doesn't get {much} better

than this DELICIOUS cheesecake...so I thought I'd share it with you all!  ;)

Believe it or not, I found this recipe in the Feb/Mar 2010 edition of Healthy Cooking magazine.  Kinda ironic, I thought.  It apparently was given a makeover and so reduced the calories per serving a bit.  Honestly, I'd have never noticed...it's that good!  I pretty much followed the recipe as it was printed, but will just share how I made it to make it easier {for me}:

Makeover Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Crust:
1 pkg (of the 3 in a box) graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Filling:
3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 c. reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (12 oz.?) jar hot fudge topping, divided {I used Smucker's}
6 Reese's peanut butter cups, cut into small wedges

1.  In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter.  Press desired amount (approximately 1 cup or so) onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.  Eat the remainder.  ;)

2.  Place pan on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  In a small pan, heat peanut butter until softened.  Spread over crust to within 1 inch of edges.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour one cup of filling into a bowl; set aside.  Pour remaining filling over peanut butter layer.

4.  In a small pan, heat 1/4 cup hot fudge topping until thin; fold into reserved cream cheese mixture.  Carefully pour over filling; cut through with a knife to swirl.

5.  Return springform pan to baking sheet.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

6.  In a small pan, heat remaining fudge topping until warmed; spread over cheesecake.  Garnish with peanut butter cups {in my opinion, they're not necessary...you're only adding extra calories...but it definitely makes a much prettier presentation if you use them}.  Refrigerate overnight.  ENJOY! ;D

I haven't used a microwave in over four years now, so I had to wash a few more pans than they called for, and I also used all organic ingredients {except for the hot fudge topping and p.b. cups}, no doubt making it MUCH healthier for you than their version. lol  So if you do the same, go ahead -- feel free to indulge in a piece...or two...or three.  I dare you to stop at just one!  I sure couldn't.  ;)

With that said, my strong recommendation is that you only make this when you're going to be sharing it.  Having any of it leftover is really NOT such a good idea...unless of course you're wanting to gain a few extra pounds that week.  {And I'll bet you all know exactly what I'm talking about.  lol}

One other tip for ya:  Look for an 8-pack of the peanut butter cups in the candy aisle.  I found several different sizes/arrangements of packages of Reese's p.b. cups throughout that aisle, as well as an individual pack at the check-out counter...ALL were priced significantly higher than the 8-pack ($1). 

And while you're drooling, I thought I'd go ahead and share a recipe card I made quite awhile ago {since I didn't think to get a picture of the cheesecake before we devoured it} --this is a really fun dessert to make for/with kids:

I hope you're all enjoying your weekend, and I'm hoping to actually do more than just stare at my supplies this afternoon.  Maybe my mojo will take pity on me and join me for a card or two. ?? Here's hopin'.... 

Thanks so much for coming by to visit, and I hope you'll stop by again soon...and I really hope I have something NEW to share with you {but if not, I've still got quite a few cards in the archives -lol}! ;)   Until then, many blessings to you!

lotsa {eye} candy

Since my mojo seems to have gone on an {UNauthorized!} indefinite and rather untimely vacation **boo hoo hoo**, I thought I'd just pop in real quick and share some cards of others I thought you might enjoy...they sure make me smile to look at them anyway.   ;)

First up is a Valentine RAK from my sweet bloggin' friend Barb.  I figured it was still within a month of Valentine's Day {just barely} so it would be okay to post it, especially since there are so many bloggers out there posting Christmas cards...although it's so cute I'd post it anyway, regardless of the date.  ;) 

I thought the card was sweet enough, but she also included the cute little decorative tubes filled with festive M&Ms...AND those darling handmade paper flowers!  Thank you soooo much, Barb!  ;D

And these next cards are some of my favorites of the many wonderful ones my mom has made.  I apologize in advance if some of the photos are a little fuzzy --she usually shares them with me by sending scans, so some aren't quite as sharp for some reason. 

To "kick" off this little parade of sorts, here's a darling cowboy boot card:

This one actually has Stickles on the 'lake,' but it's not too visible here:

With a little creative ingeniousness, she made this for one of my little nieces when she'd rambunctiously pounced on and promptly fallen off a couch and broken her arm:

Here are some sweet {and glittery} birthday cards:

A couple really great 'guy' cards for ya:

I love the femininity of this one...made for my precious older daughter, Monica:


And check out this beauty, paying close attention to the GORGEOUS butterfly --you can't see it here but the wings are folded up a bit, adding some great dimension:

And my family was blessed to be the lucky recipients of these last three beautiful cards: 

Thanks so much for indulging me...and if you feel so inclined, I'm sure my mom would appreciate any encouragement you care to leave her in the comment section {and just so ya know, she will be as surprised to see these posted here as you probably were --Hi, Mom! ;D}. 

I had planned to include the recipe for the DELICIOUS cheesecake recipe I mentioned in my last post, but I think I'll come back tomorrow and share it with you then.  You really don't want to miss out on that one...it's a definite keeper!

Oh!  And don't forget to set your clocks AHEAD tonight or you may be late for church in the morning!  ;)  {It's my least favorite night of the year...my favorite being when we get to FALL back and nab that elusive extra hour of sleep!}

Thanks so much for the visit, and I hope you'll stop by again soon.  In the meantime, I'm {not so}patiently waiting for my mojo to get bored of being on vacation and return home to me.  Until then, many blessings to you!

{written} words

My oldest son {and first child} has developed a real passion for the written word --whether reading/studying famous works of literature, doggedly pursuing a career teaching writing to college students, or penning his own short stories {and personal notes in cards that never fail to either make me cry or laugh out loud}, he loves it!  And, oh, how I love him. 

Well, it's his 24th birthday today (already?!} and I thought this image would be perfect for him {thanks for the reminder, Mom!}...even though the finished card doesn't resemble your typical birthday card.  And it's kinda simple.

But since I baked and sent him his favorite birthday cake, I doubt he'll be thinkin' too much about the card, so I'm okay with that. ;P

The design was inspired by this card Laurie Schmidlin shared a little bit ago.  Of course her card is waaaaay cuter...but for a guy card, I'm good. ;)

I got to make a couple cards yesterday {it's a rare thing, but I LoVe days like that!!!}, which is a good thing since I won't have time to stamp this weekend.  In between birthdays and Valentine cards, I'm slowly getting made my thank-you cards made...thanks so much for your patience, ladies. ;)

It's snowing here, so today I'm going to stay indoors spending a good portion of the day watching the Olympics from my rocker situated right next to the fireplace, drinking hot tea.   Oh, and in between laundry and meals for today, I'll be cleaning the house, preparing dinner and a Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake {from "Healthy Cooking" magazine -LOL!!!} for tomorrow because we're having some wonderful friends over after church!  All except for havin' to clean the house...I'm excited!!  ;)

Hope your weekend will be one you enjoy!

Thanks so much for taking the time to come and visit me here --I really appreciate it, and I hope you'll stop by again soon. Until then, many blessings to you!

Economy Boosters {just doin' my part -lol!}:

Cardstock:  Smokey Shadow --my latest addiction, Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink), Vanilla Cream (CTMH)

Patterned Paper:  "Daydreams" and "Life's Journey" collections (K&Company)

Stamps:  books from Hodge Podge of Happiness (Unity) 

Ink:  Black Onyx Versafine (Tsukineko), Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)

Other:  Small and Large Classic Rectangle dies (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), grosgrain, sponge (CTMH), Prismacolor pencils (Sanford), odorless mineral spirits (Mona Lisa), blending stumps (Alvin), Rustic jute, button (Papertrey Ink), Crafter's Pick "The Ultimate" adhesive (API), sewing machine, thread, foam mounting tape

{100} thanks

I made this late last night and if I can get this posted in time, I think I'll be flyin' in just in time to add this to the other contenders over at Taylor's blog.  I nearly forgot, but I just had to try!!  She's celebrating her 100th sketch and is giving away a few sweet prizes.  Her stamps are soooo cute and I'm on too-tight a financial leash this year, so it'd sure be awesome to win some!  Her sketches are always really great too --did you enter?

Not sure why, but the center pearl along the bottom looks a different color in the pic...it's really the same as the other two.  And, no, you're not seeing things...I did use the same patterned paper as I did in the card shared in my last post.  I thought I was going to be using both of the same patterned papers for this one, but the card ended up morphing on me {as so many of them do} and I went with just the pink.  Not quite the ideal color match, but for some reason I kinda liked the contrast.  But then again, it was really late. lol

Well, time's a tickin'...the kids will be wanting their Friday morning special in a little bit...chocolate chip pancakes --or maybe they'll choose German Pancakes today-- and I need to get this posted and linked up if I want a chance at winning some darling stamps. ;)  

OH!  And speaking of winning some darling stamps --I have to give a BIG shout out to my blogging friend Patti, who was wonderfully blessed when she WON THE MOTHERLOAD OVER AT PAPERTREY INK earlier this week {the announcement is still on their home page --check it out}!  I was soooo happy and excited for her, I got lightheaded when I read the INCREDIBLE news {guess it's a good thing I didn't win, or I might've hurt myself -lol!}!!  Congrats again, Patti!! 

Hope you have a happy Friday!  ;)

Thanks so much for the visit, and I hope you'll stop by again soon. Until then, many blessings to you!

Economy Boosters {just doin' my part-lol!}:

Cardstock:  Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Hollyhock, Baby Pink (CTMH)

Patterned Paper:  "Happy" Floral from Tres Belle Ooh La La collection (My Mind's Eye)

Stamps:  Thankful Accents --one of my very favorites! (Verve)

Ink:  Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger), Hollyhock (CTMH), Black Onyx Versafine (Tsukineko)

Other:  Classic Scallop Circle large and small (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), circle cutter (Fiskars), Doily Lace border punch (Martha Stewart), Blush pearls (Kaiser), crochet trim (May Arts), ribbon (Papertrey Ink), sponges (CTMH), sewing machine, thread, Crafter's Pick "The Ultimate" adhesive (API), pop dots

Hop(e) for Haiti blog hop {it's here!}

Hello!  I'm soooo glad you stopped by today!

Welcome to Skipping Stones Design's Blog Hop(e) for Haiti. If you just happened upon my blog today, you’ll want to go back to the beginning at Skipping Stones Design. You should have come from the multi-talented Erin's blog.


As a company, we wanted to do something to give back to the people who have been so devastated by the Haitian Earthquake. So we thought what better way than to invite some of our favorite stampers to join us in this cause. Each card you see on the blog hop today will be auctioned on E-bay with all proceeds going to the Red Cross in support of the Haitian Relief Effort (please check the Skipping Stones Design Website for the link to the auction). 100% of the proceeds of the Ebay auction and $2.00 from every stamp set purchased from February 16 - 22 will be donated to the Red Cross. We know that we can make a difference.

For my contribution, I used the beautiful Healing Wings.  This set is so pretty with three different butterflies and several versatile sentiments --I love it! 

Thank you for stopping by and your next blog to hop is that of the sweet and talented Sarah.


But WAIT!!  Before you go, how about a prize? In addition to the fabulous eye candy, we have decided to hide a prize somewhere along the hop! There will be a few pre-release sets up for grabs hidden along the blog hop. The fun part is...we're not telling you on whose blog it is! So as you hop, make sure you leave comments on every post so you have a chance to win!!  ;D

And if there's a break somewhere along the way, a master list will be at the Skipping Stones Design and at Sparkle and Bling.


Thanks again for the visit, and I hope you'll stop by again soon. Until then, many blessings to you!

Economy Boosters (just doin' my part -lol!):

Cardstock:  Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Hollyhock (CTMH)

Patterned Paper:  "Happy Floral" from the Tres Belle Ooh La La collection (My Mind's Eye), NW Addie Diecut Scallop (Making Memories)

Stamps:  Healing Wings (Skipping Stones Design)

Ink:  Black Onyx Versafine (Tsukineko), Hollyhock (CTMH)

Other:  buttons, Rustic cream twine (Papertrey Ink), ribbon (May Arts), opaline designer half pearls (BasicGrey), Pearl Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels), Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), Pitch Black Spica glitter pen (Too Marker), sewing machine, thread, Crafter's Pick "The Ultimate" adhesive (API), glue dots

love is {tweet}

...with my sweet hubby. ;)

Here's the card I made for him:

I used a couple different stamps from Hero Arts, but altered the word "sweet" to make it say "tweet" {just seemed like the right thing to do here -lol} using a "T" from a little $2 set from We R Memory Keepers, all of which were found at Archiver's on our semi-annual girls' day out --what a fun day that was! ;D

I used some Spica glitter pens for some sparkle --red on the flower and the hearts and clear on "my" eyelid. ;)

My tag sticks WAY off the card because I used the die going in the opposite direction I meant for it to go and didn't have time for a do-over because my hubby was already on his way home from work {Friday...nothing like waiting till the last minute...} -lol!   I didn't even try to put it in an envelope. ;)

And this card was inspired by one of Karen Giron's sketches.  It was my first time using one of her sketches and I thought this was a really fun one to work with...it's Sketch 55 from last Sunday if you want to go check it out.  She posts new ones every Sunday, so I'm sure there's a new one up for this week already.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thanks so much for the visit, and I hope you'll stop by again soon. Until then, many blessings to you!

Economy Boosters (just doin' my part -lol!):

Cardstock:  Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), White Daisy (CTMH)

Patterned Paper:  "Birdies" and "Chirp" from So Tweet collection (Pebbles, Inc)

Stamps:  Two Birds, Valentine Sayings (Hero Arts), Tweet Tweet (We R Memory Keepers)

Ink:  Timber Brown Staz-On (Tsukineko), Heavenly Blue (CTMH)

Other:  Prismacolor pencils (Sanford), odorless mineral spirits (Mona Lisa), blending stumps (Alvin), Large and Small Standard Circle, Tags Trio (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Heart Blocks embossing folder (Provo Craft), sponge, paper piercer (CTMH), mat pack (SU!), button, Rustic jute, grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Spica glitter pens (Too Marker), Crafter's Pick "The Ultimate" adhesive (API), sewing machine, thread, foam mounting tape

{xoxo}

So how's your weekend goin'?  Are you enjoying watching the Olympics?

Do you have all your Valentine's Day cards and treats made?  If not, there's still tonight so you'd better get off the computer and get to work!  lol  ;)

If you're a good mama like my friend Jeanne, you made your sweeties something like this.  But she's nicer than I am {at least this year -lol}.

Me, well, I went for ultra easy this year and just made the kids some chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and cute little red, pink, and white heart sprinkles last night --didn't even have to leave home to round up any ingredients.  They look good enough to eat --and the kids are really enjoying them-- but I'm behaving myself and saving them all for the kids...and hoping they'll be extra nice and share a couple with their dad because I'm not making another dessert this week {plus he always has homemade ice cream if his sweet tooth is calling}.  I may not be indulging in the aforementioned yummies, but I'm not depriving myself either {I didn't want you to worry -lol].  ;P   Remember all those Dove Dark Chocolates some of you sent me for my birthday {thank you!!}?  ;)  Well, they're slowly disappearing, though if I'm not careful I know where I'll be seeing them reappear {not a good thing}. 

Okay, so here's the card I made using the Mojo Monday sketch for this week.  Did any of you try this one?  I thought it was a fun one.

I used some patterned papers I bought about this time last year and used Heart Prints by Papertrey Ink for the images...can't seem to get enough of that set lately. 

Well, I'll be back to share one more Valentine tomorrow....  Time to finish up another card and then go relax with my sweet hubby.  Hope you enjoy your evening too.

Thanks so much for the visit, and I hope you'll stop by again soon. Until then, many blessings to you!

Economy Boosters (just doin' my part -lol!):

Cardstock:  Baby Pink, White Daisy (CTMH), Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink)

Patterned Paper:  "Alissa Twirls" and "Alissa Love You" from A Gift of Love collection (Bo Bunny)

Stamps:  Heart Prints (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:  Scarlet Jewel, Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink), Sweet Leaf (CTMH)

Other:  Small and Large Standard Circle, Large Classic Scallop Circle (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), Curly Label punch, mat pack (SU!), paper piercer, sponge, (ret.) Baby Pink organdy (CTMH), Copic Multi-Liner (Too Marker), sewing machine, thread, foam mounting tape, glue dot