My New Obsession

I've discovered Digital Scrapbooking!
I'm super new at digital design in general, and only just got Photoshop Elements last week. But, I'm already loving how creative I can be with this medium.

I've got plans to make mini scrapbooks for the grandparents, personalized calendars, invitations, and detailed layouts to hang on the boys bedroom wall. I'm really excited to know that there is so much I can do with this skill, and am soaking up all the tutorials I can find!

Ice Cream for Breakfast

That's right, you read it. My boys had ice cream for breakfast today.

We go through a lot of bananas in our house. And, I don't complain since I like my boys to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

Now that the weather has begun to warm up it's a perfect time for Banana Ice Cream, and why not for breakfast? After all it's 100% vegan, raw, and Organic (as long as you use Organic bananas)

I froze about 6 pealed bananas over night, then fed them through my Champion Juicer. It really is amazing how creamy it comes out. It looks just like vanilla ice cream, complete with little flecks (look like vanilla beans, are really bits of banana seeds). Anyway, my Shep Loves it (and so does his baby brother)! It's equal to regular dairy ice cream to him, maybe a little better since he gets to watch it being made and take part in the preparation.

I added a bit of 'Raw Goji Berry & Cacao Powder Mix' to add some more healthiness and make it look and taste a bit more special.


Needless to say, the bowl was empty in no time!

Watering Can

Here's my newest stamp. Just listed it in my shop this morning. And, I really love it :-)


It makes the perfect addition to Summer page lay outs, and garden inspired gift tags.

New Stamps

Just thought I'd share a couple of my new stamp designs here.

I love this branch! I wanted to make one that was more realistic and detailed than my original branch design. And, once I got the sketch just right I got to carving, and came up with this little beauty. I love that it can be used to frame something, a photo, a page, or a journal entry.


I have been wanting to make a crown stamp for a long time and finally decided on the design. I made it have just the right angle so that it can be placed atop something to 'crown' it.


I'm busy working on more and will be adding them to my shop with in the week!

Sandy Bar Ranch

We just returned from a trip to the gorgeous Klamath region of Northern CA (think Old Growth forest, a waterfall around every turn, misty mornings, and moss covering everything)

It was quite a drive from the Bay Area, but so worth it!








We spent two days at the beautiful Sandy Bar Ranch. A permaculture based farm that offers cabin rentals right on the Klamath river.










It was a wonderful time to visit. All the fruit tree were in bloom with bees buzzing about.



The boys really enjoyed themselves. The goats and chickens at the ranch were a big hit with both of them! Shepard got to feed the goats and Xavier spent a lot of time just watching the chickens pecking around in their coop.

Easy Solution for Left Over Oatmeal

Here's a recipe (sort of) for those of you who have also been plagued with the question of what to do with that left over oatmeal. Since Oatmeal is such a common breakfast for my children and I during these cold and rainy Winter mornings I came up with a yummy treat that uses up that oatmeal that's left in the pot.

You'll need:

Cooked Oatmeal (I used about 4 cups worth for this recipe. I make extra now that I've come up with this treat, but you can save whatever you have left over a couple of days and plop it all in a bowl when it comes time to mix your ingredients)

Apple, Pealed and Finely Chopped (you can use a whole apple or just improvise by using the left over apple slices your kids didn't eat, that's what I did :-)

Raisins and/or Currants (I used a bit of both. And just add as many as you'd like. The more the better, in my opinion!)

Sweetener (I like to use a bit of honey or maple syrup. But, not much is needed since the raisins and apples add sweetness)

Cinnamon (I used about a tablespoon full)

An Appropriately Sized Glass Baking Dish (Buttered)

Heat your oven to 350. Mix all ingredients and spread into the baking dish. You may wish to add a few small dollops of butter to the top to help it crisp up a bit. Bake, uncovered, for about an hour (maybe more, maybe less depending on the thickness of your mixture) You'll know it's done when it looks pretty dry on top and feels firm to the touch. I like to serve it warm, right out of the oven, but I'm sure it will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.


If anyone decides to give this a try I'd love to hear comments on how it comes out! And, let me know if you come up with any variations, I'd love some ideas for what else I could add!