Sunday, December 30, 2007

Busy Days...

Well, it has been a very busy weekend.
Friday-We decided to take the kids to Edaville Railroad to see their Christmas lights display. They also had fireworks that night and I must say they were AMAZING, I really didn't expect too much but I was blown away. They went on for about 25 minutes and it was so close it looked like the fireworks were going to hit you on the way down.

Saturday-I took the boys along with my mother and we went to Stoneham Zoo to see their "Festival of Lights". It's a tradition that we started many years ago and it just isn't Christmas unless we go there.

Sunday-Today John took Nicholas to see Nemo on ice, which he loved.

Matthew and I went to see "Kidz Bop" in concert. He had so much fun dancing and singing to all the songs. He got a t-shirt and all of the members of the group signed it for him.

Well, after such a busy weekend I am looking forward to tomorrow night. We are just cooking dinner together, watching movies and hanging out. I can't think of a better way to spend New Year's Eve.

Have a Happy and Safe New Years!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Merry Christmas!

I hope all had a very Merry Christmas, we had a great day. On Christmas day we are always running around to visit family. So typically the day after Christmas we stay in our jammies and play with all the new toys. We must of been very good this year because Santa left many new toys. The boys receive a Wii amongst many other things and I got a new Mac computer. I am so excited but a bit scared to learn a whole new system. Hopefully I will be able to post a couple of photos from Christmas morning once I figure out how to do it on this new computer. Until then have a happy and safe rest of the holiday season.

The boys spreading reindeer food.


I absolutely love to decorate for the holidays here is 1 of 7 Christmas trees we have at home, the family tree.


Nicholas rewarding Matthew with a big hug as a thank you for his Christmas gift ( Diego animals and the Diego helicopter).

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Snow Day

Well Friday was our first official snow day we got 10 inches in Boston. Those of you that know me know I LOVE the cold weather and snow. So I bundled up the kids and off we went sledding. Nicholas had so much fun he was really too little to remember it from last year. When he finished sledding we both built a tiny little snowman, it was the perfect size for him.


Monday, December 10, 2007

My BIG Secret!

Ok, so I know I have been a little slack with my blog lately, but it has been for good reason. I was trying to finish up all my projects for the year as well as trying out for the Daisy D's Design Team.

Well I can now share my exciting news "I MADE IT". I was choosen to be a part of the Daisy D's Design Team. I have been walking on cloud since last week and I must say that I am in awe of all the talent on the team. Way to go girls and I look forward to an exciting 2008.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!

Wow, It have been a couple of really busy weeks.

This past weekend we went to McCoy Stadium in Rhode Island and saw the Spooktacular Jack-O-Lanterns. They had over 5000 carved pumpkins and some of them were really amazing. Here are a few photos of our favorites.


A cheetah....

Matthew being eaten by a dinosaur....

Scooby Doo was Nicholas' favorite...

I hope all have a safe and spooky Halloween. I am off to Atlanta in the morning to teach. Have a great weekend!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Spaghetti with Eggs and Bacon


So, here is an very quick and easy recipe that I always use whenever we are running late or low on food in the house (I'm not a fan of food shopping). I usually substitute the spaghetti for fettuccine.

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
generous 1/2 cup bacon, cut into matchsticks (we like bacon so I usually use a half to a full package)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lb. spaghetti
3 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pan of water to a boil. In a medium frying pan, heat the oil and saute the bacon and the garlic until the bacon renders its fat and starts to brown. Keep the bacon and its fat hot until needed.

Add salt and the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook until it is al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, beat the eggs and Parmesan cheese with a fork, and season with salt and pepper.

As soon the pasta is done, drain it quickly, and mix it into the egg mixture. Pour on the hot bacon and its fat. Stir well. The heat from the pasta and bacon fat will cook the eggs. Serve immediately.

I serve this with salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Pittsburgh...

I am teaching this weekend in Pittsburgh and I must say that I can't wait to go. I am just about done cutting all my kits, with is really cool. Maybe I will have a little time to pamper myself while at the hotel.

I am teaching six different classes:
Halloween Mini Book
School Days Mini Book
Christmas 12x12 Layout
Fall Fun 12x12x Layout
Jigsaw Puzzle Frame
Christmas Cards

I will try to post some photos later on. Until till then have a great day!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Happy Fall!

I absolutely love fall it is by far my favorite season. I just come alive when the temperature drops and the leaves change. Every year we take the kids apple and pumpkin picking. So yesterday we spent the day at Smolak Farms in Andover and I must say I was a bit disappointed there was not an apple to be picked and the pumpkins were far and few, but we still had a fantastic day.

This is my little guy Nicholas on a pony for the first time.

This is Nicholas and his pumpkin.

Both boys enjoying the hayride.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Happy Anniversary!


Today is my 10th wedding anniversary. I don't know where the time has gone, it seems just like yesterday that we were walking down the aisle hand in hand.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Yummy Cakes

Yesterday, we had family over for cake and I must tell you that I'm pretty picky about my cakes. So for the past 2 years I have been ordering cakes from "Ginger Betty's" and they are absolutely amazing. I just go in and tell them a theme and they have never disappointed me yet.


Ginger Betty's
215 Samoset Ave., Quincy, MA 02169
617-472-4729 ♦ 617-479-4491 (Fax)

Sunday, September 23, 2007

So you think you can dance....


Last night as a birthday surprise for Matthew I took him to see the show So You Think You Can Dance. All I have to say is it was FABULOUS. We had watched it faithfully over the summer and to actually see these kids on stage and dancing live was unbelievable. In the almost 3 hour show they danced all of our favorite dances and some new ones. When we were leaving we drove by their tour buses and they were out there signing autographs and taking photos with many fans. It was pretty cool to see.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Happy Birthday Matthew!


Wow, time definitely seems to fly by. I can not believe that Matthew is eight today. I can still remember the drive to the hospital like it was yesterday, hopefully the next eight years won't go by as fast.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Mickey says Hi!

Well, I am back from Disney and we had an amazing time. We sold lots of kits and all of our classes sold out.
Dodge was a sponsor and we broke a world record by making the largest scrapbook it was 12 feet tall x 9 feet wide. It was pretty amazing to see and all the girls at the convention added their own pages or embellishments. Here is a link to read about it http://www.dreameventsinc.com/display_blog.cfm?bid=BC916F6A-BCD4-2240-DD22D101718F9ADB

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Going to see Mickey!

Kits cut-check
Kits packed-check
Clothes packed-check
Sleep deprived-double check

Well, I will be leaving for the airport in a while. The past couple of weeks have been totally crazy around here. I was suppose to be on a plane at 8:45am but we decided to change it till 2pm instead. We just couldn't get our stuff together in time, oh well.
Today was also Matthew's first day back at school, so we all got up at 6am this morning, made breakfast, got dressed and the 4 of us went to school together. We will be picking him up at 11:30 and then I am off to the airport. I was so glad that I was able to see him off to school this morning.
Anyway, I better finish getting ready. Have a safe and happy week!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

It's Tuesday, time for a new recipe!

This is an awesome summer salad, very refreshing and quite easy.

Salad dressing recipe:
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp oil
3/4 cup water
basil to taste

Mix all the ingredients well. You can increase or decrease the sugar for sweetness.

lettuce (I use is Spring Mix)
1 large can Mandarin oranges (can be substituted for pineapple, apples or raisins)
1-2 cups of Caramelized almonds
Scallions (if desired)

Almonds-melt sugar in a fry pan and stir almonds until coated, let cool on aluminum foil, then separate.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Summer Fun


Yesterday on a whim we decided to go to the park with the kids. Nicholas stripped down to his shorts and had a blast running through the sprinklers. Here is a photo I took of him,don't you just love the rainbow?

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Cutting away!

Wow, it has been a long day. I spent the entire day cutting kits and so far I have cut 1 new 8x8 layout kit and re-cut 6 older 12x12 layout kits today. I must say I am tired but excited with the end result. So, I think it is time to call it quits for tonight.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Delicious!

Here is a quick and delicious breakfast recipe.

Finnish Baked Pancake (Kropsu)

Makes 2 to 3 servings

3 tbsp butter or margarine
2 to 3 eggs (more eggs give a more custard-like consistency)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour

For Serving: Syrup, crushed strawberries, crushed raspberries, blueberry pie filling or create your own topping of you favorite fresh fruit.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter or margarine in a heave 9-10 inch cast-iron skillet or heavy glass pan (lightweight pans will burn the bottom of pancake) in the oven until butter is melted.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the sugar and salt. Add the milk alternately with the flour, mixing well after each addition.

3. Pour the batter into the hot butter in the pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Cut into wedges and serve with your choice of toppings.

I usually make a blueberry syrup and serve it with the pancake.

Happy Tuesday!


Wow! It has been a very busy weekend. We went away to New Hampshire this weekend and the resort where we stay celebrated Halloween. So we decorated our house, got some candy and dressed the kids. Nicholas decided to be a cowboy, he looked so cute in his chaps and hat. My mum stayed behind to give the candy away while I took Nicholas trick-or-treating. When we came back my mum had only 3 pieces of candy left, but before she was able to close down a group of about 30 kids came to the house looking for candy. Thinking quickly I gave her Matthew's bucket of candy and as the crowd dwindled so did the candy (Matthew had only 1 piece of candy left in his bucket). I felt so bad that I took him in the golf cart and drove him around to collect more candy (he ended up with half a bucket). Everyone was happy in the end.

Being in the Halloween mood I have been working on some Halloween projects, a 12x12 layout, and 2 mini books. Here is a photo of a book I did a couple of months ago, I am going to be re cutting these kits for Disney so if anyone is interested you can send an email and let me know.


On another note, I have just finished decorating all the pages for the Leather Album and I am really happy with the way they came out. Also, I just got word that my classes for Disney are just about sold out. Yippee!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Happy Birthday Babcia!


Well today is my grandmother's 81st birthday. So we all got together for a little Chinese food and cake.
Although she is 81 today, I must tell you that she has more energy in her little finger than I have in my whole body. She has never had a drivers license so she walks everywhere, whether it is grocery shopping, visiting friends or going to the beach.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we always go fruit picking. Well, I refuse to take my grandmother apple picking any more. She insists on climbing the apple trees to get the reddest and ripest apples and when the workers catch her and tell her to get down, she pretends she either doesn't hear them or that she doesn't speak English. It is quite embarrassing to say the least.

Here is a photo of Nicholas (my youngest) all dressed up for the party. Dont' you just love toddlers (lol)!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Tomatoes are coming!

So right now our tomatoes are in full force. I think I have about 30 or so that are ready to eat. So I am rolling up my sleeves and pulling out all of my tomatoe recipes. So here is another family favorite.

Grilled Eggplant, Tomato and Feta Stacks

3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary leaves
salt and freshly ground black paper
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant (1 pound)
2 medium tomatoes (3/4 pound)
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled

Prepare the grill so that the temperature is hot.

Whisk together the vinegar, rosemary, and salt and pepper, to taste. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Peel the eggplant and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch slices (12 slices total). Cut the tomatoes crosswide into 1/3-inch slices (8 slices total). Place the vegetables on a tray and brush generously with the dressing.

Grill the eggplant until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side, brushing with more of the dressing.

Arrange 4 stacks of vegetables, start with the eggplant, add a slice of tomato, then add some crumbled cheese. Repeat.n Drizzle with more of the dressing. Enjoy!

On the

Monday, August 13, 2007

New Classes!

I will be teaching in Orlando in a couple of weeks and I wanted to share a couple of sneek peaks.

The first class that I will be teaching is a "School Days" mini album using the new "Recess" line from Basic Grey.



The second class will be a "Mickey" 12 x 12 double page layout using "Scarlets letter" from Basic Grey.



Finally the last class that I will be teaching (I'm super excited about this one) is a Disney leather 8x8 album and shadow box, it will be using the new black leather "Biography case 101" from Cosmo Cricket. The outside of the case will be decorated as well as 4 double 8x8 pages and the cover page. The shadow box can hold all of your Disney memorablia that you have collected from your trip.

Here is a sneek peak of the from of the case.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

What a show!


Well, last night I took my almost 8 yr old son to see Justin Timberlake in concert. I have to tell you that I was not looking forward to going. Well, am I glad I went. The show started off with Good Charlotte and they were great, very personal with the fans. Justin put on a fantastic show, Timberland made a special apperance and he sang a couple of songs with Justin. The band members and back up singers were all part of the show dancing along with the other dancers. We both had a great time although Matthew did say it was a bit too loud (Justin Timberlake said that it was one of the loudest crowds he has ever heard). Here is a photo of Matthew after the show last night.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Summer Corn Soup

This past weekend when we were driving home from Pennsylvania we were surrounded by corn fields. We could literally open the car window and pick an ear of corn. We found this little stand right next to a corn field, where you put the money in a fishing box and take as much corn as you want. So I bought 12 ears of corn and today I am planning on making one of my favorite soups. The recipe is below and I recommend that you garnish it with sour cream, tomatoes and basil, it really makes a big difference in the way the soup tastes. Yummy! If you have a favorite recipe, I would love to hear about it.

Summer Corn Soup
Serves six

5 to 6 large ears sweet corn, shucked, silks removed
Kosher salt
3 Tbs. oil or unsalted butter, or a combination
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup diced celery
1 medium red potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 to 4 sprigs of fresh marjoram leaves, stripped and chopped
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
1/2 cup finely diced fresh tomatoes, for garnish
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, for garnish


Cut the kernels off the ears of corn by starting to cut halfway down the ear and slicing to the bottom, rotating the ears as you go; don't try to cut too close to the base of the kernels, Turn the ear over and repeat to remove all the kernels. You'll need 3 1/2 to 4 cups of kernels for the soup.

Stand one cob on end in a pie plate or other shallow dish and use the back edge of the knife to scrape the cobs and extract as much "milk" and solids as you can. Set this raw corn puree aside.

Break the cobs in half and put them in a heave 4-quart pot. Add 6 cups water and 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the cobs. Pour the liquid into a bowl and set a side.

Set the pot back over medium-high heat and add the oil or butter (or both). When it's hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium, add the celery, sprinkle with salt,and stir. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 6 minute; don't let them color (if they start to brown before softening, reduce the heat). Add the potatoes, marjoram, black pepper (about six turns of the grinder), and cayenne and stir to distribute the seasonings. Add the corn stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, lower the heat to medium low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender enough to puree, 20 to 30 minutes. Add most of the corn kernels, reserving about 1 cup. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes. Puree the soup in batches in a blender (be careful to fill the blender no more than one-third full, vent the lid, and hold a towel over the lid while you turn it on). Put the pureed soup back in the pot. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Add the reserved corn kernels and corn "milk", and simmer just long enough to take the raw edge off the corn, about 5 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, garnished with a small dollop of sour cream and the tomatoes and basil.

Enjoy!

Busy Weekend!

I just got home Sunday night from Camp Hill, PA. I was there with Dream Events, teaching and Lynette and I had our booth as well (Tres Chic Kits). I must say that both were a huge success, all the classes sold out as well as most of our kits. So our next adventure is at the Contemporary in Disney in about 4 weeks.

Yesterday we were all up early, my mum got married yesterday morning at 10:00 am it was so quaint only our immediate family was there and then we all went out to lunch down on the waterfront. It was such an emotional and beautiful day for all of us.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Bruschetta

This is one of my favorite summer recipes, it is a huge hit whenever I serve it. Enjoy!

1 cup chopped, and seeded roma tomatoes
1/2 cup snipped fresh basil
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly, ground black pepper
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 16ounce french bread, cut on the bias 3/4-inch thick
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

For Topping:
In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, basil, olive oil, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Set aside.

For Garlic Butter:
In a small bowl combine softened butter, 1tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.

Evenly spread the garlic butter on one side of the bread. Grill the bread slices, for 2 minutes or until lightly brown on both sides. Remove from grill, sprinkle with cheese, spoon the tomato mixture on top of the bread and serve immediately.

Summer Pickings!

As a little girl we always have a huge gargen in our yard. With an abundance of fresh vegetables my mum and I had to get creative. That might be where my love of cooking started. So I think in the upcoming weeks I will start posting some of my favorite recipes.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Back from CHA

What a wonderful weekend. I got to see many great new products, tons of Halloween and Christmas lines are coming out and some of them are really cool. I especially loved Kay & Co's Halloween line and Webster's Christmas line.

Saturday night I went out to dinner with the Cosmo Cricket design team. It was so nice to finally meet the girls. After dinner I went to the Beatles party (that was a trip).

All in All it was a great weekend.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Happy Monday!


Well I am back from the Burlington SDV, what a great time I had. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces. Our booth Tres Chic Kits was a great success. I absolutely loved the way it came together and if anyone is interested in buying our kits you can view them @ treschickits.blogspot.com. Here is a photo of our booth.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

I'm off

Well I will be leaving in a couple of hours to teach at the Burlington SDV this weekend. I am very excited about my classes. I hope everyone will enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed making them.

The first class that I am teaching is the "Family" album posted below. The second class is a chest of nine drawers that have been covered in creams and blacks (I will have to post a photo later).

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Nice Surprise



I just received a copy of Scrapbook Trends and as I was flipping through it I noticed a familar layout. What a nice surprise!

Happy Belated 4th!





We spent the day at Long Wharf Pier in Boston and it was beautiful. The weather was great till about 7:30 pm and then it started to rain. Here is a favorite photo that I took of my oldest son Matthew. I absolutely love the clouds.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Wow!

I love days like today. I just received my 7 Gypsies and Crate paper orders. All I can say is wow, just love their stuff. Be on the look out for some exciting classes and kits with these gorgeous papers and embellishments. Now back to unpacking and creating :)

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

New Class


Well , I am knee deep this week trying to finish creating some projects for upcoming classes. One of the classes I will be teaching in Burlington is a "Family" album. This album is packed with lots of 7 gypsies embellishments from the beautiful pewter door knob on the front cover to the exquisite flowers throughout the book. Here is a sneak peek at the cover.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Sand Castles

Yesterday we took the boys to Hampton Beach, NH to see the annual sand castle contest. If you have time or are in the area this weekend I highly recommend going. Some of the sculptures were amazing. Here is a photo of one of our favorites.

Oops!

I guess I have been neglecting my poor blog for the past month. It has been pretty hectic around here.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Sunday!

Happy Mother's Day to all the fabulous moms out there.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Back from Tennessee


Well, I'm back from Tennessee. What a wonderful place to visit, the people are all so nice and I can't believe how green everything is. The classes went well and I wanted to thank everyone who signed up for my classes. Thank you all for a memorable weekend.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Time to start cutting!

Well, I just received some of my supplies for my classes in Tennessee so it will be a very busy weekend cutting kits. I will try to post some photos soon.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Here goes...

I'm finally getting my feet wet in the blogging world. I'm not sure if I am ready to jump in with both feet but maybe a toe.

I hope to post photos of upcoming classes that I will be teaching as well as the many locations.