High/Low: April 30, 2010

My LOW this Week was that I'm stressing about some financial stuff and just kind of having a hard time focusing on my work again! I'm trying to come up with a better schedule of my life so I get things done - but its just not there yet!

My HIGH for this Week was that its NSD! I've spent quite a lot of time preparing for it and its nice that its finally here! I'm especially excited about our NSD Party Chat tomorrow afternoon! I have 2 challenges that I'm very excited about and I can't wait to participate in them with you!

Another great thing is that today I get to see my cousin that I haven't seen in a year. She came to the BYU Women's Conference and I'm going to go see her tonight! Yay!



Today's freebie is in the post below (NSD Blog Train)!

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Recipe Thursday - Potato Ham & Cheese Bake

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
This one is nice and easy and its a wonderful comfort food! It also uses ingredients that you most likely have on hand and makes for a quick meal! Another one of my family's favorites!


Potato Ham & Cheese Bake
by DeDe Smith

Potatoes
8 oz Sour Cream
4 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 cube butter
Sliced Deli Ham
Grated Cheese
Corn

This is how I always make my mashed potatoes: Peel, cut-up, and boil potatoes in a large pan of water until soft but not too soft. Mash up Potatoes with butter, cream cheese and sour cream. I use my stand mixer and it makes the potatoes so smooth! You can add less/more of the butter, sour cream, and cream cheese as needed.

For each serving - place 2-3 slices of ham on cookie sheet. Top with large serving of mashed potatoes and add grated cheese to the middle of the potatoes.

Bake at 375 degrees until cheese melts - about 10 minutes. Serve with Corn!

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Designer Spotlight with Sharon

Please join me tonight for another Designer Spotlight Chat! We have the wonderful Sharon Walden of Nini's Notions with us!

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Beary is back!

So I don't know if you remember - but around Christmastime - Beary Elf usually comes around to my blog and grants some wishes and several of you get a free product from me.

Well, something peculiar happened this morning as I was driving my daughter to preschool. Small flecks of snow started falling.......at the end of April. Can you believe this? Now, for the moment it has stopped snowing and the ground is wet, but the snow is melted and it wasn't really that much anyways......but it was enough that Beary got a little confused and decided to pay my blog a visit. Being that its almost, May - he isn't wearing his usual Elf outfit and he was kind of trying to get into the SPRING of things. By the time he got here - the snow is gone - but since he was here - he decided to grant some wishes anyway-since it is NSD time! So here's what you have to do!



You must email Beary at dedesmith32@gmail.com with your choice of ONE of my products (no collections) that you would like to have! And you might just get something special in your email box this NSD! There is a deadline...Beary is going to be leaving on May 1st - so that is the last day you can make a wish!

Beary would love to hear your comments on this post too! And I have a new blog feature - a "like" button - so feel free to click that at the end of this post too!

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Wednesday Sayings - 4/28/10

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you!
I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!


This week's quotes:

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
- Emerson

Maya Angelou said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

If you think about it, we are all caterpillars journeying through life. Each experience adds to what we are and what we are becoming until…we become butterflies. Beautiful butterflies!

Life, even an unexpected life, can be beautiful. We just have to endure the caterpillar phase, and the chrysalis stage, and look for the beauty that unfolds as we endure and then triumph over our challenges.

And we must never forget this truth: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”

- Andrea Merriman

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NSD Party Chat on Saturday!

Don't miss our fabulous NSD Party Crop on Saturday from 1-3pm EST! Games, prizes, freebies, chatting with the Digitals Team, and 2 amazing challenges with bonuses! You're not going to want to miss this!

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Persnickety Sale!!!

At Persnickety, we are having our huge 25% off print sale (only 2x a year) on ALL Pro Prints. All orders over $200 receive a free 8x8 book from DCWV. We are hosting giveaways, freebies and more all week starting Wed. April 28th. Sign up for the Persnickety News to get the goods!

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Family History TuesdayZ | Favorite School Year

Here is this week's journal prompt :

Each Tuesday, I am going to be offering prompts or ideas. If you don't write in your journal regularly - I am going to encourage you to write just ONCE A WEEK and answer the question/idea that I give on Tuesdays. These ideas hopefully will spark a memory and you will be able to capture that in what you write/record so that it can be left for your children/grandchildren/family/friends. Give as much detail as you can when answering.

Will you do this for me? Will you do this for your families? You can write it down in a journal, you can type it up on a computer or journaling software, you can take a recorder and talk, you can videotape your answers, you can even scrap a page with the journaling. It doesn't matter how you do this - it's just important that you do it. The memories, the dates, the information is the only real thing we can leave to our families when we are gone.

If I come up with other family history ideas - I will be sure to share it here too - and if you want to share with me your ideas - that would be wonderful and I'd be glad to share them here too. Just comment here or email me at dedesmith32@gmail.com.

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Show-OffZ Challenge | Week 4/19/10

Thank you to the wonderful ladies who participated in my Show-OffZ Challenge this week, your bonus will be arriving via email shortly! Thanks!

This week's challenge was:

I want you to create a layout using photos of the OUTDOORS! Let's see the gorgeous scenery around you or the places you have been!

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No New Release Monday/Show-OffZ

The National Scrapbook Day Celebration at Digitals starts on Friday and I'm in preparation mode! I still have lots on my to-do list to get done before then - so no new release or Show-OffZ Challenge this week! I promise I have lots of fun things in store for you - so the wait will be worth it!

And I know I didn't get the Show-OffZ Challenge from last week posted yet - busy weekend - look for it later today!

Thanks for your patience!!!!

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Life 365: Week 17

Monday, April 19, 2010


Late last night I discovered that Persnickety Prints was just up the street and I had an awesome email conversation with the owner. So I prepared several of my layouts to test drive their service and sent it over early this morning. Today's photo was actually taken on Wednesday, when I picked the layouts up. They are so awesome! Its so exciting to see my work actually printed! I've made it a new goal to get a few more pages done each week. JJ and Beth have been getting after me to get more pages done because they love to look through the albums and see pictures of themselves!


Tuesday, April 20, 2010


I spent all morning and early afternoon in Riverton with JJ. We went to see a Rheumatologist about some weird bumps on JJ's big toes. It turns out that everything is okay - they are actually callouses that JJ has developed by curling his toes when he is walking with his shoes on. We are going to have to see what to do about that - but everything is okay. When we finally got back to Orem, I dropped JJ off for the last couple hours of school and picked up Beth from Cody and Becki's. Beth cried and sulked because she didn't want to leave - she was having way too much fun with Uncle Cody and Aunt Becki. But I finally got her cheered up by letting her have a tea party on the kitchen table with some of her animal friends!


Wednesday, April 21, 2010


Beth was so excited because today was Daddy & Doughnuts Day. We curled Beth's hair all pretty for her date with Dad. Joey spent the last half hour of school with Beth, visiting and eating doughnuts. Beth made her daddy a colored tie to wear too. They were so happy to spend some time together!


Thursday, April 22, 2010


Poor Bethie had to get shots today. We went in for her 5-year-old/getting ready for Kindergarten appointment. Beth was so sad and sore the rest of the day. She wouldn't take a nap but she obviously wasn't feeling well because she wouldn't even move off of the couch and that is just not like my Bethie girl. For a few hours her legs stiffened up so bad that I had to carry her around, even to use the bathroom. But finally when her daddy came home - she was feeling pretty good.


Friday, April 23, 2010


Spring weather is so much fun! We even got out the popcicles today! The kids loved it and they were so cute sitting in the same chair and watching a movie together. Have I said how much I love it when they get along? We also made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies today!


Saturday, April 24, 2010


We had a Primary activity this morning at the church, so JJ, Beth and I went and learned about some of the prophets in the Bible, while Daddy went and helped Clark with his computer. After we returned home, we packed up a picnic and headed to Liberty Park in Salt Lake City for lunch and fun with the Mortensens! It was fun to relax and enjoy the spring weather - even though their were tons of people at the park today. We played some frisbee and football, played on the playground, and the kids enjoyed playing with Curtis and Anne's kids and their new puppy. The kids played so hard that when we got home - we all took a long nap!


Sunday, April 25, 2010


I had procrastinated getting ready for my new calling - so I stayed up very late (like 4 in the morning) and finished up some fun things for the kids to hold while we had singing time. Thank goodness Joey helped me or I don't think we would have gotten any sleep. But I think it was worth it. The Sunbeam singing time went great and I'm a lot less nervous about it now!

For our Family Movie Night tonight we watched Batteries not Included and made mini pizzas (our flying saucers) for dinner! The kids loved being able to put the toppings on themselves! Another movie night success!


And here is my weekly layout:


I used my The Story of Our Lives (Digitals NSD Challenge Kit Contribution) & DIGITAL 365 to create this layout!

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High/Low: April 23, 2010 + Freebie

My LOW this Week was that I've had several bad headaches this week and apparently some allergies have hit my eyes pretty hard. Its been a bit difficult to stay focused and get things accomplished.

My HIGH for this Week was that I actually got some layouts printed this week and that they turned out so well! I'm so excited about Persnickety Prints and I can't wait to get more layouts printed! I've made a new goal, where Thursdays are dedicated to doing a few layouts instead of designing. I think this is really going to help me in so many ways - help me to actually get layouts/albums done for my kids and also give me a break from designing, but still do something creative!

REMINDER: Today is the deadline for this week's Show-OffZ Challenge! I would love for you to participate!


I have a freebie for you today - a ClusterZ StackZ & ScatterZ from my upcoming RENEWAL Kit. Enjoy and I hope you all have a great weekend!



DOWNLOAD LINK

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Recipe Thursday - Chicken Noodle Casserole

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
The 2nd night that we were home from the hospital after having JJ, my good friend, Cheryl brought over this casserole for dinner. After the first bite, Joey and I both knew this was destined to be our go-to casserole. It was tasty and comforting and just RIGHT! I've made it so many times now that I basically don't even have to think about what I am doing. I've also changed it quite a bit to fit the tastes of my family and I think I can safely claim it as my own. This is my idea of A PERFECT CASSEROLE!


Chicken Noodle Casserole
by DeDe Smith

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

14-16 oz Pasta (We love using bow-tie pasta, but you can use whatever you want)

Grated Cheese

Season Salt

A can of corn

1 packet of chicken gravy mix

1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth

1/2 cup milk

Cook your chicken. I like to cook my chicken in the oven with a can of cream of chicken soup, salt, and Mrs. Dash. But cook it however you like to do. After its completely cooked, cut up the chicken into strips or cubes. I like to cut up my chicken in the pan that I cooked it in - then I can mix the cream of chicken soup right into the chicken for more flavor. It also thickens up the sauce later on in the casserole too.

Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Immediately add pasta to your casserole dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. It should be hot enough to melt the cheese. Mix it well so that the pasta is well covered with melted cheese. Sprinkle generously with Season Salt. Add the Chicken and the corn and mix well.

On the stovetop, bring chicken broth, milk, and gravy mix to a boil and then pour over the casserole.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes!

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Persnickety Prints is AWESOME!

Over the weekend, I discovered that PERSNICKETY PRINTS was just a few blocks away. My friend and Digitals store owner, Stacey Mann has recommended it several times, but I just kind of put it in my "review later" part of my brain. I just wasn't ready to print layouts yet.

I used to have a very nice borderless 12x12 Epson printer that I loved, but it was a ink hog and so expensive! When it broke, I just didn't get any layouts printed. I've done a few here and there and done some hybrid projects where I got the pages printed. I've mostly got them done at Costco and the pages were okay, but nothing spectacular about them.

But lately, I have really wanted to get some layouts printed, especially my Project 365 Layouts from this year and last year. They have stockpiled and I have about a hundred layouts that still need to be printed. It's true that I don't get that many layouts done these days, as most of my time is spent designing kits, but I do have my weekly 2-page layout for my Life 365, so it stocks up. My kids have been really wanting me to get albums done for them and get caught up - so I'm really going to try to do better in that way.

Anyways, so all of these things have been on my mind and I decided to just check Persnickety out and to my surprise, they are right here in Orem and only a few blocks away. Well I had the most amazing experience with them. I uploaded 21 layouts and in 24 hours they were done printing. I finally got time to go pick them up today and I met with Chari Pack and she is so awesome! She was very much into the details and making sure that everything looked the way I wanted it too. The colors were awesome - the paper was awesome (Pro Matte) - the printing was such awesome quality with full bleed, and can I just say how AWESOME it is to see my own designs printed out. I've been using pretty much my own designs on my layouts recently and to actually see something that I created, printed out is a complete thrill!

Besides awesome prints, Persnickety also does photo books and other photo gifts. They have some hybrid projects and freebies online. They are very very reasonable priced and have many deals and events going. It's only a flat $5 fee per order to get your layouts shipped to you. AND one of the best things is that their customer service can't be beat. They want your prints to satisfy you and they will help you to do that in any way they can!

So I HIGHLY recommend PERSNICKETY PRINTS! Please check them out - you won't be sorry!

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Wednesday Sayings #2 - 4/21/10

Okay, I know I already did one for today - but I was reading through my blogs this morning and the fabulous Kolette Hall had some amazing words today that spoke to my heart and I really needed to share!

Many times these adversities cause us to shrink into ourselves, keeping our eyes down with exhaustion, concern and even fear. But hope is the warrior against fear. The strong, immovable sense of being that overcomes adversity and helps us see the blue sky peeking out from around the clouds and feel a little warmth of sunshine on our faces. Look up, my friends! Look up! What do you see?

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Speed Crop tonight - NEW TWIST!

PLEASE join me tonight for our monthly speed crop! Come find out the new twist to my speed crops - I think you'll like it!

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Wednesday Sayings - 4/21/10

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you!
I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!


This week's quote:

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle
- Plato

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Family History TuesdayZ | Books and Movies

Here is this week's journal prompt :

Each Tuesday, I am going to be offering prompts or ideas. If you don't write in your journal regularly - I am going to encourage you to write just ONCE A WEEK and answer the question/idea that I give on Tuesdays. These ideas hopefully will spark a memory and you will be able to capture that in what you write/record so that it can be left for your children/grandchildren/family/friends. Give as much detail as you can when answering.

Will you do this for me? Will you do this for your families? You can write it down in a journal, you can type it up on a computer or journaling software, you can take a recorder and talk, you can videotape your answers, you can even scrap a page with the journaling. It doesn't matter how you do this - it's just important that you do it. The memories, the dates, the information is the only real thing we can leave to our families when we are gone.

If I come up with other family history ideas - I will be sure to share it here too - and if you want to share with me your ideas - that would be wonderful and I'd be glad to share them here too. Just comment here or email me at dedesmith32@gmail.com.

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New Release Monday/Creative Inspiration + Show-OffZ Challenge | RAKScraps Mega Kit Add-on

Today I am introducing you to my kit, RAKSCRAPS APRIL 2010 MEGA KIT ADD-ON!I'm happy to be the designer of the mega kit add-on at RAKScraps this month! This kit was so much fun to make and I love how it turned out! I hope you will too! It actually went on sale on the 15th - but its this week's release! :)

I also have a couple of coordinating items that go with this kit too!

Get it now:
RAKScraps April 2010 Mega Kit Add-on

Coordinating Products



And here's what my Creative Team did with the kit:

Here's how it works:

Each Monday with the New Releases, I will be posting a Show-OffZ Challenge. You will have until Friday to do the challenge and if you get your layout sent in, you will receive either a coupon to my store or a specific product (each posting will tell you what you are getting)! I will share all the Show-OffZ of the Week on Saturdays!


THIS WEEK'S SHOW-OFFZ CHALLENGE:

I want you to create a layout using photos of the OUTDOORS! Let's see the gorgeous scenery around you or the places you have been! THERE MUST BE JOURNALING - NOT JUST A TITLE. You must use MY PRODUCTS ONLY to create your layout! (You can use ANY product by me!)

Email me (dedesmith32@gmail.com) a copy of your 600x600, 72dpi Layout by 10pm EST on Friday, April 23rd and your layout will be shared on April 24th on my blog! Please include the name that you want listed with your layout.

This week you will be receiving the RAKSCRAPS APRIL 2010 MEGA KIT ADD-ON: QUICKPAGES!

Thanks and I hope you will join in the challenge and come back next Monday for new releases and a new challenge!

Join me every Monday for my new releases! Also on Mondays I will be posting a Show-OffZ Call for your layouts - so please don't miss that at the bottom of this posting!

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Life 365: Week 16

Monday, April 12, 2010


Happy 5th Birthday to my Bethie Girl! I can't believe it has been 5 years. Beth was so excited to be able to go to school on her Birthday. She looked so cute with her hair curly and the ribbon in her hair. She had a fun day of school, playing with all her new toys, and we ended the day with watching The Princess and the Frog, cake and Rootbeer Floats. Beth's cake was so awesome this year. Becki's sister, Ashley made it with some help from Becki and we were very excited with it! Beth's Princess Birthday was one she will hopefully remember for a long time!


Tuesday, April 13, 2010


We got to babysit Mallory today and that is always such a treat! Beth and Mallory snuggled together and watched The Princess and the Frog again!


Wednesday, April 14, 2010


I was so excited to get my package today. I splurged and got a canvas print of my favorite family photo! It looks so awesome and I love looking at on our wall. My poor JJ was feeling pretty awful today - allergies and some other not-so-fun illness has hit him, so he stayed home today. We went to the doctor and hopefully the medication we got will help him to feel better soon.


Thursday, April 15, 2010


A busy day today. JJ was doing better, but still a little sick. But he was well enough to go to the dentist and both Beth and JJ had to get a cavity filled today. They both did a really great job. They came home and we got to babysit Mallory again. I love seeing my kids with Mallory - they are just too sweet.


Friday, April 16, 2010


I worked hard all day on some design stuff and got quite a bit done. While Joey was off doing his podcast, the kids and I went to see HOW TO TRAIN A DRAGON. It was a cute movie and I really enjoyed being out with the kids!


Saturday, April 17, 2010


I did some cleaning today, some designing, and just catching up. My parents dropped by for a quick visit on their way home from Idaho. They took Clint, Colby and a couple of other kids to a Range Judging this weekend. They dropped by, we had a short visit, they picked up their computer (Joey was getting some viruses off of it) and then they were on their way home again. We had a nice take-out dinner tonight from Noodles & Company.

Beth got to go with Aunt Becki for a few hours today. Becki's birthday present for Beth included getting their nails done and ice cream. Beth felt so important and so excited about the paint and stickers on her nails. Thanks Becki!


Sunday, April 18, 2010


JJ was still onery today - these allergies have got him all messed up. Joey was hurting from his foot/leg pretty bad today too and so those 2 stayed home while Beth and I went to church. I got a new calling to help with the Sunbeams (3-4 year-olds) - mostly helping them to learn the Primary songs. I start next week, so we'll see how that goes.

For our Family Movie Night tonight we decided to stick with the Dragon theme since the kids were talking about How to Train a Dragon all weekend. We watched DragonHeart and we had dragon eggs (baked potato bar) for dinner. It worked out so well and the kids had a fun time naming all the ingredients of dinner with dragon-like names: cheese (dragon hair), chili (dragon stew), ham (chopped dragon), corn (dragon teeth), etc. We are going to try and make our Sunday night meals go with our Family Movie Nights from now on, especially since Beth actually had 2 servings of dinner tonight!


And here is my weekly layout:


I used Ticket to Dragon's End by Lorie Davison & my DIGITAL 365 to create this layout!

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UPDATED FREEBIE: Animal Bubbles

If you downloaded the Animal Bubbles (Friday Freebie on 4/16) - please download them again HERE! I decided to give the bubbles a better look and I'm much happier with the result!


Thanks!

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Show-OffZ Challenge | Week 4/12/10

Thank you to the wonderful ladies who participated in my Show-OffZ Challenge this week, your bonus will be arriving via email shortly! Thanks!

This week's challenge was:

Did you have an imaginary place or friend growing up? A place/friend that made you feel safe and loved and maybe something that helped you grow and work out your problems? I want you to scrap a page about an imaginary place/friend or something that did this for you. It could be a physical place that you would go to for solace and to hide from the world. If you really don't have anything like this in your childhood - maybe you have a child or a friend's child that does - so you can scrap about that too!

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