HALLOWEEN LUNCH!

today i made a spooooky lunch for the kids. a ghost and pumpkin grilled cheese sandwich (used cookie cutters), tex mex mix (see recipe below), and the cookies that i made last night.

they thought lunch was boo-licious (as a matter of fact, bella is still eating hers ;)


i got this idea from a kraft food and family mag however, i adapted it to the recipe below.

tex mex mix

1. combine pretzels, cheese itz, chips, chex cereal, whatever you fancy together to make a total amount of about 10 cups.

2. mix 1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter/margarine with 1 pkg. of taco seasoning packet (i used homemade, see recipe below).

3. mix tossed chip mix taco seasoning/butter mixture.

4. spread evenly on 2 cookie sheets.

5. bake at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes. stir after 5 minutes. remove and cool.

here is the homemade taco seasoning recipe. since i found this at about the beginning of the year, it is the only taco mix i use. i got the recipe off the net. i buy the spices used in this recipe at the dollar general for $0.50 a piece. you can't beat that.

okay here ya go!

homemade taco seasoning mix

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon salt (i usually omit this)
3/4 tablespoon garlic salt
1 dash of red pepper (i usually omit this too; its too spicy for mike )

mix together. makes 1 pkg. of store bought.


lemme know what you think :)

VINTAGE BROWN FLOWER PURSE!

well i finally made a purse that i am happy with! everything is sewn tightly and i only had to have mike help me once (okay maybe twice, he sewed the lining together ;)

this fabric was in the box of scraps that i got from stose (her grandma's). i made the strap a lil too long, but then i like how i can place it across the chest. i need to get a snap/button to sew in the inside so i can close it.

i am really hoping that with enough practice that one day i can sew a pocket in the inside.

i have to say again, how happy i am that this turned out beautifully. i can't wait to put all my stuff in it so i can start carrying it!

do you have any purse making tips for me?

LAUREN'S BDAY PRESENT PART 1!

this coming up saturday, is lil lauren's 3rd bday party. so i decided this year, i was going to craft her some girlie goodness. this is a scarf that i crocheted last night and finished it this morning. i am really happy with it considering it is my first completed project and the first that is straight (don't ask, you'll see when i post the scarf i am making for myself)!

i love how i thought about the button. i happened to have a beautiful, big, pink button to complete the project.

i hope she likes it!

(some of the other presents that are in the works: a purse that just needs the feathery trim around the top, some bracelets, & hair clips. i will post them when they are finished).

**don't ya just love how i placed the scarf to look like the breast cancer ribbon? i know i'm goofy :)

HOCUS POCUS!

tonight since we did not go out and about for some of the halloween festivites that are going on, we decided to watch a halloween movie. i made some of my cincinnati chili to make coney's and we sat in front of the tv and watched "hocus pocus". it is such a cute movie and mikey loves it.


for dessert i made some cookies. i got the recipe from all recipes. it was submitted by samanta (unknown last name)

chocolate snowdrops
1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. devil's food cake mix with pudding
2 1/4 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 egg

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
2. combine cake mix, whipped topping, and egg. mix well. mixture will be very sticky.
3. drop 1 inch sized balls on lightly greased cookie sheets. bake for 10-12 minutes. remove to racks to cool. store in airtight container.

now original author of recipe suggest that you roll the balls of dough in confectioners' sugar before placing them on the cookie sheet. i have never done this.

as you can see in the picture, i seached my pantry for some odds and ends in my baking section. i used peanutbutter chips, rolos, and marshmallows. they all turned out deeeelish!


after the kiddos went to bed, me and mike sat outside so he could smoke a cigar and we saw the most beautiful moon outside. i wish i had a telescope so i could see it even better. there is nothing that i love more than a big full moon (and its even better when it is orange!)

"HAUNTED MANSION" ON THE TOWN GREEN!

yesterday, me and the kids picked up mike from work at 5 and headed over to the town green to see the haunted mansion. we had to make sure that we got there early so we got a good spot on the green and could see the movie. so with a picnic basket filled with goodies and our bag of canned goods for admission, we made our way over there. it was good thinking getting over there early. we found a great spot. we set up our blanket and began to eat our dinner while we waited for the activities to begin. we had meatloaf sandwiches w/ cheese and ketchup, doritos, cheese, pickles, and plenty of candy.

there was a costume contest and unfortunately, i didn't dress the kids up. i wish i would have though, they would have won! i just know it. i will have to remember this for next year.

once it was dark, the movie started. the kids were on pretty good behavior and we had a load of fun. mike went and got everyone popcorn that the biloxi police explorers were selling and we enjoyed the movie.

i wish they showed more movies down there. it was so much fun!

HALLOWEEN SKIRT!!

this is the most beautiful skirt that i have ever seen. i saw it in a martha stewart magazine (i don't care if she is in jail or not, i still luv her :) and thought that i wanted it so bad, but didn't want to be so selfish and spend $50 for it, so i thought i could make it. wrong idea. i didn't even attempt it (knowing that me and ms. sewing machine don't get along that well).

so i went ahead and purchased it. when it arrived, i thought it was the greatest thing ever. its one size fits all, and i am about the biggest size that can fit in it...lol....but it fit and that was all that mattered.

since i took today (friday the 29th) off of work, i wore it yesterday to work. i got so many compliments on it. i am going to wear it again when we take the kids trick or treating on sunday, so i will make sure i get a pic of myself in it to post. this is a skirt that i would be willing to wear anytime of the year. think i will get many stares? :)

THE CIRCUS!!!

mom had won tickets on the radio for us to go to the circus last monday. the show started about 7 pm so before that we stopped at mcdonald's and ate dinner. it was funny b/c bella was only interested in eating the lettuce that mike took off of his hamburger and mikey was only interested in playing with toy he got in his happy meal (why we waste money here i don't know :)

so after that we headed to the circus. i must admit that it was small and i was a lil disappointed, but the kids had fun. we ended up leaving at half time b/c it was already 9 pm. mikey got a $5 light up toy and they enjoyed seeing the show.

not bad for a free show!

A NEW BLOG TO CHECK OUT DAILY...OH MY!

thanks to ljc i found the cutest blog to check out on a daily basis. she is a fabu sewer (swooning with jealousy for her skills) and is a collector of children's books. how much more fabulous can you get? oh yeah, she sounds like a great mommy too!

she is now added to my lincs section. so check her out. you are not going to regret taking the time to read all her posts.

okay, i am off to finish where i left off :)

YELLOW RIBBON COOKIES!

last weekend, we went to mom's for david's goodbye dinner. he left wednesday to go to his next duty assignment which is in virginia. so for dessert, i made these cute lil yellow ribbon cookies. i am so pleased with how they turned out.

i didn't want to buy the refrigerator dough at the store, so i decided to search the net and find a good recipe. and guess what? i did. the got the following recipe from all recipes and was submitted by laura (unknown last name)

sugar cookie cutouts

1 cup butter, softened (i used margarine)
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup colored sugar for decoration (optional)

1. in a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. stir in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. sift together the flour and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the heavy cream. cover dough and chill for 2 to 3 hours until firm.
2. preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). grease cookie sheets.
3. on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutters. place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. sprinkle with colored sugars if desired.
4. bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven until bottoms and edges of cookies are light brown. remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. store in airtight container.

this recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies, but of course that all depends on the size of your cookie cutters. i used a fairly large one, so i didn't get that many. i got about 25 cookies.

now when i went to look for some frosting in my pantry, i was saddened to find that i didn't have any. so i searched all recipes again and found the best frosting recipe. i kid you not. this tastes like the frosting on cookies from a cookie bouquet place. this recipe was submitted by kathy brandt.

sugar cookie frosting

4 cups of confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5-7 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract (optional)
food coloring (optional)

1. in a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and shortening until smooth. gradually mix in the milk and extact(s) with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about five minutes. color with food coloring if desired.

i have also used this frosting to frost cupcakes and it is good. will be the frosting i use from now on (that is if i don't have the ingredients on hand, or i am feeling lazy ;)

enjoy!

HALLOWEEN CARDS!

this is what the halloween cards looked like that we sent out this year. however, mostly everyone got orange cards, but the ribbon was used and the title "boo" was also used.

it was very hard to get these pics...lol....all four of us were in the kids' bathroom and i had a candle in front of the kids (which would explain why they were looking down). i took a lot of pictures to get a few good ones, but i am very happy with how the cards turned out.

the back of the cards are signed "handmade with fright". clever eh? :)

BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LAB!

thanks *again* to the wonderful girls at glitter, i found out about a great place called black phoenix alchemy lab. they sell these fabulous (or so i hear since i haven't tried them yet) perfume oils.

so i decided to check them out and buy a sampler pack. i got to choose six different fragrances and i choose the following: lust, bordello, snake oil, siren, embalming fluid, the red queen.

i hear the snake oil is fabu! i cannot wait to get em. i just saw that they were shipped on the 27th. i wonder how long it will take to get here.

any opinions on the scents i ordered or any scents you can recommend? i am sure that i will be placing plenty more orders!

26 THINGS!

i saw a post on glitter about a project called 26 things. tracey, a fellow glitterati, is the owner of this brilliant idea.

what she does, is makes a list of 26 random things and you take pictures of your preception of those things and post them on her site. i have been carrying my camera around like a mad woman to get some pics taken. i have taken about 5 or 6 so far, so i better get on the ball. i am so excited about this project.

when i have all my pics taken, i will have to post em!

BELLA'S LIL NIGHTIE!

for my baby shower for isabella, my mom got bella a nightgown that resembled the one i used to have when i was little. she also gave me my nightgown framed with a picture of me wearing it. i couldn't wait until bella was old enough to wear it.

so the other night, i pulled it out and put it on her. she loved it. what a sassy-frass she is. she pranced around all over the house with it on. i got plenty of pictures.

when we show it to her at night to let her know we are getting ready to put it on, she starts smiling and laughing like crazy.

ITS A HALLOWEEN PARTY & CARNIVAL

today mikey had his halloween party and carnival at school. last night i made mikey and bella some iron-on halloween shirts to wear today. i didn't send mikey to school in his costume b/c i didn't have everything yet and thought it wouldn't be a big deal. when we dropped him off, *everyone* else was in theirs and they kept asking mikey where his costume was. the look he gave me broke his heart (and brought plenty of tears to my eyes once i got in the car).

so me and bella stopped at walmart to pick up something and i picked him up this lil sheriff's costume to wear during the party. he loved it and it made my heart happy again.

they had plenty of games outside and plenty of food inside. mike was able to make it for the carnival and we all had a good time.

MIKEY'S PUMPKIN!

this is a pic of the pumpkin that mikey painted at school. i think that he is absolutely "boo-tiful" :)

GREAT PUMPKIN COOKIES!

i am still in my "cooking with pumpkin" mood, so i decided to make some pumpkin cookies. i got the recipe from very best baking and boy are the delish. the recipe calls for decorating them, but i didn't.

here ya go!

Estimated Times:
Preparation - 30 min | Cooking - 14 min | Cooling Time - 15 min cooling | Yields - 20

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup raisins
Decorating icings, NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, candies, raisins and/or nuts (optional)


Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins. Drop ¼ cup dough onto prepared baking sheet; spread into 3-inch circle or oval. Repeat with remaining dough.

BAKE for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate with icings, morsels, candies, raisins and/or nuts.

MY DAY!

wow! three posts in one day, i am on a roll! anyway, from the first two posts, you can see how part of my day was spent, but the morning started off with a trip to sam's. i love sam's. something about getting things in size gargantuan that thrills me.

so anyway, we head to sam's with a budget. i don't believe that i have mentioned it yet ('cept on glitter) that i have been keeping us on a tight budget. i have made myself a budget book and have been writing *everything* that i have been spending (and trying to keep track of what michael has been spending). this includes every soda, every atm fee, EVERYTHING! if anyone is interested, i can post about the book and pictures of what i have used, just lemme know.

so anyway, we go to sam's with a budget and as you all know that is hard. our budget was $150 and this trip was going to include ink cartridges for our printer. we are able to get 2 color and 1 black for $74.00 which isn't bad at all considering that wally world has one for almost $40. so i had my handy calculator in hand and we hit the aisles.

we were successful and got more than the ink. i was able to get some chicken breasts, ground beef, sausage, bread, etc. without going over the budget. that felt so good. so my new friend "calcky" is going to go with me all the time.

once i got home, i started the chili and made the fudge. while the kids were "napping" i worked on the halloween cards that i am sending out.

i will scan a pic of them in about a week or so, after everyone receives em (some people check here and i don't want to ruin the surprise).

i absolutely love making homemade cards. so much fun and so much cheaper!

so now i am off to finish the cards and watch some telly!

now you can tell me about your day :)

PUMPKIN PIE FUDGE!

while we were in north carolina, we had some pumpkin pie fudge and it was deeeelicious. so once i got home, i surfed the net to find a recipe. the first three sites i went to had the same recipe so i decided to go with it. i got the recipe from pumpkin nook and tried it the other night. well since i did not have the white chocolate chips, i used almond bark and i must say "DO NOT DO THIS!!!!" it made the fudge rock hard.

so today, after purchasing white chocolate chips, i tried it out again and it was pretty good. a lil too sweet for me (next time i will minimize the amount of sugar) but of course mikey loooved it.

here ya go

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin (canned)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 package (12 ounces) vanilla flavored baking chips
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract


Preparation Directions:

1.Using butter or margarine, lightly grease the sides and bottom of a medium saucepan.

2.Place the sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in the saucepan.

3.Stir constantly over medium heat.

4.Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 12 minutes.

5.Remove from the heat and stir in the baking chips and marshmallows until melted.

6.Stir in the nuts and vanilla.

7.Pour into an 8-inch square pan that has been lined with foil and greased.

8.Chill mixture until set.

9.Cut into small squares to serve.

10.Cover and store in refrigerator.

if you try it, lemme know how yours turns out.
and if you have a different recipe, feel free to lemme know. i am looking for one with a lil less sugar :)


*****EDIT: i have been wondering since saturday if the reason my fudge came out so sugary was b/c i used white chocolate chips. the recipe calls for vanilla flavored chips. where does one find vanilla flavored chips? are they the discs you can buy for melting/decorating purposes. does anyone know? i am so disappointed that it turned out so sweet that i really don't care for it. help?!?!?

CINCINNATI CHILI!!!

if you have never had chili from skyline or goldstar, boy are you missing out. the only place that i know they exist is in cincinnati, ohio. this is the best damn chili that i have ever had. and the best way to have it is served over a hotdog on a bun with cheese.

after much searching, i finally found a recipe that comes so close to what the restaurant serves, that i don't know which was is best. i got this recipe from recipezaar and the member that posted it is tonkcats.

here you go:

2 tablespoons of oil
2 1/2 lbs. beef, ground
1 quart water, cold
1-6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 large onions, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons chili powder
5 bay leaves (i have left this out before with no problems)
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (have left this out too)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (yes, i said cocoa)
salt and pepper (use as little or as much salt as you want, but the more the better...that is without it being too salty)

1. in a heavy gauge pot, heat oil, add beef until brown. add onions and water and bring to a boil.

2. reduce to a simmer and add tomato paste and all the other ingredients and let simmer 1 1/2-2 hours.

3. adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

4. remove bay leaves before serving.

this is how skyline chili's website says you should tope your chili (which is served over spaghetti noddles by the way).

Classic 3-Way Chili: Our signature dish…steaming spaghetti, covered with original, secret recipe Skyline Chili and topped with a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese.

4-Way Chili: A 3-Way with the addition of diced onions or red beans.

5-Way Chili: Spaghetti, chili, diced onions, red beans and mild cheddar cheese.

Chili Spaghetti: Steaming spaghetti covered with original, secret-recipe Skyline Chili.

Chili Spaghetti with diced onions or red beans.

Chili Spaghetti with diced onions and red beans.



lemme know if you try it and how you like it :)

BORING!

today was an extremely boring day at work with the major gone. i hate when he is not at work.

so due to the boring-ness of the day, today's post is going to be boring too!

the end :(

HAPPY BDAY DAVID!

well today is my lil brother's 20th bday party. we went to mom's house for dinner and had yummy chicken, pork chops, mashed potatoes, corn, and biscuits. dessert was a pepperidge farm triple chocolate cake with french silk pie.

it was so good!

david got some cute stuff and we had a good time!

hope your 20th year is a good one!

A DINNER IDEA!

i don't have much to post tonight (i am exhausted and am fighting a migraine), but i wanted to post something that i have started making for me and the hubby (the kiddos wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, so i don't bother ;)

i got the idea at a local restaurant called the hobnob cafe. all you do is saute red onions, green peppers, and fresh mushrooms in some olive oil. after the veggies have softened, you put em on a roll, poboy bread, or french bread. top with a slice of provolone cheese and put in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts.

voila! of course you could add what other veggies you want.

this sandwich is sooooo good and so easy.

**edited to say that i forget to mention, if you wanted to (which i do) i slice tomatoes and place it on the bread before i add the cooked veggies. it is soooo good. but it is also good without! so whatever your preference :)

I'M BACK!!!

well, i am back and boy did we have a load of fun. even though it was a blast, i felt like i have been gone forever.


the cabin was beautiful. i think that we were all impressed and quite surprised at how unrustic it really was. it had a beautiful pond behind it and a the most gorgous creek running behind the whole place. we had dinner friday night at this place called the salty dog. it was so cute. they served their crackers in a dog dish.


then on saturday, we got up (to cool temperatures mind you ;) and went horse back riding. now i have to say, i have never been horseback riding before and was not really nervous. that was until we actually got on the horse. now, if we would have ridden on flat land, i wouldn't have had a problem at all, but we rode on a mountain. the very side of the mountain. i freaked out at one point and demanded to get off the horse. hugh, our 75 year old, cutie patootie guide, would not allow it. he connected me to the his horse and i survived the 2 hour ride. it was beautiful on the mountain, but i couldn't help looking over the side. it was definetely an experience that i will never forget and yes, i will try again (on flat land ;)



after the horseback riding, we went to a lil zoo that was down the street from the cabin. as you can see in the pictures, i held two snakes. now this may seem like a small feat to anyone else, but i am *terrified* of snakes (ever since i had mikey for whatever reason). this is going to be one of the most memorable experiences. when i first went up and the guide handed me the snake, my eyes started to water and i started to get that panic feeling in my chest. i didn't think i was going to be able to do it. once i held it and gave it back, i felt so good. but i know i was going to have to hold the big one to really get over my fear. looking at these snakes on tv will push me over the edge. i can not believe that i had it around my neck. i am so proud of myself. that was one of the best things i have ever done for myself.

the rest of our day included a lil bit of touristy shopping and eating at a bbq place called "butts on a creek".


sunday, we got up and drove to cherokee. there we panned for "treasures" and stopped by a place that let you ride the mechanical bull. i absolutely *love* the movie urban cowboy and sitting on that bull made me feel like sissy! i wish i could have stayed on longer, but i was in so much pain from riding the horse the day before and i must say, that it is hard to not slide off. this was one of the funnest things i have ever done! and i would do it again in a heartbeat.

as soon as i get a free minute, i will put the rest of the pictures on my ofoto acct. we had a blast and i truley recommend a "girls getaway" if you have a chance. it was so much fun. and yes, i still couldn't wait to get home to be with my hubby and the kiddos!