What I've been up to-Part 2

So remember when I said I found out I like spray paint......well no joke, the day I spray-painted those picture frames, I got so excited I wondered what else I could paint......a very dangerous thing to do ;-)

We have had this little table beside our couch that holds a lamp and coasters and it was very ugly, unfinished and scratched up, sorry I don't have any before pictures! I decided to spray paint it too!! Only I had already spray-painted a gazillion picture frames and I had 1/2 coat of paint on and realized I was out of spray paint! SO I did what anyone would do, I threw on some shoes, prayed that my table that was sitting outside with a half/paint job done, wouldn't get stolen and ran to the store for some more paint! What a sight I probably was:-) Ran home and finished the job. I ended up distressing it and I am pretty pleased with how it turned out! Like I said before.....I may never go back to regular paint!

What I've been up to-Part 1

So I've been a bit busy the past several months with some fun projects that I'm excited to share! I decided to do some redecorating to our living room and dining room, I was getting tired of the plain brown walls with too much wall space.....it just needed something, so this is what I did:-)

This picture isn't that great, but you can see the wreath that I added to the wall in my dining room. This was a fun project and as you can see from the next few pictures, so much fun that I made 3 of them! I found the directions here. I did a few things different. I used the pages from an old book instead of craft paper and I embellished mine with fabric rosettes that I made(but that's for another day). They were a little time consuming, but I love how they turned out!

My next project was actually inspired by a friend who told me that she had spray- painted picture frames and hung them in a collage of sorts. I thought, well how hard is it to use spray-paint? Turns out not hard at all!! I may never go back to using a brush!! Lol:-) So I collected a bunch of picture frames that I already had, plus found a couple at goodwill and spray-painted them an off white color, put pictures in them and hung them against our brown wall. THey really pop against the brown! Now the middle picture frame I sort of thought up myself. I had some green leftover fabric from a project that matched the green in my living room and I traced a monagrammed H that I found online, onto cardboard and then hotglued the fabric over top of that. It was a little messy and I wasn't sure that it would turn out.....but I love the end result! I just embellished it with some more rosette clusters and didn't put the back in the picture frame, but hung it right on the wall!

Here's another book wreath that I made a little smaller and hung inside an empty picture frame. I was debating about spray-painting the picture frame and distressing it like I did with the other ones, but decided I liked the frame too much:-)

And finally here is the wreath that I hung on our front door, this one turned out the largest one of all, but I really like how it looks on the door:-)

Stay tuned for part 2!

Day 23- Christmas Traditons

I thought it might be fun to list some fun christmas traditions/memories that have been made over the years:-) Here are 10 of my favorites!


1- We always had stockings growing up:-) Sometimes we opened them on Christmas day, but mostly we opened them on Christmas Eve and occasionlly we saved them for New Year's Day. I forget how old we were when my sisters and I started one for my mom as well! It was always so much fun getting her little things to put in a stocking :-)

2-Growing up on a farm was different as far as holidays go.....there were still chores to be done. My oldest sister and I decided one year to give my parents a break on christmas morning and we got up early to milk the cows and do the chores. We did this several years in a row and once we locked ourselves out of the house! Of course everyone else was still sleeping and so we had to decide how we were going to get in.....of course I had the clever idea of sneaking in through the basement doors:-)

3- We always had a fire in the fireplace:-) I remember after opening our gifts, laying in front of the fireplace, either reading a new book, playing with some new toy or taking a snooze:-)

4- My dad always read the christmas story from the bible on christmas morning, before opening our presents! It was and still is a special time:-)

5- After getting married Christmas was of course different celebrating with two families.....but just as fun!! Jesse's family always gets together for Christmas Eve and we open presents, I thought it strange when we first started, that they never opened presents on Christmas...but now I look forward to that special time with family:-)

6-Us siblings in Jesse's family have started the tradion of watching a christmas movie together on Christmas Eve. We always watch Elf sometime during the Christmas season and then we try and agree on a movie to watch christmas eve :-)

7- Getting together with Jesse's family and mine over christmas makes it a little busy, so usually Jesse and I celebrate together Christmas eve eve(the 23rd) and christmas eve morning. I try to make a special dinner for us to eat on the 23rd, something I wouldn't normally make! Our first year we were married I made spinach artichoke dip, and chicken parmesan:-) THis year I made ribs, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted green beans:-)

8-Christmas Eve morning I make homemade cinnabuns for Jesse and I and we enjoy them and coffee as we open our christmas presents from each other :-)

9- We are both big game people and grew up playing games! Jesse's family plays card games all day long on holidays and my family plays mostly board games! It's a blast:-)

10-And of course there is food! Both our families are pretty traditional in ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans......ect. My mom always makes dried corn for Christmas and it's sooo yummy!!


I can't wait to start new traditons over the years and continue these:-) I am so blessed to have family that I love dearly!

Day 22- Cake and Oreo Balls

So I had to take something sweet for a christmas party and what's more fun than cake balls? THis was my first attempt and I think they turned out pretty well! They're easy, fun and you can even make them look christmasy:-) I actually wanted to use red velvet cake to make it more christmasy but the store I went to was all out:( So I did the next best thing......pink, strawberry cake! YUM!

Strawberry Cake Balls


First take a cake mix(I used strawberry) and bake it according to the directions on the box. When the cake is still warm, crumble it up in a lg. bowl and add 1 cont. of icing(I used cream cheese icing) Mix it well. *IMPORTANT-At this point chill cake mixture for about 30 min. or so, until it's moldable without sticking to your hands!

Form into small balls(or whatever size you want) and put on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Chill balls again.

Melt white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips or whatever chocolate you so desire:-) I melted in a double boiler over my stove. Stick a toothpick in the balls or use a fork or the new invention for dipping in chocolate tool my sister and I are going to invent! Dip the balls in chocolate until coated and then sprinkle on whatever kind of toppings you want. I used colored sugar. Chill until chocolate is hardened!

TaDa!! Don't they look pretty?

Now for something even easier than cakeballs......

Mint Oreo Truffle Balls

First take a pack of mint-stuffed oreo's and crush them to smithereens! Then add in 3/4 of a pack of softened cr.cheese. I used my hand mixer to mix it all together. Then take a small scoop and start forming balls, you don't even have to chill the stuff first! Put balls on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet.

CHILL the balls until they are no longer soft.

Melt your chocolate(same method as the cake balls) and get to dipping those oreo balls! Put back on cookie sheet and chill until chocolate is hardened!

Aren't they so pretty? I like mint for christmas time, but you could use any stuffed oreo. I can just imagine what the peanut butter ones taste like :-)

Day 20&21- Peppermint bark

Doesn't peppermint just remind you of christmas? Now I have to say that I really don't enjoy eating peppermint, I've never really liked candy canes or peppermint patties.....however, this season of christmas I seem to be enjoying all things peppermint! My sister-in-law gave me a peppermint stick candle, I actually found out that I really like peppermint mocha creamer in my coffee...when I used to despise it, I made chocolate peppermint cookies and now this!

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:
17 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (don't use the chips)

6 ounces peppermint candy canes, crushed

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate

5 1/2 Tablespoons whipping cream

3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:
1. Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover securely with foil. Mark 12x9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth,chocolate will feel warm to the touch. Remove from over water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

2. Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

3. Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes. If you let the bark go much longer than this- it will be very hard to cut neatly.

4. Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles. You can also just break into large chunks and enjoy.

THis stuff is yummy!!! Make sure to use real white chocolate though, the white chips or vanilla chips just don't work as well.

Day 19-White chocolate and raspberry cookies

White chocolate and raspberry cookies

8 ounces white baking bar

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 large eggs

2¾ cups flour

½ cup seedless raspberry jam

3 ounces white baking bar

½ tsp shortening

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a cookie sheet; set aside.
2. Chop 4 ounces of the baking bar; set aside. In a saucepan melt remaining 4 ounces of baking bar over low heat, stir constantly. Let cool.
3. Beat butter about 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and melted baking bar until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in the 4 ounces of chopped white baking bar.
4. Drop dough from rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Make a shallow hole in the cookies(Iused the end of a rolling pin) using a small spoon, drop raspberry jam into each center of the cookie. Bake in preheated oven 7-9 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.
5. In a heavy saucepan melt 3 ounces white baking bar and shortening over low heat; stir constantly. Drizzle cookies with melted mixture. If necessary, chill cookies for 15 minutes or until baking bar mixture is firm.
Yield: About 48 cookies

Day 18- It's candy time!

SO I decided to make some candy(in addition to the dozen of cookies that I already baked!) this year for christmas time. One of my favorites is chocolate almond saltine toffee candy :-) Doesn't that just sound amazing? Well it is and it's really easy to make! I decided to make it even easier with step by step instructions by picture. If you're like me, recipes are more attractive when they have pictures to go with them.

I'll stop rambling now......


So you'll need: Saltine crackers, the saltier the better! 3 sticks unsalted butter(yes I did just say 3 sticks! THis is not for the fainthearted!!) 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 T. light corn syrup, sliced almonds(a cup or so), bittersweet chocolate chips(1/2-3/4 of a bag or just throw the whole thing in there, why not? More chocolate is better!)

SO dump your sugar, butter and corn syrup in a medium pan and turn on low heat. Cook until sugar is melted and brush down the sides with a moistened pastry brush to get the good sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Cook syrup over moderate heat without stirring, until it starts to get brown around the edges and bubbly( about 5-6 min.)

See all that melty goodness? It's not ready yet though.....

So while you're waiting on your buttery goo to get bubbly, you can toast your almonds! Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and stick you're sliced,orwholepoundedwithahammertogetslicedalmonds, on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6-8 min. until nice and golden.
Then if your goo still isn't bubbly, you can line a 17in.by12in baking pan with buttered waxed paper. Arrange the saltine crackers like so, in a single layer, filling in any gaps.

By now your goo should be way beyond the 5-6 min.(unless you're really fast) so you can insert a candy thermometer into the syrup and simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon until a honey-colored caramel forms and temp. is 300. Or you can just go by the color if you're too cheap like me and don't have a candy thermometer! The stirring process+waitingforcolortochange process takes around 16 min. Enough time to make dinner, do the laundry, read a book and wash the floors.........well you are supposed to stir the whole time, so if you get too bored, sing several christmas songs :-)

If you survived the long stirring process, your toffee should begin to look like this! So give yourself a pat on the back(if your hand isn't too tired) and reward yourself with eating some of the yummy caramel/toffee stuff, just don't burn your tongue!
Once your toffee is done, you can slowly pour over the crackers, covering them. Use a spatula to cover the gaps. Let cool 3 min.

Then sprinkle your chocolate chips over the toffee. Let stand until chocolate is melted(3min.) and spread over toffee like so! You may steal a couple choc. chips to eat along the way :-)
Spread your almonds over the chocolate and freeze until chocolate is set. Peel off the paper and break toffee into chunks! You can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long!

Yum, Yum and Yum!!!

And that concludes my very lengthy candy tutorial!