Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

Today is my birthday! And I've been SO blessed by my family and friends! Just wanted to share a couple of highlights.

Last week at my Danville Imagine Club, they surprised me with not one, not two, not three, but FOUR AMAZING gifts!! Any ONE of these would have been over-the-top and greatly appreciated - but I was just blown away by their generosity and love! Wanna see what I got?

A beautiful and scrumptious cake made by a local caterer - Donna Moats.



An absolutely delicious fruit bouquet - also made by Donna.



An heirloom Longaberger Easter Basket!



And a treasure for a lifetime - an album featuring each of my club members filled with sweet memories and thoughts that fill my heart with joy and my eyes with tears each time I look at it!



What a special treat! What a special group! What a wonderful life! Thank you girls! You continue to bless me beyond words! I'm so grateful that God caused our paths to cross at my very first crop in Danville years ago!

Love You Guys!!

And today, my sweet mom and aunt took me to lunch at Bridge Road Bistro!

I came home with bags of goodies galore!!

Then when I got home, look what I found waiting for me!!!!!!

Flowers from 3 of my dear friends who just happen to be customers too!
Thank you girls! You have Blessed My Socks off!!!

Family, friends, food, and flowers!! What more could a girl ask for? Not much! And look what the Lord left for me right outside my front door -- the first bloom of the season and it just opened up today! Thank you Lord!

Whatever Wednesday!

One of my Close To My Heart idols is Tresa Black! She is "Faboulsly Artsy" and hillarious at the same time! She like to post obscure videos on her Whatever Wednesday posts. I accidentally stumbled on this and thought - why not! Do you need a smile? Take a look.

We just started a series at church called Golden Anniversary Marriages - how to have a marriage that lasts. It's all about love. This video is all about the Tape of Love - the sticky stuff! :o)

Happy Wednesday!

Want to learn a cool technique?

Every month Close To My Heart airs a new edition of their Art & Soul show. Each episode introduces us to new products and techniques! Check out the latest version called Live Your Dreams featuring a puddle-pad technique. Be sure to watch to the end - there are many more ideas and artwork to inspire you! Click here to watch now.

Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad

Yesterday we had our quarterly Close To My Heart team meeting. It's one of the highlights of my life! I LOVE my incredible team!! And look forward to spending a week together in Washington, DC for our upcoming convention in July!! Woo Hoo!!

For lunch, I wanted to serve something simple, since we had plenty of other activities to indulge in! I knew I wanted to do a salad with strawberries and poppy seed dressing. I found this recipe on cooks.com - very simple, and very good.


Start off with 3 simple ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 pt. fresh strawberries
1 sm. Bermuda onion in rings

Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. whole milk
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
Place all dressing ingredients in a jar; cover and shake until blended. Keeps in fridge for several days.

Put salad ingredients in a bowl, drizzle with dressing (as much as you desire), and toss. And I always season with a little sea salt and cracked pepper.

Since this was our main course, I added some diced rotisserie chicken and since I'm a Carb Queen, I served with breadsticks! And thanks to Kim K., we were able to reward ourselves afterward with a Cholocalte Brownie Trifle! Life is good!! :o)



I made it again today - since I didn't take a picture yesterday - and added some toasted pine nuts. I can't tell you how many times I've burned my nuts in the oven. It seems like nothing is happening then all of a sudden they BURN! So now I toast them on the stove in a pan. Simply shake, toss, or stir until brown. It only takes about 5-10 minutes (depending on the heat) but watch closely so you don't burn them. I would toast your nuts first, set them aside and let them cool while you make the rest of your salad. (That sounds like something you say to someone when you're mad at them - "Oh, go toast your nuts!") Sorry - guess I have a warped mind! Anyway, toasting/roasting your nuts just totally enhances and even transforms the flavor! It's worth the extra effort!

The Miracle Kit!

Join the National Scrapbooking Month celebration in May with this special Miracle kit offer. It's a beautiful spring-themed scrapbooking kit that includes new, coordinating B&T Duos® die-cut papers, B&T Duos, Irresistibles™ chipboard die-cuts, My Stickease® adhesive images, Flip Flaps™, plus more favorite accessories and papers. We're also including an instruction brochure for easily creating two beautiful two-page layouts-with no stamping required! Get your very own Miracle scrapbooking kit FREE or at a discount! Here are the details:

From April 15 (at 9 am MT) - May 31:
*Purchase the kit outright for $19.95
*Place a minimum order of $40 (excluding Studio J™ orders) and purchase the kit for only $10
*Place a minimum order of $60 (excluding Studio J orders) and purchase the kit for only $5!

*Host a Home Gathering with minimum sales of $300 and receive a kit FREE!

**From May 1-31, sign up as a new Consultant and receive a kit FREE!

Click here to see the layouts and get more information.

Click here to order yours today!

BONUS - check out these alternative projects you can make with this kit instead of the traditional layouts! Interested? I can provide cutting guides and instructions for you!

9x9 accordian album (inspired by Vicki Wizniuk - check out her 6x6 accordian album here)

5x7 A Tweet card

Candlelight card (also designed by Vicki)

This card features the May stamp of the month: Cherish the Moment! Notice how well the Twinkle brads coordinate with this kit!

Do you want a miracle kit to use at the All Day Crop? Simply place your order online or contact me with your order no later than Sunday, April 18th.

Let me show you how to celebrate the relationships in your life through the art of scrapbooking and stamping!

National Scrapbook Day & All Day Crop

Saturday, May 1st from 9am - 9pm
Cross Lanes,WV

Join me for 12 hours of scrapbooking fun!
$15 per person
Space is limited - so reserve a spot for you and a friend today!

Cost includes: personal scrappin' space, NEW Summer Idea Book, Goodie Bag, optional workshops, door prizes, lunch & dinner, use of all my stamps, inks & tools, including Cricut and Cuttlebug. (Feel free to bring your own cartridges to use also.)

What's a crop? It's a day to scrapbook to your heart's content.Catch up on old projects or start on new ones! Are you not a scrapbooker? Bring your other projects to work on. Need help getting started? I'd love to help!

Bring your own materials and tools to work on without kids, husbands or anyone else pulling you away! I'll have plenty of supplies available if you need additional materials or a whole kit to work with! Just let me know in advance.

Want to take a break and relax in the jacuzzi? Bring your suit!

Bring a snack to share and receive extra door prize tickets!
Pay by April 24th and receive extra door prize tickets!
There are only 10 spots available - so email me ASAP to reserve your spot today!

Java & Journals

Our church is hosting a ladies night out with plenty of girl time, coffee and a chance to make a journal! Here is what we will be making.

Get ready.....it's a sneak peek at our new Summer papers! Woo Hoo!!

This first photo is a little washed out by the flash (sorry).