Remote Access

We just upgraded our DISH TV to a Hopper & Joey so my mom can watch her programs in her room without our recordings knocking her off. (We love it, by the way!!) When we were getting the old receiver ready to ship back, we realized we had just a few remotes!!!!
 
I don't think we even have this many ROOMS, much less this number of TV's....

Left-handed Post Today!

 I'm typing much more slowly than usual tonight and will be for a couple of weeks I suspect, I had surgery to correct a trigger finger that has a bad habit of locking up for several days at a time, and it was my right hand of course. So I'm huntin' and peckin' for awhile. It's pretty amazing when you think of all you do with your dominant hand, and how awkward it is when you can't! My mom is here to help out, and dear hubby is great about cooking so this shouldn't be too bad - I'll just lay around and let them wait on me!

Mom and I went to the Pueblo High School Musical a couple nights ago. They put on "Beauty and the Beast," and it was really an amazing production. This year marked the 59th consecutive year the musicals have been going on. We just discovered it last year when friends invited us to go see "Damn Yankees," and we'll DEFINITELY be attending every year from now on.

Instant Pot Newbie

I bought my husband an Instant Pot for Father's Day. Since he retired, he's decided he wanted to learn to cook, and loves to try new (and sometimes unusual!) dishes. I love it - means a lot less work on my part!! But with any new gadget, he wants me to figure it out first, then show him. :-) So I'm trying to figure out my 6-quart Duo IP. (Thanks to my FSJ buddy, Mary Director, for turning me on to this awesome appliance! If you get a chance, check out her blog. She makes lovely hand-stamped cards.)

I'm finding out that there are many, MANY blogs, Facebook pages, and Pinterest posts about the Instant Pot. MANY! It's hard to sort everything out, so I'm trying one thing at a time, and taking notes when something works. One big thing we need to work out is the high altitude timing. I'm working with the basic adjustment guide of +5% for every 1000 feet after 3000 feet, which means I need to multiply all my times by about 1.18.

So far, we've managed baked potatoes and tapioca pudding -- yes, I'm a slow learner! I was amazed at how easily I could make pudding from old-fashioned pearl tapioca. We're off to a good start, and I'm looking forward to trying other recipes.

Tapioca Pudding (posting so I don't lose the recipe!!)

2 c. cold water

1/2 c. pearl tapioca

--

2 egg yolks

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. cream

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Rinse tapioca under running water for 30 seconds, then drain thoroughly. Add to IP with 2 c. water. Manual, high pressure, for 10 minutes. Natural release for 10-15 minutes, then quick release.

Whisk egg yolks, milk, and cream together. Turn IP to Saute, and whisk in sugar and salt. Pour in egg/milk mixture, straining through sieve. Stir until mixture comes to a boil and turn IP off. 

Pour pudding into a bowl and stir in vanilla. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally until pudding thickens. Pour into serving dishes, cover, and refrigerate.

Makes 4 servings.

Saturday Stamping Fun

Christmas in July!

A friend came over yesterday and we stamped all day. What fun! Denise and I had signed up for RG Presents Journey Holidays, a seven-hour, live-streamed YouTube event featuring the new Fun Stampers Journey mini-catalog that will go live on August 1st. This was the first time either of us had done this, and we really enjoyed stamping together, doing the make 'n' takes along with Richard Garay, and seeing all the awesome project demonstrations.

I had muffins and fruit for breakfast, a salad and casserole all ready for lunch, and chocolate (of course!), but we didn't really eat much - we were too busy! They had some technical difficulties at one point in the morning, but after those were ironed out, the live feed went very smoothly. I had set up the large TV in the family room so we could watch in there, as well as the computer in my craft room, but we ended up in the craft room the whole time. After all, that's where all the "stuff" is!

These are the four make 'n' take cards (all supplies we needed, cut and ready to go) that came in the kit we received prior to the broadcast. We each also received two full stamp sets, two die sets, and an accessory pack. We did some stamping and die-cutting before the broadcast, and were really glad we did - Richard makes cards FAST!

During the technical difficulties, we played around with Denise's gel plate. These are some of the pieces we made, and we even had a chance to make a couple of cards, too. The gel plate is fun, and there sure are a lot of techniques you can use it for. I just might have to break down and get one!!

 

The next RG Presents is December 2nd, and will feature the upcoming spring and summer mini-catalog. Maybe we'll have a few more folks who want to come play! I know I'm looking forward to it already. And...now I'm inspired to start on my Christmas cards early this year!

July Technique Blog Hop

Welcome to A Year of Card Techniques Blog Hop where each month we feature a different card technique.  We’ve assembled a team of card makers who range from new to advanced, so you’ll see a great variety of cards and ideas.

From laundry, to disinfectant, to fashion, bleach is a staple in many households; but did you know you can use bleach in your card making and paper crafting? Yup, from stamping, to painting, and several techniques in between, we’re going to share our experiments with you. And if you would like to check out our past technique hops, you can do that here:

• January-Shaving Cream Marbleizing
• February-So Sketchy
• March-no hop this month
• April-Stamp Set Showdown
• May-World of Watercolor
• June-Basic Card Folds

Our  amazing sponsor this month is Debbie Bonczek of Close to My Heart.

Please take a moment to check out the great products Close to My Heart has to offer. To visit Debbie's blog, click here.

And the awesome prizes this month are:

We really appreciate feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in the hop today. While you are encouraged to comment at any time, only comments received by Friday, July 21, 2017 at 8:00pm (EST) will be eligible to win. The winner will be announced on Sunday, July 23, 2017 on A Piece of (my) Heart’s blog, so be sure to check her blog on Sunday the 23rd to see if you are the lucky winner.

You should  have arrived here from Kim's blog, Katydid Cards. If you're visiting  here first, you might want to start at the beginning so you don't miss out on increasing your chance of winning by commenting on  each blog.