12-1-10

7:30am

Heading to Kroger and the thrift store this morning.
Thrift store-
couple tops & pants for Jonathan, maybe another jacket.

Kroger-
Going to go ahead and get my baking supplies
for things I'll be baking for my goody trays or bags.

Here's what I've decided to make:

for Tony's work
(will package up in the paper lunch bags
a variety of everything for
each individual instead of a tray),

school
(will probably do the pretzel rod snowmen),

family & friends
(a variety of everything)

-Rice Krispies white chocolate peppermint bark.
-Pretzel rod snowman
-Turtle pretzel candy
-Chocolate toffee candy
-Nutella pocket cookies
-Mint chocolate dipped apples
(just for us since it's more perishable & I have
apples that need used up. Might enter in contest)
-Somoa spritz cookies
& probably some basic cookies
like cut out sugar cookies.

This is more or less a list for myself to stay
on track and know what I am doing around here, lol.
If I don't make notes I'll forget something.

---------------------------------------------

When making cut out sugar cookies I have found
this is the best icing recipe ever from Wiltons!!

When tinting icing with food coloring I
use the gel food coloring. The colors
are more vibrant than the liquid food colorings.

Poured Cookie Icing

Cookies look irresistible with a smooth coat of our Poured Cookie Icing. It dries to a shiny, hard finish and is also great for outline and fill-in decorations.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

instructions

Place sugar and milk in bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Add corn syrup and mix well. For filling in areas, use thinned icing (add small amounts or light corn syrup until desired consistency is reached).

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Spent about $51.00 at Kroger
and got a couple good deals with coupons.
I know I said I haven't been clipping coupons,
but when they are right there in the store
on the shelves or items then I'm gonna use them.

4 two liters Diet Mountain Dew
6 two liters Sierra Mist
.79 cents each when you buy 10
x's 10 is $7.90
minus $4.00 in coupons
made 10 bottles $3.90 or .39 cents each!!
Regular non sales or coupon price was
$1.29 each x's 10 is $12.90
so I saved $9.00!!
Some coupons I found at Speedway
and the others were hanging right
by the Pepsi 2 liters in Kroger!

10 boxes Krusteaz cookie mixes
$1.49 each when you buy 10
x's 10 is $14.90
6 coupons for $1.10 off ($6.60 off)
4 coupons for $1.00 off ($4.00 off)
made 10 boxes $4.30 or .43 cents each
regular non sales or coupon price was
$2.29 each x's 10 is $22.90
so I saved $18.60!!
Coupons were found in a blinkie machine
and on the boxes!

Other deals from Kroger

2 cans of pumpkin
reg. $1.39
marked down: .69 cents each

2 pkgs Won Ton wraps
reg. $2.99
marked down: $1.49 each

1 can Kroger creamed corn
reg. .50 cents
marked down: .29 cents

3 pkgs Cinnamon apple muffin mix
reg. .79 cents
marked down: .39 cents each

1 can Kroger beef gravy
reg. .79 cents
marked down: .39 cents

Plus other ingredients to make cookies
and candies
and ingredients to make a
broccoli cauliflower cheese soup.

TOTAL spent $51.00

That should cover 20 goody bags
for people at Tony's work.
Plus 2 classrooms at the kids school
with about 50 or so total kids.
Plus 10 friends & family.
So I think I did pretty good
to give baking gifts to about 80 people!!

THRIFT STORE

spent $15 and got

-bathroom rug
-mini NASCAR flag
-4 spools of gold ribbon
-Roush racing video tape with
score pad (new)
-The Sights & Sounds of Christmas video tape
-3 long sleeve shirts for kids
-4 pairs of pants for kids

The thrift store seemed wiped out,
meaning less things than usual.
I think it was due to their sale of 50% off
on the last Wednesday of the month
which would of been 1 week ago.
I wanted to find Jonathan another coat
but their selection sucked. So maybe another day.

----------------------------------------

First snowfall 12-1-10
8:15am kids heading to bus stop.

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I almost forgot about this recipe
and might have to make some for Christmas.

These are really good. I have made them before!

.
Makes approximately 15 large cookies

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Beat butte, sugars and peanut butter until well combined. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well. Gently mix in the flour mixture about 1/3 at a time until incorporated. Form the chocolate dough into balls.

Peanut Butter Filling
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
Combine confectioners' sugar and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

Flatten each chocolate ball on the palm of your hand. Top it with a small round spoon of peanut butter. Carefully fold the dough sides over the peanut butter and pinch to seal. Roll into a ball and flatten on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake cookies in preheated 190 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until the surface begins to crack slightly. Allow 2-3 minutes before gently removing them to cool completely on a wire rack..


----------------------------------------------------

1:00pm

Had to share this story before laying down for a nap.
My package of 2 controllers for XBox 360 arrived
today from Ebay. Most people just crumple up
newspapers, use bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
As I unwrapped all the paper from the controllers
I saw that they used the coupon section of the paper,
woo hoo! And in it was another coupon
I have been looking for, for the
$1.00 off pistachio nuts. These are Tony's
favorite that I like to buy as a stocking
stuffers at Christmas time.
I thought it was funny as I just went through
some coupons of mine last night looking
for those pistachio coupons.
Who'd of thought I'd open up the
XBox controllers and find a pistachio
coupon sitting on top crumpled up, lol!
Kroger has them on sale for $3.99
minus $1.00 coupon
makes them $2.99.
I think they are regularly around $6 to $8.

ohhh and lookie I found a freebie coupon
for a free 7 function digital multimeter
at Harbor Freight.
And that coupon for an aluminum
lightweight racing jack will also come in handy.
Tony's been needing one of those.
Ya ever tried to haul around or pick up
a regular floor jack, HEAVY!!
Only I could be more excited about a box
with coupons in it more than 2 XBox controllers, LOL!
.-----------------------------------------------

Check out the Northpole.com
where you can visit Mrs Claus' Cookbook

While there you can also send a letter to Santa!

Send a Letter to Santa

Santa really loves to get letters from boys and girls. They tell him if they have been naughty or nice and what they want for Christmas. I know Santa would like to get a letter from you. All you have to do is click on the inkwell on the desk and I’ll help you write your letter to Santa.

Once you have sent a letter to Santa, come back and check your mailbox by clicking “Santa Letter Pick-Up”. Santa answers every letter that is sent to him, but he has so much mail it usually takes him about two days to write back to you.

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these are all from hip2save

Amazon is offering up some great music freebies! Every day through December 25th, you can go here and download a FREE Christmas song!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Nabisco is once again offering up a new cookies and milk coupon for the month of December– Save $1 on Nabisco cookies when you buy 1 package of Nabisco cookies AND one gallon of milk. This coupon can be found on the Nabisco Facebook page here thru 12/31 (or until 50,000 prints have been reached). The coupon must be redeemed by 1/14/2011.

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Anyone looking to give a toothbrush for Christmas,
one of those fancy sonic kinds?
There are some on sale at Target til 12-4.
Sonicare Essence Electric Toothbrush on a price cut for $39.99 (down from $68.99!!)
Use the $10/1 coupon from the 11/21 SS or found here
Plus, stack with the $10/1 Philips Sonicare Toothbrush Handle Item Target store coupon found here
Pay $19.99
And then submit for the $10 rebate found in the 11/21 SS or refer a friend the rebate form here
Final cost ONLY $9.99!! *HOT* Price!

or here's another one found at Walgreens
Oral-B Vitality Power Toothbrush $10 off with in ad coupon
Buy 1 Vitality toothbrush $29.99 (based on online price)
Use the $10/1 in ad coupon
Plus, stack with the $10/1 coupon found in 11/14 RP
Final cost ONLY $9.99!

or I saw Walmart has some for
around $4.88 to $6
for the battery operated ones.
I was thinking about getting the family each one.

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Are you looking for a way to make use of the Buy one Olay body wash get one Olay hand and body lotion FREE (up to $7 value!) coupon found in the 11/28 PG? Well, you may want to head on over to Dollar General. Thru December 4th, Olay body wash 8.4oz is on sale for just $2. Check out how you can get a body wash AND lotion for just $1 each…

Buy 1 Olay Body Wash 8.4 oz $2
Buy 1 Olay hand and body lotion (up to $7 value)
Use the buy 1 body wash get 1 lotion FREE coupon from the 11/28 PG
Final cost only $1 each!

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This is what is for supper tonight:
The recipe didn't call for the cauliflower
but I'm adding in some also.
This recipe makes 12 servings
I will probably scale it to half.

I LOVE McDonald's Broccoli & Cheese soup
and that is what inspired me to make my own.

Broccoli & Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2/3 cup cornstarch (or you could use flour)
  
• 1 cup water (or you could reserve 1 can chicken broth to use instead)
  

Directions

1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.
3. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

* I put the broccoli & cauliflower in the
food processor before boiling in the pot.
*I doubled the amount of cheese.
*I added half slices of white
cheddar cheese to the top of soup when serving.
*I double or even tripled the amount
of flour & water as I wanted a thicker soup.
You could also use instant mashed
potato flakes as a thickener.
Now remember I halved the recipe above
when taking these notes into consideration.

This is one of those meals that is a comfort
food that makes you warm and fuzzy on
the inside on a cold day like today.

I have kids that probably wouldn't touch
broccoli or cauliflower so by putting it
in the food processor and making it
into tiny pieces they didn't know what
it was. I was happy knowing they got
a couple servings of veggies in them!

--------------------------------------------

.
Keep track of Santa daily to see what he
is up to!
NORAD SANTA TRACKER

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from hip2 save

Land O’ Frost just released a high value coupon! Go here (and look on the upper right hand side) to print a buy one get one FREE Land O’ Frost Bistro Favorites coupon! You should be able to print 2 coupons per computer.

Bistro Favorites Varieties:
Applewood Smoked Ham
Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Black Forest Ham
Cracked Black Pepper Beef
Honey Glazed Smoked Ham
Roast Beef
Rotisserie Seasoned Turkey Breast

This would be good to get and put in the freezer

til Christmas. Around here our Christmas dinner

consists of mostly finger foods like:

ham & cheese on buns,

potato chips,

veggie, cheese & cracker tray with dip.

***KENDRA***

If you don't need this coupon would

you send me the printed 2 coupons??? Pretty please :0)

Not sure if I can even afford a ham this year,

heck I couldn't afford to stock up on turkeys.

So maybe I could get some ham slices instead.

--------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow I don't have plans of going anywhere.

Have to stay home and do bills and rebates.

Might start working on Christmas cards also.

Don't that sound like fun, ughhhh!

Maybe I'll get the bills done tonight

and get that out of the way.

My water bill went down $5.00 for the past 3 month.

My car insurance went down $125.75 for this month.

Gas is pretty good at $43 with having the heat on

set at 70-72 degrees.

Electric bill I think was around the same as last month

I want to say around $70 to $75.

But I got notice from the cable company

that starting the beginning of next year it will

go up another $3.00. Now wondering how

to get cheaper cable but I want the DVR with it.

They were saying last night on the news how

many customers each cable company was losing

each year due to people going without cable

and/or using the internet to watch programs

or using Netflix.

Our health insurance will be going up another

$18 a month. We decided to add cancer

and stroke/heart attack to our policy which

is additional costs to be able to be covered.

When you are a smoker (me) and diabetic (hubby)

you want those two things!

We are also doing the 401K also, so more expenses.

But at least we'll be covered.

Better be safe than sorry!!

Another thing I have been thinking about

is asking the doctor to give me something to

help me stop smoking. We're supposed to

discuss it my next visit on Tuesday.

If I can quit smoking I was thinking about taking

that money spent on cigarettes each month and

applying it to our house payment.

And after doing some online mortgage calculators

I figured I could have the house paid off in

another 7 years in 2017!!

You've got to set a goal somehow with trying

to quit smoking and I think this is something to think about.

That would be taking a 30 year loan down to 9 years!!

I originally wanted it paid off before retirement age

because I don't think we could afford a house

payment with our social security.

I won't have much of a retirement due to being

a stay at home mom. I've only worked about

10-11 years total. Many people have to stop

living for the moment and start thinking

about your future and how you're going to

make it then.

-----------------------------------

7:35pm

Decided that since taking down the blinds

in the bay window and using regular curtains

across the front that I could make use of

that window space to display holiday items.

Next year was thinking about doing a town

scene with buildings, cars, trees and what not.

Who knows, if I find time I may change it.

..

11-30-10

Chocolate Dipped Apples

These are unbelievably good and even better with a little bit of carmel to add to it.

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 cups water
* 3 large apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
* 1 cup chocolate chips
* 3 tablespoons butter or
* 1 bottle prepared hardening chocolate sauce (such as Magic Shell)

Preparation:

* 1) Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
* 2) In a large bowl, combine lemon juice and water. Place apples in lemon juice mixture. Toss to coat apples with lemon juice mixture. Set aside.
* 3) If you don’t have a microwave, skip this step and use hardening chocolate instead. Place chocolate chip and butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir well. If chocolate is not completely melted, microwave on high for 20 seconds more and stir. Repeat until chips are melted.
* 4) Place apple slices on a paper towel and pat dry with another paper towel.
* 5) If you made your own chocolate sauce, dip apple slices halfway into chocolate mixture and place on baking sheet. If you are using hardening chocolate sauce, arrange apple slices on baking sheet and drizzle with chocolate.
* 6) Refrigerate apple slices for about 1 hour or until chocolate has set.

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PEANUT BUTTER RICE KRISPIES

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
• - OR -
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups Rice Krispies®

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. 2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.


MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until combined. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.


Note

For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

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Peppermint Bark

Makes 36 pieces

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not use chips)
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal
• 1 bag (7.5 ounces) hard peppermint candies, unwrapped

Directions

1. Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed paper. Crush candies (see note below).
2. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice cereal.
3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.
4. Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently (paper prevents hands from sticking to candy and chocolate). Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).
5. Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Peppermint Bark - Martha Stewart Recipes

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DIY: S’mores Kits

These looked cheap and simple enough to make.
Not sure where you would get the little boxes to put them in
but I would think you could put them in some sort of
plastic wrap or bags as well.
Put them in the gift bags below.

Lunch Bag Favors

Here's a brief tutorial of how to print
on paper bags using your printer.
Cut out a decorative design along top edge of
lunch bags. Fold top over and punch two holes
parallel to one another. Insert ribbon from front to
back and tie bow to hold flap down.
. .
.
.

These are Halloween bags but you get the idea
of what you could do to make bags
for some Christmas cookies.

-------------------------------------------

.

Holiday Pretzel Treats

Salty pretzels combine with sweet chocolate for these fun treats that make a yummy gift few can resist. (In fact, you may want to make some extras for yourself!)

Ingredients

Bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels

Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug

M&M's candy

Instructions

Heat the oven to 170F. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.

Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.

Rolo candies could be used in place
of the Hershey kisses and a pecan placed
on top instead of an M&M.

------------------------------------------------------------

.

Dressed in colorful candy scarves and top hats, these stylish, easy-to-make snowmen are sure to liven up any holiday gathering.

Ingredients
bag of 8-inch pretzel rods
1 cup white chocolate chips
mini chocolate chips
orange decorators' gel
fruit leather (various colors)
gummy rings
gumdrops

Instructions

1. To make a batch, melt 1 cup of white chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler.

2. One at a time, dip one end of an 8-inch pretzel rod in the melted chocolate and use a plastic spoon or knife to spread the chocolate two thirds of the way down the rod.

3. Set the pretzels on a sheet of waxed paper and press on mini chocolate chips for eyes and buttons. Use orange decorators' gel to add a carrot nose.

4. When the chocolate has hardened, stand the pretzels in a mug or glass and tie on strips of fruit leather for scarves. For each hat, stretch a gummy ring over the narrow end of a gumdrop and secure it on the pretzel rod with a dab of melted chocolate.

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Chocolate Toffee Graham Treats

Ingredients:

Yield:

22 22

22

Servings Size

• treats

treats

• 11 whole honey graham crackers, broken into squares
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 -2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

1. 1 Preheat oven to 350*.
2. 2 Arrange graham crackers in a single layer in a 15 x 10 baking sheet.
3. 3 Combine butter and sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until butter melts; then boil 2 minutes.
4. 4 Remove from heat and stir in pecans.
5. 5 Pour mixture evenly over crackers and spread carefully to edge of pan, covering crackers completely.
6. 6 Bake for 10 minutes.
7. 7 Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips; when chips melt, smooth evenly to cover top.
8. 8 Cool in pan for 5 minutes; carefully separate and transfer squares to a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
9. 9 Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

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Wouldn't it be cute to do up some of those
lunch bags above, decorating them like
a Santa outfit and adding ribbon for the
suspender handles.
.
.

--------------------------------------------------------------

These cookies below would work great with
an empanada maker like I picked up at the
thrift store awhile back for about .90 cents!
It had about 3-4 different sizes in the box.
I've always wanted to try it out and have
been looking for recipes for it.

I don't know how much Nutella is at Kroger
but I do know they have a Kroger brand.
I also saw Nutella at Big Lots for $3.00 a jar.
. .

Nutella Pocket Cookies

Makes 40 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened plus 2 more tablespoons, melted.

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar plus 1\4 cup for sprinkling

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups Nutella

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the 1 cup of butter, cream cheese, and 1 cup sugar until smooth, light, and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Gradually add the flour to the creamed mixture and mix well. Divide the dough into two portions; cover and refrigerate until the dough is firm and easy to handle. An hour should be good enough.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll out one portion of dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Using a circle cookie cutter that is approximately 3 inches in diameter, cut circles out of the dough and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat this with the rest of the dough.

Place approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of Nutella on the center of each circle.

Fold each circle in half so that the edges meet and lightly press the edges to seal.

With a fork, seal the edges more securely. Lightly brush melted butter on the tops and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the cookies for 10 – 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 – 3 minutes before removing them to wire racks to cool.

Enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------

Don't know what it is about this dreary weather
we've been having but it's been making me tired.
I've been in slow motion.

I'm ready to get out of the house tomorrow
and do a little shopping at Kroger
and the thrift store to try and boost my
energy up. Shopping in the morning's on
weekdays is great when compared to
evenings or weekends.
Currently getting a little list done up
to get a few of the basic things along with
baking things.

Thinking about making some
chocolate mint rice krispies and/or
chocolate mint covered apples
(use either andes mints or peppermint patties melted down)
& the empanada nutella cookies.

11-29-10

Tutorial for mini Christmas bows
for packages or crafts.
I found this at happy birds crafting haven.
.

Make A Cute Little Bow With A Fork...Tutorial For You!

I made this fork bow tutorial for you. It's very easy and makes cute little bows that can be tied to favors, small earring boxes, homemade Christmas ornaments and more! I used an old, big serving fork to demonstrate, but you can use a regular size fork or dowels glued on a wooden base.

Picture 1 Below: All you need is some kind of 4 pronged fork, ribbon and a pair of scissors.
Picture 2 Below: First off, start by weaving the ribbon in and out of the fork. Leave a little extra ribbon on the left and just let it lie there. The ribbon you will be weaving with is pictured on the right.
Picture 3 Below: Take the ribbon on the right hand side over the top of the fork and weave the ribbon in and out.

Picture 3 Below: Then, do the same thing again on the left hand side of the fork, weaving the ribbon in and out, coming the opposite direction. Remember, you are only weaving with the one ribbon. The other piece of ribbon on the left is just going to lie there.
Picture 4 Below: Now, finish weaving in and out until you almost reach the top of the fork.
Picture 5 Below: Take a separate piece of ribbon and slide it through the bottom in the middle of the fork.
Picture 6 Below: Now, tie it tight! Slide the whole thing off the fork.
Picture 7 Below: You should have 4 ribbon strings on the bow. Cut two of the pieces to look like part of the ribbon. The other two pieces of ribbon that are left can be tied around a little sachet-like favor. You can actually do a multitude of projects with this little bow. I just gave one example when I mentioned party favors.

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11:40pm

Back from Wally World and Dollar Tree.
They had all kinds of trees out on display
at Walmart. We liked the white tree 6.5 foot
with multicolored lights. And do you know
they only had one tree clear on the top shelf.
The rest of them were ones with white lights.
Whew, is what I was thinking because I didn't
want to truck around town to another Walmart.

At Dollar Tree I got some clear plastic glittered
snowflake ornaments (3 packs of 6)
and a blue and light blue pack of curling ribbon.
The curling ribbon I can use on top of the blue
ball ornaments and make bows.
And I could also make some to add to tips
of the tree.

----------------------------------

12:40pm

Houston we have lift off!
The new tree is up, fluffed and working! Yeah!
Later on this evening I'll work on adding
the decorations and Tony might work on
getting the outside lights up.
I like the white tree. It makes the room
feel light and airy as opposed to a green tree.
In a small space I suggest a lighter colored
tree.
.
4:15pm

Got the tree finished.
Instead of using garland, which seemed too
high priced for me for such short strands,
I went with using 2 spools of blue & light blue
curling ribbon.
.It's hard to see the light blue ribbon
in the photos. But if you look close
you can see it along side of the blue ribbon.
.And here is the newly decorated tree.

It looks much better in person
and is hard to photograph to get the true
affect of it.
The kids were wowed by it and I can't
wait to see what Tony thinks :0)
Oops can't forget the tree skirt.
Almost forgot.

Total cost for pre-lit 6.5 foot white pine tree,
36 count blue glass bulb ornaments
and 2 pkgs. curling ribbon: about $49.

11-28-10

Time to start baking or
stocking up on those holiday cooking items!
These are the best deals I have found.


ALDIS

12 oz. Baking Chips
was $1.69
now $1.29

16 oz. Walnuts
was $4.49
now $3.99

5lb. bag of grapefruit
$1.99

3lb bag tangerines .99 cents

4lb bag naval oranges $1.49

9-10oz. wheat crackers $1.29

Casa Mamita 5oz burritos
was .35 cents
now .29 cents

Macaroni & cheese
was .35 cents
now .29 cents

SAVE-A-LOT

25-32oz Banquet entrees $1.79

Banquet fruit or pot pies .50 cents
limit 12

32oz pancake mix $1.00
limit 6

24oz pancake syrup $1.00
limit 6

40oz Red Gold ketchup $1.00
limit 6

14oz Pop Tarts $1.69

33oz Hills Bros ground coffee $4.99

Sunny Delight 2 liter .69 cents


KROGER

Buy 10 event and save $5.00.

Buy 10 Pepsi 2 liters get them for .79 cents each
I don't know if sierra mist is included but will check.
Watch Kroger & Speedway for coupons.
That's where I've been finding them.
Kroger had hang tag coupons:
$1.00 off 3 two liter bottles Sierra Mist products.
Speedway had hang tag coupons:
$1.00 off 2 two liters Sierra Mist or Mountain Dew.

MEIJER

Meijer salsa 16oz $1.00

Betty Crocker cake mix or family brownies $1.00

Meijer 3 count microwave popcorn $1.00

John Morrell smoked sausage 12oz $1.00

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Sorry I don't have any coupon match ups
but I haven't been clipping coupons.
They've been piling up and been put on the
back burner due to the holidays and
of course from being sick.

I haven't been posting much sales, only
what I feel are really good deals that we couldn't
live without. There's just so many sales going
on at the moment that it would be impossible
to list them all. And of course everyone
has different ideas for gifts and what they
want to get for everyone. If I find cheap
gift giving items then I will post those
or crafts or recipes to make simple gifts.

-------------------------------------

12:00pm

Tired of having everyone elses children at our
house for the past couple of days so thinking
about getting out of the house and going
to Kmart to take a breather. Tony needs a new
pair of shoes and are hoping to find him a pair there
so we can get the $2.99 for a year warranty on them.
He goes through allot of shoes in a years time.

Next week (12-6) Tony goes on vacation.
While the kids are in school we plan
to go Christmas shopping that week
and hopefully get everything wrapped.

---------------------------------

2:50pm

Ya know I don't mind going grocery shopping
occassionally but Christmas shopping, or heck
any kind of shopping, this time of year with fighting the
crowds really frustrates me.
I feel claustrophobic and the thought of spending
so much money on presents puts me in a mode
as the car lot guy would say.

Which wait til I see my car lot salesman and tell
him I don't appreciate one of his workers telling
him I was in a mode, which later on I realized
it meant bitch mode!

Anyway we went to Kmart and got Tony
a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of boots
because it was buy one get one 50% off
and he really needed boots also.
The cashier didn't offer me any kind of warranty
with either pair of shoes so I asked her.
She said there wasn't any on them.
I said how can that be when I bought my kids
the exact pair of shoes not long ago and
I was offered a warranty with those.
She didn't have an answer.
Which is another reason why I don't like
shopping this time of year. No one seems
to know anything and you can't get any answers
because they probably have seasonal workers
only working temporary.
Rules change, warranties change, prices
change, you name it, it changes day to day.
Yes I am flustered, yes I am wearing thin.
And you think I want to throw couponing
in on top of all this, yeah right!
I'll just take the sales prices at the moment
to keep my sanity.

And to top it all off when we returned home
from Kmart I had neighborhood kids flocking
to our house before we even got out of the truck.
I probably did lose my sanity at that time because
I have been dealing with other people's kids on top of ours
since Wednesday. Needless to say we don't have
any additional kids over at the moment!
I don't mind kids over but after 5 days I've had
enough and am finally wanting to wind down
our mini holiday vacation and get back to normal
and ready for work and school tomorrow.
I just got everyone their late lunch, working on laundry
and working on bringing Christmas stuff up out
of the basement to start putting up.

-----------------------------------------

4:15pm

Brought the so called pre-lit Christmas tree up
and got it all set up.
Houston we have a problem!
bleep de bleep bleep bleep.
I'm about to start throwing things!!
.Everyone into the car to buy a new tree, grrrr.
Oh the thought of tackling Wally World
at the moment is making me cringe!
We've had this tree about 3 years.
I have no patience for this!
It's either I buy another cheap tree or go out
and buy lights to hang from this tree
that will run about the same price.
The whole idea about a pre-lit tree is
so you can just plug them in and you
don't have to string lights on them.

------------------------------------

Well we went to Wally World and checked
out some of their trees and we went to Big Lots
and checked out theirs.
We didn't get a tree tonight but we did decide
which one we wanted and I'll get it tomorrow morning.
It's white with multicolored lights.
When in Big Lots I picked up a package
of 36 deep blue glass ornaments in two sizes
to go on our white tree.
.These ornaments are more like
a bluish violet rather
than a blue. The color did not show correctly
in the photo. In the store they looked like
a deep blue but under our lighting
they have a purple cast.

10:00pm

I am so ready for bed.
Finally got my laundry done.
But my living room is a mess with
Christmas decorations, lights, boxes,
you name it, laying all over the place.
I kinda gave up with it when the lights
pissed me off and wouldn't work.
Now the thought of buying another tree
isn't putting me in a better mood.
I guess I'm having a hard time believing
Christmas time is actually here so soon.
Time flies so fast.
Just give me time to let it sink it.

11-27-10

9:40am

I got up at 8:30am. I'd of slept in later but everyone
was afraid I wouldn't get up in time to make breakfast.
With everyone off school
and work I keep thinking I'm a day ahead of myself.
Like I keep thinking today is Sunday.
I was wanting to go out and look for the Sunday
paper on the step this morning, LOL.

Just put breakfast in the oven.

Bacon Breadstick Focaccia

In a bowl I added 8 eggs, some milk,
a couple teaspoons melted butter
and Italian seasoning and beat with a whisk.
I then poured that over top the bread sticks
and bacon and sprinkled shredded
casserole cheese on top.
I had 2 leftover pieces of bacon that
I crumbled up and put over top the cheese.
I made this all in a round cake pan.
Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
at the 25 minute mark you could
add the shredded cheese on top
if you desire instead of putting it on first.

.The kids were playing Playstation when I started
serving this breakfast. Usually nothing pries them
away from game systems once they start playing.
But when I presented them with this breakfast in front
of their noses I got ooohs and awwws
and Jonathan said, "I'm just gonna have to pause
my game for this!"
LOL!!
This is a keeper recipe!

Wonder if I could also do a recipe like this
coiled bread sticks with cinnamon.
Instead of putting bacon in between the bread dough
I could do up a mixture of cinnamon, butter
and brown sugar or sugar in a zip loc baggie,
cut the corner tip of the baggie
and squirt the cinnamon mixture in between
the coiled bread sticks. Bake, then top
with a powdered sugar glaze with cream cheese.
Sprinkle with nuts.

-----------------------------------

Here's a scenario of how much can be saved
by working on your own car to do even
a regular tune up as opposed
to going to a repair shop.

I am using our Lexus LS400
as an example so these parts might
be more than your regular car.
This car also has 2 distributors unlike your
regular cars which only have 1 so we have to double those parts.

(not our actual car but same thing)

Just for kicks we called Goodyear to see
how much a tune up would cost
and they said $675!!
This did NOT include an oil change!

Now if we buy the parts and do it ourselves:

2 distributor caps $19.99 x's 2 is $39.98

2 distributor rotors $9.49 x's 2 is $18.98

Set of spark plug wires $80

8 Spark plugs FREE (after black friday sale & rebate)

5 quarts of oil & filer $6.00 (after black friday sale & rebate)

Cost for Goodyear
(and this did not include an oil change)
$675

Cost to do it ourselves
$144.96
(includes oil & filter change!)

TOTAL SAVED
$530.04

--------------------------------------

Still have not gotten the Christmas tree
or decorations out yet.
I am dreading just thinking about
having to get them all out from storage
underneath the basement steps.

-----------------------------------------------

7:00pm

Kind of a slow and easy day. Our kids
had other kids over and played out side some
til they froze. Then a couple neighbor kids
came inside with our boys to warm up
and play playstation for the afternoon.

As for myself I rested in bed a few this afternoon
and took a short nap. I have been noticing
after taking the steroid, prednisone, that it
might be the culprit to making my stomach or
rib area muscles to hurt.
I eat a full meal before taking them so as
to not have an upset stomach but then
about 30 mins later or more is when
I notice my stomach muscles hurting, even to talk
strains them. I still have two more pills left and
might not take the remaining two because of it.
I still have the cough with some congestion.
I need to somehow kick this crap in the butt.
I've been doing my inhaler when the congestion
gets to feel like too much.

This evening Jonathan is having a friend stay the night.
This is only the second time we have allowed
a sleepover. We had to run to Kroger
so I could get some things to make everyone
for breakfast and I got the kids a couple cheapie
frozen pizzas. I made them cheese puff pizza
for supper with some hot chocolate.
Kids will eat anything especially if it looks weird.
They were probably glad to have pizza
rather than turkey leftovers.
They are happy campers at the moment
and have finally mellowed out, thank goodness.
You know how kids can be when around friends,
a little rowdy.

We took everyone over to Kroger but I left
Tony in the truck with all 3 boys while I ran in.
I just couldn't imagine the 5 of us in the store together
and something not going wrong, someone acting up
or forgetting something.
Of course while in Kroger trying to hurry I ran
into truck driver neighbor and his 3 kids.
And of course had to hear about all his problems.
All I could think about was Tony being stuck
in the truck full of boys going nuts, lol.
So by the time I got out of the store, with my eyes crossing from listening to truck driver neighbor, Tony jumped out
of the truck to help me load the groceries in the back.
The boys were driving him nuts, lol.
We're both behind the truck pretending to strangle and shoot ourselves, lol, due to all the kids in hyper mode and then the neighbor stopping me in the store.
Ahhhh!

But it's all good now that they are sitting down
having a bite to eat and getting something in their
bellies and winding down.

..
At the moment I am currently planning breakfast
for us and our little company.
I'm wanting to make individual puff pancakes
(from taste of home)
in a jumbo muffin tin.
I had an extra can of apple pie filling
which I will make caramel apple topping
to put on the tops of the puff pancakes.

While the puff pancake is not my recipe,
here is my recipe for the caramel apple topping.
Hope it goes well because I haven't made it
yet and just wrote it.

Spoon apple pie filling into a sauce pan
chopping up the apples.
Over low-medium heat.
add 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup creamer
(i'm using caramel & vanilla creamer) and stir until
butter and brown sugar has melted and
dissolved.
In a small cup add a tablespoon of cornstarch
and a tablespoon of water to make a slurry.
Remove apple mixture from heat
and slowly stir the slurry into the apple mixture.
Stir constantly until mixture thickens.

Spoon this mixture into the centers
of the puff pancakes. Top with whipped
cream and nut topping.

Sounds good anyway so I hope it turns out!

Here's what a puff pancake looks like
.

Usually Puff Pancakes are baked in
an iron skillet in the oven.
..
----------------------------------------------

9:15pm

Currently watch Home Alone.
They have been playing all these movies back to back.