Susie's Home and Hobbies

N Y Giants Manicure

2012-02-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

I think I've lost the nail polishing TOUCH! I haven't done it in so long I struggled to do these and it looks like it. :)

Good Luck NY Giants.

Hair cut! No color in 3 months. :) Sweet!

2012-01-24T16:44:00.001-05:00

Got my hair cut today. A whole dust pan full. LOL. I haven't had it dyed in about 3 months. Thought I'd find out how gray/white I am. :)

Thanks Suzann for another great hair cut.

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Bunny Nails 1st Giveaway!

2012-01-19T09:16:00.001-05:00

Bunny Nails 1st Giveaway!

She got everything prepared for her first giveaway, prizes and pictures.

There are going to be 13 winners!

The prizes are:

1 winner: XL nail stamp plates A, B, C & D (same as magnonails)

1 winner: QA series nail stamp set of 19 plates (QA 1- QA 19)

1 winner: A series nail stamp set of 20 plates (A 01- A 20)

2 winners: 7 QA nail stamp plates 1, 2, 3 , 4, 12, 14 & 17 (Cartoon characters)

2 winners: 6 QA nail stamp plates + 2 A series stamp plates (random selection)

6 winners: 1 Kleancolor nail polish in Chunky Holo Black + 6 nail art sticker sheets

http://bunnynails.blogspot.com/2012/01/bunny-nails-1st-giveaway.html

Update on my P90 workouts:

2012-01-05T09:26:00.000-05:00

I haven't worked out since September 28th 2011. I had back issues and went to see a Chiropractor. To make a LONG story very short I was in NO pain in my neck but some crunching and she adjusted me 5 times and kept saying I shouldn't be in that much pain and that my neck was stubborn.

MRI's found three bulging discs in my neck and instability in my neck. She did some damage for sure. This was back in Oct and I'm still not back to where I started with her in regards to my neck. The back MRI showed a broken L5 that has shifted and a deformed tail bone.
I have been having Physical Therapy to strengthen my neck.
I've been walking some and doing pretty good.

I started back with my workouts on January 2nd. I am not doing the workouts Albert's doing. I'm starting back with the beginning workouts and going from there. It won't take me long to get back to the workouts I was doing. :)
My working out on Monday made me REAL sore the next day but better each day. Down 2 and 1/2 pounds so far. I'm at my high goal. My goal is 120 to 125. I find anything less than that my face looks WAY too thin. LOL.
My neck gets a little more sore but I'm sure that will get better.
My neck is bigger from doing all of these neck exercises. The Physical Therapist released me on my own and of course added even more exercises. :) His advice was the same as I was thinking so I agree. He said I didn't need the Nerve Conduction Study and if I could live with how I was (and he said I would get even better) that he felt I didn't need surgery. I agree on both counts. Awesome.
I am NOT a body. I am as God created me.

The plan for 2012 is to stay healthy and mobile. :)

Our New Years Eve

2012-01-01T17:03:00.000-05:00

We had our grandson Drew here for the weekend. It was fun. We stayed up way past what we normally do but didn't make it till midnight. 10 pm was the best we all could do. LOL.

We had Sparkling White Grape Juice and very Buttery Popcorn while watching a movie. :)

Happy New Year,

Susie

Our Christmas Eve!

2011-12-30T10:57:00.001-05:00

My daughter in law Erica had a 'sweet' idea of all of us decorating Sugar Cookies this year so I baked a bunch of cookies for Christmas Eve afternoon.

Here I am filling up a decorator bag with white buttercream. :)

Here are a few of the cookies that were done.

My husband showing off his bulb ornament cookie.

Our youngest son Ronnie showing us his snowflake cookie.

Our oldest grandson Drew showing us his tree cookie.

Our daughter in law Erica showing us her snowflake cookie.

Our daughter in law Melissa showing us her snowman cookie.

Our youngest grandson Mason showing us his tree cookie and his mommy showing her mitten cookie.

Our oldest son Andy showing us his snowman cookie.

A bunch of Grinch's! LOL!

Hope your holiday was fun.

Susie

FUDGE in the shape of Santa! :)

2011-12-23T07:34:00.000-05:00

I made the fluff no fail fudge yesterday. It said to put the fudge in two 9 x 9 pans but I didn't have any so I thought of my Christmas Cake Pans that I never use. LOL.
ISN'T this cool?

Merry Christmas,

Susie

How do you stop negative thoughts?

2011-12-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

How do you stop negative thoughts? You plant good thoughts!

When you try to stop negative thoughts, you are focusing on what you don't want - negative thoughts - and you will attract an abundance of them. They can never disappear if you are focused on them. The "stop" part is irrelevant - the negative thoughts are your focus. It doesn't matter if you are trying to stop negative thoughts or control them or push them away, the result is the same. Your focus is on negative thoughts, and by the law of attraction you are inviting more of them to you.

The truth is always simple and it is always easy. To stop negative thoughts, just plant good thoughts! Deliberately plant good thoughts! You plant good thoughts by making it a daily practice to appreciate all the things in your day. Appreciate your health, your car, your home, your family, your job, your friends, your surroundings, your meals, your pets, and the magnificent beauty of the day. Compliment, praise, and give thanks to all things. Every time you say "Thank you" it is a good thought! As you plant more and more good thoughts, the negative thoughts will be wiped out. Why? Because your focus is on good thoughts, and what you focus on you attract.

So don't give any attention to negative thoughts. Don't worry about them. If any come, make light of them, shrug them off, and let them be your reminder to deliberately think more good thoughts now.

The more good thoughts you can plant in a day, the faster your life will be utterly transformed into all good. If you spend only one day speaking of good things and saying "Thank you" at every single opportunity, you will not believe your tomorrow. Deliberately thinking good thoughts is exactly like planting seeds. As you think good thoughts you are planting good seeds inside you, and the Universe will transform those seeds into a garden of paradise. How will the garden of paradise appear? As your life!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Susie

Awesome 90¢ cookie cutters at americantraditioncookiecutters.com

2011-11-15T06:40:00.002-05:00

Have any of you seen the cookies cutters at http://www.americantraditioncookiecutters.com

Wow, their prices are awesome. I've never seen anyplace offer quality cookies cutters for $.90! If you need a special gift for yourself or a baker for Christmas, this is the place to visit.

They are what most people call “Mom and Pop”. They are the manufacturers and retailers. What that means is they MAKE all our own cookie cutters. Every cookie cutter you see on their site is designed, produced, and packed by “POP”. Any communication you have is with “MOM”. They work together as a team to create the best experience you can have while shopping our store.

Here are some sample photos. http://www.americantraditioncookiecutters.com

Click to enlarge:

Enjoy browsing their site and Happy Holidays,
Susie

The Partiologist: Christmas Cookies!

2011-11-12T07:42:00.001-05:00

WOW, check this gals decorated cookies!
AWESOME,
Susie

The Partiologist: Christmas Cookies!:

Waffle Machine Sandwich? YUM!

2011-11-09T11:53:00.001-05:00

I saw a website yesterday that shared recipes for sandwiches made in the waffle machine. I don't use my machine much at all so I thought I would give it a whirl.

It was corned beef with american cheese. What a neat idea and of course so tasty. :)
Susie

Halloween nails again. :)

2011-10-31T08:38:00.000-04:00

Nothing earth shattering but cute. :)

Happy Halloween,

Susie

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Skull and Elmo Cookies! :) YUM! (3rd try)

2011-10-28T11:13:00.002-04:00

Here are some SKULL and ELMO cookies I made for not only our two grandsons but I guess for their parents and my husband and I. :o)

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I didn't care for the GOOGLE eyed one. LOL!

I think I made the black icing a tad too thin. :o)

I think our 9 year old grandson Drew will like these. :)

This is only my third time ever doing decorated cookies.

Our 2 year old grandson Mason hopefully will like these.

He is ELMO nuts. LOL!

The noses are ORANGE gumdrops flattened out BUT they took on the red color some.

The eyes are melting chocolate disks underneath google eyes.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. :)

Susie

The INSIDE of my 56th birthday cake!

2011-10-19T19:45:00.000-04:00

Refer to my previous post to see my decorated birthday cake here: http://susies1955.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-made-my-56th-birthday-cake-and.html

Here is the inside. COOL EH?

:)
Susie

I made my 56th Birthday Cake and Cupcakes!

2011-10-19T06:41:00.001-04:00

Hey, hey, hey! It's my 56th birthday today and my twins too. Happy Birthday Sharon!

I love making icing and decorating cakes so I always make my own birthday cake.

Here is what I came up with. It is a Golden Vanilla Cake with Wedding Bouquet/Vanilla flavored Buttercream colored a very pale lavender. I have a pink filling in it but I haven't got a photo yet because we won't be cutting into it until later tonight. :)

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I got the silicone cupcake pan from Ron, Erica and Drew for Christmas. Had to finally try it out. :)

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Susie

Skull Halloween Nails! :o)

2011-10-15T09:50:00.000-04:00

I got these polishes from my son Ron, his wife Erica and my grandson Drew for Christmas. :)

Application was three coats. Not the easiest to apply but very cool. :)

I used Konad Plate M13!

Matches my shirt perfectly.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo! :)

Have a great weekend,

Susie

Tyrade | With Death Comes New Life | CD Baby

2011-10-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

Our youngest sons HARD ROCK CD~!

Tyrade | With Death Comes New Life | CD Baby

The Cilantropist: Carrot Cake Cupcakes, with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-10-10T08:20:00.000-04:00

I'm going to have to try this real soon!

The Cilantropist: Carrot Cake Cupcakes, with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

Pint Sized Baker: Homemade Butterfinger Pops

2011-10-10T06:57:00.000-04:00

This sounds so YUMMY!

Pint Sized Baker: Homemade Butterfinger Pops:

Halloween nails! :o)

2011-10-08T18:21:00.003-04:00

Wow, it sure has been a while.

I've been on the couch a lot. I pulled a muscle in my back and have been trying to get it all better. I've gained a few pounds back because I haven't been able to work out. I'm doing a bit better and even went for a Harley ride yesterday and today. Short ones. :)
I finally am getting a slight desire to do my nails and boy you can sure tell I'm out of touch with it. :)

Here is a Wet 'n' Wild polish that my daughter in law Erica gave me called "Lime Fizz". It is a sheer polish with glitter and it was three coats. I then Konaded with plate M28 and the black Konad polish. :)

Here is how you Konad!

Happy Halloween everyone! :)

Susie

http://www.AWSurveys.com is a RIP OFF.

2011-09-23T10:40:00.002-04:00

http://www.AWSurveys.com is a RIP OFF. I worked hard doing surveys and earned almost the $70 and they put it back to zero!
Just wanted you all to know,
Susie

Rose made of Tootsie Rolls (sort of)!

2011-09-18T06:17:00.000-04:00

I was goofing around with tootsie rolls and thought I would try to make a rose with them.

It didn't turn out too bad eh?

I took 7 tootsie's and microwaved them for just a few seconds to make them easier to flatten and then I flattened them all into rounds. I took the first one and curled it up into a bud looking thingy and then I took the rest and formed them around the bud.

I tried again yesterday and found the if you cut the circles in half that it looks better.

I've got to practice more.

The most fun is eating them of course. :)

Enjoy the day,

Susie

Ideals to make your own cookie cutter!

2011-09-08T07:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm new at this and still trying to figure things out but hey we all start somewhere. I needed a Hello Kitty Cookie Cutter for a challenge I entered. I didn't have one and didn't want to wait to order one so I tried making my own.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS!

This is my favorite Coffee Creamer. I used the container to cut strips of plastic out to shape around the Hello Kitty graphic I printed.

You can get pretty long strips. These are shorter ones showing. You may have to re-cut the strip to straighten it.

Staples the ends together if you need more and to hold the piece together. You can place the plasitic or tin around the graphic to see how much you need before stapling. Next time I may try heavy duty tape.

You can use Extra Thick Template Plastic that quilters use too.

Here is a trash can one I worked on using template. Not as heavy as the Creamer container. :)

This is the Hello Kitty I made using the Creamer Container. It worked great.

Hello Kitty Cookies. :) YUM!

You can use about any soda can too.

Be very careful with the cutting. I just used scissors. Use the middle part of course and don't try cutting the rounded tops and bottoms. :)

Trash can using a can. Not as sturdy as the Creamer Container.
You could probably buy flashing (roofing material) at your local hardware to cut strips out of too.

Susie

Cake I made for my grandson Drew's 9th birthday.

2011-09-03T09:24:00.001-04:00

My grandson Drew's birthday was on Thursday. He was at Enchanted Forest Water Safari at Old Forge NY for his birthday. He is now here and we are going to have a Chicken Alfredo supper for him and the cake I made.

Here it is and click to enlarge:

I can't wait to dig in!
UPDATE: IT TASTED AWESOME!

:)
Enjoy your weekend.

Susie

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla/Almond Icing.

2011-08-18T09:31:00.002-04:00

Just playing again today with icing. These are some chocolate cupcakes I had in the freezer. I made two dozen and I take a few at a time. :) The icing is Vanilla/Almond. YUM.
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting!

2011-08-15T09:36:00.000-04:00

I love to play with icing so I took 6 chocolate cupcakes from the freezer and made some Peanut Butter Frosting.

YUM!

Hello Kitty Cookies (2nd try)

2011-08-12T09:58:00.001-04:00

Ok, be nice. LOL. This is my second try at Decorating Sugar Cookies. They are Hello Kitty in case you couldn't tell. LOL.

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I sure have a lot to learn but we all do when we start a new hobby.

Tasty. I had about 10 less cookies to decorate because Albert and I kept eating them while the white base was drying. LOL.

Susie

#11 Transitional Rustic Focaccia

2011-08-11T15:40:00.000-04:00

Here is my try at the recipe in Peter Reinhart's book "Whole Grain Breads" called Transitional Rustic Focaccia. It is on page 264.

I've only tried Focaccia once before and I liked that recipe MUCH better.

This is tasty though. :o)

So busy. Back to my cookies. :)
Susie

Cake balls with icing flavored with Wedding Bouquet & Vanilla & Butter!

2011-08-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

I don't know why I'm baking so much. LOL.

Well, my daughter in law Erica was bringing my grandson Drew over for a few hours and I know she likes the icing I make with the Wedding Bouquet flavor so I made some cake balls. I also wanted to try some other flavor so I used vanilla and butter flavoring on some.

OH so tasty.

The swirls on the left are looser than the ones on the right. That is how I knew which flavor was which. Erica knew right off the bat just by smelling. LOL!

Aren't they so very cute?

I used my Nostalgia Electrics Donut Holes Maker. YUMMY!

Susie

My 1st time trying decorated sugar cookies 11/21/2007

2011-08-07T05:22:00.001-04:00

Yes, almost four years ago I tried decorating sugar cookies. It took me forever and I have never tried again.

I found a challenge on Cristin's cookie blog: http://www.cristinscookies.com/2011/08/cristins-cookie-challenge-1.html?spref=fb

It is to do Hello Kitty and post your photos when you are done. :) I think I will try it.

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Here is the photo of my first try almost 4 years ago.

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They sure were tasty. :)

Susie

My BROWNIE POPS! :o)

2011-08-03T15:01:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I never said I was too bright. I made these brownie pops and didn't cut off the harder outside ridge so the inside of the pops have a little character to them once in a while. LOL. Still tasty though.

Now to get rid of them so I don't eat them all. :)
Susie

#10 Transitional German-Style Many Seed Bread

2011-08-03T14:58:00.001-04:00

Here is my try at the Transitional German-Style Many Seed Bread from the Whole Grain Bread book by Peter Reinhart.

The recipe called for a lot of different seeds. I'm not crazy about seeds in my bread so I just added all flax seed. I love flax seed. :)

Awesome tasting.

Susie

Teddy Bear Cake Pops

2011-07-26T12:06:00.000-04:00

I took he strawberry cake I made yesterday and make Teddy Bear Cake Pops.

Goofy eh?

Is that where the tail goes???? LOL!

I had to try one. :) YUM!

I'm not sure they look like Teddy Bears. :)

Cute little butts eh?

All bagged and ready to go.

Hope they don't melt. It's starting to get warm in here. :)

#8 Transitional Rye Hearth Meteil and other baking! :o)

2011-07-25T09:21:00.001-04:00

Here is my try at the Transitional Rye Hearth Meteil Bread. It is a VERY tasty bread.

I have never tried a bread recipe that had both RYE and WHEAT together. I love it.

It is a cool wet day here in northern NY so I decided to do some baking and freeze some and give some away.

White Cupcakes are to give some to a friend and to keep some. Strawberry cake is for cake pops for some family members and to freeze some. The Chocolate Book cake is to freeze for playtime on a hot day and of course the loaf of bread. :)

YEHA!

Susie

My daughter in law Erica's birthday cupcakes.

2011-07-20T17:35:00.000-04:00

White cake with LOTS of butter cream!

Happy 27th Birthday Erica! Love ya!

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Cake balls using a donut hole maker! :o)

2011-07-14T16:30:00.000-04:00

I bought a little gadget from www.walmart.com and picked it up last week at the store. It is the Nostalgia Electrics JFD-100 Donut Holes Maker. Yes, I made cake balls. It comes with a little injector so you can fill them.

I used a cup of sugar free chocolate cake mix and just added a 1/2 a cup of diet mountain dew. They baked for 6 minutes. :) As you can see it cooks 7 at a time and it used all of the cake batter I mixed up.

These are pretty good sized cake balls.

You can make donuts, muffins, brownie bites, and of course cake balls. :)

YUM. I had to try one. :)
Susie

#7 Transitional Multigrain Hearth Bread

2011-07-14T08:53:00.000-04:00

Here is my try at the #7 recipe which is the "Transitional Multigrain Hearth Bread"! It is on Page 156 of Whole Grain Bread book by Peter Reinhart and it is a challenge that Jenni started. Here is Jenni's blog:

http://somethingtosavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/wgb-challange.html

This is the third loaf in a row that the top collapsed on. I didn't over proof it so go figure.

All I know is that it looks yummy and...

is is YUMMY! Had two slices already. I could probably eat the whole loaf in one sitting if I didn't use control. :)
Enjoy your Thursday,

Susie

Playtime cupcakes!

2011-07-08T10:45:00.000-04:00

I just felt like icing some cupcakes today. I had the oven going for a loaf of bread and thought why not. :)

This is just a yellow cake mix with Icing flavored with Wedding Bouquet. :)

YUM.

Susie

#6 Transitional Country Hearth Bread (SORT OF FAIL)

2011-07-08T07:08:00.000-04:00

This is recipe #6 Transitional Country Hearth Bread of the Whole Grain Bread book by Peter Reinhart challenge that Jenni started. Here is Jenni's blog:

http://somethingtosavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/wgb-challange.html

This is actually my SECOND try. The first try was about 3" thick. This one collapsed. I won't be trying it again. LOL.

I do have to say that it is VERY VERY good though. :)

Susie

Tiny blouse that GETS REAL BIG. :)

2011-07-06T06:36:00.001-04:00

Albert bought me this. It is neat. It is a tiny blouse that stretches to fit ANY size.

The red blouse underneath is a size small. The blue one of course is the tiny one. :)

Here it is stretched over one of my large kitchen chair.

On me. Ignore the huge bicep. LOL!

COOL eh?

Cheddar Cheese Rolls

2011-07-05T15:10:00.001-04:00

These rolls are SO very good if I do say so myself. I made them one night to go along with lasagna I had made and my daughter in law Erica went nuts over them. I made them again on Saturday to have with our BBQ.

YUM!

My first try at Cake Pops! :)

2011-06-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

I am WAY behind on the 'thing' that has been hot for a few years, which is cake balls and pops.

If you want to know everything there is to know about them, go here: http://www.bakerella.com/

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The cake I made was Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting added to it. I found it very moist BEFORE I added the Frosting.

Here is a close up!

I used Candy Melts from Wilton but I think I would like REAL chocolate much better.

They are VERY sweet. One is all I could handle. LOL. I actually think the texture is a little too mushy and next time I think I will use the cake dry without the added frosting and cut out my shapes. :)

New adventure for sure.

HAPPY 4th Of July everyone,

Susie

WGB challenge #5 Challah

2011-06-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

This is recipe #5 Challah of the Whole Grain Bread book by Peter Reinhart challenge that Jenni started. Here is Jenni's blog: http://somethingtosavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/wgb-challange.html

This recipe uses 4 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk so it is no wonder that it rose wickedly high.

My braiding technique isn't great BUT I'm learning.

Very tasty loaf. I'm loving it.

I ended up adding about 1/2 cup more whole wheat flour and it was still a tad sticky.

Loving it,

Susie

ELMO cake for my grandson Mason's 2nd birthday!

2011-06-18T19:02:00.000-04:00

I haven't decorated a cake since Mason's last birthday. It went pretty good.

He knew it was Elmo so that's a good thing.

YUM.

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WGB challenge #4 Transitional Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2011-06-16T10:16:00.000-04:00

I decided to give the #4 recipe a try today a head of schedule because I had to bake a birthday cake and seeing the oven would be going why not? :)

This is the Transitional Cinnamon Raisin Bread

It took a LONG time to bake and the rising time was a little longer too.

It is a very tasty loaf. I would make this again for sure.

Susise

WGB challenge #3 Transitional Rye Sandwich Bread

2011-06-11T11:03:00.001-04:00

I know I'm a day a head but I have a lot to do this coming week.

Here is my try at the #3 recipe from the Whole Grain Breads Book by Peter Reinhart's called Transitional Rye Sandwich Bread.

I am a rye bread lover and this is very tasty for sure. :)

I thought I had a lame for slashing but I couldn't find it and used

a silly utility cutter. LOL. I've got to practice more. :)

A wonderful tasting bread and I will certainly make it again.

Susie

WGB challenge #2 Transitional Multigrain Sandwich Bread

2011-06-10T10:59:00.001-04:00

Here is my try at the WGB challenge #2 Transitional Multigrain Sandwich Bread.

What ta heck happened??????? LOL!

I added 3/4 cup of whole wheat to the final dough and apparently it still wasn't enough. It was a tad sticky and not quite the firm dough ball that I'm use to but I thought it would be ok. It rose pretty good but as it was baking it collapsed.

UGLY but one of the best tasting breads ever. :)

Nice color though eh? LOL!

Looks like DEVIL bread. :) See the horns?

What fun,

Susie

WGB challenge #1 Transitional Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

2011-06-03T12:42:00.002-04:00

I'm playing with a new bread baking challenge.
I was a part of a challenge offered by Pinch My salt http://pinchmysalt.com/the-bba-challenge/ to bake my way through Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice book. I've only made it through 25 of the 43 but I will get back to it I'm sure.
The new challenge is to go through Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads book, New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor with Jenni and a few others. Her post is here: http://somethingtosavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/wgb-challange.html
The first bread that Jenni has planned is 5/29- 6/4 Transitional Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread p.99
The soaker did not form into a ball. It was sort of soupy. I had to add about 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour to get it to form a ball. I used my large bread tin and baked at 350° for 35 minutes and it was a temperature of 202° I normally do better at keeping it around 190° to 195° but it has been quite a while since I have baked bread.
I had a sandwich with it for lunch and I loved it. It was very tasty. I will make this again for sure.

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Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud and Konading. :)

2011-05-20T18:39:00.000-04:00

Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud is my very favorite nail polish. It goes on SO nice and in two coats.

It is a very very pale lavender.

It is so very pretty.

I used Konad Red and Konad Plate M73!

Pretty cool eh?

Matches the blouse I'm going to wear tomorrow.

Have a great weekend,

Susie

A blog that is offering a BREAD baking challenge:

2011-05-16T10:12:00.003-04:00

If anyone is interested, there is a Bread baking challenge using the book Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads book, New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor at this blog:
http://somethingtosavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/wgb-challange.html

New shirts etc. for Mother's Day. :)

2011-05-12T09:38:00.000-04:00

My youngest son Ron, his wife Erica and our 8 year old grandson Drew gave me this workout top for Mother's Day. Cool eh?

My youngest grandson Mason age almost 2 gave me this shirt, a nice card and a box of raspberry filled chocolates for Mother's Day. :)

I also got from Ron a promise to take me out to eat. My oldest son Andy took me for lunch on Saturday. My husband took me to lunch at Applebee's on Sunday for a Maple Butter Blonde and then to Gertrude Hawk for a Carmel Apple. :)

Am I blessed or what?

Susie

Mother's Day Cards for my Daughter in Laws!

2011-05-07T19:01:00.000-04:00

For my daughter in law Melissa. :)

For my daughter in law Erica. :)

Happy Mother's Day everyone,

Susie

Our lunch for 355 calories! YUM!

2011-04-24T12:09:00.000-04:00

Our lunch was the Turkey Reuben Quesadilla and the Dynamite Double Chocolate Dream Parfait from Hungry Girls 200 under 200 book.

These were a total of 355 calories. I did it just a tad different but that's ok. :)

This is NOT my photo as mine didn't look as pretty. This is Hungry Girl's photo.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/books/2/7

This Dynamite Double Chocolate Dream Parfait tastes awesome. You swear you are eating a 500 calorie desert. :)

HAVE A NICE EASTER,

Susie

More Scrapbook pages ....

2011-04-22T09:32:00.001-04:00

Couple of scrap book pages I did this morning!

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Pizza and dessert for 380 calories total~!

2011-04-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

We don't normally have this big of a lunch but it was SURE good. I knew we were having a lighter supper so it was ok.

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Flat bread pizza at only 280 calories for the WHOLE thing. :)

Strawberry shortcake: 100 calories!

They were both SO very good.

Avon Nailwear Pro "Vintage Blue" and Konading!

2011-04-18T19:31:00.000-04:00

This is Avon's Nailwear Pro called "Vintage Blue"!

It was three coats. Clean up wasn't to bad.

I used Konad Plate M72 with Konad Yellow Special Polish!

Hope you all have a great week,

Susie

My tattoo I got when I was 47 (8 years ago)! Another?

2011-04-18T06:53:00.000-04:00

Here is the tattoo I got 8 years ago. I'm thinking it may be time for another.

It was fun, exciting, and ouch! :

Enjoy your week,

Susie

When it was fresh!

Last year! Faded a little but still looks great.

Power 90 "DONE"! Results!

2011-04-09T13:03:00.002-04:00

YEHA!

Power 90 completed!

Albert total weight loss 36 pounds. (He made his goal)! GREAT JOB ALFIE! :)

Susie total weight loss 16 pounds. (I made my goal)!

Albert total inches lost 27 3/4"

Susie total inches lost 24 3/8" I must have really tightened things up to have lost that many inches.

We will start our recovery week on Monday and then on to P90 Master Series.

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

Day 1 Day 30 Day90

BRING IT! :o)

Easter cards and a get well! :)

2011-04-05T15:29:00.000-04:00

Here are four cards I have made recently.

Four Easter cards and one get well. :)
Susie

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

Orly "Lollipop" with Konading

2011-04-02T19:24:00.000-04:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

My skin is still so very dry. :)

This is Orly "Lollipop". It goes on pretty nice with two coats.

I've used this color before and really like it.

I used the Konad Yellow polish with plate HB 38.

Cute little Easter Egg eh?

I got all done with this manicure and hit my little finger on something. DRAT.

Susie

A bunch of cards I've made lately! :o)

2011-03-26T06:41:00.002-04:00

Orly Luxe

2011-03-22T07:31:00.000-04:00

I thought I would do my nails up quick before I left for the day. My daughter in law Erica and I are going shopping for the day.

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

This is Orly Luxe!

Two coats.

I was in such a hurry I didn't even put a base coat on. That's a first. I totally forgot.

I love how Orly polishes go on. Almost no clean up.

I don't know if I will Konad this tomorrow or not. :)
Enjoy your day,

Susie

2nd day of SPRING video. LOL.

2011-03-21T10:44:00.000-04:00

BRIGHT colored card to celebrate 1st day of SPRING tomorrow. :)

2011-03-19T10:35:00.002-04:00

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE!

The words "thank you very much" is for Spring arriving tomorrow. :) It is a nice bright sun shine filled day today too.

I LOVE embossing envelopes.

Happy SPRING tomorrow.

Susie

Avon Jade and Konading with M22

2011-03-17T08:12:00.001-04:00

I had to hurry as I have to leave in just a few minutes. I can see I have a little more clean up to do. :) Sorry about that.

I had to oil up because I'm so dry. :)

This is Avon's Jade. It goes on really great in two coats.

I used Konad white and Konad Plate M22 with the four leaf clover design for Saint Patrick's Day.

:) I drink a ton of water. You wouldn't think I would be so dry.

I haven't done my nails much at all this year. I think this may be the second time.

Have a great day,

Susie

Don't faint....I'm doing my nails!

2011-03-17T07:39:00.001-04:00

Don't faint girls. I'm doing my nails. I have the two coats on and had to put a ton of oil on my skin just so my hands would look half way decent. I have never had such crappy cuticles and dry skin in my life.

I've got to wait an hour or so to do Konading and then I'll be back with photos. :o)

Have a nice Saint Patrick's Day,

Susie

Latest card:

2011-03-12T18:29:00.000-05:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS:

I made this for a challenge on the Card Camp Yahoo Group. Link is on the right if you care to join. The challenge was one I had to think of. I said to pick your favorite color and use a triangle somewhere.

I love lavender!

I love the embossing on the envelope.

I'm really enjoying this stamp that Celeste made me when I donated for her son to attend the memorial Ceremony for Pearl Harbor in December. You can read about it here: http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/2011/02/gift-from-me-to-you-for-your-dontations.html

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Susie

Birthday Card I made. I have my own personalized stamp now. :o)

2011-03-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

Here is my newest card I made today.

I love embossing the envelopes. :)

I made a donation for this gals son to attend the memorial Ceremony for Pearl Harbor and she made made me my own personalized stamp. Isn't it cool? Here is her blog post about it:

http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/2011/02/gift-from-me-to-you-for-your-dontations.html

Have a great week,

Susie

Little guy I colored with Copic Markers today. :)

2011-03-04T17:25:00.000-05:00

Had a lot of fun coloring with my Copic Markers today. Hope to learn more about shading and how to blend better. :)
Susie

Challenge I'm entering "Spring Card"!

2011-03-04T14:53:00.002-05:00

A yahoo group I joined not long ago called Copic Musketeers is having a challenge

to create a "Spring" card or project. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/copicmusketeers/

We must incorporate a homemade flower into our creation. I gave it a whirl.

CLICK TO ENLARGE!

I used my Copic Markers that I'm fairly new at to color the digital stamp. I got her for free at http://beccysplace.blogspot.com/ She is very talented and very generous. :)

I cut the X-Press It card stock she is on with the biggest Spellbinders Labels Eleven die!

I then inked the edges. The tag I cut with The smallest Spellbinders Deckled Mega Rectangles Large Die and inked the edges.

The flower was cut on DWV Card Stock with my Silhouette SD. I crinkled them up and placed them one on top of the other and added a brad. I added a strip of card stock down one side and rounded off the bottom two corners of the card.

It was fun,

Susie

Card I made Albert AND 2 scrapbook pages done.

2011-03-02T08:57:00.001-05:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS:

Here is a card I made for Albert.

NO you can't read the inside. LOL!

Pretty cool embossing on the envelope eh?
Colored the image with my Copic markers. :)

Did some scrapbooking for the month of February. :)

Don't ya just love the photo of my twin and I?

Have a great rest of your week,

Susie

Cutting FLANNEL with my Cuttlebug!

2011-02-26T10:26:00.000-05:00

I have made TONS of Cut & Tie Flannel Blankets and I have lots of squares left over from cutting the corners of each one out.

Cool eh?

I tried using my Sizzix Originals Die's to cut out shapes. I figured I could use them in card making or scrap booking some how. :)

I'm just wondering what kind of glue would be best. Anyone know?

They all cut great. Next I'm going to try felt. :)
Susie

New card: Looks like a little kid did it. LOL!

2011-02-21T12:11:00.000-05:00

It's hard to see but their are snow/winter words embossed on the blue.

I had fun and that is what counts.

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

This really does look like a little kid put it together. LOL.

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

I embossed the envelope too.

Susie

My entry for the JustRite Friday Challenge! (3 photos)

2011-02-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

Here is my entry for the JustRite Friday Challenge

049 - Technique: Direct to Rubber

http://justritestampers.typepad.com/justrite-inspiration/2011/02/justrite-friday-challenge-049-technique-direct-to-rubber.html

CLICK TO ENLARGE

For this challenge I used one of the JustRite Stamp JB-09710 Beautiful Blossoms Borders & Centers!

http://www.justritestampers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=JB-09710

I stamped the outside oval in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and the flower with Memento Cottage Ivy ink.

http://www.justritestampers.com/category.aspx?categoryID=208

CLICK TO ENLARGE

I love using Copic Markers but this image was so beautiful I didn't want to touch it.

I cut the stamped image with the largest Spellbinders Die in the Dahlia set. I inked the outside with the Memento Cottage Ivy ink.

I then added a strip of yellow ribbon down each side and a square of striped card stock behind it and put squares in each corner. I then added the smile face and the 'thinking of you.

Thanks for looking,

Susie

Card I just made for a challenge.

2011-02-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

I'm on a yahoo group where the challenge was to use this digi file anyway we wanted.

This was fun. I really enjoyed making it.

Susie

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

Did 5th and 6th scrapbook pages!

2011-02-17T11:03:00.001-05:00

I've decided being 55 years old I just don't want to have the bother of DOING all the photos I have. It would take me a million years.

I'm going to do a 3 albums. They will be MONTHLY, CHRISTMAS, and WEDDING.

The monthly one will have what happened in the month and some crafts I did. The Christmas I'm going to do every year and try to do a few past ones and the wedding will be ours first (we don't have many photos) and highlights of our youngest son that got married 7 years ago and our oldest son that has been married 3 years.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS!

Here is the outside cover. My husband and I back in 1973.

I looked like a scared little rabbit. LOL. I was a week over 18.

My wedding was shared with my twin sister. :o)

COOL eh?

Susie

My newest card. This is SO very much fun.

2011-02-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

This is SO much fun!

:)
Susie

New nails: Wet 'N' Wild "Blaze and Konading. :)

2011-02-13T19:06:00.002-05:00

This Wet 'N' Wild "Blaze nail polish was a gift for Christmas from my son Ron, daughter in law Erica and grandson Drew.

This is called "Blaze" and it was two coats.

Pretty eh?

My skin is SO very dry and my nails split so much I can't grow them out.

I did the Konading with Konad Plate M57 and the Konad White Polish.

Cool eh?

Susie
Took this one early this morning after my workout. :) LOL!
See? You can wear nail polish and WORKOUT. :)

Here is my Challenge card to make it all one color!

2011-02-10T14:31:00.000-05:00

There was a Challenge posted on a group I'm in to make a card using one color.

This was fun!

I embossed the envelope to make the card. :)
Susie

I just made Valentine cards for my grandsons!

2011-02-09T15:18:00.000-05:00

This is for my almost 20 month old grandson Mason.

I colored the image with my Copic Markers. :)

See the little Kitty Cat and Mouse on the envelope?

This was so much fun to make. :)

This one is for my 8 year old grandson Drew.

I also colored the image here with my Copic Markers. I didn't have

the right blue shade though to make the cupcake wrapper look right. :)

See the little smiling Kitty on the envelope?

I so enjoyed making this one to.

Happy Valentines Day early everyone,

Susie

Card I just made! :)

2011-02-08T17:50:00.002-05:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

This is another new card I just made. It was tons of fun.

I embossed the envelope too.

:)
Susie

Valentine card:

2011-02-06T19:19:00.000-05:00

Here is the newest card I made.

I colored the heart holding gal with my Copic Markers. I cut her out with my new Cuttlebug and the Classic Oval Dies from Spellbinders Nestabilities and then I inked the edge. :) I also embossed the background with my Cuttlebug using A2 Embossing Folder called Heart Blocks.

The right side is part of a paper doily that I inked up.

The word love was a stencil meant for cake decorating that I inked up.

CLICK TO ENLARE:

My 30 day POWER 90 stats:

2011-02-05T06:33:00.003-05:00

Here are my stats for my 30 days on Power 90.

9 pounds lost

8 7/8" lost

I can do 260 sit ups now. :)

Susie

Card using JustRite Stamp! :o)

2011-02-04T19:56:00.001-05:00

Here is my newest card. It is only my 14th card but I'm learning.

I used my Spellbinders Nestabilities "Label Eleven" to frame the very pretty JustRite stamp from the Original Large Oval set called "Beautiful Blossoms Borders and Centers".

I then inked up the outside edge of the frame a little and I used my Copic Markers to color the floral center.

It was fun.

CLICK TO ENLARGE!

SO much fun,

Susie

HELP me I can't stop making these cards. LOL.

2011-02-04T14:00:00.001-05:00

HELP me I can't stop making cards. LOL.

I wanted to practice with my Copic Markers so I figured I might as well make a card while I"m at it.

When I embossed the front it was a tight squeeze and it took some of the color off so I took the rest off with a nail file block sand papery thingy. I love it.

I put a slight embossed edge border on my envelope.

Didn't do too bad with the Copic Marker coloring eh?

Susie

My newest card. I'm SO loving this.

2011-02-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

This card took me a while because I'm just learning but it was SO very much fun to make. It was a challenge in a yahoo group I'm in.

I did the envelope with the same embossing as the front of the card.

This was the first time inking up a brass stencil, using brads and my first time using a "Bow Easy"!

The inside of the card turned out pretty too. :)

LOVING my newest hobbies.

Susie

My 3rd and 4th scrapbook pages done!

2011-02-02T14:17:00.001-05:00

I have decided seeing I'm 55 years old with TONS of photos that I would just work on three albums. One is weddings which will be ours, our sons and any grandkids that we may see get married. I will do a monthly one starting last month that will include things that happen in the month and any crafts I do and a Christmas one. :)

I've already shared my Christmas ones here which is my very 1st page:

http://susies1955.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-very-1st-scrapbook-page.html

and here:

http://susies1955.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-2nd-and-3rd-scrapbook-pages-and-card.html

Here is what I did today:

CLICK TO ENLARGE!

The month of January was our NY Eve party with our grandson, our oldest sons 31st birthday and my husband and I starting our workout Power 90. :)

This is what I played with in January. Cards, cards, and more cards. :)
Susie

Copic coloring fun. Merry Christmas. LOL!

2011-01-31T05:25:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to use my Copic Markers for practice and I have never used glitter before except when I did the Glitter Ornaments. You can see those here:

http://susies1955.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-made-some-glitter-ornaments-take-look.html

This was fun. !

Susie

Cutting fabric with my Silhouette SD

2011-01-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

Well I gave cutting fabric a try this morning with my Silhouette SD.

I ironed on Heat and Bond onto the back of the fabric then I placed it on the heavy mat. I opened a bunch of flower shapes then selected all and then grouped them. I then clicked on the trace tool and traced them all, selected the outside portion to cut and put in my settings. I set it for the thickest card stock which uses the pink blade cap and I clicked double cut.

My first try the fabric didn't want to stay stuck as well as I would have liked and the paper during cutting was somewhat tangling up so I stopped the machine before the second cutting. A few things didn't cut well. I found out that you shouldn't pick thin shaped items to be cut out for sure.

My next try I used my Cricket mat which is MUCH stickier and that helped. I let it do the double cutting. I would still liked it to have stuck down better. I put it fabric side DOWN on the mat so maybe I should try heat and bond down next time.

Here are my results.

You can see I lost one of the pedals somewhere on the bottom right flower and a few of them ripped right off. Better to stick with thicker floral designs.

Here is the biggest design which works best.

Here is the back with the Heat and Bond showing.

I plan to use my little craft iron if I am going to use these items on cards or scrapbooking but will use my household iron of course if I'm going to add them to shirts or quilts. :)

If anyone has any comments that will help with cutting on the Silhouette SD, please comment. :)
Susie

Got a new toy. My "Cuttlebug"!

2011-01-28T06:53:00.003-05:00

I got a new toy a while back and have been playing. I got a Cuttlebug. It embosses and cuts. :)

This is the Cuttlebug Plus Fanciful Labels

Pretty cool eh?

These work in the Cuttlebug too.

Made out of heavy stuff. :o)

This is the inside and you can use the FRAME that is left over too if you want.

Here is a card I made. I ended up giving it to my husband BUTTONS and all. It will be two years ago that he quit smoking as my Valentines gift. COOL! He's doing great now but we put in a few really ROUGH months.

Maven, a gal with a wonderful blog told me how to do this.

CHECK her blog out. Neat Pepsi can eh?

http://diymaven.com/2011/01/12/cuttlebug-frosty-card/#comment-812

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend,

Susie

My 2nd and 3rd Scrapbook pages and a card I made.

2011-01-20T11:01:00.003-05:00

These are my 2nd and 3rd scrapbook pages. These are pre-made pages and I'm not nuts over them. They look........um.........pre-made. LOL. I would rather put them together myself.

My first page was this years Christmas and today's pages are from my husbands and my first Christmas together in 1973. LOL.

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE:

The 2 pages side by side.

Close up! This was a little tree I found in our back yard and hacked it down all by myself. :)

Close up. Don't I look excited? LOL. How do you like the husbands long hair. :) Cool eh?

This is the little card I made and colored with my Copic Markers. :)
Have a great day,

Susie

I tried one of my 6 pk Ice Cream Nail Polishes!

2011-01-19T19:39:00.001-05:00

My son Ronnie, his wife Erica and my grandson Drew gave me this for one of my Christmas gifts.

Isn't this SO very cute?

I used the 1st one.

My nails and cuticles are in bad shape. I had to put oil on to cover up all the dryness.

This is two coats.

I used Konad White Polish and Konad Plate M57!

It has been a long time since I've polished and it was fun.

Susie

My newest card...

2011-01-19T17:27:00.000-05:00

This was fun to make.

CLICK TO ENLARGE:

Copic fun and a card I made!

2011-01-14T17:42:00.000-05:00

Here is a digital design I colored with my Copic Markers and a card I made.

Fun,

Susie

Card I made for my son's 31st birthday today!

2011-01-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

I've made five cards so far. It has been pretty fun.

This is one I made for my son's 31st birthday today! He has the day off and I hope he has a blast. We will be seeing him this weekend.

Here is the card:

Silly isn't he? He is wearing his 19 month old sons hat. LOL!

Here is the inside. Of course there will be MONEY tucked under the bears head.

I colored the bear with my Copic Markers.

Yup, he is 31 and that makes me..................

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Happy Birthday Andy.

Love,

Mom

My very 1st Scrapbook Page

2011-01-10T13:46:00.004-05:00

I know as I get practice and learn more the pages will get better. I need a TON more goodies too. :)

These are my grandsons. Mason who is 19 months and Drew who is 8 years.
Susie
CLICK ON IT TO ENLARGE!

My husband and I started Power 90 Monday January 3rd. :o)

2011-01-05T05:46:00.001-05:00

My husband Albert and I are on day 3 of the Power 90 workout.

We started the clean diet on Sunday. Albert actually fasted on Saturday.

My main purpose is to be healthier at 55 and on through aging. :o) I had 13 pounds to lose and he has a bunch. He hasn't really set a goal as it depends how he looks.

He has lost 8 pounds and I've lost 5!

We took all of our photos and measurements on Sunday. :)

Yes, we are sore and especially me because being a housewife is pretty soft work. LOL. He is an electrician and gets pretty active at work.

We are on the 6 day Fat Burning Express diet and the workout that is 36 minutes long. We work out 6 days a week with Sunday off.

Monday we will be starting the Sculpt 1-2 alternating with Sweat 1-2. Three of each all week.

Our son Andy and his wife Melissa have been doing P90X/Insanity for I think about 260 days and he adds in other programs. The "X" is much longer and a lot more intense. :) You can see their videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/nacholuver1

BRING IT!

Susie

Cut black vinyl with my new Silhouette SD today...

2010-12-27T17:39:00.001-05:00

The Silhouette SD is an electronic cutting tool that connects to your computer allowing you to cut fonts and images in cardstock, vinyl, heat transfer material, etc.

http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/

I cut a few shapes the other day and then cut the black vinyl today.

COOL eh?

Susie

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!

2010-12-25T03:29:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!

Practicing with Copic markers again:

2010-12-23T08:33:00.000-05:00

Did these a few days ago for practice. :)
Merry Christmas everyone,

Susie