Yipee for home internet!! Or We have all become slaves!!

So if you follow my blog, you became acutely aware that I no longer had internet access back in October when I was taking part in the 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies blog hop!  I was going strong then bang..... I was gone.  Well, I had a bit of an issue with my isp and ended up cancelling my service!  It took me many months of trying to figure out what my best option was.
During those months I became acutely aware what a slave I was to the internet.  My life began to revolve around trips to Starbucks and the library just to get my daily fix.  I realized that I used the internet for meal planning, craft ideas, socializing, and this isn't even including the essentials like banking and email!!  Slowly, I began to realize that as much as I liked my constant Starbucks runs, I needed to get home internet again!
So I am glad to announce that I have joined the slave ranks again and now am sitting at my craft supply laden desk looking at all the awesomeness, that I will never in a million years have time to make, on pinterest!

 

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Week 2

So it is week two of the twelve weeks of Christmas cookies. I am grateful to Brenda over at Meal Planning Magic for inviting me to participate in this!! My kids and I have had a blast coming up with what to do and then preparing things. This week I wanted to try something that I had never done before!! However, it may not have been my brightest idea!! Sometimes things that look very simple can become ridiculously difficult!! Ok, so maybe it wasn't that difficult .... just mostly a sticky mess!! I used a recipe that I got from allrecipes.com I chose Holly Christmas Cookies. I added the marshmellows, butter, vanilla and food coloring to the pan. Then once it was melted, I removed it from the heat and added cornflakes. Judging from the way mine turned out, I think that this recipes needs more cornflakes so it won't be as gooey!!

These probably wouldn't freeze well so they would be best made right before you plan to serve them.

Now you should go check out all the other cookies created just for The 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies Blog Hop!!

Costumes.....

So I have been invited to a few Halloween parties.....I am trying to come up with something that won't cost me a small fortune!! So here is what I am thinking......

I think the sugar skull would be pretty cool and probably very different than anybody else. I think I have most everything that it would take to make this one happen. It could also be fun for a photo shoot or a car show or even both!! This could be done fairly cheaply and I am confidant that I could pull it off!! However, one of the things I was invited to, has a theme!! The theme is Candyland. I think it could be fairly easy to do this......

Which one do you think I should do?? or should I do both??

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Week 1

This week I made Peanut Butter Sealed with a Kiss cookies!  These cookies look great and freeze well!!
Here is the recipe I used:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 9 oz package chocolate kisses unwrapped

Preheat the oven to 375.  Cream the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla extract.  Wisk together flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly combine flour mixture with peanut butter mixture.

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll them in the white sugar.  Place on parchment paper on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven.  Press chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.  Return to the oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  Makes about 24 cookies.

Now who wants to come do my dishes??  :)

Christmas on the brain!!

I know it isn't even October yet but man, I have Christmas on the brain!!  All the prep for the Cookie exchange, I guess!  I have thought back to Christmases past and cherished old memories....like the one of Santa putting presents under the tree in his red bikini briefs...um, thanks dad!! LOL  Seriously though, Christmas has been a treasured time for me, like most.  A time for family gatherings and the smells of baking.  Last Christmas was a little tough but I hope to leave it in the past.

This Christmas will be the first where my kids don't rush in and wake me at 4 am, so it will be a little different.  However, I plan on making Christmas Eve extra special for my kids!!  On Christmas, you may find me volunteering somewhere or maybe at the movie theater(that would be a first)!

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?  Do you plan on starting new traditions?

Fishing....

Fish Lake, Washington

When I was a little girl my grandpa started taking me fishing.  I think I was three when I became his favorite fishing buddy!  We spent so much time on the lake and camping at places near rivers.  I had my own special cooler for soda and I got to bring my favorite snacks.  I remember being so impatient to catch fish.  I would cast out and reel it in then start again!!  LOL over and over cast reel cast reel!  It is a wonder I ever caught anything.    While I was fishing with my son a couple weeks ago, I remembered that I would lean over and tug on my grandpa's line to make him think he got a fish!  LOL  Some of my most treasured memories are those of fishing with my grandpa!  

Cookie Blog Hop

I am so excited to take part it this blog hop Hosted by Meal Planning Magic!!  It will be my first!!  I have been wanting to try something like this!!  There is still space available if you would like to join!!

Here is how it will work: each participant will post a Christmas cookie or candy every Thursday for 12 weeks!!  So far there are about 26 bloggers participating....that is a whole lot of cookies and candy!!

I can't wait to see what everybody comes up with!!  :)

Planning

When I was young, I thought I had a plan.....as I got into high school I forgot about "the plan" and took a new path.  From that moment forward I have not had much of a plan and have not been very organized....sometimes I plan this or that .... sometimes I organize one area or one thing in my life....
Slowly, I have been becoming more planned out and organized about things....it has taken some time but I am getting there!  LOL  Today, I plan meals and stick to the plan, I have binders for couponing, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and (ugh) unemployment!  I am finding that these things help me more than I thought they would!

One day I just realized I had to do something (so I could find those important papers that I needed)!

How do you keep your chaos organized?

Pinup

So I started dabbling in pinup/rockabilly .... here are some of the results!

Life changes.....

Change is unavoidable!  Sometimes it is good and sometimes it is bad.  Sometimes it can be a blessing.  A couple months ago my boss (at the time) told his employees that he may need to lay off someone, as business had declined.  I agonized over this, trying to think of how I would survive without a job.  The stress of it was overwhelming.  I thought of every angle of the situation.  Looking back at it now, I know there is no thought I could have had that would have properly prepared me!  For weeks it dominated my thoughts.  

Then came the day of the layoff....somehow I was in a daze the day it happened.  It seems foggy to me, even though it is still very fresh.  

Things will be tight but we will get by.  I know that I am a strong resourceful person and have already figured out that I can go back to school.  Though it may be tight for a while, in the long run it will be way better for my family!

My kids have been very happy to have me home when they get home from school.  They love baking with me in the afternoon and that I can attend evening school activities and not get there late!!  

So I say this is a positive life change!!  :)

How I am.....since everyone keeps asking....

I am just fine.  I expected to be hurt when I heard that my ex was getting married again.  I was wrong!  I feel nothing about it.  I feel as if I heard someone I hardly know announced their engagement.  It doesn't affect me.  It is nice to see the kids happy about it!

I feel good about my emotional stability!  I knew before but had a shadow of a doubt, now I know without doubt I have moved on!  I was a foolish child who didn't know what love was.....

I know the love I share with my children is stronger than anything I have ever felt, it is the most important thing in my life!

Someday, I would like to know a man who truly loves me for me and who I love just as much, who wants to share his life with me.

For now, I am content with what I have in my life and have no concern for what others do in theirs!

Under Construction....

I am sorry I have not posted for a long time.....After spending a brief amount of time in Connecticut with my best friend, April, I returned home to a plethora of holidays crashing down around me.  

Thanksgiving came fast and furious with a snow storm.  My kids were disappointed to be stuck at home with no family visiting.

December brought a major ice storm which left me with a 12 hour commute home from work one night.  I rescued stranded bus riders and we raided a box of candy from halloween that I had hidden in my trunk.  The company helped me make it through the storm!

It also brought my 32 birthday..... I have never much cared about getting older so I am not afraid to say it....I am now 32! :)

The day after my birthday brought a shock wave....David moved out.  It still leaves me with little understanding and lots of heartache.

My Dad came to visit for Christmas which made the kiddos and I very happy!!  He even made us breakfast on Christmas and dinner!!  I love my Dad!!

January passed quickly .... and now we are here into February....

So as my life is under construction presently, I will try to construct more time for blogging! :)

Donate button to the right.....

In case you are unaware, my very best friend, April's husband was in a very serious collision on Friday November 5, 2010.  He was on his way to work when a drunk driver crossed over into his lane hitting him head on at 60 miles per hour.  He was cut out of his car and taken via ambulance to Hartford hospital in Connecticut. He was admitted and taken to the ICU neurological trauma center.  He is stable now but still not conscious, his kids can't come see him because of all the wires and monitors.  The doctors say they don't know how this will effect him in the long run but he will be hospitalized for a very long time and they are saying a rehabilitation center will most likely follow his hospital stay.

April and Chris work hard to support their family.  They both work 2 jobs (April sometimes works 3)!!  They barely are able to make it on the amount that all those jobs bring in!  Now with Chris not working, April is going to have a very tough time of it!!

If you can make a donation, however large or small please do so by pushing the Donate button to the right!

And please please pray for my friend April and her family!!

Was just thinking......

Man I haven't posted in a long time...I have been thinking about it and decided that I am going to add a feature....Mock up Mondays....While I have been developing the idea and cultivating my thoughts around it, I haven't had a chance to post. 

Then tragedy hit my dearest friends life....in the form of a drunk driver.  I got the call at 8 am Nov. 5th and was on a plane to Connecticut at 6pm.  I am here now and doing my best to hold it all together.  Please if you have a facebook page visit the page I set up Help April and Christopher Couillard, I will be setting up an account for them so that people can donate to help support the family in this difficult time. 

Alright, in an effort to stay sane.....I am returning to the idea of Mock up Mondays.  In it I would write a post detailing a fantasy trip, way of life or event.  I think it could be fun to "pretend" that I had a fabulous trip to Italy, until I get to in real life!  LOL  Just the research alone will give me a chance to glimpse into things that I have no clue about.

Happy Halloween!!

Teddy at Jengo Fett

Me as Blaine Princess

The kiddos finally ready to go

Went trick-or-treating with the kids tonight!

December Daily.....

Ok so the base for my December daily album is done!  I am going to add some embelishments soon but the cover and pages are all set up.  Here is a peek.....................................

The final week in The Glee Club on Dixie Pieces.

I am sad to say that last week was the final week in the Glee Club on Dixie Pieces!  Here was my final submission.....

Look at that darling little face!  It is hard to believe that he is going to eight years old in May!  It is my sweet little social butterfly, Teddy! 

Challenge @ Buttons & Bows.....

I really like doing challenges, it forces me to get some scrapbooking and or card making done!!  For this challenge I used a Tiddly Inks digital stamp, Trick or Treat Echo Park paper, black card stock and a few other things I had laying around. 

 Boy, oh, boy ... did I make that mess?  Hey, I was having fun, so I am not too concerned with the destruction left in my wake! 

 Here is my adorable card!!  Now if I only knew who to send it too!  I guess I might have to put it away to send out next year! 

 Another angle.....

Finished products always make me happy!  Now what next?.....

Knitting....

I have wanted to know how to knit forever.  I have tried once or twice but could never quite get it.  I can crochet but knitting is a whole different story.  The church I go to is having what is called, Celebrate U.  They have all sorts of different classes.  One happened to be knitting.  I had to try again!  I have been practicing and practicing. 

I am so proud of myself!!  :)

It has been too long....

I have been very busy.....here is a photo of a visitor we had at our house today!

I have been trying to feed the squirrels but they really don't seem interested!