I must tell you what & who I have been
INSPIRED by lately.
And it's the reason I've been lagging in my blog posts of late. I took on a
design project that has been taking up quite a bit of my time. So, in every free moment,
I've been trying to enjoy this gorgeous fall weather with my kids:
They've been
"collecting" all the "fallen" flowers in our yard and on outings. I've been the honored recipient of these valued treasures!
And we have
ONE chrysanthemum plant from last year that has truly thrived! This vibrant bush is almost
as tall as my kids! (if you know the stories of my black thumb, then you know why I'm especially thrilled about this - one out of three ain't bad!)
Along with my unusual work hours, comes shortcuts in the
dinner department. Well,
my foodie husband whipped up a low-fat, low-carb meal for us recently -
Halibut with his HOME-GROWN cherry tomatoes and herbs. Yummmmm!
(recipe at bottom)
And now for the exciting project I've been designing. A great friend of mine, Laura Contreras-Rowe, has just authored
a TRULY inspiring book:
Aim High: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic & Latina Women is a compilation of mini-biographies of
33 amazing women. Women who have "aimed high" and overcome assorted obstacles to fulfill their dreams and goals. Successful, prominent women who you have heard of, or will be soon!
As I read their stories, I am so inspired! The book is targeted to young Hispanic girls, but the more non-Hispanics who have read it,
including several that are not so young!, the more we realize that it's an
incredible tool to motivate and challenge girls of any background, race or age. This definitely needs to be on
many Christmas gift lists!
Aim High is being printed as I type, and I can't wait to have the final book in my hands. It's a hardcover "coffee-table-style" book, full of colorful photos and fabulous design!
Tee Hee! The author, my friend Laura, has had national press and is already setting up her book tour. I'm honored to be a part of this inspirational project.
For more information about Laura and her book, or to pre-order, you can
visit here. She'll be rolling out the new site, www.aimhighbook.com any day!
AND ... you can win one here! Please leave a comment with your email address, and one lucky, random winner will receive one autographed copy of Aim High when they're available (probably right after Thanksgiving). You must have a US mailing address. Giveaway ends midnight MT Nov. 16th.
AND ... I just received something really cool from DaySpring - something else I designed that I can give away! SOOOOO, that'll be coming up shortly, too!! Stay tuned!!Halibut en Papillote:Wash and dry the fish fillet. Set aside. Cut a large rectangle of baking parchment and place on a cookie sheet. Put the fillet on it and top with:
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp medium-grind black pepper
- 1/8 C fresh Italian Parsley - chopped
- 1 large green onion - chopped
- 1 C sweet cherry tomatoes - cut in half
Drizzle over 1 tsp olive oil. Top with another piece parchment, folding edges together to seal and make a packet. Cook in preheated oven 400 degrees until the fish is tender (up to 18 minutes for a thick fillet).
You can also do this with individual fillets, like tilapia, making a packet for each person.
Studio DaySpring allows you to choose from oodles of super stylish designs and create a totally custom photo card! You can put photos and text wherever you want! I LOVE IT! Last year I used my "Joy to the World" retro ornament themed card:
... and I added another photo and clip art and my own text inside:
AND on the back!! Isn't that so cool?!
Here's a sample of my other design - green "Peace on Earth":
Aren't Paul & Lauren adorable? I don't know them, but I do hope they're real people who picked my design - they look great in it, don't they?! 
