painting the cats with oil pastels in various colors still had some runny ink.  So I finished by rubber stamping the cat stamp on card stock and cutting them out and gluing them to the page. I also put a bubbles rubber stamp around the edges.Then put the finishing touches of leopard print duck tape under some of the cats and wrote in black oil pastel the sea of cats.  Enjoy do you have trouble with ink running.  What did you do?

The Return of Cookie Club

Good Morning dear readers, its that time again time for Cookie Club.  This is where I get to share new and old cookie recipes with you.  I don't know a lot of people locally so this is why I love sharing these recipes with you for the holidays.  This recipe also qualifies for the murder mystery genre.  It came from Christine Wenger book "Do or Diner".  You can even say its frugal because a lot of the ingredients can be found already in your pantry.  I've altered the recipe to fit my families needs.  So lets get to the recipe and here's what you'll need:

2 mixing bowls
1 metal spoon

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cups butter melted in the pot
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. almond extract or any flavor you like i.e. vanilla or peppermint
1 egg
1 cup chocolate chips
you can add a cup of nuts which I omitted
1 cup confectioners sugar

First bowl add flour and salt together and sift
Second bowl add butter and sugar together
Add extract  and egg to wet mixture
Mix dry and wet ingredients together
Add chocolate chips and nuts(if your adding them) and stir with a strong spoon very thick mixture.
Here's a little trick I learned last year so the dough wont be sticky put in the freezer for 20 minutes
take out of freezer and roll into 1 inch balls
place on greased cookie sheet
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 15-20 minutes
Let cool slightly
Place in plastic bag with confectioners sugar and shake until covered
remove and Bon Appetite

Happy Halloween-Frankie and the evil Halloween Mask

Happy Halloween everyone I apologize for the picture quality frankie was not cooperating when came to getting shots of him with the mask. Whenever conor brings it out frankie is all over it like what is that thing that is eating my boy. Remember to keep your pets inside because their are sick people out there that hurt cats especially on Halloween.

Holiday Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

Good Morning dear readers,  here's the first recipe I promised for this week.  I've been looking at breakfast recipes for the upcoming holidays.  I wanted something that I wouldn't have to babysit all day.  You can cook this on low and let sit for 8 hours or cook on high for 3-4 hours which is what I did.  I took a recipe from Taste Of Home and altered it to my tastes.  This turned out great.  I love the flavors.  So here's what you'll need to recreate this recipe.

1 lb diced cooked ham

1 cup chopped green onions

1 sweet chopped red bell pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 bag frozen shredded hash browns

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

Grease a 5 qt. crock pot.  Mix milk, eggs and spices together set aside.  Mix onions and peppers together set aside.  Put a layer of hash browns in crock pot.  Then layer with ham and vegetables. Repeat layers and then pour egg mixture over top.  Let cook in crock pot for 3-4 hours on high setting.  Serve with fruit and milk makes a nice meal.  Perfect for those busy holiday mornings.

Pssst...........I have a secret

Good Afternoon dear readers, I have a confession to make I'm a binge watcher.  What's a binge watcher you ask?  Someone who watches consecutive shows either streaming or DVDs usually 2-5 episodes.  It is my guilty pleasure, especially since I don't have cable.  My family will make it a family time event and discuss the shows afterward.  Some of the shows I love to watch are: Grimm, Stargate, Bones and Sanctuary to name a few.  I will especially have to get the last season of Grimm because I can't stay awake.  Don't you just love technology.  Here's a list of some shows for binge watching.  What are your favourites?

1. Big Bang Theory

2. NCIS New Orleans

3. How To Get Away With Murder

4. Game Of Thrones

5.  Elementary

Okay everyone lets add to this list.

CVS Trip-Saved 98% on Laundry and Dish Soap

Good Evening dear readers, I've been trying to get this posted because tomorrow is run around day.  This shopping trip was also a teaching trip for my older son.  I'm letting him do some of the shopping because its hard to get around with my knee lately.  Better he learn how to save money using the rewards cards now while he's young and starts college.  This trip had two transactions in it.

Here's the breakdown on first transaction

Did the buy 5 bags candy for $15 get $5 back--used $1.50/3 Hershey coupon

2/$4 candy corn and pumpkin corn

2 liter Coke .99 used coupon from machine $.24

1 Box Honey Nut Cheerios @ $1.99

Cadbury Scream Egg           @ $.88

Total Before coupons/sales/discounts  $35.80                   After coupons/sales/discounts $21.22

Saved a total of  41%

2nd   Transactions

3-Xtra Laundry Soap  @ $1.49 each

2-Palmolive liquid dish soap @ $.89  each

Total before coupons/sales/discounts  $12.73                  After coupons/sales/discounts  $.67 

Saved a total of  98%    (used $6 in ecb's)

I apologize the photos of the first group were just to blurry but here's the soap

Some of Frankies Best Photos

                                                          Give me a can and you can have this back.

                                                                         
                                                  Is this my best side mom?
                                                       

                                                            My boy put this on me aahh children.

                                             not exactly a great shot but he was to funny

Halloween Canvass Collage-Just Pickin and Agrinnin

Good Evening dear readers,  I finally finished the Halloween Canvass Collage.  It had been lying on the table for quite sometime with just the yellow and the orange flames wasn't sure what to do with it.  Well I found images that were perfect.  First off, cut an image of a tree which I gesso'd over and then filled in the tree limbs with black paint markers.  The area around the tree I used orange oil pastels to continue the fire theme.  I found two banjo playing skeletons and that's where the title came in they reminded me of Hee Haw.  I painted purple iris acrylic paint around them.  My neighbor gave me a little ghost rubber stamp that says boo and filled it in using black paint marker and white oil pastel crayon.  Their is a rose stamp in black ink in the corners and a little orange pumpkin rubber stamp on one side.  I wrote the title in black paint marker.  I edge the canvass with black acrylic paint and its done.

                                              http://www.pinterest.com/pin/362610207472060271/

linking up here:
http://www.chaosandlove.com/link-party-21/

Murder Mystery Food-It's Time for Diner Food

Good Morning dear readers,  here is the return to murder mystery food.  It took me awhile to find one I really liked and this is it.  We are cooking from the murder mystery "Do or Diner" by Christine Wenger.  If you love comfort food your gonna love this recipe.  But before we get to cooking a little about the book.  This is my new favourite murder mystery series.  The main character inherits/buys the diner and all the trimmings from her aunt.  Some one tries to put her out of business by killing someone in the diner by poisoning the food.  So she feels the cops aren't doing enough to find the killer so she gets involved.  What I love about this story it involves history and family traditions.  The type that when you think about a certain food it reminds you of family.  Events in your families lives seem to come to life when you smell a certain food.  I'm not going to go into any more details because I don't want to spoil it for you.  The recipe for today is Pork and Scalloped Potatoes.  Here's what you need.

several pork steaks (I used a pack of  4)

3 large potatoes  sliced not to thin not to thick

2-3 large onions sliced not to thin not to thick

salt and pepper 

1 cup or more of milk depending on how thick you what the sauce

2 cans cream of  celery soup (you can also use cream of mushroom)

I added a little oregano and garlic about tablespoon each

cook pork steaks in oven until done. Let cool and then cut into bite sized pieces.  Layer into deep pot or roasting pan.  Proceed to layer potatoes and then onions.  If you have enough meat you can do another round of layers.  Season with salt and pepper and other spices.  Mix milk and soup together and pour over everything.  Put into 350 degree oven and let cook for hour to 1 1/2 hours until fork can insert into potatoes.  Bon Appetite.

                                             http://www.pinterest.com/pin/362610207472060284/

Linking up here:
http://www.chaosandlove.com/link-party-21/

Target Frozen Food Deals

Good morning dear readers, I took advantage of the coupon deal at Target this week.  They had a $5 off coupon $5/$25 deal going on.  They have a lot of good frozen food sales going on right now,  You still have time to run to target.  Here's what I got.

2-Tyson chicken strips for 2@$6

1-Bag totinos Pizza Rolls

2-Red Barron Mini Pizza @$2.99 each

1-Morning Star Farms Veggie Burgers @$5.69 for an eight count very good deal

total before coupons/sales  $29.44                  O.O.P  $21.62

Small Rite Aid trip's for Coffee and Toilet Paper

Good morning dear readers, I did a couple of Rite Aid runs this week.  Sorry this is last week sale but you can still learn couponing from it.  I always try to get the up rewards to pay for my toiletries.  I especially like it when I can stock up on coffee.  So here's the break down on what I got.

2 large Folgers Coffee 27.8 oz @ $8.00 each

2 Friskies Cans Cheesy sausations new kind with cheese sauce if yours is picky like mine they might like this food  @ $.69 each

Before coupons/sales/rewards $31                 After coupons/sales/rewards $17.50

This deal netted me $4 in up rewards

2nd transaction

12 roll package simplify bath tissue  

before coupons/sales/rewards $8.99             After coupons/sales/rewards $4.99

Savings $4

Breast Cancer Awareness Art Page

Good morning dear readers,  I was able to check out Julie Balzer's Scrapbook Soup this past week. I got some great ideas from her show. She was using a brayer (I need one).  This tools looks like a minature paint roller.  I didn't have one so I improvised using a toilet roll holder and rolled it in the paint.  Then proceeded to roll on the page.  After using several acrylic paint colors i.e. pink, yellow and purple, I filled in the white areas with blue oil pastel.  I rubber stamp using a long stem rose stamp in blue archival ink pad.  Then drew the universal sign for breast cancer using paint pens in pink and purple(for the words). 

Frugal Halloween Vampire Pumpkin

Good morning dear readers, it has been a busy couple of weeks.  I'm back now to where I can get back to posting on a regular basis.  Sorry about all the delays but here is the vampire pumpkin I promised.  I was looking around pinterest and saw alot of pumpkins and I wanted to make one too.

Here's what you'll need to make one for yourself even the kids can help.  He only cost about $5. These items can be found at dollar tree.

1 styrofoam pumpkin 

1 bag google eyes

1 bag vampire teeth

1 bottle black acrylic paint

1 bottle red paint

1 oil pastel pencil in grey

Conor painted the pumpkin black and filled in the grooves with oil pastel pencil in grey.  I cut holes for the eyes and mouth using kitchen knife.  I painted the inside of the mouth black to not show any white.  I inserted the eyes and mouth. I added red paint on the teeth.  Let dry for a few minutes and your done

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/362610207471946763/

Frankies Corner-Time To Hold On

Good Evening dear readers, I'm taking over mom as had some issues come up this week. But we hope everything is back to normal next week.  In the mean time my kitty friends grab your young human and use them as your beast of burden.  Have them carry you around and give directions to getting everything in order.  If they try to remove you sink your claws into them and don't let go even if they yell for mom(note first picture).