B-Movie Star

I found this over at Executive Homemaker and I just love it! Each pebble inside the jar has something that we can take a few moments to enjoy and refresh our souls.

How many times a day do we pass up the chance to do the things we really love? I presume, with all the workload we have set out for ourselves, we sometimes barely have enough time for the important things. This inspired me to create a jar filled with ideas on how I would like my time to be spent. So every day, I take a dose (or more when I feel the need) of these inspiring pebbles.

Click on the photo above to head over there for a tutorial to make one for yourself. She also has a printable file with ideas of what to put on your pebbles . . .

I was over at John Rozum's Blog and I see that he has a mention of it being Ray Harryhausen's birthday - so of course I had to run right back here and do the same, because I'm just a big copycat like that!!! Actually I wanted to tell you to go over to his kid's blog and read his post there - nice work and very well said!  He also posted this link where you can check out all of  Mr. Harryhausen's creations.

I think I'll watch Jason and the Argonauts tonight . . . or maybe Clash of the Titans . . . or The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad . . . who can choose just one?!

I forgot to share with you this most awesome card that I had made for Gabby for her graduation and birthday! I have a friend, Brent Engstrom, who draws artwork for the "Garbage Pail Kids" Cards and "Wacky Pack" Cards, as well as lots of other art.  He also offers his services to create personalized trading cards with anything on them that you want. They are so clever and well done!

This is the one that he did for Gabby. We tease her sometimes by calling her "Crabby Gabby" so what would be more perfect that her in the style of a Garbage Pail Kid with that name?  She absolutely loves it - plus it's a one of a kind work of art - featuring HER!!!!

He is still offering this service, so if you would like to have your very own personal work of art - head over to Brent Engstrom's website and check out some of his other stuff - he's really the best, and a very nice guy on top of it all!  Just click on the card below to shoot on over there!

Since it's so hot outside around these parts, it seems crazy to turn on the oven - but what if you just have a craving for cookies? Well, the soulution is NO BAKE cookies!! We made some the other day and they are so easy and so good! I also found a healthier version of these cookies if you want to cut out the butter and some of the sugar! (and they still taste great!) I'm including both recipes so you can make them however you prefer.

Old Standby No Bake Cookies
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 tablespoons cocoa
* 1 stick butter
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 tablespoon vanilla
* 3 cups oatmeal
* Waxed paper

Directions
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute

then add peanut butter and stir until it's melted into the mixture

Add vanilla and oatmeal and mix well

On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.  So easy and delicious, right?!

Here's the updated healthier version too, I found this version on RecipeZaar
Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons skim milk
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
* 1/8 cup wheat germ (heaping)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground flax seeds (optional)
* 1 cup quick oatmeal

Directions
Heat milk, sugar and cocoa powder over high heat until boiling, stirring constantly.
Take off heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter; stir until peanut butter has melted completely.
Stir in wheat germ and oatmeal.
Drop by large spoonfuls onto wax paper or eat immediately.

The writer of  this recipe added that this version is " VERY flexible. If you don't have wheat germ or flax seed, just use more oatmeal. The recipe above should work out just perfectly and does most of the time, but if your cookies come out crumbly, use less oatmeal next time. If they never set, use more oatmeal next time."  Others suggested adding more cocoa powder for a more chocolaty cookie - so you can pretty much make this cookie to your personal tastes!  Have fun!

There's an awesome HOT SUMMER SALE going on over at Designs in Digital! Can you believe it's 30% off all orders over $5.00 - from any designer in the shop!!! So cool, huh?!  Now would be a great time to stock up on all those new summer kits that have been released - you know you're going to need them to scrap all the fantastic summer memories you're making right now!!!  Click on the coupon to head over there now!

I think you're going to like this new kit! It's really bright and cheerful and fun! It's called "Strawberry Patch" and it's full of juicy scrappin' goodness! Made completely without chemicals or pesticides - it's GREAT for the whole family!!!

It's a pretty large kit with 18 papers and 40 elements - there's plenty to work with and make TONS of layouts!!!  It's available now at Designs in Digital in the Sugar Moon Designs Shop.

Here's a close-up of some of the elements that are included in the kit

Here's a layout that I did with the kit too

Now, to get you started, here's a freebie for you - but WAIT, there's MORE! It's not one, but TWO quick-pages for the price of one free download!!!!  Have fun with them and then get on over to Sugar Moon Designs and pick up the rest of the kit for your digital scrapping FUN!!!  Click on the image to download the quick-pages!

Lemonade is one of my favorite drinks, it can be made so many different ways, and it's also so easy to make! When making these, remember that you may need to adjust ingredient amounts based on the sweetness of the fruit, or to your personal tastes. I've also found that the best lemonade is made with ultrafine sugar. (It seems to dissolve into the liquid better.) If you don't have ultrafine on hand, you can make some by putting your sugar into a blender and giving it a whirl for a minute or two. Voila! Ultrafine!

Old Fashioned Lemonade
1 cup (6 lemons) fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
4 cups water
1 fresh lemon, unpeeled, cut in cartwheel slices
Ice cubes
In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the
remaining ingredients and blend well.
Makes 6 (8 oz.) servings.
*Pink lemonade variation: Add a few drops of red food coloring or grenadine syrup.

Lemon-Limeade
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
3 cups Water
1 cups Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
3 cups club soda or sparkling water, chilled
4 fresh lemon wedges
4 fresh lime slices,
Combine fresh-squeezed lemon juice, lime juice, water and sugar, and blend well to dissolve sugar.
Chill.
Place ice cubes in tall glass and pour 10 oz. lemon-limeade mixture over ice.
Add 6 oz. chilled club soda and stir. Garnish with 1 lemon wedge and 1 lime slice.
Makes 4 (16 oz.) glasses.

Orange Lemonade
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 cups water
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
2 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice
4 fresh orange slices
4 fresh lemon slices
Combine fresh-squeezed lemon juice, water and sugar, and blend well to dissolve sugar. Add
fresh-squeezed orange juice. Mix well and chill.
Place 1 orange slice and 1 lemon slice with ice cubes in a tall glass. Pour chilled lemonade over ice.
Makes 4 (12 oz.) glasses

Fresh Squeezed Breeze
2/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
4 bottles (10 oz. each) sparkling water or club soda, chilled
Cracked ice or cubes
Fresh sliced kiwifruit and strawberries (optional)
In a pitcher, combine lemon juice, lime juice and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add sparkling
water. Stir gently to blend. Serve over ice and float kiwi and strawberry slices as garnish
(optional).
Makes 1 quarts.

Tropical Lemonade
2 cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice
6 cups water
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
1 tbsp. Ground ginger
16 fresh pineapple pieces, 1” cubes
Combine fresh-squeezed lemon juice, water, sugar, and ginger, and blend well. Chill.
Place ice cubes and 4 pineapple pieces in tall glass and add chilled ginger lemonade.
Makes 4 (16 oz.) glasses.

Minty Strawberry Lemonade
2 cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice
6 cups water
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
16 strawberries, small or sliced, stems removed
16 mint leaves
4 mint sprigs
Combine fresh-squeezed lemon juice, water, and sugar, and blend well to dissolve sugar. Chill.
In a standard 16-compartment ice cube tray, place 1 strawberry and 1 mint leaf in each
compartment.
Pour 1cups chilled lemonade into ice cube tray. Keep remaining lemonade chilled.
Freeze ice cube tray. To serve, place 4 strawberry-mint ice cubes in a glass and pour 12 oz. chilled
lemonade over ice. Garnish with 1 mint sprig.
Makes 4 (12 oz.) glasses.

Strawberry Freeze Breeze
1 pound frozen unsweetened strawberries, slightly thawed
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
16 oz. sparkling water or club soda, chilled
Place half the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and sparkling water into a blender and mix until
smooth. Empty into pitcher; repeat process with remaining ingredients.
Makes 1 quarts.

Hula Freeze
1 medium size banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped kiwifruit or sliced strawberries
2 cups lowfat milk
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar™
Spread the fruit on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Place frozen fruit, milk, yogurt, lime
juice and sugar into blender. Mix until smooth and creamy.
Makes 5 cups.

Passionate Lemonade
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 cups water
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
4 cups passion fruit flavored tea, brewed*
4 fresh lemon twists
4 fresh mint sprigs
Combine fresh-squeezed lemon juice, water and sugar, and blend well to dissolve sugar. Add
Passion Fruit flavored tea and mix well. Chill.
Pour lemonade over ice cubes in tall glass. Garnish with 1 lemon twist and 1 mint sprig.
Makes 4 (16 oz.) glasses.
*If tea is pre-sweetened, amount of sugar may need to be decreased.

Jazzy Raspberry Lemonade
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 cups water
1 cup Granulated Sugar or Ultrafine Baker’s Sugar
1 cup frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed
1 cup whipped cream, sweetened
2 tsp. fresh lemon zest
Fresh-squeezed lemon juice and Granulated Sugar forlining glasses
Combine fresh-squeezed lemon juice, water and sugar, and blend well to dissolve sugar. Chill.
Take a glass or cup and line rim with lemon juice, then dip in sugar.
Place 1 tablespoon of the raspberries in bottom of glass. Add 6–8 oz. of chilled lemonade.
Top with 1 tablespoon of whipped cream and garnish with 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
Makes 4 (8 oz.) glasses.

Ready to hang out in the air-conditioning and watch a movie? Here's my personal list of fourteen top (14? really? who knows why) favorite summer flicks that you need to check out!

14.  Let's go straight to the Beach with Elvis - Blue Hawaii!

13. Now let's go straight to the beach  with Connie Francis and Yvette Mimieux - Where the Boys Are

12. Isn't it HOT out?!  Here's a movie that sympathizes with you - Cat on Hot Tin Roof  rawr!

11.  Here's another movie where the heat is making everyone irritable - Do The Right Thing

10.  How 'bout some steamy Alfred Hitchcock with a side of Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly? - Rear Window

9.  Want to get your hot freak on? There's Suddenly Last Summer . . .

8.  Now let's cool off with some refreshing - Mermaids

7.  Feel Better? Did I hear you say you want some hot, dusty adventure? - Raiders of the Lost Ark

6. Need to tone down the testosterone?  Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood!

5.  How about a nice movie about kids at summer camp . . . WHO DIE!   Friday the 13th

4. Feeling alienated? Ghost World

3. Matthew Broderick is always good  - my favorite - Biloxi Blues

2. Girl buddies movie - love it - Now and Then

1. and my number one favorite summer movie - dum da dum . . . STAND BY ME! oh yeah!

If you know us, you know that my family eats a LOT of salsa, really, a LOT.  I made salsa last year and my husband was hoarding jars of it in his closet . . . I kid you not. He wouldn't let just anyone eat "the good stuff" he ran out in mid winter and all I've hear about recently is that we need to make more salsa! What can I say? He's a spicy guy!

I did run across some incredible and intriguing salsa recipes - the first one that I'm going to try is Fresh Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips. Okay, so this isn't my husband's idea of salsa, but it sounds like a wonderful refreshing treat on a hot summer day!

Recipe and photo from Chef Mommy

Isn't that just delightful?!

Ingredients

Fresh Fruit Salsa
1 pint fresh strawberries, stems removed and berries chopped
1 banana, peeled and chopped
2 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

In a medium bowl, combine all the fruit. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drizzle, the lemon sugar over the fruit and stir gently to coat all the fruit. *I actually only used 3/4 of the lemon sugar*
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Crisps
Flour tortillas
vegetable cooking spray
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Firmly press cookie cutters into the tortillas and place the tortilla cut-outs onto an ungreased baking sheet. Lightly spray with the cooking spray, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the tortilla cut-outs. Bake for 6-8 min or until lightly browned. Cool and serve with the fruit salsa.

Over at Tip Nut she has a whole slew of salsa recipes - if you love salsa in all it's variations, I suggest you get on over there and check some of them out!

So it's summer, and the insects are out in full swing - and that includes those pesky mosquitoes! Man, I hate those things! I know when you go out early in the morning or in the evening to do your gardening, watering, what-have-you, because you're trying to beat the heat - THAT'S when those little buggers are most active! Guess you can't win - you're either hot or bitten, take your pick!

I know there are plenty of insect repellents on the market, but most of them seem kinda "iffy" as far as the chemicals they are using. I hate when they leave you smelling so unpleasant and feeling greasy. If you don't shower right away the smell can get on your furniture or bed clothes . . . yuck! Here are a few ideas that I ran across at Re-nest to keep the mosquitoes away:

1. Make friends with bats. Some bat species can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour! You can attract these beneficial bug eaters by installing a bat house in your yard. Visit Bat Conservation International for installation advice and to buy a shelter or get plans to build your own.

2. Grow catnip (and other plants). Plant some catnip (Nepeta cataria) in your garden; not only will it repel mosquitoes, but you'll get some pretty flowers, too. Other mosquito-repelling plants include rosemary, marigolds, citronella grass, and lemon balm.

3. Light a candle. If you're averse or allergic to citronella, or want something more beautiful (and, yes, more expensive) than the typical citronella candle bucket, you might like these mosquito repellent candles from Hillhouse Naturals. Made with soy and ingredients like eucalyptus, lemongrass, and mint, they come in concrete containers that can be reused as planters.

4. Buy a natural bug repellent. Conventional repellents contain the chemical DEET, which may be toxic and harmful to the environment. We've had good luck with the plant-based Repel Lemon Eucalyptus. For more alternatives, see the Daily Green's list of 7 Natural Insect Repellents.

5. Or blend your own. For a DIY mosquito repellent, you'll need essential oil and something to mix it with, like vodka, olive oil, or witch hazel. For best results, combine a few different essential oils such as lemon eucalyptus, citronella, cinnamon, cedarwood, and juniper.

They have a recipe at Mother Earth News if you feel like making your own repellent:

Herbal Insect Repellent

2 1/2 teaspoons total of any combination of the following essential oils: basil, cedarwood, citronella, juniper, lemon, myrrh, palmarosa, pine, rose geranium and/or rosemary (available at health food stores)

1 cup 190-proof grain alcohol (available in liquor stores)

Place ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Transfer to small bottles for storage. To use, rub a small amount on any exposed skin (test first to be sure your skin will not be adversely affected by the repellent) or dab it on clothing.

Experiment a little to find which essential oils work best with your body chemistry. If you’re lucky, you also will like the way they smell; otherwise, add a few drops of peppermint oil to fine-tune the fragrance.

And if you're feeling REALLY inspired and crafty here's a recipe from Positively Splendid, via  Tip Nut so you can make your own repellent candles (click on the image to go directly to the tutorial!)Good luck - I hope this helps keep you bite free this summer!