Silly Saturday...

Have a fun and safe New Year's Eve!

Blogaversary Giveaway From Ann's November Rose...

Happy Friday!! My blog buddy, Ann over at November Rose is celebrating her 2nd blogaversary - congrats to you, Ann!! To celebrate her blog turning "2", she is giving away Fancy Tags from Spellbinders Shapeabilities® and A Typeface stamp set from Close To My Heart®, which are shown in the photo above. Please take a moment and hop over to Ann's blog to check out her FANTASTIC crafty ideas and register for her giveaway! She will select a winner on Monday, January 2nd.

Thanks! Have a SUPER weekend!!!

Recipe of the Week...Beer Cheese Dip

Awhile back I stumbled across this recipe on the Hidden Valley Ranch recipe page. I recently whipped up a batch to take to a party, and it was a hit, so with New Year's celebrations just a few days away I thought I'd share this quick recipe with you.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 - 8 oz. packages softened cream cheese
• 1 - 1 oz. packet of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dip Mix
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup beer
• Chopped green onion
• Crackers, pretzels or fresh veggies

Method:
Combine cheddar cheese, cream cheese, dip mix and chopped green onion in mixing bowl. Gradually blend in beer until mixture reaches desired consistency. Refrigerate. Serve with crackers, pretzels and/or fresh veggies.

Yield: 3 cups dip.

Have a FANTASTIC day!!

A New Family Member...

I've been AWOL from blogging for the past couple of days because we've added a new member to the Brown family...a 2 1/2 year old, 10 lb. Chihuahua mix that we rescued through PAL. (Pet Adoption League). His name is "Tony Rigatoni", and he is sooooo sweet!! He came to us already house broken and crate trained, and has just wrapped himself around our hearts! Here are a few photos of our precious little Tony:

His favorite toy is a stuffed hedgehog...you should see him wrestle with it...soooo funny!!

Have a blessed day!

Merry Christmas

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.

~ Phillippians 2:9-11 ~

From our home to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, love and joy!

Thanks for being a part of my "little world" this year! God Bless You!

Silly Saturday...

Another funny clip from one of my favorite Christmas movies...Elf:

Wishing you a WONDERFUL Christmas Eve!!

Recipe of the Week..."Cherry Chocolate Brownies"

Here's a YUMMY dessert that whips up really fast for those last minute holiday get-togethers...and there's only 5 ingredients!!

Ingredients:

• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 3 eggs
• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 bag white chocolate chips

Method
Stir together the first 4 ingredients. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle white chocolate chips on top of hot brownies. Using a metal spatula, spread melting chips over brownies to create a marble effect. When completely cooled, cut brownies and place on serving platter. Cover any uneaten brownies to keep from drying out.

Enjoy!!

YIKES! Tooth Extraction Day...

Okay, I admit it!! I am a total weenie when it comes to having major dental work done, which is why I am sharing this "oh-woe-me-pity-party" post with you today!

You see, a couple of weeks ago I cracked one of my molars in multiple places and the pain was like ice picks jabbing into my jaw, back teeth and right ear for several days because I also had an infection. After calling my dentist's office, who graciously worked me in ASAP, I was referred to an endodontist who ran some tests. He discovered that the tooth was cracked so badly that it couldn't be saved. I was put on a heavy dose of antibiotics for the infection and large doses of ibuprofen. (I am allergic to pain medication with codeine, so I haven't been able to take anything stronger than ibuprofen for the pain). I was then referred to an oral surgeon, who will be pulling the cracked molar this morning. (Today happens to be my first day off of work for Christmas Break, so I'm kinda bummed about having to spend it having a danged tooth pulled...I know, I know...whine, whine, whine...UGH!)

On February 6th I will return to my dentist's office to have a crown/bridge built...oh what fun...NOT!! I keep trying to look at the bright side...

• At least I will be on Christmas Break for a couple of weeks so my mouth can heal before I go back to work...even though it is during Christmas when there is TONS of yummy food that I won't be able to really enjoy. (Oh wait! Sorry - I was trying to look at the bright side of this situation - LOL!!)

• Maybe I will lose a couple of pounds during this ordeal, since I haven't been able to eat much during the past couple of weeks with a severely cracked molar, and won't be able to eat much once it's pulled...yup, that's right, I'll have a jump on the 'ole annual "weight loss New Year's resolution"!

• My sweetie makes the BEST scrambled eggs, and he has been very kind to make them for me often during my cracked molar saga.

• Once this is over, I will no longer have an old, ugly metal filling in that molar...it will be replaced with a pretty porcelain bridge/crown. (Hmmm...that's a little vain, isn't it?? Well...I'm grabbing at straws here...trying to be positive about this ordeal!!)

Thanks for listening to me whine! Please keep me in your prayers as I head off to the oral surgeon this morning.

Blessings,

Notecard Treat Boxes

Here are some quick, fun little treat boxes that I created from notecards to give to some of my co-workers. I filled these cuties with small bottles of yummy scented Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer and various candies. (Since we all work with kids, hand sanitizer is a necessity for our desk drawers!)

Here's how I made them:

I started out with notecards that had a design printed on both the front and back. (Mine came from Hot Off the Press).

Next, I made tiny score marks at the top and bottom centers of the card:

I then scored diagonally from the top and bottom score marks to the center fold of the card. You will now have a diamond shape scored in your card:

Fold along all of the score lines to form the flaps of your treat box:

Using a Crop-a-Dile, punch holes in each of the flaps:

Open your box up and fill with treats:

Fold your box back up, aligning the holes, and run a piece of ribbon through the holes to form a bow to secure the opening:

Attach gift tags to your boxes and TA-DA! Your cute little treat box is complete! Just think how cute these would be for birthday or engagement parties; for Easter or teacher appreciation week?? Michael's usually has lots of pretty notecards and ribbon in their $1.00 bin, so there are lots of designs that could be used!

Wishing you a wonderful day!!

Felt Snowflake Christmas Card

Can you believe that Christmas is only 5 days away?!? I still have several things left to do before Christmas...I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that I feel like I'm running behind!

Anyhoo...just a quick post for today....

Here's an simple/elegant Christmas card that I created using some felt snowflake garland that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I included red grosgrain ribbon and square bling jewels for a little extra color pop and pizazz.

Thanks for looking! Have a SUPER day!

Quote Sunday

"God is, and all is well."

~ John Whittier ~

Silly Saturday...

Have a fun and safe weekend, my friends!!

Scrap-It-Girl Challenge and Prize...

Kimberly over at Scrap It Girl is hosting a fun and easy challenge! All you have to do is create a project using Melissa Frances products and link up your project on her blog between Dec. 8th - Dec. 29th to be entered to win this sweeeeet prize package:

Blessings,

Recipe of the Week...Grandma Buckallew's Fresh Cranberry Salad

My Grandma Buckallew, (my dad's mother), was an amazing cook...she raised 3 boys and was married to my grandpa for over 50 years, so she spent a lot of time in the kitchen! She could make scrumptious cobblers and pies, deliciously crunchy sweet pickles and melt-in-your mouth hot rolls; but my favorite dish was her Fresh Cranberry Salad. It just isn't the holidays to me unless I have a pretty glass bowl of this yummy sweet and tart salad to compliment the ham, turkey, pork loin or roast that is served at our table.

My grandmother's original recipe calls for celery, but since Justin and several other family members don't like celery, I leave it out and just double the amount of chopped apples. Here's her wonderful recipe - I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup chopped apples
• 1 cup chopped celery, (I omit and double the apples)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 small package red Jell-O (I use cherry)

Method:
Cook berries, water and sugar until berries pop. While hot, add Jell-O and marshmallows, stirring until marshmallows have melted. Set aside to cool down. Add remaining ingredients and pour into a decorative bowl. Chill until set. (Note...I also like to add a dollop of Cool-Whip on top of my serving....yummmmm!!)

Have a blessed day!

BRILLIANT IDEA!! Cupcake Christmas Ornament

WOWZERS!!! Is this a CUTE ornament or what?!?!? My blog buddy, Ann, over at November Rose created this fabulous cupcake ornament and has posted a super easy tutorial on her fantastic blog! Please take a minute to check it out, along with her other amazing creations...she is such an inspiration to me and I know you'll love her too!!

Have a SPECTACULAR day!

Quote Sunday

"The scenes of childhood are the memories of future years".
~ J.O. Choules ~

Silly Saturday...

Mike and I have been doing some holiday baking, so when I saw this photo online and it just "cracked" me up - ha! ha! ha! (Sorry for the bad humor...I just couldn't resist!!)

Have a fun and safe weekend!

Frosted Designs Challenge..."Glitter"

This week's challenge over at Frosted Designs is to create a project using glitter. To be perfectly honest, I am NOT a fan of glitter. As a matter of fact, I really, really dislike using it, and I avoid it because it clings to everything and is so messy. (This goes back to my OCD tendencies of being a bit of a neat freak - ha! ha!)

Anyhoo...after much thought and deliberation as to what I would make to submit for this challenge, I finally decided to make a home-spun looking winter wreath for my front door! I used a basic green wreath and made a bow out of some scrap burlap and buttons that I had on hand. I then added felt snowflakes, a metal "welcome" sign, white berries, and last-but-not-least a felt snowman that has been dusted with "snow glitter". Here's a close-up view of the snowman:

I hope those of you who are not "glitter challenged" will enter your projects in the Frosted Designs challenge this week! You have until noon Thursday, Dec. 15th to link up your creations. I would loooove to see what awesome, crafty projects you come up with!!

Have a WONDERFUL day!