Happy December

Wow it has been a really long time since I posted. I have been so busy subbing and at work at night that I have litterally had no spare time. Christmas is quickly coming upon us and I am sort of there. Most of the decorations are up and the elves are here. Here is my tip on decorating, if you are moving something to put up Christmas in it's place (photos, decorative items take a pict of it before so you remember how to put it back, also take a pick of the decorated space for next year)
 Now on to the gifts...

The countdown has begun

Got a reminder today that Christmas is coming. I think about it in the back of my mind but today the Countdown begins there are 101 days till Christmas. Over at Organized home http://101daystochristmas.com/topics/get-organized they help us out and keep us going so we can be ready before Christmas so come the holiday we can relax and enjoy the time, stress free.

Sound of Silence

Listen... do you hear that?? It's the sound of rain and.... silence!! Yes it's that time of year again, back to school. don't get me wrong I love my boys however some days I love them more when they are not fighting with each other, the dog, me and generally everything around them. Or asking to eat every 20 mintues.

It's exciting to hear about their day, see what they have done and help them lear new things. But... ahhh the silence. :)

our Kitchen redo.

When we moved into this house a few years ago, thankfully everything was painted tolerable colors and we could re do rooms as time, and money, permitted. We finally got around to the kitchen. However we still need some stuff done that money didn't permit like a new stove and floor. I am pretty sure there is some water damage by the sliding door and that is just going to have to wait so the tiles stayed. My wonderful parents came up and spent several days helping me do this project and acting as interior decorator and electrician as needed. Add to the fact we were working in here when the earthquake hit, it all added up to alot of memories.



Here is the countertop and a snip it of the brick wall and green wall paint



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first attempt at spray paint counter tops

 



 

 

corner cabintes w/ new hardware by fridge, counter tops are drying and will not stay empty long, toaster over going over here and red mixer



New microwave over the stove, newly painted brick and cabinets

Side wall by sink. newlly painted countertops with stainless steel paint and alot of poly overcoats.

vinel wall clock. I had extra birds so they are on my menu board



More Yummy goodness

At this rate it's going to be a gooseberry Patch Christmas. From the Christmas book 12 (like the one below) I tried another recipe.

Chocolate Coverd Cherry Cups
20 oz pkg brownie mix
16oz jar maraschino cherries drained and juice reserved
1/2 C juice reserved and divided
6 oz pkg simi sweet chocolate chips
1/2C sweetened condensed milk

prepare brownie mix according to the package directions using 1/4 c of the cherry juice plus water, if necessary, to equal the amount of water called for in the directions. Place paper liners in mini muffin cups (I couldn't find any so I sprayed well w/ cooking spray) fill aboug 1/2 full with brownie batter.Push a cherry into each cup and bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Remove and let cool

Combine chocolate cups;stir condensed milk in a small saucepan;stir over low heat until melted. Remove and add remaining 1/4 c cherry cuice as needed for frosting consistency. Place a dollop of warm frosting on each cup and let cool.,

Makes 3 dz

These turned out really good. I didn't make the iceing I happened to have smores icing in a bag so I just used that. Also be sure to spray the pans well I forgot to the second time and they were hard to get out....
Another tip to get the mix into those tiny cups put the batter in a zip lock baggie and sip off the corner like a piping bag and squeeze in the mix. Oh and.... pay attention to the cherries size, I got the smaller jar and it wasn't enought, be sure to get the kind w/o the stem, got those too.... (I was at walmart and a bit distracted.)
These would be a great easy addition to a party table.

Carrot Cake Jam - the trial run

I have the Gooseberry Patch Christmas book 12 and in it was a interesting idea for Jam. It's Carrot Cake Jam. I was looking at food options for gifts this year and this sounded good and different. It was pretty straight forward all you need it:
1 1/2 C carrots peeled and shredded
1 1/2C pears cored, peeled and choopped
14oz can crushed pineapple
3T lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
3oz liquid pectin
6 1/2 C sugar
6 1/2 pint canning jars w/ lids serilized. (mine made much more than 6 jars)

This picture is minus the sugar, somehow I forgot to get sugar. It calls for fresh pears but I couldn't find any so I went w/ canned it worked out fine.

Mix all the ingredients except pectin and sugar in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil over med heat. Reduce heat to Med-low; simmer for 20 min stirring occasionally.

Add pectin and return to a boil. Stir in sugar; bring to a full rolling boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Pour into hot sterillized jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Secure with lids. Cool and store in fridge up to 3 weeks.

 Here is a pict of it after it has set for the night. It has a good flavor it's sweet yet the spices give it a little kick. Interesting mix but i like it.

Perfect Pairing Sunday

We recently got back from a vacation in the mountains. We had a lot of adventures, listed in a previous post, This weeks verse was easy for me.

Psalms 121:
1I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
         From where shall my help come?
2My help comes from the LORD,
         Who made heaven and earth.
3He will not allow your foot to slip;
         He who keeps you will not slumber

We had oh so many mountain adventures that week. Hiking in, enjoy the beauty of, sweating, getting rained on, driving back and forth and back and forth on the roads,going from the bottom of the moutian all the way to the top and the beauty of God's creation was always around us.