a bit of beauty

and awe....http://vimeo.com/31158841

i would like to challenge you as we head into the next few weeks-
to take a moment or two
a stand in awe of something
or someone
or a memory
and know you
are blessed...

love to you all and may your Thanksgiving be special between
you and yours.

karin

Giveway of whimsical proportions

So Miss Michelle of Allen designs is having a giveway. She is also having an open studio event that is always a lot of fun. She used to be based in Battle Ground but recently moved closer. In fact she is amazingly close to my house. Just down the road from UPS. Go check out her blog to
enter for your choice of gifts...

Thrifting fun

It's the time of year again when I go in search of vintage fun for my Christmas stash. Gary doesn't think I need any more stuff but...

I went with a girlfriend on Friday and hit three stores down towards Oregon City. We were pretty excited about our finds at the end of the day. This first photo shows a couple of days worth of great finds.
This next photo shows the detail on a great "tea towel" I found that I think I will make a pillow from. Amy and I found a similar one at a frou frou store in Bridgeport on Sunday. Way more than the $1.50 I spent!
I hear all the time from people that they never find great things at the thrift stores. You have to go often and early in the day before things are picked through. I look to see what tags are 1/2 off when I enter and actively search for those items. I have a price in my head that I am willing to spend and if it is more, I put the item down and check back in a week or two...it may then be on sale. I find the best prices at Paws and Claws, Salvation Army, Friends of the Carpenter and Value Village. However, Goodwill has the most items because those deposit spots are everywhere.

I'm always game if someone needs a thrifting buddy...just let me know.

Homemade Smash book

This is my first attempt at a mixed media journal-sort of like the Smash book. Have you heard of them?! I get all excited just thinking of them-they are journal/scrapbooks with cute decorated pages. The user then "smashes" stuff from their life into the books. The one I have I use for special things I do such as movie stubs and for things I find online that are especially encouraging to me.

This one is much smaller but I figured things out as I went and that meant smaller is better.

I set up a Flicker group so you could see all the pages. I used old dictionary, novel and kid's storybook pages as well as grid paper and ledger pages too. Just a collection of some of the massive supply of paper I have. I will probably be adding packets of papers to my Etsy account so others can put their own books together too. It doesn't need to have the binder strip, simple office supply rings or ribbon would even work. Just punch holes and use what ever is around. I've got lots of ideas but not necessarily the stamina to get them all done. Stay tuned....

An offer for you-Project Life

Have you seen all the information about Project Life? It's a super easy way to scrapbook-just slip in the photos and little journaling cards. Becky Higgins designed it a few years ago. I bought a kit thinking it would be great. But...I decided I really like the traditional process more. So I have this kit to sell. It retailed for more, but I could take $40 for it. I just added up the products for the new line which has the components sold separately. The total would be about $80! There is room for over 100 pictures if I remember correctly. Here is the kit lay out, not sure I know where the date stamp is...
Ali Edwards has been doing hers and posting her pages. Here are a few:
She puts bits and pieces from her everyday life in too. She is using hers as a 365 one year project but they could be used for so much more.

Now if even that seems overwhelming-I could put it together for you with your photos but it would have to include $$ for my time.

Let me know if you would be interested.

Soup-it's what is for dinner

I was looking around on the internet and came across Lyn's web page. I was looking for something different to cook for dinner that was within my eating program guidelines. I came across this soup that looked a lot like split pea. When I read the list of ingredients I was dubious at first but thought it was worth a try.

It ended up with the mouth feel of split pea and texture too. Definitely will be making this again.
I used cubed ham because that was what I could find but a ham bone would have been better.
Low Carb Split Pea Soup
Start with 4 cups of your best low sodium chicken stock, homemade or otherwise. If you have a ham bone to simmer in this for an hour, that is fantastic (strain and then skim the fat when you're done). If you are using store bought, you probably want to season it nicely with a few shakes of garlic, onion powder, parsley, thyme, and marjoram. You can add ham bouillon too if you like, but watch the salt!

Bring the stock to a boil and add 1 1/2 C. cauliflower (I used raw but frozen is fine) and 1 1/2 cups of frozen green beans. (If using fresh, hold off until you add the ham for these) Cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Then, remove from heat and carefully puree with a stick blender until smooth. If you don't have a stick blender, cool soup to room temp. and use a regular blender and then return to pan.

Add 10 ounces of lean ham. Try to find the leanest, lowest sodium ham possible; cubes of ham steak or ham shredded from the simmered bone works well. Watch the carbs in your ham! It should be close to 0; do not use honey ham or brown sugar ham. You can also use a smoked turkey leg as the original recipe calls for. Ham is "generally not recommended" on Medifast because of the sodium content, but Nutrition Support has stated that 5 ounces of lean ham can be used as a Lean on occasion. Also, add 1/2 cup of diced celery. Return to a simmer, partially cover and let cook another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add black pepper to taste.

Let this cool for ten minutes, uncovered. It will thicken slightly. Divide into two equal portions and enjoy!
Each portion is one complete Medifast Lean & Green plus whatever condiments you used.
For calorie counters, here are the stats for one serving (half the recipe):
250 calories
6 g fat
13 g carbs
5 g fiber
32 g protein
Each serving is actually close to two cups of soup! This is a very filling and yummy meal and tastes a heck of a lot like split pea soup. Remember, this is a very simple recipe so use good stock and a good ham for best results. Enjoy!