Q&A

Several of you have asked questions in your comments, and I like to try and answer some of those. I won’t be able to answer them all—I gather them as I read your comments, but often by the time I get around to answering them, the answers are sometimes no longer relevant.

So here are a few answers to questions you’ve asked in October and November.

What is a Dutch oven dinner? A Dutch oven is a thick-walled iron (usually cast-iron) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. In Australia, they sometimes call it a camp oven, a cocette in French, and a casserole dish in British English. (I looked it up on the Internet! Smile) We use a Dutch oven to cook during camping and other cookouts. There are tons of fun recipes available, and a variety of ways to cook food in Dutch ovens.

What kind of camera do you have? I have one large, nice camera with lots of handy, dandy gadgets that I don’t even know how to use. I love the pictures I take with it, but I hardly ever use it because I usually end up grabbing my smaller, pocket-sized Sony Cybershot. It fits perfectly in the darling little purse I got at convention in the Memento Mall, and I take that with me everywhere. Even when I’m at home, I usually end up using it because it’s so convenient, and the pictures are pretty good.

Where is Shanna serving her mission in Spain? She actually gets “transferred” several times throughout her 18-month mission, and will serve in several different locations in Spain.

If I live in different countries, can I send cards to Shanna directly or to the Stampin’ Up! local office? Of course! Shanna’s mission home address is:

Sister Shanna Gardner

Spain Madrid Mission

Avenida de Espana 17, Local 01-1

Alcobenadas, 28100 Madrid, Spain

And if you live in Australia, New Zealand, England, France, or Germany, you can send the cards to your local Stampin' Up! office, and they will forward them to Shanna. I already received a bundle of cards for Shanna along with a note for her, that I've sent off to Spain. Thank you!

If you get too many cards for Shanna, would you consider sending those extra cards to our military service personnel? I think that’s a wonderful idea, and I will forward extra cards to our military personnel. I’m looking into several different ways to do that.

Do you make something for your grandchildren every holiday? Not every holiday, but many of them. When I see a fun project or get a great idea, the holidays are a perfect excuse for me to be creative and share that creativity with others—my own family members.

Did you ever think Stampin' Up! would get this big? This is a great topic for a whole entire blog sometime; I’ll make a note about it. But the short answer is—absolutely not!

Can I order Where Women Create (the magazine that featured my stamp studio) if I don’t live in the United States? I checked, and I found it on Amazon.com, so you should be able to order it there. Also, one of you purchased the magazine and asked if I would sign it. I’d be happy to—if you want to just send it into the home office, I’ll sign it and return it.

Where did you get the shoes that they showed in the Where Women Create feature? I bought them at a small shoe boutique at Gardner Village here in the Salt Lake Valley called Heels and Toes. They carry a lot of shoes that are different and unique; I love the variety I find there.

Can you update on Ashton and how his potty training is doing? Ashton is doing fabulously. He only had one or two accidents early on, and he’s had no problems since. He is very responsible, and we seldom remind him anymore. Just as a note, Ashton was almost three and half years old, and he was ready for potty training. Several of you noted on your comments that potty training needs to be on the child’s timeline, not yours. I do believe that, and know that that’s why our experience with Ashton went so well.

How do you pack your stamping supplies when you travel? Sometimes I’ll pack my supplies in a Cropper Hopper that I’ve had for years (back when we used to sell them), but my new favorite bag is the striped bag I got at Memento Mall during the last convention! Before that, I’d use different bags from Stampin’ Up! events.

As a note, I’m working on getting the larger photos of the holiday place settings. And I was also “tagged,” and I’m going to do that in a future blog too! As for Sara, she will definitely post again! I loved her samples too, and I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with next for us!

A Full Week

As I sat in church this morning and watched Ashton (quietly sitting on Grandpa Sterling’s lap), Cooper (contently snuggled in between Sterling and me), and Phoebe (cradled in my arms), I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude—for so many things. I’ll focus on just a few tonight.

I’m grateful for our grandchildren who make my heart sing; a mother who happily helps me whenever she’s able; and a wonderful husband who loves and supports me and our family unconditionally.

Here are a couple of shots of the kids after church. I wanted so badly to take a photo of them during the perfect photo opportunity (described above), but that probably would have been a tad inappropriate!

The chance to watch Shalae and Jon’s children while they went to New York and Washington, D.C. (to explore graduate schools for Jon) has been a delight. The boys were busy running around and playing, and they kept us busy, too! Phoebe fussed a little during the days but slept well at night, and if I’d gone to bed instead of working or ordering Christmas gifts, I would have gotten a good night’s sleep. Although the children were almost angelic, this week-long experience has reminded me of being a young mother and not getting much done.

And I would have gotten less done if my Mom Pat hadn’t been here for much of the week. She comes about once a month, ever since my dear friend and housekeeper retired earlier this year, to clean the house and attack special projects for me. She’s been a lifesaver more than once this week—like when Cooper fell off his chair after dinner a few days ago. I was trying to calm him down while Phoebe cried and Sterling was taking care of another “accident” with Grandpa (his dad), so my mom dashed to the store to get children’s Tylenol. (You can’t see it in the photo very well, but his nose got bunged up a bit and his eye is bruised). We always make time to visit, and I’m always sad when she leaves!

Sterling and I didn’t get a lot of quality time together, but we did spend lots of time partnering. For example, I’d feed the baby while Sterling got dinner for the boys; I bathed Phoebe while he bathed the boys; and when I had meetings at Stampin’ Up! or spoke at Brigham Young University (BYU), Sterling took the boys to run errands while Phoebe stayed with the nanny (Shalae has someone come in for a few hours a couple times a week and I took advantage of that arrangement). You get the picture, I’m sure. Basically, Sterling quietly did whatever was needed. You know I love Sterling, and now you know another reason why!

Here’s a photo of Sterling fixing dinner tonight with the boys while I started on this entry—that is before Phoebe woke up and the night-time routine took over.

So, while it’s been a full seven days, I wouldn’t have changed a thing! I will admit, though, that I expect to get a lot more done this week. I’m even planning to go to the office almost every day, and that hasn’t happened for a long while!

A Gift of Free Books

I just approved a little piece about me and Stampin' Up! in a book written by Richard Paul Evans. Some of you may recognize him as the author of several New York Times' bestsellers, including The Christmas Box, the book that launched his writing career.

Richard is reworking one of his previous books--Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me about Life and Wealth--and gearing it specifically toward women. He asked if it was alright if he mentioned me and the story of Stampin' Up! in one of the chapters, and I said "yes." I like what he talks about and was honored to be included in a book that I believe offers solid financial ideas and advice. 

In working with Richard, he mentioned that he is in the middle of offering a gift packet of free books--25 copies of The Christmas Box--to anyone who is interested; you do need to pay shipping and handling. He invited me to share the information and link with you as a gift from both of us. Check it out at http://richardpaulevans.com/freebooks. The free books are only available through December 6, or while supplies last, whichever comes first.

I'll let you know more about his upcoming financial book for women soon; it's scheduled to be released in January. I'm excited to read it all and see what I can learn from Richard.

A Busy Thanksgiving Week

Well, it’s about time I posted about Thanksgiving, don’t you think? Sorry it’s taken me so long, but it’s been a full week, with lots of food, family, and fun!

Let’s start at the beginning. On Monday—almost a week ago—we headed for Washington to spend Thanksgiving week with Sara and Sean and their family. We took Kona with us, because Sage was stuck in bed for the week under her doctor’s directions.

I was a little nervous about traveling with Kona; I wasn’t sure how he’d handle being away from his mom and dad and flying on a plane, but can I just say that I would take him anywhere! He was an excellent traveling companion, and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time with him.

We were grateful for the “leash.” (I’m not sure if there’s a more acceptable word these days, but that’s what I called it back when the girls were younger.) Kona’s leash doesn’t look much like the ones we had with the girls though; it was a monkey complete with a little pouch for surprises. Without it, we would have been carrying him most of the way, but thanks to the leash, Kona could roam and explore and still be safe. It was definitely a lifesaver.

We kept busy all week long. On Tuesday we had some business meetings, and on Wednesday, Sara and I spent pretty much all our time keeping the kids occupied and out of Dad and Grandpa’s hair—they were busy laying tile in the kids’ bathroom. That was a huge undertaking, but I’m happy to report they finished it—just in time for us to board the plane for our flight back on Friday.

Thursday we had Thanksgiving dinner with Nicki and Travis, who are friends of Sara and Sean. It was delicious food and great company, and the table was set nicer than my table ever is! We made six dozen orange rolls for dinner, which is my traditional contribution, along with a myriad of other things. I also enjoyed watching Sidney and Seth make the name plates. They called Nicki and got a guest list, complete with correct spellings, and you could see the great sense of accomplishment they felt as they checked each name off the list. Stella was so hungry that she started eating the name plate--we took that as a sign that we needed to get her real food!

We arrived back home Friday, and Saturday I opened the refrigerator and realized I missed having Thanksgiving leftovers. When Shalae and Sage both called and said they missed my orange rolls, we planned Thanksgiving 2, which we just finished earlier this evening. Besides Shalae and Sage and their families (Phoebe slept through the entire meal!), my dad and his wife, Justine, came, and Grandpa (Sterling’s father) was there, of course. It was a great way to wrap up a busy but wonderful Thanksgiving week!

In case you’re interested, I’m including the recipe for the orange rolls—Thanksgiving and Christmas just don’t feel complete without them.

Orange Rolls (3 dozen)

In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 Tbs. dry yeast in ½ c. warm water and let set during next two steps.

In a large mixing bowl (I use a Bosch with the kneading paddle) combine 1 c. hot water, ½ c. softened butter, ½ c. granulated sugar, and 2 tsp. salt.

Beat 3 eggs separately in a small bowl, and add to slightly cooled mixture in mixing bowl.

Combine all above ingredients.

Mix in 2 ½ c. white flour until smooth. Then add another 2 ½ c. white flour until sticky smooth.

Leave covered in bowl in refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.

2 ½ hours before baking, divide dough into thirds.

Roll dough into rectangle and spread 1/3 of the orange mixture (below) evenly onto the dough. Roll long ways and slice into 1” thick pieces (approx. 12 rolls per roll). Place in foil muffin cups. Repeat for all three rolls. (You may use paper cups, but if you use the foil cups, the rolls—and the orange mixture—don’t stick to the foil.)

Let rise approximately 2 hours and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.

Orange mixture

Combine ½ c. softened butter, 1 c. granulated sugar, and finely grated orange peel of one or two oranges, depending on your taste. (I use two.)

Just a note:

If you want to make healthier (I didn’t say healthy—only healthier) rolls, you can substitute white flour for wheat flour. I used to do half wheat flour and half white flour until my family whined enough for me to relent and go back to completely white flour. They love me again! And it’s only a few times a year, so why not?

Also, you may want to adjust your temperature and cooking time. We are at approximately 5,000 feet and this works perfectly for me; however, when I was in Washington, the tops browned faster and the centers weren’t quite done. They were still yummy, but not as good as tonight’s rolls.

If you really want to impress your guests, add a little more butter and sugar to the orange mixture. I know, I know. . .maybe that’s why we’re not a big Thanksgiving dessert family—the orange rolls are as good as dessert any day!

Cards for Shanna

I just finished making and shipping off more than a dozen Christmas ornaments to Shanna in Spain. I made the ornaments from Stampin’ Up!’s Country Living Kit, and I had enough stuff left over to make something different, which I wanted to share with you.

Everything I used to make this cute little box came from the kit, except for the White Chunky Glitter and the pine and berries, which I snipped from a garland at our house for a final finishing touch. It took me a little while to figure this out, but now that I’ve made one, I could make more pretty quickly—and so can you! (smile) I had fun playing with the Country Living Kit; there are quite a few different little projects you could make from it.

I think Shanna will love the ornaments—I’m just hoping she can find a tree to hang them from. And even if she can’t, she can hang them around her apartment for a little holiday cheer.

By the way, the last time I posted about Shanna and how much she loves to receive packages, several of you asked if you could send her something. I’m slow to respond, but my answer is “of course!” Like most missionaries, receiving mail is a high point in the week for Shanna. As I thought about this, I had an idea—probably sparked by the ugly cards that Shanna is sending to us for special occasions.

I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I don’t think Shanna would be offended by my calling these cards ugly. She knows that we’re all used to handmade, hand-stamped cards, and she knows that we all know that she is limited to sending the cards she can find because she’s there to share the gospel, not to make cards. But can I just tell you, there must not be a lot of cards to choose from in Spain! At least not handmade ones!

So, when I read your offers to send her things, I thought I might take you up on that offer. If anyone would like to send a card to my attention at Stampin’ Up!, I’ll gather them together and mail them over to Shanna in a package (or packages, if they trickle in over time). That way, we both benefit—you don’t have to pay international postage to send her a card, and I can get her a wider choice of cards to choose from to give to others. I’ll make sure she knows the cards are coming from you, and if there are enough, I suspect she’ll share with other missionaries in her area. We can inundate Spain with handmade, hand-stamped cards!

Of course, this is completely voluntary. Please don’t feel like you need to send a card. It’s a busy time of year, and we all have plenty to do. But if you have an extra card sitting around (any card will do—thank you, happy birthday, thinking of you, friend, etc.), send it in, and we’ll get it to Spain.

And thank you for thinking of Shanna. As always, I appreciate your kind thoughts and offers to reach out to me and my family. What would I do without you!