Mixed Media Scrapbook

 Mixed Media Album #1

One of my many addictions is scrap booking, I do digital and traditional scrap booking. I prefer traditional, there is nothing like using your hands to create a place for your cherished memories.
As of lately mixed media albums and art have caught my attention. I love the use of texture, different mediums and trinkets. So I decided to make a mixed media album for my little brother Dan.
Dan, my 2 sisters and I had gone to the Valley Fair in MN last summer for a fun filled weekend of fair rides and lots of fair food.
 I wanted to make a manly album that he wouldn't be embarrassed to show off to his friends. I did this album during the winter when us North Dakotains have plenty of time indoors.
Since I am located in the middle of "no mans land" and the nearest craft store is located at least a 1 1/2 hour drive away, I used supplies I had around the house, in my scrapbook stash, and quilting stash for this album.

Here are a few things I used in this album

Grungeboard Album ( Tim Holtz)

Heat Gun and Embossing Powders

Newspaper pages

Used stamps from junk mail
Blue Jean Scraps

Fabric (fat quarters, leftover fabric)

Ink and stamps

Modpodge (used for gluing pictures to pages and clear coating them to protect them)

Stapler and staples ( I used these to add a grunge factor to pages)

Punch (or cropadile)

Brads and Grommets

Paperclips



I left this page unstained, glued the newspaper to the page with modpodge. Stamped then added the picture. I covered every picture with modpodge to protect them.

 

I prestained some of the pages with the ink pad and let dry. It takes awhile to dry. So do this the day before you plan on putting elements on the pages.

 

I used a heat gun and did some embossing on this page, the heat causes the grunge board to warp, at first I didn't like the warping, but it added character to the album.

This was my first mixed media album and I will be making a few more, I love the look and feel of these albums. My little brother was happy to get an album of his trip with us girls. My sisters kept looking at it and begged me to make them each one too. Well we shall see if I get to theirs after the baby is born.

 

 

Spinach not just for Salads

My Sister-In-Law and I were talking one day about eating healthy. I told her how much I loved sauteed spinach. Its so easy to make and if your like me and don't really want to eat salads all the time its a good alternative. She proceed to ask how to make it and I explained  how to and probably ended up confusing her. Yes I know I confused her since she just stood there staring at me. So in her honor I have made this blog post.

First your going to need a large saute pan.
Veggie Oil or Olive oil or like me BUTTER! About 2 Tablespoons...
1 bag of Baby Spinach or whatever Spinach is in the fridge. (this makes 2 servings)
Spatula
Salt and Pepper

This process goes really fast....so have everything on hand, and right next to the stove.

Heat saute pan add butter, let butter melt

I always cook on high, but if your uncomfortable with high heat, do this on low or med.

   Add entire bag of Spinach

Toss (or stir with spatula) as it cooks

Saute until wilted

Add salt and pepper

stir again

And serve.

Doesn't look really pretty on the plate but it sure tastes good.

Here are two more variations on Sauteed Spinach that I enjoy making.

Sauteed Spinach with onions.

Need the same ingredients as the above recipe just add 1 white onion (or whatever you have on hand!)

Thinly slice onion, I do this by peeling outer layer, cutting the top off, then cut onion in half. Finish peeling and slice.

Add 2 Tablespoon butter heat in pan, toss in about 5 slices of onions per bag of spinach.

Saute till tender. Add spinach. Salt and pepper.

Saute 'till wilted. Serve....nummy nummy.

Here is the recipe for creamy spinach.

You will need Same stuff as first recipe.

Heavy Cream, Sugar, salt and pepper.

Melt Butter. Add spinach. Add salt (2tsp) Add sugar (2tsp)

Working quickly add  2Tbsp. heavy cream.

Saute until spinach is wilted and creamy.

This is a richer side dish, I usually eat this alone for dinner.

Hope I explained these dishes well enough for everyone to understand.

Gus, The First Man I Loved

Gus and Me at the 4-H County Fair 2003

Gus

 I've had many horses and the one horse that I have kept throughout College and still have is my Quarter Horse Gus. He is unregistered and he originally belonged to my brother. I bought him after I sold my first mare Ginger, she couldn't keep up with my fast pace and had gotten to old.

Gus on the other hand loved to gallop and couldn't stand still. He would paw the ground and break a sweat before we even started. And once you were in the saddle Gus liked to take off at a full gallop. Everyone didn't want to ride him because of this, but after working with him for about a year, he would stand still while I mounted. He is now about 20 yrs. old or older and starting to feel his age.

I still ride him and other people for the first time can ride him too. When I stop him he no longer paws the ground, he is content to stand there and enjoy the down time.

Here is a poem ( or whatever you call it) I wrote for him when I was in Highschool.

GUS

Big brown eyes look into my soul,
Gentle, kind, caring, and all knowing.
The smell of sweat as he gallops the last mile.
Tired and exhausted your willing to go where I will,
Even if death awaits you there.
Since your gentle eyes look to me for guidance,
I will not let you misstep.
So, oh so gently I slow you gait.
Breathing heavily he lowers his sculpted head,
Takes a nip of the purple alfalfa bud.
You always seem to know where they are.
Walking the seemingly long dirt road home,
You nip at the grass, I make no move to stop you.
For life’s joys ebbs to an end for you,
My handsome horse, my dream come true.
Your ears flick back as if you sense the tears falling down my face,
Spilling out of my blue eyes and falling unto your mane.
You slow your steps, as if letting me savor each one.
Your carved ears flick forward at the sound of pasture mates…
…calling your name.
Paying no heed to them, your ears flick back to me.
A few more steps bring us to the red gate.
I dismount and gently pull the saddle,
Off your sweat soaked back.
As I open the gate you give me a shove,
As if to say, “its not that bad.”
As the iron bit clangs against your teeth and slips out your velvet mouth,
I carelessly let it fall to the sandy ground.
He stands silently and lets me cry into his coarse black mane.
With a heavy heart I climb the red gate and slowly walk away.
I turn one last time to take a look at the handsome bay,
He stands at the gate looking at me as I walk away.
Tomorrow Gus may be gone,
But today he is here in my safe haven.

Tales of a Homeschooled Girl

My siblings and I were all Home schooled by our mom Crysti. Dad and Mom did their best to raise us but we still managed to get into trouble and we always got caught. When I remember what we did as siblings back in the day, makes me shake my head....and say what were we thinking??

My Mom had gone to Devils Lake and left my older brothers Elijah and Jacob in charge of us younger kids( Me, Isaac and Anna) (Naomi and Dan were not born yet)

On this particular day my oldest brother Elijah had a brilliant idea, We were going to travel into town and get some candy bars! Tolna was 2 1/2 miles from our parents farm. But it was only 2 miles if you traveled cross country. (term for driving with no roads and usually over someone else's property)

I cant really remember our exact ages but Anna was probably 4, Isaac 6, Jacob 10, Elijah 12 and I would have been 8 years old. No exactly driving age.

Elijah and Jacob had really thought out this plan. They filled a tank with gas, put it on the big wagon with Anna, Isaac and me.

They then retrieved the walkie talkies incase we got separated.

Then they went and started up the riding lawn mower, tied the wagon onto the hitch of the mower and we were off on our adventure.

Well the adventure didn't last long because the mower wouldn't pick up enough speed with the wagon tied on the back. So midway off our property we unhooked the wagon left Anna and Isaac with the gas and one walkie talkie, this was incase we ran out of gas.

All of us older siblings then took off on our speedy lawn mower across the neighbors alfalfa pasture towards town.

We hit the paved highway after 2 miles and took that the rest of the way into Tolna. We made it to the grocery store and were about to hop off and get our candy bars when we saw Mom's van pull up.

I think we all thought about hiding but there was no way Mom would mistake the rusted lawnmower in front of the grocery store as anyone else’s lawn mower.

We all stood there staring at her. I mean come on we just wanted a candy bar!!!

Well our mom did not think this was funny, she made Elijah drive the mower home, took Me and Jacob home in the van. Here she had returned from Devils Lake to find Anna and Isaac sitting in the field with a tank of gas on the wagon.

Oh we were so mad, here they tattled on us!! We all got a talking to by Dad later that night.

Moral of the story....never let older Brothers babysit and never take something slow like a lawn mower to Town, in case you need to outrun your parents.