House Party, baby!

As I mentioned a few months back, I have really gotten into the freebie/coupon sites on the net; what a super way to help save some money at the grocery store, plus I get wonderful weekly "surprises" in my mailbox. Yesterday, I received a 3-book set of hardcover children's cookbooks from Jif/Smuckers and Brianna LOVES them. Today I got a bunch of NutraSweet packets. Keep an eye on http://www.freebies4mom.com/ ; Heather does a really great job of making her blog a one-stop shop to guide you to all of the best coupons and free samples ☺

Through Freebies 4 Mom, I learned of a site called House Party. You fill out online applications in order to be considered to host parties in your home centered around different products. Basically, if you are chosen you are sent a box of freebies, etc. to give to your guests. It doesn't cost you anything to sign up...they just expect you to honor your commitment to have a party and try to post some pictures to their website. I have applied for a few parties, and was excited to get chosen to do the Velveeta Game Day party for Super Bowl!! Since I do a Super Bowl party anyway, this is just icing on the cake ☺ I received my huge box of goodies from FedEx today:

The box was FULL of cool stuff!

Here it is, laid out so I could see it all: a 2 lb box of Velveeta, a can of Ro-Tel, a canister of sugar-free Koolaid, three bags of Ritz chips, and a cute little ceramic square serving dish.

How cool are these cups?! I received 25 of these "Etch-It" cups. Apparently, you peel off the label and underneath is a little blackboard that you scratch your name on your cup....no sharing cooties here!

What is a party without guest favors? They sent me 16 of these plastic "Velveeta-keepers" to pass out......along with 16 of these dandy chip-clips. Who couldn't use a few more chip clips? There is also a pile of recipe card booklets with coupons to pass out, as well.

All in all, a nice little start of party-supplies ☺ Check back next week...I will be hurriedly working on cleaning, making decorations, getting food situated, etc.!

Have a terrific weekend, everyone!

As American as...

Mmm...apple pie!

I decided to make some tonight for an after-dinner treat. I use Martha's pate brisee recipe for the crust, which is sooo easy and soft/flaky. I was too lazy to make two crusts, so I did a crumb topping. The girls and I didn't want to wait for it to cool, because we like to put Cool Whip on top and let it melt!

So good, let me tell ya ☺

Lick the bowl clean, she did!

I have been watching the results of the election this evening with the rest of the nation. I have voted a few times before, but I don't even remember for whom! LOL With the changes in the world, and having kids now, this election just seems so much more important.

Or, maybe I am just growing up?

I hope you all got out and voted! It is pretty obvious who is going to win, at this point. Let's all just pray that the new president will lead our country with a genuine servant's heart.

Crafty Bits

Hello! I am just now recovering from the weekend. First of all, Friday night's ribs were quite tasty (and messy!). After the 2 hours in the oven, they looked a bit anemic. Therefore, I decided to send them to the grill-sauna for that last 30 minutes of cooking to perk them up a bit. I bathed them in a good amount of delicious K.C. Masterpiece, and tossed them on over indirect heat. I remember Martha once describing the perfect ribs as having a "beautiful rich mahogany color."

Mmm...now I know what she means!

And for dessert, ooey-gooey carmel apples ♥

On Saturday morning, hubby/FIL/BIL worked on putting the new windows in our living room. While they were doing that, MIL duped me into helping make pies for the church's bazaar. The making wasn't so bad, but I had to take the girls with me. They were good for a while, but then Bella got totally restless and I had to have Daddy come get her and take her home for a nap. We worked almost 5 hours on the pies, and made 40 apple and 20 rhubarb. We didn't finish though! There are still peach, blueberry, and cherry to make.

Of course, the guys didn't think to cover anything in the living room when doing the window stuff. So Sunday was spent on my hands and knees cleaning the plaster-dust off of every square inch of the living room... woodwork, floors, furniture. EVERYTHING! Not a happy girl. But, having the new windows in is a very good thing!

This would be the amigurumi frog I am working on for Bella's stocking. I started his final arm last night as I watch DVR-ed Martha episodes and listened to the wonderful rain through my new window. It was quite relaxing. Once I finish him up and give him a mouth, I can start on the "toad frog" for Brianna. Same pattern, just brown yarn ☺

Does this fellow look familiar to anyone? Over on the Gabba Friends board, I half-jokingly mentioned a petition for a DJ Lance Rock doll (similar to the Pee-Wee Herman doll of my youth), and now there is an actual petition up and running! How cool is that? Parker Jacobs seems down with the idea, it is just getting one of the licensers to pick it up. Still, how can you exclude such an important, pivotal character such as DJ Lance from your merchandise line-up??

Anyway... there was talk of making a Gooble doll, and I am totally up for that challenge! Gooble is sort of a depressed, cameo-character on YGG. I suppose he looks like the albino love-child of Muno and Brobee, and he cries a lot. So yesterday, I went looking for white vinyl to attempt a Gooble. None was found, but I did find some funky white remnant fabric for less than $1. It reminds me of stuff that someone's grandma's pants might be made from. In the long-run it was too thin/stretchy, making the stuffing look too lumpy. He also appears to have huge pectoral muscles, which is just disturbing. Anyway, I think I got the jist of him down. A tweak here and there of the pattern, and a change of the fabric, and I think he should be Christmas-worthy!

☺☺☺

Things that Make Me Happy ☺ part 1

First off, thanks to all of you that let me vent and gave me some feedback/moral support on my little "issue" from last post. Just an update on that scenario... while Monday was bad, Wednesday was even worse. I will spare you the details, but Miss Brianna will not have to suffer the stress of swimming class any longer...at least until she is older and is READY for it. My philosophy is that a birthday gift should not cause you undue stress or anxiety... agreed?

Besides all of the ruckus related to the aforementioned swimming nightmare, the rest of my week was pretty crappy also. I have finally acknowledged and accepted that my (unwanted) return to the working-world will be a coming reality. With the economy, rises in the cost of EVERYTHING, and a dwindling savings account (thanks to our fixer-upper house), it is just going to have to happen. Too bad I can't find an at-home job... but they all seem to be scams. In my field (nursing), the hours tend to be long and unpredictable, which sucks while caring for a family. I have been praying like crazy for guidance, or even a MIRACLE, to help me cope. Any thoughts/prayers from my cyber-buddies would be much appreciated ☺

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So, enough with the depressing, boo-hoo talk! Now that I have that off my chest, I am going to choose to be as happy as I can be. In doing so, I want to share a few things that make me happy:

I love the smell of freshly-chopped herbs, and the crisp sound as my knife glides through them.

Mmmm... and I love sneaking a piece of delicious pepperoni when no one is looking!

Mostly, I ♥ the smell of a fresh-from-the-oven, homemade pizza...and eating it is pretty special, too!

☺☺☺

I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier.... but I moved my favorite Black Apple print into the kitchen, where I can enjoy it all of the time. I know, all of us BA fans say we have a new favorite with each new batch of paintings (myself included). However, this really is my all-time favorite because it moves me sooo much! I think I saw this print on etsy before I ever saw Emily on Martha or knew anything about her. This would be the lovely Terrarium print , and the inscription on it reads:
"If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world & give it heavy walls."

What a wonderful sentiment! I hope God gives me the grace to start living my life this way ☺

Copy-Cat Tomato Post

Everyone, it seems, has been blogging about tomatoes lately. Who can blame them... they are delicious! Sally has been making gorgeous homemade sauces and 58 Cherries has been frying them up green. Well, yesterday I took one of my earliest favorite tomatoey dishes and gave it a bit of a new-fangled twist.

When I was a little kid and went to visit my grandparents (the far-away ones), my aunt would often make 'macaroni & tomatoes.' This consisted of cooked elbow macaroni, home-canned tomatoes, with tons of butter and salt. Mmmmm! I always looked forward to this simple, yummy food. I make mac'n'tom frequently for lunch, but with a pint of grape tomatoes in hand, I decided to give a "Rachael Ray" spin to an old fav.

I dumped the grape tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzled with olive oil. Then, I sprinkled with kosher salt and a wee bit of pepper, shaking the baking sheet to get them all evenly coated. Then I baked them in a 350 oven until they burst, approx 10-15 minutes or so.

In the meantime, I cooked some whole-grain penne al dente. A simple drain, a quick dump of the roasted tomatoes, and a bit of butter (and a touch of garlic salt)... a really tasty lunch! The tomatoes really do get sweeter ☺

Happy Hump Day to All... better go get out your Fall decor!

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