MMS Easter Blog Train

Welcome to your next stop on the MMS Easter Blog Train. I decided that for my blog stop I would share with you why/when I use MMS. As many of you have noticed I use PSE and MMS. I love both programs but I usually find myself using MMS when I'm doing a large project or I'm in a hurry. For example, this past Christmas I made 5 different books as gifts and made about 30 copies of those books. For all 5 books I was able to use a predesigned template to give me a starting point and then from there I was able to individualize each book and create additional pages based on the original theme. I can't even imagine how much longer it would have taken to create all of those books without using MMS. Another example is the following layout.

Lisa asked if we could put a blog train together which I was very excited about, but I've been out of town and haven't had a chance to scrap! So I sat down tonight and grabbed the Ette's and Company's new kit Splendid Spring and with in 10 minutes I have a lo (would have been 5 but I'm indecisive). So whether it's a huge 30+ page project or a quick and easy page in a couple a minutes - that's when I use MMS.

Now for your next stop check out one of our fan's blog

Jessica Jay Johnson

www.scrapdigitally.com

Don't forget to grab my number 21 and all the other numbers from the blog train and send them to Lisa.

Happy Scrapping!

Brooke :)

2nd Place!!!!!!!!

My husband amazes me everyday! This weekend we were in Moab for Drew's 12 hour adventure race. His 4 person coed team (which is the most competitive division) took 2nd place!!!!! I am so proud of him and his entire team. Aaron Ogden, Celia Nash, and Adam Kessler joined Drew for a 6 hour and 12 minute finish for 2nd place. This year the race began with the kayak (about 9 miles) then transitioned into the bike. The bike started with a nice climb up Longs Canyon (at one point the grade was about 21%) and went all the way into Gemini Bridges for a 300 foot repel off of the bridge. Once they hit the bottom of the repel they had about a 7 mile run back up to their bikes. They finished off the race riding out the same way they came in with a nice decent down Longs Canyon. The bike total milage was around 40 miles - yes I just said 40 miles! I was so impressed by all of the teams that competed. We had some good friends, Brandon and Jeremy Stoker, who raced for their dad and did an amazing job! I was also able to help cheer on some of Aaron's family who put together a 4 person coed team and finished strong. It was a great weekend with tons of fun and friends. Thanks Bill, Billy, The Ogden's Clan, the Stoker's brigade, and the Kessler's for helping support such amazing athletes!!!!! It was nice to have a bigger "support crew" this year! :)

Team Committed before the race

I think Adam looks very graceful in the mad dash to the boats - what do you think?

Adam and Aaron killed it on the Kayak!

Celia - sorry the hat didn't work out - we'll have to figure something out! :)

It was a little chilly at CP2 - you look nice and toasty Bill. :)

Drew and Adam coming in to CP2. This was really the only spot to get a good look during the race. This wasn't a very spectator friendly race. :)

I think that Celia is always smiling! :)

Aaron after punching in at CP2.

You can always count on Jeff to keep everyone in a good mood.

The Ogden Team (sorry I can't remember your team name) refueling a little bit at CP2.

The Ogden's on their way to Gemini Bridge.

The Stoker boys coming into CP2.

Jerm looked pretty good - smiles and in good spirits!

Brandon was in good shape and down to business with the punch.

Team Committed on the last 5 mile stretch of road until the finish.

Team Committed (Captain Bill :D ) crossing the finish line.

Adam trying to rehydrate a little bit.

Drew and Me :)

Aaron with Steph, Jonah, and Naomi

Bill and Celia

The Stoker's support crew in full force at the finish line.

The Stoker's crossing the finish line.

Stoker's with big smiles.

Good friends enjoying the moment. :)

Team Committed - 2nd Place in the 4 person Coed Division

Podium Pic

Jerm, Tiff, Brecklen and Brandon - tender moments!

The Ogden's after they crossed the finish line.

Brooke and Rich Coles. Brooke I am totally impressed - she just had a baby 4 months ago! WOW - is all I can say.

Jen you are a trooper - 2 years in a row! :)

Justin and Stacey - you guys are great! :)

The Girls - totally impressed. Love that you beat last years time - way to go!

I have more pics so if anyone wants them let me know and I can send you a link to download what I have. :)

My Little Bookworm

Ellie is constantly looking through books. She'll sit in her crib for 30 to 40 minutes after I go in to get her from her nap and just look through them. She tells me "go away I readin". I hope that when she gets a little older and actually learns to read she'll still love books the same way she does now.

My Little Bookworm

created in PSE

Indie Pops Celebrate Kit by Tia Bennett

Happy Birthday Nikki

It was my niece's birthday this last week and my mom asked me to make the cake. I decided I would try a topsy turvy cake since I've never made one and I've always thought they were so cute. I also decided I would try and make my own fondant because up to this point I usually buy it. My first mistake was trying two new things on one cake. It wasn't that difficult to put the cake together but it definitely took longer than a normal cake. The fondant was very frustrating - it was so soft that it was a PAIN to work with. I think I'll try an new recipe next time - if anyone has a good one I'd love to try it out. I think the cake turned out ok - but next time I think I will focus on the coloring more and not just 'wing it' off of Sammy's suggestions (he was excited when he saw all of the colors he had picked). It's not what I had in mind for the finished product, but Nikki loved it - and I that's all that matters. Happy Birthday Nikki!

Creating a Cohesive Look

I just updated the latest My Memory Suite blog post - if you want to check it out you can click here or just read below. :)

Creating a Cohesive Look

One thing that I love about My Memory Suite is the ability to create without thinking - let me explain. Sometimes I just want to sit down and not worry about what will match or coordinate on my page. For example, when I sat down to scrap part of my Easter from last year all I had to do was pick the kit I wanted. Once I knew what kit I wanted I could easily look at all of the coordinating papers or embellishments for that kit and I knew they would all match and would look great together. That is very important for me, especially when I’m making a lot of pages for big events or holidays. Easter is coming so start looking for those kits that are a must have for your special day, like the Blue Skies Pack from the Ette’s and Company that I used for my layouts. So whether you want to let your creativity shine and mix or match with multiple kits or stick with a single kit and keep a simple cohesive look you can do it all with My Memory Suite. Most importantly - have fun and capture those memories.

My Memory Suite

For all of you who want to be able to create amazing scrapbook pages, cards, announcements, invitations, blog headers and designs, and just about anything else you can think of now is a great time to buy My Memory Suite. They are starting a new ad campaign called the "Guilty Mom's Club" to help encourage everyone to catch up and get on track with capturing their families memories. I have to admit I'm still not caught up with my kids - I need to get my butt in gear! Now until April 30th if you use the promo code GMC10off you get 10% off.

Happy Scrapping! :)

St. Patrick's Day

So I've decided that I need to be a more "festive" mom. I thought I was doing pretty well by making sure the kids wore green and even adding food coloring to their mac and cheese - however, when I read what others had done (facebook, blogs, etc...) I think I really need to step up my game for next year! I didn't even know that people pretended little leprechauns make mischief during the day and leave little things all around the house for the kids to find - way cute! :) So here are my lucky leprechauns - they are the best!

Lucky

created in MMS with

Lucky in Love from Meredith Cardall

My First Attempt at Bread

My Aunt Tiff had a couple of us over the other day to teach us how to make bread. I had never made bread without using a bread maker and so needless to say I was a little intimidated by the idea of doing it from scratch. Tiff showed us how easy it was and so I figured I could do it on my own. Here are my end results!

It was super easy and fast! Thanks Tiff - you're the best! :)

Lady Bug Treats

I saw this cute little activity the other day and thought I'd try it out when the kids started chanting for their daily snack. It was super simple and the kids had fun - even if they didn't eat a lot of it. All you need is:

Red Apples

Raisins

Pretzels

Peanut Butter

Sam thought it was fun to stick the pretzels in for the antennae and Ellie just liked eating everything - she didn't quite get the creative part. :)

The Coupon Book

A couple of weeks ago Drew had a little mishap on a motorcycle and cracked 3 ribs. So needless to say he was in a lot of pain. The kids knew something was up and were a little worried so when he went to work the next day we came up with making him a coupon book. It was really fun because the kids came up with almost all of the coupons on their own. For example, Sam said he would "help you get banana's" (I love putting their exact phrasing on things). When I asked Ellie what she wanted to do she sat and thought for a few seconds and then said "help with shoes". She loves to pick up all of the shoes in the kitchen and throw them in the garage.

I was very simple to make the coupons. I actually created them in PSE, but they could have easily been done in any other program, like MMS. The paper and embellishments are from the Chore kit from the Ette's and Company. I created them on a 4x6 canvas (or landscape for MMS) and then used my home printer to print them up on 4x6 photo paper. Then I added some eyelets and the metal ring and there ya go! If you don't have a metal ring ribbon or twine work great. Here are some pics. :)

My Birthday

I have the best hubby ever. Last Sunday Drew made dinner for our families for my birthday. He made Cafe Rio Salads and they were wonderful. What is even more impressive than his cooking is that he made me a cake from scratch. I asked for pound cake with whip cream and strawberries so he found a recipe, bought a pan, and even whipped his own cream. He did an amazing job! Thanks Drewy your the best! :)

Granola Bars

Last night I mentioned that I made some really good granola bars and they were way simple. I actually found the recipe off of allrecipes.com but I changed a few things up. Here is my final recipe - I will defiantly make these again. :)

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan leaving about 1 inch space at one end of the pan (leave the space if you want them chewy).
3. Bake for approx. 18 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Edible Play Dough **

I know this sounds pretty funky - and it sort of was. I was browsing allrecipes.com for my weekly menu and I found a recipe for Edible Play Dough. Ellie is always eating play dough anyways so I thought it might be fun. This afternoon the kids ran to the cupboard yelling "play dough! play dough!" so I thought it would be a great time to try it out. The recipes goes as follows:

2 cups powdered milk

2 cups honey

2 cups peanut butter

As you can see from the title it only got 2 stars (* yes that is a star :D ). It was way too sticky so I added some flax seed meal and some rolled oats, which helped a little bit. I guess the plus side was that it did taste pretty good and Ellie defiantly didn't have a problem eating it. They still had fun playing with it and making a mess. I told Drew about it and he always likes to point out the obvious to me - "honey and peanut butter those aren't sticky at all!" That's ok - common sense has never been my thing. :)

Although the play dough wasn't what I would call successful - I did find a great recipe for homemade granola bars that I will have to share tomorrow. It is already way too late so I'll have to post more later.