Staci Shuck

Sneak Peaks....

Have these projects underway and thought I'd share!  I'm a buzzzzzz with projects that are "In Progress"!!!!  Just have to keep moving to get them all accomplished!  Now that I'm back to the other full time job...I grab a few minutes here and there and work on little bit at a time.  Eventually they will all be completed!  LOL!  Again my word of the year...CHANGE....in the way I work and complete projects.  Change is good!  Feeling that change is even better!  That's all for now!  TGIF!  Hugs!

Hodge Podge Post...a CHANGE!!!!

What's a "Hodge Podge"?  Just a little bit of everything.  A mixed bag if you will!  I know...you can tell I'm from Central PA!  Oh well...I just can't hide it!  I HAD to practice my word for the year and CHANGE things up a bit with the blog posts!  SO here goes....

First...the "official" photo that never made it in my Christmas Cards (that I finally finished but didn't get sent)...I know I am so bad!  They are done though! Guess I'll just have to send New Year cards or some such thing before winter is over!  Next a vintage family photo of my cousins, my brother and I ....sometime during the 60's!  Goofy....YES!!!!!  Not sure why my brother and I are so "normal"...maybe it was FEAR????? Next up...our Christmas Cat...for the first in her life, all 5 years of it, she stayed UNDER and not IN the tree!  It was quite a relief to not have to run from another room in the house to catch the tree as it leaned forward when she jumped from the top branches!  Wish I could bury my head like that and curl up all cozy and comfy!  Blessings to the rest of you pet owners out there who get to enjoy their company, laugh at them and care for them!  Hugs and prayers to all of you who have seen them through rough times and offered them companionship!

Have a great Thursday!

Treasures!!!!

Amidst all the holiday goodness  we had time to do some reminiscing!  We've been doing alot of it lately and I've been begging my dad for information about our old "home movies"!  WELL....much to my surprise, on the eve of Christmas Eve...I was blessed with this box of treasures... 
my childhood on film!  Super 8 and 8MM film to be exact.  Alot of film from "BSS" (Before Staci and Steve , my brother) as well.  Can't tell how excited I was and am to have these in my midst!  But even more exciting is the fact that with these treasures came this wonderful vintage Bell & Howell gem...
in good working order!  Oh the flood of memories!  I immediately set it up and surprised myself when I remembered how to thread it and get it started!   I literally Laughed Out Loud!  The kids thought I was crazy!  Maybe I am but I am loving watching these movies!  The project...capture them on digital camera and preserve them!  I am having great fun!  Will be sure to share when I'm finished. 

Off to the "clean craft room"!

Have a great Wednesday!

First Project of the New Year and...leftovers!!!!

Happy Monday!  Back to the grind today and all is well! 

Have you selected your  one word for 2011?  After some thought...I've settled on "CHANGE" as my word!  I'm not sure exactly of my definition  yet but...the word just feels right for me right now!  Soooo....here's to 2011 and the changes in my future!  Who knows how they will let my life evolve!

Have to share my first project for 2011!  I vowed to begin the new year creating...didn't know what I'd work on but was committed to spending time in my "CLEAN" workspace.  After getting things in order for the our traditional dinner on New Year's Day I sat down to create and bring in the New Year right.  I began about 10PM by settling into my clean space...(have I said my room is now clean?--just have to keep saying it...it's still clean too!) by organizing a little bit and then I grabbed the first thing that caught my eye...one of Donna Downey's  amazing kits I purchased from last year. Things started out okay and then I began to mix colors, add some sparkle and suddenly I rEEEEally didn't like it sooo...I cut more octagons and started again.  Straying a bit from the directions ( I think I've mentioned that I don't follwo directions very well!) and instead grabbing "things" from the newly organized bins in front of me to add and embellish the canvas.  Suddleny it was 3AM!!!!!!  I had NOOOOO idea time could fly by that quickly.  At that point I decided I had to continue because I needed to put pork and sauerkraut on at 5AM...chances of my going to bed and getting up at 5 were very slim sooo I continued to craft and ended up with this.... Used the stamps from the kit and the same color scheme but had to add some felt and some cut up packaging as well.  Went back later yesterday and added some other things but don't have it finished yet but it is well on the way and will hopefully be finished this week sometime.  Great start to 2011!

Have to share this too...I know you probably don't believe me when I say that New Year's Day dinner is our favorite meal but IT IS!!!  I cook 3 times the amount we need just so everybody gets to take leftover boxes with them!  IT IS TRADITION!!!!  So it's 2 days later and we are still eating mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, pork, hot dogs, sauerkraut stuffing and baked apples with pudding!  This is how my oldest likes to eat it...I LOVE that he enjoys this food!!!!!

Have a great week everyone!  Eat those leftovers!

Happy 2011!

Best of good health and happiness to all of you in this new year!  I look forward to sharing it with you as well!  I trust you all had your pork, sauerkraut and masked potatoes for good luck!  We've had ours and as most of us agreed this is a favorite meals because of the leftovers!  Somehow that sauerkraut tastes the day after and the day after that!  The pickles are tasting pretty good as well...that brine makes them better day after day! Here's that recipe for those who requested.  I really meant to post it the other day but...here it is...

Micro Pickles

3 cups finely sliced cucumbers (the little ones)

1 small onion, chopped finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. mustard seed

1/2 tsp. tumeric

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar.

Slice cucumbers and onions and place in a shallow pan.  I use a glass, microwave safe, round casserole. Combine all other ingredients and stir until well blended.  Pour over cucumbers and pickles.  Place in microwave 3 minutes - stop and stir.  Heat 4 minutes more.  Stir and then cool.  Place in refrigerated sealed container til completely cool.

While I'm on recipes...I had a few other request for the peppermint bark recipe I use.  I promised to post it with some pictures as proof that I use a food processor to crush my peppermint (when I can't find it already crushed that is!) rather than using the old rolling pin method.  However, if you NEED to get rid of some frustration...there's nothing better than placing peppermint into a bag and banging it to smitherines with a rolling pin or mallet!!!!  I usually alway end up popping a hole in the bag though and all the crushed peppermint ends up on the floor!  Soooo...I instead, I use my little food processor  and the peppermint goes from this.... to this.... in a matter of seconds....truly not a soothing but...much faster and much less mess!  Get's a little smoky but I'll take that over cleaning the floor any day!  The recipe is easy...1 box candy canes, crushed (it's the equivalent of about 12 candy canes-whichever flavor you like.  1 bag of mints would work as well) and 1 bag Wilton vanilla baking chips.  Cover 1 cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Crush candy canes or peppermints.  Melt chips until smooth and pourable.  Pour onton waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with crushed mint to cover.  Place in refrigerator for 2 hours or until completely cooled.  Remove and break into pieces.  I use these red and green candy canes by Bob's.  They are a bit milder than some of the others...but you can use whichever you prefer.  Mine ends up ont the tray like this...I have a few big pieces on this batch because I pulsed the processor instead of just letting it run by itself....Again it's your preference!

That's all for now!  Happy Cooking!  Happy Monday!  Happy New Year!