Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts

Happy Resurrection Day.

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having a great day. It is a day to be happy about. I hope all who read this know the true meaning of Easter. 

A lot of people have spent this weekend shopping for new Spring outfits and Easter basket fillers. I was out there, I know. I bet many were so busy and wrapped up in getting things ready for Easter that they did not even notice how the weekend unfolded in light of the resurrection.

Good Friday it was dark and rainy- I couldn’t help but imagine this must of been what is was like on the day they hung Jesus on the cross to die for our sins.
Saturday- It continued to rain. It was cold and gloomy. I think this is how it must of been the day after. 
Then came Sunday- The rain was gone, the birds were singing and the sun came out. It was new day. HE IS RISEN. 

My daughter spent the weekend at home and we did some shopping, and went out to lunch. We also dyed eggs.

NEVERMIND- GOOGLE HAS LOST MY PHOTO. This has happened on several of my post lately. I Cant”t seem to find a reason or a backup



Sunday, we got up early for Sunrise service at church. Afterwards, we enjoyed a big southern breakfast that my mom and dad prepared for the church. 
Afterwards we came home and my daughter had an Easter basket waiting on her. My husband says shes to old for an Easter basket but this mom won’t give it up. Shes 31. It was filled with everything to top ice cream, along with ice creams spoons, cones, candy,  a scoop and a bowl. It was a cute theme and she enjoyed it. 
After a few hours, we headed back out to church for service. 

Later this afternoon, we will go to my mom and dads for Easter dinner that my Sister in law has prepared. She does this every year and we look forward to it. 

What are some of your Easter traditions?
Do you have a favor dish you make at Easter?
Do you do any special activities?











Tree Lights [Fail]

We decided to put up our Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving this year. I usually wait until Thanksgiving night to put up the tree. I was ready for a new look. I got tired of the orange and brown colors of Fall. However, I refuse to light the tree for display until after Thanksgiving. 

Speaking of the tree, I had this bright idea (no pun intended) to put red lights on our white tree this year. I thought sparkles of red would be so pretty surrounded by silver balls. Boy was I wrong! If your thinking of red lights on your tree, Just DON’T!

It was so ugly that I could not help but laugh and make fun of my own idea. I really did try to find some beauty in it but I couldn’t. I sat down across the room to study the project. I could feel my nerves bubbling and my head spinning. I could not see the ornaments that were hung on the tree. The red lights were so bright that it over powered everything. 

I walked outside to see what it looked like in the window. It looked like Hells living room. It was terrible. 


Seriously.



I could not do it. I just couldn’t! So I stripped the tree of all the ornaments and then carefully reboxed the lights the way they came and returned them to Walmart. I swapped them out for the clear/white lights. It looked so much better and gives the room a relaxing ambient lighting. The ornaments are now hung in place and there are even a few presents under the tree already.

I feels good to have my Christmas decorations already put up and makes bringing in Thanksgiving more festive. I have a job now where I get to have a couple days off for Thanksgiving so instead of decorating on Friday, I can relax and enjoy the magic feeling in the air.

Do you decorate before Thanksgiving?



Belated Thanksgiving

I just realized I didn’t make a Thanksgiving post. Heck, I’m behind on any kind of post actually.  It’s just been a little crazy around here.

So with that being said, “I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving.

My daughter came in to spend the whole weekend with us. She loves going to bed and waking up in “her room” on holidays. Thanksgiving morning is usually filled with the aroma of a hot breakfast waiting for her. Not this time.
She wanted to do a 5K Turkey run at 8:00 in the morning in Belmont. I decided last minute to join in. Since we have never ran a 5k together, I figured this would be the perfect mother/daughter work out.

Proceeds went to the “Catherine's house”. Catherine's House serves women and children facing homelessness due to a variety of circumstances such as: domestic violence, un/underemployment, the shortage of affordable housing, unexpected tragedies, and the lack of a support network. 


I ate a Nutrisystem Cinnamon Roll. She ate a banana. Then we threw on our running gear and headed out the door. We ended up with a good parking spot and made it to the registration tent ahead of time. There I ran into a couple friends and we all were hyped up to run. 
Well, they were. I was not prepared to run 3 miles but I pushed through and finished. Unfortunately, I did not finish in my record time. I was behind by two minutes. I can’t run the whole time, so I walk some and run some. If I had only ran for three more minutes, I would have beat my time. My daughter on the other hand beat her goal time and was 10 minutes ahead of me. It was fun and its always a proud feeling when you cross that finish line. 

Lucky for me, I didn’t have to cook anything for Thanksgiving dinner. I made a cranberry salad to take to Moms. She always has a big Thanksgiving feast and everyone brings a dish on top of that. We had plenty and lots of left overs. 
Later that evening, we had dinner number two at my brother in laws.

Here are two brothers working in the kitchen. 


I over ate that day and stayed in a Turkey coma all weekend. 

Now its time to start a fresh week.



Old Glory

Happy Independence day! Hope everyone has a safe and fun day. I actually get to have this day off and I am so grateful.

As I look out over the neighborhood, I see neighbors showing patriotism by hanging flags on their porches and red white and blue decorations adorn their yards. Except for the Colombian family across the street.

I have also been wanting a bracket put on my house to hang my American Flag. My dear sweet husband promised to have me one hung before the 4th of July, so last week we made a trip to Lowes and grabbed the last flag bracket on the shelf then headed home to hang it. First he was skeptical about hanging it on the brick and wanted to hang it from the wood siding on the front porch instead. The problem was that this caused the flag to be set back too far and could not be viewed from the road. So he went with plan B and drilled into the brick beside the carport. It was the perfect spot to hang "Old Glory".


As we were finishing up the Colombian family across street shouted to get our attention and gave us a thumbs up. Today they have tiny American flags lined down their walkway. This made me smile. I’m glad they joined in on the celebration. 

I am not sure what we will be doing to celebrate today. It is just me and my husband. Our daughter and her boyfriend flew to Washington DC to celebrate the 4th there. I hope they have a good time and maybe even get to see the President. Our town is having an all day street party going on with vendors and food trucks. Later in the afternoon, they will do a spectacular firework show. I am not sure we will attend either event as we are not big fans of large crowds. We may just stay home and cookout while enjoying some of the fireworks from around the neighborhood.

FUN FACT: "Old Glory is a nickname for the flag of the United States. The original "Old Glory" was a flag owned by the 19th-century American sea captain William Driver, who flew the flag during his career at sea and later brought it to Nashville, Tennessee, where he settled". Wikipedia



HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!


Easter Outfit

Happy Easter!

I am up early this morning. My daughter is home and we are heading to church to attend a sunrise service on the church lawn followed by a big country breakfast. We always look forward to this each year. Afterwards, we will come home and open Easter baskets. Yes the Easter bunny still visits us.
Then we will put on our new Easter outfits and head back out to church for our regular Sunday service.

Easter marks the resurrection day of Jesus.
New beginnings.
Seen with the season of Spring, new life on the trees and flowers blooming.
It's a beautiful time of year. It's one of my favorite Holidays.

People ask why folks make a big deal over a new "Easter Outfit"? Other than an excuse to have something new, It represents "new beginnings or new day". ok....Yes it's an excuse to buy a new outfit. It's worked for me for years. ha.

But who says Easter outfits have to be pastels and floral?
This year I opt for this natural colored jumper with tie front and wide legs.


I purchased this jumper at TJmaxx at a fraction of the price.
It was one of the first pieces I picked up and I was satisfied. I did not have to spend all day shopping for something that fits.


However, shoes were another story. I added a pair of brown leather wedges to the look, but I'm not 100 percent on board with these wedges. After getting them home, I realized they look a little heavy for the outfit.
I could take them back but they are just too darn comfortable and will go great with shorts or jeans during the summer.

It is going to be fun accessorizing this jumper with different colors and styles throughout the summer.

Later today we will meet up with family for dinner before calling it a day then back to work on Monday as I do not get any days off for Easter.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. It's the only day that is safe to put all of your eggs in one basket.


Linen Jumper: TJmaxx
Maurices Emma Wedges: Maurices


Gifting

Hope everyone is ready for Christmas! It will be here in just four more days! I have to say that I am officially done with my shopping. I finished up two weeks early this year.

I have two brothers with kids and wives and a sister. Nick has two brothers with wives. We used to all exchange gifts. That was really hard. I love to give and wish I could give everyone something special but each year it would get more stressful trying to find the perfect gifts. Half of the gifts were left unneeded or unwanted. We finally decided to only buy for the kids and our parents and that made things a lot easier and more fun. The adults now enjoy time together sharing recipes and stories. It’s also more fun to sit back and watch the small kids open gifts. Teenagers, not so much. Haha.

Me and Nick do not swap gifts anymore. We spend it all on our daughter. It’s not much, but since our monies are usually tight, we would rather give her the things she needs and we enjoy doing something special together after the Christmas bustle.


Our daughter is twenty seven but at Christmas shes twelve. Haha. Ever since she moved out after college, at Christmas she will come home and spend about five days with us. She still has her own bedroom and walks in the door as if she still lives here full time. We will do some baking, and get our nails done for Christmas. On Christmas morning she will wake up to presents under the tree and gifts scattered from Santa. I told Nick that the first Christmas we have after she gets married (someday) will be sorta heartbreaking. I already made it through her driving away, going to college, and living out on her own. Now I have to go through her being someone else's joy on Christmas morning one of these days (soon I think). Meanwhile, I'm gonna enjoy it while I still can. 

Do you swap gifts among a big family or just buy for a few?
Do you and your spouse swap gifts or go out instead?

If you are alone this Christmas, my heart goes out to you. I pray you can find peace, joy and love in those around you and in yourself. 
If you know someone who is alone, I hope you will share the joys of Christmas with them. 

Merry (Almost) Christmas.


Red Tassels

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July.

I’m just glad I got the day off! However, my day did not start off as planned. I woke up with a terrible eye infection. It was itching and burning so bad, I was ready to gouge it out! It was red, filled with green puss and swollen. I literally looked like I had been in a fight. The doctors office was closed so my husband skipped his morning walk to take me to the nearest “minute clinic” so I could get started on some medicine. I was diagnosed with pink eye. I was pretty miserable all day.

Later we attended a cookout at my brother in laws. I really hated that I could not pick up my little nephew and get sweet hugs from him. I did not want to chance spreading my eye infection. I was told I would be contagious for 24 hours after I start the medicine. It did not keep me from over eating on banana pudding and fruit cobbler though! 

Before we left the house, I wanted a pair of red earrings to match my outfit. I wore khaki shorts, white eyelet top, a red bandanna in my hair and of course, my new red sandals (mentioned in previous post). I thought for a minute on how I can accomplish making a pair of earrings. That's when it donged on me that I have some red embroidery thread and some earring pieces in my craft closet.


I wrapped the red thread around three fingers twenty times. Then cut the loop to make straight strands. Then I added a little hoop to the earring hooks and put the clump of thread through the hoop then folded and tied it closed. I added an extra little hoop around the tassels to add some glam and also help hold it all together. 
It took me all of fifteen minutes to complete and I was ready to go. 


I took a goofy side view to hide my monster eye on the right side. I’m pretty excited how the earrings turned out. No beads or fancy stuff were added to them. I just wanted some accessories and you can’t go wrong with tassels. 

We never went to see fireworks. Our neighbors were texting for us to hurry home so we could all meet up and watch them shoot some off. They said they had enough to make the cops come! I was all in because who doesn't want to be a rebel sometimes, right? We got home as soon as we could but unfortunately we missed the fun so we sat in the yard and watched over the trees at other fireworks from around the block. It ended up being a nice evening and no laws were broken.  

Independence Day Outfit

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone has the day off and enjoying some fun and relaxing time with friends and family. Nick and I will be heading out to a family cookout today. It is also my brother in laws birthday and we will be saying goodbye to my oldest nephew as he will be moving to London for three years, work related.

Today I want to show you my favorite Independence Day dress. 


My mom made me this dress over 20 years ago. I'm not sure if you would call that vintage or not, but It’s definitely retro. The print consist of American flags, soldiers, Liberty bells, cannons, and more.

This style seems to never go out of fashion. I could never part from this one. It’s my favorite. I wear it a couple times a year on those patriotic holidays. 

There was about a 10 year time span that I was not able to wear this dress due to being over weight. After I lost 50 lbs I was finally able to get back into it. It’s just little bit too big. I never thought I’d say that. It has a zipper in the back and tapered on the sides to give it a fitted look. I like how I can dress it up with heels or dress it down with flip flops, sandals or dainty sneakers. 

I normally wear my nude heels with this dress but not this time. I found these cute little red bow foot bed sandals at the mall and had to have them. 


They were on sale half price. I couldn't turn them down. My husband says I could have turned them down and wishes I would have. He is not a fan of the bow slides. He said they are the ugliest things he has ever seen. haha. I’ll just make sure not to get him a pair. 


My sweet sister brought me a watermelon to church Sunday. I could not wait to cut into it. This is a seedless watermelon and it’s as sweet as candy. It's called a "Sugar Baby" and are only sold about two weeks out of the season.
What can be better than a watermelon and a hot dog on the Fourth of July? 


Dress- Handmade by: Mom
Bow SlidesIndigo Rd. (Belks)
Sugar Baby WatermelonStrawberry Hill, Gaffney SC
Photographers: My Husband & Sister (Jojisart )



Linkin up at summer style TBB

National Doughnut Day!

It’s National Doughnut Day. Today is one of my favorite “made up days”. National Bacon Day (12/30) come to a close second. Doughnut shops all over the states are giving away free doughnuts today. Krispy Kreme, Duck Doughnuts, and Dunkin Doughnut just to name a few. 

Speaking of Krispy Kreme. I must say, “I have NOT had a Krispy Kreme Doughnut since 2015”. That was 50 lbs ago! They are my most favorite doughnuts of all and therefore I have to stay away from them. Me going into a doughnut shop is like an alcoholic going into a liquor store. It doesn’t end pretty. 

My daughter got me a doughnut pan for Christmas. It was something I had been wanting. I have not made any “real” doughnuts yet but I have made some using muffin mix, cornbread mix and.....[Drum Roll 🥁🥁🥁].... Pancake mix! Yes! 


Just whip up a batch of your favorite pancake mix and pour into a doughnut pan. Then bake at 325 degrees for 15minutes. 
Wahhhlaaaah. Simple right??? 
Perfect for a light breakfast or snack as they are baked instead of fried.


I had fun mixing up the toppings. I did a couple with chocolate frosting, sprinkles, powder sugar and cinnamon. For breakfast, I’m going to have one of these sweet bites with a side of a scrabbled eggs and a cup of coffee.


I remember momma used to make mini doughnuts and we would eat them before they could hit the plate. They were so good. I may have to borrow her doughnut recipe soon. I just need to take it easy or I will ruin my diet. 



Do you know where National Doughnut Day comes from? Well here are a few interesting facts about this special day.
  • The Salvation Army established National Doughnut Day in 1938
  • to raise money for people in need during the Depression.
  • It always falls on the first Friday in June.
  • The first National Donut Day was in Chicago in 1938.
  • Doughnut Day was also to honor the women who served donuts to soldiers during World War I.
  • These women were called "donut lassies"
  • American soldiers returned home with the nickname "dough boys"
  • Journalist are guided to spell it "Doughnuts" not "Donuts"
  • The original doughnut did not have a hole in the middle. They just used a nut shape of dough
  • that's where the word "nut" comes from. The dough resembled a walnut.
  • Doughnut holes are actually a reverse back to what a doughnut started out as.
  • They started putting a hole in doughnuts because the middles stayed soggy.

🍩HAPPY NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY!🍩

Easter Run Down

Saturday my daughter came home to spend Easter. We spent the morning doing a little shopping until the crowds started getting on our nerves and we ended up coming back home. Nick took us up town for some ice cream and coffee. Yep. I had ice cream and she had both. Seriously, even the jingling ice cream trucks around here sell ice cream and coffee. I find it weird, but whatever.

After ice cream we met up with a neighbor and purchased some fresh eggs from her lovely hens. I just love how they look in this vintage basket that mom gave me last week. Just look how colorful they are by nature.

Me and my daughter dyed eggs later. I boiled some regular store bought ones and some of the fresh ones. I decorated a few of the fresh ones and she dyed the white ones using the dyed rice method. Its so easy. You just drop some food coloring in a small bag of rice and shake the egg around to create a unique look. 


While I made a cake with the some of the fresh eggs and will eat some of the eggs for breakfasts. While I made a cake, my daughter made some marshmallow Easter fluff. The recipe can be found HERE.


Sunday morning it was rise and shine at 6 am to make it to church in time for sunrise service on the church lawn. This is one of our favorite things to do on Easter. After the service we all headed into the fellowship hall for a hot breakfast that included biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon and grits. My oh my was it good! My mom and dad made the breakfast so that made it even more better. I love my moms gravy. She makes it dark and so thick that a spoon will stand in it. 
When we came home from church, My daughter had an Easter basket waiting for her. Did I mention shes 26? I mean, your never to old for an Easter basket are you? She also surprised us with our own basket full of goodies. 


After a short rest, we put on our Easter outfits and headed out to regular church services .


We did not do our usual Easter dinner with Nicks side of the family. Instead, we headed to my moms house where my Sister in law created a large delicious meal. It was a change from the normal but it was great to spend time with family. 

Now it’s late and I'm typing this blog with one eye open as I’m about to fall asleep. (or coming off a sugar high). So excuse the rambling. 
It’s back to work tomorrow and the morning will come quick. 

Happy Easter! 




Getting Prepared for Easter

I really miss the days when Mom stayed up all night making me and my sister a new Easter outfit. She let us pick out a pattern and material from a local Mary Joes cloth store. We never went without a new Easter dress and shoes for church.

Now that I'm older its up to me to get my own new outfit. I'm sure if I asked her, she would still make me one but I think she enjoys her freed up evenings before Easter. After all, her and dad have to be up early Easter morning to prepare breakfast for the church that will take place after our sunrise service.

My daughter will be home this weekend and I'm sure we will end up at some Mall or Target store looking for her a last minute Easter outfit. I gave her some money a few weeks ago to pick her out something new whether its a new church outfit, work outfit or something fun for Summer.
I don't sew.

All the new outfit stuff is just a tradition. It celebrates "new" beginnings. After all, a girl needs an excuse to take advantage of getting something new. I mean, a girl always needs new shoes!!

A while back I picked up a purple dress from the Good Will. It fit so I'm wearing that. Its sleeveless so I hope the weather will break and give us some warm air.


Since I only spent 3.00 for something different to wear for Easter, I decided to spend some play money and have my hair done. I usually just get it cut or trimmed. I use a root touch up every so often to keep the gray from showing my age.
This time I decided I wanted something different. I wanted to go with some mushroom colored highlights.

Two hours, a box of foils, and several dollars later, I have some new color in my hair. It did not turn out nothing like the color I wanted. The mushroom color is a taupe, khaki or light brown tint. My hair now has Orange highlights. I'm going to go hide under now.  I wish I would have gotten more cut off too but I was tired and just wanted out of the chair. I was hungry and I wanted to get home.

The new highlights do not look bad, it's just not what I expected, but with my hair being dark, it was hard to lighten. I mean, she is not a magician, she's a beautician. Sometimes I forget.
Give me time. It will back to one color as soon as its safe to add it.

Now I have some baking and making to do.

Weekend at the Beach

Nick and I took a little trip to the beach this past weekend. We kept putting it off while watching the weather. We wanted to go when it was gonna be sunny and warm. We did not make our final decision to go until Wednesday. So Thursday I worked half a day, then we took off on a four hour drive to the coast.

It was St. Patricks Day weekend with lots of festivals, car shows and parades around. We didn’t go to any though. Nick is not a fan of being in crowds. If we have to fight for a parking spot or bumping shoulders to hear a band, we will turn around and leave. So we just stayed in the campground and enjoyed the little peek of sunshine on the beach.


Here are a couple cars we passed on our walk. We saw many old cars everywhere we went because there was a big car show going on in the heart of Myrtle Beach. We also passed many of them on the highway on our way home as they were heading out.





The campground did have a golf cart parade on St. Patricks Day. We were sun bathing when I seen them riding by. I jumped up from my beach chair and ran across the dune to catch a shot of them as they passed by. I barely got there in time. 
“Don't blink or you'll miss it”. 


We had a pretty good time even though the wind made the 72 temperatures feel like 42. 
We took some long walks, went out to dinner and relaxed some on the beach. 

Then this happened. 


Yes this was a pig on the beach. This guy walked his pig every day.  It was hilarious and everyone would stop and stare or walk up and pet it. 

For the record, Here are a few things you do not say when you see a pig on the beach:
“Wow, what a ham!”
“I smell bacon”
“We are having a BBQ, want to come?”
“You can come early”
“Make sure the pig is dressed”

Ok, I know you animal lovers out there do not think any of that is funny but we had fun joking about it all weekend. The pig didn’t seem to mind. His little tail wagged and a smile was always on it’s face. 

The weekend was too short and now its back to work. We will not be going back again until May. I sure hope its a lot warmer then so we really can have a BBQ. 





Crochet Fairy Pumpkins

My plan this season, is to decorate using only things I made added to some old stuff I already had. Blaah! I may toss the old stuff to the road after this year. I hate the smell of old fake floral when it ages. Being in the attic all summer, this is exactly what happens. Now, I know why people burn lots of fragrant candles during the holidays. Ya think?

I have a slew of remnant pieces of yarn left over from other projects. The pieces are too small to make anything useful so I decided to make some tiny pumpkins to use in my Fall decorations. Cute huh?



They call these fairy pumpkins because of the size and the wonky little stems. Sort of  like the ones you see in fairytales. 



I was inspired by THIS PATTERN found at "A Time for all seasons" blog. 
I adusted the rounds a bit to create different sizes and used my own imagination on the stems. 



They were so fun and quick to make that I had to stop myself before they ended up all over the house. 

Meanwhile, I have had some request from family and friends asking me to make them a couple of these cuties, so back to my yarn stash for more pumpkin making. This will be fun to do while I enjoy some Hallmark movies in my recliner. 




Rustic Bundt Pan Wreath

It's September. I hate to see Summer go but I do like the smell of Autumn. I enjoy the colors its brings. I like flannel and fire pits. It's that time for falling leaves, football games, bonfires and Pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING hits the selves. I have a confession: Pumpkin flavor is not my favorite. Pumpkin Pie is ok if its loaded with whip topping.

I'm ready to bring out my Fall decorations but we don't want to rush it. We want to get one more beach trip in first, so I'll wait until its officially Fall. 

Meanwhile I had this bright idea to make a fall wreath. We do not have much money so I'm always thrifty. When I say thrifty, im talking thrift store or dollar store thrifty. Today we made a trip to the dollar store for some cookies. They have a kind I like and they are only a dollar!

I never go to the dollar store without leaving with a handfull of "things". 
Today I grabbed a spool of seasonal ribbon and a floral stem. 
My husband just gave me a look. "I have a plan", I exclaimed. He just nodded and said "well, ok".

Once we got home, I had an hour to waste before meeting my brother-in-laws for dinner. My husband was resting on the sofa. I quietly pulled out my old rustic and stained bundt pan from the cabanet while my craft idea was still fresh in my head. I cut the ribbon and twisted the floral stem until the idea became reality. 


I created a fall wreath to hang in my kitchen. It took me all of two dollars and two minutes to create. 
The bundt cakes will have to wait till Winter. 

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

OK, so its Fall. I have to admit, I do like the Fall but I could skip winter and I love Spring and Summer. Anyway, Back to Fall. Its a time of all the pumpkin goodies to start coming out and the smell of Pumpkin lattes in the air. Its also time for me to start sharing some of my pumpkin desserts. I made this one a couple years ago and may make it again soon. Im not sure how it will fit in with my healthy eating.


I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie but sometimes I like it if its not real spicy and it has to be loaded with whip cream.

Yea like that!!!

This recipe requires cream cheese and whip cream so its perfect for me.  I use more cream cheese filling than anything else. That's how I like it!

CREAM CHEESE PUMPKIN PIE
  • 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk, divided
  • Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
  • 1 pre-made Graham Pie Crust (one reg or two 6 oz size)
  • 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
  • 2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves  
  • Beat cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in half the COOL WHIP. Spread onto bottom of crust.
  • Whisk remaining milk, pumpkin, dry pudding mixes and spices 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.
  • REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with remaining COOL WHIP.
It was delicious, but as I mentioned, I don't like a lot of spice and so next time I make it, I will use less clove.

Now its time to start decorating for the season. Of course I always wait until after my daughters birthday which is actually today and of course, the first day of Fall. Ill decorate while counting down the days til Spring.

Five Minute Sweet Potato Chips

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day. Unfortunately, This Labor Day I had to work. However, I did skip out of work early. The work load was slow and Im having extreme back pain. Sitting still adds severe agony. I know what it is and plan to go to see the doctor about it. I have a herniated disk that flares up rarely but I hope to get relief.

Anyhow...I got home a few hours earlier than usual. My husband had some steaks ready to go on the grill. We had a nice little Labor Day dinner. I wish my daughter would have been home. This Labor Day she spent it at her own place, sitting around the pool enjoying time with friends. So, as long as she's happy, we are happy. Sorta. I mean, I miss her like crazy.

Being that I had some extra time in the kitchen, I made some home made sweet potato chips. I heard these are a great snack or side items and are better for you than regular potato chips.


They were so easy to make. I read how to make them and every site said to bake them at 300 degrees for two hours.
Oh no. I didn't have time for that.
So, I just placed the thinly sliced chips on a microwave safe plate, sprayed them with olive oil, a little salt / pepper and cooked them for only 3 minutes. That's all it took to have the perfect little crispy snack.
2 minutes to prepare, 3 minutes to cook. It cant get any easier than that.


We began eating them as fast as I made them. They barely made it to the dinner table.
If the sweeter side is what you'd rather have, try dipping them in some cinnamon & sugar. I tried it with some Land O lakes cinnamon butter spread and it tastes wonderful. I had to quickly put it away because its loaded with the calories I don't need.

After dinner we took a short walk and enjoyed the rest of the evening. It will not be long now until Autumn will arrive. Even though its still in the 90's here in North Carolina, the trees are already turning. That's just crazy.


Ive shared this at:
.cookng-and-crafting-with-j-j-link-up at pluckys-secondthought
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
the-wednesday-showcase at asavoryfeast
thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop at katherinescorner

Fourth of July

Hope everyone had a wonderful fourth of July. How did you celebrate?

We celebrated by just spending the day together enjoying a day off. We got up early and went to the Farmers Market to get some veggies.


I think the whole town had the same idea. There were a lot of people shopping. We got a few veggies we need such as tomatoes and cucumbers but then we always grab a new veggie to try that we have never seen before. Today it was a purple Bell pepper.
 


They were really good and sweet just like the red or green ones but I thought the skin of the pepper was a little tough. However, I cant wait to put some on my salad today.

The day started out as being hazy and gloomy, then turn to a small shower that afternoon as we ventured out into the streets of Gastonia to enjoy the festivities that were going on up there.

 
The rain passed by quickly and the sun came out making it a beautiful day.


There were several vendors, rides for kids, crafts a games. We even saw a hot dog eating contest. That was painful.


I could not resist the temptation of the little bakery uptown as we sat outside and nibbled on a couple mini cupcakes. I said "mini".



Later that afternoon we met up with family for dinner then home for an evening walk. As we walked we could hear the bombs bursting in the air all around us from nearby thrill seekers and their fireworks. We decided not to go back uptown for the firework show because by the time we finished walking we were ready to call it a night.


We stood in our driveway and saw some fireworks in the horizon , under the stars and that was just enough for us to think "God Bless America".

Happy Easter

Hope everyone is having a happy Easter.

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. First, its symbolize how Christ sacrificed for us all. Its meant to be a new beginning. Its the beginning of spring. The flowers and dogwoods are blooming. The birds are singing and rushing around to get their nest built. I just love it.

Our church had a Good Friday service. Then Easter egg hunt was on Saturday and Easter morning we went to sunrise service and breakfast then attended church service a few hours later. We are now on our way to have lunch with family.

My daughter came home to spend the weekend. She will never outgrow the Easter tradition of dying eggs and baking some Easter goodies and yes, she still gets an Easter basket full of goodies. Did I mention, shes 23 years old? Yep still our baby.

We dyed eggs

 
 

and tried to make some bunny tails. AKA "Lemon Coconut Bliss". .You can find the recipe here. I couldnt get the recipe to work for me but the mess of mush it made was tasty.

This year, my husband was the Easter bunny.  He wanted to do her Easter basket this time. I sat back and let him. He has been staying on her to keep her car clean since shes moved out. Shes said she doesn't have things to do it with... 


She does now. This year, her basket was a car wash bucket instead of a pocket book. It was filled with sponges, soaps, shiners and sprayers instead of beauty products, clothes and games. The look on her face when she got it was priceless. Sort of confused and surprised. Ok, mom had to add some candy, cookies and makeup to the mix but it was still wash bucket.

I think my Husband did a good job. I believe Ill let him do her next birthday and Christmas

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE.

Pumpkin Spice Biscotti

Ok all you coffee lovers out there. Here is a wonderful recipe for Biscotti with a touch of Autumn, and spice. Perfect dipped in your favorite hot drink.

 
 
This biscotti is not too sweet but just sweet enough to get your day started and Im going to share the recipe with you. But first, make sure you read the baking directions correctly. I thought I was miss Betty Crocker and went ahead of the directions then realized I was doing it all wrong. It was almost a mess but was an easy fix.

 

Pumpkin Spice Biscotti
 
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
 
Sift together,
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
 
In another bowl whisk together,
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Directions:
  • Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and blend together. (it will be dry and crumbly)
  • Flour your hands and a clean counter top and kneed the dough.
  • Form the dough into a log about 6 inches wide and 1/2 inch high.
  • Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes.
  • Cut into 1 inch wide pieces.
  • Turn oven down to 300 degrees and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes .
Makes about 24 pieces.


These turned out a little soft. If you like them more crisp like I do, just bake them a little longer and/or leave out uncovered overnight.


Biscotti also makes great gifts for neighbors, work, or friends.
Store in an airtight container or baggies.
Enjoy.


Ive shared this at:
mix-it-up-monday at flourmewithlove
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
amaze-me-monday at dwellings-theheartofyourhome
monday-handmade-linkup at judyscardmakingandpapercrafts
something-fabulous at roubinek
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
thursday-favorite-things-blog-hop at katherinescorner