A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Can you believe it's almost here?

Nah, me neither, but we better just face reality
(we can do it together)-
it's only 3 days until Christmas!

So, in the spirit of a beloved song
(that, let's face it, isn't technically a "Christmas Song")-
here are some things I am loving this year-

Christmas Tree Boxes
Trish over at DaisysandDots is super sweet AND creative!
Buy them here.


"A Baby Changes Everything"

This beautiful and so true song can be found on my blog-
just scroll down to the player, it's the first song on the list!

Monkey Booties

Ooohhh, these are just too cute for words!
Buy them here.

My delicious and semi-famous
Snowball Chipper Cookies

(These are for you if you love coconut and chocolate, AKA- Mounds Bars!)

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup Sour Cream (Go for the real deal, people!)
2 TBSP melted butter/margarine
1 beaten egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 Cups Shredded coconut
1/2 Cup mini Chocolate Chips
4-6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Parchment Paper
Wax Paper

-Sift flour/baking powder in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat sugar, sour cream, butter and egg white. At low speed, gradually add flour mixture, just until blended. Beat in vanilla and coconut. Stir in mini chocolate chips.

-Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and if desired, spray with vegetable oil (Pam). Form 1" balls by rolling coconut mixture and place 1" apart on baking sheet. Hint- dip fingers in warm water occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to your hands. Also, make sure to pack the balls decently firm, or they will collapse when baking.

-Bake 18-22 minutes in an oven preheated to 325, just until coconut begins to brown. Cool on wire rack.

-Line cookie sheets with wax paper. Melt the semi sweet chocolate and dip cooled balls until bottom 1/4 is coated. Placed cookies dipped-side down on wax paper and refrigerate 30 minutes, until chocolate is set. Enjoy! Also, these cookies freeze beautifully.

If I had a picture, I'd post one, but all my snowball chippers seem to have vanished, somehow!


Laughing at Cake Wrecks!

I have to read this blog of botched professional cakes and snarky commentary daily!
Check it out here!

That's all for now, my lovelies,
feel free to post a few of your own favorite things!

Who else is addicted to this?

WELCOME TO SCRAPAHOLICS ANONYMOUS

"Hi I'm Katrina and.... I'm a scrapaholic."

"Hi Katrina."

1.) I admit that I have become powerless over paper, ribbon and cute embellishments.

2.) I believe that a Power greater than myself can restore me to sanity. (Wait.... do I even want to be sane if it means giving up my Cricut?)

3. I made a decision to turn my will and life over to the care of God (even though He's the one who gave me the creativity gene in the first place!)

4. I made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself. (and came up with more paper than I know what to do with, stamps and stamp pads that haven't even been opened in the years I've owned them, a drawer entirely dedicated to rub-ons, and ribbon coming out of places I won't mention!)

5. I admitted to God, to myself, and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs. (But my best friend keeps encouraging me anyways...)

6. I am entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. (Wait a minute... is that really required? Defects of character... really? I thought everyone based their worth on how many scrapbooking tools they had!)

7. I humbly asked Him to remove my shortcomings. (Dear Lord... please help me to never again just dump all my scraps and clippings on the floor while I work until I can't walk away without it all clinging to the bottom of my socks. Please enable me to remember to put the cap back on my glue and find all the eyelets I dropped on the floor that got lost in the scraps.)

8. I made a list of all persons I had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. (Oh dear, sweet husband...)

9. I made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. (Wouldn't everyone be more hurt/injured if I didn't give them cute, personalized cards and scrapbooks to enjoy?)

10. I continued to take personal inventory and when I was wrong promptly admitted it. (Yeah... you're right... that ribbon really doesn't match.)

11. I sought through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out. (God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (the things already glued down), courage to change the things I can (the trashed floor and disorganized paper), and the wisdom to know the difference.)

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, I tried to carry this message to other scrapaholics and to practice these principles in all my affairs. (Well, here it is, other scrapaholics!)

KEEP COMING BACK!

IT WORKS IF YOU WORK IT!

NO DUMPING... it kills!

DISCLAIMER: this may be a long post. We tend to be weird and funny. Enjoy!

As promised, here are some pictures and stories of the funnier things from our trip!

If you know my husband, Greg, you know exactly why this is hysterical! =)

Incidentally, this vista point overlooking a large lake is where I lost and later found my wedding rings! I had taken them off to put lotion on my hands and set them in Greg's lap. I forgot about them until a long while later, when we were well past this scenic overlook climbing the steep mountain grades. Of course, I was hysterical, thinking they were gone forever, but we drove back to look anyways. Miraculously, I spied them from quite a distance as we were combing the area. It took awhile before I settled down after that!

For some reason, Greg just could not remember to replace the gas cap EVERY time we got gas. Maybe he was just so excited to drive this sporty little G6. After doing this a few times, I finally had to take a picture.
Greg wants everyone to know how fast he got the speedometer needle up to.

Here's us in Virginia City, Nevada. This is an awesome historical old mining town. There are over 400 miles of mines underneath this small city! It really was incredible.
Taking a mine tour. Our guide may have been tipping it back a little right beforehand in the saloon where the mine tour started. There are more saloons than anything else in this town!

Here's a Californian Happy Cow.
This one's for you, mom!

Staying at the Wawona Hotel. It was beautiful, in high Victorian fashion. For this reason, we did not have a bathroom in our actual room. It was 2 floors down.
Hence these robes.
Aren't they sexy?


This next one is the only semblance of civilized plumbing in our room.
If you know me well enough, you know that I always take a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Well, that's pretty scary in the mountains with bears and mountain lions just waiting to devour you!


Here I am picking up pine cones to throw over the bridge and race down the waterfall. What they don't tell you when you buy beautiful pine cones in the store, is that in nature they are covered in barbs and sap, and that's why I am making this face.
Out of pain.

This is me being very angry at Greg for going off without me and hiking to the edge of the icy waterfall. He was constantly doing crap like that, scaring the pants off me!
Here's some more proof that Greg may have a death wish-



Okay, these next pictures show that Greg must try very hard at not being photogenic!
I was taking the picture in this one and completely unaware of his antics!
Every time he took the picture, he always made this strained face:
We got a good laugh out of looking at all the photos where his face is exactly like this! Maybe I'll put a scrapbook together of them. =)
Okay, I think I've regaled you with enough for now!

We're Baaa-aaack!

and well rested after a fabulously romantic anniversary vacation to....

California!

(Trisha from over at Daisy's and Dots- you win!
How'd you guess, girl?)

P.S. Theresa- I wish we had gone to Scotland, haha, but Califor-ni-a was awesome, too!

The handsome hubby and I flew in to San Jose, CA and visited the awesome redwood forests on a misty day:
Please give my disheveled appearance a break on this one, we had been up for a very long time and got off a plane not too much earlier!

Then, we went to San Francisco:
Here we are riding a cable car up the crazy-steep streets.
(Just an incidental little note about our visit to San Francisco- it's crazy there any day of the year, but we got the amusement of being there on Halloween!)

From there we traveled to Yosemite National Park:
We visited the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees- holy crap- were they amazing!

And then, we drove to our final destination for the remainder of the trip- Lake Tahoe:


We got snow while we were there, it was very pretty and romantic- especially since we could cuddle up in front of our fireplace!
Bye, Lake Tahoe, we'll miss you!

This trip was so amazing, words cannot possibly do it justice at all, and pictures especially never fully capture God's breathtaking creation. Several times I teared up at the magnificent beauty of it all.

This was truly the trip of a lifetime. My dear husband deserves a medal!

Watch for my next post, in which I will regale you with humorous stories and pictures from the trip!

A Romantic Gesture and a GIVEAWAY!!!

November 8, 2003

Wow, I can't believe it has been 5 years already!

Sometimes I think, "Wow, we just got married yesterday!" and yet, sometimes I feel like I don't remember a time when we weren't together!

Know whadda mean? Each year just keeps getting better!

So, get your "Awwwww's" ready- here's the romantic gesture-

My knight, Greg, is whisking me away on an anniversary vacation that is all a surprise to me! He has done ALL of the planning, keeping everything under wraps (which is pretty hard for him, believe me!) All I know is that we are flying and that we are going to a cold climate. (Which I only discovered 2 days ago, due to the fact that I had lots of laundry to do before I could even consider packing.)

Greg- you are such an amazing man! You are strong and tender, faithful and loving, romantic and funny. You are more than I ever could have imagined God would see fit to bless me with- you are such a testament to God's abundant provision for his children! I am so thankful for your love and ministry in my life that even writing this I am brought to tears. I love you!
(P.S. You're darned sexy, too!)

All sniffles aside, here's the GIVEAWAY part you've been waiting for after all the mushy stuff-

I cannot even venture a guess as to
where we are going?

Can you?

Leave a comment with your guess and if you wish,
a mushy dedication of your own!

Whoever's the closest (geographically, that is!) will win this-

Use it to send a message of love to your sweetheart!

As soon as I return (in 10 days, people!!! =) I will tell you all about our vacation, where we went, and announce the winner!


See you later!

Quote of the Day

"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy..."

Someone please tell me I am not the only one who thinks that is a hilarious quote!

(Bonus points if you can tell me where it's from!)

This post is definitely a shout out for my HANDSOME and HANDY hubby Greg!

If you've been reading my posts you know that I have a craft show coming up this weekend in Hamilton, Michigan (come and visit!!!). I needed a way to display my tags, so the hubby got to work on my idea for a tree made of dowels. After a long day at work, he accompanied me to Menard's, and then got right to work out in the cold garage (we live in the stone age, apparently, and our garage is not attached to our house. And it's a one stall. Okay, but at least there's electricity!)

By the time dinner was ready (homemade pea soup, yummmmmm!) it was almost complete, save for the swiveling base. That's right- it is going to rotate- when Greg makes something, he goes the whole nine yards! So, it still needs some finishing touches like routing the base, sanding and varnishing, which we hope to accomplish today.

So, my lovelies, look forward to pictures of my wonderful dowel tree, coming soon!

Thanks, Greg for what a wonderful husband you are, always helping me fulfill my dreams with your brains and brawn! xo

My Debut...

Hey y'all!

Just going crazy over here getting stuff created for my first ever craft show!

My BFF and I are going in on a booth and diving headfirst into the craft fair world! Wish us luck. =)


So, if you are in the area and wish to visit, please do! It should be a fabulous show and it's for a great cause-

Booths for Youths
Saturday, October 25, 2008
9am-2pm
Hamilton Middle School
Hamilton, MI

Hope to see you there!

If you're in the Holland area...

Hi my lovelies! Deepest apologies for making you wait so long for my next post.

('Cause I know deep down inside that every day you rush to your computer to see if the venerable Kat of Kat's Krafts has finally changed her dang blog!)

If not, please don't ruin it for me.

So... about the title of my post-

• Are you going to be in the Holland/Zeeland (Michigan, of course) area this Thursday evening?
• Want to come be a part of my card-making class, have fun and meet some new people?

If you answered yes to either of those questions (preferably both, of course!) you are cordially invited!

Here's the scoop-

• We will be making 6 awesome greeting cards, using all sorts of fun techniques and materials (you can even play around with my Cricut!)
• The cost is $15, which includes all the materials as well as some light refreshments.
• Come Thursday, October 16th from 6-8pm to First Baptist Church of Zeeland (let me know if you need directions)
  
• You must RSVP!! (after all, how am I going to know how much materials to bring?) You can do this by leaving a comment or emailing me- katskrafts@yahoo.com
• Just bring yourself, a friend if you want, and scissors

Cards pictured are just 2 of the 6 we will be making.

EAT HAM.... A Turkey's Plea

Can't you see the desperation in his eyes?

Please, for the love of this adorable creation of mine, consider a porcine treat this Thanksgiving!

(For anyone not in the know, "porcine" refers to all things pork, i.e. ham, in this case.)

If you love and adore this card and absolutely HAVE to have it- click here to purchase.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Hi again. Long time, no talk!

I have not been able to access blogger for a few days and I finally figured it out- it was just our internet filter- geesh- so easy I can't believe it took me that long to figure out.

'Cause let me tell you, I would've blogged my heart out this weekend.

See, I'm home alone.

My hubby and his buddies take a weekend trip up north every year and stay on an uninhabited island called Manitou Island. There are no bathrooms on this island, no sinks, no showers, not even real "campsites" to speak of. There's only one spot where campfires are allowed (takes the whole fun out of camping, if you ask me!) They have to take a ferry to get there and have to hike in everything they will need- food water, gear, etc. And they actually enjoy it! Greg lives all year for this, God bless him!

Well, while they are getting back to nature by eating freeze-dried food and granola bars and digging holes for their you-know-what, us wives get to hold down the fort. And since we've no little ones, yet, that means I got to do whatever I wanted all weekend!

-Chick Flicks (Sense and Sensibility and The Nanny Diaries for me this weekend!)
-Starbucks (that's right, Greg, and I made it a grande, too!)
-Crafting until all hours (check out the shop here)
-Shopping (just browsing without a care in the world!)
-No cooking (yay for frozen pizza!)

Doing all that much fun stuff took time. Too much time to enable me to clean house! So, I leave you, my friends, to bring some tidiness and cheer into my abode. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday afternoon (after I get done cleaning, I'm going to read a book and take a nap! =).

MATURE CONTENT and McCAIN - OBAMA

Did my title lure you in? Hope so...that was the point!

Wow, I can't believe I snagged 2 treasuries!

One is a regular treasury and one is in treasury west.
(For those of you with no idea what a treasury is, it's a place where us etsy nerds gather cool items in a display. Click the links to check them out.)

My first- MATURE Audience ONLY!!!

Get it? The items are all over 100 years old. =)


My second- MCCAIN or OBAMA?

Personally, I'm for McCain, but the point is- exercise your right to VOTE!!!

My 15 Minutes of Fame

Okay, it was more like one hour-

I made it to Etsy's front page! After opening shop last year, I have finally had one of my items (my super-fab Cootie Catchers) make it on the front page of Etsy. Yay!!!

Thanks to FriendlyPairings for featuring me in her jaw-droppingly beautiful treasury

An ETSY Wedding in Autumn

Drum Roll Please...and the WINNER is...

You can't eat.


You can't sleep.


You keep crossing yourself and saying Hail Mary's (and you're not even close to being Catholic).


So, I am going to put you out of your misery- (humor me, people!)

The winner of my fantastically fabulous, first-ever,
fall giveaway is............................
(Picked by a super cool random picker)

THERESA J
(Click on her name and visit her fab etsy shop)

So, there you have it. Thanks to all for being a part of my blogging life and sharing what you love about my favorite season (wiping away a tear).

GIVEAWAY!!! Last call for entries!

Just a quick reminder to get your entries in for my fabulous fall giveaway!

I will choose a winner Wednesday afternoon, so make sure to check back to see if you've won.

Good Luck! =)

New Cricut Cartridge = Fall GIVEAWAY!!!

Ok, yesterday I got the most fab new Cricut Cartridge- "Stretch Your Imagination." And since I'm pretty crafty-nerdy like that, I decided to celebrate.

So... (drum roll, please)...it's a giveaway!

Here's what the lucky winner will receive:

3 Gorgeous little note cards

One super-cute Thanksgiving card:

How to enter: Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite thing about fall is AND what you are thankful for this year.

I will draw the winner on Wednesday afternoon, so get your entries in now!!! =)

Gobble, Gobble!
Kat

Never, EVER Make This Huge Mistake, People!

Warning: Rant coming.

Last weekend I had something happen to me that is the absolute worst! No, I'm not talking about running out of chocolate, having a fight with the spouse, or missing an episode of the Office.

Worse, people! (I know right now you are thinking, "What could be worse than running out of chocolate?" Trust me- read on.)

Here it is in all it's gory splendor-

I traveled 3 long hours (in a car with my mother, sister, aunt, AND husband driving- but that's not what was awful...I digress) in order to go to a Couple's Wedding Shower. Yeah, the hubby was thrilled about being dragged to that, let me tell you.

Anyhow, we get there just fine, say hello, bring our gifts, mingle, etc. I hadn't seen my family in a while and I've been doing the whole Weight Watchers thing- lost about 25 pounds, actually. (Go me!!!) So, you know I have dressed in a cute, flattering outfit, so that the compliments from my relatives who haven't seen me in months would just come rolling my way.

Wrong. Nothing. Absolutely no mention of how good I'm looking. Until.....


Relative: "Congratulations!!!" Well, it's about time people!

Me: "Thanks." Long Pause "Ummm...for what?"

"You're Pregnant!!!!"

"Uh, no."

"You're trying?"

"Nope, just fat." I don't have much tact, if you hadn't noticed.

"Oh....(trailing off)... I thought I heard you were pregnant.

And...cue the ego deflation.

Please, for the love of chocolate and all things holy, NEVER mention pregnancy to a person unless-
A.) They've told you flat out that they are pregnant.
or
B.) They're in labor.

Rant Over.

Cooties are for Everyone!

Just updating the shop with some new Cootie Catcher designs and colors, and hoping to give a little inspiration to all the future brides out there!

These make the most awesomely unique little wedding favors! If you have a special event coming up, contact me- I would love the opportunity to create a lasting memory!