Friday, February 26, 2010

NTC presents Oklahoma!

It's Spring Musical time and as a senior, this is my oldest son's last high school drama experience. Ryan has been in the plays and musicals since middle school and steals the show most of the time as a supporting character. (OK, bragging mom moment there)

He attends Northridge High School and is a member of the Northridge Theatre Company. This year's musical is "OKLAHOMA!" Last night was opening night and here are a few pics:


The cast


Trevor and Elicia as Curly and Laurey

Sara (Ryan's girlfriend) as Vivian and Ryan as the peddler Ali Hakim...nice uni brow, right?

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Thirsty Thursday

In honor of it's almost the weekend, summer is coming, I like pretty, froo froo cocktails and it's 5 o'clock somewhere (feel free to insert your favorite excuse here), I'm now going to feature Thirsty Thursdays on my blog.




Here is today's beauty: FIZZY SORBET COCKTAIL





Doesn't it look yummy and it's super easy!

INGREDIENTS

Assorted sorbets (we used lemon, coconut, peach and hibiscus)
Chilled champagne or sparkling wine

PREPARATION
1. Place 6 martini or wine glasses in freezer for 30 minutes or until very cold.

2. Fill chilled glasses with 5 or 6 mini-scoops of assorted sorbets, then top each with champagne

This recipe originally featured in Woman's Day see it here:
http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Fizzy-Sorbet-Cocktail-Recipe

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

TT

It's...Talented Tuesday!


This week's TT is a photographer friend of mine from the Midwest. He is a man of few words-letting his photos speak for themselves. Here is a little about him and samples of his work.
Meet Stuart Oliver of Stuart Oliver Photography.


Tell us about you: Happily married 13 years. I live in Summit Corners, WI. with my wife and dog, Dot.


How and when did you get started with photography? Started taking photographs in the '80s. I see things. Bought a digital camera almost 10 years ago and started taking more wildlife, landscapes, etc..... Decided to purchase a higher quality digital SLR 3 years ago.




Who and what inspires you? I have been inspired by a number of photographers, Dewitt Jones for one. (http://www.dewittjones.com/) I am inspired by the beauty of the outdoors, people, animals....



What's your camera of choice? Pentax K110D. Assorted lenses.




How can we find you? Visit my website or send me an email
Stuart Oliver Photography
http://www.soliverphoto.com/

All photos are property of Stuart Oliver photography-used here by permission.
Would you like to be featured on a Talented Tuesday? drop me a line and we'll make it happen!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Countdown to Florida begins

I just looked outside to see snow still flying - weather forecasters said it would end by 5:30 this morning (liars!). That's OK, it's only 9 days until we take our trip to Naples, Florida. My parents have a condo there and we will be there from March 2 for a week of no snow, warm temps and beaches!

ahhhh, can't wait to stroll the beach!
Lely Resort is where my parents condo is located.

I'll post my own pictures when I get back-but in the meantime:
For video tour go here: http://www.lely-resort.net/
To find out more about Naples, Florida go here: www.naples.com

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Talented Tuesday

This week's Talented Tuesday features my cousin in law (is that the proper term?) Frank Stanley. I would like Frank's work even if he wasn't married to my cousin Krista because his stuff is fun, vibrant, and interesting. Here is the Frank Stanley I own:
see more of Frank's work here: http://www.fstanley.com/portfolio/abstract260.html and here: http://playgroundartstudios.com/ Spend some time looking around-really fun stuff!

A little about Frank in his own words:

“I’ve never been interested in landscapes or figures. I really can’t draw a train or a bird that’s supposed to look like a bird. I paint out of an uncontrollable desire to create cool stuff.”

Frank Stanley is an American artist who creates original abstract and pop art paintings as well as internationally recognized sculpture. A self-taught painter, he arrived at his energetic style completely independent of academic influence. He currently lives and works in Fort Collins, CO.

Currently, Frank creates for a higher purpose: 1000 Painted Kranes was developed to help defray medical costs. The latter half of 2009 was ugly for the Stanley family. The ugliness began with Krista being diagnosed with cancer, compounded by the discovery that her employer had been diverting her insurance payments to his own account, leaving her without coverage. Now throw in a "pre-existing condition," surgeries, doctor visits and the Stanley's are drowning in a sea of medical debt. There is a happy ending tho and you can help! Read the full story here:

Monday, February 15, 2010

In honor of President's Day...

Have some presidents! Take what you need, we'll make more.

(Just so you know, if I had this for reals, I really would share!)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Forgetful Friday and the death of a camera

Which is why this is getting posted a day late!

I'd like your help to find a new camera. My current digital camera is trying to die on me. I dropped it on the streets of NYC last spring and it stopped zooming. Now it has stopped auto downloading into my computer. It still takes great pics and I can manipulate it into downloading, but it is bigger than what fits in my purse and it needs to be retired.


We are taking a trip to Florida in early March, so I'd love to have one by then. I need something small, easy to use, inexpensive and I'd love to know what you use for your every day picture taking. Feel free to post your recommendations here and thanks for your help!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

More V-day inspiration

If I had my web cam on, you could look over my shoulder at the mess of stamping stuff on my table...yeah, not gonna happen-not even for shock value! I'm messy when creating, but this is outta control!
I've been creating V-day treats for friends and family all week and here are pictures of what I've created:

LOVE card (front)




(inside)


The card is made from things I had around my craft room-paper, card stock, ribbon, brad and Stampin' Up! stamp. Colored with marker and chalk.

hugs & kisses treat bag

5 cherry cordial Kisses (yum!) in a zipper bag decorated with Stampin' Up! stamps and punches, various paper, gold glitter, red chalk, and light brown card stock background.

Lip shaped chocolates in a KISS candy jar for my favorite DJ's (and studio neighbors) at 96.1 KISS FM (www.kissfmcolorado.com)

Kisses in a jar
This was fun at the dollar store for the candy jar and chocolate lips and I "stole" their names and logo off the website. I think they will forgive me once they get the chocolate ;-}

Wordless Wednesday, a day late


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Talented Tuesday

I'm starting a new feature on my blog today called Talented Tuesday.

Every Tuesday I will feature someone I see as Talented-someone I know or found on the Internet, a local artist or business, etc. Anyone with Talent is fair game and if they let me, I'll feature them!

For my first Talented Tuesday, I think it is appropriate that my Aunt Mary should be the first to be featured. She is Talented! She is a beautiful person, makes beautiful stamped cards and never fails to make me feel great with the words, "Suzie, you are so talented!" Seriously, how can you not love a person who says that and means it?

The debut of Talented Tuesday features some of my Aunt Mary's stamped/handmade cards-she loves polka dots, layers, ribbons and classic embellishments. She even decorates the envelopes they are mailed in (and it kills me to even open them!). I've saved every single hand stamped card she's made for me, so it was a little tough to narrow it down. Here is a representation of about every occasion...enjoy!





































Monday, February 8, 2010

An Xplosion over the weekend

Xplosion, a local girls fast pitch softball team had their annual Chuckwagon Fundraiser on Saturday night and I was invited to MC the event.

What is a Chuckwagon Fundraiser? It's a tasty BBQ, old time cowboy singers with silent and live auction to raise funds for the the softball team to travel to tournaments all over the U.S.

Since it is the middle of winter, this was the indoor, traveling version of the real event. I had never experienced a Chuckwagon Supper and Western Stage Show before and it was a real treat! If you are traveling in the Western United States on your summer vacation and want to experience the old time west on a real ranch-Chuckwagon Suppers and Western Stage Shows are located in South Dakota, Colorado and Arizona. The cowboys from the Flying W Ranch (http://www.flyingw.com/) in Colorado Springs, Colorado came to entertain us.


We all had a good time and good amount of money was raised...thanks to all who donated and bid!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

I turned our studio into a kindergarten classroom

Which is appropriate because us radio types are about that mature, ha! http://www.bigcountry979.com/

Actually, in a effort to be more creative this year (a real New Year's resolution), I've decided to make "door decos" for each season/holiday/special occasion to welcome our DJ's and guests into our studio. Although we have a beautiful brand new facility with 6 studios/stations along a hallway, it's all very "corporate cookie cutter" and easy to get lost finding the right studio. Thus the "door deco" concept was born.

If you scroll back through my posts you will see my Christmas ones. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, here is this year's Valentine




It's the doily that makes me think of kindergarten-remember how cute those kid's handmade valentines were and how the classroom was always decorated so sweet? I think I've recaptured some of that!

How I made them: This was a "recycle/use what you have" project. Cost: $0

1. I didn't do a lot of stamping on these-just the wings (Stampin' Up!) and I used red Distress ink (Tim Holtz) to color the doilies.

2. Although you can't see it, old CD's are used as the base behind the doilies..

3. The circles you can see are recycled coasters covered in leftover scrap booking paper.

4. alphabet stickers for names, handmade papers for depth, colored card stock for layering

5. wooden hearts, paper hearts, glitter on the wings, mounting tape for added dimension

6. corner rounder punch and 3 hearts punch (Stampin' Up!)

So...this week before Valentine's Day, I challenge you to make a Valentine from what you already have around the house. I'd love to post it here, so send me a pic and details. Have fun!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

A philosophical question really...

Not really, but this question often reminds me of the "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
It has to do with my sleep schedule and it's been going on so long that I don't know which came first: did I start waking up before the sun first or did I fall asleep early first to get myself in this pattern? hmmm.

I've never had "normal" jobs-resort, restaurants, retail, radio-so I've never had a normal sleep schedule EVER. Early morning shifts, late night and overnight shifts, weekends and holidays, 2nd jobs, no day ever the same...my lack of schedule is my schedule! I'm not sure I'd know how to act if I had to be 'normal.'

The upside of this waking up early? I must be a morning person because I like it-I make my coffee and play on the computer for about an hour before anyone else gets up-I like having this extra time alone in the dark before I have to be mother, wife, housekeeper, income earner. It's not incredibly productive-can't vacuum or do anything noisy in the middle of the night, but I do my crossword puzzle (http://www.yahoo.com/), blogging, Facebook, Etsy, other paperwork and the ever addicting Bejeweled Blitz (http://www.popcap.com/)

The downside of getting up before the sun? I can't keep my eyes open past 8pm and the ever present crick in my neck from falling asleep on the couch. Just for the record I have tried to stay up later and change the pattern...nope, my eyes still fly open at 5am!

So, like the chicken and the egg question, there is no answer nor do I spend a lot of time thinking about it. Just enough to post it here...early and in the dark. Besides, who wants to miss this sunrise sky?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Saved by work?

So...when is a person happy to go to work instead of staying home? When she's been deep cleaning each room of the house a day at a time and today is bedrooms day!

I have two teenage boys who don't appreciate what a dresser is for, when to do laundry or change their sheets, so this is not a job I look forward to! There is no eating allowed in rooms and yet candy wrappers, glasses, etc abound. Ryan's closet looks like it barfed out everything he owns onto the floor and Kyle's dresser looks like a lava flow of t-shirts and jeans flowing out of it! Every drawer is open and I'm not even sure how it stays upright.

Most of the time I ignore how unkempt their rooms are because they are good kids:, they get good grades, don't get into trouble, have extra curricular activities. etc. This is a "fixable/trainable" issue in the big scheme of things and if pressed (which I do every few weeks) they will clean up.

We got a reprieve because someone got ill and I got called in to work. So...Dear Jennifer, I'm sorry you are sick, but THANK YOU! for calling me in to work for you today-not sure I was up for the challenge just yet.


Thursday, February 4, 2010

Comfort food in the dead of winter

It had been a beautiful few days with the sun shining and snow melting. But, yesterday afternoon you could tell something was different in the air. Clouds were coming in and bringing snow back with them...dang...getting kinda tired of the snow and cold!
Time to dig out some comfort food to combat the mood of the day, so I wandered through some old magazines to see if I had marked anything to try. As luck would have it, I did actually remember to flag a couple of items from the November 1st, 2008 issue of Family Circle magazine http://www.parents.com/family-circle-magazine/. (why I still have magazines from 2008 is a whole different issue!)

The recipe is for the greatest comfort food of all, MEATLOAF! We had it last night and it's simple ingredients, easy prep and good taste (that even picky teenagers like) made it a winner. here is the recipe if you want to try it yourself:




Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Fun Stamped Valentine Projects

I had the pleasure of sitting in on Lauri's Stampin' Up! Class last night. Lauri is my local Stampin' Up! rep and one of my favorite designers (http://www.astampersperspective.typepad.com/).
It was fun to be back-I had been a regular the last few years, but tough times recently called for tough measures and I had to cut back on my stamping purchases. Hopefully this is just temporary-I don't like being a grown up and responsible with my money!

We made 4 Valentines, 3 of which included chocolate-yippee!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

It's...Ground Hog Day!!


Happy Ground Hog Day! I know, not very original...but heck, it's the middle of winter and what else is going on? Besides I have a soft spot for the furry little rodent even though this year's prediction didn't sit well.

Monday, February 1, 2010

5 year anniversary

Random one line thoughts about this:

February 1st, 2005 is the day I quit smoking for good.

Today I celebrate 5 years quit...cool!

I describe quitting smoking as "the easiest hard thing I ever did"

Use the patch-it takes the edge off and you have wacky, crazy, vivid dreams!

Dang it, food tastes really good!

The smell of cigarettes on people gags me (especially on my husband), but I never lecture.

I'm pissed at myself that I gained weight and haven't lost all of it yet.

You have to wanna quit more than you wanna smoke to be successful.

My kids are proud of me.

I haven't been inside a convenience store/gas station in 5 years (pay at the pump rules!)

I haven't coughed or really been ill except for minor colds since I quit.

Don't use the excuse that you can't quit because your partner won't quit-that's crap-I did it with a pack of cigs in view every single day.

Today will always be a good day for me.