soup

Always a topic for me, huh?! If you have ever visited my little blog, you know I have come to love soup in the past year. My preference is homemade. I still remain skeptical of soup straight from a can. But I tried this:

Soup from a box and it was darned good! A little spicy, this one was. I am a bad judge but I think it is pretty healthy too. And it was enough for two separate meals for me. Pin It

creative party touches

First, is my basket full of calendars. Again, the template can be found here. Those were a super, big hit. I think this would make a terrific favor for a bridal or baby shower, and you could highlight the upcoming big day in some way. Next, here are the super easy drink "identifiers" I made using 2 circle punches, cutting a little slit and adding some bling (Well, Shelby did that part). I had made lots of sweet treats and bought some others, so I put labels on some cello bags for people to take home a few morsels with them. Last, is my new M&M dispenser, filled courtesy of my children, bought at the $1 Store (in it's first life, it was an olive oil bottle, I just took off the spigot.)

Moving on, we have my buffet tricked out as a dessert station/candy bar. Here is a close up of my homemade candy:

Well, it was lots of fun and most of the clean up is already finished. Good times!

Pin It

homemade cousins pen pal kit

These are just the digital versions of what I compiled for my nephew, Justin. He lives in NC while all the other cousins live in Ohio. They are in town this weekend so I will finally give him this as part of his Christmas gift. The top pic is the return address label I made, the next is a pdf file that when printed onto card stock, and then cut in half, becomes tw folded note cards. The bottom is the free digital kit I used. Darling stuff there, huh? I also included some store bought items like markers and stickers along with a sheet of stamps. This is a variation of some of the things I did as Christmas gifts but the "cousins pen pal" part came from Family Fun Magazine. Love that magazine. I subscribed when Olivia was a baby...as if she would be crafting yet? I was just very anxious. Actually we did make Thanksgiving cards using her tiny footprint that first year, turned them into turkeys and mailed them to family. To this day, one of the cutest things I have done.
Just winding down, waiting for my little gathering later today. I am on the record saying that I love the shopping part, the cooking part, the decorating and creative touches, the cleaning? Not so much. I figure at this stage in my life, that is just not going to change. Dave really helped me out earlier in the week in that department was a nice surprise. I will share some of the things I made for tonight later this weekend.

ETA: Ooops, just realized I had shown a real address so the first picture has been deleted. Feeling sick over it too since it was my nephew.

Pin It

peanut butter pretzel bites recipe

(photo from Taste of Home)

So my neighbor, who is not an avid cook, delivers these awesome treats and candies at Christmas. I mean, delicious. So I ask for the recipes for a few and instead, after Christmas, she delivers a whole Taste of Home cookbook to me. So, I made these earlier in the week. A bit time consuming but so darned good! I actually just made half of the recipe which is plenty for my little get together tomorrow night. Enjoy.

peanut butter pretzel bites

Ingredients:
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 tablespoons water
5 cups miniature pretzels
1 jar (18 ounces) chunky peanut butter
26 ounces milk chocolate candy coating
Directions: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt caramels with butter and water; stir until smooth. Spread one side of each pretzel with 1 teaspoon peanut butter; top with 1/2 teaspoon caramel mixture. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until set. In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Using a small fork, dip each pretzel into coating until completely covered; shake off excess. Place on waxed paper. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place. Yield: 8-1/2 dozen.

You can also view the recipe here, with comments from other cooks. Pin It

christmas brag book repurposed as thank you...

I downloaded this freebie from Weeds and Wildflowers during the month of December. Not sure if they still have stuff available for free, but there were some GREAT things being given away.
Last week, I dropped in a few pictures from our Holidays, had them printed at Walmart and then made this little booklet. I simply glued the pages together back to back, punched two holes and tied them together with ribbon.
I mailed this to my parents yesterday so hopefully they either A) receive it in the mail today or B) do not read my blog until they do!

My little model had some ideas of her own but I think she helps me to get the idea across.

Pin It