Happy Halloween

A quick post.....just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween.  Be safe....don't eat too much candy. 

Hugs and Boo-wishes....
Mary Mac

AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Today I'm Fiber Crafting

And you thought the fiber was fabric.....nope....I went to get my flu shot today.  BTW...if you haven't gotten yours, you'd best take that little arm of yours and get protected against that nasty bug.  Anyway, while waiting at the pharmacy I started reading the booklet Rite Health.  In it is a recipe for Roasted Squash Soup.  It sounded yummy so off to the grocery I went and got what I needed.

 Let me tell you....it is yummy as is, however, I like things a bit more spicy. So I added 1 tsp of cumin.  Still not enough so I added 1/8 tsp hot curry powder, ground black pepper and a bit of salt  to my cup....now we're talkin!  When I make this again, I am going to reduce the orange zest and orange juice to half the amount.  I think the orange is over powering.  Perhaps I used too big of an orange, and it was really, really juicy.  I am also going to add 1 tsp each of curry powder and cumin. 

The recipe made exactly 8 cups and the Weight Watcher points value is 4 PP per cup.  It's one of those smooth soups that taste so good on a cold and wet day.  The soup and 1/2 a sandwich is the perfect anytime meal. 

Per serving 136 calories, 4 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 43 mg sodium (adjust if you add more to your cup). 

Here is the recipe:
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, cut into 3/4 inch cubes.
1 cup onions chopped fine
1 TBL olive oil
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 orange (zest and juice)
1/2 cup orange juice. 

Heat oven to 375 degrees and spray roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Add cubed squash and spray the top of the squash.  Roast 20 to 25 minutes. 

Add squash, chicken stock  to the pot and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.  Add contents to  the blender  and blend until smooth.  You may need to do this in batches.   (I used an immersion  blender in the cooking pot). 

When smooth, add the orange juice and zest.  Continue cooking for another 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

The recipe also had a Coconut Puree Garnish, which I did not make.  Here's the recipe for it. 

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 Serrano chili pepper, 1/2 bench cilantro - leaves only, and juice and zest from one orange. 

Blend all ingredients.  If it's too thick, thin with water.   Garnish each cup with approximately 1 tsp.

I'm off to take a quart to a friend.  I hope it warms her tummy and brings a smile to her face. 

Hugs from Northern California....
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

WOYWW

Hello, for rainy Northern California.  It's Workdesk Wednesday again.  Where did last week run off too?  Before I go any farther, here's what my desk looked like as I worked on a birthday card for a friend....

The die should be a hint what the card will look like.  I'll show the card on Friday after I've given it to Michael.  Not a totally exciting desk, my favorite glue is laying on it's side.  I store it this way and it seems that the needle point doesn't dry out nearly as quickly.  The die is from Cheery Lynn Designs and I love it.  The step card is easy peasy using this die...Sadly Cheery Lynn has retired this one. Boo Hoo!

For those who do not know about WOYWW, it's the brain child of Miss Julia.  She gives us all a place to air our sometimes very messy workspace.  But here's the upside, every week our desks are changing, which means that every week we are creating.  We are not just sitting still watching glue dry!  So as our desks show various stages of disarray, we proudly craft on.  Check out WOYWW.  And maybe share your work space with everyone.

Now I need your help.  Last week I saw a card I wanted to CAS, from memory I made this....

I think it's kind of close....I used scraps of white and ran the base and the pieces through embossing folders.  The snowflake is from Memory Box.  The finished card is 5x5.  Does anyone know who made the original one?  I'd like to give credit where credit is do...

Update on the above card....Di solved the mystery...the original card was made by Debby Yates.  Please check out her blog page to see the stunning card she made.  Her card is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!  Thanks Di for solving the mystery.

One more thing.  On Monday in my post I mentioned the Sharpie pens I used to color the tiny lines in the Ho Ho Ho stamp.  I said they were Sharpie Micro Tip.  Well in fact they are Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Permanent Markers - 80's Glam.  They came in a set of 24 and the purchase price was $19.99,  I bought them at Office Depot.  I checked and they are available on line also.  Want to see the colors?

I've had them for about a year and all are still working well.

That's it for now.  Happy Crafting.  Happy WOYWW....
Hugs,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Ho Ho Ho

Yesterday I had a fun play day with Brenda and as she die cut, I colored.  Today was a great day with the Monday group and I assembled my card with them.  Aren't girl friends the best way to spend time.  I don't know what I'd do without them!

Isn't this Santa the best?  I always get emails asking what I used to make the card.  The Santa is called Jolly Santa-80126 and  it's from Stamps Happen.  The Ho Ho Ho is from Northwoods and it's number 08231.  During Karen's Anniversary crop I was lucky enough to win the 6x6 paper pad by Echo Park Paper Co.  It's called tis the Season.  I colored the image using my new Spectrum Noir pens, and the tiny detail on the Ho Ho Ho was colored using my Sharpie pens with the micro tips.

The inside is about as simple as you can get.  I like to repeat something from the outside and I think this worked well. There is enough room for a sentiment or a short note.  I can't decide what I am going to do, but there's time to think about it.  I'm thinking maybe my granddaughter will get this one.  So a note is probably what I will put inside.

Enough said....actually I can't think of anything more to say, other than I had fun coloring this image.

I'm going to add this to Craftyhazelnut's Extra Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything goes, and then I'm also sending this over to Di at Pixie's Crafty Workshop - Snippet's challenge. 

For now it's sending wishes for a most crafty week.
Hugs,
Mary Mac
AKA:  Glitter Grammy

Blue and White

Another quick one.  This card kick started my mojo.  If you want to know the rest of the story,  head over to the Poppystamps Blog Page.  It's my day to share.  If you have a minute to sit and visit....I'd love knowing you were there.

Yikes.....I almost forgot, well actually I did forget to add my card to Stamping For Pleasure.  It's Rudolph day again.  How could that be?   Can you believe it's almost Christmas again?  Where has this year gotten off to?  Well, for those who don't know, Rudolph Day is a place to not only post our Christmas cards, but also a page that keeps us heading in the right direction.  One more card done and one more month closer to Christmas....and one for time to spend time with blog friends....Happy Rudolph Day!  Check it out here!  

Happy Saturday.  May your weekend be W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!!!!!!!

Hugs,
Mary Mac

What's On Your Workdesk? I'm glad you asked.

My son was home for the weekend. I sent him home with some Halloween decorations for his office and a few candy bags for the good Trick or Treat boys and girls (ok, men and women).
Here's what my desk looked like:  Julia is basking in the Spanish sun, as we struggle with projects on our desks...ok, struggle might be a bit of a stretch.  If my math is correct, this week is WOYWW 229.  Check out what's going on by clicking over to Julia's blog page.

And here's what the finished project looked like....

Spooky no?  Not even a little? 

Here in California we are having absolutely beautiful weather.  Fall is supposed to be here and we should be bringing out the sweaters and caps....but where did Mother Nature hide her most colorful season?  A friend sent me a photo that I think is soooo cute. 

The tiny bird is a Townsend Warbler and I think she is enjoying the music the frogs are playing. You may have to enlarge the photo to see the bird.  I told you she was tiny!

Happy Wednesday.  Hugs from California,
Mary Mac

Birthday Cards

Two girlfriend Birthdays.  Karen gets a card made in pink and Virginia's card was made in blue...

I was looking at photo of cards I've made and realized, it's been awhile since I last posted.  I will try to be a bit more regular. 

Guess what.... both cards were made from snippets.  Virginia's from a card class kit that I've been hoarding.  If you look at the sentiment, and I hope you do.  I mixed some glitter and some embossing powder to get this color.  The sentiment was first stamped in Black Color Box.    Lucky break?  Maybe, but then if you check the bin, you'll see there were lots of mistakes before I stumbled on this success.  Karen's card is from a piece of card stock I purchased when she was in the Paradise location, seems like forever ago.  I guess I'd best slip onto the playground and post these two cards.  Want to see more snippets?  I hope you do!  Click on the link below....

My dog is sitting by my feet whining....he thinks when dinner is done he should be able to sit on my lap and watch TV.  He is my little Rain Man...he is a creature of habit and this is one he insists that I keep.  The upside, I can sit with him and browse Di's blog page.  Commenting one handed might prove interesting! 

Until next time.....Happy crafting,
Hugs,
Mary Mac