Happy New Year's Eve.....

Happy New Years' Eve. 

My goodness, this year flew by. Right now I am cooking raviollis, after cleaning and cleaning today. I am ready for a new year of possibilities. 

Ready to clear out clutter, decided what matters most, including how I volunteer my time.

Spending more quality time with my girls, they are growing so fast. 

And just being excited for what the future brings.

Come on 2014, 

I am ready.

Hope yours is a happy, safe, night. 

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. 

These are some of the scents and smells around our house this morning. Yummy Centerpiece on the table (thanks Mom), 

A pretty silver candle and Norwegian Incense and a great Silver owl from my best friend. Thank you. My house smells wonderful!

We are happily settling in for opening Christmas presents and enjoying the quietness of the morning. Santa made quite a visit to us last night. I can hardly walk through the living room.

Hope your day is great!

; )

Peppermint Bark...

 So so easy. 

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips, spread in a pan on wax paper, put in the refrigerator to cool until hard. 

Melt white chips, spread over top of semisweet, 

sprinkle crushed candy canes, 

put back in fridge to harden. 

Take out when hard, break and put in a pretty container. 

done. 

So so easy. 

Hello. Hope your week is going great. Just wanted to wish everyone out in Blogland, Merry Christmas Eve. We are hoping to have a very relaxed day. I look forward to sitting, crocheting and maybe a little pie making. I want to catch up on all the fun Christmas shows with my girls, snuggled up on the couch. 

They are anxiously awaiting Santa's visit tonight. I admit, so am I. I think there are going to be some happy girls tomorrow. 

There might be some more posts later. But if not. Merry Christmas to all. 

; )

Antics of a Very Naughty Elf on the Shelf...

This year, we decided to start the Elf on the shelf tradition. 

Our Elf has been very busy this year. 

She has hidden in stockings, the tree, on top of a plush moose head, ridden a horse, hung upside down from the lamp, hidden in a toy horse stable, played with the gingerbread houses, hid by the coffee pot and put bows all over the bathroom mirrors. 

I will be glad when Christmas is finally here. 

I will post more pictures later of her crazy antics. 

Happy Monday!

Fiesta Ware....

Hello, happy Sunday. 

Hope your weekend is going great. 

Today I am dreaming of colorful Fiesta ware. I have often seen this at yard sales and stores, and I admit, it never really appealed to me. But then I saw this Purple pitcher and that color makes me really happy for some reason. So thanks to Pinterest I have found lots of yummy colors to make me happy. 

Hope your Sunday is great!

 

Another Yummy Recipe.... Coconut/Jam Thumbprint Cookies...

3⁄4 lb (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 3 1⁄2 cup flour 1⁄4 tsp kosher salt 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash 7 oz sweetened flaked coconut 1 raspberry jam, and/or apricot jam Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until just combined, and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale, they should each weigh 1-ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.
YUM, I am adding these to my baking list as well.

Magic Cookie Bars....

Today is my baking day and YUM!  These have just been added to my holiday baking list. I think bars are the way to go this year. Happy Saturday!

Magic Cookie Bars


Ingredients:

• 2 cups Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 14 fluid ounces sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for glass dish). In 13" x 9" baking pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.

Some Christmas Wishing....Maybe next year.

Hello, Happy Friday. 

Well the weekend is here. My girls are out of school. We are going to go finish up some shopping today. The girls are anxious to shop for me and dad as well as grandparents and their best friends. So off we go. I think as happy as I am that Christmas is here, there is still part of me that wishes I could have done more. I had such plans, wreath making, winter picture taking, and simple christmas decorating. The last of those would never have happened since I have two girls who feel that the more sparkle the better. And honestly, I wouldnt have it any other way.  Still one day, they wont care what mom does in her decorating and I guess that will be the time for simplicity. Right now the hustle and bustle and excitement is all I need. 

; )

Gingerbread Girls...

Happy Thursday!

Today we are busy busy. Parties and such. My little one is decorating Sugar Cookies for Preschool and the older one has parties and fun afternoon full of games. Gotta pop in both to make sure all is well, so guess I will be at school all afternoon. 

Have a wonderful Day!

p.s. These are our Gingerbread girls that the girls made with leftover Halloween candy. I knew that stuff was usefull for something. 

Ha Ha..

Sugar Chalet Construction....

 Our local 4-H group puts on a wonderful Sugar Chalet building day every year. For 5 dollars each you get a naked house and all the goodies you want to put on it. So much better than building these at home. And much less stressful for mom.  (I can never get those things to stay together). 

My girls loved it. 

Hello. Happy Wednesday. I am finally out of the fog. I feel really good. Still coughing a bit, but nothing that seems to stop me from getting stuff done.

I am scrambling. Yep. Right now I am realizing that my kiddos will be out for Christmas break in two days and I have lots of "secret" stuff I still need to take care of before they are around me all the time. 

Luckily I got most of it done today. Just a few things left on the to do list. 

I am really looking forward to our winter break.

Hope your day is great.

Getting Better....

Hello, happy Monday. 

I am finally getting better. I dont know if it was the flu, or what, but something wiped me out. 

There was no energy, fever, chills, aches, sore throat, cough and finally no voice. 

What voice there was, came out raspy and squeeky for two weeks now. Today will start week 3. 

I feel like half of my December has just fallen into an abyss. I dont remember much. I meagerly rangled my kids to school and back, one of which was sick as well but has overcome it wonderfully.

I still have to sit, catch my breath and look at everything that has piled up around me. 

Not what I had planned for December, but it never works out that way... 

does it?

But for now, I am learning that hard way that maybe someone was telling me to

slow down.

So slow down, and getting better, 

I am.

Hope your day is great!

A Christmasy Portable Wrapping Station...

Welcome December 1st!

 

Hello. Happy Thanksgiving weekend. I hope your weekend is going great. We have had a fun filled few days of family, shopping, and good food. I am fully in the Christmas mode. We got our tree, and I am actually done shopping. Now just need to decorate, finish some loose ends, then sit back and enjoy the season. And this year I fully intend to enjoy more and stress less. 

To start off my season right, I put together a wrapping paper station. I usually don't go too overboard with wrapping, but this year I want lots of fluff and sparkle. 

Hope your start of the holiday season goes just as great!

Gobble gobble. 

; )