Pokey Peas Challenge for June 2019

Hey everyone. It's show week for me. Dress rehearsals T, W, Th, and shows F, Sa, Su. I don't know if I explained or not that I gave up directing to act. We were short some people for the first time ever, so I switched roles. My mom and cousin are coming Thursday night and staying for the weekend.

We hosted a barbecue last night, but because of the threat of rain, we ate inside. We hosted DH's family as well as a friend of ours and his mother. We have a new picnic table that I will have to break in another time. It's square and can seat 8 people (made out of resin and metal).

Happy Monday! Hey ladies, I hope your weekend was good. We did a little shopping and I found a hot pink lace dress at JC Penney on sale and plus the extra discount brought it to $17.00 and some change. I love hot pink and wanted to have something that color. Plus, I love a good buy.

I finished my crocheting blanket and want the ladies to show me how to add a better border. Also, I went to M's and got more yarn. This yarn is multi-colored in yellows, blues, and greens. It fades from one color to the next. So pretty! This will be another giant square.

You ladies will be surprised but I am gonna start a scrapbook page!!! I have been feeling inspired and plan to get it going tomorrow. I haven't scrapped in like forever! I think after years of scrapping and card making, I just ran out of gas. But, doing a page here and there is good for me now.

nylene - Thanks for the visit and comment at my blog. Yes, I will be starting some painting soon. I do miss it but I got so caught up in crocheting and other stuff. Oh, our park concerts started so we will be going this week. I am so excited for your CC. Those eggs are so awesome and I know the kids will freak out when they see them. Pace yourself and have a fantastic time!!!!

linda - Happy you are safe and sound. How was the trip?

LisaDV - How did the meal turn out? That atomic gluten cake sounds so fun. Let us know how it all turns out. Girl, with the various menus you prepare, you could do a cookbook. For real!  Thanks for telling me about the t-shirts. I did see the ones at M's and even at JCP. I'll be playing around with this iron on ideas. Did you see they have a new infusible ink M's has? I saw a video about it and it looks cool.

justjac - Best wishes on your play. I hope it all goes well and you have fun. Share some pics when you can. What is this play about?

nylene , your dino eggs are amazing. I can’t believe how much work you put into your cousin camp. They are so going to love this.

justjac , I hope you had an awesome show weekend. I still wish we could see your plays. We had to eat inside for our barbecue too. The outside chairs were wet, although the rain had stopped.

Linda , I’m so glad you had a good time! I’m sure we’ll be seeing the museum shots in some scrapbook pages soon.

kellyr21 , yay for a scrapbook page and for a bargain! How lovely for park concerts! That’s awesome. I have seen those infusibles. They do look cool.

grammadee , hope you are resting and that you get those photos sorted out.

Oh, my goodness! Sunday’s FIL visit was held and went off without a hitch.

Now DH’s birthday dinner and cake: That was a whole other story.

Several issues were had: My sink drainage pipes were replaced due to a leak. I noticed the wetness on Sunday morning and we emptied out the cabinet and put a fan on it. When we ran the sink to test, nothing leaked. Thought it was a fluke. On Monday, I realize that there is a leak but it needs to be a large amount of water at once. I emptied a full pan into the sink. This also means that every time I ran my dishwasher I was putting more water in there. This held me up on Monday’s cooking chores. I did make the red sauce, the 2 different meat fillings (DD gets a separate one), and the crème patissiere for the cake. I couldn’t get to the pasta or the final piecing together.

Tuesday, I was planning to bake 2 cake layers -the vanilla and chocolate at the same time, and then the banana cake separately, only to realize my layered cake pans are at the farm. I only have nested springform pans and shapes here. So each had to be baked independently as I needed them the same size for stacking. When I went to make the pasta, I realized I needed more AP flour. I don’t use a lot of AP flour, since DD is gluten free I don’t make a lot of gluten items. Had to run to the store. It was hot in the kitchen from cooking all day, plus it was an 80F day and humid. The only day that is suppose to be that warm this week, of course.

The atomic cake and layers were ugly. Like super bad. It was supposed to be covered in whipped cream. It was too hot in my kitchen to even make my stabilized whipped cream. I would have stiff peaks. Stop it. Bring the bowl to the island and it would be a pile of mushy goo. I tried 3x. If I whipped it again, it would just turn into butter. Like a snap of the fingers turn. On the third try I just put a dollop of whipped soft goop on the top of the cake and apologized to DH.

Oh, and my Bavarian cream didn’t turn out either (that was me messing up on the instructions. I know to read through them completely before starting a recipe, I did last week, because I had never made Bavarian cream before. However yesterday I couldn’t read those instructions right to save my life. – luckily the crème patissiere was more than enough for the 2nd layer.) DD is the master of chocolate ganache (I know it’s easy to make in the first place), but even that didn’t turn out yesterday. It was the uglies thing I’ve ever created. It was delicious! We have plans to make it again, but this time on a cooler day or with the air on if it’s humid. And without me having to roll out pasta and fill it.

Oh, I also kept forgetting to get wrapping paper, so DH’s gifts were in brown paper grocery sacks. (shaking my head in shame).

I’m done! Well until next week – DD’s birthday. (face palm)

Luckily, other than chicken teriyaki, we're eating leftovers for the next several days. And I have a few meals for already planned (all the stuff here) for when leftovers run out. No grocery store for me this week. huzzah!

Oh no!! Snow in June is crazy!!

Hi ladies! Man I have a lot to catch up on!

@elaynef your trip sounds wonderful! Well, except the DFW airport. I always seem to have have a lay over in Chicago and that airport is a nightmare too!

grammadee I've used tap a talk to upload photos once in awhile but they either post humongous or teeny tiny. I prefer flickr even though there are a few extra steps. Glad you are safe and sound at home so your DH has someone to talk to. I LOL'd at that! I have problems with printing the live photos too so I ended up shutting if off even though I love that feature. Can't wait to see your Disney pages - I'll bet there are some already in the team share thread - you are quick! WTH?! Snow in June?!

LisaDV so much cooking going on! Do you and your DD eat more of a paleo style diet? I know I see paleo and keto deserts all the time on pinterest. I have dabbled in cooking and eating both those ways. I don't care for jello either and is this jello cake the one where you punch holes in the top and pour the jello in? ewwww. Although I do like the pudding cakes that are made that way lol. I really really need to make time for exercise. I quit smoking long ago but now sitting is the new smoking! ugh. I cook from scratch a lot and I really feel like that's where my creativity goes rather than to crafting. I would prefer to be crafting! Oh no! Oh my! What a difficult cooking day you had! But it was delicious and that's all that's all that matters! As for the grocery bags, um, we have been known to use the regular plastic ones sometimes lol. And one Christmas I put everyone's gifts into canvas shopping bags because I didn't want to bother with wrapping paper lol.

nylene how is your knee?! I can't wait to hear all about cousin camp. Love the dino eggs! And a selfie scavenger hunt sounds fun. I'll bet you all had a wonderful time and I can't wait to hear about it and see the pages you will make!

justjac that's so awesome that you act and direct! I'm such an introvert that acting would terrify me lol. That sucks about the indoor BBQ but I bet it was still a good time! Good luck with the play!

kellyr21 I just love your blog! It IS very inspirational! I haven't purchased a magazine in years, but may have to check this one out. Anything that can help me balance wellness and busyness is a win! Yay for finishing your crochet project! And yay to scrapbooking!! And yay for good deals on dresses!

linda I'm so happy that you got to finally see your DS and spend some time with him. I can't wait to hear about it!

sleepingbooty what is your small things album? I'm interested in all kinds of different albums. This sounds like something I need to add to my "great intentions, but will never ever get done list" I bought an Avenger's stamp set at TM a few weeks ago and now I need to make more Avengers pages so that I can use them. I hope DGS doesn't outgrow them for awhile (or me for that matter) lol.

I feel like it's been forever that I've been around! I wish I could say I had been busy getting points for me team, but no. I got the great news on the ticket, then youngest DS caused some family drama. He has addiction/mental health issues that he won't get real help for even though it's available to him. And last weekend I was getting all settled in to scrapbook and found out I had had a tire stolen off my car. That wrecked my day and pretty much sucked the creative mojo out of me. OT at work and I'm just now starting to feel like creating again. The police officer just kept shaking his head and saying "this is so silly. Why would anyone do this?" I would like to know the answer to that myself. I sure don't have fancy wheels and rims lol. But it's fixed now and hopefully they won't be back. I'm going to check in and start catching up on the sharing thread and hope to get something done this weekend. Oh yeah, I have to! I have the sketch challenge next weekend lol. So I will have at least one more layout in me this month!

I hope everyone has an excellent weekend!!

Wow, joyfulnana! That was some manhole geyser! After a very dry spring, we are getting rain every day now, but not in amounts like THAT! I am thankful our house is on top of a hill, so any big amount of rain runs away. Dh gets quite upset if water makes runways across the garden, but it's hard to prevent that when he keeps working up the soil between the plants. So sorry to hear about your ds's continued struggles. And what's with a tire thief???

nylene, I love your cousin camp stories. That dino lunch sounds really cool. And of COURSE the eggs were a big hit!!! Your grandkids are really lucky to have such a creative grandmother! Glad your knee is behaving. Mine were good to me in Florida, but have been sending me some twinges now that I am back home. I think they prefer it if I walk only on level pavement. Nothing major though, and when I get a twinge I stop to stretch my knees, then walk very carefully for a bit, using the advice the PT's gave me.

LisaDV, your dh's cake sounds really interesting. I remember making jelly salads and desserts like that in bundt pans. I make the Jello poke cake for Easter each year using spring colours like blue and purple and green, and then I split the two layers into four and put a cream cheese/ vanilla pudding/lemon pie filling mixture between layers.

sleepingbooty, your Little Things album sounds interesting. Would love to see some pages.

Yesterday I got into town so was able to reprint a couple of photos for some pages I started earlier in the week, so today I was able to finish those LO's plus do one more. So six pages posted today. Have been relying on sketch challenges and lifts for ideas. I have a couple more pages started. They should be ready to share in the morning.

Here are a couple of them:
Blizzard Beach by Gramma Dee, on FlickrBlizzard Beach 2 by Gramma Dee, on Flickr

Last night I attended justjac's theatre performance: five minis plays, all dealing with relationships, all well enacted, all really funny. Lots of laughter in the audience. Got to say a quick hello at the end of the evening, but then had to drive home. I didn't get any photos this time, but there was a lady sitting beside me who was taking pic's for the event they were part of, so I hope you get some of those, justjac.

LisaDV, you guys will have a blast with that ping pong table! We used ours a lot when the kids were the age of yours. Loved the pic's you shared on the photo thread.

nylene, I print my photos at WalMart. I edit right at the kiosk. Most are printed at 4x6, some at 5x7, and a few at 8x10. But then I trim a lot of the photos as I am scrapping them. Most common size I trim to is 4x4, but I also do smaller squares, or 3x5. I seldom zoom in tight enough to fill a whole frame anyway, so most photos have some free space that can be trimmed off.

Dh and I attended a funeral today of a man who was a favorite boss of dh's. As a funeral, this was not really a sad occasion: he had lived to 94 years of age and was "ready to go". This guy treated his employees as family and really fostered a team approach at the organization. Thirty years later, we still have fond memories of that time. It was nice to catch up with a lot of people who worked together back then.

Looking forward to seeing your Cousin Camp pages, nylene, when you get to them!

Nylene said "I know that you don't print your own photos, but you have so many in smaller sizes. How do you do that? I have a million photos from CC and would like to have them smaller than 4x6."


Did you find a method you like, nylene? I use photo sheet on my desktop and have for many years. Im not a techy but it's so easy and does so many things if you want to play with it but I mostly just do the 2 3x4's on a 6x4 sheet. There is another thread about what everyone uses right now, too.


Lisadv, we had a ping pong table when the kids were teens, too...and a pool table.



I had a moment yesterday. Ya'll know how cheap I am. At least a year ago, I bought a paper pad that was pre designed and felt guilty about it. I promised myself i would use every sheet..and yesterday i used the last page!

Happy Wednesday! It is a nice sunny day and I hope you all are doing well today. I finished a couple of layouts and a birthday card for mom.


Birthday Card June by Kelly Roberts, on Flickr

Trees by Kelly Roberts, on Flickr

These were fun to make and I have a few more layouts to finish. grammadee , Yes the flowers on the card I painted from white to that peachy pink color. They were some extra flowers I had leftover from Mother's Day.

I haven't scrapped in so long I almost forgot how. LOL!!! 

LisaDV - Your dh sounds like a real bargain hunter. I like garage sales and used to enjoy thrift store shopping for vintage tea sets. 

nylene - Have you recovered from CC? I know you were tired afterwards but it is a good tired. Take it easy if you can.

grammadee - Sorry to hear about the loss of your dh's former boss. Sounds like he lived a full life. Great you got to see justjac play. I know she was excellent.

@elaynef - Waving hi and hope you are doing well. Glad to hear you used up that pp you had. I have lots of pp too and I just let it sit until I feel a need for it.But it does take up room. Geez!

Waving hello to all you ladies and have a good evening/afternoon!

Your pages and cards are gorgeous, kellyr21!

Good job finishing off that paper pad, @elaynef! I almost NEVER finish off any complete pad or collection or sticker sheet, and I seem to hang onto the leftovers forever!

Hope your dd had a wonderful birthday, LisaDV, that your family is finally all healthy, and that you will finally get a little time to relax. But it sounds like you are expecting company this weekend, so I guess your life is not slowing down yet.

I am almost done scrapping for the month. Got more done than I thought because the rainy weather has kept me out of the garden. Here are a couple of my LO's from this week. Hoping to put together a couple more pages and a card this month.

Dad Love by Gramma Dee, on FlickrWe're HERE! by Gramma Dee, on Flickr

grammadee , I’m glad you got to catch up with old friends. I’m still sorry for your loss, even if he was ready. I’ve really been enjoying your pages on the sharing thread. My favorites from the last few pages is Dad Love, that color is gorgeous! and We’re Here, with all the hexagons – I’ll have to lift that one. (Just made it down to where you shared on this thread those 2 layouts! Lol!)

joyfulnana , I don’t know if I mentioned earlier that I have recently decided to go back to grinding my own wheat. DH is getting me the kitchen-aid grinder attachment. I bought wheat berries grown in Italy. I’ve heard from many people that have DD’s issue that when they’re in Europe they can eat wheat. So I wonder if it’s all the glysophate that gets sprayed on the wheat in the US. I’ll try her on the wheat too. She’s excited to try it. I’ve also decided, I think, to go raw milk. – 38” of rain and still counting – wowsers! I hope your area doesn’t float away.

@elaynef , DH & DS are still hoping for a pool table. The ping pong table will be banished to one of the garages at that point. Congrats on using every sheet of that paper pad!! Good job!

nylene , do you use PSE? If so you can easily create 4x6 templates for smaller photos to print at the 4x6 size. I hope it’s still all good news for your DH’s eye. I so need to schedule a haircut. It’s so long that I can now put my hair into a ponytail. But I kind of like putting it up when we’re in the pool, so I might just forego a cut for the summer.

kellyr21 , your pages are absolutely gorgeous! I can’t wait to see your blanket. I have DS hold things like that up for me to photograph. Maybe your DH will be so kind as to help you.

My sister called to wish DD a happy birthday yesterday, and I found out that my nephew is coming to visit this Sunday. DH had spoken with him months ago and they made the plan, of course, DH didn’t remember the date he was coming and told me sometime in July. Of course, we’re beyond excited.

DH & DS are still recovering from their colds which they came down with this week. Due to their colds and not getting DD’s birthday stuff done, I didn’t get a lot of sleep 3 nights in a row, so I felt like I was coming down with the stupid cold. Luckily, I slept almost 12 hours last night. Although I’m still a bit tired, I haven’t fully succumbed and I’m still holding out hope that I won’t. But the biggest miracle is that DD, who usually catches it first and has it longest, hasn’t had the slightest inkling of it. I cannot tell you how thrilled this makes me.

Due to the above, not much scrapbooking or crafting of any kind going on in my neck of the woods. DD & I have been enjoying the pool. I think we were in every day this week except 1. I finally had to turn on the a/c too.
Hope everyone has a great weekend (end of June)!